Murim Login - Chapter 298

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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 298
– Come now, grow, skeletons, skeletons…
Beep!
–
[Lv.105 Skeleton Warlord]
has activated a special skill!
– Special skill,
[Summon the Dead]
has been triggered!
– The slumbering dead answer the commander’s call!
This was pure bliss.
Every time I watched the skeletons sprout up like bean sprouts, my heart swelled with contentment.
‘So this is what a farmer feels.’
A bountiful harvest. A truly bountiful harvest.
I grinned widely and swung my spear—not a scythe—to begin the reaping.
Each time my weapon shattered the skulls of the newly awakened skeletons, a beautiful sound rang out.
Ting. Ting. Ting.
–
[Lv.71 Skeleton Warrior]
has been defeated!
– You have gained a small amount of experience!
–
[Lv.70 Skeleton Archer]
has been defeated!
– You have gained a small amount of experience!
The Skeleton Warlord, now forced to surrender his subordinates as experience points, muttered in a sorrowful voice.
– Alas, my soldiers. Forgive your disloyal commander. Ensnared by this cunning human’s treachery, I could not demonstrate my true power before fading away.
I had raised my spear to strike the next one when I suddenly paused.
“What did you just say?”
– I said you were a cunning human!
This creature dares defy me.
A being that should grovel before me now glares with wide eyes. The wrath of a once-great commander of the undead legions, now reduced to an experience factory, had banished his fear of oblivion.
– Rather than surrender my subordinates to you, I would sooner fade into nothingness!
“Whether you fade or not is my decision. But tell me again what you said before.”
– You cunning human!
“Not that.”
– Not that? Then what?
“You said you couldn’t show your true power, didn’t you?”
– …What of it?
“Now that I think about it, you have some strange skill. Something about the commander’s… encouragement or something like that.”
– Yes, yes, how did you even manage that!
“Ah, right. I was wondering what felt off. I completely forgot about that.”
I smiled brightly and patted the Skeleton Warlord’s skull.
“Use it.”
The Skeleton Warlord asked in a voice that genuinely didn’t understand.
– The commander’s encouragement? Why?
“Because when you get that buff, their levels go up. I need to suck out as much experience as possible.”
– …!
“So hurry up and use it. If I see you doing well, I might even let you live.”
– R, really?
“There’s a saying in the human world. A man’s word is worth its weight in gold. It means a man’s promise must never be broken.”
– Gold lost in the word? That’s quite an unusual saying.
“Why would gold be lost? You’re spouting nonsense, you bastard. I’m seriously thinking of just annihilating you right now.”
Crack.
The moment I tightened my grip on the skull, the Skeleton Warlord cried out urgently.
– Wait, wait! My bones, my bones are cracking! My bones!
“Master, I’m sending one down right now.”
– Hold on!
“So, will you do it or not?”
The Skeleton Warlord’s green eye sockets darted nervously left and right.
A skeleton that displayed such a diverse range of emotions finally managed to squeeze out an answer after some time.
– I, I will do it.
“Good thinking.”
– But do not misunderstand. This is not submission—it is a contract!
“A contract?”
– Yes. Not obedience, but a contract mutually agreed upon by both parties!
“…This skeleton is more human than I am. So what are the terms of this contract?”
– In exchange for assisting you, a cunning human, guarantee me the position I currently hold.
“Master of the Black Forest and commander of the undead legion?”
– Exactly! And furthermore, cease this indiscriminate and barbaric slaughter!
“….”
What did I just hear?
I was being lectured about indiscriminate and barbaric slaughter—not by anyone else, but by a monster. My head felt dizzy for a moment.
“Are you in your right mind? Is that something a monster should be saying?”
– How offensive. I am the Skeleton Warlord, possessed of keen judgment and intellect. Though I have fallen into undeath, the spirit of chivalry remains etched deep within my soul.
“…If you had upheld chivalry, you wouldn’t have fallen into corruption like this.”
– …In truth, my memories from when I was alive were erased upon becoming undead.
“Then you shouldn’t speak of chivalry at all. This guy is really something else.”
Still, being a Named Monster, it was certainly different from other monsters that were enslaved by instinct and could only shriek.
‘A contract, huh.’
I pondered for a moment before finally speaking.
“Fine. I’ve decided.”
– Human, will you accept the contract?
“No. I don’t like it.”
– …What?
