Murim Login - Chapter 419

Lee Jung-ryong found himself lost in thought.

‘Where did things go wrong?’
Was it when he ousted his brother’s bloodline and seized control of the Ares Guild?
Was it his endless pursuit of power, breaking laws and pushing the guild to grow, never satisfied with his own greed?
Or perhaps…

‘Was it when I became enemies with that bastard?’

His gaze fell upon one person—a young man, his body soaked in blood from countless wounds, breathing heavily as he looked up at the sky.

The young man, Jin Tae-kyung, opened his mouth and spoke.

“Jung-ryong.”

For some reason, just hearing that low voice sent a shiver down Lee Jung-ryong’s spine. Even though he wasn’t physically harmed, it felt as though a blade had sliced through him.

As he stood frozen, Jin Tae-kyung’s lips twisted into a savage smile.

“Let’s cut those claws.”

“…!”

**Whoosh!**

In an instant, the distance between them vanished as the wind howled, and Lee Jung-ryong swung his sword with all his might.

**Swish!**

The brilliant concentration of energy from his blade seemed to cleave through Jin Tae-kyung’s body, but instead of blood, it dispersed into the wind.

A mere afterimage. A red alarm went off in Lee Jung-ryong’s head.

‘Behind!’

It was too late to swing his sword.

Lee Jung-ryong twisted like lightning, throwing a punch wrapped in white aura. His fist collided with Jin Tae-kyung’s palm, which was wreathed in blue flames.

**Boom!**

The world shook. Or rather, Lee Jung-ryong’s vision did.

The unstoppable force sent him flying, flipping in midair as he adjusted his stance.

His fist throbbed painfully, and something surged up from deep within his chest, but he didn’t have time to spit blood.

**Swish!**

Jin Tae-kyung’s spear was already upon him, aiming straight for his chest. Gritting his teeth, Lee Jung-ryong swung his sword with all his remaining strength.

**Clang!**

The spear narrowly missed, smashing into the concrete and leaving a massive crater in its wake.

Although he managed to deflect the spear, the terrifying force and spin behind it tore at his hands, sending droplets of blood flying.

But Lee Jung-ryong ignored the pain and pressed forward through the dissipating dust and fog.

**Boom!**

The sheer speed of his movements sent the mist scattering in all directions. At the end of his step stood Jin Tae-kyung.

“Impressive. I like that boldness,” Jin Tae-kyung remarked, already swinging his spear with a slash that tore through the air, flames erupting.

Lee Jung-ryong’s sword pierced through the center of the flames.

**Boom!**

The compressed air exploded as the flames split, opening a new path. Like an arrow, Lee Jung-ryong charged through the gap, his sword gleaming with murderous intent.

‘Die.’

His sword, filled with a single, deadly purpose, shone brightly—swift as light itself.

Yet, as time seemed to slow, Jin Tae-kyung’s eyes… were smiling.

‘Something’s wrong.’

Before Lee Jung-ryong could even process his thoughts, Jin Tae-kyung’s hand blurred, and an immense force collided with his sword, sending a deafening explosion into the air.

**Boom!**

The impact sent Lee Jung-ryong skidding back several meters, his ears ringing. He swallowed the blood that threatened to rise in his throat.

‘It’s not over yet.’

He couldn’t afford to collapse. He couldn’t show weakness. He was Lee Jung-ryong, the man who survived the Great Cataclysm, one of the most brutal periods in human history. He was a hero born from that storm.

Clenching the cracked hilt of his sword, he steadied himself.

‘I won’t die. I can’t die.’

He had endured too much to get here. He had faced despair and rage, lived half his life in the shadow of someone else.

Or perhaps, even now…

But…

“Not anymore.”

His muscles swelled, his veins bulging. The overwhelming aura from his body pressed down on everything around him. He had drawn upon the very last reserves of his strength.

His bloodshot eyes locked onto Jin Tae-kyung.

“He no longer exists. I am the strongest in the world now.”

**Boom!**

Everything around Lee Jung-ryong trembled under the weight of his aura. Yet Jin Tae-kyung’s gaze remained calm, unwavering.

“Well, I don’t think so,” Jin Tae-kyung responded coolly.

**Boom!**

Energy erupted from both of their bodies, clawing at the surrounding space.

In the split second that followed, both of them launched themselves at each other.

—

**Boom!**

Their clash was like a burst of lightning, and the impact was enormous. Amid the earth-shaking roar, they became two streams of wind, swirling together in the air.

The spear, enveloped in blue flames, and the sword, shining with blinding light, flew at each other.

**Swish! Swish! Swish!**

The energy surged as their weapons met in midair, each clash causing shockwaves that rippled through the ground.

Blood trickled from the corners of Lee Jung-ryong’s mouth, scattering with every movement.

“Cough…”

For a moment, his stance faltered. The aging lion showed weakness, and the young lion moved in for the kill.

Jin Tae-kyung’s spear, swung horizontally, slashed through Lee Jung-ryong’s side.

**Boom!**

The ground quaked as if an earthquake had struck.

They were so close that they could feel each other’s breath. Lee Jung-ryong barely blocked the spear, meeting Jin Tae-kyung’s blazing eyes over their locked weapons.

‘So young. Just like I once was.’

For some reason, that thought crossed Lee Jung-ryong’s mind in that moment, in the midst of battle.

As if lost in memories of his own weak, pitiful past, he didn’t react in time to block Jin Tae-kyung’s flaming palm as it slammed into him.

**Boom!**

The heat was unbearable. The protective aura that shielded his body shattered, and scorching flames seared through his chest.

