Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1090

Chapter 1090

At the crest of a modest mountain range, the air was thick with the scent of autumn, the swirling fallen leaves painting the landscape in fiery hues.

This range lay within Hanam, a region where the sects of the martial world had long flourished together in harmony.

Even now, in an age overrun by demonic beasts, it remained one of the few sanctioned areas where herb gatherers could travel without fear.

One would expect such a place to be blanketed in profound peace.

Krrrrrr—!!!

Yet, for some reason, the aggressive cries of demonic beasts echoed through the mountains.

Krrrrrrr—!!!

The creatures nearby flinched and froze, startled by the fierce and violent howls.

The reason for this sudden turmoil was straightforward.

“I was the one who released them.”

A mountain range of this scale was undoubtedly under the management of the local sect.

Had it been truly peaceful, the Sword Division would have swiftly cleared the beasts the moment the Magyeong Gate opened.

Particularly at this stage, only green or blue beasts should be present, making them relatively easy to handle.

The fact that demonic beasts still roamed meant the sect had deliberately not intervened.

“It appears they’ve been left to roam for nearly seven days,” remarked one of the seniors.

This was likely arranged as part of the day’s training exercises.

However, an issue had arisen.

“Doesn’t it feel like there are far fewer beasts than there should be?”

The numbers were off.

“Right? Usually, they’d be swarming all over the place… why are there so few today?”

“Could the Magyeong Gate not have opened as frequently?”

“That can’t be. The Black Dragon Division confirmed there were more than usual last time they checked.”

The senior members of the Blue Dragon Division moved ahead using their air-walking techniques, discussing the oddity. If the mountains had been sealed for seven days to let the beasts multiply, there should have been a horde of them. Yet, after searching, they had only found and eliminated three.

It was strange.

“…What’s happening? Could the Red Dragon Division be moving faster than we anticipated?”

“Impossible. They’re operating in a separate zone. If we’re to collaborate, we shouldn’t meet for at least another hour.”

“Then why are there so few beasts… Soi, do you sense anything?”

The senior glanced back at Soi, but she merely shook her head.

“I sense nothing.”

“…Huh. This is truly bizarre.”

The seniors were perplexed. Even the recruits trailing behind them were growing restless.

‘…Ah, this isn’t good.’

I, following at the very rear, felt a cold sweat begin to form. The reason was simple.

‘Damn. I never expected to end up in a situation like this.’

The current shortage of demonic beasts in these mountains was entirely my doing.

‘…No wonder there were so many that day.’

On my first day in this world, I had cleared out a number of demonic beasts to secure a safe place to sleep.

Back then, I had wondered why Hanam was so densely populated with creatures.

‘So this was why.’

The surplus had been intentional. They had been left unattended for almost five days to proliferate.

‘And I wiped them all out.’

Needing funds, I had hunted every demonic beast in the vicinity, which explained the current scarcity.

‘Ugh…’

The situation was deeply uncomfortable. I had no choice but to suppress my unease and continue with the group.

I had interfered without even realizing it.

‘It’ll probably be alright, right…?’

If no one noticed, it wouldn’t be a major problem. I hoped the issue would fade away without consequence.

‘…But that’s unlikely.’

I didn’t have much optimism.

Although this was called joint training, it was essentially a competition.

‘A contest to see which division can hunt the most demonic beasts.’

They had framed it as a collaborative exercise, but I knew better—meaningful cooperation between squads was never going to happen.

It was all for appearance.

And with fewer beasts than anticipated?

‘This is definitely going to lead to conflict.’

Trouble was inevitable.

And—

‘It’s going to be between people, not beasts.’

The conflict wouldn’t be with the demonic beasts, but among the participants themselves.

Shortly after I reached this conclusion, a problem emerged, almost like a haunting presence.

*******

Krrraaaahhh—!!!

With a guttural roar, a demonic beast collapsed. It was a green-grade beast, bear-like in form and similar in size to a real bear.

Koooom—!!

The heavy creature hit the ground.

“I got it.”

A warrior from the Blue Dragon Division smiled as he approached the fallen beast.

“Hey. Don’t touch that.”

