The World’s Greatest is Dead

Directly after my conversation with Virtuous Moon Sword, I headed to the place where the martial artists of the Blue Moon Sect gathered.

“Hah!”

“Haa!”

Rough shouts echoed in my ears. This was the place where the 2nd-generation disciples gathered to train.

“…… Huh?”

“That person is…….”

As soon as I appeared, all eyes turned toward me. Everyone was looking at me with various expressions.

As always, there was a palpable sense of dissatisfaction.

Up until the day before yesterday, there had been a vague sense of discontent that I couldn’t quite understand.

“……He entered the Small Moon Division…….”

“They say he toyed with Senior Brother Sung.”

There were now more looks of surprise than anything else.

Though it couldn’t be said that they were gazing in awe, there were certainly no looks of disregard or distrust anymore.

Sensing this, I walked a bit more confidently. It was too late to hesitate now after all that had transpired.

Flutter-!

The martial uniform of the Small Moon Division fluttered with each step, and everyone who saw it turned to look at me.

“Ah.”

I spotted the person I was looking for and walked toward him.

As expected, he seemed to have noticed me as well.

“Young master Chun.”

The handsome young man drenched in sweat, Chun Uijin, looked into my eyes.

“……Young master Bang?”

Wiping the sweat off his chin, Chun Uijin’s face showed just how hard he had been training.

“How have you been?”

“……Ah, yes. Hoo… Hoo….”

He answered while catching his breath, clearly looking quite uncomfortable.

Barely having caught his breath, he straightened his posture and addressed me.

“What brings you here, Young master Bang?”

“Oh, I have something to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?”

Chun Uijin tilted his head in curiosity at my question.

* * *

I brought Chun Uijin out of the training ground to a small space nearby.

“I’m sorry for dragging you away from your training suddenly.”

“No, it’s fine. It was just about time for a break anyway.”

Chun Uijin smiled as if to show that he didn’t mind.

Of course, he wouldn’t know that I had deliberately come at break time.

“Thank you for understanding.”

There was no need to reveal everything, so I lightly accepted Chun Uijin’s words.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Ah, I had some business with you, Young master Chun. It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it?”

In reality, it had only been a few days, but I glossed over such trivial matters.

“Business, you say……?”

“Yes.”

“What is it……?”

“I’ve become part of the Small Moon Division recently. Were you aware of that?”

Chun Uijin paused for a moment at my words.

In that brief moment, a subtle emotion flickered in his eyes.

But it was fleeting.

“I am aware. Congratulations.”

Chun Uijin responded with a smile as if the moment had been insignificant.

Of course, I hadn’t missed that brief moment.

“Well, it’s not really something to be congratulated for.”

It wasn’t like I had earned it myself anyway.

As I thought that, I spoke.

“How can you say that……!”

Chun Uijin replied to me incredulously.

“You are the only person in history to join the Small Moon Division at your age, not to mention the fact that you won in the trials.”

“……That’s… what happened.”

Historically the youngest. Such a burdensome nickname had been attached to me.

Maybe that’s why Chun Uijin’s eyes slightly sparkled.

“I was very surprised when I heard the news. Although I have thought about it for a long time, the more I see you, Bang Sung-Yun, the more amazing you seem…”

Chun Uijin, who had been repeatedly expressing his admiration, had his eyes slightly dimmed.

“Unlike me, that is.”

Though he murmured these words as if they were crawling, they weren’t inaudible.

‘This guy gets weirder as time goes on.’

I felt an inexplicable sense of inadequacy and a surprisingly low self-esteem that didn’t match his stature.

What on earth could it be?

‘From what I see, Chun Uijin is not someone who should have low self-esteem.’

He had a handsome face distinct from mine and a tall stature.

Even his skills were quite exceptional among late-stage practitioners.

Although he hadn’t reached the level of Seventh Rank, Chun Uijin’s talents were certainly impressive enough not to be questioned anywhere.

‘Why is he so deflated?’

I had already felt it back in Anhui, but since coming to the Blue Moon Sect, this sensation had grown stronger.

He appeared exceptionally spiritless.

“Hmm…”

I scratched my cheek awkwardly. It felt strangely uncomfortable pretending to be humble and saying that I wasn’t that impressive.

“… Anyway, let’s leave that aside.”

So, I decided to feign ignorance and move on.

“I received a mission when I became a member of the Small Moon Division.”

“Huh? Yes.”

This was the main topic.

“In the process, I’m heading to Sichuan.”

“Sichuan?”

Chun Uijin’s eyes widened upon hearing the news.

“Sichuan, out of nowhere… that’s quite far…”

“Would you like to come with me?”

“Excuse me?”

His eyes widened even further. I was surprised to realize just how big they were.

“… To Sichuan, you say?”

“Yes, to Sichuan.”

He was momentarily startled by the sudden mention of Sichuan but quickly composed himself.

“You’re saying it’s a mission, but why me…?”

Chun Uijin asked a fundamental question, for which I had already prepared an answer.

“I think it would be good if you came with me.”

“With you?”

“Yes. To be honest, there aren’t many trustworthy people besides you, Chun Uijin.”

“…”

Chun Uijin seemed moved by my words.

“… But… since it’s a mission as a Small Moon Division member, I would need approval-”

“Don’t worry about that.”

I grinned.

“I’ve already received the Sect Leader’s permission.”

