Just before he reached the stairs!
A shadow, with the moonlight at its back, stretched long into the Lower Chamber.
‘Is he coming down?’
Dong Bongsu immediately retreated back into the partitioned chamber at the stern.
It was easy to hide his body in the darkness, and with the partition, there was no fear of being discovered.
If the enemy came this way, he could just slip out through the oarlock hole again.
The risk level.
Of course, it was ‘zero’.
Dong Bongsu peeked out slightly to observe the enemy’s movements.
If all three came down to the Lower Chamber, it was obvious he wouldn’t be able to handle them all at once.
‘Change of plans.’
However.
Only one enemy came down to the Lower Chamber.
‘The enemies have split up?’
The other two had probably gone toward the dock, shining a tinderbox here and there.
If not that, they were likely fumbling around on the Upper Deck.
Either way, it didn’t matter.
When Dong Bongsu was being carried in earlier, he had confirmed that the uniforms of the guard squad’s leader and its members were different.
The member wore green, the leader blue.
That man.
‘Green clothes.’
He was a squad member.
The man was distracted by the bone fragment Dong Bongsu had stuck into the floor of the Lower Chamber.
There was no need to hesitate.
Dong Bongsu took a dagger from his Inventory.
He moved stealthily through the darkness of the partitioned chamber.
At a certain moment.
Piiing-.
A thin, tearing sound of something cleaving the air echoed softly in the Lower Chamber.
Thwack.
The dagger lodged precisely in the side of the squad member's head.
The squad member couldn't even leave a single scream as his last words and died an unceremonious death right there.
Dong Bongsu quietly but quickly approached the falling squad member and put him into his Inventory.
This was to prevent the sound that would occur when the corpse collided with the floor.
‘Two.’
Two dead, two remaining.
Dong Bongsu went to the central structure's stairs and tossed the squad member he had just killed onto the deck above.
Thump.
A small vibration and noise arose as the corpse fell onto the deck.
“Squad… Squad Leader! Over there!”
Following that, the voice of the last remaining member of the Heavenly Wind Corps' Third Squad reached Dong Bongsu’s ears.
The remaining two were, as expected, near the bow where the boarding ladder was.
Fsh.
Dong Bongsu moved immediately.
He went out through the oarlock hole again.
This time, instead of heading for the boarding ladder, he wedged his hands into a small gap between the bottom planks right from the oarlock hole and climbed onto the deck.
Since the oarlock hole was at the stern, the distance to the central structure was ten meters, and to the bow, it was over twenty meters.
With the shadow of the tall central structure as his backdrop, Dong Bongsu perfectly climbed onto the stern of the deck.
On the stern was a long chair, a bench, commonly found on pleasure boats, making it easy for him to hide.
He was hidden in the darkness, and the enemies were still wandering the deck holding a tinderbox.
Gosan Gong and the squad member had moved from the bow to near the central structure in the middle of the ship and were examining the corpse that Dong Bongsu had just killed.
They were in a situation where they couldn't even dream that someone was watching them from the stern.
Dong Bongsu took out his daggers again.
Two of them this time.
Without a shred of hesitation, he threw them straight at the backs of the enemies' heads.
His Throwing Passive had already reached Level 8, so the action bonus was a staggering 40%.
Swissssh~!
Even though he had never learned the Flying Dagger Art, the daggers he threw flew with incredible swiftness.
Thwack.
Clang!
Two different sounds rang out at the same time.
The squad member, completely defenseless, took a dagger to the back of the head and died instantly.
In contrast, the guard squad's leader, Gosan Gong, felt the sound of the air being torn and blocked it with the Sword-Drawing Art he had polished for ten years at the Namgung Family.
It was truly by a hair's breadth, a victory of instinct.
“There you are!”
Gosan Gong shouted, looking toward the stern where Dong Bongsu was hiding.
But he couldn’t rashly approach Dong Bongsu’s position.
No, he actually stepped back.
This was because he thought the enemy was not just Dong Bongsu alone.
Anyone would probably think the same.
Who would think that a single person was moving about so elusively using the oarlock hole?
Dong Bongsu secretly observed Gosan Gong and continued to accelerate his brain.
‘Three.’
With three out of four dead, only one enemy remained.
The problem was that this man was the guard squad's leader.
Honestly, Dong Bongsu had thought he could kill Gosan Gong when he threw the dagger just now.
But Gosan Gong had blocked it so easily, as if to mock him.
Can I win?
It was a meaningless question.
He had already come this far.
He had to win, no matter what.
Dong Bongsu took out the Beginner's Sword.
He cautiously approached Gosan Gong.
‘That man is a higher level than me. I can't win in a normal fight. If I'm to win unconditionally, I absolutely need a method or a strategy.’
So, what kind of method and strategy were needed?
In the end, it came down to one thing.
‘Utilize the skills I have to the fullest.’
He, Dong Bongsu, had skills.
He had to subdue the enemy by appropriately operating his skills and all available techniques at the right time and in the right way.
As Dong Bongsu walked, he began to check all the techniques he possessed.
First, the Active Skills he currently had were.
[Three Forces Sword Art First and Second Form], [Lightness Skill], [Qi Circulation Art]
These three.
The rest, like Spiritual Eye and Slash, Thrust, Throw, Block, etc., were passives and were always in effect.
Besides these, there was the Inventory Divine Art.
This was, in fact, the most outstanding survival and attack skill among all the techniques Dong Bongsu possessed.
On top of that, the Beginner's Sword, Clothes, Shoes, and Hood were 'Supreme Items' that didn't exist here.
