Murim Login - Chapter 296

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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 296
How much time had passed?
I remembered nothing—not my name, not my family, not my friends or lovers. Even where I was born or what life I had lived remained shrouded in oblivion.
After traversing an endless, suffocating darkness, I awoke to find myself in a forest.
‘Where am I?’
The question lingered only briefly.
Soon, I succumbed to the primal instincts of a monster and began fighting without purpose. I clashed with humans who bore the form I once wore, and with monsters alike.
Once a distinguished knight in life, I grew stronger by cultivating my magical power—so formidable that I surpassed even the dark sorcerer who ruled the vast Black Forest and commanded all the dead that slumbered within it.
– Y-you! How dare a mere Skeleton Knight—!
– Gah! Gah! Gah! Gah!
*Crack!*
The fallen knight thus became the new master of the Black Forest. And at last, I ascended as a chosen being.
Commander of the Skeleton Legion. Skeleton Warlord—that was my new name.
‘Is this what it feels like?’
I was astonished. Everything surrounding me had transformed. For reasons unknown, the magical essence flowing through the Black Forest had grown far more potent, and immense power surged through my skeletal frame.
To this newly reborn existence, a mere handful of humans was utterly insignificant.
‘Their numbers are few, and they cower in fear.’
For humans, death is merely another name for terror.
Having already become one of the dead, their pathetic display was nothing but mockery to me.
‘Flee. And bring me more—far more lives!’
Now I was the master of the Black Forest and commander of the dead.
The larger human forces they brought would soon become my army. If I could command thousands upon thousands of the dead beneath my banner… the Black Forest alone would no longer suffice.
Only then could I transcend into a true sovereign, no longer merely a commander of the dead.
‘I shall leave this place and conquer far greater territories.’
It was at that very moment.
As I gazed with satisfaction upon some fifty humans fleeing in panic, one figure caught my eye.
‘That one…’
A human engaged in frantic combat, surrounded by three Skeleton Knights.
Remarkably, unlike the other humans who spoke in bizarre tongues, every word from this one’s mouth was perfectly intelligible to me.
“It’s fine! Go now!”
How was this possible? Such fluent Demon Realm speech.
Could this be a monster wearing human form?
I was unaware of the System that governed Jin Tae-kyung, and even less aware of the Universal Language Pack’s function.
I simply desired to transform this seemingly capable human into one of the dead and claim him as my subordinate.
– You… are… a… foolish… human.
But I should have known.
It was I who was the fool.
“Phew. Finally, they’re all gone.”
– …Huh?
I should never have led all my forces into this narrow forest path.
“You’ll all die here. That’s all you need to know.”
– What. Did. You. Say?
The answer to that question came swiftly.
“Annihilation Slash.”
Whoooosh!
The moment a dragon spout wreathed in azure flames erupted skyward, the Skeleton Warlord felt a terror descending upon him.
It was an emotion long forgotten—a primal fear of death, something that had transformed from a mere threat into an old companion.
– Everyone. Flee. Now…!
The Warlord’s words never finished.
The blue inferno that swept across the forest path consumed him and hundreds of skeletons alike.
Boom!
* * *
– All magical power and stamina depleted!
– Status abnormality.
[Exhaustion]
has taken hold!
–
[Lv92. Skeleton Knight]
defeated!
– Substantial experience gained!
–
[Lv75. Skeleton Warrior]
defeated!
– Minor experience gained!
–
[Lv78. Skeleton Mage]
defeated!
– Minor experience gained…!
.
.
.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
The relentless system notifications burrowed into my ears.
My vision spun and my legs buckled beneath me.
The spear shaft in my hand had never felt so impossibly heavy.
I barely managed to drive the blade into the ground, using it to prop myself upright.
‘Damn, I’m dying.’
Annihilation Slash is my sole, ultimate skill—a technique that consumes magical power and stamina as fuel to unleash explosive force beyond measure.
