Murim Login - Chapter 711

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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 711
Sometimes, a certain kind of silence speaks louder than countless emotions and words combined.
Just like now.
“Um, perhaps we could start by you removing your hand?”
“….”
To put it bluntly, Jeok Cheon-gang neither removed his hand nor offered any response. He simply stared at my face and body with the vacant expression of someone lost in a dream.
What is this bastard doing? Could this all be a dream?
That was precisely the look in his eyes, and I understood Jeok Cheon-gang’s state of mind perfectly.
‘There’s no way he could react any differently.’
A man I’d watched dying before my eyes had somehow come back to life.
Even that prophet from the neighboring faith—the one who was crucified and rose three days later—still bore scars on his palms. But five level-ups had transformed my skin into that of an unblemished infant, unmarked by any wound.
And right before Jeok Cheon-gang’s very eyes.
Crack!
A sharp, resonant sound suddenly pierced the air.
Jeok Cheon-gang, having slapped his own cheek with all his might, blinked and looked at me, then opened his mouth with a grave expression.
“Answer me one question. Am I dreaming right now?”
I answered carefully.
“No, you’re not.”
“No matter how much I think about it, this feels like a dream.”
“Then try slapping yourself again.”
Crack!
True to form, no hesitation.
He’d clearly struck himself with considerable force.
Jeok Cheon-gang spat out a thick mouthful of blood, then took a deep breath.
“…Damn it. So it’s not a dream. Then is it an illusion from the Qimen Formation?”
“No, that’s not it either. If I were an illusion, whose hand would Old Master Noya be holding right now?”
“A sorcerer from Dark Heaven layering an illusion over you. Or perhaps the Nantian Demon Empress, whom we thought dead. She’s using this moment while I’m entranced to prepare a killing blow.”
“Your imagination is truly something else. Have you lost your mind?”
“Your manner of speech makes it unmistakably you, though. Ugh. This is driving me insane.”
“It’s driving me insane too.”
I meant it sincerely.
I’d kept the System strictly hidden until now, but there was no way to conceal it anymore—I’d been completely exposed.
I sighed and looked at Jeok Cheon-gang, whose expression still seemed utterly bewildered.
No matter how many times I looked at him in his shaved head and tattered monk’s robes, I couldn’t get used to the sight.
“But what in the world is that getup?”
“Can’t you tell by looking? It’s a disguise. Doesn’t this make me look reasonably like a monk?”
“You look like a defrocked monk who burned down a temple and fled.”
“…You wretched bastard. Did you think I wanted to play at being a bald monk? To evade Dark Heaven’s eyes, it was unavoidable. Especially since my hair was so distinctive—I shaved it all off.”
True enough, even in a world as vast as this, people with red hair were rare. Wherever one went, it would draw attention, and rumors would spread inevitably.
Of course, that alone didn’t explain everything.
At the very least, the Blood Monk I know is a terrifying demon lord who single-handedly dyed Guangxi Province in blood.
“So the man who even disguised himself as a monk to evade Dark Heaven’s gaze… killed hundreds of innocent martial artists?”
“That’s because what those bastards were doing was so… what?”
Jeok Cheon-gang’s brow furrowed as he tried to continue speaking.
“Innocent martial artists? What nonsense is that?”
“…?”
“It’s true that I inadvertently drew attention in Guangxi Province. While those Sa-pa dogs were taking advantage of the chaos to commit all manner of atrocities, I decided to intervene.”
“Sa-pa? Did you just say Sa-pa?”
“Yes. They were masquerading as Dark Heaven’s work while committing all sorts of wickedness. I went directly to them and smashed about six of their branches to pieces, after which the remaining dregs scattered in all directions.”
“…!”
Only after listening to Jeok Cheon-gang’s account with my mouth agape did I grasp the full picture.
‘That martial artist who fled from Guangxi Province.’
The one who supposedly died of endemic disease the moment he entered the Southern Wilderness was actually a Sa-pa remnant who had been fleeing from Jeok Cheon-gang’s iron fists.
As the saying goes, a crab is comfortable with another crab, and a person must have good judgment.
In the Southern Wilderness, where outsiders were already despised, he couldn’t possibly reveal himself as a villain, and in that process, the Sa-pa martial artists killed by Jeok Cheon-gang were transformed into righteous heroes who loved justice and peace.
It was the sort of incident that could only happen in the Southern Wilderness, so isolated and cut off from the outside world.
‘How in the hell did it come to this.’
As I stared blankly at Jeok Cheon-gang, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind, and I hastily opened my mouth.
“Then perhaps on the way here….”
“I don’t know who you’re referring to, but I met them all. The water thieves who dive in the Yangtze River, the Southern Wilderness men who suddenly drew their blades, and your subordinates as well.”
“Ah.”
“Pyo Wang’s granddaughter said the moment she saw me that you were in danger. As for that brat, he grabbed my pant leg and wailed so much I nearly broke his wrist.”
Just hearing it, I could vividly picture them. Their desperate forms, more earnest than anyone’s.
And Jeok Cheon-gang’s figure, rushing straight here without a single doubt or hesitation upon hearing I was in danger.
“But why did the conversation take this turn? If anyone needs an explanation, it’s me.”
Watching Jeok Cheon-gang deliberately furrow his brow, I suddenly let out a soft laugh.
“…You’re laughing?”
At Jeok Cheon-gang’s bewildered expression, my laughter deepened.
“Of course I’m laughing. We’ve met again alive like this.”
“…!”
“I’m sorry, and I’m grateful. I’m sure you have many questions, but I’ll explain everything later. I promise.”
