643 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Title: The Martial World’s First Companion - Chapter 643: Northern Hare Chapter 643: Rai Tian's Lone Sword "[Why?]" The question was posed with complete incomprehension. It seemed as if rejection wasn't even a consideration, causing Woo-hyuk to chuckle awkwardly. "...Even if you ask why..." "[No matter how deeply I ponder, I can't understand. Why?]" Why reject such a good opportunity? Are you insane? Namgoong Myung's expression said it all. From his perspective, it seemed indeed like a great opportunity, but if I were to explain the reason here: "It's because I am not one of the Namgoong clan." A very simple reason indeed. Whether this apparition was truly Namgoong Myung, if it was, why he remained here in such a form, Woo-hyuk couldn’t fathom any of it. However, if what he said was true and he wished to offer this opportunity under the guise of destiny... "I cannot accept it." Woo-hyuk had no intention of accepting it at all. "[For such a trivial reason?]" Upon hearing the answer, Namgoong Myung tilted his head slightly, still wearing an expression of disbelief. "It's not trivial. For such a destiny or deed, I believe it is only proper to leave it to your descendants rather than me." The Namgoong clan may be gone if they had fallen, but they still stood as one of the four great families, a pillar of the martial world. "Furthermore... senior, you might not be aware, but your descendant also resides here." Both might not be in the best state, but as long as that friend was around, Woo-hyuk believed there would be no problem. To take this opportunity for himself in such a situation? It was unthinkable. "[Hmmm.]" Namgoong Myung's expression grew more complex upon hearing this. "[A descendant, you say.]" So there is a member of the Namgoong clan here. Despite hearing this, Namgoong Myung's reaction was as bland as ever. Observing this, Woo-hyuk couldn't help but feel a sense of alienation. "...Could it be that you had some issues with the family?" Unable to suppress the alienation he felt, Woo-hyuk asked, and Namgoong Myung replied with a flat expression. "[Not particularly. It's simply that it no longer matters to me.]" "What you mean is...." "[It means I've long left behind such attachments.]" Left behind attachments? Does it simply mean that because he's deceased, he has no attachment to the family? It's too vague to be just a straightforward meaning. Then what could it mean? At the moment, it was beyond Woo-hyuk's understanding. "[So, you're saying you wish to reject my offer?]" "...I judged that it's not something for me to accept." "[In other words, you're refusing.]" "Yes." It wasn't for him to receive. That was Woo-hyuk's conviction. "[Hmm.]" Namgoong Myung's expression slightly shifted upon hearing such a response. Was he contemplating something? Watching this, Woo-hyuk spoke to Namgoong Myung. "Rather, if you wish for guidance towards the Namgoong family's bloodline, after addressing the matters here..." Just as he was about to suggest providing guidance— Vroom-! "...!" A vibration from somewhere made Woo-hyuk's head snap around quickly. Beyond the collapsed wall, a palpable vibration resonated from afar. Not just the vibration, but an overwhelming energy could also be felt. Instinctively, his gaze turned to the source, and Woo-hyuk's mouth came slightly agape. “What…?" The night sky was glowing brightly. Despite it being a dark time of night, why was the sky only clear in that spot? Moreover, what was this energy and heat that could be felt? As the wind carried the heat, a fleeting thought crossed Woo-hyuk's mind. ‘Could it be?’ He thought of a friend who had hurriedly left, claiming to have urgent business. Could it be that heat and the nocturnal brightness were of his doing? The thought crossed his mind. Truly, could a human produce such a phenomenon? ‘If it’s him.’ Always one to undertake the inexplicable, perhaps it was his handiwork. ‘And the direction…’ Presumably, the direction was where the Ice Palace Master’s sanctuary lay. The fact such vibrations were emanating from there suggested something was indeed transpiring. ‘In that case.’ Does this mean not just the palace master and that friend, but even the child might be embroiled in this issue? Crk. Strength naturally flowed into Woo-hyuk’s legs. ‘I must go.’ Shouldn't he head there immediately? There was no more time to be wasted. Ssss—! Energy seeped from Woo-hyuk's heart. It was a peculiar sensation. The emission of energy from the middle dantian was an unfamiliar feeling, yet somehow familiar. As if it had always been used in that manner, he wrapped the energy around his body without any strain. He could make it. With his fortified body and the energy enveloping it, he was confident he could reach in no time. He had to dash. As soon as Woo-hyuk judged this, bending his upper body in preparation— Whoom—! The vibrations continued to rupture without cessation before growing silent. Woo-hyuk’s eyes narrowed. Was it over? With such a question in mind, he looked ahead. Flash—! “...Urgh!?” Suddenly, a tremendous light burst forth, blinding Woo-hyuk. What on earth? Bewildered, he