Murim Login - Chapter 267

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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 267
Whoosh!
In that instant, a flash of black light erupted, and I could do nothing but blink.
That was all it took.
‘Where the hell did that bastard go?’
The impact was so overwhelming that even pain faded into insignificance. I stood there, mouth agape in stunned silence.
Gone. Erased as if by an eraser.
The only evidence of his existence was the blood scattered across the ground and the Blood Lord’s wrist still gripping Chung Poong’s throat.
Ding.
– Quest,
[Critical Moment]
has been completed successfully!
– You have gained substantial experience!
– Level Up!
– Level Up!
With the system notification, my body began recovering at an astonishing rate.
Broken bones knitted together solidly, torn and crushed flesh sealed shut. My depleted dantian filled completely, and vitality surged through my muscles.
Yet one thing remained unchanged—my bewilderment.
“What kind of ridiculous situation is this?”
The Blood Lord. I should have killed that bastard no matter what it took.
As I stood there muttering hollowly while staring at the ground, a familiar voice reached my ears and a hand suddenly extended before me.
“Are you alright?”
Mentally exhausted, but physically intact. I grasped Jong Ri-chu’s hand and rose to my feet.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks to you, I’m alive.”
“Thank goodness. Then first, help me with the wounded and—wait, what did you just say?”
Jong Ri-chu blinked.
What did he just hear? It was written all over his face.
“What?”
“Uh, what?”
“Is something wrong?”
Jong Ri-chu, who had been staring at me with a dazed expression, waved his hand dismissively.
“Ah, no. Nothing’s wrong. But did you perhaps not hear that just now?”
“Hear what? I did lose consciousness for a moment.”
There were limits to what the body could endure. I’d been hit, knocked down, sent flying, and gotten back up—this cycle repeated dozens of times.
At some point, I took a direct blow to the jaw and my consciousness cut out briefly.
“When I came to, it was almost over. I saw that bastard’s ankle, so I grabbed it immediately.”
“…I see.”
Jong Ri-chu, who seemed about to say something, clamped his mouth shut instead.
I too wanted to ask how events had unfolded and what Jong Ri-chu’s true identity was, but I held back.
‘What matters is that he’s on our side.’
For now, that will suffice. There are far more pressing matters demanding attention on all sides.
“Old Master!”
Chung Poong was one concern, but the injuries of the aged Jeok Cheon-gang weighed more heavily on my mind.
I rushed over and examined his condition, feeling the faint pulse and shallow breathing.
“Step aside for a moment, would you?”
Jong Ri-chu, who had finished administering emergency treatment to Chung Poong, carefully lowered him and placed his hand on Jeok Cheon-gang’s Life Gate acupoint.
As vital energy flowed in, I could see his complexion ease visibly.
“How is he?”
“Not critically wounded. He’s simply exhausted his energy reserves all at once, so he’ll remain unconscious for some time.”
“What about Chung Poong?”
“Much the same. He has internal injuries, but being young, he’ll recover quickly.”
“Phew….”
“A blessing in disguise, truly.”
As I exhaled in relief, Jong Ri-chu smiled faintly.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Countless figures approached rapidly from below, their presence ominous and overwhelming.
‘Surely not again?’
I gripped my spear tightly with a hardened expression, but Jong Ri-chu waved his hand dismissively.
“Lower your guard. They’re allies.”
His words proved true. As hundreds of martial artists emerged, I recognized familiar faces among their vanguard.
Members of the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance, representatives of the Five Great Families.
Those who had occupied the seats of honor during the Seonglae Tournament.
Yet strangely, several key figures, including Byuk Ryuk Do-wang, were nowhere to be seen.
“Halt.”
The footsteps of hundreds that seemed unstoppable froze abruptly before us.
The one who had issued the command limped forward toward Jong Ri-chu and me, his steel prosthetic leg gleaming as sunlight filtered through the leaves.
‘Cheon Myeon-ho Song Ho.’
As his sharp gaze swept over us, a forgotten truth suddenly struck me.
