Childhood Friend of the Zenith

My view was completely filled.

Despite the pink flower petals filling my sight, instead of discomfort, I felt a soothing warmth.

Ah.

How soothing.

instead of discomfort, I felt a soothing warmth.

Conflicted mind?

What was I thinking about before this?

I was sure it was something terrifying, yet now I couldn’t recall it.

But I knew I couldn’t afford to forget, so I pushed through the haze and the headache, trying to remember.

…!

The warmth clouded my thoughts, but suddenly, it all came back to me.

-You are a calamity.

Yeon Il-Cheon’s words echoed in my mind.

-Have you never found your regression strange?

The words pierced my chest.

-That is fate.

The soothing warmth drained away, replaced by a creeping darkness in my mind.

Calamity.

He said the Blood Demon was a calamity, and that it would return in the future.

But instead of the Heavenly Demon being the next calamity, Yeon Il-Cheon had called me the calamity.

I’m a calamity?

I had never considered such a thing.

After my death and regressing, all I wanted was to live a different life.

Did I want to live a peaceful life?

Or was it something else entirely?

…Did I want you to live a happy life?

Maybe it wasn’t my happiness I sought. Maybe it was hers.

Whatever the case, if my regression was tied to some secret, and that secret was linked to the calamity…

What do I need to do?

Many thoughts filled my mind.

Was my resolve really this fragile, shattered by a single conversation? Or was it those small fragments of hope that kept me going?

So now I’m starting to fear my sins.

Had I been trying to forget that I was once a vile, Demonic Human?

I had hope that I could atone for the sins of my past life, but hearing that I was the root of all problems filled me with frustration.

You retard.

I let out an incredulous laugh.

Since when I was a good guy anyway.

Not once, even after my regression, had I thought of doing good.

Damn it all.

I’ve always done whatever I wanted, only doing what I despised when I had a reason.

But if someone turned me into a calamity, and if my regression was someone else’s doing…

I won’t play along.

I didn’t know who they were, but I wasn’t going to follow their plan. I’d hunt them down and make them pay.

That’s what fate is.

If I can’t win, I’ll carve my own path.

I would’ve gone to some mountain and become a farmer if giving up was an option after my regression.

I’ll overcome it, even if I have to break through fate itself.

As always.

Also, it’s not even certain that I’m a calamity in the first place.

It was only a conviction, but there was no evidence.

In my past life, the Heavenly Demon was the one responsible for the world’s disaster.

Not me.

Lost in thought, I suddenly felt something brush against my hair.

“…Hmm?”

It was a large, rough hand.

It felt just like when the First Elder would roughly shake my head, claiming he was patting it.

That familiar dizzy feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

When I glanced up to see what it was, I realized the petals of plum blossoms were brushing my hair, forming the shape of a human.

What is this, this is terrifying.

Is this… perhaps,

“…Elder Shin?”

[ You were acting so pathetic that I almost slapped you upside the head. But I’ll let it slide since you pulled through. ]

“…Where were you this whole time? And what is happening right now?”

It’s been more than a year.

Elder Shin had told me he would be gone for a year after my punishment from my father, back when I was confined.

However, it’s been way more than a year.

“Were you hibernating or something?”

[Haha, I used this old body of mine to save you the moment I woke up, and you’re still running your mouth.]

“…I’m just happy to see you again.

[I might fold you in half if this happens for a second time then.]

Haha.

A dried but sharp voice of an old man.

It was a surprisingly rough voice for a Taoist, but I was happy to hear it again.

Putting that aside…

“…Can I ask about the situation?”

[About what?]

“Like what’s happening right now.”

I wanted to ask about meeting the man who claimed to be Yeon Il-Cheon.

I asked Elder Shin, and he responded.

[How would I know?]

“What?”

[You sure ask a lot from someone who just woke up. If I knew all that, I’d be a martial artist of Wudang, not just a Taoist.]

Isn’t Wudang also Taoist…?

I pushed the irrelevant thought aside.

“When did you wake up?”

[Since the moment you stepped into the secret vault.]

If what he said was true, it hadn’t been long at all.

Then I was reminded of something.

The sensation I’d felt earlier in the vault—something other than the beast within me.

That definitely was Elder Shin’s presence.

“…But why didn’t you respond when I called you?”

[…]

Elder Shin went silent for a moment after hearing my question.

I thought he might be pondering something, but then he answered.

[The bastard was looking at you.]

He was clearly referring to the man with golden hair and eyes—Yeon Il-Cheon.

“That fuc- …No, is that man really your friend?”

[If you’re going to curse him, just do it properly.]

“But I can’t just curse him out in front of you…”

He pissed me off, but I wasn’t about to curse Yeon Il-Cheon in front of Elder Shin.

They were friends, after all.

“So, is that man really the Iron Fist himself?”

[I’m not sure.]

