Murim Login - Chapter 159

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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 159
Fifty points to agility. And fifty points to strength.
Combined, a staggering hundred points—enough to earn from ten level-ups—poured out in a single moment, yet I felt not the slightest regret.
‘Points are truly supreme. Always exhilarating. Always fresh.’
My feet pushing off the ground, my grip tightening around the spear shaft, they cried out.
I was incomparably stronger than mere seconds ago.
And now, I had finally taken the first step toward victory in this duel.
‘End this swiftly.’
Whoooosh!
As the spear descended with a terrifying sound of air splitting, violet energy rippled across Chung Poong’s entire body.
‘Purple Mist Divine Technique.’
At last, Chung Poong was beginning to unleash his full power. But there was one more critical element to this confrontation.
Shiiing!
As expected, a blade aura erupted from Chung Poong’s waist.
Blade aura, the exclusive domain of peak masters, possessed cutting power that could cleave through steel itself.
I had not yet crossed the threshold into the peak realm, so I could not parry it directly.
I would have to retreat a step, or factor in the destruction of my spear and continue my next attack.
But then….
‘What is this feeling?’
A strange sense of déjà vu. My heart thundered. My vision sharpened. In the slowed world, the cool spear shaft in my grip trembled violently.
Hummmmm, huuuummmmm.
Mind cold. Heart ablaze.
For seven years I had fought this way… but this time was different. Pure instinct. Only instinct dominated my entire being.
‘I can do this.’
Like one possessed, I poured more force into the descending spear blade.
Forty-five years of cultivation flowed through my fingertips toward the spear. The trembling in my grip intensified, and the violet blade aura blazed brilliantly.
That was all.
Boom!
A colossal collision of two forces. A deafening roar and wind pressure, Chung Poong’s eyes wide with shock. And….
‘Unscathed.’
The spear blade gleamed pristine white.
The spear pressing down on Chung Poong’s blade aura trembled without a single crack.
Huuuummmmm. As if hundreds of bees were beating their wings.
‘How is this possible?’
Was this the effect of the strength increase? Or mere coincidence?
In that moment, the answer to my question arrived.
Ding.
– You have completed your preparation to step into a new realm.
– Your weapon resonates with your energy.
– Quest,
[Beyond the Wall]
has been created.
‘Ah.’
It wasn’t merely a side effect of increased strength, nor was it simple coincidence.
This was the natural order of things. After countless trials and tribulations, I had finally faced the wall, and now I had to transcend it.
The wall known as the Peak—a barrier that countless others had failed to overcome.
‘Peak Master.’
True superhumans who wielded sword energy, or aura.
The mere thought sent shivers down my spine. Past memories unfolded like cheap monochrome film, flickering before my eyes.
A common F-rank Hunter had come this far. There had been countless crises, and there had been sacrifices.
Quest, [Beyond the Wall]. Will you accept?
Y / N
I was someone who had danced between life and death countless times. I had to overcome the Peak’s wall with ease, or else I would have no pride in the days I had lived.
‘Of course it’s a yes.’
– Quest accepted!
Ding. With the cheerful system notification, I pulled the corners of my mouth upward into a smile.
My thoughts had been long, but the time that passed was brief. I whispered to Chung Poong, who was staring up at me with bewildered eyes.
“Now then, from this point on—spicy ramen, extra hot.”
Let me show you the true spice of a Korean.
* * *
Thud-thud-thud.
My strength had increased by twenty-five percent compared to a minute ago. The difference was like heaven and earth. Chung Poong’s bewilderment at my sudden transformation was plain to see.
“W-wait, benefactor. Where did this power suddenly come from?”
“Korean rice power. Especially bone broth rice.”
“What?”
“I ate two bowls of bone broth soup every morning. Five bowls of rice.”
“That doesn’t make any sense—gasp!”
Thud-thud-thud.
As my power continued to surge, Chung Poong gasped for breath. He possessed sword energy and the Zahasin technique, but they proved ineffective.
