Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1097

Chapter 1097

A giant fist hung motionless, just a hair’s breadth from my face. A fraction slower, and it would have connected with devastating force.

*Whoosh.*

It stayed there, frozen. I stared at it, unblinking—

*Crack.*

“What did you say?”

*Whoosh.*

Paehjon’s voice cut through the air. The fist did not move; the potent energy enveloping it had not faded.

*Rumble.*

He had not yet pulled back his power.

Confirming this, I shifted my gaze slightly toward Paehjon.

“I said my identity.”

I met his eyes as I answered.

“You asked, so I told you.”
“I asked what you said.”
“I said ‘disciple.’”
“…Whose disciple?”

At that, I lifted my hand and pointed directly at the immense old man before me.

“Yours, elder.”
“…Ha?”

A sharp, incredulous breath escaped him, and with it came a crushing wave of energy. Seeing it, I adjusted my stance and tightened my own fist.

Tua Infinite Fist.

Paehjon’s Tua Infinite Fist was unleashed.

Tua Infinite Fist.

I met his assault with the very same technique.

KUAAAAAA—!!!

A violent shockwave tore through the area, making the ground tremble. Trees and rocks were flung backward, and the space between Paehjon and myself widened from the force.

Watching this, I frowned.

“Really, elder? Couldn’t you just use words? Must everything be settled with our fists?”
“If you intend to speak in riddles, I have no interest in hearing it.”
“It’s no riddle.”

*Thud.*

I took off my martial robe and set it down on the ground.

“Truthfully, elder, you already understand this is the only answer that makes sense. No—”

I cut myself off.

Because now, I had to say a word I had never once used for Paehjon.

“You already know this, Master.”

Master. Or teacher.

From the moment I had become Paehjon’s disciple, I had never called him that.

But now, it was necessary.

“Haha.”

Paehjon’s laughter grew low and dangerous. I recognized that sound—it was the prelude to an explosion.

“I have no memory of ever teaching you. Do I seem like I have lost my senses?”
“Judging by your actions, it’s not out of the question.”
“What did you say?”

Ah, damn. My old habits had provoked him even further.

“…Anyway. You’re correct; you never actually instructed me. At least, not yet.”
“Not yet?”
“Yes. You heard me correctly.”

*Crack.* I rolled my shoulders, working out the stiffness. The sudden, intense exertion had left me feeling a dull fatigue.

I felt a weariness here that I had never noticed back in Mangye.

“I reversed time.”

“…..”

Paehjon’s brow furrowed.

“What are you talking about? You claim to have journeyed to the past?”
“You catch on quickly.”

“Ha!”

*KUGUNG!*

A torrent of energy, more violent than before, erupted from Paehjon. The sheer pressure of it made me shudder involuntarily.

‘He’s unbelievably strong.’

We both knew this wasn’t a true life-and-death struggle, but the force he radiated was still overwhelming.

But—

“That is a ridiculous joke.”
“It is not a joke.”

*KUUUUUUUNG—!!*

I could not afford to be crushed, so I released all the power I had been holding within.

As I let the energy of Tua Heaven-Shattering flow out completely, it intertwined with Paehjon’s own.

The same energy.

An energy that only two people in all of Zhongyuan possessed, now clashing and resonating as if in sync.

“If it isn’t true, then how do you explain what is happening right now?”

“…..”

Paehjon’s frown deepened.

Anyone would find this hard to believe. That I had traveled through time? What kind of madman would say such a thing?

‘I wouldn’t believe it either.’

For me, it was reality.

But for Paehjon, it was not.

So, I had to demonstrate.

“This—everything I possess—was all given to me by you, Master.”

*Gagagagagak—!*

I manifested the power of Tua Heaven-Shattering, a technique I had acquired through countless trials and suffering.

“Even after witnessing this, you still doubt me?”

A whirlwind of cutting energy spiraled around my body. Paehjon stared at it, transfixed.

And then—

*Shhhhk!*

He abruptly withdrew his energy. I did the same, allowing mine to dissipate.

“I cannot believe it.”

Paehjon spoke.

Of course, it was not something to be easily accepted.

“Then?”
“Prove it.”
“…What?”

Feigning surprise, I widened my eyes.

“Prove it by any means you can. How is such a thing even possible?”

Paehjon demanded. Just as I had expected.

I had prepared for this very question.

Which is why I had my answer ready.

“I do not know.”

“Ha?”

The perfect response.

“I do not know. I died, and when I opened my eyes, I was in the past.”

I spoke with utter conviction. It was not a lie—it was exactly what I had lived through.

“Died…?”

“Believe it or not, it is the truth. I died once. When I awoke, I was here.”
“So, before your death, you were my disciple?”
“That is correct.”
“Since when? When did you become my disciple?”
“If we speak of time, it was when you first arrived at the Martial Alliance.”
“That would mean—”
“Yes. I was taking the entrance exam at that very moment.”

This was the critical point. I carefully wove together what I had experienced with what I had not.

“Even then, it was the same. The instant you saw me, you approached and told me to become your disciple.”
“And?”
“And what else? When one of the Three Masters tells you to become his disciple, you accept immediately.”
“And then you trained under me? Preposterous.”

Paehjon laughed at my explanation.

“That makes no sense. The sole reason I approached you was because I sensed the energy of Heaven-Shattering within you.”
“…..”

As I expected.

Hearing those words confirmed it—this old man had detected my latent energy the moment he saw me.

He truly was a monster.

“And you claim that I asked you to become my disciple the instant I saw you? Nonsense.”
“It is not nonsense.”

Even so, I pressed on.

“The moment you saw me, you said it yourself. That this body—this was exactly what you had been searching for.”
“……!”

