914 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 914 of "The Greatest of All Time Childhood Friend" Negotiations, at their core, are a form of blackmail. If that doesn't work, throwing a tantrum is always an option. In this regard, the old man was far superior to me, possessing something truly overwhelming. What this means is... 'He truly hasn't grown up.' Even at his age, he was still immensely immature. Bang-! "Ugh!" I clutched my throbbing head. "Why on earth did you hit me!?" "Your eyes looked like you were cursing me in your head." "When did I ever do that?" Damn it. Should I start wearing a mask or something? How did he even notice? "Hmph." Shin Noya clapped the dust from his hands and turned back to the turtle. "So hurry up and take care of it." "You truly are shameless..." The turtle sighed heavily before aiming its staff at me. "The duration is three days based on the standard of Man Gye." "Excuse me?" "And if you move too violently, it might come undone, so be cautious." "What are you..." Before I could finish asking my question, a beam of light shot from the staff just as before. The difference this time was that it was aimed directly at me, not at the empty space. "Ugh!?" I involuntarily shut my eyes against the blinding light. Was it an attack? Should I counter-attack? As I hesitated briefly, the light gradually faded. Once it no longer felt blinding, I slowly opened my eyes again. "It's done." The turtle was nodding approvingly at me. Next to him, Shin Noya was barely suppressing laughter, his shoulders shaking. He looked like he was trying to stifle his amusement. What the heck? Why is he acting like that? Bemused by the situation, I noticed the turtle pointing his staff behind me. "That direction is particularly resistant, so this was the best we could do." I followed his gesture with my gaze. "Eh?" Seeing the Tianma behind me, I widened my eyes. "What in the world?" Something odd had happened to Tianma. Outwardly, she remained unchanged… except there was something poking out below her. What on earth? Could it possibly be... 'A tail...?' A fluffy, furry object was indeed swaying from Tianma. It was a tail, unmistakably. Noticing something amiss with her own body, Tianma was inspecting the tail over her shoulder. And it was not simply attached; she seemed to have control over it, experimentally wagging the tail back and forth. "...Hey, you." Why on earth does she have a tail now... "Wait a minute." My mind raced, and I hurriedly glanced over my own backside. It wasn't just Tianma. "Damn it." A similar fuzzy appendage, a bluish tail, trailed behind me as well. I tried moving it; sure enough, it swayed obediently with my thoughts. What the hell is this? I couldn't even find words for the absurdity of the situation. "Snrk... Khmph...!" Shin Noya's stifled laughter reached my ears. "A tail and ears on a face like that..." Finding it all too amusing, Noya was struggling to contain his laughter, his face now turning shades of red. "...Noya. What on earth?" I tried to question him, half indignant, half stunned. "Just a moment..." Wait, did he say something about ears too, just now? "Ears?" A cold sweat broke out. With trembling hands, I touched my head. Right then— Soft. "..." A texture I should not be feeling came through my fingertips. Soft. Soft. "..." Soft, soft, soft, soft. "Oh... what the hell?" Why on earth does it feel like this? I glanced back at Tianma, but there was nothing unusual on her head. "Noya...?" Confused, I urgently looked back at Shin Noya. He was still trying to suppress his laughter but, seeming slightly more composed, he spoke to me. "Heh... phew... you must have... khmph...! Surely you heard the turtle..." "...Are you going to laugh, or are you going to talk? Pick one." "The period is three days, so as long as you return within that, it'll be fine. He mentioned it could be undone by extreme movement, so don't make trouble." "..." True to my command, he ceased his laughter almost instantly. Judging from his previous demeanor, it was clear he had been pretending to laugh just to tease me. ...Is he really insane? "What even is this?" The gentle sensation and tail—what on earth are they? "It's simply a disguise, so you won't be recognized as you move around. Since I cannot be there, consider it a favor." "What—Suddenly moving around? Where am I supposed to go?" "Didn't you say you wanted to find a way back?" "...!" I clamped my mouth shut at his words. A way back to the Central Plains. I had been contemplating that indeed. "Moreover, though there is