The One Who Defied Fate: Transcendental Murim

Chapter 50: The Strong Recognize Their Own

50장: 강자들은 서로를 알아본다

Jin Ha-yeong Becomes an Absolute Power within the Murim Alliance

A new energy flowed through the Murim Alliance stronghold.Since Jin Ha-yeong had risen to the position of Lord, his presence had only grown stronger.

After personally subjugating one of the Magyo's branches,the number of warriors following him surged.

Even within the Alliance, people had begun to see him as an absolute figure.Wherever he walked, heads bowed.His commands were swiftly becoming law in the Gangho.

And Jin Ha-yeong could feel it.

Yet—He still couldn't say for sure that he stood at the absolute peak of the world.

The name Seung-chan still lingered in his mind.And now, a new presence had begun to enter his sight.

The Shadowed Master Reveals Himself Again

That day, Jin Ha-yeong led another strike against the Magyo, commanding the elite unit of the Alliance.

Their target was one of the Magyo's outer factions—a relatively small outpost, yet oddly well-defended.

Jin Ha-yeong drew his sword.With his elite warriors, he stormed the battlefield.

His blade tore through the air.Magyo warriors fell one by one.

The battle quickly tilted in favor of the Murim Alliance.

But then—Jin Ha-yeong's eyes caught sight of a single figure.

That man was unlike the others.His movements lacked any discernible pattern.He moved within the flow, concealing his presence even amid the chaos of battle.

"Who… is that?"

Jin Ha-yeong narrowed his eyes.

Unlike typical Magyo elites,the man radiated no overt killing intent,nor did he initiate any confrontation.

Instead—He seemed to be searching for something.

His gaze flickered constantly.He didn't fight to kill;he moved more like a seeker, a scout investigating something.

"I can't let him get away."

Jin Ha-yeong charged at him without hesitation.

Jin Ha-yeong vs. the Shadowed Master

Jin Ha-yeong's sword flashed like lightning.

At that moment, the mysterious man's demeanor shifted.He stopped scanning the field.He knew now—he could no longer avoid the fight.

And then—his blade cut through the air.

Boom!

A powerful shock reverberated through the battlefield.

He was no ordinary Magyo warrior.He was undoubtedly a master.

"Who are you?" Jin Ha-yeong asked.

The man did not answer.He simply raised his sword—silently.

And so the duel began.

What Is This Man Searching For?

Blade clashed against blade.The collision of their energies forced them apart again and again.

But Jin Ha-yeong quickly realized something.

"He's not fighting me seriously."

His technique was real.His strength—undeniable.But even in combat, the man's eyes were still darting, scanning his surroundings.

He was fighting to buy time.To search—not to win.

Jin Ha-yeong pressed harder.He poured killing intent into his strikes.

And finally—The man's guard slipped.

Slash!

Jin Ha-yeong's blade grazed his shoulder.Blood sprayed.

But the man didn't falter.

Instead—He immediately began to withdraw.

As if he had seen enough.As if there was nothing more to gain.

His movements grew sharper, faster.He was strong, but he no longer wished to fight.

He had not come to duel Jin Ha-yeong.He had come—for something else entirely.

The Vanishing Presence, and the Question Left Behind

Avoiding pursuit, the man slipped back into the shadows.As if he had never existed at all.

Alliance warriors attempted to chase him—but he vanished almost instantly.

"What was he looking for…?"

Jin Ha-yeong sheathed his blade and murmured to himself.

That man was a true master.But he was not a mere Magyo combatant.

There had been purpose in his actions.And now, that purpose remained unanswered.

Jin Ha-yeong's Glory Shines Brighter in the Alliance

The battle ended in a decisive victory.Most of the Magyo leadership at the outpost was wiped out.The stronghold itself was obliterated.

Within the Murim Alliance, Jin Ha-yeong's accomplishments were celebrated.

"The Lord has once again crushed the forces of the Magyo!""There is no one left who can challenge the strength of the Murim Alliance!"

And yet—No one questioned it.

No one asked why the Lord had let an "unnamed man" slip away.

Only Jin Ha-yeong understood.

"He was no mere Magyo soldier."

He was undeniably strong.And he would return.

