Childhood Friend of the Zenith

It was the third day of the exam.

Many people who came to take the exam failed the second part, but there were still hundreds remaining.

If someone asked me if the test difficulty was low, that wasn’t necessarily the case.

It was simply because there were so many Young Prodigies in this generation.

Moreover,

You can’t even take the exam if you don’t get an invitation letter from the Heavenly Dragon Academy to begin with.

Recalling how it was impossible for someone to even take the exam to enter the Academy unless they were from noble clans or sects, or they had somehow gotten a recommendation from a well-known martial artist or an instructor, it was clear that the current generation was filled with Young Prodigies.

There should be only so many. Just how many are there? Is this why they came up with the Meteor Generation or whatever that is?

Because this generation had more young prodigies than ever, geniuses and exceptional talents were more likely to emerge, and among those competitors, there were those who could be called geniuses, which led to naming and glorifying this as the Meteor Generation.

It’s truly pointless.

Because in the end, no matter how many geniuses gather and pile up, they won’t be able to do anything against the singular Heavenly Demon.

"I'll finish my time at the Academy within half a year to a year at most."

If I thought about how the education at the Academy lasted two to three years, it meant I'd be cutting it by more than half. I've already thought of a way to do it.

At the very least, I couldn’t afford to spend more than a year.

The Heavenly Demon’s appearance is in four to five years from now.

Given the many twisted events, it was possible for the Heavenly Demon to appear suddenly so it was important for me to save and use my time efficiently.

The best and most comfortable method is,

If the existence I faced in Black Palace is truly the future Heavenly Demon,

…If I find and kill it, all would end.

I would be able to spare the future from the calamity and all the problems that would come from it,

But I can’t find it.

Despite gathering and searching for information, I couldn’t find anything about its whereabouts.

If it was hiding in the Abyss and spending its time there, then how am I supposed to find it?

This was why I couldn’t afford to use my time looking for the Heavenly Demon of this generation.

The situation won’t get better unless I deal with both of them.

Therefore, I have to run away from the Academy once I get what I need.

As I was rubbing my throbbing forehead, I heard a voice from afar.

-We will begin the test, please gather.

It was the last part of the exam.

I was suddenly curious about what the others were doing, but I believed that they would be fine and decided to mind my own business as I’ll learn later anyway.

That’s what the test was going to be.

If my prediction was correct, that is.

As I expected, as everyone was preparing to take the exam,

An instructor, none other than the Sword Queen, came towards me and gave me a band with a different color.

I was going to accept it without questioning her as I knew what it was as soon as I saw it,

“Than- “

Stiff.

But it wouldn't budge, as if fixed in place.

“Hmm?”

There was no way a band made of cloth had become frozen, so I naturally looked up at the Sword Queen.

“…Instructor?

“What’s wrong?”

“Shouldn’t you give it to me?”

The Sword Queen was gripping it tightly, not letting go.

What’s wrong with her?

To my confusion, the Sword Queen spoke with a peculiar sweet smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry. My body isn’t moving accordingly… because I used too much strength the day before…”

“…”

Did this woman hold a grudge, perhaps?

Because of what I did last time?

Of course, I felt a bit guilty about it.

The surroundings were destroyed because of that as well.

Moreover, the current exam ground was a bit further away from the original spot.

It was too difficult to use that place as it was a mess.

Who told her to provoke me in the first place?

I would’ve gone easy on the exam if the Sword Queen didn’t test me and my temper.

It was she who tested my patience, and I merely responded.

Plus, although I may have gone too far, I did it in the first place because I knew the Sword Queen would block all of it.

However, I didn’t fully trust her, which was why I controlled my strength while injuring myself.

If I had known she would block it so well, I should have just gone all out.

A thing that was unexpected was that the Sword Queen was much more powerful than I had anticipated, and it seemed like she barely got injured despite saying that she was exhausted.

