Childhood Friend of the Zenith-Chapter 643: Thunder God (Thunder Fang) (4)

[Why?]

The question reflected utter incomprehension. It was as if the idea of rejection had never crossed Namgung Myung's mind. Woo Hyuk responded with a sheepish smile.

"Even if you ask me why..."

[No matter how deeply I consider it, I still don’t understand. Why?]

Namgung Myung’s expression made it clear—he was baffled. To him, this must have seemed like an incredible opportunity.

But to explain it clearly—

"I’m not a member of the Namgung Clan."

It was a simple reason.

Woo Hyuk didn’t fully know if this spirit was truly Namgung Myung, nor why he remained in this form here.

But if everything the spirit said was true, and he truly wanted to bestow this “opportunity”...

"I can’t accept it."

Woo Hyuk had no intention of taking it.

[For such a trivial reason?]

Namgung Myung tilted his head, his confusion plain on his face.

"Trivial? If this is such an extraordinary gift, shouldn’t it rightfully go to one of your descendants?"

The Namgung Clan wasn’t extinct. They were still one of the Four Great Families, a cornerstone of Zhongyuan.

"And besides... I don’t know if you’re aware, Senior, but one of your descendants is currently here."

Though both were likely in poor condition, he trusted his friend to handle the situation.

To take this legacy for himself in such circumstances? It was unthinkable.

[Hmm.]

Namgung Myung’s expression turned slightly more serious.

[A descendant, you say.]

The revelation that members of the Namgung bloodline were present here didn’t seem to faze him. His reaction was so flat that Woo Hyuk found it unsettling.

"...Did something happen between you and your family?"

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Woo Hyuk asked, and Namgung Myung replied with an impassive expression.

[Not particularly. It’s just that none of it matters to me anymore.]

"What do you mean by that...?"

[I mean that I left such attachments behind long ago.]

Left them behind? Did he mean this in a literal sense, as one who had died? Or was there something deeper?

The ambiguity made it hard to interpret, and Woo Hyuk couldn’t understand the exact meaning.

[So, you’re refusing my offer?]

"...I’ve judged it to be something I shouldn’t take."

[So, it’s a rejection.]

"Yes."

It simply wasn’t his to claim. That was Woo Hyuk’s belief.

[Hmm.]

Namgung Myung’s expression shifted slightly, as if he were contemplating something. Seeing this, Woo Hyuk offered a suggestion.

"If you want your descendants to inherit this legacy, I can guide them to you once we’ve dealt with the situation here—"

Woooong!

"...!"

Woo Hyuk’s words were cut off by a sudden vibration.

His head snapped toward the source of the tremor—beyond the collapsed walls, far in the distance.

It wasn’t just a vibration; an overwhelming aura was emanating from that direction.

Turning his gaze instinctively, Woo Hyuk’s eyes widened.

"What...?"

The night sky was glowing.

It should have been pitch dark at this hour, but that area was lit up as if it were broad daylight. The aura and heat emanating from there were overwhelming.

Feeling the heat carried by the wind, Woo Hyuk had a fleeting thought.

‘Could it be...?’

He remembered his friend, who had rushed off earlier, claiming to have urgent business.

Was this phenomenon—this radiance and heat—caused by him?

The thought seemed absurd. Could any human produce such an effect? And yet—

‘If it’s him...’

That friend was always doing inexplicable things. This could very well be one of them.

‘And the direction...’

The energy was coming from where the Ice Palace Lord’s sanctuary was supposed to be.

If such tremors were coming from there, it could only mean one thing—something had happened.

‘Then...’

Not just the Palace Lord or his friend, but even that child might be in danger.

Creak.

Woo Hyuk’s foot tensed instinctively.

‘I have to go.’

He needed to head there immediately.

There was no time to waste.

Ssshhh!

Energy seeped from Woo Hyuk’s heart. The sensation was strange.

Energy flowing from his middle dantian felt both alien and °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° familiar at the same time.

It enveloped his body naturally, as though he had always used it this way.

He could make it.

With his fortified body and surging energy, Woo Hyuk was confident he could reach the source quickly.

He prepared to run, lowering his stance.

Woooong!