In this New Murim Online, that is, in Murim, no one had items.
Only he possessed such Divine Objects.
Just by wearing these items, a difference of one or two levels should be easily closed.
Chk, chk, chk, chk.
In the space of a few steps, his attire completely changed.
He put the black robes and mask he wore as the Nameless Righteous Swordsman into his Inventory and changed into the Beginner's Set.
Immediately, a stat increase occurred from equipping the items.
Wooooong-.
He immediately used the Qi Circulation Art skill.
His Attack Power and Defense Power were also enhanced.
The preparations were complete.
Now, all that was left was to fight and win.
A few seconds later.
Dong Bongsu finally emerged from the shadow of the central structure and fully revealed himself under the moonlight.
Indifferent eyes, a lean build, and a height slightly tall for his small frame.
Everywhere but his gaze, he looked like So-sam.
“You are!?”
Gosan Gong was surprised to see Dong Bongsu finally reveal himself.
The reason was simple.
He wasn't familiar, but he had seen Dong Bongsu not long ago.
Though the clothes he wore had changed, he was recognizable enough.
His physique seemed too frail for a guest visiting the Namgung Family, and he had clearly witnessed him being carried into the Heaven Guest Hall by the members of the Heavenly Wind Corps' Second Squad.
“Why are you...?”
To Gosan Gong’s question, Dong Bongsu tossed out a single indifferent word.
“For the Namgung Family.”
To say that brutally killing the members of the Heavenly Wind Corps was for the sake of the Namgung Family.
From Gosan Gong’s perspective, it must have sounded like utter nonsense, but Dong Bongsu’s words were the truth.
Because the Namgung Family had to survive for him to survive, he was leaving his best-effort 'advice' on this ship, even if the method was a bit harsh.
“You crazy......”
The moment the final word 'bastard' was about to leave Gosan Gong’s mouth.
Fsh!
Dong Bongsu’s attack began.
From Gosan Gong's perspective, it would seem cowardly, but for Dong Bongsu, it was a matter of course, something he had already planned from the moment Gosan Gong started asking questions.
Fair play?
In a fight, there are no such rules.
If there were, wouldn't that be even more ridiculous?
One fights to win.
Are methods and means important in winning? Especially when one's life is on the line, harping on about cowardice is all the more ridiculous.
Most things he had encountered here were fine, except for formality.
That one thing was not to Dong Bongsu’s liking.
A fight is not a sport.
No matter how much formality you observe, a fight is just a fight.
Pababak.
[Lightness Skill Lv.5 Proficiency: 47.75%]
A martial art that lightens the body.
By learning Lightness Skill, you can jump higher and run faster.
Current Applied Level: Lv.5 (The player can adjust this skill's level.)
Jump Power Bonus: 50%
Movement Speed Bonus: 50%
QP Consumption per second: 5 QP
Dong Bongsu’s Lightness Skill had now reached Level 5, with jump power and movement speed bonuses reaching 50% each.
His movements while using Lightness Skill were completely different from a moment ago.
Furthermore, with the Level 2 Qi Circulation Art also in use, Dong Bongsu's attack and defense power bonuses reached 60%.
Not only his movements but also the power of his sword were incomparable to when he was slaughtering the members of the Heavenly Wind Corps' Third Squad.
Swissssh~!
The Beginner's Sword cut through the air and flew sharply toward Gosan Gong’s neck.
The form was the Three Forces Sword Art Second Form: Piercing Yellow Dragon, which he had been steadily practicing until it reached Level 4.
[Three Forces Sword Art Second Form Piercing Yellow Dragon Lv.4 Proficiency: 45.7%]
A common sword art in Murim.
Even ordinary people without internal energy can learn it.
Piercing Yellow Dragon is an enhanced version of the Thrust.
All action bonuses for this skill are related to the proficiency of related skills and whether Sword Qi/Sword Aura is being used.
Current Applied Level: Lv.4 (The player can adjust this skill's level.)
Thrust Range Bonus: 4%
Thrust Attack Power Bonus: 4%
Thrust Casting Speed Bonus: -3%
QP Consumption per use: 60 QP
Kang!
Gosan Gong was no pushover either.
Despite Dong Bongsu’s sudden attack, he quickly raised his sword and deflected the Beginner's Sword.
He immediately followed up with a counterattack on Dong Bongsu.
Having polished his sword for ten years at the Namgung Family, his sword form was extraordinary, and its Sword's Cry was quite fierce.
The form Gosan Gong used was the Heavenly Wind Sword Art First Form, Heavenly Wind Flowing Cloud.
The Heavenly Wind Sword Art was the exclusive sword art of the Heavenly Wind Corps, a heavy sword style that was forceful and struck the opponent as if a heavenly wind was raging.
Among its forms, Heavenly Wind Flowing Cloud was the fastest, specializing in a Horizontal Strike.
Hwoooong~.
Like the wind playing gently over the clouds, Gosan Gong’s sword swept toward Dong Bongsu’s waist.
Dong Bongsu was still unable to properly regain his balance from the rebound of Gosan Gong's parry just moments ago, so he was not in a state to properly block Gosan Gong’s form.
In that situation, Dong Bongsu forcibly twisted his wrist to point the sword's tip downward.
With that, a vertical blocking stance was completed, with the sword tip facing the ground.
The Block passive, having had little reason to be used, was at an extremely low level compared to his other skills.
A mere Level 2. An action bonus of 5%.
Pachang!
Gosan Gong’s sword, perfectly parallel to the ship's deck, collided with Dong Bongsu’s blade at a ninety-degree angle.