I may have reduced its destructiveness and controlled my strength, but this still hurts me a little.

Because of that, the gazes of other people also feel different now.

When others used to look at me wondering if I was really the True Dragon. Now, those gazes were mixed with other emotions.

Was it astonishment, admiration, or fear?

It was possible for it to be all three, but it didn’t change the fact that it was bothersome.

I used my strength and pulled on the band the Sword Queen was holding.

I managed to take hold of the band as the Sword Queen relinquished her grip.

“…Could you at least explain?”

I asked the Sword Queen.

I had an expectation of what the exam was going to be, but I had to ask her anyway. as it would seem odd for me to already know.

“…For some reason, I don’t want to tell you out of spite.”

“It’s good that you are being honest, but wouldn’t it be problematic if you don’t tell me?”

It was amusing how she was so blunt about it.

Howeve, that didn’t mean I could laugh in the Sword Queen’s face.

After a light sigh, the Sword Queen began to explain.

The two bands I received from her were of different colors, specifically red and yellow.

Additionally, she mentioned there was also a blue band..

Looking around, I saw someone with blue and red bands, and another with yellow and blue bands.

The exam was straightforward.

Before the sunset, I just needed to get three bands of different colors.

She explained that the different colored bands were tied to Demons released in the forest.

All I had to do was tear them off the Demons.

The Heavenly Dragon Academy focused on military training, so the final part of the exam was going against Demons.

So it would be green Demons instead of blue ones.

Even the Kunlun Sect and the Murim Alliance wouldn’t capture blue Demons for an entrance exam.

It was highly likely they would be green Demons.

Even if they did capture blue Demons, it would be absurd to release them for the Young Prodigies to handle.

Oh, and of course.

It’s also acceptable for me to take it from other bastards.

I didn’t have to get the last band from Demons alone.

I was allowed to attack other testers and take it from them.

That was the primary goal of this exam.

As for the others…

Only Gu Jeolyub and Gu Yeonseo were in the second group so I didn’t really care that much, but I was concerned about the girls in the first group.

Though I’m sure they’ll be fine.

‘Is this why they separated the exams into two spots?’

They split the mountain into two, which seemed unnecessary.

Why use such a cumbersome method?

Wait, did Peng Ah-hee climb an entire mountain to reach me?

I was somewhat touched by the fact that Peng Ah-hee came all the way for me to warn me about the bastard from Taeryung Clan.

Though I don’t understand why she bothered doing all of that.

As I waited for the exam to begin, bouncing my legs, I heard an instructor shouting.

-The third exam will end at sunset.

-It will begin in a few minutes when an arrow is fired.

As soon as the instructor finished,

Swooosh-!

The Young Prodigies around me vanished without a trace and concealed their presence.

The exam starting a few minutes after the arrow shot gave the Young Prodigies time to hide and prepare.

The remaining people survived all the way to the third exam, so it seemed like they understood what the instructor meant by his words.

The reason for hiding was simple.

The exam’s purpose might have been for instructors to observe how the Young Prodigies fought Demons, but everyone knew it was faster to get the final band by ambushing others.

Everyone is quick.

It looked like everyone knew the third exam was the real test.

After watching them for a little, I began to walk slowly into the forest.

******************Blaze-!

The man’s heat-surrounded body passed by a tree at high speed.

Focusing his Qi into his feet, he stepped onto the ground,

Swoosh!

It added to the speed he already had with his heat-enhanced body.

Clack.

He began to see his target as he drew closer.

As soon as his target entered his sight, the young man placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist.

The target tried to run away rapidly after noticing the young man’s presence, but their difference in Qi was way too extreme.

It wasn’t possible for the target to escape once within the young man’s sights.

His back came into view.

The young man’s eyes glowed.

Seeing his back,

I’ve reached him.

Meant the target had entered the young man’s radius.

Swish-!

Upon closing the distance, the young man swiftly swung his sword, sending a Qi-enhanced sword wave toward his target.

