The rain of countless blades and arrows poured down from all directions.

I didn’t need to deliberate on how to move; the picture naturally formed in my mind. My hands moved as soon as I thought.

*Whoosh!* A blue flame encircled the spear blade as it drew a half-circle.

*Crack!*

Arrows and weapons caught in its trajectory were split like tofu.

The spear itself was made of *Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron*, an unyielding and sharp metal, capable of destroying even defensive auras. Adding spear energy to it made the outcome inevitable.

Of course, that wasn’t the case for the enemies.

“Gah!”

The Black Hunter gasped as he saw his sword melt under the fiery energy of the *Blazing Fire Divine Art*. He was the closest, making him the first target.

*Crunch!*

With a grip strong enough to crush rocks and steel bars, I squeezed his forearm, causing his flesh to mash and his bones to jut out.

“Arghhh!”

I had memorized the faces of those who attacked Im Jik-jung. I stared closely at the Black Hunter writhing in pain.

“You’re not one of them.”

“Die!”

With a venomous cry, a dagger shot up toward my chin. Despite the agony, there was no hesitation in his movements.

This wasn’t a raid; it was the practiced motion of a seasoned killer.

‘And I tried to reason with people like this?’

I silently chastised myself. I must have been a fool.

I sidestepped the dagger with a smirk, then grabbed his other arm and yanked it off.

*Rip!*

“Ugh…”

He couldn’t even scream, his mouth gaping open in unbearable pain.

I kicked the trembling body, sending him sprawling to the ground. Blood gushed from the torn stumps as his breaths grew shallow, on the brink of death.

I tossed his severed arms onto the grass.

“One down.”

“…”

An oppressive silence settled over the area.

The Black Hunters hesitated, seeing a comrade of similar skill brought down in an instant, while Lim Young-jun, who had been observing from the back, twitched his eyebrows.

“You had something up your sleeve.”

“Of course, I came prepared. You all seem like you didn’t.”

“Jin Taekyung, you bastard…”

“You should have listened when I offered. Because of you and the other two, this guy won’t even be able to relieve himself alone anymore.”

I scanned the surroundings with a dry voice. Wherever my gaze fell, waves of anger and confusion rippled through the crowd.

Sensing the shift, Lim Young-jun shouted with wide eyes, “What are you doing, you idiots! I’ll shower you in potions, so don’t be scared—just kill him!”

I blinked in surprise, wondering if I had heard correctly.

Ah, potions.

“If you’re losing limbs, you’ll need high-grade potions. You must be loaded.”

“If you think of it as the cost of removing a major obstacle, it’s not wasted. We should have eliminated you from the start… I knew something was off the moment I received the order.”

“Is it wise to brag about your backers like that? You might end up dead because of it.”

“Dead?”

A smirk played on Lim Young-jun’s lips.

“Cleaning up the dead is our job. And anyway, you’re not leaving here alive.”

“Well, that’s one way to look at it. But there’s something I’ve been curious about.”

I asked sincerely, “Does that potion of yours bring back the dead? Or do you carry a few extra lives with you?”

“What?”

*Slice!*

I answered with my spear. The head of the Black Hunter groaning at my feet was severed cleanly.

I kicked the detached head toward them.

“Try saving him.”

“Oh, right. If your heart bursts or your head’s chopped off, not even potions can help.”

*Shing!*

Without hesitation, I flicked my hand.

The two daggers I threw shot through the air with fearsome speed, becoming streaks of light.

With a soft sound, two Black Hunters stumbled and fell, half their heads blown away by the force of the imbued energy.

“Ah. I meant to pierce their foreheads neatly, but I couldn’t control my strength.”

The air around us buzzed with tension.

The sneer on Lim Young-jun’s face had vanished, and the remaining twenty-five Black Hunters had terror in their eyes.

“How…?”

“What the hell…”

Suppressed groans echoed around me. They had likely never experienced anything like this.

Hunters who hunt monsters, and Black Hunters who hunt those hunters.

Murder, kidnapping, blackmail—they handled all sorts of dirty work for large guilds. But they’d never imagined themselves being hunted, let alone so one-sidedly.

I spat on the headless corpse.

“Bastards, just like street thugs.”

No, in terms of mindset, street thugs are better.

At least they know that they might die in a back alley one day.

