Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 354 (Part 1)



354 (Part 1)

The Night Assassins.

Among the countless assassin groups existing in the Central Plains it is renowned as the most dangerous and brutal assassin faction.

Moreover it is famous for not belonging to either the orthodox or unorthodox factions.

The assassin groups of the Central Plains are akin to an unspoken allowance.

What this means is that.

It is clear that they are a group that takes lives for a price under the guise of righteousness.

The fact that the orthodox sects are aware of such entities yet choose not to capture them serves as a kind of evidence.

Even more so.

It is a well-known fact that the prestigious families referred to as the famous houses cultivate assassins and create such groups internally for their own use.

This can even be seen among the pillars of the orthodox sects known as the Four Great Families.

For instance if we take the Sichuan Tang Clan known as the conqueror and master of Sichuan.

The Tang Clan which primarily dealt with poison and steel was not an orthodox sect several centuries ago.

At the end of the Blood War when the Blood Demon had vanished.

Those who remembered the achievements of Tang Clan’s Clan Head Tang Je-mun who was one of the heroes decided to include the Tang Clan among the orthodox sects.

There was a suggestion from Yeon Il-cheon who became the Alliance Leader by founding the Murim Alliance for the first time and Tang Je-mun himself agreed to it.

After this the Tang Clan operated as an orthodox sect within the Murim Alliance and became one of the famous houses known as the Four Great Families but it has not been long since they abandoned their original characteristics.

Their martial arts specialized in torture and assassination and the physical traits honed over long years still leave the Tang Clan with a somewhat sinister edge making it hard to consider them purely orthodox sects.

Moreover even if they claimed to have completely turned their backs on such activities and focused solely on weapon crafting.

There are rampant rumors that their outward appearance may not reflect their true nature.

Could it be just a rumor?

I know.

I know how the inner workings of the Tang Clan are.

In any case it is not only the Tang Clan that operates this way.

I am not sure about the Namgung Clan but at least the Peng Clan is likely utilizing such methods.

The lower-tier Huangbo Clan would be the same.

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As for the Gu Clan I am not sure.

I know they are not using it but I should know something about that place.

Even the Murim Alliance which is the center of the orthodox sects is applying assassination squads.

The figure known as the King of Assassins from the Night Assassins is a deified figure to them.

The king of assassins.

A flawless existence that no one would dare to oppose even if called the ruler of the night.

That is the King of Assassins.

‘Why is such a person here?’

It is said that no one in the Central Plains knows the identity of the King of Assassins.

How old is he?

Is he male or female?

How tall is he what does his face look like and what is his voice like?

Even the martial arts he uses are not properly known.

‘And I’ve figured it all out.’

It was absurd.

No to say I knew would be an exaggeration as I had nothing concrete.

Gender face voice—everything could be hidden if one set their mind to it.

The only thing known about the King of Assassins is that considering the time of his activities it has been several decades so he must not be young.

That is all that can be discerned.

Not only is the King of Assassins here but the fact that he sought me out through the Sword Master was completely unexpected.

Moreover….

‘The fact that he intervened at that moment means he is indeed the King of Assassins.’

The martial artist known as the Black Dragon Sword underwent an unknown transformation.

The moment he turned into a monster.

The being that appeared and saved me by cutting through was also the King of Assassins.

Did he come here for a different purpose?

The moment I realized the identity of the King of Assassins.

He spoke to me.

– You’ve seen my face so that’s enough. You may go now.

Satisfied that I had recognized his identity the King of Assassins said this.

To which I replied.

– …You say I can go just because I’ve seen your face? Then why did you call me?

Ah this crazy mouth.

His old personality had not faded and his mouth acted on its own.

He could have thought it through before speaking but why couldn’t he do that?

Only after he spoke did he realize he had made a mistake.

It was dizzying. At the very least I should have been cautious with my words now that I knew who he was.

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-…

Hearing my words the King of Assassins looked at me with slightly widened eyes.

What should I say?