“…Pardon?”

I froze at his response.

He doesn’t know? What nonsense was this?

“But you acted as if you knew him earlier.”

Elder Shin had even said it was nice to see him again.

[I was just happy to see his face one last time.]

“What kind of answer is that?”

[There’s nothing more to it.]

How absurd.

[The one thing I’m sure of is that it was Il-Cheon’s memory.]

“But you don’t know if it’s exactly him or not?”

[The room and the memory of him were definitely Il-Cheon’s power, but a memory is just a memory.]

“…I’m not sure I understand. Then is this your power?”

The plum blossoms that surrounded me, the overwhelming Tao Qi—

Was all of this Elder Shin’s doing?

Elder Shin responded.

[That bastard said it himself—this was the place prepared for me.]

“…Yes.”

It wasn’t just this secret vault, but all of my encounters with the heroes of the past might’ve been prepared for Elder Shin.

[This was what was prepared for me.]

“This power?”

The incredible Tao Qi in the shape of a human that seemingly resembled Elder Shin.

I could feel just how much strength it held.

“…Does that mean this is your original stren- “

[You’re out of your mind.]

“It’s not?”

Elder Shin burst into laughter at my question.

[You thought this tiny bit was my full strength?]

“…”

[I am not that weak.]

Tiny amount? I was dumbfounded.

The Qi I felt right now was extraordinary.

It was only supporting me, keeping me safe.

However, if this Tao Qi turned into blades and went for my neck, I would’ve been ripped apart in just a few seconds.

Such a strength,

Is barely anything to Elder Shin?

…Just how powerful was he?

I couldn’t even begin to imagine how strong he’d been in life.

There were so many records about him despite him being a master from a long time ago.

I’d thought he was, at best, on par with the Heavenly Venerables.

But was he actually stronger?

If this power was nothing to him, then it was possible.

Maybe, he might’ve been strong as the Celestial Sword, Wi Seol-

No, definitely not.

I dismissed the thought immediately.

That would mean there were five people at that level.

The Blood Demon surely wouldn’t have been that strong to go against five people at that strength.

Moreover, there was Yeon Il-Cheon who became the Zenith over Elder Shin.

Yet those five heroes struggled against one Blood Demon, and they couldn’t even kill it. They had to seal it instead.

Unless the Blood Demon was a god, it was impossible.

[You seem to have a lot in your mind again.]

“…Because I heard such an absurd thing from you.”

Hehe.

My mind was a tangled mess, yet the old man just kept chuckling.

“How can you laugh right now?”

[How can I not? The expression on your face is gold.]

I’m practically on the edge of death, and yet he couldn’t care less—

Wait, no. This was his business too. Elder Shin seemed to be connected to all of this.

[Don’t let it shake you.]

The hand that shook my head around, became rougher.

[There isn’t anything more dangerous than you losing yourself.]

“…I know that.”

[Of course you do. But your struggle to follow your own will is what makes you human.]

“Elder Shin, did you know?”

[Know what?]

“The calamity and fate that he told me about.”

The fact that the world was supposed to end in the hands of the Blood Demon.

His friends knew that another calamity would come, even if they sealed the Blood Demon.

I wondered if Elder Shin knew that as well.

[No, I did not know.]

“…Huh?”

[The reason I fell into a deep sleep was to recover my memories.]

“Memories?”

I remembered Elder Shin saying something similar when we first met.

He said his memories were hazy, like they had been shattered into pieces and scattered.

That was why he had called me a fake for a while.

[It took longer than I expected to recover my memories.]

“So… you found all of them then?”

I asked, hoping there was useful information to glean, but Elder Shin shook his head.

[I’ve found most of my memories, but not what happened at the end.]

“The end?”

[The last memory I recovered was of my battle against the Blood Demon.]

The legendary battle where five heroes faced the Blood Demon.

That was the last thing Elder Shin could remember.

“…That means,”

[Yes. I know it as well. My last moment wasn’t during that fight.]

Elder Shin didn’t die in his fight against the Blood Demon.

According to the records, he returned to lead Mount Hua after stopping the Blood Disaster and spent the rest of his life there.

[After my resurrection, I was supposed to find the secret vault. That’s what those bastards told me.]

The Light of Might, the Iron Fist, and Namgung Myung, the Thunderous Sword, all told Elder Shin to seek the Thunder Fang..

They had all expected Elder Shin to be resurrected.

[I don’t know the secrets of this world.]

The Central Plains persisted, even though it should have fallen long ago.

There was the Blood Demon, and the next calamity, the Heavenly Demon, waiting in the future.

[It’s likely those bastards tried to resurrect me because of that.]

[Il-Cheon always had a bunch of secrets, that idiot of might was always way too kind for his own good, Myung bastard was always an annoying bastard, and Jaemoon wasn’t really normal either.]

How do I even respond to that?

