The World’s Greatest is Dead

“What did you just say?”

I momentarily froze at Pal Du-Hyeok’s words. The overwhelming malice and the situation momentarily melted away, leaving my mind in a stupor.

Seeing my reaction, Pal Du-Hyeok smirked.

“Ah, right. You wouldn’t know.”

“… What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean? It’s about the grand Sword Saint’s demise.”

“…”

“It’s widely rumored that the monster died from an illness. Do you really believe that?”

“…”

No, I knew firsthand. That monster of an old man had told me personally, so how could I not know?

But…

‘This isn’t something that should be heard here.’

The situation was the issue.

The fact that this guy brought up that incident was problematic.

More than anything…

“… What did you say?”

“What did you just say?”

The problem was those who wouldn’t have known even if I did.

*Kuuu—!!*

Something pierced through Pal Du-Hyeok’s murderous aura.

It was a fighting spirit.

The fighting spirit emanating from Chun Uijin and Do Hyung was cutting through Pal Du-Hyeok’s malice.

“Ho.”

Pal Du-Hyeok looked at the two with intrigued eyes.

“Not bad spirit.”

His smile was quite savage.

As he focused on the two, I glanced up at the sky.

It was towards Yu Chun-gil.

He was floating in the air, quietly watching us.

I wondered how Yu Chun-gil would react when he heard someone was dealing with him.

But he showed no reaction; he simply observed.

To be precise…

‘He’s watching me.’

He had no interest in Pal Du-Hyeok and only kept his eyes on me.

I frowned at his attitude.

‘That old man.’

How could he be so indifferent after hearing about his own death?

I couldn’t understand. Well, not that I ever did.

There was one thing I could grasp now.

‘Did that old man know about this situation?’

From his lack of reaction, it was clear he was aware of it.

If so…

‘Why?’

I had to ponder why he didn’t tell me about it, despite knowing.

‘Why?’

What was the reason? Why did Yu Chun-gil choose such an outcome? I racked my brain to figure it out.

I had to find out.

‘Where did it start?’

If something had happened, where did the problem begin?

‘Think.’

Yu Chun-gil stopped me when I tried to inform the Poison King about abnormalities noticed by the engineer and strategist.

So, he had anticipated this from that moment.

If so…

‘The act they planned to do to the Poison King, and…’

He must have known these people would invade.

Then, why did he let the Poison King’s situation deteriorate despite knowing?

‘Did he want me dead?’

That’s a possibility. If it were that evil spirit, it’s plausible.

‘No, more than that.’

It wasn’t about trying to kill me, but something else.

Yu Chun-gil didn’t want me dead.

If he did, he wouldn’t have used such a method.

Furthermore, considering the past situations, Yu Chun-gil had always been helping me to gain something.

Even if he created a dire situation, the outcome always seemed to lead to me obtaining something significant.

Would it be different this time?

No, it likely wouldn’t.

If so…

‘What does he want me to gain?’

Why was he discreetly observing this calamity, hoping I would obtain something?

I kept thinking.

Who were they, and what conclusion did Yu Chun-gil desire from them?

I kept thinking and thinking.

‘The infiltrators. The traitors. The situation of the Poison King. What they are after.’

And…

‘What Yu Chun-gil hopes to gain by using this.’

I carefully listed the words, stringing them together with a thin thread.

Weaving and weaving again, I listed the words long enough to eventually reach the end.

Soon after, I reached a conclusion.

“Haa…!”

I let out a sigh at the rising thought.

Immediately, I glared at Yu Chun-gil as if to scrutinize him.

‘No way.’

I hoped I was wrong. But, to my eyes, this seemed to be the truth.

Their eyes met.

Yu Chun-gil, noticing my gaze, curled his lips.

『You figured it out, didn’t you?』

Narrowing my eyes at Yu Chun-gil’s words.

Then.

『No, no. You didn’t just figure it out.』

Yu Chun-gil corrected himself.

『You already knew this anyway. Maybe you knew it the moment you saw it.』

“……”

Yu Chun-gil spoke with a mix of laughter, as if piercing through his lungs.

『Stop pretending to be surprised. There’s no way you didn’t know.』

My words diffused like mist, sinking densely around them.

『When I told you not to say anything earlier, didn’t you get a clue then?』

When the people of the Tang family started to plot something.

I referenced that moment. Didn’t I realize it then?

That.

‘I didn’t know.’

I wanted to say, but my lips wouldn’t move.

Was it because I couldn’t challenge Yu Chun-gil with words? No.

‘… That old man is really sharp.’

Half of what he said was annoyingly true.

Indeed, when the signs of trouble appeared, I had partially anticipated it.

Except.

‘I thought it couldn’t be.’

No way, I thought. No matter how insane the old man was, I didn’t think he would go that far.

‘I underestimated him.’

I misjudged the old man.

‘He was mad a long time ago.’

I underestimated him too much.

‘Hoo.’

I sighed, partly to steady my breath and cool my rising temper.

At that moment of newfound calm.

“Dare you sully…”

“I have a question.”

Chun Uijin, seeming furious, was about to speak to Pal Du-Hyeok, but I cut him off and asked.

“Senior, are you saying that Broken Heaven Palace is related to the Sword Saint’s death?”

“Yes, you understand qui…”

Pal Du-Hyeok started to respond but halted.