As the blue flames consumed his vision and the pain wracked his body, memories of the past flashed through his mind like a rapid slideshow.

‘What’s your name?’

‘What?’

‘Oh, I was talking to you.’

‘Why the sudden introduction?’

It was during the early days of the Great Cataclysm, when he had been surrounded by monsters, on the brink of death, that he had met one man.

‘You looked about my age, so I thought I’d say hello.’

‘You’re acting pretty casual for someone much younger than me.’

‘Want to be friends? I don’t mind.’

‘…Is now really the time for that?’

He had thought the man was half-crazy, driven mad by the fear of death.

Until that same man stepped forward and swept away thousands of monsters in a blink.

**Crash!**

‘This madman…’

‘Now! Charge!’

After the battle had ended, that same man had approached him again, asking the same question.

‘What’s your name?’

‘It’s Lee Jung-ryong.’

‘Nice name. How old are you? Oh, I’m five years older. Not that much difference. Want to be friends?’

‘No. You’re my hyung.’

The man was impossibly youthful, but terrifyingly strong.

From that first encounter, A-rank Hunter Lee Jung-ryong had realized that the man was an insurmountable mountain.

‘But, hyung.’

‘Yes?’

‘What’s your name?’

‘Oh, I haven’t told you yet, have I?’

He had smiled brightly and answered.

‘Cheon Tae-min.’

Cheon Tae-min. That name.

Even now, the name echoed in Lee Jung-ryong’s mind, like a giant shadow cast over his life.

“Get out! Disappear from my sight!” Lee Jung-ryong roared.

His vision, clouded by pain, shattered like glass, and the wind roared in his ears.

In the next moment, Lee Jung-ryong was thrown through a high-rise building, his body crashing into cold concrete.

**Crash!**

“Cough…”

Thick, dark blood dripped from his lips.

His vision blurred, and agony surged through his broken body. He could feel the shards of his shattered ribs pressing against his organs, making it difficult to breathe. His left arm and leg, broken, dangled uselessly.

‘Potion… I need a potion…’

This was his last chance. With a brief moment of respite, he needed to heal his wounds.

He reached out with his one good arm, searching for the spatial pocket where he stored his items. But the spot where his storage should have been… was empty.

Instead, he saw someone approaching from the distance.

“Oh, are you looking for this?”

**Thud.**

A small glass vial rolled over to his feet, clinking against the concrete.

It was a top-grade potion, powerful enough to heal almost any injury.

But it wasn’t quite in the condition he remembered it.

“I was really thirsty, so I drank some. It was refreshing. Did you get it from some magical spring?” Jin Tae-kyung said casually, walking toward him.

Lee Jung-ryong let out a hollow laugh.

‘Jin Tae-kyung.’

His name, his face, his personality—everything was different.

But at this moment, Lee Jung-ryong finally realized something.

That day, when they had first met, the feeling deep within his chest—the unease and curiosity he had dismissed—had been familiarity.

“Jung-ryong.”

That low voice whispered in his ear again.

Jin Tae-kyung’s face, now inches away, overlapped with someone else’s in Lee Jung-ryong’s mind.

With a groan, Lee Jung-ryong muttered.

“Who… who are you?”

He wanted to know. Desperately.

How could he resemble him so much?

How could this F-rank Hunter, of all people, become stronger than him, who had achieved countless feats and was hailed as a hero?

“Me?”

Jin Tae-kyung smiled faintly.

“I’m your bully, Jung-ryong.”

And like an echo returning from the past, Lee Jung-ryong saw the face and heard the voice of the man from his memories.

‘We’re brothers. Sworn brothers.’

Both men had said different words, but with the same meaning, the same smile.

Lee Jung-ryong, staring blankly at that smile, slowly opened his mouth.

“I…”

For a moment, all the emotions and memories from decades of life flooded his mind.

After what felt like an eternity, but lasted only a second, a hollow voice escaped from his lips.

“I… have no regrets. None.”

If someone were to ask him if he regretted anything, the answer would be no.

But even so, Lee Jung-ryong could not regret his actions. He refused to. He believed that this, this very moment, was the fate he deserved.

“Kill me.”

With a bright smile on his face, Lee Jung-ryong uttered his final words.

“I heard your last will.”

**Fwoosh.**

With those cold words, Jin Tae-kyung’s spear, wrapped in blue flames, fell.

—

The flames, blazing with extreme heat, burned everything in their path, and then vanished as quickly as they had appeared, leaving nothing but scorched earth and melted concrete.

All that remained was the trace of where a man once stood.

And the sound of a bell that only one person could hear.

**Ding.**

– You have defeated **[Lv.153 Lee Jung-ryong]!**

– You have gained a massive amount of experience!

– **Level up!**

– **Level up!**

I listened to the pleasant chime of the system’s notifications as I slowly withdrew my spear.

‘Damn old man.’

That final smile of his kept replaying in my mind.

What kind of life did Lee Jung-ryong live, and what were his last thoughts? Along with that, his strange actions and movements…

‘No, I’ll think about it later.’

My fight with Lee Jung-ryong hadn’t been easy.

Though mentally exhausted, I felt surprisingly light, my body refreshed by the effects of the top-grade potion and the level-ups.

And more importantly, I had a reason to keep moving forward.

‘The Arc Lich.’

The source of all this chaos. Before that damned creature could turn the entire city into a gate, I had to stop it.

– “Y-You… human.”

A trembling voice echoed.

I raised my head, and there it stood.

The creature I had been searching for.