The target quickly turned and tried to defend himself after sensing the attack from behind,

Claang-!

“Aggh!”

But he was sent flying with an explosive sound and rolled on the ground.

“Ughh…!”

The martial artist groaned as he rolled on the ground.

He wasn’t injured,

“Phew…”

But his pursuer had arrived right before his eyes.

That was the end.

Seeing the wooden sword pointed at his nose, the man shouted in anger.

“…How stubborn you are…! Can’t you just go hunt Demons!? Why chase me?”

“I do feel sorry. I was feeling obstinate.”

When the Young Prodigy shouted in frustration, Gu Jeolyub, the Sword of Heroic Flame, smiled awkwardly.

“Ugh… Dammit…!”

The man continued to speak harshly, but Gu Jeolyub didn’t care.

Compared to his past experiences and current situation, the man’s frustration seemed almost cute.

Snatch-!

Gu Jeolyub snatched away the blue band from the Young Prodigy’s arm and took it for himself.

The martial artist whose band was stolen stared at Gu Jeolyub with a desolate expression, but Gu Jeolyub just smiled in response.

“You’ll be fine, there’s still a lot of time left.”

“…How comforting.”

After a brief conversation, Gu Jeolyub left to look for a hideout.

I got lucky.

He thought to himself as he continued walking.

He believed that he was really lucky.

To run into a martial artist with a blue band right as the exam began.

And the exam feels easier than I expected.

It even boosted his self-esteem.

Truthfully, he didn’t find the exam to be difficult.

This was the case for both the first and the second exams.

Gu Jeolyub was able to realize that he was pretty strong compared to these Young Prodigies who came from noble clans and Sects.

I… might be stronger than I thought.

His shoulders rose proudly.

He was able to realize that all of his pain and suffering in recent days weren’t for no reason.

He couldn't perceive his progress because he was surrounded by martial artists like the Sword Dancer, the Snow Phoenix… and Muyeon.

The martial artist I met just now… was definitely from the Chilseon Clan.

It was a descendant of a clan that Gu Jeolyub knew.

The clan was well-known in the area, although not as famous as the Ten Sect Alliance.

He was way too weak.

His opponent felt weak despite being from that clan.

Gu Jeolyub felt this way about those around him every time he took the exam.

He started to wonder…

Maybe I’m just strong?

It was because Gu Jeolyub’s level was way too high compared to the Young Prodigies around him.

His lips started to form a smile.

His pride and self-esteem, which had fallen due to the humiliation and pain he felt, began to lift.

Does that mean I have to thank the Young Master for this?

Gu Jeolyub knew that Gu Yangcheon played a big part in his growth.

Though Gu Yangcheon had beaten him up in sparring and made him roll around a lot, Gu Jeolyub knew it had been helpful.

However,

No, that’s not it.

He wasn’t able to bring himself to thank that devil of a man.

It would be better to thank the neighborhood dog-

Rustle-

“…!”

He heard the crunch of a leaf behind him.

Gu Jeolyub quickly took a battle stance after sensing a presence,

“…Huh?”

But when he turned to where the presence came from,

Oh fuck, speaking of the devil…

“You look like you’re in a good mood huh?”

The devil… No, Gu Yangcheon was standing in that spot.

Hiding his shock, Gu Jeolyub asked.

“Why are you here, Young Master…?”

“Because I’m also taking the exam. Why, do you not like that?”

“N-Not at all…”

A thought passed through Gu Jeolyub’s mind.

For him to run into that man out of all times.

No… did I run into him?

It was possible that it was a coincidence, but Gu Jeolyub felt it wasn’t by chance that he encountered Gu Yangcheon.

As Gu Jeolyub wiped his cold sweat, Gu Yangcheon spoke with an ominous smile.

“You, I saw you stole something valuable earlier.”

…Fuck.

Gu Jeolyub had to curse in his mind after hearing Gu Yangcheon speak with a bright smile.

