Murim Login - Chapter 736

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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 736
It had begun subtly, almost imperceptibly.
Merely a faint tremor—nothing more, nothing less.
Yet it was merely a harbinger of what was to come.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
The ground convulsed beneath their feet.
Visitors queued before the Louvre Museum instinctively crouched low, while the impoverished denizens of Paris 10th Arrondissement—locked in their brutal struggle for dominance—scattered with curses and fury.
And the citizens of Paris 6th Arrondissement….
“Ahhh….”
They forgot even to scream, their eyes glazed and vacant as they beheld the spectacle unfolding before them.
A deep, resonant boom.
A blood-red darkness coiled around the towering High-rise Building, ascending to an unfathomable height.
In that moment when all held their breath before such an ominous and tremendous force unlike anything they had ever experienced.
Kaboom!
The Skyscraper District—once the Paris Branch of the Ares Guild—erupted in a catastrophic explosion.
The defensive enchantments layered across the building’s exterior.
The robust structural framework designed to withstand missile bombardment.
All of it shattered into countless fragments and burst outward.
Debris both large and small—remnants of what had once been a fifty-story edifice—cascaded down engulfed in flames.
Whoosh, roooooar!
“…!”
An incomprehensible reality, yet simultaneously undeniable.
Before the countless fragments raining down to obscure the sky, people’s minds turned to a singular thought.
Perhaps the apocalypse spoken of in scripture was arriving this very day.
As they witnessed the space itself warping grotesquely, that suspicion hardened into a despair-stricken certainty.
Crash!
Though they had never witnessed it firsthand, those who had enjoyed civilization’s most brilliant achievements knew the name of this phenomenon.
“A Monster Wave….”
The words escaped someone’s lips like a moan.
Yet even as countless fragments rained upon their heads and monsters emerged from beyond the warped space, no one could flee.
Not the Sorbonne University students cycling to class.
Not the young couple strolling through Luxembourg Park with their baby carriage.
Not the police officers moving frantically to calm the citizens.
All who had been moving busily in their respective places—all of Paris 6th Arrondissement—froze in place, consumed by a terror and chill that penetrated to the very marrow of their bones.
And in the next instant.
Boom, boom, boom!
With a rain of fire covering a radius of over a hundred meters, the gates of Hell itself swung open.
Thud. Boom.
Limbs as thick as temple pillars.
Colossal monsters bearing two heads upon a single body beat their chests and roared.
―
A deafening roar tore through the air!
Crash!
Unable to withstand the shockwave embedded in that cry, glass shattered from all directions.
A Fear—that invisible force only superior monsters could emit—shot forth like an unseen rope, binding thousands of humans in place.
―
A low, rumbling growl.
A sound brimming with profound satisfaction.
The hour of the hunt had arrived.
Or so it should have been.
A piercing shriek, followed by an explosion!
In that instant, a brilliant flash erupted, and the monster at the vanguard staggered. Everything above its shoulders had vanished.
A thunderous boom!
The very earth trembled. Nearly a hundred monsters lifted their heads in unison, as if bound by covenant.
Among the thousands of humans frozen in place, predators that had been lurking among the flock revealed themselves.
Accompanied by a dazzling brilliance that even the eye could not follow.
A piercing shriek, then a wet crack!
Thud, thud, thud.
Flesh and bone were pulverized, and blue blood sprayed in all directions.
The Twin Head Ogre, having survived by sacrificing one of its two heads, instinctively stumbled backward.
Unaware of what threat awaited in that direction.
A sickening crunch!
A colossal fist burst the remaining head like a watermelon.
A terrifying strength and physique that surpassed even other ogres.
In the giant’s vast pupils, now licking the brains of his subordinate from his knuckles, the figure of a single human with golden eyes was reflected perfectly.
―
Karsh. Marto.
Words in the Demon Realm tongue that sounded almost like a curse.
Yet Huginn, the human with golden eyes, paid them no mind and turned his head to bow respectfully to someone behind him.
“A Named Monster—the Giant Ogre. What are your orders?”
A calm voice returned.
“Not bad. This should suffice for a demonstration.”
