The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 552

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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 552
As the sun began to set, the training ended as promised.
Many gathered around the Instructor. Most were injured, and nine out of ten gasped for breath, exhausted from fatigue.
After such a prolonged battle against one another, I was reaching the point where my stamina was nearly depleted.
“I’ll verify the orbs.”
Indifferent to their condition, the Instructors began checking the orbs they each possessed.
“…Eight.”
When the Instructor saw my count, an enigmatic gleam crossed his eyes.
Eight. I’d lost some to Yoo Yeon and been swindled by that Heavenly Sword bastard, but I’d acquired a few more since then.
I’d exhausted myself moving frantically.
“You have an enterprising nature, it seems?”
“No. I prefer peace.”
“Peace? With this?”
The Instructor chuckled. Even I found my own words absurd.
“Next is… twelve.”
Twelve.
Eyes shifted at those words. A figure of considerable height with a lean frame, emanating an unmistakably formidable presence.
‘Heavenly Sword.’
The count belonged to that Heavenly Sword bastard who’d swindled me.
He had more than I did. Noticing my gaze, the bastard looked directly at me.
When our eyes met, he smiled.
‘That damned fool.’
Seeing him wave his hand, I clicked my tongue inwardly. It was unavoidable since I’d been caught off guard, but my mood wasn’t particularly pleasant.
Besides that, Yoo Yeon had five. And then.
“…Six.”
Paeng Dojin with six. Dang Cheon-il with one. And.
“None.”
Woon-ryong held nothing. In fact.
‘He’s injured.’
Woon-ryong’s condition wasn’t good. The wounds didn’t appear to be deep, but he was bleeding and showed signs of exhaustion.
He must have endured something.
As I observed this.
“Hey.”
Paeng Dojin moved. While the Instructor was still verifying the orbs, Paeng Dojin pushed through the crowd toward someone.
It was Heavenly Sword.
“You.”
“What’s the matter?”
Heavenly Sword tilted his head at him, and Paeng Dojin reached out toward his collar.
Then.
“That’s enough.”
An Instructor suddenly intervened, slipping through the gap between them with lightning speed to block their confrontation.
“Unauthorized duels violate the rules. Do the Jeongpa dogs not even know such basic regulations?”
The atmosphere was clearly ominous, and the Instructor had stepped in before matters could escalate further.
But then.
“You damnable bastard.”
Paeng Dojin paid no mind to such warnings, advancing toward the Heavenly Sword regardless. Seeing this, the Heavenly Sword laughed.
“Interesting. What? You want to fight?”
“Of course I do. Naturally I do. If you hadn’t kept running, this would have happened long ago.”
“Running? What’s gotten into you?”
He tilted his head and faced Paeng Dojin directly. Their heights were roughly similar, though their builds differed somewhat.
“I simply avoided unnecessary action.”
“…That’s bullshit…”
There was clearly something between them. This was the first time I’d seen Paeng Dojin this angry. Normally he was that Crazy Man who laughed even while furious. Seeing him turn this serious was unsettling.
Vein after vein bulged across his neck.
I wondered if they were actually going to fight when—
“You won’t listen to reason.”
Boom—!!
“Ugh!”
With the Instructor’s words, Paeng Dojin was sent flying backward.
Crash—!!!!
The Giant slammed into a pillar and shattered it entirely. Debris scattered across the floor as Paeng Dojin landed hard on the ground.
He didn’t fall completely, managing to steady himself on his feet.
“Ugh…”
He exhaled a breath that clearly carried pain.
‘…He’s strong.’
A true master. The fact that he’d sent Paeng Dojin flying with a single strike proved it.
‘Fast too.’
The speed of his movements was extraordinary. The power behind them was equally devastating. It was shocking to witness.
His cultivation level was no trivial matter.
Of course not. I’d never expected the Divine Sect’s Instructor to be weak, but I hadn’t anticipated this level either.
Perhaps.
‘An Absolute Master?’
He might well be at that tier. The fact that I couldn’t gauge his true strength suggested as much.
“Ptui.”
Paeng Dojin spat out blood.
His eyes remained murderous as he glared at the Heavenly Sword, though thankfully nothing like before occurred.
Should I call that fortunate?
I observed the strange turn of events without intervening directly.
‘He wouldn’t want my interference anyway.’
Paeng Dojin wouldn’t want that. Given his nature, I was certain of it.
“Those who failed to obtain an orb, move to the left. Those who collected them, proceed to the right.”
As if the punishment had concluded with a single blow, the Instructor issued commands to the trainees with an indifferent expression.
I moved according to the order.
One hundred eighty-seven people. Among such a number, only a handful possessed orbs. It was impossible for half to have succeeded.
It was only natural—several had already secured two or more.
“Fewer people than expected.”
The Instructor observed the count and smacked his lips slightly. Something differed from his initial expectations.
“Those who failed the training will fast for four days. Those who succeeded will receive their rewards.”
The punishment was merely fasting. As a Martial Artist, four days would leave no visible mark.
Separate from that.
‘Rewards.’
At the mention of rewards, I turned my head. My gaze naturally drifted toward Woo Yeongjin.
“…What is it?”
“What kind of reward are we getting?”
“Spirit Pellets.”
As expected, Woo Yeongjin provided the explanation. He answered my question immediately.
“Spirit Pellets?”
“Spirit Pellets crafted by the Divine Sect. Their effects are remarkable, which is why they’re pushing so hard to complete the training—though I’m uncertain if they hold any meaning for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t use Magi, after all.”
“I see.”
From those words, I could discern.
‘That he recognizes Magi as a distinct force separate from inner energy.’
Spirit Pellets could only increase Magi. Certainly, they seemed unnecessary for the others, but.
“We can still take them, though, right?”
“…I suppose so.”
Taking the Spirit Pellets was possible. In truth, that was sufficient.
I moved toward the reward distribution area. I felt eyes upon me.
When I turned, it was Hyoyeonri.
She regarded me with an ambiguous gaze. I couldn’t fathom her thoughts, but.
‘It’s better not to entangle myself with her.’
Hyoyeonri’s fatal charm had influenced my decision to avoid any involvement.
‘If possible. No—absolutely not.’
I’d witnessed countless men destroyed by entanglement with such a woman.
Especially men. Those with brains in their lower bodies meet predictable ends.
That outcome would be troublesome.
An unpleasant memory from my past life surfaced. There had been a woman draped in exactly this kind of fatal charm.
She’d eventually sold her soul to the Demon God and fallen into corruption, then lunged at me.
‘I had quite the struggle dealing with her.’
The very thought made me recoil. I absolutely could not allow myself to become entangled in such a situation.
And then.
‘That one over there—’
Setting aside the friction with Paeng Dojin on the other side, I could see the Heavenly Sword watching me.
‘That one.’
They seemed to want to become entangled with me.
‘I should become entangled as well.’
It seemed I needed to ask something from this side too. In several respects.
“Take it quickly and get out. Time is running late.”
At the Instructor’s urging, I resumed my steps. The Veiled Figure in a dark robe was handing something over from the Yeon Sect.
“One orb each for passing. Two additional orbs granted for every eight orbs collected.”
“…Oh?”
The more orbs I gathered, the more the Yeon Sect gave. This was something I hadn’t known.
When I looked at Woo Yeongjin again, his eyes had widened as well.
“…So you were hiding this. Tsk.”
He hadn’t known either.
“Here.”
I tossed one orb to Woo Yeongjin.
Already having received one, now with one more—a total of two orbs—Woo Yeongjin looked at me and spoke.
“Why give me an extra one? You did all the work, didn’t you?”
“You said you didn’t need much. I thought it made sense to establish a connection between us.”
“So you’re saying you’ll use me more in the future?”
“I’ve always preferred people who are quick to pick up on things.”
“…Ha.”
At my confident words, Woo Yeongjin let out an exasperated breath.
“You. Are you really from Jeongpa?”
“As you can see? Anyone would say I’m from Jeongpa. Righteous and honorable, that is.”
“That’s some shameless nonsense.”
“Let’s not get close enough to curse at each other, shall we?”
“…I’m going.”
Unwilling to continue the conversation, the man who’d received his reward moved away.
Watching him leave, I chuckled softly and turned around.
‘The Yeon Sect, then.’
They said the name was Ma Yeon Sect.
I took hold of it and moved. Our destination was the residence they had provided us.

