Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 929

Chapter 929

*Clink.*
A cold, heavy weight rested against his wrists.

What is this?

“Kuh…”

With a low groan, Gubong forced his eyes open.
Had he blacked out? How much time had passed?
As his mind scrambled to recall recent events, his eyes shot open in sudden alarm.

It all flooded back.

Being taken by the family’s men alongside Gu Yangcheon. And then… what followed?
His memories were a blurred, spinning whirl of fragments he couldn’t piece together.
Shaking his head to clear the fog, Gubong strained to take in his surroundings.

Where am I?

*Clang.*

“…!”

The moment he tried to shift, a restrictive tension shot through his limbs.
He understood his situation instantly, and his eyes widened further.

“What in the…!”

What is happening? He fought against his bonds, confusion surging—

“You’re awake.”

A voice from directly ahead froze him solid.

Not by choice—it was as if his body had been paralyzed against his will.

*Hiss…*

An unexplainable cold seeped into him, and his clear vision started to dim.

In seconds, he was swallowed by absolute blackness.

It wasn’t that the light had gone—his mind simply registered it as darkness.
A sickening, heavy pressure that made his stomach churn. It was a feeling Gubong never wanted to feel again.

But it wasn’t just the sensation he loathed.

There was only one person in his life who could provoke such a deep, physical reaction.

Someone Gubong hated and feared to his very core.

And that person was now standing right in front of him.

“How have you been?”

A figure enveloped in shadow, features completely hidden except for the faint suggestion of a chin resting on a hand.
Gubong’s throat went dry.

Even without seeing, he knew who it was.
How could he not? This person still visited his nightmares.

It took all his courage to force the words out.

“…Dark Leader.”

The darkness seemed to stir slightly at the address.
Though no expression was visible, the slight lift and fall of its shoulders hinted at silent laughter.

“Dark Night.”
“…”
“How have you been?”

At the repeated question, Gubong’s face twisted into a scowl.

“I’d like to know what this means first.”
“Is it so strange for a father to visit his son?”
“…Father… you call yourself…”

The word felt foreign, bitter, almost ridiculous.
Gubong let out a hollow, dry laugh.

“How pathetic.”
“Dark Night.”
“Don’t call me that.”

*Clink.*

Gubong tensed, trying to wrench his hands free from the cuffs, but it was useless.

‘Is this… Yoseok stone?’

The material drained his strength the more he resisted—a sure sign it was made of that accursed mineral.

“A waste of energy. You should save your strength,” the shadow stated.
“…”

Gritting his teeth, Gubong finally relented. He was right—struggling was pointless.

Yoseok stone wasn’t something that could be broken by force alone.
Few in the world could destroy it, and Gubong was not among them.

In resignation, Gubong asked,

“…Why am I here?”

What was the point? He couldn’t comprehend it.

“You cast me aside decades ago. Left me to scrounge for life on Mount Hua. Why now?”

For years, Gubong had lived clinging to survival, forgotten and disregarded.

What could have possibly changed to make him matter now?

“…Did something happen to my brother?”

The question escaped him, born from a faint hope that his capture might be related to his brother.

“If you dragged me here because something happened to him, then—”
“You are still as delusional as ever.”

Gubong’s words were cut short as the darkness stretched out, clamping his mouth shut.

“Guh—!”

An immense pressure crushed down on him, leaving him powerless to fight back.

Even still…

After all this time, was the gap in their power still this vast?
Enough to leave him utterly helpless?

“Dark Night.”
“…I said… don’t call me that…!”

Gritting his teeth, Gubong spat the words out, prompting a slight nod from the darkness.

“As you wish. Set your mind at ease; your brother is well. That is not why you are here.”

*Rumble.*

The room shuddered as objects within rattled violently.

“Your brother remains in perfect health. Our family would never need to retrieve a failure like you for such a reason.”
“…”

The cold certainty in those words cut Gubong deeply. The fleeting hope that his brother might have fallen was now extinguished.

“Do you believe our family is so weak as to recall a disgrace who ran away like a coward?”
“Then why…”

*Clang—!!*

Gubong lunged forward as far as his restraints allowed, glaring into the darkness.

“Why drag me here after ignoring me all these years? You could have just kept pretending I never existed!”

His defiance was met by the shadowed figure slowly rising to its feet.

*Hwoooosh.*

As the darkness drew nearer, Gubong’s eyes began to tremble, reflecting his mounting fear.

“You are correct. I did not care what you did or where you went.”

A faint, acrid smell reached him, perhaps an illusion caused by the pressure distorting his senses.

“I allowed you to run. I ignored your pitiful struggles out of the slightest shred of mercy. Did you enjoy it? Your meager existence as a failure?”
“…I…”
“I even overlooked your childish games. But now, a matter has arisen.”

The voice, dry and harsh, coiled around Gubong, suffocating him.

“The White Family’s leader was assaulted. Have you heard?”
“…”

He had. How could he not? It was the only thing people spoke of yesterday.
The leader of the White Family, Baek Wol, was nearly killed in an ambush.

“They say the attacker was a Moonlit Wolf with black fur.”
“…!”

Gubong’s breath caught, his eyes widening in shock.

In that instant, he understood why he had been brought here.

“And I hear you have had… dealings with that fool’s offspring.”

The darkness lowered itself slowly, kneeling before him.

“So I found myself wondering…”

*Hiss…*

A hand formed of pure energy reached out and lifted Gubong’s chin.

“…Was it you?”
“…You *hoped*… it was me?”
“‘Hoped’ is not the word. I expect nothing from you. I merely wondered.”

The energy hand released him.

“But now, it is irrelevant.”

The faint hint of interest vanished from the voice, replaced by icy dismissal.

