The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 201

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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 201
Thud—!
Socheongeom drops to his knees, blood streaming from his chest as he collapses.
Drip, drip.
Blood soaks the arena floor. Is he dead? I watched with an odd sense of concern.
Of course, I had no real concern for Socheongeom whatsoever—my worry was entirely for Do-hyeong.
The referee hurries over to check Socheongeom’s condition.
It’s clear he’s wounded and unconscious.
“…Preliminary match. Do-hyeong of Cheongwol Sect wins.”
Upon announcing Do-hyeong’s victory.
Clang.
Do-hyeong retrieves the sword he’d drawn, sheathing it at his waist.
In that moment.
-와아아아아아아—!!!
Cheers erupt from the crowd.
Amid the roaring applause, figures from the Namgung clan rush toward Socheongeom, seemingly intent on carrying him to the medical quarters.
[The wound isn’t deep. He controlled it even then. Remarkable skill.]
He’d guided the blade to cut without creating a deep wound.
In that fleeting instant?
As if demonstrating considerable restraint, Yoo Cheon-gil praised him for it.
[Not bad. With a bit more refinement, he’ll soon begin to shine.]
When speaking of Do-hyeong, Yoo Cheon-gil was smiling.
‘No matter how I look at it, it’s remarkable.’
I agree.
The movements Do-hyeong displayed just now were clean and precise, even by my standards.
‘That was definitely Night Moon.’
A blade descending from above to below.
On the surface, it appeared to be nothing more than a simple, crude downward slash, but from the receiving end, the blade obscured vision so completely it felt as though night itself had descended.
The blade Do-hyeong expressed was truly heavy.
It’s different from mine.
If my blade pursues relative lightness, Do-hyeong’s night is an impossibly heavy night.
‘Could it be a difference in fundamentals?’
How could such a difference manifest?
The moment I pondered this.
[You understand. That’s the answer.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke as if it were nothing.
‘…Is he actually reading my mind?’
I have no idea how he knows and responds to thoughts I merely conjured internally.
‘Damn old man.’
I curse silently to myself.
[What’s this? That’s the face of someone cursing.]
‘….’
I realized it immediately. It was clear. This old man’s eye for detail was no joke.
I turned my expression away as if nothing was wrong and glanced to the side.
Yoo Yeon was watching Do-hyeong from within the cotton cloth.
Was she interested? As that thought crossed my mind, she looked toward me.
Before our eyes could meet, I instinctively averted my gaze and looked at Do-hyeong instead.
I didn’t even know why I did that.
At that moment, Do-hyeong was already looking at me.
Our gazes locked, and Do-hyeong nodded at me.
What did that mean? I wasn’t sure, but I gave him a thumbs up in response.
Then Do-hyeong’s eyes widened slightly.
Pfft.
He suddenly held back a smile.
‘Is this guy actually capable of laughing?’
It was my first time seeing Do-hyeong laugh. So that stone-faced fellow could smile after all.
It was surprising.
And yet.
‘What exactly is it?’
I was puzzled.
‘Why isn’t someone like him famous?’
Even if he’s a disciple, it’s strange. With that level of talent, he should have been known.
‘Even if he never participated in the Dragon Phoenix Gathering.’
The same applied to Wol Muhui.
As a member of the Cheongwol Sect, she shouldn’t have been able to participate in the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, yet she confidently became one of the seven.
I’d never heard the details of how that happened, but this situation made it clear it wasn’t simply a matter of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering.
Which meant.
‘Was it intentional?’
The possibility that they were deliberately hidden was the most likely.
The problem was.
‘Whether Do-hyeong hid himself directly.’
Or whether the Cheongwol Sect tried to hide this, I wasn’t sure.
‘But regardless of which it is, won’t this become a problem now?’
In any case, Do-hyeong had now revealed his presence.
Wouldn’t this become problematic in that regard? It was a concern.
As if to prove this.
“Who exactly is that young disciple?”
