The World's Greatest is Dead - Chapter 113
The World’s Greatest is Dead – Chapter 113
Upon realizing Poison King’s trickery, it might have been better to go back and confront him. However, upon checking again, the lights in Poison King’s quarters were already off.
“He’s the real medicine man.”
It was too early in the day for him to be asleep. This was purely…
“He doesn’t want me to come back.”
It was as if he was telling me not to come today. Maybe he was genuinely sleepy; indeed, he had looked tired throughout the banquet.
There was the possibility he had gone to sleep for real but…
“I don’t think that’s the case.”
Considering Poison King’s character, I doubted that was the true reason.
“Tsk.”
Even if it wasn’t, it was awkward to go back in now, so I had to return regardless.
Thinking this, I moved my steps.
Though it was getting late at night, I pondered whether I should head back to my quarters.
My steps, however, were not heading towards my quarters but the training grounds.
There was still a sword left to swing.
* * *
*Swish-!! Swish-!!*
Cutting through the wind, the sword moved violently.
It was somewhat dark since the lights were off, but darkness was no problem for me.
Since opening my Moon Eye, the night has become my strength.
*Thud-!*
Stepping hard on the ground with my toes, I simultaneously identified the problems in my mind.
“I used too much force. I need to lessen it next time.”
It was an unnecessary use of muscle, bending too much.
*Whoosh-!! *
The sword sliced through the air once more.
“This time, I lacked power in my waist.”
The angle of my fingertips.
The strength in my waist.
The movement of my wrist when twisting.
The resultant changes in the direction and speed of the sword’s tip.
As if I wouldn’t miss even a speck of a flaw, I kept recalling these actions.
A bright blue light burst forth in the darkness.
It was the Blue Moon Sword Dance 1st Form – Moon Wave.
It was more robust and the light shone more intensely than when I first used it.
I was even able to withstand the recoil that I felt back then to some extent.
Thanks to that, it has become much easier to execute without shaking.
“Next up.”
Continuing the movements, I raised the sword to the sky.
And then, *Whoosh—!!!*
The sword cleaved the darkness, heading towards the ground.
With the sound of air being torn, wind pressure surged.
*Woosh–!!!*
The Blue Moon Sword Dance 2nd Form – Night Moon.
Though it seemed like a simple downward slash, it was actually harder to use than Moon Wave.
“It looks simple, but it’s not at all.”
The flow of energy that has entered at this moment, and maintaining that within a simple motion.
Yu Chun-gil had expressed it effortlessly, but that made it even harder.
To encapsulate the vastness of the night.
The downward slash was too simple of an action.
Trying to infuse that simplicity with profundity was incredibly difficult and complex.
“Balancing is tricky.”
Applying too much force in the legs would break the motion.
If I didn’t apply enough force, the energy would dissipate.
Though I managed to successfully perform the martial arts move, it was still…
“I have so much to think about.”
….difficult to use in actual combat for now.
What should I do to solve this?
I already knew the answer.
“…… What else? I have to train.”
If I was too weak to manage the recoil, I had to get stronger to handle it.
Knowing that was why I was practicing like a madman late into the night.
“Sigh…”
Stopping my movements, I exhaled.
While catching my roughened breath, I moved my hands to untie the weights that had been strapped to my body.
*Thud-! Thud-thud-!*
The sandbags fell to the ground. There had been one on each arm and one on each ankle.
With the weights removed, it was somewhat better.
“Ahhh.”
No matter how much I did it, it was monotonous. Despite my loathing, I was doing this every day.
『Are you done?』
Yu Chun-gil asked after I removed the sandbags.
“Yes, pretty much.”
I wanted to do more, but it wasn’t good to overdo it since I had just taken off my bandages recently.
“How strange.”
I thought as I looked at the arm that had been bandaged.
‘Is it because my level has risen? My recovery speed is quite fast.’
They say that when a master gets injured, as long as it’s not severe or mangled, they recover in a few days and can walk around properly again.
It seemed to be exactly that.
Even now, as long as I was careful moving my arm, there appeared to be no major issues.
Although I planned to do more physical training later, for now, the training was over.
There was just one last thing left to do.
*Swish.*
I took a deep breath. At that moment…
*Geeeee-! *
The inner qi moved, traveling along the acupuncture points and spreading throughout my body.
It was the energy of the Blue Moon Mind Technique.
The energy invaded my body.
With the sandbags gone, the reaction felt much lighter and stronger.
I sensed it and picked up my sword.
“Phew.”
Breathing out, the energy mixed with my breath.
This was the most significant change I felt upon reaching First-rate.
‘Will it work?’
Could I do it? Doubts surfaced, but I didn’t hesitate at that moment.
Whether it worked or not, I had to keep trying because stopping wasn’t an option.
*Squeeeze-!*
I gripped my sword tightly and applied the energy.
*Fwoooosh-!*
The blue energy gradually connected like strands of silk.
『Hoho.』
Yu Chun-gil’s reaction echoed in my ears.
I ignored it and continued to cast.
‘At this time, the old man…’
What form did he use?
How did he move and contain the energy?
‘Remember. And then recall.’
At first, I envisioned the moon.
The second time, I created the night.
For the third time, ‘It’s about emitting a brilliant light.’
Encompassing the moon that rose and the night that accumulated, I had to contain the light.
That was the third Blue Moon Sword Dance Yu Chun-gil showed.