My spear, resonating with my fully concentrated energy, had become so formidable that even sword energy could no longer cleave it.
‘I have a real chance at victory.’
However, Chung Poong was not an easy opponent.
“Hah!”
With a sharp shout, tremendous force flicked the spear blade upward.
Though we were separated by barely a span, Chung Poong seized the momentary reprieve from pressure without hesitation.
“I apologize. I underestimated you, benefactor.”
Before his words even finished, formless energy erupted from his palms.
Taiyi Mirage Palm. A secret technique of the Huashan Sect that the Sword Saint had personally taught.
“Tch!”
Boom! With a sharp sting of pain, I staggered backward five steps in succession.
Fortunately, I’d been raising my muscle and meridian stats with every level up—otherwise, I would have suffered a devastating blow.
“Damn, that hurts.”
Chung Poong stared at me with the wide eyes of a startled rabbit.
“The Seven Stars’ Taeul Miri Jang….”
“Don’t say things like that. Now I’m craving soda.”
“Pardon?”
Yeah, I knew that reaction was coming.
The moment Chung Poong asked for clarification, my spear was already piercing his chest.
A perfectly timed ambush. But it couldn’t possibly end with just this. As if answering my thoughts, sword energy slashed across my spear blade.
Clang!
‘I didn’t expect much anyway.’
No expectations meant no disappointment. Since my emotions remained unshaken, my techniques followed suit.
‘Next, the waist.’
Whoosh!
The moment my spear moved, Chung Poong twisted his waist. The wind pressure from the spear blade silently tore through his upper garment, revealing a thin line of blood on exposed skin.
A small gain, but a gain nonetheless.
‘Next, the neck.’
I pivoted and struck at Chung Poong’s neck with the spear shaft.
Boom!
When a human body collides with a steel spear, it shouldn’t produce such a metallic sound.
But Chung Poong possessed martial arts—the Ja Ha Divine Art, one of the most renowned inner cultivation techniques and protective martial skills under heaven.
I clicked my tongue as I watched the deepened violet energy flare around him.
‘Even so, how can there be no damage at all? This is completely unfair.’
Look at this plum blossom spoon. Would anyone even spar if it were this dirty?
But I had no time to stand here clicking my tongue. In barely half a step, Chung Poong had closed the distance, and his scattered sword energy filled my entire vision.
Swish!
The sword tip blooms like a flower. Fluid, even beautiful in its movements. But if I lost focus, I’d find myself standing before the Beimang Mountain signpost.
The Plum Blossom Sword Technique I’d observed so far was a fearsome martial art. Extremely intricate and complex techniques.
When such a technique unfolded from Chung Poong’s hands, it felt like being trapped in a downpour.
But….
‘I can see it.’
I opened my eyes wide. My breathing slowed and my vision sharpened. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, and my spear trembled.
Hum, hum, hum. The spear was singing. In this moment, my spear and I were one.
The spear shaft no longer felt cold against my palms.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
Sword and spear intertwined. I deflected and struck back against the relentless barrage of sword energy without pause.
Ten times, twenty times, perhaps thirty….
Chung Poong was more persistent and sharp than anyone. When I blocked the sword energy carving toward my waist, the Taeul Miri Jang came flying, and when I evaded it, the Reverse Tiger Fist aimed for my chest.
Thud!
The shoulder that blocked the Reverse Tiger Fist throbbed with pain.
A flash of pain. In that instant, as my movements dulled, Chung Poong unfurled his clenched fist wide open.
Air erupted from the tips of five fingers directed at me.
‘Damn it. That technique.’
The moment recognition struck, I arched my waist backward like a bow.
The Plum Blossom Five Finger Strike—a technique Jin Moo-kyung had shown me only once during our sparring match.
Whip-whip-whip! Five streams of finger force whistled perilously past my nose and earlobe.
‘He’s truly formidable.’
I felt it again—Chung Poong was no ordinary swordmaster.
He wasn’t merely the successor of Sword Saint Mae Jong-hak; he was a living compendium of the Huashan Sect’s martial techniques, a complete martial arts package.
