Murim Login - Chapter 431

– “Wicked human, who is this man?”

A man who fears nothing, apparently.

I quietly scanned my surroundings. This was the outskirts of the city, far from the central area, where even the bright lights illuminating the city like daylight couldn’t reach. A desolate place, shrouded in shadows amidst the ruins. And from within those shadows, a figure stepped forward.

“It seems we share a strange connection. We keep running into each other,” I said.

Seok Go-jun responded with a cold voice.

“It’s not a connection—it’s a bad fate.”

“Then what do you call meeting like this, by chance?”

His response was sharp as a blade.

“Destiny.”

“Clear as ever. So, you’ve been following me like a stray dog since earlier?”

“When did you notice?”

“Since the Stone Age, you idiot. You stared so hard, I thought you’d burn a hole in my face.”

I had felt his surveillance the moment I finished checking the magic formation.

It was different from the curious and admiring gazes I usually received—a sticky, unsettling feeling.

In situations like this, very few people would look at me with such hostility.

“It’s either you or those Crown Prince faction jerks. But they’re too busy cleaning up their mess to tail me… So it’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Despite my words hitting the mark, Seok Go-jun remained unfazed.

“As expected.”

“Expected?”

“I figured you’d notice. If you hadn’t, there’d be no reason to leave Magic Johnson behind and come all the way out here alone.”

I see.

Now I understood why Seok Go-jun wasn’t surprised. He had signaled me to follow him. This wasn’t just surveillance or an ambush—this was something both of us wanted.

Of course, the outcome of this encounter wouldn’t be pleasant.

“I have a question,” Seok Go-jun said without waiting for my response, staring directly at me.

“Did you do it?”

A short, direct question. But the meaning behind it was painfully obvious. I tilted my head, pretending not to understand.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I mean.”

“You’re not seriously thinking that *I* killed Jeong-ryong, are you?”

At the mention of that name, Seok Go-jun’s eyes wavered with emotion. Without waiting for his response, I covered my mouth with both hands, pretending to be shocked.

“Oh my god, how could you think such a horrible thing? Are you serious?”

“Cut the act. Do I look like I don’t know?”

“Then why are you asking? Didn’t you watch the press conference?”

“I did. It was nothing but lies and nonsense from start to finish.”

Drops of blood fell from his tightly clenched fists, pale from his grip. His eyes blazed with fury as he glared at me.

“Right now, it’s just you and me. Tell me the truth.”

– “You dare to leave out the mighty Stone King from Atlanta, Georgia?”

Another monster joined the conversation.

To be exact, it was two people and one monster. Though at this point, I wasn’t sure if I could still call the Skeleton King a monster.

“Hmm.”

Scratching the back of my head, I finally spoke.

“Yeah. I killed him.”

“…What?”

“I killed both Lee Jeong-ryong and Wu Haixing. Those lunatics tried to frame me with some ridiculous scheme—they wanted to kill me and leave the Arc Lich untouched. And the result?”

I smirked.

“You already know, don’t you?”

Speculation and truth were different things. Even if Seok Go-jun had suspected me all along, hearing me confirm it with my own mouth was another matter entirely.

I watched as he trembled with rage, and I hammered the final nail in.

“They were scumbags. So I sent both of them to America. Oh, and I made sure Jeong-ryong got a first-class ticket.”

“You… You dare—!”

*Swoosh!*

A wave of killing intent surged from Seok Go-jun, freezing the air around us.

I stared calmly at his fingers, twitching toward the hilt of his sword. Then I asked,

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“…What?”

His eyes widened. At the same moment, the oppressive killing intent vanished, crushed beneath the overwhelming pressure of my energy.

The dynamic of the space shifted in an instant. I took a slow step forward.

“You’ve certainly improved since last time. You might even be stronger than Wu Haixing. You’re worthy of being Jeong-ryong’s disciple.”

*Step.*

With each step I took, Seok Go-jun’s face grew paler.

The difference in power was too great. A rabbit cannot defeat a tiger. The moment he tried to draw his sword, my fangs would tear into his throat.

“You should know your place. If you lie down in a grave, you might as well stay there.”

*Boom!*

A gust of compressed air burst from my fingertips.

The sharp blast of wind shot toward Seok Go-jun, who stood frozen in place—and it struck his sword, sending it flying far into the distance.

I chuckled as I watched his expression twist in frustration.

“What? Did you really think I was going to kill you?”

“…Why?”

“If you really want to die, come prepared next time. Don’t set up half-assed traps like today.”

In a flash, I reached out. Seok Go-jun couldn’t react in time.

*Bang!*

Three more blasts of energy shot into the darkness, striking three hidden figures who collapsed with faint thuds.

They had been high-ranking hunters, skilled in stealth and cloaked in magic. But none of them could escape my sharpened senses after I unlocked my middle energy center.

“Recording me, huh? Filthy peeping toms.”

Clicking my tongue, I patted Seok Go-jun’s cheek. He gritted his teeth in humiliation, and a hoarse voice escaped from between them.

“You think you can get away with this?”

“Get away with what?”

“The Ares Guild will never fall. We will avenge him… we will—”

*Smack!*

Blood and teeth flew as I slapped him across the face.

*Smack!*

I hit him again.

*Smack!*

And again.

The strikes weren’t meant to break his bones. Instead, I channeled my energy inward, shaking his brain with each blow.

Seok Go-jun stumbled like a drunkard, unable to maintain his balance. I grabbed him by the throat.

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

He coughed, spitting blood and foam onto my face. His unfocused eyes stared at me as I spoke in a cold, emotionless tone.

“You started this, but I’ll be the one to finish it.”

In this world, power reigns supreme. Those with strength—whether hunters or those in power—set the rules and break them at will.

Lee Jeong-ryong cutting off a man’s arm to assert dominance had been business as usual for them. But…

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

A new judge had entered the arena, and with him came new rules. And the first rule was simple.

I pressed on Seok Go-jun’s acupoint and whispered,

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Twisting both of his arms, I yanked with all my strength.

*Crunch!*

With a sickening sound, his arms were ripped from his body. Blood gushed out, and his eyes rolled back in pain. His sealed mouth emitted silent screams.

“And we’re not done yet.”

I dug my fingers into the stumps of his arms, searing the wounds with my energy. Then I grabbed his legs and shattered the bones into hundreds of pieces.

Seok Go-jun writhed silently, overwhelmed by the unimaginable pain.

“Remember this well,” I whispered, watching him convulse in agony.

Fear would now be etched into his bones.

I was tempted to finish him off. A slight push, and I could end him here.

But…

‘Not the right time.’

The truth would remain shrouded in suspicion. If Seok Go-jun disappeared along with Jeong-ryong and Wu Haixing, the rumors surrounding me would no longer be dismissed as mere conspiracies.

I needed to end this here, with fear firmly implanted in his heart.

“This is your last warning,” I said, my voice low and flat.

Seok Go-jun flinched as I leaned closer.

“End it with Jeong-ryong. Hide your claws and fangs. If you do that… nothing will happen.”

I released him and applied healing potions to his body, watching as the wounds slowly closed.

“So… that’s about how things turned out.”

At that moment, the air shifted, and a massive figure appeared—Magic Johnson, his expression complicated.

“Looks like we’ve got a lot to talk about,” he said.

“Seems like it,” I replied.

From the inventory, the Skeleton King muttered quietly.

“What about the club?”

“It’s a gay bar, you idiot.”