Childhood Friend of the Zenith

༺ A Winter That Isn’t Cold (1) ༻

The lifeless body of the young monk fell to the ground like a puppet with severed strings, the chill of death enveloping him.

Looking at the neck that had been abnormally twisted, and the lifeless dim eyes, it seemed obvious that his life had come to an end.

Well, that’d be true if it were an ordinary situation, but…

“What a joke, aren’t you gonna get up?”

I spoke, my eyes fixed on that bastard.

Even kicking him a few times didn’t seem to make him get up.

But I was certain that he didn’t die.

I squinted my eyes.

‘How am I even able to see this?’

Just above the bastard’s dantian, I could see something like a red light at that spot.

And just by looking at the faint light that lingered, I could deduce that he wasn’t dead.

Blaze-!

I summoned flames in my hand.

Threatening to burn him to a crisp might do the trick.

“Fine, stay that way.”

Right as I was about to shoot scorching flames at him…

“Wait! Ugh… wait a second.”

Craaack.

Heeyoung started to move, his bones cracking unnaturally.

No, that couldn’t even be called Heeyoung anymore.

“Seriously, how did you even know? It shouldn’t be possible for you to…”

Its neck returned to normal, and the kind visage of the young monk had all but disappeared.

The bastard’s appearance now was of a young girl I had never seen before.

Pow!

“Ugh…!?”

I immediately kicked its face.

“If you try to pull any kind of shitty tricks, I’ll fucking kill you.”

It seemed that it had thought that my heart would get weaker if it changed its appearance into something like that.

“…You are rather cold, huh.”

The bastard giggled.

Grabbing its neck, I lifted it up.

“You are that bastard, right?”

The incident, a few months ago, where the Namgung Clan’s martial artists had attacked a servant of the Gu Clan and held her hostage.

It seemed like the Namgung Clan was responsible for all of it, but the one actually responsible had already disappeared.

Because of that, I even had to go through the hassle of going down to the basement to check.

And contrary to my expectation, that bastard was still behind the entrance.

“What are you, you fucker?”

“Would you say anything if you were in my shoes?”

It felt different.

Even just looking at that bastard inside the basement made me feel nauseous, yet, I couldn’t feel anything similar from the bastard in front of me.

Even if I could, it was extremely minuscule in comparison.

[…A strange fellow it is. For it to change its face like that without the use of a mask.]

The bastard continued to giggle, staring at me fixedly.

“Are you gonna keep holding my neck?”

The bastard had fixed its neck after I had broken it, and I think I had shattered its arm last time, but it had recovered from that as well?

‘Does that mean it is immune to physical damage?’

Even the face that had caved in from my kick earlier, had fully healed.

Hmm, would it be the same if I burnt it with flames?

“What’s your goal?”

This meant that I couldn’t torture it using physical pain.

Well, being in the lands of the Shaolin, it wasn’t easy for me to do such a thing in the first place.

“I already said it earlier. Why do you think I’d tell you?”

I looked at the bastard’s body.

The spot where the red light lingered.

If I were to think about why I was suddenly able to see this, it certainly had something to do with Cheolyoung.

I started to see this light only after I met him.

There was also the strange sensation I had felt back then.

‘Did he do something to me?’

If it weren’t the case, no way would I have gone through a change like this all of a sudden.

I choked the bastard’s neck with even greater strength, but that didn’t stop its mouth.

“Let’s just go our separate ways.”

“Separate ways?”

“Yes, whether it was in your clan or now, I didn’t really cause you any harm, so can’t you just pretend that nothing happened?”

[Haha, a funny fellow it is. Its tongue is more shameless than anything.]

As expected, it seemed like this bastard was the one I had met back then.

“Even though you hid inside my house without permission to cause that incident?”

“So what? Were you harmed in the process?”

Well, like the bastard said, it did benefit me more than it had harmed me.

I was able to gain far more than what our clan had to compensate the Namgung Clan.

However, that was a different story.

“And even if you were to confine me, you can’t make me talk. You actually messed up by doing this right now, you shouldn’t have let me know that you could figure out that it’s me.”

