The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 399

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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 399
The Cheongrang Society’s martial competition was straightforward. Martial artists from Sowoldae drew numbered tickets and competed against those with matching numbers. That was all there was to it.
It was truly a simple and uncomplicated method, but this meant the luck of the draw was incredibly important.
That’s why some voiced complaints while others laughed as if satisfied.
‘What is this.’
Since every martial tournament operated the same way, I didn’t pay it much mind.
However.
“Seo Seon and Wol-hyeop? I wonder who will win?”
“No matter how exceptional Wol-hyeop is, Seo Seon is said to be the finest among the direct disciples. They’re even discussing him as a candidate for the next Sowoldae leader. Surely it’s already decided, isn’t it?”
The first match. From that very competition announcing the start of the Cheongrang Society, people began casting all manner of gazes.
Seo Seon of the Flowing Blade.
A figure in his mid-thirties and a martial artist of the Cheongwol Sect known as a promising master throughout the Central Plains.
He was said to have opened the Moon Eye roughly ten years ago, and immediately upon opening it, he joined Sowoldae and became a seasoned figure who resolved significant missions.
I knew him well.
‘He’s the one who became famous by defeating Madoo, once called the Storm Dragon.’
I’d heard of him several times even before joining the Cheongwol Sect. He was that renowned.
Which meant.
‘He’s that strong as well.’
While some existed whose weakness belied their reputation, most lived up to their names.
‘Especially as someone who opened the Moon Eye.’
There was no way he could be weak.
Yet such a person.
“You should prepare yourself.”
“….”
Was looking at me with clear displeasure.
‘This is troublesome.’
No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t a good situation.
Well.
‘What can I do about it.’
There was no real solution. I’d already made a bad impression, so what difference did it make.
‘I’m used to it.’
I shrugged my shoulders. Throughout my life, I couldn’t be loved by everyone, and truthfully, I had far more experience being hated.
What would change by adding one more person to that list.
‘As I said, it’s just troublesome.’
Merely troublesome.
And especially since someone awkward to deal with hated me, it was all the more troublesome.
Thump.
I stepped onto the competition platform. I tapped my feet lightly. Still an unfamiliar sensation.
Especially this atmosphere.
The gazes pouring down on me. That sensation was far from comfortable.
Clang.
I wrapped my hand around the sword’s hilt. It wasn’t my Divine Blade. For the match, I had to use the sword provided by the Cheongwol Sect.
The weight was different, and the dimensions were different too.
Just as I was thinking the unfamiliar sensation was somewhat uncomfortable.
Shhring.
I slowly drew the iron sword.
The moment I drew my blade.
Shhring.
I heard the sound of a sword being drawn from across from me as well.
“You don’t seem nervous.”
I heard Seo Seon’s voice. At those words, I lifted my head.
“Nervous?”
“Yes, so you’re accustomed to receiving attention?”
“…Hmm.”
It’s uncomfortable, but if he’s asking whether I’m accustomed to it, then that’s true.
“Well, yes.”
“…Ha.”
Was I too honest? Seo Seon let out a hollow laugh.
“Excessive attention has a way of blinding the eyes.”
“…”
His tone had a somewhat barbed edge to it. Hearing that, I scratched my cheek and asked.
“It seems I’ve displeased you quite a bit.”
“Is it that obvious?”
Was that a joke? I deliberated deeply on whether I should laugh. As if it wouldn’t be obvious.
“I tried to mention it earlier, but standing at the forefront wasn’t exactly…”
“That’s not the reason.”
Seo Seon cut me off and spoke.
It wasn’t that reason?
“What displeases me is how you carry the name of the Sword Saint while acting aloof, neither fulfilling your duties as a member of Sowoldae nor as a disciple of the Cheongwol Sect.”
“…What?”
What does he mean by that?
“When have I ever acted aloof?”
“You engage in personal activities far more than any specialized training. Do you even have the awareness of being part of Sowoldae?”
“…No.”
That’s an unfair accusation.
“I was under the impression that personal training was permitted, and because I have the awareness of being Sowoldae, I’ve been going on missions.”
Does he think I went on long-term missions just because I wanted to do something?
Of course, I did bring back results each time I went.
‘So what he’s saying is…’
That I’ve been carrying my head high and acting superior because I’m a disciple of the Sword Saint?
“This isn’t even funny, honestly.”
I forced back the sigh threatening to escape.
“I’ve been pretending not to notice the ostracism.”
Who was it that subtly created this distance?
‘I’ve only had conversations with two people at Sowoldae.’
Cheonhye-in and Do-hyeong.
Aside from those two, there was no real connection. The other members of Sowoldae simply didn’t try to involve themselves with me.
“Annoyed over such trivial nonsense.”
“What?”
“It’s fine. I’m not in a position to worry about such things right now.”
In my past life, at this same time, things would have been different.
I would have made an effort to blend in somehow, tried to strike up conversations to become closer with them.
‘But I’ve been through everything under the sun, so now I find it tedious.’
I know that nothing will change anyway.
This wasn’t the time to concern myself with such matters. Besides.
“It doesn’t matter anyway.”
“What did you say?”
“We can hardly be called fellow disciples. Given the nature of the Cheongwol Sect, we’re competitors regardless.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“What do I mean, you ask?”
Is he truly asking because he doesn’t understand? Or is he pretending not to know?
“Senior, don’t you wish to become Moonju?”
“…!”
The moment I mention Cheonwol Munchu directly, Seo Seon’s eyes widen.
“That’s strange. I thought everyone aimed for that…”
The Cheongwol Sect proclaims the moon.
Though that’s what the Cheongwol Sect says, one must understand the true essence contained within those words.
