The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 272

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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 272
“Ahhh…!”
Sochul Daeju suddenly drops to his knees, drool trickling from his mouth.
Seeing a man well past forty in such a state is deeply unsettling, to say the least.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
Why is he acting like that?
As if bewitched by a stunningly beautiful woman, he stares at me with vacant, affectionate eyes.
Or rather, his gaze is fixed upon the radiant light enveloping my body and my current state.
‘What is this…?’
Is something amiss? I raise my palm to examine myself.
The form of Wol Cheon. A body wrapped in luminous light, impossibly weightless.
Thump.
A light bounce confirms the sensation even more vividly.
‘…As expected.’
Forced into a state of selflessness, my inner energy stimulates the meridians to sharpen the muscles and heighten reaction speed.
Meanwhile, my inner energy seeping through further strengthens my body, adding speed and power.
As long as my inner energy doesn’t deplete, this state will persist to the very end.
‘The depletion rate is far too rapid.’
Testing it, I can feel it now. My inner energy is draining at an alarming speed.
Given the insane potency of this martial technique, its consumption appears equally overwhelming.
‘…Even accounting for that.’
I understand Wol Cheon is a formidable power.
The secret technique of the Cheongwol Sect, created by Yoo Cheon-gil.
Radiant Moon Heart Sutra.
Wol Seon-geom.
Only after mastering these two can one embody the essence of the moon itself.
I understand why it’s so remarkable….
‘But why is that man reacting like that?’
Sochul Daeju. I don’t understand why he’s responding this way.
His eyes are those of someone completely smitten. Unbearably so.
“…Daeju…. Why are you like this?”
“Ha….”
Whether he hears me or not, Daeju only repeats the same reaction.
Watching this, I take a step closer.
I wondered if he might be injured somewhere.
With that thought, I approach gently.
Whoosh—!
“…?”
Daeju slowly extends his hand toward me.
His trembling fingertips move with agonizing slowness, drawing ever closer.
What’s this? Are you trying to grab me?
The moment my fingernail touched Wol Cheon’s aura.
“Ahhh…!”
Sochul Daeju let out an exclamation upon sensing the aura.
“…How beautiful….”
“….”
He uttered the same words as before, staring at me blankly.
This is getting frightening now. Why is this man acting like this?
The moment I contorted my face in confusion.
[Ah, I see.]
Yoo Cheon-gil, who had been watching, spoke up.
[So that’s who he is. That fellow from back then.]
‘…What?’
Yoo Cheon-gil chuckled as if he’d figured something out.
[That greenhorn. He actually rose to become a Daeju?]
Did they know each other? Well, if he had memories with Wol Seon-geom, he could certainly know Sochul Daeju as well.
What could their relationship possibly be? As I grew curious without realizing it.
[Yes. That strange fellow who kept pestering me to take him as a disciple.]
Yoo Cheon-gil recalled that memory.
[That time was definitely….]

* * *
Naturally, this was before the Jeongma Tournament took place.
There was a young man who persistently approached Yoo Cheon-gil while he was training at the Cheongwol Sect.
‘Please take me as your disciple…!’
For at least two weeks, that long stretch of time, this young man kept seeking him out.
With a handsome face still bearing a delicate aura, he showed considerable tenacity and stood out somewhat—
“…Wait a moment. Hold on.”
At my interruption, Yoo Cheon-gil’s brow furrowed sharply.
[What is it? This is the perfect moment for a reminiscence.]
‘I apologize for the interruption, but something doesn’t sit right with me….’
How shocked must I have been to speak my thoughts aloud instead of keeping them internal?
I didn’t want to do it, but I couldn’t help myself.
‘…Who said he had a handsome face with a delicate aura?’
Could that young man in the reminiscence, described as handsome and delicate, possibly be referring to Sochul Daeju?
‘That makes no sense whatsoever.’
No matter how I looked at it, Sochul Daeju was far removed from that description.
He was a man with angular, fierce features—what delicacy was there?
[Is that what matters right now? You’re saying he was like that when he was young?]
It was utterly unbelievable.
[No, that’s… that’s not what’s important right now. What matters is… ugh.]
Yoo Cheon-gil cuts himself off, irritated.
[The flow’s completely broken anyway. Forget it. He was just some man who happened to chase after me.]
What would have been a lengthy explanation is curtly abbreviated in his frustration.
Then why does he react that way seeing Wol Cheon? Yoo Cheon-gil answers this question with an indifferent expression.
[When I first attempted to create Wol Cheon, that man was watching.]
So Sochul Daeju was there when Yoo Cheon-gil created Wol Cheon?
[Back then, he kept asking me with that same expression to teach him, so I said I’d explain later and moved on… then the Great War broke out.]
So he missed the opportunity to learn, and now we’re here.
‘But wasn’t there time even after the war ended?’
Yoo Cheon-gil didn’t die immediately after the war either.
There was time when he served as League Leader, yet it was strange that I had poor memories of Sochul Daeju from that period onward.