“The Sect Leader granted it?”

Chun Uijin spoke in disbelief. Was this so hard to believe?

“Well, it wasn’t an immediate approval, but I know it will be granted eventually.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“So, just think about one thing, Chun Uijin. Are you coming or not?”

“…”

Chun Uijin’s eyes wavered at my question.

After a brief pause.

“… If Young master Bang Sung-Yun allows it… I would like to go.”

“Then it’s settled.”

I nodded.

Although there was some hesitance, it was clear Chun Uijin wanted to go.

That was all I needed.

“I’ll let you know as soon as preparations are complete.”

Since the business was done, I immediately turned around.

“Oh, and…”

My words made me stop.

“One more person will join us.”

Naturally, it wasn’t just the two of us going.

“Life is precious, so I think I should take a talisman.”

“A talisman…?”

Chun Uijin, puzzled by the sudden mention of a talisman, said nothing more.

“Alright then, see you later. Train hard.”

“Ah, w… wait a moment!”

I casually ignored his words.

With Chun Uijin sorted out,

‘Now it’s that person.’

The person who would be my talisman. I just needed to convince that individual.

Thinking that, I headed in another direction.

* * *

Dusk was setting in.

By the time I finished my errands and came out, the sun had already set.

“Hmm.”

I patted my shoulder, weary with fatigue. Fortunately, I had also secured the approval of the second person.

To be honest, it was somewhat difficult to get them to agree, but in the end, I succeeded, so it was fine.

‘Is everything ready now?’

It seemed like all the preparations were done. All that remained was…

‘Verification…’

To verify if what I was doing was right.

I had been running around preparing haphazardly, even before I could get flustered.

In the end, I still didn’t know if it was right or not.

To find out…

‘You should show up now.’

I needed the evil spirit that was always attached to me, but even now, at dusk, it hadn’t appeared.

“Tsk.”

Where on earth had it gone that I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of it?

It was maddening that it didn’t show up, especially at a crucial moment.

Yu Chun-gil had not appeared, even in situations that seemed critical.

Did something really happen to him?

‘Then what should I do?’

It would be good if he didn’t show up, but it created several other problems.

“Training starts tomorrow.”

Up until now, I had stayed at the Small Moon Division as a guest, but since I joined it, my status would definitely change.

I couldn’t skip training the way I did today because Moon Eye had called me for a first meeting.

From tomorrow onward, I had to attend the training and events within the Blue Moon Sect.

“Tsk…”

This was really troublesome.

Even as I lay on the floor of my quarters, I felt uneasy.

“What’s going on, really?”

At first, I thought it was just the usual trick of not showing up to mess with me. But by now, it felt genuinely strange.

“Ah, I have so much to think about.”

Why would this old man act like this, too?

“… Hoo…”

I couldn’t help but sigh.

If Yu Chun-gil had truly disappeared out of nowhere,

‘What should I do next?’

How should I proceed from there?

The jerk who meddled with my life would be gone, and although I would have gained some things, living just like this didn’t sit well.

‘It’s too unsettling to just let it go.’

For some reason, it didn’t feel right.

‘Then what exactly do you want from me?’

It was uncertain, and there seemed to be no clear way to find out.

“Sigh.”

I let out a sigh and closed my eyes.

There had been too many things on my mind all day, leaving me unusually tired.

Yes, just like yesterday.

It felt like I would fall asleep as soon as I closed my eyes.

“…… Oh no, this won’t do.”

It was still too early to sleep.

Thinking so, I immediately tried to get up.

“…… Oh, damn.”

As soon as I got up, I had to grimace.

The sight in front of me was familiar.

The whole world had turned white. It was the same place as the dream I had the last time.

This meant.

“Again?”

It meant I had entered the spirit dream again.

* * *

When did I fall asleep?

I had been trying to just rest my eyes for a moment, but it seemed I had fallen asleep entirely.

“Damn it.”

I raked my hair back. The sensation on my fingertips was still vivid.

It was practically sickening.

“…… Hmph.”

What on earth was going on?

‘The old man didn’t seem to be around.’

He hadn’t shown up for a long time, and I wondered what he was trying to do.

I narrowed my eyes and looked around.

‘Dreaming of the spirit dream again must mean…’

It meant the old man was somewhere nearby.

“What on earth are you doing?”

As soon as I realized this, I shouted out loud.

I shouted loudly as if to make he hear.

– …..

The surroundings were silent. As if no one was there.

The sense of alienation and discomfort from not hearing even an echo.

I felt it all and furrowed my brow.

“This is not amusing. I have a lot of things to do, so why are you playing these pranks?”

Issues related to Sichuan or the Tang family.

Besides that, there were numerous other matters to discuss.

Why did he keep causing these incidents?

It was impossible to understand.

“I know you’re listening.”

Just because there was no response didn’t mean no one was there.

Once in the spirit dream, there had to be someone who brought me there.

I was certain that it was Yu Chun-gil.

So.

“Stop this nonsense and come out right n….”

Just as I was about to say it.

“……”

I trailed off and stared at something.

At the center of the white world.

Someone was about twenty paces away from me.

It was a space that had been completely empty just moments ago.

And that wasn’t all.

The person who appeared was, surprisingly, someone I knew.

A young man with disheveled hair and a weary demeanor.

My blue eyes were fixed on him.

“Who are you?”

It was the same person I had met before.