They don’t know Jong Ri-chu is an ally. To them, he is a martial world criminal who assassinated Dharma King Hung-do and brought bloodshed upon Shaolin Temple.
Thud. Thud.
As Cheon Myeon-ho advanced with his prosthetic leg, hundreds of martial artists moved in unison.
This looked like it would turn into a misunderstanding that could spark violence.
“Wait, please. I believe there’s been a serious misunderstanding here….”
Just as I was about to step forward to address the tense atmosphere, Jong Ri-chu suddenly spoke.
“Cheon Myeon-ho Song Ho.”
“Gasp.”
Was this man insane?
Even if we explained the situation and cleared up the misunderstanding, he opens with informal speech.
“Hey, hey!”
I frantically jabbed his ribs, but it was already too late. A bombshell of a statement erupted from Jong Ri-chu’s mouth.
“Are your legs alright?”
“…!”
Is this madman serious?
Before I could stop myself, my mouth fell open as I stared at Jong Ri-chu.
This time he’d truly crossed the line. First the casual speech, now mocking someone’s disability.
I rushed forward before Cheon Myeon Ho-ri could rip off his prosthetic leg and charge at Jong Ri-chu.
“I apologize. He’s not normally like this. Please, allow me to explain. You see, what happened was—”
“Hm? I could just explain it myself.”
“Explain? Damn it, what could you possibly explain in this situation? Apologize first, you bastard.”
Savior of my life or whatever.
Before things escalated further, I grabbed the back of Jong Ri-chu’s neck and forced his head down in apology.
When I looked up, I saw Cheon Myeon Ho-ri’s face rigid as stone, as if he’d seen a ghost.
‘He’s furious.’
And rightfully so—if someone wasn’t angry in this situation, they’d have to be either Jesus or Buddha.
My mind, which had been spinning to salvage the situation, came to an abrupt halt at Cheon Myeon Ho-ri’s next words.
“It’s been a long time.”
Jong Ri-chu chuckled like an old man and nodded.
“Good to see you’re doing well. I thought you’d be the first to figure it out.”
“I was confused for quite some time. Until two hours ago, I thought that cursed Blood Ghost Sword Demon had performed a half-step reversal technique.”
“My, you’ve grown old.”
“That I’ve aged at all is thanks to you, Dae-hyeop. Had you not saved me then, I wouldn’t be standing here now.”
Cheon Myeon Ho-ri tapped his prosthetic leg and continued with a smile.
“Two hours ago, I discovered the Dark Assassin. You were playing a cruel prank, weren’t you?”
“Ah, that fellow. Now that you mention it, it’s about time he woke up.”
“A man who should have been dead was alive. That’s when I realized I’d been fooled.”
“I didn’t want it discovered. I wanted to keep it hidden at least until the Seongnae Tournament ended.”
Jong Ri-chu added with a bitter expression.
“I never imagined something like this would happen.”
“Nor did I. Despite all our precautions, a blood calamity erupted at Shaolin of all places….”
“Since you’ve appeared, Shaolin’s situation must be resolved. Did Byuk Ryuk Do-wang leave?”
“Yes, upon assessing the situation, we divided our forces and moved in two directions. By now, Dae-hyeop Paeng should be handling Shaolin’s aftermath.”
“The damage is too severe. Something that should never have happened has occurred.”
“I have much to report regarding that.”
“As do I.”
A heavy silence fell for a moment.
Half-dazed as I listened to their conversation, I finally managed to speak.
“Wait, no. Excuse me.”
Jong Ri-chu—or rather, ‘he’—blinked.
“Are you speaking to me?”
“Yes. I, um, have something I’d like to ask….”
“Ask me anything.”
Hundreds of pairs of eyes bore down upon my face. They all wore expressions suggesting this madman had finally regained his senses.
“Might I ask your name?”
A refreshingly straightforward answer came back.
“Mae Jong-hak.”
“…Ah. Mae Jong-hak, I see.”
Every hair on my body stood on end.
