The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 175

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Heavenly Supreme Has Died – Episode 175
It must be a dream.
Surely that’s what it is.
Otherwise, none of this makes sense.
Thinking so, I lay back down on the bed.
‘I’m just tired, that’s all. Exhaustion.’
It was probably the aftermath of enduring a storm in the middle of the night.
My sister, whom I hadn’t seen in years, had appeared so suddenly.
That’s why my mind was unsettled, causing me to have such a dream.
I believed that.
Lying there with my eyes closed, I tried to convince myself.
“….”
Not long after, I slowly raised my upper body.
“…sigh….”
I exhaled deeply and shifted my posture. I knelt respectfully and placed both hands on my thighs.
I lifted my head and looked at the Old Man.
“…I greet you, Lord of the Martial Arts Alliance….”
Acceptance came quickly. Avoidance was tempting, but given the circumstances, it was better to regain my composure as fast as possible.
Fortunately, I wasn’t foolish enough not to recognize that this situation was no dream.
I simply wanted to pretend otherwise.
“….”
At my greeting, Shin Chang’s eyebrows moved ever so slightly.
“…I apologize for the delayed courtesy. The situation was so sudden that my mind was in disarray.”
My words were respectful, but their meaning was simple.
How could one enter a room early in the morning without the owner’s permission?
Even without proper courtesy, you would know this was your fault.
That was the true meaning layered beneath my words.
“….”
Hearing this, Shin Chang simply stared down at me without any change in expression.
‘…What the hell is this?’
My back grew damp with cold sweat. What on earth was happening?
‘Why is this man in my room?’
I thought I’d grown accustomed to seeing Yoo Cheon-gil’s face first thing upon waking.
But seeing Shin Chang’s face immediately after rising was equally daunting.
‘…Is he really that intimidating?’
To be precise, it was less frightening and more oppressive.
A face brimming with overwhelming pressure. At least Yoo Cheon-gil had a hint of playfulness in his expression, but this man had none of that.
A living legend.
Among countless martial artists, one of the few strongest in existence.
Or perhaps one of the top three masters—and that very person stood right before me: Shin Chang.
I never thought I would face him at such close quarters.
Other martial artists would envy this encounter beyond measure.
‘…Am I going to die? Will I die now?’
I couldn’t feel anything but dread.
What if I died like this? That thought consumed me.
And for good reason.
‘That damned old man.’
Recalling what Yoo Cheon-gil had done to Shin Chang, there was no reason I should escape unscathed.
I stared at Shin Chang’s left eye. Seeing the eye patch covering it, that must be it.
‘…The gouged eye.’
The eye that Yoo Cheon-gil had extracted from Shin Chang.
It seemed to be that very spot.
And his remaining right eye bore down on me. Just meeting his gaze made me swallow hard.
‘Gulp….’
The oppressive weight of his massive frame. The moment that arm moved, I felt my skull would shatter.
‘…Could he really kill me?’
I simply believed he wouldn’t. He was the Alliance Lord, after all—surely he wouldn’t suddenly appear and kill me.
As I swallowed my anxiety, trusting there must be some reason for this,
Whoosh.
Shin Chang moved.
The hand I’d been watching intently stirred, drawing closer to my face.
‘What?’
What?
Was I really going to die? I tried to move in panic, but it was too late.
Clamp—!
Shin Chang’s hand seized my face, forcibly prying open my left eyelid.
“Are you insane…?”
I cursed without thinking.
Surely he wasn’t about to do to me what Yoo Cheon-gil had done to him?
“Wait, please, Alliance Lord. Even if it’s an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, I haven’t actually done anything wrong—”
Just as I rushed to speak, Shin Chang gazed at my left eye and said,
“Azure. The same as his.”
It was a voice I’d never heard before—impossibly deep.
I’d felt it during the banquet, but Shin Chang’s voice was overwhelmingly thick and resonant.
“The lines are faint, yet what lies within runs deep. The vessel is properly positioned. Is this talent?”
“…Yes?”
His words made no sense to me.
