The World’s Greatest is Dead

“…….”

I had to stay still for a moment after hearing Poison Sovereign’s words. It was because I couldn’t properly interpret what I had just heard.

‘……Are you kidding me?’

I wondered if I had misheard again, but I knew better.

If not, ‘……Then, what did I just hear?’

What did Poison Sovereign just say?

If it wasn’t my imagination, he definitely mentioned…

‘The Heavenly Demon Sword?’

He had uttered the name of the Heavenly Demon Sword. Even someone like me, who was almost entirely disinterested in the affairs of the Central Plains, and who didn’t even know that Yu Chun-gil used the Full Moon style, recognized that name due to its fame.

It could be expected.

Because it was…

‘The sword that the Heavenly Demon used.’

The root of all evil that caused the Great Demon War.

The god of the Demon Sect, the Heavenly Demon, wielded that sword.

Consequently, it was named the Heavenly Demon Sword.

‘How many warriors did that sword kill?’

It wasn’t something that could be counted on fingers, and the number of killed masters was countless.

Not only the head of Kunlun Sect, who was called the Pure Blue Sword, but even the Sovereign of the Evil Faction, who was glorified as the Emperor of Green Forest, had his head cut off by it.

In addition to them, countless renowned masters met their end by that sword.

The Heavenly Demon’s sword was thusly called a Divine Sword and continued to hold its infamous reputation. That infamous sword… ‘……Is here?’

Why was the sword that should have disappeared along with the Heavenly Demon in Poison Sovereign’s secret chamber?

Just as I had that question, it seemed I wasn’t the only one; someone spoke to Poison Sovereign.

『……What did you just say?』

That someone was, of course, Yu Chun-gil. He was speaking while glaring at Poison Sovereign’s back.

In a very fierce and harsh voice.

『Poison Sovereign. Answer me. What did you just bring?』

*Whoosh!*

A wind blew in the secret chamber. At that moment.

*Clang!* Those behind us readied themselves.

“……What is it?”

“……Senior brother. Just now…….”

With tense expressions, Do Hyung and Chun Uijin spoke. Both had their hands on their swords.

Not only that, but Poison King also grimaced as he scanned the surroundings.

Probably because of the wind.

‘……When wind blows in a completely sealed place, it’s natural to be on guard.’

Thus, they were apprehensive inside the room.

『The Heavenly Demon Sword is here?』

Yu Chun-gil repeated his words to Poison Sovereign with the same intensity as before.

『Is that true? Answer me!』

*Whoosh!* Yu Chun-gil’s yell caused the wind to blow more fiercely.

Finally, Poison Sovereign, who had been surveying the area with a frown, looked at Yu Chun-gil with a scowl.

『Yes. It’s here. What’s the problem with that?』

『What?』

Yu Chun-gil’s face contorted at Poison Sovereign’s indifferent response.

『You don’t know what the problem is?』

『I have no idea. The sword’s owner is already dead. He died by your hand. What’s the problem if I brought his sword?』

『You foul…』

『What could possibly change just because I brought a mere sword.』

『A mere sword?』

Yu Chun-gil scoffed at Poison Sovereign’s words.

『You know very well it’s not just a mere sword.』

『No, I don’t. Nor do I wish to.』

『You madman!』

『Don’t be mistaken, Yu Chun-gil.』

Poison Sovereign cut off Yu Chun-gil’s words.

At that moment, my spine tingled. Poison Sovereign’s gaze was so chilling.

『I still haven’t forgotten that day.』

『……You.』

『Why did I bring the Divine Sword here?』

Poison Sovereign spoke with a slight smile, causing me to scowl unknowingly.

More than being scary, he seemed too desolate.

Dry and murky. His smile was like that.

『It’s my obsession. An obsession to finish something I couldn’t complete.』

『Ha.』

Yu Chun-gil breathed out sharply at Poison Sovereign’s response.

『You brought the Divine Sword because of some unknown obsession.』

『Yes.』

『It’s an unbelievably mad act.』

『Then it must be true. I must have gone mad a long time ago. And if you ask when, it was most likely that day.』

『Poison Sovereign.』

Yu Chun-gil gritted his teeth as he called Poison Sovereign’s name.

