Murim Login - Chapter 478

From the start, I hadn’t been aiming for that spot. No, I didn’t know.

It was like trying to find a squirrel hidden deep within a dense forest—it wasn’t easy to discover.

The mutated Water Dragon’s body was massive, and I couldn’t have imagined that such a weak point existed in the area it so thoroughly protected during the fight.

But then…

‘That’s it.’

It was there—a weak point capable of ending this colossal monster’s relentless breath.

And I wasn’t about to miss the perfect opportunity to finish this battle.

‘Thwack!’

– “Krrk…!”

Life is strange. Living beings constantly evolve, compensating for their vulnerabilities to adapt to their environment.

Even humans, with their mere 100-year lifespan, do this, so how could a being that had lived for centuries be any different?

‘Was it coincidence? Or fate?’

It didn’t matter which.

What mattered now was that the seemingly impenetrable scales around its nape had a single gap—barely the size of one scale. And I hadn’t let that opening slip by.

“You’ve done well.”

Parting words of kindness, a privilege reserved for the victor alone.

I gripped the spear tightly and drove it deeper into the spot just below its throat, where a human’s Adam’s apple would be.

‘Puuk!’

A shallow gasp, like the creature was drawing its last breath, escaped its trembling, scale-covered jaw.

Its obsidian pupils shook, and the massive orb of water it had almost completed at the back of its gaping mouth began to dissolve.

‘Splash!’

The unfinished Water Breath became nothing more than ordinary water.

I didn’t dodge the torrent as it poured over me, letting the cool water of Dongting Lake drench my entire body. The chill calmed my mind.

‘I won.’

At the same time, a thrilling sensation shot up my spine.

The long, grueling battle was finally over.

Once again, I had survived and driven my spear into the neck of a powerful foe. And as always, the outcome of such life-and-death battles came down to two words:

Vertical and horizontal.

The victor who stands tall, and the defeated who collapses.

Even for a monstrous being that had lived for untold centuries, there was no escape from the absolute law of survival of the fittest.

‘Whoooom, splash!’

The once-mighty body, filled with unparalleled strength, crumbled and fell into the waters of Dongting Lake.

Amid the towering spray of water, its slowly blinking eyes and quivering jaws were visible.

No, they were audible.

– “So, it remains the same.”

As the voice echoed in my head, my grip on the spear, ready to deliver the final blow, faltered.

Like I was under a spell, I found myself staring into the massive, unblinking eyes of the mutated Water Dragon. My body froze in place.

‘What… is this?’

Gone was the monstrous, jet-black, ominous creature.

Like storm clouds parting after a tempest, its eyes now glimmered with clarity and depth, resembling the vast, clear blue sky.

– “Do not be alarmed. It is a skill one naturally acquires after living for five hundred years.”

“…Telepathy?”

– “Not quite. It is more akin to a projection of my thoughts.”

The mutated Water Dragon—or rather, the spiritual being known as the Guardian of Dongting Lake—spoke calmly, its thoughts flowing directly into my mind.

– “You do not know me, but I know you. You are exactly as I once saw in a dream, long ago. A simple illusion I dismissed at the time… but perhaps this, too, was destined.”

A dream? Destiny?

Damn it, what kind of situation was this?

“This… this is…”

– “Hah.”

I must have looked ridiculous, stammering like that. The faint sound of laughter, like a low growl, came from the bloodied mouth of the Water Dragon.

– “Do not try to understand. It is merely the lament of an old serpent that failed to ascend. But one thing saddens me… I have no time left.”

It was true. The body that had already reached its limit was teetering on the brink of death. The light in its deep, clear eyes was slowly fading.

‘Damn it.’

Regret washed over me.

The death of this extraordinary being was tragic, but selfishly, I also felt it was a wasted opportunity.

This awakened, enlightened creature was a crucial key to unraveling the mysteries surrounding everything.

‘Dark Heaven.’

There was no way such a wise, divine serpent had become a crazed, murderous beast without reason.

Surely, someone had interfered. And in that case, Dark Heaven, the most suspicious group responsible for the chaos plaguing Murim, couldn’t be ignored.

“Who did this? And how?”

It was a short question, but it carried everything I needed to ask.

The response I received exceeded my expectations.

– “You will see for yourself.”

“…What?”

The Water Dragon didn’t answer further. Instead, it blinked slowly, as though signaling something.

‘Srrrk.’

A blue liquid filled its enormous eyes. What others might call tears began to trickle down its scales, sliding onto me.

The moment the liquid touched my body, I understood the meaning of its earlier words.

‘Ding!’

– The [Water Dragon] wishes to share a part of its memory with you.
– You have obtained a [Fragment of Memory].
– The power within the [Fragment of Memory] draws you into the Water Dragon’s past.

As the system notification rang in my ears, the Water Dragon’s tears spread out like a curtain, enveloping my vision.

‘Whoosh.’

The cool sensation of water flowed over me, and the world came to a halt.

—

What I saw was, quite literally, a fragment of memory.

Five hundred years of history stored within the Water Dragon’s mind. Though parts were blurred or fragmented, likely due to the effects of its mutation, some pieces were vivid and sharp.

And it all began with its birth.

– “Kurook?”

Somewhere in the depths of Dongting Lake, a small, newly born creature looked around in confusion, taking in its surroundings.

In a place where aquatic plants swayed like dancers and countless underwater creatures gathered, something extraordinary was happening.

The denizens of Dongting Lake, sensing the birth of a divine being, rejoiced, slicing through the water to celebrate.