“Then you are fortunate. Is it your fortune, or is it his? A curious question indeed.”
“…Alliance Lord?”
After speaking, Shin Chang released my eye and stepped back, creating distance between us.
“Devote yourself to it. Reach toward the heavens.”
With those words, he abruptly strode toward the window and placed his foot upon the sill.
Wait, hold on—surely not.
Whoosh—!!
“…Huh?”
Shin Chang hurled his massive frame out the window.
“No….”
I stared at him with a dumbfounded expression, utterly bewildered by this sudden turn of events.
I couldn’t fathom why he’d come seeking me out only to do this. That much was certainly a mystery.
But what troubled me more was.
“Why the hell would you jump out the window when there’s a perfectly good door right there?”
Whether it was Shin Chang or Bang Seo-jin.
Neither of them seemed to have any intention of using the door.

* * *
[That gave me quite a fright.]
Once Shin Chang had departed and I stepped outside the room, Yoo Cheon-gil wiped his chest and spoke.
“…I was even more startled, sir.”
As I wiped away the cold sweat trickling down my face, Yoo Cheon-gil suddenly widened his eyes and spoke.
[Now, didn’t I tell you to wake up earlier? I knew you were already awake, so why were you sprawled out sleeping like that?]
“…It was your usual behavior toward me that caused the problem. And besides, who could have anticipated Shin Chang suddenly appearing before me?”
No one in the world would have known. The moment I opened my eyes, the Lord of the Martial Arts Alliance was staring down at me as I slept.
What kind of absurd nonsense was that?
‘It’s a nightmare. It has to be a nightmare.’
Something that made no sense unless it were a dream had become reality.
Even if I questioned a thousand people, they would all call it a lie.
And.
“Judging by your reaction, it must have been quite urgent, wasn’t it?”
Yoo Cheon-gil rarely raised his voice at me. This meant that even he recognized the situation was indeed urgent.
‘I’m absolutely terrified.’
My heart still hadn’t stopped trembling.
Then.
[That’s what I’m saying. Why didn’t you take it out?]
“…What?”
Yoo Cheon-gil spouted utter nonsense as if it were nothing.
“Why didn’t you take it out? What kind of insane thing are you saying?”
[…Well, from the circumstances, it seemed like anyone would have taken it out…. So I was just wondering how I should make use of you now that you’ve become one-eyed.]
“….”
How appallingly quick he was to give up. From the moment I was captured by Shin Chang, he had already resigned himself to the certainty that I would lose one eye.
‘This man is truly without mercy, isn’t he?’
It seems I’m going to lose my eyes as a result of the accident I caused.
Are you thinking of how to make use of having only one eye?
‘A demon. That old man is definitely a demon.’
If he isn’t a demon, then what would be? At least by the standards I know, Yoo Cheon-gil was certainly a demon.
“Do you know why Shin Chang came looking for you…?”
[Who knows? I’m still puzzled about it myself.]
Shin Chang came, confirmed my eyes, and vanished. I never expected the Lord of the Martial Arts Alliance to appear so suddenly like this.
[Moreover, he’s been staring for over an hour. Does that fellow have no work? That can’t be right.]
“That’s what I’m saying. The Lord of the Alliance surely has work… Wait. Over an hour?”
My eyes widened. Did I mishear?
Over an hour?
An hour?
“Shin Chang was looking at me for over an hour?”
[Yes.]
“….”
It was a chilling fact. He had stood there quietly, watching me all that time.
Could there be anything more terrifying than that?
‘If Shin Chang had decided to kill me, I’d simply be dead.’
I naturally know I’d die quickly in actual combat.
But hearing it so directly like this made it feel more real.
It seemed Shin Chang had no intention of killing me.
Then what was his purpose?
Did he really just come to check my eyes and leave?
‘Why my eyes?’
Why did he come to look at my eyes?
I recalled Shin Chang’s words.
‘Blue. They’re the same as that man’s eyes.’
‘Devote yourself. So you can reach the heavens.’
‘What are you saying?’
The eyes surely referred to Yoo Cheon-gil.
