Murim Login - Chapter 120

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 120
Shwing!
A single blade thrust forward with deliberate, overwhelming force.
In that brief moment, a sneer played across Pung Yang’s lips.
‘Just as I expected.’
I had survived decades in the Highland where countless schemes and stratagems clashed without mercy. Had I been foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice, I would have become carrion for wild dogs long ago.
‘But where did that blade come from?’
Not a hidden projectile—but a longsword of that length? Where had he concealed it? As the question flickered through my mind, I drew upon my Guardian Qi.
Sssssss.
Since I had anticipated this, my response was swift. In an instant, crimson energy surged forth, wrapping around my body without a single gap.
Guardian Qi was an invincible armor that could not be scratched by anything short of formidable sword energy. The boy’s futile struggle seemed nothing but a joke.
‘Tiresome whelp. Time to die.’
It was the moment I moved to snap Tae-kyung’s neck in one swift motion.
Thud—!
“…What?”
A chilling coldness pierced through my body, followed by searing pain. I stared down at the blade that had run clean through my chest.
‘This cannot be.’
My Guardian Qi had vanished. No—it had been destroyed.
Tae-kyung’s blade had cleaved through my Guardian Qi as easily as cutting tofu, and pierced through my chest as well.
I gazed down at the transparent blade unmarred by a single drop of blood and gasped out the words.
“Ten-Thousand Year Cold Steel…?”
I had heard the tales. Stories of a divine weapon capable of cutting and shattering anything under heaven.
“How did you obtain this?”
I turned my twisted face toward the blade’s wielder. The boy from the Taewon Jin Family blinked innocently before speaking.
“Wow, it actually works.”
“You little bastard…!”
I wanted to snap his neck immediately, but suddenly the world spun before my eyes and strength drained from my grip. The power that had filled my body ebbed away like the tide, and helplessness flooded in.
‘Of all times, the Slumber Pill’s effects had to wear off now.’
Blood flowed from my Seven Apertures as I staggered backward.
The accumulated injuries both great and small, combined with the backlash of my dispersing Guardian Qi, rapidly pushed me toward death.
‘I cannot die like this. I cannot.’
I fumbled desperately through my robes.
One more Slumber Pill remained. If I consumed it, I could strike them all down in a single blow and escape this place. Though my losses were considerable, I could recover and return to Murim afterward.
Yes, if I just took the Slumber Pill….
Clink.
Damn it, my hands were shaking too badly.
The wooden container, dropped by my trembling fingers, struck the ground and burst open. Crimson-hued pills scattered across the earth, and one came to rest beneath someone’s foot.
“Oh, is this a Slumber Pill?”
I cried out toward Tae-kyung, who was curiously picking up the pill to examine it.
“Give it back! Now!”
“Why would I give it to you just because you ask?”
“You bastard!”
Pung Yang threw himself forward with all his remaining strength, but his already-shattered body had reached its limits. His legs gave way before he could even reach Tae-kyung, and he collapsed to the ground.
Now only one path remained for Pung Yang.
“Please, I beg you. Give it to me, give me that.”
“And if I do?”
Pung Yang cried out desperately.
“I swear I’ll never cross your path again. No—I’ll serve you with absolute loyalty from this moment on!”
“Oh, a peak-stage master as my subordinate? That’s not bad.”
“Yes, yes? Then hurry and give me the Potential Pill!”
“First, let me retrieve my belongings.”
“Your belongings?”
His confusion was answered immediately. Tae-kyung approached and yanked the sword embedded deep in his chest free in one smooth motion.
Searing agony flooded through him as blood cascaded like a waterfall.
“Gaaahhhhh!”
Pung Yang didn’t even notice the fragments of his own organs mixed within the blood he vomited.
He only felt his vision growing darker and darker, the world’s sounds fading into distant echoes.
He was dying, and desperation had driven him half-mad.
‘I want to live.’
Pung Yang had spent his entire life as a ruthless plunderer.
He had stolen countless fortunes and lives from others, yet he had never once imagined he would meet an end like this.
“Please, please… the Potential Pill…”
Through his blurred vision, he watched Tae-kyung shake his head, and he whimpered pitifully.
