Along with the moonlight, the interior of the building was clearly visible through lanterns and torches illuminating various places. It was packed full of people like other taverns or inns.
[20]
One step.
When he closed the same distance he had moved earlier, the warning sound returned.
'It's certain.'
The person presumed to be prey is inside that tavern.
Dong Bong-su entered, calculating the 20-meter distance by eye.
1 meter, 2 meters....
20 meters.
Near the entrance. But at the entrance, there was no one except the tavern boy. Which meant...?
'Hiding?'
Position?
'Slightly above or below the entrance. But below is blocked by the building's lower foundation.'
The enemy is above the entrance.
Dong Bong-su raised his head and looked up above the entrance. Naturally, blocked by the outer wall, he couldn't see inside. Because he didn't have clairvoyant abilities. However, the enemy must surely be clinging to the inner wall of the tavern.
But if a person was clinging there, shouldn't everyone's eyes in the tavern normally be drawn there? Because normally, a person clinging above a building's entrance itself doesn't make sense.
However, among the drinking patrons inside Nangnang Tavern, no one found this strange. Everyone was simply laughing and chattering while drinking. Not even one person was giving their gaze in that direction.
Step, step.
Dong Bong-su slowly approached the tavern.
19, 18, 17....
The distance narrowed.
[2]
"Welcome, customer."
When Spirit Eyes indicated 2, the tavern boy greeted him warmly. The distance to the boy was less than 1 meter. The tavern boy was not prey.
Dong Bong-su entered the bustling interior and pretended to look for a seat while turning his head to look toward the entrance. Of course, it goes without saying that while pretending to look straight ahead, he looked up above the entrance.
'...!'
Because light barely reached there and a wall dividing the first and second floors blocked it, deep shadow was cast on that position. Even so, it wasn't enough to completely block his vision, which had improved due to leveling up in the meantime.
And yet....
He couldn't see anything. Meaning his eyes couldn't discern the opponent's presence at all.
'Is that what they call Concealment Arts?'
In the North, he had occasionally encountered enemies who hid in the ground and popped out, or disguised themselves while covered with straw mats. But there had never been a case where he couldn't notice so perfectly. To the point where he couldn't recognize it even with both eyes wide open....
If Spirit Eyes hadn't existed, he wouldn't have known at all what was hiding there.
'Could I reach that level too?'
What does that mean?
Does it mean he too can use Concealment Arts?
That's right. In fact, after killing Timur Khan, Dong Bong-su had leveled up several times. Naturally there were big changes, and among them were several skills.
Among them was the skill [Concealment Arts].
[Concealment Arts Lv.1 Proficiency: 30.0%]
The swords of the Martial World have no eyes. Among them especially, the swords of swordsmen of Wanderer origin who climbed up from the bottom of the Murim are even more so. To wield such swords, sometimes one needs to hide one's body. Also, to avoid such swords, the technique of concealment is absolutely necessary.
Upon activation, the player's body perfectly assimilates with the surrounding environment. However, Concealment Arts are immediately canceled the moment one moves or uses a skill.
Energy Consumption per Second: 10 JP
It wasn't that he hadn't tried using it, but since he hadn't confirmed it while looking in a mirror, he couldn't verify precisely what degree of effect it had.
If it was proven to have that degree of efficacy, it might be quite useful in actual combat.
But what was important right now wasn't actually that.
Why.
'Why is a master of that level hiding so secretly in such a place?'
Assassination?
He thought that briefly, but the possibility was low. In Zhengzhou right now at this hour, what important figure would appear in such a place? If they were going to appear, they would have come already, and the location probably wouldn't be here either.
Dong Bong-su continued thinking.
Then, what other work could be done while hiding there?
Dark shadow within shadow. Yin... dark....
Work that must be done while hiding in darkness.
Many thoughts came to mind, but if not assassination, there was one other thing.
'Secret protection.'
In a situation like now, other possibilities were slim.
"Excuse me... customer. Would you be alright with sharing a table?"
There were no empty seats, and it didn't look like any would open soon. Then the tavern boy naturally asked about sharing tables. A common business tactic found anywhere. The tavern boy knew from the start that there were no seats in the tavern, and probably intended this from the beginning when guiding him inside.
But right now for Dong Bong-su, whether sharing tables or not, securing a seat and such weren't important.
'Who?'
He wanted to find the target worthy of protection by the master hidden in darkness. Probably that person was the real 'event mob' newly participating in this field.
