The World’s Greatest is Dead

It happened when Tang Yelan was about six or seven years old.

As is usually the case with bloodline heirs, she was expected to learn the martial arts of her family.

Tang Yelan was no exception.

The martial arts of the Tang family were built on ruthlessness.

Since their techniques were based on poison arts and secret weaponry, she underwent rigorous training from a young age.

The process was exceedingly brutal.

The pain was unbearable even for children who had not yet turned ten.

However, it was a process that all children of the Tang family bloodline had to endure.

During this process, Poison Dragon endured all the training and was even said to resemble the young Poison Sovereign, who was the head of the family at that time.

A genius.

The future of the Tang family depended on that child.

That’s what everyone who saw Poison Dragon said.

It was only natural.

Having endured the brutal training without missing a beat, he was praised not just by the elders of the family, but by all martial artists as Poison Dragon.

What a brilliant light.

That’s how he was viewed.

Then, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

It was about his younger sister, Tang Yelan.

When she emerged from the poison-filled chamber known as Fiery Poison Hell for the training referred to as bloodline training, those who saw her were astounded.

Training that even Poison Dragon could only endure.

Tang Yelan not only endured the training but also absorbed all the poison, building an immunity to it.

A truly blessed body for learning poison arts.

It wasn’t just Poison Dragon. Even his younger sister possessed remarkable talent.

The future of the Tang family seemed incredibly bright. The hopes placed on these siblings by those who witnessed this miraculous potential were enormous.

But, one day, the high expectations placed on the siblings wavered.

It was a brisk and windy autumn day with the sky high above.

It was the day Tang Yelan defeated her brother, Poison Dragon, in a duel.

Poison Dragon lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

And then there was Tang Yelan, looking at him with trembling eyes.

In the low, heavy silence, Tang Yelan, trembling, spoke.

‘Um… I… I don’t want to do this anymore…’

Her frightened eyes brimmed with tears.

The drop of water that trickled down touched her chin.

On that day.

Tang Yelan declared she would no longer learn martial arts.

It was from that day.

The point at which Poison Dragon began to look at Tang Yelan with contempt.

The point at which Tang Yelan began to madly immerse herself in blacksmithing.

Moreover, it was also the day the grandest elder of the Tang family, known as the sky itself, Poison Sovereign, passed away.

A day not far from then.

* * *

Bang!

She put strength into her shoulders and struck down hard.

Bang!

Every time the sound echoed, sweat droplets fell from the woman’s face.

Despite the continuous falling of water droplets, the woman didn’t wipe them away. As if those things didn’t matter, she focused solely on the task in front of her.

‘A little more.’

A little stronger.

Bang!

‘A little more…’

A little more precisely.

Bang!!

A clear sound echoed repeatedly in the same rhythm.

The small room was already filled with intense heat.

Bang! Bang!!

The woman.

Tang Yelan gritted her teeth and swung the hammer.

Gradually, as if riding a flow, she focused more.

What lies at the end of this act of enduring the heat?

What do I want to create?

Though she couldn’t decide, only questions remained.

Nevertheless, the woman did not hesitate.

Anything would do.

No matter what is born from these fragile hands, it would be okay.

Bang!!

Her grandfather once told her.

Rather than what you want to create, it’s about.

‘What you decide to fill it with.’

How much of that can you fill into this work?

He asked her to find that.

He said that’s what a true blacksmith is about.

But, ‘What does that even mean?’

Tang Yelan had not yet found what she was supposed to fill.

She was young and inexperienced.

Still stubborn and unable to find her path.

How could someone who hasn’t even found their direction dare to fill something?

Tang Yelan knew herself well.

She was not yet ready to fill anything.

However, Bang!!

Even so, she didn’t stop.

Bang!!

Beyond concentration, it was an obsession.

Tang Yelan was obsessed with her act.

‘This is all I have.’

She had to do what she could do.

To her, blacksmithing was everything, and it had to be the path she needed to follow.

So she couldn’t stop, not even a little.

Thinking that way, just as Tang Yelan was about to swing the hammer again.

‘In the end, are you running away again?’

There was a voice that pierced into Tang Yelan’s mind.

