The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 4

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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 004
“Mm.”
I opened my eyes.
The familiar ceiling.
The same one I’d been staring at diligently for the past year.
I blinked at the ceiling for a moment before pushing myself up.
It should have been a refreshing morning, yet my mood felt inexplicably unsettled.
Then again, since joining the Sect, I’d never woken up feeling truly clean.
“Ugh….”
As I tried to rise, both my head and body felt impossibly heavy. My head was naturally injured, so that was expected.
But why was my body so heavy? As if I’d been pinned down by something—
[Ah, you’re awake.]
‘….’
…I had been pinned.
Probably all night.
The moment I sat up, a voice reached my ears.
I didn’t move my gaze. I didn’t need to.
Right beside me.
I could sense that large old man from yesterday was positioned right next to me.
I surveyed my surroundings without changing my expression.
“You’re up?”
“Good morning, sir.”
Yoo Hyeong-in was just rising from his bed on my left.
Not just him. The other senior disciples sleeping in the dormitory were also waking.
[Phew~]
“….”
Insane.
I nearly flinched at the sound reaching my ears.
[Oh. To endure this. Impressive.]
The old man seemed delighted, even clapping his hands in approval.
Had he been here all night? That’s not good.
The fact that he could move between buildings meant he wasn’t a bound spirit.
He was the worst kind of ghost.
Persistent and strange—this old man felt exactly like that.
“Hey. Idiot, what are you doing?”
After sitting still for a moment, a senior disciple in front of me spoke.
Hearing that, I immediately pushed myself up.
“My apologies. I’ll prepare right away.”
“You bastard. Everyone else is getting ready and you’re just sitting there?”
Right, that’s true. By any measure, I was a burden.
I held back a sigh and quickly changed my clothes.
“Anyway. What a mess….”
“Leave him be. What would that useless fool know? He’s got no sense at all.”
[Ah, the treatment is quite something, isn’t it?]
“….”
I was already irritated, and his interjection only made it worse.
It was nothing short of a cursed start to the morning.

* * *
Mornings at the Martial Alliance mostly began with training.
I hadn’t experienced other organizations, but at least the Martial Alliance was like this.
“Two more laps!”
At the command from the front, I furrowed my brow.
How many laps had it been already?
On average, it seemed I ran about fifteen laps a day.
My legs were trembling.
We were splitting the betting pool, but I was reaching my limit. What little I had didn’t help much anyway.
Every morning I felt like I’d collapse.
Why wouldn’t this damned betting pool increase?
Still, I ran with stubborn determination.
Originally I could manage this much. Now even this was difficult.
[Sweat is pouring down like a waterfall. Should I wipe it for you? Oh wait! I can’t touch you, hehehehe!]
It was probably because of that cursed old man chattering away beside me.
[Your body’s already at its limit, yet you’ve got such grit. That’s right, young people these days need this kind of spirit!]
‘Please just shut up.’
My vision was blurring. I was barely holding on, and his constant noise was driving me insane.
[Ah, not much left now. Keep going. Show me that spirit.]
I still had two more laps to run—what do you mean “not much left”?
I’m really going to lose it.
‘Where the hell did this old man come from?’
I had mapped out most of the ghosts in the vicinity.
I knew their routes and roughly what kind of people they were.
‘A ghost I’ve never seen before.’
This old man with blue eyes was someone I’d never laid eyes on in life.
Which meant he probably hadn’t been dead for long.
‘Is he not from this area?’
There were few cases where an unfamiliar ghost appeared.
To begin with, it was rare for someone to have enough lingering attachment and regret to become a ghost.
If a ghost were to appear and linger in one location, it would be because—
‘He died in this place, or—’
Or perhaps this place is my hometown where I was born and raised.
If it’s not even that….
‘Then it must be that someone with a soul covering is here.’
Why, there’s the saying about being possessed by malevolent spirits, isn’t there.
Spirits commonly called earthbound ghosts are usually bound to land or buildings.
But occasionally, there are ghosts that possess people and wander about.
Could this old man be one of those?
If so.
‘Then it should go after the possessed person. Why is it making a fuss with me?’
Something had gone wrong.
This was exactly that situation.
“Huff… Huff… Hoo….”
I exhaled breath after breath.
Unable to concentrate properly, I couldn’t even breathe right.
Unable to breathe, my movements became impaired.
“Bang Disciple. Are you alright?”
“…Yes… Y-yes….”
Yoo Hyeong-in approached with concern and spoke to me.
Even answering was difficult.
“You seem unwell. Are you really okay?”
“…I’m… fine.”
What else could I do if I wasn’t fine? Even falling slightly behind would draw all eyes.
I had to endure.
My lungs ached as if they were being crushed.
My injured head continued to throb, but even so, I didn’t stop my legs.
[Oho….]
The old man let out a sound as if finding me interesting.
Beyond that, I felt a gaze. Checking with trembling eyes out of curiosity, it was Yeon Socheon ahead of me.
As our eyes met, Yeon Socheon flinched and turned his head away.
What was that? A coincidence? Or did I see it wrong? Probably I saw it wrong because I was exhausted.
