Murim Login - Chapter 519

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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 519
Boom!
The massive Inn engulfed in flames—charred wooden pillars collapsed, and ash billowed upward. The face of the demon that emerged through the inferno was not merely familiar; it was shocking.
“What in the world is this madness?”
….
That’s precisely what I wanted to ask.
A moment of silence descended. Mu-myeong’s gaze upon me trembled as though the earth itself had quaked. A whispered transmission slipped through his barely moving lips, piercing my ears.
– Why, why is Fire King emerging from there?
How should I know?
– Wasn’t it Dark Heaven?
That’s what I’d like to ask you.
– Amitabha Buddha. Could you be Dark Heaven?
No, what kind of insane nonsense is this?
If we’re Dark Heaven, then you must belong to the Vatican.
I wasn’t the only one rendered speechless by Mu-myeong’s words. Jeok Cheon-gang, who had some skill in eavesdropping on transmissions, already bore the twisted visage of a demon.
“What? The old master is Dark Heaven?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that. There’s simply been a minor misunderstanding….”
To cut to the conclusion, my attempt to dispel the misunderstanding came to naught. More precisely, our proud Martial World crusaders, ablaze with fervor on the eve of establishing the Martial Alliance, would not permit it.
“Dark Heaven!”
“The Demon Master has revealed himself as Dark Heaven!”
Keywords entered.
“Wait a moment. It seems you know the Crimson Divine Dragon.”
“Of course we know each other! Has the Crimson Divine Dragon not fought Dark Heaven more than once?”
“Indeed. The Demon Master of Dark Heaven!”
Logic of miracles.
“A demonic wretch! Your very appearance reeks of malevolence and calamity!”
“And that blood-red hair—it portends a world drenched in crimson!”
Physical disparagement.
“Kill him at once!”
“Whoever captures him shall become a hero!”
Medieval crusade-style conclusion.
This entire sequence unfolded in a span so brief it could be called an instant. Before long, caught in the collective frenzy of nearly a thousand Martial World crusaders, both Mu-myeong and I, our wits scattered, frantically waved our hands.
“No, that’s not it! It’s not!”
“Amitabha Buddha! Everyone, stop! This venerable one is the disciple of my master, Dharma King Hung-do….”
At Mu-myeong’s cry, the Martial World practitioners nearby widened their eyes.
“Huh.”
“Is that true?”
Now we’re getting somewhere sensible.
Mu-myeong, regarding me with precisely that expression, nodded his head.
“Yes, it is.”
“Hah! Not just any Demon Master, but Hyung Soo who harmed Dharma King Hung-do!”
“Pardon?”
“A Demon Master worthy of universal condemnation! Tear his limbs asunder!”
“….”
Damn it all, this is infuriating.
These Murim bastards—did listening to someone’s full explanation cause them to fall into demonic delusion? They refused to comprehend anything.
And the grand finale to this collective madness was provided by a stranger who emerged from the rubble of the collapsed structure.
“Cease, you villain! How dare you commit such atrocities in Hanan!”
Red Sky River, who had been watching this insane spectacle with gaping mouth, muttered in a pitiful tone.
“These fools have all lost their minds. First, let me hear what the old master has to say….”
“No time for talk! This Wol-mi-do shall never forgive you!”
“…Fine, let’s fight then.”
Yes, for Red Sky River’s temperament, he’d shown remarkable restraint.
Whoosh. Bang!
Wol-mi-do went flying spectacularly.
The figure of Wol-mi-do, who had rushed forward like a beam of light, was sent hurtling backward like a cannonball, embedding itself deep within the debris. A single punch—something these Murim practitioners had never witnessed nor could ever imagine. The tremendous martial prowess froze the very air around them in an instant.
“Wol-mi-do was sent flying with just one strike…!”
“Ah, the Demon Master’s martial arts have reached the heavens!”
His martial arts aside, it seemed his rage had reached the heavens instead. And everyone present seemed to understand instinctively that no one should provoke Red Sky River in his current state. They all wanted to defeat the Demon Master and gain fame, but none wished to be the one defeated.
‘Finally, some peace and quiet.’
Now that everyone had fallen silent, this was the only chance to clear up the misunderstanding. After clearing my throat once, I opened my mouth. Or rather, I was about to.
“There seems to be a serious misunderstanding. The person over there is not the Demon Master, but rather….”
“Silence! Clear the way!”
“Damn it!”
I’m going to lose my mind. Who the hell is this now?