At that time, I noticed Yu Chun-gil looking at me.

What’s going on?

While looking at Yu Chun-gil, Poison Sovereign let out a brief chuckle.

『Heh heh… Don’t worry. I have no intention of mentioning it to the child, but.』

Poison Sovereign narrowed his eyes fiercely at Yu Chun-gil as he continued speaking.

『So, you better keep your mouth shut too. I have no intention of disturbing you, so do the same.』

『…….』

Despite Yu Chun-gil furrowing his brow at the harsh tone, he did not raise his voice at Poison Sovereign anymore.

He just said, with a somewhat dark expression.

『……You’ll regret it later.』

『Regret?』

Poison Sovereign laughed again at those words.

『Well, if it’s about regrets, I’ve had enough to last a lifetime before I died.』

With that, Yu Chun-gil stopped speaking and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. Poison Sovereign resumed examining the surroundings.

And then, I thought while looking at the two of them.

‘What is going on?’

‘What does it even matter, these old men.’

What was the story even about?

I wanted to ask desperately, but there was no way to find out now.

* * *

Time passed.

Unlike before, time did not pass helplessly; about half an hour had passed.

The search being done to this space was almost complete. The room itself was not that large to begin with.

Since all there were weapons visible, the search did not take long.

“……We found no special mechanisms in the room.”

The voice of the man reporting sounded somewhat lacking in confidence. Despite searching for so long, why was he like this?

‘Is it because of what happened earlier?’

If there’s a reason, it was probably because of me.

They said there was nothing, but I found something in just a few seconds; it seemed their confidence had withered.

‘Well, I guess I do feel a bit sorry…….’

It wasn’t intentional, but seeing that it ended up like this made me feel a little guilty.

‘Anyway, let’s set that aside for now.’

I stared intently at Poison King. His expression seemed even worse than before.

After all, ‘He can’t seem to find what he’s looking for?’

It seemed that what he sought wasn’t here either.

‘What is it, really?’

What could Poison King be looking for that brought him all the way to this storage? Were the countless valuable swords we discovered not enough?

‘These all seem like treasures to me, but…’

If I took just one and sold it, how much would it fetch?

Even to my untrained eyes, these all looked like famous swords.

Despite discovering such items, his reaction was like that.

‘Indeed, those with lots of money are like this.’

They don’t know the importance of money.

‘I wonder what incredible thing they’re looking for.’

Unable to understand, I felt like sighing.

It wasn’t just Poison King, but also his father contributing to my sighs.

『……Is this not the place? I thought I left it here, strange……?』

Poison Sovereign had also thoroughly searched this place for half a second, but…

Just like Poison King, he couldn’t find what he desired either.

The difference being, Poison Sovereign at least knew what he was looking for.

‘The Heavenly Demon Sword, right?’

The sword the Heavenly Demon used.

Poison Sovereign had been searching for it continuously, but it seemed he couldn’t find it.

『……In that case, it means it’s deeper inside, hm…….』

Poison Sovereign tilted his head, seemingly suspecting there was more to explore.

‘There’s still more rooms, so is it in one of those?’

According to Poison Sovereign, there were a total of three properly utilized rooms in the storage.

If this was one, there was a possibility of it being in the remaining two rooms?

Just as I was pondering this question.

“……Family head, it’s time to return.”

A person who had come down with them, informed the Poison King. Only then did his expression change.

The emotions that had barely surfaced vanished, leaving a blank face.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but be amazed.

‘Quite the master of facial expression control.’

Indeed, the family head was the head for a reason. He was exceptionally skilled at hiding his emotions.

With a changed expression, Poison King nodded and spoke.

“……It seems wise to end today’s search here.”

As Poison King said this, a flicker of relief crossed the faces of Chun Uijin and Do Hyung.

I wondered why they reacted thusly, but it must have been because they were tense.

‘There are numerous mechanisms. They must have been preparing for any possible situation.’

In the Central Plains, a storage room wasn’t merely a space for hiding treasures.

