The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 188

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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 188
A day had passed.
Dawn broke, and by the time the sun had fully risen, a little while had gone by.
I tidied my clothes in my room, having tossed and turned more than usual in my sleep.
Exhaustion weighed on me. I’d gone to bed early, intending to sleep for a good while, but I’d merely tossed and turned without actually sleeping.
There were several reasons, but they all boiled down to one.
‘…Damn it. If only it weren’t for this infiltration mission.’
The fact that someone had been watching me in secret.
That single fact alone had set every nerve on edge, robbing me of sleep.
Shallow dozing—that was the extent of what I could manage.
[Tsk tsk. I told you to get some sleep while I kept watch for you.]
“Keep watch? That’s nonsense. Last time you said that, I nearly got caught in trouble.”
I remembered how I’d asked for help, but he’d failed to keep proper watch, and an accident had nearly occurred.
‘How could I trust him after seeing that?’
Thus, my tense body had been unable to sleep properly, and instead of dispelling fatigue, I’d only accumulated more.
‘Still, my cultivation level isn’t low, so I shouldn’t be this exhausted.’
A body at the peak of cultivation doesn’t deteriorate from a little lost sleep.
Rather, it recovers even while at rest, so it wasn’t a major concern.
‘Still, it bothers me.’
Given the circumstances, I wasn’t pleased about it.
Creak.
I opened the door and stepped outside. Ignoring the metallic sound reaching my ears, I descended the stairs.
Most of the participants had already gathered.
“Ah! Here you are!”
Someone waved at me. I confirmed it was Cheon Euijin.
Fortunately, both Cheon Euijin and Do-hyeong had passed.
As I approached them, the gazes of the others focused on me.
Their stares were intense. They felt distinctly different from the looks during the preliminaries.
Wariness and a hint of hostility.
The feeling was far clearer and deeper than before.
The reason was simple.
‘They were my enemies, after all.’
From today onward, they were truly competitors.
It had been that way from the start, but this time it was far more serious.
‘Today marks the beginning of the main tournament matches.’
The day the preliminaries ended and the main rounds began.
From today onward, I would have to face them one-on-one and emerge victorious.
That’s why everyone was wary of each other, harboring subtle hostility.
As I was recalling this and about to scratch the back of my head.
“Bangseong-yeon!”
Someone approached me with a subtle smile playing at their lips.
“…Baekcheon-in.”
It was Baekcheon-in. He drew near with that characteristic warm smile of his.
Seeing him, I smiled as well.
The smile didn’t come naturally, but I had to control even that.
‘A dangerous man.’
A figure from the Demonic Cult, reported to have vanished.
I didn’t know his intentions, but I knew he attended the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering with some hidden purpose.
So while remaining vigilant, I couldn’t let him know that I was aware of his connection to the Demonic Cult, which meant I had to exercise the utmost control.
“Let’s do well today.”
“No hard feelings between us, right?”
“Hahaha. Of course.”
“Hahahaha.”
We bumped fists like youthful companions. It made my skin crawl, but I went through with it anyway.
After exchanging brief greetings, Baekcheon-in departed elsewhere, and once he was gone, I felt a subtle gaze upon me.
“Who was that?”
It was Cheon Euijin’s question. Hearing it, I suppressed a sigh before answering.
“Someone I became acquainted with—we’re the same age.”
“As expected… Bang Disciple, your sociability is truly remarkable….”
“…Pardon?”
There was something odd about his admiration, but I chose to ignore it for now.
By the time everyone had gathered.
“We will prepare to depart.”
One of the Maeng clan members announced.
At those words, everyone’s aura intensified momentarily.
Tension filled the air and all eyes gleamed with renewed focus.
The true Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was beginning.
A reaction that underscored that reality.
Everyone began moving in a rush, following the Maeng clan’s guidance.
Just as I was about to follow them.
‘Hmm?’
I felt a gaze. Turning my head slightly, I spotted a figure watching me from a distance.
‘…Geombong.’
Maehua Geombong.
She was looking at me again this time.
If this were before, I would have found that gaze strange—wondered why she kept staring at me like that.
But now I have a slight inkling.
I’m not certain whether I’m right or wrong.
If my memory, or my conjecture, is correct, then there’s nothing strange about her looking at me.
Rather, what’s surprising is that she remembers me.
Should I try to strike up a conversation?
I thought about saying what I couldn’t say last time, and I moved to approach her.
Whoosh.
Before I could get close, Geombong was swept away by the crowd and moved.
Because of that, I couldn’t speak to her.
Hmm.
I awkwardly scratched my cheek and then blended into the crowd.
I wasn’t disappointed.
It seemed like I would ask her soon enough anyway.