I wiped away the blood trickling down and opened my mouth slightly.
“You’re coming at me awfully hard, aren’t you?”
“That’s what I wanted to say to my benefactor. Honestly, I’m impressed.”
“Why? Because someone you thought was unremarkable fights better than expected?”
“Exactly!”
“….”
“It’s beyond my expectations. Truly. And….”
“And?”
“It’s fun.”
Watching the faint smile at the corner of Chung Poong’s mouth, I understood something.
Beyond mere competitive spirit, this man loved martial arts itself—enjoyed them. He was proving to me just how terrifying a genius who finds joy in his craft could be.
“Isn’t my benefactor the same?”
“Chung Poong, do you know what my dream is?”
“…?”
“To retire with my body intact and build a single building in my name. To live a comfortable retirement as a landlord, collecting rent from that building.”
“A landlord?”
“In simple terms, well. Yes. Think of it as being someone up there in the sky.”
“Ah, I see.”
Chung Poong nodded as if he’d grasped my meaning.
“So you wish to become a Martial God.”
“No, that’s not it. Where did ‘Martial God’ come from?”
“Isn’t that what you meant?”
“No. It’s completely different.”
“But you seem to enjoy martial arts.”
“Me? Not particularly to that extent.”
“Your expression suggests otherwise.”
Only then did I realize—my lips had been curled upward this entire time.
‘Since when?’
As I fell silent in thought, Chung Poong smiled knowingly.
“Once you’ve caught your breath, shall we continue?”
“…How long have you known?”
“It’s a method I’ve used on Grandfather many times.”
People’s thoughts really do run along the same tracks. I burst out laughing.
“You’re quicker to catch on than I expected.”
“The blade is faster still.”
Tss, tss, tss.
The moment violet sword energy erupted from Chung Poong’s blade, the spear in my hand trembled violently.
* * *
Clang!
First form of the Jin Family Spear Technique. The straightforward thrust was intercepted by the blade.
The Jin Family Spear Technique is honest martial arts. Concise and crude. Certainly first-rate, but in terms of subtlety, it was far too simplistic.
‘Compared to the Huashan Sect’s techniques, it falls woefully short.’
Martial arts are ultimately combinations of movements. Thrusting, striking, slashing. Through the application of inner force and minute angles connected through forms, infinite variations could be created.
After years of arduous training, I finally achieved mastery, yet the Jin Family Spear Technique and Jin Family Footwork lacked such subtlety.
Screeeech! Tap-tap!
In that sense, my opponent was far from ideal.
Chung Poong possessed the eyes of a supreme master capable of seeing through my martial arts at a glance.
He showed no more mercy, launching into a full offensive assault.
Whoosh! Crack!
‘Swordsmanship, fist technique, palm force, hand technique, foot technique.’
He was truly a martial genius. Connecting roughly ten different martial arts while his movements locked together like gears with perfect precision.
His eyes shone like the morning star, and his breathing was slow and steady.
‘This is what it means to be the Sword Saint’s disciple.’
An excellent master and martial arts. And talent on top of that.
The world was always unfair. And over the past seven years, I had learned how to adapt to that unfair world.
‘Persistent and slow. Never surrendering.’
That was my way.
I never wanted to be the tortoise chasing the hare far ahead. Crossing the finish line was enough.
Surviving and retiring. It was the greatest dream a lowest-rank Hunter could have.
‘I had to cling to survival.’
I learned everything in the Gate. Goblins wielding rusted swords and firing poison needles were my sparring partners.
Unlike martial arts bouts in the Murim, it was a matter of life and death, but precisely because of that, I could learn faster.
And….
‘I came to the Murim.’
Cha-cha-cha-clang! Scrape.
My side burned. I felt blood flowing, but I didn’t commit the foolish act of checking the wound.
The human body was weaker than one might think, yet stronger in another sense. Even if blood flowed, once it coagulated, the bleeding would stop.
“Ugh!”
