Chapter 179
Chapter 179: Looking Where to Lie Down (1)
That moment.
A strange and mystical white light burst from Dong Bong-soo's body.
Holy light.
With Cheol So-a's death, he had achieved a level up in New Murim Online.
And.
Along with that, as Hero History increased by +5, he achieved a new 'accomplishment' in What is Hero as well.
The majesty of dual core, in other words, Dual Karma Root Clan.
[Your Hero History has reached 10 and your Hero rank has been upgraded.]
[You have now become a ★Rising Star.]
Over Dong Bong-soo's emotionless vision, goddess Lumina's words continuously overlapped as hologram scripts along with a benevolent voice.
— Thank you for your hard work. You're fulfilling our request well. You are our last hope. Please continue to save this world just as you are now.
▣ Hero Ranks ☆ Nameless (0~9)
★ Rising Star (10~49) ← Current
[Since you have achieved ★, a reward will be granted.]
[All Stats +5]
[Trait 『Faith Sight』 has been unlocked.]
『Faith Sight』
A hero with strong faith should be able to see what others cannot see.
The excellence of 'reading' the worth of companions or objects is an indispensable element of a hero.
: The more information, the higher the accuracy regarding that worth.
≪Unlockable Skills≫ • Hero's Aura Lv.1
└ Required History: 10 (10/10) 『Y/N』
• Light of Faith Lv.1
└ Required History: 10 (10/10) 『Y/N』
Evolution, and more evolution.
Evolution in New Murim Online, and evolution in What is Hero.
On top of the completely destroyed Iron God Society, he became stronger, and even stronger.
Standing on the ruins, Dong Bong-soo checked the system window a bit more before closing it.
Since he'd settled the Iron God Society, he needed to return to the inn for now.
Of course.
Before that, he had to do what needed to be done.
If he thought about it in gaming terms, since he'd cleared the stage.
'Farming.'
He began searching through the rubble of the collapsed Main Hall. He first examined the area around Cheol Hon's corpse. He found a small pouch at the Society Leader's waist.
Inside was a single black jade token. The characters Iron God Command were engraved on it. It must be an object symbolizing all the assets and authority of the Iron God Society.
Next was Cheol So-a's turn.
Among her remains shattered like ice, he found several items. The Iron Hand Gauntlet was intact. Due to the properties of Ten Thousand Year Soft Iron, it doesn't break easily. And a small jade token that had been hanging around her neck. It looked like a sacred object from 'some place' engraved with the shape of the moon.
However,
『Heavenly Yin Sect Dharma Maiden's Jade Token』
◆ Grade : Rare
◆ Category : Miscellaneous : Hidden Weapon ⊃ Weapon
◆ Description : A token with the emblem of the Heavenly Yin Sect engraved in intaglio.
◆ Special Effect : When equipped, helps increase the power and proficiency of Cold/Ice type magic.
Hologram description text overlapping the jade token like a phantom.
'This is 『Faith Sight』.'
Vision that can discern items or artifacts.
'As the What is Hero system merged with this world, though it's not perfect, I've become able to distinguish certain major items or artifacts.'
He couldn't know the inner workings, nor did he need to.
He just needed to be able to use it.
Engineers don't understand all the laws of physics to run factories, make weapons, and so on. Rather, just confirming that it works and applying it is often far superior in terms of productivity.
Thus, Dong Bong-soo engraved another useful ability into his skill category and stood up.
He briefly looked around and stuffed all the useful items into his Inventory. He especially collected all the fragments of Cheol So-a's corpse without missing any. Even if she was dead, he might have use for them later.
He also searched the armory around the training ground. Most of the usable weapons had been destroyed, but several special iron materials were intact. Several chunks of Thousand Year Cold Iron and unidentified ores. Also into the Inventory.
Finally, he found the Iron God Society's vault hidden deep underground. He destroyed the lock mechanism with a Super True Energy Field and opened it to find tens of thousands of silver coins and various secret manuals filling it. Naturally, farming is complete.
Having finished organizing, Dong Bong-soo headed toward the inn.
The sun had already set, dyeing itself blood-red.
That appearance contrasted far too sharply with Dong Bong-soo's appearance, terribly clean despite having seen hundreds of bloodshed.
***
"You don't remember well because you've lost your memory, but I don't call going out at the crack of dawn and coming back at sunset a stroll."
As soon as he returned to the inn, Jeon Ra-hwa 'warmly' greeted him.
"Then what do you call it?"
"Daily routine. Daily routine."
"Right. Then let's go with that. Daily routine."
"......Are you kidding me right now?"
