Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 906

Chapter 906

«Kuheuk…!»

Gubong crumpled to the earth, his body trembling violently as though the blow had landed with full force.

«Hmm.»

I studied my own fist, then looked back at him sprawled in the dirt. The strike had definitely connected, yet…

«The sensation is strange.»

It was like punching tough, weathered leather. Or maybe layers of densely packed muscle. Whatever it was, it was nothing like hitting a normal person.

I had meant to shatter his ribs entirely, but it seemed I had only caused severe pain without any critical injury.

«Kruuk…krrr…»

Even in this state, Gubong’s will remained unbroken. He bared his fangs in my direction, mustering a defiant surge of fighting spirit.

«…You dare to ambush…keuk!»

My foot snapped up into his chin, snapping his head back toward the sky.

«Ambush? Don’t make me laugh. Stop your whining.»

It was a direct, frontal assault. How could that possibly be an ambush?

«You should be ashamed for being too slow to react, not blaming it on a sneak attack.» I clicked my tongue in disdain and reached to grab his hair.

Squeak-!

«Ah.»

His hand shot up and clamped around my wrist. In my moment of surprise, I narrowed my eyes, examining the hand that held me.

It wasn’t just the strength of his grip that was notable. His nails were more like claws, and the back of his hand was covered in coarse hair.

Kuuuk.

The pressure he exerted was impressive, comparable to a Hwagyeong-level martial artist specializing in external techniques.

«Hmm.»

About on par with Tang Deok’s level, perhaps? Though his grip felt even stronger…

‘His physique is celestial by nature, so that figures.’

But this guy… the more I saw, the more he piqued my curiosity.

So.

‘Let’s beat him up a little more.’

A grin spread across my face as I pulled against the hand holding me.

When I yanked back with force, the arm he was using to resist went slack.

«Kuk!»

I had half-expected to tear the arm clean off, thinking only of inflicting pain, but his bones were surprisingly resilient.

‘Well then.’

How about this?

CRACK–!!

«Aaaaah!»

‘This one breaks.’

I wrenched his arm backward against the joint. With a final application of force, it snapped audibly.

A swift kick sent him flying. Gubong tumbled across the ground several times before skidding to a halt.

«Kuuuuh…»

He clutched his broken arm, a groan of agony escaping him.

Creak.

«Hmm?»

A change occurred in the injured arm. Accompanied by a grating, rasping sound of bone, the limb began to knit itself back together.

«Huh.»

Interesting. His regenerative ability was remarkable.

«That kid was the same. Is everyone here like this?» Or is it only a special handful who possess this trait?

And.

«Just out of curiosity, if I tear it off completely, will it still grow back?»

«…»

Gubong flinched visibly at my question, laced with genuine inquisitiveness.

«Ah, never mind.»

Seeing his clear reaction, I waved a hand and laughed.

‘Probably not, then.’

As tempting as it was to experiment, I decided to hold back. It wasn’t a priority right now.

‘His body is durable and heals rapidly.’

Perfect.

‘Just right for working out some frustrations.’

A truly ideal punching bag. With that thought, I stepped toward him. My perspective seemed to shift, my body already appearing before him. He reacted to my movement.

His reflexes were notably quick.

Clank. Gubong scrambled to his feet and drew a sword from his waist. I considered stopping him but hesitated.

What kind of swordplay would he use? The question suddenly intrigued me.

Swoosh–!!

The blade left its sheath and cut through the air. I tilted my head, letting the first strike whistle past.

Simultaneously, he pivoted at the waist, adding centrifugal force to his motion.

Swoosh-! Swoosh–!!

His swordsmanship was both sharp and swift. The fact that I remained unfazed after several near-misses was a testament to my solid foundation.

‘Not bad.’

I weaved around his blade, assessing him from every angle.

His strength was well-balanced. For a Hwagyeong-level martial artist, he was exceptionally robust.

That unique physicality and flexibility, combined with his particularly sharp reflexes, made him a credible threat.

But.

Thud-!

«…!»

That didn’t mean he was without openings.

Even within the fluid motion of his sword, thin, sparse gaps existed.

My Inner Sight found a path through one of those very narrow spaces.

As he pressed his assault, I hooked his ankle, disrupting his balance. Remarkably, he managed to maintain his sword’s trajectory even as he stumbled.

‘Impressive. That’s some control.’
An unbelievable level of bodily mastery. While I was admiring it, my eyes tracked his blade.

I had been about to grab it but chose to retreat instead.

Swoosh—!!

