Murim Login - Chapter 189

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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 189
Quest
[There is a man who loves you dearly]
A man’s aching affection for a woman has manifested as jealousy and rage.
He seeks to claim your love by striking you down.
Rank
: Peak
Restriction
: Jin Tae-kyung
Objective
: Victory in Combat (Incomplete)
Reward
: Experience and Reputation
Failure
: Acquire Title [Weak Male]
– Do you accept this Quest?
– If you reject the Quest,
[Weak Male]
title will be granted.
‘What a mess.’
Of course, the penalty for refusing would be twice as wretched.
‘No choice then.’
I clicked my tongue and rose from my seat, drawing the attention of everyone present.
“Young Master Jin!”
“Young Master Jin.”
“Young Master Jin, there’s no need for you to leave.”
“That’s right. Has Chul-woo gone mad? Why is he suddenly acting like this?”
Wol-hwa, Eun So-wol, Baek Moo-sung, and even Eun-hyang, with whom I’d barely exchanged words, all cast worried glances my way.
I, however, felt no particular concern.
“It’s fine. Let’s have a good match, shall we?”
Wol-hwa sighed.
“Young Master Jin, do you know who your opponent is?”
“I do. Chul-woo of the Plum Blossom Fist.”
“I don’t think you truly understand. Chul-woo is recognized even within the Huashan Sect. Do you know why he earned the title of Three Plum Blossoms?”
“Because he fights well, I suppose.”
“No, that’s not it… Sigh, fine. I give up. Do as you see fit.”
Wol-hwa surrendered.
Baek Moo-sung and Eun-hyang stepped forward next.
“I do not mean to underestimate Young Master Jin, but my second disciple is, how should I put it… he’s…”
“He’s a madman. If Chul-woo loses his mind, it’s going to be truly brutal.”
“Eun-hyang!”
“What? I’m not saying anything wrong.”
To sum it up in one sentence, it means someone like me can’t hold a candle to Chul-woo.
‘That’s what you all think.’
My thoughts are different. Whether it’s arrogance or confidence, I still don’t know for certain. But simply….
‘I don’t think I’ll lose.’
That conviction grips me. The certainty that I can break that bastard who’s shouting at me.
“Come! On! Now!”
“I’m coming, damn it.”
Under the gaze of roughly a thousand spectators gathered at the Grand Training Ground, I moved toward Chul-woo.
* * *
“The match should be stopped.”
At Baek Moo-sung’s words, Jin Wi-kyung shook his head.
“My younger brother has already accepted Pae Hwa-kwon’s proposal. The match ends only after that.”
“Jin Dae-hyup.”
“I don’t know the reason, but it seems there’s some bad blood between the two. Wouldn’t it be fine to clear it all away now?”
At Jin Wi-kyung’s seemingly carefree words, Baek Moo-sung sighed inwardly.
‘Does he not understand the situation?’
In his eyes, Chul-woo was in a state of solid fury right now. He looked ready to break several of Jin Tae-kyung’s limbs before stopping.
‘This is not good.’
It should be stopped here. He’d heard rumors about Shanxi Sleeping Dragon ad nauseam on the way, but they paled in comparison to his second disciple.
The names Pae Hwa-kwon and Three Plum Blossoms weren’t earned merely through his master’s prestige.
“He could be seriously injured. Shouldn’t we stop this before things escalate?”
“Who says?”
“…Pardon?”
“The match hasn’t even begun yet. The outcome is the same.”
Baek Moo-sung realized he had been mistaken all along. Jin Wi-kyung understood this situation better than anyone.
Only their respective premises differed.
“Jin Dae-hyup. Could it be.”
“Yes.”
Jin Wi-kyung laughed softly. His gaze remained fixed on his younger brother’s back as he walked toward the arena.
“That boy will win. He always does.”
“….”
Baek Moo-sung was left speechless. Shanxi Sleeping Dragon was indeed a remarkable talent, but in experience, martial skill, and inner power—he couldn’t match Chul-woo in any of it.
Baek Moo-sung, who had watched him since childhood, could say with certainty.
‘The young lord is wrong. Shanxi Sleeping Dragon cannot stand against the second.’
Baek Moo-sung shook his head, but it was already spilled water. If they backed down now, the prestige of both sects would surely crumble.
‘I’ll have to step in at the right moment.’
With a darkened gaze fixed on the arena, he missed one crucial fact.
Munch, munch. Smack, smack.
