The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 76

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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 076
I climb the path upward.
As I ascend, an endless stream of chatter fills my ears.
“So, about this silver-grade blade that just came out. The edge is just….”
Her prattling tone sounds crystalline and beautiful, yet the words she speaks carry no such clarity whatsoever.
“Especially since they didn’t just use plain iron but attempted an alloy, the durability is supposedly remarkable?”
“…Ah, yes. I see.”
I let it go in one ear and out the other. It’s a skill I’ve perfected, so it’s hardly difficult.
“And this time, they’ve even added new metallurgical techniques, so the difference when sharpening the blade is….”
“….”
Even that has its limits.
Her relentless, unceasing chatter makes me feel as though my ears might start bleeding.
[…This girl’s mouth is lighter and faster than I expected.]
Even Yoo Cheon-gil seems to be showing signs of exasperation.
Should I offer some praise?
Normally, I would have offered some half-hearted response by now.
“Not just silver-grade, but it seems we need to make changes when crafting higher-tier weapons too.”
“Miss, uh.”
“So anyway, would you perhaps like to discuss the temperature of flames-”
“Miss Dang…!”
I cut off her words and raise my voice. At that, Dang Yeeran, who had been spilling words continuously, suddenly stops.
“Ah… Yes?”
“Please, compose yourself. My ears feel as though they might bleed.”
As I point to my ringing ears with my hand, Dang Yeeran’s cheeks finally flush slightly.
“I’m, I’m sorry. I got carried away without realizing….”
At moments like these, she looks unmistakably like a young girl.
Yet the words that pour from her in such excitement are nothing short of peculiar.
‘Is that really so entertaining?’
A new blade has been born in Cheogang.
What went into that blade and what properties it possesses.
As Dang Yeeran mentions each detail, her eyes shine brilliantly.
It was a clear sign of genuine passion.
“I haven’t been able to discuss these things anywhere else… so I got a bit carried away. I apologize.”
She speaks with a melancholic expression and a sigh.
“You may speak as much as you wish, but I merely meant for you to exercise some restraint.”
Excessive.
The sense of excessiveness is vividly clear right now.
Look—Cheon Euijin and Do-hyeong, who had been following behind, have expressions of utter bewilderment on their faces.
‘She said it was a secret, but does she have no intention of keeping it hidden?’
I was told that Dang Yeeran’s interest in blacksmithing was supposed to be something of a secret.
How could it remain a secret when she spoke of it so openly? It was beyond my comprehension.
And Dang Yeeran herself seemed quite embarrassed by her own words, closing her mouth.
Watching her, I had to suppress a quiet laugh.
Why speak at all if that’s the result?
She was truly a peculiar woman.
‘That aside.’
I turned my head this way and that, surveying the surroundings.
‘Where exactly has Dokjon’s spirit gone?’
The troublesome ghost was nowhere to be seen.
At first, I thought it might be clinging to Dang Gyeong-ak, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
‘A bound spirit, perhaps.’
If it wasn’t attached to a person, could it be a bound spirit tied to the Dang Clan residence itself?
If so, it wouldn’t be strange for it to wander throughout the clan’s interior.
‘Hmm.’
If that specter truly was Dokjon, as Yoo Cheon-gil claimed….
‘Shouldn’t we do something about leaving the old man like this?’
It seemed problematic that Yoo Cheon-gil was moving about so leisurely.
The greater problem here was.
‘That the old man knows this yet doesn’t act—that’s the real issue.’
Seeing how confidently he was moving about, it seemed he had some other scheme in mind.
‘Indeed.’
What was the Demon aiming for this time?
I found myself subtly preoccupied with this question.
Of course.
‘The old man would feel the same way.’
Just as I was watching Yoo Cheon-gil.
I knew he was watching me as well.
We each harbored secrets from one another.
Click.
I absently fidgeted with my sword’s grip.
Do you know what’s amusing?
‘Normally, I should be irritated or bothered.’
But instead, I felt something far more peculiar.
Should I call it anticipation? No, that would be too naive.
‘Intrigue.’
The intrigue of not knowing what Yoo Cheon-gil would do next.
It was closer to that emotion than to anxiety.
‘Regardless, that’s settled.’
I glanced sideways at Yoo Cheon-gil, my gaze drifting slightly.
‘What exactly are you trying to accomplish?’
It was the most curious matter and question that had occupied my mind recently.
‘What does he want?’
What could Yoo Cheon-gil possibly desire? That was what puzzled me.
Hadn’t Yoo Cheon-gil originally asked something of me?
That was precisely.
‘To investigate the circumstances of his death.’
How he had died.
Yoo Cheon-gil said he couldn’t remember that.
However.
‘He insisted it was absolutely not a natural death.’
It wasn’t death from chronic illness as the world believed, but rather someone’s deliberate intention was clearly involved.
That’s why Yoo Cheon-gil had asked me to investigate how he died.
‘But now he doesn’t seem to care about what he said at first.’
The man before me showed no interest in his own death.
As if his curiosity took priority, and he couldn’t care less what happened to himself?
‘…Then what does he want?’
What could that old man possibly be trying to do?
I could tell he definitely had some intention.
And that intention.
‘Involves using me somehow in conjunction with his plans.’
Yoo Cheon-gil has something he wants to accomplish.
And he needs to use me for that purpose.
Perhaps that’s why he keeps giving me various things.
That’s what I’m currently suspecting.
‘But still.’
Even this wasn’t certain.
It was merely speculation based on circumstantial evidence.
‘Hmm.’
As these questions occupied my thoughts, I continued walking.
If my reasoning up to this point is correct….
‘Then he desires something even more than learning about his death.’
Or perhaps.
‘He already knows who killed him from the start.’
I was leaning toward one of these two possibilities, and if things were as I suspected.
“…As expected.”
There truly wasn’t a single trustworthy person in this world.
“This is difficult.”
Dealing with ghosts really does make everything complicated.
As I nodded to myself, realizing this once more.
“Pardon? What did you say?”
Dang Yeeran asked me a question.
I shook my head hurriedly and spoke.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a fleeting thought crossed my mind.”
“…I see. I understand.”
Upon hearing my response, Dang Yeeran smiled brightly.
Seeing that, I asked.
“How much further do we need to go?”
We’d already walked quite a bit, but where exactly were we supposed to reach?
Was the Training Hall really that far away?
Growing slightly impatient, I asked, and Dang Yeeran immediately pointed to a building ahead with her fingertip.
“Ah. It’s right there, visible ahead.”
Just as she said, a large building was indeed visible directly in front of us.
It was situated somewhat distant from the guest residence.
Seeing it, I narrowed my eyes slightly.
‘Hmm….’
It was far more peculiar than I had anticipated.

