Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 880

Chapter 880

“Who is the elder brother?”
Though the question might have seemed strange, Seong Yul’s reaction told me everything I needed to know.
“You were already aware, weren’t you?”
“…”
His silence spoke volumes. He knew exactly what I was talking about.
“How did you guess…?”
Rather than denying it, Seong Yul turned the question back on me. A soft chuckle escaped me at his response.
“With eyes that identical, how could anyone not notice?”
“…”
“As for their looks… no, wait. Actually, I’m not so sure about that.”
Would the Divine Dragon look like him if he grew hair? Or would Seong Yul resemble the Divine Dragon if he gained weight? It was difficult to tell.
Regardless.
I had a reason for bringing this up with Seong Yul.
“So, which of them is older?”
The Divine Dragon and Seong Yul—they were brothers. That was the heart of the matter.
“…I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? Logically, shouldn’t it be you?”
“…”
He didn’t answer. Not because he refused, but because he genuinely didn’t know.
How were the two of them brothers? And if they were siblings, how had their paths diverged so completely?
‘Could they be twins? No, that doesn’t seem possible…’
There was an age difference.
From what I understood, Seong Yul was older than me, while the Divine Dragon was my age. The gap was too wide for them to be twins.
And yet…
‘Is it really not possible?’
Calling them just “brothers” felt incomplete.
After all…
‘That aura… he has it as well.’
Faint traces of that ferocious, brutal energy—the mark of the Heavenly Killing Star—lingered around the Divine Dragon.
It was subtle, but unmistakable.
Which made me wonder…
‘Does Shaolin know about this?’
Was the head of Shaolin aware of this connection? And…
‘…What about Kunlun?’
Did Kunlun, where Seong Yul had lived, know? And if they did, why had both remained within the Daoist tradition?
It was puzzling.
Moreover…
‘Seong Yul appears to know, but the Divine Dragon does not.’
There were too many unanswered questions.
‘Can two Heavenly Killing Stars truly exist at the same time?’
I didn’t know much about the Heavenly Killing Star.
Only that it was a unique constitution recorded in Zhongyuan’s history.
And…
‘I heard only one appears each century.’
If the Divine Dragon was also a Heavenly Killing Star, like Seong Yul, then that rule was clearly broken.
‘Hmm.’
Should I investigate further? It felt like more trouble than it was worth.
As I stroked my chin in thought, I gave a slow nod.
‘Does it really matter?’
Whether there was one Heavenly Killing Star or two didn’t change my current priorities.
I was already overwhelmed with immediate problems—when would I find the time to untangle all this?
‘At least the Divine Dragon’s development as a Heavenly Killing Star is slow, so it’s manageable.’
Unlike Seong Yul, his killer intent was faint, and he had yet to take a life.
That hesitation was part of why I hadn’t given him the mission.
There was always the risk of his Heavenly Killing Star nature awakening violently after his first kill.
That possibility had influenced my decision.
‘…Looking back, maybe accepting him was a mistake.’
If I had known it would come to this, I might have refused when the Divine Dragon asked to join.
Taking him in as a provocation against Shaolin now seemed like a miscalculation.
‘I’ll keep my involvement moderate.’
Enough to prevent things from escalating, but not so deep that I’m pulled into their turmoil.
Seong Yul also seemed reluctant to address the issue for now, so this was likely the best approach.
Still…
‘…If there’s one thing that bothers me…’
It was a memory from my past life involving the Sword Demon.
That incident kept resurfacing in my thoughts.

