The World’s Greatest is Dead

I climbed up the path. As I ascended, voices incessantly echoed in my ears.

“So, the silver grade weapon that came out this time, its blade is just…”

The chattering voice sounded clear and beautiful, but the content spoken was not at all refreshing.

“Moreover, it’s not just ordinary steel; I tried mixing it, so the durability is amazing.”

“… Ah, yes. I see.”

I listened with one ear and let it go out the other. It wasn’t particularly difficult since it was something I was good at.

“And this time, with the addition of a new smelting technique, there’s a difference even when sharpening the blade…”

“…”

But even that had its limits. Her incessant chatter made me feel like my ears would bleed.

『… The girl speaks more than I expected and she’s quite fast.』

Even Yu Chun-gil seemed slightly dismayed.

Should I commend her for this?

Usually, I would humor her with some half-hearted responses, but this time…

“It feels like we should make changes not only to the silver grade but also for the higher-grade weapons.”

“Excuse me, miss.”

“So, regarding the temperature of the flames—”

“Miss Tang…!”

I raised my voice to cut her off. At this, Tang Yelan, who had been chattering non-stop, paused momentarily.

“Oh… yes?”

“Could you calm down a bit? At this rate, my ears will start bleeding.”

I pointed to my ringing ears, and only then did Tang Yelan’s cheeks slightly redden.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I got carried away…”

In such moments, she indeed appeared like an innocent girl.

However, the words she blurted out in excitement were quite unique.

‘Is that really so interesting?’

She talked about the birth of new steel swords, what was added to them, and what characteristics they had.

The way Tang Yelan’s eyes sparkled while mentioning each one showed her genuine enthusiasm.

“I can’t talk about these things elsewhere, so I overdid it. I’m sorry.”

Sighing with a forlorn expression, she said.

“You can talk as much as you want, but I meant you should take it easy.”

It was excessive.

Her enthusiasm felt overwhelming.

Look at Chun Uijin and Do Hyung, trailing behind with dumbfounded expressions.

‘She mentioned it was a secret, but it doesn’t seem like she’s trying to hide it at all.’

It was said that Tang Yelan’s interest in blacksmithing was somewhat of a secret. But if she spoke so openly about it, how could it remain a secret? It was beyond my understanding.

It seemed even Tang Yelan realized this, as she looked quite embarrassed.

Watching her, I couldn’t help but chuckle internally.

‘Why did she even bother to bring it up?’

She was indeed a peculiar woman.

‘And also…’

I turned my head to scan the surroundings.

‘Where on earth is the Lonely Soul?’

The spirit that had been on my mind recently was nowhere to be seen.

At first, I thought it might be attached to Tang Gyung-ak, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

‘Could it be a house spirit?’

If the spirit wasn’t attached to a person but instead haunted the entire house, it wouldn’t be strange for it to wander around the Tang family mansion.

‘Hmm.’

If that spirit was truly the Lonely Soul, as Yu Chun-gil mentioned…

‘I shouldn’t leave the elder to roam around freely.’

Yu Chun-gil wandering leisurely could be a problem.

But the bigger issue was…

‘Why is that old man not taking any action despite knowing this?’

Seeing him boldly moving around suggested he had another plan in mind.

‘Indeed.’

What was that evil spirit plotting this time?

It lingered on my mind.

Of course.

‘Yu Chun-gil is the same.’

Just as I was wary of Yu Chun-gil, I knew Yu Chun-gil was keeping an eye on me too.

We both kept secrets from each other.

Click.

I fiddled with the handle of my sword idly.

Do you know what’s funny?

‘Normally, it would be annoying or irritating.’

But rather than feeling that way, I felt a strange emotion.

Expectation, maybe? No, calling it that would be immature.

‘Intrigue.’

Feeling intrigued about what Yu Chun-gil would do next.

It was closer to that emotion than anxiety.

‘This will do for now.’

I subtly glanced at the air while looking at Yu Chun-gil.

‘What on earth does he want to do?’

It was the most puzzling and curious part lately.

‘What does he want?’

I was curious about what exactly Yu Chun-gil desired. Originally, he had asked something of me.

That was precisely, ‘He wanted me to find out about his death.’

How did he die?

Yu Chun-gil said he couldn’t remember.

However, ‘ He was adamant it wasn’t a natural death.’

It wasn’t a death due to illness as known to the public, but clearly involved someone else’s intent.

That’s why Yu Chun-gil had asked me to investigate his death.

‘But now, he doesn’t seem to care about that at all.’

Currently, he didn’t seem interested in his own death.

It felt like his own curiosity took precedence, and he didn’t care much about what happened to himself.

‘… So, what does he want me to do?’

What exactly did that old man want?

It was clear he had some sort of intention.

And that intention was.

‘I can tell he wants to use me for something.’

Yu Chun-gil definitely had something he wanted to do.

And for that purpose, he needed to use me.

That’s why he handed me various things.

That was my immediate assumption.

‘Indeed.’

But this, too, was not a certainty.

It was merely speculative based on my intuition.

‘Hmm.’

