Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 955

Chapter 955

After my talk with Noya, I made my way back down into the town.

The sun was still high in the sky; it wasn’t even noon yet.

The streets were just as packed as before, buzzing with the same vibrant energy.

I had sensed it at Yahwol Palace too—this place had a strangely cheerful air about it.

Zhongyuan was also full of life, but there it felt frantic and intense. Here, everything seemed more relaxed.

What made it so different?

What was the real distinction between this place and Zhongyuan?

It felt deeper than just being a separate world.

Wondering, I let my eyes wander over the surroundings as I walked.

«Hmm.»

Naturally, just looking around wasn’t going to give me any answers.

Then again, I hadn’t really been searching for one to begin with.

I was just watching because it felt calm.

That soft, peaceful feeling was pleasant to take in.

«They really did a good job with this.»

What had Noya said? That this town was built over a century ago?

For something only a hundred years old, it was impressively well-crafted.

As I continued my quiet observation—

«Huh?»

I sensed someone watching me.

It wasn’t unusual to be stared at, but this felt different.

Squinting, I let my eyes follow the direction of the gaze.

Normally, I would have just ignored a simple look.

But—

«What’s this?»

This time, there was clear emotion behind it.

And it wasn’t a positive one.

I tracked the stare back to its source.

«Those people…»

I found the reason in the direction I was looking.

Among the distinct-looking residents of Mount Hua, there was one particularly small group.

The dwarf folk I had met earlier at the forge.

They were watching me with clear anxiety and fear.

With suspicion. With bitterness.

«Ah.»

It was only then that I understood why they were looking at me that way.

«It’s because of what happened.»

The incident at the forge.

The situation that unfolded when I met their leader.

When I touched the glove he wore, my palm melted away. And when I revealed my nature as a dragon, I felt the shift in their stares.

That must have spread through whispers until it reached all of them.

«So the rumors got to them too.»

The children seemed unaware, but the elders guarding them were the issue.

Their resolve to keep me at a distance was unmistakable.

What had they said before? That they had been hunted and enslaved by dragons?

«…»

Remembering that, I made a slight movement as if to step closer.

«Heeek—!»
«Kh…!»

Immediately, they shoved the children behind them and turned defensive.

Seeing that, I scratched the back of my head, feeling awkward.

With a reaction that strong, there was no point in trying to engage now.

«Not the right time.»

For my plans, I did need their assistance—specifically, the skill of their blacksmiths.

But currently, there was no good way to approach them. I also had other matters to attend to, so I decided to leave it for now.

It was a little disappointing to be viewed that way when I’d done nothing wrong.

But—

«I’m used to it.»

Being hated was nothing new to me, so it didn’t really affect me.

Besides—

«In the end…»

Whether they approved or not,

I was going to use them.

So it didn’t matter if their opinion of me was poor.

And to be blunt—

«I can just treat them the same way.»

So it was fine.

With that thought, I headed for the teahouse where the turtle was supposed to be.

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

After spending some time wandering through the town, I finally reached the turtle’s teahouse.

But—

«…What the hell?»

The sight before me left me completely stunned.

And for good reason.

«Where is it?»

The teahouse that was supposed to be here was gone.

Completely vanished.

Not a single trace remained.

It was as if it had never existed at all.

«…Ha.»

Unbelievable.

What kind of trick was this? My face contorted in disbelief.

How could a building just disappear? And why were there no signs left behind?

It was utterly baffling.

«…Am I losing my mind?»

That seemed like the only logical explanation. Because this was impossible.

But—

«Doesn’t seem like it.»

Unfortunately, I wasn’t going crazy.

I still had far too much to do to be losing my sanity.

So I just stared silently at the empty space where the teahouse should have been.

«Someone’s playing games.»

It had to be the turtle’s doing.

Certain of that, I concentrated.

Wooong—!

Power surged from my core, and heat rose behind my eyes.

I activated my Heart Eye.

My vision shimmered slightly as it responded.

The more I used the Heart Eye, and the more accustomed I became to them, the more I understood one thing.

That was—

«Every object contains energy.»

No matter what it was, everything held energy within it.

The Heart Eye weren’t just for predicting movements or spotting weaknesses in an opponent.

They let me see the energy itself and perceive it faster than anyone else.

That was probably the fundamental principle behind Paejon’s creation of the Heart Eye.

«…Seriously, he was insane.»

How on earth did he conceive of something like this?

Both the Tua Pacheonmu and the Heart Eye—

The more I learned about Paejon, the more of a mystery he became.

«Anyway.»

Every single person who had ever taught me was a monster.

Whether it was Shin Noya or Paejon, they were all the same.

Thanks to that, no matter how powerful I became, arrogance was never a risk.

Was that supposed to be a good thing?

«Not sure if I should be grateful for that.»

But that was a secondary concern.

Keeping the Heart Eye active, I carefully observed my surroundings.

Not just the trees, but the rocks, the small stones—

Even the plum blossoms drifting in the air.

Each tiny thing was infused with energy.

While the amount varied with size, the faint glimmer outlining each one was undeniable.

I observed quietly before turning my gaze forward.

«It’s there.»

I could see it.

Right in front of me.

The seemingly empty air shimmered with energy.

Its shape was unmistakably that of a building.

«Hmm.»

