The World’s Greatest is Dead

They kneeled before me in an instant.

I secretly swallowed my saliva as I looked at the individuals who introduced themselves with proper etiquette, calling themselves “Small Moon.”

‘Insane.’

Just by looking at them, I could tell their physiques were well-honed.

These were genuine warriors that couldn’t even be seen in the branch.

Even if I didn’t know much, I could tell that everyone here was at least at the branch manager level.

In terms of the atmosphere they exuded, they were even superior to that.

Overwhelming strength and restrained sharpness.

Each individual emitted the keen edge of a famous sword.

‘……Ferocious.’

Just watching them made me feel nervous without realizing it. Cold sweat ran down my back, and I swallowed a dry gulp.

I felt an instinctive pressure. Just before my breathing turned erratic, I heard a thunderous shout.

『Gal(喝)-!』

“……!”

The thunderous sound that hit my ears widened my eyes.

My body froze, but my reaction was different. I neither exclaimed nor screamed.

My heart and head cooled frostily.

I steadied my trembling eyes and opened my lips.

“You said you’re ‘Small Moon’…….”

Fortunately, my voice was as calm as usual.

“Are you talking about the Small Moon Corps(小月隊)?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

A middle-aged man affirmed my question. Hearing that, I furrowed my brows.

The Small Moon Corps(小月隊).

It was the name of an elite unit belonging to the Blue Moon Sect.

They were a powerhouse group like the Plum Blossom Swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect or the Taiji Swordsmen of the Wudang Sect, composed of the highest power within their respective sects.

This meant that these individuals were masters who would never even glance at a lowly warrior like me.

『Ha, and all these masters.』

The old man chuckled, seemingly having read my mind.

『Do you not have eyes? They really aren’t that impressive.』

He kept clicking his tongue, clearly showing that he didn’t understand my reaction.

Naturally, I couldn’t answer or question him out loud.

“We came to escort you after hearing the news. I am Do Kyung, the deputy leader of the Small Moon Corps.”

‘……Do Kyung.’

Information about the middle-aged man floated into my mind.

Do Kyung, the Blue Wolf Sword.

A renowned warrior affiliated with the Blue Moon Sect.

‘……I’m meeting such an incredible person.’

I wondered if I would ever meet someone like this in my life, and here I was, having met both the Young Azure Sword and the Blue Wolf Sword recently; it was amazing.

Though my mind was filled with excitement, I didn’t let it show on my face.

“You came to escort me. What do you mean by that?”

I subtly raised my words. Given the context of knowing who he was, it felt sufficiently logical.

At my response, Do Kyung’s expression slightly shifted but quickly corrected itself.

Just as he was about to say something to me.

“Young master Bang-!”

Someone landed in front of me from the sky.

It was Chun Uijin with an urgent expression.

“You startled me.”

I widened my eyes in surprise and saw Chun Uijin looking at Do Kyung.

The way they exchanged glances was peculiar.

“… Branch Manager.”

“It’s been a while, Young master Chun.”

There was an unfamiliar atmosphere that I could feel. My mind raced as I observed it.

Ah, I see.

‘This was not a foretold meeting.’

Judging by Chun Uijin’s reaction, it seemed he had not expected someone from the Blue Moon Sect.

This meant, in other words:

‘Either Chun Uijin didn’t relay the message to the Blue Moon Sect.’

Or someone different from who he expected had arrived.

It was one of these two.

‘Whatever it was, it seemed Chun Uijin didn’t have a particularly good relationship with Do Kyung.’

This was my guess, and it seemed I was right.

“How did you know when to come?”

Chun Uijin asked Do Kyung with a heavily guarded expression.

“We move according to orders, just as we always do.”

“Orders, you say?”

“There was a message saying that the Sword Saint’s successor would arrive soon, so we were to escort him.”

“…… How on earth.”

‘As expected.’

I was certain as I watched Chun Uijin’s reaction.

‘This guy didn’t properly send the information.’

It looked like he had not sent the right information about my appearance. To be precise…

‘He probably didn’t even mention the departure.’

He likely didn’t inform them about departing with me. The fact itself was likely kept secret.

In fact, it was strange.

‘We had set off without proper escorts.’

A carriage, a coachman, and just Chun Uijin and me. That was all we had.

Since then, it has felt peculiar.

‘Even though the Sword Saint’s successor had appeared, the Blue Moon Sect hadn’t provided an escort.’

It was a very risky and unexplained decision.

‘This was the issue.’

If Chun Uijin hadn’t properly conveyed the message initially and moved hastily before rumors spread, it made sense.

‘Why?’

Why on earth had he done that?

When I thought about the reason, one big thing came to mind.

It was probably…

‘… Grandpa’s precious sword.’

That half-broken, old sword stored in a wooden case and kept in the carriage.

That might have been the reason Chun Uijin didn’t properly relay the message.

“Thank you for your hard work. From now on, we will guide you safely.”

“But, Young master Bang is with me…”

“The Sect Leader is waiting.”

“…!”

Upon mentioning the Sect Leader, Chun Uijin stiffened.

Seeing his reaction, I stepped forward.

“Thank you for so kindly welcoming us. Well then, we will be in your care.”

I said with a grin. The proper situation could be confirmed upon arrival.

Since things had come to this, we had to go anyway.

“Then, from now on, let’s switch to the carriage we prepared…”

“Oh, that’s a bit problematic. We’ll continue with the one we came with.”

