The World’s Greatest is Dead

The World’s Greatest is Dead – Chapter 119

When Tang Yelan was very, very young…

Was it just after she turned ten? Or before that? It was so long ago that she couldn’t clearly remember.

At that time, there were increasing rumors about Tang Yelan being a prodigy from the Tang family, and she began gaining more attention.

She was evaluated to possess even greater talent than her second orabeoni, Tang Chun-il, who was acclaimed as a genius.

As she gradually attracted more attention, things changed.

Back then, Tang Yelan was different from now.

She didn’t shy away from the attention and repeatedly trained, pleased with her talent.

She believed that by becoming an outstanding martial artist, she would contribute to the Tang family.

With that mindset, she gradually blossomed in talent.

She believed without a doubt that soon, a dragon would emerge from the Tang family.

But then, a problem arose.

It happened during a duel between Tang Chun-il and Tang Yelan.

‘I… I don’t want this anymore. I don’t want this…’

Little Tang Yelan, with blood-soaked trembling hands, looked at Tang Chun-il, who seemed lifeless and unconscious in front of her.

‘I hate this… I don’t want it…’

She tearfully said those words.

After that day, Tang Yelan stopped all training that her direct bloodline was supposed to undertake.

One day, out of the blue, she informed the Tang family head that she wanted to learn blacksmithing.

And that was just ten years ago.

* * *

*Clang! Clang-clang!!*

A small, thin hand wielded a hammer that moved from mid-air to the ground.

*Clang!*

*Clang!*

The rhythm and speed were constant.

As if there were no room for any error, the woman didn’t even blink as she continued to swing the hammer.

*Clang! Clang!*

Her small body was taut, veins bulging, evidencing the exertion.

She was drenched in sweat from the heat and her exhaustion was visible.

*Clang!*

‘Ugh!’

She momentarily faltered, almost losing her grip on the hammer but caught it again.

*Clang!*

She re-entered the rhythm in time.

Fortunately, no problem occurred.

‘So tired…’

She was reaching her limit, the woman intuitively felt. Tang Yelan knew it.

How much time had passed? How long had she been swinging the hammer?

She didn’t know. There wasn’t even time to think about it.

If she hesitated or paused even a little, everything would be ruined.

*Clang!*

Her hands shook. Even in that state, she tried to maintain the rhythm because it was crucial not to lose it.

It was difficult. If she used inner qi, it wouldn’t be this tiring, but at this stage in blacksmithing, that was absolutely not allowed.

‘If I infuse energy, I can’t control the force.’

She needed extremely precise control. She knew that if she infused energy here, everything would be ruined.

Therefore, craftsmen never infused energy into their work.

The problem was…

‘… It’s heavy.’

Swinging without using inner qi for such a long time had completely drained her stamina.

The fact that the material was black iron posed the biggest issue.

Black iron was a difficult mineral to handle, similar to Cold Iron.

When completed, black iron could possess immense sharpness and durability.

It also had the characteristic of better absorbing inner qi from martial artists. But that was only if it was well-made.

Black iron was a precious material, but could be relatively easily acquired.

It wasn’t cheap, but if one had money, it could be obtained.

However, the reason why there were hardly any famous weapons made from black iron was…

‘Because it’s hard to handle.’

The difficulty in working with the material meant that few craftsmen could successfully process it.

If a weapon was made from black iron, its price and value would exponentially rise…

‘It could be less valuable than a famous blade.’

Ironically, a black iron weapon could end up being of lower quality than a weapon made from ordinary metals.

Black iron was so difficult to work with that even if a weapon was made from it, if not handled perfectly, it would be inferior to conventional weapons.

Of course, being superior metal, it would still be sharp and durable.

But this was the Central Plains.

For martial artists, the most important feature of a weapon was how well it could channel their inner qi.

A mere error in the process with black iron resulted in issues with this key feature.

However…

“Huff!”

*Clang!*

If black iron was handled perfectly.

And if an exceptional weapon was forged at the Iron Workshop.

It would give birth to what was called a divine weapon.

*Clang! Clang!*

The Full Moon used by Sword Saint, Yu Chun-gil was such an example.

Another example was the special weapon currently used by the head of the Mount Hua Sect.

