Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 985

Chapter 985

The face staring back from the polished steel of the sword looked distinctly off.

It was unmistakably mine, yet subtle discrepancies made the entire visage feel foreign.

I studied the reflection in silence for a long moment before lifting a hand to press my fingertips against my cheek. The sensation was undeniably real.

“Hah…”

What in the world was this?

I continued to touch my face in a daze, unable to process it. Then, all at once—

“Huh?”

I noticed something odd and my eyes flew open wide.

I tilted my head back slightly and looked up.

Black beast ears.

I stared at them, utterly silent, as a single, creeping thought entered my mind.

Just to be certain, I immediately tried to channel my energy and dispel any illusion that might be at work.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

There was nothing to dispel.

No sorcery was present.

So what did that make this?

I reached up and felt the ears, then swiveled to grasp the tail behind me.

If this wasn’t an illusion, then…

“Does that mean this is real…?”

The texture and the physical sensations were completely authentic.

“…”

I swished the large tail back and forth, lost in my thoughts.

What on earth was going on?

This appearance…

“I’m one of the Moonlit Night Tribe.”

The beastfolk who had existed in Mangye since time immemorial.

I had undoubtedly taken their form.

If I had to compare, I looked somewhat similar to that bastard Gubong.

As I was struggling to come to terms with this abrupt change, Shin Noya, who had been watching me, finally spoke.

“I felt a strange and unfamiliar presence radiating from you, so I came to check… but what in the hell has happened to you?”

“…That is what I would most like to know.”

I was just as bewildered.

How did I end up like this?

Was this another effect of the fruit?

“…What exactly was that fruit?”

How could eating a single piece of fruit alter my entire race?

It was absurd.

Flick.

My tail kept swaying on its own as I frowned.

Noya folded his arms and let out a sigh.

“…Let’s go up to the surface first.”

“…Alright.”

Our first priority was to get out of the entrance.

*******

The moon was high in the night sky.

I sat in Noya’s field long after the sun had set.

Leaning against a large rock, I gave him a brief account of everything that had occurred.

Noya didn’t seem particularly shocked to hear that Yarang had brought me here.

He also showed little reaction to my story about the mysterious tree that had appeared out of nowhere.

Even when I explained the trouble Yusa had caused and my battle with the Red Leader, he remained impassive.

The only thing that truly made him react was—

“…You ate what?”

The fact that I had picked up and eaten an unknown fruit.

His eyes widened with clear astonishment.

“I don’t know what it was… but everything started changing after I ate it.”

The sudden healing of my injuries, the restoration of my energy, the new strength I felt—

And even—

“Turning into this.”

It all began with the fruit.

Which meant the fruit was responsible for all of it.

“…Hmm.”

Noya crossed his arms, his expression thoughtful.

But he didn’t look like someone trying to solve a puzzle; he looked like someone who already knew the answer and didn’t want to believe it.

“We’ll have to go see that damn turtle.”

“…Right now?”

Would we even get an answer if we went now?

I asked, but Noya just smirked and shook his head.

“No. That old bastard never opens his door after dark. We’ll go at sunrise.”

“…Oh?”

Now that he mentioned it, I had never seen the turtle active during the night.

It probably wasn’t just because he was asleep—there was likely another reason for it.

“Then, do you know what kind of fruit I ate?”

“No. How in the hell would I know about a fruit that changes someone’s race the instant they eat it?”

“…”

Then why had he made that face earlier?

For a second, it had seemed like he knew exactly what it was.

I stared at him, unconvinced.

“But.”

He added immediately,

“Even if I don’t know what the fruit was… your choice of words might be incorrect.”

“What do you mean?”

“Rather than saying it changed your race… wouldn’t it be more accurate to say it awakened something?”

“…What?”

Awakened?

What did he mean?

“Think about it.”

“Think about what?”

“You already know what your mother is, don’t you?”

My eyes narrowed at the mention of my mother.

What did he mean, ‘what she is’?

The Ruler.

The Ruler of Mangye. That was my mother’s true identity.

So what?

I tilted my head in confusion, and Noya sighed as if he were dealing with a fool.

“Not her title. I mean what race your mother belongs to.”

“…”

My mother’s race.

That would be…

Oh.

“The Moonlit Night Tribe.”

Right.

My mother was also a member of the Moonlit Night Tribe.

I had seen it with my own eyes.

When she fought that massive Kurung.

Her appearance—

A Moonlit Night Tribe member with fox ears.

Light crimson hair, with fox ears and a tail to match.

The overwhelming aura she emitted, the way she could unleash catastrophe with a single gesture—

She was undoubtedly one of them.

But—

“So what?”

What did that have to do with me?

At my question, Noya let out a deep, exasperated sigh.

“Haa.”

It was filled with the unspoken sentiment, *What am I going to do with this idiot?*

“Just say it clearly already.”

“…Fine. If your mother was originally a member of the Moonlit Night Tribe… then their blood was inside you from the very beginning. So what’s happening now isn’t a change—it’s an awakening.”

“…”

My eyes widened slightly.

Now that he mentioned it…

It made perfect sense.

The strange thing wasn’t that I was a member of the Moonlit Night Tribe.

The strange thing was that I had ever appeared to be a dragon.