[How could I attend to everything when I was busy? Besides, that man didn’t even appear after the war ended.]
‘…I see.’
It’s not a particularly convincing answer.
But since that’s what actually happened, there’s nothing I can say.
In any case, that’s why…
‘His reaction then must be…’
Is he like that because he has Wol Cheon, which he so desperately wanted to learn, right before his eyes?
‘Now that I think about it.’
When he saw Gwangwol Sword Mirror, he had a similar expression.
‘He’s almost completely absorbed by Wol Cheon.’
The quality of his gaze is different.
“Daeju. Please come to your senses. Daeju?”
“Ah… yes.”
At my words, Daeju barely regains his focus.
“…Is this… that secret technique you mentioned?”
“…Yes. Well, something like that.”
I’m not sure why it suddenly activated though.
“…I see…”
He can’t tear his eyes away. Even after regaining his senses, he couldn’t.
“So this is the legacy he left behind…”
Upon seeing it in person, his expression gradually shifts to a bittersweet smile.
“It’s beautiful. Truly.”
“…”
The words repeated softly were the same, yet surprisingly, the emotions contained within them continued to shift.
‘…Hmm.’
I awkwardly scratched my cheek. There was simply nothing I could say in this situation.
But in that moment.
Boom—!
“…Huh?”
Sochul Daeju suddenly dropped to his knees.
“Daeju?”
I stared at him with startled eyes. At the same time, I quickly turned my head.
“Leave.”
“…Ah, understood.”
I told Dok-ryong, who stood beside me, to go. He too wore a look of shock before hurriedly disappearing outside the training grounds.
“Daeju, what’s wrong? Please, get up.”
“…Please….”
I tried to speak, but Sochul Daeju seemed not to hear, his crown fully exposed.
“Please, could you not teach me as well…?”
“….”
My head throbbed. I’d heard the very words I’d dreaded.
‘Hmm.’
What do I do about this? I glanced sideways at Yoo Cheon-gil.
Yoo Cheon-gil simply watched Sochul Daeju with his arms crossed, saying nothing in particular.
The answer to this was, honestly, no different from what had already been decided.
‘I already said it before.’
It’s based on a variation of the Heart Method.
The Cheongwol Heart Method that Sochul Daeju currently practices.
‘What I learned is different.’
The Cheongwol Heart Method that Yoo Cheon-gil refined was fundamentally different.
And unless one masters the Moonlight Meditation and Wol Seon-geom’s path through it,
‘Wol Cheon is impossible.’
It was Yoo Cheon-gil’s own words that the secret technique cannot be used.
And now he asks me to teach him Wol Cheon?
‘…This is difficult.’
It’s already become hard to even agree to teach the Moonlight Meditation.
What should I do about this?
“That is… Daeju.”
First, I need to get him to straighten those kneeling legs.
Just as I was about to speak with that thought,
“Please, I beg you…. It’s… the wish of my entire life…. Bang Disciple…. No, Bang Young Master.”
“….”
Sigh.
He’s making it harder to refuse.
My head begins to ache. What do I do? As all manner of worries crowded in,
[You must.]
Yoo Cheon-gil speaks to me.
[Grant him permission.]
“…What?”
“…Huh?”
Sochul Daeju’s eyes widen at the words that spill from my mouth unbidden.
“…You said yes?”
“…No, I mean.”
That wasn’t the kind of yes I meant.
[Tell him it’s fine and that you’ll do it.]
Yoo Cheon-gil speaks to me again.
[It’s not as though there’s no method at all.]
Yoo Cheon-gil nods toward Daeju and adds to his words.
[I suppose some of this responsibility falls on me.]
His demeanor shifts slightly, as if he’s recalled something.
‘Is this really fine?’
Is it truly fine?
As I deliberate before speaking, weighing my thoughts.
[However.]
Yoo Cheon-gil draws close to me and inserts one more phrase.
“…There is a condition.”
I follow his words exactly.
“A condition?”
Sochul Daeju’s eyes gleam.
“Yes. In exchange for teaching you the secret technique, there is a condition. If you will not accept it, then I—”
“I’ll accept it. Whatever it is… I’ll accept it.”
He agrees without even hearing the rest, his desperation palpable.
This is hardly something to accept so readily.
I look at Sochul Daeju and speak the condition Yoo Cheon-gil mentioned.
“If I do this, from now on I’ll be teaching you, won’t I?”
“That’s right…!”
“Then, wouldn’t that make you my disciple?”
“That would… huh?”
Daeju’s expression freezes for a moment.
“In the martial arts, there exists proper etiquette and hierarchy that a disciple must show their master. If you are to be my disciple, shouldn’t you do everything your respected master commands? Then.”
I slowly bend my knees and meet Sochul Daeju’s gaze.
“Our Daeju….”
Shifting my tone of voice as well.
“Do you possess the resolve to display such conduct before this master?”
I speak with a gentle smile.
“….”
Daeju’s eyes tremble at those words.