But just as the tremors reached their peak, they suddenly stopped.

Woo Hyuk hesitated, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Had it ended?

As he stared straight ahead, trying to grasp the situation—

Flash!

"...Ugh?!"

A blinding light erupted, momentarily robbing him of his vision.

What’s happening? Woo Hyuk struggled to keep his eyes open, but—

Whhooooosh—!

A powerful gust of wind swept through.

"Ugh!"

Screams rose from below. Woo Hyuk braced himself against the wind, squinting to see through the chaos.

"What...?"

Through the blazing light and heat-laden storm, a colossal figure began to take shape.

His expanded perception barely managed to grasp it.

Whooosh!

A massive, flame-cloaked form.

It resembled a tiger—a ferocious beast tearing across the ground.

The sheer size and energy radiating from it invoked primal fear, making the hairs on Woo Hyuk’s body stand on end.

The power exuded by the fiery tiger emphasized its absolute dominance.

What was that? Could his friend have truly done something like this?

It seemed unlikely, even if it involved flames. Something about it felt different.

[Hmm.]

Amidst the raging wind and blazing light, Namgung Myung, who had been watching alongside Woo Hyuk, finally reacted.

[Strange.]

His gaze was filled with doubt as he observed the fiery tiger.

[In this era, such a thing should be impossible. How could this be?]

As if he recognized the entity, Namgung Myung murmured to himself.

[The breaking of the seal... It seems an anomaly has occurred.]

"Senior...?"

Woo Hyuk turned to Namgung Myung, intending to ask something.

[This won’t do.]

But Namgung Myung acted first.

Shhhkk!

"!?"

Namgung Myung’s translucent arm plunged into Woo Hyuk’s chest.

"What are you—!"

Woo Hyuk tried to pull away, startled.

There was no pain.

In fact, he felt nothing at all. But—

Crackle!

A faint surge of lightning radiated from Namgung Myung’s arm.

Before Woo Hyuk could even process it, the lightning spread, enveloping his entire body.

[I’ll be borrowing this for a moment.]

With those words, Woo Hyuk lost consciousness.

******************

After hearing his explanation, I continued glaring at the figure in front of me, my expression still furrowed.

“So... you came here in that form?”

He nodded.

The casual response made me sigh and run a hand down my face.

“...You’re like a communal punching bag, aren’t you? And now you’ve gone and lost control again.”

I couldn’t help but let out a frustrated sigh.

After all that effort, now he’d gone and let himself get possessed by some centuries-old relic.

‘Next time, I’m not saving him.’

What would he do next? Let his body get taken over by something even weirder? Ignoring him seemed like the best course of action now.

‘Anyway...’

Through the gap between my fingers, I glanced at the man before me, standing with his hands behind his back and gazing off into the distance.

He still looked like Woo Hyuk, but as he’d already introduced himself, I knew better.

‘Namgung Myung, the Thunder God.’

Also known as the Thunder Heaven Sword, and more significantly—

‘The true essence of the will inside Thunder Fang.’

This was the main body of the will I’d once encountered in Thunder Fang, which was now presumably with Namgung Bi-ah.

The will had claimed it was a remnant, with its true form sealed in the North Sea.

‘So this is the main body.’

A will that abandoned attachment to its clan and left only the desire to save the world.

That was the man standing before me.

‘He’s definitely different.’

The light, chaotic aura from Thunder Fang was gone, replaced by the sharp edge of a blade given human form.

Namgung Myung carried that kind of presence.

“Descendant of that damn fool,” he said abruptly.

I reacted to his voice. The nickname was odd, but I didn’t argue.

I didn’t need to ask who the “damn fool” was, and it wasn’t strange that he knew my identity.

‘He must’ve recognized Shin Noya’s energy in me.’

It wasn’t surprising anymore. By now, anyone who crossed my path could figure it out.

“Was that your doing?”

He gestured somewhere with his finger. Following his gaze, I saw the charred remains of the Crimson-Rank beast.

“...That wasn’t me,” I admitted.

I’d tried to handle it, but ultimately, I had failed.

“Then whose doing was it?”

“And why are you asking?”

