Dong Bong-su tried to grab the skills with his hand and place them in the skill shortcut bar, but it didn't work. These three techniques were all passives that automatically applied even without special use. Rather than not knowing this, he had done it just to confirm.
Whoosh, swish, thwack.
He immediately picked up the sword and swung it, thrust it, threw it, and blocked with it.
Then he immediately checked the proficiency. All had increased by 0.1%. In other words, if he repeated each action a thousand times, the proficiency level would reach Lv.2. After that, it was an obvious fact that leveling up would gradually become more difficult.
Thus he had discovered another way to become stronger. He wouldn't know how effective it was until the level went up, but this would definitely have its own advantages. Being able to grow stronger without necessarily hunting would bring great benefits in performing the game.
After swinging the sword around a few more times, he closed the Skill Window.
Now there was only one blinking window left.
"Quest"
It was the part Dong Bong-su had paid the least attention to since starting New Murim Online. Not only had the Quest Window not been activated until now, but it also seemed unlikely that quests would appear.
Click.
Hoping this time would be different, he pressed the Quest Window, the last in turn.
That moment.
Beep—.
[Critical ERROR occurred! Critical ERROR occurred! Critical ERROR occurred! NPC for quest progression does not exist! Since there are no NPCs, quests cannot be progressed!]
A red flashing light appeared along with a loud warning sound, and the error message rampaged wildly through his head.
'No NPCs.'
Now it was clear.
The fact that various errors occurred due to the discrepancy between reality and the system. Strictly speaking, only the Murim Online system and the character Dong Bong-su had been implemented under the physical laws of this reality or the martial laws unique to this place.
Interpreting it in that sense.
The reason the Quest Window showed an especially severe critical error message was obvious. Unlike skills or stats, it was happening because the NPCs, which were the prototypes that could modify the system, didn't exist in this 'Martial World' in the first place.
Dong Bong-su didn't know much about games, but he knew that quests were the core thread running through the entire game. Since there was a problem with that important thing, naturally the system had no choice but to make a fuss like this. Probably this problem wouldn't be resolved unless beings called NPCs spontaneously generated in this Martial World in the future.
He immediately closed the Quest Window to block the mechanical sounds from chattering even more noisily. He glimpsed several activated quests, but judging by the X marks in front of all of them, it was certain all those quests were impossible to progress. They were only activated, but without NPCs they would have no practical effect.
No matter how severely the warning sounds rang, since it was all happening within his interface, no one in the Danri Family could hear it, but the noise was certainly not welcome.
When hearing is overly activated, other senses naturally weaken.
Things like the five senses or instinct must always manifest in balance. Because that's much more advantageous for survival.
Thus he abandoned his attachment to quests without any concern.
Only then did the world become quiet again.
That silent space was his world alone, New Murim Online. In reality it was a real world where the expression "online" didn't fit at all, but seeing that the system was implemented, one could say it partially was.
"Whew—."
Even that brief ringing just now made his head throb. Dong Bong-su took a deep breath once and collected himself.
He had finally finished, at least roughly, confirming what he had gained from his first level-up. Now it was time to organize them in his head.
Ding-a-ling—.
Just as he was about to organize today's gains.
A strange bell sound rang in his head.
[Spirit Eyes activation conditions have been met, and Spirit Eyes is automatically cast.]
[An enemy with a level difference of 10 or more from you has approached within 20 meters. 19, 18, 17...]
Ding-a-ling-a-ling, ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling...
As the numbers decreased, the bell sound became increasingly urgent.
'This is...? Some kind of early warning system?'
From the message that appeared as a hologram and the urgent bell sound, Dong Bong-su could deduce the efficacy of Spirit Eyes.
To bring out the realism of the game, Murim Online made all monsters and enemies as similar to reality as possible to create a sense of substance. Like existing 3D online games, it was programmed so that one couldn't know an NPC's level or health just by looking. Naturally, all information about NPCs was also controlled. By doing so, it attempted to differentiate itself from existing 3D online games.
Experience, attempt, clash and break to find out. Find enjoyment within that.
That was Murim Online's motto.
By now, much about Murim Online had been uncovered and information was being shared through the internet, but because of this 'differentiation policy,' people first accessing Murim Online often died from rushing at enemies recklessly without any information about them.
This policy had always been maintained, and it was still the same now.
It was the same for testers. They too, like regular players, struggled and were exposed defenseless to monsters or enemies they faced for the first time. That's why tester-exclusive skills were needed. Skills that dramatically reduced testing time while making testing efficient and realistic.
Among them, the one that maintained a middle ground between the realism and efficiency of testing was the skill Spirit Eyes.