“Young Master… let’s not do this.”

What do you mean? How can I not do this?”

“We are family, aren’t we?”

“Family my ass. Are we all families just because we have the same surname? You only call me a family in times like these. You’re the bastard that always runs away when I try to train with you.”

“…”

How could I do that when I felt like I’d seriously die if I did that training every day?

When Gu Jeolyub resented in his mind, Gu Yangcheon spoke while reaching his hand out.

“Give it here.”

Gu Yangcheon had red and yellow bands in his hand.

Seeing that, Gu Jeolyub thought of all the curse words he knew.

“…”

But he had no other choice.

He knew what was going to happen if he didn’t give him the band.

I got stronger my ass…

I still can’t win against that demon, so what did I mean by I got stronger?

His self-esteem started to drop again.

Gu Jeolyub handed the blue band to Gu Yangcheon with a shaky hand.

It hadn’t even been a few minutes after he got possession of that band.

“Ugh.”

Gu Jeolyub made a frustrated sound, but there was no way Gu Yangcheon was going to show him mercy.

After getting the blue band, Gu Yangcheon continued to stand still and stare at Gu Jeolyub.

As Gu Jeolyub wiped his cold sweat while embracing his strange eyes,

“What are you doing?”

“Pardon…?”

Gu Yangcheon spoke as if he had become speechless.

“Why are you only giving one?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“You have to give me all three.”

“What?”

He only needed three, and he had all three colors, so he doesn’t need anymore, no?

When Gu Jeolyub asked in confusion, Gu Yangcheon responded calmly.

“Give me all three.”

“What…! Why are you doing this when you already have all three?”

Gu Jeolyub showed a frustrated reaction.

He asked why Gu Yangcheon was doing such a thing.

It was very inefficient for him to ask such a thing, and Gu Yangcheon responded calmly.

“You came all the way here, so you might as well struggle a bit. Hard times like these make you stronger, you know? I’m not making you do this just because it looks fun.”

“…”

Seeing Gu Jeolyub make an expression like he was chewing on poop, the smile on Gu Yangcheon’s face disappeared.

“Hurry it up and give it to me if you don’t want to get beaten up. Three… Two… “

Gu Jeolyub thought to himself after handing over all of his bands.

As expected, this bastard was a devil.

******************After taking all of the bands from Gu Jeolyub, who seemed like he was about to cry, I thought to myself as I walked.

Seriously, this guy becomes way too full of himself if I let him go for too long.

Gu Jeolyub was happy and proud just because he won against one or two Young Prodigies.

He was celebrating without even having his guard up.

I followed him as I coincidentally found him.

Everything was fine up until the point Gu Jeolyub took a band from another person.

I only thought about taking the blue band away from him,

But he didn’t have his guard up.

I followed him while purposely showing my presence, yet he only noticed me after I got right behind him.

Moreover,

He had a proud expression.

Maybe I’m strong after all?

I found it annoying how he was smiling with such an expression.

It was obvious even if I didn’t look at it.

He became proud after gaining a title and comparing himself to these little kids.

Did I go too easy on him perhaps?

Or maybe he got used to me making him roll around.

Whichever it was, I really wasn’t fond of it.

He’ll wake up once he goes through some hard times.

I thought to myself after putting the bands in my pocket.

He’ll have to work a bit for him to get all three bands again.

I obviously don’t think that he won’t be able to get them, but I will give the bands back to him if he really fails.

If that happens, that’ll give me plenty of reasons to make him suffer.

That might not be bad.

“That’s that.”

All I had to do was spend my time quietly as I got all three bands, but there was one thing that’s been bothering me.

“Why are you following me if I may ask…?”

I spoke while looking to my side.

Ever since the exam began, there was a person who continued to follow me.

I already knew who it was.

There was only one person in my mind who was able to follow me like this.

I honestly wanted to run away, but it was impossible for me to run away from that person in my current state.