“Your meaning, sir?”
“I’ll handle this one. Clean up the rest.”
That was all.
The moment the command fell, Huginn and a hundred Hunters became one, crossing the space like the storm and lightning painted upon their armor.
Like the two characters—Odin—that symbolized them and the ancient god they served.
A piercing shriek! A deafening roar!
Collision. And slaughter.
Limbs thick as tree trunks thrust skyward, and brilliant auras rent asunder the mana that churned around them.
It was like a scene from mythology itself.
Even in myths where countless figures appear, there is always a protagonist who shines alone.
―
Kuuuaaaargh!
Crash!
A single blow.
The deafening roar that seemed ready to swallow the city vanished.
Kuuuung!
The giant ogre, stretching tens of meters high, fell to its knees.
Before a single human figure, seemingly insignificant compared to the mountain-like body of the monster.
Yet to those who witnessed every moment of this spectacle, that figure appeared anything but insignificant.
A hero who had protected them from danger. A true giant stood there.
Those who had returned alive from death’s threshold cried out the hero’s name—or the heroes’ names—in unison.
“Michael! Michael!”
“Odin Guild!”
Within the massive roar spreading like wildfire, Michael declared with a powerful voice.
“Rest assured. As long as I and the Odin Guild stand to protect you, there shall be no danger.”
And gazing upon the ruins buried beneath concrete debris, he added in a voice so soft none could hear.
“At least, not today.”
With a faint smile, he stepped toward the remaining horde of monsters.
Ares.
Trampling upon that name, which had fallen from the building along with countless fragments, stripped of its former lustrous sheen.
* * *
[Odin Guild Declares Support for Ares]
[Odin Guild Master Michael Silbert: “We extend our heartfelt applause for Ares’s actions in service of the public good, and we shall walk alongside them”]
[Odin Guild Unveils New Mana Cultivation Method!]
[Odin Guild High-Ranking Official: “A major project we have been preparing for years. If you believe this public announcement is merely a response to public opinion, we regret to say we must accept such criticism…” Dismisses pre-announcement controversy]
Early morning.
The breaking news I learned through Skeleton King was certainly shocking.
The problem was that before that shock could even fade, a new wave came crashing in.
An even larger and more terrifying one at that.
Zing. Ziiing.
Choi Team Leader’s smartphone, placed on the table, vibrated.
Seconds later, another breaking news report from the hologram TV was unbelievable.
― A monster wave has occurred in Paris, France. The incident took place in a high-rise building in Paris 6th Arrondissement, revealed to be the Ares Guild Paris Branch, causing great shock….
― The French government has currently begun a blockade operation of Paris 6th Arrondissement according to international emergency protocols, though the exact casualties and suppression process remain unknown at this time.
― Testimonies from local residents indicate that the nearby Odin Guild was the first to head toward the incident scene….
News reports flowing from multiple televisions installed in the dining hall.
Yet among the countless words flowing between the lips of those of different skin colors and languages, only three words pierced through to my ears.
Monster wave. Ares Guild Paris Branch.
And then….
Odin.
Ding.
― Sudden Quest,
[Darkness Over Paris]
has been generated!
― This Quest cannot be accepted or rejected. The system will force the Quest to proceed!
Quest
[Darkness Over Paris]
Every choice carries consequences in its wake.
Your enemies have destroyed the Ares Guild Paris Branch, and the once-vibrant city now lies shrouded in monster shrieks and darkness.
Rescue the survivors as quickly as possible, repel the monster legion, and prevent innocent casualties!
Rank
: Transcendent
Restriction
: Jin Tae-kyung
Objective
: Rescue survivors from Paris Branch (Incomplete)
Suppress Monster Wave (Incomplete)
Reward
: Determined by outcome
Failure
: Determined by outcome
“…!”
Everything happened in an instant.
The system notification ringing in my ears, the holographic windows materializing before my eyes.
Yet the moment I perceived them all, I was already moving on pure instinct.
No—we all were.
“Gather around me. Now!”
The moment Choi Team Leader’s urgent cry tore through the air and he ripped the Magic Scroll from his grasp.
Whoooosh!
