Murim Login - Chapter 672

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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 672
Whoooosh!
The fierce wind whipped through, causing the snow-white fur to ripple. I gripped Baek Ho’s nape as I gazed at the passing landscape around us.
Dense undergrowth filled every direction, and towering trees stood like giants.
A snake lurking between moss-covered rocks stared at us with golden eyes, while a leopard that had been crouched in the grass hunting for prey caught sight of Baek Ho and quietly retreated backward.
And above all of this, the sky was gradually brightening.
‘Already?’
I muttered to myself, but soon realized that considerable time had passed.
Since we escaped the Underground Prison just after midnight, by rough calculation, we had been running at full speed for at least three hours.
Growl.
Perhaps that was why—Baek Ho, Mu Ya-ho, who carried me on his back, was breathing far more heavily than before, and fatigue showed in every step he took.
‘That’s understandable.’
Based on my years in the Martial World, I could say with certainty that even a peak master who had mastered some lightness technique would develop varicose veins running at full speed for three hours in this godforsaken wilderness.
Moreover, Mu Ya-ho was a Great Tiger—a beast far larger than an ordinary tiger.
Even a cartographer would abandon mapmaking in such treacherous terrain; his stamina and muscles were being rapidly depleted.
And on top of that, I was riding on his back—no small burden myself.
Though I was no veterinarian, I could tell Mu Ya-ho’s condition with my eyes closed.
‘Only a spirit beast of this caliber could have endured this long.’
True, as a renowned spirit beast of the Southern Wilderness, his basic athletic abilities were excellent, but if we continued like this, he wouldn’t have the strength when it truly mattered.
I stroked his nape and whispered.
“Let’s rest nearby for a moment before continuing.”
– Growl.
The beast understood my words without difficulty and nodded slightly.
Just then, the sound of flowing water reached us from not far away, and as we slowed our pace, we soon discovered a small stream.
Along with a few wild beasts that had come early to drink water.
Squeal?
Wild boars. Good.
Without hesitation, I immediately acted on the thought that flashed through my mind.
‘Inventory open. Summon.’
Having frantically stuffed everything into my inventory to survive, I had become a walking weapon warehouse.
When I pulled out a cheap iron spear I had no memory of storing and threw it, two large wild boars collapsed without even a cry.
Whoosh, thud!
Squeal!
It seemed those two were the parents of the piglets now fleeing.
Watching the young boars scatter like arrows with their cries, my heart grew heavy.
“Sigh.”
– Rumble.
Mu Ya-ho nodded with a solemn gaze, and I continued with a sad expression.
“The piglets have more tender meat. Should’ve caught those instead.”
– …Growl?
What the hell.
Ignoring Mu Ya-ho’s gaze—the kind that questioned whether I was truly human—I stripped the wild boar hide and wedged it against the iron bars.
Crackle. Pop pop.
Adding to that, I used the heat-gathering technique to kindle a campfire. As the wild boar meat cooked amid wisps of rising smoke, a quiet chuckle escaped me.
The reason was simple. It was just that this action, even by my own reckoning, was so absurd it made me laugh.
‘I’ve made the entire Southern Wilderness my enemy, and here I am hosting a barbecue party.’
I know this is insane.
In fact, retracing my steps back along the southeastern road leading toward the heart of the Southern Wilderness was madness from the start.
But no matter how many times I reconsidered, the conclusion remained the same.
Having resolved to follow Yo-hee’s trail, this was the best method available to me.
The very reason I’m committing this insane act of building a fire here, roughly a hundred li from the Outer Palace, stems from that same logic.
‘The more attention I draw here, the higher the chances others will survive.’
Before I left, I gave Tae-san strict instructions.
Run without looking back. Persuade the tribal chiefs of the Scouting Party through Ya-ryul Mok, and escape the Southern Wilderness using the Water Dragon Stronghold’s fast ship.
Then Tae-san, unusually silent for a long moment, said this.
‘Elder Brother.’
‘What.’
‘Tae-san will go with you. I can’t let Elder Brother go alone.’