much I wish to tell you, I am rather occupied myself right now. It'd be faster for you to see and hear for yourself... Go and return swiftly." "What kind of..." "I've already arranged an escort for you. Have a safe journey. Turtle." "Oh, the burden of it all." At Noya's beckon, the turtle raised its staff again. A chill ran through me, prompting a hasty shout. "Wait, hold on. You can't just—explain a bit more—!" However— Glowing brightly, the light whisked me away before I could finish speaking. By the time my vision came back into focus— "...Do it right, you damned old man." I had been expelled back into that foreign world I'd arrived in days prior. ************** Back in the realm where Gu Yangcheon and the lady had vanished... Only Shin Noya and the turtle remained. With his staff casually resting on his shoulder, the turtle glanced at Shin Noya. "I've done as you wished. But are you really sure about this?" The turtle's expression was laced with enigmatic unease. Hearing this, Shin Noya looked back at him with a small grin. "What should I not be sure of?" "Though you've disguised them, it won't hold indefinitely. Especially..." The turtle quietly murmured to Shin Noya. "If they encounter those who watch over the outside, we need not say more." At the turtle's caution, Shin Noya burst into loud laughter. "You claim to have touched the heavens with sorcery, yet here you are voicing such concerns. Didn't you affirm that three days would suffice?" "I find myself repeating this often, but... Sect Leader," the turtle murmured softly. "Touching the heavens and truly being one with them are worlds apart, especially in this place." There's a chasm between merely touching and being one with something. There was a hint of worry in the turtle's voice, something Shin Cheol was certainly aware of. And because of that, Shin Cheol found the turtle all the more amusing. "So you've spent all this time showing disdain, but now that they're gone, you're concerned?" He had just been regarding Gu Yangcheon as a monster a moment ago, and now that he's gone, the turtle's demeanor seemed peculiar. "Concern? Naturally, you can't help but be concerned." The turtle admitted this matter-of-factly, taking Shin Cheol by surprise. He hadn’t expected the turtle to concede so easily. "Sect Leader. Do you not realize what's tied to the child you brought along?" "What?" Shin Cheol tilted his head at the turtle's words. "We merely call it a curse, but packing it into that term is much too narrow and fragile." "There you go again, speaking whimsically. Your shop would have to collapse before you’d make things simple, wouldn't it?" "That's just a sliver of it. Just a single sliver." The turtle emphasized the term. "If that single sliver collapses..." It was inevitable. The turtle could see what others could not, and to his eyes... "A disaster will come to be." Gu Yangcheon genuinely appeared monstrous. To illustrate this point, the source of his worry wasn’t Gu Yangcheon but the entirety of Man Gye itself. ******************** "Damn it." I held my forehead and cursed. Ever since arriving here, I've been swearing non-stop. "Ugh, damn it..." I cursed again. It didn’t help alleviate anything. Of course, venting this way didn't truly ease anything. It was more an expression of my frustration than anything else. "...Damn..." Just as I was about to curse again with some feeling— "Damn?" "..." The voice made me pause. Not my own, but Tianma's. "What does 'damn' mean?" With her usual monotone expression, she questioned me. I hadn't anticipated this inquiry. "Damn?" She repeated the word, tilting her head quizzically. Seeing her utter it cluelessly, I told her, "...Don't repeat it." "Why?" "Just don't, if I say not to." "Understood." Tianma nodded. "Sigh... Damn..." I halted another forming curse with a sigh. I glanced at Tianma from the corner of my eye. Fortunately, she didn't mimic me again. I didn't really mind if she did, but I just stopped. It wasn’t that I couldn't stand seeing her curse. Absolutely not. Then I examined our altered surroundings and furrowed my brow. "Damn stubborn old codger." He couldn't even offer an explanation before casting me out. What's the reason for this abrupt expulsion? Moreover... "What kind of nonsense is this?" I had to suppress my temper at the sensation of my new ears and tail. Everything else was tolerable, but this was bothersome. Squeeze- I touched the newly grown ears, dismayed at how surprisingly good they felt. "Insane." Suddenly acquiring unbidden ears and a tail was even more absurd than being unceremoniously expelled. "You know..." Tianma, who had been quietly observing, approached me. What now? "Can I touch them?" "Piss off." I responded immediately. “No?” “What do you think?” “...Got it.” Tianma retreated with noticeable disappointment. Her eyes all but screamed how let down she was. This is ridiculous. Grit. I ground my teeth. Why the hell am I caught in this mess? "What am I supposed to do now?" Why was I sent here in such a state? ‘What did he say? He was busy and couldn't explain, so I had to see for myself?’ That was roughly what Noya had said. Though it sounded absurd, he did say that, so I tried to piece it together. So, what exactly was I supposed to see? Doubt started to creep in. “Can’t I just go back?” I gazed upwards. Maybe there’s a peculiar point I can latch onto and break through like last time. I focused on the sky expectantly but... ‘...Nothing?’ I couldn’t sense anything. Whether I used my mind's eye or not, it was the same. I’d been able to see it last time, but not now. Why? ‘Did the turtle do something?’ The red light emanating from the staff— Could that have done something? Otherwise, only a few scenarios came to mind. ‘What is that old man really?’ Is it right to call him old? The being whom Noya called a turtle— Who is he, exactly? What is he to wield such sorcery? It was a fascinating power. So much so that the mere memory of it stirred a desire to witness it again. ‘Could I perform it too?’ The plethora of strings and styles that were displayed back then... Even just recalling it was so complex it felt as if my head would explode. Yet the vast amount of information within oddly piqued my curiosity. ‘How was it arranged again?’ I tried to recall the sequences and formations. The cheats used by Jegals had simply seemed like a lot of threads. But what I saw then was different. ‘There were just so many rules.’ It was abundant and intricate. It wasn’t founded on a single principle. Was that why it appeared in so many colors? I pondered as I wiggled my fingers. It was as if I were revisiting the unfolding process, remembering it bit by bit. Wooong—! The ring encircling my heart quivered almost imperceptibly. Energetic threads surfaced at my fingertips. I began weaving them together. Slowly shaping them into form. It seemed like it was done somewhat like this, right? I thought as I attempted to solidify its shape, just then— "...Excuse me." "...!" Startled by the voice, I lost my concentration. I quickly looked behind me. Thus, I missed seeing it. The moment the untangling energy briefly shimmered in rainbow hues. "Good grief... Who are you?" Gazing at the speaker, I frowned. "Why are you here?" "..." The person addressing me was Gu Bong, his face now sporting a nasty bruise. "The Greatest of All Time Childhood Friend" - Chapter 914 “Considering you used to boast about your mastery reaching the heavens in terms of sorcery, you sure sound uncertain now. Weren’t you the one who assured me three days would be fine?” "It seems I reiterate this often, Sect Leader," the turtle murmured in a low voice. "There's a distinction between merely touching the heavens and being what is truly called the heavens, especially here." There is a vast difference between merely brushing against something and becoming it. Worry was evident in the turtle's voice, and Shin Cheol was not oblivious to it. Which is why Shin Cheol found the turtle's worry amusing. "After showing nothing but disdain, now are you worried once they’re gone?" The same turtle that deemed Gu Yangcheon a monster just moments ago was now acting strange after he left. "Worry? Naturally, one cannot help but worry," the turtle admitted nonchalantly, leaving Shin Cheol somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected him to concede so easily. "Sect Leader, it's because you do not understand what binds that child you brought along." "What?" The words made Shin Cheol tilt his head in confusion. “Many simply call it a curse, but the term is too narrow and flimsy for it.” “There you go, with the cryptic speech again. Perhaps having your shop collapse would make you speak plainly?” “You're off by a hair. Just a hair.” The turtle emphasized that distinction with conviction. “If that single thread collapses...” It was bound to happen eventually. The turtle could see what others couldn’t, and to him… “A calamity will be birthed.” For indeed, Gu Yangcheon looked nothing short of a monster. As though to prove this statement was not about Gu Yangcheon alone, but regarding the entirety of the manifold