Murim Login - Chapter 175

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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 175
In the shabby guest room, a diminutive old man gazed quietly down at the young man lying upon the bed.
‘So this is Jin Tae-kyung of the Taewon Jin Family.’
Jin Tae-kyung’s face remained serene, still bereft of consciousness. At first glance, he might have been merely lost in deep slumber.
‘To endure the Flame Divine Palm and yet suffer only this much.’
The old man, Jeok Cheon-gang, clicked his tongue inwardly.
It was supreme martial mastery unleashed by his own hand, after all.
Though he had restrained his power, it was no trivial force for a mere youth who had only recently transcended the peak realm.
There could be but one answer, and Jeok Cheon-gang had already discerned it.
‘This whelp has mastered the same Extreme Yang Technique as I.’
Not all Extreme Yang Techniques are created equal.
Internal energy resembles weapons in certain respects—the essence is singular, yet its manifestations are manifold.
Ascending inner cultivation methods each bear their own distinctive character, much like the Hua Mountain Sect’s Zixia Divine Art.
And this held true for the Yeolhwa Sect, of which Jeok Cheon-gang served as the current sect master.
‘There is no possibility he has mastered the Yeolhwa Divine Art.’
For centuries past, the Yeolhwa Sect had upheld the principle of single-lineage succession with absolute rigor.
That no leakage had occurred during the transmission process was a fact well known even to the current sect master, Jeok Cheon-gang.
Yet to perceive traces of the sect’s teachings in Jin Tae-kyung was….
‘It must be that, then.’
The Yeolhwa Divine Orb.
No matter how he pondered it, there could be no other explanation.
Jeok Cheon-gang’s lips curved into a bitter smile—so desolate an expression that those who knew him would have doubted their own eyes.
“So it has come to pass after all.”
His aged voice echoed hollowly through the shabby room before dissipating. For a long while, Jeok Cheon-gang’s gaze pursued something unseen and intangible, until at last it settled upon Jin Tae-kyung’s face.
His features were twisted as though tormented by nightmares.
“What am I to do with you, boy….”
It was then that Jin Tae-kyung murmured something akin to a groan.
“Mmm, kimochi….”
“….”
Kimochi? What in blazes?
Though he could not comprehend the words, hearing them filled him with inexplicable displeasure.
Jeok Cheon-gang shook his head as he watched Jin Tae-kyung’s body convulse repeatedly while he babbled “kimochi” over and over.
‘A most peculiar fellow.’
He departed only after “kimochi” had transformed into “yamete.”
Unable to endure the mounting discomfort any longer, Jeok Cheon-gang fled the guest room, goosebumps rising across his forearms.
‘…Could it be sorcery after all?’
His suspicions deepened in that moment.
* * *
As my eyes opened, the shabby ceiling came into view. The crimson flicker of the oil lamp and the darkened landscape beyond the window as well. A sigh of relief escaped me unbidden.
“Phew….”
I survived. Though I sustained minor internal injuries, even that much is more than I could have hoped for.
No, considering my opponent was the Fire King, it borders on miraculous.
‘Did he truly harbor no intention to kill me?’
No matter how hard I struggle, I cannot match the Fire King. The same applies to Chung Poong.
Yet here I am, lying in this sickbed….
“You’re awake?”
“Ugh!”
I leaped up like a carp thrashing in water. Something had been crouched in a dark corner and was now rising stealthily.
“You scared me half to death, you madman!”
Hyuk Moo-jin replied curtly.
“Why are you so startled? It’s not as though you’re seeing my face for the first time.”
“Look at your own face. Can you really get used to it?”
“What’s wrong with my face? I’d say it’s quite handsome. When I was young, my parents were even worried about it.”
“Worried you’d have a hard time living with it?”
“No. They worried I’d be kidnapped because I was too pretty for a boy.”
Is he in his right mind?
With a face like that, they should have worried about him becoming the kidnapper, not the victim.
“…Tell them not to worry anymore.”
“Later.”
Hyuk Moo-jin approached with unsteady steps, then let out a gasp and collapsed.
“Ah, ow! Wait a moment.”
“What’s wrong?”
Hyuk Moo-jin answered with a pained expression.
“My legs have fallen asleep.”
“…You’re really something else today. Are you even a martial artist?”
“It happens when you sit for too long. And whose fault is it that I was stuck in that corner?”
“How is that my fault?”
“You kept muttering strange things. ‘Ki-mok-ji, ya-maek-dae.'”
