Murim Login - Chapter 58

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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 58
The battlefield descended into chaos. At the signal, two hundred warriors transformed in an instant, sweeping across all directions like a pack of ravenous wolves.
“Kill them all!”
“Aaaahhhhh!”
They weren’t quite as formidable as Gwak Jun and the assassins I’d faced earlier, but a razor-sharp killing intent radiated from their very beings.
If the warriors of the Taewon Jin Family and the Hangsan Inspection Bureau combined their strength, we’d have a genuine chance at victory—but right now, in this moment, it seemed impossible.
‘This is bad.’
In the worst case, I might have to extract Jin Wi-kyung and flee with him alone.
While such grim thoughts consumed me, rough breathing echoed from behind as the Scout Unit members arrived.
“Commander, let us help you—wait!”
The moment they took in the unfolding carnage, their eyes bulged from their sockets. Hyuk Moo-jin, crawling up behind them, dropped his jaw in shock.
“Bleeegh!”
“…So it was you.”
He’d clearly had a rough time. After finishing a violent bout of retching, Hyuk Moo-jin spoke with the pallid face of a dying man.
“I think this is as far as I can go, sir.”
Anyone watching would’ve mistaken him for a wounded soldier who’d fought valiantly before taking a blade.
I gripped his shoulder firmly.
“Moo-jin. You can do this.”
“No, sir. I’m finished. I’ll only be a burden.”
“A burden? You’re an excellent meat shield—”
“Pardon?”
“Shield! You’re the Taewon Jin Family’s shield!”
“You definitely said meat shield.”
Ignoring his skeptical muttering, I hauled him to his feet. Right now, every hand—every meat shield, rather—was desperately needed.
Besides, apart from myself, Hyuk Moo-jin was the Scout Unit’s strongest fighter. Damn, there I go again with that phrasing.
I lowered my voice deliberately.
“The Main Residence is in crisis. You’d abandon it and run?”
Honestly, I would’ve run.
“No, sir!”
If I’d been a twenty-first century office worker, I’d have spat in their face and walked away even if they’d offered workers’ compensation—but these Scout Unit members possessed a loyalty that exceeded my expectations. Hyuk Moo-jin drew his blade with a deathly pale expression.
“Very well. A true warrior should die fighting, not fleeing.”
“Your resolve is admirable, but try not to die.”
“But you just called me a meat shield?”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“No.”
Hyuk Moo-jin’s blade-sharp response drew light laughter among the Scout Unit members. The tension that had frozen our bodies in the face of this massive battle began to thaw.
I smiled and gripped my spear tightly.
“Eyes wide open, ears alert. Follow my orders exactly, and you’ll all walk out of here alive.”
That was a vow I made to myself—to keep these men alive no matter what.
‘Please, don’t die.’
I don’t know how this war will end, or who will die and who will live.
I can only do my best.
“Let’s go.”
With those words, we surged forward like a tempest. We were an arrow with me as its point, and our target was already fixed.
‘The Grand Elder.’
Beyond my clear vision, I saw the white-haired Old Master. Beneath his feet lay a fallen figure and a pool of blood pooling thick.
A scorching inferno erupted from deep within my belly.
“To my Elder Brother….”
I wrenched a spear from where it had been planted like a tombstone over someone’s corpse. And in the next instant.
“Get your hands off, you bastard!”
The spear shot in a straight line, compressing dozens of paces into nothing.
A suppressed cry burst from the mouth of one of the Scout Unit members.
“Got it!”
That was when the Grand Elder’s sword moved.
Whoosh.
A single streak of light. The spear, split in half, ricocheted away on both sides.
The same result as before. But this time, because the distance between me and the Grand Elder had closed considerably, I could witness it clearly.
A blue flash that erupted along the blade in that instant.
‘An Aura?’
No, why would that appear here?
* * *
Aura.
A crystallized form of mana that only those who are at least A-rank Hunters can manifest.
Mana and martial power differ only in name, but in terms of inner energy, they are identical. This is Murim, so in other words, it’s sword energy. Sword energy.
Ha, ha, ha.
‘Damn it, is this a joke?’
I’d known for a while that the Grand Elder was a master. I’d even steeled myself for a direct confrontation if necessary. The problem was that a Grand Elder who wielded sword energy wasn’t part of my plan.
‘This isn’t good.’
I glanced sideways and saw about a dozen pairs of trembling eyes.
Among them, Hyuk Moo-jin’s pupils were practically vibrating.
“Um, Squad Leader.”
