Murim Login - Chapter 201

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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 201
“I hardly see your face these days.”
“Indeed, sir. Lately I can’t tell if I’m a bodyguard or a manager.”
At Wi Paeng’s complaint, Jin Wi-kyung let out a soft chuckle.
“Bear with it just a bit longer. But what happened with those matters I mentioned last time?”
“Everything is proceeding smoothly. The sect leaders we’ve brought in are obedient, and both the government and merchant circles are cooperating actively.”
If the Taewon Jin Family were a ship catching favorable winds, then Jin Wi-kyung was an experienced captain.
From the first day of the assembly, he had begun by securing the loyalty of minor and mid-tier sects, then methodically handled one significant matter after another.
The Fire King Jeok Cheon-gang held the line on martial world affairs, while the royal family’s Sangshan King managed government matters, so there was no discord whatsoever.
‘As for the merchant circles, there’s hardly anything to say.’
They were people most sensitive to profit. Once they caught the scent of money, their gathering was inevitable.
Jin Wi-kyung, having quickly organized his thoughts, asked Wi Paeng a question.
“What about the budget? How much do you think will remain?”
“It’s insufficient.”
“What?”
At Jin Wi-kyung’s startled expression, the corners of Wi Paeng’s mouth lifted.
“I mean we lack warehouses to store the wealth.”
“…Phew.”
“Two warehouses already filled to capacity three days ago, and the goods arriving since then are being stored in empty pavilions.”
Jin Wi-kyung exhaled a sigh of relief and chuckled softly.
“That’s a windfall.”
“The announcement made by the Fire King yesterday was decisive. It gave certainty to those who had been wavering until the end.”
“They’re truly the real heavyweights.”
“Indeed.”
The wider one’s reach, the greater the chance of being pricked by thorns.
The current Taewon Jin Family was certainly a goose that laid golden eggs, but there also existed major sects and great families like the Zhongnan Sect that had developed uncomfortable relations through the Fire King.
“That’s probably why the Shi Family Manor, which had been quiet, suddenly requested a private audience.”
The Shi Family Manor was the foremost leader of the merchant circles under heaven.
Their stepping forward was proof they had confidence in the Taewon Jin Family’s potential.
“Weighing options is their characteristic anyway. In return, since they’re late, we’ll give them generous gifts.”
“Of course we should. Have them brought in.”
“Understood.”
Not long after Wi Paeng left, a middle-aged man with plump, rounded features entered the office.
“Oh my, Young Master! How long has it been!”
“It’s been a while, Ha Manager.”
The middle-aged man was an external manager of the Shi Family Manor. Though merely one of five external managers, the authority he wielded was considerable.
Jin Wi-kyung offered him a gentle smile as he continuously wiped sweat from his brow.
“It’s been three years since we last met. How is the Manor Lord doing?”
“He’s as vigorous as a young man in his prime. In fact, upon hearing the good news this time, he wished to see you. As you know, Young Master, last time his health wasn’t quite well…”
“Yes, that’s right. I understand completely.”
Jin Wi-kyung remembered that day from three years ago with perfect clarity.
After waiting a full fortnight to secure a private audience, I had been forced to flee Shi Family Manor without even glimpsing the patriarch’s face.
Discovering the palanquin of a high-ranking official at the gates of Shi Family Manor was mere coincidence. Or so I had chosen to believe.
‘That is simply how the Martial World operates.’
But now the positions had reversed.
Three years had passed—a brief span, yet tumultuous—and the arrogant outer manager who had once treated me like a vagrant had become a humble merchant.
‘So this fellow even knows how to speak respectfully. I never realized that before.’
Jin Wi-kyung listened intently to Ha Manager’s words, lost in peculiar contemplation.
I readily accepted Shi Family Manor’s proposal to actively participate in the commercial networks of Shanxi with the cooperation of Taewon Jin Family.
Of course, the details would require careful examination, but Shi Family Manor’s offer was extraordinarily generous.
“You present a proposal far better than I anticipated. Almost suspiciously so.”
Ha Manager chuckled, rubbing his hands together.
“I am a merchant to my very bones. I would never engage in a transaction that brings me loss.”
There are grades among merchants. The third-rate merely barter goods; the second-rate purchase items that yield profit; the first-rate trade in futures.
