Murim Login - Chapter 168

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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 168
Quest
[In Search of the Herb of Immortality]
This is a sacred herb known only through legend.
Rulers dreaming of eternal life and deathlessness have poured countless treasures and manpower into seeking the Herb of Immortality, yet no one has ever discovered it to this day.
However, if your remaining lifespan is around a thousand years, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give it a try.
Rank
: ???
Restriction
: Jin Tae-kyung
Objective
: Obtain the Herb of Immortality (Incomplete)
Reward
: ???
Failure
: ???
“Absolutely not!”
Beep.
– You have rejected the Quest.
Look at this Quest. How desperate must things be for even the rank to be marked with question marks.
‘What? If my remaining lifespan is around a thousand years, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try?’
This is ridiculous.
At my bewildered expression, Jang Tae-bo stroked his beard.
“What, can’t you do it?”
“…How am I supposed to do this?”
“Then forget it. Give back the ginseng.”
Jang Tae-bo snatched the ginseng from my hand and began crunching on it.
“Ah, sweet. A fifty-year-old ginseng is the best.”
“…”
“Hmm? Are you two still here? Do you have more business?”
“No, Elder.”
“Then?”
“Does it even make sense to ask someone to find the Herb of Immortality?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve met someone in the Murim who speaks of common sense. If there’s a thousand-year-old ginseng, why wouldn’t there be an Herb of Immortality?”
“…”
That’s actually quite convincing.
For a moment I was nearly persuaded, but I regained my senses. I had to find some way to convince this stubborn old man.
“Instead, if there’s anything else you need, I’ll obtain it for you. Anything but the Herb of Immortality.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. If necessary, I’ll mobilize the entire power of our family.”
“Hmm. I’ve heard plenty about how impressive the Taewon Jin Family’s influence has become lately.”
Jang Tae-bo nodded and opened his mouth.
“Then if you’re thirsty, go fetch me a bottle of Emptiness Blue Stone Oil.”
“Pardon?”
Emptiness Blue Stone Oil? The kind where a single drop grants the cultivation of ten years of effort?
I barely suppressed a curse from escaping my lips. Jang Tae-bo continued with a wry smile.
“You said you’d forge weapons from ten-thousand-year cold iron, didn’t you? Then I suppose the sword guard should be made of something fine too. I’ve heard there’s a dragon at the end of the world—pluck out some of its claws for me. While you’re at it, grab a wish-granting orb as well.”
Ding.
– Quest
[Obtain Emptiness Blue Stone Oil, Dragon Claws, and Wish-Granting Orb]
has been created.
Do you accept the Quest?
Y / N
…Accept it?
Feeling my insides roil with frustration, I closed the Quest window. Hyuk Moo-jin covered his mouth and whispered.
“The old man seems to have lost his mind, doesn’t he?”
“I can hear you just fine. A greenhorn whose blood hasn’t even dried has the nerve to say whatever he pleases.”
Just as Jang Tae-bo waved his fist—large as a cauldron lid—Chung Poong suddenly raised his hand and shouted.
“I’ll go find them! Let me do it!”
“What?”
“The Immortality Herb! Emptiness Blue Stone Oil! Dragons!”
Finally, the madman of this region had stepped forward.
Eyes sparkling like morning stars and movements burning with passion—Chung Poong’s intensity made Jang Tae-bo flinch backward.
“Who are you, boy?”
Chung Poong answered spiritedly.
“I’m my grandfather’s disciple!”
“Who is your grandfather?”
“My grandfather, sir!”
“…You’re insane.”
Welcome, Chung Poong—is this your first time?
I threw a casual remark at Jang Tae-bo, who was shaking his head in disbelief.
“Do you happen to know Mae Jong-hak, the Great Master?”
“Though I am no martial artist myself, I have spent my entire life with one foot in the Murim. Would a butcher not know the Sword Saint, whom everyone knows?”
“This friend here is a direct disciple personally raised and taught by that Sword Saint.”
“What! Is that truly the case?”
“Why would I lie? And stake the name of someone as great as the Sword Saint on it?”
“Ah, so you’re saying he’s the Sword Saint’s successor….”
