The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 54

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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 054
Chirp— chirp chirp.
The sound of birds reached my ears. Sunlight forced my consciousness awake.
Ignoring the unpleasant sensation rather than refreshment, I lifted my heavy eyelids.
“…Ah….”
A familiar ceiling came into view.
The moment I saw it, I could barely feel relief.
At least it wasn’t white.
“Wow….”
How long had it been since I’d seen a proper ceiling like this? It felt like years.
Unable to help myself, I let out an exclamation and pushed myself upright.
That instant.
Zzzt—!
“Ugh!?”
A sharp pain shot through my head. I quickly grabbed my forehead.
“Grrr….”
The agony was so intense I could barely suppress a scream—I nearly lost consciousness from it.
“Huff…. Huff….”
After breathing heavily for a moment, I finally began to calm down.
[Mm. A very refreshing morning indeed.]
I turned my gaze toward the voice beside me.
[Did you sleep well?]
“….”
Does it look like I slept well to you?
That’s what I wanted to say.
“Does it look like I slept well to you?”
So I said it. I simply couldn’t hold back.
[Judging by your appearance, you must have had quite the nightmare…. Tsk tsk…. You should have been more careful.]
“…Are you insane?”
I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even speak.
I never expected him to be so brazenly shameless.
“You threw me into that hell and now you’re saying I should have been careful? Old Man, have you completely lost it?”
[Threw you into hell? That fellow. There’s a perfectly good word called training, you know.]
“Training? Don’t make me laugh.”
Grrind—! My teeth clenched hard.
“What exactly did you do to me?”
That wasn’t training. It was absurd.
That couldn’t be called training.
How could that possibly be training?
“Do you know how many times I died?”
Counting them was overwhelming. To be honest, I did count them all, but even I had to admit the number was staggering.
[Exactly. I never imagined you’d endure all of it.]
“What did you just…?”
[Honestly, I was planning to cut you off midway and explain things to you…]
Yoo Cheon-gil wore an awkward expression.
[I never expected you’d finish it all in a single day, either.]
“…Ha.”
I was dumbfounded. He was planning to cut me off midway?
“Then why didn’t you?”
I endured through who knows what during that process, yet he watched it all and didn’t stop me?
Just as I was about to shout in frustration—
[Because you didn’t give up.]
I paused at Yoo Cheon-gil’s words.
[I was prepared to do so if you quit, but you never did. So I wanted to ask you something.]
His blue eyes turned toward me.
They were filled with genuine curiosity.
[Why didn’t you give up?]
Why hadn’t I surrendered within those countless repetitions?
I furrowed my brow and answered his question.
“I didn’t give up because I didn’t even know I could.”
If I’d known, I would’ve done it long ago. What kind of question was that anyway?
[No.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke to me firmly.
[Giving up isn’t a matter of ability or inability. It’s the difference between whether your spirit dies or not.]
His voice sounded different from usual—somewhat composed and serene.
[Yet you never gave up until the very end. How did you hold on even after being cut down thousands of times?]
“…”
I paused to think about his question. Why had I?
When I recalled it, it was nothing special.
“Because it was manageable.”
[…!]
Yoo Cheon-gil’s eyes widened at my answer.
“It was a space where I’d die and come back to life. So if I endured, I’d win.”
I said it without the slightest hesitation. Then Yoo Cheon-gil let out a hollow laugh.
[That sounds like an answer you’ve given before.]
“Not particularly.”
Though I had done it before.
Thoroughly sick of it.
It wasn’t a memory I wanted to recall.
At those words, Yoo Cheon-gil simply stared at me quietly once more.
[That settles it.]
“Pardon?”
I suddenly nodded my head.
[As I thought. It’s you.]
“…What….”
I wanted to spout some nonsense in response, but I held back. There were too many questions I needed answered right now.
“So now, Old Man, would you mind explaining?”
I asked Yoo Cheon-gil with my brows deeply furrowed.
“What was that, anyway?”
What purpose did that exchange serve?
And what kind of being was he, really?
[Ah, yes.]
Yoo Cheon-gil answered as if he’d just remembered.
[The one you were fighting was my childhood self.]
“…Pardon?”
Upon hearing his answer, my expression went blank for a moment.
“…What?”
His childhood self?
The words conjured an image in my mind.
The Young Man who’d killed me thousands of times was Yoo Cheon-gil’s childhood self?