Hearing a hero from the past call all the others crazy felt… strange.

Still, I could sense a deep bond in his words, so I didn’t interrupt.

[And, of course, I’ve got a rough mouth and personality, even as a Taoist.]

So he’s self-aware, huh?

I didn’t expect that.

[…I never let go of my prey, so they might’ve found me to be the best option of all of us.]

“So in the end, they left all the work for you.”

[Thinking of it that way just makes me hate those bastards more.]

I didn’t mean to put it like that.

[However, that attempt was in vain in the end.]

“…How can you be so certain?”

He was just a soul who had lost most of his memories and had almost no information.

Anything could’ve happened.

Elder Shin could have been nothing more than a memory, like Yeon Il-Cheon.

It was also possible that he had been successfully resurrected, only to be killed soon after.

[Ha!]

Elder Shin laughed after catching my thoughts.

[If I really successfully resurrected, the Central Plains would be shaking.]

“How come?”

[Looking at the current martial artists, they’re all idiots. How could the world stay quiet if a genius like me had been reborn?]

“…”

What is this crazy confidence of his?

[If I was reborn, I might’ve been called the Zenith of Plum Flowers.]

“You choose to be a martial artist of Mount Hua even in your second life huh.”

[Of course.]

Slip.

A petal drifted down, landing softly on my nose.

[I was born in Mount Hua, and my soul rests there. Even if I were reborn, I’d still be a child of Mount Hua.]

There wasn’t much logic in his words, but there was certainty in them.

[I am Shincheol of Mount Hua. Even if I lose my memories and turn into something else after death, that won’t change.]

[So don’t let anything shake you either. What would happen if you can’t even believe in yourself?]

“…!”

His last words struck a chord in my heart.

He spoke them just as I was still trying to calm myself.

[It’s been a long time since we last met, but you haven’t grown much, huh? How can you still be this childish at your age? Tsk, tsk.]

“…You might’ve looked cool if you didn’t add the last part.”

Slam!

“Ugh!”

The moment I finished speaking, I felt a sharp impact on my head.

He turned his hand into fist and slammed my head down.

[I’ve been wanting to hit you for a while. How refreshing this is.]

“…Ugh…”

[Whether it’s calamity or whatever, use your time to focus on what you’ve been doing instead.]

“…”

[Instead of stopping because you don’t know which path to walk in, you need to continue walking whichever path it is. But you probably know this as well.]

“…Yes.”

Rustle.

After I responded, the plum flower petals that filled my vision began to shift.

The rough hand that had been ruffling my hair stopped as well.

[Get up now. Now you need to do my job as well. You are going to be busy, hehe.]

His response was strange.

“…Why do I have to do your work?”

[Since I ended up in this poor state where I can’t do anything, you must be the one to do it instead.]

“Wait, wha-“

[Ugh, this old man saved your life. Do it along the way. Your goal’s probably the same as mine anyway. How can you be so whiny? Tsk, tsk.]

He was telling me to deal with the Blood Demon while also dealing with the Heavenly Demon.

How absurd he was.

He’s not even paying rent, and now he’s making me do his work?

I was going to do it anyway, but now I don’t feel like doing it.

Still, my mind felt clearer, thanks to him.

Calamity or not, I was still me.

I believed I could stop myself from becoming a calamity, as long as I tried hard enough.

Elder Shin probably found it most important to tell me this before anything.

I was old like he said, so I don’t know why I’m still being taught by others.

It seemed like I still had a long way to go until I matured.

Sssss…

[Good luck.]

As soon as I heard Elder Shin’s voice, the petals vanished, revealing the sky above me.

It was still night, and the moon, high in the sky, cast its light down on me.

“…Ah.”

I immediately got up.

The last thing I remembered was being in the secret vault, but now, for some reason, I was in the middle of a forest.

To be more accurate, I was lying down in the entrance of the secret vault.

“Oh, you woke up.”

As I looked around, I heard a voice from nearby.

It was the voice of the Water Dragon.

Thankfully, it seemed we had escaped the secret vault…

But how did I end up sleeping here?

“If you woke up, could you please save me?”

“…Huh? Save you from wha- “

I turned toward the Water Dragon’s voice.

“Oh.”

The Water Dragon smiled at me, while in front of him…

The Sword Queen and the Qinghai Sword were staring at me with strange looks.

“…”

I’m fucked, right?

“Sigh…”

I quickly racked my brain.

I needed to figure out a way out of this.

“…!”

…I found it.

I quickly shouted at the Qinghai Sword while pointing to the Water Dragon.

I had no hesitation.

“That bastard was the one who did it! I only followed him!”

My special move—selling out a friend.

It was my go-to strategy whenever a friend was around.

“…Do you really think I’d believe that?”

But, since I barely had any friends, it wasn’t that effective.

It didn’t work like I expected.

Fuck me.