That day marked the joyous birth of a new ruler for Dongting Lake, a momentous occasion commemorated with a grand coronation ceremony.

– “Kurook? Koo?”

The lake’s new master tilted its head with curiosity, much like a puppy, and began swimming with its small body.

Blessed with dazzling wisdom and power from the moment of its birth, the creature moved, and a multitude of other beings followed in its wake, even the lake’s currents parting to make way.

‘Splash!’

As it swam gracefully yet powerfully through Dongting Lake, its body began to grow.

Its small, soft, pink form sprouted silvery scales, and beneath its nose grew long, majestic whiskers imbued with authority.

It was likely around that time.

Over decades, perhaps even centuries, the humans who occasionally caught sight of this divine being named it with reverence.

A name I, too, recognized:

‘The Water Dragon.’

Thanks to the two horns on its forehead, it was also called ‘The Twin-Horned Beast.’ But most people refrained from calling such a beautiful and mysterious entity a mere beast, instead venerating it as the guardian spirit of Dongting Lake.

And this divine creature, now bearing the name Water Dragon, performed truly miraculous deeds on occasion.

It saved sailors on the brink of drowning, delivering them to uninhabited shores. With its innate abilities, it quelled violent currents countless times.

Not only that—it defeated the monstrous beast that had once stained the Yangtze River red with blood.

After an intense battle, the Water Dragon vanquished the turtle-like monstrosity, asserting its dominion over Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River.

But time flows like water in a river.

Over the course of five hundred years, the Water Dragon grew immensely, far beyond what it had been at the start.

It was a benevolent serpent, possessing immense strength and profound wisdom—a ruler who genuinely cared for its people.

Yet even such a noble being had its struggles.

– “Ah, there’s no end to the conflicts in the mortal realm.”

The horrors it had witnessed over its long life were truly dreadful.

Humans fought endlessly, and each time they clashed, rivers ran red with blood, and countless bodies were scattered across the waters.

As two great empires fell and wars raged on, the Water Dragon grew weary and concerned.

– “I have spent an eternity in this world. When will I finally ascend to the heavens?”

Despite being worshiped by humans as the guardian spirit of Dongting Lake, even as a dragon, its essence was still that of an ‘imugi’—a serpent that had not yet ascended to become a true dragon.

For the Water Dragon, ascension was a goal as inevitable as its very existence.

Yet, progress was painfully slow, enlightenment remained elusive, and its patience wore thin.

Then, one day, news delivered by a school of fish sparked its curiosity.

– “A human has appeared? But how? That place hasn’t been touched by anyone in decades.”

An uninvited guest had found their way into one of the most remote and inaccessible parts of Dongting Lake—a place that had been untouched by human hands for ages.

Intrigued, the Water Dragon ventured to its old dwelling. Upon arrival, it immediately sensed something was wrong.

– “What… is this?”

The shock wasn’t just felt by the past Water Dragon.

Even I, witnessing this memory fragment, was stunned.

‘Is that…?’

A sticky, unpleasant sensation crept up my spine as I stared, overwhelmed by disbelief, doubt, and a shocking realization that hit me like a blow to the back of the head.

‘A Gate.’

There was no mistaking it. Having passed through Gates hundreds, even thousands of times, I knew.

The black energy pouring out of the crevice in the rocks was unmistakably ‘mana.’

“This is insane…!”

The world spun as curses filled my mind.

If I hadn’t been trapped in the Water Dragon’s memory, if I could move and speak freely, I would have destroyed everything around me, screaming until my voice gave out.

‘A Gate? Mana? This can’t be real!’

My mind felt like it was on the verge of explosion. The unspoken screams dissolved on the tip of my tongue as I stood there, paralyzed by shock and rage, watching the scene unfold before me.

– “Stop! I said stop!”

The lake’s master was using its entire body to shield its people from the encroaching danger.

The fish exposed to the mana had teeth sharper than saw blades, and their scales had turned jet black.

– “Please, stop!”

But its desperate plea didn’t reach the fish, now fully transformed by the mana. The Water Dragon had no choice but to make an impossible decision.

If these newly mutated, ferocious fish were to escape, Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River would be drowned in blood.

A sacrifice was necessary for the greater good.

– “…I’m sorry.”

The battle deep within Dongting Lake ended as expected—with the Water Dragon’s victory.

But it had no time to grieve.

This wise serpent, having lived for centuries, understood what needed to be done. It positioned itself to block the massive, ominous fissure that continuously spewed malevolent energy.

– “I don’t know what you are, but you will not have your way.”

‘Rumble!’

What followed was the longest and fiercest battle in the Water Dragon’s existence.

For seven days and nights, Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River roiled violently. Terrified humans believed their guardian spirit had been enraged.

And I already knew the outcome of this battle.

– “Krrrk.”

Having absorbed most of the mana to protect its domain and its people, the Water Dragon had lost its brilliance and descended into madness, becoming a monstrous creature.

Its once-clear eyes slowly turned crimson.

Yet, with its last shred of reason, the Water Dragon emerged from the waters.

It was determined to find the one responsible for this atrocity.

‘Splash!’

Under the darkened night sky, the blackened river split apart.

Soaring like a dragon ascending to the heavens, the Water Dragon’s crimson gaze locked onto a figure sitting atop a mossy rock, playing in the water.

“You have such potent energy. It was worth coming all this way.”

A clear, gentle voice.

Snow-white skin that glowed in the darkness.

Long black hair pinned up with a silver hairpin.

‘…Hong Ran.’ (T/N: Oh no! She is with Dark Heaven?)

As her name surfaced in my mind, the world around me shattered into countless fragments.