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Childhood Friend of the Zenith (Web Novel) - Chapter CH.1083: The World of Ascension (13)
Chapter CH.1083: The World of Ascension (13)
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“D-Divine Dragon...”
At the sight of the man who appeared, someone muttered.
Divine Dragon, Gu Cheolwoon.
A direct descendant of the Shanxi Gu Clan, and the current heir of the household.
Despite being a direct descendant of a prestigious clan, he was an only son, which was quite unusual. He had also attended the last Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, where he had displayed overwhelming martial prowess.
A rising star who had captured the world's attention.
A prodigy of the younger generation whose extraordinary strength made people believe he would one day become a new pillar of the righteous sects.
That was the common perception of him.
I looked at my father.
His fiery red eyes locked onto me, and beside me, Do Yun nudged my side.
“...Baek Comrade. Baek Comrade. Look over there. It’s the Divine Dragon.”
“...I know.”
I could tell just by looking.
“Damn, he looks incredible. I’d only heard about him in rumors, but he really is on a different level from birth.”
“......”
“Is everyone from the Gu Clan like that?”
No.
“I’ve never heard of them before, but seeing him, I’d say everyone from that great clan must be like him.”
...No, they’re not.
Just as these absurd misunderstandings were beginning to spread—
“Hey. Can you be quiet!?”
“Ah! I’m sorry!”
Sword Peak Soi’s sharp reprimand cut through the air. Do Yun immediately shut his mouth, and the others around us did the same.
‘Hmm.’
Even as this happened, my eyes remained fixed on my father.
Then—
“Hahaha.”
I heard someone laugh.
It came from the man standing at the very front, someone I assumed to be the leader of the Azure Dragon Division.
"I didn’t realize our youngest was so good at keeping order."
A man approached with a bright smile. The people around me flinched upon seeing him.
"Blue Flame Sword Master...!"
‘Ah.’
The title made me realize his identity.
‘So Blue Flame Sword Master was the leader of the Azure Dragon Division.’
Blue Flame Sword Master, Shin Cheolyeon.
A martial artist who had once held the title of Sword Master before the Baekcheon Sword Master. Someone who, even from my knowledge, was quite famous.
Though, by my time, he was already long dead, so I didn’t know much about him.
A warrior from the previous era whose name I had merely recognized.
That was Blue Flame Sword Master.
‘So he was the Azure Dragon Division Leader during this time.’
That was my main impression of him at this moment.
As I was contemplating this, the Sword Master spoke to Sword Peak Soi, still wearing his smile.
"Well, now that new recruits have arrived, we don’t have to call you the youngest anymore."
"Division Leader..."
At his words, Soi’s face flushed slightly.
"Nice to meet you. I am Shin Cheolyeon, leader of the main division."
Then, turning toward us, he greeted us. At that moment, as if they had been waiting for it, all my fellow recruits bowed.
"...W-We greet the Division Leader."
"...We greet the Division Leader."
Their eyes were filled with respect.
Being the leader of the Azure Dragon Division was a position of immense prestige.
To those who dreamed of joining the Martial Alliance, he was both a goal and a hero.
Everyone expressed their admiration and excitement as they looked at the Sword Master.
And then—
"Ah."
The Sword Master suddenly glanced in my direction.
Then—
Ssssss—!
‘......!’
A wave of energy swept toward me.
I wasn’t startled. It wasn’t deep enough to be alarming.
It wasn’t probing my full capabilities.
And I understood why.
‘He’s not just testing me.’
He was sending out his energy to all the recruits, not just me.
There was no need for me to react unnecessarily.
After briefly channeling his energy, the Sword Master approached the recruits, shaking hands with each one.
"I look forward to working with you."
"...T-Thank you!"
"Haha, it’s just a handshake. No need to thank me."
Was this his way of boosting morale?
After shaking hands with all the recruits, he finally reached me.
The Sword Master looked at me and seemed to realize something, his eyes crinkling into a smile.
"You must be Baek Yangcheon, right?"
"...Yes. That’s correct."
"The one Paejon took an interest in. Is that right?"
"......."
At his words, my face twisted.
Damn it.
‘That old man ruined everything.’
Now I was drawing unnecessary attention.
Damn that annoying old geezer.
"...I was fortunate enough to receive a bit of interest, yes."
"Haha. A bit of interest, you say? If Paejon wanted to take you as a disciple, that’s not a minor thing, is it?"
Saying this, the Sword Master extended his hand toward me.
"In that sense, the Azure Dragon Division is lucky. To have received such a talented young star."
"......."
I stared at his hand.
I had a bad feeling about this...
But I couldn’t refuse, so I tensed slightly and reached out.
Grip.
The moment our hands met—
Hwoooosh—!!
Just as expected, a faint energy seeped in.
Was he trying to gauge my level?
The way he did it was subtle, almost delicate, as if he didn’t want me to notice.
‘Tsk.’
As if I wouldn’t notice.
The fact that he was being so blatant about it was slightly irritating.
What should I do?
It had been a while since I was outright disrespected like this.
Should I just ignore it?
For a brief moment, I considered letting it go, but—
‘Why should I?’
Annoyance came first.
I had my reasons for being here, but that didn’t mean I had to tolerate this kind of treatment.
‘Still, I should be subtle.’
Just enough to startle him.
I carefully controlled my energy and released it.
Hwoooosh—!!!!
My energy flared up, pushing back against the Sword Master’s probing force.
Boom!
"......!"
The Sword Master immediately let go of my hand, his eyes widening.
Hwooosh!
The backlash caused the air around us to ripple slightly.
Then—
"Ha—!"