Spirit Eyes was a skill that induced more practical testing by giving testers only minimal warning about danger instead of complete information about opponents. With this skill, testers could approach and observe enemies without information more carefully and in detail. Also, this Spirit Eyes was what played the role of reducing the time needed for testing by reducing unprofitable character deaths.
Seventh Sense.
The moment Dong Bong-su knew the effect of Spirit Eyes, that term came to mind. The sixth sense was a sensation based on uncertain premonitions or omens, but Spirit Eyes went beyond that, scanning all enemies within 20 meters and giving warnings—wasn't that truly remarkable?
He had an incomparable sixth sense, and now he had gained a seventh sense.
The five senses, the sixth sense, and the seventh sense.
He, Dong Bong-su, was gradually becoming a monster.
[14, 13, 12, 11...]
Meanwhile, time continued to flow, and the 'enemy' detected by Spirit Eyes kept approaching the stable.
However, Dong Bong-su wasn't particularly worried about it.
Spirit Eyes would be programmed to scan whoever was approaching. Also, the original target of the scan would probably be Murim Online NPCs, not users.
Monsters, bosses, and so on.
But there was only him as a user here, and actual Murim Online NPCs didn't even exist. No, perhaps there were some implemented things, but if so, the system would inform him. Through systematic methods like quest alarms.
Then.
That was 'an NPC of this place.'
The people here. Moreover, if accompanied by a warning sound of danger, nine times out of ten it would be a martial artist.
And if it was a martial artist approaching now,
'They can't be an enemy.'
Dong Bong-su judged the approaching 'enemy' was not an enemy.
[10...]
The count was passing 10. Meaning they had approached within 10 meters. Dong Bong-su remained calm. He was merely slowly rising from his seat.
The reason Dong Bong-su judged the approaching 'enemy' was not an enemy lay in the 'enemy's' movement speed.
Setting aside that there weren't many people bold enough to infiltrate the Danri Family in the first place, if they were an enemy who had secretly infiltrated the Danri Family, they wouldn't move so slowly.
That meant the one currently approaching was a master within the Danri Family. And probably a higher and stronger one than expected.
He didn't yet know precisely how much a level 10 difference was. But considering the effort and lives sacrificed to reach level 2, he could infer it was considerable.
If one killed only ordinary people until reaching level 10, how many would one have to kill? Thousands? Tens of thousands?
Perhaps...
'Hundreds of thousands?'
The calculation didn't even work out, and he couldn't imagine it.
Someone who had become strong through training equivalent to that much difference in life value. Such a person was approaching.
His mind was quickly narrowing down the candidates.
Meanwhile, Dong Bong-su immediately put all the basic equipment he was wearing into his Inventory and took out and wore his original clothes. It seemed possible to spray them directly from the Inventory onto his body, but he couldn't yet control the Inventory delicately enough for that.
[5, 4, 3...]
Dong Bong-su had already returned to being the original Mute Sam.
Dim eyes, ordinary face, slightly open mouth and shabby clothes. Even if Sosam came back to life, he wouldn't be able to distinguish which of him and Dong Bong-su was the real Sosam.
Creeeeak—
The old door tilted back and moonlight seeped in, and two long shadows were cast inside the stable. A middle-aged man with his hands clasped behind his back and a man in his twenties with a solid build entered the stable one after another.
They were precisely Gi Dae-hyo and Gi Man-ji. The two had been investigating the Suicide epidemic all day long and had only now returned to the Danri Family.
They had come to this shabby stable for their final investigation.
As soon as Gi Dae-hyo entered the stable, he didn't say much and went straight to the point.
"Are you Sosam?"
"..."
Because Dong Bong-su was faithful to his mute role, he gave no answer and just blinked his eyes while making a surprised expression. In reality he wasn't very surprised, but outwardly he was the very picture of being startled.
Dong Bong-su knew Gi Dae-hyo and Gi Man-ji well. During the past few months, he had not only prepared for leveling up but also studied every corner of the Danri Family. The core of that was investigation into the people.
The moment he saw Gi Dae-hyo, he realized he had come looking for him because of the Suicide epidemic matter. His current face was just one of several fake faces he had prepared.
The candidates for the 'enemy' he had narrowed down in that brief moment were three people.
The Danri Family Head, the Black Five Group Leader, and the Cross Heaven Sword Group Leader.
He had finished preparing to act for any of those three. And he was simultaneously thinking of reasons they might come.
Ultimately, the one who entered the stable was Black Five Group Leader Gi Dae-hyo, and he was performing his facial expressions accordingly.
And.
There was only one reason Black Five Group Leader Gi Dae-hyo would come here now.
"Did you kill Machil?"
Machil's death.
That was all.