It was disgusting how that bastard giggled with the appearance of a little girl.

‘Hmm, what should I do?’

I couldn’t torture the bastard and it seemed too relaxed—as if it could escape any moment—for confinement to work.

“Where did you hide Heeyoung?”

“What, that’s what you’re wondering about? Why are you curious about something like that? He didn’t seem important.”

All of a sudden, the bastard grinned creepily, as if it had learned something from my question.

“Are you worried perhaps? Worried about how the child monk ended up?”

That wasn’t really the case since I didn’t have any sort of relationship with him; he was someone I didn’t even know of.

‘Hmm, judging by its reaction, it seemed that the child actually exists.’

The young monk named Heeyoung seemed to have really existed in Shaolin.

That could mean the bastard couldn’t turn into a body that didn’t exist.

“Also, why aren’t you… surprised?”

“Should I be?”

“Isn’t this shocking?”

Craaack.

The creature changed its appearance as it continued to talk.

All of its appearances were unfamiliar, however, it seemed the creature could change into anyone without any restrictions of gender or age.

If I were to think about what had happened back in my clan, it seemed like the creature could change its whole body.

It was shocking indeed, but I had already experienced my fair share of things to be shocked by something like this.

‘…What’s important is that I wouldn’t have known his identity if I wasn’t able to see that light.’

That unknown sensation, it not only let me see but also made me feel.

I could instinctively feel that it was that bastard.

[Brat.]

All of a sudden, Elder Shin called for me.

‘Yes.’

[You said you can see a light?]

‘Yes, I can.’

That lingering red light was definitely visible to my eyes.

[Well, what if that light is a type of energy? You think you could use that absorption of yours on it?]

‘…Absorb it?’

I had never even thought of attempting that, but even if I did, the aftereffects would have been extremely bothersome.

The energy was way too suspicious for it to be worth it.

[…I don’t want to watch that thing go on for any longer. Shouldn’t you at least give it a try?]

‘…Hah.’

In the end, I gave in and reached my hand towards that bastard’s dantian.

The creature showed an irritating reaction.

“Hmm? What are you trying to do? What, are you trying to do something since it’s the appearance of a gir-!”

Ssss…

It was cut off, as my Demonic Absorption ability activated and slowly absorbed the bastard’s energy.

“This… what…?! Wait…!”

‘Huh, so it does work.’

I could absorb things like this too, huh.

Could this mean that I was capable of absorbing all sorts of energies?

The creature’s expression became desperate as if it couldn’t believe what was happening.

“What the… what is this? What is… hey!”

“I agree, I’m as surprised as you.”

“Fuck… let me go! LET ME GO!”

It seemed to be trying to escape my grasp, but I easily put it under my control as it wasn’t even that strong.

Or maybe the creature wasn’t able to use any of its power right now because I was absorbing its energy.

“Well, you seem a bit desperate now.”

“…Y-You… you p-piece of shit, what even are you.”

It seemed to be in a desperate situation currently, given that the bastard’s voice was shaking unlike before.

“Well well, look at that, isn’t that what I had asked you before? Nice. Now just keep being like this.”

I controlled the rate of absorption.

Judging by how I didn’t feel any new sensation when the energy entered my body, it seemed that the bastard’s energy was of the same type as one of the energies inside my body.

‘Is it Demonic Qi?’

That had the highest possibility.

‘It could also be Dok Gojun’s energy.’

There were many possibilities.

Atleast, it didn’t seem like ordinary Qi or Taoist Qi.

“N…No, stop!”

“Well, you should give a good reason for me to stop then.”

“W-What do you want?”

“Figure that out yourself.”

With that, I slightly increased the rate of absorption.

Because I had eaten so many types of energy up to this point, I was now capable of controlling the rate of absorption.

“About the child monk then…? That kid is still alive…! I only put him to sleep on a nearby mountain!”

“I don’t really care about that.”

Like the bastard had said earlier, he wasn’t too important to me.

I lived my life selfishly and I planned to continue doing that.

So what I needed this bastard to spit out was something different.

“T- Then what?”

“What was your purpose in coming here?”

