Childhood Friend of the Zenith - Chapter 635

Silence.

In a world scorched black, Woo Hyuk pondered.

It was truly quiet.

A world that had been filled with noise was, for some reason, silent.

Just moments ago, it had undoubtedly been unbearably loud.

—Kill.

—Accept.

—Praise.

These weren’t the usual chaotic noises he was accustomed to. Unlike the muddled cacophony he typically heard, these voices were piercingly clear.

How much time had passed since he started hearing these sounds? It felt like an eternity.

Boom! Boom, boom!

Suddenly, there were echoes of something shattering, as if the ceiling was collapsing.

—Praise…!

—Revere!

The voices, as if attempting to brainwash him, kept repeating over and over again.

And then, after a long while of incessant ringing—

—Praise…

Abruptly, silence returned.

‘Hmm?’

Noticing the stillness, Woo Hyuk slowly opened his eyes. A strange sense of longing washed over him.

‘It wasn’t bad.’

Though the repetitive voices had become slightly tiresome, compared to the usual noises, they were no different from a lullaby.

‘At this rate, I could rest a little more.’

But then it occurred to him.

‘The fact that the sounds have stopped…’

It likely meant something was about to happen. With that thought, Woo Hyuk opened his eyes fully and sat up.

“Hmm?”

He tilted his head at the sight before him.

Night had fallen over the world.

A pitch-black night so dark that nothing could be seen—not the ground below, nor the sky above.

“Ah?”

Looking upward, Woo Hyuk let out a sound.

He clearly saw it.

The remaining white backdrop, consumed and swallowed by the encroaching blackness.

That was the last of it. The entire world around Woo Hyuk had been scorched black.

“Heh.”

Woo Hyuk laughed at the sight.

“This is perfect for sleeping.”

Rather than worry, that was the first thought that came to him.

A world devoid of even a single glimmer of light. If he closed his eyes here, it felt like he’d sleep soundly.

As he considered this and was about to lie back down—

“Come to think of it…”

An odd thought crossed his mind.

“Why am I here?”

Why was he in such a place? It was only now that the question arose.

How had he ended up here?

‘I remember… near the end…’

He thought he’d followed someone and seen something. But the details were unclear.

“Well, does it matter?”

He didn’t feel it was particularly important.

Using his arm as a pillow, Woo Hyuk turned onto his side. Whatever it was, what did it matter?

‘It’s so peaceful right now.’

The tranquility of the moment was more significant to him.

In the silence, he sought sleep. Unable to resist the temptation, Woo Hyuk began to close his eyes.

Tap.

“Hmm?”

He felt a presence.

Curious about the sudden intrusion, he turned his head.

Someone was sitting next to him.

And not just anyone.

—Creak… groan…

They sat on something white and indiscernible, crushing it under their weight.

It vaguely resembled a snake.

But no. It wasn’t quite a snake. Its form was too peculiar for that.

And as for the person atop it…

‘…Who is that?’

It was someone Woo Hyuk had never seen before.

Clad in a torn and tattered black martial robe, their frame didn’t appear particularly large.

However, when Woo Hyuk raised his gaze to look at their face—

“…!”

A chill ran down his spine.

Instinctively, his body shot upright.

Goosebumps erupted across his skin.

As soon as their eyes met, an inexplicable terror engulfed him.

‘…What is this killing intent…?’

The sheer murderous aura emanating from the man put Woo Hyuk’s body on high alert.

The man had done nothing—hadn’t even directed his gaze at Woo Hyuk.

And yet, just being in his presence made Woo Hyuk feel as though death was imminent.

It was as if the man had condensed killing intent into human form.

Such a man stood before him.

“…Who are you…?”

With a voice full of caution, Woo Hyuk asked.

Swish.

The man slowly turned his head to face Woo Hyuk.

Seeing his face, Woo Hyuk flinched.

‘…What is this?’

He looked familiar.

The man’s face bore a striking resemblance to someone Woo Hyuk knew.

Aside from the amethyst-like pupils and sclera darkened as if scorched, the man’s sharp eyes and features reminded him of someone familiar.

It was as if this was how that person would look if they aged.

Gulp.

In the heavy silence, Woo Hyuk swallowed dryly.

And then—

“I’m sorry.”

A sudden apology broke the stillness, leaving Woo Hyuk dumbfounded.

He hadn’t expected such words.

“…What?”

Unconcerned with hiding his confusion, Woo Hyuk questioned the man.

“I realized I’ve never said those words to you before.”

“Hmm?”

Does he know me? Woo Hyuk wore a puzzled expression.

“What do you think?”

This time, the man directed a question at Woo Hyuk.

“The man you saved—how do I seem now?”

