Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The only reason I went to Cheol Jiseon was simply because I wanted to have a meal with him.

Is he doing okay?

It felt pretty weird to be worrying about another guy, but since Cheol Jiseon was the main reason I decided to come to the Heavenly Dragon Academy in the first place, I decided to give him as much attention as possible as I was busy for the last few days.

Our relationship is not too bad either.’

And since that bastard didn’t seem to mind it either, becoming his friend seemed like a pretty good idea as well.

After all, I helped him pass the exam, gave him a better place to stay, and even became his friend.

I was doing everything I could possibly do for him.

This should be enough!

Everything was proceeding according to my plans.

However, the thing that bothered me was the fact that I didn’t know how the others were doing.

Since everyone had been grouped according to the fighting style they specialized in, there weren’t many chances for me to run into them.

Well, I did see them occasionally, mostly during mealtimes.

Tang Soyeol looked like she was on the verge of death, and Namgung Bi-ah sometimes came over and just sniffed me.

I also ran into Wi Seol-Ah, but she didn’t approach me.

It looked like she wanted to talk to me, so I wondered why she was behaving like that.

I should just ask her the next time I run into her.

She shouldn’t be making me anxious with that gaze of hers.

Anyway, everyone was doing their own thing and Moyong Hi-ah seemed to be the busiest.

At least that’s what the rumors said.

She really loved being the center of attention.

Was it the floor below?

I could feel the gazes of the  Young Prodigies boring into me as I made my way.

It seemed like I had become pretty famous.

And during this…

“Hey! What are you staring at!”

Why was this bastard even doing this…

Pe Woocheo, who was following me, roared at the Young Prodigies staring at me.

Seriously, why was he doing this?

No, why was he following me in the first place?

…My life.

I had put him in his place in our first meeting, but Pe Woocheol started behaving differently after my victory against Cheol Hwanho.

Did I hit him too hard in the head?

No, I was pretty experienced in beating up people, so there was no way I could have made such a mistake.

I had definitely beat him up in an unnoticeable way.

“Look at your eyes. Do you have something against our eldest brother?”

“…It’s obvious they have something against you, so please keep your mouth shut. I’m about to die of embarrassment.”

And it’s not like we were some thugs or something.

Was this bastard seriously a blood relative of the Orthodox Faction? He definitely did not come from  the Unorthodox Faction…, right?

Pe Woocheol’s appearance was even more horrifying.

“Ugh, screw off. Why are you following me?”

“Shouldn’t the younger brother follow the older brother at all times?”

“No, not at all, so stop following me.”

I was praying for him to leave me alone.

Should I just fold him in half and force him back to the dormitory?

Yes, that should make things more comfortable.

Well, it looked like I had arrived at my destination as I made my decision

“I’ll have a talk with you lat- “

-Do you have a sister?

Just as I was about to step into the room Cheol Jiseon was in, I heard a voice.

I tried to see what was happening inside, and from the looks of it, Cheol Jiseon was speaking to some nameless bastard.

The atmosphere doesn’t seem to be good though

It was obvious that their relationship wasn’t a good one.

Sigh, why do bastards like him keep showing up wherever I go?

Such bastards were really obsessed with crushing people weaker than themselves.

And it seemed like Cheol Jiseon was unlucky enough to run into one of them.

With a body too weak for a martial artist, and since he always lagged behind by a step, Cheol Jiseon was an obvious target for the bastards who pretended to be strong.

And I knew that pretty well since I had gone through the same experience in my past life.

However, the difference was that I would fight back even if it killed me.

But Cheol Jiseon is different.

I thought it would be fine for me to stand back and observe the situation.

However, what happened next….

-Does your sister look like you? It’d be nice if she did. I want a lot of wives, you see. So, how about you introduce her to me?

-I’m someone who can change your life. And this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you know?

Pissed me off even though it wasn’t even directed at me.

If it were me, I would’ve pulled out that bastard’s tongue and burned it on the spot.

Is he going to hold back after all that?