Closing my eyes, I let out a slow breath.

Wooong—!

The flow of energy faded as I deactivated the Heart Eye.

And then—

Whoooosh!!

Instead of channeling the energy into my sight, I redirected it all into my fist.

Zzzzt.

A sharp pain shot through my arm.

The rings of the Nine Flames Firewheel rapidly expanded and spun wildly, their force merging with the violent nature of Tua Pacheonmu.

I wrapped them in my will, holding the energy back from exploding.

At the same time, threads of spellcraft wound around it, strengthening the containment.

The compressed explosive force generated by friction—

I gathered it all into my fist.

Rumble.

The intense vibration shook my bones.

My veins bulged, but I forced control over my body, steadying my stance.

Even so, my posture was a mess.

Just as I hunched my shoulders, ready to unleash the strike—

«Stop—!»

Something burst out of the empty air.

It was the turtle.

«You insane bastard! What in the world do you think you’re doing?!»

He was so shocked that his eyes, usually hidden by his thick brows, were wide open.

His pupils were as round as Go stones.

«Oh.»

I released the energy I had been holding back.

In that instant—

Kuaaaaaah—!!!

A massive gust of wind exploded out from me.

As the suppressed energy dissipated instead of being fired as an attack, the resulting wind pressure tore through the area.

«Ugh!»

The turtle staggered against the blast, barely catching himself with his staff.

When the wind finally died down, his voice thundered with fury.

«You bastard, what were you trying to do just now?»

Tilting my head, I answered.

«You weren’t coming out, so I figured I’d make some noise to get your attention.»

«Noise? Noise?!»

His face scrunched up in disbelief.

«What kind of lunatic makes noise like that?!»

«Well… you came out, didn’t you?»

Seriously, whose idea was it to hide?

From what I could tell, he was deliberately concealing something.

And I wasn’t in the mood to find the proper way to undo it.

So I decided I’d just blast it all away.

I had even seen it as a chance to practice the Cheonma Divine Art.

But before I could even launch the attack, the turtle had rushed out in a panic.

«Judging by his reaction… would things have gone very badly if I had actually fired?»

If he ran out before I even attacked, it meant he didn’t have a defense strong enough to withstand it.

«You’re completely out of your mind. What was that you were about to use?»

«I’ve been practicing something new.»

«…Practicing?»

«Yeah. It seems really useful, but I can’t use it often, so I’m getting a feel for it.»

«You’re getting a feel for something like that? Do you even understand what you were attempting to do?»

«Uh… something pretty incredible?»

«…I’m going to lose my mind.»

The turtle shook his head, his voice dripping with exasperation.

What was his problem now?

«Is there some kind of issue?»

«Issue? Of course there’s an issue. What you were trying to do goes against the natural order.»

«Oh…»

It goes against the natural order?

Was it really that abnormal?

«One of those things alone is already insane, and you tried to combine four? Have you lost it completely?»

«Well… I have to do it this way to get the effect I want.»

I needed to create friction to amplify the power.

I had to endure until the moment of release, which required reinforcing my mind with willpower.

And to keep it from breaking apart, I had to bind it with spellcraft.

The turtle opened his mouth as if to argue, but—

«If you keep this up, not just your body, but even your soul—»

He suddenly clamped his mouth shut.

It was obvious he wanted to say more but was stopping himself.

«…Forget it. Just come inside for now.»

«Now I can go in?»

«…If I say no, you’ll just blow everything to bits. What choice do I have?»

«Then, excuse me.»

With confidence, I stepped toward where the turtle was standing.

He still looked deeply displeased, but I ignored it.

The moment I passed him—

The turtle’s teahouse suddenly materialized before my eyes.

As expected, it had all been part of a spell.

Seeing the familiar sight, I nodded and said,

«You don’t have to serve me tea.»

«I wasn’t planning to, you brat.»

Tsk. Tsk.

Clicking his tongue, the turtle walked ahead.

He pulled out a chair and sat down, so I took the seat across from him.

«…So what do you want this time?»

«You remember what you told me last time?»

«Last time?»

«Yeah. You said that when I truly needed you, I should come find you.»

«…»

His thick eyebrows twitched, as if he was recalling his own words.

«It shouldn’t be time for that yet.»

«I don’t know when that time is supposed to be. But I need you now, Elder. I need to get myself in order.»

«In order?»

The turtle gave me a puzzled look.

Meeting his gaze, I calmly replied,

«Yeah. I need to prepare myself. I have to go see my mother, and I can’t go like this.»

«Your mother? You’re going to see your mother here?»

«Yeah.»

«Where exactly is your mother? And what’s with this sudden preparation…?»

«They say my mother is the ruler of this world.»

«…What?»

The turtle’s eyes widened in shock.

Ah, well, widened was relative.

They were just a little bigger than Go stones now.

«No way…»

He stammered briefly, then fell into silence.

His thoughts seemed to race, processing something.

And then—

«…I see.»

He finally nodded, as if everything had clicked into place.

His expression, however, looked strangely weary and bleak.

«So that’s why… That’s why it all makes sense.»

«Elder?»

«You…»

The turtle looked straight at me.

«You’re the child of a Yohou (Demonic Fox).»

In that instant—

Rumble—!!

The very space around us shuddered violently.