Murim Login - Chapter 170

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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 170
‘Dilapidated and small.’
That was the Old Master’s first impression upon seeing Jang Family Village.
Sitting atop the slowly swaying A-frame carrier, gazing at the sparsely scattered houses, he added in a voice so quiet that no one could comprehend it.
“…And peaceful.”
Time had indeed passed. Even at such an unremarkable sight, my body grew slack and a corner of my heart tingled.
Just as it had been twenty years ago.
‘It was the same when I took in that brat.’
Suddenly, a child I had met long ago flashed before my eyes.
Under normal circumstances, I would have tossed him a coin or simply ignored him and moved on, but that day was different.
Perhaps it was right after I realized I had fallen prey to the ailments of old age?
Staring at the owner of that desperately outstretched hand, I found myself uttering a single phrase without knowing why.
‘Will you come with me?’
“Master. We’ve arrived.”
At the woodcutter Jang’s voice, the Old Master suddenly came to his senses.
They had stopped before a small house. From within a fence woven haphazardly from branches, something small suddenly burst forth.
“Father!”
“Oh my, my daughter!”
A young girl, perhaps six or seven years old at most, came running with rapid patter and clung tightly to her father’s leg.
The Old Master, who had lightly jumped down from the carrier, gazed intently at the scene.
“Is she your child?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. Hang-a, greet him. This person is….”
Come to think of it, I still didn’t know the Old Master’s name.
The Old Master waved his hand dismissively at Jang, whose words trailed off.
“No need for formal introductions. It doesn’t matter.”
Just as Jang smiled awkwardly, Hang-a, looking up at the Old Master with sparkling eyes, toddled over and tapped his gaunt thigh.
“Grandfather!”
“Hmm?”
“What’s grandfather’s name?”
“I don’t know. I’ve forgotten it myself.”
For the Old Master, it was an answer meant to avoid the bother, but for Jang, it meant something else entirely.
‘His mind is so scattered that he can’t even remember his own name.’
The simple mountain dweller felt a deep pity for this old man.
Abandoned by his own children, dressed in rags no better than straw mats—he could not allow him to wander the streets in such a state.
“Master, at least have a meal first. I’ll prepare a place for you right away.”
“That’s enough. What I ate earlier is sufficient.”
“But still….”
“I have someone to find. Much time has already been wasted, so please understand.”
The Old Master paused after finishing his words.
Understand? That word flowing from his lips felt unfamiliar.
He had lived his entire life without restraint or obstacle. Everyone feared the Old Master and revered him. Even the renowned masters of the Murim would lower their tails before him.
Yet this village rustic, whom he’d known for less than half an hour, spoke to him with such ease.
‘I’ve grown old. Truly old.’
Someone tugged at the sleeve of the bewildered Old Master.
When he lowered his gaze, he saw plump baby fat jiggling.
“Who are you looking for? Hang-a is really good at finding people.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yep! Yesterday I found Grandfather Jang who lives three houses over.”
“You did well.”
“When I found him, he gave me something delicious. I ate until my belly was about to burst.”
After spouting such nonsense, she placed her hand firmly on her waist. Her expression was quite solemn.
“And people need to eat to have strength. At grandfather’s age, you could even chew iron.”
“Ha, Hang-a!”
“Ehehehe!”
The Old Master laughed heartily for the first time in ages. It must have been over a decade since he’d laughed like this.
After his laughter subsided, he gently stroked her round head.
“You’re right. This old man can indeed chew iron.”
“Yep. What I say is always right.”
With a satisfied smile, Hang-a grasped his sleeve and led him into the house, which the Old Master followed without resistance.
Even if the greatest warrior under heaven challenged him, he wouldn’t budge—but today was an exception. Above all….
‘Not bad at all.’
He found himself rather enjoying this situation. For once, he felt like an ordinary old man.
As he entered the room, Jang’s wife immediately brought out a meal table.
“The side dishes are rather humble.”
True to her words, the food was simple. A few seasoned vegetables and mixed-grain rice. The meat broth they’d offered as their best hospitality was pale in color and bland in taste.
Yet it was prepared with sincerity. Despite their clearly modest circumstances, they welcomed this shabby old stranger not as an unwelcome visitor, but as a guest of honor.