Watching the green spectral flames flicker in apparent confusion, I continued.
“The first proposal is okay. Whether you’re the master of the Black Forest or a legion commander, you’ll handle it all. But.”
– But?
“From now on, you’re the experience farm director of the Peace Guild. In exchange for guaranteeing your position, supply me with as many Skeleton Warriors as I need.”
– That’s absolutely ridiculous!
“Don’t like it?”
– Rather than become a human’s puppet, I shall dissipate into nothingness!
“Your request has been noted, valued customer.”
Crack.
The Skeleton Warlord, whose skull bore a fresh fracture, answered with solemn resolve.
– Upon reflection, this contract isn’t so terrible after all.
“….”
– A commander cannot abandon his soldiers. Human, as the master of the Black Forest and commander of the undead legion, I accept your proposal.
“But just now you said you’d rather dissipate than become a human’s puppet?”
– If the commander falls, the legion crumbles. Do not misunderstand. I merely endure this momentary humiliation for the soldiers who await me.
“Yet those very soldiers are what you must surrender?”
– Their noble sacrifice shall remain in my memory until the day I dissipate. So then, this month’s tribute—or rather, the troop quota. How many soldiers are we talking about?
“….”
Look at him generously handing over soldiers without hesitation, as if he wasn’t the one disappearing.
At this point, he’s not a puppet—he’s a willing servant.
As I stared at him with an incredulous expression, the world’s first pro-human Named Monster, the Skeleton Warlord, quickly chanted an incantation.
– Grow stronger, bones and bones!
Beep!
–
[Lv.105 Skeleton Warlord]
has activated a special skill!
– Special skill,
[Commander’s Encouragement]
has been triggered!
– Monsters under the Skeleton Warlord’s command have had their strength, agility, and magic enhanced!
– Enemy levels increase by 5!
…He’s gotten quite good at this on his own.
* * *
The harvest was effortless.
The first time is difficult, but repeat it two or three times and you develop a knack for it.
The Skeleton Warlord fully exercised his commander’s abilities to rapidly replenish his depleted forces.
– Legion! Gather together!
Clatter, clatter!
Roughly a hundred freshly spawned skeletons clustered together in one place. The moment I hurled spear energy at those creatures that had assembled on command, experience points cascaded down like rain.
Screech! Boom!
Ding. Ding. Ding.
The sound of experience points being deposited made the corners of my mouth rise. The Warlord watching that spectacle murmured in a satisfied voice.
– Hmm. This is certainly much faster and easier.
“….”
– Human. Did you witness my command? This is the dignity of a commander.
What a shameless bastard.
Watching him take pride in discovering an efficient method of harvesting made me understand why his soul had fallen into corruption.
If a wind of liberation ever blew through the Black Forest, this creature would be priority number one on the list of targets the independent skeleton forces would need to purge.
‘Somehow I’m starting to feel like the invader here.’
I began collecting the spoils with an odd sensation in my chest.
Skeletons are one of the most notorious loot-poor monsters. The byproducts that drop are either rusty weapons that cause tetanus or half-rotted bone fragments.
A Minotaur’s corpse at least yields beef and bone broth, but this? Even if you extracted something from it, it would only taste like a grave.
“Oh, a mana stone and armor.”
At best, Skeleton Knights appeared as rarely as beans in a drought, leaving behind mana stones and decent equipment one or two at a time like this.
Though even that happened only occasionally.
“A stone this size should easily fetch tens of millions of won.”
I’d made the right call sending the guild members away. Now I was monopolizing both the experience points and the mana stones—getting the best of both worlds.
As I smiled contentedly and pocketed the mana stone the size of an adult’s fist, the Warlord asked.
– Cunning human. What are you doing now?
“Can’t you see? I’m claiming the fruits of my labor.”
– Are you planning to absorb it later?
“Absorb? What are you talking about? I’m obviously going to sell it.”
– Foolish. A mana stone is the source of power. Isn’t it natural to consume it and grow stronger?
“That’s what monsters like you do. Humans are different.”
It was already common knowledge, but monsters’ enemies weren’t limited to humans alone.
Battles between monsters themselves were commonplace, and in the process, they would devour defeated monsters to increase their strength.
– Is that so? Humans are truly incomprehensible creatures. If you absorbed the mana stone, you could become stronger… Is this thing called money really so precious?
“Money is a necessary evil for survival. Besides, humans can’t absorb mana stones anyway.”