Therefore, *Ssssss—!!!*
I attempted to cover my sword with light.
Using the energy and the manner from that time.
I remembered everything and infused it into my sword.
If just done this way, I could use the powerful sword qi Yu Chun-gil used.
As I thought so and the energy gradually rose in the sword, the light that had gathered…
*Pop-! Clank-!*
“!”
It shattered and scattered without reaching the sword’s tip.
“… Damn.”
I clicked my tongue at the sight of the broken energy pieces falling to the ground.
‘It’s a failure.’
It was a failure.
‘What was the problem this time?’
I wasn’t sure. What could it have been?
Using the energy and forming its shape didn’t seem much different.
“Hmm.”
While I could self-correct other issues, this one remained a mystery.
*Click.*
I sheathed my sword and gazed into the void.
There, Yu Chun-gil was staring back at me from the darkness.
“How do you do this?”
I asked boldly.
“I think I did everything I could. Something’s not aligning right.”
Was it a lack of energy? But no, when Yu Chun-gil used my body, he had less energy than I do now.
‘Then, is it a problem with the application method?’
It could also be that my body hadn’t fully recovered.
‘Well.’
Ultimately, I wasn’t sure, so asking the guy who knew the answer was the best choice.
However…
『Hmm. Hmmm.』
Yu Chun-gil tilted his head, looking at me with a peculiar gaze.
Ah, this isn’t good. Whenever he made that face, problems always arose.
Sure enough, Yu Chun-gil wore a troubled expression.
It wasn’t a face questioning how to explain it to me.
He was clearly debating whether to tell me or not.
What a foul-tempered old man.
“… Can’t you just tell me? Don’t be cheap and play any weird tricks.”
『Huh? Look at this kid. Who are you calling cheap? I’m thinking hard about teaching you in the kindest way possible.』
“Yeah, right. As if.”
Both the old man and I knew it was a ludicrous idea.
『Hmm.』
Yu Chun-gil, who had been pondering, finally nodded.
『I can tell you, but explaining it with just words could be a bit annoying.』
“…… So, are you planning to come back in again?”
Was he planning to show it to me once more? That wouldn’t be so bad.
However, ‘I don’t think the time is sufficient for possession.’
It seemed I had overused it in the lake, and now there wasn’t enough time left.
Yu Chun-gil, seemingly grappling with the same realization, spoke.
『No, that’s going to be a bit difficult… Hmm.』
He tapped his monstrous arm with his thick fingers.
How hard could it be to explain something?
『Let’s sleep on it and think about it tomorrow. That might be best.』
“…… No way….”
In the end, he wasn’t going to tell me anything. It was infuriating.
When I glared at him in disbelief, Yu Chun-gil gave a sheepish smile.
『Don’t look at me so fiercely. I honestly think I’ll be able to explain it better after some rest.』
“What does sleeping have to do with that?”
『You need sleep to clear your mind and heal your body, don’t you?』
“That’s absurd. You don’t sleep, elder.”
『……』
Yu Chun-gil fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words.
Seeing that, I shook my head.
『There’s no point in engaging in a war of words with you.』
When had he ever yielded to me?
“Sigh.”
I picked up the sandbag lying on the ground.
As I was preparing to leave, Yu Chun-gil asked me with a puzzled expression.
『Wait, why are you ending it now? Didn’t you say you’d train more?』
“You told me to get some sleep. Besides, I don’t think I can do any more right now.”
I contemplated continuing, but my body indicated that it was time to rest.
『Hmm? Is that so…?』
Yu Chun-gil responded with a hint of regret but didn’t press further.
Brushing off the dust, I headed out of the training hall.
How much time had passed since I started training?
Judging by the moon’s position, I had been at it for quite some time.
‘It’s fascinating.’
It truly was fascinating.
Despite having countless things to consider, training seemed to clear my mind.
In the past, I would have been consumed by idle thoughts.
Even now, there were more important matters to think about than training.
‘Broken Heaven Palace, special weapons, things like that.’
Things about foes whom I knew nothing about.
The rewards I was supposed to receive from the Tang family.
And aside from that.
‘… Yeongsun too, and also.’
Jaegal Jin.
The sudden involvement of the Jaegal family also needed consideration.
Instead of thinking about such things, I found myself fully immersed the moment I started training.
“Hmm.”
How had it come to this?
I wasn’t like this before.
‘It’s all because of that old man.’
Yu Chun-gil was likely to blame.
Could it be helped?
‘Having seen that, how could I forget?’
Saying “having seen” didn’t even do it justice.
Having performed such martial arts with my own body.
I couldn’t forget it and thus picked up the sword.
Feeling an inexplicable pull to act.
So I ended up wielding the sword.
The funniest part?
‘I find it enjoyable.’
Learning and practicing martial arts was fun.
Someone like me, who used to internally ridicule martial artists as perverts.
I was becoming increasingly like them.
The thought made me uncomfortable yet happy at the same time.
It was ironically amusing.
Returning to my quarters, I decided to get some sleep.
Even if it wasn’t because Yu Chun-gil mentioned it, I had a lot to do upon waking up.
I wanted to finish quickly and leave Sichuan.
With such thoughts, I fell asleep.
* * *
“…… Ah, damn it.”
A world turned stark white.
As soon as I woke up there, I couldn’t help but curse.
It was a disturbingly familiar place.
In a very bad way.
TL’s Corner:
We’re back in the dream space boys!