Chung Poong. The fact that he calls Jin Tae-kyung his benefactor, yet watches this chaos unfold without uttering a single word.
* * *
“Waaaah!”
“Shanxi Sleeping Dragon! Shanxi Sleeping Dragon!”
“Plum Blossom Fist! Plum Blossom Fist!”
The moment I stepped onto the Grand Training Ground, cheers erupted from all directions. The response was on an entirely different scale compared to when the other challengers had appeared.
“Ah, so everyone knows about Shanxi Sleeping Dragon. By the way, I’m… a little nervous?”
“Waaaah!”
Chul-woo glared at me as I enthusiastically waved to the crowd.
“Wave your hand too. Without fans, there’s no star. Don’t you know?”
“Wave it enthusiastically. For the next three months, you’ll be staring at nothing but the ceiling of the Medical Hall.”
“Why are you picking on me? What did I do?”
“Are you asking because you genuinely don’t know?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Did you get rejected before you even confessed?”
“Rejected? By whom!”
Chul-woo cried out with an agitated face.
“If you hadn’t interfered, I’d already be married with three children and living well!”
“…Isn’t that moving a bit too fast?”
There has to be some limit to rushing things. We haven’t even known each other for half a day, and you’re already talking about marriage and three children.
‘What is this, a command center? We’d fill a population of 200 in no time.’
As Chung Poong would say, even if a goose delivered them by express shipping, it would take at least half a day. And on top of that, there are three children here, so it’s a bundle delivery.
“It’s fine to let your imagination run wild, but leave me out of it. I have no relationship with this young lady whatsoever, so it’s unfair.”
“Nonsense! I clearly saw the look in her eyes as she gazed at you!”
“Her eyes? What was so special about the way she looked?”
“That was… that was… ugh.”
Unable to continue speaking, Chul-woo let out a groan and widened his eyes.
“I promise you. You won’t be leaving this place on your own two feet.”
“Since I’m a good person, I’ll let you crawl out on all fours.”
“I’ll smash that impudent mouth of yours!”
Chul-woo charged forward with a roar.
I swung my staff toward the fierce punch that came flying at me with overwhelming momentum.
Whoosh! Crack!
My body slid backward from the intense impact. The force was unbelievable for a collision between flesh and steel.
Somehow, dark metallic knuckle guards had appeared on his hands.
“Those look like nice equipment. Would it be alright if I took a quick look?”
“You!”
Screeeech!
He was literally a mad bull incarnate.
The only difference was that instead of horns, he had fists, and those fists didn’t simply attack—they came with calculated intent.
“Hah!”
I halted my breath and swung the spear in one fluid motion. The gauntlet and spear blade locked trajectories, erupting in sparks.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
I pressed him with the spear’s advantage of distance, while Chul-woo countered with his innate reflexes and raw strength.
Whoosh!
A leg of steel whipped toward my waist like a lash.
Movements fluid and swift, belying his massive frame. I retreated while driving the spear toward his throat.
Thwack! Screech!
His foot cut through empty air as the spear blade met the gauntlet. Chul-woo seized the spear shaft and grinned wickedly.
“Got you.”
Crunch!
Simultaneously, tremendous force yanked the spear away. This had likely been his objective from the start.
A spear wielder without his spear was nothing more than a scarecrow with eyes open.
Of course…
‘I anticipated this much.’
I released the tension in my grip and charged at Chul-woo. Shock flooded his smug face.
His hands, unable to overcome my momentum, held the spear aloft in empty air as if surrendering.
“You…!”
“Drop the spear.”
Crack!
“Ugh!”
Something snapped. Chul-woo staggered as my knee struck his face. Next came his solar plexus.
Thud!
“Kgh!”
He released the spear and stumbled backward after taking the vital strike. In that moment, I leisurely retrieved my weapon.
“You bastard!”
As Chul-woo finally straightened, freed from pain, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re… laughing?”
“You’re bleeding from your nose.”
“You’re really dead… What? Nosebleed?”
He frantically wiped his nose with the back of his hand, and his face twisted in fury.
“How dare you scar my face?”
“It’s fine. You’re already ugly—no one will notice.”
“That’s exactly the problem! You’ll make me even uglier!”
“…”
What kind of bastard is this? He actually has an accurate sense of himself?
“Graaaagh!”
Chul-woo’s eyes flashed with fury as he roared in indignation.
“I was planning to end this at a reasonable point out of respect for Elder Brother… but that won’t do.”