“Huh? Yeah?”
“That just now looked like sword energy.”
“Yeah, it did….”
“Can you use sword energy too, Squad Leader?”
“If I could, I’d have used it by now. Jo Pil wasn’t even at that level.”
“Right?”
“Yeah. But are you holding up okay?”
“I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
We slowed our pace as if by mutual agreement. The sprint had become a jog, but the feeling of running into the lion’s mouth remained the same.
“Hey, Squad Leader.”
I opened my mouth, my face completely drained of color. My skin was pale enough to pass for a European’s.
“Are you certain the Grand Elder betrayed us?”
“Certain.”
“Could there be some misunderstanding….”
Before he could finish, three or four black-clad figures rushed at us with a shout.
“Protect the lord!”
“For the Grand Elder!”
Those slogans—I could use them as a toast at the Taewon Jin Family’s year-end banquet. I cut down all the black-clad assailants rushing toward us and turned to Hyuk Moo-jin.
“What were you saying?”
“…Nothing important.”
Hyuk Moo-jin, defeated in his attempt at mental victory, shook his head with a gloomy expression.
But that was only temporary. Step by step, as I drew closer to the Grand Elder, he began desperately searching for a way to survive this.
“Why must people fight?”
This bastard’s aiming for the Nobel Peace Prize.
“A moment ago you said you’d rather die fighting. How very martial of you.”
“That’s the worst-case scenario. It would be better to resolve this through dialogue.”
“Dialogue’s fine. But they sent assassins first.”
“Ah.”
“And I threw a spear.”
“Ah, ah.”
“While throwing it, I cursed too.”
“Oh, ah, ah, ah.”
When the distance to the Grand Elder narrowed to within ten paces, Hyuk Moo-jin’s face had gone completely ashen. The other Scout Unit members didn’t say anything, but you could see them trembling visibly.
Of course, I’m in a similar state. Just thinking of sword energy makes my chest flutter.
‘I’m completely caught.’
But I have no intention of running. If I did, I wouldn’t have come back in the first place. I would have just lived contentedly with what I had.
I’ve already come too far. There’s only one path left.
“Stop.”
At my word, everyone stopped as if they’d been waiting for it. Hyuk Moo-jin’s face showed he was expecting some dramatic peace treaty, but I gripped my spear and stepped forward.
“Where are you going?”
“To fight. You all wait here.”
“Have you lost your mind? We should wait for the Young Master to arrive and combine our forces….”
“See that person lying there?”
“Yes.”
“That’s my Elder Brother.”
Hyuk Moo-jin, who had been staring at me with an expression as if the sky were collapsing, let out a heavy sigh.
“Then I’m coming with you.”
“What?”
“Even a meat shield like me might give us a sliver of a chance, right?”
This bastard actually has such thoughtful ideas.
I let out a quiet chuckle and turned away.
“Going to die? I’ll take a look around and come back, so wait here.”
Now the distance between me and the Grand Elder was merely three paces.
A gap that either of us could close in an instant.
Heavy silence pressed down through the space between us. In mere moments, my palms grew slick with sweat.
‘Exhale.’
But I’m no pushover either. Back when I was merely a second-rate at level 30, I’d already defeated Jo Pil, a master at his peak, and I’ve continued to grow even after returning to reality.
Now at level 40, I’m confident I’m a formidable master in both reality and Murim alike. No—I am a master.
‘If I maintain maximum distance while fighting….’
In a battle where life and death are decided by mere centimeters, the spear’s attack range is an enormous advantage.
I steadied my breathing while meeting the Grand Elder’s gaze.
‘It’s worth a try.’
I drew my inner force up in one breath and surged forward. One pace. The distance where my spear could reach the Grand Elder. And the distance where his sword could not reach me.
‘Now!’
I drove the spear blade down toward the Grand Elder’s crown.
At the same moment, the system notification I’d been waiting for chimed.
Ding.
– Title,
[Gambler]
effect is applied.
–
[Strength]
temporarily increases.
–
[Agility]
temporarily increases.
–
[Stamina]
temporarily….
Gambler. The title effect that boosts all combat-related stats by 10% during one-on-one duels permeated through every fiber of my being.
And on top of that.
Whoosh!
The surge in stats accelerated my attack. In an instant, the spear blade fell with blinding speed toward the Grand Elder’s crown.
‘This is… going to land.’
It was certainty.
Even that monster Jo Pil wouldn’t be able to dodge it. But the person I was facing wasn’t Jo Pil.
It was the Grand Elder.
