Murim Login - Chapter 420

What did people feel the first time they encountered a monster?

Was it surprise, fear, terror, or confusion?

I don’t know. It all happened long before I was born. I wasn’t even in my mother’s womb yet, but rather, a part of my father. But those who were there at the time must have recalled the countless myths and legends passed down through history.

Just like I am right now.

**A demon.**

The word shot through my mind the moment I laid eyes on it. A massive figure, standing over 3 meters tall. Its black, glossy bones gleamed. Its humanoid shape was similar to a human’s, yet fundamentally different.

**Ssssshhh.**

Like the wings of a demon from myth, the robe it wore fluttered as though it were alive.

Its mere presence darkened the world. The crimson light gleaming from its eyes cast an eerie glow.

– You, human.

It spoke a single word.

The air around me trembled. The **Skeleton Warlord** inside my inventory muttered under its breath.

– The Lord of the Undead…

Its voice was thick with fear. Even monsters are subject to the laws of power.

Yes, just as the Skeleton Warlord had said, this **Arc Lich** was the ruler of all undead monsters that existed in this world.

– Human, it’s not too late. Even now…

I gave a slight nod instead of answering.

The Skeleton Warlord was right. I wasn’t too late. There was still a chance.

A chance to stop it.

If this enormous city completely transformed into a Gate, then there truly would be no turning back.

The undead would spread like a plague, and the Arc Lich would only grow stronger.

‘Now’s the only time.’

I took a deep breath and stretched out my hand. **Baekyeom**, my spear, flew into my grip as though drawn by some invisible force.

I stepped over the shattered concrete rubble, heading outside. The dense fog clung to the ruins, waiting for me.

Everywhere I looked, there were no signs of monsters.

Oh, scratch that. There was one.

“Nice to meet you, you son of a bitch.”

The Arc Lich, standing about twenty meters above me, hovering in midair, fixed its glowing eyes on me.

– As I thought. You can speak the language of the demons. I didn’t hear wrong.

“Studied hard for this one. But you—don’t you know who I am?”

– I am a being with the eyes and ears of eternity. I have watched you all along, human.

I furrowed my brow.

“All along?”

– Yes. Your feats on the battlefield were remarkable.

Familiar magic. I silently clicked my tongue as I realized the truth.

“You little stalker. You didn’t plant something in my bathroom, did you?”

– Stalker? I don’t understand your strange words, human.

“Yeah, I guess if you’d seen what’s in my bathroom, you’d have died from shock. No one survives a glimpse of my colossal black anaconda.”

– Are you referring to a **Basilisk**?

The Basilisk, according to myth, was a creature capable of petrifying anyone who made eye contact with it.

It was also a Named Monster that had appeared once during the Great Cataclysm.

“Eh, close enough.”

After all, scaring someone into freezing still is pretty similar.

But the Arc Lich’s reaction to my joke was unexpected.

– So that’s it. That must be why you feel so familiar.

“What?”

– Human, I sense the presence of death from you. A dark, heavy aura, just like mine.

I was stunned for a moment. I understood what the Arc Lich meant by the presence of death.

It was something that someone else had also sensed and couldn’t hide from—the **Skeleton Warlord**.

Even though the Skeleton Warlord was a Named Monster, it was still undead.

Was it the scent I had absorbed from being with the Warlord for so long, or had the Arc Lich somehow pierced through the mysterious space of my inventory? If it were the latter, just how far did this thing’s abilities reach?

I activated **Sensation**, sending out a pulse of blue energy that shot up into the sky along with a system alert.

At the same time, the Arc Lich’s crimson eyes curved like a crescent moon.

– Interesting.

And then, the next moment, black energy shot out from the Arc Lich, slashing through the blue pulse I had sent out.

**Beep!**

– [???] is protected by a powerful, unknown force!

– **Sensation** has failed! You cannot analyze the target!

As expected.

The Arc Lich looked down at me with a sinister smile as my face hardened.

– You are an intriguing human. Truly. Perhaps… my suspicions may be correct.

“What suspicion? That you’re about to die?”

– That will not happen. I am the Lord of all undead. I am different from those pathetic, foolish humans.

The Arc Lich raised one of its blackened, glossy hands, pointing toward the lifeless **Wu Haixing** and the ashes of **Lee Jung-ryong**.

– It was quite the amusing sight. Watching you kill each other brought me immense joy for the first time in a long while. You’ve helped me understand how insignificant humans are. For that, I thank you.

“Shut up.”

– Anger makes humans stronger. Are you the same?

**Ssssshhhhh.**

The fog that had filled the area began to move as if alive. It shifted, creating shapes and forms, as if someone were painting a picture in the air.

A ruined city. A river of blood flowing through it, with corpses piled into mountains in the midst of a battlefield.

At the center of it all, a man stood, leaning on his sword for support as he rose to his feet.

It was a face I could never forget. Even though I had seen it only once, it was etched into my memory. The Arc Lich’s voice echoed through the air.

– **Lei Fei**. That was his name, wasn’t it?