Even Cheol Jiseon was inherently kind by nature, if he held back no–

…Huh?

However, what Cheol Jiseon did next shocked me.

As if he were trying to find and grab something, Cheol Jiseon began moving his finger under a table.

And that slow and strange movement was only noticeable to me.

No sooner did I see his fingers move, I took action immediately.

I had two reasons for doing that.

The first reason was because if he used that power recklessly, I was certain that the area around him would become scorched and destroyed.

And the second…

It’s definitely him.

I was now certain about the type of person Cheol Jiseon was, he was definitely the bastard I’d been looking for…

And because of that, I took action without hesitation.

I charged my Qi and greeted the bastard harassing Cheol Jiseon with a kick in the chest.

******************Cheol Jiseon could no longer make sense of his current situation.

What just happened?

Everything happened in an instant.

Gu Yangcheon appeared out of nowhere and turned everything into a mess.

The bastard who he sent flying with a kick was still struggling to breathe, barely holding onto his consciousness.

“…Cough… Huff…!”

Blood dripped from his nose as he coughed.

“What… What are you…!”

Even that bastard didn’t seem to understand what was happening to him.

After barely managing to hold onto his consciousness, he raised his head up and yelled at the person who attacked him.

“How dare you do that to me…! Are you not afraid of the consequences!?”

“Why do bastards like you keep saying the same thing every time? Do you guys rehearse it or something?”

“You bastard…! Do you even know who I am…!?”

“Who are you?”

When Gu Yangcheon spoke to him after walking up to his nose, the bastard fell silent.

“I said, who are you ?”

His voice was cold.

He wasn’t using any Combat Qi nor was he showing any killing intent.

All Gu Yangcheon did was talk to him, but it felt as if the atmosphere around him became colder.

“…I am Jin Eesuk of the Taesanjin Clan.”

“Oh, the Taesanjin Clan.”

Seeing Gu Yangcheon clap his hands, Jin Eesuk turned arrogant once again, believing that Gu Yangcheon had understood his words.

“So, if you understood, then- “

“And where exactly is that, you bastard?”

Pow!

“Ugh!”

But Gu Yangcheon simply smacked Jin Eesuk on the back of his head, as if that didn’t really matter to him.

Seeing that, Jin Eesuk’s group tried to intervene…

“Don’t move.”

But a giant with a horrifying expression on his face stopped them.

Who is it?

Cheol Jiseon simply observed the scene in confusion, but a member of Jin Eesuk’s group recognized the man.

“…Pe Woocheol…?”

“What…? That’s Pe Woocheol?”

A famous Young Prodigy even Cheol Jiseon knew of.

Although they weren’t as affluent as the Tang Clan who ruled over the lands of Sichuan, the Pe Clan was still famous in their own right.

And it was hard to not know the giant Pe Woocheol, who was a blood relative of Pe Clan and a relatively famous Young Prodigy.

“You better not get in our eldest brother’s way. I might accidentally kill you.”The members of Jin Eesuk’s group shriveled back in fear.

“Did he just call him eldest brother?”

“Then, that person is…”

The famously aggressive Pe Woocheol was said to have become softer after he joined the Heavenly Dragon Academy.

There was a rumor going around saying that a pretty famous person had made Pe Woocheol their underling.

“Ugh, please… Didn’t I tell you to return to your room?”

He kept trying to push Pe Woocheol away, but Pe Woocheol insisted on staying.

Having finally recognized the person before him, Jin Eesuk became deathly pale and he completely forgot that his bleeding nose.

“T-True Dragon…?”

After shouting at Pe Woocheol, Gu Yangcheon turned back to Jin Eesuk.

“So then, shall we continue our conversation?”

“W-What brings the True Dragon here…?”

“Ayo, why are you speaking so politely? I don’t mind your previous manner of speaking.”

Although he spoke with a smile, it felt like he would be killed if he actually did it.

“What was your name again? Jin suck?”

“Jin… Eesuk…”

“Right, Eesuck. Your age?”

“Why are you asking such a- “

“Don’t feel like answering?”

