Murim Login - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 102
Everyone has their own area of expertise.
Just as I had memorized Gate formations, the actions to take in crisis situations, and the weak points of monsters, I was equally ignorant when it came to legal matters.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“You as well, Attorney.”
The man wearing angular horn-rimmed glasses was the attorney who had been entrusted with my real estate purchase. Across from us, the homeowner and the Real Estate Agent were exchanging greetings and rising from their seats.
“Congratulations on the contract. You’ve done well for someone so young.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
As I shook hands with the homeowner, I finally grasped the reality of it all.
‘It’s mine now.’
And my family’s home. Reclaimed after a full eleven years.
* * *
I looked around the cramped room.
An old bed with broken springs. A small wardrobe that barely fit a few outfits and a desk with peeling paint in places. A small television sitting on top of it.
Gathering my clothes and miscellaneous belongings, excluding what I needed to leave behind, I filled exactly one cardboard box.
‘Just one box.’
Seven years contained within it. Lost in a melancholic haze, I was gazing aimlessly around the room when it happened.
“You leaving?”
I didn’t need to turn around to know.
This person was inseparable from my seven years here.
“Yeah.”
“Got a place?”
“Found one, so I’m moving out.”
“You work fast. Your family already moved into the new place?”
“No. It’s still a secret for now. I’m planning to move in first and live there for a while, then tell them after my Younger Sister finishes her college entrance exam.”
“Right, it’s such a critical time for her.”
“Yeah. I need to do some remodeling before that too.”
A brief silence fell between us. We were the kind of people who didn’t need to talk to feel comfortable, who could read each other’s hearts with just a glance, but now I didn’t know what to say.
“Elder Brother.”
“Hey, hey. That’s enough. Don’t get sentimental.”
Jin Ho gave my back a firm pat.
“It’s not like you’re transferring schools as an elementary student. You think you won’t see my face after you move?”
“I’ll see you. I have to see you.”
“Then that’s settled. I’m moving out today anyway.”
“You too?”
“Didn’t I tell you last time? Don’t you remember?”
“Oh, right.”
I had been worried about leaving Jin Ho alone at the Gosiwon after all these years of going through everything together, but now I felt considerably relieved.
“Where are you moving to, Elder Brother?”
“Just ended up crashing at someone’s place I know. Where did you say your new house is?”
“Goyang City. It’s only about thirty minutes from here, so not too far.”
“Goyang City?”
Jin Ho’s eyes widened.
“I live near there too, man!”
“Really?”
I felt an unexpected surge of joy at his words. These days, even a single day without seeing him feels lonely. If we lived close by, we could see each other often.
“Elder Brother, so what’s your exact address….”
Just as I was about to ask for his address, my smartphone buzzed in my pocket. When I answered, a gruff voice came through the receiver.
– Hello, is this Jin Tae-kyung? I’m in front of the Gosiwon right now.
“Yes, thank you, Moving Company Ahjussi.”
It was the private moving company driver I’d called earlier. Glancing out the window, I could see a blue cargo truck waiting in front of the Gosiwon.
– Do you have a lot of stuff? If it’s heavy, I can help you carry it.
“No, I’ll carry it myself.”
My belongings amounted to just two things.
A cardboard box filled with miscellaneous items, and….
‘The capsule.’
Now that the logout function was activated, I could traverse between Murim and the modern world without needing the capsule anymore.
It had become nothing more than a space-hogging relic, yet it held a significance beyond measure to me. The reason I’d called a cargo truck despite having so little luggage was entirely because of it.
‘What would have happened if I didn’t have this capsule?’
I slowly caressed the capsule’s surface. The cold metal and rough texture transmitted through my fingertips.
This worn capsule had completely transformed my life.
Ah, that’s right. There was someone who played a major role in that too.
“Elder Brother Jin Ho.”
“Huh?”
Seeing his bewildered expression, I couldn’t help but smile.
If Jin Ho hadn’t been completely drunk that day, I would never have entered the capsule in the first place.
“Never mind, it’s nothing.”
“That’s boring. Anyway, shouldn’t you be heading out now? There’s a truck waiting outside.”
“Yeah. While you’re at it, carry that box for me. I need both hands for the capsule.”
“Uh, what?”
“What’s with that reaction? Can’t you carry one box for your younger brother who’s moving?”
“That’s not it… Actually, now that I think about it, I need to pack my stuff too. Just make a trip down and back, even if it’s a hassle. Good luck!”
“….”
He slipped away like a loach. I watched Jin Ho’s retreating figure gradually disappear, then finally picked up the box.
The impatient honk of the Moving Company Ahjussi’s horn assaulted my ears.
Honk honk!
“Coming down now!”
* * *
“You must be a Hunter, huh?”
The Moving Company Ahjussi, who’d been glancing at me repeatedly, struck up a conversation. The cargo truck carrying the box and capsule was heading toward my new place, guided by the navigation system.
“How did you know?”
“You can tell just by looking. I used to be a Hunter myself. F-rank.”
“Really?”
“I’m probably your senior from the Hunter Training Institute, actually. Ah, I’m not trying to be preachy or anything. It’s ridiculous for someone like me—who quit after just one month and returned my license—to say such things.”
The man continued as if lost in thought.
“The Hunter Training Institute was bearable. Even as an F-rank, there was pride in becoming a Hunter. But right after graduation, the moment I joined a Guild, an accident happened.”
An accident at a Gate is synonymous with death.
Even if limbs are severed, the world is such that you can recover if you have money. Hunters don’t call that level of injury an accident.
“It was a classmate from the Training Institute who started at the same time… One moment we were together, and the next he was dragged away and died like that. I should have chased after him and saved him no matter what, but I just couldn’t make my feet move. After his funeral, I filed for retirement. Someone like me shouldn’t be running Raids.”
