Murim Login - Chapter 171

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 171
The owner of that sharp, metallic voice was a diminutive old man.
Shorter than elementary school children these days, dressed in shabby clothes. And above all else….
‘He’s incredibly aged.’
I haven’t lived long myself, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen someone so weathered by time.
While I was thinking such thoughts, my gaze suddenly locked directly with the old man’s.
“Hey!”
“Yes?”
“When an adult asks you something, you should answer. Is this the Jang Family Residence?”
Was it an aura emanating from his very presence?
Clearly this was an old man who looked like he could die at any moment, yet his eyes gleamed with an intensity that was almost piercing. I felt myself inexplicably shrinking back as I answered.
“Yes, it is.”
Jang Tae-bo, who had been clutching at my pant leg, rose awkwardly to his feet.
I thought he might be a friend from the senior center, but the wary expression on his face suggested otherwise.
“Who might you be?”
“Just a passing traveler. Are you Old Master Jang?”
“I am.”
“I see. I thought I’d stop by just in case.”
The old man glanced around briefly before adding a remark.
“Though it seems there was no real need.”
“…?”
“…?”
“Well then, I’ll be on my way. Once you’re done with your business, stop by that young one’s place over there. He’s been worried about you.”
With those words, the old man turned and walked away.
What in the world is that old man?
As everyone stood bewildered by his incomprehensible words and actions, Chung Poong beside me suddenly jabbed my ribs with his elbow.
“Mmph. Benefactor. Doesn’t that person seem a bit strange to you?”
“…To me, you seem far stranger. And finish swallowing what’s in your mouth before you speak.”
How long is this guy going to keep chewing those dumplings? Does he have some magical cornucopia that keeps producing them?
After my nagging, Chung Poong swallowed what was in his mouth and muttered.
“No, something really does feel off.”
“So what is it?”
“I’m not sure. It’s just a feeling.”
“That’s not an explanation….”
Wait. Just a feeling?
I paused for a moment. If Chung Poong were just some eccentric, it would be one thing, but he was the disciple who inherited everything from the Sword Saint and a master of the highest caliber, far above my level.
Could it be that he sensed something about that old man that I couldn’t perceive?
‘On the surface, there’s nothing particularly remarkable about him….’
Either way, there’s nothing to lose. In the Murim, where anything can happen, you must tap even a stone bridge before crossing it.
‘Activating Qi Perception.’
Ding.
– Skill
[Perception]
has been activated.
– You can detect targets up to level 90 and within 70 paces.
– Power consumption scales with range.
Whoooosh.
A blue line visible only to my eyes extends rapidly outward.
The line passes through Chung Poong, Hyuk Moo-jin, and Jang Tae-bo, who stand closest, before finally touching the back of the old man slowly receding into the distance.
A translucent holographic window materializes above his snow-white hair.
[Lv.3 Jeok Cheon-gang]
Jeok Cheon-gang? That name alone sounds like a final boss.
Yet despite the impressive title, his level is pathetically low. This old man clearly had never trained in martial arts—he was an ordinary commoner.
“Seems like I’ve barked up the wrong tree…”
My words trailed off naturally.
The old man’s shuffling footsteps had come to an abrupt halt.
His compact frame slowly turned around. Beyond a dozen paces, his eyes gleamed with an uncanny luminescence that made my skin prickle.
‘What is this?’
My body went rigid. My heart raced and my fingertips twitched.
In the next moment, had the old man not opened his mouth, I would have summoned a weapon from my inventory without hesitation.
“Well, well…”
The wrinkled corners of the old man’s mouth twitched as he gazed at me. His low, gravelly voice burrowed into my ears.
“You’re an interesting one.”
* * *
Upon arriving at his destination, Old Master Jeok Cheon-gang found himself facing a rather intriguing situation.
‘Oho, look at these fellows.’
The pinnacle of transcendence—a realm so supreme it deserved the title of Martial God. He discerned the martial prowess of these young ones at a glance.
One was merely adequate, but the other two… he genuinely marveled.
‘They’ve crossed the threshold at such a tender age.’
Particularly the one rudely munching dumplings before his elders—he had already reached a fully mature pinnacle state, no exaggeration.
Could he even compare to the elders of the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance whom he’d glimpsed only in passing years ago?
As for the other one, towering and broad-shouldered…
‘Look at the audacity in those eyes. I could crush him right now.’
His face looked like he’d seen a corpse. Yet this one too clearly possessed martial arts far beyond his years.
‘Among his peers, none could stand against him.’
The Yangtze’s rear waves push the front waves forward.
Jeok Cheon-gang suddenly realized that this new wave was quite formidable and fierce.
Powerful enough to swallow the entire Yangtze.
‘I suspected as much when they spoke of ten-thousand-year-old iron and such… but these are far more interesting than I imagined.’
Jeok Cheon-gang, who could sense presences dozens of paces away, had been listening to their conversation since the moment he left Jang’s residence.
I realized that the concern Jang had harbored never came to pass.
Far from persecution, it seemed Old Master Jang was the one clinging to me instead.
‘If this level of achievement brings ten-thousand-year cold iron, then the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance? Well, in any case, it’s clear they belong to some prestigious orthodox sect.’
Jeok Cheon-gang’s interest ended there. There was no reason to forge ties with these young brats, nor did I wish to reveal my identity.
This much repayment for the meal I’d received was sufficient—I intended to depart now.
“Then I’ll be on my way. Once your business is done, stop by that young one’s residence. He’s worried about you.”
Jeok Cheon-gang tossed out those final words and turned to leave.
I had already wasted considerable time. I planned to reach Taewon by today and visit the Haowen Sect.
Of course, I had no intention of revealing my identity.