From our first meeting until now, every conversation we’d shared and every action I’d taken flashed before my eyes like a lantern show of the dying.
“It seems like a coincidence, but your name is the same as someone I know.”
“Is that so?”
I drew a deep breath. My heartbeat thundered like distant drums.
‘How chilling.’
A dagger flew into my chest and lodged there. But don’t worry. The world is full of people who share the same name more often than you’d think.
Perhaps it was a different character altogether. I grasped at this last thread of hope and opened my mouth.
“Might you have a title or epithet…?”
“Sword Saint.”
“Ah, yes.”
Damn it. It’s really him.
As my vision darkened, a voice tinged with amusement burrowed into my ears.
“Let’s stay close friends from now on. Friend.”
“….”
Ah, I want to die.
* * *
A vast underground cavern whose depth and location remained unknowable.
From the center of the cavern, inscribed with intricate patterns and characters whose meaning no one could fathom, black radiance poured forth.
Whoooosh!
The profound darkness stretched so fiercely that even the torches burning with intensity grew dim.
Moments later, as the pitch-black darkness dissipated, turmoil rippled through the dozens of Black Robed Organization members surrounding the center.
“The Blood Lord!”
“What is this…!”
Where their gazes converged, a figure staggered forward, bleeding profusely.
A young man drenched in blood, breathing in ragged gasps.
The Blood Lord’s entire body was covered in sword wounds, and from the severed stumps of both arms, blood gushed forth without cessation.
“Summon a healer! Bring a healer at once!”
“The Blood Lord has suffered grievous injuries!”
Listening to the urgent cries echoing through the cavern, the Blood Lord slowly opened his mouth.
The arm he had clung to until the very end fell with a dull thud to the ground. In the grip of that severed hand lay a short staff.
Even in the darkness, it emanated a faint green luminescence, and someone let out a small gasp of recognition.
“The Jade Immortal Staff…!”
None other than the sacred treasure of the Thousand Year Shaolin.
No one could have guaranteed success in such a mission. Yet despite the pitiful state he’d been reduced to, his superior had completed the task brilliantly.
Truly worthy of a disciple favored by ‘that person’.
“Congratulations, my lord!”
“Congratulations?”
It was the moment the Blood Lord’s eyes, fixed upon his subordinate taking a deep bow, began to glow with crimson light.
A sharp whistle, then a sickening crack!
The subordinate’s shattered sternum erupted in a fountain of blood as his body was driven into the wall.
With a sound like air escaping, the trembling form went still. There was no doubt—he was dead.
“Throw that bastard to the beasts for food.”
The moment the Blood Lord’s chilling voice escaped his lips, one of his subordinates hoisted the corpse and vanished.
It was hardly the first time. They merely felt renewed fear of their superior’s terrifying nature; no one grieved or showed distress over the Rookie’s senseless death.
“Blood Lord, perhaps we should treat your wounds first….”
“I feel dizzy. Begin.”
The Blood Lord surrendered himself to the sorcerers who had just arrived.
He wanted nothing more than to slaughter everything in sight, but he barely managed to suppress the murderous impulse.
He needed to conserve his strength now. The sooner he recovered, the sooner he could tear those bastards to shreds.
‘The Sword Saint, the Fire King, Chung Poong, and….’
Jin Tae-kyung of Shanxi Sleeping Dragon.
The moment that face—grinning with blood-soaked teeth—flashed through his mind, rage surged through his veins.
Unable to contain his fury, his fist came crashing down on the sorcerer’s head.
A dull thud, then a wet collapse.
The headless body crumpled like rotting deadwood. Feeling the terrified gazes of the sorcerers upon him, the Blood Lord spat out his words.
“I can’t afford to lose more sorcerers. Continue.”
The treatment resumed after the brief pause. It was a sight that defied all explanation—broken bones knitting together, flesh filling in.
The pain accompanying recovery made the Blood Lord grit his teeth. As his vision began to fade to white, one face crystallized in his mind.
‘You… I will kill you with my own hands. Without fail.’

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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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