At that moment.

A tremendous pressure emanated from Pal Du-Hyeok.

It was much more intense and rougher than before.

Breathing felt laborious, and my shoulders trembled involuntarily. It felt as if my mind would unravel if the tension released. I forced myself to stay conscious amidst it.

“… What?”

The killing intent was like that of a ravenous beast.

“You. What are you?”

The moment of inattention would cause me to reveal my fangs and bite off my neck.

“I don’t recall those words leaving my lips?”

A mention of Broken Heaven Palace.

The atmosphere around Pal Du-Hyeok changed instantly upon hearing that.

I looked into the man’s eyes. Simply looking made my legs weak.

Was this a real master’s killing intent? It was incomparable to what Mountain Sky Demon emanated.

However, ‘… Not yet.’

I could still endure. Perhaps me reaching First-rate helped. It was still bearable.

I endured.

Enduring the pressure, I spoke to Pal Du-Hyeok.

“There were some people we encountered on the way to the Tang family. They called themselves the Broken Heaven Palace.”

“… Hah?”

Pal Du-Hyeok sneered in disbelief.

“Nonsense. They wouldn’t say that.”

A tone close to certainty.

Was it a mistake? It sounded more like ‘they couldn’t say that’ than ‘they wouldn’t say that.’

“Well, the fact is, I heard it.”

It wasn’t a lie.

I heard it from a dead man, not a living one.

Mentioning that, Pal Du-Hyeok fell silent briefly.

“… Yes, it was you guys.”

Finally, I growled out the words.

As expected, it seemed they knew about what we had done.

“So? What does that have to do with your prediction?”

“How could it not be related?”

It couldn’t be unrelated.

“Strangers searching for something near Sichuan, the spy hidden in the Tang family, and the current situation—all these clues overwhelmingly lead to a conclusion.”

“… Ha, sophistry. Even so, there is no certainty to be found anywhere.”

It was true. This was just a prediction; ultimately, certainty could not be achieved.

That’s why.

“So I tested it. Didn’t you just reveal the answer, senior?”

“…!”

Since a prediction alone didn’t furnish an answer, I blatantly tested him, and he responded as if it hit him like a ghost.

“… You little…”

At my response, veins bulged on Pal Du-Hyeok’s forehead.

“… Daring to test me?”

“Indeed. You looked too serious to be tested, but it turns out you can be swayed.”

*Grrr.*

The aura intensified. One of my eyebrows trembled under the pressure.

“You’re excellent at playing tricks with words.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“… Should I pluck out that tongue to shut that mouth of yours?”

Pal Du-Hyeok smirked wickedly and extended his hand. Watching this, I spoke again.

“Since I’ve already spoken, should I say one more thing?”

My words made Pal Du-Hyeok’s hand pause. His eyes were full of heat, but within his gaze, there was a hint that he was curious about what I might say next.

And so, I said, “You didn’t come here to find me.”

The objective of Broken Heaven Palace is not me, the Sword Saint’s successor.

At a glance, it seemed like I was their target, but I knew otherwise.

“You must be searching for something else here. Your current actions are just concurrent. Isn’t that right?”

“…”

“Then what could it be? What are you trying to find? What are you doing in the Tang family?”

*Step.*

I took a step closer to Pal Du-Hyeok, piercing through the killing intent.

I wanted to flee immediately, the killing intent he emitted distinctly made me feel like running away.

Yet, I didn’t run. I had something to confirm with him.

Looking straight into his eyes, I spoke.

“Shall I guess that too?”

The moment I said that.

*Krrriiing-!!! *

*Boom-!!!*

A gust of wind swept through.

Pal Du-Hyeok swung his arm, launching a fierce offensive.

I got swept up. My body staggered.

What just happened? What did he just do?

‘How can a human body…’

It’s a power so bizarre that it doesn’t seem human.

I looked around, trying to process it.

The rough marks left on the ground confirmed that the impact wasn’t an illusion.

As I stared at it silently, “… You really are fearless, brat.”

Pal Du-Hyeok’s voice sounded somewhat distant.

The Pal Du-Hyeok who had been standing in front of me was now a bit further away, holding a spear that appeared out of nowhere.

“Though your antics are cute, how far can you go?”

Pal Du-Hyeok spoke to me with a savage grin.

“Let’s see how far you can go.”

“…”

As Pal Du-Hyeok’s words ended, the martial artists surrounding him moved as if they had been waiting for this moment.

The number was definitely not small, as I had previously counted. Watching them draw their swords,

“Ugh!”

“…”

Chun Uijin and Do Hyung drew their swords and stood in front of me.

And then, Tang Yelan stood in the front with them.

I could see her small shoulders trembling.

Why are all of them standing in front of me…?

Feeling a bit perplexed, I glanced at my group.

It made sense for the two men, but why Tang Yelan?

Her standing in front of me startled me momentarily.

As I looked ahead, wondering what was going on, I saw the enemies approaching with their drawn swords.

And then, beyond them, Pal Du-Hyeok.

The killing intent from before seemed to have disappeared, and he was looking at me with a somewhat displeased expression.

Seeing this, I became certain of another thing.

‘That guy.’

Pal Du-Hyeok.

‘He can’t kill me.’

It seemed he couldn’t touch me.