Cheonwol Munchu.
Becoming the strongest martial artist in the Cheongwol Sect.
And.
“Engaging in a life-or-death duel with Moonju. You don’t wish to sever Moonju’s head, Senior?”
“You crazy bastard…!!”
The moment I mention killing Moonju, Seo Seon’s face contorts.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“I haven’t. If anything, I wonder if I’m the only sane one here.”
Clang.
I drew my sword and pointed it at Seo Seon’s face.
“To become Cheonwol Munchu, you must sever Moonju’s head, and Sowoldae guards the Cheongwol Sect under that principle.”
Whiiiing.
The blade trembles, beginning to vibrate with my qi.
“Shouldn’t that be your goal?”
“….”
“Wasn’t that what you said before?”
The sea Wol Seon-geom had spoken of. That someday a martial artist would become Moonju and kill him.
Wol Seon-geom anticipated it, yet he also possessed the confidence it wouldn’t come to pass.
I wondered if this was a characteristic shared by the Cheongwol Sect martial artists, including those of Sowoldae.
“…haha.”
Seo Seon merely wore an expression of disbelief at my words.
“…I thought you were eccentric, but I never expected you to say something like that so openly.”
What? Wasn’t that it?
Seo Seon stared at me with a look of distaste.
‘…Am I the strange one?’
Had I been corrupted by being surrounded only by crazy men? Without even realizing it?
‘Perhaps.’
I’d never set killing someone as my goal in the first place. Even now, that wasn’t quite my objective.
I simply thought that might be the will of the Cheongwol Sect.
“How arrogant….”
Whiiiiiing-!!!
Seo Seon’s blade trembled softly.
“It seems I must correct your misguided ideology today as your senior.”
Qi wrapped around Seo Seon’s blade.
Not just vibration—a profound qi could be felt.
“….”
The referee, confirming we were ready, slowly raised his hand. A strange anticipation gleamed in his eyes as well.
“…The match… will now begin.”
He lifted his hand slightly.
‘Now.’
I focused strength into Wol-an. Tension surged up my back.
‘…Just how strong is he?’
How powerful was Sowoldae’s number one?
I steadied my breathing. I concentrated.
Could I win? A belated doubt flickered through my mind.
‘I don’t know.’
There’s only one way to find out.
It wouldn’t be easy, I was certain. With that understanding, I observed Seo Seon.
Then.
“Begin-!”
At the referee’s call, I moved first.
It was to gauge his state.
I closed the distance in an instant. Seo Seon saw me and swung his blade.
쉬이이익—!!!
The azure light converged into a single point. A sword path was caught in Wol-an’s grasp. Yet.
‘Three of them?’
At most, there were three. I narrowed my eyes. The number was smaller than expected.
Could it be.
‘Like Yoo Cheon-gil or Wol Seon-geom.’
An extremely concentrated sword path. I recalled how even one of those had been difficult to block.
Perhaps Seo Seon possessed such compression as well.
‘That’s possible.’
If that were the case.
Crack-!!
I deflected the incoming sword path using footwork. I could have blocked and countered, but I exercised caution.
‘The possibility of a feint.’
With three concentrated sword paths, I was certain one false move was mixed in.
But then.
Clang-!
“…Huh?”
“…Kugh!?”
Perhaps due to the elasticity of my technique used for deflection. The moment the blades met, Seo Seon’s sword bounced back.
“What…!”
Seo Seon’s eyes flashed with bewilderment. I felt the same.
‘What is this.’
Why did it rebound so easily? It was far lighter than anticipated.
‘…Is this also a feint?’
An attempt to catch me off guard. Yet it seemed too trivial for that.
‘I still don’t know.’
Even this could be an attempt to lower my guard.
With that thought, I observed the sword path again.
‘…Why is the line like that?’
A thoroughly disrupted line. It wavered briefly before stabilizing, but that momentary disturbance was significant.
‘What is it.’
Seo Seon hastily regained his stance. Immediately, a rough energy erupted from him.
“You bastard…!”
Whoooosh!!! Azure sword energy gathered on the blade. Observing the sword path, I understood.
Wolrang.
Only, not the Wolrang of Yoo Cheon-gil that I wielded, but the basic Wolrang passed down through the Cheongwol Sect.
A dull, thick crescent moon flew directly toward me.
Witnessing it, I thought.
‘…It’s slow?’
Why is it so slow? Observing that, my hand moved of its own accord.
Kiiiiing–!!!!
The Guangyue Sword Technique permeates through me. Using the moonlight that seeps in as my companion, I too unleashed Wolrang.
A later incantation.
Yet a faster blade.
The crescent moon that flew forward collided directly with Seo Seon’s crescent moon.
Kwaaaaaang–!!!!
Fragments of sword force erupted and shockwaves radiated outward. The problem was.
Psssht.
“Cough!”
My sword force remained intact while only Seo Seon’s sword force was crushed.
Like an egg shattering against a rock, Seo Seon’s sword force burst apart in all directions.
Fragments ascending into the sky. As I watched them fade away entirely.
“Gasp….”
Thud.
Seo Seon collapses before me. On his knees, he breathed heavily and ragged.
“Huff… gasp…. What is…. What is this….”
“….”
Looking at Seo Seon with his shocked expression and bewildered face, unable to comprehend reality, I spoke.
“…What?”
A somewhat dazed tone escaped my lips.
It couldn’t be helped.
“Why are you so weak?”
Why is this man so weak? Wait.
Ah.
‘Could it be….’
A thought crosses my mind belatedly. Something I’d never considered before. Could it be….
That this man isn’t weak.
‘…Have I grown stronger?’
It seemed I had indeed grown stronger.
Far more than I had imagined.

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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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