The World’s Greatest is Dead

Obtaining information wasn’t too difficult. It was just a matter of writing down what I saw.

‘A short haircut, pale skin… and a mole there…’

Sneaking glances was tricky, but it was doable. Memorizing had been my specialty in my previous life, so all I needed to do was engrave the details in my mind.

‘No need to note the size of the scars. Nor the chest size.’

Details beyond that were unknown.

I only saw what was visible.

“Right now, I see five.”

Five. That was the number of specters clinging to Namgung Sung.

They were all women.

They exuded a beauty profound enough to be rumored during their lifetimes. However, being specters, their eyes held a murderous intent, and their distorted expressions evoked fear rather than beauty.

The specters stared at Namgung Sung with looks that could kill. Just seeing them made my legs tremble.

“Insane bastard.”

Not just one, but five. What on earth had he done?

There was no need to ponder long. The specters had something in common.

“They all have red marks on their necks.”

The color was so vivid that it could be mistaken for blood. The necks of these women were marked with the distinct shape of someone’s hand.

Whose hand could it be? There was no need to question that, either.

I was standing right in front of him—the man whom the specters were glaring at.

No matter what he did, it was apparent that Namgung Sung had killed these women.

Otherwise, the specters wouldn’t have clung to me.

“So, my task becomes simpler.”

Grandpa had suggested I use the pearl, but something better was right in front of me. Even though I didn’t want to get involved, I had to use what I could.

I wondered how this obvious information would appear to Namgung Sung.

“Just look at your expression.”

My face twisted and eyes burning. That alone revealed it.

“It worked.”

Namgung Sung probably felt like he’d been hit hard by the information.

How would it look to him?

Normally, no one would have known this information. Even if someone else knew, it would be very few who were aware of this truth.

Since I’d clearly revealed that I knew it, what would Namgung Sung think?

Surely, he was drowning in thoughts.

Since Namgung Sung couldn’t have known I could see ghosts.

“…What… Did you just say?”

There was a shift in his tone. From informal speech back to formal. Hearing that, the corners of my mouth automatically lifted. Namgung Sung was shaken. And deeply so.

“Why do you keep asking twice? You heard me well.”

“…”

This was the moment to push forward.

“Let’s have a match, shall we?”

“Young master Bang.”

“What? Scared?”

I added a taunting remark, and a crack appeared between Namgung Sung’s brows.

Seeing that, I continued speaking.

“If you beat me in a fight, I’ll tell you how I knew. I can even keep it a secret if you want.”

“Sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re saying, Young Master.”

What a pity.

If he had hesitated or been slow to react here, it would have been much easier. But it seemed he wasn’t that much of a fool.

“I simply thought it was inappropriate for Young master Bang to send such a letter, so I got angry.”

“Aha… Is that how you’re playing it?”

Pretending to know nothing and treating me like a madman to brush it off, is that his plan?

“You know nothing…?”

I barely suppressed a laugh at Namgung Sung’s words.

“I didn’t expect this reaction even when I confronted you so directly.”

Was he planning to feign ignorance until the end?

No, that wasn’t it.

‘He’s probably trying to buy time.’

He intended to address the issues once he got out of this situation and identified the problems to resolve them.

In his mind, he was likely considering the possibility of an internal spy. His brain must have been working furiously.

‘Is there any evidence left? If there are witnesses, who are they?’

He would be trying to figure out where things had gone wrong. His mind must have been in overdrive.

But,

“Why would Young master Bang suddenly act this way…!”

I didn’t have any intention to just let it slide. Namgung Sung’s eyes widened as he spoke, noticing I had placed something on the table.

A shimmering blue bead. When I showed it to Namgung Sung, his reaction changed dramatically.

“You piece of…”

Crack-!

His voice and expression shifted instantly, and at the same time, an overwhelming qi emanated from his body.

‘Wow.’

It felt suffocating. Was this what killing intent was like?

‘… Has he surpassed the peak level?’

I wasn’t sure, but it seemed possible.

‘So, I’m now in a life-and-death struggle with a peak-level warrior.’

Unbelievable.