Did it work? Everywhere in the world, the highest currency is always connections—regional ties, blood relations.
In the Murim, the very existence of Sword Saint Mae Jong-hak was itself an object of respect and reverence.
Jang Tae-bo, now wearing an expression of genuine surprise, opened his mouth to speak.
“So what do you want me to do about it?”
“Ah….”
“I have no connection to the Huashan Sect. Well, about thirty years ago, I did forge a sword at the request of the current sect leader, Cheon Geom Jin-in. But that’s all there is to it.”
His voice grew firm.
“I’m eighty years old. At this point, my body is still sound and I’ve accumulated considerable wealth. As a man who worked iron, I take pride in being among the top three in all the land.”
“That’s precisely why I’m making this request.”
“And that’s precisely why I’m refusing. I’ve done all the work I need to do. I’ve forged swords until I’m sick of them.”
“But I use a spear, sir.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Yes.”
“A spear would require more effort. A sword would be better.”
“Master!”
I grasped Jang Tae-bo’s hand with desperate eyes.
“Please, just think of it as a pastime and help me this once. Won’t you?”
“When did I ever say no?”
“You just said you wouldn’t.”
Jang Tae-bo shook his hand away coldly.
“I’ll help you. Once you bring me the Herb of Immortality.”
“Ah, please.”
“And while you’re at it, bring me some phoenix stone oil and a wish-granting pearl. I’ve heard that when dealing with a dragon, you should circle around to its back and strangle its neck. I’m just letting you know so you don’t get hurt.”
“…How is a dragon a person? You can’t strangle it to death?”
“Then burst its testicles.”
“What if it’s female?”
“See you in the next life.”
A formidable opponent after all this time.
My fists trembled and the back of my head ached at his refined technique of exasperating people, honed by years.
“Are you really going to be like this?”
“That’s exactly how I’m going to be.”
“I didn’t want to resort to this….”
“Go ahead and try.”
“I’ll spread the word. That the former master of the Iron Technique House lives here?”
I’m only saying this—I have no intention of actually doing it.
But Jang Tae-bo chuckled at my threat to make trouble for him.
“Then I have no choice. I’ll have to return to the Iron Technique House before all sorts of riffraff swarm here.”
“Huh?”
That’s not what I wanted. Just as I was thinking that, Jang Tae-bo asked.
“What do you think I’ll do if I return to the Iron Technique House?”
“…I wouldn’t know.”
“I’ll devote my remaining years to forging ten divine weapons. Then I’ll distribute them one by one to the masters of the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance, all while having deep conversations about the Taewon Jin Family. Your name will come up quite often, I’m sure.”
“W-what are you trying to say?”
“Leave it to your imagination. Oh, and just so you know—warriors are those who stake their lives on weapons regardless of their martial prowess. My modest request should be easy for them to grant.”
“….”
What might be a trifling favor to the sect leaders of the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance would be anything but trivial for me or the Taewon Jin Family.
A few careless words in front of them would damage our reputation at minimum, and might even invite tangible pressure.
“Well then, I should prepare to depart. Let me see, what do I need to pack….”
I grabbed his wrist as he reached toward the door to gather his belongings. Jang Tae-bo asked with an air of innocence.
“What’s this?”
I lowered my head weakly.
“Please stop. I concede.”
“Is that all?”
“I apologize for my insolence.”
“And?”
“I will not breathe a word of your presence here to anyone.”
“Given that you found your way here, this can’t be something only you know, can it?”
“I will speak with my Elder Brother and ensure his discretion as well.”
“You’re certain of that?”
“Of course.”
“Hmm. You’re not entirely without manners, at least.”
Jang Tae-bo smiled with satisfaction, having extracted all the answers he desired.
I had defeated many stronger opponents throughout my life, but I could not break the will of an old man enjoying a quiet, leisurely retirement.
‘So where am I supposed to have the eternal cold iron refined?’
For the first time in my life, I was acquiring a weapon, and yet….
It was then, staring despondently at the half-chewed and discarded ho shou wu, that he spoke.
“You mentioned making a spear, didn’t you?”