A blinding flash erupted suddenly, enveloping us in its brilliance.
* * *
‘If I can’t come to help you, and you need to move somewhere as quickly as possible, use this without hesitation. If you know the exact coordinates, you’ll arrive safely at your destination.’
It was Magic Johnson’s parting instruction, given along with the Magic Scroll weeks ago as the Middle East operation was concluding.
And the dozens of Teleport Scrolls I’d received then were now being consumed by the second.
Riiip!
The specially treated tough parchment tears apart. Simultaneously, the mana dormant within awakens, and the radiant flash bursts forth once more, pulling us into its embrace and propelling us toward the designated coordinates.
Whoooosh!
Flashes erupting ceaselessly.
As I continued leaping across distances ranging from tens to hundreds of kilometers, my body began to creak and my mind started crying out in exhaustion.
‘Haah.’
The overload brought on by successive spatial displacement spells.
Yet no one stopped. Not even Choi Team Leader, who bore the greatest burden among us.
Gritting.
Teeth clenched, he withdrew another scroll.
Ignoring the bewildered foreign airport Hunters at the unauthorized spatial displacement, he tore one scroll, and before the aftereffects could even fade, another.
He tore scroll after scroll without ceasing.
Each time a flash of light burst forth, the landscape surrounding us transformed, and the skin tones and languages of the people changed.
And when the flash—I’d lost count of how many times—finally faded.
We could finally see it.
The ruins that had once been called the Ares Guild Paris Branch.
A graveyard of concrete and rebar scattered with the corpses of colossal monsters, where not even a handful of life could be sensed.
And at that very moment, a sound only I could hear pierced my ears.
Beep.
― You have failed to accomplish any objective.
― Sudden Quest,
[Darkness Over Paris]
has resulted in failure.
― All things carry both reward and consequence. A penalty is imposed for Quest failure.
― Experience points have drastically declined.
― Reputation has drastically declined.
― Special Title,
[Standing Idle]
will apply for the next 30 days.
― Special Title,
[Standing Idle]
penalty effect reduces all stats by 10%.
“…Ah.”
A brief moan escaped me.
Quest failure?
Massive penalties?
None of that mattered.
The murmuring atmosphere of those around us who had belatedly noticed our presence. The group moving across the ruins. All of it was irrelevant.
My five senses were fixed on only one thing among the several holographic windows floating in the air.
― You have failed to accomplish any objective.
That was all.
That single cold, rigid sentence pierced through my eyes and mind, tearing at it, and I already knew what it meant.
‘They’re dead. All of them.’
That was reality.
The Ares Guild Paris Branch no longer exists.
Neither do the people who had peacefully begun their day in the surrounding area.
The Skyscraper District that once touched the clouds had become a desolate ruin where only death descended, and the people who had laughed and chattered here mere minutes ago had crossed a river from which none could ever return.
Like the nameless corpse I now gazed upon, buried beneath the building’s debris.
What had I been thinking?
As I stared blankly at the unidentified body, I suddenly reached out and grasped what I thought was his arm—only to realize, after pulling, that it was the arm of another corpse.
That was not the end.
When I dragged up one body, three more appeared beneath it, and when I lifted those, severed limbs emerged from the wreckage.
“H-how is this possible?”
“Wicked human. This is… this is truly…”
Hearing the distant voices of Choi Team Leader and Skeleton King, I silently surveyed my surroundings.
The scorched streets centered around where the Paris Branch had stood. Smoke thick with the stench of burning flesh rose acridly into the air, and uncollected corpses lay scattered throughout.
Then beneath this ruin I stood upon, how many more lay sleeping in death?
And why had they—
‘Why did they have to die?’
My stomach burned as though I had swallowed a ball of fire.
I clenched my teeth until they threatened to shatter, swallowing the blood that trickled from my split lips as I desperately suppressed the three decades of accumulated heat roiling in my core.
I could not afford to lose myself further. I needed to remain composed, to think clearly.
If I could not, I would be unable to face the owner of that immense presence approaching from behind me with a sound mind.
‘Michael Silvert.’
Calling that name to mind, I slowly turned around.

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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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