Perhaps it was because it was dawn, or perhaps because the words were unexpected. In that moment, I too seemed remarkably sentimental.
But despite my stirred heart, my cold-blooded mind knew the truth.
If any of them came with me, neither side could survive unscathed.
‘Wait with the others. I’ll be back soon.’
‘When? How many nights must Tae-san wait?’
‘I’m not sure. About ten nights?’
‘Tae-san doesn’t like that. Ten nights is too long.’
‘Then five nights.’
‘Good. It’s a promise.’
‘Yes, a promise.’
And so I departed, leaving behind a promise I couldn’t even guarantee myself.
Five nights.
Could I return within that time? Or could I return at all? Honestly, I’m not certain.
Even after escaping the Underground Prison, the logout function remains blocked, and countless Southern Wilderness people, now my enemies, are surely tightening their net to find me.
Perhaps….
Rustle.
Yes, even in this very moment.
–
Growl.
Mu Ya-ho, who had been drooling while watching the wild boar meat cook to a golden brown, suddenly emits a low rumbling sound.
But I calm the creature while suppressing its hostility, simultaneously sharpening my senses further.
At the same time, through my increasingly acute five senses, new information flows in steadily.
‘About fifty of them. I can’t tell if that’s all yet, but they’re all warriors… and there are no beasts accompanying them. Did they leave them behind out of fear of being discovered?’
Even if they’d dragged a truckload of beasts along, it wouldn’t have changed anything, but I had to admit it made things easier.
After assessing the situation, I began slowly rotating the iron spit with the wild boar skewered on it.
Ssssszzzzz.
Beyond the appetizing sound of meat browning to golden perfection, the hushed conversation of the uninvited guests faintly tickled my ears.
– That’s him. It has to be. Ya-ryul Mok—he’s got Baek Ho right beside him, the one he treasures.
– That is… I’m not entirely certain. From here, we can only see his back. Perhaps we should return and request reinforcements instead of—
– Pathetic. Heaven has granted us this opportunity, and you’d hand the glory to another tribe? After coming this far, you dare speak such weakness?
– B-but Elder Brother. Even if that man is truly the Han Clan member we know of, how could we possibly handle such a monster right now?
– He’s nothing but flesh and blood like any other human. Look at him—grilling meat like a beggar, alone and out of his mind. If we capture him here, we’ll earn a fortune, and Father might even become the new Tribal Chief.
Hmm. That’s true.
Having listened carefully to the conversation drifting to my ears, I brushed off my backside and stood. Then, turning around, I asked bluntly.
“Really? Do I look that pathetic right now?”
“…!”
“…!”
Even from thirty paces away, I could feel it—the trembling air and the tangle of emotions enveloping those who had been creeping toward me.
Shock. Horror. And…
“Attack!”
A hasty decision born of stupidity and hollow ambition.
But they didn’t know. Despite my tattered clothes, my body was in peak condition, and I was already moving toward them.
Whoooooosh!
My form surged forward at blinding speed. The wind that swept around me tore through the dense grass like a tempest.
Between the scattering leaves and fragments, I could see their eyes wide with shock.
“Well? Why aren’t you drawing your weapons?”
Despite my helpful suggestion, the hands gripping their half-drawn blades remained frozen.
And the leader at the front was no different.
“Y-you… you bastard…”
I felt like I’d seen this face somewhere before.
But that didn’t matter right now.
“Why aren’t you attacking?”
“W-what?”
“You said to attack. You came all this way—aren’t you going to?”
“That is…”
“You won’t? Then I will.”
I spoke quietly, almost casually.
“Attack.”
And in the next instant, a massive shadow fell across the ground.
–
Roooooaaaaarrr!
With a roar, the enormous body that leaped over my head crashed down upon the man.
Crack, crackle-crack!
* * *
Someone once said that force and oppression could never be instruments of dialogue. That it was a gentle expression and kind tone that opened sealed lips.
In truth, it wasn’t entirely wrong. To open sealed lips, one simply needed not mere force and oppression, but absolutely ruthless force and oppression.
