The World’s Greatest is Dead

Bang Sung-Yun, at the age of nine, had regained the memories of his past life.

One of the resolutions he made was to live this life properly.

At ten years old, he had decided to make some rules for himself.

-First rule:

Do not disclose to anyone that you possess memories of your past life.

He had resolved never to speak of it because he knew that talking carelessly could lead to unforeseeable consequences.

-Second rule:

Do not stand out.

He resolved to live quietly and unobtrusively, not to do anything unnecessary just because he possessed memories of his past life. His household was already in chaos, making enemies left and right, often unknowingly.

Especially in his hometown of Yoryeong, the situation was even more dangerous; thus, he planned to live discreetly, even if he could do something.

Live thin and long.

That was his new life’s purpose.

And now, the third and final grand rule.

The most crucial thing for the purpose of life.

‘Do not live like Kim Minchul from your previous life in South Korea.’

Perhaps it had been a problem that his grandmother was a shaman. In his past life, Kim Minchul saw things he shouldn’t have and lived a dog-like existence, until he met an untimely death.

In this life, he intended to live differently. But, damn it, as soon as he regained his past life’s memories, a problem arose. The problem was that his previous life’s abilities came along with the memories.

Yes, it was true.

He could see ghosts.

This was true both for this life and his previous one. Whether it was because he recalled his past life or just an inherent curse, reality was what it was.

He could see ghosts.

And just seeing them increased the difficulty level of his life dramatically. If one could simply see them, maybe it wouldn’t be a problem, but the second a ghost realized that he could see them, things got complicated.

‘The troublesome ones are too many.’

Ghosts were, after all, beings full of grudges and regrets. If they found someone who might fulfill their wishes, they would do anything to hold onto them.

‘I suffered immensely because of that.’

Especially in a world full of swords and blood in the Murim’s Central Plains? The number of ghosts was astronomical.

Recalling the events of his past life, he resolved to live this life normally. Pretending not to see what he saw. Pretending not to hear what he heard.

‘No matter what, I will live a peaceful life.’

With this resolution, he managed to live for several years, constantly fooling his eyes.

Until he faced a crisis again.

* * *

The massive figure, nearly eight feet tall, could have easily been mistaken for a bear if not for his speech.

Curious, I looked more closely.

Of course, it wasn’t a bear; it was indeed a person.

The person was an elderly man in tattered black martial clothes with white hair.

‘What’s with his body…?’

Even for an old man, his body was extraordinarily muscular. He didn’t look ordinary at all.

Immediately, I glanced at the man’s legs. This was a habit I had formed.

A habit I must never forget.

Ghosts were mostly in a semi-transparent state. Maybe because they were spirits, one could usually tell if it was a ghost and then pretend not to know it.

Sometimes, there were solid-looking ghosts, but in such cases, looking at the legs would suffice.

Ghosts’ feet didn’t touch the ground. Alternatively, their feet disappeared, making them float. Moreover, they didn’t cast shadows.

To differentiate whether someone was a ghost or not, I made it a habit to look at their legs first whenever I saw a stranger. This habit has allowed me to live in relative safety.

I had narrowly avoided danger on several occasions, but since I hadn’t been detected, those were just memories now.

‘Hmmm…’

The old man’s feet were firmly on the ground. Confirming this, I let out a sigh of relief internally.

“Oh… ah, that thing, swinging the arm like that… ah. That’s not how you practice martial arts…!”

“…”

The old man mumbled regretfully while looking inside the window. Even though he wasn’t a ghost, what on earth could he be?

He was suspicious.

Too suspicious to ignore.

…No way.

A sudden thought flashed through his mind.

‘Is he one of the Murim Alliance executives?’

Whether he belonged to the Anhui branch or another, he didn’t know. But someone who could walk around the Murim Alliance without concern at this hour must be a significant person.

His father had once said, ‘Among martial arts experts, strange individuals are plentiful, so be cautious.’

Especially, be wary of old people and children. Should he avoid getting involved and just get away?

Making that judgment, his feet had already started moving towards the old man.

