Murim Login - Chapter 2

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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 2
A chill brushed against my face. Since childhood, I’d always been sensitive to cold, so I kept my window sealed shut year-round. Then who in the world had opened it?
‘Predictable.’
Sung Jin-ho, that infuriating bastard.
Grumbling, I pulled the blanket up to my chin. The woman lying beside me whimpered softly.
“…Huh?”
A woman? What woman?
Sleep shattered instantly. I bolted upright like a private hearing the morning bugle. Then, slowly, I turned my head.
“It’s too cold.”
Good grief. I was shocked twice over. First, I couldn’t comprehend the situation at all. Second, the woman lying beside me was breathtakingly beautiful.
She muttered incomprehensible words while burrowing deeper into the blanket, yet even in my confusion, my heart trembled at her beauty.
Had that cold breeze not blown in at that moment, I would have stared at her for far longer.
‘But where am I?’
I looked around. Soft red candlelight glowed dimly. An oddly stimulating fragrance. A beautiful woman whose bare body was covered only by blankets.
I’d never been there, but I’d heard about it countless times.
‘A room salon?’
But why was I here?
I was utterly bewildered. What had happened? Yesterday I’d had a drink with Jin-ho and returned to my room in the Gosiwon.
I vividly remembered entering the capsule to escape the loud snoring.
‘Am I dreaming?’
I pinched my forearm hard. It hurt. This wasn’t a dream.
The situation spiraled deeper into mystery. Dazed, I looked around and grabbed the woman’s shoulder, shaking it.
“Um, excuse me.”
The woman looked at me with drowsy eyes. My heart pounded again at the sight of her pupils gleaming with deep blue-green.
“Who are you?”
“What?”
“Oh, so your name is… but that’s not what I was asking…”
“What?”
“Yes…?”
“What…?”
What is this?
In the silence that stretched between us, we stared at each other. And I realized: this woman wasn’t Korean.
“Are you Chinese, perhaps? Or Filipino?”
“…I’m not Chinese.”
‘This is hopeless—we can’t understand each other.’
Frustrated, I scratched the back of my head vigorously, then sprang up like a coiled spring in the next instant.
Ding.
Would you like to check your unread messages?
Accept / Decline
A bell chimed from somewhere.
A rectangular window hovered in the air like a ghost, ethereal and weightless.
I had no idea where it came from, or why I could even see such a thing. My skin crawled with an inexplicable dread.
“What the hell is this?”
I forced out the words through gritted teeth, my fist lashing out reflexively.
My knuckles passed straight through the rectangular window—or rather, through the word [Accept] displayed upon it.
Ding.
– No response detected for an extended period. Randomly selecting character.
–
[Murim]
is being accessed… Beginning gameplay as character
[Jin Tae-kyung]
!
–
[Murim]
login successful.
– Initial access bonus awarded.
.
.
– You may change the language settings for the current player. Apply
[Universal Language Pack]
?
Character? Murim? Login?
“Huh? What?”
–
[Universal Language Pack]
has been applied.
“Wait, hold on!”
That was when the woman spoke.
“Young Master Jin. Are you hurt anywhere?”
Her Korean was flawless. I glanced back and forth between the rectangular window announcing the language pack application and the woman, my mind reeling.
What in the world is happening?
* * *
Wol-hwa. That was the woman’s name.
Her skin was pale and smooth, her face delicate as a fist. Her features were exquisitely refined, and her eyes—so large and luminous they could rival any celebrity’s.
I marveled once more.
‘The graphics are incredible.’
I had grasped the situation after a few more clues fell into place. The truth was simple enough.
Murim. Character. Login. Gameplay. The last place I fell asleep was inside a game capsule. And most crucially.
Open message window?
Accept / Decline
A system window exists. I can speak aloud or think silently. Scratching my head is a kind of shortcut. It’s even possible to click on desired items in midair.
‘The more I see this, the more fascinating it becomes.’
There’s quite a gap compared to the last game I played, but this place is inside a game. I’m playing a game right now.
‘But when did I log in?’
I have no memory of plugging in the cable. Just as I was trying to recall yesterday’s memories, Wol-hwa suddenly extended her hand. Her flawless hands held a bowl brimming with water.
“Drink this. You seem like you haven’t fully woken up yet.”
‘The AI is incredible too.’
I glanced at Wol-hwa’s face and gulped down the water. And I was startled.
‘What is this?’
The refreshing sensation of swallowing cold water. The coolness spreading down my esophagus and into my stomach. Goosebumps rose on my forearms—it was that vivid.
