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Childhood Friend of the Zenith (Web Novel) - Chapter CH.1084: The World of Ascension (14)
Chapter CH.1084: The World of Ascension (14)
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
The first day after joining the Martial Alliance wasn’t particularly eventful. There was no training, and for about the next seven days, we would be given time to adapt, meaning there was nothing on our schedule.
We hadn’t even been assigned lodgings yet—our status was simply that of newly admitted members.
Even the Azure Dragon Division’s uniforms wouldn’t be distributed for another three days. Until then, we were treated as rookies, given time to merely show our faces and get accustomed to things.
Especially today.
To welcome the new recruits, the Blue Flame Sword Master had ordered a banquet to be held.
Naturally, all new members were required to attend.
Beyond that, unless someone had an urgent mission, everyone else was expected to be there as well.
"Ahahahaha—!!"
Laughter rang through the banquet hall, filling the lively atmosphere.
I found myself staring at the main seat with an oddly twisted expression.
"Ahahahahahaha—!!!"
Everything was fine.
The banquet was fine. Everything else was fine.
But—
‘...What the hell is he doing here?’
I was left glaring at a certain someone with the expression of someone who had bitten into something bitter.
An old man sat in the seat of honor, chatting casually with the Blue Flame Sword Master.
I was at a loss for words.
“I truly didn’t expect you to visit us in person, sir.”
The Blue Flame Sword Master smiled as he spoke, and the old man returned a faint grin.
“It’s good to see you again after so long. You’re looking well.”
“I’ve aged, of course. But I still appreciate the kind words.”
The old man spoke casually, as if he were addressing an equal.
Because of his presence, not only the recruits but even the other attendees seemed to be holding their breath.
And for good reason.
This old man was one of the Three Heavens of Zhongyuan.
His title—Paejon.
That damn old man had come here.
*****
"Hahaha!"
As the Blue Flame Sword Master and Paejon chatted—
“...Why is Paejon here?”
“That’s really him, isn’t it?”
The banquet attendees couldn’t take their eyes off him.
And that was only natural.
He was one of the absolute powerhouses of the righteous sects, a figure at the pinnacle of martial arts.
One of the Three Heavens—the supreme martial artists who stood at the peak of the Murim world.
The chance to see someone like him up close was once in a lifetime.
But—
‘Why the hell is he here?’
That highly esteemed figure had somehow ended up at the Azure Dragon Division’s banquet.
I couldn’t make sense of it.
‘This is insane.’
When I first arrived and saw Paejon sitting in the seat of honor, I had nearly frozen in place.
According to the Blue Flame Sword Master, he had come to personally congratulate the new recruits.
‘Bullshit.’
That was an outright lie.
Did they think I didn’t know what kind of person Paejon was?
Outside of martial arts, he cared about nothing. He was a man obsessed with perfecting his techniques, utterly uninterested in anything else.
‘Congratulate us? What a joke.’
If he had come here, the reason was obvious.
‘It’s because of me.’
He had come to see me.
‘So he wasn’t going to let it slide after all.’
Had he truly given up on recruiting me?
Of course not.
I should have known better than anyone—Paejon was not someone who gave up easily.
‘But I didn’t think he’d go this far.’
Who would have thought he’d crash the banquet?
Annoyed, I sighed and picked up some food, attempting to ignore the discomfort.
“Baek Comrade.”
Do Yun, who was also eating beside me, called out.
I didn’t respond and just glanced at him.
“...Paejon is here.”
“I can see that.”
“He’s obviously here for you, right?”
“......”
I didn’t deny it.
Because I couldn’t.
No one here believed the nonsense about him coming to “congratulate” the new members.
The rumors had already spread.
Everyone in the Martial Alliance knew that Paejon had tried to take me as his disciple.
And now, he was here.
It was too obvious.
I could even feel people sneaking glances at me, confirming their suspicions.
But I ignored them all.
‘Haa...’
This was a disaster.
A total, unavoidable disaster.
Why the hell did it have to be him?
Tch. I clicked my tongue and glanced at Paejon—
“......!”
—only to find that he was already looking at me.
For a moment, my body tensed.
Then—
Smirk.
Paejon smiled.
A smirk that made my skin crawl.
What the hell was that creepy smile?
Nothing good ever came from Paejon smiling like that.
If he was making that face, it meant he was up to something.
What? Why? What is he planning?
As anxiety crept up my spine—
“You.”
Paejon suddenly pointed at someone.
Not me.
“Huh? Y-Yes, sir...?”
To my surprise, he was pointing at Soi.
Sword Peak Soi, who had been seated nearby due to her low rank, flinched at the unexpected attention.