Why would that guy be looking at me anyway.
“Ugh… Huff….”
Fifteen laps.
I had completed exactly fifteen laps.
After finishing them, I collapsed unsteadily.
The others were catching their breath without difficulty, yet I remained in this state. Even after a year of morning runs, it was the same.
‘Ah, this useless body of mine.’
Why wouldn’t my abilities improve despite all this training.
Could it be because I take after my father? That might be it. No, that must be it.
In any case, my life was utterly miserable.
“Ugh, I’m dying….”
As I caught my breath, gasping heavily, something appeared before my eyes.
Yoo Hyeong-in was handing me a wooden bucket filled with water.
“Want some?”
I accepted it with trembling hands.
“…Thank you.”
“You worked hard.”
“Hard work? I can’t even do this one thing properly….”
“Haha.”
At my response, Yoo Hyeong-in let out a light laugh.
Watching that, I carefully brought the water to my lips.
No, just as I was about to drink.
[Nyolorong!]
“Pfft!”
The ghostly Old Man suddenly burst forth before me, contorting his expression into something bizarre as he emitted a strange sound.
Seeing that, I involuntarily spat out the water.
Damn it. I let my guard down.
The water I sprayed passed right through the Old Man.
I was done for.
I thought there was no way out of this.
“…Huh?”
I had to freeze in place as I processed what I was seeing.
The water that passed through the ghost. Of all people, someone had caught the full brunt of it.
“….”
A body drenched and soaked from the water.
Yeon Socheon, who froze just like me, apparently not expecting this.
He was staring at me with a dazed expression.
“…Ah… Um….”
[Oops.]
The Old Man, seemingly not anticipating this outcome either, moved slightly with a refreshingly innocent expression that belied his massive frame.
Yeon Socheon, who had been frozen for a while, also began to move his head with a creaking sound.
Our eyes met directly.
“….”
“….”
I couldn’t speak and could only swallow hard.
What kind of situation was this? How did things turn out this way?
‘Why did Yeon Socheon….’
Why had he suddenly approached me like that? Flustered, I struggled to find words before speaking urgently.
“I… I… I’m sorry.”
First, I offered an apology.
The excuse came after.
“You, you suddenly came so close that I was startled….”
“And when you’re startled, you spit water?”
“…This really turned out to be quite the coincidence. I’m truly sorry. It wasn’t intentional.”
Yeon Socheon wiped his water-dampened forehead with the back of his hand, then looked at me.
More precisely, he looked at my head wrapped in bandages as he spoke.
“Because you’re a patient. Because you’re a patient…. Isn’t that right?”
“…What do you mean?”
As I spoke, I observed Yeon Socheon carefully.
His other hand kept moving toward the sword tied at his waist, then retreating again.
Could it be that if I weren’t a patient, he would have drawn his blade?
I hesitated in this chilling situation.
“You, you fool!”
A loud voice erupted from behind.
Ah, of all people. It had to be Daeju.
“What are you doing right now!”
“Indeed. What am I doing right now.”
I scratched the back of my head as I spoke, but Daeju approached me with angry strides.
And then.
Crack—!
He slapped my cheek outright.
My head snapped to the side.
The impact made my head reel.
“If you’re incompetent, at least stay still and crumble. How dare you cause trouble?”
I touched my cheek, heated from the impact.
Fortunately, my teeth didn’t seem to loosen.
Daeju, who had struck my cheek, ignored me and hurried toward Yeon Socheon.
“Yeon Disciple. Are you alright? You’ve suffered quite the ordeal. I will severely punish that damned fool.”
“…No, it was merely an accident. I simply came to speak with that… person for a moment.”
That bastard definitely hesitated just now when he didn’t know my name.
In the meantime, Daeju’s eyes widened in surprise at the mention that Yeon Socheon had business with me.
“What business could Yeon Disciple possibly have with that incompetent fool…?”
“The conversation we had yesterday left a deep impression. I came to pay respects to that… person.”
“I am Bangseong-yeon.”
“I thought I might greet Young Master Bang.”
As I suspected.
He really didn’t know my name. The moment I introduced myself, he put it to use immediately.
And “Young Master,” no less.
‘That’s a title I haven’t heard since childhood.’
Especially not after my family fell into ruin.
“…An apology?”
Daeju stared at me with even greater disbelief.
I felt the same way.
‘What apology?’
If he meant conversation, it seemed to be about last night. Could it be….
‘Is he trying to scold me for what I said?’
It was a reasonable assumption.
A nobody had shown up at dawn and raised his voice—it made sense that he’d be angry.
‘Wait, then isn’t this a very dangerous situation?’
I’d forgotten because that old man had scattered my wits.
Yesterday, I’d scolded Yeon Socheon, whose backing I didn’t even know, telling him to act like a junior disciple and not get ahead of himself.
Now I was in a state where I’d even spat water in his face.
‘Hmm.’
Recalling that, I nodded.
‘I’m getting fired for sure.’
No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t see a good future ahead.
I should have packed my things and returned to Yeolyeong immediately.
Heh heh heh.
I’m completely done for.
As I was quickly coming to terms with the Martial Alliance in my mind amid this dire situation.