With photorealistic graphics, NPC artificial intelligence, and even the sensation of drinking a single gulp of cold water, it was hard to believe this was a game at all.
I’d heard rumors that modern technology was incredible, but I never imagined it would be like this. Now I understand why game addicts exist.
‘So this is what they mean by virtual reality.’
I was looking around with my mouth agape like a kindergartener at an amusement park when acrid smoke suddenly rose from somewhere and obscured my vision.
When I turned my head, Wol-hwa, who had somehow lit a long pipe, was gazing at me intently.
“Why…?”
She seemed so human-like that polite speech slipped out of my mouth before I could help it. Of course, the fact that she was stunningly beautiful played a part too.
Wol-hwa exhaled smoke and answered.
“Just. I wanted to see you?”
So she’s not just beautiful in the face—her aura is something else entirely.
If high school girls saw her, they’d cry out “older sister!” and get nosebleeds. From head to toe, it’s written all over her.
‘Femme fatale.’
The character concept is well-designed. I bet quite a few users would start the game just for Wol-hwa.
“Young Master Jin, did you notice something strange about yourself today?”
Young Master Jin? It’s a cringeworthy title. But I played it cool. Somehow, I wanted to enjoy this situation a bit.
‘It’s a game, after all.’
“What do you mean?”
“Everything. You stare into empty space as if you’ve lost your mind, you suddenly started using polite speech. I can’t make heads or tails of you.”
The moment Wol-hwa finished speaking.
Ding.
–
[Tutorial Quest]
has been generated.
The game progression method is quite innovative. Usually, they’d start with something like “Finally, you’ve come to your senses” and then hand out a tutorial quest right away.
Is this what they call freedom of choice?
‘Uh… Check the quest?’
Even as I thought it, I wasn’t sure if this was right, but the familiar sound effect played and the quest window appeared immediately.
Quest
[Tutorial – Stage 1]
You now take your first steps into the Murim.
Gather basic information and assess the situation.
Rank
: Tutorial (Linked Quest)
Restriction
: First-time access
Objective
: Gather information (Incomplete)
Assess situation (Incomplete)
Reward
: Sturdy martial robes set
Character status window activation
Inventory function activation
Skill window function activation
Linked Quest
‘Gather information, assess the situation?’
I haven’t played many games, but this is my first quest like this.
Usually they ask you to hunt a few rabbits or practice using the game interface, don’t they?
Either way, I should give it a try.
“How much do you know about me?”
Even I had to admit it was a blunt question. Through the haze of cigarette smoke, I could see Wol-hwa smiling.
“That’s an interesting question. Should I say it’s just as the rumors suggest?”
“Rumors?”
“Stories that even Confucius knows well. Though not the kind of tales one would speak to your face.”
“It’s fine, so let me hear them.”
I was beginning to find this game increasingly fascinating. It had been a long time since I’d played anything, but it was the novelty of the approach that captivated me. Whoever designed this really knew what they were doing.
“I’m curious whether what I’ve heard matches reality. It’s not like it’s been days or anything, so there’s no reason to feel offended.”
“…Well, if that’s the case.”
She took the bait. I suppressed a satisfied smile. Now all that remained was to extract the information in earnest.
“First. Do you know who I am?”
It was an even stranger question than before, but Wol-hwa answered readily. She seemed to be enjoying this situation.
“The youngest young master of the Taewon Jin Family, who’s come of age this year. I don’t suppose there’s any need to mention your name?”
I answered with confidence.
“I do. Jin Tae-kyung.”
My name is Jin Tae-kyung. I’m the youngest of the Taewon Jin Family.
Upon hearing my assured response, Wol-hwa exhaled smoke before choking slightly.
“Second. What sort of place is the Taewon Jin Family?”
Wol-hwa, having barely suppressed her cough, answered.
“They have an excellent reputation. They occasionally suppress bandit gangs, and when droughts come, they distribute relief grain before the magistrate’s office does.”
That’s it?
As if sensing my disappointment, Wol-hwa continued speaking.
“Above all, the Taewon Jin Family is the most prestigious clan representing Shanxi. A deep-rooted, venerable house, you might say.”
“Oh!”
An exclamation escaped my lips unbidden—not from admiration of the Taewon Jin Family’s grandeur, but because of a system notification.
Ding.
–
[Taewon Jin Family]
Information collected.
– Title obtained:
[Scion of a Prestigious House]
Details available in your status window.
‘A title? Scion of a Prestigious House?’