“……”

Bang!

As soon as she remembered it, the hammer struck a random spot.

Thud.

Along with the sound of something breaking, Tang Yelan dropped the hammer she had been holding.

“Huf… huff…”

Only then did she exhale the breath she had been holding. The fatigue she hadn’t noticed due to her concentration was slowly building up.

“… Huaa…”

She let out a deep breath and slightly slumped down.

It had been pure labor since she hadn’t used any qi at all.

Her arms didn’t even lift properly.

How many times had she struck?

She wiped the sweat running down her face with the back of her hand and looked around.

What she had been pounding was now unrecognizable.

What was it that she was trying to make? She couldn’t even remember what she was trying to create initially.

Perhaps she had merely been swinging the hammer aimlessly.

“……”

Her vision blurred.

Tang Yelan rubbed her eyes.

Tears welled up. It was surely sweat, she assumed.

“… Heuu…”

Suppressing her trembling breaths, she raised her head.

Should she rest for just a bit? Yes, just a bit of rest and then she could continue.

As she shifted her gaze with that thought, “… Huh…?” someone was standing beyond her blurred vision.

Who was it? She couldn’t see clearly. All she could see was a blue light.

What was it that shone so brightly ahead of her?

Moreover, how could it possess such a beautiful blue hue?

Looking at the light, Tang Yelan recalled her childhood.

‘… When was it?’

At some point, she had seen a light exactly like that.

She couldn’t remember when exactly, but it was probably before she turned ten.

‘Could it be his granddaughter?’

A large, rough figure. Eyes looking down at her with a ferocious gaze, as if towering into the sky.

‘Fortunately, she doesn’t resemble him much.’

His grinning face was enough to scare a young girl like her.

Yet, for some reason, Tang Yelan hadn’t been afraid.

‘Oh? Smiling, are you?’

Was it because she had been too young to understand?

Was it because she hadn’t had any thoughts at all?

It was probably both.

Back then, Tang Yelan had stretched out her arms as if asking to be held.

Seeing that, the old man had chuckled and lifted her into his arms.

‘You’ve got quite the aura. You’ll grow up to be significant.’

‘Heheh.’

‘Do you know whose arms you’re in right now?’

‘Hehehe!!’

She merely laughed, satisfied with having been lifted up high.

The old man had burst into a hearty laugh at the sight.

As time passed and Tang Yelan learned who the old man truly was, she had been utterly astonished.

She hadn’t forgotten that moment and remembered the light he had held.

In front of her, the light that elder had held was now flickering.

Blinking her eyes, Tang Yelan softly murmured,

“…Elder Sword Saint?”

She spoke cautiously.

Then, the shoulders of the person in front of her trembled.

She kept blinking until her vision gradually cleared.

The figure standing clearly came into view.

He was definitely not the old man.

He was a young, handsome man.

He had a rather gentle impression, but he was looking at Tang Yelan with a somewhat awkward expression.

“… Ah…”

Realizing who it was, Tang Yelan let out a gasp.

She knew who he was.

“…Young master Bang.”

“…”

He was the subject of rumors quietly spreading through the Central Plains.

Not only had he defeated the Namgung Family’s Young Azure Sword in one strike, but he was also the rising comet who had slain one of the high-ranking masters from the Evil Faction known as the Mountain Sky Demon.

‘…That person’s successor.’

The individual who had defended the world against the Demonic Path.

The Sword Saint’s, Yu Chun-gil, successor.

And, ‘Mother’s first love’s son.’

It was an incredibly complicated relationship.

Remembering this, Tang Yelan unknowingly smiled.

It was such a random thought.

“…Why are you suddenly smiling?”

Seeing her smile, Bang Sung-Yun asked with a perplexed look.

“Oh, it’s nothing… I just thought of something funny all of a sudden.”

“Looking at my face?”

“Yes.”

“…You’re quite bold, aren’t you?”

Bang Sung-Yun narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

Every time she saw him, it was intriguing.

Although he appeared to be the gentlest person, he wore such playful or slightly cheerful expressions with ease.

Moreover, he seemed well aware of his own charm, as he didn’t appear to be affected by such words.