Just as I was wondering if I should start with an apology.

– Ha.

The King of Assassins burst into laughter.

– You speak just like my grandfather.

– …Excuse me?

I reacted briefly upon hearing that.

Grandfather? The people who say such things to me are usually quite specific.

– …Do you know Elder Il?

Elder Il those associated with that old man usually say such things.

What that implies is that the King of Assassins is related to Elder Il?

What on earth was he doing during his prime in the Central Plains that made that old man close to such individuals….

– Elder Il? Who are you referring to?

– Excuse me? Are you not referring to Elder Gu-ryun…?

– Gu-ryun is not your grandfather.

– No usually people say it like that….

Wait a moment…?

If the person the King of Assassins is saying I resemble is not Elder Il….

– …If it’s not Elder Il then who are you saying I resemble?

In response to my question the King of Assassins answered as if he couldn’t understand.

– Of course I mean your grandfather. What are you thinking?

He was referring to the former Clan Head of the Gu Clan who was said to have died before I was even born.

‘That means…. the King of Assassins has met my grandfather.’

Given how casually he said it it implied that he was a contemporary figure.

Elder Il is also from that era but I had hardly heard anything about my grandfather so it was refreshing.

Noticing the strange change in my expression the King of Assassins chuckled and said to me.

– I will come to find you soon.

The King of Assassins saying he would come to find me.

It was a rather peculiar statement.

The king of assassins is going to seek me out and I should wait for this?

Just imagining it was dizzying….

The situation was already chaotic so what more could possibly happen here?

Crack.

In the quiet night.

I warmed up alone in the center of the training ground which had cracked and settled in various places.

Whoosh.

As I gathered my will qi quickly surged up to my qi center.

The speed was quite rapid.

Vitality surged from my exhausted body.

To be precise I was erasing fatigue with qi and forcibly boosting my vitality.

‘It has definitely increased.’

The efficiency was considerable.

What developed upon reaching the Transformation Stage was not just the five senses.

With the opening of the qi center and the ability to use it the efficiency of using martial arts was maximized.

It was the realm I had reached in my previous life and the place where I had stayed the longest.

Not only had my qi increased.

I could now achieve better efficiency with less qi.

And the realm where I could do more was precisely the Transformation Stage.

If it were swordsmanship I could levitate a sword detached from my hand and use it in the air.

This is what people refer to as the Sword Levitation Technique.

However aside from the leader of the Wudang Sect there were hardly any who primarily used this technique.

No matter how much one claimed to have reached the Transformation Stage the efficiency was abysmal.

That is what the Transformation Stage is.

A realm where one can do what they could not do before.

Years after my reincarnation.

I had reached a level that I could only attain by using the power of Demonic Arts in my previous life.

‘It’s still incomplete.’

Although I had reached the Transformation Stage earlier in my previous life.

Upon returning to this life I had lost everything I had achieved there.

Thus I was lacking compared to then.

The disparity between the level I had attained and my current state was the issue.

But this wouldn’t be a significant problem anyway.

‘That disparity has existed from the very beginning.’

The body I had after losing everything I gained in my previous life.

The nonsensical emptiness I felt back then was something I had already experienced.

This was not a problem.

What was important was.

‘What should I do from now on?’

I had reached the Transformation Stage.

While it would be surprising to others.

‘It’s insufficient.’

From my perspective it was still far from enough.

Especially when I recalled the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon is an overwhelming existence. I had already known this in my mind from the memories of my previous life but having experienced it again in this life I was even more certain.

I cannot defeat the Heavenly Demon now.

If the Heavenly Demon set his mind to it I wouldn’t be able to withstand even a moment.

‘So what should I do?’

It felt distant.

I do not know the realms beyond the Transformation Stage in detail.

It is recorded that they exist but how many have actually reached them is uncertain.

‘Did the Three Lords…. Did the Three Lords reach it?’

They might be the only ones who could have reached it but even those individuals ultimately met their demise at the hands of the Heavenly Demon.