Childhood Friend of the Zenith

“Baek Yangcheon, you say…?”

“The one whom Paejon wanted to take as a disciple?”

“He looks much younger and frailer than I expected. Did Paejon really show interest in that young man?”

“I heard he even scored full marks on the demonology exam.”

“What…? That test was said to be the most difficult in history.”

“That’s not all. In the first test, he apparently went against the examiner himself…”@@novelbin@@

Murmurs reached my ears.

No matter how much one tried to conceal their words, someone at my level—having reached the state of transcendence—could not entirely suppress their heightened senses.

I could hear everything clearly.

By the time their voices became glaringly distinct, my foot touched the platform.

Creak.

The wooden surface let out a subtle sound as I stepped lightly onto it, gazing straight ahead.

Countless eyes were fixed on me.

Among them, I spotted the man I had just been speaking with.

Do Yun—was that his name?

Sanseo Clan, was it?

A fellow from my hometown, apparently. But I had no recollection of ever hearing about the Sanseo Clan.

A member of some minor family, perhaps?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t recall any relevant figures. It wasn’t worth overanalyzing.

I only bothered to take note of his reaction because it amused me.

Even now, his eyes were locked onto me, wide with shock, as if he had just witnessed something utterly unbelievable.

Interesting.

It had been a while since I encountered someone worth teasing.

I gave him a faint smirk before shifting my focus back to the situation at hand.

At that moment—

“Baek Yangcheon.”

A voice called my name, drawing my gaze.

A familiar face.

It was the examiner who had overseen the second test. He looked at me with clear doubt in his eyes.