"Excuse me, customer?"
Regardless of what the tavern boy said, Dong Bong-su paid no attention and just traversed the tavern's interior. According to Dong Bong-su's movements, the distance Spirit Eyes reported changed irregularly.
But the amount of change sometimes had nothing to do with the distance from the entrance. Which meant there was another master inside the tavern.
'As expected....'
Must be the protection target of the master hiding above the entrance.
Dong Bong-su narrowed down the target in accordance with Spirit Eyes' warning sound. The tavern boy still kept asking if he would share a table, but that was none of his concern.
Dong Bong-su's eyes indifferently poked around inside the tavern.
The bearded man sitting over there, the skinny guy with slit eyes in the back, the fat man right in front spewing nonsense while soaked in alcohol.
None of them.
Dong Bong-su's eyes continued scanning those within Spirit Eyes' range.
At some moment.
"...!"
He saw 'something.' Right. Something.
It was difficult to express that with any other words.
Dong Bong-su had never seen such an existence in his previous life or this life. Completely different from Tang O, Eulji-tae, or the Soldier Eccentric who were among the Twenty Great Masters under Heaven, and different from Jong Ji-hang whom he had seen recently.
Above all... some existence clearly distinct from Dong Bong-su himself.
That existence was sitting alone with chin propped in a corner seat of the tavern. Due to the posture, naturally 'its' gaze was fixed in one direction.
The gaze directed toward Dong Bong-su. As if it had been waiting for him, staring piercingly.
That existence.
Though dressed as a man, was clearly a woman, looked very young, and was beautiful. Because she was smiling innocently, perhaps she looked even more so.
But facing that smile like a child's, goosebumps rose all over Dong Bong-su's body. A thrilling sensation he had never felt in his entire life bound his entire body.
That thing, or rather she, stood up and approached him.
[2]
Spirit Eyes informed him that a powerful enemy had approached within 2 meters. And she was smiling brightly 2 meters in front of him.
Dong Bong-su's expression became even more languid.
'She's seeing right through me.'
It was certain. She recognized him.
And.
He also recognized her.
He couldn't know precisely what.
But he clearly noticed she was some existence beyond common sense. Like some kind of... suddenly created within this New Murim Online.
'Bug.'
She opened her mouth and spoke.
"It's the third time meeting, but every time we meet, you make me tremble incredibly. You."
"...."
Third time?
Dong Bong-su couldn't understand her words.
He never forgets people he's seen once. Yet she was saying it was the third time. And her words couldn't be lies. Though he couldn't read it, he could feel it.
It was the truth.
"Nice to meet you. I already said it twice before, but since you probably won't remember, I'll say it again, so this time definitely remember my name."
Already said it twice before...?
Again, words consistent with what she said earlier. But still, Dong Bong-su couldn't recall her.
"Yeon Yeong-ha. My name is Yeon Yeong-ha."
Yeon Yeong-ha.
Dong Bong-su heard her name for the first time. But strangely, it also felt like he had heard it. If he heard it, he heard it, but the feeling that he heard it. A peculiarity as if fragments of old memories were faintly trying to surface somewhere in his head before sinking again.
A truly unfamiliar sensation to him.
1
So he said.
"What are you?"
***
A certain gorge in Yunnan, full of rare flowers and precious plants in wild bloom.
A short old man with sharp eyes was examining flowers with his hands clasped behind his back.
Petals twinkling gently like distant stars under the moonlight.
In that endlessly wide gorge, the old man leisurely strolled alone, admiring the magnificent scenery.
Due to the moon high in the sky, his shadow was much shorter than himself, and whenever the old man moved, it moved together like a black stain rippling.
At some moment.
Though the moon couldn't possibly squirm, his shadow swayed like a flower meeting wind.
As if it had something to say.
"What is it?"
The old man said while looking down at his shadow.
"There's been a communication from Old Uncle."
The shadow answered.
The old man's eyes changed. Probably news he had been waiting for.
"Yeong-ha?"
"She has safely arrived in Zhengzhou."
"Hehehe. Safely? Did you just say safely? Do you not know who that child truly is?"
"...My apologies, Palace Lord. This subordinate momentarily forgot what kind of existence she is. Please forgive me."
"Safely. Safely."
"...."
"Hearing those words makes me think it's truly the beginning now."
"Pardon? What do you mean by that...?"
"That the world will not be at peace. From now on."