“Twenty, I-I am twenty years old.”

“You are old enough then.”

Satisfied with his answer, Gu Yangcheon grabbed hold of Jin Eesuk’s hands.

“Then why can’t you act your age huh? Did you doze off when you were supposed to learn that or something?”

“…What… did you…?”

“Didn’t no one ever tell you not to bully the disabled?”

Then, Gu Yangcheon suddenly applied pressure on one of Jin Eesuk’s fingers.

Craaack-!

Then, a horrifying sound resounded in the room,

“…!”

While Jin Eesuk let out a silent scream.

“Picking on others even at this age? Why are you still in the Orthodox Faction? Just screw off to the Unorthodox Faction.”

“Ugh… Ough…”

“Stop overreacting. I purposely broke a finger on your right hand because you’re left-handed. Pretty considerate, right? I know.”

Although Cheol Jiseon had now become a disabled person thanks to Gu Yangcheon, it wasn’t time for him to worry about that.

H-How…

Cheol Jiseon was grateful that Gu Yangcheon had saved him from Jin Eesuk, but he never thought that he’d be that brutal.

The True Dragon would surely have to face some consequences.

Cheol Jiseon’s eyes darted around.

With Pe Woocheol their way, they only continued to watch the True Dragon brutally dismantle Jin Eesuk.

“Ough… W-Why are you doing this…! This has nothing to do with you!”

Jin Eesuk shouted out of frustration, but Gu Yangcheon smirked after hearing his words.

“Nothing to do with me? He’s my friend.”

He pointed towards Cheol Jiseon as he spoke.

Hearing that, everyone turned their gaze toward Cheol Jiseon.

He is the True Dragon’s friend?

Just who is he…?

They say that birds of a feather flock together, so does that mean that he is also…

A single phrase from Gu Yangcheon was all it took for Cheol Jiseon’s expression to shatter in an instant.

Cheol Jiseon felt dizzy.

Nothing made sense any longer.

“Why did you pick on my friend?”

“I didn’t know he was your-“

“Woosuck, that’s not a good excuse.”

Jin Eesuk was now Jin Woosuck, but he wasn’t in the situation to argue about that.

“You shouldn’t have been doing something like that in the first place, isn’t that right? ”

It was too late for him now.

Gu Yangcheon grabbed Jin Eesuk’s hands once again.

Jin Eesuk started trembling as tears formed in his eyes.

Just as he was about to scream in pain…

“That’s enough.”

Someone intervened.

It was a firm and powerful voice.

“It wouldn’t do you any good if you keep going.”

Someone broke through the group of helpless Young Prodigies and approached Gu Yangcheon.

The owner of the voice was the Meteor Sword, Jang Seonyeon.

After realizing who he was, the group of Young Prodigies finally felt relieved.

They were really glad to see the Meteor Sword.

“This isn’t even your group Master Gu, so how about you stop there?”

Pe Woocheol blocked Jang Seonyeon with his giant body…

“Move aside.”

But Gu Yangcheon threw Jin Eesuk aside and stood up.

Combat Qi flickered in Gu Yangcheon’s fierce eyes.

“Why did you interfere?”

“As I said, both sides would have been harmed if you continued.”

“Ah, I guess I wasn’t clear enough. I’ll say it again.”

“…Pardon?”

“Why did you choose to interfere now?”

After hearing Gu Yangcheon repeat his words, the spectators observed them with a strange look on their faces.

What did Gu Yangcheon mean by that?

“…What are you talking about?”

“Why did you meddle only after I crushed this Woosuck or Eesuck bastard, even though you were watching the whole time?”

“Master Gu.”

“I’m sure you were watching. My friend… Hey friend, what was your name again?”

“Cheol Jiseon…”

“Yes, I’m sure you were watching Jiseon getting picked on by that retard over there.”

Did Jang Seonyeon really have no idea that Jin Eesuk was picking on Cheol Jiseon for a few days now? Gu Yangcheon didn’t believe it.

This bastard is pretending to be clueless.