The more I thought about it, the more it boggled my mind.

If my assumptions were correct…

‘He desires something more than solving his death.’

Or.

‘He already knows who killed him.’

I considered one of these two possibilities, and if that were the case.

‘… Indeed.’

It confirmed that I shouldn’t trust anyone in this world.

“It’s not easy.”

It was evident that getting involved with a ghost would never lead to a smooth outcome.

I nodded to myself, realizing this once more when.

“Pardon? What did you say?”

Tang Yelan asked me.

I quickly shook my head and responded.

“Oh, nothing. Just a fleeting thought.”

“Oh, I see.”

Hearing my response, Tang Yelan smiled brightly.

Watching her, I asked.

“How much further do we have to go?”

We had been walking for quite a while; just how far were we going?

Was the training ground that far away?

Feeling a bit impatient, I asked, and Tang Yelan immediately pointed to a building with her finger.

“Oh, it’s right there.”

Just as she said, there was indeed a large building ahead.

It was somewhat located farther from where guests were entertained.

Looking at it, I narrowed my eyes slightly.

“Hmm…”

It was a much more peculiar place than I anticipated.

* * *

Most of the entrance to the training ground was surrounded by trees.

It seemed to have more trees than the park around it.

Not just trees, but it was also filled with grass, rocks, and flowers.

“Why are there so many?”

There were various types. It wasn’t just random trees planted around.

Moreover, “They were maintained.”

The fact that they were not wildly overgrown but were arranged neatly indicated proper maintenance.

In other words.

“They are deliberately placed.”

It was a calculated scene.

“Hmm.”

It was fascinating. Why would they go through such trouble?

Glancing around, I continued to walk.

“This way, please…!”

Now, for some reason, Tang Yelan seemed more excited than before as she led the way.

Watching her, I asked.

“Really, can we actually use this?”

Despite the humor in asking at this point, it still needed to be asked.

‘Isn’t this a training ground for the clan members? Is this really okay?’

What was a training ground for the clan members?

It was literally a space dedicated to the direct descendants of the family.

The name itself felt special, but seeing it in person made it even more so.

‘It’s quite different from the one for guests.’

The place we used felt like just offering a room, but this one looked distinctively mystical.

‘The quality of the energy here is different.’

The structure and materials used for the pillars were exceptional.

The energy flow here was something significant.

‘Though I’m no expert in geomancy, even I can tell with a glance.’

It was impressive enough for any seasoned geomancer to be astonished.

As I observed, it became clear that outsiders would never be allowed to use this place.

“Ah, it’s fine. I booked it for this time”, said Tang Yelan confidently, telling me not to worry.

“Booked it…?”

“Yes. Time is divided among the clan members to use the training ground… and now is my time.”

“……”

So, this was how it worked here.

Indeed, a prestigious family operated differently.

‘…So, it means we can go in, right?’

She assured me so confidently that it seemed genuinely okay.

Thinking this, I followed Tang Yelan inside.

All the while, her mouth never stopped moving.

“So, this time…”

She enthusiastically talked about the sword she saw, the type of iron she preferred, and what she felt about them.

I, of course, let her words go in one ear and out the other.

“… Ah, yes, I see.”

My head was ringing from the incessant chatter.

Funny enough, even when asked to be quiet, she didn’t stop talking but merely lowered her voice.

‘…How dizzying.’

Was she originally this talkative?

When I first saw her, I thought she might be somewhat quiet.

‘She looks like she could kill with her words.’

Being from the Tang family, Tang Yelan had a sharp appearance.

Yet, when she spoke about forging and weapons, she seemed entirely different.

It felt pure, perhaps even innocent.

There was unadulterated honesty in her endless prattle, driven simply by her genuine passion.

She spoke because she loved it so much, she couldn’t contain herself.

“… Mm.”

Knowing this, I didn’t interrupt.

I thought I could endure it for just a little longer.

* * *

After enduring like that for a while, we finally reached the front of the training ground.

Surely, now we could have some peace and get some training done, right?

Just as I harbored this hope.

Tap-! Tada-!

Sounds emanated from within the training ground.

Tang Yelan, who was in front, came to an abrupt stop upon hearing the noise.

Not only did her babbling stop, but her body also stiffened dramatically.

“Miss Tang. Is something wrong?”

“… Just a moment.”

Tang Yelan, who had been smiling just moments ago, now wore a grave expression as she grasped the door handle and opened it.

Creak-!

The door opened, revealing the inside.

As expected, the training ground was incredibly spacious and sophisticated.

At the center of this training ground stood someone.

A young man clad in white martial arts attire, loosening his wrist.

He stood in a slightly shaded area, and his eyes glinted as he looked in our direction.

‘…Wow.’

I silently marveled.

I had felt it in the morning too, but his impression was truly unpleasant.

This meant that the young man was someone I recognized.

“Well, well.”

The young man.

A direct descendant of the Tang family and the second son of Tang Gyung-ak.

He was currently known as one of the geniuses called the Seven Talents.

“What an interesting combination.”

Poison Dragon looked at Tang Yelan, curling his lips into a smirk.