Chapter 368: The World's Best (6)

“Wow.”

Cale sincerely marveled as he slurped his noodles.

The Kingdom of Lan.

This place had the distinct feel of a wuxia world, yet the food carried a nostalgic taste that reminded him of Korea, back when he was still Kim Rok Soo on Earth.

The noodles were topped with generous slices of meat, and the broth was clear yet spicy—exactly how Kim Rok Soo liked it.

The Heavenly Demon let out a soft chuckle, while Cale quietly savored the warmth of being full for the first time in what felt like ages.

At that moment—

“We have to hurry!”

It was as if death itself was nipping at his heels.

The sub-commander of the Black Death squad from the Dark Abyss was rushing like never before, urging his master forward.

“Yes, let’s go.”

The elder, sub-commander of Black Death, quickly helped his disciple to her feet. The two of them hurried out of the room.

Before leaving, the elder turned for a brief moment and looked through the open window—staring at Cale and the Heavenly Demon in the distance.

Clack.

The door closed behind them. The two figures were gone.

Tap. Tap.

They moved swiftly, darting toward the leader of the Dark Abyss—Passote—slipping through shadows and leaping across rooftops.

Swish~

But they weren’t the only ones present.

The moment a gust of wind swept into the room…

Rustle.

A faint breeze stirred by the open window. Something clung silently to the wall.

Swoosh—

Raon appeared, his invisibility fading as he entered the room.

“Oh!”

His eyes sparkled with excitement.

“As always, I am magnificent!”

He proudly flapped his wings.

“I listened perfectly without being discovered!”

In truth, Raon had already located the enemy. But instead of charging in, he had wisely chosen to observe from a distance.

The moment the woman collapsed, blood trailing from her eyes, and the Elder rushed to help her, their guard had dropped.

That was when Raon had quietly crept closer—and heard everything he needed.

Flap, flap.

With a flap of his wings, Raon turned transparent again and glided out of the room.

He returned to Rosalyn and Hong, who were still on the move.

Hong was secretly tailing the Elder and the woman.

“We must maintain this distance!”

Rosalyn followed Hong’s instructions closely.

With On not here, Hong was the most skilled when it came to tracking and stealth. Rosalyn and Raon trailed behind him without a word of complaint.

- Kind Rosalyn, I heard everything!

Raon, naturally, was using magic to report in real time instead of speaking aloud.

Snick.

The corners of Rosalyn’s lips curled upward.

Here, she wasn’t a princess. She wasn’t a noble.

But she was someone who stood on equal footing with Alberu when it came to understanding the true powers that moved across the continent.

This is getting interesting.

Dark Abyss.

The moment she heard that name, Rosalyn couldn’t help but smile.

* * *

Tap. Tap.

The fingers tapping on the table were quite nervous.

“The Evil One?”

Tap!

The index finger stopped.

“Rule over hell? Be worshipped by evil?”

A cold gaze turned to the leader of Black Death—one of the six branches of the Dark Abyss.

More precisely, it focused on the woman kneeling behind the Elder’s shoulder.

“Cheon Rye. Do you even understand what it means to speak of hell?”

Cheon Rye—that was the woman’s name.

“I understand, Leader.”

“If that’s true—”

A smile slowly crept across Passote’s face.

He smiled as he spoke.

“Then we’ve reached the end.”

“…”

Cheon Rye closed her eyes tightly.

“The Eight Evils. Outside of that place, where else would you find something worthy of being called hell? The Demon Kingdom? That’s just a landfill for scum—not hell.”

Passote scoffed but kept smiling.

“It must be one of the Eight Evils. You said he’s worshipped by evil.”

The excitement in his grin was anything but pleasant. It was severe. Chilling.

“Seems you’ve crossed paths with a true madman… and gotten a taste of real hell.”

At that moment, the Elder spoke up.

“There’s definitely some massive conspiracy at play behind this Supreme Martial Arts Tournament.”

His voice trembled with suspicion.

“The Eight Evils… They’ve always been terrified of revealing their true nature. So how could one of them suddenly appear in the Kingdom of Lan? There’s no way that’s just a coincidence.”

“So what?”

The Elder froze at Passote’s calm response—then slowly bowed his head.

“…It doesn’t make sense.”

Passote nodded at the weak, faltering admission.

“Yes. It makes no sense.”

There was only one logical conclusion.

“Dark Abyss is nothing more than a pawn on the board. That’s all we need to acknowledge right now.”

He waved off the two members of Black Death.

“Go.”

“Yes, Leader.”

“…Leader—”

But Cheon Rye lifted her head and met his gaze.

“I’m not sure if they’re really one of the Eight Evils.”