Paejon slowly scanned her with his gaze.
To an outsider, it might have looked like an old man ogling a young woman.
But I knew better.
‘He’s just evaluating her.’
He wasn’t interested in people unless they had potential.
“You must be the one.”
“...Excuse me?”
“The Plum Blossom Sword Queen. That old man’s disciple, the one he took in during his twilight years. Am I right?”
“...Ah.”
Soi’s eyes widened in recognition before she nodded.
“Yes. I am Soi.”
“Hmm.”
Paejon reacted with interest, his lips curling into a smirk.
“You’ll do. That old man actually managed to find himself a decent disciple in his later years.”
“...! Thank you, sir...!”
Soi smiled brightly at his praise.
"Ohh..."
"Wow..."
The men around her let out quiet gasps of admiration.
Apparently, her smile was beautiful enough to leave an impression.
Well, she was undeniably attractive.
Not that I particularly cared.
So, I decided to just focus on eating.
“Excuse me, Elder.”
Suddenly, someone approached Paejon and spoke to him.
Curious, I glanced over to see who it was.
‘Oh, great.’
It was Namgung Jin—or rather, the Sword Dragon. He had quietly made his way over and was now addressing Paejon.
Paejon turned to look at Namgung Jin.
“Hm.”
A slight frown appeared on his face.
“You are...”
“I am Namgung Jin, of the Namgung Clan. My grandfather has spoken of you often.”
“......”
Paejon's eyes narrowed sharply at the word grandfather.
“The Heavenly Lord’s grandson.”
Heavenly Lord (Cheonjon).
That’s right. Namgung Jin was the grandson of the Heavenly Lord. I had momentarily forgotten that.
“That’s correct. If it is not too much of an offense, may I have the honor of pouring you a drink?”
“No need.”
Disinterest.
It was clear in Paejon’s gaze—he had already lost interest.
“But, Elder...”
“It seems the Heavenly Lord isn’t as lucky as I thought.”
“......!”
A completely different response from how he had treated Soi earlier.
In fact, the exact opposite.
Namgung Jin’s face cracked at the words.
“Leave. I do not enjoy drinking what others pour for me.”
“...Understood.”
With a stiff expression, Namgung Jin stepped away. I scratched my cheek, watching him.
‘...This is a bit rough.’
It felt like I was witnessing the embarrassing past of the future Sword King.
Not exactly an enjoyable sight.
The problem was—
“And now.”
—Paejon turned to me.
“You come here and pour me a drink.”
“...What?”
Paejon looked straight at me and spoke.
My face twisted.
“Did you not hear me?”
“No, I heard you just fine. It’s just... too ridiculous.”
“Why? I only asked you to pour me a drink.”
“You just said you don’t drink what others pour.”
“That’s true.”
“Then why—”
“You’re not others.”
“What...?”
What the hell was he saying?
“Drinks poured by one’s disciple are different, are they not?”
Paejon said this with a smirk, spouting absolute bullshit.
Everyone around us froze, holding their breath.
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“...Are you serious?”
“Why? Do you dislike it?”
I sighed and answered.
“Yes.”
“......!”
The entire banquet gasped in shock.
To refuse the Paejon—one of the Three Heavens—without hesitation...
“I don’t like pouring drinks for other people.”
“Hah.”
Creaaak.
With just a chuckle, Paejon’s presence made the table tremble.
My body instinctively shivered.
Had I gone too far?
For a brief moment, the thought of disaster crossed my mind.
But—
“You really are an amusing brat.”
The moment he said that, the suffocating aura vanished.
Then, Paejon slowly stood up from his seat.
“Well, this is more fun. If you had agreed too easily, it would have been boring.”
“I wasn’t planning on agreeing in the first pl—”
“I’ve seen your face now, so that’s enough. I’ll visit again.”
“What do you mean, visit—?! No, don’t come ba—Ah, damn it.”
Before I could even finish, Paejon disappeared.
It happened in an instant.
The entire banquet hall fell silent.
Everyone had been caught off guard.
Even the Blue Flame Sword Master looked like he was struggling to hold back laughter.
‘This guy isn’t normal either...’
I clicked my tongue and stared at the spot where Paejon had been.
That was when I felt someone’s gaze burning into me.
I turned my head.
Who was staring at me with such intensity?
“......”
Of course.
It was none other than Namgung Jin, glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me.
‘Ah.’
That look confirmed it.
He was definitely Namgung Cheonjun’s father.
And—seeing the way his blue eyes burned with resentment—I realized something else.
‘...This is going to be a problem.’
It was clear that trouble was coming soon.
