Somewhere in the Central Plains.
It was an underground cavern, reeking of a dark and gloomy atmosphere.
In the center of the cavern, a large dais stood, and upon it, a red curtain was drawn.
It was clear someone was inside, but they were hidden from view.
Although their identity was unknown, it was obvious that the person behind the curtain was the master of this place, even without seeing their face.
Around the dais, a hundred figures clad in black were prostrated, their heads bowed so low that their faces could not be seen.
Nevertheless, it was as clear as day that they were masters.
The formless energy emanating from the black-clothed figures seemed to suffocate the entire underground cavern.
Where on earth was this place?
Who was the person behind the curtain?
Who could possibly command a hundred such formidable masters?
Did Shaolin, said to be the pinnacle of Murim, have this many supreme masters?
Or could it be the Heavenly Demon Castle, known as the strongest single organization in Murim?
No, it seemed impossible even if both were combined.
That was how extraordinary the presence of those gathered here was, and their numbers were immense.
After they had been prostrated for about a Cup of Tea's Time.
"How much time is left until the Orthodox-Demonic War?"
A voice finally flowed from behind the curtain.
It was a bizarre voice, making it impossible to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman, young or old.
"There are now two years left."
One of the prostrated figures answered his voice.
"Two years. It seems the time has come to begin the Great Plan. Gwang Woon."
The voice from behind the curtain called the one who answered Gwang Woon.
"Yes. Please speak, Mubon."
Gwang Woon referred to the person behind the curtain as Mubon.
"Begin the First Plan. Right now."
The First Plan.
As the Great Plan was mentioned earlier, this First Plan must signify the first step of that Great Plan.
"Yes, Mubon. I will carry it out immediately."
With his reply, Gwang Woon vanished from the spot as if extinguished.
It was a truly spine-chilling Movement Art.
And.
There were ninety-nine other figures here, dressed just like Gwang Woon.
They had not yet raised their heads.
Finally.
There was the Supreme Being behind the curtain who commanded them, Mubon.
Mubon. (Martial Foundation)
The Root of Martial Arts.
What an arrogant name.
Since the beginning of Murim's history, there had been those who used grand titles like Martial Emperor, Heavenly Demon, or Supreme Being of Murim, but no one had ever called themselves the Root.
Just how formidable a person could he be?
One might hope it was merely the absurd delusion of a madman, but seeing the ninety-nine peerless masters bowing their heads here, he was undoubtedly a man whose skills matched his arrogant name.
Just now, a secret organization, unknown to anyone in Murim, had begun to move in utmost secrecy.
What could their purpose be?
It was still unknown.
But there was something they did not know.
And that was...
The existence of Dong Bongsu, the greatest 'bug' in this Murim, no, in New Murim Online.
A cauldron can stand on three legs, it can stand on four legs, and it can even stand on a single leg.
But the time when a cauldron stands the best is............
When it has no legs, that is when it stands best.
A cauldron with no legs will never fall over.
What Dong Bongsu needed was a cauldron that would not fall, not legs.
If a leg doesn't fit and makes it wobble, he just has to cut it off.
That was Dong Bongsu's way of standing firm.
Thud, shwaaa, thud, shwaaa.
Deep in the mountains of Soaring Sun Mountain, someone was digging with a shovel.
Someone? Who could it be, handling a shovel with such skill? A carpenter, a potter, or perhaps a gravedigger?
It was none of them.
It was Dong Bongsu, out for a walk.
Beside him, as always, Yeoro was snorting softly, cheering him on with an indifferent gaze.
Thud, shwaaa, thud, shwaaa.
The rhythmic sound of digging echoing through the mountains was as mechanical and emotionless as Dong Bongsu himself.
Even while digging the grave of some nameless person, his mind was racing.
How much did his Thrusting Proficiency increase with each shovelful of dirt? And, when he tossed the dug-up earth aside, how much did his Throwing Proficiency increase?
His brain never rested for a moment.
Thud.
The shovel plunged deep into the ground.
Thrusting Proficiency increased by 0.031%.
Shwaaa.
The earth left the shovel, flying towards the tall, man-made mountain beside it, making the mountain that much higher.
Throwing Proficiency increased by 0.031%.
Thud, shwaaa, thud, shwaaa....
Dong Bongsu's movements continued in that same posture for a long time.
Then at some point, the seemingly endless digging finally stopped.
Dong Bongsu's gaze turned to the bottom of the deeply dug pit.
The culprit that had halted his digging was gruesomely revealing its body from beneath the soil.
That body, where one could not find any white, firm flesh, even if they scoured it with their eyes.
It was a piece of bone.
It was a kind of 'milestone', indicating that the depth was now suitable for burying a corpse.
Next to that milestone, within the unseen earth, dozens of corpses would be rotting away just like that, white and grotesque.
This was a cemetery created by Dong Bongsu.
There were no tombstones or burial mounds, but it was the resting place of the Experience Points that had made him the Nameless Righteous Swordsman, especially those who had died more gruesomely than others.
Corpses that had been burned to death, corpses split in half with all their intestines spilled out, corpses torn limb from limb, and so on.