I couldn’t help but feel wary of his intent. My voice held a trace of suspicion, and Namgung Myung turned to look directly at me.

“Do you know what that is?”

“...It’s a Crimson-Rank beast, isn’t it?”

A creature from the Blood Demon War, known for bringing calamity. These monstrous beings had been given the title “Dragon” for their bizarre and overwhelming power.

“That creature shouldn’t exist in this era. And furthermore—”

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His gaze sharpened, the air around him growing heavier.

“You shouldn’t have been able to kill it. So I ask again, how was it dealt with?”

“...Excuse me?”

What did that even mean?

I could understand the first part, but the second? Not at all.

“What do you mean it couldn’t be killed?”

It was lying there, clearly dead. What more was there to say?

“The world cast a curse long ago. As long as that curse exists, beasts like that cannot be slain. So I’ll ask one more time—if it wasn’t you, who did it?”

“...!”

I flinched at his words.

The curse.

Shin Noya had mentioned it once. The world had cursed itself to deny humanity further chances, preventing martial artists from growing stronger.

Was this connected to the present situation?

“It’s curious. I sealed it to prevent exactly this, yet here we are. What could have happened?”

“You... sealed it?”

Namgung Myung nodded slightly.

[Just a little longer...]

Mang’s words resurfaced. If given more time, it would have been complete.

That confirmed it—Mang had only recently awakened or been released.

Regardless of why Namgung Myung had been sealing Mang, the fact remained: the seal had broken unexpectedly.

‘So it wasn’t supposed to happen.’

In my previous life, I’d never heard of Crimson-Rank beasts appearing in the North Sea.

Maybe it was because the region was so remote. But now, I couldn’t shake the suspicion—

‘What if this wasn’t supposed to happen at all?’

What if these creatures had never emerged in the first place?

‘Someone must have released Mang.’

The question was—who?

An unsettling discomfort crawled through me as I contemplated the implications.

As my thoughts raced, Namgung Myung continued,

“These creatures aren’t supposed to appear yet. The time hasn’t come.”

The time hasn’t come.

“Are you referring to the time when Shin Noya—or rather, the Volcano Divine Sword—is reborn?”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Huang Aburyeong told me.”

The will of the White Carp from Shaolin had mentioned it.

“I see. So you’ve met that one as well.”

“Yes.”

Not just Huang Aburyeong, but also Tang Jemoon and Yeon Ilcheon.

And—

“I’ve also encountered another of your remnants, Senior.”

“...”

At the mention of Thunder Fang, Namgung Myung’s expression turned slightly sour.

“I assume it’s not far from here—”

“I know. It’s been yapping noisily since earlier.”

Huh?

‘Thunder Fang is... talking to him?’

The memory of Thunder Fang cursing endlessly at its main body came to mind.

Amusingly, they seemed to still communicate.

Namgung Myung dismissed my amusement with a wave of his hand and turned serious again.

“Where is Shin Noya?”

“...”

I hesitated before responding.

“...He’s not here anymore.”

“Not here? You mean he was?”

“Yes.”

He had been here but was no longer. Namgung Myung frowned deeply at the explanation.

“Did he vanish completely?”

“No, not exactly. He’s simply... moved on to another plane.”

“That makes no sense.”

“I agree. It’s hard to understand. But let’s set that aside for now—”

I met Namgung Myung’s gaze and asked,

“What exactly do you mean by the time hasn’t come?”

I’d heard about Shin Noya’s planned reincarnation and the heroes who foresaw the Blood Demon’s return.

‘Though it didn’t go as planned.’

But something in this conversation hinted at a deeper connection.

“...Are you saying the curse on this world is tied to Shin Noya’s reincarnation?”

Namgung Myung nodded.

“You didn’t hear this from him?”

“He didn’t know much himself.”

Hearing this, Namgung Myung’s gaze turned sharp.

“He had no memories?”

“Yes. He didn’t even know how he ended up trapped in an artifact.”

Namgung Myung froze.

“Trapped in an artifact?”

His expression shifted.

“You’re saying he wasn’t in the Mount Hua Sect’s secret chamber in Shaanxi? He was... in an artifact?”

A cold wind seemed to sweep through the space.