‘How peculiar.’
The Old Master finished his meal wrapped in an indescribable feeling. Hang-a asked with sparkling eyes.
“Grandfather, was it delicious?”
“Yes, it was the most delicious thing I’ve eaten in recent memory.”
“Right? My mother is the best cook in our village.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yep!”
That wasn’t quite accurate. The Old Master swallowed what he wanted to say and nodded his head.
This meal wasn’t eaten for its taste. It was eaten for the sincerity behind it.
Meanwhile, Hang-a, oblivious to such sentiments, continued chattering away happily.
“Grandfather Jang who lives three houses over sometimes comes to our house to eat too. Yesterday I went to his place and got a meal. Hehe.”
Jang, who had been watching his daughter warmly, spoke.
“This rascal Hang-a, did you go to the elder’s house again?”
“Yep, yesterday grandfather gave me something delicious. And my other older brothers too.”
“How many times have I told you not to trouble the Elder? And now you’re talking about older brothers?”
Jang Family Village is a small place. The few young people who remain have either left for distant lands or thrown themselves into Murim sects chasing dreams of glory and fortune.
Among those who stayed, most have families of their own, so there are hardly any who could be called Hang-a’s older brothers. Yet here she was, speaking of older brothers.
“Were they people you’d never seen before?”
“Mm-hmm. They were tall, handsome, and gave me this much food to eat. So I brought them to find Grandfather.”
“You brought them? Were they looking for the Elder?”
“I don’t know. They were just looking for grandfather? They were cool older brothers with staffs hanging from their waists.”
“Staffs at their waists… Swords?”
Martial artists. They had to be martial artists.
The faces of Jang and his wife grew grave at the same realization.
For ordinary commoners like them, martial artists were objects of fear.
Just a few months ago, during the war between the Taewon Jin Family and the Hangsan Inspection Bureau, how terrified they had been?
Yet now, martial artists of unknown identity had come to their doorstep. And their only daughter had become entangled with them.
Jang opened his mouth with anxiety written across his face.
“So what happened?”
“When I brought them, Grandfather shouted.”
“Did… did you hear who those older brothers were?”
“I heard, but I forgot!”
The innocent answer was bright, but dark clouds gathered in the parents’ hearts. Jang rose from his seat in alarm.
“I must go see. The Elder might have suffered some harm.”
“Hang-a’s father!”
“You stay here with Hang-a. I’ll just take a quick look and come back, so don’t worry.”
Despite his words, he retrieved the axe leaning in the corner of the room. His wife, startled, was about to stop him when it happened.
“Sit down.”
“Pardon?”
“What, are your ears blocked? I said sit.”
The Old Master, who had been sitting silently, rose to his feet. A creaking sound came from his gaunt knees.
“I’ve eaten well enough. I’ll take a walk and settle my debt while I’m at it.”
Jang, who had been staring blankly at the Old Master, let out a hollow laugh.
“Elder, that is not a place for you to go.”
“It’s the opposite. That is no place for you to go.”
“Please stay here. I’ll return shortly.”
“Will you be able to return?”
The Old Master fixed Jang with an inscrutable expression.
Meeting those deep, settled eyes—eyes of profound mystery—Jang felt his breath catch.
“If those men are even slightly, even the slightest bit dishonorable, you won’t be returning. Do you intend to raise your child without a father?”
The light in those eyes flashed like lightning for an instant, then faded.
As if nothing had happened, the Old Master patted his waist and extended his hand toward Jang.
“Give it here.”
That was all. Yet Jang, as if entranced, handed the axe to the Old Master.
“You’ve maintained it well. It’s best to use this only for chopping wood.”
The Old Master, who had been quietly examining the sharp axe blade, smiled at Hang-a. Sensing the shift in atmosphere, the child’s large eyes had already become glistening with tears.
“Why do you look so sad?”
“I think Hang-a did something wrong. Hang-a made a mistake.”
“Yes, this time you truly did make a mistake.”
Just as sorrowful tears were about to burst forth, a voice as soft and cushioned as a cotton quilt continued.
“So from now on, be especially careful to prevent such things from happening. Listen well to your parents. Do you understand?”
