The World’s Greatest is Dead

I opened the door and walked inside. As soon as I entered, I knew where I was.

“This place… isn’t it where we were earlier?”

It was the location where a collection of weapons was gathered just earlier that day.

Every single weapon here could easily be called a famed blade. I might not be certain, but— “They’re all at least silver grade.”

They were at the level of famed blades crafted from steel.

Or perhaps— “They could be gold grade or higher.”

They might well be the grade that was rarely released into the Central Plains unless under special circumstances.

“If I knew more about swords, I could be certain.”

Since I was not knowledgeable in this field, it was just a guess. But one thing was clear—it was far from being a mere set of trivial swords.

“Even if I took a few and sold them—”

They would probably fetch a handsome price.

These valuable weapons were scattered all around this place.

I inspected each one and then looked at Poison Sovereign.

“Elder—”

『Keep your voice down. They’ll hear from outside.』, Poison Sovereign interrupted.

I immediately clamped my mouth shut.

I glanced at the entrance—not the one I came in through, but the original entrance we used earlier in the day.

Although the door was firmly shut, it suggested people were beyond it.

“Then they’re either investigating the secret vault or just standing guard.”

This scenario made perfect sense. Why would a secret vault be called a secret vault? Because it was hidden and contained valuable items. It was only natural for people to guard it once it was discovered and opened.

But one question lingered.

“Is there anyone near our quarters?”

Considering our proximity to the secret vault, might there be people secretly monitoring us? The thought hardened my expression.

『It’s quite plausible.』

It’s not just plausible; it might already be happening.

Moreover— “Even though the Tang family is part of the righteous faction—”

They might take measures to handle outsiders who discovered something about the main family’s secret vault.

“I should consider this as well.”

I had been aware of this risk ever since I heard about the secret vault.

Just the thought gave me goosebumps.

“This is why I avoid getting involved with higher-ups.”

It’s called the tyranny of big companies. Whether in my past life or now, getting mixed up with distinguished figures usually brought trouble.

I needed to be extremely cautious this time.

“First things first.”

I silently looked at Poison Sovereign. Since this place wasn’t our final destination, I signaled him to show me the next step.

『Over there』, Poison Sovereign gestured.

Unsurprisingly, he pointed toward a wall opposite the entrance.

“Is this another mechanism?”

I wondered. I scrutinized it, but it was different this time.

“There are no markers.”

There were no reference points to guide me. It was just a rough stone wall.

“Hmm.”

So, what was I supposed to do?

As I concentrated harder on inspecting it— “Oh.”

I finally understood Poison Sovereign’s intention.

『If you can’t understand, first try the wall….』

Poison Sovereign began to explain.

I listened closely while gripping the sword I had brought at my waist.

『…Use the Blue Moon Sect’s swordsmanship… hey kid?』

Seeing me, Poison Sovereign frowned.

I had heard enough.

A buzz…!!

Ki began to rise and gathered in my hand.

The ki then flowed blue along the blade.

Feeling the gathering energy, I smiled.

“Nice.”

It was different from before.

Unlike my initial attempt, it was now much easier to infuse ki.

“The quality has improved too.”

I realized that both the quantity and quality of the ki had significantly increased.

Had my inner qi grown? That wasn’t it.

It signified that my technique had improved.

I took a shallow breath, fulfilling the basics.

Steadily, I applied strength to my muscles.

My feet firmly planted on the ground, giving a push like I was pressing against the earth.

In that instant, I spread ki throughout my whole body.

I felt it filling me almost to the brim.

“Now, just a bit deeper.”

I got greedy. Unlike before, I now had this tendency.

“I think I can do it.”

Initially, I could barely spread ki to my legs and arms. Now, I felt it all the way to the previously unobservable parts.

This realization fueled a new desire.

I felt like I could do more, that it could be better.

That’s what it was.

Yu Chun-gil had told me to do whatever I wanted. So I figured this was a suitable attempt.

So, this time it was the same.

“Previously, I focused on the sword. This time, I’ll channel power into my body, not the sword.”

I matched my stance perfectly and took a deeper breath.

As I spread my breath throughout my body, I held it in.

“Ha!”

With a yell, I swung the sword.

A crescent of blue light from Blue Moon Sword Dance’s first move swept past the stone wall.

*Swoosh—!!*

A breeze blew, scattering dust around us.

While the dust lingered in the air, I had to catch my breath slowly.

“Phew… Hoo…”

Sweat beaded on my forehead. Just one swing and this was the aftermath.

‘Seriously. The more I dig, the more absurd it gets.’