I directly refused Do Kyung’s suggestion.

“I have trouble sleeping if the seat changes.”

“…….”

Do Kyung’s eyebrows twitched for a strange reason, but he simply responded, “Understood.”

It passed without any further argument.

“Please, allow me to escort you.”

“Yes, that would be good.”

Do Kyung moved, quickly patting Chun Uijin on the shoulder. The stiff Chun Uijin reacted, showing an inexplicable expression of frustration. Watching this, the old man spoke to me.

『I’ll say it again, you’d better keep your wits about you.』

Perhaps he had already forgotten the mess he caused, but here he was, issuing warnings to me. I couldn’t help but smile—partly a wry smile, partly a genuine one.

‘Did he call him a fox?’

I wasn’t sure if he called the Small Moon Corps a fox or if he referred to the Blue Moon Sect as a fox. It didn’t matter.

‘I’ve already been through worse.’

I had been bitten by foxes, wolves, lions, and whatever else. Particularly, I’d been swayed countless times by those resembling foxes. Yet, after going through so much, I learned how to hunt them too.

‘Is that why?’

Honestly, I wasn’t scared at all.

* * *

We returned to the carriage, accompanied and guided by the Small Moon Corps.

We had anticipated it would take an extra day, and indeed, we arrived exactly as expected.

Henan.

We had reached the district housing both the headquarters of the Murim Alliance and the Blue Moon Sect.

‘Wow.’

The first thought that crossed my mind was how teeming with people it was. Anhui also had a sizable population, but it paled in comparison to this place. It was only natural, considering this was where the headquarters of the Murim Alliance was located.

‘I was situated a bit far from here.’

In Anhui, I was slightly removed from the center—maintaining distance from the Namgung family and being farther from the heart of the district had contributed to it.

‘This is fascinating.’

It was a scene somewhat familiar from my hometown in Liaoning, yet it still intrigued me.

The issue was.

“Aren’t they members of the Small Moon Corps?”

“Who are they escorting…?”

The fact that the Small Moon Corps was escorting the carriage drew everyone’s attention.

‘Everyone is looking.’

Without exception, everyone on the street was staring at the carriage I was in.

The reason was undoubtedly the Small Moon Corps.

As they were the elite of the Blue Moon Sect and held a significant position in Henan, it was only natural.

‘Still, to this extent?’

The gazes glittered with admiration. It was a kind of attention I hadn’t received when I worked at the Anhui branch.

‘Not that I’m particularly envious.’

I deliberately averted my eyes and closed the window. A crowd of people meant a crowd of wandering souls.

‘I’ll have to memorize them again now.’

I had memorized all the spirits on the paths I frequently traveled at the Anhui branch to avoid being startled when I encountered them.

‘When will I be able to figure them all out again?’

Just the thought of starting over from scratch gave me a headache.

Because of that, when I clutched my forehead, the guy sitting across from me seemed to have a similar expression.

‘Anyone seeing this might think the world has ended.’

Chun Uijin sat silently across from me. His expression couldn’t be darker.

Since last night, he had maintained that look. It was hard to tell if he was worried or angry just by looking at his face, and even without that, there were many thoughts swirling in my head.

‘I thought I’d wrapped it up to some extent.’

I wasn’t sure. I just wished that the things I had planned would go smoothly.

While I desperately hoped for that.

“We’ve arrived.”

A voice came from outside the carriage. It was the long-awaited words. I realized it belatedly, but no more murmurs or bustling sounds could be heard.

I carefully grabbed the door and opened it. The first sight was the giant gate.

‘Wow.’

What kind of gate was that big? It was ridiculously huge. The nameplate above it had the character “청” (Blue/Chun) prominently engraved.

Seeing that, there was no way not to know where we were.

‘We’re really here.’

The Blue Moon Sect. The entrance to the most influential sect in the current Central Plains.

Feeling a bit unusual, I slowly stepped out of the carriage.

Thud-! Thud, thud-!

The warriors of the Small Moon Corps, who had escorted me here, knelt as soon as they saw me, just like the first time.

I wasn’t flustered. I had anticipated this very moment.

『Ho-ho.』

The old man chuckled as if he had found something. Following his sight, I looked beyond the entrance.

From a distance, someone walked toward me.

Thump-!

“……!”

Seeing him, my heart thumped wildly. It was an even stronger signal than the first time I had met a Taoist priest.

Thump-! Thump-!

My heartbeat grew louder. My eyes felt strangely hot. Was I getting a fever? I angled my sweaty palms to hide them.

I quietly waited for the man to approach me.

In an instant.

『Chuckle, chuckle.』

With the old man’s laughter, the man stood right in front of me. The middle-aged man was sharp-looking, resembling an older version of Chun Uijin.

Everything about him—from the sword on his waist to his tall stature and the muscles filling out his build—was impressive.

Although he exuded a majestic aura, what truly caught my eye was.

‘…His eyes.’

The middle-aged man’s eyes were blue.

This indicated that he had awakened his Moon Eyes and hinted at his status here. But even without the hint, one could hardly not know.

There were few people in the current Central Plains who didn’t know the man standing before me.

The man’s nickname was the Virtuous Moon Sword.

He was among the top twenty strongest fighters in the world.

The father of the pale-faced Chun Uijin standing behind me.

And simultaneously.

『That stubborn fellow has grown old like that, huh.』

He was the current leader of the Blue Moon Sect.