Murim Login - Chapter 415

The battle began swiftly.

A thick fog, like waves crashing over the plains, rolled in, followed by tens of thousands of monsters. Standing tall in the sky, a dark-skinned grand sorcerer signaled the start of the fight with a single word.

“**Fire Cannon.**”

*Fwoooosh.*

A tremendous surge of mana swirled around him. Five flames materialized in the air, swelling in size before launching like cannonballs.

*Whoooom, BOOM!*

The black wave of monsters split apart. The scorching heat incinerated flesh and bone, melting the ground beneath them.

Thousands of monsters turned to ash in an instant from the area-wide magic.

But the monsters didn’t stop, and neither did Magic Johnson.

“**Water Blaster.**”

The air, which had been dried out by the fire, suddenly became heavy with moisture.

As Magic Johnson spread his arms, a massive wave rose behind him.

It was a spectacle that defied all the laws of nature.

This was true magic—the power displayed by the world’s greatest **War Mage**.

“Flood them.”

The cheerful and humorous demeanor he usually wore was gone, replaced by a deep, focused gaze as he commanded the wave. The towering mass of water cast a vast, dark shadow over the tens of thousands of monsters.

*CRAAAASH!*

The wave, infused with mana, crashed down. The intense pressure obliterated the monsters, crushing their bodies into pieces.

The flames left behind by the **Fire Cannon** were extinguished, and the entire area was soaked with water. Magic Johnson knew exactly what to do next.

“**Lightning Rain.**”

It happened in an instant. Dark clouds gathered above the monsters’ heads, and dozens of lightning bolts struck down.

*BOOM! CRACKLE!*

– *Krooooaaah!*
– *Screeeeech!*

The lightning didn’t discriminate between the air and the ground.

Gargoyles and griffins, blackened by the strikes, fell from the sky. The water-soaked ground, a result of the **Water Blaster**, conducted the electricity, spreading the shockwaves further.

Monsters that were still alive trembled violently before collapsing to their knees, while the undead disintegrated into ash.

Someone let out a breathless whisper as they witnessed the unbelievable spectacle.

“That’s… the power of a grand sorcerer…”

The result of just three area-wide spells was immense.

Thousands of monsters had either perished or were rendered unable to fight, causing one flank of the monster army to crumble.

Yet even the grand sorcerer, who had seemingly conjured natural disasters, couldn’t hide his fatigue.

“Fuck. I should’ve saved a few more spells,” Magic Johnson muttered under his breath.

Casting such powerful spells wasn’t easy. Especially for a **War Mage** like Magic Johnson, whose area-wide magic required an enormous amount of mana and mental energy.

Considering the spells he had already used on the front lines before arriving here, this was his limit.

“Mrs. Chen, I think I’m getting old.”

“Step aside. Old folks should help each other out.” Pai Chen tossed aside the whiskey bottle she had been holding and swiftly drew the bow from her side.

A mana arrow materialized on the empty string.

“And it’s Miss Chen, not Mrs. Who said I’m married?”

With a smirk, Pai Chen released the arrow. The brilliant arrow, infused with mana, tore through the air, splitting the fog as it flew.

*BOOOOM!*

A massive explosion followed.

The Death Knight that had been hiding among the horde of monsters vanished without a scream, and Pai Chen immediately drew her bow again.

*Thwip! Thwip!*

In the blink of an eye, arrows became streaks of light, cutting across the plains. Explosions and shockwaves followed each shot, wiping out dozens of monsters at a time.

If Magic Johnson was one of the top three **War Mages** in the world, Pai Chen was the world’s greatest **archer**.

But…

– *Groooaaaaar!*
– *Kyaaaaaaah!*

The endless tide of monsters paid no mind to their fallen comrades and charged ahead.

For every dozen monsters killed, dozens more took their place. For every hundred that fell, hundreds more filled the gap.

Shrouded in thick fog, these monsters were stronger and more savage than normal. Now, the only thing left was an all-out war.

As the horde of monsters closed in, two people stepped forward.

“Ares Guild, Formation B. We’re breaking through!” Lee Jung-ryong’s low voice carried across the battlefield, and the elite Ares Guild members moved as one, having reached this point without a single casualty.

Watching them closely, Jin Tae-kyung turned to the Death Squad from the Western Front.

“Everyone, Formation J.”

*「Yes, sir!」*
*「Formation J! Get into position!」*

The Death Squad responded with a powerful shout, quickly taking formation.

Wu Haixing, who had been gathering the last remnants of the Hongweibang hunters behind Jin Tae-kyung, grabbed one of the Western Front soldiers and asked,

“Hey, kid. What the hell is Formation J?”

Recognizing Wu Haixing, Xiao Shen frowned and answered,

“It’s a battle formation that Master created.”

“Yeah, but what does it mean?”

“It’s just short for ‘fight like hell,’ or something like that.”

For a moment, Wu Haixing was speechless. Meanwhile, Lee Jung-ryong and Jin Tae-kyung leaped into action, as if on cue.

Behind them, Prince Felix and ten thousand hunters charged forward with a battle cry.

*「Uwaaaaaaah!」*
– *Kraaaaaaah!*

Humans versus monsters.

Monsters versus humans.

Roars and battle cries filled the air as the two sides clashed at blinding speed, teeth, claws, swords, and spears all flying toward their targets.

*Shwiing! CRACK!*

The great battle had begun.