Ironically, the fact that this bastard had a weak stomach became my opportunity.
I rushed toward the faltering Chung Poong.
‘Second form of the Jin Family Spear Technique.’
Screeeech!
About a week after I fell into the Murim, I discovered two secret manuals in a dust-covered archive. The Jin Family Spear Technique and the Jin Family Footwork.
If anyone asked why I learned them, the answer was simple.
‘To survive.’
For me, the Murim was another Gate. To survive, I had to learn.
And so I began my journey into martial arts, and before long, months had passed. Everything had changed completely.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Thud!
‘Hmm.’
Five Plum Blossoms—I barely evaded five streaks of finger energy before getting struck by the Tai Yi Eyebrow Palm.
Despite pouring in a full 100 points, it was clear I still fell short of catching up to Chung Poong.
But to face someone who already knew the Jin Family Spear Technique inside and out, I had no choice but to push forward like a rhinoceros horn.
‘Third and fourth forms of the Jin Family Spear Technique.’
The Jin Family Spear Technique grew more powerful the further one advanced. The footwork was designed to match it perfectly.
Simple yet practical forms that pressured the opponent—that was the essence of the two martial arts I had learned.
‘If teeth won’t work, use the gums.’
My understanding of martial arts was lacking, but my stats were never inferior. As I advanced, Chung Poong retreated.
Riding the momentum, I thrust and slashed with all my strength. As the taste of blood filled my mouth, a conversation with Chung Poong from earlier suddenly came to mind.
‘But you do enjoy martial arts, don’t you?’
‘Me? Not particularly.’
‘Then why have you been smiling this whole time?’
Well, that was obvious….
‘Because it’s fun.’
Screeeech! Crash!
Sword and spear collided. The blue stones laid neatly across the Training Ground floor turned to powder and scattered.
As the dust cloud cleared, Chung Poong’s figure came into view. His laughter was bright, contrasting with the chaos of our battle.
“Martial arts are fun, aren’t they?”
After a moment of hesitation, I nodded silently.
“Then why did you say no earlier?”
“It’s just… a difference in how we’ve lived, I suppose.”
For seven years, I had lived as if being chased by something invisible.
Guilt, or perhaps responsibility. Or even self-satisfaction to rationalize it all.
Seeing my hesitation, Chung Poong opened his mouth.
“Grandfather once said something like that. Martial arts? It’s nothing special!”
“Hmm? The Sword Saint?”
“It’s true.”
Chung Poong continued, his expression aggrieved.
“Not martial arts but emptiness. Since it’s empty to begin with, you just accept it as it is and fill it in.”
“Accept it as it is and fill it in.”
“I’m serious. You can ask Grandfather later….”
Chung Poong’s voice gradually faded before cutting off entirely.
I closed my eyes. Lost in the suffocating darkness, untethered from time and place, I found myself fixated on a single phrase, repeating it over and over.
‘Accept what is and fill in the void….’
Why did this one sentence keep gnawing at me?
The more I turned it over in my mind, the more my heart raced and my entire body tingled with restless energy.
It felt as though the boulder that had settled in my chest was beginning to shift.
‘Not martial skill—but the void of martial skill. Accept what is and fill in the void….’
Whether seconds or hours had passed, I couldn’t tell. In the darkness, time itself seemed to have stopped.
A day, two days, three days—even if a year had elapsed, it would have felt unremarkable in this suffocating void. Then I opened my eyes.
“Benefactor, how do you feel?”
Rather than answer Chung Poong’s question, I looked around.
Hyuk Moo-jin was dozing fitfully in the corner, and the ink-black sky above was crowded with stars threatening to pour down at any moment.
Was this truly the world I knew?
“Was Grandfather right?”
A second question. I answered in a voice hoarse and worn.
“No. Not at all.”
Martial skill—damn, it’s impossibly difficult.
And yet….
Ding.
– Quest,
[Beyond the Wall]
has been completed successfully!
–
[Transcendent Master]
has been unlocked!
Now I understood one thing.

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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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