* * *
The area near the entrance of the Training Hall was mostly surrounded by trees.
There appeared to be far more vegetation here than in the forest surrounding the prepared garden.
Trees, grass, rocks, and flowers adorned the surroundings in abundance.
‘Why is there so much of everything?’
The variety was diverse. It wasn’t simply trees planted haphazardly.
Moreover.
‘It’s been carefully maintained.’
Rather than growing wild and unkempt, it was clear that deliberate care had been taken to keep everything neat and orderly.
In other words.
‘There’s definitely intention behind all of this.’
This landscape appeared to be crafted through careful calculation.
‘Hmm.’
Interesting. What was the reason for going to such lengths?
Glancing around the surroundings, I continued forward.
“Come this way…!”
Dang Yeeran, who seemed somehow more spirited than before, led the way ahead.
Seeing that, I asked.
“But, are we really allowed to use this place?”
It was amusing to ask after coming all this way, but I still had to ask.
‘This is supposed to be a Training Hall for bloodline members, is this really okay?’
What was a Training Hall for bloodline members?
It was literally a space reserved exclusively for the direct bloodline of the clan.
Just hearing the name made it special, but seeing it in person made it even more so.
‘It’s quite different from the guest area.’
The space we use feels like they simply lent us a room.
But this place—there’s something spiritually potent about it from the moment you look at it.
‘The quality of the energy is on a different level.’
The arrangement of the space, the quality of the pillars they’d erected.
The flow of energy emanating from it was substantial.
‘I only understand geomancy through rough observation.’
But even at a glance, I could tell this was something special.
‘It’s remarkable.’
It was a location that would make even a skilled geomancer bow out respectfully.
The more I looked at it, the more it seemed like a place outsiders would never be permitted to use.
“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ve reserved this time slot.”
Dang Yeeran told me confidently, dismissing my concerns.
“Reserved it…?”
“Yes. The bloodline members divide up the training hall time among ourselves… and this is exactly my time slot.”
“….”
So they do that sort of thing here too.
Prestigious clans really were different in every way.
‘…So I can go ahead then?’
With her saying it so firmly, it should be fine.
Thinking that, I followed Dang Yeeran inside.
Even as we walked, her mouth never stopped moving.
“So this time….”
She spoke of which swords she’d seen.
Which iron she preferred, and what she felt from it.
Dang Yeeran chattered away enthusiastically while looking at me.
I, of course, let it go in one ear and out the other.
“…Ah, yes, I see.”
My ears were ringing.
The funny part was that when I asked her to be quiet, she didn’t reduce the amount she spoke—she just lowered her volume.
‘…This is really dizzying.’
Is this woman’s personality always like this?
When I first saw her, I thought she might be somewhat quiet.
‘With that face, she looks like she could kill someone with words alone.’
Whether it was a trait of the Dang Clan or not, Dang Yeeran had sharp, angular features.
But when she spoke of craftsmen and weapons, her demeanor was completely different.
Pure, you might say.
In her endless, cheerful words lay an unadorned sincerity.
She truly loved it.
Words that spill out because I cannot contain my delight.
“…Mm.”
Knowing this, I did not stop her.
I just needed to endure it for a moment.
That was all I thought.

* * *
Enduring in such a manner, we had arrived before the Training Hall without realizing it.
Now I could finally train or do whatever else in some peace and quiet, right?
Just as I was about to harbor such expectations.
Crack—! Tap-tap—!
A sound echoed from within the Training Hall.
The moment I heard it, I saw Dang Yeeran ahead of me come to a halt.
Not only did her chattering mouth fall silent, but her suddenly rigid body appeared distinctly strange.
“Miss Dang. What is the matter?”
“…Just a moment.”
Dang Yeeran, who had been smiling just moments before, wore a stiffened expression as she grasped the door handle and opened it.
Creak—!
As the door opened, the interior came into view.
Just as I expected, an expansive and refined Training Hall was revealed.
And in the center of that Training Hall, I could see someone standing.
A young man dressed in white martial robes, loosening his wrists.
The young man stood in a slightly shadowed position.
When his gaze turned toward us, only his pupils gleamed.
‘…My.’
The moment I saw that, I marveled inwardly.
I felt it this morning too—he really does have an unpleasant appearance.
This meant that this young man was someone whose face I knew.
“Well, well.”
The young man.
A blood relative of the Dang Clan and the second son of Dang Gyeong-ak.
One of the geniuses currently called among the Seven Heroes.
“Quite the unusual combination.”
Dok-ryong looked at Dang Yeeran and curled his lips.

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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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