Murim Login - Chapter 397

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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 397
Choi Team Leader—or rather, Choi Min-woo—contemplated the situation.
‘What should I do?’
Despite his heart hammering wildly, his mind remained ice-cold.
Merely thirty minutes since combat began. The hastily constructed defensive positions crumbled the moment the battle started, and as the apex-tier monsters poured through the gaps, they tore through everything in their path like an untamed force.
Just as they were doing now.
Crack!
Sharp fangs tore savagely through human flesh and bone.
The Lycanthrope, having hurled the lifeless Hunter aside with a wet, deflating sound, roared.
– Auuuuuu!
And that became the creature’s death cry.
Slash, crunch!
Ash-gray fur stained crimson. The body toppled. Choi Min-woo, having severed its neck with a single, flawless strike, arched his spine backward without hesitation.
Whoooosh! Crack!
A hair’s breadth away.
An axe blade wreathed in ominous mana swept past him, obliterating the skulls of two Orcs nearby.
The headless knight, a Dullahan, showed no compunction about slaughtering its own kind as it unleashed relentless attacks upon the human before it.
Screeeech! Crunch!
– Grrk!
“Hack!”
As the colossal halberd swept in a crisscross pattern, the bodies of both human and monster caught in its arc were shredded to pieces.
A Dullahan was an A-rank monster requiring three Hunters of equal caliber to safely neutralize.
Yet Choi Min-woo, slipping past the assault with fluid grace, extended his blade without hesitation.
‘Now!’
A sharp exhale. Then a strike like lightning.
Thwack!
Three enchantments imbued, the masterwork blade pierced through the Dullahan’s shoulder joint.
Though undeath had rendered it incapable of pain, the flesh remained human.
As the muscles and tendons of its right arm were severed, the halberd, now powerless, crashed to the ground. Choi Min-woo seized that instant.
Shhhhwack!
A pristine white aura bisected the Dullahan’s waist. Judging by how recently it had been turned, putrid blood sprayed from the collapsing corpse, drenching his face.
Yet even the overwhelming stench assailing his nostrils failed to make him flinch.
In this moment, Choi Min-woo was enveloped in battlefield tension, crystalline rationality, and a faint exhilaration.
‘The tenth.’
The count of A-rank monsters Choi Min-woo had personally eliminated today. Including those of lower ranks, the total easily exceeded fifty.
‘Was I always this strong?’
If one answered that question coldly, the answer was no.
Whether due to the Arch Lich’s influence or not, the monsters encountered in China had been somewhat stronger and far more savage.
Yet the reason Choi Min-woo could perform so brilliantly in this chaotic melee was due to two strokes of fortune.
The first.
‘The Jin Family Heart Method.’
The Mana Cultivation Method I learned directly from Jin Tae-kyung.
Choi Min-woo harbored doubts about Jin Tae-kyung’s claim that it was a family heirloom passed down through generations, but he had no disagreement that it was an exceptional secret technique.
The Jin Family Heart Method he had mastered allowed him to control his energy stably while greatly aiding in the distribution of power, and the vast mana he obtained during the learning process granted him vitality that did not tire easily.
And the second stroke of fortune was….
– GROOOOAAAHHH!
CRASH!
A steel rebar swung with savage force shattered the cement road.
Choi Min-woo leaped up, treading upon the ogre’s thick arm, and drove his sword downward with full force.
Squelch!
The blade infused with aura cleaved through the ogre’s crown like tofu, burrowing deep.
Thud.
The four-meter colossus dropped to its knees with a heavy sound. Standing upon the corpse’s shoulder, Choi Min-woo’s gaze swept rapidly across the surroundings.
‘It’s not here.’
Screams and death overflowed from every corner—a scene of absolute hell.
Yet still, it remained unseen. That monster which had displayed unbelievable power the moment combat began, the commander of the monster legion and leader of the Death Knights.
‘Where in the world is it?’
Choi Min-woo remembered clearly. The figure of the Black Knight that had annihilated dozens of Hunters with a single strike.
Had it chosen to advance with full intent, humanity would not have lasted even thirty minutes before total annihilation.
Yet for some reason, the Black Knight had not appeared since.
Was this the arrogance of a monster that deemed the battle beneath its concern?
It was incomprehensible, but it was the second stroke of fortune granted to Choi Min-woo and an opportunity to make a final judgment.
‘We must retreat.’
The urban warfare had already lost its meaning. The monster legion numbering in the tens of thousands had already blanketed the city like an ant swarm, and among them were roughly a hundred A-rank monsters.
A battle in which neither numbers nor combat strength could compete.
Nearly half of the thousand Public Security Armed Forces Hunters defending the front lines had already fallen or been wounded, and the damned People’s Liberation Army had abandoned their weapons and fled before the monsters even arrived, more than half of them.
The mechanized units reduced to scrap metal and the air force being slaughtered by flying monsters were merely the icing on the cake.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat, BOOM!