It seemed like the kind of title system you’d find in fantasy RPGs.
‘Like Dragon Slayer or something similar.’
Titles were awarded upon achieving certain milestones, and equipping one granted additional bonuses. In that sense, I had to admit my luck was extraordinary.
‘This is a complete silver spoon character.’
Being born into a noble family itself counted as an achievement. It was infuriating and exhilarating at once—my randomly assigned character had turned out to be a lottery jackpot. But the story didn’t end there.
“However, I’ve heard the family faces troubles both internally and externally these days.”
“Troubles? What kind of troubles?”
Now that I thought about it, the information collection in my quest window still showed [Incomplete]. There was more to uncover.
“Externally, there’s the rivalry with the Hengshan Sword Sect, who are constantly eyeing the position of Shanxi’s supreme authority. Internally, there’s….”
Wol-hwa casually tapped ash from her cigarette.
“I heard their third son is quite the reckless troublemaker.”
“Ah, every family has one of those, don’t they?”
I nodded unconsciously before an uneasy feeling seized me.
“Say.”
“Yes?”
“This is just a joke, but how many sons does the Taewon Jin Family have?”
The answer came with a bright smile.
“Three.”
The Taewon Jin Family had three sons, and I was the youngest. The third son was the reckless troublemaker. Which meant that was—
‘Damn. That’s me?’
Ding.
– Title obtained:
[Shame of the Family]
Details available in your status window.
–
[Information Collection]
completed.
I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. After a moment’s hesitation, seeing Wol-hwa’s barely suppressed smirk, I let out a helpless chuckle myself.
Right. What’s done is done. So what if I’m the shame of the family? It’s all a game anyway.
I opened the Quest window and confirmed that the information gathering had changed to [Complete].
‘The problem is understanding the situation.’
This Quest system was so vague I couldn’t figure out exactly what it was asking for. In the end, was Wol-hwa the only solution?
“Where is this place?”
“Honghwa House—the finest establishment in Shanxi. This is my room.”
Through our conversation, I learned various trivial details.
That this place was Honghwa House, located in the heart of Taewon. That Wol-hwa held a considerably high rank among courtesans, and that we had spent a night together… ahem.
Despite all manner of stories coming up, the system notification never appeared, and eventually I ran out of things to ask about.
By the end, I was reduced to asking something like this.
“What is my current situation, exactly?”
Wol-hwa sighed.
“Young Master Jin. I’m sorry to say this, but right now you seem a bit mad. Wouldn’t it be better to rest?”
She had a point. I felt like I was losing my mind too.
Watching the sunlight stream through the window, I wondered what on earth I was doing.
‘This isn’t some detective game.’
The graphics, the AI, everything was good, but since the tutorial itself was broken, the fun had completely evaporated. The one saving grace was that the capsule I’d picked up yesterday turned out to be a better piece of equipment than it looked.
A game of this caliber had impressive specs—it hadn’t lagged once. It would be worth listing on the secondhand market.
‘I should start looking for a new job starting today too.’
Still, for something I’d only played briefly, it wasn’t bad.
I gave Wol-hwa a final nod and shouted.
“Logout!”
– Logout is not possible.
Huh?
“Logout.”
– Logout is not possible.
What’s going on?
A glitch? Or had the damn junk capsule finally started acting up?
“…Logout?”
– Logout is not possible.
There was no doubt about it. Whether it was a glitch or lag, the cursed piece of junk had finally shown its true colors. I tried ten more times after that, but every attempt failed.
At this point, my anger was slowly transforming into worry and regret.
‘What the hell is happening?’
I shouldn’t have just picked up something free. I should have thrown it away the moment Jin-ho hyung said it was garbage. Or right after I read that insane instruction manual….
‘No. Wait a minute.’
The instruction manual. Right, I had read it. Well, I’d only skimmed through a few warnings before tossing it aside, but I had read it.
‘What did it say again?’
And the moment I managed to recall all the warnings I’d barely read, a chill ran through my entire body.
– Players cannot logout at will.
– Upon death during gameplay, revival is not possible.
Trapped inside a game? Me?
The system notification answered the question in my stead.
Ding.
–
[Situation Awareness]
has been completed.
–
[Tutorial – Stage 1]
has been completed. Rewards are being distributed.
–
[Status Window]
has been activated.
–
[Skill Window]
has been activated.
–
[Inventory]
has been activated.
– Linked Quest,
[Tutorial – Stage 2]
has been generated.
In that moment, only a single thought consumed my mind.
‘I’m screwed.’

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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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