422 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Title: World's Best Warrior's Childhood Friend - Chapter 423: North Rabbit **Chapter 423: The Ice River (4)** Back when the red-tier beasts first appeared. Countless disasters unfolded across the central plains. Unlike the green or blue ones, the red beast might only be singular, but the devastation caused by just one was monumental. Even a martial master, at their peak, rarely faced death against ordinary beasts. However, the emergence of the red-tier beasts shattered this norm. Moreover, the slowly sustained era of peace began to fracture. The reason was simple. Red-tier beasts were immune to martial energy. This single sentence encapsulated the origin of every calamity and disaster that followed. Traditionally, the warriors who hunt beasts channel their martial energy through their bodies to slay these creatures. They must penetrate tough hides and fracture sturdy bones. As such, it was common knowledge that every single warrior relied on martial energy to hunt beasts. Yet, starting with the red beasts, these norms were overturned. An incomprehensible barrier surrounded these beasts, seemingly shielding their bodies, with a peculiar ability to absorb martial energy. Any attack intertwined with martial energy would often be absorbed, and without it, their hides could not be pierced. Despite their massive size and strength that dwarfed the blue ones. Even the warriors' assaults were rendered ineffective, allowing the beasts to rampage unchecked. Even if only one appeared at a time, initially, no one could stop that solitary beast, derailing the northern lands into chaos. Such are the beasts immune to martial energy. In their previous lives, warriors first experienced helplessness against red-tier beasts. But as always, people sought solutions amidst despair. Although the red beasts’ barriers absorbed martial energy, there were limits to their absorption. This was a truth discovered by the Heavenly Sage in his past life while hunting red beasts. Once the barrier absorbed a certain amount of energy, it would shatter. After breaking it, they could be slain using martial energy like lower-tier beasts. The problem lay in the sheer amount of martial energy required to break it. By quantifying it, if a martial artist who had reached the state of transcendent could fully deplete their martial energy. Only then would the barrier break. This translated to, unless one was a martial artist with substantial energy reserves in the transcendent state, hunting red beasts was impossible. Even with a glimmer of hope in hunting them, the conditions were exceedingly demanding. Then, just as many were succumbing to despair again. A certain piece of news surfaced. A pinnacle martial artist had successfully hunted a red beast. This news broke out about a year after the red beasts began their invasions. Many queried him. How on earth did he do it? Was he perhaps a martial artist with an extraordinary energy reserve for his level? The young man from the Daoist sect wasn't particularly endowed with such energy. So how did he manage to confront and hunt such a beast? The young man's reply was enigmatic. *"Not all are the same. Just like the ocean has deep areas and shallow spots, aim for the shallow."* At first, this response baffled many. But soon, it paved the way for immense hope. The barriers are not uniform. Just like the ocean has its depths and shallows, the barriers have their weak points. This implies that even such formidable barriers that absorb energy have their weaker areas. By identifying and targeting these, one could inflict damage on the beast and effectively breach its shield. The young man identified these points and strategized his attack on the beast. Upon this realization, warriors were filled with hope. It was a breakthrough found nearly a year later. However. Another issue surfaced. Discovering which area of the invisible barrier was weak and which was deep posed a different challenge. How could one discern what was invisible? When questioned further, the young man, with a somewhat drowsy look, simply replied. *"Instinct."* A seemingly preposterous answer. The pinnacle martial artist who hunted the red beast in a previous life. That was the response given by the latent dragon, Woo-hyuk. Swish—! A sword imbued with martial energy cut through the air with unwavering precision. It followed the snake’s scales, delivering a short, targeted strike. Crack—! Clang—! A surprisingly blunt noise for a sound produced by a sword. Screeech—! The beast's shriek confirmed the impact, thrashing its body violently. Each time it moved, the waves surged, making it tiresome to maintain balance. Focusing, I examined the barrier surrounding the beast. ‘Cracks are forming little by little.’ I could see small fractures starting on the barrier enveloping the beast. The strike delivered by Woo-hyuk earlier must have deepened it further. Watching this, I muttered without pause. “To the right, just off the gill.” Following my cue, Namgung Bi-a unleashed a lightning strike without hesitation. My directions weren’t entirely precise, yet Namgung Bi-a didn’t flinch. The lightning streaked to the targeted spot I had described. Crackling—! Though absorbed by the barrier, we didn’t mind. “Pierce it.” Whoosh—! Without waiting, Wi Seol-a swiftly enveloped her sword in golden energy and thrust it forward. As the sword tip struck, the barrier slightly shattered, creating an opening. Witnessing this, someone already advanced towards that spot alongside Wi Seol-a. The hope of the Wudang sect. Woo-hyuk unleashed martial energy through his sword. Crack—! Slash—! The serpent bore a long gash in its body. A viscous teal-colored blood trickled from the wound. The serpent let out a shallow shriek, curling its body. Its body was already covered with numerous similar wounds. Witnessing this, I couldn’t suppress a grin internally. ‘They’re learning incredibly fast.’ Though issuing orders, the synergy among the three was improving with time. Initially, their coordination was almost disappointingly perfect, and now, it was flawless. In the beginning, it was merely about giving directions, with them charging in the proper sequence. Now, they seemed to have understood on their own and sought my words only to confirm their findings. They’d already figured out where to strike with the sword. Perhaps they only needed confirmation from me, just in case. Impressive. ‘Barely a quarter of an hour has passed, hasn’t it?’ And yet they were already adapting so quickly. This was even before I had properly taught them how to see. ‘This is why talent can be so daunting.’ The differences in the barriers discovered by the latent dragon in a past life. Quite literally, it meant there were weaker and stronger areas. The tactic of hunting red beasts focused on identifying and relentlessly attacking these weak spots. Without this approach, vast amounts of martial energy had to be expended to subdue them, even when the feat was nearly impossible otherwise, making this strategy the most viable option. But there was a significant problem here. It was not about seeing the subtle gaps—one had to feel them. One must sense where the barrier was shallow and where it was sturdy, by intuition, amidst invisible, identical barriers. ‘That’s easier said than done. Is it even possible?’ Trying to do it firsthand was nothing like describing it in words. Where is there time to notice such subtleties when confronting a rampaging colossal beast? A conversation with the latent dragon from my past life came to mind. *[Just listen and you’ll understand, alright?]* *[You fool... Do you think it’s some kind of instrument? What’s there to listen to!]* *[Oh! Watch out!]* Recalling the cryptic instructions from the latent dragon made my skin crawl. Even though people marveled at the current generation of geniuses, calling them the comet generation. This significance became palpable when the red-tier beasts surfaced. From then on, it was truly a battle of talent. Identifying the barrier variances hinged on one’s sensitivity to energy perception. This inevitably translated to the variance in a martial artist's talent for energy sensing. The variance was substantial. Even among martial artists of the same rank. How quickly they identified the weak spots of a red beast's barrier would dictate the time it took. And this was directly linked to how long they stood against the beast. The longer one spent in confrontation, the higher the probability of weakening and perishing became. More often than not, they were devoured even if they held out. Some martial artists would flee or fall where transcendent ones succeeded in hunting—a clear division of talent ages emerging right with the advent of red-tier beasts. Among that, those three were the representatives of such talent. Even if I hadn’t informed them, they would have figured it out in time through sheer instinct. This would certainly apply to others, like Poison King or White Lotus Sword. Reaching a transcendent state meant having substantial talent. And so, here I was. "Three steps to the left from there." If asked who I was, neither a genius nor a common man, defining myself. "Infuse more energy while swinging this time." In matters like this, I could say with certainty there was no one more skilled than me. Following my command, the three moved in synchronized order. In that gap, my gaze wandered, observing the beast’s movements. I was not a genius. This was my well-worn proclamation, and the reason lay there. I never excelled at identifying such energy differences throughout my past life. During my time working for the martial alliance’s sword corps, without the help of the latent dragon or others, I struggled helplessly against red beasts. No amount of effort made a difference. It was not within the realm of training. No matter what I tried, grasping those energy differences eluded me. Even those deemed untalented would eventually sense the differences. Yet for me, even that was unattainable. I genuinely couldn’t discern anything, thus enduring endless scorn for my supposed blunt talent. Merely someone scavenging the crumbs falling from the prodigies’ plates. Words I recall vaguely. I wouldn’t deny it. Without Woo-hyuk by my side, I couldn't have endured those times. Hence, it was simply a time of agonized resignation to my frail talent. "Two of you distract from the left. One flank from the right." But now, if asked how this was possible, I would credit the Ma Do Heaven Absorption technique I possessed. The energy beasts possessed was none other than demonic energy. Thus, the demonic stones within a beast contained demonic energy, which Ma Do Heaven Absorption absorbed. Perhaps due to its influence. I had developed an abnormal sensitivity to demonic energy. While others perceived an invisible barrier around the beast. To me, it appeared as a dark and murky barrier. Inside, the shallow and deep areas? What others struggled to feel, I could see plainly. Right after I became a demon and received powers from the Heavenly Demon, I found myself growing absurdly powerful. For creatures like these, as long as their level matched, I could be stronger than anyone else. In a past life, near-maniacal dedication led me to this, so how could I not know? ‘The creature is nearing its limit.’ Having relentlessly targeted its weak spots, its barrier was in tatters. As is usually the case, once one area collapses, others would crack. Breaking one weak point weakened others, allowing continuous assaults to eventually destroy it entirely. Shaaa—! Exhausted by our combined assault, the creature let out defeatist screams. Luckily, it wasn’t an overly strong one. The initial cold sweat was due to the mere appearance of a red beast, not its power. ‘I think that should do it now.’ Seeing the barrier shatter, I turned my head. “Master Poison King.” “…!” The Poison King, who had been watching with a look of shock plastered across his face, was stunned as I called out. His pupils were quivering widely, probably due to witnessing the way we hunted the beast... I felt a twinge of irritation at the needless misunderstandings and assumptions forming around us, but there was nothing to be done. “I believe you can proceed now.” “…The barrier has fallen?” Oh… ‘So he noticed.’ It seemed Poison King had also discerned that the beast possessed a barrier that absorbed martial energy. Was that why he was so surprised? "Not completely gone, but now you can overpower it with force. It’ll collapse soon." "...Young Master Gu." "Yes?" "What exactly are you?" Hearing the Poison King's question, I tilted my head slightly. This question seemed to come up quite often lately. I recalled the time Tang Deok asked me a similar question, and I inadvertently answered "Heavenly Demon." 'Why did I say that?' It still puzzled me. Why did I give such an answer? Perhaps because it felt like the world was pushing me to become the Heavenly Demon. I don't know. At that moment, it seemed like the answer I had to give. "I'm not sure what you're asking. I'm just a martial artist of the Gu family." "...You know that's not what I'm asking." "No, I really don't." I shook my head slightly in response. Boom! Kyaaahh—!! The beast let out a savage scream. Curious, I checked what was happening. It was the aftermath of someone swinging a sword in place of Wi Seol-a. It was the White Lotus Sword. …When did she get there? "Hahaha!" The White Lotus Sword laughed brightly as if rejoicing in her triumph. "Sigh." I let out a hollow breath seeing that. The spot the White Lotus Sword attacked was indeed a weak point of the beast. 'Did she figure it out by just watching?' If that wasn't mere coincidence... It seemed the White Lotus Sword had discerned the method to hunt the red beasts. Perhaps it was the difference in their levels. The snake’s balance was disrupted by the swing of the White Lotus Sword. Shatter. The barrier that wrapped around the beast broke apart, scattering like dust. The barrier had finally fallen. Seeing this, I too started moving. Splash. It felt foreign to walk on water again after some time. It was an art that required meticulously controlling one’s martial energy, a high-level skill indeed. 'Those three are even more surprising.' Unlike me, who had reached a transcendent state, those three were still in their advanced stages but succeeded nonetheless, which was unexpected. I had given a simple explanation thinking that if it didn’t work, then that was that, but they just went ahead and did it. Honestly… Their talents are bewildering every time I witness them. Splash. Taking another step, I enveloped my body in flames. Fwoosh—! Though a bit cumbersome to fight on the river, it wasn’t a big problem. ‘This should be enough.’ Thump! I leaped with force. Considering the enormous size of the snake, I had to launch quite high. The sole reason I hadn’t personally joined the battle earlier was simple. The first was to provide them with experience against the red beasts. The second was. ‘To avoid wasting unnecessary energy on breaking the barrier.’ Though there wouldn’t be much issue even if I had used some. It was imperative to minimize risk. I needed to be prepared for any unforeseen situations. But the reason for joining now was. ‘I need to claim the demonic stone.’ I couldn’t miss the demonic stone possessed by a red-tier beast. No matter how skewed the situation became with the beast’s appearance. I couldn’t afford to let go of its demonic stone. Given the energy contained, it wasn’t something to neglect, especially in these turbulent times. As the creature, shaken by the blow of the White Lotus Sword, staggered without reason. I propelled myself quickly towards it with blazing speed. I gathered flames into my palm. The troublesome barrier no longer hindered me. Fortunately, it was completely broken. Near the snake's scales, I thrust my fist, covered in condensed martial energy. Squelch—! My arm pierced through its scales. Compared to its size, what I managed wasn't much in terms of inflicting damage. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that my arm was now inside its core. I pooled my energy, concentrating the flames at my fingertips. At my fingertips, a Flame Orb materialized. Simultaneously, without a shred of hesitation, I detonated it inside the snake's body. Boom—! Kyaaaah—!!! The surge of heat from within made the beast thrash wildly as it submerged underwater. It seemed to be trying to extinguish the flames, but flames born from martial energy don't wane so easily. Detonating another Flame Orb, I increased the flames further. 'Tsk.' Being underwater meant I couldn’t breathe, but given my level, I could hold on indefinitely. For now, I focused solely on extinguishing the serpent’s life. As the beast continued its stubborn struggle, I contemplated using demonic energy. [...Why... why do you...] A voice echoed suddenly from nowhere. Who was speaking to me? Telepathy? [Oh great one... why... do you forsake us...!!!] It was a scream piercing enough to shred eardrums. What was unfolding here so suddenly? ‘What on earth?’ Shifting my gaze slightly, I saw it. The beast, gradually consumed by the flames, its life ebbing away. It was staring at me, shedding tears of blood. Was this... from the beast?