The Sword Master let out a short laugh.
"You’re far more impressive than I expected. Hahahaha—!!!"
His reaction was not as bad as I had feared.
"I’m sorry. I was startled, so I reacted instinctively."
I offered a slight excuse, and he waved it off as if it was no big deal.
"It’s fine. If anything, I should apologize. I didn’t expect you to notice. Hahahaha."
Thump thump—!
His large hand patted my shoulder repeatedly.
"Do you know something?"
"What...?"
"Among the new recruits, you’re only the second one to react to this."
He seemed pleased.
“I went through quite a bit of trouble to bring you here. I didn’t expect you to be this impressive. Good. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Thank you.”
He had put in effort to bring me here.
I narrowed my eyes at that.
So it wasn’t just a coincidence.
“Since today is the first day, we’ll wrap things up here. To celebrate your acceptance, we’re holding a banquet tonight. I hope everyone will attend.”
“Understood—!”
“Then I’ll see you all later. And the youngest... ah, no. Soi, come to the division leader’s office.”
“Yes, sir.”
With a wave of his hand, the Blue Flame Sword Master left.
As he departed, the members of the Azure Dragon Division moved in unison to follow.
“Don’t get ahead of yourselves. Stay quiet until the banquet.”
Sword Peak Soi shot a sharp glare at everyone, warning them.
The intensity in her gaze made the others stiffen for a moment.
After issuing her warning, she joined the formation, and my father walked past me. By then, he was no longer looking at me.
Neither was I looking at him. There was no reason to.
I just stood still, feeling his presence fade away.
Then—
“Hey.”
Someone called out to me.
The voice was annoyingly rude.
‘What now?’
I turned to see who it was.
“I didn’t think I’d run into you again here.”
An arrogant face appeared, one as unpleasant as the voice.
A young noble with white hair and blue eyes.
Surprisingly, it was Namgung Cheon.
“You remember me, don’t you?”
“...Ah.”
Why the hell is he here?
And worse—
‘He’s with the Azure Dragon Division?’
Judging by his uniform, it was clear. Damn it.
‘Just looking at him, I can already tell he’s going to be a pain.’
I stared at him with open distaste, and Namgung Cheon scowled.
“What’s with that face? That’s not how a junior should act.”
“...Excuse me?”
“I didn’t like you from the moment I saw you. But you’re lucky enough to end up here?”
His smirking face was infuriating.
Now I could see who Namgung Cheonjun took after.
“You’re Baek Yangcheon, right?”
“...That... uh, yes.”
“I look forward to working with you.”
Tap tap.
He patted my shoulder as he walked past.
“Ah.”
I let out a sigh and rubbed my face.
“...What a pain.”
This never-ending cycle of troublesome encounters was exhausting.
(If you are reading this anywhere other than Freewebnovel.net, it has been stolen.)
**********
Azure Dragon Division Leader’s Office
A spacious room, neatly organized with scrolls and documents.
Beyond the large desk, the Blue Flame Sword Master sat, smiling.
In front of him, Sword Peak Soi stood with a puzzled expression and asked,
“Did something good happen?”
“Hm? Oh. Not exactly. It’s just... amusing.”
“...Excuse me?”
“This year’s recruits. There are quite a few interesting ones.”
“...Ah.”
“Don’t you think so?”
“...Yes.”
Soi replied with a somewhat reluctant look.
She didn’t know if “interesting” was the right word, but one particularly irritating individual had joined.
“Judging by your face, I’d say you’re thinking of the same person as I am.”
“......”
“That boy... Baek Yangcheon, was it? He’s the most interesting one.”
“......”
Soi didn’t respond.
He was right. That was exactly who she was thinking of.
“I was curious when I heard Paejon had taken an interest in him...”
As he recalled that fierce-looking young man, the Blue Flame Sword Master’s smile deepened.
“He’s definitely worth the attention.”
It was surprising.
Not just that he had sensed the energy probing him, but that he had pushed back against it.
‘The second one.’
This had only happened twice before.
The Blue Flame Sword Master had tested all the recruits the same way.
Out of them, only two had reacted.
One had sensed the energy and repelled it, just like Baek Yangcheon.
And the other—
‘Swallowed it.’
That one had absorbed his energy and even tried to turn it into an attack.
A completely different reaction—violent and destructive.
“What do you think?”
The Blue Flame Sword Master turned to the person who had done just that.
A young man with crimson eyes, Gu Cheolwoon, met his gaze.
“I did grant your request as a favor for your promotion to vice-leader... but this was no small task for me.”
Bringing in the recruits he wanted.
Among them, Baek Yangcheon had been someone every division was after.
Securing him despite that competition had been difficult even for the Blue Flame Sword Master.
But he had done it.
Because it was a request from his newly appointed vice-leader.
“Thank you for making it happen.”
Gu Cheolwoon bowed his head, and the Blue Flame Sword Master gave a small nod.
“Well, in the end, this benefits us too... But I must say, I didn’t expect you to be interested in him.”
He was the type who usually showed no interest in others.
Despite wielding Fiery Arts, a martial art of pure destruction, Gu Cheolwoon himself had always been cold and detached.
So when he had asked for Baek Yangcheon to be brought in, even the Blue Flame Sword Master had been surprised.
“Is there a reason?”
“......”
Gu Cheolwoon fell silent, lost in thought.
Then, after a moment, he answered,
“I don’t know.”
“Hm?”
An unexpected response.
He had been asked for a reason, and he simply said, “I don’t know.”
But—
“I don’t know yet. But I intend to find out.”
Gu Cheolwoon had decided.
He would find the answer.
