Murim Login - Chapter 160

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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 160
“Was Grandfather right?”
“Not at all.”
Mae Jong-hak. The reason I flatly contradicted the words of the great martial master known as the Sword Saint was simple.
‘Look at the Sword Saint’s deception.’
Nothing special my ass.
He said that when your position changes, so does the landscape you see. Beyond the peak I’d barely crossed lay treacherous mountain ranges waiting for me.
‘I still have so far to go.’
They say learning has no end, and the same was true for martial arts.
I was merely a novice who had barely grasped enlightenment from a casual remark thrown out by the Sword Saint, that max-level master.
Well, even so….
“Thank you.”
As I bowed deeply with sincere gratitude, Chung Poong flustered.
“Master, why are you suddenly doing this?”
“Because I’m grateful. Truly grateful.”
Countless martial masters, like grains of sand on a white beach. I understood that only a tiny fraction of them reached the pinnacle of enlightenment.
Even with first-rate martial techniques and internal energy, without corresponding enlightenment, one would spend a lifetime treading water in the same place.
‘If it weren’t for Chung Poong, I would have wandered for much longer.’
But I was fortunate. Chung Poong had devoted nearly ten days to helping me train sincerely, and had even conveyed the Sword Saint’s teachings to me.
A few Bing Tang Hu Lo was far too meager a reward for such kindness.
“Please don’t. I haven’t really done much.”
“You’ve done plenty. I admit I’m shameless, but I’m not so shameless as to forget gratitude.”
“Really?”
“….”
How exactly had this bastard been seeing me all this time?
As my eyes narrowed, Chung Poong hastily waved his hands.
“No, it’s not what you’re thinking right now.”
“What do you think I’m thinking?”
“Well, that is….”
Chung Poong, whose eyes had wandered aimlessly, spotted Hyuk Moo-jin snoring in the corner of the Training Ground and suddenly shouted.
“Hyuk Moo-jin! Wake up! This is not the time to be sleeping like this!”
“….”
Pathetic, truly.
Hyuk Moo-jin’s eyes snapped open at Chung Poong’s cry, and upon spotting me, he opened his mouth as if nothing was amiss.
“As expected. I had faith in you.”
“….”
This bastard was going even further.
“This Hyuk Moo-jin has stood guard with the noble resolve to protect the leader.”
“….”
“Enlightenment comes with difficulty and shatters with ease. I have been here! Eyes wide open! Guarding so that not a single rat could slip through!”
I don’t know about that rat bastard, but you’re acting like a real piece of work….
I observed the creature whose mouth was smeared with saliva and opened my lips quietly.
“Moo-jin.”
“Yes!”
“I’ve reached the pinnacle realm, you know?”
“Congratulations!”
“Right. So now my body is absolutely overflowing with power. My fists are itching for action.”
“….”
“Dharma Protector? Rat bastard? If your snoring had been just a little louder, I would’ve fallen into demonic possession, you fool.”
“…Did you hear it?”
“How could I not have?”
The way you were snoring, even my mother living in Ilsan would’ve heard it.
I spread my fingers wide toward the creature scratching the back of its head and grinning sheepishly.
“Last chance. I’m counting to ten, so disappear from my sight. One, two, three….”
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Chung Poong marveled as he watched Hyuk Moo-jin flee at tremendous speed.
“Wow, the training really is working! You’re incredibly fast!”
He’s interpreting it that way.
I spoke to Chung Poong, who was clapping like a seal and looking pleased with himself.
“Then let’s start again.”
“Pardon?”
“The match. We haven’t finished yet.”
“I’m fine with it… but aren’t you exhausted?”
“Not at all.”
A lie. My body, having reached a new realm, overflows with vitality, but my spirit is utterly drained. It’s like the exhaustion that comes after an all-out sprint.
But my desire to continue the match with Chung Poong is even greater.
‘I want to test it.’
Gaining enlightenment is worlds apart from raising stats with points.
Now I felt I could unfold completely new martial techniques—not just faster and stronger, but fundamentally different.
“I’m perfectly fine.”
I said it again, but Chung Poong shook his head.
“Grandfather said that rest is also training.”
“Not even once?”
“No. You must rest now. And….”
“And?”
Chung Poong continued with a giggle.
“I’m going to win anyway. What’s the point.”
“…!”
“You know it now too, don’t you?”
“That’s… true.”
I hate to admit it, but it’s the truth.
People only see as much as they know—that’s how it’s always been. Now that I’ve reached the pinnacle, I’ve come to understand once again just how monstrous Chung Poong truly is.
The fact that I could never defeat him at full strength with my current abilities.
‘Unless Chung Poong held back.’
But that’s not what I want. Winning in a martial contest where I don’t give my all leaves nothing but a bitter taste.
“Don’t be impatient. For now, you’ll be busy enough just integrating the insights you’ve gained today.”
“Then….”
“Let’s postpone the martial contest for next time. It’s a shame—I was having fun too.”
Ding.
– Quest,
[Sword Saint Training Indirect Experience-2]
has been cancelled.
– Since the quest proposer made this decision independently, you receive no penalty.
“Then get some good rest today!”
I watched Chung Poong’s retreating figure for a long while before returning to the Pavilion.
Hearing the system notification reminded me of the tasks I’d been putting off.
‘Check messages.’
Ding. Ding. Ding.
With the relentless system notifications, the unread messages I’d missed spread before my eyes.
I stared at the translucent system window with my mouth agape.
‘How many are there exactly?’
It seemed rest would have to wait quite a while longer.
* * *
The large wooden bathtub rippled with steaming water.
Having gone days without a proper wash, a bath was desperately needed. As I sank my body into the tub with its rising steam, an involuntary groan escaped my lips.
