Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 937

Chapter 937

A ceiling I didn’t recognize.

That was my first thought upon waking.

No, not completely foreign—it was a ceiling I had surely seen before, yet it carried no sense of familiarity.

Most likely, these were the quarters assigned to me behind Shin Noya’s personal space.

A place I seldom visited and therefore knew very little about.

‘Then again, I’ve never actually come here to sleep.’

Ever since arriving at the volcanic sect founded by Shin Noya, I had never once stayed the night here.

In fact, sleep itself had become a rarity.

I was always occupied with some task or managing affairs, simply leaving no time for rest.

Besides, this body wasn’t the type to fail just because I denied it sleep.

So I never bothered to sleep, let alone carefully examine my quarters. That’s why the ceiling seemed so strange.

But enough about the ceiling. It was time to rise.

With that decision, I pressed my arm against the floor to push myself up.

Creeak—!

“…!!!”

An excruciating pain ripped through me, and I nearly cried out.

“Ugh…”

I choked it back, letting out a sharp gasp instead.

The agony was too severe to dismiss.

I remained frozen for a moment, my body shaking uncontrollably.

Slowly, the trembling eased.

“Hah…”

I exhaled a long breath, my skin cold with sweat.

“What in the world…?”

The pain was ridiculous, almost laughable.

What was happening?

Every part of my body ached, but my left arm felt like it was burning.

Why now, all of a sudden?

‘…Ah.’

Memories of what occurred before I blacked out flooded back.

“That would explain it.”

The last thing I did—forcing my inner energies to violently converge.

I had used the intense friction and internal pressure to unleash power.

Barely, I had discharged a single blow. And then…

‘I collapsed, didn’t I.’

The moment my strength failed, I must have lost consciousness.

‘From just one strike?’

It wasn’t even a proper technique—just a single, unfinished punch.

The stance was all wrong, and the execution was clumsy at best.

And yet…

‘Even that was sufficient.’

The result of that ragged punch had surpassed anything I could have imagined.

It might well be the most destructive force I could currently muster.

Not that it was surprising.

‘Because I fused everything together.’

The raw firepower of Nine Flames Firewheel.

The compression and explosive release of Tua Pacheonmu.

The mental focus cultivated through relentless training.

And finally, the thread of sorcery that bound it all.

The outcome of pouring every part of myself into one action.

Nine Flames Firewheel alone could never achieve such devastation.

Tua Pacheonmu could not unleash such widespread fury.

But by merging them, I had forged something entirely new.

“Grhh…”

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to take stock of my body.

I didn’t know how long I’d been out, but judging by my state, it must have been a considerable time.

My qi had recovered somewhat—though barely halfway.

My blood vessels were inflamed and swollen.

As for my joints—

‘Not broken, but almost shattered.’

How long had it been since a fight left me this devastated?

This body could regenerate from a stomach wound in no time.

Yet, a single punch—a move that wasn’t even part of a real battle—had reduced me to this.

‘Hmm…’

I concluded this technique was not viable for actual combat.

The preparation was impractical, and the execution was far from refined.

If Shin Noya hadn’t patiently waited for me to finish, I would have been killed long before I could use it.

The sheer agony of concentrating that much energy, combined with the backlash of releasing it, meant…

It was a technique that required a mindset of total self-sacrifice.

Not feasible in a real fight.

Even so—

“…Haha…”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“See? I was right.”

I had been correct.

Even with my body broken and my qi drained—

‘I made it work.’

Somehow, I had done it. And that success filled me with overpowering joy.

I had proven my theory.

And the result of that theory…

‘Should I call this a success?’

I wasn’t sure if “good” was the right word, but I decided it was.

The power it released was immense, perfectly proportional to the energy and physical cost it demanded.

‘It was even greater than I expected.’

When I had imagined success, I pictured something remarkable.

This far exceeded those expectations.

‘If it’s something I can’t even use, it’s meaningless… but still.’

Forcing two inner energies to collide and generate power wasn’t something anyone else would even attempt.

A normal body couldn’t contain two distinct energies, let alone handle their simultaneous use.

I had known this from the start.

‘An ordinary body would never survive.’

My reinforced body could endure it, but my past self would have been destroyed instantly.

Still, the friction generated was the very source of its power.

Martial arts, in the end, are about harnessing the friction and pressure created by a moving body filled with energy.

This insight had been inspired by Paejon, who could create massive ripples with simple, precise movements.

Martial arts are ultimately about power—efficiently channeling energy through the body and releasing it.

‘They are friction, pressure, rotation, and release.’

If I could amplify those elements, the result would be a technique of unmatched destructive force.

And the key to amplifying it further?

‘Collision.’

By colliding energies within the body, I could generate incredible friction and pressure.

If I could withstand and release that energy, the outcome would be tremendous.

This was a feat only I could accomplish.

And now that I had succeeded, the thrill of it surpassed all expectations.

‘Though it’s almost funny to call this a success.’

If I couldn’t use it in battle, it was effectively a failure.

But for now, I felt satisfied by the mere fact that I had executed it.

Even if it left my body in ruins.

“…Nngh…”

Suppressing a groan, I forced myself to sit upright.

It hurt, but it was manageable.

I decided to get up and go outside.

As I moved to leave the bed—

Soft.

“…?”

My hand brushed against something unexpectedly soft.

It wasn’t the bedding.

What was this strange texture?

I looked down—

“…”

My eyes met those of someone lying right beside me.

It was Cheonma.

She was lying next to my bed, staring directly at me.

And my hand… was resting on her chest.

Several seconds passed in silence as we held each other’s gaze.

“Hello,” she said calmly, her tone utterly composed.