And he told me to devote myself while saying that?
‘…What is this?’
If he harbored ill will, those wouldn’t be words he’d say to me.
Encouragement to the disciple of his enemy.
“How could he do that? If it were me, I would’ve just killed him outright.”
[Right? I would’ve done the same.]
“….”
[….]
“…You shouldn’t do that.”
[Huh?]
What a load of nonsense.
My head throbbed at this pointless banter. I suppressed a sigh and descended the staircase.
I couldn’t speak lightly of Shin Chang’s matter.
Of course, it probably wouldn’t matter if I did.
‘It’s just asking for trouble.’
I kept my mouth shut, worried about the fallout if I let this slip.
‘Exhausted since morning, truly.’
My mind was completely scattered.
I wanted nothing more than to collapse back into bed and shake off this fatigue.
“…How much time do I have left?”
Damn it all, I had a schedule today as well.
After the preliminary rounds ended.
We were approaching the point where the preliminary rounds using Ban Muk-seok would conclude.
Today was when the first preliminary round finished and I needed to prepare for the second preliminary round.
‘…At least there’s that.’
Today we wouldn’t conduct the actual preliminary rounds, but rather draw lots for the order of the second preliminary round.
They called it a simple explanation followed by a lottery draw.
‘Since I won’t be exerting myself physically, that’s some relief….’
Still, it didn’t feel particularly good.
Now that I thought about it, didn’t Bang Seo-jin say she’d come watch today?
‘…Sigh….’
Bang Seo-jin remained unchanged even after all this time.
Whenever I saw her, she drained my energy completely.
‘How did this happen.’
How did Bang Seo-jin suddenly appear as a member of the Martial Arts Alliance?
What happened in these past few days to bring about such a situation?
I was curious what she had experienced over those years.

* * *
Creak.
I descended the staircase. Arriving at the appointed time, I could see several people gathered in the center of the Inn.
Far fewer than yesterday, but still quite a number.
Creak.
The moment my foot touched the floor, everyone below turned to stare at me.
Intense.
‘Wow.’
It felt like their eyes were shooting daggers.
If their gazes were arrows, my body would already be a porcupine.
This was the aftermath of yesterday’s preliminary match.
After I split Ban Muk-seok in half, the Disciples’ eyes upon me had doubled in intensity.
Tension and wariness were evident in their expressions.
I had become more firmly etched in their minds as a tangible threat.
It was good in a sense, but given my nature, I couldn’t help but feel unsettled.
“Oh-!”
Someone waved at me.
“Protagonist–!!”
It was Heuk Taedo.
“Over here!”
….
That man grinned widely as he spotted me, and confirming his location, I headed toward Heuk Taedo.
I hadn’t wanted to go there, but our group happened to be seated in that direction.
“Good morning.”
I greeted them with my tired voice, and Do-hyeong nodded while Cheon Euijin smiled faintly at me.
“It seems you didn’t sleep well?”
Cheonhye-in spoke to me in passing.
“Yes. I had some nightmares.”
“Nightmares?”
“Yes.”
Nightmares I never wanted to have again.
As I clicked my tongue briefly, Cheonhye-in turned her gaze away and spoke.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that. Still, it would be better if you managed your expression a bit.”
“Pardon?”
Manage my expression? I looked at Cheonhye-in with a puzzled expression, and she immediately continued.
“Today, an important person will be explaining the second preliminary round.”
“An important person?”
Could it be Shin Chang? Or perhaps the Alliance Leader himself would come to explain? I was about to furrow my brow when—
“Cheon Rijin-an. The Alliance’s strategist will be explaining it personally.”
“Ah.”
It’s not Shin Chang. Thank goodness.
I nodded in acknowledgment.
Cheon Rijin-an was the current Lord of the Clan of the Jeol family.
As the second-in-command of the Martial Arts Alliance, he was certainly a capable figure, but unlike Shin Chang, he wasn’t entangled in troubling complications, so it didn’t matter….
“Huh?”
Wait.
…Who’s coming?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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