Just when I thought I was getting used to it, something else appeared right in front.

Maybe that was the nature of martial arts.

Or perhaps it was just the old man’s martial arts that were like this.

‘…Really difficult.’

It was obscenely difficult. Even as I felt it with my body.

‘Why does this pointless effort keep feeling fun?’

Despite the arduous process and the result, I found myself enjoying it.

Somehow, it didn’t sit well with me.

*Clang!*

I sheathed my sword again.

『… Huh… You…』

At that moment, Poison Sovereign looked at me with a somewhat blank expression.

Just then.

*Thunk.*

A short sound was heard as the wall moved. With a grating noise, another entrance was revealed.

‘I knew it.’

Seeing that, I nodded, thinking I had anticipated this.

‘…It did seem familiar.’

The snack warehouse Yu Chun-gil had mentioned at the Blue Moon Sect.

I had used the Blue Moon Sword Dance to open the secret vault inside there as well.

‘I saw it here too.’

I remembered seeing a blue line on the wall back then.

Similarly, I noticed something like that in Poison Sovereign’s secret vault. So, I immediately carried out the Moon Wave technique.

『… How did you know about this?』

Poison Sovereign asked fiercely, as if he couldn’t let this matter go.

“I saw it once before.”

So, I answered honestly.

“The secret vault grandpa took me to. The way to open it was the same as this.”

『Huh? Secret vault, you say? Are you talking about the Blue Moon’s secret archive? Yu Chun-gil took you there?』

Blue Moon’s secret archive…? The old man had just called it his snack warehouse back then, but it seemed that was indeed the case.

“Yes. I believe that’s correct.”

『What a reckless fellow. It’s supposed to be a sacred place even the successor sect leader can’t enter…!』

Poison Sovereign spoke as if in disbelief.

Hearing this, I felt a similar sense of bewilderment.

‘…Successor sect leader…?’

He merely called it a snack warehouse; he’d stashed away things he liked.

Apparently, it was a far more significant space than I’d imagined.

Indeed…

‘…It was odd that the Blue Moon Pill was there.’

I’d heard that only the sect leader could consume the Blue Moon Pill. So why was it there?

Moreover, I went ahead and ate it without any hesitation.

‘Ssss.’

It seemed it was indeed an exceptional space.

But,『… So, how far did you go?』

At Poison Sovereign’s query, I now had my doubts.

“… How far? Isn’t the second room the end?”

『… The second room? At least you have some conscience.』

“What do you mean… Is there more?”

『That’s a question for Yu Chun-gil. It’s not my place to discuss it.』

“No…”

After telling me all this, was he not going to satisfy my curiosity? Unbelievable.

‘Was there more beyond the second room…?’

Was there really more beyond that?

How big of a secret archive was it?

‘But more importantly.’

Whatever lay beyond was not the primary issue.

Looking at Poison Sovereign, I asked.

“Can I ask you something?”

『What is it?』

“Why is the method to open the secret vault linked to the Blue Moon Sword Dance…?”

It made sense for the Blue Moon Sect’s secret archive as it was within the sect.

‘But why here?’

It was rather odd that Poison Sovereign’s secret archive could also be opened with the Blue Moon Sword Dance.

So, confused, I asked. Poison Sovereign furrowed his brow deeply.

『… Khm…』

“Elder?”

『… I didn’t particularly want to use your sword.』

“… Then…?”

『… It’s all because of a bet.』

“What did you say?”

His voice was so faint I couldn’t understand properly. So, I asked again.

『… It was a bet.』

“… A bet…?”

What… a bet? Did I hear wrong…?

“A bet?”

『… Yes. Damn it. I shouldn’t have made that drinking bet… Damn it!』

Clearly enraged, Poison Sovereign struck the void as if it were a table.

“…”

Watching this, I was left speechless.

‘…A drinking bet…?’

I had expected some complex reason, but was it just a drinking bet?

What on earth did these crazy old men wager in their drinking games?

Ignoring my throbbing head, I turned my gaze aside.

‘For now, let’s head in…’

The Blue Moon Sect’s secret archive was something I should ask that old man about, not Poison Sovereign.

So, I stepped forward, focusing on the entrance.

The entrance was just big enough for one person to squeeze through.

Especially for someone with Yu Chun-gil’s build, it would be impossible to enter.

Slightly lowering my head, I looked inside.

It was so dark that if not for the power of Moon Eye, I wouldn’t be able to see anything.

『There are no traps in the passage itself. Take your time.』

Listening to Poison Sovereign’s advice, I entered the passage. Suddenly.