“Wh—what the hell!”

I yelled and scrambled backward, practically falling off the bed in my hurry.

***

After my outburst—

“…What’s with that face?”

Those were the first words out of Shin Noya’s mouth when I stepped outside. I frowned back at him.

“…What kind of face am I making?”

“You look like you just bit into bug dung.”

“…”

I didn’t answer, my frown deepening. Shin Noya’s expression shifted to one of amused curiosity.

“Something must have happened during the long night, huh?”

This old man…

“Nothing happened,” I replied with a sigh.

What could possibly have happened?

‘Technically, it’s not a lie.’

At the very least, nothing happened at night. Something extremely unsettling had occurred during the day, though.

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“It’s the truth, so please stop looking at me like that.”

Shin Noya chuckled at my response, clearly entertained.

“What’s with that reaction…?”

I looked at him and reluctantly asked the question I didn’t want to ask.

“What do you mean?”

“…Why was she lying next to me?”

At my words, Shin Noya’s eyes widened in feigned surprise.

“What? Did you two sleep together?”

He sounded genuinely shocked, but his exaggerated expression was so artificial it made me scowl.

“Stop joking around…”

It was obvious he already knew everything.

“Tch.”

Shin Noya clicked his tongue, annoyed I’d seen through him.

“No fun at all.”

“Is this really the time for jokes?”

“So what if I joke a little? Didn’t you say nothing happened?”

“…”

I didn’t even know where to begin. A headache was starting to form.

‘Damn it.’

The memory of what had happened earlier refused to fade.

The fact that she was lying next to me. The way Cheonma’s eyes had met mine.

And—

“…”

The sensation still lingering on my palm nagged at my mind. I had to actively fight the urge to focus on it.

Watching me, Shin Noya spoke with a look of near pity.

“Kid.”

“…Yes?”

“The moment you collapsed, that girl caught you.”

“…”

“Don’t you remember?”

I remembered. How could I not? The last thing I saw before blacking out was Cheonma’s eyes—and the feel of her touch.

“And then, she carried you off somewhere. Turns out it was to your room.”

“Wait, and you didn’t stop her?”

“Why would I?”

Shin Noya’s reply left me speechless.

“I was busy cleaning up the mess you made. How could I possibly have stopped her?”

He gestured vaguely with his hand as if exasperated.

“Do you have any idea how much work that was?”

I followed the direction of his gesture.

“…Huh?”

My eyes widened.

An empty, pristine field stretched out before me.

This was the very spot that had been utterly devastated yesterday. The power I had unleashed had ravaged a huge area, yet now—

There wasn’t a single trace left.

“…What… how?”

How had that catastrophe been erased in just one day?

Or had more time passed than I realized?

As I wrestled with these questions—

“Kkurung put in some work,” Shin Noya stated casually.

‘Kkurung?’

That black beast, known as the ruler of the Abyssal Gorge.

Apparently, it had been the one to restore the area.

“It’s been a while since I saw it struggle. Quite amusing, honestly,” Shin Noya added with a chuckle, his smug look irritating me slightly.

“…By the way, Noya.”

I decided to turn the tables and tease him.

“You ended up drawing your sword, didn’t you?”

“…”

Shin Noya fell silent.

“You said you wouldn’t draw your sword no matter what, but in the end, you did. I saw it.”

He had stubbornly refused to draw his sword, yet at the final moment, he had done just that.

I meant to tease him further, but—

“You’re right,” he said quietly.

His reaction took me by surprise.

“I did draw it. That kid managed to make me unsheathe my sword. It’s truly fascinating.”

Shin Noya’s tone became thoughtful, and I paused, unsure how to respond.

The faint amusement in his voice faded, replaced by something weightier.

“So let me ask you, kid.”

“…Yes?”

“What exactly did you create?”

“…”

What had I created?

Shin Noya’s gaze was filled with curiosity, a hint of disbelief, and something else I couldn’t identify.

“…Why? Did it seem strange to you?”

“Strange? What kind of lunatic would come up with something like that?”

His expression practically shouted, What else did you expect me to say? He had clearly grasped the sheer insanity of what I’d done.

“You’re out of your damn mind. I thought you were reckless, but this… this is another level. Do you ever think before you act?”

His scolding tone made me scratch the back of my neck awkwardly.

“…Well, it turned out alright, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, you’re lucky it did. What if it hadn’t?”

“I would’ve figured something out then.”

“Hah.”

His exasperation was palpable as he let out a long sigh.

“Do you even hear yourself…?”

It seemed he was about to launch into another lecture, but then—

“…”

He suddenly went quiet.

What now? I looked at him in confusion.

A moment passed.

“Hoo…”

He released a deep, weary sigh and shook his head, as if giving up.

“…Fine.”

“What?”

“You made something, didn’t you? So, what’s its name?”

“…Huh?”

His question caught me completely off guard.

“You haven’t named it yet?”

“Oh.”

I finally understood what he meant.

“…I wasn’t really thinking about that.”

“I see. Then come up with one now. If you’re going to create something like that, you might as well name it properly.”

“…”

I realized what he was trying to do.

It was his way of acknowledging what I had achieved.

“…A name, huh.”

But naming it on the spot felt odd, especially for something I couldn’t yet use in real combat.

Not to mention—

‘I don’t plan to use this in open combat.’

This was a technique I intended to use only as part of my guise as Cheonma.

After a moment’s thought, one name came to mind.

“…Cheonma Divine Art?”

“…”

The instant I said it, Shin Noya’s face twisted into an expression of pure disgust.

Why?

I thought it sounded rather impressive…

Didn’t it?