I had grown a lot. Imagine having a battle of wits with a peak warrior in my lifetime.

‘This is absolutely ridiculous. Haha.’

My skin prickled with goosebumps, and cold sweat trickled down my back. Fortunately, it didn’t show on my forehead, so I thought I hadn’t been found out.

“Your reaction is terrifying. I thought I’d show you something you might need, but I guess it’s not what you were looking for?”

The furniture around us shook as if trembling, but I pretended not to notice.

“Do you really want to die?”

“No way. I want to live more than anyone else.”

I planned to find a way to survive no matter what, even if it meant scratching at the wall in my old age.

I intended to enjoy this life, so those were terrifying words to hear.

‘I am struggling to survive.’

Unlike some people, I had nothing and started with nothing but disadvantages.

In such circumstances, I was trying to live stubbornly.

Sometimes, just trying to survive meant you had to risk your life. This was one of those times.

“You want to live? And you still pull this stunt on me?”

“What stunt? I was just trying to give you what you wanted.”

“Grrt.”

A rough grinding noise came from Namgung Sung’s teeth.

He was terrifying.

What if he drew his sword? What if he tried to behead me? Would I be able to react?

So many thoughts crossed my mind, and I was terrified.

“Stop glaring uselessly and just answer me.”

Despite being tormented inside, my exterior remained calm and composed. It was a skill I had acquired after rolling and rolling through my past life.

‘Speak like a snake, lie like a swan on a lake.’

That was what the old man Baek, who had taught me, used to say.

Speech should flow naturally to slowly entangle your opponent, whereas lies should glide gracefully, even if it meant frantic paddling beneath the surface.

“I ever tell you to follow orders? Or to back me up? No, I just said let’s fight.”

I rolled the orb lightly in front of him.

“Clearly, you don’t like me either. So, let’s go at it, huh?”

“You wretch…”

“I’ll make a promise. If you win, I’ll keep what I know a secret and give this back to you. But if you refuse to fight…”

With a flick, I caught the rolling orb and stopped it. Then, I looked Namgung Sung in the eye.

“Then, the information I know will soon be known to the Beggar Sect, and this orb will be delivered to the head of the Namgung family.”

“…!”

The Beggar Sect was one of the Nine Great Sects, known as the eyes and ears of the current orthodox faction.

There was a saying that any rumor that the Beggar Sect got involved with could spread across the Central Plains in less than a day.

It was impossible to acquire anything through the Beggar Sect unless one had considerable fame, and as a countryside bumpkin, there’s no way I could have such a thing.

‘But he won’t see it that way.’

An enigmatic figure who knew his secrets. Moreover, someone reputed as the Sword Saint’s disciple and something linked to the Blue Moon Sect, an inexplicable martial anomaly.

Everything about this left him with an unavoidable sense of wariness—that’s what my existence is to him right now.

Namgung Sung’s eyes trembled. The killing intent he had been emitting lessened a bit. Even so, it was still insufficient. I needed to drive in the decisive wedge here.

“Seeing you hesitate, your position as the heir must be shaky, huh? It didn’t look that solid to me…”

“….”

Namgung Sung’s eyes stopped trembling at my remark. Simultaneously, the killing intent subsided.

‘As expected.’

How would he respond?

‘Will he still try to act defiantly even now?’

The chances were slim, but I had prepared about four different responses for such a situation.

As several seconds passed, Namgung Sung finally spoke to me with a furrowed brow.

“… Who the hell… are you?”

That was a catch.

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but let out a restrained laugh.

“Hahahaha…”

I laughed briefly and then wiped the smile off my face.

“What good would it do for you to know?”

“….”

“Don’t change the subject. I’m asking you one last time.”

Getting up from the chair, I moved my upper body.

I approached Namgung Sung and brought my face right up to his. At a distance close enough to feel each other’s breath, and at an angle where my neck could be slashed at any moment, I spoke to him.

“Are you going to do it or not?”

There were two answers, but the choice was only one for him.

I had made it so.

* * *

As the afternoon wore on and the sunset approached, loud conversations ensued within the Murim Alliance’s Anhui branch.