Unlike before, my heightened martial mastery now allowed me to control the power it granted, yet the backlash remained devastatingly severe.
‘Annihilation Slash is as dangerous as it is destructive. I can’t survive long with an all-or-nothing mentality.’
Extracting maximum results with minimal effort—that was the ideal.
As someone who always pursued efficient combat, I couldn’t afford to squander Ilsseom. A final trump card meant that failure left no second chances.
But this time was different.
‘If not now, when else would I use it?’
A narrow Forest Path. Hundreds of monsters crammed together without a single gap.
It was practically a stage designed for Ilsseom. Pouring my full strength into it had left me in an [Exhausted] state, but every action had contingencies.
Ding.
– Mass Slaughter! You have acquired substantial experience points!
– Level Up!
– You have acquired Points!
– All status abnormalities have been cured!
The moment the notifications arrived, a refreshing sensation swept across my entire body.
Whoooosh.
My dantian, emptied by Ilsseom’s aftereffects, refilled, and strength returned to my trembling limbs.
Only then did my vision, which had been bleached white, brighten, allowing me to assess the results of Ilsseom.
“Wow….”
I’d anticipated something, but this exceeded my imagination.
I clicked my tongue at the sight unfolding before me.
Crackle, crackle-crackle.
The Forest Path had widened to twice its original width from Ilsseom’s power.
The massive trees and Large Boulders that had filled the surroundings were uprooted, and across the blackened earth, piles of bones engulfed in flames slowly burned away.
‘Just how many did I take down in one strike?’
The undead monsters still had breath in them—no, wait, they were already dead. I should correct that to the ones still moving. In any case, there weren’t even fifty of them left. Those remaining were essentially combat-incapacitated.
‘Around… three hundred?’
Now I understood why the system called it Mass Slaughter.
Of course, compared to such grandiose terminology, the experience points were pittance.
“Just one level up? How stingy.”
I clicked my tongue and began clearing the remaining Skeleton Warriors.
Every little bit counts, and with level-up requirements growing mountainous, each mob was precious.
– Kiiieee. Kee-kik.
Crack!
I crushed the skull of a Skeleton Warrior crawling desperately on two severed legs.
Ding.
–
[Lv73. Skeleton Warrior]
has been defeated!
– You have acquired a small amount of experience points!
Damn. The experience is really stingy.
Muttering complaints, I turned my head to find the next monster when—
“Oh. Oh my. Could that possibly be…!”
My eyes snapped open, and warmth bloomed in my chest.
With anticipation surging through me, I approached the creature buried in the rubble.
A Skeleton Warlord, with only its skull remaining, rattling against the debris.
The verdant ghostfire that had burned like a torch moments before now flickered like a candle before the wind, yet it was enough to confirm its identity.
[Lv.105 Skeleton Warlord]
I grinned widely and waved my hand toward the skull.
“Good to see you, friend!”
– ….
“So you were here all along! Why didn’t you say something earlier instead of staying silent!”
– Kekk. Kee-gee-gik?
This cunning bastard, pretending to be a Skeleton Warrior?
I lifted my blade with an expression of feigned disappointment.
“Ah, what a letdown. Just a common mob. I’ll have to kill it.”
– Wait. Stop!
“Huh. You can speak. Could it be?”
– Yes. That’s. Right. It. Is. Me.
The Skeleton Warlord’s eyes blazed as it continued.
– Master. Of. The. Black. Forest. Commander. Of. The. Dead. I. Am. The. Warlord.
“Wow! A Warlord!”
– Do. You. Finally. Recognize. Me?
“Wow! Experience points!”
– …What?
The Warlord, sensing something amiss, spoke urgently.
– Surely you don’t intend to kill me?
Look at that—when desperate, its speech becomes smooth.
“Kill? You’re already dead.”
– Even if I die and am resurrected a hundred times over, I cannot truly perish!
“…Are you quoting Jeong Mong-ju?”
