Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: World's Greatest Sword
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Monday morning.
The students heading out of their dorms for breakfast froze in their tracks, unable to reach the cafeteria. A man stood motionless in front of the lower-class first-year dorm.
He cut a ridiculous figure. On the back of his flowing robe were five bold black characters proclaiming *World's Greatest Sword*, scrawled just as prominently across the front.
His outfit was laughable, but the restrained aura emanating from the man kept the students from so much as chuckling.
The words *World's Greatest Sword* were flaunted so brazenly they could be easily imitated. Strut around the countryside in that getup, and most folks would shrink back in terror.
But imitation went only so far. You couldn't fake the essence. The students sensed that the man standing before the lower-class first-year dorm was the real deal—the World's Greatest Sword, the Taeguk Sword Lord.
Even knowing that, none dared approach or speak to him. They were overwhelmed by the sight of the Taeguk Sword Lord standing stock-still, lips pressed tight.
“Master!”
A booming shout cut through the sky. A young man leaped in with nimble footwork, skidding to a halt on his knees before the Taeguk Sword Lord.
“I greet you, Grandmaster!”
Sword Dragon Tae Heemyung. His sect was Wudang. The moment he heard the Taeguk Sword Lord was standing in front of the first-year lower-class dorm, he had rushed over without verifying if it was true.
“Well, well. It's Heemyung.”
The Taeguk Sword Lord beamed down at him. His lofty grandmaster from Wudang—the sect's greatest swordsman, hailed as the World's Greatest Sword—remembered him.
That alone nearly brought tears to Tae Heemyung's eyes.
“Your movements are light on your feet.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Don't slack on your training. Your moniker is Sword Dragon, right? Haha, I was called Sword Dragon myself about eighty years ago.”
The Taeguk Sword Lord let out a hearty laugh. He helped Tae Heemyung up from his kneeling position, head still bowed to the ground.
“We... we didn't hear you'd be coming...”
“At my age, I don't announce every little visit. I planned to time it with the Yicheon Festival, but I arrived earlier than expected.”
“I... I see. But, um... why are you standing here...?”
Tae Heemyung hesitated before asking. This was the first-year dorm. Maybe he was here to see a Heavenly Being? But no, this was the lower-class dorm, not upper-class.
“I have business with the kid inside.”
The Taeguk Sword Lord smiled faintly as he spoke. The Taeguk Sword Lord had business with a first-year lower-class student? Tae Heemyung's jaw dropped. But before he could ask more—
The Taeguk Sword Lord's head turned sideways. Tae Heemyung's face, which had been acting the fool unworthy of his Sword Dragon title, hardened into calm focus.
An abrupt intrusion of qi. No attempt to hide it. Depending on how you saw it, it could be taken as a challenge to the Taeguk Sword Lord.
That's how Tae Heemyung interpreted it. He straightened his sloppy posture. Back rigid, he turned his head. In that instant, his aura sharpened like the edge of a blade.
“It's been a while.”
Muyunjun.
The Taeguk Sword Lord stared at him silently. Muyunjun had taken five of the Orthodox Ten Heroes as joint masters. He had trained under them since age five.
The Taeguk Sword Lord had taught him martial arts from age eight to eleven. They hadn't met since, making this a reunion after nine years.
“You've grown.”
“Nine years have passed.”
“Have you seen the Heavenly Gate?”
“From afar, at least.”
“Indeed.”
A faint smile bloomed on the Taeguk Sword Lord's face. He reached out and gripped Tae Heemyung's shoulder.
“It's fine.”
“...But Grandmaster.”
“I told you nine years ago. The next time we meet, prove how much you've grown.”
Just weathering that qi was proof enough. At eight, Muyunjun had completed Poison Dance Hou's training and become the Taeguk Sword Lord's disciple.
Back then, he had been impossibly sharp for an eight-year-old. Passing through Moon Shadow Sword, Strange Hero Strike, and Transcendent Spear had polished him to perfection.
What delighted him most was that Muyunjun was still only twenty. And yet he had seen the Heavenly Gate. The Taeguk Sword Lord, who had once taught him, felt immense joy at his former disciple's achievement.
*This child, too.*
Tae Heemyung's growth was a delight as well. In a heartbeat, he had shifted his stance and raised his sword intent. Sword Dragon... the title suited him well.
“Why are you here?”
Muyunjun asked in a quiet voice. It was the question Tae Heemyung hadn't quite managed.
“Looks like he's coming out now.”
At those words, Muyunjun and Tae Heemyung turned. The gathered students looked toward the lower-class dorm as well.
Wi Seongcheon's face was like he'd bitten into shit. He'd been wearing that expression ever since spotting the Taeguk Sword Lord from his dorm window.
He hadn't imagined the man would show up so openly. But what could he do? The old man was already here. Wi Seongcheon sighed deeply and glanced sideways.
Paeng Yeonhwa's expression was even worse. Her ears and tail drooped as she trudged along, her eyebrows sagging as low as her mouth.
She made no secret of her reluctance. And who could blame her? Wi Seongcheon was starting to think he could use the attention, but Paeng Yeonhwa just hated being the center of it.
“...Wi Seongcheon?”
The Taeguk Sword Lord greeted Wi Seongcheon and Paeng Yeonhwa with a pleased smile, leaving even Muyunjun surprised. Tae Heemyung was outright stunned.
He gaped as the Taeguk Sword Lord took Wi Seongcheon and Paeng Yeonhwa by the hand.
“Haha.”
