Murim Login - Chapter 16

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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 16
“Phew, finally done.”
Jin Wi-kyung set down his brush as he spoke. Wi Paeng, who had been sitting in his usual chair beside the desk, lifted his head.
“Your work is becoming faster by the day. You’ve worked hard again today….”
Wi Paeng’s words trailed off. He had just noticed the mountain of documents still piled on the table.
Now that he thought about it, it was barely past noon. This wasn’t enough time to handle such a volume of work.
‘Did I mishear?’
“Good. This much should….”
This time it wasn’t an auditory illusion. The proof was Jin Wi-kyung’s face suddenly rising above the pile of documents.
“Wi Paeng, come here. This is a very important matter.”
The gravity in his voice made Wi Paeng slightly uneasy.
Had something serious happened?
Perhaps serious corruption had been discovered in the documents, or the Elder Council—constantly watching for an opportunity—had caused some major incident.
‘This is serious. And the matter with the Hangsan Inspection Bureau still isn’t resolved.’
And moments later, when Wi Paeng received the problematic document Jin Wi-kyung offered, his expression twisted strangely.
“…What is this?”
“Can’t you see? It’s a painting.”
Jin Wi-kyung was right. The problematic document Wi Paeng had imagined was nowhere to be found. What he held instead was a single sheet of rice paper with a painting drawn on it.
“No, that’s not what I mean. What is this suddenly….”
Jin Wi-kyung cut him off with a mysterious smile.
“Look carefully. It’s no ordinary painting.”
No ordinary painting? Wi Paeng’s eyes suddenly widened.
All manner of legends circulating through Murim flashed through his mind.
A Taoist who ascended to immortality after viewing a single scroll. An absolute master who achieved enlightenment upon seeing ancient cave murals!
As Wi Paeng’s gaze swept across the rice paper, it suddenly trembled as if struck by lightning.
“This, could this be…!”
“You’ve figured it out. That’s right.”
Jin Wi-kyung continued with a chuckle, hehehehe.
“I painted yesterday’s martial contest.”
“….”
“Lee So-gun collapsed and Jin Tae-kyung standing confidently! The sky spreading above the head of the young hero who will one day become the greatest master under heaven!”
“….”
“I deliberately painted it from a low angle looking upward. What do you think? I painted it well, didn’t I? Hmm? I painted it well, didn’t I?”
Wi Paeng’s hands trembled as he held the rice paper. He wanted to crumple it, tear it, cover it with a week’s worth of filth, dry it thoroughly, and then burn it.
“…You’ve painted it very well, my lord.”
Wi Paeng was a rational man. He demonstrated the great mental fortitude of a martial master at the peak of his realm.
Of course, he also possessed the courage to remonstrate with his lord, whose mental state was questionable.
“How much work is piling up, and you’ve spent all morning until now painting just this one picture!”
“Of course it doesn’t make sense.”
“And you’re aware of that, my lord….”
“Do you think I spent three hours holding back just one drawing?”
“Pardon?”
“Of course I drew another one. I was planning to show it to you later, but you’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?”
Wi Paeng accepted the rice paper from Jin Wi-kyung with trembling hands. Jin Wi-kyung began explaining the drawing with a satisfied smile.
“I sketched the scene right after the martial contest. A young hero declaring his intention to return to the Training Pavilion, unsatisfied with the present moment! And the people gazing up at him in admiration!”
“Well, I must say I agree with that assessment to a considerable degree. Third Young Master, you’ve changed quite a lot.”
“Haven’t you? I was quite surprised myself.”
After defeating Lee So-gun in the martial contest, Jin Tae-kyung had defied everyone’s expectations by returning to the Training Pavilion. Jin Wi-kyung’s eyes grew distant as he recalled the memory from the previous day.
“I always knew a day like this would come. My youngest brother is the Heavenly Eagle. Wi Paeng, can’t you hear it? The powerful beating of Tae-kyung’s wings…”
“I can’t hear any wing beats, but I can certainly hear nonsense.”
The moment Wi Paeng set down the rice paper with a sigh of complete resignation—
A flutter of wings.
“Ah!”
“See! You heard it!”
Wi Paeng’s head snapped toward the window. A hawk had just landed on the sill and was preening its feathers. A small container hung from its leg.
“A messenger hawk.”
A communication bird trained intensively from its youth for relay purposes.
The Taewon Jin Family possessed only two such hawks, and they were deployed only in the most urgent circumstances.