“…He defeated Socheongeom in a single strike?”
“It seems he’s a martial artist from the Cheongwol Sect.”
“…That’s not all.”
One figure in the crowd pointed at Do-hyeong’s garments with a finger.
“That robe. It’s the martial attire of Sowoldae.”
“…What did you say?”
“Huh?”
All eyes fixed upon Do-hyeong as he descended from the arena.
Sowoldae.
The impact of that name was considerable.
“Sowoldae at that age?”
“The same rank as Wol Muhui or the Protagonist?”
My name being mentioned alongside theirs was rather embarrassing, but knowing the weight that name now carried, I remained silent.
Sowoldae.
An elite martial force of tremendous renown, comparable to the Plum Blossom Sword Masters of Mount Hua or the Tai Chi Sword Masters of the Shamans.
The elite of the Cheongwol Sect.
The Cheongwol Sect wielded influence equal to or greater than the Gupaibang itself.
To be among the elite of such an organization meant being an extraordinary powerhouse.
Yet here was a young man not yet twenty, belonging to their ranks.
“Who exactly is he? Has anyone heard of this young man?”
“…I don’t know of him.”
“Neither do I.”
The Socheongeom, who rivaled the Seven Killers, had fallen so helplessly.
Who was the one who brought him to such a state?
Curiosity flooded the crowd.
Moreover.
“The Protagonist as well… I wonder how many monsters are hiding within the Cheongwol Sect.”
‘…’
Because of what I had done, my perception seemed to be shifting strangely.
A den of hidden monsters.
That was roughly the impression forming.
As I pondered this quietly.
[That man will earn himself a title.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke matter-of-factly about the situation.
A title?
For something stated so casually, the implication was significant.
[Looking at their reactions, it’s bound to happen. See? Even the beggars have begun to stir.]
Yoo Cheon-gil pointed with his chin toward something.
Following his gaze, the beggars at the edge of the arena began moving about frantically.
‘So a story has been born.’
When the beggars move, rumors are born.
And the subject of those rumors would be Do-hyeong.
‘…Hmm.’
…I could only hope that nothing serious would happen.

* * *
The heat of the matches was beginning to cool as they concluded.
After Do-hyeong and the Protagonist’s fight, several more matches took place, but none captured particular interest.
Though fierce, they lacked the overwhelming dominance or captivating quality that would draw the eye.
‘Hmm.’
I watched such matches with indifference. Bored. Just like the others around me.
‘They’re certainly strong, though.’
Having reached the main tournament of the Yongbong Conference, the level was undeniably high.
‘Definitely.’
Those at a different tier were unmistakably different.
The exhilaration I felt watching Chilgeol or the Protagonist was absent here.
The same applied to Yoo Yeon.
I glanced over to see what she was thinking.
“…Hey.”
“…!”
Yoo Yeon flinched at my call.
“You were yawning, weren’t you?”
I asked with a smile, and she shook her head. A denial?
“There’s no ‘weren’t.’ I saw everything.”
“…”
I caught her doing it secretly. How boring must these matches be for her to yawn?
I was about to laugh at the absurdity when—
[Understand her.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke to me while looking at Yoo Yeon.
[That young girl must have felt far more boredom than the others.]
What was he saying?
Unable to comprehend, I glanced toward Yoo Cheon-gil.
[Her eyes are different. What she sees. What she perceives.]
He pointed to his own eyes as he spoke.
It made even less sense.
‘What is he talking about?’
Different eyes?
Did Yoo Yeon possess something like Wol-an as well?
I glanced back at Yoo Yeon, but she—
“What are you doing?”
“…”
She was pulling her veil tightly around herself, clearly intent on blocking any view inside.
“What is it?”
“….”
Could it be she was teasing me because she saw me yawn earlier?
“…ha….”
She was doing something amusing. That’s why she laughed with that intention.
“I won’t tease you anymore. Just stop….”
