Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1154

Chapter 1154

His crimson eyes blazed with a fierce intensity. That damned trait of the Gu family—those sharply angled eyes. And, of course, his physique, which carried the distinct markers of our lineage.

Not the heavy, broad build of my father or Elder Il, but the slighter frame that I, and many others of the Gu clan, possessed.

To be more exact—

He was originally about my size.

A height similar to mine before I went through rebirth via bone refinement. In other words, fairly short for someone who practices martial arts.

And on top of that—

…He looked genuinely frightening.

I don’t use that word lightly, but damn. The individual seated across from me—this so-called family head—truly was a terrifying sight.

The severe cut of his eyes projected something purely homicidal.

Ah, hell.

Is this what others experience when they look at me?

…I really detest this.

For a split second, I could almost understand their perspective. No—wait. That isn’t important right now.

So…

This man is the head of the Gu family?

While I was still struggling to process his sudden arrival—

“Oh my, you’re here?”

Jin Yeonryeong greeted her grandfather with a radiant smile.

“You mentioned you would be late, but you’re early.”

“…Mm. My business concluded ahead of schedule.”

“I see. Ah, this is Baek Yangcheon, a young warrior. He is Cheolwoon’s companion.”

“…”

At Jin Yeonryeong’s introduction, her grandfather’s focus fixed entirely on me.

A wave of force, like a lightning strike.

I instantly corrected my posture.

“…I am Baek Yangcheon of the Azure Dragon Division. It is a privilege to meet the head of the Gu family.”

“…”

He offered no verbal reply—only a slow, deliberate nod.

“Please, sit. I will prepare tea.”

At Jin Yeonryeong’s prompting, the family head sat at the table without a word. She then excused herself to fetch the tea, leaving me alone with him.

“…”

“…”

A crushing silence descended.

What in the world am I supposed to do now?

I never anticipated meeting him under these circumstances.

Having no idea what to say, I simply remained motionless.

How did it come to this?

Of all places, why did it have to be in this tiny hut—with just the two of us?

I swallowed hard and waited in the awkward quiet, until—

“What is your reason for being here?”

The old man was the first to break the silence.

I swallowed dryly and attempted to answer.

“…I am here on a mission for the Azure Dragon Division—”

“Incorrect.”

He cut me off sharply.

His gaze grew keener as he asked again.

“I am asking—why have you come here, marked by the flames of the afterlife?”

“…”

My eyes widened at his words.

As I suspected.

My earlier suspicion was right.

«You are the Scorched One, are you not?»

That voice I had heard previously.

I had my doubts, but now they were confirmed.

It was Grandfather.

The current head of the Gu family. He was the one who had spoken to me that time.

Now—what should I do?

How should I answer this?

Deny it? Feign ignorance?

I ran through the possibilities again and again, but ultimately, the response was straightforward.

“What is the Scorched One?”

Neither a denial nor an admission.

First, I needed to ask.

That term had been stuck in my mind from the beginning.

“…”

At my question, his expression shifted subtly.

“You are unaware?”

“I am. That is why I asked.”

“…”

He seemed briefly perplexed by my reply.

Then—

*Whoosh!*

“—!”

Without any warning, his hand shot out, aiming for my throat.

This insane old man.

*Smack!*

I just managed to catch his wrist.

What is it with the Gu family and their fixation on choking people?

Seriously, their temperament is the worst.

“…What are you doing?”

I tightened my grip, holding his wrist in place. His strength pushed back.

He’s powerful.

“…”

He didn’t answer my question.

Instead—

*Fwoosh—!*

“—!”

His hand dissolved into pure flame and slipped free from my grasp.

Before I could react, his now-liberated hand lunged for me again.

*Clench!*

“Ugh—!”

He seized my throat.

I fought to break his hold, but—

*Fwoooosh—!*

Fire enveloped my entire body.

Scarlet-red flames.

It looked as though I was completely ablaze, and yet—

It isn’t hot.

The flames caused no pain.

They didn’t scorch my skin.

They simply coiled around me, swirling in place.

For the briefest instant—a mere fraction of a second—those flames clung to me.

Then—

*Fshh.*

They vanished, as if drawn back.

“…”

I stared at him, utterly stunned.

He spoke.

“…How unusual.”

“…What in hell was that?”

“The burden has not left its mark upon you. And yet, you have already amassed more than sufficient qualifications.”

“…”

“How many generations?”

“…What?”

“How many generations of Gu family heads have preceded you?”

“…?”

I froze.

This old man—

He already knows.

He knows I am of the Gu bloodline.

All that effort to hide my identity—pointless.

And more than that—

Did he just ask if I’m the family head?

I scoffed internally.

“I am not the family head.”

“…What?”

This time, his eyes widened in surprise.

“You are not the head of the Gu family?”

“No.”

“Then… are you the young master?”

“No.”

“That cannot be. How could a young master be so—”

“I am not the young master, either.”

“…”

Silence.

“…Not even the young master?”

“No.”

“…”

He stared at me as if he could not comprehend what I was saying.

That look—what was that about?

Why was he staring at me like that?

And then—

“Then… how did you break the restriction?”

“…The restriction?”