“Do you have something you- “

Kwak-!

When I started to ask the person, I suddenly heard an explosion from far away.

The sound of Qi exploding.

Something shot towards me at an extreme speed.

He’s fast.

It was much faster than I expected.

A black figure charged towards me and it instantly passed by me after snatching my neck.

Slaam-!

“Ugh!”

I groaned after I slid on the ground.

It was heavy.

I had already charged my Qi in preparation for this.

This is crazy.

But he was much stronger than I expected.

When I started to roll my eyes around wondering what to do,

“I have something to ask.”

The one who instantly overpowered me, asked.

Contrary to his absurd power, his voice was calmer than ever.

I flowed my Qi and looked into the eyes of my opponent.

His deep black eyes unsettled me.

Those damned eyes still felt the same as ever.

“You.”

The Dishonored Venerable, Bijuu.

Or the Dragon Warrior, Bi Eejin.

He was the person who ambushed me.

“What are you?”

“…What do you… mean…?”

It made sense for him to ambush me as part of the exam, but this question seemed completely out of the blue.

“The strength you displayed that day wasn’t something a mere Peak realm martial artist could achieve.”

It seemed like he was talking about back when I exploded my Flaming Sphere.

Was that the problem?

I may have gone a little too far with my strength, but that shouldn’t have been that problematic.

“I’m curious. Is that sheer talent, or is there another explanation?”

Clench.

His hand grasping my neck became tighter.

He was serious.

It seemed like this crazy person was really going to break my neck.

Is he crazy?

Was I taking this too easy just because killing was prohibited in this exam?

It was unlikely the Dishonored Venerable cared about such rules.

Ugh, fuck it.

Kwak!

I grabbed his wrist which was grabbing my neck, and…

Swoosh!

I channelled my inner Qi.

Ache-

My injured Dantian throbbed with pain as I pushed beyond my limits, but I was seriously going to be fucked up if I hesitated.

He remained quiet for a few days.

It seemed like he wanted something from me, but he only watched for a few days ever since we met.

Did he purposely wait for this moment?

That was possible.

As I channeled my Qi,

Press-

I concentrated my Qi into one spot.

“…!”

The Dishonored Venerable noticed my intent, but I was quicker.

Boom!

I released my heat in a powerful burst.

I felt my Qi being drained, but I had no other choice.

With a recoil, the Dishonored Venerable was thrown back.

Slam!

I heard a distant crash as something hit the ground.

“Cough… Cough.”

I finally managed to stand and catch my breath.

I thought his body was destroyed after his Eternal Youth.

Just how much has he recovered in that amount of time?

I only felt it for an instant, but his overwhelming presence was no joke.

Why is he doing this all of a sudden? Am I being punished for what I did to Gu Jeolyub?

But I can’t give up bullying him just because of this.

Clatter.

The Qi wave I unleashed filled the area with dust.

I barely managed to push him back, so I quickly scanned for an escape route.

I became certain after being grasped by him just now.

I wasn’t able to win against that man with my current injured state.

Let’s run.

I should have run away the moment he started following me.

My hesitation led to this situation.

As I prepared to flee, focusing Qi into my legs,

“Not bad.”

“Fuck…”

I heard the Dishonored Venerable’s voice, not from where he was thrown, but right behind me.

“As I thought, I can’t afford to let you go.”

The Dishonored Venerable had reappeared behind me with unnerving ease.

Is this how Gu Jeolyub feels?

It’s rather horrifying.

As I considered using all my remaining strength to escape from him,

“You.”

The Dishonored Venerable asked.

“Do you perhaps have a mentor?”

“…Pardon?”

What?

I stared at him, thinking I’d misheard, but his next words left me even more bewildered.

“If you don’t, why not visit our mentor? We’re actually looking for a disciple.”

“…”

Is senility perhaps a side effect of Eternal Youth?

I honestly believed that to be the case just now.