—

I bent my back and threw my arms with all my might, moving fluidly.

*Shwip, Thudthudthud!*

The white flames I unleashed pierced through dozens of monsters, carving a path forward.

Seizing the momentary opening, I charged in without hesitation, swinging my arms and legs at anything in my way.

*Thwack!*

A Lycanthrope’s head exploded like a watermelon under the force of my punch, before its brain could even hit the ground.

Before its body could collapse, I soared upward.

*Tap, Swish!*

Standing over four meters tall, the undead troll’s milky-white eyes locked onto me, its hulking figure looming over the battlefield.

But before it could swing the club in its hand, I slammed my palm into its chest.

*Bam!*

With immense heat, smoke rose from the seven orifices of the undead troll. Before it could even activate its regeneration ability, it met a complete and permanent death.

– *Vile human! Behind you!*

I know, damn it. Who needs your advice?

Muttering to myself, I turned just in time to see a spear of black energy miss my neck by a hair and shoot into the sky.

It was a well-timed throw, aiming to catch me while I was airborne. Good timing, but they underestimated me.

“Seriously, why are there so many Death Knights? Are they running a chicken franchise or something?”

Landing lightly, I saw the Death Knight, mounted on a skeletal horse, charging at me.

– *This. Is. The. End!*

*Whoooosh.*

The knight’s sword, brimming with dark energy, slashed toward me. Though it didn’t have the power of an S-rank hunter, it was at least on par with a top-tier A-rank.

No, maybe…

*’This Death Knight was once a hunter.’*

Perhaps that’s why. For a moment, I was reminded of Lei Fei when I saw the Death Knight’s form. A bitter taste filled my mouth, and then I heard the Skeleton Warlord scream.

– *Dodge, human!*

*Thud!*

The dark energy disappeared in an instant.

The Death Knight, staring in disbelief at the spear piercing through its chest, muttered weakly,

– *How…*

“This is where it ends.”

I returned the Death Knight’s earlier words right back at it and brought my hand down in a chopping motion.

“Whoever you were, you fought well.”

*Shlick, thud!*

The skeletal horse and the Death Knight split in two and dissolved into nothing. Drawing the white flames toward me, I cut down more monsters as I suddenly spoke.

“Surprised you’re not begging for a meal.”

– *Ahem. You dare mock the commander—*

*Shrrraaak!*

“Lazybones. You always drool over combat, but now you’re acting all hesitant?”

– *W-What?!*

“Am I wrong?”

– *Didn’t we agree not to reveal ourselves during combat? You were the one who said not to let the others see me!*

“Excuses. So, are you going to eat or not?”

*Thwack!*

“Hey. Didn’t you hear me?”

– *Hmm… I don’t feel like absorbing this one.*

“…What?”

*Shwiing!*

I was so surprised, I nearly let myself get hit.

After cutting down a dozen monsters with a wide sweep of my spear, I asked seriously,

“Why not? Isn’t it about time you absorb another one?”

– *I don’t know… I just don’t feel like it.*

“You don’t *feel* like it?”

– *Yes, even undead have their moments of feeling unsettled. Just leave me be.*

“…What? Since when do undead get ‘unsettled feelings’?”

Normally, this guy would be charging in like a starved mad dog, but something was definitely off.

*’Does the undead have mood swings too?’*

Even though the Skeleton Warlord was a unique monster, this didn’t make any sense.

I shook my head, giving up on trying to understand his strange behavior, and refocused on slashing through the endless wave of monsters.

*BOOOM!*

A powerful aura, no, a wave of sword energy swept across the battlefield, cutting down dozens of monsters in one blow. In the newly opened space, a figure lightly landed in the center of the battlefield.

“Too many monsters. Clearing a path for the entire Death Squad will be impossible,” said the man who just arrived—Lee Jung-ryong.

I knew exactly what he meant.

“So you’re suggesting we go with a smaller elite group?”

“Exactly. Duck.”

I instinctively ducked as a crescent-shaped blade of sword energy shot past me, slicing through several large monsters like a knife through butter.

*Shlick, thunk!*

If that had been aimed at me, things might have gone differently. I couldn’t help but think about how powerful Lee Jung-ryong was. If it ever came to a fight between us…

“You, me, and Wu Haixing. The three of us will be enough,” he said, confident.

I licked my dry lips before replying, “That’s a curious thought.”

“What is?”

“You never really know how strong someone is until you fight them. We won’t know how powerful the Arch Lich is until we face him.”

“Three S-rank hunters. No matter how strong the Arch Lich is, he won’t be able to take us down.”

*’Us, huh…’*

It was a comforting thought, but something about the way it rolled off my tongue felt off. Maybe it was because of who I was lumped together with.

Still, I had already made up my mind when I first suggested the Death Squad’s plan. In that sense, Lee Jung-ryong’s proposal was the best option.

“Let’s do it then. Where’s Wu Haixing?”

*CRACK!*

As if on cue, Wu Haixing emerged from the mass of monsters, his condition far worse than Lee Jung-ryong’s clean, composed state, but his eyes gleamed with power.

“Just in time.”

“Huff… Monsters like this can’t stop me,” Wu Haixing boasted.

Wasn’t he nearly killed by these very same monsters just an hour ago? I inwardly sighed at Wu Haixing’s never-improving attitude when suddenly—

“Jin Tae-kyung!”