So, why did Jang Seonyeon decide to meddle now, even though he did nothing while Cheol Jiseon was getting picked on?

“Do you think that something would change if you barged in like a hero? You retard, you should’ve done that from the beginning. I can’t believe that you are trying to look cool after I did all the hard work.”

“…I was simply waiting for Master Cheol to overcome his struggles.”

“Overcome my ass. What, are you his mentor or something? Waiting for him to overcome his struggles? Can’t even come up with a better excuse.”

Gu Yangcheon was really getting on Jang Seonyeon’s nerves.

Even though his harsh and condescending manner made the others around him frown, they couldn’t help but wonder.

Technically speaking, Gu Yangcheon wasn’t even wrong.

“Do a better job next time. Don’t make some sad excuses. Oh, if that’s not the case, then perhaps-“As Gu Yangcheon continued speaking, he got closer to Jang Seonyeon.

Jang Seonyeon tried to take a step back…

Kwak–!

“…Ugh!”

But Gu Yangcheon gripped onto his shoulder tightly and pulled him closer.

Then, in a voice quiet enough so only he could hear it, he whispered into Jang Seonyeon’s ear.

“Was this your doing?”

“…!”

After hearing Gu Yangcheon, Jang Seonyeon’s eyes opened wide.

And even though he was trying to gauge Jang Seonyeon’s reaction, Gu Yangcheon remained expressionless.

It was as if he knew all along.

“It seems that you have your own plans, so how about I tell you something interesting? No one else knows this.”

Jang Seonyeon tried to escape from Gu Yangcheon, but he couldn’t shake him off, so he had no choice but to listen.

“You will die here.”

“…Wh…at?”

“I’m just letting you know.”

After saying those words calmly, Gu Yangcheon let go of Jang Seonyeon.

He then gave Jang Seonyeon some space and smiled.

“Since you’ve volunteered to take care of the aftermath, I’ll take my leave. Oh, right.”In the middle of his words, Gu Yangcheon turned around and stared at Jin Eesuk.

“Ugh…!”

Jin Eesuk flinched on meeting Gu Yangcheon’s gaze.

“I’ll kill you if you lay your hands on my friend again, got it?”

“U-Understood…!”

“I’ll also pull your tongue out and burn it.”

With those parting words, Gu Yangcheon left Jin Eesuk, who was wiping his blood, and approached Cheol Jiseon.

“Stand up, let’s go eat.”

“Pardon? I mean, huh? R-Right now?”

“When do you want to go then? Wait, do you not eat lunch?”

“No, that’s not the–.”

Was he really going to leave like this after creating this much havoc?

Cheol Jiseon stared at Gu Yangcheon speechlessly, but Gu Yangcheon didn’t seem to be bothered.

“He said he’ll take care of the rest. Let’s go.”

Cheol Jiseon wondered who he was referring to, but then, he realized that he was referring to Jang Seonyeon.

He wondered if they were friends, but the atmosphere made him doubtful.

It made more sense for it to be the opposite.

Cheol Jiseon hesitated, but Gu Yangcheon dragged him along.

“Woocheol, what’s for lunch today?”

“I don’t know, brother.”

“…At least you are honest. It’s fine, let’s see once we get there.”

Silence lingered even after Gu Yangcheon’s group left the scene.

It felt like a huge storm swept through the place.

Jin Eesuk still couldn’t stop trembling and even his pants were drenched.

Jin Eesuk’s group belatedly ran towards him.

“Your finger…! We should first take him to- “

“Wouldn’t it be best to inform the instructor about this?”

“Then…”

Slam–!

As the group was busy trying to think of the best solution, a loud noise echoed throughout the room.

Everyone turned toward the direction of the noise.

“M-Master Jang?”

The source of that sound was none other than Jang Seonyeon.

Everyone stared at Jang Seonyeon in shock on seeing him break a table in half, but they gasped when they saw the look on his face.

It was understandable, since the Jang Seonyeon, who was famous for being kind, had a look that resembled a Demon.