Divine weapons.

At the Iron Workshop, they were called exceptional weapons, but in the Central Plains, they were known as divine weapons.

Tang Yelan knew this.

The sword blade Bang Sung-Yun had requested was almost entirely broken.

That blade was a divine weapon in every sense.

She could tell just by looking at it and was convinced while handling it.

‘… Where on earth.’

She had seen the Full Moon from afar.

It was a weapon on par with that great divine weapon.

How could such a sword have broken in such a dire state?

And how could Bang Sung-Yun have brought it along with the Sword Saint’s last words?

Tang Yelan had no idea.

Moreover, she was puzzled as to why this task was entrusted to her.

*Clang-!*

What did he see? What did he see in her to assign such a task?

Tang Yelan had learned blacksmithing but had never once forged a weapon.

Not even once.

She had always been frustrated at not being able to complete a weapon.

The pile of discarded materials had grown like a mountain.

That was why. The blacksmiths of Iron Workshop did not look kindly upon her.

Born into the direct lineage of the Tang family, she had abandoned martial arts and became a blacksmith—a problem child.

Although she entered Iron Workshop thanks to the influence of her family head and the generosity of the workshop master…

She had spent years without crafting a proper weapon.

She was that incompetent person.

Despite that, here she was.

‘I believe in you.’

What did they believe in?

And she…

‘I’ll do it.’

Even after being told that failing would mean she could never set foot in Iron Workshop again…

Why did she want to undertake this task?

Tang Yelan, exhausted, found herself losing the flow in her hazy mind.

‘Can I really do it?’

She felt uncertain.

She lacked the strength to handle black iron.

*Clang-!*

The consistent rhythm wavered.

No matter how she tried to keep it steady, she was becoming duller.

*Clang-!*

Was her stamina sufficient? Despite her training, her thin wrist began to strain.

She felt she might lose grip on the hammer if her strength waned even a little.

*Clang-! Clang-!*

“Haa…”

Her breath misted. Tears seemed imminent.

Feeling ashamed of herself for saying she could do it and ending up like this.

If this were the case, she should have said no from the start.

She should not have stepped forward yesterday from the very beginning.

She had endured well enough.

Even while hearing Orabeoni’s verbal abuse and disregard all her life, she had persevered.

Why couldn’t she do the same yesterday?

Although she questioned herself, Tang Yelan knew the answer.

She was angry.

It was one thing to be looked down upon herself, but seeing Poison Dragon disparaging Bang Sung-Yun infuriated her.

That must have made her very angry.

Then…

‘Why?’

Why did that make her angry?

She knew the answer to this as well.

Just as she was recalling it…

*Clang-!*

“Eek!”

The hammer she wielded trembled. It was dangerous; she barely regained control.

“Huff…”

How much longer did she have to continue?

How many strikes would it take for this to finally be completed?

She did not know. Tang Yelan wiped away her sweat. She could not tell if she was wiping sweat or tears.

Tears flowed from her eyes already.

“Haa.”

She narrowed her tired breath.

Should she stop? She wanted to quit.

She felt she could never complete this.

That thought took over her mind.

If she stopped what she was doing, if she dropped what she was holding, she could surely find comfort.

“…”

There was no need to insist.

No one expected anything from her anyway.

Even if she never returned to the Iron Workshop, it would be the same.

As she thought of that and prepared to set down her tools once and for all…

‘My granddaughter. Do as you wish.’

“…”

A memory came to her in the form of a sound.

‘If you don’t want to do it, then don’t. Live doing what you want. But…’

‘If what you are doing is running away, it will leave you with regret. I hope you don’t let that happen.’

‘That’s the only old wish of this Grandpa.’

“…”

Those were the words he had said, patting the head of her younger, tearful self.

*Clang-!*

As soon as she recalled it, Tang Yelan moved her hand, which had been about to stop.

“Hic.”

Tears streamed down her face.

She ignored them.

*Clang-!*

She let them flow freely.

Now, she focused on what she could do.

‘I can do this.’

She believed she could do it.

Someone believed that she could.

Therefore, it was possible.

With her strength waning, she repeated the action, her movements continuing.

『Don’t be too focused on maintaining the same rhythm.』

“…”

Was it because she was so exhausted? It felt as if she heard her Grandpa’s voice again.