A voice cut in from the other side.

“What?”

The senior’s face tightened as he turned, and the one who had spoken smirked.

“We killed it. It’s ours.”

It was a warrior from the Red Dragon Division. As he stepped forward, the senior’s eyes narrowed.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Everyone here saw we took it down.”

“Look at its back.”

Glancing down, two weapons were embedded in the beast’s back.

A sword, and beside it, a dagger.

The sword had been thrown by the senior. The dagger next to it belonged to—

“We landed that strike to finish it. It’s closer to the heart, so it’s clearly our kill, don’t you think?”

The warrior gestured toward a young man staring blankly in their direction.

I recognized him.

‘…Poison Dragon?’

It was Tang Cheongi, the owner of the dagger.

“Heh. Ridiculous. I know for a fact there was nothing there when our member threw the sword. Who are you trying to fool?”

The “member” he referred to was Soi.

She had thrown her sword the instant the beast was sighted.

“Besides, this is Blue Dragon Division territory. You have no business being here.”

Each group had been assigned specific zones for hunting. Those were the rules of this exercise.

“It’s been over an hour. Your argument doesn’t hold.”

After the first hour, the groups were permitted to cross into each other’s territories.

It seemed the time had already passed. However—

“Even so, we struck first. Anyone with eyes can see that.”

This was true. The Blue Dragon Division had clearly landed the first blow.

Had the Red Dragon Division not seen it? That was just an excuse, evidence of their poor awareness.

They seemed to realize this, so they didn’t argue the point.

Instead, they emphasized something else.

“But we struck the vital points. We’re the ones who ended its life, so the kill is ours.”

“Nonsense…!”

‘Ugh.’

As expected, they weren’t backing down. The tension between the two groups was becoming palpable.

‘I knew it would come to this.’

I let out a quiet sigh from the back. This was unavoidable.

Even the organizers had probably anticipated some friction. But with so few beasts, no one expected a clash over a single kill.

“What? You want to make something of it?”

“You think I’m scared of you? Ha.”

Swoosh—!

Clang—!

Both sides drew their blades. Others followed suit, readying their weapons.

A sudden standoff between the Blue and Red Dragon Divisions was about to erupt.

As internal strife threatened to break out, the new recruits looked on in confusion.

‘What should I do?’

I considered my options.

‘Maybe I should just slip away now?’

This seemed to be a simple dispute over a green beast, but with pride and tempers flaring, it wouldn’t end quietly.

It was bound to escalate.

Since things were going to get messy, slipping away to observe from a distance seemed wise.

‘Sounds like a plan.’

Yeah, I’ll do that.

Nodding to myself, I quietly began gathering energy. To avoid detection, I usually kept my senses and energy suppressed—

But to use my stealth technique, I needed to channel a small amount.

Suuuu—!!

I focused energy into my core, feeling it circulate. My senses, previously dulled, sharpened instantly.

In that moment—

Krrrrrrrrr—!

“……!”

I startled.

I halted my energy flow and my eyes snapped open.

‘Huh?’

I turned my head toward the source of the sensation.

‘What is that?’

What’s happening?

Krrrrrrrrr—!!

A faint demonic roar reached my ears. That in itself wasn’t unusual. Even with fewer beasts, my heightened senses could detect any presence across the entire range.

The problem was—

‘Why is that thing here?’

It was a presence that didn’t belong here, not at this time.

Clarity-!

I immediately moved.

In a flash, my perspective shifted. While the others were still poised for conflict, I raced toward the source of the energy.

Krrrrrrrrr—!!!

Soon, I located the beast radiating that powerful aura.

«……Hah.»

Near the heart of the mountain range.

Inside a vast cave with a gaping entrance, something was visible.

It resembled the bear-like demonic beast we had just killed, but—

Grrrung.

It was enormous, its bulk nearly filling the entire cavern.

Unlike the green-grade beast, this one had fur of a vivid, burning red.

‘A red demonic beast…?’

This was not green or blue grade.

It was a red-grade demonic beast.

“Why is it here…?”

This was a creature that should not, under any circumstances, be here at this time.