“Fuck…”

The creature cursed, hearing my question.

“Didn’t you already expect me to ask this?”

The sun was about to set.

I hadn’t really planned to spend too much time here, so I had to go back soon.

‘Though I don’t know if I could even do that with all these nuisances popping up left and right.’

How could I just leave after finding this bastard?

I had to wring out as much information as I possibly could.

“Ah! How about… you ask about something else, like my identity.”

“I’m sorry, but I already know what you are.”

“…What?”

“Race of Disguise.”

The creature’s eyes widened after hearing my words.

“You! You bastard, how did you?!…”

“Who knows?”

The Abyss, the creature that had come out of that damned place, had said these words himself.

I assumed that this bastard was similar to him, so I had just guessed it, but it seems like I was right on the money.

“So, instead of all that fuss, just tell me why you came here.”

I increased the rate of absorption even further.

At this rate, I would consume all of its energy in a short while.

“You…! Why are you doing this to me! What… what did I even do?!!”

I ignored his loud barking.

“Is it because of what happened last time? But your side gave approval of it too!”

I paused as I heard such words coming out of that bastard’s mouth.

What did he just say? The Gu Clan had given it approval?

“Who approved what?”

“…Fuck, isn’t it obvious that we could act only after your side had already given us their approval? Just think about it.”

If this bastard’s words were true, then at the very least, it wasn’t Father.

Then was it the First Elder?

I asked, my eyes fixed on the creature.

“Just tell me who it was.”

“How would I know that… Could you stop!”

It seemed like the bastard didn’t know much about it.

“Putting that aside, for now just tell me your purpose for coming here.”

“I can’t! I’m doing all this… because I can’t tell you…! How about you ask me a different…!”

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue in dissatisfaction.

‘A shackle huh.’

It should’ve been obvious that a shackle would be casted on it for important information like this.

It was just that I couldn’t help but find it strange that a creature like this, something that wasn’t even human, could also be shackled.

So I asked a different question.

“Hey.”

“Please… let me… let me live… I have things to d…”

“Do you know about ■■■?”

Just saying its name made me lose strength in my tongue.

And despite me saying it out loud with my own mouth, my ears couldn’t comprehend it.

I was able to say it in my mind, but it felt as if the whole world was refusing the name.

It still felt sickening and bothersome, as it always had.

[Kid, what did you just say?]

It seemed like Elder Shin couldn’t understand what I had said just like last time.

As I felt the cold sweat flowing down my back, I fixed my expression.

‘Without the seal in my possession, just thinking about the name is tough for me.’

The seal that could only be possessed by the Young Lord of the Gu Clan.

In some ways, it was akin to a treasure of the Gu Clan.

And as I didn’t have it with me, it felt like I was gonna die just by mentioning that name.

“H, How… How do you know that name…”

Thankfully, it seemed that it could understand what I had said.

Then does that mean the bastard also knows about them?

“Do you have any relation to that bastard?”

At my question, the creature looked as if it had lost all of its willpower.

I wondered what brought on such an expression.

“I see… Was that why you weren’t shocked? You already knew of the Origin.”

“Origin? What do you mean by that?”

I asked the creature, as it gradually lost the colors in its eyes.

“What a sickening world… They never had any intention to keep me from the beginning.”

I wondered if I should let it go.

It sounded like that bastard was finally letting out some valuable information.

‘The Origin huh.’

If the creature was referring to the bastard inside the basement as the ‘Origin’, then what was this creature right here?

‘Is it a clone of some sort?’

Did that mean that there were even more versions of that bastard?

If that were to be true, then what was the end goal of these creatures?

“Ahh…”

The bastard let out a voice filled with lament, snapping me out of my reverie.

“Shit… I really wanted to kill that old man.”

I slightly let go of its neck, hearing its lament.

“Why are you letting me go now? Even you should know that it’s too late at this point.”

“Do you die if I absorb all of your energy?”

“Haha, fuck… you were doing it without knowing? I thought that you knew that, you motherfucker…”

I could see a line appear on the creature’s cheek as if a crack had formed.

It seemed like this was happening due to all of his energy getting absorbed.