It was a demand that he become my disciple, show me proper respect, and obey my every command—in other words, to become a slave under the guise of discipleship.
[…What? I never told him to go that far.]
Yoo Cheon-gil speaks.
If I said to take him on as a disciple and use him, that’s that. What else is there?
[No, that’s quite the stretch of interpretation—]
“So. Will you do it? Or… will you refuse?”
I ignore Yoo Cheon-gil’s words and speak to Sochul Daeju.
I’d been using formal speech, but now I switch to casual. It was intentional.
“This is your only chance.”
“….”
Sochul Daeju’s eyes trembled more intensely than before.
What answer would he give?
Would he truly voice this legal declaration of servitude?
In the silence where such curiosity hung thick,
“…I… will.”
Sochul Daeju answered me.
My expression changed upon hearing it.

* * *
Splash.
A carp thrashes across the illuminated pond’s surface.
A tranquil natural vista. A place of serene stillness nestled in the forest path west of Hanam.
There, a man stood gazing quietly at the pond.
A man of terrifying beauty.
A face nearly perfect, untouched by age. His mere presence seemed to cast light upon even the most unremarkable of spaces.
As the man stood there for some time, watching only that place,
“What are you staring at so intently?”
A sharp voice reached the man’s ears.
At those words, the man turns with a gentle smile.
“Well, well, who is this? Not our runaway daughter, surely.”
A woman appears at the man’s words.
Bang Seo-jin’s expression twists sharply.
“How is it you haven’t aged? By this hour, you should have.”
“Your father maintains himself so diligently—naturally I must preserve my appearance.”
“…Sigh….”
At the man Bang Cheon-ho’s words, Bang Seo-jin pinches the bridge of her nose.
“Ugh, this is draining… I already don’t want to talk.”
“My, my. A daughter speaks to her father with such discourtesy? And at that.”
Bang Cheon-ho walks lightly toward Bang Seo-jin.
“It’s been years since I’ve seen your face. Have you been well?”
“…Well, I’ve managed well enough, I suppose.”
At those words, Bang Cheon-ho steps closer. Seeing this, Bang Seo-jin’s face hardens as she extends her hand.
Shing—!
A sword materializes in her grip.
“Good heavens!”
Bang Cheon-ho, startled, stumbles backward.
“What in blazes are you doing! Were you trying to kill your own father!?”
His complexion has gone pale with genuine terror.
Yet Bang Seo-jin’s expression remains unmoved.
“Let’s not resort to such poor acting, shall we?”
“Is that so?”
Hearing her words, Bang Cheon-ho’s smile returns instantly.
At that sight, Bang Seo-jin clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
“So, you who always fled from me—what reason brings you to seek out your father?”
Bang Cheon-ho asks with his characteristic smug smile.
At that smile, she speaks directly.
“It’s nothing complicated. I want you to release our youngest.”
“Hmm?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to let him live as he sees fit? After all, he has his older brother. That child clearly has no desire to remain confined in this household….”
“Haha.”
At Bang Seo-jin’s words, Bang Cheon-ho laughs aloud.
“Release or confine—what difference does it make? If he wishes to leave, he will, just as you did.”
“….”
Hearing this, Bang Seo-jin’s delicate brows furrow.
“That’s not what I mean. I’m speaking with full understanding of the situation.”
“Understanding? Of what?”
“My mentor told me. About you, Father.”
“Ah. What did she tell you? That I’m shameless perhaps…? How embarrassing. Your father still burns with passion, you see…. I do hope the Sword Empress viewed me favorably….”
“Stop playing with words. I’m being sincere—”
Tap—!
“…!”
Bang Seo-jin’s eyes widen. Bang Cheon-ho’s finger rests against her brow.
“If you’re not joking, then stop there.”
He still smiles, but something in that smile has shifted.
“Whatever the Sword Empress told you, what she knows is merely fragments. So forget it. As I let you go.”
“….”
“Don’t concern yourself with our Seong-yeon. She’s a child more capable and sharp-witted than anyone—she’ll do well without your worry. Look, she’s already reviving our household, isn’t she? They even call her Wol-hyeop now, remarkable as it is.”
“…Father.”
“My precious daughter.”
As Bang Cheon-ho speaks, the smile vanishes from his eyes.
“Don’t delve too deeply. We exist simply as the Bang clan, and that is all we need to be.”
“….”
“Give the Sword Empress my regards. She really can’t stand the sight of me, you know. Hahaha!”
Bang Cheon-ho scratched the back of his head and laughed loudly.
“Ahahaha.”
The laughter gradually subsided.
“It was good seeing your face. Let’s meet again next time.”
With those simple words, Bang Cheon-ho turned his back.
He walked away and disappeared.
“…Phew.”
Only after Bang Cheon-ho vanished did Bang Seo-jin let out a sigh.
“…Really.”
I always feel it.
“What a cursed family.”
A family I could never grow attached to.
When I was young.
Even now.

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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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