“Come at me properly. That’s why I’m here.”
“Very well. I’ll face you with genuine intent.”
As if to prove his words, a faint luminescence flickered across Chul-woo’s fists.
“Fist Qi?”
Still incomplete in its formation, yet unmistakably fist qi. A savage smile spread across his lips.
“Too late for regrets.”
Whoosh! Crack!
Sparks erupted as the spear blade shattered cleanly. His fist, channeling every ounce of his cultivated power, blurred into motion.
Slash! Whishshshshlash!
A razor-sharp tempest of wind descended upon me. Each time I swung my spear against the gale his fists conjured, its length diminished by another span.
Though incomplete, the cutting force of his materialized qi was absolutely devastating.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
In mere fractions of a second.
The iron spear I’d wielded was now nothing more than a sharp steel rod the length of my forearm.
“Damn it. I was just getting used to it too.”
At this point it’s not a spear anymore—it’s a short staff. I grumbled and swung the steel rod through the air.
“Ah, suddenly it’s so light I can’t adjust.”
Chul-woo laughed heartily at my predicament.
“Hahahaha! Pathetic fool. What will you do with that?”
“Concede.”
“Already admitting defeat?”
“Admitting? Who’s losing?”
“A man who’s lost even his secondary weapon—what confidence is this? Do you think your elder brother or his brother will save you?”
I let out a soft chuckle.
“You’re the one who should regret this. If you proposed a draw right now, I might actually consider it.”
“What? A draw?”
“Yes. On the condition that you stop pestering this young lady from now on.”
“Insane bastard.”
“Then negotiations are off.”
I trudged toward him, brandishing the steel rod that could no longer be called a spear.
“Come on. Let’s fight.”
A spear master fearlessly approaching a master of fist techniques. And without even a proper weapon in hand.
The crowd surrounding the Grand Training Ground stirred with murmurs.
Chul-woo furrowed his brow as if observing some strange creature.
“What exactly… are you?”
“Jin Tae-kyung of the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon. You already know.”
“Are you relying on some hidden technique to act so brazenly?”
“Perhaps.”
“You’re not planning to resort to some cowardly hidden strike, are you?”
A hidden strike. In some sense, perhaps it resembles that.
A technique visible only to me, granted only to me alone.
‘Open status window.’
Chul-woo stood barely thirty paces away. The system responded.
Ding.
Status Window
[Lv.71 Jin Tae-kyung]
Class
: Peak Master
Renown
: 2500 (+250)
Titles
: 5 (Title effects active)
– Returner (All stats +10)
– Shanxi Sleeping Dragon (All stats +15, Renown +200)
– Noble’s Heir (All stats +5, Renown +50)
– Gambler (One-on-one combat: Combat stats +10%)
– Intermediate Cultivator (Training speed +20%)
Strength
: 255 (+55)
Endurance
: 207 (+50)
Agility
: 250 (+55)
Intellect
: 40 (+30)
Charm
: 40 (+30)
Cultivation
: 45 years
Resilience
: 200 (+50)
Remaining Points
: 70
– Certain stats are temporarily elevated due to the Gambler effect.
– Distribute remaining points.
The Gambler effect. And seventy points earned from shattering the wall of the peak realm.
I advanced without hesitation. Twenty paces ahead, I could see the bewildered expression on his face.
“You’re insane.”
“I’ve heard that plenty of times.”
Fifteen paces. I whispered to myself.
‘Allocate 20 points to Strength.’
Whoosh.
An invisible wind swept through me, and a new surge of power infused my body. My strength, temporarily exceeding 300, roiled like an active volcano.
‘Fifty points to agility.’
A second wind. In that same instant, the step I took felt unfamiliar, as though it belonged to someone else.
‘When did my body become this light?’
It felt like stepping into an entirely new world.
I drew a deep breath. It wasn’t I who closed the remaining ten paces first—it was Chul-woo.
“Damn it, I told you to surrender! Don’t blame me for what comes next!”
Whoosh!
A technique I recognized. The Subduing Tiger Fist—named for its power to bring even tigers to heel.
The ferocious first strike of the Subduing Tiger Fist was about to slam into my chest when—
Whoooosh.
A third wind erupted.
It began at my feet and ended at my fingertips.
“Well, level ninety-five.”
Shing.
I drove the sharp steel flute into the back of Chul-woo’s neck. Somehow, I was already perched on his shoulders.
“It seems I’ve grown far stronger than I realized.”

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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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