Those words were like a language carved into the soul itself.
More than familiar—they felt intimate. I flinched and asked.
“…I did?”
“Yes. I got chills and went outside, and the enemy captain said if you don’t want to burn to death, stay quiet inside. He said to report immediately if the squad leader wakes up.”
Hyuk Moo-jin continued, his voice trembling with grievance.
“He said it might be sorcery and told me to cover my ears. But you just kept going, ‘Ki-mok-ji, ki-mok-ji,’ over and over.”
“…Stop it, will you.”
This is genuinely the most humiliating thing I’ve experienced. No wonder I felt exhilarated when I woke up—I must have been having quite the pleasant dream.
I cautiously slipped a hand beneath the blanket, just to check.
‘Hmm. All clean. No problems there.’
Having resolved one concern, I now had to address another.
In terms of importance, it was incomparably more pressing than the previous matter.
After all, my life was on the line.
“Where is that old man now?”
It was clear whom he was referring to. Hyuk Moo-jin answered in a hushed voice.
“He’s on the first floor. He’s drinking and carousing with Chung Poong right now.”
“Is that so? How long?”
“I only just woke up, so I’m not entirely sure, but when I casually asked Jeom So-i earlier, she said it’s been over three hours.”
There was no need to exert my martial power. My hearing, sharpened by reaching the pinnacle realm, transmitted the boisterous revelry from the floor below with perfect clarity.
‘Look at him having the time of his life.’
That old man who throws punches first and asks questions later, the fool who blundered in without reading the room and caused this disaster.
I wanted nothing more than to smash their skulls with a wine bottle and proclaim justice, but I restrained myself.
…Or rather, I had no choice but to restrain myself.
“Sigh.”
Weakness is a sin, a sin.
As I exhaled a heavy sigh, Hyuk Moo-jin ventured to speak.
“Um, Captain.”
“What?”
“I think we should head downstairs soon.”
“Head down? To where?”
“Earlier, the Grand Elder said that as soon as you came to, you should go down immediately….”
“The Grand Elder? How is that old man a Grand Elder?”
“But Captain, when you’re actually in front of him, you’ll call him the Grand Elder too.”
“….”
That’s true enough.
But if I went down now at his behest, it would be no different from leaping into a tiger’s jaws.
I began dressing at lightning speed, grabbing the clothes draped over the table.
“What are you doing?”
“Preparing to flee.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m leaving. Why, do you want to come with me?”
Hyuk Moo-jin grabbed my arm in alarm.
“Wait, why are you running away?”
“That old man could lose his temper and burn me to death any moment. Wouldn’t you run if you were me?”
“Is this because of what happened earlier?”
“What happened earlier? You mean the Grand Elder?”
“Yes. If it’s that, then Chung Poong and I have already….”
I cut him off decisively.
“You’ve already explained everything. The misunderstanding has been cleared up.”
“Ah, you already knew.”
“Do you take me for a fool?”
I had lost consciousness around noon, so at least half a day had passed. No matter how hot-tempered Jeok Cheon-gang was, he would certainly have conducted an investigation to understand what actually happened.
Chung Poong and Hyuk Moo-jin had both made efforts to clear up the misunderstanding in their own ways.
Hyuk Moo-jin, who had heard my words, tilted his head in confusion.
“Then isn’t it settled? There’s no reason to run away.”
Every second counted. I pretended to rummage through my clothes, then pulled an item from my inventory and waved it.
“Here’s your reason.”
[Flame Divine Scripture]
Hyuk Moo-jin, examining the worn cover of the old tome, muttered under his breath.
“Ah, damn it….”
“Now here’s the question. What exactly is the relationship between Jo Pil and Jeok Cheon-gang, who possessed the secret manual of the Flame Divine Scripture, a technique of the Yeolhwa Sect?”
“….”
“You’re starting to get it, aren’t you? I’d bet my fingers and entire fortune that they’re master and disciple. What are you willing to wager?”
Hyuk Moo-jin wagered nothing. Instead, he began to unfurl the wings of desperate imagination, brimming with dreams and hope.
“Wait, just a moment. The two of them might not be master and disciple at all.”
“If not master and disciple, then what? Father and son? Given that temperamental personality, that’s actually plausible too, isn’t it?”
“Jo Pil could have stolen the item from the Great Rival.”
I snorted so hard that snot nearly flew out of my nose.
