Murim Login - Chapter 144

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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 144
A king was asking me for my autograph.
‘What is this?’
This scenario had never crossed my mind.
Large, round eyes gazed at me intently as I struggled to find words, bewildered by the absurdity.
“Have I made an unreasonable request of you?”
“No, that’s not it… but what will you do with my signature?”
“Hmm, if you don’t wish to, you needn’t.”
Beneath the archaic manner of speech befitting a historical drama lay a hidden desperation.
His toes scraped the Training Ground floor like a puppy’s, and his hands fidgeted ceaselessly—proof of his true feelings.
‘This brat is adorable.’
Still just a child. No matter how much of a king he was, his age couldn’t deceive.
Seeing his honest body betray the dignity his expression tried to convey, I let out a soft chuckle.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s nothing. So I just need to carve my name on this wooden tablet, correct?”
The young king’s lips twitched slightly.
“If possible, include my title as well.”
He answered with such earnestness that I had to suppress my laughter as I drew my short blade.
Scritch, scritch, scritch.
Shanxi Sleeping Dragon Jin Tae-kyung. As I carefully carved seven characters onto the wooden tablet resting against my knee, Ju Pyo suddenly asked.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to use sword energy?”
“It would.”
“Then why don’t you use it?”
“It’s not that I won’t—I can’t.”
“You can’t use sword energy?”
“Exactly as I said. I haven’t reached the pinnacle yet, so I can’t use sword energy.”
“You haven’t reached… the pinnacle?”
I glanced up slightly and found Ju Pyo staring at me with a shocked expression.
“Are you not the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Yet you can’t use sword energy, haven’t reached the pinnacle!”
“…I suppose that’s possible.”
“It is not! That cannot be!”
Wow, I was about to feel genuinely hurt.
Already suffering from relative deprivation due to sword energy appearing so frequently lately, this little brat was turning my insides upside down.
‘Is it a sin not to use sword energy?’
I was wounded in my own way, and cracks formed in Ju Pyo’s youthful admiration.
It was then, as I wiped my nose in pointless sorrow.
“How can you be so strong without even reaching the pinnacle!”
“Pardon?”
“Jo Pil, who kills with one strike. Hwa Yang Sword, Jin Baek-yang. And most recently, the Red Wind Master Pung Yang. Haven’t all the enemies you’ve defeated so far been masters at the peak of absolute strength?”
Among them, the only one I could truly claim to have defeated entirely through my own power was Jo Pil, but I nodded anyway.
“That’s correct.”
“How on earth is such a thing possible?”
“Well…”
My inventory is absurdly convenient. And there’s no defense against a coordinated assault.
When things seem truly hopeless, I rummage through my inventory. You might pull out a half-year supply of elixirs or weapons forged from eternal cold iron.
‘…I can’t possibly answer like that.’
Image is something one builds for oneself.
I opened my mouth with a serene smile.
“Isn’t it simply because I was stronger?”
“Ooh!”
“There is a saying in Murim: it is not the strong who survive, but those who survive who are strong.”
“Oooh!”
“I have fought three masters at the peak of absolute strength. I have even been attacked by dozens of first-rate masters.”
“Surely not!”
Ju Pyo clenched his small fists and gasped in amazement.
His reactions were so gratifying that the words flowed naturally. I continued, recalling the critical moments I had overcome.
“Yet each time, I fought with all my might and survived. Peak masters? Sword energy? Such things are not what matter.”
“Sword energy doesn’t matter? Do you truly mean that?”
“Of course.”
In truth, it matters immensely. Every opponent I face pulls out sword energy like taffy, yet I cannot wield it myself.
With each battle, I lose track of whether I’m fighting for human lives or insect lives.
‘You must keep consuming elixirs. Without sword energy, your body suffers greatly.’
I audaciously placed my hand upon the young king’s shoulder and whispered.
“The will to victory. The indomitable spirit that never surrenders—that is what created the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon you see today.”
“Indomitable spirit…!”
Ju Pyo’s small frame trembled. Soon, releasing a heated breath, he spoke.
“Can I become like you as well?”
“You can. Watching you train just now, I believe you’ll become a master in no time.”