worlds. ******************** "Damn it." I held my forehead, muttering in irritation. Curse words seemed unending after arriving here. "Damn it all..." I let out another one. It didn't soothe anything. Venting in this way didn’t resolve my frustration. It was more an expression of my exasperation than anything. "...Damn..." Just as I was about to curse once more in earnest— "Damn?" "..." The unexpected voice made me falter. Those weren’t my words. Tianma had repeated them. "What does 'damn' mean?" She questioned me with her usual unconcerned expression. Her asking me took me by surprise, never did I expect her to inquire. "Damn?" She tilted her head, mimicking the words, clueless about what they entailed, prompting me to say— “…Don’t imitate that.” “Why?” “Simply don’t, if I tell you not to.” “Understood.” Tianma nodded obediently. "Sigh... Damn..." I stopped mid-sigh, halting another curse trying to escape. I threw a furtive glance at her. She merely observed me without imitating, fortunately. Truth be told, I didn’t mind if she mimicked, but I stopped on my own. It wasn’t that I couldn’t stand seeing her curse. Absolutely not. Once I turned back to inspect my surroundings, a scowl creased my forehead. "Damn stubborn old man." An explanation before ejecting me would suffice. What’s with the abrupt eviction? Moreover... "What sorcery is this?" Gritting my teeth, I had to keep from cursing too vigorously upon feeling my new ears and tail. Everything else was fine, but dealing with these was troublesome. Squeeze— I touched the newfound ears; ironically, their softness was quite pleasing. “Insane.” The spontaneous arrival of ears and a tail was far more bewildering than being unceremoniously expelled. “You know…” Tianma, who had been watching me silently, spoke up. What is it now? “Can I touch them?” “No.” I replied instinctively. “No?” “No.” “...Understood.” Tianma stepped back, evidently disappointed, her eyes betraying her desire. Unbelievable. Grit— I ground my teeth. Why am I caught in this absurd scenario? “What am I supposed to do now?” Why was I expelled here in this fashion? ‘What was it he said? Too busy to explain, so I'd have to see for myself?’ That's approximately what Noya mentioned. As ridiculous as it sounded at the time, that's exactly what he said. Therefore, I began to try and understand. Then again, what was I supposed to see? Curious thoughts began to stir. “Can’t I go back?” I looked skyward. Was there a peculiarity I could exploit to break through, just like before? I focused intently on the space above but... ‘...I can't see it?’ I sensed nothing. Even using my mind's eye yielded the same result. Previously, I could perceive it, but now I couldn't. Why is that? ‘Did the turtle do something?’ The scarlet light radiating from the staff's tip— Had something been done through that? Unless there was another explanation, few scenarios explained it. ‘What exactly is that old man?’ Calling him an old man felt inaccurate—what was that being Noya referred to as a turtle? What exactly is he to practice such sorcery? It was a remarkable power. So fascinating that the mere remembrance stirred a yearning to witness it again. ‘Could I replicate it?’ The myriad strings and forms that had unfolded back then... Simply recalling it was an intensely convoluted process, as if my head might burst. Yet the colossal amount of information within oddly provoked my curiosity. ‘How was it arranged again?’ I tried to recollect the sequences and patterns. The tricks used by the Jegals had seemed like excessive threads, but what I saw then was entirely different. ‘The rules were overwhelming.’ Abundant and complex. It wasn't centered on a singular concept. Was that why it appeared in such a spectrum of colors? I mulled over this as I unconsciously fidgeted with my fingers. I tried to revisit the unfolding process, mentally rehearsing it step-by-step. Wooong— The ring encircling my heart faintly vibrated. Threads of energy emerged from my fingertips. I began entwining them. Slowly shaping them into form. That seemed approximately correct, did it not? As I deliberated on perfecting its structure, just then— "...Excuse me." "...!" Startled by the unexpected voice, I lost my concentration. I took a hurried glance behind me. Because I turned too late, I missed it. The momentary, shimmering rainbow hue on the dissociated energy. "Whoa... Who are you?" I furrowed my brow at the sudden intruder. "Why are you here?" "..." The individual who had spoken was Gu Bong, with a new, prominent bruise marring his face.