"Yeah."
Dong Bong-soo, who had returned to the inn, was already perfectly wearing the mask of 'Kim Rae-won' again.
"Ha...... Let's not talk, let's not. The fact that I'm worr—"
Hastily cutting off the word she was about to say, 'worried,' she immediately turned her head away and changed the subject.
"But anyway, there was chaos on the Western Road, you know? Stroll or whatever, what were you wandering around for so long in such a situation?"
"Because it was such a situation, I wandered for a long time."
After closing the inn door, Dong Bong-soo brushed off the dust. Tap tap. Since he'd already changed into the [Public Enemy of the Martial World] set, not a trace of blood scent, not a drop of blood remained on him.
Even so, Jeon Ra-hwa caught on.
"Don't tell me...... it was you?"
"Yeah."
Her mouth just hung open in absurdity.
Dong Bong-soo asked casually as he brushed past her.
"Did you memorize it all?"
It wasn't that he asked expecting anything.
"What?"
"I asked if you memorized it all. Snow Snow Yin Cold Art. I said I'd check after coming back from my stroll."
"......I did memorize it all."
Dong Bong-soo's steps toward his room on the second floor stopped.
Then he turned and looked into the eyes of the sheepish Jeon Ra-hwa.
Clear and transparent. There were no lies. They absolutely weren't eyes that couldn't lie. Rather, they were pupils with the guts, backbone, and sense to tell lies a hundred times if necessary, making all hundred lies. At the same time, they were also pupils that would never indulge in lying if it wasn't necessary.
The way she was nervously chewing over the contents of Snow Snow Yin Cold Art inside was all reflected through her eyes.
"Ah! No, no! That's not what's important right now, is it?"
Jeon Ra-hwa exaggeratedly jabbed her index finger wildly toward the outside while spitting.
"You're the person responsible for that chaos?"
"Interesting."
Right. This woman had many interesting aspects in various ways.
At this level, she might be worth properly utilizing.
"Why are you just going in? That chaos...... no, never mind. You won't answer anyway. Then forget that...... you said you'd check, right? Whether I properly memorized Snow Snow Yin Cold Art."
"I checked."
"What?"
"Now learn it."
"......What?"
"Can you only say 'what?'"
"......"
"Why aren't you answering?"
"You told me not to say 'yes.'"
"Can't you even distinguish between 'what?' and 'yes?'"
"Yes."
"Whatever. Just learn it for now. I have something to check, so I'll come out in a bit."
With those words, Dong Bong-soo entered his room.
***
That moment.
The Western Road, now in ruins.
Bukgung Ri walked alone, stepping on the rubble of the Iron God Society. Corpses were piled like mountains. Blood formed rivers. Yet his expression looked pleased.
"It's real. The real one appeared in Gangdo."
Bukgung Ri laughed lowly.
He arrived at where the Main Hall had been. The completely collapsed building. He found Cheol Hon's corpse among the rubble. A hole pierced through the chest. It had been a single strike.
And a little distance away, there were plenty of water stains where ice had melted and dried. Traces and remains that didn't suit this place overflowing with fresh blood.
It was Cheol So-a. No, it should be called what had been Cheol So-a.
"What a fucking interesting bastard."
Bukgung Ri pondered for a moment.
Could he have done it? Could he alone have created such results against the entire Iron God Society?
"Fuck. If I could've done it alone, I would've done it already. Shit."
He can't win.
It was an honest assessment. Bukgung Ri clearly knew his own limits. Rushing into a fight he couldn't win was recklessness. Recklessness was the act he detested most.
Acting cheap was forgivable, but dying stupidly was recklessness among recklessness that couldn't be tolerated.
Iron God Society, Iron God Society, Iron God Society.......
Seven Star Immortal Assembly, Seven Star Immortal Assembly, Seven Star Immortal Assembly.......
Calculations turned in his head.
The sect cultivated as Gangdo's number one since the previous generation. Now that the Iron God Society had disappeared, if he took over the Western Road today, he'd become the sole dominant force in Gangdo. The Martial World here would be perfectly pacified.
"Heh heh heh."
If Bukgung Ri had been a fool, he would have done that.
He'd told the Magistrate earlier it would be fun for a while...... at this level, it's fun but also not.
It might sound like nonsense, but that's how he felt. Honest feelings would be more accurate.
"There's none, far too none."
A fight should be evenly matched to make betting money worthwhile and make watching worthwhile. Who would bet money to watch a cat and a tiger fight?
The one who alone brought down the Iron God Society.
Himself, who hadn't even achieved Golden Core yet, merely the Assembly Leader of the Seven Star Immortal Assembly.
