Murim Login - Chapter 103

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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 103
Clatter, clatter.
The carriage driven by an inexperienced Coachman swayed precariously.
Though the road was reasonably well-maintained, the relentless blizzard of the past several days had transformed the whip into an icicle, and it kept striking the horses’ hindquarters.
And then disaster struck.
Thud!
Neigh!
The four thoroughbreds, which had been moving swiftly even across the slippery snow, suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
“Ugh!”
The Coachman barely regained his balance as he nearly tumbled forward. Yet the dread of what was to come overshadowed any relief at avoiding a fall.
‘Please, Jade Emperor, Primordial Lord.’
Perhaps his desperate prayer was answered—he cautiously peered into the carriage, only to find both young men sitting as though nothing had happened.
‘Well, to be precise, one of them is sleeping.’
One youth, buried beneath fur pelts with only his forehead visible, seemed to have fallen into such deep slumber that nothing could wake him, while the other sat in lotus position, absorbed in his breathing cultivation.
Inhale… exhale.
Had anyone witnessed this scene, they would have been astonished twice over.
Once at the youth’s striking countenance, and again at the formless qi of a supreme master radiating from his body.
Even Hyuk Moo-jin, who had grown somewhat accustomed to him, felt no differently.
‘What cursed luck is this.’
His envy had long since curdled into outright anger.
Outstanding looks and genius martial talent—either one alone would be blessing enough, yet Jin Moo-kyung possessed both.
‘And there’s one more.’
The other youth, Jin Tae-kyung, who was supposed to be cultivating his breath but was instead sleeping like the dead, was no different.
In fact, he might be an even greater monster than his elder brother Jin Moo-kyung.
Merely months ago, he had been a third-rate ruffian wandering Giru, yet now he was Shanxi’s most promising dragon in hiding.
‘How can two brothers resemble each other to such an extent.’
They had inherited their mother’s visage intact—she who was once called Shanxi’s greatest beauty. Their talent was so genius it bred jealousy.
And finally…
‘Both of them have absolutely wretched personalities.’
Hyuk Moo-jin glared at the two brothers in turn.
One of them had hoarded all the furs to keep himself warm, caring nothing if his subordinate froze to death on the coachman’s bench, while the other had berated him for an entire double hour for not driving the carriage properly, and now sat contentedly cultivating his breath.
‘Difficult brothers indeed.’
Normally it would be hard to distinguish superiority between two such men, but with these brothers, it was the opposite.
Hyuk Moo-jin was contemplating which of the two possessed the worse character when it happened.
“Hey.”
A cold voice. From eyes that had just finished their cultivation, an irresistible formless aura burst forth and ensnared Hyuk Moo-jin.
“Why aren’t you driving the carriage?”
“Well, sir, a problem has arisen.”
“What problem.”
“That is…”
What would happen if I said the horses were angry because their frozen whips had pricked their rumps? Hyuk Moo-jin made the wise choice.
“My body is too frozen to drive the carriage.”
I wanted to rest for a moment anyway. Surely my backside, which had suffered on the coachman’s seat all this time, deserved a break.
But Jin Moo-kyung’s response was simple.
“Your hand.”
“Pardon?”
“Hold out your hand.”
Hyuk Moo-jin found himself extending his hand like an obedient dog. Then Jin Moo-kyung, grasping it, uttered a single phrase.
“Endure it, even if it burns.”
Before I could even comprehend his meaning, an enormous surge of energy coursed through my fingertips. In an instant, my entire body felt ablaze with such intense heat that my breath caught in my throat.
‘Gasp!’
When the shock is too great, even screams fail to emerge. It was but a fleeting moment, yet Hyuk Moo-jin’s mouth hung open and his entire body trembled. He didn’t even realize when Jin Moo-kyung had released his hand.
“How is it? Feeling better?”
Only then did Hyuk Moo-jin regain his senses and barely manage to speak.
“W-what was that just now?”
“A simple variant of the Blazing Yang technique.”
“…It didn’t look simple at all. I thought I was going to burn to death.”