“Who… what the hell are you?”

Lim Young-jun’s dry voice echoed his bewilderment. I gave him a grin.

“You already know.”

His eyes darkened.

“You’ve fooled everyone. You’ve killed more than once, haven’t you?”

“Killing beasts isn’t considered murder. It’s usually called slaughter.”

*Step, step.*

With every step I took, the Black Hunters who had encircled me in a semicircle retreated.

Even the most oblivious of them must have realized by now that I wasn’t just a regular A-rank Hunter.

The quality of my killing intent, thick with the stench of blood, was on a different level.

“Jin Taekyung.”

Lim Young-jun spoke with a hardened expression.

“Targeting that D-rank Hunter was a warning. It was an order from above.”

“I didn’t like the way you delivered that warning. Not at all.”

“Understood. Stop here.”

“What if I don’t?”

“The next time, it could be much worse.”

“Worse?”

“Aren’t you worried about your mother and sister?”

My steps halted, and my breath caught in my throat.

Seeing my sudden stop, Lim Young-jun’s voice gained strength.

“You can negotiate with those in charge. I can act as a bridge.”

“A bridge, huh.”

“All you have to do is give up one thing. Live as a civilian, not as A-rank Hunter Jin Taekyung. Of course, you’ll be well-compensated.”

I stared into Lim Young-jun’s eyes.

Tension about my nature. Yet, there was also the opportunistic gaze of a wolf, watching for any chance to strike.

After a brief silence, I let out a dry laugh.

“A bridge. That’s nice.”

Just as Lim Young-jun’s lips began to curl into a smirk, I continued smoothly.

“If it’s a bridge, I can just step on it lightly and cross over. Then I’ll see who’s on the other side.”

“…!”

There would be no compromise. They had crossed the line, and they were already my enemies.

Modern or Murim methods—I had placed both on a scale and weighed them, but today I chose the latter.

“And listen here, you bastard. If you’re going to make an offer, at least do it with a trustworthy look in your eyes.”

“Jin Taekyung—!”

I ignored his shout as I lunged forward. The Black Hunters charged at me with clenched teeth, but I slashed my spear downward.

*Slash!*

*Boom!*

The power of my *Samseong* (Three Successes) exploded as it shattered the fortified shield, breaking the Tower Shield into pieces. The tanker, who had hidden behind the shield, looked at me in shock.

*Thud!*

The tip of *Baekyeom* (White Flame) pierced through his chest and emerged from his back. The mage, who had been hiding behind the sturdy shield, frantically retreated.

*Thud!*

With a flick of my wrist, a dagger lodged itself into the back of his head. But that wasn’t the end.

“Die!”

*Whoosh!*

Three blades slashed toward me—aiming for my neck, chest, and shoulder. The faint sword energy on them indicated that they were A-rank Hunters.

*Slash!*

I yanked the spear from the dead tanker’s chest and swung it.

With lightning speed, the three swords shattered, and one of them collapsed, clutching his throat.

As the fountain of blood sprayed, I released the spear and charged at the two remaining Black Hunters, who had been trying to cut me down with their broken swords.

*Crunch! Boom!*

Compressed air exploded out.

The two, who had taken the blow to their chests from my *Hwayeom Shingong* (Blazing Flame Divine Art), knelt, vomiting blood.

Their magical armor melted and clung to their upper bodies, burning their flesh, but they didn’t even have time to feel the pain before they died.

“Farewell.”

Just as I wiped the blood from my face with my sleeve,

*Whoosh, thunk!*

I tilted my head slightly, and a thick, heavy iron arrow, as large as a small spear, zipped past and embedded itself into the stone wall behind me.

*Boom!*

The earth exploded, and the solid rock wall cracked under the immense force.

‘That’s annoying.’

Like regular Hunters, these Black Hunters had balanced positions. There were tankers, mages, close-combat dealers, and, of course, long-range dealers.

From the start, they hadn’t left the mansion and had continuously drawn their bows from the second-floor windows.

*Tsk.*

Just as I was about to leap away with my spear, the air rippled, and a shadowy figure emerged, aiming to slice through my head with a swift, decisive strike.

*Shiiing!*

Fast and precise. This was a close-combat dealer with exceptional stealth skills.

How many people had they killed using this technique? I wasn’t sure, but one thing was certain.

