Murim Login - Chapter 416

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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 416
Breaking through a fierce battlefield entangled with tens of thousands of troops was nearly impossible.
But….
「Let it rage. Blizzard!」
「Johnson. Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard? If you do this, I can’t just stand by.」
The war hero of the Cataclysm and the world’s greatest War Mage and Archer unleashed devastating area-wide magic and arrows that struck like lightning.
「For Her Majesty the Queen!」
“Long Live The Queen!”
An S-rank Hunter who appeared like a comet and a prince of Britain led the elite royal knights in a charge.
「Formation J! Sweep them all away!」
“Fucking Jonna fight!”
“Eeeeee! Ikuyo itttt!!!”
Hundreds of the Suicide Squad, prepared for noble sacrifice, advanced as one body.
Roooaaarrr!
Crash! Crackle!
The path opened.
A path for only three people.
It was the final breakthrough to end this war, and they became a single flash of light, cutting across tens of thousands of monsters.
Whoooosh!
Brilliant light erupted from two swords and one spear, sweeping through the monsters.
The Lycanthrope’s head with its sharp fangs bared shot into the air, and the limbs of the Twin Head Ogre, a boss monster with a massive 6-meter frame, were severed.
Five Death Knights, each commanding legions, appeared to block the way, but nothing changed.
– By. The. Name. Of. The. Lord.
– I. Shall. Bring. Death.
Jin Tae-kyung spoke a single phrase.
“Two, two, one. That works, right?”
Lee Jung-yong nodded.
“Let’s do it that way.”
「Wait. What is that…!」
Before Wu Hei-xing could even question it, the two were already rushing forward.
In just two steps, they closed the distance in an instant and swung their sword and spear without hesitation.
Crash!
The Death Knight’s form staggered as it blocked the whip-like vital energy that curved through the air.
At the sight of the mana-infused sword shattering into pieces, the Death Knight’s eyes widened.
– How. Is. This…!
Crash! Crack!
One exchange. Two exchanges. And.
Slice!
A lightning-fast final strike that signaled the end.
The upper body, severed along with its armor, slid slowly away. Between the deeply worn helmet, the eyes that flickered like a candle before the wind vanished.
Before the Death Knights they each faced could even touch the ground, Jin Tae-kyung and Lee Jung-yong were already charging toward their next enemies.
“Damn it! I’m here too!”
And then Wu Hei-xing, arriving just a moment late, joined the fray.
The fate of the three remaining Death Knights was already sealed.
The monsters, witnessing the annihilation of their commanders, instinctively recoiled in terror.
‘More, more, more.’
Screech! Crash!
Jin Tae-kyung cut and shattered everything in his path. And at some point, I realized something.
‘They’re gone.’
The monsters that had endlessly blocked my way were nowhere to be seen now. Only a damaged road and the Wilderness stretching out on both sides.
And at the end of it all, a city shrouded in thick fog awaited us.
* * *
Lee Jung-yong, Wu Hei-xing, and I raced forward at a furious pace toward the city where the Arch Lich awaited.
– Wicked human. This commander has harbored a long-held wish.
What is it?
– That would be… to return to my Hometown and enjoy a peaceful, ordinary life.
You don’t even remember where your Hometown is since you’ve lost your memories.
– …How could you say something so cruel.
Ah, I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention. So where is your Hometown?
– The place where I first regained consciousness. That is Korea. I have decided to regard it as my spiritual Hometown.
“….”
I faltered as I raced toward the city.
‘Is this creature insane?’
A monster seeking citizenship? An undead illegal immigrant through a Gate, spouting whatever nonsense it pleases. The intent behind all this was obvious enough.
– So please, let’s turn back.
I don’t want to.
– My head has been spinning and my stomach churning since earlier.
That’s interesting. The more I talk with you, the more I seem to experience similar symptoms myself.
– It’s not too late yet! Please stop! If you go there, there’s truly no turning back!
No, that’s not it.
‘It’s already too late.’