‘Was it because of this?’

The words my mother kept warning me about came to mind.

I had done nothing, yet something felt subtle.

The sense of alienation inherent in one’s existence. The confusion one feels when seeing something unknown.

Bang Sung-Yun was a young man who evoked such a feeling.

Then, did his father also have such a presence?

If so, was that why my mother couldn’t forget him?

‘I kind of understand.’

Tang Yelan thought it could be possible.

But it was just a thought.

She had no intention of going beyond that thought, nor did she want to.

Srrrk.

As she untied her hair, Tang Yelan asked.

“What brings you here? It must have been difficult to come.”

“Oh, I came to have a word with the family head, but I suddenly heard a sound.”

“A sound?”

What sound was he talking about?

“The sound of clanging, you know, the hitting noise.”

“Ah.”

Tang Yelan nodded.

“And you came because you heard that?”

It wasn’t just one or two clanging sounds.

The noise could be heard all around.

Just look.

Clang-! Clang-! Clang-!

It kept ringing, even now.

Tang Yelan expressed her doubt at his claim of coming because he heard the sound.

“That can’t be—”

“This place had the best sound.”

Bang Sung-Yun continued with a nonchalant expression.

“…”

Hearing this, Tang Yelan closed her mouth.

“I intended to just pass by, but it sounded so pleasing that I came to take a look.”

“…that’s… uh…”

Her words came out strangely, as if something in her had broken down.

Tang Yelan lightly covered her mouth with her hand.

What was so significant about his words?

Clang.

Clang.

Clang.

The sound of the noise transmitted fully in her head.

The monotonous noise oddly sounded like a bell.

Was her body sending a signal that it was dangerous? It felt like a warning sound.

But warning about what? What was the warning for?

Tang Yelan did not know.

“… Did you really find the sound pleasing?”

Had she known, she wouldn’t have asked further.

“Yes.”

“What specifically…?”

“Specifically…? Do I need a detailed explanation for finding the sound pleasing?”

“Just, if possible…”

“It was just nice. It felt sincere about the blacksmithing job. It also seemed like there was something contained in the sound—”

“…ah…”

“Young lady Tang?”

Tang Yelan now covered her mouth with both hands at Bang Sung-Yun’s words.

It felt like there was something contained.

Her heart raced at those words.

“Why is that?”

“No… nothing…”

Clang-! Clang-!

The noise she heard changed more intensely.

Had she never heard such words from anyone before, and had she wanted to hear them so dearly?

“Are you okay?”

“Really, really?”

Tang Yelan asked with a trembling voice, looking at Bang Sung-Yun.

“About what…?”

“Did it really sound like that? Like something was contained?”

“… Uh… Yes, well, yes.”

Bang Sung-Yun answered somewhat stammering to Tang Yelan’s question.

He seemed to avoid her gaze, rolling his eyes here and there.

Why was he reacting that way? Normally, she would have found it peculiar, but Tang Yelan could not notice it now.

“I was surprised to see you so dedicated. I didn’t expect you to work this hard.”

Bang Sung-Yun looked at something Tang Yelan had been working on until now.

It was something she had messed up and ruined.

Shame overwhelmed her. Tang Yelan wished she could cover it all up.

At that moment.

“Could you make me a sword sometime later?”

“… What?”

Tang Yelan paused at Bang Sung-Yun’s words.

“… A sword…?”

“Oh, if it’s rude or difficult, you don’t have to.”

“No… It’s not that, but why…?”

“What?”

Bang Sung-Yun looked confused at her question. He thought for a moment and then replied.

“Just, I think you could make a good sword.”

“…”

“Isn’t that right?”

Tang Yelan then realized something.

It was his eyes that were the problem.

Those gentle eyes staring intently at her.

The eyes that seemed to trust her for some unknown reason.

And the indifferent tone that seemed to cherry-pick only what she wanted to hear.

Tang Yelan noticed that she no longer heard the clanging sound in her ears.

Her mother had told her.

‘Daughter, always remember this.’

‘Never get involved with the boys of the Bang family.’

For some reason, those words came to mind now.

TL’s Corner:
BSY rizzing up Yelan out of nowhere.