“Is the Fire King some neighborhood grandfather? Who would steal from that old man?”
The Fire King was the one who slaughtered a thousand Demon Cult members for someone setting fire near his home.
Even if Jo Pil were mad, he couldn’t dream of such a thing unless he had Botox injected into his liver.
Hyuk Moo-jin, who had hesitated for a moment, nodded his head.
“…Fine. Let’s say he’s a disciple.”
“I’m telling you he’s definitely a disciple. And if you’re not going to keep up, let go of my arm. I’m busy.”
Hyuk Moo-jin paid no heed and stubbornly continued speaking.
“Even if Jo Pil is a disciple of the Great Rival, we merely fulfilled our duty. Besides, it was Jo Pil who rushed to kill us first.”
“Right, you and Chung Poong will be safe anyway, so relay that message for me instead. I need to get going.”
“Captain!”
“Now listen, Moo-jin. Let’s say that’s true. Though it’s absolutely impossible, but let’s say that ill-tempered old man acknowledges his disciple’s mistake and just lets it slide.”
I pried off his hands one by one as they gripped my forearm and asked.
“Then wouldn’t Jo Pil have to return what he stole?”
Hyuk Moo-jin nodded vigorously.
“Of course. What if he swallowed it and burned to death in the flames?”
“But what if he says he can’t return it?”
“Huh? Captain, surely you’re not coveting the Flame Divine Scripture right now….”
“Am I insane? Living long and thin is my life philosophy. That’s why I even shit that way!”
Normally, this guy would have made a disgusted face at such vulgar talk, but now he only swallowed hard repeatedly.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Because Jo Pil wasn’t just carrying the secret manual of the Flame Divine Scripture.”
I spread three fingers wide and began folding them down one by one.
First, the Flame Divine Scripture. Second, the Eternal Cold Steel Sword. And finally, the third.
“The Yeolhwa Divine Pill.”
Hyuk Moo-jin, who had already opened his mouth wide at the sight of the Eternal Cold Steel Sword, asked with an uncertain expression.
“…Are you perhaps referring to that time? The one that tremendously increases martial power in exchange for the body burning intensely?”
“Yes. It’s something I meant to give you long ago along with the secret manual of the Flame Divine Transformation.”
“That, where is that right now?”
“Moo-jin.”
I gazed out the window with eyes glistening with moisture. North—toward where the Hangsan Inspection Bureau lay.
“Do you remember when we went to the Hangsan Inspection Bureau last time?”
“Why suddenly that?”
“The Red Wind Master turned out to be far stronger than I expected. How could I possibly defeat someone who crushed both Chul Moo-baek and Jin Moo-kyung?”
“W-wait a moment. Then back then?”
“Yes. It worked quite well.”
I stroked my abdomen with the mindset of a pregnant woman in her third week after just confirming a positive pregnancy test.
“I’ve put it here. The Yeolhwa Divine Elixir.”
“….”
“They say it’s a secret spiritual elixir of the Yeolhwa Sect. To return it, they’d have to cut open my belly and draw blood.”
“….”
“So don’t stop me anymore. I’m going to cast off all the shackles and constraints of this world and seek a path to live….”
At that very moment, Hyuk Moo-jin moved with unprecedented agility.
Tap-tap-tap, whoosh!
Watching him hurl himself out the wide-open window while clutching the knapsack he always carried, I saw a bird before me.
‘No, this bastard.’
Daring to attempt escape before me?
And even grabbing the knapsack with silver and provisions?
“Hey, Hyuk Moo-jin!”
By the time I let out a stifled cry, it was already too late.
The figure of that fellow, who turned back to look at me with enlightened eyes, plummeted downward.
“Damn it.”
I had to escape quickly too.
Just as I rushed forward to hurl myself out the window.
Smack! Thud!
Hyuk Moo-jin, who had been running eagerly, collapsed as if shot by a gun.
What struck his temple was something I knew all too well.
“…A chicken bone?”
And the next moment.
An elderly voice echoed from below.
“Fool. Can’t you even distinguish between a chicken and a duck?”
Shuffle, shuffle.
A small shadow wavered along the lantern light at the inn’s entrance. Soon a wrinkled face appeared, looking up at me as I leaned against the window frame, breaking into a grin.
“Where were you headed?”
After witnessing 14,000,605 possible futures, I arrived at the most appropriate answer.
“The outhouse.”
“Want to shit blood?”
“No.”
Right, I knew that wouldn’t work.

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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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