12
Chapter 12: Level Up
"It just worked out like this."
That was the moment.
A strange and mystical white light burst forth from Dong Bong-su's body.
Holy light.
Unsuited to Dong Bong-su, it was an extremely sacred light. It was a scene he seemed like he'd never experienced in his entire life, but he'd already experienced such a thing before.
In Murim Online, that virtual world, he'd experienced such light.
"So this is leveling up."
He'd finally succeeded in his first evolution in this New Murim Online.
"..."
At the moment of leveling up, silence flowed through the alley. However, that time wasn't very long.
"Hi, hiiiik!"
The riffraff recoiled backward in horror. For them, Jang Ho's death, which seemed absolutely impossible for them to handle, and the cruelly white light that had just spread through the alley were making them react that way.
Thud.
Dong Bong-su took one step toward them. As if matching steps, the riffraff retreated one step backward. No, they tried to, but the back didn't allow them even that one step. This place was a dead-end alley.
Was he smiling?
Dong Bong-su's mouth opened slightly, revealing white teeth. His advance commenced again.
First, Do Pal-du, who was still clutching his broken arm in agony, was caught by Dong Bong-su. He raised his foot high and trampled Do Pal-du's neck just like that.
Crunch crack.
With the ghastly sound of neck bones crumbling, Do Pal-du departed this life just like that.
"Ki, ki, ki!"
The riffraff who saw Do Pal-du die so futilely rushed at Dong Bong-su all at once to survive, even while paralyzed with fear.
Dong Bong-su's response to that was simple and clear.
He lightly raised his hand to chest height.
Swiiiish.
A scene like a flower bud forming played out in fast-forward millions of times unfolded in his hand. Though it was a blade instead of a flower.
A sword that sprouted from the Inventory and bloomed in Dong Bong-su's hand.
Like the dagger earlier, all the weapons in the Inventory were things he'd secretly bought or siphoned off while helping with Machil's weapon servant work.
Slash.
His blade mercilessly split the air.
Thwack.
The blade lodged halfway into the neck of the riffraff running at the front. Having not wielded a weapon in such a long time, he'd failed to cleanly cut through the neck in one strike. Dong Bong-su immediately discarded the blade and drew out a dagger.
He gripped the dagger with the blade pointing downward and leaped into the midst of the riffraff just like that.
Stab, slice!
"Keu, keuaaaak!"
Each time the dagger moved once, the riffraff's arteries were severed and blood spurted up like fountains.
Dong Bong-su didn't know martial arts, but when it came to fighting, he was a master. He was strong enough to be proficient in almost all martial arts on modern Earth.
Not just bare-handed fighting and joint techniques, but he was also skilled in the Eighteen Martial Arts. Naturally, the weapons he could handle were endless. If circumstances didn't permit, he was a person who, like Hong Kong movie actor Jackie Chan, even had the resourcefulness to utilize all surrounding objects as weapons—that was Dong Bong-su.
Most importantly.
The fact was that he lacked what interfered most in fighting. Precisely mercy. He was deficient in that. Dong Bong-su didn't care about means and methods in any case.
Foul play? Despicable? Cowardly?
He had no such concepts in the first place. If he could subdue and kill the opponent, such things weren't considered at all.
"Uaaaak!"
Dong Bong-su's cruel dance seemed like it wouldn't stop until all the riffraff were dead.
Thud, thud, thwack!
The brutal dance of slaughter finally stopped only when the last single person remained.
After his killing dance stopped, nothing remained in the arena but corpses, blood, and the scent of blood.
"Uuuuuu..."
Dong Bong-su pressed the dagger to the last remaining riffraff's neck, then pointed with his other hand at a corpse lying behind.
"What did that bastard do?"
"A-are you asking about Jang Ho?"
Though trembling violently, the riffraff answered immediately. It was from the thought that he might possibly spare him. Even knowing it was futile, he wasn't letting go of the thin thread of hope.
"Right. What did Jang Ho do?"
"Th-the Black Snake Society, he was a member..."
"Black Snake Society? What's that?"
"I-it's one of the bl-black gangs that controls Bongyang's back alleys."
From the name black gang, Dong Bong-su could guess what it was. The riffraff were just punks. The black gangs were probably thug groups far more specialized than them. In modern terms, they'd be about organized crime syndicates.
After asking the riffraff a few more things about the Black Snake Society and black gangs, Dong Bong-su killed him. The riffraff couldn't even say a word begging to be spared before dying just like that. Since he wouldn't have spared him anyway, it probably wasn't too unfair.
Having finished his work, Dong Bong-su put all the corpses in his Inventory. Then he took off his clothes and roughly wiped the blood from the floor. Following that, he took out white clothes prepared in the Inventory and wiped away all the remaining blood too.