『If it’s tough, it’s because you’re exerting too much unnecessary effort. Just maintain your will to not let go, and keep your wrist and elbow relaxed.』

Without realizing it, she complied and relaxed her strength.

Then.

*Kaang-!!*

“!”

A completely different sound was heard from before.

『Do you remember, Lan-ah, what the most important thing about refining metal is?』

I remember.

『Listen to the sound of the iron.』

*Kaang-!!*

*Kaaang–!!!*

『Don’t just hit based on rules.』

*Kaang-!!*

『Move as you want. Lan-ah, you can do it. Definitely.』

You can do it.

Oddly enough, that voice, which was nothing but an auditory hallucination, provided her with some comfort.

*Kaang-!!*

The changing sound brought a surge of heat.

The focus she was losing came back.

*Kaaaang-!*

‘Oh.’

Realization dawned on her at the sound she heard by her ear.

This is it.

*Kaang-! Kaang-!*

The rules were gone. The way she hammered had changed.

Tears stopped.

There was no need to shed them any longer.

She kept hammering for a long time.

*Bang-!*

The hammer slipped from Tang Yelan’s hand and rolled on the ground.

She lost grip due to exhaustion.

Still, Tang Yelan kept looking at the object in front of her as if it didn’t matter.

“Haa… Haa…”

Her breathing was rough.

How many times had I hammered and how much charcoal had I burned?

I couldn’t count the number.

Tang Yelan sat down, looking at the sword in front of her.

“Haa… Haa!!”

Her legs lost strength.

She dragged herself forward.

“Haa…”

The red glow gradually faded, revealing a pitch-black blade befitting the name “Black Iron.”

“… It’s done…”

She had done it.

“I… did it…”

She had done it.

“I did it…”

Saying that, Tang Yelan smiled brightly.

She tried to marvel at her achievement, clenching her small fists.

『Now you need to sharpen the blade, right?』

“!”

The hallucination interrupted Tang Yelan as if telling her it wasn’t time to rejoice.

Hearing that, she moved immediately.

It wasn’t finished. The sword was not done until it was complete.

“Quickly!!”

She moved hastily with the blade.

Then.

*Flutter-!*

A piece of paper that was stuck to her back fluttered and fell to the ground.

It was a red talisman with some unknown script written on it.

『…..』

Watching Tang Yelan move further away.

『…kikiki…』

The Poison Sovereign let out a sorrowful laugh behind her.

The laughter was so sorrowful that it didn’t sound like laughing; it sounded as if he was crying.

* * *

Tang Yelan ran, holding something wrapped in cloth.

“Huff! Huff!”

Although her breath that had surged up earlier had yet to return and her breathing was rough and difficult, Tang Yelan’s expression was bright.

She didn’t even realize how much time had passed since she entered the Iron Workshop.

“Huff!!”

Not wiping off the sweat she had shed, Tang Yelan just kept running.

‘Quickly.’

She wanted to show it to him immediately.

That was her only thought.

More than the euphoria or the sense of accomplishment from mastering it, she wanted to show it to him immediately.

To say thank you for believing in her.

That she could do it thanks to him.

With only that thought in mind, Tang Yelan ran and ran again.

She knew where he was.

She always knew he would be in the training yard if there were no special events.

‘Quickly-!’

She had to show it quickly.

With that thought, she ran to the guesthouse and to the training yard behind it.

The servants who were startled by her quickly couldn’t stop her.

She was too fast.

Finally, she grabbed the training yard’s door and opened it.

“Young Master-!! I!”

*Kwaaang—!!*

A harsh sound was heard as soon as Tang Yelan opened the door.

“Huh…?”

Seeing the scene inside, Tang Yelan widened her eyes.

The smile she had been wearing vanished in an instant.

It was inevitable.

Inside, as expected, Bang Sung-Yun was there, but there was another person.

Surprisingly, it was Poison Dragon Tang Chun-il.

That wasn’t the most shocking.

“Grrr…”

“You bastard.”

Bang Sung-Yun was stepping on Tang Chun-il’s head, swearing as he did so.

TL’s Corner:
Chun-il got done in off-screen. 🙁