I muttered inwardly and pressed forward. As I entered the city, an ominously thick fog and a chilling air greeted me first.
Simultaneously, a familiar yet somehow different aura—one I had felt countless times before—swept across my entire body.
“This is….”
A sticky, unpleasant aura. It didn’t take long for me to discern its nature, and Lee Jung-yong and Wu Hei-xing came to the same realization.
「S-Sir.」
“Yes, indeed.”
Lee Jung-yong, surveying the surroundings with darkened eyes, finally spoke.
“It’s a Gate. I wondered where all those monsters were pouring out from, but now there’s a clear reason for it.”
Lee Jung-yong’s conjecture was not entirely wrong—or rather, it was only half correct. I shook my head slightly and corrected his assessment.
“It doesn’t seem like the Gate transformation is complete yet.”
Wu Hei-xing swallowed hard and posed the question.
“How would you know that?”
“Just a feeling, really.”
“What?”
“Don’t believe me if you don’t want to.”
“…What kind of person is this guy?”
Wu Hei-xing’s expression turned incredulous, exactly as I’d anticipated, but Lee Jung-yong was different.
The emotion glimmering in his gaze as he studied me was unmistakably suspicion mingled with astonishment.
“How did you know that?”
“Did you already know?”
“I just remembered. It was a sensation I felt long ago in North America during the Cataclysm.”
“I see.”
“But it’s a phenomenon that hasn’t occurred even once since the Cataclysm. How did you figure it out?”
“As I said, it’s just intuition. Something told me it would be like this.”
“Something told you…”
Lee Jung-yong studied me with an unreadable expression, his tone resolute.
But there was nothing more I could say. Even if I told him the truth, he wouldn’t understand.
‘I can’t exactly show him the System window.’
I glanced upward into the empty air. There, the System Message that had appeared the moment we entered the city still hovered before my eyes.
Ding.
– You have entered a ???-Tier Gate,
[City Consumed by Darkness]!
Jin has entered!
– You have invaded the headquarters of the
[Arch Lich]!
We’ve invaded their headquarters!
– The city corrupted by mana is already undergoing transformation into a massive Gate. Defeat the Arch Lich, the source of all calamity, to halt the city’s metamorphosis and prevent the disaster to come.
– Quest
[One Returned from Death]
has been generated!
– Until the Quest concludes, the
[Log Out]
function cannot be used!
‘Gate transformation, huh.’
A relic of the past, something I’d only read about in textbooks. Lee Jung-yong gazed beyond the thick fog and opened his mouth.
“Gate transformation was a rare phenomenon even during the Cataclysm. For it to occur, an exceptionally powerful monster must serve as the foundation, rooting mana deep into the land.”
An exceptionally powerful monster—there was no need to deliberate. The name escaped my lips unbidden.
“The Arch Lich.”
“Yes, it must be. That creature is corrupting this city with mana, transforming it into one colossal Gate. The reason it hasn’t shown itself on the battlefield until now—that must be why.”
The number of monsters that have revealed themselves on the battlefield so far has reached two hundred thousand.
That alone was a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions, but if the Gate’s transformation were to complete entirely?
‘It would be the end.’
Humanity would undoubtedly emerge as the final victor, but countless cities would be destroyed and tens of millions—perhaps even hundreds of millions—of people would perish. We had to stop it before it was too late.
“We don’t have much time. We need to hurry.”
Lee Jung-yong nodded at my words.
“Avoid the monsters as much as possible. We’ll need to conserve our strength to face him. Wu Hei-xing, that goes for you too.”
「…Yes.」
We began advancing through the thick fog.
Unlike the small city where I had clashed with Lei Fei before, the place the Arch Lich had made its stronghold boasted an area more than ten times larger, with remnants of former prosperity still visible.
A forest of collapsed high-rise buildings. What had once been the most vibrant district in the city, now reduced to desolation….
We moved with maximum speed and silence.
After advancing for some time with our senses heightened, Lee Jung-yong, who had been leading the group at the front, suddenly spoke.