The energy contained in a mana stone is colloquially called demonic energy. While it’s the foundation of a monster’s power, it’s nothing but poison to humans.
It’s a type of qi, but it’s easier to understand if you think of it as a contaminant.
After giving a rough explanation, the Warlord tilted his skull.
– Unable to absorb it? That’s strange. A group of humans I encountered long ago used troll blood to heal their bodies.
“Ah, potions? Those go through a purification process first….”
– Then couldn’t you purify the mana stone? Like the troll blood you call potions.
“If it were that simple, I would’ve purified it long ago. Anyway, you really live up to being a monster—you’re remarkably simple-minded.”
If troll blood were a fruit-flavored beverage with just 1% real fruit juice, then mana stones were 100% fresh-squeezed juice.
Potions couldn’t even completely neutralize their toxicity, yet here I was absorbing mana stones.
I let out a soft chuckle and continued.
“Anyway, humans can’t absorb mana stones.”
– Why?
“Stop asking questions, you question mark-obsessed bastard. That’s what the academic consensus says. I’ve never heard of anything like this.”
– I’ve never heard of a human like you either.
I paused mid-swing, about to smack the Skeleton Warlord’s skull.
Wait. That actually makes sense.
‘I don’t always have to be bound by common sense.’
After all, wasn’t I myself an anomaly beyond common sense?
The so-called academic consensus was merely a conclusion drawn from what was currently known.
‘The Mana Cultivation Method is the same.’
Only a handful of people knew of its existence.
I hadn’t thought about it until I got entangled with the Ares Guild.
Before monsters appeared and after, their exclusive league remained unchanged, and secrets were shared only within the boundaries they set.
‘Absorbing mana stones, huh…’
Should I give it a try?
Just as I opened my inventory to pull out another mana stone, the Skeleton Warlord spoke.
– Heh heh. That’s the face of someone who’s been caught off guard. Cunning yet foolish human.
“Oh. Want a Nullification Punch to that skull of yours?”
– …A rash statement. I apologize.
“You apologized within three seconds, so I’ll accept it.”
The Skeleton Warlord, who had narrowly avoided Nullification by the rules of the game, muttered.
– There’s no greater humiliation. Be grateful I haven’t grown stronger, human.
“A mere Skeleton Knight who staged a coup and became the master of the Black Forest? That’s quite the promotion.”
– I am a Warlord now! Master of the Black Forest and….
“Commander of the undead legion. Yes, yes. I’m getting tired of hearing about it.”
I only learned later that he had taken control of the Black Forest.
He had actually defeated the Dark Mage, who was practically its master. It seemed he had absorbed an extraordinary amount of mana stones.
“This is basically a skeleton victory story. From a mere Skeleton Knight to master of the Black Forest, and even evolved into a Warlord? The mana stones he absorbed from the Dark Mage must have been enormous.”
– What are you talking about? He didn’t possess any mana stones.
“Huh?”
– Besides, the Dark Mage was the one who summoned me directly. Because of that, until recently, his commands were absolute. A summoned creature cannot disobey its summoner.
“Then how did you….”
– How was I able to defeat him?
The Skeleton Warlord’s green eyes narrowed to slits.
– I’m not entirely sure myself. Not long ago, I suddenly felt myself breaking free from his control. My magical power surpassed that of my summoner, allowing me to ascend to the next level, so to speak.
“Suddenly?”
– Yes. My magical power grew tremendously, far too suddenly.
What is he talking about?
But like the Skeleton Warlord said, he couldn’t properly explain what he’d experienced either.
After pondering for a while, all he managed to add was a single remark.
– If I borrow human terminology, it felt like being possessed by a ghost.
“…That’s rich coming from a skeleton.”
This bastard might not even be a Skeleton Warrior.
It was at that moment I was staring at the Skeleton Warlord with an exasperated expression.
– Hmm?
The Skeleton Warlord’s skull rolled atop its neck before stopping, facing in one direction.
With its green eye sockets glowing, it gazed southward and clattered its jaw as it spoke.
– Intruders.
“Intruders?”
– I am the master of the Black Forest. I know everything that happens within my domain. More wicked humans have just set foot upon my territory.
“They’re my friends, you fool.”
Smack.
I gave the Skeleton Warlord’s skull a satisfying whack, grabbed its head, and began walking toward the Gate Entrance.

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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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