* * *
We arrived at the residence. Once everyone else had gathered as well.
Paeng Dojin slipped into his room without so much as a chance for conversation.
I’d wanted to ask him something, but the atmosphere made it clear that wasn’t advisable, so I let it go.
Besides, he wasn’t my priority anyway.
“Are you alright?”
“…I’m fine.”
Woon-ryong.
The Shaman’s absolute cornerstone. He sat there with an expression twisted in pain.
“What happened?”
“….”
At my question, Woon-ryong’s brow furrowed. His face bore the unmistakable mark of wounded pride.
“I was defeated….”
“Defeated by whom?”
“…The Heavenly Sword. I lost to the one called the Heavenly Sword.”
“Hmm.”
The Heavenly Sword. So it was him after all.
As I turned this over in my mind, I heard the sharp click of a tongue from somewhere nearby.
“All that boasting, and in the end you still fell.”
Dang Cheon-il. He regarded Woon-ryong with contempt as he spoke.
“…What did you say?”
“Wasn’t it you who claimed the Divine Sect’s disciples were trivial? That you’d demonstrate the Shaman’s true power?”
“….”
“It’s truly pathetic, seeing you groaning after taking such a beating.”
“…You bastard….”
Just as with Paeng Dojin, these two were fundamentally incompatible as well.
At this point, I was beginning to wonder if Dang Cheon-il’s temperament itself was simply the problem.
“…Please, don’t fight.”
I broke up the two of them and turned to Woon-ryong.
“I understand you’re hurt. But tell me—what was it like?”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“The Heavenly Sword. Was he strong?”
“….”
He seemed reluctant to revisit the memory, but I needed to hear it.
“…He was strong. I couldn’t even brush his sleeve.”
“I see.”
Couldn’t even brush his sleeve—so the Heavenly Sword was genuinely formidable.
Gyoyeon and Woo Yeongjin. Among the Divine Sect’s prodigies, the one called a Celestial Demon Candidate.
He seemed to operate on an entirely different level.
What kind of man was he? I regretted not having had the chance to speak with him further.
“And.”
Woon-ryong opened his mouth as if he had something else to say.
“There was something rather peculiar.”
“Peculiar in what way?”
Woon-ryong hesitated, deliberating, then glanced toward me—studying my expression with careful attention.
What was this? The way he looked at me felt strangely significant.
“…The martial techniques that the Heavenly Sword employed.”
Woon-ryong said,
“They bore a striking resemblance to those of the Cheongwol Sect.”
“Hm?”
He had uttered something rather bizarre and shocking.

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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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