But the intruder who appeared between the parting crowd like the Red Sea was not someone I could simply call a bastard.
“Byuk Ryuk Do-wang has arrived!”
“Paeng Dae-hyeop comes personally to punish the Demon Master!”
Step. Step.
A massive elderly figure moving through the emboldened atmosphere. With his broad shoulders spread wide and piercing eyes, the sight of Byuk Ryuk Do-wang with an enormous saber slung across his shoulders drew a sigh from Red Sky River.
“Finally, someone I can reason with.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Byuk Ryuk Do-wang and Red Sky River had considerable history between them, despite their constant bickering. They were old rivals—or rather, old friends. He would certainly recognize Red Sky River’s identity without difficulty.
As expected, Byuk Ryuk Do-wang’s eyes widened as he examined Red Sky River from head to toe.
“What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story. First, disperse these people.”
“Answer my question first.”
“Hm?”
“What’s that Demon Master bastard doing here?”
“…!”
“…!”
Red Sky River’s eyelids trembled violently.
* * *
Clop. Clop.
In the profound silence, only the sound of hoofbeats echoed. The massive old man who had been gazing wordlessly at the landscape beyond the carriage suddenly opened his mouth.
“Truth be told, I saw through it the moment I laid eyes on him. There was no way I couldn’t have.”
Before the eyes of all present, Byuk Ryuk Do-wang continued in a grave voice.
“Red hair and red eyes—anyone would recognize the Fire King. The others never dreamed the Red family had undergone such a transformation, but I was able to discern it.”
“I see.”
I nodded and asked.
“But why did you suddenly brandish your blade like that?”
“That was….”
“Ah, and I’d also like an explanation for why you ordered a full assault after exchanging just one move and falling behind.”
“Falling behind? Hehehehe.”
Another heavy silence descended. Facing the eyes of all present—including myself—brimming with skepticism, Byuk Ryuk Do-wang opened his mouth with a stern expression.
“It was to give them real combat experience.”
“Ah. Real combat experience.”
“A foundation, if you will, for the battle with Dark Heaven that will soon unfold. If the opponent is Fire King Red Sky River, wouldn’t it be valuable experience for everyone?”
I asked earnestly.
“By any chance, does that ‘experience’ refer to experiencing the afterlife?”
“….”
Byuk Ryuk Do-wang became silent as a stone, his lips sealed. Had he any conscience, he could do nothing else—twenty people had been carried to the Medical Hall. Most of them were third-rate martial artists caught in the aftermath of the exchanges between the Fire King and Byuk Ryuk Do-wang, two of the Ten Kings.
‘At least it ended there.’
If the poet Yun Dong-ju of the colonial era suffered at the wind rustling through leaves, these men had been utterly devastated by the howling gale of blades.
“Still, I heard everyone was unharmed.”
“Unharmed, yes. At least for the next fortnight, they’ll remain unharmed. They’ll be lying in the Medical Hall the whole time.”
The results of their afterlife experience were certain.
No matter how accustomed martial artists are to living on the blade’s edge, PTSD cannot be ignored. When I visited the Medical Hall and saw the victims, their faces were ashen and they couldn’t speak.
Especially that rogue called Wol-mi-do—he was severe. He trembled so violently that I mistook Hanan for the Sejong Station in Antarctica.
“If Paeng Dae-hyeop hadn’t issued the order for total assault, this wouldn’t have happened.”
At my continued harsh criticism, Byuk Ryuk Do-wang’s eyes widened sharply.
“And what of you?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you! Wasn’t it you who scraped together every martial artist in the vicinity?”
“I acknowledge that part. But in that situation, it was beyond my control. Wasn’t it?”
At my question, my accomplice Mu-myeong, sitting in the corner, caressed his prayer beads.
“The words of Jin are correct. Even if the Buddha himself had been in the position of a wandering monk, he would have rushed forward crying out to vanquish demons.”
“Could you uproot the Bodhi tree and crush the Demon Master’s skull?”
“Amitabha. It is possible.”
“….”
Byuk Ryuk Do-wang possessed a temperament no less formidable than Red Sky River’s, yet even he dared not openly oppress Mu-myeong. The sole disciple left behind by his once-intimate companion, Dharma King Hung-do, remained a tender wound he could not bear to touch.
“Ugh.”
Byuk Ryuk Do-wang released a groan of pain, glaring at me with bristling hostility.
“And this wretch has been—!”
“What is it? Why?”
“Are you close with me?”