“Why? How could you?”
But the answer came from elsewhere.
“What? How could he?”
“That bastard deserves to be torn to shreds!”
The surviving martial artists of the Hangsan Inspection Bureau gripped their weapons with murderous intent blazing in their eyes.
Eun So-wol bit her lip and aimed her bow at Pung Yang, but Tae-kyung hastily stopped her.
“Please refrain from the finishing blow… Actually, he’s far too vile to grant a merciful death. It’s better to let him die slowly like this.”
After a brief moment of internal conflict, Eun So-wol finally lowered her bow. Then Tae-kyung approached Pung Yang and whispered softly into his ear.
“I’m getting tired too. Let’s die now.”
I didn’t understand what he meant, but one thing was certain.
Death. Pung Yang realized his own death was now imminent.
“Even as a vengeful spirit, I’ll have my revenge.”
“Amen. I hope in your next life you’re satisfied with Viagra or something.”
Pung Yang let out a hollow laugh. Having to listen to this bastard’s incomprehensible nonsense until his final moment—the absurdity of his own fate was almost amusing.
‘Damn it. The weather and all.’
Looking up at the sky, it was entirely crimson. Then it faded into darkness.
* * *
A soft whisper.
The moment Pung Yang’s head fell, celebratory fireworks erupted across the empty sky.
Ding. Ding. Ding!
–
[Lv.85 Pung Yang]
has been defeated!
–
[Latent Potential]
Quest completed successfully!
– Gained substantial experience and prestige!
– Level Up!
– Level Up!
.
.
The system window, announcing five consecutive level increases and prestige gains, soon delivered even more welcome news.
– Quest completion reward has been deposited to your inventory!
– Quest completion reward grants
[Complete Recovery]
immediately!
‘Complete recovery?’
The transformation happened in an instant, just as promised.
Fractured and broken bones knitted together seamlessly, while cuts and puncture wounds sealed shut as if washed clean. The restoration extended far beyond mere appearance.
‘Internal injuries…’
Invisible healing rippled through my body’s depths. I had anticipated all internal wounds would mend, but the benefits exceeded my expectations.
–
[Internal Injuries]
completely healed!
– Your stabilized body accepts new vital essence!
–
[Crimson Flame Divine Elixir]
fully absorbed!
–
[Internal Energy]
increased to 45 years!
–
[Internal Energy – Scorching Yang Qi]
attribute granted!
Complete absorption of the Crimson Flame Divine Elixir. Internal energy surging dramatically upward.
Power floods through my limbs and bones. The Scorching Yang Qi that once burned my body like molten lava had transformed into a gentle spring breeze.
‘I did it.’
My plan had been to level up, let my body recover somewhat, and then use breathing techniques to control the heat of my meridians. But thanks to the system, I accomplished what would have been a difficult task with ease.
‘Heavens, forty-five years—what a sum.’
Compared to what I originally possessed, my cultivation had increased threefold, a full thirty years of additional power.
‘Thirty years of cultivation.’
Under normal circumstances, consuming the Crimson Flame Divine Pill would have been postponed. But the gamble I had attempted returned as a divine stroke of fortune.
‘Had fortune not favored me, I would be dead.’
Two strokes of fortune. One was the Crimson Flame Divine Pill, and the other was this Nameless Sword now in my hand.
Both were spoils obtained months ago when I defeated Jo Pil.
‘Without these, I would have faced true catastrophe.’
I had thought it merely a blade sharper and more resilient than others, never dreaming it was actually ten-thousand-year cold iron with such properties.
In that sense, today I deserve not the saying “seven parts luck, three parts skill,” but rather “nine parts luck, one part skill.”
‘Whether this qualifies as good fortune, I cannot say.’
I slowly surveyed my surroundings. A graveyard of inverted weapons, some corpses with their faces buried in pools of congealed blood, others with wide-open eyes gazing at the brightening dawn sky. Hundreds of such bodies lay scattered about.
“There’s a survivor here!”
“Chun Sam! Come to your senses!”
The Hangsan Inspection Bureau’s warriors moved diligently through that horrific scene, methodically extracting the few survivors. Watching them work, I was suddenly seized by an inexplicable sense of discord.