After hearing my words, Jeok Cheon-gang looked as though he had much to say, but soon replied in a subdued voice.
“Damn bastard.”
It was a single phrase mixed with countless emotions.
It sounded almost like he was thanking me for staying alive, and between him and me, that was enough.
“Stop laughing. It’s getting to me.”
“For someone who claims affection isn’t getting to him, you were crying quite pitifully. Ah, of course, I’m not talking about Old Master Noya.”
“…Can’t that mouth of yours shut.”
Only then remembering his own behavior from moments before, Jeok Cheon-gang grumbled but took my hand and helped me to my feet.
Thud.
Dust and stone fragments that had covered my entire body cascaded down. The pain had long since vanished, but for a moment, my vision blurred.
‘Hmm.’
I swallowed a silent groan.
My body, fully recovered through five consecutive level-ups, moved according to my will, yet my spirit—ravaged by relentless combat—was utterly exhausted.
‘Ah, I want to sleep.’
The desire to collapse right then and there burned fiercely within me.
I yearned for a day where both body and mind could rest deeply, awakening refreshed to gaze upon clear skies and gradually shake off the weight of slumber.
But… not yet.
The sky stretched overhead remained thick with dark clouds, and those bearing wounds both great and small lay scattered about, groaning softly.
If I abandoned them now, they would sink into a sleep from which they could never awaken.
Jeok Cheon-gang, surveying the surroundings belatedly, bore an equally grim expression.
“…It would have been better had I hurried more.”
It was futile regret, needless self-reproach. Had Jeok Cheon-gang not arrived, all of us—myself included—might have been buried here.
“Let us make haste. Before it grows too late.”
I nodded at Jeok Cheon-gang’s words and chose the most precise and swift method.
‘Skill, [Qi Sense] activated.’
Ding.
With the clear chime of the system’s activation, a blue circle emanating from my center enveloped a fixed radius. Simultaneously, as I beheld the level windows rising from various points, my chest grew heavy.
‘Far too few.’
The number of level windows I could confirm with my eyes was merely thirty or so.
The thousand Southern Barbarian warriors and the three hundred of the White Heaven Squad—all had been buried here.
Yet one mercy remained: those still clinging to life showed injuries that were not critically severe.
‘In the end, even the Nantian Demon Empress must have conserved her strength.’
With a heavy heart, I moved swiftly toward the nearest fallen figure.
Wang Ho, Commander of the White Heaven Squad. I grasped his wrist and channeled my inner force through his spine, the same force he had driven toward the Nantian Demon Empress in those final moments.
Shhhhh.
“Ugh, cough.”
As Wang Ho expelled a mouthful of stagnant blood, color began to return to his pallid face.
Having fought most fiercely among the White Heaven Squad, he had sustained considerable damage, yet with this he could finally find some relief.
However, unlike Wang Ho, there were others bearing wounds that were plainly grave.
Thin, shallow breaths.
Jeok Cheon-gang, recognizing the identity of Geo Han as he knelt collapsed upon the ground, exhaled a silent groan.
“…We were thoroughly defeated. Even during the Heavenly Demon War, this one never sustained injuries of this magnitude.”
The blow struck by the Nantian Demon Empress, who had wagered her very life, was that terrifying.
Countless sword fragments and debris embedded deep throughout his entire body.
Beyond that, the Beast King Miao Wang, who had lost consciousness from the severe internal injuries sustained while protecting me, lay in a pitiful state.
“Old Master Noya, is it possible—”
Before my words could continue, Jeok Cheon-gang, perceiving the concern in my voice, shook his head.
“The Beast King Miao Wang is as tough as iron, so do not worry. If I do my utmost, he shall surely survive. However…”
His words trailed off. Unlike the certainty in his initial statement, his gaze wavered toward the massive Baek Ho lying several paces away.
“I cannot fathom this beast. It appears far from ordinary for a creature of its kind, yet must we truly keep it alive?”
We must. By any means necessary.
But before my thoughts could spill past my lips, a faint resonance of intent echoed through my mind.
– If it comes to that, then it too shall be my destined burden.
“…!”
– You have lived quite a long time, old human. Though your face differs from the one I glimpsed through the Imoogi’s memories, your essence remains unchanged.
Su-ho-ryung’s gaze shifted away from Jeok Cheon-gang, whose eyes had widened in shock, and turned toward me.
– Draw near.
I bit my lip and approached Su-ho-ryung.
Sitting at its head, I gently stroked its neck, drenched in blood, and a low whimper escaped.
– How audacious. To lay your hands upon this body.
What could I possibly say.
As I continued stroking its neck in silence, Su-ho-ryung sent forth a wave of intent.
– In truth, it is not entirely unpleasant. Long ago, there was another human as presumptuous as you.
I knew who it was.
The First Palace Master of the Southern Beast Palace. The sole human whose heart Su-ho-ryung had ever opened to across countless ages.
– It is a curious thing indeed. Everything is different, yet when I gaze upon you, I am reminded of him—one who turned to dust centuries ago.
“…!”
– Perhaps that is why. Why I instinctively saved you, why I entrusted the Divine Stone to a mere human.
The massive form of Baek Ho beneath my hand trembled profoundly.
Su-ho-ryung, breathing heavily, lifted its pale blue eyes to regard me.
In that moment, I understood instinctively.
Why Su-ho-ryung needed the Divine Stone. What it intended to do with it.
‘The Rift.’
Su-ho-ryung was attempting to seal that profound darkness, the Rift, of its own accord.
Just as a certain Imoogi had done months before.

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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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