forced his eyes open. Whooosh—!!! An overwhelming wind pressure surged forth. Arghhh—! From below, screams were heard. Woo-hyuk fixed his footing, squinting against the gale, and looked ahead. “Huh…?” Where the light was emanating. Beyond the tempest mingled with heat, an overwhelming spectacle unfolded. His expanded senses, enhanced by mental acuity, barely managed to capture it. Fwoosh—! Something engulfed in flames. It resembled a beast, particularly a tiger, tearing across the ground. Every hair on his body stood on end as fear overcame him. The immense energy constituting the tiger accentuated an aura of absolute power, intimidating martial artists profoundly. What is that? Did his friend really do that? If flames were involved, surely it was his friend, but something felt different. "[Hmm.]" Whether by light or wind, Namgoong Myung, who watched from beside Woo-hyuk, reacted. "[Curious.]" His gaze at the flaming tiger was filled with questions. "[In our current era... it should be impossible to reach such levels. What could possibly be the cause?]" Namgoong Myung muttered to himself, as if recognizing the flaming tiger. "[The seal seems to be broken, and anomalies are awry.]" “Senior...?” As Woo-hyuk turned to Namgoong Myung to ask something, the latter acted first. "[Enough of this.]" Before Woo-hyuk could voice his question, Namgoong Myung reached forward. Swish—! "!?" Namgoong Myung's translucent arm sank into Woo-hyuk's chest. "What is this—!" Woo-hyuk tried to back away in shock. There was no pain. In fact, he felt nothing at all. Yet— Crackle—! A faint electric charge emanated from the arm inserted into him. There was no time to be bewildered. The electric charge expanded, and by the time Woo-hyuk realized, it enveloped his entire body. "[Just borrowing a moment.]" With those words, Woo-hyuk lost consciousness. ****************** Having explained everything, I stared at the person in front of me without relaxing my furrowed brow. "So...you came in this form, now?" Nod. Namgoong Myung, using Woo-hyuk's body, nodded at my words. I sighed, running a hand down my face at his nonchalant reaction. "...It’s as if I’ve become the neighborhood drum. Losing control again." A sigh escaped me. After enduring so much, now even a centuries-old elder had taken over. 'I swear, next time I won’t help...' If this was what helping resulted in—a potential possession by some strange entity—perhaps it was better to ignore it entirely. 'Anyway...' Through the fingers covering my face, I peered at the person before me. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance. Though it appeared to be Woo-hyuk's body, as he had introduced himself, he was not Woo-hyuk. ‘Rai Tian's Lone Sword, Namgoong Myung.’ Also known as the Thunder God. Furthermore. ‘The true self of the consciousness within the Lightning Child.’ The Lightning Child, which presumably now resided with Namgoong Bi-ah. The consciousness within it was who stood before me. According to him, he had left his attachments behind, remaining only with the resolve to save the world. ‘That means his real form is there.’ He claimed to have discarded attachments to his family, leaving only the intent to save the world. That presence was now before me. ‘Indeed.’ There was a palpable difference. The frivolous and lewd emotions once emanating from the Lightning Child were gone. As I had mentioned before, a sharp-edged sword stood in human form. Namgoong Myung was such a person. "You, descendent of that cursed fellow." Reacting to Namgoong Myung’s voice, though the title he used was peculiar, I did not object. It was clear who he referred to without needing words. It wasn't strange that he knew my identity either. ‘I knew from much experience.’ He could likely sense the divine aura of Shin Noya within me. Namgoong Myung or not, judging by others' reactions, it was no longer something they could ignore. "Did you do that?" Following the direction his finger indicated, I turned to see the charred remains of a white-ranked monster. "…That was not my doing." I attempted to contain it, but ultimately failed. "Then whose doing was it?" "Why do you ask such a thing?" What was his reason? With caution in my tone, Namgoong Myung looked at me. "Do you know what that is?" "...Is it not a white-ranked beast?" During the Blood Demon War, these beasts appeared bringing calamity, the highest rank of monsters. They were also bizarre and powerful enough to be dubbed dragons. "That creature should not exist in this world, not yet." Namgoong Myung’s eyes glinted with a hint of intensity. "Moreover, neither you nor your companions should be capable of capturing it. That’s why I'm asking. How did you manage it?" "…What?" What was he talking about? I understood the first part, but the latter was incomprehensible. "Why claim that it was uncapturable?" It lay dead before us, yet he said it couldn't be captured? "The world is under a curse. So long as that curse remains, capturing it is impossible. Surely you must have sensed it.... If not you, then who accomplished this feat?" "…!" Namgoong Myung's words made me shiver involuntarily. A curse. Such were words Shin Noya had mentioned once. The world had cursed this reality, no longer letting it have any more chances. Because of this, martial artists faced barriers, unable to grow stronger as in the past. Was this somehow connected? "A mystery. I intended to seal it away, yet what occurred?" "…You tried to seal it?" This implied that Namgoong Myung himself had been preventing the appearance of these beasts. [Just a little more….] It recalled to mind what the creature had said. Given more time, things would have been perfect. This suggested it had only recently awakened or been released. The reason behind this was secondary; the fact that the creature had unexpectedly been unsealed was paramount. ‘Meaning it might not have happened originally.’ In my past life, such an occurrence didn’t exist. There were no records of white-ranked beasts appearing in the Northern Seas. Given the sheer distance, perhaps we were unaware of such events even if they had occurred. Yet this revelation brought new questions. ‘If it truly didn’t happen?’ If no white-ranked beast appeared, and furthermore, if the creature hadn’t been unleashed? ‘It means there’s been a significant change.’ It seemed prudent to conclude someone had released the creature entombed in ice. ‘Who could it possibly be?’ Who orchestrated such an event? A vague discomfort began creeping from within. As my mind raced, Namgoong Myung continued speaking. "These beings shouldn’t surface in this world now. It's not their time." Not their time. Namgoong Myung’s words rankled. "When you say ‘time,’ do you mean the return of Shin Noya—or rather, the rebirth of the Volcano Divine Sword?" "How did you come to hear this?" "Hwang Ah Byul-young told me." The spirit of Hwang Ah Byul-young within the White Carp of Shaolin had spoken of it. "I see. You have already encountered him." "Yes." Not only Hwang Ah Byul-young but Tang Je-moon and Yeon Il-cheon as well. Furthermore. "I have encountered another version of your consciousness too, senior." "…" Mentioning the Lightning Child seemed to unsettle Namgoong Myung. "He might be not far from here..." "I know, he's been incessantly barking since earlier." Hmm? ‘Is the Lightning Child speaking to him?’ I recalled the Lightning Child ranting madly about his true self. It seemed they were capable of communicating even here. Curiously observing, Namgoong Myung ignored my fascination and continued speaking to me. "Descendant, where is Shin Cheol?" "..." I hesitated at the question about Shin Noya. "...He's not here at the moment." "At the moment? So he was here before?" "Yes." He was here initially but is now absent. Namgoong Myung frowned deeply at this explanation. "Do you mean he has completely vanished?" "Not exactly. He's merely...gone to another realm." "That I do not understand." "Neither do I. It’s something I struggle to grasp myself but..." I locked eyes with Namgoong Myung and asked, "The timing you mentioned earlier. Could you elaborate?" I had heard about Shin Noya’s reincarnation several times before. It was a preparation by heroes anticipating the revival of the Blood Demon—a plan to reincarnate Noya at the right time. I was familiar with that concept. ‘Though it wasn’t entirely successful.’ Reincarnation—how could such a thing be possible? Yet, someone like me, who had traversed time, was in no position to question it. Despite having experienced my share of implausible occurrences, I didn’t dismiss it entirely. Still, our conversation unveiled something more significant. “…Are you suggesting that the world's curse and Noya’s reincarnation are interconnected?” A curse that prevented one from growing beyond a certain point of strength. If under this curse, one could not properly hunt white-ranked beasts, and if it tied to Noya’s reincarnation... ‘If Noya had reincarnated successfully, does it mean he would have overcome the curse upon his revival?’ If that was the case, I could understand why they so fervently desired Noya’s reincarnation in the first place. Namgoong Myung tilted his head as he responded to my urgent question. "Didn’t you hear it properly from him?" "He didn't know much himself." I wanted to know for a long time, but it seemed Shin Noya had a greater desire to understand it than I did. Without much memory to begin with, he was in no position to explain things to me. Upon saying so, Namgoong Myung’s eyes showed a peculiar expression. "He had no memory?" "Yes. Let alone reincarnation, he didn’t even remember how he ended up being contained in a relic." He didn’t know why he was confined within the relic of the Hwasan Sect or why his companions existed as lingering consciousnesses in this era. Recalling our mutual frustration now felt somewhat comical. Given Namgoong Myung appeared to know more, I hoped he could finally relieve my pent-up frustration. "What do you mean?" questioned Namgoong Myung, still with a puzzled expression. Was it truly so unusual for Shin Noya to not remember? Just then... "Contained in a relic, you say?" Namgoong Myung delivered a rather shocking revelation. "You speak of a relic, not the Hwasan Sect's Bido in Shaanxi? What do you mean by this?" A sudden chill swept across my chest like an icy breeze.