The World’s Greatest is Dead

After listening, I headed to the Blue Moon Hall. It was just me and the Small Moon Division Leader.

There was no need for guidance.

Since the Small Moon Division Leader was there, what guidance would I need?

But that wasn’t the important issue.

‘This is incredibly uncomfortable.’

On the way, the Small Moon Division Leader neither looked at me nor uttered a single word. I already knew that the leader didn’t like me.

It was bothersome and troublesome in many ways.

‘Tch.’

Of all people, it had to be the Small Moon Division Leader. If it were anyone else, I would have ignored them just like they ignored me.

But this was a bit difficult.

‘What should I do?’

Already having reached the Small Moon Division, it wouldn’t be wise to get on the bad side of this person.

For the sake of the future, I needed to change this relationship somehow.

‘Not that there’s a clear method right now.’

Since I couldn’t think of anything appropriate at the moment, there was nothing I could do.

‘Hmm…’

While walking, I quietly pondered.

‘There is a way.’

There wasn’t none. There were a couple of techniques I could use.

‘Not yet.’

Using them recklessly would be risky, so I decided to hold off for now.

Just for now.

Thinking that, I entered the Blue Moon Hall.

Upon entering, the Virtuous Moon Sword was already waiting.

“Greetings to the Sect Leader.”

“… Greetings to the Sect Leader.”

As I paid my respects, I almost froze.

‘Why are his eyes like that?’

The look in Virtuous Moon Sword’s eyes was exceptionally cold.

They were intense even on normal days, but today was particularly extreme.

‘What’s going on?’

Had something happened today? He looked extremely displeased.

“……”

The Small Moon Division Leader’s expression mirrored Virtuous Moon Sword’s.

The only difference was, the leader seemed to know why the Virtuous Moon Sword was like this.

“Small Moon Division Leader.”

“Yes.”

“The response from the Tang family has arrived.”

“…!”

Upon hearing about the Tang family, the Small Moon Division Leader’s eyes widened.

‘Tang family?’

I questioned it in my mind.

‘Why suddenly the Tang family?’

The Tang family was one of the five great families in Sichuan, renowned for their poison techniques and iron-forging skills.

“… What was their reply?”

Virtuous Moon Sword handed a letter to him.

The Small Moon Division Leader carefully received and opened it.

“… What the…?”

As he read through, various negative emotions surged on his face.

What on earth was it about? And, ‘Why was I called here?’

Why did they specifically summon me together?

While I was pondering these questions,

“This is absurd.”

The Small Moon Division Leader spoke up, barely able to believe it.

“How could they propose such conditions…!”

“I think they have sufficient justification.”

“Sect Leader…!”

Despite the Small Moon Division Leader’s intense reaction, the Virtuous Moon Sword remained calm.

“It’s not strange.”

Taking back the letter, Virtuous Moon Sword continued.

“They too wish to verify from their position. That would be the only way to ensure certainty, wouldn’t it?”

“Even so–!”

A ruckus broke out as they talked amongst themselves.

What should I be doing? Maybe I should just pick my nose?

I was genuinely contemplating that when…

“That’s why I called you here.”

“What? Ah, yes.”

The Virtuous Moon Sword spoke while looking at me.

He seemed to have decided to drop formalities entirely now that I had joined the Small Moon Division.

“…But what exactly do you mean?”

Judging by the flow of the conversation, it seemed to be related to me somehow.

‘How could I have any dealings with the Tang family?’

They were one of the Five Great Families in the world. My family was practically in ruins, so much so that even calling it a “family” was embarrassing.

But the Tang family? I had no connection with them whatsoever.

‘Unless it’s about Namgung or… hmm.’

If it were the Murong family, maybe.

But the Tang family? I had no ties with them at all.

Virtuous Moon Sword looked at me and said,

“The Tang family has offered to repair the Full Moon.”

“What?”

Upon hearing that, my eyes widened.

Full Moon? The Full Moon…

‘It’s Grandpa’s cherished sword.’

It was an old, broken, and antique item.

Made of thousand-year cold iron, but its sword body had been shattered halfway, rendering it unusable except as a symbol.

But to repair that?

And the Tang family themselves?