“If you are not even the young master, you should not have been capable of lifting the restriction.”

“…?”

“How, then—”

He fixed his gaze intently on me.

“How have you mastered the Nine Flames Firewheel Technique?”

“…”

The Nine Flames Firewheel Technique.

And the lifting of the restriction.

Hearing that, I finally understood the meaning behind his questions.

So that’s it.

This was something I had heard of before.

The very reason for the Gu family’s existence—

To act as the proxy for the vanished ruler of Zhongyuan.

To fulfill that role, once an individual ascends to the position of Young Master, the world’s imposed restriction on Zhongyuan—

They are granted the power to shatter the ceiling of their capabilities.

A privilege, yet also a curse.

And the fact that Grandfather connected it to the Nine Flames Firewheel Technique…

…It means that unless the restriction is broken,

The Nine Flames Firewheel Technique cannot be fully mastered.

Hah.

I had no idea.

So the technique can only be mastered if one is, at the very least, the Young Master?

…What absolute nonsense.

I genuinely didn’t know this.

If I had never undergone shedding and remained human, I would never have mastered the technique—unless I had become the Young Master.

«Your body is also unusual. You are not human. The Scorched One… For what purpose do you exist?»

“…You’re asking a person why they exist? That’s a bit excessive, don’t you think?”

He kept calling me the Scorched One, over and over.

It was starting to anger me.

And then—

*Whoosh!*

“Kh!?”

*CRACK!*

Without any warning, Grandfather grabbed me and hurled me through the air.

With a tremendous crash, the hut splintered apart, and my body tumbled out onto the ground.

The force behind it was ridiculous.

What the hell?

I barely managed to land on my feet, snapping my head up—

And there it was.

*Whoosh!*

The sole of a foot.

I drove my feet firmly into the earth.

*BOOM!*

A pressure shockwave detonated beneath me, forcing me to skid backward.

The spot where I had just been standing—

Was where Grandfather’s foot slammed down.

*KUUUUUUUAAAAAAA—!!!*

Scarlet flames erupted, blazing with intense heat.

“…Ha.”

He’s really starting a fight now?

I prepared to channel energy throughout my body as I stared into the inferno, but from within the flames, Grandfather’s voice rang out—

«Answer me properly when I ask you a question. I am not in the mood for jokes.»

“…Ha-ha.»

What the hell am I supposed to do?

This family is absolute garbage.

That filthy temper of his—it must run in the family.

How does it never change?

Beating someone just because they don’t answer immediately—what kind of reasoning is that?

If I hadn’t dodged, my skull would have been crushed.

*Hssssss—*

Flames writhed around Grandfather as he spoke again.

«I will ask you one more time.»

The fire around him surged upward, spreading across the sky.

A vast sea of flames dyed the heavens red.

Red Heaven.

The flames dominated the sky.

«What is your purpose?»

“…”

I let out a heavy sigh, staring up at that damned sky.

It seemed this wasn’t something I could avoid.

“…I don’t know.”

*KRRRRRRMMMM—!*

I focused my energy, letting it cycle through my body, before speaking again.

“If you’re so curious, why don’t you come and discover it for yourself?”

He was the one who started this.

And like I said—

Gu family members tend to have terrible tempers.

And I, personally, am among the very worst.

Of all the Gu clan bastards, I was in a class by myself.

“Maybe you need a proper thrashing to clear your head.”

That’s how it works.

They just haven’t been beaten enough.

That’s why we fight first and talk later.

I was about to launch myself forward when—

«STOOOOOOOP—!!!»

*KUUUUUUUUUUUNG—!!!*

“…Huh?”

Something enormous came hurtling through the air.

*CRAAAASH—!!!*

Debris exploded outward from the point of impact, sending shockwaves through the area.

Through the dust and rubble, a massive figure emerged, roaring—

«What in hell are the two of you doing?!»

A giant of a man with crimson eyes.

It was Gu Ryun.

“…The Division Commander?”

Grandfather frowned at his appearance.

And then—

*GRAB!*

Gu Ryun suddenly surged forward, seizing Grandfather by the collar.

“What—”

Grandfather’s brows furrowed in shock, but then—

«Gu Seongyeol! You pathetic excuse for a man!!»

“…What?”

That was the first time I heard my grandfather’s name.

Ah. So his name is Gu Seongyeol.

I filed that piece of information away.

But in the next instant—

«No matter how much you resent it, he is still your son!! Just because you cannot face the truth, you try to kill your own child?! How can you possibly call yourself human?!»

“…Excuse me?”

“…What?”

Both Grandfather and I froze at Gu Ryun’s words.

Wait.

That’s—

That’s not right.

Gu Ryun, completely misreading the situation, had just uttered a catastrophic misunderstanding.

And at that very moment—

*Thud.*

Something fell to the ground nearby.

I turned my head—

And there stood Jin Yeonryeong, frozen in shock.

Her hands trembled as she looked at Gu Seongyeol, her grandfather.

The medicine she had been carrying was now scattered across the ground.

«…Son?»

She muttered, her voice unsteady.

Wow.

I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

This is a complete catastrophe.

An absolute, total disaster.