“Ahhhh. That’s refreshing.”
Now I felt like I was truly alive again. After savoring the sensation with my eyes closed for a moment, I opened the system window.
“Check messages.”
Ding. Ding. Ding.
I read through the System Messages pouring out like a bursting dam, one by one.
– Quest,
[Beyond the Wall]
has been successfully completed!
–
[Peak Master]
You have advanced to this class!
– You have gained substantial experience!
– Level Up!
– Level Up!
– Level Up!
– Level Up!
– Level Up!
‘Oh. Five levels at once?’
One might think it meager, but it was anything but.
The Murim was another reality, yet here I was nothing more than a game character.
In my novice days, I’d gained levels from slaying a single bandit, but those times were long past. As the required experience grew steeper with each rank, the pace of leveling had slowed considerably.
‘I’ll take it.’
Yet the rewards did not end there.
–
[Jin Family Core Method]
has advanced to the Ninth Stage.
– You can now accumulate martial power more stably and abundantly.
–
[Qi Sensing]
has advanced to the Seventh Stage.
– You can now detect targets below Level 90 within a range of seventy zhang.
– You have gained experience from a dramatic surge in martial prowess.
– Level Up!
– Level Up!
The mere advancement of the Jin Family Core Method and Qi Sensing, which had stagnated for so long, was cause for celebration, and with these additional level gains, fortune was truly smiling upon me.
From the messages alone, I’d already gained seven levels.
‘This reward is quite generous.’
I smiled contentedly and continued reading the remaining messages.
– A Master of Perfection is a formidable being capable of leading the First Gate. You may create your own martial techniques and establish a new sect.
– You have awakened to applications of martial power previously unknown to you. Through cultivation, you may now employ the new skill
[Sound Transmission]
.
Sect establishment and martial technique creation—remarkable indeed.
The treatment afforded to a Master of Perfection was truly generous. The difference from my time as a First-Rate master was like heaven and earth.
‘Well, I am a Master of Perfection now.’
Thousands of martial artists thronged Shanxi, yet the number of Masters of Perfection fell short of twenty.
I could not speak for the Central Plains, but in Shanxi Province at least, such beings were exceedingly rare.
‘But it’s of little practical use.’
Creating martial techniques remained a mystery, and establishing a new sect was something I would never do. Why would I abandon the steadfast Taewon Jin Family?
Rather than that…
‘Sound Transmission is what I want. Very much so.’
Sound Transmission—a technique to convey words discreetly through the application of martial power.
Unlike the previous two benefits, which offered little immediate utility, Sound Transmission possessed considerable practical value.
Though cultivation would be required, that was hardly an obstacle.
‘Only three messages left then?’
All those message windows had disappeared, leaving only three remaining.
I checked the remaining messages with a mixture of relief and regret.
Ding.
– Your inventory has received
[Eternal Cold Iron]
.
– A martial artist and their weapon are one. Finding a weapon that can draw out all of your power is the martial artist’s responsibility.
– Quest,
[Find the Craftsman]
has been created.
“…What?”
* * *
Northern Plateau.
The place where a great ruler had once established a nomadic empire had transformed with the passage of time.
The vast grasslands covered in verdant grass were gradually disappearing, and wooden structures from the Central Plains began to replace the gers that were the nomads’ homes.
Though nomadic customs still lingered, the clothing and culture of the Central Plains were slowly infiltrating the plateau.
The man draped in sheepskin did not approve of this.
“Han Chinese dogs crawling all over our sacred grasslands.”
“Temur. Patience. This isn’t something that happened overnight, is it?”
“Chinggis. We are descendants of the Khan. We must not forget that.”
“I haven’t forgotten. I’m simply saying don’t forget what kind of occasion this is.”
“Damn it. Leaving a perfectly good ger for an inn.”
Temur and Chinggis.
The two tribal chiefs, each commanding a hundred clansmen, entered the inn.
The place, created by Han Chinese who called themselves Horse Bandits, existed only once on the Northern Plateau, and it was massive.
The moment the two men stepped inside, they found the inn packed with Horse Bandits up to the upper floors, with two men at the center.
“Hehehehe, the tribal chiefs of the great grasslands have arrived! Please, sit here. I’ve prepared warm mare’s milk wine for you.”
Unlike the middle-aged man who spread his arms wide in welcome, the other man didn’t even nod, merely gesturing with his hand.
“Sit.”
“…!”
“…!”
Veins bulged across Temur and Chinggis’s foreheads.
Who were they? Descendants of the Great Khan who once ruled the Central Plains beyond the grasslands.
Though it had been centuries ago, their pride had never died.
“You worthless Han Chinese dog!”
Temur, naturally volatile and reckless, didn’t give Chinggis time to stop him. His hand shot out and seized his curved saber.
“I will offer your head to Tengri….”
And that was the moment.
“I said sit.”
A cold voice and eyes like an abyss. Even Temur, who led his tribe across the harsh grasslands, couldn’t bring himself to draw his curved saber.
Chinggis quickly seized Temur by the shoulder, his voice dropping to barely a whisper.
“Temur, don’t act rashly. You know who that man is, don’t you?”
Temur swallowed hard.
Four people had gathered at this place today. Though they were all meeting for the first time, each was a formidable power controlling one faction of the Northern Plateau.
Yet if there was a master capable of intimidating him to this degree… there was only one.
‘Ren Dou.’
His surname was unknown. His true name was unknown.
Where he came from and what he had done remained a mystery.
He was Han Chinese, commanding merely fifty subordinates as he ravaged the steppes, earning his epithet by slaughtering men as a butcher slaughters livestock—Ren Dou.
In other words, the Human Butcher.
“You’re a slow one to take a hint.”

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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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