Murim Psychopath Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Things Went from Bad to Worse

The words First Advancement were utterly unfamiliar to someone who wasn’t used to games.

What kinds of skills would he obtain after advancing? How would his stats be affected?

There was no way to know any of it in advance.

There was, however, one thing he knew for certain.

Once he underwent his First Advancement, he would become stronger than he was now in one way or another. That much was beyond doubt.

The problem was that he had to eliminate one hundred enemies of Level 10 or higher.

‘About as strong as the ones I dealt with yesterday…?’

Dong Bong-su estimated that Level 10 opponents would be roughly on par with the ordinary members of the Heavenly Wind Division he had fought the previous day. As for Go San-gong, the Squad Leader, he guessed he had probably been around Level 15 or 16. It was only an estimate, but it should be close enough.

After killing only a handful of the men he had encountered aboard the ship, he had already gone from Level 7 to nearly Level 8. Then, after killing Go San-gong, he had shot straight up to Level 10.

The basis for this line of thinking was the merciless surge of experience points and level-ups he had experienced yesterday. And his assumption was correct.

The New Murim Online system had recognized the Heavenly Wind Division members he encountered yesterday as Level 9 to 11, while recognizing Go San-gong as a Level 16 Elite Mob.

‘One hundred martial artists on the same level as the ones I faced yesterday… That won’t be easy.’

If this had been the real Murim Online, this First Advancement Quest would have been extremely easy.

But this wasn’t Murim Online—it was New Murim Online.

This wasn’t virtual reality. It was the real world.

Instead of killing one hundred monster “mobs,” he had to kill one hundred martial artists.

It was by no means an easy task.

Yet it was something he absolutely had to accomplish.

Become stronger. Gain a greater advantage in survival and hunting. Survive longer, keep hunting, and become even stronger.

An endless loop that functioned like a formula.

To keep that cycle going, he absolutely…

Had to complete it.

With that, Dong Bong-su closed the Quest Window, finishing his review of all the changes that had come with reaching Level 10.

Beep.

The familiar mechanical sound of the window closing had only just begun to ring out—

Boom!

A thunderous explosion echoed from the distance.

Even after passing through the thick door of the East Heavenly Guest Hall, the sound remained crystal clear. It was far away, yet unmistakably massive.

The source was…

‘The same place as yesterday!’

Judging by the direction of the sound, the disturbance was taking place at the Hall of the Emperor.

‘It has begun.’

Dong Bong-su realized that the Namgung Family had eagerly taken the bait he had laid the previous day.

The noise of people murmuring rapidly grew louder outside.

The guests staying in the East Heavenly Guest Hall had undoubtedly rushed outside after hearing the explosion.

Now, all he had to do was see just how thoroughly the Namgung Family had swallowed the bait.

Although the warning he had delivered seemed to have gotten through, the danger Do Heo-ok would bring had not yet completely passed.

If the Namgung Family proved weaker than expected, or if Do Heo-ok’s side was stronger than anticipated, then despite the difficult warning he had given them, the Namgung Family might still be overwhelmed.

Or perhaps the Namgung Family’s response would turn out to be unexpectedly sloppy.

If that happened, the result would be no different.

If that were the case, then for the sake of survival,

‘I’ll have to come up with another plan.’

After straightening his clothes, Dong Bong-su opened the door and stepped outside.

● ● ●

Do Heo-ok arrived at the Temporary Reception Pavilion early that morning.

“Have you heard about the Three Sacred Lights?”

“The Three Sacred Lights?”

After hearing about them from the family’s lower-ranking warriors already stationed there, he immediately left the Temporary Reception Pavilion and personally headed to the Water Gate in the south, where the sailing ship was docked.

Nothing like this had been included in the First Scheme, so he had come to verify the situation himself.

However, the sailing ship was being heavily guarded by the Heavenly Thunder Unit and the Heavenly Wind Division, preventing him from confirming anything.

If the Three Sacred Lights truly were a heavenly blessing, then there was no reason to hide the ship.

No, from the beginning, there should have been no reason to guard it so tightly.

Especially from him, the very person involved.

Something had gone wrong.

Not just wrong, terribly wrong.

Do Heo-ok hurried back toward the Hall of the Emperor.

He intended to warn the four Shadows to evacuate as quickly as possible.

He regarded the appearance of the Three Sacred Lights as their mistake.

The four Shadows had undoubtedly made some kind of blunder while escaping from that ship yesterday.

He believed the Three Sacred Lights were the result of that mistake.

Tap!

Just as he employed his movement technique and was passing in front of the East Heavenly Guest Hall,

“Well now. Where are you hurrying off to?”

A handsome man in his thirties suddenly stepped in front of him.

Behind the man stood over thirty sturdy martial artists clad in blue robes, each embroidered with the large character ‘Unhindered’ across the chest.

It was Namgung In and the members of the Unhindered Sword Division.

‘Why is the Unhindered Sword Division here at this hour?’

Do Heo-ok naturally knew them well.

What mattered now was why the entire division had gathered to block his path so early in the morning.

‘Could they be here for me!?’

For an instant, he thought they had come to arrest him.

It wasn’t instinct or intuition.

It was simply that, after connecting everything with the Three Sacred Lights, he realized the plan had gone awry.

Perhaps they had even discovered that the Four Shadows were hiding inside his room.

“I heard the lights blessing Lady Hye and my wedding appeared in this direction, so I came to confirm them before returning to the reception pavilion.”

Even so, Do Heo-ok responded calmly to Namgung In.

Nothing had been confirmed yet.

There was no need for him to step forward and announce, ‘I’m the spy.’

