Murim Troubleshooter Dan Mujin-Chapter 139 : The Balance of the Will to Kill

Chapter 139: The Balance of the Will to Kill
There’s a thing called a “life-flashing moment.”
When a furious client stabs you with a blade, or when you're endlessly falling off a cliff.
When death stands before you, time slows down, and strange visions blur past your eyes.
And now, in this very moment as a sword tip flies toward my neck.
Within the slow-moving time, I saw something bizarre.
The optimal path for killing. Crimson lines intertwined like dancing threads, revealing the “grain” through which I could cut him down.
‘Kill (殺)!’
If I didn’t kill the madman before me, I would die. No—we would die.
As those murder-filled thoughts filled my head, my body began moving on its own.
Chaaang!
When crossing swords with a Peak Master, an ordinary steel sword won't hold. So I lightly tapped the flat of his blade to disrupt his sword momentum.
Through the opening that formed, I cut along the crimson thread.
Sseog—
The moment the two swords crossed midair, time began to flow again.
Splash!—blood erupted before my eyes. His blade grazed my forearm, slicing through it. But at the same time—
“Graaagh!”
Gwang Hyeolso’s scream rang out. All five of his fingers holding the sword had been cleanly severed as if slicing tofu.
Clutching his hand in shock, he staggered back a few steps.
“Grrgh, what the hell are you?! That movement just now...!”
He caught the falling sword with his other hand, shouting in disbelief.
“Hell if I know, asshole!”
It was as if I were possessed by something divine. My body moved twice as fast as usual—even I had no idea what was happening.
“You bastard! You penetrated a Peak Master’s Enhanced Qi defense? Then it must’ve been you who decapitated that Blood-Asura Heaven-Slaying Jiangshi!”
As expected of a master, he must’ve rewrapped himself in Enhanced Qi in that brief moment. His suspicion had now turned into certainty.
“Whatever method you used, you must’ve been able to cut down that Heaven-Slaying Jiangshi with ease. Which means I can’t let you live—for the sake of our great cause!”
“Man, I told you not to give those Jiangshi such lame-ass names.”
With a brief pause, I blurted that out unconsciously.
Why the hell do they slap ‘Heaven-Slaying’ onto every damn name? I bet Cheonsalsung’s ears are itching.
“Shut up and die!”
He shot toward me like a lightning bolt, swinging Sword Qi with his other hand.
And perhaps thinking this was his chance, Jo Harang seized an opening and slashed her broadsword violently.
Chaaang!
A clash between clear Sword Qi and blurry Blade Qi. She disrupted his sword momentum for my sake.
Taking that opening, I tried to slash him again using that same ability.
‘What the—why isn’t it working?’
Once again, it fizzled.
Just like when I tried to spar with Jo Harang.
“What the hell is going on?!”
I shouted in frustration as I swung my sword.
Meanwhile, Jo Harang, struck by Gwang Hyeolso, let out a groan.
“Gugh!”
It seemed she got hit by a movement technique—her waist bent backward like a shrimp, and she was flung away.
“Now, it’s just you and me.”
The martial artists of the Jinju Eon Clan had already been taken out, and the client, Eon Wolyeong, had been evacuated toward the Murim Alliance along with Ilhong.
With Jo Harang seemingly unconscious, it was now truly just the two of us left, as he said.
“If you’re hoping for another interruption by a man in black, that kind of luck won’t be with you today.”
And even I had to admit it looked that way.
We were barely two days away from the Murim Alliance, and we got caught by this bastard. The Eon Clan said they sent word ahead, but maybe no one came out to meet us.
Today, Lady Luck wasn’t smiling—she was sneering.
“What’s with that face? Where’s that murderous aura from earlier gone?”
He must’ve noticed something from the look on my face that said, “Well, I’m screwed.”
“If you back off now, you might just get away with losing an arm.”
“Hah, running your mouth, huh.”
Despite my bluff, Gwang Hyeolso only smirked and raised his sword.
He shouted that he’d slice my flesh little by little like peeling fruit, eventually flaying me alive.
“I’ll forego the pleasure of cutting flesh and bone myself. Instead, I’ll give you so much pain that you’ll beg me to kill you.”
With those words, he stepped back, unleashing fierce Sword Qi.
Chwaaaak!
As if remembering our earlier clash, he fired merciless killing beams, clearly not allowing any close combat this time.
His mastery as a Peak Martial Artist cleaved through the air, foliage, even rocks—everything in his path.
Thanks to that, I had to dart around like a crazed mutt dodging arrows, totally out of breath.
“Haa, huff! This bastard, does he have infinite internal energy or what...?! Hrrgh!”
Just how much life force and qi had he drained with that grotesque blood sorcery? He’d launched so much Sword Qi and yet showed no sign of fatigue.
“Why... can’t I see it?!”
I shouted in frustration, unable to see that red thread—that kill angle—to cleave his skull.
