Murim Login - Chapter 474

‘Crunch!’

As dozens of whiskers were torn out at once by Jin Taekyung, the Mutated Water Dragon widened its sole remaining eye.

– “Grrrrk?? …■!”

It couldn’t believe it.

That insignificant, puny human… had ripped out its whiskers with his bare hands, without even using a weapon.

It was something that should not, and could not, happen. Even in its centuries-long existence, this was a shock beyond anything the dragon had ever experienced.

And in the next moment, the Water Dragon realized something critical:

This human, who had just ripped out its whiskers with raw strength, was completely insane.

“Baldy!”

‘Pluck!’

“Chrome Dome!”

‘Pluck!’

“Shiny Head!”

‘Pluck, pluck, pluck!’

– “GRAAAOOOOR!!”

A soul-piercing scream erupted from the dragon. Writhing in pain, it howled in agony.

For some incomprehensible reason, the pain and despair it felt were far greater than when it lost its first eye.

It had to get rid of this madman.

No, it needed to save at least one whisker before all of them were gone!

– “KROAAAH!!”

But contrary to the Water Dragon’s desperate wish, Jin Taekyung had no intention of stopping.

‘Puk!’

With the White Flame’s blade lodged firmly between the scales on its snout to secure his position, Jin Taekyung spoke in a menacing voice:

“Hey, do you know why you can’t walk around?”

– “Grrk…?”

“Because you don’t have legs.”

‘Pluck, pluck, pluck!’

– “GRAAAWWWRR!”

“No matter how many hairs exist on all the spirit beasts in the world, you have zero. None! Because you’re bald. Completely bald!”

‘Crunch!’

Jin Taekyung’s movements were more brutal than ever.

As the whiskers gathered to strike, he grabbed them with one hand and yanked as if pulling out weeds. The dragon’s once-impenetrable skin split open, and its whiskers—tougher and sharper than Heavenly Silkworm Threads—were ripped out completely.

Not a single whisker was spared.

– “WAAAARRRHHH!”

Even through the fog of its dimming consciousness, the Mutated Water Dragon was consumed by unrelenting rage and sorrow.

These whiskers weren’t just tools for combat. They had grown with it over centuries, becoming its very soul’s companion.

They symbolized its strength and majesty, a weapon to fend off invaders and a badge of its dominance.

And now, they were gone. Yanked out like useless seaweed by a puny human.

– “KYAAAAOOOHHH!”

A deafening roar shook the heavens.

For hundreds of years, this creature had ruled Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River. Now, as its rage reached its peak, the entire world seemed to respond.

‘Rumble, crash!’

It was a terrifying and surreal sight.

The sky, darkened by thick storm clouds, unleashed relentless lightning strikes, while an unprecedented torrential downpour battered the earth.

The river, swollen from hours of abnormal weather, formed massive whirlpools that spun around the dragon.

‘Kwoooosh!’

Amidst this scene of destruction, the dragon’s enormous body stood tall, its blood-red eye gleaming ominously.

Those who witnessed the monster could only groan in disbelief.

“Damn…”

“Hell, I’ve lived a long life, but I never thought I’d see something like this.”

Jeok Cheon-Gang and Moon Kyung stared at the spectacle, their faces pale with shock.

They had long understood the power of spirit beasts and monstrous creatures, but this surpassed anything they could have imagined.

A beast the size of a small mountain, capable of toppling cliffs with its tail and shaking the earth with its roar.

Even nature itself seemed to submit to the dragon’s fury, with lightning and water dancing to its wrath.

It was as if an ancient legend had come to life before their eyes.

In this moment, only one thought echoed in the minds of the two masters:

‘This is truly the realm of the supernatural—beyond human comprehension.’

But this domain of the inexplicable wasn’t reserved solely for the Water Dragon.

‘Crunch!’

Amidst the thunder and lightning, the sound of something breaking resounded clearly.

Moments later, scales drenched in dark blue blood rained down around Jeok Cheon-Gang and Moon Kyung.

One, two, three… soon, dozens of scales began falling like a downpour.

Their keen eyes caught sight of the chaos above and rendered them speechless.

“Look! Look at its bare flesh!”

‘Crunch, crunch, crunch!’

A young man moved with a crazed frenzy, tearing off the dragon’s scales with his bare hands.

One hand gripped the shaft of the spear firmly, while the other latched onto a scale and yanked with raw strength.

With each pull, dark blue blood spurted out as the scales fell helplessly.

– “KUOOOORRRHHH!”

Even as the dragon writhed in a frenzy, shaking its massive body, it couldn’t stop him.

The young man would retreat into the hollowed-out eye socket when the dragon thrashed, only to pop back out to rip more scales as soon as it calmed.

And he didn’t stop there.

He hammered at the dragon with punches fueled by unrelenting rage.

“You bastard!”

‘Bang! Crash! Crack!’

Combining the destructive power of the Flame Extinguishing Divine Fist with his superhuman strength, Jin Taekyung struck with enough force to shake even the massive head of the dragon, shattering its scales.

– “KYAOOOO!”

The Mutated Water Dragon was at its wit’s end.