*Bang!*

“…!”

The door behind me closed.

“… Whoa, that scared me!”

I was startled by the sudden situation.

Bang Sung-Yun looked at Poison Sovereign.

“… Is there a way out in here?”

『I’ve created a passage you can exit through.』

“That’s a relief”, I sighed with relief and moved forward.

Before long, I found myself outside.

“Sigh.”

Seeing the new space, I couldn’t help but exhale a breath of surprise.

“… What is this?”

My eyes widened. The area was much larger than I had anticipated.

Far more than the space where the weapons were gathered.

In addition…

*Shaaahhh.*

I heard the sound of water and looked down, noticing water flowing between beautifully decorated structures.

I briefly wondered why water flowed here.

But my gaze quickly focused on something ahead in the room. Precisely at the small table in the center. On top of it was a box.

That box drew my attention.

Not just my sight, though.

“This smell…”

A peculiar fragrance tickled my nose.

It seemed like a floral scent at first, but the underlying bitterness bothered me.

I could tell that whatever it was, the rich aroma pervaded the entire room.

‘No way.’

Could it be?

That over there…

‘… The Great Rejuvenation Pill of Shaolin?’

The legendary elixir, seen only once a decade at the grand festival held by the Murim Alliance.

It could be the Great Rejuvenation Pill contained in that box.

And just as I was about to head towards it,『Found it!』

Poison Sovereign shouted from a corner of the room.

『It’s here! Here it is!』

Waving his hand urgently, Poison Sovereign beckoned me over. Seeing this, I changed course and headed towards Poison Sovereign first.

* * *

Poison Sovereign was pointing at something amid the flowing water, speaking as I did.

『There it is. Pull that out.』

‘That?’

Sure enough, there was something in the water.

Could it be what Poison Sovereign had mentioned? As I considered this and reached out my hand, I froze-!

『Huh?』

Bang Sung-Yun’s outstretched hand came to an abrupt halt.

Seeing this, Poison Sovereign looked at me as if asking why.

“But Elder.”

『Why do you ask?』

“So, why is this Heavenly Demon Divine Sword here?”

『… What?』

Poison Sovereign furrowed his brow.

“It’s just… I initially tried to avoid probing too much, but my curiosity got the better of me.”

How could I not be curious?

“I mean, what if this turns out to be a huge entanglement? It’s hard to just turn a blind eye and help.”

Smiling, I continued speaking to Poison Sovereign.

“You should at least explain the situation. Whether it’s about the current family head… or this sword.”

『…』

Poison Sovereign, with a hard expression, stared intently at me.

It seemed like I touched a nerve, not only about the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword but also about the Poison King.

『Did you not ask so far just to wait for this moment? Are you trying to blackmail me?』

“Oh, blackmail?”

Was I talking about not pulling out the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword if Poison Sovereign didn’t explain?

“Yes.”

If so, he was right. That was my intention.

“I don’t need the Great Rejuvenation Pill; my life is more important. But this entire situation reeks of trouble.”

『This brat…?』

Poison Sovereign’s eyes wavered at the bold statement.

“If you don’t explain, I won’t pull it out. I’ll ignore the Great Rejuvenation Pill and just leave.”

If you don’t like it, then explain properly.

I imbued my words with this meaning, and Poison Sovereign’s expression changed multiple times in an instant.

First anger, then confusion, frustration, and finally resignation.

『Sigh… you cunning rascal.』

“I hear that often.”

『You never back down. If I were alive, I would’ve given you a proper lesson.』

It seemed it really bothered me that I couldn’t do anything because I was dead.

‘Of course. If you were alive, how could I do this?’

I could only defy him because he was a ghost. If Poison Sovereign were alive, I wouldn’t have dared to even meet his eyes.

“So, will you tell me?”

『…』

Poison Sovereign fell silent for a moment. Seeing this, Bang Sung-Yun waited patiently.

After a brief pause,『Kid.』

Poison Sovereign asked me, “Yes, elder.”

『How much do you trust Yu Chun-gil?』

“Excuse me?”

Why was that old man’s name being brought up now?

“Why suddenly?”

How much do I trust him…?

『Yeah, what if you trusted that guy…』

“I don’t trust him.”

『… What…did you just say…?』

“I don’t trust him at all.”

I declared with absolute calm.

『Huh…? Really?』

Poison Sovereign was more confused.

“Yes. Not even a little bit. I’d rather trust a passing rock than that old man.”

『…』

“Elder?”

Although I had said everything, Poison Sovereign was silent.

Poison Sovereign seemed at a loss for words for a moment.

Why?