Boom!
The spear shaft vibrated with a deafening crash. The Grand Elder, who’d blocked my spear at a speed almost too fast to perceive, smiled wickedly.
“Quite impressive. Better than I expected.”
I didn’t even have time to respond before I channeled every ounce of strength I possessed into my spear. The tremendous force behind it—the kind that would make even a master swordsman struggle—bore down on his blade.
Grrk.
With an unpleasant grinding sound, his sword began to rise slowly upward….
Wait, hold on.
‘It should go down, so why is it coming up?’
Despite all the force I was exerting, I was the one being pushed back. The Grand Elder’s laughter deepened at my bewildered expression.
“A valiant effort, but did you truly think that would suffice?”
In the next instant, a sensation that made my hair stand on end swept across my entire body.
Tssss.
A blue haze blooming above the blade. Sword energy.
Before I could even react, the spear tip that had been slowly giving way was sliced clean off like tofu.
Shink.
Now it was no longer a spear but a staff. A long staff.
Another flash of sword energy came at me as I retreated.
Shink.
The long staff became a short one.
Shink.
“….”
Damn it, even nunchaku would be longer than this. I hurled the iron rod—no longer a spear or staff—directly at the Grand Elder.
Shink.
“Running away, are you?”
Running away? How insulting.
I’d already thrown the rod and launched myself sideways, seizing Jin Wi-kyung’s collar as he lay motionless.
‘Done!’
My objective from the start had been singular: rescuing Jin Wi-kyung.
With my goal achieved, there was no need to fight this monster of an old man. I pulled Jin Wi-kyung into my arms and threw myself forward with every ounce of strength.
Whoosh— Crash!
The sword energy that arrived too late carved a gash across the ground.
Hyuk Moo-jin and the Scout Unit members surrounded us, barely escaping the Grand Elder’s attack range.
“Protect the unit commander!”
“Are you alright?”
I remained silent. I’d forgotten both the urgent need to flee from the Grand Elder and the fact that we were in a battlefield.
My mind was consumed by a single question.
‘What is this?’
I had definitely rescued Jin Wi-kyung. I was supposed to have.
But who in the world was this macho old man now cradled in my arms?
His face covered in sword scars and his eyes bloodshot, I asked in a trembling voice.
“Forgive me, but who…are you?”
At that moment, a sharp cry burst from Hyuk Moo-jin’s lips.
“Ugh! Lee Cheon-baek!”
Lee Cheon-baek? Where have I heard that name before?
“You know this person?”
“Of course I do!”
“Are you close?”
“What nonsense! It’s the Blood Wolf Sword, Lee Cheon-baek!”
“The Blood Wolf Sword?”
“Yes! The very Blood Wolf Sword…!”
“That’s quite an impressive epithet. Sounds like a master swordsman.”
Hyuk Moo-jin tore at his hair and cried out.
“He’s the Sect Master of the Hangsan Inspection Bureau! The Blood Wolf Sword, Lee Cheon-baek!”
“…!”
I stumbled backward in haste. This old man was Lee Cheon-baek? Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
‘He’s Lee So-gun’s father.’
The man who had waged war because he believed I poisoned his son. A cold-blooded killer who had slaughtered without distinction—adults and children alike—in his quest for vengeance.
‘I saved the wrong person, and I nearly got stabbed for it.’
Yet Lee Cheon-baek no longer seemed to possess the strength for such things.
His entire body was drenched in blood, and he couldn’t move a single hand—a sign of either severe internal injuries or pressure point strikes.
‘At least it’s not Jin Wi-kyung. That’s something.’
As if reading my thoughts, Hyuk Moo-jin asked.
“Then where is the Young Master?”
“I don’t know. And…”
I hastily grabbed the back of his neck and yanked him aside. A blade whistled through the space where Hyuk Moo-jin had been standing just moments before, embedding itself in the ground.
‘I’ve really stepped in it this time.’
I exhaled a long sigh and continued.
“Will that old man let us go?”
The Grand Elder burst into raucous laughter.
“Ha ha ha! What impudent behavior!”
“Would you let us go if I showed proper courtesy?”
“Don’t you think you’ve already come far too far for that?”
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Sword energy surged forth. Words were no longer necessary.
I pulled a spear from among the corpses and drew it free. Then, under the gaze of everyone present, I spoke.
“Encirclement formation. Deploy.”
One of the ancient hunter’s maxims.
‘There are strong monsters, but no monsters that cannot be hunted.’
What makes that possible is a Raid.

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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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