Chapter 311
"Accept quest."
Ding.
- You have accepted the emergency quest, [Crisis of the Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency]!
You've grown up, Jin Tae-Kyung. Now you even know how to create your own quests.
A satisfied smile crossed my face as I extended my right hand. My palm, glowing with the searing heat of the Divine Palm of Fire, collided with the axe's side at a blistering pace.
Bang!
The hefty frame of Thousand Strength Axe recoiled from the impact. He staggered back three yards, his expression a mix of bewilderment and fury.
"What, what is this……."
"What do you mean? You just picked the wrong fight."
My grin widened as I sized up Thousand Strength Axe.
This was no imposter like the one I encountered at level 10, but the genuine, imposing level 90 version.
'Wow, the real one is definitely different.'
He loomed larger, his features so menacing he'd be mistaken for a bandit, and his martial prowess was on a whole different scale.
The sight of Thousand Strength Axe conjured up old memories.
'Capturing him back then really gave my reputation a boost, albeit based on a misconception.'
That was when my standing within the Jin Family of Taiyuan began to shift.
People confused the imposter with the real Thousand Strength Axe, inadvertently washing away the family's disgrace.
'Ah, feels like just yesterday.'
As I reminisced, Thousand Strength Axe eyed me cautiously.
"Who are you, exactly?"
"Me? The person who will kill you twice."
"What, what did you say?"
"It's a real thing."
"Kill me twice, what nonsense is that... Wait. Could it be?"
Thousand Strength Axe's words halted mid-sentence.
His expression turned to stone as he stared at me, recognition dawning, and he exclaimed.
"Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi!"
"Huh? Yes, that’s me?"
"I heard such a rumor about a year ago... No, that's not it."
Thousand Strength Axe hesitated, then with a newfound respect, addressed me.
"Are you really Jin Tae-Kyung, the Young Master of the Jin Family of Taiyuan?"
"I'm not 'the' Young Master, but I am Jin Tae-Kyung."
Acknowledging this, murmurs of disbelief rippled through the crowd.
Both bandits and escorts alike stared, their eyes wide with shock, particularly one piercing gaze from the sidelines.
[Lv.88 Ju Hwa-Ran]
Her lips parted delicately, and she spoke in a crystalline tone.
"Are you... the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi?"
"Uh-huh. People do call me that."
Her large, dark eyes lifted to mine, and she bowed in a martial salute.
"I am Ju Hwa-Ran, the young leader of the Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Jin."
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you too."
Was my renown greater than I realized?
To encounter so many who recognized me on a mountain path, miles from Shanxi, was unexpected.
It was also unexpected that the most stunning woman I'd ever seen recognized me.
'People can be astonishingly beautiful.'
Ju Hwa-Ran transcended mere descriptions of prettiness or beauty.
As I pondered my limited vocabulary, the crowd began to stir.
"Cough. You know, now that I think about it, don't we have to do some fortress maintenance work today?"
"Ri- right. The fortress leader is correct. I completely forgot."
With an awkward cough, the sounds of hundreds of people cautiously retreating began.
Turning my head, I caught sight of Thousand Strength Axe and his men from Black Stone Fortress and Green Forest Alliance attempting to slink away.
I called out to Thousand Strength Axe.
"Hey, Strength Axe."
He froze.
"...Strength Axe?"
"Yeah, our Strength Axe. Where are you going now?"
His face was a canvas of emotions – frustration mingled with resignation.
He managed a strained reply.
"I have some business at the fortress, so I think I should go there."
"So, why are you leaving without permission?"
"…!"
A cold silence fell over the clearing. Thousand Strength Axe's grip on his axe whitened, but he remained motionless.
A single exchange had been enough.
Thousand Strength Axe, along with everyone else, must have realized the gap between us. I was leagues beyond his level.
However, it wasn't just my prowess that held him back.
"Where is the Fire King?"
Where, indeed. The Fire King was sound asleep on an A frame carrier.
Ensconced in furs to protect against any contingencies, no one would suspect the formidable Fire King was there, lying unconscious.
'And the fact that Grandfather is incapacitated must remain a secret.'
Revealing it would invite vultures like Dark Heaven.
I masked my concerns with a casual smile.
"Why ask about my master?"
"I- I just wanted to meet him."
"Why, are you close with my master?"
"Well, I've always respected him..."
"If by any chance you do meet him, don't say that. A bandit like you pretending to be close will only annoy him. That's when you'll start losing ribs."
"…Your joke is a bit much."
"Does it sound like a joke?"
Thousand Strength Axe chewed his lip, his eyes darting. His glance flitted between me, Ju Hwa-Ran, the Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency, and the Bermuda Triangle descending. His gaze settled back on me.
"So, he's not here?"
"What if he isn't?"
"If that's the case…"
Swoosh. Thud.
Thousand Strength Axe hoisted his axe onto his shoulder.
"The situation changes quite a bit."
"Like your tone now?"
"It's been tough catering to a young one's whims."
"Strange, whether my master is here or not, I don't see what changes."
"That's because you're a greenhorn who doesn't know the ways of the world."
"In what way?"
"I acknowledge your martial arts are beyond what I expected. But it's a problem if you consider yourself equal to your master."
Thousand Strength Axe, his expression a mix of derision, gestured commandingly. Simultaneously, about five hundred Green Forest Alliance warriors advanced, brandishing their arms.