“No, we’re not close.”
“Then you mock the Hebei Paeng Family?”
“How does that follow? You’re simply muddying the argument because you’ve run out of words.”
“A whelp whose head still drips with youth, constantly talking back since earlier—”
“Ugh. Dentures clicking away.”
Though I couldn’t say precisely what dentures meant, the emotion woven into those words came through perfectly clear.
“How dare you!”
Just as Byuk Ryuk Do-wang’s face flushed crimson and he began to rise from his seat, two figures who had maintained silence throughout nearly simultaneously opened their mouths.
“Compose yourself, Paeng Dae-hyeop.”
“Enough. All of you, shut your mouths.”
Entirely different voices and atmospheres. Perhaps the two characters “Ten Kings” were the only common thread binding these two men together.
“I seem to have been reckless. My blood simply boiled after so long. My apologies.”
Chang Cheon Geom-wang acknowledged his fault with admirable restraint, and Red Sky River continued in his wake.
“I’ve done nothing wrong. You lot were the reckless ones.”
“….”
Yes, this is how our Old Master Noya should be.
An evergreen that never withers. Byuk Ryuk Do-wang regarded Red Sky River with an expression that asked whether this creature was even human.
“Red Sky River. Do you feel no guilt whatsoever?”
“Why should I feel guilt? When martial artists meet, we exchange blows—it’s natural. Even at the inn, there were already people fighting and striking one another.”
“What would have happened if the Namgung Clan’s master hadn’t stepped in at precisely that moment!”
True to Byuk Ryuk Do-wang’s words, the peacemaker who resolved the chaos was none other than Chang Cheon Geom-wang. After a brief exchange with Red Sky River that left him with minor internal injuries, he had revealed himself only after settling his qi. One of the Namgung Clan’s retainers among the assembled warlords recognized him.
“Ah! Ah! The Grand Patriarch!”
It was a shriek as though they’d glimpsed a ghost.
The other martial artists, whose eyes had been consumed by the two characters “Dark Heaven,” finally regained their senses. Some madman even asked whether the Namgung Clan was also Dark Heaven, but fortunately, our proud Martial World’s crusade members managed to recover their reason. In truth, had Red Sky River simply refrained from his Half-Rotation Reversal, several people would have recognized him anyway.
“We nearly witnessed a catastrophe!”
“It could have been explained sufficiently. And that disaster occurred because your Peng Family eyes are as blind as a dog’s.”
“The inn collapsed! People were injured!”
“Ahem.”
Red Sky River, evidently stung by conscience, cleared his throat before continuing with shameless composure.
“Given the location, I controlled my strength appropriately. At worst, people were struck by falling debris—a bit of saliva and they’ll recover. I’ll compensate the innkeeper sufficiently. Even I admit I was a touch excessive.”
“…Is that the same man who burned Jiuhua Mountain and slew a thousand Demon Cult disciples? Listening to you, my chest swells with magnificence.”
“Those deserved death, naturally. Those wretched bastards never intended to compensate anyone from the start.”
“….”
What is this feeling? Absurd sophistry, yet somehow possessed of its own logical coherence.
Byuk Ryuk Do-wang, momentarily at a loss for words, muttered under his breath.
“…Only the skin worn through Half-Reversion has changed, but the core remains the same. Still as insufferably stubborn as ever.”
“You of the Peng Family—why don’t you change your own face skin? A man who can’t even master Half-Reversion, just growing old uselessly.”
“How dare you!”
“Ah, so that’s how it looks when someone who can’t master Half-Reversion throws a tantrum. Exactly as expected.”
“You of the Red Sky River clan—you overstep yourself!”
“Hmm? What’s that? I can barely hear the words of some nameless nobody who never mastered Half-Reversion.”
Observe how expertly he delivers that wide-area strike.
Though others might not have noticed, I saw it—Chang Cheon Geom-wang’s shoulders trembling slightly from his seat by the carriage window. In that moment, as he averted his gaze from mine and gazed out the window, his lips suddenly parted.
“Gentlemen, I believe it would be best if you ceased this now.”
At first, I thought he merely meant to redirect the conversation, but following Chang Cheon Geom-wang’s gaze out the window, I murmured in agreement.
“Ah, yes. That would indeed be wise.”
At the end of my line of sight stretched a long expanse of city wall and countless throngs of people. And upon the massive plaque above the iron gate, three characters were inscribed in a brushstroke as grand as a dragon.
Martial Alliance.

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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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