The moment I tried to drag Myeon-sa away.
-The next contestant, please come forward.
An announcement regarding the preliminary match echoed through the arena.
[It’s here.]
At Yoo Cheon-gil’s firm voice, my expression hardened as well.
He was right.
-Cheonhye-in of the Cheongwol Sect.
-Baekcheon-il of the Seo An Baek Clan.
The reason I had come specifically to watch the matches.
His turn in the arena had finally arrived.
“Finally, it’s happening.”
“This is what I’ve been waiting for.”
Light flickered in the eyes of the spectators who had been somewhat bored.
This was also the reason they had come to watch the matches.
Specifically, the match of the Seven Prodigies.
Among them, one who had earned a reputation for strength and had never participated in the Yongbong Conference until now.
Wol Muhui, the Heavenly Supreme.
They had come to witness her match.
However.
“Her opponent is someone I’ve never even heard of.”
“…I have a feeling this might end rather anticlimactically….”
“It’s unfortunate, but what can we do. Given who her opponent is.”
No one believed the Heavenly Supreme’s opponent could possibly win.
In such circumstances, I surveyed the arena with narrowed eyes.
Cheonhye-in ascended the platform with graceful, dignified steps.
Perhaps because her exterior remained unblemished despite everything, the moment she appeared, exclamations erupted from all directions.
In any case, whether in the Central Plains or elsewhere, the obsession with beauty had to be acknowledged.
‘As for me…. I’m benefiting from it, so it’s fine.’
In my previous life, I had lived hearing that I looked fierce, that I was so terrifying no one would marry me, but this life was different.
Facing her was a young man with a pleasant appearance ascending the platform.
‘Baekcheon-il.’
The demonic sect figure Yoo Cheon-gil had mentioned.
Behind his approachable appearance and gentle smile, an enormous aura emanated.
‘As expected.’
There was no such thing as a poorly disguised demon.
The more I watched, the more unpleasant sensations welled up from within.
A Great Demon.
Among all those I faced in my previous life, the most repulsive and filthy one.
My impression upon seeing that creature was nearly identical.
‘But that’s supposed to be human?’
An aura no living being should ever possess emanated from him.
That itself was problematic.
‘And he’s from the Demonic Cult, no less.’
The Celestial Demon’s organization should have vanished long ago at the hands of Yoo Cheon-gil and the Martial Arts Alliance.
The fact that he belonged to the Demonic Cult.
‘Indeed.’
Why would he appear like this, concealing his true identity?
‘…I’ve already made preparations.’
I had set my plans in motion since early this morning.
Though I wasn’t certain if they would prove effective.
“Gulp.”
I swallowed hard.
I wondered if this martial competition would be alright.
I had no particular concerns about Cheonhye-in.
We were not the sort to worry for each other.
It simply irritated me.
‘That man.’
This Baekcheon-in continued to grate on my nerves.
My heart pounded within my chest, and my dantian kept throbbing with an annoying pressure.
I should not become entangled with him.
Especially not if he belonged to the Demonic Cult.
But.
‘It feels like I will become entangled.’
My instincts spoke with bitter certainty.
That I would become entangled with this man.
Even as I desperately hoped otherwise, I continued watching him.
[Ah-hae-ya.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke to me.
[Watch carefully.]
There was no need to wonder which direction he meant—I had no particular reason to observe Wol Muhui.
But.
‘His eyes.’
Yoo Cheon-gil’s gaze as he spoke was unusual. His eyes had hardened completely, a far cry from the indifferent look he had shown moments before.
[And prepare yourself.]
I narrowed my eyes.
‘…What?’
Prepare? For what?
When I couldn’t comprehend, Yoo Cheon-gil spoke.
[In case something breaks loose, I’ll need to intervene.]
Huh?
‘What kind of insane nonsense is this?’
Intervene?
The moment I widened my eyes in shock.
-Ready.
Shing—!
Both of them drew their swords.

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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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