There was no chance of winning, far too none.
Now he didn't have many choices left.
No, in fact, there was only one.
Before long, having finished his deliberation, Bukgung Ri returned to the Seven Star Immortal Assembly.
***
Dong Bong-soo checked the items obtained from the Iron God Society one by one in his room. Iron God Command, Heavenly Yin Sect jade token, Iron Hand Gauntlet, various secret manuals.
And he intended to organize his future plans.
That's when it happened.
Tting.
The system window suddenly appeared.
【Main】Salvation of Jeon Ra-hwa
【Relationship】 : Please respond to the 'First Faith.' Faith always brings corresponding rewards.
․ Sever all threads of evil entangled with her.
├─ Progress: 1.1......%
└─ Reward: History +100, Trust Level MAX
Click—
Progress: 1.18%
Progress: 1.19%
The Main Quest's progress suddenly started jumping.
'This is?'
***
Bukgung Ri passed through the Seven Star Immortal Assembly's massive main gate. Buildings modeled after the shape of the seven stars greeted him.
"Have you returned, Assembly Leader?"
The Chief Steward bowed. A middle-aged man in his fifties. He was the person who oversaw the actual work of the Seven Star Immortal Assembly.
"A major incident seems to have occurred on the Western Road today, so I commanded the immediate dispatch of the Big Dipper Secret Corps to investigate."
"You did something useless."
"What do you mean?"
"The entire Iron God Society just died. Just now."
"......!"
The Chief Steward's face changed rapidly.
"I just went and saw it. That fucking sight."
The Chief Steward couldn't understand.
The Assembly Leader is someone who's always been pondering how to devour the Iron God Society. So why is the Iron God Society's destruction a 'fucking' sight?
The Chief Steward, who was about to ask about that, swallowed. Because the Assembly Leader's expression was ominous.
"......Why, why are you like that, Assembly Leader?"
Bukgung Ri was smacking his lips. As if he had delicious food in front of him.
"Looking at it this way, I'm wondering why I held back all this time."
"......What do you mean you held back?"
"I originally like good restaurants and like tasty women even more."
"Yes, yes. You, you do."
Grin—
Bukgung Ri's smooth lips parted and his red tongue came out, greedily wetting his lips.
"I'm realizing our house was truly a good restaurant and truly had quality women. Now that I'm looking carefully."
"......What?"
"There are various dishes too. And abundant delicacies from land and sea."
The Chief Steward instinctively stepped backward. But it was already too late.
Swish—
Bukgung Ri's hand penetrated the Chief Steward's throat. Blood spurted like a fountain.
"Ass, Assembly Leader......"
"Shut up."
Bukgung Ri pulled out the Chief Steward's heart and bit into it and warm blood flowed down.
"You should be quiet when the Assembly Leader is eating."
***
Drrrrrrr—
The numbers began rising like crazy.
2.38%, 4.76%, 9.52%.......
Dong Bong-soo's eyes narrowed.
"I didn't expect this."
Some major change had occurred. A considerable portion of the evil entanglements related to Jeon Ra-hwa had suddenly disappeared.
He turned his gaze toward the window. It was the direction where the Seven Star Immortal Assembly was located.
'Bukgung Ri.'
That name came to mind.
'Did he judge that you should look where you'll lie down before stretching your legs?'
He was a more dangerous fellow than expected.
Seeing him immediately organizing his own forces after seeing the Iron God Society disappear.
Drrrrrrr—
The continuously rising number stopped at 18.18%.
***
The screams at the Seven Star Immortal Assembly ended within a few hours.
Bukgung Ri wiped the blood from his mouth and rubbed his lower abdomen where his Spirit Roots and Dantian were located, letting out a deep, heavy burp.
"This suddenly got interesting."
That's why life is fun.
Though he couldn't identify who the opponent was, he'd learn that even just sitting still.
An awl in a sack.
A crazy bastard will pierce through and create a crazy uproar even if he stays quiet.
When that time comes, the target will be identified.
Since the target will be revealing its presence grandly, the hunting start point can be reset anytime.
Bukgung Ri set fire to the space where he was born and raised.
What 'had been' the Seven Star Immortal Assembly.
"See you later. I don't know who you are. Fucking bastard."
It doesn't matter anyway.
Because wherever he stands, that place will soon become the Seven Star Immortal Assembly.
Someday.......
"I'll place this entire world beneath the Seven Star Immortal Assembly's feet."
Without fail.
Bukgung Ri left the Seven Star Immortal Assembly, no, Gangdo, on that path.