Shi Family Manor stands among the greatest merchant houses under heaven. They do not chase immediate gains, but rather the tens of times greater profits that will return in years to come.
‘You will not gain much from this. The Main Residence will never fall into your hands.’
Despite his thoughts, Jin Wi-kyung smiled broadly.
It is not easy to reveal one’s true thoughts and honest feelings in this world. Especially not to a cunning merchant.
“I shall arrange quarters for you. We can discuss matters in greater depth once you are settled.”
“Thank you, Young Master.”
Ha Manager, who had begun to rise, paused.
“Well, actually…”
“Is there something else you require?”
“It is a difficult request, but might it be possible to meet with Jeok Cheon-gang?”
The title of outer manager of Shi Family Manor carries considerable authority, yet the Fire King is an exception. Since arriving at Taewon Jin Family, he has granted no private audience to any guest whatsoever.
Ha Manager continued, wiping perspiration from his brow.
“It has proven quite impossible. I have attempted to visit directly and even sent subordinates to request a meeting discreetly, but…”
“Ah, I imagine the great swordmaster was not pleased.”
“Indeed. My men returned nearly crippled. Thus, abandoning all shame, I come to trouble you with this request.”
Jin Wi-kyung suppressed his laughter as he replied.
“I’m afraid that will be difficult for the next several days, though perhaps after the gathering concludes.”
“He has not been seen since yesterday. Might I inquire the reason?”
“He is likely instructing my second brother.”
“Ah, I see. Forgive my intrusion.”
As Ha Manager uttered a brief exclamation and departed from the office, Jin Wi-kyung could no longer contain his laughter.
The fatigue that had accumulated from hosting the gathering for days seemed to lift, leaving him feeling refreshed. He called out to his attendant in a cheerful voice.
“Wi Paeng. Who is next?”
* * *
It was dawn, before the sun had yet risen.
It was neither Hyuk Moo-jin nor Chung Poong who had awakened me.
Splash!
“Ugh!”
As cold water jolted me awake, the first thing I saw was Jeok Cheon-gang staring at me with wide eyes.
“What, what is this?”
“Sleeping until this hour? Have you lost your mind?”
“But I only slept for two hours. How is that sleeping in?”
Jeok Cheon-gang launched into a tirade at my bewildered expression.
“Two hours, you fool—I could swing a spear a thousand more times even after that. And where did you learn such disrespect as to not greet your master in the morning?”
“…Master?”
Jeok Cheon-gang suddenly faltered, his words stumbling.
“W-well, that’s how it needs to appear to others, isn’t it?”
“…”
“To avoid suspicion, we must act like true master and disciple—that’s the foundation!”
“Ah, yes.”
So here stood the pioneer of Murim method acting.
My lukewarm response sent heat flooding into Jeok Cheon-gang’s face.
“In any case, I won’t tolerate this slacking. Come with me at once.”
“Where to?”
“I’ve found a suitable place.”
I expected he’d discovered some secluded training ground within the Taewon Jin Family Estate, but instead, Jeok Cheon-gang led me to a mountain nearby, outside the estate proper.
Massive trees with trunks several meters in diameter stood densely packed, and the ground beneath was firm and solid.
“This should suffice.”
Jeok Cheon-gang stopped in a wide clearing and set down the bundle strapped to his back onto a tree stump.
“What is that?”
“Don’t concern yourself. It’s something we’ll use later.”
“Later?”
“Yes, things that will make you writhe in… enjoyment.”
“…”
Why did whips, candlesticks, and masks come to mind?
As I glanced nervously at the bundle, Jeok Cheon-gang opened his mouth with a stern expression.
“Stop your idle curiosity and draw out your spears.”
“Ah, yes.”
I promptly planted several spears I’d brought into the ground.
There was only one reason Jeok Cheon-gang would seek me out at such an early hour.
‘Training.’
Though I tried to deny it, Jeok Cheon-gang clearly wished to take me as his disciple.
My reluctance to accept stemmed from my own lack of conviction.
‘I’ve already suffered one painful mistake.’
The emotional wound Jeok Cheon-gang had received from Jo Pil had not yet healed.
That was why he would surely continue observing and contemplating whether taking someone like me as his disciple was the right choice before making his final decision.
‘Even if I don’t immediately transmit the Yeolhwa Sect’s divine techniques and secret arts, I’ll do my utmost to guide him.’
