The World’s Greatest is Dead

The World’s Greatest is Dead – Chapter 120

How many times had I died?

I gave up counting when it surpassed around three thousand times.

I was told to block a single strike, but three thousand attempts passed without success.

No, it wasn’t just three thousand.

‘Since I stopped counting, it must have been more than three thousand.’

I grew tired of counting and decided to abandon keeping track.

Even though I chose to forget, if I were to estimate, it would probably be twice as much.

Maybe even more.

The thought itself was terrifying, and the experiences were too grueling to bother remembering.

“… Haa… Damn it…”

A curse slipped out. Even speaking after such a long time felt peculiar, almost as if hearing my own voice was startling.

“A despicable bastard.”

Gritting my teeth—though I could speak in the dream, and thus listen to voices as well.

“What the hell is up with that guy?”

Though there were occasions when I could speak to someone in the dream, I often kept silent, passing the time with nothing but my thoughts.

And if asked why I didn’t converse even when there was someone to talk to in the dream…

‘Why do you think?’

It’s because that guy wouldn’t speak.

Until the hundreds, no, thousands of attempts, I kept trying to speak.

Before half of those attempts, he killed me even before I could speak.

Even when I successfully started a conversation, he would just kill me without saying a word.

‘He was a lunatic.’

He had a huge build yet a scarily thin frame.

His eyes seemed dead, but the murderous intent emanating from them was fierce.

Since he didn’t speak, it wouldn’t be wrong to consider him a beast.

“Haa… Damn bastard. Crazy fool. A piece of trash.”

I continued to curse, grinding my teeth. What kind of person’s youth did I face? It was utterly unbearable.

“A scum who deserves to be ripped apart and burned. The kind who steps in…”

『… I’m hearing everything.』

While I was cursing, someone interrupted my words with a displeased tone.

“… Damn it, just full of it.”

Even then, I didn’t stop speaking.

『……』

The ghost, Yu Chun-gil, looked at me with a dismayed face.

Looking at him, I said, “What?”

『Didn’t I tell you I’m hearing everything?』

“So what? I wasn’t even speaking to you directly, was I?”

I replied irritably. Then,『But, you know that guy was me in my younger days, right?』

“Ah, really?”

I replied nonchalantly.

“No wonder he was such a prick. I wondered who he took after.”

『Aha! So you were saying everything deliberately so I could hear it?』

Of course.

Honestly, I was dying to curse.

Now that it was out, I said, “Were you really insane, grandpa?”

『Hm?』

“Why did you make me face a guy like that?”

『That guy… I must repeat, he was me in my youth-』

“No conscience, and a total bastard.”

『Just curse at me instead.』

“You damn bastard.”

『… This lunatic…』

I couldn’t help but do it. Truly.

“How did you expect me to deal with that?”

Thousands of times.

It was many more times than in the first dream.

Moreover, ‘It took that many attempts just to block a single strike.’

It wasn’t even a concept of exchanging blows—a single strike.

The number of attempts needed to block it was already in the thousands.

『Hmm.』

Yu Chun-gil awkwardly cleared his throat.

『… When was it? I roughly recall it was when I was just over twenty.』

“… Really?”

That terrifying appearance wasn’t even a few years different from me?

Despite his haggard look making it hard to guess his age precisely.

That was too much.

That meant, ‘He was such a monster from his early twenties.’

Barely twenty years old.

The same age as Tang Yelan and younger than Poison Dragon.

I had never been frightened looking at those two.

But Yu Chun-gil’s appearance was terrifying.

He was only twenty?

If he truly was twenty, ‘Then why does he look like that?’

Why did he look so haggard? His build was massive at fifteen, but it shrunk by twenty. It was puzzling.

Just as I was about to question it,

『Nevertheless, you managed it, didn’t you?』

Yu Chun-gil shamelessly admitted.

“Ah? You’re saying as long as the result is good, it’s all fine?”

『Well, if the result had been poor, it would be different… but in reality, …』

“You damn bastard.”

『Didn’t I ask you not to curse just now?』

“Then make it so I don’t have to curse.”

At my words, Yu Chun-gil responded in an aggrieved tone.

『Hey, who told you to do it all at once? You knew it too, the dream could be broken at any time.』

It was true. Unlike the first dream, I instinctively knew this one could be broken anytime.

Despite that, I persisted.

Why?

‘Because I was stubborn.’

I was infuriated. I wanted to see who would win, and I didn’t want to escape in defeat.

I hung on tenaciously.

In the end, just before my spirit broke, I managed to block it.

Moreover, I had much to say about this as well.

“Repeating numerous times doesn’t mean I’ll succeed.”

『……』

Yu Chun-gil remained silent. Likely because it was the truth.

“Using sword qi, could I have blocked it?”