* * *
I had returned to Bonmeng. A place I’d come to once every two days, skipping a day, so it had become familiar by now.
The disciples, who had numbered close to hundreds at first, had now dwindled considerably.
A number small enough to count if I made the effort with my eyes.
However, rather than saying the number of people had decreased,
‘They had been filtered.’
That seemed like the right way to express it.
Each and every one of the disciples standing here were remarkably exceptional beings.
‘The kind of people you’d hear about here and there.’
Those who possessed their own epithets, or disciples from prestigious families.
This place was where only the strong had been selected after passing through two preliminary rounds.
‘It feels surreal.’
It was strange.
That I existed among such people.
It was oddly fascinating.
‘Not even a year has passed.’
Just as I was thinking whether I truly belonged among such people,
Thump.
A heavy presence suddenly crashed down upon my shoulders.
The air gained weight. It was an alien and distant sensation. It wasn’t just I who felt it—all the disciples around me seemed to swallow their breath.
Not long after that,
-The Alliance Leader and the Strategist have arrived.
Along with Maeng-won’s announcement, a large-framed old man and a thin-featured old man appeared together from the left.
It was Shin Chang and Jegal Jin.
The disciples tensed at the appearance of the two.
It couldn’t be otherwise.
They were living legends and the very symbol of the Orthodox Sect itself.
At a time when the Celestial Demons were all retiring from active duty or facing death,
These two men were truly like the heavens to the Orthodox Sect members.
Seeing such figures before my eyes, it was only natural that everyone else would be thoroughly tense.
“You’ve all worked hard.”
Shin Chang spoke from the podium.
“It fills me with fresh emotion to meet the lights that will brighten the future of the Central Plains.”
His words continued in a weighty tone.
Hearing this, Yoo Cheon-gil spoke with a peculiar expression.
[Why is that bastard suddenly so eloquent…?]
His admiration was oddly suspicious. Did that mean he couldn’t speak well before?
“I hold great expectations for all of you. A new world may yet arrive. Because you are those who will lead such an era, I am grateful to face you directly.”
It was quite different from the last banquet. Back then, he’d simply tossed out his piece and disappeared.
This time, it was a considerably lengthy and eloquent display of words.
Because of that, the disciples who heard his speech gazed at Shin Chang with eyes wet with emotion.
[That bastard… Jin must have written those words for him.]
Meanwhile, Yoo Cheon-gil nodded as if he’d uncovered the secret.
Ah, so he was reciting something someone else had written for him?
‘I thought so….’
It had seemed slightly—no, quite stiff. That must have been why.
‘Since I know he’s naturally a stiff person, the awkwardness doesn’t show as obviously.’
Knowing Shin Chang’s expressionless nature, such awkwardness didn’t stand out as much.
“…and so, in the days ahead that you will live….”
Hm?
Shin Chang, who had been speaking, suddenly closed his mouth.
Then his brow furrowed slightly.
I looked at him, wondering why.
[That bastard forgot his next line.]
…It seemed he’d forgotten his lines.
“….”
Because of that, Shin Chang, who had been hesitating for a moment, suddenly glanced to the side.
Jegal Jin’s brow furrowed deeply at that gaze, and he leaned close to Shin Chang’s ear to whisper.
The moment he heard it, Shin Chang straightened his posture.
“I hope blessings will be upon you.”
“….”
He delivered the remaining words.
Ah, that was a disaster. Seeing Shin Chang falter, I barely managed to suppress my laughter.
Especially impressive was Jegal Jin grinding his teeth while glaring at Shin Chang.

* * *
Shin Chang and Jegal Jin exchanged a few more words before stepping down from the platform.
Their stated purpose had been to boost the morale of the disciples, after all.
The effect was certainly evident—I could feel the disciples’ enthusiasm surging.
Of course they’d be thrilled. Heroes appearing in person and expressing their expectations? Naturally they’d be delighted.
[Though those who let their guard down because of it are problematic.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke while surveying the surroundings.
At his words, I turned my head and understood what he meant.
The atmosphere had grown somewhat elevated from Shin Chang and Jegal Jin’s remarks.
Within that excitement, I could see several people letting their guard down.
Just as I was thinking that relaxing wasn’t necessarily bad—
[Always approach combat with complete seriousness. Otherwise, you die.]
Yoo Cheon-gil warned me with firm words.
Instead of answering, I nodded.
If the old man was saying it like that, it was worth heeding.
Tension.
I placed my hand over my chest. The pounding sensation was vividly apparent.
While waiting and keeping this in mind—
“Now we shall draw the matchup bracket. First contestant, please come forward.”
Maeng-won shouted from in front of the arranged wooden box.
Hearing that, people approached one by one and began drawing something.
They looked like documents, and after drawing, Maeng-won confirmed and recorded each one.
Soon it was my turn.
I approached the box and thrust my hand inside. Amid the rustling sensation, I grabbed whatever came to hand and pulled it out.
I extracted the document and handed it to Maeng-won the same way.
The character “Eight” was written on it.
After me, everyone else drew their documents.
The bracket was completed not long after the drawing finished.
On a massive wooden board, opponents’ names appeared, and crowds gathered in front of it to see.
“…Damn…!!”
“This can’t be…!!”
Those who saw the bracket erupted in various reactions.
Some let out voices tinged with despair at their unfortunate matchups.
Particularly problematic were those matched against the seventh-ranked contestants.
Heuk Taedo’s opponent looked like he might actually cry.
Watching these people with sympathy, I checked my own opponent.
“Huh.”
Upon confirming my opponent, my eyes widened.
I was in no position to judge others.
Bangseong-yeon of the Cheongwol Sect.
Seo-pyeong of the Shaman Sect.
“….”
Upon confirming my opponent in the main tournament, my brows furrowed involuntarily.
Of all people, it had to be like this.
I let out a hollow laugh at the absurd situation.
“How convenient.”
A voice came from beside me. It was Seo-pyeong.
“The thing you’ve been anticipating has come to pass sooner than expected. Isn’t that right?”
He spoke with a grin, looking at me.
“…I shall demonstrate the difference in our caliber. Little Sword Saint.”
Mudang Unryong, his eyes gleaming with arrogance, provoked me.
“….”
Looking at such a man, I spoke.
“What nonsense, you fool.”
‘Let’s see what you’ve got.’
“Ah.”
A slip.
Once again, I had spoken differently from what I truly thought.
Ah, but this time it was no accident.

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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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