Looking at him, Namgung In spoke in a cold voice.

“I see. So after checking for yourself, what did you find? Were they truly a sign of blessing?”

The confident smile vanished from Do Heo-ok’s face.

Considering Namgung In’s icy expression and detached tone, there was no longer any room for doubt.

At last, Do Heo-ok realized everything had completely fallen apart.

The expression of upright righteousness he had always worn disappeared in an instant.

His eyes and brows, which normally curved gently, and the corners of his lips that always carried a smile, all straightened into hard lines.

To Namgung In and the others, he now looked utterly merciless.

Even so, Namgung In gave him a moment to offer an explanation.

After all, there was still no definitive proof that Do Heo-ok had completely deceived the Namgung Family.

Yet even after that opportunity, Do Heo-ok remained silent.

In the end, Namgung In delivered the decisive blow.

“You have nothing to say because you found nothing, is that it? I’m sorry, but you’ll have to accompany us to the Hall of the Emperor for a while.”

“…Are you saying I’ve done something wrong?”

“How should I know? Once you come with us to the Hall of the Emperor, every suspicion will naturally be resolved.”

Do Heo-ok’s expression stiffened even further.

At the same time, his resolve hardened.

He would eliminate every one of them.

If he wished, disposing of a mere thirty members of the Unhindered Sword Division would be effortless.

Even if their Division Commander, Namgung In, was among them…

After studying Namgung In for a brief moment, the corners of Do Heo-ok’s lips curled faintly.

‘So this is all a Division Commander amounts to? He won’t be a problem.’

Namgung In was no match for him.

Crack. Crack.

Do Heo-ok repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists.

He was choosing the perfect moment to strike Namgung In and the Unhindered Sword Division.

Sensing an odd sense of unease from his behavior, Namgung In slowly reached toward the sword hanging at his waist.

At that very moment,

Boom!

Another explosion erupted in the distance from the direction of the Hall of the Emperor, and a pillar of fire shot into the sky.

The sudden blast drew the attention of Namgung In and the members of the Unhindered Sword Division for the briefest instant.

That single moment,

Do Heo-ok moved first.

The Thunderbolt Saber slung diagonally across his back flashed from its sheath.

A bolt of lightning descended upon the spacious courtyard before the East Heavenly Guest Hall,

More precisely, upon the place where Namgung In and the Unhindered Sword Division stood.

It was the First Form of the latter four forms of the Thunderbolt Saber Art,

Thunderbolt Advance.

Crackle! Bzzzzt!

The Thunderbolt Energy released from Do Heo-ok’s saber tore through the ground as it engulfed Namgung In and the members of the Unhindered Sword Division.

Their attention had been diverted for only a split second.

Unable to react in time, they were struck head-on by Do Heo-ok’s lightning-fast attack.

BOOM!

A deafening blast rivaling the explosion at the Hall of the Emperor moments earlier rang out as Namgung In and the members of the Unhindered Sword Division were hurled in every direction.

“Aaaagh!”

“Graaagh!”

“…!”

A single strike.

With one swing of Do Heo-ok’s saber, half of the Unhindered Sword Division members who had come to capture him lost their lives.

Those who died screaming were fortunate enough to leave behind intact corpses.

The others who had taken the Thunderbolt Energy head-on never even managed a scream.

They turned directly into piles of ash and scattered into the air.

But even those who survived were far from safe.

Most of the Unhindered Sword Division members who had instinctively drawn their swords and managed to block part of the Thunderbolt Energy still failed to withstand the aftermath, leaving them incapable of fighting.

Namgung In was no exception.

Drip…

The unexpected attack had inflicted severe internal injuries upon him.

Black blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his face had turned as pale as paper.

The depth of his injuries was beyond question.

Had he failed to extend his sword in that fleeting instant, he would already have been dead.

“W-What!?”

“What in the world…?”

“Isn’t that Young Master Do? Then why…?”

The earlier explosion had already drawn countless guests from the East Heavenly Guest Hall outside to witness the scene.

None of them had any idea what was happening.

Yet every face shared the same expression.

Shock.

What else could it be?

If a groom suddenly slaughtered the warriors of his future in-laws and tried to kill their elders, that would be far stranger to accept than to question.

Among the guests were, of course, Dong Bong-su and Tang Wu.

Danri Kang Hae, who had become an outer-surname disciple of the Namgung Family the previous day, was there as well.

“Urgh!”

At last, Namgung In spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

His face was full of things he wanted to say, but he was already in no condition to speak.

The only thing he could do was glare at Do Heo-ok with bloodshot eyes.

Meanwhile, Do Heo-ok once again raised the Thunderbolt Saber high above his head, wearing the same upright and righteous expression he always had.

A few flakes of ash from the Unhindered Sword Division members who had been reduced to cinders by Thunderbolt Advance brushed across his face.

The ash caught the breath he exhaled before drifting away into the empty air.

Some of it was swept by the morning breeze, falling helplessly onto the surface of Lake Chaohu.

Patter.

As though that had been the signal,

Do Heo-ok brought the Thunderbolt Saber down once more.

Accompanied by a brilliant blue flash, another torrent of Thunderbolt Energy surged toward Namgung In and the remaining members of the Unhindered Sword Division like a raging tidal wave.

Already lacking the strength to defend themselves, they could only stare blankly as the lightning rushed toward them.

Bzzzt—CRACK!

In another moment, the Unhindered Sword Division that had come to arrest Do Heo-ok would instead be annihilated.

At that critical instant,

A brown figure rushed into the battlefield like the wind.

‘Tang Wu.’