«Hmm…»

Another swing that sliced the air. Watching it, a sense of unease prickled at me.

‘If I had caught it just then, I might have been in trouble.’

His raw strength was considerable, and the power behind the sword was formidable.

His overall level was high, yet he wasn’t difficult to manage. The problem was the distinct chill I’d felt a moment ago.

‘The sword?’

That sword. There was something unusual about the blade Gubong wielded. Had I grabbed it, I could have been seriously wounded.

‘What is it?’
Is the sword special? As I pondered this, Gubong launched himself at me.

Sssaaaah!

He dropped his posture low and executed a half-spin with the sword. A crimson sword aura erupted, sheathing the blade.

A sharp, blindingly fast path of light followed.

The scent of flowers brushed the tip of my nose.

«…So it really is Mount Hua. Not just in name alone?»

From the moment I saw his technique, I recognized it unmistakably as the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

The unfolding aura of qi was proof enough.

Indeed. Had Master Noya not only named this place but also taught the genuine sword art?

‘If there are slight differences, that would make sense.’

Calling it the same as the central plains’ Plum Blossom Sword Technique was a stretch—the differences were clear.

The most pronounced difference was its sheer brutality.

Recalling how Yeong Pung executed it, his style was uniquely fluid and refined—the epitome of swordsmanship.

This was different.

The basic framework of the technique was there, but the result was entirely dissimilar.

‘Brutal and crude.’

If the central plains’ Plum Blossom Sword Technique was true artistry,

This was…

‘It seems crafted solely for slaughter.’

A sword method created to hack and mercilessly dismember. The fact that the scent of blossoms mixed with the reek of blood from the technique was utterly absurd.

‘What in the world did that old man create?’

However I looked at it, that sword was not normal.

As I continued to evade, Gubong gritted his teeth and shouted.

«Scampering around like a rat…!»

Was that meant to be a provocation? If so, it was pathetic.

«Of course I move when someone is trying to kill me.»

«Kuk!»

Gubong gnashed his teeth and accelerated. The plum blossom petals scattering in the air began to swirl violently.

Leaves and qi emanating from the Divine Tree mixed together and surged toward me like a tidal wave.

I clenched my fist and thrust it forward.

Thump-!

A short, concussive sound punched a hole through the wave. It was my Inner Strike.

I prepared my fist for another blow, but Gubong burst through the gap I had created, closing the distance between us in an instant. His movement was like a beast pouncing on prey. His sword thrust directly for my throat.

Snap!

«Choke!»

A fraction before his blade could connect, my fist hammered into Gubong’s face, driving him down into the earth.

Crunch-!!

The impact spiderwebbed the ground with cracks.

«Too slow. Pathetically slow.»

No matter how fast he might seem to others, speed only matters within the same realm. The chasm in our strength was too vast for it to be a contest.

“Urgh…”

Gubong groaned, his cheekbones shattered, the sound strained and wet. I looked down at him with contempt.

«You didn’t start a fight just to show me this pathetic display, did you? Is this truly everything you have?»

Crack.

“Grrraaahh!”

I placed my foot on his chest.

As I increased the pressure, his body was pressed deeper into the fractured ground.

«Hey. I asked if this was all.»

«Urgh… cough…!»

«Unbelievable.»

I sneered down at him. If this was his limit, it was a profoundly disappointing performance.

I couldn’t even work through my frustration at this rate.

‘This is tedious. Maybe I should just gouge his eyes out, like I considered earlier.’

The thought flickered through my mind, provoked by his infuriating glare. I was tempted to act on it immediately but restrained myself.

‘No, not now.’
That would be excessive. Perhaps I could provoke him further.

«So, what’s this? You’re his disciple, aren’t you? The way you kept defending that old man, I thought you might have learned something significant. But there’s nothing to you, is there?»

“…!”

The moment I said it, his entire body flinched. Despite my foot pressing down, causing obvious agony, not a single cry of pain escaped him.

He even stifled his groans. As expected, my words had struck a nerve.

«If you learned from that man, you should be far stronger than this… Oh, wait. Maybe the old man just isn’t a very good teacher. Then again, if he were, his disciple wouldn’t be such a failure.»

«Watch… your… mouth!»

Whoosh!
An explosion of air erupted outwards. His roar carried tangible force, thick with concentrated energy.

Gubong’s hand shot up and locked around my ankle, his entire frame shaking violently.

BOOM!

He hurled me through the air.

Before I could crash into the ground, I ignited flames at my feet to stabilize my descent and landed gracefully.