“Excuse me. Elder.”

If he was indeed an executive, I thought I might as well leave a good impression. Such greedy thoughts were to blame.

Although I tried calling out to the old man,

“Aigoo… Using your back like that means all the recoil goes to the waist. You have to reduce the weight and make it lighter, you rascal.”

The old man just ignored my words as though they didn’t concern him.

“Sir…? Excuse me?”

“And what’s with that grip on the sword? You’ll ruin your wrist like that later. Eh, tch, tch…”

“Sir, can’t you hear me?”

“Honestly, youngsters these days, lacking the basics…”

“Hey, old man.”

“Huh?”

“…”

He could hear that. The old man immediately looked at me after my frustrated outburst. Our eyes met. His eyes were unusually blue.

“Well, that’s…”

“…?”

The moment our eyes met, he quickly averted his gaze and began to look around. It seemed like he was checking to see if anyone else was nearby.

“Sir…?”

I called out to him again due to his actions. Only then did he seem to realize that I was addressing him, and he looked at me again.

“What is this…? What’s going on?”

“Sorry?”

“Young one, can you see me?”

“Well, obviously, you’re standing right in front of me—”

I stopped mid-sentence.

‘Wait a minute…’

A strange feeling crept over me, freezing me in place.

This wasn’t good.

My instincts, honed over years, told me something was wrong.

“Oh?”

The old man’s expression changed as he saw my reaction. Seeing that expression made chills run down my spine.

I lowered my gaze. I looked at the old man’s legs. I had checked them earlier, and they were perfectly intact. They were certainly there, but… something felt off.

“Where are you looking?”

“…”

I didn’t answer his question and immediately turned my back on him. This was bad, really bad.

I had made a mistake.

“Hey, young one?”

Ignoring his words, I tried to walk away.

“Stop there.”

This time, I heard a sound from in front of me. Startled, I looked up to see Yun Sochun, drenched in sweat. He must have heard the commotion and came out from the training hall to check on me.

“Well… uh…”

Before I could come up with an excuse, he asked,

“… What are you doing all alone?”

Hearing his words, I felt cold sweat forming on my back.

‘Alone.’

He said I was alone. This meant my suspicion wasn’t wrong, and the realization struck me.

『Wow…』

A creepy feeling washed over me, and a large face suddenly appeared behind me.

『Indeed.』

『I am visible to you.』

I was screwed.

‘What… What is this?’

I glanced back at my opponent’s feet again.

No matter how many times I looked, they were the same.

The old man’s feet existed and definitely touched the ground.

But what was this?

‘What is it?’

This peculiar sensation. It was the unique feeling one experiences when encountering a ghost, and I felt it all over. I rolled my eyes and stared straight ahead. In front of me stood Yun Sochun, looking at me with a strange expression.

“… Do you have any business here?”

Yun Sochun asked this while looking at me with a wary gaze.

‘His eyes are on me.’

His eyes were solely focused on me. Beside me stood an old man, about eight feet tall and muscular, yet Yun Sochun only looked at me. It made no sense.

‘He is a ghost.’

Despite having feet and a seemingly solid body, the old man was a ghost.

I was sure of it.

I had no idea what was going on.

I had seen many clear apparitions, but never one as vividly detailed as this, down to the tips of his feet.

I needed to stay alert.

Yun Sochun, who had been watching me freeze in place, furrowed his brows.

“Hey, do you have anything to say…?”

“If your night watch is over, you should get some sleep.”

“… What?”

Yun Sochun’s face showed a slight change in expression when he heard my words. Seeing this, I continued speaking.

“It’s already been seven days.”

He had to speak without giving a pause. The goal was to minimize any indication of his own discomposure.

“Do you realize? It’s been seven days since a single member used this training hall after the first shift.”

“What are you suddenly saying…?”

“You have to learn to yield sometimes. How long do you intend to keep this up? Go in first and get some rest!”

As soon as I began to make an unreasonable demand, Yun Sochun, who had been quietly listening, spoke up to me.