His assurance seemed bolstered by the Fire King's absence.
"Fire King Jeok Cheon-Gang is undoubtedly an extraordinary master. But can you alone turn the tide of this battle?"
"Hmm."
I surveyed the scene. The Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency's forces barely numbered over seventy.
Half were mere porters, ignorant of combat, while the remaining escorts appeared fatigued.
Contrastingly, Thousand Strength Axe's Green Forest Alliance boasted nearly five hundred.
Their numerical superiority was evident, granting Thousand Strength Axe a certain bravado.
Yet...
"Let's try turning it around, shall we?"
"Ha ha ha! Go ahead and try."
"That's the plan."
In a blink, the smirk vanished from Thousand Strength Axe's face.
I had bridged a five-yard gap in a single stride and launched a punch.
'Flame-Extinguishing Divine Fist.'
Woosh.
The air burst apart, scattering intense heat.
A strike that once shattered an unnamed cliff in Mount Song now hurtled towards the encroaching Green Forest Alliance.
Thousand Strength Axe was at their vanguard.
Boom!
A thunderous crash echoed, raising a maelstrom of dust and steam.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
System alerts chimed incessantly. These foes were of such caliber that their defeat granted no experience. My spear remained unused.
In the midst of the swirling mist, I unleashed a torrent of martial arts techniques.
Bang!
Tearing, hitting, smashing everything in my path.
Destruction reigned as the earth upheaved, blood and screams intermingling in the chaos.
"Arrrrgh!"
"Kill him!"
"He's over there!"
Swoosh! Thud!
A barrage of thrown weapons soared my way, only to land harmlessly in the earth.
Their movements were ponderous, almost sluggish. The trajectories of their attacks were blatantly clear to me.
'This is almost too easy.'
Crack!
In stark contrast, my own movements were swift, each imbued with devastating force. With every unerring step, cries of agony echoed.
Confusion reigned among the bandits, unable to differentiate ally from enemy, their weapons lashing out indiscriminately.
Swish! Slash!
"Ahh! You crazy bastard!"
"Is that, Wang Pal?"
"No, it's me! Me, you damned fool!"
"Sorry, I thought you were him..."
I whispered in the ear of the flustered bandit.
"This time, it's really me."
"…!"
Crack!
With precise force, I snapped his neck. His body crumpled silently.
Before he even touched the ground, I was already in motion.
'Brilliant Path of Fire.' [Note: this is a new move that we have not seen before. The direct translation is Blazing Fire Single Path or Path of the Intense Flames.]
The unique mental method of the Scorching Clan.
I darted forward, igniting the air. A fiery trail sliced through the fog, illuminating a towering figure – eight feet tall.
Our eyes locked in a fleeting moment.
"There you are."
"Jin Tae-Kyung, you bastard..."
Thousand Strength Axe, his teeth clenched in fury, advanced towards me.
The Divine Palm of Fire, now fully energized.
His axe, radiating with red energy, swung down in a formidable arc.
A lion-like roar erupted from him.
"Die!"
Swoosh! Bang!
Our clash unleashed an immense wave of energy.
So close, our breaths nearly mingled. Thousand Strength Axe's widened eyes mirrored my icy visage.
My fist, having shattered his axe, now pierced through his chest and emerged from his back.
Whoosh!
"Argh… Huk."
Blood was absent; the searing heat from my Divine Palm of Fire had vaporized any fluids.
Thousand Strength Axe's lips trembled.
"You, what are you…"
"You said to turn it around."
Swoosh.
I retracted my fist from his chest. His body, ravaged by burns, unable to endure the initial impact of the Flame-Extinguishing Divine Fist.
Thousand Strength Axe, gazing at his charred chest, uttered in a faltering voice.
"This is, beyond words…"
His voice trailed off, marking his final words.
Thud. The towering giant fell, triggering a system alert.
Ding.
- [Lv.93 Bang Yeol] has been defeated!
- [Defeat Thousand Strength Axe] completed!
- A significant amount of experience has been gained!
Whoosh.
A gust then swept across Black Stone Mountain, clearing the mist.
The scene unveiled left everyone in shock.
"This can't be!"
Thousand Strength Axe Bang Yeol, a top twenty figure in the Green Forest Alliance, a Peak Master among many, now lay defeated.
The battlefield was strewn with the bodies of about a hundred fallen bandits.
The surviving four hundred, their eyes wide with terror, gazed at me.
In fact, everyone who bore witness to this spectacle was in disbelief.
"The Fire King...!"
Fire King Jeok Cheon-Gang.
Half a century ago, he was the warrior who single-handedly decimated a thousand members of the Demon Cult in a nameless wasteland, epitomizing the adage, "one man against a thousand."
The lore of the Scorching Clan was solidified by the Fire King's legend, a legacy now bestowed upon me.
"Make your choice. Die here, or…"
Intensity surged through me, my body radiating intense heat. Wisps of white steam escaped, weaving through the air.
My eyes, ablaze with fire, locked onto those who opposed me.
"Kneel, all of you."
Clang.
The first sword clattered to the ground, powerless, soon followed by nearly four hundred others.
Ding.
- [Suppression of Black Stone Fortress] completed!
- Quest, [Crisis of the Dragon Phoenix Armed Escort Agency] successfully completed!
- A significant amount of experience gained!
- Level Up!
The system's melodic chime signaled the conclusion of the skirmish.
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Murim Login (Novel)