He tried to sound indifferent, but couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice.
“I’ve said something really unlucky in front of a Hunter customer. What kind of story is this to tell? I’m sorry.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I understood the man’s feelings well enough.
I had a similar experience myself. If I hadn’t felt responsible for my family, if my Elder Brother Jin Ho hadn’t been there to comfort me, I might have retired two years ago.
‘Then my life would have turned out very differently.’
Being a Hunter is a fierce profession. The media praises us as humanity’s protectors and shields, but we live with death constantly at our side.
– Turn right in 50 meters.
The man hesitated at the navigation voice and muttered.
“Oh, now that I think about it, this is the Safety Sector.”
“That’s right, so just keep going straight.”
“Ah, yes.”
The moving truck arrived at its destination not long after.
A two-story detached house with a blue roof. A stone wall not too high and a lawn-covered yard come into view. The feeling was different from when I first saw this house a few days ago.
‘It must be because it’s our house.’
Our house.
The more I savored the words, the better they felt. Of course, it also helped that the house was so beautiful.
“Wow… this is a nice house.”
The man who got out of the driver’s seat clicked his tongue in admiration. Words sound sweeter when they come from someone else’s mouth. No matter how much I try to hold back, my lips keep curling up.
“You must be a successful Hunter. My dream was to live in a house like this.”
“Mine too.”
“You’ve achieved your wish. That’s wonderful.”
Of course I’m thrilled about it.
The man, who kept exclaiming in wonder while touching the stone wall and gazing at the lawn, asked.
“Would it be alright if I went inside for a look? I should move the capsule anyway.”
“Yes, please do.”
The Moving Company Ahjussi, who had unexpectedly become the first guest in my new house, climbed into the truck bed. It was to move the capsule.
“But that thing must be quite heavy.”
“It’s fine. I’ve moved plenty of them before, so I know. Game capsules all weigh about the same anyway.”
“No, it’s really going to be heavy.”
I know because I lifted it directly earlier. Even with my Strength stat in the triple digits, it was quite substantial. For that man, it would be a completely different story.
“Owner, I’ll just move it myself.”
He chuckled as he embraced the capsule.
“Hehe. You’re underestimating me. I used to be a Hunter, you know. Just this much shouldn’t… Ugh!”
“Wow.”
A former Hunter indeed. He managed to lift it in one go.
The only thing that changed was that the smile vanished from the man’s face.
“Go open the door first. Hurry!”
At his urgent tone, I rushed over and flung open the front gate and entrance door. I couldn’t understand why I was getting nervous too.
“I’ll just carry it….”
“Move!”
“Yes, sir.”
He rushed into the living room at a speed comparable to an alarm and let out a cry.
“Which room!”
“The capsule is on the second floor….”
“What?”
“…I was going to put it there, but just leave it in the nearest room.”
Fortunately, the door was open. With a thud, the man set down the capsule and gasped for breath.
“Why… is this… so… huff. Heavy?”
“….”
Didn’t I tell him it was heavy?
* * *
The moment the Moving Company Ahjussi left, I flopped down on the living room sofa.
It was one of the pieces of furniture I’d acquired from the previous owner in exchange for paying the final balance in one lump sum.
‘I’ll be living alone for a few months anyway.’
I’d told my family I was moving back to Bucheon.
Until Ha-yeon’s college entrance exam, I planned to eat and sleep here while commuting to work.
‘I should renovate the house too, and buy a car. Ah, the Guild said they’d provide a vehicle anyway, so I should get my license first.’
There was a mountain of other things to do. Yet instead of exhaustion, energy surged through me. These were things I’d wanted to do but couldn’t before.
Just a few months ago, I was struggling back and forth between Gates and the Gosiwon, and so much had changed.
‘You’ve grown a lot, Jin Tae-kyung.’
Suddenly, one person came to mind.
A man who, despite his considerable age, always smiled like a boy. He came to me like a friend, doing his best for his wife and children.
‘Father, I bought a house. The place we used to live in is already gone. But this is still a good thing, right?’
Even though I wanted to boast like a child, there was no one left to praise me. All I could do was repeat words in my heart that would never reach him.
How much time had passed like that?
When I came to my senses, it was already eight in the evening. The summer sun was slowly setting.
‘So this is how my last day of vacation ends.’
A full week of vacation. It had been hectic with the Sangdong Guild situation, but it was the best rest I’d enjoyed since becoming a Hunter.
Now it was time to return to my daily life.
‘Exactly twelve hours from now.’
I lay flat on the sofa I’d been sitting on. The thought of entering the capsule crossed my mind, but I dismissed it just as quickly.
This was my home after eleven years away. This time, I wanted to wake not in the stuffy confines of a capsule, but in the living room of my own house.
‘Login.’
The system responds to my call.
Beep.
Do you wish to connect to Murim?
Y / N
Of course, my answer is yes.
* * *
Long after Jin Tae-kyung lost consciousness, something no one could have anticipated was unfolding in the room beside the entrance.
Creeeeak.
The door of the capsule—a metallic object resembling a colossal egg—began to open slowly.
The first things to emerge were two feet.
Long sports socks that reached the calves, with red lettering printed across them.
Hope Gosiwon Early Football Club
Then came rolled-up sweatpants, followed by pale, gaunt hands clutching a book as if it were scripture itself, its cover gleaming as it caught the crimson glow of the sunset streaming through the window.
Complete Mastery of the Civil Service Exam
And finally, his face emerged.
After enduring hours of agony, he looked haggard as a deposed prince, yet radiant as a legendary founder breaking free from his shell.
A parched voice escaped between his chapped lips.
“Is this my new nest….”
A contented smile played at the corners of Sung Jin-ho’s mouth as he gazed upon the spacious room.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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