“…?”

Saved? What was he talking about? Woo Hyuk couldn’t comprehend.

Saved him? When had he ever saved this man?

“…When did I ever save you?”

“Though I’ve tried to understand, I’ve never been able to comprehend you.”

Even as Woo Hyuk asked, the man didn’t seem inclined to answer.

“To risk your precious life to save me—to do so without a moment’s hesitation—I’ll never understand that.”

For some reason, Woo Hyuk felt suffocated as he listened to the man.

“…Who are you? Who could you possibly be to say such things?”

“Do you regret it?”

Once again, no answer. The man merely continued speaking.

“I hope you do.”

His voice was heavy, his tone scorched with weariness.

“So you’ll resent me. You deserve that.”

“…”

“Back then. And…”

The man turned his head away from Woo Hyuk again.

“In the future.”

“…”

No matter how Woo Hyuk looked at it, he couldn’t understand.

What the man was saying, who he even was—none of it made sense.

And yet—

“…I don’t know what you’re saying.”

For some reason, Woo Hyuk felt compelled to respond.

Why? If he had to explain—

“If I truly saved you…”

It just felt like the right thing to do.

“It’s because you seemed worth saving.”

“…”

The man still didn’t look at Woo Hyuk, but his shoulders trembled faintly at those words.

“You asked if I regretted it?”

Woo Hyuk answered with a blunt expression.

“Well, I probably didn’t. I would have saved someone worthwhile. That’s enough. That’s what I’d have thought.”

It’s what he believed he would have done. Those feelings shaped his words.

And then—

“You started wrong.”

“Started?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

The man’s initial words to Woo Hyuk.

Woo Hyuk didn’t like them for some reason.

“Thank you.”

“…!”

“That would’ve been a little better to hear.”

“Ha.”

At Woo Hyuk’s response, the man let out a soft laugh.

“You’re still an idiot.”

“What…?”

Caught off guard by the sudden insult, Woo Hyuk stared at the man incredulously.

And yet, he felt oddly familiar.

“Damn brat.”

“For a stranger, you sure have a foul mouth. Does everyone who looks like that act this way—?”

Swish.

Before Woo Hyuk could finish, the man rose.

Seeing this, Woo Hyuk waved his hands in alarm.

“Wait, wait! It was a joke! Just a joke—!”

Instinctively sensing danger, Woo Hyuk prepared to flee, but—

Fortunately, the man didn’t seem intent on hitting him. Approaching Woo Hyuk calmly, the man looked down at him and spoke.

"Now, get up."

"Excuse me?"

"It’s about time. My hand’s starting to hurt."

"...What?"

Before Woo Hyuk could make sense of the statement—

Slap!

"Ugh!?"

Woo Hyuk’s head turned sharply to the side. A stinging pain spread across his cheek, prompting him to clutch it.

He had been slapped. But—

‘It wasn’t him who hit me.’

The man before him hadn’t moved. What was going on?

Slap!

"Argh!"

Another hit. And it didn’t stop there.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

With each sharp sound, Woo Hyuk’s head was whipped back and forth.

"Ugh—stop it!"

He shouted, not even sure who he was yelling at. The man, meanwhile, merely stared at him and spoke.

"Get up."

Slap!

"Wait—hold on—!"

Slap! Slap!

"I said, get up."

SLAP!!

"Damn it—!!"

Unable to endure the pain any longer, Woo Hyuk finally shouted.

"Fine! I’ll get up! Just stop hitting me!"

With that, he shot to his feet.

"Hah… hah…"

"You’re up," came a voice, lighter and more youthful than the one they had been conversing in.

Woo Hyuk turned his gaze toward it and saw Gu Yangcheon standing there, hand raised.

"...You…ugh!"

The pain flared again as Woo Hyuk winced, his cheeks throbbing.

They were unbearably sore and burning hot.

"You just wouldn’t wake up. So, I gave you a little nudge. Turns out this was the answer."

Wait. The pain and sound he’d been experiencing…

"...You were actually hitting me?"

"You wouldn’t wake up," Gu Yangcheon replied casually.

Woo Hyuk, his cheeks swollen, grumbled, "Couldn’t you have just used your energy to wake me?"

After all, a simple flow of energy would’ve been enough to rouse him. It might have been a slightly advanced technique, but for someone like Gu Yangcheon, it should’ve been child’s play.

Gu Yangcheon gave an awkward laugh. "Yeah, that doesn’t really work on you anymore."

"What…?" Woo Hyuk started to ask, only to freeze, his eyes widening.

Something felt off.

He inspected his body.

"Huh?"

And then he noticed. His body was different.

‘What is this?’