“…What?”

Passote’s expression twisted in disbelief at her sudden contradiction. But he paused the moment he saw her face.

“I can’t grasp their true nature. I only see scattered images in my mind… and words that just—seep in.”

Cheon Rye was terrified.

Though her eyes were fixed on Passote, it felt as though she wasn’t looking at him at all—but at some far-off vision, something beyond him. A hallucination. A revelation.

“…That terrible hell… that evil—”

She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. But Passote seemed to understand.

“Are you saying… it might be something beyond the Eight Evils?”

“…I’ve never faced the leader of the Eight Evils myself. But—”

The servant.

A handsome face with an unnerving aura. Yet he carried himself with a lighthearted, jovial attitude.

“I—”

She finally voiced the image that had formed in her mind.

“I’ve… never met a God.”

Silence fell over the room.

Not a single person could speak.

What Cheon Rye had just said… was that she couldn’t tell whether the being she saw was one of the Eight Evils—or a God.

“Ha—”

Passote let out a soft, incredulous chuckle.

“Go.”

He dismissed them once again.
The Elder and the woman exited the room without even glancing at each other’s pale faces.

Tap.

After the door closed, Passote turned to the other person in the room.

“Do you believe what she said?”

“Don’t you already know that Cheon Rye’s visions have never been wrong, Leader?”

Hotan—the commander of the Dark Abyss—spoke calmly.
Passote remained silent for a moment before finally responding.

“…It will come.”

Neither of them said what it was.

Hotan nodded.

“I’ll have all the guards withdrawn immediately.”

“Yes. Leave only the minimum staff in the shelter.”

Hotan accepted the command with a nod, but added thoughtfully:

“But… he might not come.”

“Then I’ll go to him.”

At Passote’s response, Hotan smiled faintly and turned to leave. But just before stepping out, he left one final remark.

“Leader. I will accompany you.”

Snick.

A quiet, warm smile spread across Passote’s lips.

“I have no intention of going anywhere without you.”

“Of course. That’s how it should be.”

Left alone, Passote slowly closed his eyes.

He reached out with one hand, feeling the surface of his weapon—his axe.

Once cold to the touch, it was gradually warming up.

It was likely because his heart was beginning to boil.

“Huu…”

He let out a breath and waited in the silence.

For the arrival of evil.

Or perhaps…

The god of evil.

* * *

Whirr~

The soft sound of wind echoed through the room.

Clack.

A window made of rice paper, with beautiful designs, opened to the side, and a gust of wind entered the room.

“…….”

Passote opened his eyes.

There were three people standing in front of him.

He rose slowly from his seat and greeted them with calm composure.

“Welcome.”

Cale caught a peculiar glint in the man’s eyes—one that didn’t match his polite demeanor.

– This guy could be useful.

The Heavenly Demon’s telepathic voice echoed in his mind.

The Wanderer’s threat isn’t the real issue…

Cale recalled what Raon had reported to him.

Wanderer—

And not just any Wanderer, but one deemed a threat—

“Leader.”

Cale asked quietly.

“Has a Wanderer come to see you recently?”

“……”

Passote’s expression remained unreadable. But inwardly, he remembered the words of the young woman who had visited him not long ago.

‘My name is Sohyi.’
‘I’m just a Wanderer.’

Snick.

Cale smiled.

Cale stood confidently at the center of the room, as if he owned the place.

He stared intently at Passote, flanked by Kim Hae-il—the unknown but undeniably powerful warrior Passote remembered—and their silent bodyguard.

“What do you intend to do with us?”

Passote finally broke the silence.

He wasn’t concerned for himself.

The only thing that mattered to him… was the Dark Abyss. The organization he had devoted his entire life to protecting.

“Nothing.”

Cale shook his head.

“I don’t intend to do anything.”

Hmm…

Cale studied Passote for a moment, as if weighing something in his mind, before continuing.

“But I do need to hear a few things—from you.”

He paused, his voice sharpening.

“About the Wanderers. About what they’ve ordered the Dark Abyss to do. We’ll uncover the truth… bit by bit.”

Then, he gestured casually.

“Here.”

Choi Han stepped forward silently.

“I’ll be leaving our bodyguard with you.”

What?

Passote’s eyes widened.

For the first time, his emotions broke through his calm facade—and a flash of disgust crossed his face. But then, he froze at the words that followed.

“Because we need to keep you alive.”

Cale’s eyes locked onto him as he continued.

“The Wanderers… They have the potential to become Gods. But they rejected that path. That’s what makes them dangerous. Even to actual Gods.”

Gods…

Passote couldn’t fully grasp what lay beyond the limits of humanity—beyond human comprehension.