At least with its whiskers, it had been able to mount an offense. But now, with every single one of them gone, it was utterly defenseless.

Whenever it tried to shake him off, Jin Taekyung anchored himself with the spear.

Whenever it calmed down, he’d emerge and rip off another scale.

It was a nightmare the dragon couldn’t escape.

‘Boom! Crash!’

After ramming its head into the cliff so many times, the Mutated Water Dragon seemed to be on the verge of dizziness.

Watching the scene, Moon Kyung and Jeok Cheon-Gang could only gape in disbelief.

‘This… this insane…’

It wasn’t like pulling out radishes, after all.

Both of them were well aware of how incredibly durable the dragon’s scales were, making the spectacle even more shocking.

Those scales were so tough that even a novice peak-level swordmaster would struggle to make a clean cut. Only with the use of concentrated energy could one reliably pierce them and deal internal damage.

Yet here was Jin Taekyung, not just breaking but outright tearing off those scales with his bare hands.

‘Did he channel all his energy into his strength? Even so, human physical strength alone shouldn’t be enough for this.’

‘No… if it’s him, maybe it’s possible.’

Moon Kyung felt like he was trapped in a dream, while Jeok Cheon-Gang, having observed Jin Taekyung since Shanxi, couldn’t help but marvel at the sight before him.

“This lunatic… Ha, ha, ha!”

Not satisfied with ripping out the dragon’s whiskers—one of its primary weapons—Jin Taekyung had now started removing its scales.

To compare, it was as if he had not only broken a warrior’s weapon but was now stripping away their armor.

Jeok Cheon-Gang’s assessment of Jin Taekyung’s martial prowess was clear: while his understanding of martial arts was beneath theirs, and even below that of Cheongpung, his foundation was fundamentally different.

‘He’s just… strong.’

Jin Taekyung was a peak-level master of unparalleled physical strength.

Even if he lost all his accumulated energy and martial arts understanding, his sheer physical power was overwhelming.

It was as if the heavens themselves had bestowed their might upon an ordinary human body.

“Is this truly possible?”

Moon Kyung’s voice trembled faintly with disbelief. Jeok Cheon-Gang chuckled joyfully in response.

It reminded him of the countless times he had pondered this question while training in Yeolhwa Sect, only for Jin Taekyung to give him an infuriatingly shameless answer.

Now, it was time to share that answer with someone else.

“Yes. Heavenly Martial Body.”

“Outrageous, isn’t it? Don’t bother trying to make sense of it. That guy’s just like that.”

Jeok Cheon-Gang shrugged as he spoke, and at that moment, Cheongpung’s determined voice broke through.

“Alright, let’s go! Use Quick Attack! Use Whirlwind!” (T/N: Lol. Cheongpung is now a pokemon trainer.)

…’Chirik, chiriririk?’

“Oh, you can’t do it, huh?”

“…Just like that guy.”

Before Jeok Cheon-Gang could make another sarcastic comment, Cheongpung threatened to force him to drink a venomous brew made from the Thousand-Year Venomous Horned Serpent if he kept talking nonsense.

Suddenly, an ominous silence pressed down on the area, freezing everyone in place.

‘Rumble, rumble!’

The three martial artists—Jeok Cheon-Gang, Moon Kyung, and Cheongpung—felt a chilling sensation running down their spines as they looked up.

‘Whoooooong…’

The air rippled.

The relentless storm and lightning halted, and the world fell silent.

All eyes were drawn to the monstrous creature, whose blood-red eye now turned pitch black.

At the same time, its massive jaws opened slowly, revealing an abyssal darkness. A vortex of water began swirling within its maw, growing larger by the second.

‘What… is that?’

A single thought ran through everyone’s mind.

Before they could fully comprehend, a frantic voice echoed from high above.

“Get out of the way—!”

The voice was unmistakably Jin Taekyung’s.

Before they even registered the warning, the three martial artists moved instinctively, their figures vanishing like the wind.

Despite the differences in their individual skills, all three were peak-level martial masters with exceptional combat instincts.

Though they couldn’t identify the dragon’s technique, they immediately recognized the terrifying power it was about to unleash.

Their judgment proved correct.

‘KWA-AAAAHHH!’

A deafening roar accompanied a massive sphere of water shooting down toward the earth.

—

Monsters come in many forms.

Some are humanoid bipeds, resembling humans in shape but vastly different in power. Others are quadrupeds, resembling beasts, but hundreds of times stronger.

Their intelligence varies greatly, too.

Some, despite their lack of intellect, claim a spot among the strongest simply through overwhelming physical prowess. Others, like goblins, rely on poison, ambushes, and tactics, but are ranked as the weakest due to their inferior physical capabilities.

Because of this diversity, discussions about monsters’ characteristics often spark heated debates among both experts and internet amateurs.

However, when it comes to the strongest monsters, one species is always mentioned at the top of the list.

‘Dragons.’

Creatures blessed with supreme intelligence and physical might, possessing unparalleled powers unique to their kind.

One of these powers is their signature ability: ‘Breath.’

But why?

How?

Why is this thing using a Breath attack?

‘KWA-AAAAAHHH!’

This realization dawned too late.