“…Please don’t scold him too much, sir.”
Yeon Socheon spoke as if to stop Daeju.
Seeing that, I tilted my head.
‘What? He didn’t come to scold me?’
Seeing him try to stop it, maybe it wasn’t just that.
Or perhaps he was letting it slide because he’d been slapped.
Right. The latter seemed more likely.
“….”
Daeju looked at Yeon Socheon, then glanced at me sharply.
“…Sigh.”
He seemed to want to add something more, but his expression showed he couldn’t because Yeon Socheon had spoken first.
“…Just looking at you exhausts me. Since the sight of you irritates me, disappear at once.”
“But I’m the one who got slapped. Why would you…?”
“Crack.”
“Yes. I’m going.”
Seeing I’d get hit again, I moved quickly.
“Ah…!”
Yeon Socheon let out a short sound at my hurried pace, but I fled the spot before Daeju could burst into anger.
I’d have patrols to do later, but until then, I just needed to stay out of sight.
With that judgment made, I entered a place with few people and glanced around.
This was a place where few people ventured, even within the Martial Alliance itself.
And given that everyone was training now, it would be even more desolate.
Was there truly no one around?
After carefully confirming once more.
“…Sigh.”
I exhaled and turned around.
Then I asked.
“What do you want?”
[Hmm?]
“What business could you possibly have with me?”
The Old Man, who had been picking his nose, widened his eyes at my question.
Immediately after, just as I had done, he checked to see if anyone was nearby.
[Oh.]
Realizing I was speaking to him, his expression brightened considerably as he clasped his hands together with a sly smile.
[Finally, you’re acknowledging me.]
“….”
A seductive demeanor that didn’t match his massive frame.
Watching him, my mood soured considerably.
Nearly eight feet tall with muscles packed so densely it was hard to believe he was an old man.
Scars embedded here and there, and those piercing blue eyes.
There was nothing normal about his appearance—he was a ghost through and through.
Yet such a rugged body moved with that cunning grace.
It was infuriating.
Truly.
“Ugh.”
I exhaled the sigh that escaped me and ran my hand through my hair.
I had resolved to ignore him even unto death.
‘Tch….’
As I said initially, I would have pretended not to know him.
Even if the ghost realized I could see them, I could have simply continued feigning ignorance.
But.
‘That feeling is just too bothersome.’
This Old Man was problematic.
First, he wasn’t impatient.
As ghosts bearing grudges typically are.
They harbor anger at their unresolved attachments, and when someone appears who might help them, they cling desperately and act with urgency.
This Old Man had none of that.
Though what could I discern in less than a day?
‘How many ghosts have I seen up to now?’
Understanding a ghost takes merely an instant.
In that sense, the Old Man was quite bothersome.
He wanted something from me, yet he showed no particular urgency.
Instead, he merely jested and gazed at me with an air of curiosity.
In my past life, I encountered spirits with that same quality a few times.
‘They were all lunatics.’
Not a single one among them was sane—or rather, a normal spirit.
The mere thought of it made my skin crawl.
Their actions and that peculiar gleam in their eyes were the same.
‘…They were unusually vivid, too.’
Among the typically translucent spirits, there were those who stood out with striking clarity.
Those kinds always carried that same feeling.
All of them moved as they pleased, doing whatever they wanted.
I’d been caught up in their chaos and beaten down more times than I could count.
Based on my memories, this Old Man was no different—equally ominous.
And yet,
‘A spirit with legs? What’s next?’
This was my first time encountering a spirit so vivid it even had clear feet.
It was the same even now.
The Old Man’s legs were pressed firmly against the ground.
As if he were an ordinary person.
The only difference,
‘He cast no shadow.’
The Old Man had no shadow.
‘If I’d known that beforehand, I wouldn’t have ended up like this.’
I made a mistake because we’d encountered each other at night.
Had it been daytime like now, such a thing would never have happened.
Yet even considering that,
‘He’s no ordinary spirit.’
This spirit was far from ordinary.
Which meant I had to be even more careful. Regardless of what he might have been in life.
The moment I approached thinking I could use him, I’d end up being devoured instead.
I’d witnessed and experienced this dozens of times already, so I could only be more cautious.
I exhaled a long sigh and asked the Old Man.
“…What do you want?”
[So you keep ignoring me, and now you suddenly act like you know me? How dull….]
“You asked me to acknowledge you, so I did. Why are you disappointed…?”
This is absurd.
“If you don’t like it, forget it. I can just go back to ignoring you-”
[Hehe. That was merely a jest. It seems the young one is quite impatient.]
“….”
I’m already annoyed.
As expected, the Old Man was quite the troublesome type.
“…It won’t take long to listen. What’s your business?”
[Judging by his reaction, this isn’t his first time in such a situation.]
“Yes. Well….”
I’d grown sick of it. Experienced it so many times it made my teeth ache.
[So, regardless of how things went, now he’d be willing to hear my story….]
“Before that.”
Before the Old Man could say anything, I had something to say first.
“There’s something you need to know.”
[Huh?]
Based on my past experiences, I had to warn him first.

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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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