Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 840

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Chapter 840

Thud. I dusted myself off, my body still throbbing in protest.
Under normal circumstances, the pain wouldn’t have been this intense, but the backlash this time was severe.
“Ugh.”
I let out a groan, riding out the lingering aftershocks.
My bones ached, and my muscles felt like they were on fire.
“Ah, damn it all.”
This had been a mistake. I’d decided to experiment, and now I was filled with deep regret.
“Imitating another person’s physique is just too difficult, isn’t it?”
It appeared that while I could alter my own structure, a complete transformation into a different framework was still beyond my capabilities.
I had needed to change not just my height, but also wrinkles and other physical characteristics. Sustaining that demanded a massive amount of energy.
If I had been even a moment slower, the Qi Transformation Technique would have surely collapsed.
No, it absolutely would have fallen apart.
“…Haaah….”
I sighed heavily and wiped the sweat from my brow.
I’d thought my skill had improved, but attempting this had ended in disaster. Was this level still too advanced for me?
It was disappointing, but there was one small consolation.
‘…The key word is “still.”’
I couldn’t do it yet. But that implied I might be capable of it someday, didn’t it?
It was a faint glimmer of hope.
Crack—! I worked my shoulders, realigning the parts that hadn’t settled back correctly.
This also served as proof that the disguise I had created was of terribly low quality.
Extremely poor.
‘If it had held on any longer, it wouldn’t have just been exposure—it would have completely fallen apart.’
Considering how sloppily it was made, Ilcheon Sword must have sensed something.
He’s more perceptive than I anticipated.
‘He said he noticed the moment he arrived.’
He instantly detected the strange anomaly spreading through the forest.
That alone was a testament to his sharpness.
And it made perfect sense—after all, the one who had meddled with this forest was the Shadow King himself.
“…You can come out now.”
“Yes.”
The reply came from directly beside me. I didn’t need to look to know it was the Shadow King.
“Thanks to you, it went off without a hitch. I appreciate it.”
“It was nothing significant.”
As usual, the Shadow King brushed it off as trivial. Without his help, I wouldn’t have been able to attempt this in the first place.
As I thought earlier, disguising myself as another person was a shoddy, half-baked effort.
Even if I could approximate the overall look, the finer details were all wrong.
The number of wrinkles, the subtle angle of the eyes, even the contours of the body.
Nothing could be perfectly copied, and for someone used to constantly scrutinizing their opponent, it was enough to create a feeling of wrongness.
So, what was the solution?
Wouldn’t it be better to pick a different approach?
I had pondered this, but fortunately, an answer existed.
The method was straightforward.
If the disguise was too flawed to avoid detection, then I simply had to make sure it couldn’t be detected.
‘Of course, that doesn’t mean using a mask or anything so crude.’
Instead of concealing my face, I opted to cloud Ilcheon Sword’s vision.
Not his actual eyes, but…
‘I had to blur his senses.’
I needed to dull the sharpness of his perception so he couldn’t discern things clearly.
That was the objective.
There were numerous ways to accomplish this.
Using magical formations, emitting pressure to suppress his awareness, or even using poison.
The possibilities were endless, but none were available to me.
I didn’t know how to properly use formations. Releasing pressure would instantly alert Ilcheon Sword.
Poisoning him would be no different.
So, what options remained? The answer was simple.
‘If I can’t do it myself, I’ll enlist someone who can.’
Rather than risk getting caught trying it myself, I asked for help from someone who could operate undetected.
Luckily, I had an expert in this very field right beside me.
I immediately asked the Shadow King.
When I requested that he subtly numb Ilcheon Sword’s perception without raising any alarms, the Shadow King carried it out without a moment’s delay.
At first, it seemed like he was doing something to the mountain itself, but I couldn’t make out the specifics.
The important thing was this:
‘Whatever method he used, Ilcheon Sword could not keep his usual composure.’
From the instant he entered the mountain, his perception began to fade, bit by bit, without him ever realizing it.
‘I was a little concerned when he mentioned sensing something.’
He said he felt something was off, but fortunately, he didn’t seem to understand the full picture.
‘Because of that, everything proceeded smoothly.’
With his senses dulled, Ilcheon Sword was unable to properly scrutinize my terrible disguise.
This also helped to compensate for my unconvincing acting.
‘And now I know I can’t use this trick a second time.’
It was clear this tactic couldn’t be reused in the near future.
‘Not a total loss.’
I tried it, and it didn’t end in failure.
On top of that, I gained a valuable piece of knowledge, so it wasn’t a bad outcome at all.
However, one worry persisted.
‘Did he believe everything? That’s the question… but it should be fine.’
Even if he didn’t fully believe it, as long as he reacted the way I needed him to, that was sufficient.
The crucial point was that Ilcheon Sword must have been thoroughly unsettled.
I recalled the flicker of uncertainty I had seen in Ilcheon Sword’s eyes just moments before.
‘How far will you fall?’
He thought he was soaring high, but it was almost laughable to say he’d ever truly been up there.
The real question was, how far would Ilcheon Sword plummet? Would he crash into the ground and perish?
‘Or….’
Would he realize he had never been flying to begin with and choose to self-destruct?
Whichever path he took, the final outcome would remain unchanged.