“… …”

– He possessed a soul that shone so brightly. It was so dazzling, I was envious even from a distance.

With a small gesture, the fog shifted once more, painting a new scene.

**Lei Fei**, stumbling as he approached the Arc Lich, kneeling before he could even reach it, his face twisted in rage and sorrow as he breathed his last.

And then… Lei Fei, reborn as a corrupted being, kneeling before his new master.

No, not Lei Fei—**Death Knight Lord**.

**Ssssshhhh.**

The fog dissipated as a gust of wind blew through. The Arc Lich spoke slowly.

– Did you know? When a noble soul falls to corruption, it wields even greater power. He was the perfect material. It’s unfortunate, but it’s not all bad.

I nodded slowly.

“Go on. Keep talking.”

– Because now, I’ve found something even better. You, human—your soul is even stronger, even grander.

The Arc Lich’s chilling voice echoed like thunder as black energy poured from its body, covering the sky like storm clouds, darkening the city below.

And at the center of it all, its red eyes burned like a cursed sun.

I stood still, watching the scene unfold, and then finally opened my mouth.

“Alright, so… are you done talking?”

I felt the heat building inside me. The anger that had been simmering before meeting this creature now began to boil over.

Like lava rising to the surface in a volcanic zone, it surged up.

“If you’ve said all you wanted to say…”

There was a sudden **snap** inside my mind, as though something had broken.

The hours of battle I had endured leading the assault, the mental exhaustion from fighting Lee Jung-ryong and Wu Haixing, all faded in this moment.

“Then come down here. You bastard.”

If the Arc Lich’s voice was like thunder, my shout was like molten lava.

The fire dragon, awakened from its slumber, raced through my body, surging through hundreds of blood vessels. The transparent spear, **Baekyeom**, burned with blue flames, radiating intense heat.

And the next moment—

**Swooooosh! BOOM!**

The fiery spear shot forward with all its might, piercing the dark clouds and tearing through the black energy.

—

**Boom! Boom!**

The earth shook violently as brilliant blue flames lit up the sky.

From several kilometers away, where the battle between humans and monsters raged on, everyone momentarily forgot their fight, staring blankly at the scene unfolding before them.

– Grrrrrr…

‘What is that…?’

The light that burst from the city shrouded in thick fog was warm, bright, and unlike anything else.

At least, it was to one person standing tall, watching the city. **Choi Min-woo**.

‘Jin Tae-kyung…’

It was him. No one else came to mind.

Jin Tae-kyung was alive, and he was fighting the Arc Lich.

Or perhaps… someone else.

‘Lee Jung-ryong, Wu Haixing.’

Others might call it mere suspicion or slander, but Choi Min-woo knew just how evil people could be.

At least, the Lee Jung-ryong he had known was that way.

And at the same time… he knew just as well what kind of man Jin Tae-kyung was.

‘You are strong. Stronger than anyone I know.’

Once, he had told Jin Tae-kyung those very words.

Some might laugh at him for saying so, but Choi Min-woo had meant every word.

No S-rank Hunter, not even his grandfather—**Cheon Tae-min**, the one who had defeated the Demon King Asmodeus—was stronger than Jin Tae-kyung, in his eyes.

It wasn’t about skill, nor was it about who had the stronger aura.

It was something only those who had known Jin Tae-kyung could truly understand.

**Faith.**

Jin Tae-kyung had given Choi Min-woo faith.

Cheon Tae-min, the hero who had saved humanity, had cast his orphaned grandson aside, but Jin Tae-kyung had stayed.

He had resisted the temptations of wealth and fame, choosing to remain with the **Peace Guild**, protecting his people no matter the danger.

No matter who the opponent was.

‘The enemy is the Ares Guild. It’s going to be a dangerous road.’

‘I specialize in thorny paths.’

‘This will be far more dangerous than anything before.’

‘Chief.’

‘Yes?’

‘It’s alright to be honest with yourself sometimes.’

It was the first time anyone had ever said that to him.

Kim, the old butler who had been with him since childhood, was a thoughtful and warm man, but he had never given him the same kind of certainty.

It was because of that certainty that Choi Min-woo had dared to speak.

‘Will you stay with the Peace Guild… for good?’

‘Yeah, that’s what I wanted to hear.’

He could never forget Jin Tae-kyung’s grin when he said that. The day he had found people who weren’t just members bound by a few sheets of paper they called a contract, but **his people**.

‘So this is what it’s like.’

He had always been alone. Isolated and lonely. From the earliest memories of his childhood, he had been separated from everything.

The children he met as a boy kept their distance, and the adults whispered behind his back.

He had been hurt but never showed it. The elderly butler Kim had been the only one he could ever truly open up to.

But not anymore. Choi Min-woo allowed a smile to cross his lips.

Watching the distant flames pierce through the fog and darkness, he gripped his sword once more.

**Swish!**

The monster in front of him was cleaved in half, its body split apart by the radiant aura surrounding his blade.

As the brief silence that had fallen over the battlefield broke, Choi Min-woo let out a mighty roar.

“Charge—!”