The World’s Greatest is Dead

Step.

I stepped inside the Moon Spirit Hall. Inside, the humidity was significantly higher than outside. I felt my skin becoming uncomfortably sticky as I surveyed my surroundings.

At that moment.

Screech-! Bang-!!

The door behind me slammed shut of its own accord.

What the hell?

I urgently turned to look behind me and saw that the sturdy door was firmly shut.

“… Oh no.”

Seeing this, I broke into a cold sweat. There was some information I had been forewarned about before coming.

Before the predetermined period passed, the door could not be opened from the inside. I had been warned about this.

This meant…

‘… Does this mean I have to spend an entire month in this pitch-black darkness?’

The door could not be opened unless someone opened it from outside. I had announced that I would seclude himself for about a month. Hence, it would not be opened until then.

“Hah.”

I sighed and calmed my breathing. There was no escaping now.

“… So.”

I gathered my energy and focused my vision. As the Moon Eye activated, the darkness receded. Gazing into the void, I was confronted by blue eyes.

“What should I do now?”

Questioning what I should do upon entering seclusion, Yu Chun-gil looked at me and grinned.

『What should you do? Start by picking that up.』

Yu Chun-gil pointed to somewhere. When I looked in that direction, I saw something piled against the wall.

Could it be…?

“… Is it all rebar?”

Black iron rebars, designed to be worn on arms and legs. They seemed to be assorted by weight, each varying in size.

Wear those?

I moved toward the wall, intending to put on one of the smaller ones on the far right.

『What are you doing?』

“Pardon?”

Yu Chun-gil frowned at me.

『Not that one. Wear that instead.』

My hand moved. The rebar Yu Chun-gil pointed to was of medium size. Grasping it, I found it to be…

“Ugh!?”

It was heavy. The weight was cumbersome to carry with one hand.

‘He’s asking me to wear this…?’

I glanced back at Yu Chun-gil, hoping it was a mistake, but Yu Chun-gil only gestured for me to hurry up and put it on.

Feeling uncertain but without a word, I wore it anyway.

When I attached one to each of my arms and legs, I felt the weight acutely.

“… Crazy.”

My arms drooped, unable to lift, and my feet felt so heavy that I couldn’t take a step. Without using inner qi, I anticipated I’d collapse after a few moves.

I planned on using inner qi when suddenly…

『Stop-!』

“!”

Yu Chun-gil’s shout froze me in place.

“What is it…?”

Why the sudden outburst? Startled, I looked at Yu Chun-gil, who sternly stated, 『From now on, for a month, you are forbidden from using inner qi.』

“… Pardon? What kind of madness is that?”

I was being told not to use inner qi?

It was absurd. Was I supposed to move with this rebar on and without using inner qi?

“How could that be possible…?”

『How, you ask? Just do it well.』

“That’s truly helpful advice, thank you so much. Damn it…”

『Not using inner qi means no power for the Moon Eye either, so relax your gaze too.』

“… Excuse me?”

『Now.』

“….”

I complied and released my inner qi. Consequently, the darkness enveloped me completely. Darkness where nothing was visible surrounded me, and the weight bore down oppressively upon me.

Train in this condition? And for a month?

Unsure of the reason behind this, I just stared at Yu Chun-gil. My blue eyes were the only part of me visible in the dark.

『Child.』

“Yes.”

『Do you know what your biggest problem is?』

“… Hmm, there are probably too many to pick just one.”

『Correct. It’s a total mess. That’s your problem.』

“….”

What is this? Is I mocking me? If so, I’s succeeded. My mood is thoroughly ruined.

『Despite your rapid growth, your body is utterly mediocre. Your body is so weak that energy can’t even permeate properly, and your understanding of martial arts? That’s in shambles; you can’t even utilize them effectively.』

“….”

A sword remained stabbed in his chest. The torrent of words poured relentlessly, painfully vile.

『”If you ask whether you have exceptional talent, it’s not that either, so you’re currently in a state with no answer.”』

“…… Ugh.”

It was becoming too much. Just when I thought of raising a hand, begging for mercy.

『”So, if there’s no answer, you’ll have to create one.”』

Yu Chun-gil added with a sly grin.

『”You don’t even know how to use your body properly. You’re not in any condition to use it. It’s no different than trying to cut down emptiness with a famous sword.”』

Yu Chun-gil descended softly. Naturally, as a ghost, there was no sound upon landing.

『”Therefore, hone and polish your body. The time given is short, but if time is short, simply use it wisely.”』

“Is this iron bar supposed to help me do that…?”

『”What? Did you think there was some shortcut?”』

“I… perhaps I did.”

『”Do not delude yourself. Martial arts are inherently about endurance.”』

Yu Chun-gil sat down on the ground.

『”It’s just about how much you can endure. That’s the only difference. The fastest way to train your body? It’s just tearing muscles and letting them regenerate. Do you know what’s improved the most as you reach the peak?”』

“What is it?”

『”The speed at which your body heals.”』

“……”

『”Tear and heal, and tear again. There’s no other solution. Now, do it.”』

An unrefined yet honest statement.

『”Endure it. You said that was what you were best at.”』

With Yu Chun-gil’s words, I bent my arms, focusing on my body.

‘Could this be right?’

I wondered if this was truly the right path.

Having come this far, there was no other way.