It was because from the moment he learned of the Inventory's existence, he'd steadily developed that ability, but still couldn't freely control liquids.
A moment later.
Though it couldn't be called perfect, he'd wiped away the blood to the extent that bloodstains could never be found at first glance. Perhaps there'd be no way to confirm the blood's existence until spraying investigative reagents used in modern forensic medicine like luminol reagent or hydrogen peroxide solution. Since such things couldn't possibly exist in this world yet, this level was a perfect crime.
In a place like this where techniques that violated physics like martial arts existed, for that level of investigative power and forensic medicine to be sufficiently equipped would require at least several more centuries. Perhaps it would be forever impossible.
Soon the arena became clean.
No one would know there'd been a bloody fight here.
Then now it was time to return to mute Mute Sam.
Having perfectly cleaned up the aftermath, Dong Bong-su took out new clothes stored in the Inventory, changed into them, then led Yeoro out of the alley.
The walk resumed.
Dong Bong-su arrived at Bongyang Mountain at the end of the walking route and disposed of all the corpses. If there'd been something called Bone Dissolving Powder spoken of in this place, he could have disposed of them much more cleanly, but it was fine even without such things anyway.
Dong Bong-su was more of an expert than anyone at such tasks.
Disposing of corpses didn't require various things. Even if he had something like Bone Dissolving Powder, he wouldn't have used it. If it was an item with such good efficacy, it would have high utility as a weapon, so why would he use it to dispose of mere corpses?
Soon the corpses were buried somewhere secret in the mountains.
Yeoro watched all of that from right beside him, but was indifferent. To Yeoro, Dong Bong-su was a fearsome beast, but a fairly friendly master who gave him food.
Dong Bong-su stroked Yeoro's nose once, then retraced the path he'd come.
He'd discovered several important facts today.
First, the existence of black gangs.
He'd been looking for prey between Murim people and ordinary people for leveling up, and unexpectedly discovered them. The goal was set. Though it was unfortunate for the black gangs, it was rather fortunate for ordinary people. Because from today, the suicide epidemic would disappear.
The next fact he discovered was the characteristics when leveling up.
First, simultaneously with leveling up, all the wounds he'd had before completely healed. On Dong Bong-su's body now, the wounds inflicted by the riffraff's beating before Jang Ho appeared had disappeared without a trace.
This was information with considerable utility value. If it was a moment when leveling up was imminent, didn't it mean he could take on some degree of risk?
Though he hadn't experimented yet, perhaps even if his heart or brain were damaged, they might recover.
The next characteristic was the light. That light that filled the alley simultaneously with leveling up—the holy light.
However, this characteristic was a disadvantage of leveling up. That light was only dazzling to look at, and had a high possibility of inviting danger. A hunter hiding among prey must be ordinary. Only when most similar to others and indistinguishable could one become the best hunter.
The moment they noticed that he was different from them, they would ostracize Dong Bong-su. Then he'd fall into danger by that much. This wasn't an exception for killing methods using the Inventory either. He mustn't be caught by anyone.
Because of this, he realized leveling up must be done at the point when hunting ends, or in a place with only prey. In a place where no one's eyes could reach. If he made a mistake, his identity could be exposed.
'I'll need to be even more careful going forward.'
He still knew almost nothing about this New Murim Online. All the events that occurred today happened unexpectedly at a point even he hadn't anticipated.
If Jang Ho had been slightly more cautious, or just a bit stronger, he could have been in great danger today.
Now it has become difficult to endure any longer with just the protective coloring of being mute. He had to become stronger faster.
Today was the day he confirmed that.
He turned and began descending the mountain. There were many things to check immediately after returning. He needed to review what happened today, and also confirm the abilities gained from leveling up.
Leveling up meant literally that his level had risen. Simply put, it meant he'd become stronger.
Dong Bong-su was actually feeling it even now. That by becoming Level 2, he'd become stronger. His body had become lighter than before, and his strength had also increased. Though he couldn't quantify it precisely, he'd definitely become stronger.
What abilities had been added exactly?
"Hiihiing!"
As if curious too, Yeoro said something. Let's go back quickly.
Dong Bong-su stroked Yeoro's nose once more and quickly descended from the mountain.
Before his eyes floated this hologram message. The sparkling hologram was broken and torn in places, making its contents impossible to know precisely.
[A Critical ERROR has... occurred in the Murim Online system. Though there should be no hindrance to proceeding with the game........]
"A critical error."
It keeps getting more interesting.
Dong Bong-su's mouth opened slightly, revealing pure white teeth. In the real world, there was absolutely nothing to make him laugh, but here, though very occasionally, things arose that made him laugh. Though very occasionally.
His steps heading toward the Danri Family grew increasingly faster.