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Childhood Friend of the Zenith (Web Novel) - Chapter CH.1085: The World of Ascension (15)
Chapter CH.1085: The World of Ascension (15)
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The banquet had ended. Even after Paejon disappeared, the banquet continued for a while, but fortunately, it didn’t last too long.
The atmosphere had shifted dramatically after Paejon left. It seemed like the banquet wasn’t meant to be long in the first place.
In the end, everyone just hurriedly grabbed a meal before dispersing, prompted by the words of the Blue Flame Sword Master.
Contrary to what was initially expected, not many people had gathered.
For one, my father and the others I saw earlier—less than ten of them—hadn’t shown up.
I heard that those with missions didn’t have to attend. Did they leave on assignments?
That was possible. The Azure Dragon Division’s missions were known for being numerous even in the time I was familiar with.
Step.
After the banquet ended, I slowly started walking.
The sun had completely set, and the moon was now high in the center of the sky.
“......”
I stepped outside and quietly looked up at the moon, checking my body.
‘I’ve already checked several times, but...’
Clench.
I curled my hand into a fist, reaffirming my thoughts.
‘So I really can’t use the power of the Moonlit Night Tribe?’
Was it because this world belonged to Zhongyuan? Or was it simply because this wasn’t Mangye? I wasn’t sure.
Even though the moon was out, I still couldn’t access the Moonlit Night Tribe’s power.
It was unfortunate. If I could use it, things would have been much more convenient.
‘But it’s fine.’
Yes, it was better to be in a situation where I didn’t need to use it. If I were forced to rely on it, that would mean things had already gone terribly wrong.
‘Hmm.’
I lightly rolled my wrists.
It wasn’t too late yet—maybe I should train for the first time in a while. I debated the thought.
The reason was simple.
‘I haven’t trained at all since reaching Transcendence.’
After advancing my realm and expanding my vessel, I hadn’t had the chance to train even once.
Too many things had happened all at once, and I hadn’t been in the right mindset to focus on training.
‘I’d like to, but...’
I wasn’t sure if training here would even be meaningful. This world was still different from my own, after all.
‘And I can’t use certain abilities either.’
I couldn’t use the Moonlit Night Tribe’s power, and a few other abilities were also unavailable to me.
The only relief was that my Authority remained intact.
‘That’s a relief, at least.’
If not for that, things would’ve become much more troublesome. The Authority of the Abyss had been incredibly helpful to me.
I lifted my gaze to the sky.
The moon was hanging high above.
What should I do? Should I train even if it ends up being useless?
Just as I was contemplating,
‘I don’t think I’ll get the chance.’
Unfortunately, it seemed that training wouldn’t be an option. There were too many eyes watching.
I shifted my gaze.
Though most had dispersed after the banquet, there were still quite a few people left inside the Azure Dragon Division’s grounds.
And someone was lurking near me.
“Do you need something from me?”
The moment I spoke, a figure hidden behind a tree revealed themselves.
I already knew who it was.
How could I not? They had been glaring at me with murderous intent throughout the banquet.
“Namgung Senior.”
“Hah.”
The person I called out let out a hollow chuckle.
Silver-white hair and piercing blue eyes.
A young man dressed in the martial robes of the Azure Dragon Division.
He was none other than Namgung Jin, the Sword Dragon—the future Sword King and head of the Namgung Clan.
“You’re a perceptive one.”
“I tend to be.”
From the moment the banquet ended, Namgung Jin had been following me.
He had been using stealth to conceal his presence, but I had sensed him easily.
He wasn’t even trying to hide properly.
It was as if he wanted me to notice—practically daring me to call him out.
So, I obliged.
“You know who I am?”
Hearing his question, I gave him a sheepish smile.
“How could I not? You’re the famous Sword Dragon.”
“No, I mean... do you not remember me?”
His expression twisted into a frown.
Ah, this was bad.
“......Were we close enough for me to remember? I’m afraid I—”
I tried to feign ignorance.
But—
“Your face says otherwise.”
Namgung Jin cut me off before I could finish.
“......”
Damn.
I wished I could put on a mask right now. Was it that obvious?
This was exactly why Shin Noya always told me never to act.
“If you bumped into me, shouldn’t you at least apologize?”
“I thought I already did?”
...Did I?
I couldn’t remember. I probably did.
“Did you? I don’t recall.”
His answer made it clear—he didn’t care whether I apologized or not.
“Hmm.”
I ran a hand through my hair.
Ah, what a pain.
‘Why are all the men in this family like this?’
