Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 364 (Part 1)



364 (Part 1)

“Crazy.”

The first impression that burst forth upon seeing him was a curse.

It couldn’t be helped.

Guuuu…

The presence emanating from Bi Eui-jin was that formidable.

‘…What is this?’

As far as I knew Bi Eui-jin was a peak martial artist.

No matter what kind of human was hiding within the level could not be deceived.

‘How can this be?’

I felt my fingertips trembling.

It was a tremor unrelated to my intentions. It wasn’t out of fear.

I was not scared.

This was purely evidence that I was being consumed by the opponent’s presence.

It meant that my own presence was beginning to be devoured by the overwhelming aura radiating from Bi Eui-jin.

This sensation was different from the feeling of qi or killing intent.

When one accumulates martial prowess and gains enlightenment repeatedly the years lived for that purpose naturally seep into the soul.

The presence of a martial artist was like that.

It was the very vessel they had built and expanded.

This was something that could not be known unless one revealed it.

In other words Bi Eui-jin was intentionally exposing his presence to me right now.

And that presence felt like an incredibly strong wall that I could hardly comprehend.

‘This is the Three Presences…’

Even if he possessed a frail body that had lost its peak state.

He was one of the three strongest in the Central Plains.

The presence of the man known as the pinnacle of the current martial arts world was this high and heavy.

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“Aha.”

Bi Eui-jin’s voice changed as he spoke to me.

The pitch of his voice lowered and the rhythm in his speech disappeared.

The smile he had been wearing also vanished.

Though his appearance was the same it felt like he had become a completely different person.

“When did you notice?”

“Not long ago.”

It was a lie.

I had realized it the moment I saw him and already knew what state he was in.

There was no need to state that explicitly.

Bi Eui-jin’s change was not limited to that.

The way he approached me had changed.

It was a very subtle change but from a martial artist’s perspective it was a significant shift.

‘Is that even possible?’

The movements of a martial artist are ultimately based on the martial arts they practice.

Since the martial arts honed over a lifetime differ for each individual even the slightest difference is ingrained in their movements.

Just from their gait or posture one can discern whether the opponent is a swordsman or a martial artist.

Accordingly while Bi Eui-jin’s movements as a martial artist had not changed drastically they were clearly different in my eyes.

This meant that those movements were not those of the fighting dragon Bi Eui-jin.

But rather the movements of the defeated Bi Joo.

Bi Joo’s black eyes were directed at me.

What I felt when our gazes met was akin to facing an unfathomable abyss.

It was different from the chill I felt from the Dark King.

“Is there anyone else who knows about this?”

The defeated one did not deny my words.

He had spoken with certainty from the beginning.

I had not expected him to completely refrain from denial.

“No.”

“Alright.”

Saying this the defeated one casually perched himself on a rock. Even that action was clearly different from when he was Bi Eui-jin.

Unlike the demeanor of Bi Eui-jin which had a certain elegance and grace typical of noble bloodlines.

The current appearance had lost even that.

‘It means he was controlling that difference.’

Though his actions were one thing.

It seemed he was also regulating his unique habits and quirks.

It implied that he was controlling and perfectly managing every action he took.

I wondered if that was truly a level achievable by a human.

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“If you had told someone else about this it would have become a bit troublesome.”

“Yes….”

As he spoke the defeated one shifted his posture crossing his legs and looking at me with a peculiar gaze.

Even in the midst of that his presence remained strikingly clear.

While he was trying to hide the beads of sweat trickling down.

The defeated one asked me.

“How did you notice?”

He was asking how I had realized he was not Bi Eui-jin but the defeated one.

I couldn’t say that I remembered almost dying at his hands in my past life and that I recalled him directly stating he was the defeated one even after my regression.

So I brought up a different story I had prepared.

“It’s intuition.”

“…What?”

Upon hearing my answer the defeated one looked at me with a bewildered expression.

It was only natural for him to make such a face after I had given such a simple answer regarding his identity.

“Intuition? You just said intuition?”

“Yes. Intuition…”

“Aha.”

The defeated one rose from the rock he had been sitting on.

Seeing that I almost instinctively took a step back.

The aura was different.

The weight he exuded as a peak martial artist was not something to be taken lightly.

“You know this but I have a favorable view of you.”

Yes I know.

The defeated one certainly had a favorable view of me.

And I was aware that my visible talent was part of the reason.

‘What an annoying reason.’

In other words if I had no talent I probably wouldn’t have caught the defeated one’s eye.

That was only natural.

In a world where talent was everything with names like the generation of meteors being thrown around.

What would my position be within that?

Achieving the peak at an age not yet reached adulthood was already a remarkable achievement.

And now having reached the realm beyond that.

If this were to become widely known.

How would the world perceive me?

A genius that would go down in history? I would probably be called something like that.

‘It’s irritating.’

The more I thought about it the more it made my skin crawl.

Wanting to be called such a genius was merely a childhood delusion.

It was a fantasy that any martial artist would have pondered at least once.

Everyone dreamed of being the world’s best.

And in a world where everyone aspired to become a master if it actually happened.

It would be a somewhat romantic story.

‘But the problem is that there’s no time to indulge in such romance.’

It was merely a result of my regression.

I must not forget my place.

Didn’t the past remind me of what happens when one forgets their place for even a moment?

“The reason I am not crushing you right away knowing that you are aware of my identity is also that.”

‘…That’s a scary way to put it.’

Not “kill” but “crush.”

In a way it was a phrase that highlighted the defeated one’s nature the most.

Even while saying that the defeated one continued to look at me without taking any other action.

I could feel it in his gaze.

He was urging me to continue speaking.

Otherwise he would truly take action.

Seeing that I could only let out a sigh of exasperation inwardly.

‘This person and that person. In the end is there no normalcy?’

Whether obsessed with martial arts or bloodshed.

It was likely that one must be somewhat insane to reach this position.

For a kind and gentle being like me surviving in such a world was truly difficult.

“If it’s not an understandable explanation…”

“When you took the entrance exam you dueled with me didn’t you?”

I interrupted the defeated one’s words.

Honestly this was the most nerve-wracking part.

The defeated one shot me an uncomfortable glance but he did not press the issue.

It was a sign of leniency.

The intent to urge me to elaborate was an added bonus.

“At that time I realized that Mr. Bi was not the defeated one’s disciple but himself.”

In truth it was ambiguous to call it a duel.

I had been in a weakened state.

The level difference was so extreme that it was more accurate to say the defeated one was toying with me.

‘It’s a bit humiliating.’

Even if it was humiliating I had to let it go.

Having experienced the defeated one moving properly in my past life I had to understand that my body was intact after the fight.

“Is that what you call intuition?”

His gaze turned cold.

It seemed that wouldn’t be enough for him to understand.

When he introduced himself as Bi Eui-jin he had referred to himself as the defeated one’s disciple.

I thought it was to create an excuse in case he had to use the defeated one’s unique martial arts the Two Dragon Heavenly Dance.

Reflecting on my past life.

If the defeated one living as Bi Eui-jin had not revealed himself during the blood calamity.

Perhaps no one would have ever known of his existence.

From this it seemed the defeated one had a rather cautious personality.

‘So I should choose a slightly better method than to annoy him.’

Taking a breath I began to speak.

“It’s not just that.”

It was a setup I had made long ago.

I hadn’t intended to use it for this moment but it couldn’t be helped.

I hadn’t originally planned to use it like this…

After a moment of hesitation I finally managed to speak.

“I have been interested in the Elder for a long time.”