“Is that so? I suppose my execution was clumsy since I only learned it superficially.”
Hyuk Moo-jin was at a loss for words at Jin Moo-kyung’s casual tone.
‘Why would he use something he only learned superficially on me…’
A difficult older brother versus a difficult younger brother? The older brother wins decisively in this contest of character.
Jin Tae-kyung had squeezed him before, but never tried to incinerate him with the Blazing Yang technique.
“Your body is thawed now, so go drive the carriage. We have a long journey ahead.”
“…”
It wasn’t so much thawed as it was burned, but the effect was undeniable.
“Then I’ll depart again.”
As Hyuk Moo-jin returned to the coachman’s seat with his body still radiating heat, Jin Moo-kyung’s gaze turned forward.
Buried beneath a fur blanket, Jin Tae-kyung was visible—though whether he was a bear or a man was anyone’s guess.
‘He said he was cultivating his energy, yet there he is, sprawled out in deep sleep.’
I had thought it was nonsense, but I never expected him to sleep so soundly and confidently. A martial artist should always be contemplating their martial arts and constantly training.
Jin Moo-kyung’s stern face darkened as he bellowed.
“You wretch, wake up this instant!”
“Ugh!”
The shout was so thunderous that even Hyuk Moo-jin on the coachman’s seat and the horses flinched. Yet Jin Tae-kyung remained utterly unmoved.
Snore. Snore.
“You fool!”
Jin Moo-kyung shot up from his seat and struck his younger brother’s forehead with his palm. With a sharp crack, the skin flushed red.
‘Let’s see if he wakes up even after this.’
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Snore. Snore.
“…!”
My forehead had turned crimson, swelling into a lump that looked ready to burst, yet I didn’t so much as flinch.
Jin Moo-kyung was engulfed in shock. At this level of impact, even a commoner without a shred of inner energy should cry out and jolt awake, yet this man—a first-rate martial artist and the Dragon of Shanxi—didn’t budge an inch.
In all my years, I’d never seen anyone so defenseless.
‘And that man is my Elder Brother.’
The training I’d conducted over the past few days suddenly felt like wasted effort.
“Mm.”
Jin Tae-kyung’s eyes, which seemed destined to remain shut forever, slowly opened.
* * *
Before my eyes even fully opened, I realized I’d returned to Murim.
Cool air brushing against my cheek. The rattling interior of a carriage.
And pain.
“…?”
Wait. What pain?
Opening my eyes, I found a rather familiar face looming over me.
‘Jin Moo-kyung.’
Ignoring his expression—the look of someone asking “how does a man like this even exist?”—I straightened my tilted body. Only then could I discern the source of the pain.
“Ow.”
My forehead. Touching it carefully, I felt the swelling alongside the burning sensation radiating through the surrounding skin.
‘What is this.’
What exactly did I do here to end up with a lump on my forehead?
For a moment, I wondered if I’d smashed my head against a wall, but given that I’d consistently built up my bone density and resilience, such an impact wouldn’t even leave a scratch.
‘This is clearly a deliberate strike.’
Conveniently, two suspects are visible.
Jin Moo-kyung and Hyuk Moo-jin. Even a three-year-old could identify the culprit.
“What did you do while I was asleep.”
“Asleep? Didn’t you call it breathing meditation before?”
“…Did I?”
It’s been so long I don’t even remember. Regardless, that’s not what matters now.
“You hit someone who’s asleep?”
“Your appearance was so pathetic to witness. A so-called martial artist, sprawled out without a care, showing no inclination to train.”
“So a martial artist attacks a defenseless opponent in such a cowardly manner?”
“Then shall we step out right now and settle this properly? Like true martial artists.”
Without hesitation, we both sprang to our feet, glaring at each other. Jin Moo-kyung spoke in a chilling tone.
“Hyung Moo-jin.”
“It’s Hyuk Moo-jin, sir. Young Master, please.”
“Stop the carriage at once.”
“…Yes, sir.”
The carriage began to slow gradually. Now it was my turn. I met his gaze head-on and opened my mouth.