The fact that I was born a dragon, from my father and mother, was the truly bizarre part.

When I thought about it that way, Noya’s point was valid.

‘So what he’s saying is…’

Did eating that fruit awaken my mother’s blood, which had lain dormant within my body?

‘Then…?’

A thought flashed through my mind and I raised my hand.

Without a second thought, I dragged my nails sharply across my arm.

Slash—!

The sharp claws that had grown on my fingers tore into my skin, and blood welled up.

“Huh?”

Noya’s brows furrowed at the sudden action.

I watched silently as blood trickled down my arm. The cut was deep—I had made sure of it.

Through the sting of pain, I kept my eyes fixed on the injury.

Shhhhh—!

“Oh.”

A soft sound of surprise escaped me. The wound was healing before my very eyes.

My body had always been quick to regenerate, but that was due to my natural shedding process—while faster than a normal martial artist’s, it had never been this rapid.

This was exactly like—

‘The state of the Moonlit Night Tribe under the moon.’

When the moon rose, the members of the Moonlit Night Tribe became immensely powerful.

And that included their regenerative abilities.

That was precisely what was happening to me now.

‘This was what annoyed me the most when I fought the Blue Leader.’

No matter how many times I struck him, he kept healing too quickly, forcing me to pummel him twice as hard.

That absurd regenerative power had now become a part of my own body.

Shhhh—!

The wound I had inflicted was completely gone.

It had taken only a moment.

“This isn’t bad—”

Smack!

“Urgh!”

I doubled over as the back of my head was struck sharply.

Rubbing the sore spot, I shot a glare at Noya.

“What was that for?!”

“I should be asking you that, you lunatic. Why in the hell are you cutting yourself all of a sudden?”

“I was testing something!”

“There are a thousand other ways to test something. Why do you always go straight to this kind of nonsense?”

“Because it’s the fastest way!”

Still rubbing my head, I flexed my arm a few times.

Not only was the wound gone, but there were no lingering aftereffects whatsoever.

If I had cut any deeper, I might have hit the bone.

‘This is good.’

This was a significant advantage.

With regeneration like this, I could afford to be far more aggressive in a fight.

‘I wonder if I’d regenerate even if I lost a limb?’

The thought crossed my mind, but I decided not to test it.

If I was wrong, I’d just be a limb short for no reason.

So this was what the body of the Moonlit Night Tribe was like.

Now it made sense.

‘My wounds healed, and my energy recovered.’

It wasn’t just because of the fruit.

‘…It’s because the moon is out.’

My mother’s blood had awakened, and it was nighttime.

That must be why my injuries vanished and my energy was restored.

That led to another question.

‘What was the point of all this?’

Now I was even more confused.

Why was I given that fruit?

What was Yarang’s goal?

It didn’t seem like she meant me any harm, which only made it more perplexing.

“Why did she give me the fruit?”

Since I couldn’t figure it out on my own, I turned to Noya for an answer.

“Who knows.”

Noya’s face remained impassive, as if he had no idea.

“But the important thing is this.”

“Yes?”

“That child’s actions were most likely influenced by your mother.”

“…”

“If there was any intention behind it, it was undoubtedly your mother’s doing.”

My mother’s arrangements…

Could Yarang have been a part of that as well?

Was that why she had remained in the form of the Divine Sword?

“How’s your body feeling?”

“…Incredible.”

Better than it had ever felt.

Honestly, I didn’t think it was possible to feel this good.

But the problem was—

‘Am I not a dragon anymore?’

Gaining the power of the Moonlit Night Tribe was great, but…

Did that mean I had lost my draconic heritage?

The thought lingered, but I quickly found my answer.

‘No, that’s not it.’

I hadn’t lost my dragon nature.

It was obvious—

‘I still have my authority.’

The power of Greed I had gained when I became a dragon was still there.

On top of that—

Flare—!

The flames that ignited at my fingertips were the same as always.

Even the blue flames I had acquired from my draconic body remained.

‘…Did they just merge?’

It was more like I had simply gained the powers of the Moonlit Night Tribe on top of everything I already possessed.

‘What kind of—’

There really wasn’t a better word for it.

I was a mutt.

Just how many different bloodlines were crammed into this body?

“You really are a mongrel now.”

“…”

I had just been thinking the same thing, but hearing it aloud made me click my tongue in irritation.

He wasn’t wrong, but it was still unpleasant to hear.

“So… in the end, I have to go see the Elder to get more answers, right?”

“That would be the most reliable option.”

“Hmm.”

I would have to wait until morning.

And just as I reached that conclusion—

Whoosh—!

I felt something approaching.

Instinctively, I looked up at the sky.

A dark figure was hurtling toward us.

Thud—!

The black silhouette landed heavily on the ground.

It was Cheonma.

“Oh, it’s you—”

Before I could even finish—

Grab—!

She stormed over and seized me by the collar.

“…Huh?”

What the hell?

Why was she grabbing me like this all of a sudden?

“What’s wrong with you?”

Why was she causing a scene now?

I looked at Cheonma, utterly confused.

And then—

“…Who was it?”

“What?”

Cheonma asked, her voice low.

“Who were you with before you came here?”

“…”

At those words, my body went rigid.

I didn’t know why—

But I was afraid.

Profoundly afraid.