Instruction from a supreme master of the highest caliber—a single word from one who had walked further than me, conquering greater distances, was worth more than gold.
I lifted the perfectly balanced spear and swallowed hard.
“What should I do now?”
“Come at me.”
“Pardon?”
“I said come at me. With every ounce of strength you possess.”
A smile played across Jeok Cheon-gang’s weathered lips.
“One hour. If you can force me back even a single step, that’s your victory.”
Ding.
– Quest,
[One Step Back]
has been created.
Quest
[One Step Back]
The Fire King Jeok Cheon-gang wishes to see your true strength.
Force him to retreat within the time limit and prove your worth!
Rank
: Supreme
Restricted to
: Jin Tae-kyung
Objective
: One Step Back (Incomplete)
Reward
: ???
Failure
: ???
‘Make him take a single step back?’
On the surface it seemed simple, but it wasn’t a Supreme rank quest for nothing.
Especially not when the opponent was the Fire King Jeok Cheon-gang.
The moment I tore my gaze from the quest window, I saw Jeok Cheon-gang’s leisurely expression.
“Now then, let’s begin.”
Beep.
29:59
The instant the time limit window materialized in the air, I launched myself from the ground and charged toward him.
Whoooosh!
* * *
Crack!
The spear blade tore through the air. Compressed wind exploded outward, scattering the old master’s white hair as Jeok Cheon-gang evaded the first strike Jin Tae-kyung unleashed. A thought crossed his mind.
‘What is this boy?’
Swift. And imbued with a force capable of shattering stone.
It was a speed and power that even he, who had examined Jin Tae-kyung’s body once before, had not anticipated.
Whoosh, screech! Crash!
First strike, second strike, third strike, fourth strike….
Piercing, slashing, thrusting upward.
Each time Jeok Cheon-gang evaded the torrential barrage of spear strikes raining down like a downpour, his astonishment swelled like a snowball.
‘Seasoned. As if born on the battlefield.’
Merely twenty-one years old. Yet the trajectory and movement of the spear blade were not lacking compared to even the renowned masters of the Murim.
No, rather they surpassed them.
Through the Great Demon War, Jeok Cheon-gang had encountered countless martial artists and come to understand something fundamental.
‘True martial masters are forged through countless real combat experiences.’
The Nine Major Sects and One Alliance and the Five Great Families.
They were certainly vast sects that dominated the heavens, yet only a minority among them had survived the brink of death.
It was precisely for this reason that the Demon Cult, grown strong through the principles of tyranny and the supremacy of the strong, had consumed half of the Central Plains.
In the early stages of the war, how many disciples of the great orthodox sects had fallen?
‘But this one is different.’
No hollow opening stance, no hesitation is visible.
The spear blade targeting every vital point of his entire body without regard, and those coldly hardened eyes—these are the marks that only those with countless real combat experiences and blood on their hands possess.
Whoosh, crack!
The spear blade trembles with rotation. Buzz, buzz, buzz.
That sound was like hundreds of bees fluttering their wings, and the shooting spear blade was sharper than a venom fang.
‘Only three months of martial training? A creature like this?’
Judging by the movements alone, it seemed not three months but three years. No, thirty years of practice.
Jeok Cheon-gang did not know of Jin Tae-kyung’s seven years stained with battle. He could only marvel.
‘…A remarkable creature.’
Jeok Cheon-gang himself had lived a lifetime devoted to martial arts.
Yet even to him, who had achieved a great realm, the figure Jin Tae-kyung now displayed was nothing short of miraculous.
‘The greatest martial talent of all ages, they said?’
Recalling Jin Wi-kyung’s words, Jeok Cheon-gang’s body trembled with joy and reverence.
‘Yes, your words were correct.’
It was then that he closed his eyes, unable to resist the lingering sensation.
Screech!
A beam of light shoots toward his chest.
In an instant, Jeok Cheon-gang’s eyes half-opened. Simultaneously, his wrinkled hand grasped the spear blade.
Crack!
His two hands, now ablaze with crimson flames, shatter and melt the spear blade. Molten metal drips onto the frozen ground below. Drip, drip.
“…Wow, damn. Isn’t that cheating?”
Jeok Cheon-gang smiled wryly at Jin Tae-kyung, who muttered as if bewildered.
“Now we begin.”

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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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