Has this creature actually read the Song of Loyalty?
I stared blankly, and the Warlord’s jaw clattered.
– Human, why not strike a bargain with me instead?
“A bargain?”
– Indeed. I can offer you many things.
“List them first.”
– List them? What do you mean?
“Tell me what you can offer. I’ll decide after hearing.”
The Warlord, silent for a moment as if contemplating, finally answered.
– I am the master of the forest. I shall grant you dominion over this vast Black Forest!
“The Black Forest is already ours.”
– …What?
“I have exclusive Gate rights, so it doesn’t matter.”
– Exclusive Gate rights? I know not what that is, but surely becoming the master of this Forest would be far superior!
“Actually, no. I prefer coming back every time the monsters respawn and doing drive hunts.”
– D-drive hunts?! Such audacity! You dare hunt us mere humans?!
“Yeah. I’m actually thinking about sending one of you right now.”
Crack.
As I tightened my grip on the creature’s skull, the Warlord’s jaw trembled violently as it cried out urgently.
– Wait! Wait just a moment! I heard a strange sound!
“Now that you mention it, how can something without a cochlea even hear sounds? You’re quite the curious creature.”
– A crack formed at the crown of my skull! At this rate, I shall dissipate!
“Wow! Experience points are incredible!”
– You insolent fool! I am the ruler of the Black Forest, the commander of the undead…!
Crunch.
– Ruler of the Black Forest! Lord of the undead! I beseech your mercy!
“…”
This bastard’s tactical shift speed is at least Hyuk Moo-jin level.
This was the first time I’d had such an extended conversation with a monster—quite refreshing, actually—but I should probably end the jokes here.
“Inventory open. Summon dagger.”
Whoosh.
As I brought the gleaming blade before its eyes, the Warlord spoke in an anxious voice.
– W-what are you trying to do?
“Hmm? Nothing much. Just close your eyes and stay still. It’ll be over soon.”
– O-over? What do you mean?
“Shh, quiet now. Keep your jaw still. If any bones break, the resale value drops.”
The Wyvern I’d hunted before and the one-eyed Karus’s corpses had been veritable goldmines, but I wasn’t sure which parts of this skeleton were particularly valuable.
‘Still, a named monster’s skull as a decoration should fetch a decent price, shouldn’t it?’
Even if rotten, the bone’s surface gleamed with a dark luster that was rather beautiful.
My plan was to finish it off properly first, then collect the bones from the area.
– Wait! Please, just wait a moment!
Clack! Clatter-clatter-clatter!
Ah, this bastard is really noisy.
Just as I was about to firmly grasp the Warlord’s jaw that wouldn’t stop rattling up and down—
– E-experience points! I shall give you experience points!
“Yeah. I was already planning to take those anyway, so why don’t you just stay quiet? Besides, you don’t even know what experience points are.”
– No, I insist! I shall provide them! I will command my subordinates to gather and offer them to you!
“What nonsense. That’s not an object, it’s…”
I paused mid-sentence. A thought had suddenly crossed my mind.
Could this actually work?
“You said you’re the master of the Black Forest, right?”
– Y-yes! Yes, yes!
“How many subordinates do you command?”
– All of them! Every last one! Not immediately, but if I traverse the Black Forest, I can muster over a thousand!
“Over a thousand?”
– That’s the conservative estimate! Have you forgotten who I am?
“Skeleton Warlord.”
– Yes. No soldier dares defy their commander. The lesser undead cannot possibly stand against me!
“Hmm.”
– I will scour the Black Forest, overturn it if necessary, and bring back whatever you desire!
I studied the creature’s luminous green eyes, trembling with desperate fervor, and organized my thoughts.
The deliberation didn’t take long.
“Listen.”
– Yes.
“How about you and I work together on something?”
– Work? What sort of…?
“There’s something. You just do as I say.”
At my sinister smile, the Warlord’s skull trembled with anticipation.

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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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