The stares stung. Especially from Muyunjun and Tae Heemyung. Part of him wanted to shake him off and tell him not to act so familiar, but he couldn't. Wi Seongcheon forced a smile.
“I never imagined you'd be waiting out here like this. We should have come to you—my apologies.”
“Hm? No need. What’s there to apologize for? I came on a whim because I was bored.”
The Taeguk Sword Lord chuckled. He seemed aware of his own impulsiveness. Wi Seongcheon snuck a glance at Tae Heemyung's face. He had composed his shock and was staring intently.
His eyes held more confusion and curiosity than hostility. He could act like a total airhead at times, but he was a good guy. Wi Seongcheon stuck with Bang Jun's assessment.
“Let's go.”
“Um, we have class with our assigned professor today.”
Paeng Yeonhwa hesitated, speaking up as the Taeguk Sword Lord took the lead. Her professor taught saber arts—One Sword Mark Jo Woong. They weren't close enough to skip openly, and Jo Woong had plenty of other first-years under him.
It wasn't worry about skipping without a word. She just found the idea of receiving instruction from the Taeguk Sword Lord daunting.
“It's fine.”
“B-but...”
“I already cleared it with him. Your professor's that Jo Woong, right? Hah, the guy who pissed himself in front of a demon beast, now a professor.”
Paeng Yeonhwa pictured the stern Jo Woong. She couldn't believe he'd pissed himself, but the Taeguk Sword Lord wouldn't lie.
Now she wondered what face she'd make in Jo Woong's class from here on.
*Where are we going?*
More than Jo Woong's past accident, Wi Seongcheon was focused on their destination.
His own professor, Seo Il, had always held classes only in the Yicheon Hall classroom.
*Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since the practical lesson.*
“Where are we headed?”
He asked outright.
“To the mountains.”
The Taeguk Sword Lord answered without looking back. He strolled along with hands clasped behind him, his strides neither wide nor swift, yet somehow hard to keep up with.
It felt like the ground itself shrank with each step. Wi Seongcheon wasn't the only one who sensed it. Paeng Yeonhwa stiffened her expression and quickened her pace to avoid falling further behind.
“How's your body?”
A bit late, but he asked. Paeng Yeonhwa had been hospitalized in the infirmary until yesterday.
He'd visited once before discharge, but they hadn't talked much. She still kept him at arm's length.
“...All better. The wounds weren't that severe to begin with.”
“Right? I hit you just right—enough to knock you out, nothing more.”
Was that something to brag about? Paeng Yeonhwa furrowed her brow.
“You did strike well.”
The Taeguk Sword Lord muttered. He was already a bit farther ahead now, picking up speed.
At this pace, keeping up without channeling inner energy was taxing.
“I didn't see it myself, but it was clean. No bruises either.”
“Didn't want to hear complaints later.”
“I won't complain.”
Paeng Yeonhwa shot back, and the Taeguk Sword Lord roared with laughter. Wi Seongcheon tilted his head at the five characters *World's Greatest Sword* swaying on the old man's back with each step.
“If it's not rude, could I ask something?”
“Long as it's not cursing me out.”
Was that his idea of a joke?
“...Uh, um. The *World's Greatest Sword* on your back... why wear it?”
It nagged at him. No one needed to see it spelled out—everyone knew one of the Ten Heroes, the Taeguk Sword Lord, was the World's Greatest Sword. Was it mere showboating? Ego over the prestige of the Ten Heroes?
“World's Greatest.”
The Taeguk Sword Lord replied.
It didn't feel like an answer to the question.
“Pardon?”
“I'm not the World's Greatest. Who do you think is?”
“...”
Wi Seongcheon hesitated, not answering right away. The man was one of the Ten Heroes, after all.
The Taeguk Sword Lord chuckled as if understanding his reluctance.
“No need to hold back. The World's Greatest is Heavenly Demon Hyuk Wolun. Even those who deny it know it deep down. He's the one.”
“...You can't be the World's Greatest. But with the *sword*... is that why World's Greatest Sword?”
“That's cowardly and pathetic.”
The Taeguk Sword Lord laughed and continued.
“You can't surpass the World's Greatest, Heavenly Demon Hyuk Wolun. Settling for World's Greatest Sword feels like running away, doesn't it?”
“That wasn't my intent.”
“Haha! World's Greatest or World's Greatest Sword—it's all the same. The strongest in the world either way.”
The Taeguk Sword Lord's steps halted.
They had reached the base of Yicheon Mountain without realizing it.
“I'm neither World's Greatest nor World's Greatest Sword.”
He turned slowly to face Wi Seongcheon and Paeng Yeonhwa.
“If I had to pick, World's Greatest Sword beats World's Greatest, and writing it even if I'm not... is to bear the weight.”
“Weight...?”
“I'm not the World's Greatest Sword, but people call me that.”
Because it was written there.
“The ghost of an old man dreaming of World's Greatest or World's Greatest Sword. To live up to the expectations, so I won't feel shame for claiming it. That's all.”
The words didn't quite land. Not that the Taeguk Sword Lord expected them to understand. They were too young, and he...
Was not. He had seen too much, shouldered too much.
“Well then.”
The Taeguk Sword Lord looked first at Paeng Yeonhwa.
“First, a gift for you.”
“Huh?”
He gave a wry smile at her puzzled tilt of the head. His hand dipped into his robe.
“Not one that'll thrill you, mind you.”
What he drew out was a necklace strung with *teeth*.
Paeng Yeonhwa's eyes flickered wildly.