Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 543 (Part 2)



543 (Part 2)

“Is that a prodigy too?”

It was simply unbelievable.

“Is there any reason not to believe it? It’s a fact proclaimed by the Alliance.”

“Even so is that really possible?”

“Isn’t it a good thing if it’s true?”

At that Mr. Joo chuckled softly.

“If it’s a prodigy from Shaolin isn’t that good news for us too Un-hyung?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The mere fact that such hope has emerged from Shaolin. Isn’t that a great blessing in this era?”

With a series of incidents occurring one after another and the emergence of the Red Demon Sect the so-called era of upheaval had arrived.

The Central Plains continued to change even after several years.

This was enough to instill anxiety in many.

Even if the Alliance Leader was frantically trying to stabilize things and striving for peace the resolution of such anxieties always led to different conclusions.

Hope.

People always yearn for possibilities.

The hope that this situation can be overcome.

The possibility that one day they will prevail.

And.

The existence that enables this to happen.

In the Central Plains this was commonly referred to as hope.

In such an era of upheaval the announcement from the Alliance about Shaolin’s youngest prodigy would surely be enough to quell the anxieties of many.

“The mere fact that such hope has emerged from Shaolin. Isn’t that a great blessing in this era?”

With a series of incidents occurring one after another and the emergence of the Red Demon Sect the so-called era of upheaval had arrived.

Thus Mr. Joo must have been making such a face while speaking.

“…Hmm…”

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As if he understood Mr. Un also nodded his head but.

He was harboring strange thoughts inside.

“The youngest prodigy.”

It was a title suddenly attached to Shin-ryong but if he had reached the level of a prodigy before even turning twenty it wouldn’t be an inadequate title.

However.

Mr. Woo was reminded of someone else upon hearing that.

“There was definitely someone else.”

Even if Shin-ryong was officially proclaimed just a few years ago there was someone who roamed around with similar rumors.

If it was said that the current Shin-ryong had surpassed the age of twenty.

There had been rumors that a boy who hadn’t even reached that age had touched the level of a prodigy.

The boy swept through the Dragon and Phoenix branch and became a new dragon.

Later during the Shin-ryongguan massacre incident he also managed to stop the main culprit behind the incident.

Immediately after rumors spread that the boy had surpassed the peak and reached the level of a prodigy.

No one believed it.

How could they?

It was a fact that could never be believed unless confirmed directly.

‘What was that friend’s name…’

He couldn’t remember the name.

Compared to the enormous rumors his actions had been quiet.

For the past three years there had been almost no rumors about that boy.

Thanks to that unlike the commotion back then things had calmed down somewhat now.

‘He must have the surname Gu being the brother of the Sword Master.’

No matter how hard he tried to recall he couldn’t remember.

The only fortunate thing was that the alias was firmly lodged in his mind.

The boy’s alias was definitely…

“Little Yama.”

It was a rather intense alias for an orthodox sect martial artist so it remained firmly in his memory.

Upon hearing Mr. Un’s words Mr. Joo tilted his head.

Mr. Joo seemed to recognize it too.

“Now that you mention it that friend was around. I wonder what he’s up to.”

“Well he’s from a prestigious family. He’s probably living well.”

“That’s true.”

Mr. Un chuckled and took another sip of his drink.

“You and I. It’s not the time to worry about those who are living well.”

“Yes.”

Unlike the cheerful conversation they had just moments ago a complex emotion was now evident in their voices.

“…He still hasn’t been caught has he?”

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At the mention Mr. Joo nodded.

“It’s terrifying.”

“Indeed. A murderer…”

The atmosphere in the inn turned cold with that softly spoken word.

Not just the two of them but everyone in the inn held their breath.

The murderer was a rumor that had spread recently in the district.

Since a month ago somewhere in the district as night passed and the sun rose dismembered bodies began to be discovered.

The corpses appeared to have been sliced by a sharp sword.

It meant they had been brutally killed.

It had already been a month since the first discovery yet the perpetrator remained at large and although not every day such incidents continued to occur every few days.

“What does the Alliance say?”

“What can they say? They say they’re trying to catch him. They say they’re making efforts.”

“Hmm.”

In a situation where the sword members were already busy with demonic beasts the occurrence of such events further delayed their progress.

In the past the danger of demonic beasts was low so they would have prioritized handling this matter.

But now that was not the case.

Mr. Joo sighed as he grasped the situation.

“What kind of madman would do such a thing?”

“It’s obvious he’s not in his right mind. How could people like us understand what goes on in the head of such a person?”

He was someone who not only killed humans but also dismembered them.

It was a truly brutal method.

“I hope he gets caught soon. I want to see his face.”

“What do you want to see his face for? Aren’t you already trembling in fear?”

“Don’t you wonder Un-hyung? What kind of person would do such things?”

“Seems like you have a lot of curiosity. Why bother with such things?”

Perhaps due to the trivial conversation a small laugh was heard in the inn.

At that moment.

Creak.

A sound came from a corner of the inn.

In the noisy atmosphere someone quietly rose from their seat.

The cold noodles on the table had gone cold but there were no signs of anyone having touched them.

A young man with pale skin and unkempt long hair stood there.

What was strange was that the young man’s eyes were tinted yellow.

Creeeak.

The young man maintaining a hazy gaze looked in the direction of Mr. Joo and Mr. Un.

He was wearing a sword at his waist indicating he was a martial artist.

Swish.

As he moved he grasped the sword’s hilt with his pale hand.

Just as he was about to slowly walk toward the people.

“Sit down.”

He froze.

At the voice that came from nearby the young man stopped.

His gaze turned.

As his yellow eyes met the sound he saw the owner of the voice.

Someone wearing a deep-brimmed hat was earnestly eating.

For some reason all the food was dumplings.

The young man recognized him.

He was the person who had been seated there since the young man entered.

After finishing chewing the dumpling he was eating he looked at the young man and said.

“I’m in a good mood because it’s been a while since I found a good place to eat. I’ve been quite annoyed lately eating nothing but tasteless food.”

As he lifted his head the brim of his hat slightly rose.

What could be seen first was his striking blue eyes.

“I’m not done eating yet so just sit down. Don’t do anything foolish…”

“…Who are you?”

“And besides the smell of blood is so strong that it’s disgusting. I’m just putting up with it because the food is good. Got it?”

At those words the young man’s eyes widened slightly.

He understood the meaning of the words.

To confirm it the man smiled and continued speaking.

“Go wash up you bastard. You smell.”

“…”

Clang.

Upon hearing the words the young man moved his sword.

Seeing this the person with the hat sighed.

“Right. If you’re going to eat with words you’re not that idiot.”

In the midst of the ongoing conversation the sword blade was already in motion.

A chilling aura filled the blade.

Just as it was about to reach the opponent in an instant.

Crack-! A sound echoed.

“…!”

The young man’s vision shifted. It was not intentional.

His head turned involuntarily.

Only then did the young man realize that he had hit his own face.

Immediately after his body floated up and quickly flew into the wall.

Boom!

The wall crumbled and wooden pieces and dust scattered everywhere.

It was a sudden occurrence.

The people in the inn jumped in surprise and stood up.

In the midst of it all the person with the hat remained unchanged.

He didn’t move at all simply continuing to eat dumplings as before.

The only difference was that his gaze was now fixed on the shattered wall.

After quietly staring at it he casually picked up a few dumplings and then stood up.

He then examined his hands and chuckled softly.

“Just as I thought.”

The guests in the inn felt a chill run down their spines upon seeing that smile.

The reason was.

“I told you the taste of you getting beaten is the best right?”

The smiling face looked far too terrifying.