The reason he went to the trouble of coming here to bury them was simple.
It was to protect the name of the Nameless Righteous Swordsman, a plausible mask he could take out and wear again at any time, even though he had acquired it by chance.
After all, a man called a righteous swordsman couldn't be too cruel in killing his enemies.
So, Dong Bongsu began burying the bodies of the messily killed enforcers here.
Of course, the first ones buried here were Jangho and the Ruffians.
Thud, thud, thud.
A dozen more corpses were added to the cemetery.
These were the grateful ones who had helped Dong Bongsu go from Level 6 to 7. On the face of the last one tossed in, of which only half of its large frame remained, a bizarre expression still lingered.
It seemed he was still quite resentful, long after his death.
That face seemed to be saying these words.
[It's unfair, damn it! It's unfair!]
Dong Bongsu did not know what he found unfair.
To him, such a cry was nothing more than empty nonsense.
In Dong Bongsu's mind, this world was very fair.
The world he had lived in before was like that, and this Murim he lived in now was also fair.
The fact that the man felt it was unfair even in death must be a delusion.
This world is fair.
Because it is unfair to everyone.
To you, to me, to everyone.
Death is the same.
Death comes for everyone fairly.
To every single person, fairly.
The reason that man felt it was unfair was likely because he felt that thing called death had come for him a little too soon.
But in the end, death comes for everyone fairly.
That is why the world is always fair.
That was the reason he could view the world as fair, and the fundamental reason he could violate the world as he pleased without any guilt.
Thud, shwaaa, thud, shwaaa.
Earth piled up on the faces of the dead.
The rhythmic sound of digging once again echoed faintly through the mountains.
One by one, the traces of the Nameless Righteous Swordsman's 'final righteous deed' were erased.
Thud, shwaaa, thud, shwaaa........
With this, the Nameless Righteous Swordsman would vanish from the world for a while.
Dong Bongsu finished his walk and descended Soaring Sun Mountain.
He and Yeoro entered the marketplace, but no one paid them any mind.
He was like an invisible man on this street.
Even if he were to suddenly disappear from this spot, not a single person would care.
"I heard the Nameless Righteous Swordsman finally wiped out the Black Snake Society yesterday, right?"
These days, the attention of the market folk was all focused on the Nameless Righteous Swordsman.
Whenever two or more people gathered, they would praise the bloody deeds the Nameless Righteous Swordsman had committed so far.
The three people gathered on the roadside, Dong Bongsu was passing were no different.
"Don't even mention it. The merchants and courtesans who were being extorted by the Black Snake Society all this time are going wild with joy."
"But I heard they couldn't find the society leader, Bang Po-yeom? Did he run away?"
Of course, Bang Po-yeom was currently rotting and stinking on Soaring Sun Mountain.
"Who knows. He either fled and completely escaped the lands of Anhui, or he was so thoroughly destroyed that not even a corpse could be found. It must be one of the two."
Just then, a man who had been listening to their conversation with a slightly displeased expression interjected.
"But you know, I feel a bit uneasy. Is it okay for someone who's a righteous swordsman to just kill people so recklessly like that? No matter if they are enforcers, a person is a person."
"Tsk. Look at this guy. Think about what those bastards have done to us all this time. Aren't they the kind of guys we wouldn't feel bad about skinning alive? They deserve to die. I wouldn't care even if the Nameless Righteous Swordsman really did eat them for food."
"That's right, that's right."
The two who had been talking from the start glared at the sullen-faced man and came to the Nameless Righteous Swordsman's defense.
"Let's be honest, have the Officials ever properly cared about us common folk? Or what about those Orthodox Faction bastards, strutting around with their shoulders all puffed up? When have they ever been truly righteous? They couldn't care less whether guys like us got hurt or not."
Under the attack of the two, the sullen-faced man finally surrendered and expressed his agreement with their opinions.
"Well, that's true. Who would stand up for bottom-feeders like us?"
"His methods may be a bit excessive, but haven't they said since ancient times to 'execute evil'?"
"Of course, of course."
And so, in the end, the conversation here too flowed in the direction of praising the righteous deeds of the Nameless Righteous Swordsman.
Is this what they call the interpretation being better than the dream?
The dream was murder, the interpretation a righteous deed.
A world where murder so easily masquerades as a righteous deed.
By that fact alone, isn't this Central Plains a truly beautiful world?
Dong Bongsu paid no heed to their conversation and continued walking.
As he moved away from the trio, the conversation of two other people entered his ears.
"Hey, did you hear the news?"
"What?"
"The second daughter of the Namgung Family is getting married."
"Ah, I heard. That's why the entire Anhui Province is in an uproar these days."
"Right. I don't know for sure, but the Murim Sects here in Soaring Sun are probably racking their brains over what Congratulatory Gift to send."
"Nah, that's not it. When a family like the Namgung Family holds a wedding, they can't just accept gifts from any Tom, Dick, and Harry. The only one probably racking his brain is the Danri Family Head."
"Hmm. Hearing you say that, I guess you're right. Then what will the Danri Family Head bring as a Congratulatory Gift?"