“What even are you? Who are you, for you to possess such a grand power?”

“What are you gonna do even if you find out?”

“I tried my best to tell you everything, so isn’t it fair that you at least tell me one thing?”

“You never had the right to ask a question to begin with.”

I only kept staring at that bastard.

It would’ve been nice if I could suck some more information out of him, but the creature looked dried up, devoid of life, it seemed to have lost most of its power. Even so, the creature looked me in my eyes and spoke.

“…Your eyes… I thought that you were just a decently talented kid from the Gu Clan, but you seem to have something sinister inside you.”

I summoned flames in my hand, once again.

I had planned to get more information from him slowly, but it seemed that this bastard wasn’t in a state to go through that.

“You don’t seem to possess even the tiniest bit of mercy. You do remember where you are, right?”

“I’m quite confident in cleaning up after myself.”

It was something I had done countless times, and this was no different.

I had only attacked him after making sure that it was safe for me to do so.

“…Sigh…”

The crack on the creature’s face became clearer.

“There’s no need for you to do that, I’m going to disappear on my own.”

As if to prove his words right, the creature’s body slowly began to dry up.

‘The energy is disappearing.’

I had definitely left a bit of energy in him, but it seemed like it was burning its own energy away.

I wonder why.

It had been begging for its life so desperately just earlier, but as soon as I had mentioned the name of the bastard inside the basement, it seemed to have lost all its hope.

“…It feels shitty, life that is. I too wanted to live a life, one where I was just me.”

“I don’t really have enough time to want to hear your sob story, so make it short.”

The cheeky bastard chuckled at my words.

Then it continued.

“The Black Dragon…”

Ssss.

As soon as it spoke, its body twisted and dried up on the spot.

‘The shackle must have kicked in.’

It seemed like his parting words were what the shackle was casted on him for.

It looked as if something had exploded inside of it, yet it sounded like the cracking of a dry branch.

The creature looked all dried up as well.

Well, it didn’t really feel right to say that a human’s body had dried up.

I charged my Qi up and waved my hand.

Blaze.

Whether it was because it was a body that had lost all its life, or that the body had dried up completely, in the end it burned away in but a moment and disappeared without leaving a trace.

I could only lament at how much more information I could’ve gotten from that bastard.

“Also, did it say the Black Dragon?”

That bastard’s parting words.

It was a name that I knew of.

The Black Dragon was a name that belonged to a Master of the Unorthodox Faction.

He was a martial artist that had died at the hands of the Sword Venerable, long ago when he was in his youth.

“So why did it mention that name out of nowhere?”

That bastard might have said it on purpose just so he could mess up my mind, but I had the feeling that it wasn’t the case.

Blaze…

After all of it had burnt away, there was only a slight mark left on the ground.

As I had finished my task, I retrieved the slight barrier that I had put up before.

[Kid, there’s something left at that spot.]

As I was in the midst of cleaning up the area, I heard Elder Shin.

In the place where the creature had burnt away, for some reason, a book was left at that spot, unburned and intact.

I carefully picked the book up.

[What do you think it is?]

‘Well, I can only find out by reading it.’

Judging by how it didn’t burn away in flames, it was definitely made with leather of a certain type of demon.

I put the book inside my pocket for now.

It was too much for me to read the book right here.

The sky had become dark, it had been quite a while since the sun had set.

I concluded that it’d be better for me to think about everything that had happened here only after I returned.

‘It’d become a problem if I came back any later…’

It was already far too late, so it could escalate into a really big problem if I were to go back any later than this.

It wouldn’t just end with a few reprimands since I had basically gone here in secret.

‘I should first apologize to Muyeon… and for the girls…well they shouldn’t be too mad since I told them to wait inside the house.’

At first, I had thought that everything would be fine as long as I apologized to Muyeon.

With such a light mood, I made my way back.

But when I arrived at the guesthouse after finishing everything,

“Young Master Gu. I heard that you had a wonderful time visiting Shaolin with Lady Moyong, isn’t that right?”

“…”

“Moreover, it was just the two of you alone…?”

Three pairs of fiery eyes awaited me.

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