“Do you know something?”
“If you put it that way, how would I know? Besides, this doesn’t seem like the right time for guessing games.”
Lee Jung-yong let out a low chuckle at my immediate response.
“Lately, I find myself thinking about you quite often.”
“Are you confessing to me now? The timing isn’t great for that either.”
“In a way, perhaps. I mean the thought that you’ll surpass me someday. That kind of thinking.”
“You don’t need to worry about it. Even after ten years, I won’t be able to catch up to your heels, Sub-Guild Master.”
“Ha. Do you really believe that?”
“No. I just threw it out there to sound good.”
“Still as honest as ever. Just like when I first met you.”
“The atmosphere certainly wasn’t great for a first meeting, I’ll admit.”
My memory isn’t particularly sharp, but my first encounter with him remains vivid. And it seemed Lee Jung-yong felt the same way.
“We began with a karmic debt. The more I think about it, the more regrettable it seems.”
“Indeed. If we had resolved things through conversation from the start instead of severing someone’s arm, we could have had a rather heartwarming beginning.”
“Park Ji-hoon made a mistake in his youthful impetuousness. I apologize for that.”
“Surely that’s not entirely your disciple’s fault.”
“Ha, you’re right. There’s fault in my failure to teach him properly as well.”
I gazed at Lee Jung-yong’s retreating figure ahead. What expression was he wearing now as he leaped between buildings with fluid movements?
Lee Jung-yong, who had been chuckling softly, continued speaking.
“Min-woo. You seem to have grown quite close to that boy.”
“We get along well enough.”
“Surprisingly compatible, it seems.”
“He pays well.”
“A business relationship, I hear—a refreshing answer. Then perhaps I too could become close with you?”
I let out a small laugh and replied.
“About seven years ago, I ate red bean bread as a snack at the Hunter Training Institute, and it was so delicious I cried. But when I ate it after entering society, it wasn’t very good. I haven’t eaten it much since then.”
“Your appetite is satisfied now?”
“I’ve already earned enough for several generations to live comfortably. My belly is already full, so what’s the point of forcing more in? I’ll just burst and die.”
“You’re wrong. Humans are always hungry creatures. No matter how much you stuff in, they never know satisfaction. Do you know why?”
“Hmm. Could it be that you’re suffering from binge eating disorder?”
Lee Jung-yong continued in a soft voice.
“It’s greed. More money, fame. Or perhaps the opposite sex. We endlessly crave and hunger for them.”
“Like the Sub-Guild Master?”
“Exactly. Like me.”
Lee Jung-yong laughed aloud. His rather boisterous laughter echoed beyond the thick fog, yet he seemed entirely unbothered.
“They say laughter brings good fortune, but in this case, I’m worried it might bring monsters instead.”
“There are no monsters in this area. You know that too, don’t you?”
“Well, I’m just saying we should be a bit more careful.”
Whoosh!
A wind reeking of stench swept across my entire body.
From building to building. We continued running after leaping across a distance of some twenty meters.
I sensed no monsters, and the visible buildings grew increasingly sparse.
“From here on, let’s reduce our pace.”
“It’s dark. Cramped.”
“Just bear with it a moment longer. But there’s one more thing I’d like to ask, if I may?”
“Anything.”
“Min-woo—what did that kid say about this operation?”
“Nothing much…”
I looked between Lee Jung-yong and Wu Hei-xing alternately as I continued slowly.
“He said it was dangerous and told me not to go.”
“To be precise?”
“Don’t go with people you can’t trust. Something like that.”
The smile at the corners of Lee Jung-yong’s lips deepened.
“Do you suspect me and that friend as well?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“It’s more that…”
I continued with a smile.
“It’s more that… I’m certain.”
“Certain?”
“Yes.”
I continued with a smile.
“I’m certain that you bastards are far more interested in the back of my head than in the Arch Lich. That kind of certainty.”
Lee Jung-yong’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

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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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