The World’s Greatest is Dead

The box was completely empty.

The faint scent of herbs lingering inside suggested that something had been there, but now, it was gone.

“… What is this?”

Why was it empty? This shouldn’t be empty!

With a greatly flustered expression, I shoved the box towards Yu Chun-gil. He stared at it intently.

Then, scratching the back of his head, he said to me,

『It’s been robbed?』

“… What?”

『Hahaha. Oh dear, it’s been robbed.』

For some reason, Yu Chun-gil burst into laughter. That damn laugh annoyed me every time I heard it.

“Is this funny to you?”

『Well, isn’t it? Someone just stole your hidden snacks.』

“So shouldn’t you be angry instead of laughing?”

『No. I should laugh.』

Yu Chun-gil, who had been laughing heartily, wiped the smile off his face in an instant.

『How can I not laugh when someone dared to rob my warehouse without fear?』

“…!”

At that moment, I felt the air grow heavy.

My breath hitched, and goosebumps erupted all over my body.

‘… Crazy.’

I almost stepped back without realizing it.

I now understood. This man, he was…

‘Pissed off.’

His laughter was not genuine; he was truly angry. No wonder his laugh seemed scarier than usual.

『How did they manage to rob it…』 he murmured, narrowing his eyes.

“Didn’t you say all the pathways were connected? Couldn’t they have just come and taken it?”

I asked, squinting my eyes.

Yu Chun-gil frowned at my response. His expression suggested he was not pleased with my answer.

『Impossible.』

“Why not? There are plenty of people adept at mind techniques. They could have opened it by chance.”

『If mind techniques were all the same, that might be the case.』

“… What?”

『Didn’t you notice it’s not just any mind technique? This is the Blue Moon Mind Technique.』

“…”

I bit my tongue slightly at Yu Chun-gil’s words. Because I had realized it too.

It just hadn’t been a certainty until now.

『The reason why the Elder and that youngster don’t treat you harshly despite their suspicions must be clear to you.』

“…Is it because I possess Grandpa’s mind technique?”

『Exactly. But… oh, you switched back to calling me ‘Grandpa’ quite quickly.』

It seemed that the shift from “Elder” back to “Grandpa” bothered him.

“That’s not what matters right now”, I cut him off.

『To me, it is quite important—』

“So, this space can’t be opened without Grandpa’s mind technique, right?”

『… Yes.』

“But someone opened it, came in, and took the spirit pills…?”

That implied…

“Someone else has the same mind technique as Grandpa, or…”

『Or someone without it also knows this location.』

“… Oh.”

In short,

“Isn’t this situation messed up?”

It meant things were not looking good.

‘No matter which way it is, it’s an unusual situation.’

It was an unexpected event, and even trying to think through it seemed complex.

Even if they had somehow known about the mind technique, it was different to know this location.

‘Looking at Grandpa’s reaction, it doesn’t seem like he told anyone in particular.’

Assuming they somehow identified the location, there were eight doors when looking around.

Yu Chun-gil had mentioned installing some devices on the building, but the number of doors didn’t match.

‘He probably couldn’t make all the doors, so he must have connected some of the pathways.’

There were many probabilities. With so many entrances, the risk of being discovered was sufficient.

“What about forcing their way through the devices?”

『Impossible.』

With a firm answer, I nodded slightly.

“Why do you think so?”

『Didn’t I tell you earlier? The one who made this is the grumpy old man from the Tang family.』

“Why does that matter?”

『His skills are exceptional despite his crazy personality. There is no way he made a mistake.』

“………”

What a firm belief he had. It seemed he was saying that the craftsman was that extraordinary…

‘Still, I need to think about it.’

That was Yu Chun-gil’s belief, not mine. In the end, the responsibility fell on me, so I had to entertain all possibilities.

“What Grandpa is saying is, essentially, we should have entered through the proper entrance… But is that possible?”

『I don’t know.』

“…… Excuse me?”

『Isn’t that something you should find out from now on?』

“Wow, you’re really crazy, aren’t you?”

『……. You’re not even trying to sugarcoat it anymore, huh.』

There was no point in sugarcoating it. Even if I could, I wouldn’t have done so.