In that moment, Gubong understood the truth: he was worth nothing to this person.

“You haven’t changed at all…”

His voice shook as he spoke.

“Not since the day you tried to kill me.”

The darkness tilted its head, as if puzzled by Gubong’s words.

“You were the one who ran.”
“Yes, I ran. I fled because I wanted to get away from this wretched place.”

Lifting his head, Gubong stared straight into the shadows.

“And now, I know it was the right choice.”

But even as he said it, the words felt empty.

“Hm.”

The darkness responded with utter indifference.

“You speak as if it was your decision to make.”
“Are you claiming you made it for me?”
“You are still mistaken.”

The darkness let out a low chuckle.

“Do you truly believe it was luck that let you escape? That Mount Hua took you in? That you still draw breath?”
“That’s ridiculous—”
“Is the fact you are alive not proof enough?”

*Crrrack—*

Gubong ground his teeth together.

The most maddening part?
He couldn’t deny it.

Knowing this being’s power better than anyone, his instincts screamed that these were not lies.

“If I wished, I could wipe it all away at any moment. Even that so-called master you follow—I could erase them without a trace.”

Gubong’s eyes burned with fury at the words.

“What did you just say?”

*Clang.*

The veins on his shackled arms bulged as he glared into the darkness.

“Hm.”

The darkness’s eyes narrowed.

“Your gaze is irritating.”

“What did you say you would do to my sect’s master?!”

*Clang! Clang!*

Gubong threw his entire strength against the cuffs, as if he meant to break them through sheer will.

They showed no sign of cracking, yet he continued to strain, uncaring if his arms snapped in the process.

The darkness watched this display with a flicker of interest.

“So, this master of yours means more to you than your own father standing before you?”

“I have never, not for a single moment, considered you my father,” Gubong growled, his face contorted in pain and rage.

“The moment I ran from this place and met him in the woods, he became my father. Not you.”

“Hmm.”

The darkness nodded, not in agreement, but as if confirming a thought.

“I showed you mercy, and yet you bare your fangs at your father,” it mused.

And then—

*Crack—!*

“Urk!!”

Energy coiled around Gubong’s throat, lifting him into the air.

“It is of no consequence. I have confirmed what I needed to.”

“Kh…ghh…”

“I had intended to be gracious and let you leave unharmed, but your attitude suggests otherwise.”

“Ghh…kgh…”

The cuffs held fast, though hairline fractures had begun to appear. Still, it was clear Gubong’s body would fail before the cuffs did.

“Son,” the darkness spoke, its tone dripping with mockery.

“You asked earlier if something had happened to your brother.”

“…Kgh…”

“Even if it had, no one would seek you out. You are simply not worth the effort.”

The words pierced him like a dagger.

Though he had always known it, hearing it aloud was agonizing.

And then—

“Your brother went to see the one you brought to us.”

“…What…?”

Gubong’s body went rigid.

“…What… does that… mean…?”

“I expect he has already uncovered a great deal by now,” the darkness continued.

“Ghh—!!”

Hearing that something might have happened to Gu Yangcheon, Gubong thrashed violently.

He knew how strong Gu Yangcheon was, but this was their territory. If any harm came to him—

I’d never be able to face the leader.

Gu Yangcheon was someone the leader had waited a long time for. Regardless of his own feelings, Gubong couldn’t let it end like this.

“Ghh—!!”

Pouring every last bit of his strength into the struggle, Gubong’s body shook as if electrified. It was a desperate, feral effort.

“I told you, it is pointless—”

And then—

*Crack—!*

“Hm?”

The Yoseok cuffs on Gubong’s wrists shattered. The darkness’s eyes widened in surprise.

He broke Yoseok cuffs?

“Well now.”

The darkness’s gaze sharpened, studying Gubong with newfound interest.

“This is unexpected.”

“Grrr…!”

Snarling, Gubong bared his teeth and lunged at the darkness with his hands outstretched.

The darkness responded with a slight gesture of its own hand. Energy solidified, mirroring its movement.

I’ll need to sever his limbs before he causes any trouble.

The energy shot toward Gubong’s shoulder, but—

“Is it here? Yeah, it’s here, isn’t it?”

A voice rang out from nowhere.

*Crash—!*

A hand punched straight through the oppressive black shroud.

“…What—?”

The darkness had no time to react before that hand shot forward and seized it by the face.

*Smash—!*

The intruder slammed the darkness’s head into the wall with a thunderous impact.

“Grr… What the…?”

Gubong, who had been snarling moments before, froze completely.

“There we go. Finally found it,” the newcomer muttered, brushing off his hands. “What’s with all the hiding? You trying to annoy me or something?”

The figure who had torn through the darkness was none other than Gu Yangcheon.

He was smeared with blood from head to toe, though he didn’t appear to be wounded.

In one hand, he held someone by their hair.

“…”

The figure hung limp and lifeless, something dark dripping from it. The sight was grotesque and unmistakably wrong.

What… is that?

Squinting, Gubong tried to make out the familiar shape.

Then, realization dawned.

“…That’s…”

Black hair. Black ears. Black fur.

That familiar form…

Wasn’t it his brother?

Though the face was hard to distinguish, it was unmistakable.

“…”

What in hell was happening? Gubong could only stand there, paralyzed by shock.

At that moment—

“Hey. You.”

Gu Yangcheon waved at Gubong with a bright, cheerful smile.

The problem was, both his hands were full.

“…”

As Gu Yangcheon waved, the bloody, battered form of his brother swayed along with the motion. Meanwhile, the figure of their father was embedded in the wall.

To put it simply—

“…What a goddamn mess.”

A complete and utter disaster.

And a monumental one at that.