“Is… is that truly so?”
Without the system, it would be difficult, though.
‘But you must water a growing seedling.’
I nodded toward those bright, sparkling eyes, then carved a few more characters onto the wooden plaque I had already completed and handed it over.
“Whenever hardship comes, look upon this and draw strength.”
“This is…?”
The young king examined the wooden plaque and broke into a wide smile.
“I am truly grateful. I shall have this plaque enlarged and hung upon the signboard of the Shanxi Provincial Government.”
“…That one?”
“Of course. All who pass through this place shall read your brilliant words.”
I watched Ju Pyo gazing contentedly at the wooden plaque and pondered.
‘He’s planning to hang that in the Shanxi Provincial Government building?’
Dreams come true.
-Shanxi Sleeping Dragon Jin Tae-kyung-
…That thing?
* * *
The Great Hall, restored to its former state, showed no trace of what had transpired.
As servants filled the newly arranged tables with delicacies, Sangshan King Ju Pyo, seated at the head position, opened his mouth.
“I am grateful to all of you for answering my summons so willingly. Please, help yourselves.”
Ding.
– Quest condition,
[Attend the luncheon hosted by the City Lord]
has been fulfilled!
– Quest rewards will be distributed after the luncheon concludes.
The atmosphere that followed was warm and convivial. With the young king, both host and master of this gathering, grinning from ear to ear, there was no way the mood could turn sour.
“I’ve heard that Jo Pil, the One-Strike Killer, was quite a vicious fellow. Could you tell me what kind of man he was?”
“Ah, that bastard was absolutely ruthless. So basically….”
“And Jin Baek-yang, the Flame Sword—his name was known even in the Central Plains as a supreme master, wasn’t it? How formidable was he?”
“Insanely strong. Absolutely insane.”
“Young Master Jin, His Majesty is listening. Please mind your words.”
“Ah, my apologies. Anyway, if I were to tell you about that time….”
After spinning tales for a while, I found myself drained. I tossed Chung Poong to keep Ju Pyo engaged and quietly slipped away.
“Shanxi Sleeping Dragon, where are you going?”
“You know the Sword Saint Mae Jong-hak? This fellow is his disciple.”
“The Sword Saint!”
“And he’s a supreme master too. Try asking him to teach you sword energy.”
I slipped to the side, leaving Ju Pyo behind, beaming like a child who’d met Santa Claus.
I could see the junior members of the Sanseo Five Gates struggling to eat in silence, and two others engaged in rather serious conversation.
Neither the former nor the latter seemed like conversation partners I particularly wanted to join.
‘I’ll just eat.’
But before I could pick up more than a few pieces of meat, a cloying voice pierced my ears.
“Young Master Jin.”
“…What?”
Hearing that voice, my appetite suddenly vanished.
“What are you doing over there alone? Why don’t we talk together?”
“I’d rather not. I’m hungry.”
“It’s about matters concerning the Taewon Jin Family.”
“I don’t involve myself in family affairs. Please discuss it separately with my Elder Brother.”
“What a shame. Then I suppose I’ll have to entrust it to the Seongyun Escort Agency.”
Seongyun Escort Agency? The name sounded familiar, and then I remembered—it was the family of the bastard I’d thoroughly beaten at the Honghua Inn yesterday.
That fellow was probably the head of the Seongyun Escort Agency, wasn’t he?
“The Seongyun Escort Agency? Why?”
Hong Jin’s lips curled upward.
“No, no. Just finish your meal. They say even dogs won’t touch it, but if you touch the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon, you’ll regret it.”
“….”
“Hehe, I was joking. Don’t take it so seriously. Come, sit down.”
Hong Jin pulled out the chair beside him, and I reluctantly took the seat. Of course, next to Lee Poong.
I’ll say it again—my rear end is precious.
“Let’s hear what this is about. I’m completely ignorant of such matters, so I might not be much help.”
Hong Jin, who had been pouting his lips as if disappointed, finally spoke.
“It doesn’t matter if Young Master Jin doesn’t decide here. I just need to relay it to the City Lord. So, Inspector?”
Lee Poong took over the conversation.
