Chapter 76. Festival
Bang!
The one who was blown away by this collision was not Dong Bong-su, but Paitan. And he was blown back much farther than Dong Bong-su had been pushed.
"Ugh! Kuak!"
Paitan rolled several times in the air before landing on the ground.
However, as if the shock still remained, he could not stand up straight. From his mouth, pitch-black blood poured out in thick clumps. He had suffered a serious internal injury.
"Sword energy...? "
He muttered while using his blade as a cane to steady himself. But soon he shook his head. On Dong Bong-su's sword blade, something like an unknown shimmering haze was sharply rising.
The sword energy Paitan knew was not something that took such a visible form. For sword energy to become so materialized that it could be seen with the naked eye, one had to reach at least the realm of sword rings.
But......
That was not a sword ring. If it were a sword ring, there should have been the distinctive ring formed by gathered bundles of sword energy, but there was nothing like that.
"What in the world is that ...? "
Screeech.
Instead of answering, Dong Bong-su grabbed his sleeve and tore it, then wrapped the hand that had been torn even worse by the recent impact with cloth.
When that was done, Dong Bong-su approached Paitan again and said,
"Sword energy."
" ...!? "
Paitan could not believe it. The ordinary sword energy he knew could not be like that.
However, that was clearly sword energy. It was just not the kind of "ordinary" sword energy he knew, but a different kind of [sword energy].
[Sword energy Lv.3 Proficiency: 1.68%]
A technique that coats the sword with energy to increase destructive power. It increases attack power drastically, but maintaining sword energy requires a great amount of cultivation power.
Due to the sword energy projection effect, attack range increases slightly.
Attack power bonus: 150%
Range bonus: 3%
True energy consumption per second: 50 JP
In truth, Dong Bong-su had learned the skill [sword energy], but there were hardly any situations where he needed this technique. Until now, he had never met an opponent who could properly withstand this skill. This time, with Paitan, would become a stage where he could fully test the power of sword energy for the first time.
Pat.
Dong Bong-su charged toward Paitan once more.
Paitan hurriedly raised his blade and blocked Dong Bong-su's sword energy. His blade was now coated with blade energy. However, unlike Dong Bong-su's sword energy, his blade energy did not show on the surface at all.
The collision between the skill [sword energy] and the martial arts blade energy.
Bang!
The force energy created by Dong Bong-su and Paitan collided with each other and exploded.
Two times, three times, four times...…..
Sword energy flew everywhere and explosions continued.
In the meantime, all the North Ghosts had already been slaughtered, and the mercenaries were watching the duel from a distance, surrounding the two. It was a duel between high-level experts, something rare to experience in a mercenary's life. They watched the fight with even more focus than when they fought the North Ghosts.
Bang! Chang! Ka-gang!
Dong Bong-su was swinging the wanderer's sword like a madman, whether Paitan blocked or not. He deliberately did not use the irregular technique that made use of the Inventory Divine Art. It was not because the mercenaries were watching. He simply wanted to know how strong his own pure strength was.
And soon, he could be certain.
Now, it seemed he would be fine even if he went out into the martial world.
Papapang!
Paitan was being pushed back again and again by Dong Bong-su's attacks. It was partly because Dong Bong-su's sword energy was strong, but the more fundamental problem was that from time to time, a strange power would burst out from Dong Bong-su's sword and push him back.
"What is this? What in the world is this again!"
"Chain strike."
Dong Bong-su kindly explained and swung the wanderer's sword again.
[Chain strike (Passive) L1:1 Proficiency: 17.74%]
The wanderer's sword strikes, learned without any forms and only through real combat, are crude but unpredictable, and thus terrifying. Above all, even if the enemy is not hit by his sword, the wanderer never gives up and persistently clings on. If he cannot cut them down in one strike, then two, three, even more than a hundred times, he will swing until he surely kills the enemy.
When an enemy is hit consecutively by the player's attacks, a special status effect is inflicted.
If 2-hit chain strike succeeds, inflicts 'bleeding' on the enemy. If 2-hit chain strike fails, pushes the enemy back. (L1:1 activated)
※ For consecutive attacks to be recognized as a chain strike, the attack and the next attack must occur within 1 second. The effects of the inflicted status abnormality differ depending on level.
"Kgh!"
Paitan was once again pushed back by knock back due to the second effect of chain strike. The only fortunate thing for him was that this strange technique merely pushed him back and did not deal any special damage.