Seriously, he was making me want to beat the hell out of him.
I wanted to fold him into a crane and throw him into a pond.
But instead, I forced a smile and said,
“Then shall I offer my apology now?”
“Sounds good.”
He seemed pleased with my response.
Great.
If I could settle this with a simple apology, that was an easy price to pay.
“I’m sorry for what happ—”
“Kneel.”
“...What?”
I narrowed my eyes.
...Did I hear him wrong?
But Namgung Jin repeated himself, leaving no room for doubt.
“I told you to kneel. If you’re going to apologize, do it properly.”
“......”
Wow.
‘The seniority complex is real.’
I never expected to experience this.
Not in my past life. Not in this one either.
I had never been made to kneel before.
If I disliked someone, I didn’t force them to kneel—I just ripped their knees off.
And now he was telling me to kneel?
How refreshing.
‘In a way, he might be worse than his son.’
I had assumed he would be better than that perverted bastard.
But now I wasn’t so sure.
Was this the power of genetics?
Then again, Namgung Bi-ah wasn’t like this.
“What? You don’t want to?”
Since I didn’t respond immediately, Namgung Jin pressed me further.
I chuckled slightly and replied,
“Isn’t kneeling a bit excessive for just bumping shoulders?”
“Hah. Excessive?”
Namgung Jin let out a laugh before his expression turned cold, stepping toward me.
"If your senior tells you to kneel, you kneel. Why do you talk so much? Sword Peak Soi, did that woman fail to teach you properly? Or..."
"......."
"Are you just unbearably arrogant? I wonder."
He stepped right up to me, looking down with a piercing gaze. Namgung Jin was slightly taller than me.
His blue eyes gleamed under the moonlight.
And the funny thing?
‘His eyes are actually quite nice.’
Of all the features on Namgung Jin's annoyingly well-structured face, his eyes were the best.
Both their color and shape—
Because—
‘They look familiar.’
Unlike Namgung Cheonjun, his eyes bore an uncanny resemblance to Namgung Bi-ah’s.
The only difference was that hers weren’t as sharp and menacing.
Just from looking at his eyes alone, there was no doubt that the two were father and daughter.
As much as I hated to admit it.
Then—
"You look alike."
"......!"
At his sudden words, my eyes widened.
I was caught completely off guard.
Because he had voiced exactly what I had been thinking.
What the hell? Had he just read my mind?
As I struggled to process it—
"Yeah, there's no doubt. You look just like him."
His face twisted in pure disgust as he spoke.
"Just like that repulsive bastard. Baek Comrade kept denying it, but no matter how I look at you—"
"......Excuse me?"
Who the hell was I supposed to look like?
I had no idea what he was talking about.
It wasn’t like my eyes resembled anyone else's enough for them to make such an immediate connection.
"This is really pissing me off. It’s driving me absolutely insane."
The rage in his voice was undeniable.
No, maybe it wasn’t just rage.
It felt more like inferiority—maybe even jealousy.
It had been a while since I’d encountered someone so blatantly displaying their emotions.
In a way, it was almost impressive.
‘Huh.’
What was I supposed to do here?
I had no clue.
"What’s with that face? What? You think I’m full of shit?"
"No, not particularly..."
"Of course, you do. It must sound like complete bullshit to you. But what can you do? If you don’t like it, you should’ve gotten here sooner."
"......."
"I don’t like you. Not one bit. And I doubt that’s going to change."
...Okay, and?
I just looked at him without responding.
Then, Namgung Jin locked eyes with me, his blue irises burning with intensity.
"That’s why things are going to be interesting from now on. I’m looking forward to it."
Tap, tap.
Just like before, he patted my shoulder a couple of times.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked ahead, quickly disappearing into the distance.
"......."
It was only after his figure had completely vanished that I reached up and rubbed my neck.
‘That was close.’
That could’ve ended badly.
‘I almost tore his tongue out.’
Normally, a tongue spouting that much bullshit had no right to exist.
I would have just ripped it out on the spot.
But look at me now.
Apparently, gaining a little cultivation meant I could tolerate this nonsense.
How commendable. A truly impressive display of personal growth.
The only problem was—
‘That’s twice now.’
This was the second time I had let something slide.
What should I do when the third time comes?
"......."
I decided not to think too hard about it.
I’d deal with it when it happened.
And honestly—
I really, really hoped it wouldn’t happen.
But of course—
Fate was never on my side.
"Come out, junior. Your senior needs to properly educate you on what the Azure Dragon Division really is."
Because the next pain in the ass always came sooner than expected.
