Murim Login - Chapter 421

As he raised his sword and charged toward the monster, his figure resembled someone Lee Jung-ryong had seen decades ago. Among hunters, there is an old proverbs that has been passed down for a long time.

There are two types of mages: Great Mages and those who are not.

Magic Johnson himself proved this saying to be true.

There are only three Great Mages in the world, among the entire population of 7 billion people on Earth.

He was the strongest among them—the War Mage. During the Great Cataclysm, he slaughtered countless monsters and led numerous battles to victory.

But even Magic Johnson, who had accomplished such great feats, had someone he had to bow down to.

“I don’t want to say this, but… the Arch Lich’s magic is a step above mine. Be careful, Jin.”

The Arch Lich was indeed a formidable being. There could be no hesitation or carelessness when facing it.

– “Human, hurry!”

“I know, you fool.”

Ignoring the scream-like shout of the Skeleton Warlord, I filled my legs with energy.

Crack! The concrete floor buckled under the pressure it couldn’t withstand. I bent my knees slightly, then forcefully kicked off the ground.

Boom!

With a deafening sound, like a bomb going off, I shot toward the sky like a beam of light.

The fierce wind brushed against my body as the Arch Lich, with his black robe spread out like wings, rapidly approached.

– “You…!”

I could see it. The faintly flickering light in its eyes.

The white flame I had sent out with all my might was breaking through the Arch Lich’s intangible barrier and was about to fall upon it.

“Come.”

I reached out. From several meters away, I used my ability to manipulate space and pulled the white flame spear into my grasp.

“Now!”

I thrust the spear with force. The intense heat from the three suns of energy surged up from my core and shot forward. A powerful blue aura, like a fierce flame, erupted along the transparent spear blade.

Boom!

And just when I was sure of success.

– “Gravity.”

Swoosh!

“Hup!”

With a chilling voice, something invisible crushed down on my entire body.

No, it slammed into me.

I gasped for breath and reached out with all my strength, but before the spear engulfed in energy could even reach the Arch Lich’s feet, my body was hurled to the ground.

The Arch Lich, who had been so close I could almost touch him, swiftly moved away.

“Damn it…!”

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, I plummeted like a meteor. Above my head, I heard the sound of metal scraping, followed by a chilling laugh.

– “Impressive. That was quite entertaining.”

“Damn skeleton bastard.”

I spat on the ground and glared up at the Arch Lich, who was looking down at me like some sort of god.

“Well, that’s good to hear. It’s about to get even more fun.”

– “Humans always dream of impossible things. I’ve seen countless times how they challenge what they cannot surpass, driven by anger and desire, only to realize reality and fall into despair.”

“That sounds just like the nonsense the guys I’ve killed used to say. Do you guys share a FAQ on how to deal with Jin Taekyung? Maybe even hold study sessions or something?”

– “The ones who died at your hands were insignificant humans. But I am different.”

“Of course, you’re different. You’re already dead, after all.”

The Arch Lich, momentarily speechless, was about to respond when I cut him off.

“Looking at your current state, it seems like someone killed you too. Did a human do it? You keep showing signs of an inferiority complex.”

– “You….”

“Oh, I was right. You were killed by a human.”

– “Silence!”

With a thunderous shout, the Arch Lich’s magic surged violently around him. The light in his eyes burned red, much more intensely than before, as he glared at me.

– “I am a servant of a great king. My body cannot be compared to insignificant beings like you!”

I was about to fire back but paused at the unexpected word that came out of his mouth.

Wait. A king?

Did I hear that wrong?

As questions flashed through my mind, the Skeleton Warlord answered in a trembling voice.

– “Th-the Commander heard it clearly as well. Vile human. Th-then, could it be…?”

No way. It couldn’t be. I swallowed dryly and asked.

“By any chance, is the great king you mentioned, the Demon King Asmodeus?”

– “Do not speak the revered king’s name.”

So it really was Asmodeus.

The Skeleton Warlord took a fearful breath, unable to even breathe properly, and I muttered in disbelief.

“No way, it’s really Asmodeus?”

– “The revered king’s name must not be….”

“But Asmodeus was supposed to have been destroyed.”

– “The revered….”

“So, is Asmodeus still alive? Is he an Arch Demon? Something like that?”

– “The rev….”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. He’s precious or whatever. Just answer the question. Didn’t Asmodeus die back then? Or has he been resurrected? If he’s been brought back as an undead like you, where is he and what’s he doing?”

At that moment, the Skeleton Warlord muttered in a voice tinged with fear.

– “By now, he’s probably asleep, isn’t he…?”

What kind of nonsense is that? You don’t sleep either.

– “Well, that’s true, but the king might be different.”

Is the Demon King a child? Like, he turns off the TV and brushes his teeth before bed?

– “Ah. I didn’t mean to say that… but from my position as a commander, it makes sense, right?”

That does make sense.

– “Right, because I’m a monster.”

Then don’t say it.

– “But why, though…?”

Because the Demon King is far away, and my fist is close by.

– “Ah.”

Letting out a sigh of realization, the Skeleton Warlord added.

– “But human, it seems the Arch Lich’s magic is getting closer.”

Damn it, he’s right.

I quickly leaped to the side. Just a second later, a green mist swept over the spot where I had been standing.