However, Dong Bong-su had already fully grasped all the advantages and characteristics of this technique, and he had learned another technique that matched extremely well with it. A combo he had never been able to test before because enemies always died before chain strike's effect could be seen — Dong Bong-su was now about to use it.
Tang! Kang!
Once again, the wanderer's sword and Paitan's blade clashed twice, and as a result, [2-hit chain strike failure] was activated.
[2-hit chain strike failed. The player forcefully pushes the enemy back.]
At the moment the familiar mechanical sound rang in Dong Bong-su's head, Paitan slid backward.
At the same time, Dong Bong-su disappeared from Paitan's field of vision.
"W-what ...! "
Thud.
He could not even finish saying. No one in this world could speak when their Adam's apple and tongue were split vertically from the root.
Before he knew it, Dong Bong-su was standing behind him.
Slice.
Dong Bong-su pulled the wanderer's sword out from Paitan's nape.
Blood spurted out like a fountain from Paitan's mouth and neck as he fell backward. Even in that state, his eyes were asking one final question.
'What is this !? '
Dong Bong-su kindly answered again.
"Movement technique."
[Movement technique L1:4 Proficiency: 15.77%]
A strange way of walking designed to efficiently avoid the opponent's attacks.
When activated, teleport once in one of four directions: front, back, left, or right.
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Current applied level: L1.4 (The player can adjust the level of this skill.)
Movement distance: 4 m
True energy consumption per use: 1000 JP
Dong Bong-su had used the knock back effect of chain strike to push Paitan back, then teleported behind him. A desperate evasive technique had evolved into an excellent combination when combined with chain strike.
***
Slice.
Dong Bong-su cut off the ear of the dead Paitan. It was the signal that the battle had ended.
Woooaaah!
The mercenaries cheered. And the all-too-familiar festival began.
The lawless ones called mercenaries began cutting off the North Ghosts' ears one after another.
They laughed with joy even while being covered head to toe in blood. It was fine if blood splashed into their mouths, and it did not matter if filthy flesh splattered into their eyes or ears. What did that matter? The most precious things in the world were lying everywhere within arm's reach.
"Kahahaha!"
"Ears, ears! It's money, money! Money is lying all over the place!"
Who said modern society was a society of gold worship? No. Anywhere in the world, anywhere in the universe, gold has the greatest value. In the past, in the present, and in the future. No matter the era, humans are animals that laugh and cry over money.
Dong Bong-su knew that well. It was hard for him to understand, but humans were such animals. Sometimes there were those who were not, but that was none of his concern anyway. Those herbivores were not of interest to Dong Bong-su.
The more a human is stained by desire and swept up by madness, the more wicked, passionate, and above all ... strong they become. And Dong Bong-su is a hunter who hunts such people.
Hoo-.
He watched the mercenaries who were madly intoxicated with frenzy, then quietly raised his head. The moon, which had risen at some point, was dimly illuminating the grasslands here and there.
The moon, huh......
In ancient Greek, it was luna. From that, the English word lunatic was derived. However, now, its meaning was not "like the moon" or "moon-like." Its original form had disappeared, and it had become a synonym for madman or psycho.
The moon and madmen.
Yes. What a fitting combination.
Dong Bong-su faintly twitched his cheek.
Hoo -.
On this mad night, toward the writhing moon, he quietly let out his breath.
***
After about one mealtime had passed, all the festivities ended.
First, Dong Bong-su had the mercenaries set up the camp. The night on the grasslands is as cold as the night in the desert. They had to set up camp and avoid the wind before it became completely dark. If they did not, many would die without even getting to properly spend the money they had earned.
The next thing he did was organize a fifty-man scouting unit and send them up to Manhan Mountain. Although they had annihilated the main force including the leader of the North Ghost Group, there were still several hundred North Ghosts remaining. They needed to check why they were still staying in Manhan Mountain. Or, if they were not there, they had to investigate why they were not.
Absolutely.
Lastly, Dong Bong-su sent a victory report messenger to Lee Ja-song.
Liangcheng, which Lee Ja-song was attacking here, was about half a day away to the southwest. By tomorrow morning, the messenger he sent would probably arrive at Lee Ja-song's camp in Liangcheng. Then, upon receiving this news, Lee Ja-song would send a new messenger back here. Dong Bong-su would then take his next action according to the contents of that order.
For now, the matter at Manhan Mountain had come to an end. More precisely, it would only be truly over once the remaining North Ghosts were hunted down, but that too would likely be resolved before long.
However.....
Something felt unpleasant. Like these sticky, dried bloodstains clinging all over his face and body.
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