‘I’ll just wear a mask and intimidate them—they’ll spill everything.’
But Jeok Cheon-gang’s thoughts could not continue further.
In the next instant, something incomprehensible shot toward me from behind.
Whoooosh.
Invisible. Inaudible.
I merely felt it. A cool, unfamiliar sensation pierced through my back.
‘An ambush?’
No. There was no sticky, unpleasant killing intent.
Rather, it felt as natural as wind blowing from afar, which made it all the more alien.
The mysterious energy vanished the moment it touched my back.
‘What in the world.’
For someone who had lived nearly a hundred years, this was a first.
Bewildered, I turned around and immediately identified the culprit.
“It seems like I just stumbled…”
The moment our eyes met, lips sealed shut. Wavering pupils and trembling fingertips.
A smile crept across Jeok Cheon-gang’s lips as I gazed upon the perpetrator.
“Well, well….”
Jeok Cheon-gang stroked my chin with an intrigued expression.
“An interesting one, indeed.”
Simultaneously, my feet pushed against the ground.
In the next moment, the dozen or so paces between us vanished. Jeok Cheon-gang whispered into Jin Tae-kyung’s ear.
* * *
Summon Inventory.
Just six characters. I only needed to envision the window’s image and call it out in my mind. But….
“What are you doing, boy?”
The breath tickling my nape made every hair on my body stand on end.
When on earth?
No, before that—how?
‘Surely, surely I was only level 3.’
An unbelievable reality.
The old man who seemed like he could die any moment—Jeok Cheon-gang—was faster than anyone I had ever seen.
I didn’t even dare to resist.
“Well, if an elder asks a question, you should answer it, shouldn’t you?”
“Y-yes?”
“Is that your answer?”
Skeletal, wrinkled fingers jabbed at my chest, prodding my solar plexus repeatedly. Though no strength or inner force was channeled into the strikes, it felt as though someone were piercing me with a sword.
“Who are you?”
I swallowed hard. My mouth felt parched, as if I’d stuffed a handful of sand between my teeth.
“I’m Jin Tae-kyung.”
“Not that. Which sect do you belong to?”
“Taewon. The Taewon Jin Family.”
“Taewon Jin Family? Are you perhaps with the Demonic Heretical Way?”
I nearly nodded without thinking.
Seeing the flash of murderous intent in the old man’s eyes when he mentioned the Demonic Heretical Way, I realized that answering yes—even by accident—would result in my immediate death.
“N-no, we’re orthodox.”
“You’re sure? Then why are you stammering?”
“I’m certain.”
“Is that so? Taewon Jin Family… I feel like I’ve heard of it before. Or maybe not.”
Jeok Cheon-gang, who had been lost in thought, suddenly fixed me with a peculiar gaze.
“The more I look at you, the stranger you seem. That thing just now—that was you, wasn’t it?”
That thing just now?
His words were vague, but I understood immediately.
This old man had definitely sensed my qi disturbance.
‘This can’t be real.’
I’d suspected as much from his immediate reaction, but the realization made my vision swim. A monster capable of detecting qi disturbances—such a thing shouldn’t exist.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
I bit my lower lip hard and replied.
“It wasn’t me.”
“You sure?”
“….”
“Well, it was you, wasn’t it?”
“No. In any case, it wasn’t me.”
“Oh, you’ve got backbone. I like that. You’re a real man.”
Jeok Cheon-gang chuckled and continued.
“Should I break a few of your bones and ask again?”
“I confess! It was me!”
“Good. Now then, what exactly did you do to me?”
I hesitated for a moment.
This old man’s instincts were as sharp as the years he’d lived. If I lied and he caught me, I wouldn’t leave here in one piece.
I had to stick as close to the truth as possible while presenting it in a way that pleased him.
“You seemed like someone extraordinary, so I simply…”
“A little?”
“I was checking whether you’d learned martial arts.”
“How?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking how you did that.”
“Well, I just sent out a bit of my energy to read the opponent’s energy. Something like that.”
“Heh heh. Is that so?”
Jeok Cheon-gang chuckled as if amused, clenching his fist.
“If you keep lying, I’ll break your legs for you. Answer again.”
I hastily waved my hands.
“Wait, wait. Why are you suddenly like this?”
“You’ve misjudged me, boy. Do I look like such a fool that I can’t distinguish such things? What I just felt was… different. Different enough to seem like deception.”
“It’s not deception. I’m telling you the truth!”
This is driving me insane. Admittedly, Energy Sense was closer to a system function than martial arts—an absurdly broken skill.
Because of that, Jeok Cheon-gang, who seemed to be a supreme master, might have felt an alienness different from usual.
…The problem was how to explain that.
“You wretch! Won’t you speak the truth!”
Damn it, forget it. I’m not doing this.
I opened my mouth with complete candor.
“Actually, I’ve been using something called a System, and since it’s a bit of a shortcut, you might have felt uncomfortable about it. I apologize.”
Jeok Cheon-gang opened his mouth only after a moment.
“What nonsense is that?”
“…I told you exactly as it is. I thought you wouldn’t understand.”
“Have you said everything?”
“There’s much more I haven’t said. I’ve experienced so many things.”
“You’ve had quite a turbulent life.”
“Extraordinarily so.”
“Don’t worry. After today, your life will have no more turbulence.”
“Are you planning to make it all downhill from here on?”
“What’s the point in talking? First, let’s warm that body of yours up a bit, shall we?”
Me, Chung Poong, Hyuk Moo-jin, Jang Tae-bo. In an instant so fleeting that none of us present could react.
Jeok Cheon-gang smirked and poked my chest with his finger.
And then…
Whoooosh!
An overwhelming heat swept through my body.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————