[Around fifteen, I’d say? That sounds about right.]
“….”
An even greater shock crashed down upon me.
Fifteen years old?
‘With that face and height…?’
What did that face look like again? He appeared to be around my age. Yes, with a few years’ difference, that was plausible.
But….
‘His height was….’
He was definitely larger in build than me. His physique seemed to easily surpass that of an ordinary adult….
How could that be possible? Astonishment came to mind.
‘No, wait…. Come to think of it, if he’s this old man’s childhood self, that would explain it.’
I could understand it readily enough.
Just looking at Yoo Cheon-gil’s current body proved it.
He stood a full head taller than me, with muscles that seemed ready to burst from his frame.
With a height that appeared to be nearly eight feet, it wouldn’t be strange even if he were only fifteen back then.
“But then, why….”
What was that gap in the wrist, and what was the difference with Wolrang? I asked about this.
[…Well… that. I hadn’t fully grown yet back then, had I?]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke as if somewhat embarrassed for some reason.
Ah… so what he meant was….
‘It was because I was clumsy in my younger days… that’s what I mean.’
But I died thousands of times at the hands of a young Yoo Cheon-gil like that?
At fifteen?
‘…Damn it.’
My mood had soured considerably.
And on top of that.
‘So you’re from Cheongwol Gate. I suspected it from the moment I saw Wol-an, and that’s what it was.’
‘Despicable bastards.’
When he mentioned Cheongwol Gate in the middle of our conversation, his reaction was strange.
It was almost one of disgust.
‘What’s that about.’
If that was Yoo Cheon-gil’s childhood, why would he have any reason to despise Cheongwol Gate?
I found myself suddenly curious about it.
“…Why did such a situation suddenly arise?”
Even if that truly was Yoo Cheon-gil’s childhood.
I couldn’t understand why I had to fight with him in such a state.
“What was the purpose…”
[There are several reasons.]
Yoo Cheon-gil cut off my question.
[First, the greatest reason is that my methods didn’t align with yours.]
“…What do you mean?”
[It’s difficult to help with abstract matters. You don’t have much talent in that direction.]
“…”
It was a statement I couldn’t refute.
He was telling me to my face that I was dull-witted, and he was right.
I was indeed dull-witted.
‘That’s why my growth was slow.’
It was only now that Yoo Cheon-gil had possessed me or obtained a few fortuitous encounters, improving beyond what I was before.
[However, I couldn’t teach you only through possession indefinitely… and it seemed an opportunity to try a different method had presented itself.]
“Was that… the spirit dream?”
[Correct.]
Having his younger self kill me relentlessly?
[As I said, I thought this would be better than explanation at first. I planned to explain once you grew tired and gave up…]
“But I just went ahead and finished it anyway?”
[…Yes.]
Yoo Cheon-gil’s expression seemed sincere. It was the look of someone who never expected thousands of repetitions in a single night.
[I underestimated you. I apologize.]
I hesitated at his apology. I never expected that old man to offer one.
“…Fine. Let’s leave it at that.”
I’ll move past it for now.
But.
“So… this so-called training you mentioned, what exactly is the point of it?”
I died thousands of times and barely managed to win once.
I couldn’t understand what meaning that held.
“The Spirit Dream is, in the end, merely a dream.”
Whatever I experienced there, it remains nothing but a dream.
“No matter what you do there for a hundred days, there’s nothing to be gained from it.”
It was truly a fleeting spring dream.
Setting aside the fact that Yoo Cheon-gil could deliberately utilize the Spirit Dream.
Why did I have to engage in such meaningless acts?
That was genuinely important to me.
[Is that truly so?]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke with a peculiar gaze as he watched my frustration.
[Did you gain absolutely nothing from that place?]
“Of course not. What use is anything that happens in a dream….”
[Execute the Cheonwol Heart Method.]
“…Now?”
[Yes.]
Startled by the sudden command, I nonetheless found myself naturally gathering my energy without thinking.
Whoooosh–!!
The heart method circulated from my dantian, spreading throughout my body.
‘Why would he suddenly ask me to do this….huh?’
Mid-circulation, I caught my breath sharply.
Something felt different.
The amount of energy was the same as always, and I circulated it no differently than usual. Yet.
‘Why is this so easy?’
