1107 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The World's Greatest Martial Artist's Childhood Friend Chapter 1107 "...Eh?" Their eyes met. Namgung Se had those distinctive blue eyes. To borrow the words of Shin Noya, a face that looked strikingly like Namgung Myeong's, handsome beyond belief. Compared to Namgung Jin, he gave the impression of being sharper and cooler—a young man with a certain chill to his demeanor. "What... what's going on?" The eccentric Namgung Hyung. A figure destined to leave Namgung's household, carrying the Thunderchild, to become a warrior of Wudang in the future. He locked eyes with his younger self. 'Crazy.' Caught off guard, I couldn't even breathe. Was that really Namgung Hyung? Unexpectedly encountering him here made me shut my mouth and stare blankly at him. "Who... are you?" Namgung Hyung spoke to me with heavy suspicion, his hand already reaching for his waist. I quickly raised my hands. "Oh... I'm from the League." "The League?" Namgung Hyung's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the League. "The Martial Arts Alliance?" "Yes, I'm from the Martial Arts Alliance." As I spoke, I showed him my chest. I was wearing the uniform of the Qinglong Unit provided by the League, which bore the emblem of the Martial Arts Alliance. Seeing this, Namgung Hyung seemed to relax his guard slightly. "...How is someone like you here? This place isn't open to just anyone." Naturally, it wasn't going to be that easy. This was the records room of the Namgung clan. No outsider should be here so easily; the mere presence of someone from the League was a problem in itself. "I got lost..." That was the best excuse I could come up with. "Lost?" Namgung Hyung's suspicion deepened. Of course, that was to be expected. "I'm serious." "There should be a gatekeeper." "There wasn't one." "...There wasn't? Oh, really?" "Yes." "Why wouldn't there be one?" "Why ask me... Hang on." I furrowed my brow and spoke. "Why are you using casual language?" "So are you. We look about the same age anyway." "Oh..." I nodded at his words. Right, this strange fellow was called a weirdo often enough. "By the way, what are you doing here?" "Isn't it obvious?" "I can tell you're a blood relative, but it’s not like either of us are here with permission, is it?" "What do you mean? How would you know that?" "Because you couldn't confirm the absence of the gatekeeper." If he had genuinely seen the gatekeeper, he should’ve suspected my claim when I said there wasn’t one. 'There wasn't? Oh, really?' He only seemed puzzled. It meant he wasn't sure himself if the gatekeeper was there or not. "Oh, clever?" "Besides, you were conversing with someone. Who were you talking to?" "..." As I asked, Namgung Hyung fell silent. It was obvious whom he had been conversing with. 'It must be Namgung Myeong.' The fixation of Namgung Myeong's desire, contained within Thunderchild—the unyielding wish to continue the sword heritage of the Namgung household. He had been conversing with that. "...I tend to talk to myself a lot." "..." I sensed something in Namgung Hyung's words. 'This guy can't lie either.' Neither he nor I seemed any good at pretending. "Oh, really...?" "Yeah, anyway." Namgung Hyung stood up. "See, I snuck in too, but I could just get scolded and be done. That’s not the same for you, right?" Sliiide. He unsheathed his sword. "Even if it's obvious you’re making excuses, I have a position to maintain, so I have to deal with the intruder, you know?" I smacked my lips at his words. "Uh, that's probably not a good choice... Could you let it slide?" "I told you. I also have my positions to consider. Let's try to understand each other?" Thud-! Namgung Hyung charged at me suddenly. In a flash, he was right before me, turning swiftly to swing his sword. 'Oh.' The movements were smooth. Much better than what I had seen from Namgung Jin. Definitely. 'This guy is more talented.' Namgung Hyung had more talent than Namgung Jin. Thuck-! "Huh?" I cut off the movement before his sword could find its mark. His eyes widened as I grabbed his wrist suddenly. Squeeze-! He tried to exert more force, but his sword wouldn’t move. Seeing this, I noticed the surprise in Namgung Hyung's eyes. "Why is this..." Namgung Hyung spun around. I tripped him, breaking his balance instantly. His guard dropped, and I lightly pushed his torso. Thud-!!! "Argh!" Namgung Hyung's body was pushed back just like that. Even as I watched, I marveled a bit. 'Even in that moment, he defends?' I created an opening and pushed him, yet in that brief instant, he gathered his energy in his abdomen to defend. Screech-! Thanks to that, Namgung Hyung stopped not too far away. "Whoa..." He looked at me, eyes gleaming as he held his sword. "You're strong, aren't you?" "People say that often." "But not the most polite, huh?" "They say that often too." "Hahaha." Namgung Hyung laughed. "I see. I understand now." What does he understand? I stared at him with curiosity. "You're the Divine Dragon, aren’t you?" "...Huh?" He spouted something nonsensical. "I heard the famous Divine Dragon was coming to the clan. I was a bit curious because of all the commotion." Sliiide. Namgung Hyung raised his sword again. "Seeing you confirms it. You're on another level, aren't you?" Just one clash of swords. Just one contact. From that, Namgung Hyung seemed to have confirmed something, his eyes sparkling. "You're the Divine Dragon, right?" "I'm not—" "Though your looks are a bit messed up compared to what I've heard." "...This brat?" I was about to deny it but felt insulted. Why was he bringing up my face now? "Anyway. You’re the Divine Dragon, aren’t you?" "Hah... Would you believe me if I said no?" "No. Because otherwise... our elders wouldn't be making such a fuss." Namgung Hyung smiled as he spoke, and I glanced at the sword hanging on the wall. -Hold your ground. That fellow is a monster. A monster in a human guise. '...' The senior's words were a bit much. A monster in the guise of a human. Though not wrong, it was slightly displeasing. 