Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1075

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Chapter 1075

I shuddered as my eyes fell upon the ancient giant.

He wore a robe of muted tones, his hair an unnatural, jet black for a man of his years.

His face bore a listless expression, marked by a long scar that cut across his cheek.

His form was a mass of swollen muscle, looking as if it might tear through his skin at any second.

In sheer size, he was easily the equal of Tang Deok or Elder Il.

No, upon closer look, he was perhaps even larger.

‘But that old man is Paejon?’

He had given his name as Paejon.

It was a title that celebrated a warrior’s spirit, earned by standing his ground through innumerable losses.

He could have selected the character for ‘domination’ (霸), yet he intentionally chose ‘defeat’ (敗) as a badge of his pride.

There was more.

He was an instructor who had deeply shaped the course of my existence.

‘Incredible.’

An inner sense of awe washed over me.

I recalled something Paejon had told me once.

What were the words?

‘If I had the body from my former life, I would have stood above all others as the most powerful.’

A declaration of the utmost arrogance.

Yet, standing here now, I began to believe that Paejon might have been correct.

‘…With a physique like that, it’s no wonder he grieved every single day.’

The Paejon I knew had undergone reverse aging, left with a frail and feeble form.

His face had been kindly, and before he shed his physical limits, his build had been much like my own—a frame too slight, holding far too little power for a true martial artist.

The memory of him, lamenting the body of his past, surfaced in my mind.

Now, I finally understood.

Had I been trapped in such a body, I too would have despaired.

“…Paejon has arrived?”
“Can that truly be Paejon?”
“The Tyrant of the West… what could have brought him to a place like this…?”

A wave of excited murmurs swept through the martial artists around me.

One of the Three Supreme Masters of the Martial World. The Sky of the Orthodox Factions. The highest summit, the absolute peak of martial prowess.

None of us could have anticipated crossing paths with a living legend here.

I was no different.

‘…Why is he here?’

I never thought I would see Paejon before his reverse aging.

Was this an event I was destined to witness, or merely a twist of fate?

As I turned the question over in my mind, I heard him speak.

“Hmph.”

Paejon cast a disinterested glance over the crowd, his voice flat. “I am only here to make an appearance. I have little to say. Proceed with your business.”

His tone was utterly devoid of curiosity.

Why had he even bothered to come, I wondered, with such an attitude.

Just as the thought formed—

“Well then, I shall take my leave…”

Paejon stopped mid-sentence, his face tightening.

Then—

‘What?’

Our eyes locked.

At first, I assumed it was a mistake. There was no reason for his gaze to find me in this throng of people.

But then—

‘No… he is looking directly at me.’

Paejon was unmistakably staring right at me.

His dark, bead-like eyes were fixed intently on mine.

Feeling that focus, I quickly assessed my own state.

‘I erased my presence.’

I had concealed not only my energy but my entire being.

Not even Paejon should be able to perceive my true level.

This meant—I had genuinely attained the realm of the Three Supreme Masters.

Though a part of me swelled with pride,

‘…This is not the moment for self-congratulation.’

Regardless, Paejon would not be able to gauge my actual strength.

At most, he might sense me as a first-rate or peak-level martial artist.

‘Why is he staring?’

As I wrestled with the question—

“Hmm.”

Paejon grunted to himself and then—

*Thud.*

“H-Hck!”
“Hiik!?”

He materialized directly in front of me.

‘His speed is unbelievable.’

I nearly reacted on pure instinct.

It was a velocity that defied comprehension.

Paejon reached out and promptly seized my bicep.

It wasn’t a crushing grip, but a firm hold.

I was stunned. I braced for a flood of his energy to invade me, but it never came.

He was merely feeling my arm, testing its firmness.

“…What is the meaning of this?”

I looked at Paejon, bewildered.

He met my gaze and demanded,

“What is your name?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Your name.”
“…Gu— no, Baek Yangcheon.”

Paejon gave a low hum of acknowledgment.

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Elder… have I done something to offend you?”

“No, nothing of the sort.”

The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk.

“Hmm…”

“…Elder?”

“This is a most unexpected find.”

“Pardon?”

A wave of apprehension rushed through me.

The old man’s behavior was peculiar.

Damn it, I recognized this.

I wracked my memory and soon placed where I had felt this before.

This was—

‘The first time we met.’

When I had first encountered Paejon after my regression.

To be precise, when I first saw him again after returning to this world.

The look in his eyes now was identical to the one he had given me then.

‘This is bad.’

If that was true, then… could it be—

‘No, that is impossible.’

I tried to force the thought down, but—

“I see.”

Paejon’s grin widened, his words slicing through the tension.

“Become my disciple.”

The instant he spoke, the air around us turned icy.

Oh.

‘This cannot be happening.’

The very thing I had dreaded had come to pass.

I never imagined I would hear those words from that man again.

“…Disciple?”
“Did Paejon just say disciple?”
“…To that young man?”

Every eye was now fixed on me.

This was disastrous.

This was precisely the sort of attention I needed to avoid.

‘Has he gone mad?’

I never thought Paejon would act in such a way.

My eyes widened in confusion.

“Elder… what are you saying, so suddenly…?”

I had to find a way to calm this situation.

Why in the world was this happening to me?

It was absurd.

“You heard me perfectly well, did you not?”

Despite my shock, Paejon’s grin did not fade.

“Disciple. I am telling you to become my disciple.”

“…”

His gaze was now intense.