You have to be incredibly shameless. This was no joke.

“Was there ever such a thing as the elixir in the first place?”

『So now you’re doubting that.』

“Your memory isn’t very reliable anyway. And honestly, it’s easier to argue from that standpoint.”

It was better than a convoluted incident; much less stressful if the old man was simply senile.

But,

『The elixir definitely existed.』

Once again, Yu Chun-gil was adamant.

『I took it from a monk in Shaolin and a swordsman in Mount Hua…! It absolutely existed.』

“A monk and a swordsman?”

『Yes, the mad monk from Shaolin and the Plum Blossom Sword from Mount Hua…』

“Stop… Stop right there. No more.”

I urgently cut him off. Just hearing the nicknames made my knees weak.

‘… Mad monk and Plum Blossom Sword.’

They were the legendary abbot of Shaolin and the current leader of the Mount Hua Sect.

The nicknames of the apex martial artists of the Central Plains were pouring out, and that was terrifying.

‘He really robbed those old men?’

Just hearing it was absurd.

Moreover, this implied…

‘… It was probably the Great Pill and the Vitality Pill.’

Those were the famous elixirs of Shaolin and Mount Hua. My stomach twisted.

“…… Damn, which bastard took my elixirs.”

『No, why your elixirs all of a sudden…』

“If they had existed, they would have been mine…!”

『… Uh, alright.』

“Which damn bastard…”

Who could have taken those precious items? Just find them, and…

Honestly, even if I found them, there wasn’t much I could do about it, but it made me angry nonetheless.

“…… Haa.”

Suddenly, my anger subsided.

‘There’s no point in lingering around here.’

Confirming nothing was here, there was no reason to stay.

Coming here had only complicated things further.

“Let’s head back up…”

I turned my back. I needed to leave before it got too late.

『Stop.』

Yu Chun-gil called out to me.

“Why? If someone comes, it will be difficult to handle…”

『You said the box was emptied, not that it was completely cleaned out.』

“……!”

At those words, I spun around immediately.

“…… Respected Elder, do you mean…!”

『……』

Yu Chun-gil glanced at me with some disdain, then swiftly erased his expression and pointed forward.

Following his finger, I saw a wall.

“What is it?”

It was just a wall. I checked if there was something there, but saw nothing.

Then.

『Child, my snack storage is not this small.』

My eyes widened at the old man’s words.

『Indeed.』

Yu Chun-gil grinned widely at my inquiry.

『Let’s move to the next room.』

This wasn’t the end.

* * *

I approached the wall and stared at it. Still, there was nothing visible.

I gently touched it. It was cold. I didn’t feel any distinct difference from the other walls.

“There’s an entrance here.”

『Indeed.』

Could there really be something here? No matter how much I looked, there was nothing.

‘If there’s supposed to be another room, shouldn’t there be a doorknob or something?’

Such thoughts flashed by, but they were meaningless words.

‘Well, if there was something like that, it wouldn’t be a secret room.’

After touching the wall several more times, I asked Yu Chun-gil.

“What should we do now?”

『Who knows?』

“Pardon?”

What kind of ridiculous answer was that? Furrowing my brows, I glanced at Yu Chun-gil.

‘What is this old man up to?’

The old man’s expression was strange. I wasn’t refraining from answering because I didn’t know.

A playful smirk was clearly on his lips.

Seeing it, I grasped the old man’s intention.

“Figure it out on your own.”

That was the clear implication.

“…You’re playing pranks even now?”

『Give it a try.』

“Even in this situation…?”

『Kid, if you figure this out, I’ll give you something good.』

“Something good?”

My ears perked up. It was clear that I was indeed materialistic.

“What’s this good thing?”

『Hm… What should I give you? Oh, yes.』

Yu Chun-gil clapped my large hands.

『The Cold Iron Sword I mentioned before. I’ll give you something better than that.』

“…!”

『I needed a better sword anyway. Isn’t this great timing?』

“…”

『If you accomplish this, it will be yours. Now, find it.』

Something better than the Cold Iron Sword?

What could that possibly be? I didn’t know, but…

“…I’ll give it a try.”

Anything would be a gain. Thinking so, I looked at the wall.