'I can still hear the voice.' It's a voice only those of his bloodline could hear. Even among them, you needed talent to hear Thunderchild's voice. The legend stated that whoever was chosen by the Thunderchild would become the head of the Namgung family. 'So it had been decided that it wouldn't be like that anymore.' The criteria might have shifted at some point, and from the time of Tianzun, it was no longer necessary to be chosen by the Thunderchild. -Don't meddle with this, it could be dangerous. "Quit the noise, Elder. I can handle this." "...You're going further?" "I have to. Didn’t I say there are circumstances on my side?" Those supposed circumstances were nonsense. Anyone could see he simply wanted to fight. ‘This old guy was quite passionate in his younger days.’ The eccentric Hyung was generally laid-back and inclined towards indolence. Was he passionate about martial arts now, or was he merely excited to meet someone strong? I couldn't be sure. 'No helping it.' Given the situation, I had no choice. "Begin-!" As Namgung Hyung prepared to charge again. Whack! "Ugh!?" I swiftly closed the distance and hooked a punch under his chin. His head snapped back briefly from the impact, and he dropped his sword and collapsed immediately. "...Phew." I had controlled my strength to only knock him out. He probably wouldn't wake for half a day. Leaving the unconscious Namgung Hyung, I turned my head. -Descendant! Descendant! Arise! The Thunderchild attached to the wall continued to shout. Ignoring it, I looked at another part of the wall. 'Was it here?' During my previous visit to the Namgung house. There was something I encountered while searching for their records. The remnant thought of Namgung Myeong. I remembered that it was here along with the Thunderchild. Swish. I tried to sense what I had met before, but... 'No reaction?’ To my surprise, there was no response. Even after touching it and releasing my energy, there was nothing. "Hmmm..." I had hoped to talk again if the opportunity arose. But that didn’t seem to be happening now. 'Well then.' -Descendant! Should I try talking to the currently noisy Thunderchild? I could pretend to know if I wanted, but... 'That doesn’t seem right.' There seemed to be no benefit in acknowledging it. The ability to hear Thunderchild’s voice was exclusive to those of the bloodline. Revealing my capabilities would be problematic, indeed. 'The issue is this person.' This coincidental encounter with Namgung Hyung. I pondered whether it was right to leave him as he was. “..." Scratching my head, I looked around. A place where I had subtly sensed a breeze earlier. Beneath a painting that was hung on the wall, I saw a subtle indication from that direction. Approaching it, I moved the painting aside. "...So this is it." There was a small escape hole. It seemed clear how Namgung Hyung had gotten in. Looking at it, I considered. "Should I use it?" I immediately hoisted Namgung Hyung up. -Descendant! Ignoring the Thunderchild's noisy attempts, I squeezed myself into the escape hole. * * * I was outside. The hole was longer than anticipated, but I managed to navigate through it. The place I emerged in was some sort of room. It appeared to be Namgung Hyung's quarters. ‘...His quarters are connected to the records room?’ It seemed implausible, yet it was the reality. "Hmm." Surveying the room, I casually laid Namgung Hyung on the floor and stepped out. ‘It's small.’ The quarters were smaller and more remote than where I resided. Almost at the edge. Arguably unbecoming for a place designated to a family member. ‘No attendants in sight.’ There were no guards at the doors or servants tending to household chores. No one was present at all. '...The treatment here is awful, isn’t it?’ The treatment was notably worse than what I experienced in my own family. Certainly not a pleasant way to live. ‘That’s why he ran away.’ I could easily understand why Namgung Hyung would leave with the Thunderchild. “Well, I should go.” I left the unconscious Namgung Hyung and set off. Headed toward my own quarters. Upon arriving, I was relieved to find my enchantments still intact. Click! As soon as I saw them, I dispelled the enchantments and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Do-yoon hadn’t arrived yet. At that moment. "Are you there?" I heard a presence from behind. "Ah, yes." "May I come in?" “Yes.” Creak. The door opened, revealing So Yi. As usual, she eyed me with some discomfort. "The Vice Commander wants you to assemble." "Right now?" "Yes. He wants everyone to prepare for a mission." "A mission, you say?" Moving so abruptly? What kind of mission would warrant such urgency? “A survey of the Dimensional Gate. The Red Dimensional Gate.” "...!" Hearing that, my eyes widened. ...The Dimensional Gate?