“…I hadn’t heard that the training hall had a specific owner.”

That was correct. The training hall didn’t have a distinct owner. If one had to nitpick, the Murim Alliance could be considered the owner.

“Owner or not, rookies aren’t supposed to use the training hall during their first year.”

“Pardon…?”

Upon hearing this, Yun Sochun’s eyes widened. His already large eyes stood out even more prominently.

“I’ve… never heard such an explanation before.”

“Of course you haven’t. With everyone tiptoeing around member Yun, who would inform you?”

“….”

The idea that one could use the training hall from their first year was inherently unjust. But it wasn’t applied exclusively to Yun Sochun.

“Moreover, I can’t understand how you, a rookie, are already given the first shift duty. I’m barely on the last shift of the night, during my second year….”

“That’s because… I just followed the orders handed down to me…”

“Orders, my foot. Everyone’s just playing along, catering to member Yun. Isn’t it just because you’re receiving special treatment without even realizing it…!”

Oops.

I clammed up mid-sentence, realizing I might have crossed a line. This was something that should have remained internal.

Originally, I intended to exchange a few words and leave it at that, but it seemed I’d gone too far. Stealing glances at Yun Sochun and, predictably, seeing his expression harden confirmed his mistake.

‘Damn it.’

I might have unwisely provoked someone who possibly had the Namgung clan as a backer. I worried about becoming a target for a skilled martial artist who could effortlessly handle such an impertinent individual.

Would I end up getting stabbed?

A chilling thought made him sweat.

“…Special treatment…”

Fortunately, Yun Sochun did not draw his sword but merely repeated the words quietly. Despite me accidentally picking a fight, Yun Sochun moved his legs without giving it much thought.

“Ah… Anyway, I just came to tell you as a senior. Just… so you know.”

I wasn’t even sure what I was saying. Speaking incoherently, I quickly left the scene. I felt someone’s gaze. Was it Yun Sochun’s or that old man’s gaze?

I ignored it.

Would pretending ignorance work now?

* * *

『My dear child.』

Certainly not. Damn it, it wasn’t working after all.

『My dear child.』

I still ignored it.

I had returned to the dorm where the others from the alliance were lodging.

I could already see Yu Hyung-In, who had gone in earlier, sleeping.

I squeezed in beside him, acting as if nothing was amiss.

『Are you pretending not to hear me even now?』

“…”

I am not listening.

I am not hearing anything.

『Hehe. Look at this guy.』

The old man’s voice chilled the night with its echoes.

My rattling heart felt heavy.

Was I afraid that the hard-earned normalcy would collapse?

Thinking of that, I couldn’t afford to entangle myself with him.

The old man’s blue eyes shone in the darkness from above.

I didn’t look up.

In case my gaze met those eyes, I simply closed my own.

『To think you would ignore me even this late. Are you seriously planning to act as if you didn’t hear me?』

“…”

『I didn’t expect anyone to see me. Open your eyes. Let’s just have a brief talk.』

Nonsense. This was the trick spirits used hundreds of times. Claiming they had grievances and begging for someone to listen to them. Asking for their resentment to be quelled.

Helping them out of pity once always led to demands for more help repeatedly.

I had been fooled countless times. Despite my best efforts to avoid it, I was snared by this elderly ghost.

‘Who the hell is this old man?’

He never expected to see a spirit with legs in his lifetime. In both his past life and the present, this was a first. Thanks to this, things got incredibly complicated.

‘If this old man even mentions it to other spirits…’

I would likely spend my life surrounded by spirits, just like in my previous life. Even if they promised never to tell, they always went around blabbering once I helped them.

The dead were awfully chatty.

So, for now, I ignored it.

He couldn’t let himself get embroiled in this again.

『My dear child. My dear child.』

I made every effort to sleep. Falling asleep wasn’t that difficult. One of my skills was sleeping through loud noises.

『Hehehe.』

The old man’s laugh echoed in the night.

『Alright, this is how you want to play?』

A playful tone seeped through the thick voice.

Hearing it, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Nine years had passed since my reincarnation.