“We wish to borrow the strength of the Taewon Jin Family for this matter.”
“This matter being….”
“I believe you’re aware of the plan to establish a primary connection between Shaanxi and Shanxi.”
“The one you originally intended to do with the Zhongnan Sect?”
Hong Jin, who had been observing, nodded.
“The Zhongnan Sect is actually not a bad partner. They’re a massive sect belonging to the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance, and their leadership, including the sect master Feng Yun Sword Lord, has a pragmatic disposition. They’re different from other martial sects that are relatively closed-minded.”
“Then why change? If you hadn’t planned with the Huashan Sect from the beginning, wouldn’t it have been better to leave things as they were?”
“It was a decision made after careful deliberation. Though I did overturn it today.”
Hong Jin smiled faintly and continued.
“I’m not a martial artist myself, but I know well what position the Sword Saint holds in the martial world.”
“….”
“However, the Sword Saint has been in seclusion for thirty years. Had I known earlier that he remained on Huashan cultivating the next generation, I would not have chosen the Zhongnan Sect.”
After finishing, Hong Jin cast a meaningful glance toward Lee Poong.
It seemed he had known of the Sword Saint and Chung Poong’s existence for ten years but hadn’t breathed a word.
“Director. As I mentioned, that was classified information of our sect. It was only necessary to conceal it until Chung Poong descended the mountain.”
Lee Poong replied calmly and turned his head toward me.
“To speak plainly, we need an escort agency capable of expanding from Shaanxi to the Central Plains.”
Ah, I’m beginning to understand.
They’re asking the Taewon Jin Family to provide material or human resources.
“Are you thinking of establishing an escort agency?”
“Something like that. However, we wish to borrow the name of the Taewon Jin Family. In exchange, we’ll provide half the capital and maximum convenience.”
This sounds like they’re offering to push things forward. Wouldn’t it be better for them to establish an escort agency themselves?
As I felt puzzled, Jin Moo-kyung’s words from days ago suddenly came to mind.
‘The current Emperor also assassinated his elder brother, the Crown Prince, to ascend the throne. Definitely.’
It was unconfirmed rumor, but seeing how cautiously these two carried themselves, it didn’t seem entirely baseless.
Wasn’t the reason for sending their only younger brother to the remote Shanxi Province rooted in the Emperor’s wariness?
‘Hmm. This feels suspicious too.’
As I pondered whether I’d gotten tangled up in something wrong, the two of them spoke.
“I’ll arrange a meeting to discuss this matter, so please convey my words well to the Jin Family Patriarch.”
“Young Master Jin, you understand this is a good proposal, don’t you?”
“I do, but…”
In a sense, this was someone else’s family dispute. Between ordinary brothers, they might quarrel over who gets an extra ice cream, bloody noses would fly, and it would end there. But here, the prize wasn’t ice cream—it was the imperial throne.
This wasn’t the sort of matter that would resolve with a nosebleed.
“I’ll convey your words faithfully to my eldest brother.”
I deliberately kept my response measured. The decision would fall to Jin Wi-kyung anyway, so there was no reason for me to agonize over it. Unless he asked for my opinion first.
“That’s more than enough. Jin Wi-kyung won’t dismiss what you say. We’ve all heard how much the Jin Family Patriarch cherishes his younger brothers.”
Word had spread far and wide through the entire city.
I drained my cup with an embarrassed expression, and my gaze suddenly locked with that of the Four Immortals seated at the far end of the table, their faces looking as though they might choke.
Ah, right. I nearly forgot something.
“Excuse me. Director. Or rather, Vice-Commander.”
“Yes?”
“Couldn’t you simply change the signboard of the escort agency?”
Unlike the bewildered Lee Poong, Hong Jin broke into a grin.
“Do you have a place in mind?”
“That place you two were discussing earlier.”
“Seongyun Escort Agency? Don’t underestimate them. They’re the premier escort house in Shanxi Province. They won’t be easy to swallow whole.”
“That’s precisely why we need to chew them thoroughly.”
Looking at the Small Lord, the assessment became clear. With the current Taewon Jin Family, and with Hong Jin and Lee Poong’s support, we could digest them bones and all.

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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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