In contrast to before, when it required such delicate, meticulous control that considerable concentration was necessary.
Now it felt remarkably easier.
“This is… what….”
[Controlling energy is ultimately a matter of mental imagery.]
I stared at Yoo Cheon-gil with wide eyes.
[How can one claim that the process of struggling to survive in actual combat, the effort gained through that ordeal, holds no value for a martial artist? I do not believe so.]
“….”
[Can you not see it now?]
Whoooosh-!
The Cheonwol Heart Method circulated through my body several times over.
Before, even completing a single circulation required my entire being to focus.
Now it felt entirely natural.
[Everything you do now must feel distinctly different. Something has been imprinted upon the fundamental energy itself.]
“….”
It was undeniably a significant change. Nothing reveals progress quite like the ability to do what was once impossible.
But still.
“…If you’re saying I went through all that just to gain this….”
Was it truly worthwhile? The cost-benefit didn’t quite add up. Such thoughts flickered through my mind.
[Who told you that?]
Yoo Cheon-gil made a peculiar expression, as if questioning what I was saying.
[You only gained that? Who spouted such nonsense?]
“Pardon?”
Did he mean I’d gained more than just better control over my energy?
Observing his reaction, I examined my body more carefully.
‘That’s not it. Nothing else seems to have increased.’
My energy reserves remained unchanged. Not a shred more than before. What else could there possibly be besides improved control?
The question naturally arose.
[Get up. We must verify this ourselves.]
“How exactly are we supposed to verify it…?”
[It’s simple.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke with a smile.
[You’ll understand once you experience it directly with your own body.]
“…Pardon?”
Experience it directly with my own body?
I wondered what he meant, but the answer came soon enough.
It was a remarkably straightforward answer.

* * *
A handsome young man.
I questioned him on the day Cheon Euijin came seeking me out early in the morning.
“A martial match, is it?”
“Yes. If you wouldn’t mind….”
“Oh! I would be absolutely delighted. If the Master would bestow his teachings upon me… I would be more than willing…!”
Cheon Euijin spoke with unbridled enthusiasm. I wondered why he was so eager, though I could somewhat understand the reason.
‘Because I kept refusing him.’
Cheon Euijin had asked me several times to teach him through a martial match.
But I had never once accepted.
How could I have accepted?
‘If I agreed carelessly, it would be exposed immediately—how could I possibly agree?’
Since Cheon Euijin regarded me as something extraordinary, I absolutely could not engage in a martial match with him….
“…I look forward to it….”
Could I really go through with this?
I glanced at Yoo Cheon-gil with anxiety, but the old man merely smiled at me as he always did.
To suddenly spar with Cheon Euijin like this—what kind of absurd situation was this?
‘I’m the one who does whatever I’m told to do.’
Even after suffering that ordeal in the dream realm just before, I’m still doing this nonsense.
‘Have I been bewitched?’
There was no way this could happen unless I’d been bewitched by a ghost.
‘…No, that can’t be.’
I shook my head deliberately. I couldn’t have been bewitched.
‘Even if I were, it wouldn’t be by that frightening-looking old man.’
Not by that demon—not by someone who wasn’t even a woman of exceptional beauty. I couldn’t accept that.
‘I just want to verify something.’
That claim—that I gained something from my recent ordeal.
I wanted to confirm if it was real. That had to be the reason. It simply had to be.
“Should we conduct the match with real blades?”
Cheon Euijin asked cheerfully.
“No. Wooden swords, please.”
Was I insane? I chose wooden swords because I had no desire to get injured.
“I see….”
At this, Cheon Euijin’s expression grew dejected.
Why did he look so disappointed…?
Wasn’t it better to use wooden swords so no one would get hurt?
‘Martial artists as a whole….’
I simply could not comprehend them.
“…Then.”
I grasped the wooden sword that Cheon Euijin had brought.
I spoke while watching Cheon Euijin, still brimming with anticipation.
“I look forward to this.”
“I look forward to this!”
The martial contest began.

* * *
My anxiety dissipated quickly.
Only a brief moment had passed.
“…Haah…. Huff.”
I steadied my ragged breathing and looked ahead.
Before me stood Cheon Euijin, a bitter smile etched across his face.
‘…No….’
My wooden sword was pressed against his throat.
‘This….’
What this meant was.
‘How did I win…?’
I had truly defeated Cheon Euijin.

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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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