“Hyuk Moo-jin.”
“Ah, Team Leader, what is it now?”
“Keep going.”
“Ugh, this is driving me crazy.”
The carriage began to accelerate once more. As I settled slowly into my seat, Jin Moo-kyung regarded me with an exasperated expression.
“Didn’t you say we should fight like martial artists?”
“How pathetic. The mission comes first, and fighting comes after. Besides….”
“Besides?”
“I never said I wanted to fight. I only said you were dishonorable.”
“….”
Though I spoke with as much confidence as I could muster, there was no hiding my weakness.
I glanced briefly at Jin Moo-kyung’s level window.
[Lv.??? Jin Moo-kyung]
Right, it wouldn’t be very human to start fighting immediately after meeting.
* * *
‘Let me check the Quest window.’
Ding.
Quest
[Yesterday’s Enemy, Today’s Ally]
Now that all truths have been revealed, the Hangsan Inspection Bureau is no longer an enemy but an ally whose hand must be clasped. Invite them to the Taewon Jin Family for the approaching First Day of the Year.
Rank
: First Class
Restriction
: Jin Tae-kyung
Objective
: Deliver Invitation (Incomplete)
Reward
: ???
Failure
: None
I reviewed the Quest I had received last time once more.
A simple task. The Quest rank isn’t particularly high, and there’s no penalty for failure. All I need do is deliver the invitation to the Hangsan Inspection Bureau.
‘The Hangsan Inspection Bureau….’
The Hangsan Inspection Bureau now had only its skeleton remaining. When Lee So-gun was poisoned and Lee Cheon-baek, that pillar, collapsed, the destruction came swiftly.
‘The Pal Cheon Hyeop battle was the killing blow.’
They say words without feet can travel a thousand leagues.
That day’s battle, which had drawn countless eyes and ears, spread rapidly through the mouths of messenger birds and people alike, and the Hangsan Inspection Bureau, now stripped of nearly all its main forces, became easy prey for someone.
‘Bandits and bandit gangs.’
It was said that nearly two hundred attackers had assaulted the Hangsan Inspection Bureau. After two days and nights of battle, the attackers retreated, and Lee So-gwang, who had remained at the sect under disciplinary confinement, ultimately fell in combat.
The Hangsan Inspection Bureau needed a new center of gravity, and thus one person emerged.
‘Eun So-wol.’
The last bloodline of Lee Cheon-baek and the current Hangsan Sword Sect Master.
We must deliver this invitation to her.
The problem is….
‘We have an awkward relationship, to put it mildly.’
In truth, even calling it awkward is a sanitized version of how I’d describe it.
After all, both Eun So-wol and I were present at the very beginning of all this.
‘It was probably right after I left the Training Pavilion back then.’
I remember Wi Paeng’s words from that time with perfect clarity, not a single syllable out of place.
‘Is it true that you attempted to violate the daughter of the Hangsan Sword Sect?’
Now everyone knows I’m innocent, but back then I was treated like the scum of the earth deserving death.
Lee So-gun, who had come to pressure the Taewon Jin Family with fabricated evidence, was poisoned on his way back, and that was where everything began.
‘Only a month or two has passed.’
A third-rate wastrel despised by his own clan became the Hidden Dragon of Shanxi, and she, whose name I didn’t even know, is now the new master of the Hangsan Sword Sect.
In a sense, we both share a common point—we’ve both undergone tremendous change in this short time.
‘Though our circumstances have diverged greatly.’
The Taewon Jin Family is now universally recognized as the First Family of Shanxi.
Meanwhile, the Hangsan Sword Sect is merely an empty shell. This invitation is essentially a surrender ultimatum—an offer to submit beneath the Taewon Jin Family.
Only by meeting her directly will I know how Eun So-wol will react.
‘I just hope she doesn’t draw her sword on me without warning.’
As I closed the Quest window with that thought, sunlight poured in and cheerful voices drew near. Hyuk Moo-jin approached me with an excited expression on his face.
“We’ve reached Hongjoo.”
The distance between us and her had narrowed to just two days.

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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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