942 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The skin on my torn palm was roughly wrapped with a bandage. It was a bandage I had stolen from Seol Yeong. Judging by the lingering pain, it seemed like it would take some time to heal. ‘I've managed to stop the bleeding, but it’s not very effective.’ I could see the bandage stained with crimson. Even though I had used acupressure to stop the bleeding, blood was still oozing. Was the wound that deep? I could see a bit of the bone, but considering the state of my body, it was clear that healing was slow. ‘What kind of material is it anyway?’ Was touching it enough to end up like this? If I had tried to cut with it, I doubt the outcome would have been good. However, there’s a question here. ‘Does this happen even when enshrouded in internal energy?’ When we shook hands earlier, I hadn’t thought of enveloping it. If I had, would there have been a difference? I found myself wondering curiously. ‘Should I try it?’ I was tempted to try it out of curiosity, but I felt like I might get hurt, so I couldn’t recklessly attempt it. If nothing happens, maybe I would attempt it. ‘For now, I need to use my body.’ I couldn’t afford to gamble carelessly since I needed to handle my body efficiently for a while. "Hmm." I moved my hand around. There was pain, but it wasn’t an obstacle to moving. As long as I didn’t use this particular hand, it was manageable. ‘At this level….’ I grasped how much strength I needed to control. So. ‘Shall I get going?’ I stretched a bit and looked back. I noticed the Heavenly Demon was staring at my hand. “What are you looking at?” I asked bluntly, and the Heavenly Demon, now looking into my eyes, asked. "Are you okay?" "What if I said I'm not?" “...” The Heavenly Demon’s eyes rolled, seemingly taken aback by the unexpected response. He hadn’t thought this through, it seemed. I let out a sigh and spoke. “….I’m fine, so don’t worry.” "Okay." Satisfied with my answer, the Heavenly Demon nodded. Was that what he wanted…? I clicked my tongue and turned my head again. It was still early, a distant time from sunset. I briefly looked at the sky before moving my steps. The Heavenly Demon naturally walked alongside me. Should I tell him not to follow? I hesitated for a moment but decided not to bother. He never listened to me anyway. For now, I had something more important to think about than the Heavenly Demon. ‘Should I take Gu Bong?’ I contemplated briefly but decided not to bring him. He didn’t seem to be in a fit state of mind to accompany me. ‘Moving quickly alone is better this time.’ Considering my plan, I didn’t need Gu Bong at the moment. Reflecting on that, I moved my steps forward. Simultaneously, Giiiing--!! I exerted force on my heart to move the threads. The threads spread out finely, encircling my body. So transparent that they couldn’t be seen with the naked eye, yet my body distinctly sensed the exotic energy. It felt like my soul was being overlaid with something new. At the moment I fully sensed this, Swoosh. As if something was planted within my soul, a change occurred in my body. A tail and ears emerged. It was the same ability granted by the turtle. ‘Hmm.’ I touched them slightly and nodded. ‘Not bad.’ Better than last time. Though not as profound as when the turtle did it, it was better than my initial attempt. After examining my body to ensure there were no issues. “Hey.” I called for the Heavenly Demon. “Yes?” “Come here.” At my call, the Heavenly Demon obediently approached. If I had to bring him along, I couldn't just drag him around. There was something I had to do at that moment, so I reached out toward the Heavenly Demon’s chest. “...” Before my hand touched the Heavenly Demon, I hesitated slightly. Morning memories surfaced. “…Tsk.” Remembering the sensation from earlier, I faltered. “…?” The Heavenly Demon looked at me with a puzzled expression. I watched and just extended my hand. My palm landed just beneath the collarbone. I injected my energy, weaving threads into the Heavenly Demon’s body. Ssssshhhhh--!! Just as when handling my body, I tried to overlay it onto his soul. Crackle-! ‘Hmm?’ A different sensation made me furrow my brow. ‘What is this?’ The threads of the spell stretched but crumbled before fully wrapping. Ordinarily, it should have wrapped around him properly, but it failed to encircle his body. It dissipated before even touching his soul. No matter how I described it, it was clear – the spell couldn’t reach the Heavenly Demon. ‘…This…’ What’s going on? Is it because I must implement it onto someone other than myself? That could be a possibility. ‘...But that doesn’t seem to be it.’ Recalling how the turtle applied a similar technique, it shouldn’t just be that. Which means. ‘The issue lies with the Heavenly Demon.’ The Heavenly Demon, she possessed something that made her impervious to the spell. ‘…Hmm.’ Does this mean the spell won’t work? No, since I saw the turtle apply it, that couldn’t be entirely true. If so. ‘There must be a different way.’ The methodology of casting the spell would differ. This method just wasn’t right. Maybe there'd be another approach. Thinking so, I concentrated. It disappeared just before reaching a certain point. So, I added more energy. Shhh. ‘It’s the same.’ Even saturating it with more energy didn’t slow down its dissipation. It wasn’t about the amount. I tried changing angles. If straight lines were the issue, I made them diagonal. If that didn’t work, I tried curving them. ‘That’s not it either.’ It didn’t work. But after multiple attempts, I realized one thing. ‘There’s a specific area.’ The thread disintegrates at a specific point. As if burned in a flame. ‘A flame?’ Burning in a flame? As I thought of it that way, I squinted, finding something unnerving. Ssssss--! I altered my energy. Not just increasing the quantity like before, but making it more compact. I increased density instead of mere quantity. Adding energy didn’t change the size, so I decided to make it stronger instead. How should I achieve that? It didn't take long to decide. If this were martial arts, I might have been filled with uncertainty, but when it comes to sorcery, right answers come quickly. This time was no different. ‘I’ll just do it roughly.’ If I desired it, I could make it happen. If I wanted it, it was possible. Even if difficult, it wasn’t something beyond reach. ‘Densely packed.’ Without any gaps, neat and precise. It required considerable concentration, but it wasn’t difficult. After all, it was just about filling the density until there was no empty space. I didn’t think it was a particularly arduous task. ‘There we go.’ Soon enough, I felt that the quality of the thread I was emitting had become stronger than before. I extended it and attempted what I did earlier once more. Chi-i-i-ing--!!! ‘Oh.’ Surprisingly, the reaction was different from before. The thread reached the point where it previously vanished but didn’t disappear. It didn’t completely vanish. There was resistance, a pressure trying to obliterate the thread, but it didn’t evaporate immediately like before. It seemed like it could hold on. However, not for long. Hesitate or falter for even a moment, and it would be over. That’s what my instinct told me. Sss-! The thread of denser sorcery wrapped around the Heavenly Demon’s body. Crackle!! The thread started to burn. I somehow managed to wrap it, but it, unfortunately, didn't penetrate the soul. ‘Is this the best I can do?’ Trying further was overreaching. If I continued, it would be mere greed. ‘Tsk.’ I clicked my tongue shortly and finalized the spell by weaving the thread together. Then. Flash-! The Heavenly Demon’s appearance shimmered briefly, and dark purple dog ears sprouted from her head. “Oh.” The Heavenly Demon touched her ears, curious and intrigued. Last time, only a tail appeared, but this time it was just the ears. She seemed thrilled, playing intently with her ears. "Hey…. If you keep fiddling with them, they might come undone…!" Sway-! Suddenly, dizziness made my body sway. I barely managed to find strength in my legs to prevent collapsing. “Huh.” A dry laugh escaped me. Beads of sweat formed as I touched my chin. ‘What is this?’ I thought it wasn’t particularly taxing, but apparently, it was. Not physical exhaustion, by the looks of it. ‘….Feels like the insides were shaken?’ Like they were wrung out? It felt like every last ounce of strength was being drawn and used. ‘Feeling fatigue from increasing density?’ True enough. Even in martial arts, compressing and rotating energy strongly made the exhaustion level different with the same energy. Maybe this was a similar case. “Whew.” Regulating my breath, I straightened my body. Mentally, I felt drained, but there was no bodily issue. A short rest would probably suffice. Thinking so, I spoke to the Heavenly Demon. "…Let’s go for now." “Okay.” Lingering any longer wouldn’t help, so we needed to move for the moment. ******************* We left the Volcano Sect and headed toward Yaywol. Before dusk settled, we reached Yaywol Fortress. Suppressing the urge to sprint or fly, I barely managed to walk. I could’ve moved faster, but walking slower than my capabilities proved more grueling than expected. Luckily, we reached the fortress just before my patience wore out. “Halt-!” As we approached the gate, a guard pointed a spear at us. Just like last time. “What’s your purpose?” His vigilance was evident. During my initial visit, they weren’t this sharp. It seemed to be a result of the past incident I stirred up. Since this was the outcome I intended, it didn’t really matter. I took out a token from my sleeve and showed it to the guard. “…Whoah…!” Upon seeing the token, the guard’s eyes widened. “S-sincere apologies…!” He hastily retracted his spear and stepped aside, gesturing for us to enter. The token certainly proved helpful. Unlike last time, his attitude had changed. Does every world value connections the most? With a peculiar sentiment, I entered inside. Like before, it was vastly expansive and crowded compared to the Volcano Sect. I noticed vigilant glances from time to time. Armed individuals patrolled the area, but putting that aside, it was clear this place was well-managed. As we leisurely strolled through the streets. “Where are we going?” The Heavenly Demon asked me. I nodded at her words. “For now…. well. I’m thinking about checking out somewhere we visited.” The place where the Black Clan resided, a stop from our previous visit. It was Gu Bong’s household. Given there were things to discuss with his father, the clan leader, it seemed I needed to head there first. ‘Or….’ I could also choose to visit a different place. Having seen white and black, exploring the other two factions wouldn’t be a bad idea either. After all. ‘I’ll need to meet them eventually.’ Whether I meet them as myself. Or as the Heavenly Demon. Ultimately, meeting them seemed to be inevitable. ‘So then…..’ Should I go elsewhere before heading to black? Yes, that’s it. Decision made. However. ‘….Where should I go?’ The problem was that I didn’t know the location of other places. I needed to find a path first. I had a vague understanding from before, but it wasn’t enough. Right as I pondered climbing a tall building to get a better sense of direction. “Well, well…. What are you searching for so eagerly?” Something suddenly wrapped around my shoulder. I turned my gaze. I looked to see an arm. I immediately glanced towards the owner of the arm. There stood a young man from the Moonlight Clan with a bright smile. “You seem like an outsider. Looking for something specific? If you’re lost, shall I lend a hand?” He spoke with a pleasant grin. ‘…What’s this?’ Silently observing him, I gulped. Despite appearing youthful and not particularly large in stature, a casual glance might deem him harmless and not worthy of caution. Thump-! But my heart thought otherwise as I looked at him. I pondered while staring at the young man. ‘…What kind of monster is this?’ I could sense something huge and unsettling within his seemingly small frame. 2 Comments 3.1 / 80 히데토 2024.10.17 17:50 신고 What a general 0 연우 2024.10.29 07:26 신고 Here comes the general 0 Only logged-in members can post comments. Weekly Best Mature BL/GL +401 Abandoned 6★ Heroes are Obsessive +2092 How to Survive as a Wizard in Magic School +703 Freed Slaves are Obsessive +294 It’s Too Easy in the Apocalypse for Me Alone +1425 Genius Magician Taking Medicine +216 Only My Skill Tooltips are Weird +717 Dual Spy of the Heavenly Demon Sect +158 Genius Devourer in a Destroyed World +479 Became a Necromancer in a Zombie World +14910 The World's Greatest Childhood Friend +511 Infinite Evolution Hunter +1512 Mistaken for a Genius Strategist +2513 The Top Ranker Has 100 Trillion Assets +1414 Became the Goddess of a New World +4915 Life is Easy When You're Handsome +3516 Dr. Maeng Wants Big Ears +2817 Dark Fantasy Normalization +9018 Reforming the Villainess in the Academy +6319 I Want to be a Virtual YouTuber +6220 The King of the Afterlife is Tired New + More New People Nearly in an Accident at the Railroad Crossing . 쿠로울링 +3 11.11 Re: Sharing More of the Last Keyword Cooking Found +5 11.11 Re: [Romance Fantasy] Requesting Resting Lady! 11.11 Re: Re: Martial God Regression to Level 2🥬🥬Request 11.11 Magical Girl Uncle 11.11 [Romance Fantasy] Requesting Resting Lady! 11.11 Deleted 11.11 Martial God Regression to Level 2🥬🥬Request +9 11.11 Currently: 도ㄲHㅂi Library Up to Episode 115 11.11 Requesting Survival in Romance Fantasy! 11.11 Requests for Romance Fantasy