Paehjon’s eyes widened.

It seemed I had struck true.

‘So he had already been searching for it back then.’

A successor for the Tua Heaven-Shattering Dance.

Someone who could fulfill the dream he himself could not achieve.

Paehjon had been seeking that person.

Hadn’t he said it himself back then? That he needed to find the perfect vessel?

“Ha…”

He wavered. I seized the moment.

“From that point on, it was hell. The martial arts you taught me did nothing but tear my body apart. You insisted every single movement was critical, so I repeated them until I was at death’s door. You made me punch through solid rock in a cave… It was an endless cycle of brutal training.”
“……”

Paehjon was silent.

Of course, he had no rebuttal.

Because everything I had just described—I had endured it.

“At first, I regretted it. I wondered what kind of insane training this was. But there was no turning back.”
“……And?”
“And what? I had no choice but to obey and learn.”
“No, not that.”
“Huh?”
“Did you master it?”
“Ah.”

Even now, that was what he wanted to know.

This man was truly unwavering.

I shrugged.

“Not yet. I still have a long path ahead.”

I had fully mastered the Nine Flames Firewheel, but not the Tua Heaven-Shattering Dance.

That accursed technique was not something easily mastered.

“And yet you returned? Without completing it?”
“I died. What choice did I have?”
“How did you die?”
“An ambush.”

Again, I blended truth with deception.

“An ambush?”
“Yes. An unknown faction attacked. They crushed the Martial Alliance in an instant and seized control of Zhongyuan.”
“Sheer nonsense. The Martial Alliance, taken over? Do you know who resides there? The Sword Master, that senile old lunatic.”

Paehjon scoffed in disbelief.

The Sword Master resided in the Martial Alliance.

For someone to overpower him and seize control—Paehjon could not believe it.

That alone spoke volumes about the Sword Master’s stature.

It was an interesting perspective.

But I could only say one thing.

“It is the truth. That is when I died.”
“……And then you reversed time?”
“Yes. I needed time to grow stronger, so I emerged when the moment was right.”
“And so, at your age, you’ve already reached this level of mastery?”
“That is correct.”
“……”

Aside from the reversal of time, there was no logical explanation.

Paehjon had experienced my strength directly. He knew.

There was no other way this could be possible.

Even if he couldn’t fully believe it, he was grappling with the possibility.

‘Now then…’

I needed to push further.

To truly convince him, I couldn’t rely on myself alone. I had to use his own future against him.

“Master.”
“……”
“Since you already know, I will speak plainly.”

I locked eyes with Paehjon and said it lightly.

“Don’t do it.”
“……Do what?”
“That foolish endeavor of yours. Abandon it.”
“……!”

Paehjon’s reaction was immediate and intense.

He knew precisely what I meant.

“Rejuvenation. If you go through with it, you will live to regret it.”
“How do you…!”

A secret only I should know.

Something that hadn’t happened yet, but was destined to.

“How do I know?”

I answered as calmly as I could.

“One day, in the middle of training, you suddenly decided it wasn’t working. So you vanished. Then you returned… as a newborn infant.”

“……”

“Your body was left weak. Your original power never returned. You regretted it the moment it was too late.”

“……”

“And why? You had already chosen a disciple. Why did you still try to do it yourself? I never understood.”

If he had taken a disciple sooner, he wouldn’t have sought rejuvenation.

By pointing this out, I added another layer of credibility to my story.

It wasn’t just a warning—it was spoken as if I had already seen it happen.

“So… you truly journeyed back in time?”
“Yes.”
“……”

Paehjon fell silent, deep in thought.

I knew he would not take long.

So I waited patiently.

“One final question.”

As expected, Paehjon finished his contemplation quickly and turned back to me.

“If you were my disciple, tell me—what is the most memorable thing I ever taught you?”
“…What?”

The most memorable thing?

“You mean a technique? A form?”
“It does not matter. Simply tell me something that will convince me.”
“……Hmm.”

I scratched my cheek.

Something that would convince him…

‘Well, there is one thing.’

The thing that had been branded into me most deeply.

“Ah.”

I recalled it instantly.

Something he had repeated to me like a mantra.

Something I could never forget.

“Keep going until it works.”
“……What?”
“There is no such thing as impossible. You just do it until it works.”
“……”

Martial arts, techniques—he had redefined everything for me.

But above all else, this was the most important lesson.

“Master. That is what I learned from you.”

“……”

For a long moment, Paehjon was utterly silent.

**********

*Crunch.*

Deep within the underground chamber of the Martial Alliance.

A place often called the laboratory of the Wind Dragon Division.

A massive corpse was being hauled inside.

“Prepare everything, now!”
“Summon the Division Leader!”

The members of the division scrambled frantically at the sight of the incoming monster’s remains.

It was so large it nearly filled the vast room.

It had long since stopped breathing, but even in death, its size was staggering.

A colossal bear, its body patched with red fur.

The corpse of the Redstone Bear, recently slain by the Sword Master.

“…It’s truly red.”
“How can a Crimson-Rank Beast exist…?”
“Where is the Wind Dragon Division Leader?!”

The members of the Wind Dragon Division stared in awe at the Crimson-Rank Beast.

A monster appearing from nowhere—it defied all understanding.

For centuries, such a high-grade monster had never been seen.

Its appearance was shocking enough, but more than that, it held immense value for research.

The Alliance Leader himself had ordered it to be studied.

Everyone had to work without rest.

Yet amidst the commotion—

“Hmm…”

There was one person.

Amid the frantic researchers, a single young man stood in silence.

His eyes roamed over the enormous corpse before he spoke.

“How did this happen?”

His tone was one of pure bewilderment.

And his eyes—

They glowed with a faint, eerie red light.