‘What is it?’
It felt as though I had forgotten something important.
As I furrowed my brow, one of the corpses lying motionless suddenly raised its upper body.
“Ughhhh.”
“Ah.”
Right, good to see you, Moo-kyung.
* * *
When the search operation spanning two hours finally concluded, Eun So-wol’s body was drenched in blood.
“How many survivors?”
“Including the Sect Leader… twenty-five.”
“How many did you say?”
“Twenty-five. Of those, five are unlikely to survive the night.”
Both Eun So-wol who asked and the warrior who answered fell silent.
The Hangsan Inspection Bureau, which once divided Shanxi Province equally with the Taewon Jin Family, no longer existed. What remained were the wounded and a Sect Leader not yet of age.
‘Had I abandoned this place and fled, or accepted Pung Yang’s marriage proposal from the start, could I have saved them?’
Regret is always futile. Yet Eun So-wol had to regret.
Though little remained, she was still the Sect Leader of the First Gate. Only through bone-deep anguish and remorse could she avoid repeating such mistakes.
That was atonement for those who died today and effort for those who remained.
‘The Hangsan Inspection Bureau will survive. For those who sacrificed their lives for the sect.’
Eun So-wol clenched her fists. As she drew the bowstring taut, broken nails dug into her flesh and blood seeped forth, yet she felt no pain.
“What of the others?”
“All are in the Great Hall. The Taewon Jin Family has a woman skilled in medicine who is tending to the wounded, but…”
The warrior’s expression darkened—evidence that several of the wounded were in grave condition. Eun So-wol asked nothing further and turned toward the Great Hall.
‘Before I can even gather myself, I must bid farewell once more.’
An unbearable fatigue pressed down upon my entire body, yet I held firm through sheer willpower. At the very least, I owed it to those departing to witness their final moments.
Creak.
As I stepped into the Great Hall, those who had come from the Taewon Jin Family were nowhere to be seen, and the wounded lying about immediately caught my eye.
Chul Moo-baek of Hangsan and a dozen martial artists noticed her and greeted her.
“Ah, So-wol has arrived?”
“Welcome, Sect Leader!”
“We greet you, Sect Leader!”
“…?”
Was it just my imagination? For people on death’s door, they all seemed remarkably vibrant. After observing them in silence for a moment, Eun So-wol understood the source of that vitality.
“A final flash of light before death….”
Only then did I see the shadow of death hanging thick and heavy across their faces. It was in that very moment, as I turned away hastily while suppressing a sob about to burst forth.
Thud!
Eun So-wol staggered as her forehead collided with something solid. A large, firm palm caught her shoulder as she nearly fell.
“My goodness, do be careful. Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then that’s settled.”
Jin Tae-kyung, looking down at Eun So-wol, let out a soft chuckle.
* * *
‘A final flash of light before death, my foot.’
I barely suppressed the laughter threatening to escape. Chul Moo-baek and the other wounded were all recovering vigorously.
Of course, Jin Moo-kyung was no exception.
‘What would have happened if it weren’t for me?’
To be precise, without the Quest rewards, half of them might have had funerals held for them.
The [Superior Wound Salve] and [Ten-Year Fleece Flower Root]—thirty of each distributed as rewards—proved remarkably effective in healing both external and internal injuries.
‘I considered holding some back just in case….’
But I’m not heartless enough to ignore people dying. Besides, the quantity was generous enough.
“Aren’t you coming in?”
“Pardon?”
“If you’re not going in, I’ll go first.”
As I moved past Eun So-wol, who stood there in a daze, I suddenly remembered something I’d forgotten. Now where did I put that?
“Ah, here it is.”
Pretending to search my clothes, I retrieved a bamboo slip from my inventory.
“Here. Our Elder Brother… no, the Clan Lord is sending this.”
The moment Eun So-wol took the bamboo slip with a bewildered expression, a system notification chimed.
Ding.
– You have completed the invitation delivery.
– Quest,
[Yesterday’s Enemy, Today’s Ally]
has been completed!
Delivering invitations. Do this twice more and I’ll be the death of someone.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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