Aside from his tattered robes, his body didn’t appear damaged on the surface. But internally, everything was different.

‘...Energy.’

An overwhelming amount of energy coursed through him, far more than he was accustomed to.

Woo Hyuk had already been a prodigy of his generation, known as one of the "Three Peaks of Wudang." His energy had never been insignificant.

But now, it was on an entirely different level.

‘...It’s overflowing.’

It flowed and surged, so much that he couldn’t even grasp its full extent.

And then—

"...!"

As he assessed the energy, Woo Hyuk noticed the most peculiar thing.

‘Why is my energy...?!’

The energy that should have been centered in his lower dantian was now concentrated near his heart—in the middle dantian.

What was going on?

"Tsk."

Gu Yangcheon clicked his tongue.

"You’re already an arrogant bastard, and now you’ve gone and devoured a fortune on top of it."

"A fortune…?"

"Ah, damn it. What a waste…."

Hah.

His sighs grew heavier, tinged with genuine frustration.

"Seriously, such a waste…."

"...What are you talking about? What’s so wasteful?"

"There’s stuff like that, you idiot! If I’d gotten it instead, I could’ve…."

Gu Yangcheon grumbled while inspecting Woo Hyuk’s body.

"Still, at least it seems to be working properly."

"...?"

"Judging by your state, you don’t seem to realize what you’ve gained. Is this some side effect from passing it over?"

"What are you talking about?" Woo Hyuk asked.

"Never mind. As long as it works, that’s all that matters."

Without answering any of Woo Hyuk’s questions, Gu Yangcheon straightened up. Woo Hyuk, noticing the state of his companion, spoke with concern.

"Are you hurt?"

"Huh? Oh."

Gu Yangcheon’s body was in a terrible condition.

His torso bore deep, dark wounds from which blood seeped. Scrapes and gashes covered him, evidence of countless battles.

Moreover—

‘His breathing is erratic.’

Gu Yangcheon’s uneven breathing was a clear sign of exhaustion.

For someone like him—a monster in human form—to reach such a state, what on earth had happened?

"It’s just a few scratches," Gu Yangcheon dismissed lightly.

But his condition was far from simple. Meanwhile, Woo Hyuk glanced around, taking in his surroundings.

"This place…."

It was destroyed and in ruins, but still familiar. It was the place he and Yuseon had come to.

Ah.

"Yuseon…! Where is Lady Il Gong-nyeo?"

"…"

At Woo Hyuk’s question, Gu Yangcheon frowned slightly and replied.

"I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask you."

"…"

Woo Hyuk clamped his mouth shut.

There were words that needed to be exchanged between them. Gu Yangcheon had things to ask Woo Hyuk, and now Woo Hyuk had questions for him as well.

"So, be ready."

"...Ready?"

"Yeah, ready."

Gu Yangcheon rubbed his ear with his pinky finger, as if bored.

"It’s going to be a long conversation, so let’s both prepare a three-sentence summary. For each other."

"…"

"Neither of us is a fan of lengthy chatter, right?"

It should’ve been a grave moment.

But, as always, Gu Yangcheon’s demeanor was nonchalant. Suggesting a three-sentence summary in such a situation—it was sheer lunacy.

‘This guy….’

The more Woo Hyuk looked at him, the less he understood him.

At that moment, Gu Yangcheon turned to leave.

"Then, I’ll head out first. Take your time coming."

"What?"

Gu Yangcheon’s words left Woo Hyuk flustered.

"Head out? Where?"

Was he seriously planning to leave Woo Hyuk here?

As Woo Hyuk’s confusion grew, Gu Yangcheon explained.

"I was going to take you with me when you woke up."

That was, after all, the original purpose of his search.

But—

"It’s gotten urgent."

Gu Yangcheon wiped away cold sweat as he glanced at something in the distance.

"Damn it. Even at the end, it’s still causing trouble. Nothing’s ever simple, is it?"

"Yangcheon…?"

"You should be fine on your own now. Just make your way back."

It seemed Gu Yangcheon didn’t have time to explain. He crouched slightly, preparing to leap.

Whoosh!

In an instant, flames engulfed his body.

And just as he was about to take off—

"Oh."

As if remembering something, Gu Yangcheon turned back to Woo Hyuk.

"Hey."

"Huh?"

"Thanks…"

He hesitated for a moment, biting his lip before finishing.

"Thanks for staying alive."

"...?"

Before Woo Hyuk could ask what he meant—

Fwoosh! Boom!

Gu Yangcheon shot through the ceiling, surrounded by flames.

"…"

Left alone, Woo Hyuk couldn’t help but feel…

Something bittersweet.

As if the feelings he was experiencing weren’t entirely his own.