The World’s Greatest is Dead

‘If you want to succeed, go to the Murim Alliance.’

That was the saying that floated around the Central Plains. It wasn’t exactly wrong either.

The Murim Alliance.

It was a group that had existed in the Central Plains for a long time.

Composed of the five families known as the Five Great Families, ten martial arts sects known as the Nine Great Sects, and twelve merchant guilds known as the Twelve Merchant Unions, the Murim Alliance was the absolute power and focal point of the righteous faction.

Thus, its intrinsic value was always significant.

Forty years ago, during the Great War between the righteous and the demonic factions, the righteous faction emerged victorious, strengthening the position of the Murim Alliance even further.

In the Central Plains, if someone wanted to establish a merchant guild, they needed to go through the Murim Alliance. Similarly, if someone wished to act as a martial artist within the righteous faction, they had to obtain a permit from the Murim Alliance.

Otherwise, they would be considered part of the evil faction and live a chased, nomadic life.

Absolute power and absolute martial strength.

That was the power the Murim Alliance currently wielded. If one wanted to succeed in the Central Plains, reaching the Murim Alliance was a must. This notion was indeed true.

Yes.

That explained my current state.

“Damn it.”

I cursed under my breath, my head wrapped in layers of bandages. Even the slightest movement made the wounds throb with pain.

“A lust demon? A lust demon?? Damn it, screw this.”

Despite the physical torment, I couldn’t stop the endless complaints bubbling up inside.

“Stop moving. You’ll pass out again at this rate.”

My senior, Yu Hyung-In, sighed as he watched me.

“You said you had no money for medicine. What’s your plan?”

“The branch office covers the medical expenses, don’t they?”

“If you get hurt again here, they might not cover it.”

“Unbelievable.”

His words aggravated me even more because they were true. And yet, I couldn’t stop fidgeting. It had been a day since the operation to catch the Lust Demon, Jang Sochul, about which I was the only one kept in the dark.

“This is ridiculous. It was an operation, right? Why wasn’t I informed about it? Seriously, isn’t that crazy?”

“Well… it was to prepare for any dangerous situations…”

“Prepare for what? I was the one in the most danger!”

“That’s true. But the operation was a success, wasn’t it?”

Yu Hyung-In nodded, and his words made my blood boil even more.

“Senior. Whose side are you on?”

“The Murim Alliance’s side. I can’t take the side of a junior…”

“That’s right. I wouldn’t take my side either if I were in your shoes.”

“…”

It was reasonable enough to accept.

“I heard Jang from the real estate agency was actually the Lust Demon?”

I rushed to the tavern after receiving a report about a ruckus, only to find that the troublemaker was the Lust Demon…!

‘And he wasn’t just an ordinary warrior either.’

Jang turned out to be from the Evil Faction.

The Evil Faction (邪派), also known as the Dark Path (黑道), was a term the Murim Alliance used for individuals who learned martial arts but did not register with the alliance.

Most of the followers of the Evil Faction turned against the Murim Alliance, and many of them were closer to being villains.

Especially those lustful demons?

There were quite a few lustful demons in the central plains, and if one was unlucky enough to run into them, they could end up dead.

“If it was an ambush, you should’ve said so! What would have happened if I had my throat slit?”

“If I had said so, would you have gone?”

“Of course not. Do you think I’m insane?”

“……”

If I had known it was a lustful demon, I would never have gone.

But still.

“From the start, I shouldn’t have gone. Senior, look at me. Do I look like I could even handle an inn’s bellboy?”

“…… Why are you boasting about being weak?”

“Senior, knowing your place is the key to survival. That’s the way of the world.”

Whether it was a lustful demon or not, that guy was a second-rate warrior. I wasn’t even close to being third-rate. How could I defeat someone like that?

‘I really hope that my superior drops dead.’

I gnashed my teeth, remembering the root of all this trouble.

It could happen by coincidence that a lustful demon was hiding nearby.

That much I could understand.

Even lustful demons needed sleep and food.

But still.

‘Why did they send me to catch that guy?’

And without even revealing his identity.

They said it was to attract attention for easier access.

‘What a load of nonsense.’

A ridiculous excuse.

And sending me alone made no sense at all.

What if someone got killed?

The most frustrating part was that my success in capturing the lustful demon made any complaints meaningless.

Results spoke for themselves. That was the principle of the Murim Alliance and the world’s logic.

Clicking my tongue in frustration, I muttered, “This all happened because I’m a nepotist hire.”

“Nepotist hire? What’s that?”

“It means someone who got in through connections.”

“……”

Hearing my clenched-teeth explanation, Yu Hyung-In stayed silent.

He acknowledged it too.

‘Damn it.’

Clicking my tongue briefly at his reaction.

Nepotist hire.

That’s right.

I was a nepotist hire.

Shoved into the Murim Alliance somehow through my father’s connections.

If not for that, someone like me couldn’t have even set foot in the Murim Alliance.

If there was a mystery…

‘How did he manage to get me in?’

How did my father, from that ruined household, manage to get me into the Murim Alliance?

Surprisingly, one day, my father just told me to go to the Murim Alliance.

But…

“… Damn it.”

My life in the Murim Alliance hadn’t gone smoothly since then.

“Nepotism is crap no matter where you go.”

Sighing, I muttered, and Yu Hyung-In chimed in.

“That’s not true. In other places…”

“Oh, I forgot to mention.”

I interrupted Yu Hyung-In’s words and added an explanation.