‘Will to Kill (殺心)!’
That’s when Salseongi responded in irritation, yelling the reason at me.
My murderous intent wasn’t strong enough right now.
A moment ago, I was exploding with bloodlust—Eon Clan warriors dying before my eyes, first Blood Revenge Staff, then Blood-Slashing Staff falling, and that bastard charging at me.
But now, after calming down and regaining my sanity using the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method, I lacked that intense emotion.
‘Unleash Killing Intent (放殺)’
He told me to spew forth killing intent like before. But easier said than done.
A real Heaven-Slaying Star would be brimming with murder 24/7, 365 days a year.
But I was just a half-assed Heaven-Slaying Star struggling to keep my sanity intact.
As long as that bastard kept his distance and kept slashing, all I could feel was a survival instinct—not bloodlust.
If he’d just charge at me like before, I could probably do something.
Chwaaak!
In the blink of an eye, Sword Qi viciously sliced across my arm again.
The previous wound had deepened—it now felt like my arm was dangling loosely.
“That arm looks like a nuisance. Let me chop it off for you!”
He grinned, showing his yellow teeth.
He used to seem like a more composed master, but after fighting me, it felt like his dignity had slipped a notch.
“You cowardly son of a...! A Peak Master too scared of a mere Peak martial artist that all he does is fire Sword Qi?!”
I shouted loudly, like I was embarrassed to be associated with him.
Here stood a Peak Master of the Blood Cult, cowering before a mere Peak martial artist!
“Hah, cowardly? You’re one to talk! You’ve been constantly sabotaging the Blood Cult’s great cause from the shadows, you rat!”
“From the shadows, my ass! I disrupted it right to your face!”
Though not exactly on purpose.
I kept getting tangled in their schemes and inadvertently wrecked every one of them.
“You damn rat! You dare claim righteousness after using underhanded tricks like Thunderburst Bombs to kill our cultists?!”
“Bullshit! That Thunderburst Bomb was your own damn weapon!”
All I did was relocate the detonation site.
Right into the middle of their own gathering.
“And I totally regret doing that, okay?!”
Ever since then, I started accumulating killing karma, and Salseongi began talking to me. Scared the hell out of me at first.
Maybe because I tried to save Murong Cheon, my sworn enemy. Maybe that act of self-sacrifice piled up some good karma and kept things from escalating.
Otherwise, something even more monstrous than two bloody fingers might’ve shown up.
Well, I’m still managing to stay alive, fighting and bickering with those two fingers.
‘Instant Kill (卽殺)!’
Salseongi screamed for me to kill—but I had no means to do so.
Even though my Whirlwind Steps had recently reached Mastery, it still wasn’t enough to match a Peak Master’s footwork.
“Next, I’ll make your head wobble on your neck!”
He said he’d enjoy ripping my body apart without turning it into a Jiangshi, just for the hell of it.
And then offer my severed head as proof to the Blood Cult Leader.
“Grrgh!”
A flash of crimson light—I hastily dropped my knees, but his Sword Qi grazed my shoulder, slicing off a chunk of flesh.
It was meant for my neck, but I barely twisted away in time to avoid a fatal blow.
“Heh heh, today there’s no Heaven-Slaying Star woman, no broadsword-swinging wench, and no damned Man in Black. You're dying all alone.”
And he looked delighted, as if savoring this time between just the two of us, thick and slow like honey.
But then—
“Captain─!”
A voice rang out not far away.
It was Ilhong, having seen me in danger, calling out my name urgently as she sprinted toward us.
“Hey, are you insane?! Why would you come here alone?!”
I yelled in shock.
She’d been spouting nonsense about staying and fighting, and I’d barely managed to send her off through Eon Wolyeong.
“I couldn’t! No—I wouldn’t! What’s the point of surviving alone again…?!”
Her voice trembled endlessly, as if haunted by a memory she desperately wanted to forget.
Great. Her trauma button just had to get pressed now, of all times.
“And who said you were alone?!”
She shouted with defiance.
Wondering what the hell she meant, I glanced over—and saw martial artists charging in from behind.
Clad in the uniforms of the Demon-Slaying Unit and the Chivalrous Unit, raising clouds of dust as they ran.
We had warned the messenger to be cautious of a Blood Cult ambush, considering what we were carrying.
Looks like the Murim Alliance did send people, even if we took different routes.
“See that? Dying alone, my ass. I’ve got that kind of pull.”
Even someone I told to leave came back. That’s Dan Mujin-style personnel management for you.
“…Hmph. I’ll kill you before they get here!”
Grinding his teeth, the bastard started launching even fiercer Sword Qi strikes, aiming to finish me off before reinforcements arrived.
Chwarararak!
I’d taken pride in the sheer volume of internal energy I had after stealing the Evil Star’s aura, but it seemed this guy boasted a monstrous reserve just like me.