A state-of-the-art combat helicopter, having lost its balance, plummeted and exploded in flames. A dozen soldiers caught in the scattered debris perished without even a scream.
It was a horrific sight, but in the sense of dying without pain, they were fortunate.
For the monster horde that followed began tearing apart everything indiscriminately.
– KYAAAAAAHHH!
Whoosh, splat!
Limbs were crushed and heads burst open under the tons of force from the Saber Tiger’s foreleg.
The soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army were neither as fast as Hunters nor were their rifles anything but slingshots against the monsters.
Witnessing the merciless slaughter unfolding before his eyes, Choi Min-woo clenched his teeth.
‘Get a grip. You cannot save them all.’
He did not speak like a hypocrite of sacrificing the few for the many. Rather, he gazed coldly upon the situation and had finished preparing to become the villain of this stage.
‘If he had come, could we have stopped them?’
A fleeting thought of Jin Tae-kyung crossed his mind, but it was merely a futile lingering.
I had urged the communications officer to send emergency signals frantically, yet no response came.
A calculated ambush coupled with thorough communication jamming.
All I could do now was hope that one of countless messages cast into the sea would reach him.
Thud!
Choi Min-woo, who had driven his blade into the Minotaur’s chest, cried out.
“Shao Shen!”
His mana-infused shout pierced through the screams and thunderous roars, reaching one person’s ears.
Shao Shen, covered in wounds and blood while relentlessly holding back the surging monsters, bellowed in response.
「Yes, sir!」
“Pull back the Public Security Armed Forces. We must retreat immediately!”
「What? But if we retreat now…」
Choi Min-woo already anticipated what would come from the young Hunter’s mouth.
The greatest casualties always occurred during the retreat and subsequent pursuit.
Especially in a situation like this—if the Hunters serving as the final bulwark withdrew, the People’s Liberation Army would fall directly into the monster horde’s grasp.
“If we’re encircled, it’s all over. Do you understand? We must lead the surviving Hunters and rear units out of the city while we still can!”
「…Choi sir.」
“I know what you’re thinking. But we have no other choice left.”
「…!」
Shao Shen found himself closing his eyes tightly without realizing it.
He understood the current situation well. In fact, he was one of the few who understood it better than anyone.
From the moment it began, the battle situation had deteriorated rapidly, and the humans had been driven back to the Hospital they’d converted into a temporary command center. If their encirclement was completed…
‘Total annihilation.’
The deliberation was long, but the moment was brief.
Opening his eyes, Shao Shen parried the incoming attacks and shouted with all his strength.
「Retreat! All Public Security Armed Forces personnel, begin immediate withdrawal as of this moment! The North Gate is clear!」
In wartime, a commander’s order like Shao Shen’s was absolute.
Even more so when General Liao and the military leadership were nowhere to be found.
‘That should do it.’
While soldiers might struggle, Hunters would see their survival odds increase dramatically. If Shao Shen made the right call, a considerable number of them might break through the encirclement and survive.
‘Yes, that’s settled then.’
Choi Min-woo felt his heart lighten as he launched his body forward.
Not toward the north where monsters hadn’t yet blocked the way, but toward the People’s Liberation Army being slaughtered by the monsters.
‘Feels like I’m going to commit suicide.’
Why had he made such a choice? It was beyond comprehension.
Still… for someone heading toward death, his mood was surprisingly decent.
Perhaps it was the dark clouds that had gathered overhead, making the wind cool, or perhaps it was because he wouldn’t be lonely in death—he had a companion at his back.
Choi Min-woo suddenly parted his lips.
“Why didn’t you retreat?”
Shao Shen, who should have been heading toward the North Gate, offered a faint smile.
「What about you, Choi sir?」
“…I asked first.”
「Then I must answer first. Public Security Armed Forces!」
At the regiment commander’s call, the three hundred-odd Hunters following behind unleashed a thunderous cry.
「To eliminate monsters and protect the people from all threats!」
「This is why we do not retreat. Sichuan Province Public Security Armed Forces 1st Regiment Commander Shao Shen and 325 others have come to protect the people!」
Shao Shen’s quiet voice continued.
「Now it is your turn to answer, Mr. Choi.」
Choi Min-woo, who had been silently watching the thousands of monsters drawing near, suddenly spoke.
“Damn. They’ve gathered quite a lot.”
「…!」
“I imagine that’s what he would have said. And he would have fought more fiercely than anyone, ultimately achieving victory.”
That was true. He had always been that way.
He never retreated in any situation, never gave up. Choi Min-woo, who had observed him longest and most closely, knew this well.
That man, Jin Tae-kyung, was a hero of a new era, and he himself could never perform miracles like him. Yet….
“It would be shameful.”
「Pardon?」
“Jin Tae-kyung is technically my subordinate in rank. In times like these, a superior must set the example.”
Choi Min-woo laughed so loudly that Shao Shen was taken aback.