Sizzle!

The mist was so potent that even stone, steel, and concrete melted away, leaving a gaping hole dozens of meters wide.

The Arch Lich’s eyes, which had just released that terrifying poisonous cloud, now blazed like a torch.

– “I had intended to make you my servant.”

“What, all of a sudden?”

– “I was going to break your body and soul and use you as the vanguard of my glorious undead army.”

“How much does that pay?”

– “But I have changed my mind.”

“No, seriously, how much does it pay? Don’t tell me you guys run on passion wages too.”

– “Your body will be torn to shreds, and your soul will wander the river of death for eternity.”

“Do you happen to know a deacon from the church I went to as a kid? He used to say similar things to me. Said I was a devil who’d go to hell. If my mom hadn’t stopped me, he could’ve been the first martyr of that church.”

– “You insignificant human. You will pay for insulting the revered king and defiling his name.”

“For once, we actually agree. Paying for your sins sounds good.”

I nodded as I lowered the white flame.

“So, I plan to collect your debt too… What do you think about that?”

In the next moment, the Arch Lich opened his mouth.

The four words that came out, spoken in an impossibly deep and ominous voice, were not an answer to my question, but a curse that beckoned death.

– “Dark Hand.”

Whoosh!

A pair of black hands shot through the thick mist. As if about to clasp in prayer, the Dark Hands came rushing at me from both sides. I leaped to evade, only to face yet another spell.

– “Curse.”

I twisted my body to avoid the black mist that spread over me like a net, but this time, I was too late.

No, maybe the Arch Lich had anticipated my movements.

Before I could completely evade the Dark Hands, the mist had already begun to envelop me.

Swoosh.

It was a near miss.

But at that moment, a sticky bit of mist brushed the tip of my pinky.

Beep!

– You have been afflicted with the status condition, [Curse]!

– Due to the [Curse], all physical abilities have temporarily decreased!

– [Strength] has temporarily decreased by 20!

– [Stamina] has temporarily decreased by 20!

– [Agility] has…

As soon as the system notification sounded, I felt my body grow heavier and silently clicked my tongue.

“Damn it.”

Getting hit with a curse debuff when I could barely afford the stat points.

Losing 20 points all at once made the difference immediately noticeable.

But no matter how strong the debuff was, it wasn’t enough to leave me helpless against him.

Especially not now.

– “Dark Vine.”

Crash. Swoosh!

Hundreds of thorny vines burst through the ground, filling the area around me.

I exhaled sharply and swung my spear. With a swish, a line of blue flame cut through the air, slicing through all the magical vines.

– “Dark Vine, Dark Vine, Dark Vine.”

Shwaaa!

From the severed ends of the vines, new ones sprouted again. In the blink of an eye, they grew larger, sprouting thorns and growing even more massive.

But to me, one second is no different from one minute.

Whoosh! Slash!

The enormous vines, each several meters in diameter, were severed in a single strike.

As the magical connection broke, the dark plants collapsed, crashing into a half-ruined skyscraper.

Through the cloud of dust that rose with the rumble, I sensed an ominous surge of energy.

Magic.

My prediction was correct.

Shshshshsh!

A black spear, made entirely of bone, shot toward me, cutting through the dust like a ray of light.

No, not just one.

“There’s more than one.”

– “Be careful!”

Along with the Skeleton Warlord’s urgent cry.

Boom!

The compressed air exploded as the dust cloud scattered.

An overwhelming number of Bone Spears rushed toward me. Some came straight at me. Some fell like meteors, while others curved through the air.

“Damn…”

– “Ah…”

The Skeleton Warlord and I groaned simultaneously.

How many are there? Hundreds? Thousands?

The sheer spectacle left me momentarily speechless.

A chilling sensation ran down my spine, and my mouth fell open on its own. At some point, a bead of cold sweat that had formed on my forehead slid down the bridge of my nose.

And then… everything stopped.

“This is…”

It was that moment that sometimes came to me in times of crisis.

My senses sharpened, and the world slowed down. Through the stillness, an unfamiliar presence crept up on me.

A new sense. A sixth sense, scientifically unexplainable. I knew its name.

“Sixth Sense.”

At the same time, something inside me shed its shell.

My eyes scanned the massive net of Bone Spears surrounding me, moving slowly.

Had I already given up on everything? No. What mattered was the essence. The form could be altered, but the essence remained unchanged.

And at this moment, I was seeing the essence. My dry lips parted, and a realization escaped.

“Ah…”

So that’s what it was.

Even after reaching the pinnacle, there was something I hadn’t yet realized.

With the flash of insight passing through my mind, the world began to move at its normal pace once more.

Surrounded by a torrent of spears, I blankly raised my spear. I swung the white flame toward the path I could see.

Heavenly Strike (Cheongeuk).

Boom!

Flames erupted, swallowing everything.

The countless Bone Spears, which I couldn’t even begin to count, vanished.

No, they disappeared the moment the flames touched them, as they were illusions made of magic. Only the essence clashed with my strike, and it couldn’t withstand the force, so it burned away.

Swoosh.

Ash scattered in the wind that blew from somewhere.

Amidst the breeze, I heard the sound of a bell ringing softly.

Ding. Ding. Ding…

It was a sound so pleasant that I couldn’t help but smile.