Hiss!

The earth sizzled beneath my soles. I straightened up and looked at him.

«So you had a bit more left in you after all. Why hold back so long?»

I rolled my shoulders slightly as I spoke.

Gubong was already rising, his stance unsteady.

«How… dare… you insult the Master…»

«Angry, are you?»

I chuckled, meeting his enraged gaze.

«And what exactly do you plan to do about it?»

«…»

His face contorted with pure, unadulterated fury.

“Grrr…”

The hair on his head and the fur on his ears stood on end. I tilted my head, observing the shift in his demeanor.

‘His presence is growing stronger.’

The aura he emitted, the killing intent that radiated from him—it was all intensifying.

«I will not forgive this.»

«And what are you gonna—»

«You’ll regret this.»

Crunch.

“…Hmm?”

A coarse, grinding noise accompanied a physical transformation.

His body began to expand.

His fur grew longer, his pupils narrowing into sharp vertical slits. His previously neat hair loosened into a wild, unruly mane.

His posture became a predatory crouch, and his tail now seemed twice its former size.

He had fully become a beast.

“…Grrr…”

His exhales were thick with energy, mingling with the air like puffs of smoke.

Watching this grotesque metamorphosis, I commented with interest.

“…Night has fallen. You should’ve ended this fight before now.”

‘Night?’

I glanced up at the sky. Now that he mentioned it, it was indeed night.

The same crimson aurora and starry spectacle from before adorned the heavens.

And the twin moons were there as well.

It was that night again.

«Night, huh?»

I looked at the moons for a brief moment before returning my attention to him.

Recalling the horned calf I’d seen previously, a connection formed.

«So that calf from before… Does something change when night falls? Is that it?»

«…»

«What’s this? Can’t speak like this? Then at least bark.»

“Grrrr… You bastard…!”

«Oh? So you can still talk.»

BOOM!

Claws swiped through the space where my head had been. I leaned back just in time.

CRASH!

The force of his swing tore through the air and ravaged the ground behind me.

That wasn’t all.

Still in mid-motion, Gubong spun and brought the sword he had retrieved swinging straight toward me.

CLANG!

Thud!

I blocked the strike with Eternal Bind, the impact driving my feet deeper into the sunken earth.

The sheer power behind the blow made me narrow my eyes.

‘He’s at least twice as strong as before.’

His speed and strength had doubled. Was this due to the transformation?

‘If not for the ears and tail, he might still pass for human. But now, he’s purely a beast.’

Even the aura he radiated was completely feral.

It was as if a wolf and a man had been fused into a single entity.

Was this transformation solely because it was night?

‘Clearly, something significant happens at night.’

Whether it was unique to him or more widespread was still unclear.

I’d have to ask Noya about this later.

‘No, wait.’

I immediately reconsidered.

‘I don’t need to ask that old man.’

Why seek out someone whose whereabouts were unknown when the answer was right here in front of me?

Glaring at him as he snarled, I muttered.

«You’ll regret this—»

Thunk!

“Urgh?”

My hand shot out, seizing his throat, and I slammed him bodily into the ground.

BOOM!

“Gah…! Urgh!”

As he choked, trying to cough up blood from the impact, I gave him no opportunity. My fist drove into his face.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Punch after punch rained down as Gubong thrashed beneath me. Keeping him pinned by the throat, I ensured he couldn’t escape while the beating continued.

«You bastard.»

Bam! Bam!

«What’s so special about the night, huh?»

BOOM!

«Getting a bit stronger—so what?»

My fists began to carry more raw emotion.

«Dammit, weaklings like you always have delusions.»

Bam! Bam! Bam!

«You got stronger? So what?»

Bam!

«That doesn’t make me any weaker, does it?»

CRUNCH!

«Damn idiots never understand that.»

I clenched my fist tightly, winding up for the final blow.

«They just don’t get it.»

My last punch cratered the ground beneath him, fracturing the earth in a wide web.

Spit.

I spat to the side and stood up, brushing the dust from my clothes.

Hitting him so fiercely had left grime clinging to me.

I adjusted my stance and dusted myself off.

«Acting all tough for nothing.»

Rotating my wrist, I looked down at him. His battered body lay utterly motionless, his previously struggling legs now eerily still.

«…»

I nudged his leg lightly with my foot.

«Hey. Get up.»

«…»

«I said get up.»

Still no response.

«Uh…»

Scratching my cheek, I muttered to myself.

«Did I kill him…?»

…Maybe I went too far.