He, Yu Chun-gil at twenty, even used sword qi.

It indicated that he was a master-level martial artist, and I couldn’t block his single strike.

Why?

‘Sword qi can be blocked by sword qi.’

I couldn’t use sword qi.

This meant I didn’t have the ability to block a single strike.

So, what did I have to do to overcome that dream?

The answer was obvious.

‘I had to use sword qi.’

I needed to use it too.

Despite not even being at the pinnacle, I had to produce qi.

In the common sense of the Central Plains, this would be an absurd idea.

But, ‘I already knew the solution.’

I had seen it a long time ago.

That sense of awakening qi with a martial artist’s body at a First-rate level.

So, the moment I knew that the bastard was a martial artist using sword qi, I realized the purpose of this dream.

“Block the strike.”

Yu Chun-Gil had said such words.

But this was.

“Awaken sword qi.”

That was the right interpretation.

I had to awaken sword qi to escape the dream.

“The concept of blocking comes afterward.”

If I couldn’t awaken qi, whether I blocked it or not, I’d be cut.

I first realized how easily a sword cut as if slicing through tofu.

‘What a crazy monster.’

Just thinking about it made me sigh.

I had died thousands of times in such an impotent way.

“… Even so.”

There was a bit of solace.

“Eventually, I succeeded.”

*Haaaah—!!!*

A brilliant light bloomed at the tip of the sword.

I squinted my eyes at the bright blue light.

‘What was the name of that martial art?’

“Was it called Radiant Moon’s Annihilation?”

Compared to the preliminary and secondary forms of Blue Moon Sword Dance that were basic moves, “The 3rd Form was merely sword qi.”

The 3rd Form was all about emitting light.

Ki infused into the sword.

It was directly produced. The color was as beautiful as it encased the moonlight.

The shimmering appearance was magnificence itself.

“…”

My gaze at it was somewhat indifferent.

It had to be.

“I produced it countless times.”

I had gotten used to it again and again in the dream.

Producing qi was not the end.

I had to block a strike, but producing qi didn’t mean I could block that bastard’s sword.

“Thanks to that, I also built up my proficiency.”

Since my qi was weak and slow, I couldn’t block the opponent’s qi.

So, I had to keep doing it until it worked this time too.

And by the time I blocked the strike and escaped the dream.

*Saaah–!!*

The Radiant Moon’s Annihilation became somewhat complete.

“How interesting.”

Training in the dream didn’t improve physical aspects.

However, “It improved qi application.”

Applying qi improved as much as I experienced in that place.

That was fascinating.

At this rate.

“In terms of energy, isn’t this the best training ground?”

A place where one could infinitely train.

If used rightly, the dream could be utilized as such a place.

『Hooh. Not bad.』

At that moment, Yu Chun-Gil smiled widely at my qi.

『How about it? Wasn’t I right?』

“What do you mean?”

『I told you, didn’t I? Not to focus on emitting light.』

“Oh, that.”

It was what Yu Chun-Gil had told me before I entered the dream. He had given me that advice.

“Hmm.”

『What?』

“I didn’t pay attention to it anyway.”

『What…?』

Yu Chun-Gil looked flabbergasted that I hadn’t paid attention to his advice.

『Then how did you do it?』

“Well, like I said before, abstract concepts don’t suit me.”

Light this, moon that.

Listening to stuff like that didn’t help me. So, I just used the correct method.

“I knew the method already.”

The state my body was in when producing Radiant Moon’s Annihilation.

The feeling at that time.

I remembered everything.

So, the answer was straightforward.

“Just do it until it works.”

If you keep rolling it and rolling it, it will work eventually.

Failing despite knowing was due to unfamiliarity.

Keep at it until it becomes familiar. And keep at it until it works.

“And that’s how it worked.”

『……』

Yu Chun-Gil was speechless at my words.

『… Hmph… Alright.』

There seemed to be a hint of regret.

Perhaps giving a brilliant piece of advice only for me to find another way?

“Well, what can you do?”

We just didn’t match each other.

*Swish.*

The sword spun halfway, and the light scattered as the sword qi dissipated.

“Whew…”

A deep breath escaped. My inner qi was rapidly depleted.

“It’s difficult.”

Releasing sword qi was harder than expected. The energy consumption was off the charts.

Imagining maintaining such energy movement in actual combat made me sweat.

“Even this, I’ll just do it till it works.”

The same principles applied.

Even though I didn’t fully understand what a martial artist was, their methodology was clear.

“Until it works.”

The simplest, most fundamental conclusion.

“Let’s be satisfied with having released sword qi this time.”

Even this felt immensely gratifying.

As someone who had lived as a mediocre martial artist, it was astonishing that I had not only become First-rate but had also acquired the Sword Ki.