“Something’s gone wrong,” Jin Wi-kyung murmured in a grave tone.
And his words soon became reality.
And soon it became reality.
* * *
“My name is Han Yeop.”
“Yes?”
“It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.”
An abrupt introduction. Though I recognized his face, of course.
He was the person I’d seen most frequently since entering the Training Pavilion.
‘Should I call him a Training Pavilion guard?’
A guard. A martial attendant. Whatever the terminology, the NPC before me was a warrior of the Taewon Jin Family assigned to the Training Pavilion. Bringing me meals and medicinal broths was among his duties.
‘But why this sudden formal introduction?’
An NPC I’d never exchanged a single word with until now. He bore me no ill will, but neither had he shown any particular kindness.
“Ah, yes. I’m glad to meet you too.”
Despite my lukewarm response, Han Yeop’s face brightened considerably. What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?
“I was present at that event yesterday.”
“That event? Oh.”
He meant the martial contest. So many people had gathered that it was hardly surprising Han Yeop had been among them.
“I witnessed it from beginning to end—your heroic struggle against that vicious Lee So-gun of the Hangsan Inspection Bureau, Young Master!”
Vicious? Heroic struggle?
‘Is that really how it looked?’
Honestly, from a modern perspective, one thug is much like another.
No, if anything, I wanted to take Lee So-gun’s side. As an older brother myself, even if my younger sister’s personality is difficult, if she were to date someone like Jin Tae-kyung, I think my eyes would roll back in my head.
Of course, the Hangsan Inspection Bureau’s attitude and proposal were absurd. That’s why we had no choice but to fight.
“My heart trembled the entire time I watched. Not just me, but everyone present that day must have felt the same way.”
Han Yeop continued speaking with an excited face. He seems to be deeply misunderstanding something, and I don’t know when to stop him.
“I too once misunderstood you, sir. But now everyone in the family knows the truth.”
This time, I couldn’t help but ask back.
“The truth? What truth?”
“That is….”
Han Yeop whispered in a hushed voice. Setting aside the hot breath touching my ear, the content itself made my skin crawl.
In other words, what he meant was.
“I’m the Taewon Jin Family’s secret weapon?”
“Yes, yes!”
Han Yeop nodded vigorously.
“In fact, everything you’ve shown so far has been a disguise, and since childhood you’ve undergone grueling training, mastering both the martial and the literary, possessing virtue and righteousness, a hidden… a hidden…”
I simply cannot say this part. Han Yeop stepped forward on my behalf, protecting my curling hands and feet.
“A hidden dragon of Shanxi! There’s no one in the family who doesn’t know now. The fact that you, sir, are still a hidden dragon of Shanxi Province who hasn’t yet ascended to heaven and conceals yourself in the waters!”
Ah, please. Save me. Don’t say it so loudly.
A hidden dragon? There’s no one in the family who doesn’t know!
‘If I die, the cause of death will be death by shame, death by shame.’
As I writhed in extreme emotional agony, Han Yeop asked with sparkling eyes.
“It’s true, isn’t it? I know it’s presumptuous, but just for me, could you….”
This won’t do. I resolved to suppress this ridiculous and cringe-inducing rumor, whoever started it, and opened my mouth.
“I don’t know who spread such a rumor, but….”
That’s when it happened.
Ding.
– A rumor about a
[Hidden Dragon]
is spreading through the Taewon Jin Family.
– Due to the influence of the rumor, your Reputation increases by 10.
– The more people who believe the rumor, the more your Reputation will rise.
I continued speaking with a solemn expression.
“It’s all absolutely true.”
“I knew it! I believed it with absolute certainty!”
Watching Han Yeop’s back as he left with a joyful face, I shed a single tear.
‘Damn it….’
Ah, I miss my mother.
* * *
Through my sparring with Lee So-gun, I came to realize several truths.
First.
‘I am strong.’
Early in the game, I had defeated Cheonryeok Bandits in a single strike when they appeared as a tutorial NPC. What had been mere speculation then had now crystallized into certainty.
I was strong. Strong enough to fell Lee So-gun, who was level 30, without difficulty. While the disparity in combat experience played a role, the fundamental truth was that my base stats were superior.
‘Strength, vitality, agility—all comparable, or I held a slight edge in each.’
Stats. The difference in ability values. Within this game, I was a user, and I had undergone repeated growth through the system.
Through martial art acquisition, cultivation, and various quests, I had raised my stats at an accelerated pace, and the results manifested clearly in the martial competition.