“It really sucks when you don’t have any backup.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“…Senior, don’t nod as if you agree. It hurts, you know?”

What’s the use of having memories from my past life if they’re no help at all?

‘Instead of these stupid memories, I wish I had some talent or something.’

I had no talent in martial arts and didn’t seem particularly smart either. Even though I had some qi stored in my dantian, it was barely enough to be considered a third-rate fighter.

In such a state, I couldn’t possibly hold my head high anywhere. Given my pathetic state when I joined the league, it’s no wonder people weren’t impressed with me.

Neither the squad leader of my unit nor the surrounding seniors could stand me. They were all eager to see me fail.

At least this senior, Yu Hyung-In, treated me like a person…

“Senior, be honest with me.”

“Hm?”

“You’re hanging out with me because you’re also an outcast, right?”

“What’s an outcast?”

“Someone who’s being ostracized.”

“…”

Although Yu Hyung-In didn’t respond, I knew that silence was an affirmation.

‘…As the senior said, other parachute members seem to be doing fine.’

Other parachute members.

I frowned as I recalled a young man who was causing a stir in the branch. Someone who joined long after I did. Moreover, this was the person who subdued the lust demon yesterday.

“Yun Sochun…”

His name was Yun Sochun. He was another parachute member sent by a prominent family in the Anhui region.

Currently, he was a young man causing the unit leader to panic. It wasn’t just his skill in easily subduing a second-rate fighter like the lust demon.

‘Something about him is unsettling.’

Everyone was wary of this young man who joined as a junior.

‘Does he really have such a strong backing?’

Yun Sochun entered with such martial prowess on the recommendation of another influential family.

Though it wasn’t known which family it was, everyone had an idea.

One of the five great families forming the Murim Alliance.

A prestigious family known as the sword of Anhui.

‘Namgung.’

The Namgung Clan of Anhui. Everyone expected that Namgung Clan was Yun Sochun’s backing.

That’s why the unit leader was so intimidated by him.

Even for someone from the Murim Alliance, the situation changes if their backing is the Namgung Clan.

‘Could it really be the Namgung Clan?’

I wasn’t certain.

It was just a hunch.

Why would the Namgung Clan back that young man?

Rumors suggested Yun Sochun was a hidden child of the Namgung Clan.

‘Even if that’s not the case.’

For someone capable of joining without a recommendation letter, carrying one seemed odd. That alone was reason enough to be wary of Yun Sochun.

Take me, for example.

‘With such useless backing and no skills, I ended up in this state.’

If I at least had some skill, I wouldn’t be ignored.

“Damn it.”

I furrowed my brow in frustration, causing my head to ache.

It felt like the wound might worsen if this continued.

* * *

Eventually, the next shift worker arrived long past the scheduled time.

“Damn it, not again… What the hell is this?”

Checking the time, it seemed deliberate once more.

“Guess I have to get stronger, no matter how shitty this is.”

I doubted whether effort alone would suffice, but I had to do something. With that resolve, I headed toward a building within the headquarters.

The building housed a training hall reserved for Murim Alliance members, and it was also the place where I trained every dawn.

Due to the intense territorial disputes during the day, it was impossible to use, but in the early morning when no one was around, it became my haven.

I was the only crazy person who trained right after the night watch.

“Thanks to that, I’ve been able to use it quite well so far…”

-Swish.

“Damn.”

Upon approaching the building, I heard a sound and immediately frowned.

“Again?”

Starting about seven days ago, another person had begun using the training facility at this early hour.

The training hall lights were on.

As I neared, I peeked inside.

Swish! Swish-swish!

Sure enough, someone was inside swinging a sword.

Fast and precise movements.

Even to my untrained eye, the swordsmanship was beautifully executed.

I stifled my admiration.

Getting caught would be inconvenient.

A young man who seemed deeply focused swung his sword repeatedly.

It was none other than the parachute recruit, Yun Sochun.

I sighed as I watched him.

“If he’s done, he should go inside and sleep. Why is he working so hard?”

Since joining, Yun Sochun had continuously occupied the training hall.

His shift for the watch was right before Bang Sung-Yun’s, the “initial shift”, which meant he came to the training hall immediately after his watch and trained until now.

Despite his handsome appearance and his remarkable talent, which was enough to subdue a second-rate martial artist, he was still working hard.

In many ways, he felt like a perfect individual.

“… Thinking about it, it’s quite unfair.”

If Yun Sochun was here, that meant he was the youngest. So why was Bang Sung-Yun taking the second shift night watch?

Normally, the youngest would be assigned to either the second or almost last shift.

However, Yun Sochun was assigned the initial shift right upon arrival and had occupied the training hall ever since, preventing me from training.

Dang it.

“Crap. I hoped he wouldn’t be here today.”

It seemed today was no different.

Although I could share the space, I didn’t want to use the training hall with Yun Sochun.

Especially with my head already injured… In any case,

“Might as well go for a run.”

Instead of martial arts training, I decided to run a few laps around the area, as I usually did, before heading back.

Just as I turned my back, I heard a voice.

“… Oh…! That… That’s not right.”

“Hmm?”

A sound came from somewhere. Someone was sticking to the window outside the training hall.

And…

‘Huge…?’

My eyes widened at the sight. It was incredibly large, almost unbelievable to think it was a person.

TL’s Corner:

I thought the MC was a reincarnation of the World’s Greatest, but apparently not. And what is huge?