I found myself facing the second biggest crisis of my life in the Central Plains.

… What should I do?

* * *

It was nearing dawn.

A young man sat on his bed with a somewhat disturbed expression.

This place was provided by the Murim Alliance. It was a room used by the young man alone.

A room too spacious for a single member.

Luxurious bedding and items arranged just for him.

Looking at all of this, the young man thought.

‘Have I been receiving special treatment for so long that it feels normal…’

An unnamed boy.

A member of the Murim Alliance around his age had said those words to him.

Recalling it, he furrowed his brow.

‘Special treatment.’

The words pierced his heart.

Repeating the words internally, the young man, Yun Sochun, opened his lips.

“Pungyeon.”

At his soft call, someone appeared behind him.

It was a man in black martial attire with a pale complexion.

“Yes, Young master.”

Pungyeon, Yun Sochun’s bodyguard.

An expert assigned to him by his family.

“Is what he said true?”

“What do you mean?”

“The part about members not being able to use the training hall until they’ve completed a year in the alliance.”

Pungyeon answered calmly.

“That is correct.”

“!”

Yun Sochun’s eyes widened at the response. He was about to say something, but Pungyeon spoke first.

“However, that’s merely an absurdity found in any group. It’s not officially established, so there’s no need for you, Young master, to concern yourself with it-”

“Still, others follow it, don’t they?”

“Indeed, but it’s not something you need to adhere to.”

Such rules were meant for ordinary people to follow. Someone as precious as you doesn’t need to abide by such laws. Pungyeon stopped himself from saying those words aloud, knowing well that his master disliked hearing them.

“Is it because of the words of the member you encountered earlier?”

“….”

“Tsk!” Pungyeon clicked his tongue silently.

“Young master, those are words from someone unworthy of your concern.”

An unknown member of the Murim Alliance.

At best, he was a third-rate martial artist.

Initially, Pungyeon had been mindful of him for lingering around the training hall used by his master for seven days straight.

But upon closer inspection, he realized there was no need to be concerned.

What was it again?

A descendant of some unheard-of family from Liaoning, was it?

Liaoning, the place where one of the Five Great Families, the Moyong Family, resided.

At first, he wondered if it might be someone from there, but it wasn’t.

After all, if it were someone from the Moyong family, they wouldn’t have come to Anhui.

The Namgung Family and the Moyong Family were on extremely bad terms.

“It appears he had been using the training hall at that time until recently. He likely said those words because he didn’t like you using it now. If it bothers you, I can take care of it separately….”

Pungyeon was cut off by Yun Sochun’s cold gaze.

“Pungyeon.”

“I apologize.”

Pungyeon immediately bowed his head at Yun Sochun’s icy stare.

“Though it was an unexpected conversation, what he said wasn’t wrong either.”

Whether it was an absurdity or a bad custom, it was something everyone adhered to.

‘Special treatment felt natural.’

He realized perhaps that statement might be true.

“… I’ll speak to the head separately.”

“Young master…. But.”

“Though I came here with a purpose, I should adhere to the rules.”

He wanted to live a shame-free life.

That’s why he ventured out, but if things continued like this, it would all be in vain.

“Please respect my decision.”

“… Understood.”

Seeing his master’s stubbornness, Pungyeon had to comply without further comment.

Seeing this, Yun Sochun shifted his focus and asked something else.

“How did the search go?”

The search.

Upon being asked, Pungyeon responded as if he had been waiting for this question.

“We found a trace.”

Yun Sochun reacted to those words.

“It seems the Sword Saint’s sword is in the mountains north of Anhui.”

“….”

Yun Sochun nodded at Pungyeon’s words.

Moreover, a spark of excitement appeared in his previously calm eyes.

‘Finally!’

The reason Yun Sochun had ventured to Anhui.

The trace of Yu Chun-Gil, the Sword Saint, who was known as the Greatest in History and the Greatest in the World.

He had finally discovered information regarding him.

TL’s Corner:

So, will the MC get the Sword Saint’s sword?