‘It’s a space filled with countless traps to protect those treasures.’

Hence, proper preparation was essential before entering a storage room.

‘……Especially when it’s a storage made by Poison Sovereign…….’

Not just any other, but a storage room crafted by Poison Sovereign himself.

It seemed strange not to be tense in such a place.

In fact, it was odd for someone like Poison King to say they came here with just this few people.

‘Besides, a lot of time has passed, so maybe he’s suggesting we go up and reorganize.’

Tension and fatigue had built up.

Time had also passed. Poison King, being the head of his family, couldn’t leave it unattended for long.

So, he probably said to handle just this much today and proceed again next time.

In the actual request, there was no mention of finishing everything in one go, so it wasn’t a big problem.

‘… And I am tired anyway.’

Honestly, it was welcome.

“Understood.”

So, I agreed immediately.

As soon as I agreed, the Poison King turned his back and started walking away.

He hadn’t even listened to Do Hyung and Chun Uijin yet.

“…Uh, hmm.”

I contemplated whether to point it out or not, but decided to hold back.

So, the Poison King moved first.

During this, I worried whether any issues would arise with the mechanism, but luckily, there were no problems.

Using the entrance we came through into the Secret Vault, we exited outside again.

Outside, the Tang clan members were already waiting.

They sighed with relief only after Poison King and our group returned safely.

“…We sincerely celebrate your return, family head.”

The person who seemed to be the chief administrator bowed respectfully.

Poison King nodded at him and spoke to the ones who had come along.

“Write down what you saw inside and give it to the chief administrator.”

“Understood….”

“And.”

The Poison King’s gaze turned to us this time.

“…I sincerely thank you for your hard work today. However, due to safety reasons, we will have to continue the search next time… Is that alright?”

“Understood.”

“Thank you for your consideration….”

I wondered what would happen if I said no, but it was obvious that saying it wouldn’t lead to anything good, so I held back.

It seemed we would continue the search regarding Secret Vault next time.

With those words, today’s schedule ended.

We were able to return to our lodgings under the guidance of the Tang clan members.

* * *

“…Phew…”

Only after returning to my room did I let out a deep sigh.

Like the others, I had also been tense.

When that tension was released, I felt my body becoming languid.

The sun had already set by the time we came out.

I collapsed onto the bedspread.

‘…I’m exhausted.’

Normally, it would have been time for training, but I didn’t have the strength this time.

‘…Should I have not agreed?’

If I had known it would be this tiring and troublesome, maybe it would’ve been better to refuse.

‘No, if it had just been one request, it would have been fine.’

It seemed more overwhelming because I was dealing with both Poison King’s and Poison Sovereign’s matters.

‘Where did they go again?’

Poison Sovereign, who had made the request, disappeared as soon as we came out of the Secret Vault.

Yu Chun-gil was also nowhere to be found.

I didn’t know where they went after leaving me with all the work.

‘…Sigh.’

I must have been crazy to accept the job due to the allure of the Great Rejuvenation Pill.

‘Should I quit now?’

It might be better. Forget the Great Rejuvenation Pill; my body couldn’t take it anymore.

It felt like the job was done anyway since we opened the Secret Vault.

Should I give up now and just go comfortable?

Yeah. That seemed like the better choice. How could I do anything else when it was hard to even take care of myself?

I decided to discuss it with Poison Sovereign or Poison King the next time I saw them.

While mulling over it, I closed my eyes briefly.

Soon, overwhelmed by fatigue, I fell asleep.

I wondered how long I had slept.

『Child.』

A voice heard near my ear slightly woke me up.

『Child, wake up.』

It was Poison Sovereign’s voice. I didn’t open my eyes.

‘What now.’

Waking me up when I was sleeping so well.

I still felt tired. I intended to pretend to be asleep.

『… Oh dear, not waking up. If he wakes up now, he can get the Great Rejuvenation Pill』

“…What is it?”

『….』

Rising and opening my eyes at Poison Sovereign’s words.

It was a split second.

Poison Sovereign looked at me wearily and said.

『… In many ways, you truly resemble your master.』

“….”

I felt genuinely offended.