‘Opening a door.’

There wasn’t a doorknob, and touching it yielded no information. However, Yu Chun-gil said there was a door leading to the next place here, and moreover…

‘Saying to open it on my own implies there must be a way to understand how.’

Or perhaps…

‘Even if the method isn’t here, he could have informed me beforehand that I am capable of it.’

That was the conclusion I reached.

I looked at the wall with narrowed eyes.

The space was dark. There were no lamps, nor were there any lamp holders.

This indicated that such items were not considered necessary in this space.

The reason was likely due to the energy application technique the old man had just informed me about.

‘Illuminate vision through the application of the Blue Moon Mind Technique.’

I was already using this method.

‘…’

Thinking of that slightly eased my mind.

‘It’s strange.’

He could have just told me to bring a lamp or informed me beforehand.

Even if the old man seemed crude, he knew my mind wasn’t simple.

Yet the old man had come into this space specifically to guide me.

I focused on that.

‘He clearly told me to find it.’

What was I supposed to find? Reflecting on the words, I strained my eyes.

A hum filled my mind.

The Blue Moon Mind Technique, which had been continuously revolving, responded. The speed of its rotation increased a little.

‘…Hoo.’

I steadied my breath. Increasing the speed maximized the instability.

If I lost focus even a bit, the flow would falter.

Knowing this, I still accelerated the speed.

I pushed it to the limit of what I could endure.

Then the visible view grew a bit brighter.

‘Is it around this level?’

It was just barely any brighter, nothing special could be seen.

Is this not it?

‘It’s getting tiring.’

Thinking it might be another method, I tried to reduce the rotation again.

Giiing-!

“……!”

When I reached the peak of rotation, something faintly appeared on the wall.

A line. It was very faint and transparent, but something could be seen etched on the wall.

At that moment.

Thud-!

As the mind technique unraveled, darkness returned. I couldn’t endure the rotation and the energy dissipated.

The view became pitch-dark again.

In that darkness, I closed my eyes.

『Oh-ho?』

Yu Chun-gil reacted as if he found it interesting, but it couldn’t be heard by my ears.

‘It was a line.’

A line drawn on the wall.

A horizontal line. If I were to measure, it was about seven feet in length.

What I saw with my energy-imbued eyes was clear information.

A passageway within a wall that seemed to have nothing.

The entrance to that place was hidden, and there wasn’t a doorknob.

Yet, a seven-foot line imbued with a blue light was visible.

I linked my thoughts.

‘What I did when coming to this warehouse.’

The movement of the drawers. Using the mind technique when removing the third drawer and opening the first drawer.

What should I see in this act?

‘This place and Yu Chun-gil’s mind technique are closely related.’

If that is the case.

‘It’s also related to this secret door.’

My mind worked swiftly.

And not long after.

Sreung.

I came to a conclusion.

I drew the sword from my waist and assumed a lower stance.

I kept my eyes closed.

After all, even if I opened them, I wouldn’t see anything. Couldn’t I brighten my eyes?

‘No.’

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the capability to wield martial arts while using that.

Woo-oong!

Rekindling the mind technique brought vigor to my body again.

‘Recall it.’

Just as I demonstrated in front of the Sect Leader back then.

Capturing the air and the body of that moment.

The energy radiated from my dantian quickly wrapped around my sword.

In the darkness, only my sword glowed blue.

Around the time the energy flowed and settled on the tip of the sword.

『Can you manage with your eyes closed?』

Yu Chun-gil asked.

I did not answer. I couldn’t open my mouth because of my focus. I only thought inwardly.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

It mattered not even if I couldn’t see.

‘I saw it when I opened my eyes.’

I had already seen that there was a line. I understood the position and the length of that line.

That was sufficient for me.

Even with closed eyes, even in complete darkness, I could see.

No, I remembered.

Swoosh—!!

Without hesitation, I swung my sword.

Once again, my sword streamed like a moonlit wave.

Slash-!

The tip of the sword passed by the wall.

Not exactly touching, staying one inch away.

『……Ha!』

At that sight, Yu Chun-gil let out a deep breath.

Rumble—!!!

A loud sound emerged from the wall.

I was correct.