“What… Who did you say the Young Azure Sword is fighting?”

“You know, the one they called an idiot in this generation…”

“Watch your mouth, idiot! You need to call him ‘Young master’ now!”

The second child of the Namgung family, Namgung Sung, known as the Young Azure Sword, was going to spar within the branch.

And that too with a high-profile individual who had been causing a stir not just in the branch but throughout Anhui for days.

Bang Sung-Yun, the Sword Saint’s disciple who had been hiding his power, and now just a lowly member of the Murim Alliance.

The boy, who despite receiving a letter of recommendation in this generation and was ignored due to his lack of talent and strength, was in fact the direct disciple of the former World’s Greatest, known as the Sword Saint, causing everyone to be shocked.

Those who subtly ignored him had to break into a cold sweat, and those who openly mocked or insulted him trembled with fear. However, even amidst this, there were those who doubted him.

This was because the image Bang Sung-Yun showcased over the past year had been too insignificant.

“I’ve never seen him properly endure morning training.”

“He couldn’t even handle drunkards, collapsing every day, and now he’s the Sword Saint’s disciple…?”

“Isn’t this nonsense?”

Among them was Chun Uijin, a martial artist of Blue Moon Sect and even a blood relative of the Blue Moon Sect’s Leader.

Even though he personally confirmed it, suspicion still lingered, and amidst the situation, he was going to have a duel with the genius known as the Young Azure Sword?

Everyone’s attention was inevitably drawn.

“…It’s really the Young Azure Sword.”

“He’s so tall and his face looks like it was sculpted….”

“But if we’re just talking about looks, Bang there… I mean, Young master Bang isn’t any less handsome, right?”

The duel stage set up at the branch was already surrounded by numerous people. They were all martial artists of the Murim Alliance.

Even those who were supposed to be out on missions were present. This was because the Namgung family had mentioned visiting the branch, so there were already some people gathered.

“Excuse me… Could you please let me through?”

“Who is this… ugh!”

Someone squeezed through the crowd. The man blocking the way frowned and looked over, then sighed in shock upon recognition.

It was none other than Chun Uijin, the exceptionally handsome man from the Blue Moon Sect. Despite being aware of him, Chun Uijin only had his eyes fixed on the duel stage.

‘Young master… Bang.’

Hearing the news and rushing over, he indeed saw Bang Sung-Yun standing on the duel stage.

His characteristic slovenly and sensitive appearance was evident. He was holding his sword in a somewhat sloppy manner.

Moreover, standing opposite him was Namgung Sung, maintaining a composed posture.

‘What on earth….’

What was this situation?

Why were Bang Sung-Yun and Namgung Sung suddenly standing face-to-face on a duel stage?

It was utterly incomprehensible.

‘What are you thinking?’

Why was Bang Sung-Yun, who had been hiding his strength all this time, doing something like this now?

Chun Uijin couldn’t grasp his intentions at all.

Namgung Sung, who had accepted this, couldn’t understand it either.

‘For the Young Azure Sword to accept such a duel… what could have happened?’

Namgung Sung was known for his meticulous nature.

He wasn’t the type to engage in a duel in such a public place with many spectators. Yet, he stood there on the duel stage with his characteristic kind smile.

At that moment,

“I didn’t expect so many people to gather.”

Namgung Sung began to speak.

“We just intended to have a light-hearted interaction amongst ourselves, haha. It’s a bit awkward.”

Believing the situation to be unexpected and embarrassing, Namgung Sung’s remarks elicited some laughter from the crowd. They felt a sense of humanity in the seemingly perfect Namgung Sung.

“It’s quite embarrassing, but since it’s not a secret, I hope you all enjoy it with a good spirit.”

He made a gesture with both hands and spoke to the audience, evoking small cheers from the surroundings.

It was evident he had grown up well-educated.

Chun Uijin, who was finding the amiable demeanor irksome, frowned briefly.

“Hey.”

Suddenly, an odd sound came out.

“Is there a dog barking somewhere?”

It was Bang Sung-Yun who had said it.