Probably internal energy gained through some freakish method, like mine.
Boom!
And as I rolled around bloodied and beaten, Ilhong drew her hidden weapon’s string.
With an explosive bang from black powder, a flurry of poison needles rained down.
Tdadadang!
Gwang Hyeolso casually swatted them away and, as if annoyed by the interruption, fired a slash of Sword Qi in her direction.
She tried to twist out of the way, but her movements were too slow—her waist got slashed.
She crumpled mid-sprint, spewing blood as she collapsed in my view.
“You bastard! You dare lay a hand on my precious subordinate…?!”
So this is what it means to see red.
Murderous intent surged from my chest. Once more, I began to see the paths of death before me. My body moved purely on instinct.
Ta-at!
I unleashed a surge of immense internal energy from my Dantian through my Yongcheon Acupoint, propelling my body forward. Both my mind and body seemed to move several times faster.
As that fierce killing intent flared again, Gwang Hyeolso immediately tried to increase the distance with rapid footwork.
But then—
Whoooosh!
A massive broadsword came flying at terrifying speed, blocking his retreat path.
Even in her daze, Jo Harang forced herself up, squeezing out the last of her strength to aid me.
And for me, that brief moment of hesitation was all I desperately needed.
Sseogeok!
The sensation of slicing at my fingertips. The feeling of cutting through tough skin, muscle, countless blood vessels, and solid bone.
Puhwak!
Blood gushed, and the wrist that held his sword was severed. Gwang Hyeolso had now lost both hands—his tools for unleashing lethal and fist strikes.
Puk!
But I didn’t let my guard down. I immediately drove my sword into his Dantian. Blood spurted wildly, and I felt the vast reservoir of internal energy he’d harbored scatter.
“Got you, you bastard!”
Who’s the real rat, crawling around in the dark?
I struck both his Sub-Acupoint and Demonic Meridian in quick succession. Disabling both his hands, piercing his Dantian, and striking his Demonic Meridian—I could finally exhale the breath that had risen to my throat.
“Huff, huff.”
As the tension drained, the bizarre crimson lines vanished from my sight once more.
After a few occurrences, I’d started to grasp when they appear.
You have to truly want to kill someone—to death.
Just like the past Heaven-Slaying Stars.
‘Kill (殺)!’
But when I used the power I was given to suppress someone instead of killing them, Salseongi leapt in protest, flabbergasted.
‘No way in hell. Why would I do you any favors?’
Unless I needed to kill to survive, forget it.
I shook my head firmly.
What use is a corpse that can’t talk? It’s not like we’re the Blood Cult, raising Jiangshi from the dead.
You keep them alive to extract info—that’s how you get usefulness.
“This guy… he was the one using the Left Blood Law, right?”
And from what I could tell, he held a pretty high rank in the Blood Cult. The Murim Alliance would probably reward me handsomely for this achievement.
I might even be able to clear Eun Hwaran’s debt entirely. I was giddy at the golden prospect when a faint voice called out from the distance.
“Mujin…!”
It was Vice Captain Murong Cheonghye of the Demon-Slaying Unit.
She looked horrified as she spotted me, drenched in blood, with my arm dangling uselessly.
Wait—did she just call me Mujin? Why so familiar all of a sudden?
“Oh dear, what am I saying! Dan Mujin Master, are you all right?!”
“……”
It felt… odd.
Back then, when I called Murong Cheonghye ‘Noona’ in a moment of desperation—did she feel like this?
Anyway, I stood dumbfounded as she ran toward me.
“You rat bastard—die!“
Gwang Hyeolso, who I thought I had completely subdued, must’ve undone his Demonic Meridian somehow—he plunged his finger deep into my Blood Meridian.
“…Urgh!”
“Heh, I’m not dying like this. I’ll suck out every drop of your blood and internal energy!”
He was using some kind of bizarre blood sorcery. I felt my entire body freeze, bound tightly. A coarse, malevolent energy rampaged through my insides like an invading army.
And that was more than enough to stir something lurking within me, just like before.
“…!!”
Smug and triumphant, he rampaged through my insides—only for his eyes to suddenly bulge, as if tearing apart.
“Gurk!”
A mouthful of dark crimson blood burst forth. He’d started vomiting blood.
His eyes trembled uncontrollably, like his body and soul had both suffered severe trauma.
Seemed like he’d glimpsed something he shouldn’t have—just like what Hwang Geolgae had once witnessed.
“Grrk… Who the hell are you…?!”
Staring at me in disbelief, he pointed at me with a shaking finger as he collapsed to the ground.
And then, as if realizing something, he cried out in horror.
“Endless bloodlust… Don’t tell me—it’s not her, it’s you…! You’re the real Heaven-Slaying—!”
“……”
Sseogeok!
The blade sliced.
And blood spattered.
A necessary move for one who had realized what should never be known.