******************

Dawn was still some time away,
but the night was already deep, and the grounds were illuminated by lantern light.
Rustle.
I sat inside the room, examining two letters as if comparing them.
“…The east is the same… and the locations they pinpointed are nearly identical….”
I studied them meticulously, searching for any discrepancies or parallels.
The letters were mission reports, sent by those tasked with reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
The difference was that one came from the officially deployed team, while the other was from self-directed operatives.
Ever since the mission began, I had been receiving reports in this manner.
“Hmmm….”
As I read through the contents, I frowned in displeasure.
‘The information is far too similar.’
The reason for my concern was that the reports from both sources overlapped almost completely.
“This means they’ve likely caught on.”
I let out a soft chuckle and folded the letters.
On the surface, overlapping intelligence might seem like a good thing, but from my perspective, it was highly suspect.
I had taken specific measures to ensure the information wouldn’t overlap in the first place.
The reason for that was simple:
‘It’s easier to conceal the truth this way.’
Most of the information sent by the Alliance was fabricated—more than half of it, to be exact.
That was no accident. I had designed it that way.
It was the most effective method to identify and weed out those who couldn’t keep up.
The incompetent ones always revealed themselves eventually.
But now…
‘The fact that the information is this similar at this stage means one of two things.’
First, they felt it was too dangerous and decided to pull back. Or…
‘They’ve realized the truth, albeit belatedly.’
If they had figured out that I’d assigned multiple people to gather the same information,
it could only be one of these two scenarios.
‘Hmm.’
I didn’t strictly need to take any further action, since I’d already identified those who were to be discarded.
But one thing bothered me.
‘How did they find out?’
How exactly did they manage to figure it out? That detail nagged at me.
The fact that multiple agents had been assigned to gather intelligence was something only I knew.
I’d even taken precautions to prevent them from communicating with each other.
For them to have noticed under these conditions…
‘Did someone leak it?’
The thought crossed my mind that someone might have intentionally revealed the information.
And if there had been a leak…
“Was it you?”
I turned toward the most suspicious person without any hesitation.
“…What?”
The man looked startled. The man in question was Mun Do-hyuk.
“Did you speak to anyone about these letters?”
“N-no…!”
Mun Do-hyuk jumped, shocked by my words.
“No?”
“I swear it! I know nothing about those reports!”
“Hmmm….”
Rustle.
I waved the letter in my hand like a fan, observing Mun Do-hyuk. He stiffened under my gaze and lowered his head toward the ground.
The tension radiating from him was palpable.
“Whether you did or didn’t, it no longer matters. I was merely asking.”
As I said before, it was already too late.
I’d already identified every individual worth investigating.
And that included him.
Which is why it was all the more puzzling.
“You are quite the enigma.”
“Pardon…?”
“Why did you betray them?”
“…”
Why had this man chosen to come over to my side?
No matter how much I thought about it, it made no sense.
“…As I stated before….”
“No, it is genuinely baffling.”
I’d heard his reasons, but they held no water.
“Because they failed to remember your name? Surely even you must find that reason flimsy.”
“…”
The justification Mun Do-hyuk gave for betraying Ilcheon Sword and joining me was almost laughable:
He claimed it was because Ilcheon Sword couldn’t recall his name.
‘What kind of reason is that?’
It was absurd.
To betray someone over something as insignificant as a forgotten name?
Then again, perhaps it didn’t matter if he was a spy from the start. But even so, betraying the Azure Dragon Division to side with me was peculiar.
After all, from an outsider’s view, my side was clearly at a disadvantage.
At that moment…
“…I…”
Mun Do-hyuk began to speak, his voice cautious.
“…I served in the Azure Dragon Division for years.”
“I am aware.”
Four years, if I recalled correctly.
Not an immensely long time, but not a short period, either.
“I was merely a foot soldier, but I performed my duty and worked diligently. And yet….”
“And yet Ilcheon Sword didn’t remember your name?”
“…Yes.”
I couldn’t even manage a laugh.
What a pathetic grievance.
He probably wasn’t saying this to ask for anything, but there was only one thing I could say.
“That’s because you were too insignificant for him to bother remembering.”
“…”
Mun Do-hyuk’s head sank even lower at my words.
For a grown man to appear so wretched… it was almost pitiable.
“Just look at yourself. The fact that you came to my side over something so trivial only proves you aren’t trustworthy.”
Defecting to me over a forgotten name?
It was a ludicrous reason for betrayal.
Did he believe I would be grateful he joined my cause?
Of course, I would use him if possible. But on a personal level, I found him contemptible.
Perhaps my disgust showed on my face, because Mun Do-hyuk glanced at me and hurriedly added,
“Th-that isn’t the only reason.”
“Oh? Then what is the reason?”
“…I-I can’t be certain, but….”
He hesitated, his lips trembling as if he was unsure whether to continue. Finally, he managed to say,
“…I had a feeling that it would be better to align myself with you.”
“With me? Over Ilcheon Sword?”
“Yes….”
“And what is that feeling based on?”
“…I apologize. It was merely a hunch.”
Hearing this, I tilted my head slightly.
So, it was a combination of a forgotten name and a vague intuition that brought him to my side.
‘Hmm.’
Perhaps his intuition wasn’t as dull as I had assumed.
The idea crossed my mind for a fleeting instant.

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