“Excuse me… Sect Leader, what exactly is going on?”

“You do know that the Full Moon was originally made by the Tang family, right?”

“…Yes, roughly.”

In truth, I was hearing this for the first time, but I pretended to know.

‘The Tang family made the Full Moon…?’

Somehow, it made sense.

‘If it’s the Tang family, it makes sense.’

Since it was said to be made of thousand-year cold iron, I always wondered where it had been manufactured.

If it was the Tang family, it was possible.

‘There’s no place better than the Tang family when it comes to handling metals.’

Even at events hosted by the Murim Alliance, the gifts often included swords made by the Tang family. Most of the famous swords used by renowned warriors were also their products.

This meant the Tang family was superior in handling metal.

In such a context,

“They’re proposing to repair the Full Moon.”

“Exactly.”

The moment I heard that Virtuous Moon Sword had entrusted the repair to the Tang family, I understood his intent.

“To restore its symbolism?”

“….”

Virtuous Moon Sword’s eyes sparkled at my words.

“Correct.”

He soon nodded in agreement.

With Yu Chun-gil’s death, the falling support for the sect began to show, and now they seized the opportunity to reclaim his favorite sword, the Full Moon.

The Blue Moon Sect would certainly want to repair it, but here was the crucial part:

“I never gave my permission.”

The ownership of the Full Moon was mine.

“How dare you…!”

The Small Moon Division Leader reacted angrily to my words, but the Virtuous Moon Sword raised his hand to stop him.

“He’s right. The Full Moon belongs to him.”

So, despite knowing this, they went ahead and entrusted the repair. Were they outright ignoring me? I quickly dismissed the thought.

‘If they were, they wouldn’t be so blatant and stupid about it.’

Even though I hadn’t met him many times, at least from my impression, Virtuous Moon Sword wasn’t someone who would do something so careless.

There had to be another reason or intention.

And sure enough,

“So, I thought of making a deal with you.”

The Virtuous Moon Sword said to me.

“A deal?”

“Yes, a deal.”

“What kind of deal are you talking about?”

“As you’ve heard, it’s simple. Go to the Tang family and repair the Full Moon.”

“If that’s what the Sect Leader wants… What do I get in return?”

When it was called a deal, it meant something would be given in return.

What could it be? Just as anticipation began to build.

“In return, I’ll be your shadow once.”

“… What?”

What was that supposed to mean? Shadow? Would he be on my side?

“I don’t particularly need that…”

“Namgung family. Young Azure Sword.”

“… On second thought, I might need it.”

I replied with a sardonic smile at the continuation of Virtuous Moon Sword’s words.

‘Ah, damn.’

I had forgotten for a moment.

‘There was that incident.’

Cold sweat began to form.

What Virtuous Moon Sword mentioned was nothing else.

‘The incident where I crushed Young Azure Sword’s nuts.’

It was an act that took place after a martial contest had ended, targeting a vital spot. If the Namgung family raised an issue, it would be problematic.

To resolve this, I had…

‘…asked Chun Uijin to enter the Blue Moon Sect.’

Even the Five Great Families couldn’t easily touch someone affiliated with the Blue Moon Sect.

‘Tsk…’

What Virtuous Moon Sword brought up now meant…

‘There’s been an issue.’

It meant the Namgung family had raised objections.

“I’ll give you what you want. But in return, how do you feel about repairing the Full Moon?”

“I think it’s a reasonable exchange.”

I had to accept it. The terms weren’t bad either.

‘It’s broken anyway, restoring it wouldn’t be a bad thing.’

Although I wasn’t going to use it myself, it was good to fix it. Plus, it would completely resolve the issue with the Namgung family.

I wouldn’t be at a loss.

That’s what I thought, at least.

“But, there’s one condition attached to repairing the Full Moon.”

“A condition?”

“This is the real reason you were called.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Whether you’ve heard or not, the Tang family wants to repair the Full Moon.”

Virtuous Moon Sword’s blue eyes fixated on me.

“They placed a condition that the Sword Saint’s successor personally brings the Full Moon to them.”

“…!”

I frowned as soon as I heard it.

It was obvious what they meant by the Sword Saint’s successor.

“… Me?”