‘… Well then.’

Life was indeed unpredictable.

If things continued like this.

‘Could I actually become the World’s Greatest someday?’

As Yu Chun-gil had told me.

‘Could I rise to that position one day too?’

Such an absurd expectation fleetingly crossed my mind.

『Young one.』

The moment when Yu Chun-gil, who had read my thoughts from my face, was about to speak to me with a grin.

*Boom-!!*

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the training hall door burst open roughly.

“You bastard–!!”

Looking at the direction of the door with puzzled eyes, what appeared was none other than Tang Chun-il.

The Poison Dragon.

“… Young master Tang…?”

Why did that guy suddenly appear? And cursing like that?

Wondering what was going on, I stared.

“It’s you–!!”

Tang Chun-il approached me and abruptly grabbed my collar.

“Hey, what is this about?”

Had he gone mad?

“It was definitely you. It’s you.”

“… Could you let go of me first? Let’s talk after you let go.”

His grip on my collar tightened. The suffocation grew more severe.

“What did you do? What did you do for her to act like this?”

“You are driving me crazy. Just let go and-”

I had to calm him down first.

Considering he was carried away sick just yesterday, he shouldn’t be acting like this.

So, I tried to separate him and talk.

“Did you lure her in with your good looks? Well, I suppose you did.”

Tang Chun-il sneered at me.

“I heard your father, who is in Liaodong, was proficient in such things too. You must be no different.”

“… What?”

『Oh, dear.』

I froze at Tang Chun-il’s words.

Yu Chun-gil, upon hearing this, responded with a startled expression.

But even then, Tang Chun-il didn’t stop talking.

“Even so, how dare you, such a worthless-”

『Some education seems needed. Young one, shall we give a little help.』

Before Tang Chun-il and Yu Chun-gil could finish their words.

*Whoosh–!!*

A light burst from my body.

“Argh!?”

Tang Chun-il, startled by the sudden light, tightly closed his eyes.

At that moment.

*Bang-!!*

“Gahk!?”

My fist dug into his solar plexus. His body flew backward, hitting the wall.

Tang Chun-il bounced off the ground and fell.

*Thump-!*

Before he could even fall properly, I stomped on his face.

“You freakin’ bastard, seriously.”

“Urgh!”

“When I hold back, you think I’m some pushover, huh. Worthless scum. What did you say?”

I applied more pressure with my foot.

“Urgh–! … You… You!”

Tang Chun-il tried to get up somehow.

Just then, I slightly raised my foot, releasing the pressure.

Losing the support, Tang Chun-il, who was straining himself, raised his head by his own inherent force.

Seizing the moment, I kicked his cheek.

*Smack-!*

“Gahk!”

His face twisted from the kick, blood dripping onto the floor.

Despite seeing that, I didn’t stop.

I aimed to punch his face again.

“You insignificant bastard-!”

Regaining his senses, Tang Chun-il dodged.

Distance grew in an instant.

His reddened cheek indicated that the strike had hit properly.

His eyes filled with malice.

“Despicable worm. How dare you launch a surprise attack…?”

“You’re the one who launched a surprise attack, asshole. Grabbing my collar without warning is the real surprise attack. Hypocritical prick.”

“Hycri…what?”

“Never mind, you idiot.”

*Sigh.*

I ran my hand through my hair as I sighed deeply.

“Damn worthless bastard…”

I tried to tolerate him as much as I didn’t want any trouble.

But he kept provoking me.

“I really wanted to let it go.”

Even so, I tried to bear it.

Getting in a tangle with the Tang family wasn’t desirable.

However, “Messing with family crosses the line, Young master Tang, you prick.”

That bastard had crossed the line.

『… Young one. Was your language always this foul-』

“If you’re so old, you should have some maturity. Or did you swallow your manners along with poison?”

*Crack.*

I flexed my fingers, making a cracking sound.

“Do they teach that in the Tang family?”

“!”

Upon mentioning the Tang family, a rageful vein bulged on Tang Chun-il’s forehead, forming an X-shape.

“You-! How dare you mention!”

Visibly enraged, Tang Chun-il’s eyes were filled with bloodshot veins.

Watching him, I laughed mockingly.

“Why? You brought up my father, but I can’t mention your family?”

I even refrained from touching the Poison King out of consideration.

Not satisfied with such kind gestures, Tang Chun-il retorted with a distorted expression.

“… You dare to compare your worthless family with the Tang family?”

“Not compared; it seemed too much to explain…”

It’s tiresome to explain.

Communicating with an ignorant person was something I most disliked.

In such situations, there was a simple answer.

“Shut up and draw your weapon.”

Enough is enough.

Honestly, “You need a solid beating.”

That bastard needed a beating prescription.