I would do what I always had.

Indeed, I had always told Yu Chun-gil I was confident in my endurance.

‘Oh. I should’ve kept quiet.’

I regretted it immediately.

I hadn’t anticipated training in such a brute-force way.

‘Should I just quit?’

Instinctively, the desire arose, but contrary to my thoughts, my body moved.

『Tsk, tsk.』

An irritating laugh echoed.

Not long had passed before my muscles screamed, unlike my heavy mouth.

* * *

“Ugh.”

I collapsed to the floor, staggering.

I had no idea how long I’d been training my body.

I wielded the massive iron bar, following Yu Chun-gil’s instructions. Time passed that way.

My limbs could no longer move.

“Pant… Huff… Pant…”

Breathing heavily, I glanced around.

A significant amount of time seemed to have passed, but with not a single window in sight, there was no way to tell precisely how much.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness, yet nothing was visible, signifying how dense the shadows were.

“Sigh… Ha…”

My throat was parched.

I turned my gaze, searching for water. In the distance, a jar was placed against the wall.

Inside was water.

* * *

Though I didn’t know if it was flowing water, it seemed to connect to a stream, as there was plenty.

Next to it, a heap of pills blurred through the darkness.

“… Damn…”

I was both hungry and thirsty, but too exhausted to move.

Frustration escalated as I had no idea how much time had passed.

“Ugh…”

Should I even bother moving? I debated.

My weary body lay on the ground, and sleep began to overtake me.

‘Oh, forget it.’

I decided to sleep, closing my eyes.

At that moment.

“…. Hmm?”

I jerked my eyes open and sat up.

Suddenly, the exhaustion vanished, and my vision cleared. I wondered what kind of trick this was.

“Oh, damn…?”

The scene before my eyes elicited a spontaneous expletive.

A stark white background stretched in every direction. I couldn’t not recognize what it was.

“This is… insane!!”

I sprang to my feet, swearing profusely.

『Tsk, tsk, tsk.』

A laugh sounded from behind, and I turned to look.

Yu Chun-gil stood there.

“Grandpa…?”

With anxious eyes, I looked at the old man as he spoke to me.

“I think you’ve memorized everything from today. You’re smart, after all.”

“What… what is this about?”

“What else? You already know.”

“No way. Is this crazy old man expecting me to do something even while I’m asleep?”

This place was a spirit dream created by Yu Chun-gil.

“Isn’t it good? To move during the day and train even at night. It’s like a dream for a martial artist.”

“Wow…”

He was truly relentless.

It wasn’t merely a suggestion but rather an announcement of what I had to do. Was this what he planned all along?

Training my body during the day.

And training in the spirit dream Yu Chun-gil provided at night?

This schedule was undeniably maddening.

The problem here was…

“So… are you saying you’ll disappear for about a month?”

Yu Chun-gil wouldn’t appear unless the goal set in the spirit dream was achieved.

I wasn’t sure if that was the prerequisite, but that’s how it had been, so I assumed it would be the same this time.

“Well, it could be quicker than that.”

“What?”

“If you overcome it faster, won’t it be done sooner?”

Yu Chun-gil said casually, as if it were nothing.

“Repeat the physical training starting from today. You can keep the weight as it is. Trying to go further within just a month would be difficult.”

“Seriously? You’re really leaving?”

Is he just leaving me with this?

What if I don’t do what he asked? As I widened my eyes at his words of leaving without monitoring me,

“Aren’t you also bothered by leaving unfinished what you didn’t complete last time?”

“What do you mean by what I didn’t complete last time?”

As I wondered what he was talking about,

“A month should be plenty of time.

* * *

Show me once. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Clang-!!

A heavy iron sword fell in front of me.

Same as last time. As I urgently looked at Yu Chun-gil, he was no longer there.

What I saw was a familiar rock.

“… Ha.”

On top of it sat a tall, skinny young man.

Unlike Yu Chun-gil’s clear blue eyes, the man had lifeless eyes.

The young man with a gaunt body.

He was Yu Chun-gil in his youth.

I had heard it was around his early twenties?

He was the one I faced to comprehend Radiant Moon Annihilation.

Back then, Yu Chun-gil had said that I just needed to withstand a single attack.

‘… So that means.’

Did he mean I had to overcome that monster?

Cold sweat dripped down my face.

I couldn’t even count how many times I had died then.

I had gone through countless deaths just to block a single strike.

And now I had to win against him?

“Seriously, he talks so casually as if it’s not his problem.”

He talked so easily because it wasn’t his matter.

“… Sigh…”

I steadied my breath and tightened my grip on the sword.

Then, his gaze turned towards me.

At that moment.

Whirr-!

Bang-!!!

A sound came from the sword I raised.

Sword aura emerged, defending the side. Yu Chun-gil’s sword dug into that part.

“!”

Blocking the strike, Yu Chun-gil’s eyes widened in surprise.

My arm trembled.

How many deaths had I gone through just to block this one strike?

Because it was a repeated action, I could move instinctively.

‘Damn it.’

I clenched my teeth.

This wasn’t over with just this one time.

As I tried to move my body to respond further,

Slick.

A flash of light slashed through my vision.

I saw the sky.

My severed head soared through the air.

I felt a certainty as I realized this.

This would probably be the most wretched month of my life.

Thus.

A hellish month passed.