‘Today, you picked the wrong target.’

*Clang!*

I twisted my spear in a calculated maneuver. The iron arrow that should have been swept away by the spear’s arc instead changed course, piercing through the chest of the Black Hunter who had tried to ambush me.

*Thud!*

“Ugh!”

The Black Hunter, who had been shot by an arrow out of nowhere, fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

I pulled the iron arrow from his chest. His body convulsed briefly before going still. Immediately after, I hurled the arrow back toward the direction from which it had come.

*Thwack!*

The iron arrow, now imbued with my energy, flew back twice as fast and powerful.

The three archers who were just about to nock their next arrows were hit almost simultaneously, meeting their end as the arrow struck true.

“What the…?”

The Black Hunters who had been preparing to charge at me froze, watching their comrades die. I could see their hands trembling as they gripped their weapons.

It was no wonder. They had just watched more than ten of their comrades die in the blink of an eye.

But I had no intention of stopping here.

*Shiiing! Slash!*

I continued my assault, slashing, stabbing, and striking down anyone in my path. A mist of blood filled the air, and limbs, or even heads, flew in all directions.

“Arghhhh!”

“Ahhh!”

Screams erupted from every direction. Amidst the chaos, a pair of knuckles coated in energy shot out, striking the shaft of my spear.

*Boom!*

“Fall back into the mansion!”

I smirked at Lim Young-jun’s desperate shout.

“Setting up trap formations inside, huh?”

“Shut up!”

*Whoosh!*

He was still the best among them. Even in the Murim world, he’d be considered a top expert.

‘He knows how to handle his energy.’

One reason I often found Hunters inferior to Murim warriors was their lack of skill in energy manipulation.

But Lim Young-jun and the other Black Hunters showed far more efficient movements than regular Hunters.

‘Still, this is your limit.’

No matter how skilled they were, there was always a wall they couldn’t overcome.

I punched toward his knuckles.

Gritting his teeth, Lim Young-jun countered with all his might.

*Boom!*

First strike: his knuckles shattered.

*Boom!*

Second strike: Lim Young-jun’s fist crumbled.

*Bam!*

Third strike: My *Myeolyeom Shingwon* (Extinguishing Flame Divine Fist) exploded against his shoulder. His flesh sizzled, and his bones were ground to dust. With his shoulder devoured by the fiery dragon, Lim Young-jun was sent flying, spewing blood.

“Team Leader!”

But he still had subordinates left.

The remaining Black Hunters quickly grabbed Lim Young-jun and dragged him back into the mansion.

*Bang.* As soon as the door shut, a transparent barrier enveloped the mansion layer by layer.

‘A defensive magic barrier?’

It was an exceptionally strong one—stronger even than the one Butler Kim had demonstrated before.

But I didn’t stop walking.

With a single step, I stood before the door and unleashed a punch at the defensive barrier.

*Fourth Strike: Sajeok (Four Successes)*

I unleashed the full force of *Myeolcheon Shingwon* (Extinguishing Flame Divine Fist) against the barrier.

Like an unnamed cliff on Mount Song, my *Myeolcheon Shingwon* (Extinguishing Flame Divine Fist) shattered and obliterated everything before it.

*BOOM!*

With a sound like the sky splitting, the barrier was torn apart.

The roof flew off, and the walls crumbled into ashes.

Through the melted entrance, I could see the frozen expressions of the remaining enemies.

At their center was Lim Young-jun.

His jaw trembled, and through blood-soaked lips, he let out a groan-like whisper.

“What… what are you…?”

I answered him without hesitation.

“A monster. Just like you.”

Chief Choi had said it before. This world is teeming with monsters.

So I made a decision. Sometimes, I’d become a monster too.

Just like today.

“Ever heard of *Bungeunchakgol*?” [1]

It didn’t take long for Lim Young-jun’s mouth to fall open in terror.

***

Footnotes:

[1] Bungeunchakgol (Muscle Splitting, Bone Shattering) – This term refers to a brutal martial arts technique designed to cause severe physical damage by tearing muscles and breaking bones. It’s a technique likely intended to incapacitate an opponent completely, highlighting the vicious and destructive nature of the skill.

Murim Login — Chapter 8

Murim Login Chapter 8 — Chapter 277

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