“Um… but Grandfather.”
“Speak.”
“Will Grandfather be able to come back?”
The Old Master couldn’t suppress the laughter that escaped him.
“Of course. At my age, I can chew through iron—what couldn’t I do?”
At that moment, Jang, who had been momentarily dazed, snapped back to attention.
No matter what, handing an axe to an elderly man suffering from age-related ailments? He must have been thoroughly bewitched by something.
This needed to be corrected immediately.
“Sir, please give me the axe at once. This is, this is nonsensical…”
The next instant, Jang’s words caught in his throat as his mouth fell agape. An utterly unbelievable sight unfolded before his eyes.
Crunch, crackle.
The axe blade was breaking. Each time those yellowed teeth—which seemed incapable of even biting through soft chicken bone—moved, the carefully honed blade snapped cleanly apart, piece by piece.
“What, what is this?”
“Your child has a keen eye for people. Remarkably accurate.”
A conversation with the Old Master from not long ago flashed through Jang’s bewildered mind.
‘Why are there so many clan settlements here? Half a shichen ago, I saw something called Hong Family Village or something.’
‘Hong Family Village? Hong Family Village should be at least three hundred li away from here. Are you perhaps confusing it with somewhere else?’
‘Do I look like a fool who can’t remember something from half a shichen ago?’
Only then did Jang realize.
Everything the Old Master had said until now was not a lie.
He was no ordinary old man. An old man who could walk three hundred li in half a shichen and chew through iron could not be ordinary.
Only they could perform such extraordinary feats.
“A Murim master…”
The Old Master asked Jang, whose legs were trembling.
“So, where are those bastards?”
* * *
From between Jang Tae-bo’s lips flowed a voice brimming with joy.
“I shall forge the finest divine weapon under heaven.”
Ding.
– Quest objective completed.
– Quest,
[Find the Master Craftsman]
has been successfully completed.
– A Chain Quest has been created.
“….”
Damn it, I should have shown him this earlier. Hyuk Moo-jin’s face was one of utter bewilderment. No, looking more carefully, it was pure shock.
“Is… is all of that really Eternal Cold Iron?”
I scratched my chin. What would I know? The system said it was Eternal Cold Iron, so that’s what it must be.
“Yeah, probably.”
“Probably? That’s not the point here!”
“Right.”
Truth be told, I was caught off guard too.
When I heard earlier that Jang Tae-bo had Eternal Cold Iron, he barely reacted, so I figured those who moved in upper circles treated Eternal Cold Iron as standard equipment. That’s what I assumed.
But now that I knew better….
‘Like adding ten percent apple flavor to a beverage. Something like that.’
They say it’s the greatest mineral under heaven, yet if people only use it in small amounts attached to blades, it must be extraordinarily precious.
While everyone else uses five or ten percent Eternal Cold Iron as an additive, I can use one hundred percent. That’s an enormous advantage.
It means I’m winning through sheer equipment superiority.
“With this… with this, I could forge the masterwork of my entire life!”
Jang Tae-bo trembled with emotion, his whole body quivering.
I could hardly believe this was the same old man who’d been dismissively curt just moments ago. Of course, I was pleased that things had worked out.
“Where on earth did you obtain such an enormous quantity of Eternal Cold Iron?”
“That’s a secret.”
“Ho, could it be you’ve discovered a mine where Eternal Cold Iron is buried in massive quantities!”
Jang Tae-bo’s eyes gleamed like high beams. He’d said he needed nothing more, but now he was absolutely….
“Tell me where it is!”
I shook my head coldly. I didn’t know the mine’s location, and besides, I couldn’t tell him the truth anyway.
“I can’t do that.”
“Please! I’m begging you!”
“W-what? Why are you doing this?”
Now he was clinging to my pant leg, hanging on desperately. The fire of a master craftsman who’d walked a singular path for decades burned in his eyes.
“Now listen here——!”
“Good grief!”
The moment I hastily pulled my leg free from Jang Tae-bo’s grasp.
“Is this where that Jang fellow lives next door… no wait, you’ve moved. Anyway, is this Old Master Jang’s residence?”
A sharp, piercing voice cut through the air.

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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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