Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 324 (Part 1)



324 (Part 1)

”'<Chapter 325> Practice. (4)

It was around the time the morning training had ended.

In a corridor heading towards each respective dormitory the students of the academy were gathered.

Amidst the bustling noise

everyone’s gaze was directed upwards.

The reason for this was the large wooden board with inscriptions on it.

The names of each student were lined up on the wooden board.

The reason these names were written in a row was simple.

Two months had passed since their admission.

Accordingly it was a sort of report card indicating how each student had fared.

Whether they had been diligent in their training and education at the Shinryong Academy.

– “Did you see it Chuhyung?”

– “I’m doomed… They say it’s faster to look from below than from above. My father is going to kill me.”

– “I feel the same… I think I might get kicked out of the family when I go back.”

There was a mix of joy and despair in that place.

Some faces were stained with frustration and hopelessness.

While others felt a sense of relief from being at the top.

There would be a few more times to check but

since it was the first time experiencing this the feeling would be fresh.

As they were all prodigies from the Central Plains

it was particularly true for those who were not from the sects but from the three great families.

This was the first time they would see the actual rankings assigned to them.

It might serve as a benchmark for realizing reality.

Everyone was talented and had been selected but

there would always be geniuses among them.

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Thud.

The bustling noise quieted with a single sound of footsteps.

– “Hey hey!”

The students who had been looking up at the wooden board shifted their gazes all at once.

They were looking towards those who were walking this way.

Thud.

As the footsteps drew closer to their destination the gathered students moved aside to clear a path.

“Thank you.”

The young man who confirmed the identity smiled and expressed his gratitude.

“…Shin Seong!”

The one making his way through the crowd was a well-known figure within the Shinryong Academy.

With good looks and exceptional talent

he was the only son of the current Alliance Leader known for his kind nature.

It was none other than Jang Seon-yeon.

At this point just two months in

the fact that most of the inspection team remained by his side was a sort of indication.

Most said they were captivated by his character and talent.

Among the crowd a student who appeared to be part of the inspection team

cautiously spoke to Shin Seong.

“Congratulations Mister Jang.”

With a trembling congratulatory remark

Jang Seon-yeon turned his gaze.

As their eyes met the other person flinched in surprise

and Jang Seon-yeon smiled and acknowledged him.

“Thank you.”

Others around them gasped in admiration at that sight.

The reason others congratulated Jang Seon-yeon was simple.

His name was written at the very top of the list.

The meaning was straightforward.

Out of hundreds of students he was ranked second.

That was quite a high position.

It was said he had scored significantly well in both practical and theoretical aspects.

No one questioned this.

Most believed that if it was Shin Seong it was entirely possible.

This meant that the perception of Jang Seon-yeon was quite favorable.

The fact that this batch was particularly filled with monsters was known not just to the academy students

but to everyone in the Central Plains.

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The bloodlines of the four great families and

those born into the prestigious families just below them.

The scholars of the Nine Great Families and

the comets known as the Six Dragons and Three Peaks were abundant.

Being ranked second from the top was indeed a figure worthy of congratulations.

However

Jang Seon-yeon had to grit his teeth amidst the congratulations coming from all directions.

He swallowed the rising irritation within.

‘…I feel like throwing up.’

The students’ loud chatter was nothing but noise.

The irritation and the situation seemed to twist his insides.

‘I wish everyone would just shut up.’

He harbored such thoughts but did not let them show on his face or through his words.

After all he had built this up.

He couldn’t ruin it all over something like this.

Jang Seon-yeon slowly read the inscriptions from the bottom up ignoring the noise.

Most of the names at the bottom were unfamiliar to him.

That was to be expected; those who were at that level were not memorable to him.

‘…Jang-ryong and Geom-ryong are ranked low.’

He noticed that Jang-ryong and Geom-ryong were ranked lower than expected.

He had heard that Jang-ryong had mostly been sleeping or not participating in training or education.

Geom-ryong was said to be quite weak in theoretical aspects.

That was why their rankings looked like that.

He didn’t particularly feel any significance regarding the rankings or the Shinryong Academy itself.

Recalling this Jang Seon-yeon clicked his tongue.