The bored, indifferent look from before had vanished completely.

In its place was a blazing hunger—a resolve that said he would not let me escape.

I suppressed a sigh. This was madness, plain and simple.

“…I must apologize.”

I began with a refusal, and immediately, the reactions around us grew even more heated.

“He refused?”
“…He turned down an offer to become Paejon’s disciple?”

The shock was palpable. The legendary Paejon had personally offered to take on a disciple, and I had dismissed it outright. My rejection left everyone stunned.

‘What choice did I have?’

Accepting his offer was unthinkable in my current circumstances. And besides—

‘I am already his disciple. What more could I do about that?’

That moment was long past. I had already become Paejon’s disciple, whether I wished it or not.

To accept the position again here would only create greater complications.

There was truly no option to become his disciple in this place. It simply wasn’t possible.

“Why?”

Paejon asked, as if my refusal was beyond his understanding.

This man, whether then or now, was consistently baffling in his responses.

“I already follow a martial path. And I already have a master.”

“A master…? Hmm. Whoever that may be, they cannot be my superior.”

It was an statement of pure arrogance. To speak of another’s teacher in such a dismissive way.

This Paejon seemed even more eccentric than the one I remembered.

“My master is a person who would not be inferior to anyone, not even to you.”

“Not better than me?”

At his words, I almost laughed.

The claim that no one could surpass him was almost humorous.

“Yes.”

“Ha.”

I answered with conviction, and Paejon let out a short, hollow laugh.

“You have a sharp tongue.”

He said this, then abruptly turned his back.

“My time is limited now, so I will return for you later.”

Return later?

I wanted to tell him it was unnecessary, but—

“…As I stated, I—”

“Until next time.”

“…”

Paejon did not wait to hear my reply and simply vanished.

And then, with him gone—

‘This is insane.’

All that remained were the countless stares now burning into me.

In the heavy silence that followed, the weight of their attention was overwhelming.

What does one do in a situation like this?

I had learned how to handle such scrutiny through experience, and I knew the only method that worked.

‘What are they all looking at?’

I chose to ignore them.

That was the best approach I knew.

**********

*Creek!*
*BANG—!!*

“Ah!! Wait, please—!!”

As the elderly giant stormed down the corridor, he violently threw open a door. Those waiting inside made desperate attempts to halt him, but—

No one could stop him.

It was futile. In this world, only two beings were known to possess the power to restrain this ancient giant.

*CRASH—!!!*

Again, the door was flung open, the sound of splintering wood echoing behind him.

A short while later, the old man finally reached his destination.

“Senior!”

He shouted as he burst through the doorway,

*SHIIING—!!!*
*BANG—!!!*

A shockwave slammed into the old man, Paejon. He flicked his wrist to deflect it, but—

*Drip.*

He did not completely neutralize the force, and blood began to well from the back of his hand.

Paejon, however, paid it no mind.

“A rather fierce greeting.”

He grinned, shaking his hand.

The one who had struck the blow, seated behind a desk, slowly lifted their head.

*Chill.*

The moment their eyes met, a shiver ran down even Paejon’s spine.

“Biju.”

His voice pressed down on the room.

“I believe I made it clear that if you intended to visit, you should have at least given me prior notice.”

“This is a matter of great urgency.”

“Urgency…?”

A low hum filled the air.

The energy within Paejon’s dantian stirred. A deliberate, cold aura began to permeate the space.

“Do you believe you can simply force your way in to see the leader of the Ming?”

The Ming leader.

The head of the current Martial Alliance, the individual acknowledged as the strongest in the world.

Jukcheon, the Sword Master, fixed Paejon with a charged gaze.

Paejon responded with an awkward chuckle.

“I offer my apologies for that. But I did as you asked, so could you let it pass?”

“…”

At Paejon’s words, Jukcheon slowly relaxed his posture.

Paejon had come with a purpose, intending to seek out Jukcheon for a spar. However,

Jukcheon had stipulated that if Paejon wished to spar, he must first appear at today’s Martial Alliance entrance exam. Paejon had reluctantly agreed.

Having fulfilled that condition, Jukcheon now seemed to calm.

“…So, you came here for a match?”

“Ah, that was the original plan.”

Paejon raised a corner of his mouth.

“But something else has come up.”

“Something else?”

“Yes…”

As Paejon began to explain, his gaze suddenly shifted to the side.

He had been too focused to notice earlier, but another person stood near the desk.

“Ah, a prior engagement.”

At Paejon’s words, the other man turned his head.

“Hmm?”

Their eyes met, and Paejon’s expression twisted.

The man was strikingly handsome, dressed in the Ming robes, a bit shorter than Paejon but solidly built—his frame nearly the size of an arm’s length.

He appeared to be less than thirty years of age.

‘What is with those eyes?’

Paejon’s dantian reacted to the young man’s gaze, much as it did when facing Jukcheon.

There was something chillingly cold in them, yet they paradoxically radiated a tremendous heat.

“You… What is your name?”

It was the same question Paejon had asked before.

The young man with the crimson eyes responded.

“I am but a junior who is humbled to meet Paejon.”

His words were heavy and deliberate, delivered in a deep voice that matched his rugged features.

“I am Gu Cheolwoon, deputy leader of the Blue Dragon Division.”

Hearing the name, Paejon’s eyebrow twitched.

“Divine Dragon…?”

Divine Dragon Gu Cheolwoon.

He was the very reason Paejon had come to Hanam.

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