And the second realization.
‘Internal energy reserves fall short.’
In one aspect alone—internal energy—Lee So-gun surpassed me. No, he far exceeded me.
Whatever he had consumed to grow so formidable, even striking him dozens of times with the spear, even pummeling him relentlessly from a mounted position, he endured. He even counterattacked, and in the final moment, he drew upon his reserves of internal energy.
‘My current internal energy stands at ten years.’
Lee So-gun must possess twenty years—double mine. Here, I grasped the third truth.
‘The disparity in internal energy determines the tier of martial prowess.’
I had defeated Lee So-gun, a first-rate master. Yet the system still marked my realm as second-rate.
I believed the reason lay in internal energy. When I elevated this single stat in which I fell short, would my realm not ascend as well?
Once I had organized my thoughts to that point, a sudden realization struck me.
‘This is exactly like the Hunter Rank system.’
Initial Awakeners must undergo assessment at designated centers to verify their inherent abilities, aptitude class, and mana reserves. No matter how elevated one’s physical prowess, insufficient mana results in a cold reception during rank evaluation.
It was the very reason mages began at the lowest D-rank. By their nature, mages possessed abundant baseline mana.
‘Still, the game beats reality.’
Here, at least growth was possible. Reality offered no such luxury. Even I, after seven years of floundering about, remained trapped among E-ranks, never escaping my designation as an F-rank Hunter.
In any case, the rough sketch was now complete.
‘Stats are sufficient. For internal energy, I’ll cycle the Taewon Jin Family’s cultivation method whenever I have time, and prioritize experience-yielding quests.’
More than a week had passed since I became trapped in this accursed game. Whatever foolishness was unfolding in reality, rescue seemed hopeless.
I had to prepare thoroughly and see this through to the end.
“Quest window open.”
Ding.
Quest
[Logout]
Now you must navigate through this treacherous Murim.
Grow ever stronger, and achieve greater renown.
For the day that shall come….
Rank
: Main Quest
Restriction
: Jin Tae-kyung
Objective
: Achieve [First-Rate] Realm (Incomplete)
Reach Lv.30 (17 / 30)
Achieve 500 Renown (70 / 500)
Reward
: [Logout]
“Ah, this is exhausting.”
I settled into a cross-legged position. Two days until the closed meditation was complete. I intended to gather as much inner strength as possible.
–
[Sleeping Dragon]
My reputation increased by 3 due to the influence of rumors about it.
The occasional notifications of rising reputation became a small source of comfort.
* * *
Late at night. Lights illuminated the Grand Conference Hall. It was a secret gathering convened at the request of the Family Head, Jin Wi-kyung.
The hour was so late and the summons so sudden that some of the senior members wore expressions of displeasure.
“A sudden summons? What is the meaning of this?”
“Indeed. Not even told the reason, and at such a late hour.”
“The Family Head is still young. He doesn’t understand proper procedure and etiquette.”
“It seems yesterday’s events have made him quite full of himself. Well, his only weakness has been eliminated, after all. No one expected the Third Young Master to be of that caliber.”
“The Elder Council must have lost face. They were preparing to make a major move regarding the Third Young Master’s matter.”
“Hmph, the Grand Elder should step forward now and set the family straight.”
“Ahem. Mind your words….”
Then, all sound ceased abruptly. The doors of the conference room swung open on both sides, and Jin Wi-kyung entered.
Though opinions of the Family Head varied among the senior members, the silence that descended with Jin Wi-kyung’s appearance was proof that he possessed the qualities of a leader.
“I am grateful to all of you for responding to this late summons.”
Jin Wi-kyung, seated at the head of the table, spoke his opening words but could not easily continue.
What should he say, and where should he begin? His head throbbed. Yet this was something that had to be revealed.
“The reason I have arranged this gathering today is….”
That was the moment.
“It’s because of Hangsan Inspection Bureau.”
It was a peculiar voice. At first it seemed that of an old man, yet simultaneously youthful, sometimes rough and sometimes gentle. And it carried an inexplicable resonance.
‘Surely not.’
Jin Wi-kyung’s face contorted. The conference room doors, which seemed they would never open again, were sliding open.
Shuffle. Shuffle. Shuffle.
Five elderly men glided into the room, and upon recognizing the foremost elder, everyone hurriedly rose and bowed their heads.
“We pay our respects to the Patriarch!”
The Patriarch. The Grand Elder, who had secluded himself for years, had made his appearance.

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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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