His heart felt as light as a dandelion seed, and an inexplicable power flowed through his entire being as he turned toward his enemies—a force he had never felt before.
‘Jin Tae-kyung. I’ll see you later.’
If I survive today, as soon as possible. If I die, as late as possible.
Let us meet on those terms.
Whirrrrrr.
A blade infused with an aura clearer and more brilliant than ever before turned toward the enemies.
Three hundred-odd members of the suicide squad, releasing cries that deafened the ears and burning with fighting spirit, rushed forward like arrows in pursuit.
Waaaaaaaa!
Two Death Knights, leading thousands of monsters and slaughtering the People’s Liberation Army, sat upon skeletal steeds and gazed down upon the pitiful human forces below.
– Akshar. Garosh.
Moments later, the black tide swallowed the pure white pebbles.
Though the outcome was predetermined, at the end of a battle fiercer than any before, there was a blade that never lost its light from beginning to end—someone’s blade.
* * *
Toward the Black Knight who gazed upon them, the two Death Knights knelt on one knee.
– In battle.
– We have achieved victory.
– We offer this glory of today.
– To the Lord.
A voice that fell in monotone, broken and hollow. Even at news of victory, the Black Knight nodded without emotion.
It was as expected. The humans could not withstand his mighty legion and collapsed in an instant.
Yet if one were to ask whether everything unfolded according to the Black Knight’s will, the answer would be ‘no.’
‘Those humans from back then.’
The moment the battle commenced, the Black Knight pierced through the city and drove the humans into retreat, then turned his horse’s head as he pleased.
And for some reason, in the familiar location from the previous day, he discovered something small.
‘A human? No. Not a human—a child. And this is a shoe.’
Memories and words surfaced in sequence.
True to the Black Knight’s thoughts, it was a child’s shoe—a tiny infant’s shoe left behind, lost in the chaos without anyone knowing.
Gazing upon the infinitesimally small, dirt-covered shoe, I felt an inexplicable familiarity, and my chest ached.
‘What? My chest aches?’
What a strange expression this was.
The Black Knight had been a body incapable of feeling pain from the very beginning. My master had brought me into existence directly and bestowed upon me a powerful blessing. Naturally, I neither grew weary nor felt pain.
Above all, this was not the time to be swayed by such trivial matters.
– My Lord.
– Is there some problem?
I knew not why.
The Black Knight tucked the shoe I held in my hand into the gaps of my armor and changed the subject.
– No. Rather, a considerable number of humans managed to escape alive.
– We apologize.
– It is our negligence.
– There must be a reason.
The Death Knights bowed their heads deeply.
– The humans’ desperate struggle.
– Was more fierce than anticipated.
– However.
– We have obtained some gains.
As if awaiting those very words, the densely clustered monsters parted left and right, clearing a path.
A troll approached cautiously and set down what it had been carrying on both shoulders, then withdrew.
The Black Knight’s eyes flickered as I gazed upon the ‘gains’.
– Humans, then.
– Indeed.
The two servants who answered simultaneously continued.
– Harvest their souls directly.
– And make them servants of the Lord.
– Then the Lord shall.
– Become even more formidable.
They spoke truly. Those two humans possessed abundant and exquisite souls.
If I were to harvest them directly and make them my subordinates, they would be reborn as far superior warriors, and they would be worthy of commanding a regiment.
And yet….
‘Why?’
The Black Knight found myself hesitating.
This was naturally what I should do. Acquiring superior subordinates would strengthen my legion, and that would mean loyalty and devotion to the Death King I served.
So why was I wavering?
‘What gives me pause?’
Under normal circumstances, I would have sensed something amiss and withdrawn. Yet the Black Knight had endured far too much confusion of late.
Perhaps his forced extension of his hand was a rebellion against himself.
– Accept your will, I shall.
And in that very moment when the Black Knight’s grasp reached to claim the souls of the two humans.
“Come to think of it.”
A voice echoed through the void, and the Black Knight lifted his gaze.
Upon the rooftop of the half-charred, crumbling Hospital, a figure stood silhouetted against the sunlight breaking through the dark clouds.
“A 10% chance—that’s surprisingly high odds, isn’t it? Yeah, definitely higher than my odds of getting a girlfriend.”
The Black Knight’s eyes narrowed. This was an aura he had sensed from afar the day before.
At last, he faced the wielder of that tremendous heat.
– Who… are you?
“Me?”
A swift descent. A landing.
In an instant, a young man descended from that dizzying height with speed, yet landed as lightly as a falling leaf, pointing at himself with a finger and laughing.
“I’m just a bastard blessed with absurdly good luck.”
In the next moment, the Black Knight saw it clearly.
The human’s finger moving toward him. Simultaneously, all emotion drained from his face.
“You are… what…”
A voice so cold that even the dead would shudder followed.
“A bastard cursed with absurdly bad luck.”

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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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