‘How comforting.’

They were geniuses without greed.

Perhaps it was a relief after all.

He felt a strange emotion as if he was living comfortably in the world which he didn’t quite like.

‘It’s rather fortunate.’

That was the conclusion he reached.

Yes it was fortunate.

If they had set their minds to become rivals

it would have become somewhat bothersome.

With a mask resembling a smile Jang Seon-yeon continued to roll his eyes.

‘Dok-bong is… as expected.’

Among them Dok-bong who was the weakest

had a ranking that was not good just as Jang Seon-yeon had predicted.

He had heard recently that he was involved with the daughter of the Peng Clan.

But that didn’t linger in his mind.

Dok-bong was too weak a martial artist to leave a mark in Jang Seon-yeon’s head.

So he didn’t bother to pay attention.

‘Seol-bong is…’

Seol-bong who was at a similar level to Dok-bong

had a ranking that was surprisingly higher than expected.

This was likely because he excelled in theoretical aspects.

At least in that regard he was among the highest in the entire academy.

‘Impressive.’

He had known from the start that Seol-bong had talent in a different area than Dok-bong

but he hadn’t expected it to be at such an outstanding level.

Of course even so

he was still not among those who held the highest ranks.

As he reached the end

the names were filled with familiar ones.

Among them was

‘Geom-mu-hee that’s unexpected.’

He saw the name of Namgung Bi-a.

‘…Ugh.’

Upon confirming that Jang Seon-yeon had to suppress his anger internally.

The memory of facing her during the admission exam still lingered vividly.

The memory of his defeat was still unpleasant.

The image of her effortlessly applying the overwhelming technique he had struggled with

was truly overwhelming.

‘I didn’t expect her to excel in theory as well.’

In terms of theory she was lower than Seol-bong and himself

but it seemed that her martial arts had helped her score.

He didn’t like it.

The fact that he had lost to someone who had previously defeated him.

– “Boring.”

He also didn’t like the words she had spat at him.

Shaking his head he tried to erase those thoughts.

‘…What about her?’

He raised his eyes to search for the name he desired.

At this point she was the one he wanted the most.

He already knew where she was

so there was no need to make an effort to find her.

Sam (三). Wi Seol-a.

She was right below him.

‘It seems she has been putting in effort.’

When he first saw her

she was at a level close to zero in knowledge.

But now Wi Seol-a had filled in her theoretical knowledge without any shortcomings and was closely following him.

‘As expected… is it the blood of the martial arts lineage?’

Her martial arts were monstrous in talent

and she had a level of memory that didn’t forget what she had seen once.

Her appearance was also beyond words.

Jang Seon-yeon thought even more.

‘So I must gain more.’

He had no intention of letting Wi Seol-a slip away.

He recalled the promise he made with her.

If he secured the top position in the end she would be his.

So even if she closely followed him at the end

he had no intention of being caught up.

No matter what means he had to use.

‘…The problem is.’

Crack.

In the seemingly favorable situation

Jang Seon-yeon recalled the final problem.

He immediately clenched his fist.

This problem was what was currently turning his insides upside down.

It had been causing him to be engulfed in useless thoughts for years.

Jang Seon-yeon raised his eyes one last time

to look at the place right above where his name was written.

« +1 ”

…Ah.

As soon as he saw the name written there he had to suppress the emotions rising within him.

Why why is that guy written there?

Just seeing it made him feel dizzy.

—This time the top position is…

– No matter what Shin Seong…

– What about the practice…

‘Shut up.’

As if digging into his complicated insides

the voices around him grew louder.

He wanted to tear their mouths apart.

Wouldn’t it quiet down if he did that?

‘That can’t be…’

First he couldn’t do that.

He couldn’t afford to lose the image he had just built

and it was right to endure and decorate himself for the future.

While turning such thoughts over and over

as Jang Seon-yeon secretly adjusted the corners of his mouth

“What’s all this noise about?”

A sharp cold voice pierced through the commotion.

Thud.

Unlike Jang Seon-yeon’s elegant footsteps

the uneven steps sounded annoyed.

“…Chik!”

The student who confirmed this expression showed surprise and shrank back.”’