Jin Ha-yeong gripped his sword.As a fellow master, he felt it instinctively:

An unseen war is just beginning.

Chapter 51: Seizing the Magyo Stronghold

51장: 마교의 거점을 점령하다

Jin Ha-yeong Advances on the Frontline of Magyo's Core Stronghold

With the Magyo retreating, the momentum of the Murim Alliance surged to its peak.Jin Ha-yeong did not miss the opportunity.

"Now is the time. We must strike directly at the heart of the Magyo."

Under his command, the main force of the Alliance moved toward a critical stronghold—a fortified outpost directly in front of the Magyo's main base.

This was no ordinary branch.Key forces of the Magyo resided here.It was a strategic chokepoint that rigorously protected the path to their headquarters.

To bring this place down—was to expose the Magyo's very heart.

And the Murim Alliance would not let that moment pass.

Where the Strong Clash with the Strong

Jin Ha-yeong took the lead.To reach the Magyo's inner sanctum,he first had to cut down the powerful warriors guarding this fortress.

Two of the Magyo's elites stood in his path:

First: Blood Ghost Swordsman, Mu-hyeon (武玄)

Each swing of his sword reeked of blood.

He sustained battle by drawing strength from his opponent's blood.

Swift and lethal, his style drained foes over time—until the final blow stole their life with chilling precision.

Second: Celestial Death Fiend, Baek-yeon (白蓮)

A shadow assassin within the Magyo.

He read his opponent's flow, striking with unorthodox and unpredictable attacks.

Given even a single moment—he would pierce the throat.A killer who walked hand-in-hand with death.

Jin Ha-yeong would face both—at once.If he faltered here,the Alliance would fail to take the stronghold.

A Ferocious Battle—and Victory

Blades clashed with fury.Jin Ha-yeong engaged Mu-hyeon head-on,while simultaneously dodging the ambushes of Baek-yeon.

Mu-hyeon's crimson blade carved lines through the air.Jin blocked it, sensing the lethal presence of Baek-yeon flanking him.

Baek-yeon's dagger gleamed with intent to kill, flying toward his neck.Jin dipped low just in time—and slashed, slicing into Baek-yeon's arm.

But Mu-hyeon seized that moment.His blade swung toward Jin's side.

However—

Shhhhk—!

Steel scraped steel,but Jin's body moved faster than expected.

He countered.He had seen through the Blood Ghost Swordsman's technique—broken his rhythm—and brought his blade down toward Mu-hyeon's nape.

Slash!

Mu-hyeon's sword halted midair.Blood sprayed.

At that moment, Baek-yeon made his final, desperate move—a last ambush.

But Jin already knew.He raised his sword just once—cleanly, sharply.

And in that instant—he pierced Baek-yeon's heart.

Silence fell across the battlefield.Mu-hyeon and Baek-yeon—two of the Magyo's finest—had fallen.

The Murim Alliance Secures the Stronghold

With Jin Ha-yeong's victory, the morale of the Alliance soared.They surged forward and claimed the field.

The Magyo's forces collapsed quickly.Those who fled were struck down.The rest either surrendered or died resisting to the end.

This strategic point now belonged to the Murim Alliance.

The Magyo's core base was within reach.

Gangho itself was shaking.

And at the center of it all—stood Jin Ha-yeong.

Meanwhile, Seung-chan Watches in Silence

Seung-chan had joined the battle—but stayed in the shadows.

He fulfilled his own role,watching Jin Ha-yeong closely.

Jin was growing stronger.Faster than anyone.More powerful than any warrior in Gangho.

From a distance, Seung-chan gripped his sword.

"He's nearly there.""He'll soon become the undisputed peak of Murim.""So why… why do I feel uneasy watching him rise?"

The Hidden Presence—Gone

But Seung-chan was watching for something else.

That shadowed master—the one who clashed with Jin before.Would he appear again?

But—He was nowhere to be seen.

"Gone.""Did he hide himself? Or move somewhere else?"

Seung-chan still didn't know what the man had been searching for.

But one thing he knew for certain:

"The Murim Alliance will now march on the Magyo's headquarters.""Jin Ha-yeong will crush them soon.""And after he stands at the top… what then?"

Seungchan quietly closed his eyes.