But one thing was certain.

“If our bodyguard stays close, at the very least, you’ll survive.”

That servant standing before him—

Was no ordinary man.

It was clear he couldn’t understand the man standing before him—the one whose name he still didn’t even know.

Clack.

The sliding door opened.

Hotan, the only one standing alone in the hallway, entered with a graceful bow.

“May we hear the full story now?”

Though she knew nothing about Wu, she had earned the leader’s trust through her strategic brilliance. That trust had elevated her to the role of his right-hand woman.

“……”

Cale looked at Hotan silently. She responded with a pleasant smile.

“It’s already night, so I’ve prepared some hot tea.”

Cale smiled in return.

“As long as it’s not stale, I’ll take it.”

“Yes. I’ll make sure of that.”

She chuckled softly at his remark, then turned toward Passote and spoke openly in front of Cale and his companions.

“Leader. The Wanderer who visited us earlier was worse than a beast—rude and without the slightest shred of courtesy. Since these guests at least have manners, shouldn’t we treat them with the respect they deserve?”

Ha.

A short breath—half sigh, half laugh—escaped Passote’s lips.

He gave a nod.

“Yes. Though we pursue the Way of Wu, that doesn’t mean we are ignorant of proper manners.”

As if responding to those words, the Heavenly Demon added calmly,

“In fact, we should understand manners even more deeply.”

His gaze met Passote’s directly.

“If we truly understand the meaning of killing.”

Killing.

The more one understands its weight… the more reverence one must show.

“Those are words that resonate deeply.”

Passote nodded and instructed Hotan to prepare some light snacks to go with the tea.

“It seems… we have much to discuss.”

At those words, Cale replied with a quiet smile.

At that moment, Cale heard the Heavenly Demon’s voice in his mind.

—Choi Han could cause problems.

Cale did his best to pretend he hadn’t heard anything. He made sure not to look in Choi Han’s direction.

Choi Jung Gun.

Choi Han’s relative.
Currently in a coma, his body slowly being consumed by chaos contamination.

And the ones responsible?

The Wanderers of the Five-Colored Family.

Those bastards had done that to Choi Jung Gun—a fellow Wanderer.

Cale knew well.

Choi Han’s hatred toward them would run deep.

And the fact that he didn’t show it? That only made it more terrifying.

Choi Han didn’t rage. He didn’t complain.
He simply stood quietly by Cale’s side, watching… waiting.

But now, the opportunity had presented itself.

A chance to confront one of the Wanderers of the Five-Colored Family.

Wanderers.

They were indeed powerful.
But Choi Han—he forged his own path. His aura resonated with the weight of ancient powers.

He was more than capable of facing them.

Hmm…

But—

Cale’s thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Our crown prince… he still has to receive Choi Han’s sword.

The Sword of the Sun.

That blade was meant for Alberu.
For the hero.

Cale, let’s talk tomorrow morning.

That’s what Alberu had said.

Hmm. I guess I just have to give it to him.

* * *

However, things don’t always go as planned.

“Oh! There are more than 300 people just in the preliminaries?”

“Wow, that’s insane! I have to go watch the prelims!”

As the participants for the Supreme Martial Arts Tournament were being announced…

“Dark Abyss has gone quiet.”

“They say Passote hasn’t shown himself in public lately.”

The Justice Alliance—one of the Five Great Factions and the sworn enemies of the Dark Abyss—was carefully monitoring the situation.

“But let’s not let our guard down.”

“Of course.”

Bang!

“Leader!”

“What is it?”

The Leader of the Justice Alliance turned toward the subordinate who had rushed in, panting.

“There was a loud crash reported near what’s believed to be the Dark Abyss’s hideout! It looks like something’s going down!”

And indeed—just as the report said—something was happening inside the shelter where Passote resided.

Ha…

Passote was so stunned, he couldn’t even speak.

“Oh. That guy’s pretty good with a lance too.”

The Heavenly Demon said indifferently, reclining in his chair.

And Cale, on his part…

“Hmm.”

Wearing an expressionless face, he stood quietly, gazing out over the wide training ground that had been set up within the shelter.

“I guess my master’s tests aren’t easy at all.”

Alberu Crossman—the man currently going by the username Impious Emperor—spoke with a smile. But the tip of the lance in his hand trembled slightly.

And standing in front of him…

“Hmm. I guess I shouldn’t have let my guard down.”

Choi Han stood there with his sword lowered, an awkward smile on his lips.

At that moment, Alberu and Choi Han…

Were sparring.

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Proofreader's Comment:

When gods, monsters, and martial artists clash—Cale still manages to be the most dangerous man in the room without lifting a finger.

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If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]