They wanted me to bring the Full Moon to the Tang family?

“That seems to be your mission. What do you think?”

“…”

What do you mean, what do I think?

“Just to confirm, what happens if I refuse? Can I say no?”

“Well.”

“That’s a terrifying response.”

“I’m not sure, but it might distance you from what you aspire to achieve here.”

“…”

Ultimately, it meant I had to go one way or another.

‘My first mission is a long-distance one from the start?’

To Sichuan at that? A place I’d never been to, and on top of that…

‘I heard some bad rumors recently.’

There were some recent rumors about Sichuan that made me want to avoid the place as much as possible.

‘What should I do…’

How should I handle this? The only one who might know the answer wasn’t here at the moment.

‘It seems like an important mission, but is it right to leave the Blue Moon Sect now?’

It was even dangerous.

Honestly, if it wasn’t dangerous, it wouldn’t be that bad. But…

“If you decide to go, I’ll assign personnel. You should depart in the near future if that’s the case.”

“What?”

While I was contemplating, something crossed my mind from the Virtuous Moon Sword’s words.

To assign personnel?

As soon as I heard that, I spoke up.

“Sect Leader.”

“Speak.”

“Do you remember the bet you made last time?”

There was a bet about whether or not I could join the Small Moon Division.

If I joined the Small Moon Division, Virtuous Moon Sword was to grant one request within his capabilities.

“I remember.”

Fortunately, he answered.

Upon hearing that, I smiled and said, “Can I use that now?”

“……”

Virtuous Moon Sword’s brow furrowed.

* * *

After Bang Sung-Yun left upon hearing those words.

Once alone with the Virtuous Moon Sword, the Small Moon Division Leader spoke immediately.

“Sect Leader, this is absurd…! How could it be anything but Elder’s Full Moon?”

The Small Moon Division Leader was fuming as if this was an unforgivable issue.

“If it must be done, let me go instead of Young master Bang.”

“Impossible.”

It was a flat rejection.

“……”

Despite the Small Moon Division Leader’s reaction, the Virtuous Moon Sword simply stared at him.

“Is he still ‘Young master Bang’ even though he’s already joined the Small Moon Division?”

He criticized the title, but the Small Moon Division Leader didn’t budge.

“…… I cannot accept it.”

“What can’t you accept?”

“That he is a member of the Small Moon Division-”

“No.”

The Virtuous Moon Sword cut him off.

“That’s not something you can’t accept. It’s about whether or not you acknowledge the boy who came into the Small Moon Division.”

Virtuous Moon Sword’s gaze turned. It directed towards the Full Moon situated in the center of the room.

“It’s that you can’t accept that the boy is the successor of the Elder. Isn’t that so?”

“……”

The Small Moon Division Leader did not rebut. He couldn’t.

Because it was true.

“Small Moon Division Leader.”

“Yes…”

“I know you respect the Elder, but this is an official matter. You know that the terms were set directly by their family, right?”

In other words, don’t let emotions get in the way. Virtuous Moon Sword mixed strength into his words to give a cold warning.

“… I apologize.”

The Small Moon Division Leader immediately lowered his head. He knew well that arguing any further would cross the line set by Virtuous Moon Sword.

However, this didn’t mean that he accepted it wholeheartedly.

Even so, the Virtuous Moon Sword didn’t point it out further.

Knowing his heart well himself.

“Small Moon Division Leader.”

“Yes…”

“The Murim Alliance’s Guard Division Leader died by my hand today.”

“…!!”

It wasn’t the time to dwell on such matters.

The Small Moon Division Leader’s face, which had been brimming with displeasure, changed in an instant.

“… What do you mean…?”

“It was the Hao Clan.”

“What…! How could a division leader…!!”

The Small Moon Division Leader clenched his fist, his face contorting in anger. His eyes were full of contempt.

“It could mean that even the upper echelons of the Murim Alliance are deeply involved. Therefore”,

Virtuous Moon Sword rolled a small, unknown bead towards the Small Moon Division Leader.

The Small Moon Division Leader instinctively caught it.

When he did, the Virtuous Moon Sword spoke.

“You have something else to take care of, not related to the Full Moon.”

Something very important too.