And upon reflection, I discovered I possessed quite a remarkable talent in this particular field.
“What is the current situation within the Southern Beast Palace?”
“You bastard! Kill me instead!”
“Fine. Mu Ya-ho?”
Crack!
“Aaaahhhhh!”
“Good work. Now talk.”
Spit.
“Ugh. Ugh-huh-huh.”
“Stop your pathetic whimpering, you wretched fool.”
“Ugh-huh-hup.”
“This time it was your leg, but if you keep crying, next comes your manhood. Do you understand me, you worthless bastard?”
“Gasp. Ugh-uh-uh…!”
“Good. Now I ask again. What is the current situation within the Southern Beast Palace?”
The interrogation proceeded swiftly and smoothly.
Of course, the preliminary work for the interrogation had been flawless.
Those who had foolishly attacked later had their arms broken, and those who had attempted to flee had their legs shattered.
After crippling some twenty men, I merely gave Mu Ya-ho a single chance to bite, and they all became as docile as golden retrievers.
‘This should be about enough.’
There remained the possibility that they had lied during interrogation, but given the sufficient evidence and credibility, treating their words as fact seemed reasonable enough.
Besides, everyone becomes honest before death. Especially before the threat of castration.
And having finished all interrogations, I glanced first at the man who had been attacked by Mu Ya-ho.
His entire body crushed, he barely clung to life, breathing heavily, and when his eyes met mine, he let out a whimper.
‘Where have I seen him before?’
Blood doesn’t lie—he bore the exact face of his father, the Tribal Chief.
Of course, that man who was this wretch’s father was not particularly important to me.
On the first day of the Grand Council and the day of the Yao Seo Tribe’s tragedy, he was merely a sycophant desperate to stand behind Baek Sang.
But that was precisely why I chose to spare him and the others.
“Go back and deliver a message.”
At my quiet words, the man’s lips trembled with fearful eyes.
“W-what message?”
“That I am here. Somewhere not far away, watching over you all.”
“…!”
“Do not forget everything you heard today. I will not forget either.”
The man and the Southern Barbarians around him, who had been keenly attuned to my every move, trembled violently.
They would surely remember this day until their dying breath.
My expression and tone of voice. My gestures and actions.
And during the interrogation that followed, when I learned that the Miao Clan warriors who had attacked the Underground Prison the night before were still alive, I left them with a warning.
‘If you dare touch them, you will all die. Not necessarily today. Perhaps tomorrow. Or next year. Maybe when you’ve convinced yourselves that everything is over and you’ve let your guard down.’
People fear threats because they are grounded in the anxiety that such threats might actually come to pass.
And in their eyes, I was more than sufficient to fulfill such a promise.
The successor who inherited the legacy of the Yeolhwa Sect. The descendant of Fire King Red Sky River. A monster unprecedented in history who had shaken the realm at barely twenty years of age.
That was enough.
Today I had carved an indelible fear into the marrow of their bones, and now that fear would spread among the Southern Wilderness people who stood with Baek Sang.
Swiftly. Farther still.
So thoroughly that no tribe would dare harm them.
Though perfect safety remained elusive while Baek Sang still lived, this was the best I could offer them now.
“Leave at once. Unless you wish to die here.”
“…!”
“…!”
Moments later, perched upon the branch of an ancient tree, I watched fifty-odd figures flee through the forest, their faces drained of all color.
As if possessed by ghosts, they scattered in panic, and only after watching their retreating forms disappear entirely did I slowly draw forth the Three Heavens’ Flame from my palms.
Whoooosh.
Flames kindled in both hands.
Now it was time to ignite the beacon—the great pyre that would draw the vast net of Heaven’s Pursuit toward me. A brilliant beacon, burning with an entire forest as kindling.
Crackle. Roooaaarrr!
Watching the terrible heat and flames spread in all directions, consuming the forest, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘Old Master Noya would probably curse me out if he saw this.’
I chuckled softly and turned away from the blazing forest.
Ahead, Mu Ya-ho was already charging forward with a half-charred wild boar clenched between his teeth.

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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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