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

The location Seong Yul led me to was where the leader of the Celestial Stream Sect had met his end.
I had already visited this place multiple times during the investigation.
When we arrived, members of the Alliance were stationed around the perimeter.
“Attention! The Division Leader is here!”
“You’ve all been working hard.”
I acknowledged the guards on duty and proceeded inside.
Descending to the level where the pond was located, I saw several people stationed within.
“No changes, I assume?”
“None whatsoever.”
With the investigation concluded, their role was now to maintain security.
They would probably remain for another two or three months until reinforcements arrived from the main Alliance.
I surveyed the personnel as I neared the pond.
“Any fluctuations?”
“Nothing significant to report.”
“Hmm…”
I reached out and dipped my hand into the pond. The water was neither cold nor warm—completely neutral.
Woom.
The moment my skin met the water, a reaction surged through my body.
As if synchronizing with the water, my energy began stirring uncontrollably.
The movement was slow and faint, but undeniable.
‘Hmm.’
I focused on the energy’s flow.
The energy from my heart started circulating wildly, gradually spreading through my entire body.
And then…
‘It seeps into the skin.’
The flowing energy began permeating my skin.
‘…Such a strange sensation.’
I had checked this several times before, but the feeling was always the same.
It reminded me of the first time I’d reached a pinnacle in my training.
And beyond that…
‘It’s similar to shedding.’
The sensation was remarkably like undergoing shedding or rebirth.
In other words…
‘It artificially brings the body closer to the state of shedding.’
The energy fortified the skin and expanded the vessel.
Could something like this really be done intentionally? Yet this water seemed to do exactly that.
‘…After strengthening the vessel like this.’
Finally…
‘You swallow something called the Yeouiju and force the shedding.’
swallowing that mysterious bead turned a person into a half-dragon.
That appeared to be its purpose.
‘It’s bizarre.’
The entire situation was perplexing.
I could grasp the function of the water, but…
‘Why?’
What was the purpose? What were they trying to accomplish?
That remained a mystery to me.
‘What was the goal?’
The leader of the Celestial Stream Sect had intended to use this to destroy the Martial Alliance.
But I doubted that was the full story.
No, the sect leader may have had that intention.
But…
‘Whoever created this place likely had a different objective.’
The architect of this well undoubtedly had another aim.
‘…Tsk.’
Clicking my tongue, I pulled my hand from the water.
At the same time, I recalled the name cited as the root of this incident.
Yeon Ilcheon.
A previous regressor.
They claimed he had lived for centuries and orchestrated all of this.
‘Could that really be true?’
I found it hard to believe.
That he had survived for hundreds of years was doubtful enough. And beyond that…
‘Why would he even do this?’
Why would someone who once opposed the Blood Demon to save the world—and bore the blood curse for it—do something like this?
‘…Could the Celestial Stream Sect leader have been misled?’
That thought occurred to me naturally.
But still…
‘It’s irritating.’
Even if I wanted to dismiss it, the doubt continued to gnaw at me.
«You are a disaster.»
The words spoken by that wretched spirit echoed in my mind.
«Do not trust Yeon Ilcheon.»
Even the warning, delivered through Woo Hyuk’s body, had been unmistakable.
I stood and wiped my hands. The towel I used was part of Seong Yul’s uniform.
“…”
Seong Yul frowned at my action but stayed silent.
‘This one and that one…’
They were all just waiting for a reason to criticize me.
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue lightly and began to move. As I passed one of the guards stationed nearby, I spoke.
“I’m heading down one more level.”
“Understood, sir!”
Passing the guard, I descended further.
It was the area beneath the well, where the sapling had been.
“Division Leader, I—”
I cut off the subordinate who was about to offer a formal greeting.
“They’re calling for you upstairs. Go on up. All of you.”
“Pardon? But sir, the shift hasn’t changed yet…”
“I’m here, aren’t I? Don’t worry about it. Just go up for a while.”
“…Understood.”
The people inside complied and left the area.
Once they were gone, I stepped through. Beyond the iron door, the sapling remained.
The difference was…
‘It’s withered.’
Gone was its former vitality—it had lost all its leaves, and its branches were dry and brittle.
It was now utterly worthless.
I studied it with a curious expression before moving past it toward the wall.
“Division Leader?”
When I walked directly toward a seemingly blank wall, Seong Yul looked at me, puzzled.
Ignoring him, I reached out and brushed my hand across the surface.
“Follow me.”
“Excuse me?”
Clank!
“…!”
Clatter—!
With a sudden sound, the wall shifted, revealing a hidden space behind it.
“This… what is this…?”
“Hurry and follow. We don’t have much time.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Seong Yul had no time to process his shock. He followed me into the space.
Thud!
The entrance sealed shut behind us.
After a short walk, we reached our destination.
The space was noticeably smaller than the one we’d left.
The air was damp, and the temperature was significantly colder.
So cold that every breath formed a visible mist.
“What is this…?”
As Seong Yul glanced around in confusion, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
In the center of the room stood a wooden coffin.
That coffin was the reason I had come.
I approached and looked inside.
“No problems so far, it seems.”
“…Division Leader?”
“Come here.”
“Pardon?”
“Come here, now.”
At my urging, Seong Yul approached, his eyes filled with apprehension.
Why did he have to look so nervous? Couldn’t I just ask him to come over?
As he drew near and his gaze fell on the coffin, his eyes widened in shock.
“What in the world…?”
He stood there, stunned.
“Sorry about this.”
Shwick!
“Urk!?”
I grabbed one of the objects from inside the coffin and shoved it into Seong Yul’s open mouth before he could react.
To keep him from spitting it out, I covered his mouth.
“Swallow it.”
“Mmph… urgh.”
“Swallow it.”
When I gripped his cheeks and growled, his throat convulsed after a moment’s hesitation.
Gulp.
I heard the sound of him swallowing. Only then did I release him.
“Cough! Ugh…!”
Seong Yul coughed violently, tears springing to his eyes from the strain.
“Division… cough! Division Leader, what was that…?”
“It’s nothing serious. There’s just something I needed to verify. You seemed like a suitable test subject.”
“W-What do you mean… verify…?”
His words broke off as he suddenly collapsed to his knees.
“Urgh…!”
Clutching his chest in agony, he curled up on the ground.
“Guh… guhh…”
A reaction, it seemed.
Watching him, I tilted my head slightly and glanced back at the coffin.
Inside were piles of pure white pills.
All of them had been retrieved from the pond earlier. Which meant…
What Seong Yul had just swallowed was a Dragon Pearl.
“Graaah…!!”
Seong Yul writhed on the ground, veins bulging as he screamed in pain.
Watching him, I said:
“Don’t worry. Even if something goes wrong, I’ll handle the cleanup.”
I spoke calmly as flames ignited in my hand.
“Just endure it for now.”
It might have been a somewhat irresponsible thing to say.
“Graaahhh—!!!”
But it wasn’t as if Seong Yul had any other choice.