“Pardon?”
“Are you deaf? Why do you keep asking me to repeat myself?”
I lifted my head hastily to see Jang Tae-bo’s blunt expression. He continued.
“Well, if you asked me to make it directly, I’d naturally refuse. But I can introduce you to someone.”
“You mean the master craftsman, the Iron Technique House master…?”
“Does that position seem so leisurely to you? He’s busy too. Someone like you would have to wait several years, easily.”
“What? Several years?”
“Did you think weapons are completed overnight? Even if he’s not as skilled as me, he’s quite accomplished, so his orders are backed up. Even being selective, that’s the wait time.”
Several years—that was more than I’d bargained for.
I felt my breath catch at this unexpectedly long-term project.
“Then, what should I do?”
“What do you mean ‘what should you do’? I’ll write you a letter of introduction to take with you. Since you’re coming on your master’s recommendation, he’ll prioritize you somewhat. That fellow will craft you an excellent spear.”
“Oh. Oh my.”
“The village has been in disarray because of those horse bandits, and I heard it was you who dealt with them. That’s why I’m doing this specially. Do you have writing materials?”
Hyuk Moo-jin, suddenly singled out, answered with a bewildered expression.
“No, sir.”
“Yeah, you can tell at a glance he doesn’t carry one. So the one next to you is…”
“Munch, munch munch.”
He was eating right now.
Jang Tae-bo let out a sigh as he watched Chung Poong stuff dumplings from the Inn into his mouth until his cheeks nearly burst.
“…Are the dumplings tasty?”
“Munch munch. Yes.”
“So Geom-seong Mae Jong-hak picked up quite the peculiar fellow in his later years. Well then, wait here for a moment.”
When you grow old, you should accept death—these young people nowadays know nothing of propriety.
Jang Tae-bo muttered audibly as he retrieved brush, paper, and ink from the room.
“First, the primary weapon is a spear…and you must have some idea of the form and weight you prefer? Anything like that?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Tell me then.”
I described in detail the weight and form I had grown thoroughly accustomed to over seven years of wielding the spear.
Each time, Jang Tae-bo either nodded silently or added supplementary remarks that would allow him to craft a spear better suited to me.
‘Truly, an expert is an expert.’
Sixty years of experience doesn’t just vanish.
He glanced over my body and began rattling off a list of corrections—the size of my hands, the length of my limbs—matching them with uncanny precision before gradually adjusting the thickness and form of the shaft.
“Now, and this is the last thing. Where are you thinking of placing the Eternal Cold Steel? Surely on the spearhead?”
“…?”
“Why that expression? You said you have Eternal Cold Steel, didn’t you? You’re not planning to use it?”
“No, I will use it…”
“Is the amount you have small? By my estimate, even ten taels would be more than enough to create a weapon worthy of being called a Famous Spear. It would be something you could pass down as a family heirloom without shame.”
Ten taels—how much was that? The weight units were still unfamiliar to me, and I had no sense of the quantity.
A sharp rebuke from Jang Tae-bo cut through my hesitation.
“Ah! How much are you going to use!”
“Well, just a moment.”
As the saying goes, seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. It would be faster to show him directly.
I pretended to rummage through my pack while retrieving the Eternal Cold Steel from my inventory and sliding it forward.
“This much.”
“…”
“Sir?”
Jang Tae-bo did not answer. He stared intently at the Eternal Cold Steel—larger than an adult’s head—for a long while, then asked in a hoarse, trembling voice.
“This, this is all Eternal Cold Steel?”
“Yes. You haven’t seen it before, have you?”
“This, this can’t be.”
His wrinkled hands trembled faintly. As Jang Tae-bo caressed the Eternal Cold Steel—cool to the touch with its blue luminescence—like a child reunited after sixty years, his eyes blazed with light.
“Leave it to me.”
The old man who had found everything tedious vanished without a trace. His voice now burned with passion and vitality.
“I shall forge for you the finest divine weapon in all the realm.”
Ding.
– Quest mission completed successfully.
– Quest,
[Find the Master Craftsman]
has been completed successfully.
– A linked Quest has been generated.

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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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