Murim Login - Chapter 206

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

Chapter 206
Ding.
–
[Logout]
has been completed.
I hadn’t opened my eyes yet, but I could tell.
The moment the system notification sounded, everything surrounding me had changed.
Instead of the fur-lined bed and hard wooden pillow, I felt the soft cushions of a couch, and the familiar aroma of boiling water mixed with a scent that pricked my nose.
‘This… this is…’
Ramen. And it smelled absolutely divine!
The moment I realized it, my stomach—which had been craving seasonings after spending more than a month in the Murim—churned violently.
“I’m starving!”
The moment I opened my eyes with a cry that came from the depths of my soul, a familiar face popped out from the brightly lit kitchen.
Sparse stubble on his chin, disheveled hair, and my Elder Brother Jin Ho wiping his glasses—which were fogged with steam—broke into a wide grin.
“Oh, my beloved younger brother Tae-kyung. Did you sleep well?”
His tone was different from usual, almost disgustingly affectionate, but my eyes had already rolled back at the scent of ramen.
“Ramen!”
“Whoa, what’s gotten into you?”
“Kimchi!”
“You really slept like a log. I was about to shake you awake.”
“Cold rice! At least five bowls!”
“…Uh, okay. I was just about to bring it anyway.”
Moments later, facing a pot brimming with broth and noodles, I murmured in an enchanted voice.
“This is insane…”
“Lift just the top layer of noodles a bit. There’s a soft-boiled egg inside.”
“Gasp.”
Sure enough, as I gently lifted the noodles, a perfectly formed soft-boiled egg revealed itself.
As I caught my breath, Elder Brother Jin Ho held out two small side dishes.
“Here, kimchi and pickled radish. The rice is white rice I took out an hour ago. After you finish all the noodles and drink a few spoonfuls of broth, you drop in the cold rice and…”
“Are you…”
“Hm?”
“Are you a Rookie?”
Elder Brother Jin Ho solemnly answered while placing an exam prep book under the pot.
“Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 1. Sung Jin-ho spoke, saying: If you do not eat now, the broth shall grow cold and the noodles shall swell and burst.”
“Ah, yes yes.”
“Young lamb, why do you move your lips before ramen? Not a single drop of broth shall remain—lick the bowl clean.”
I had lived my whole life as an atheist, but not anymore.
I picked up my chopsticks, gazing up at Elder Brother Jin Ho with reverence.
“Amen.”
“Ramen.”
Today, I wouldn’t mind dying with my face buried in ramen broth.
I plunged my head into the large pot and worked my chopsticks without pause. With such a short distance between my mouth and chopsticks, the noodles flowed in endlessly.
Slurrrp! Slurrrp! Slurrrrrp!
Firm noodles, spicy broth. When I burst the soft-boiled egg, the ecstasy and regret were so overwhelming that a tear rolled down my cheek.
‘This is delicious. So incredibly delicious.’
Seasoning is great. The best.
I inhaled deeply, intoxicated by that artificial flavor only the modern era could offer.
When I finally came to my senses, all that remained before me were empty pots and bowls. Even the bowl that had been heaped with cold rice was spotless.
“Burrrp.”
“This is insane.”
Elder Brother Jin Ho stared at me with a look of disgust as I rubbed my belly after that tremendous belch.
“Seven packs of ramen and five bowls of rice—all by yourself in ten minutes? Are you even human?”
“Carbonated! Cola!”
“…J-just calm down. I’ll get it.”
Only after I’d drained three 1.5-liter bottles of cola in succession did my senses finally return somewhat.
“Phew, that was delicious. I’m so full.”
“That’s strange. Why am I still hungry?”
“Bear with it. I’d have been the same if I were you.”
I gave a half-hearted reply and collapsed backward onto the sofa behind me.
What kind of monster’s hide was this made from? The texture was absolutely exquisite.
“Ah, this is comfortable.”
If this were a Gosiwon studio, there wouldn’t even be room for a sofa.
Elder Brother Jin Ho would have had to boil ramen in the shared rest area or bring a portable burner.
“I’m glad we moved here.”
Elder Brother Jin Ho scraped the bottom of the pot with his spoon and replied.
“Right? The place is nice.”
“Yeah? Later, when Mom or Ha-yeon see it, they’ll be so happy…”
A sudden flash of realization struck my mind.
I stared blankly around the room, mouth agape. The space and furniture were incomparably more spacious than the Gosiwon.
And one person who had naturally blended into this space and situation.
“I’m hungry. Should I make some Jjapagetti?”
“…”
“Not this time. If you want to eat, tell me right now.”
I barely managed to squeeze out my voice.
“…You bastard.”
“Huh?”
“Why are you here? You damn bastard!”
In the still-dark dawn, my roar shook the Ilsan residential complex.
* * *
After hearing the full story, I could only ask in astonishment.
“He was hiding inside the capsule?”
My Elder Brother knelt respectfully and raised both arms, avoiding my gaze as he answered.
“Yeah. I held my breath and stayed still.”
No wonder the moving company manager had seemed so flustered.
Even I hadn’t felt much sense of incongruity about it. My strength had grown several times over compared to when I first discovered and moved the capsule, and back then my qi sensitivity hadn’t been nearly as sharp as it was now.
And there was one more thing.
‘Damn, who would have ever imagined that?’
No matter how expensive or sophisticated an alarm system is, it can’t detect intrusions if the power is off.
I never would have anticipated that someone was actually hiding inside the capsule.
“Phew. What about the place you said you were going to find? Didn’t you say you were getting a room with a friend and moving out?”
“Right, you know Kim Jong-soo? My university classmate. A couple of years ago you even joined us for drinks.”
My memory of his face was hazy, but I definitely remembered that happening.
If I recall correctly, he was doing pretty well as a used car dealer back then? If he hadn’t bought us beef that day, I would have forgotten about it long ago.
“Is that the friend you were going to live with?”
“Yeah. Though he’s not my friend anymore.”
“Elder Brother, did you perhaps….”
“Five hundred thousand in deposit. That bastard ate it and ran.”
Why do bad premonitions always come true?
I rubbed my throbbing forehead.
“How did that happen?”
“Well, since I have an exam coming up soon, he said he’d handle all the details himself….”
I raised my hand to stop him from continuing.
The rest was obvious without hearing it. It was a clichéd method, but one that always worked.
“You just entrusted it to him without properly checking?”
“I’ve known him for over ten years. How was I supposed to expect he’d do that over a measly few hundred thousand?”
“But that measly few hundred thousand is your entire life savings, isn’t it?”
“….”
If he’d snuck into the capsule to get here, he definitely didn’t have enough left for this month’s Gosiwon rent.
‘Is his hometown Jeju Island?’
A top-tier fool.
There’s no fool quite like this. At my expression, my Elder Brother hung his head low.
“I was only planning to impose on you for a couple of months until I could scrape together the money.”
“You should have just told me.”
“I thought about it a lot on my own, but I just couldn’t bring myself to say it. Even so, as your older brother, I can’t burden my younger sibling like this.”
“….”
What exactly is this guy’s standard for what constitutes a burden?
“I’m sorry. Really.”
My Elder Brother lowered his arms, his voice forlorn. His eyes had grown moist.
“Tae-kyung….”
“Jin Ho….”
I continued in a pitying tone.
“Put your arm down.”
“Huh?”
“Raise your hand again. Before you get hit.”
“…Yes.”
Watching Elder Brother Jin Ho quickly return his arm to its proper position, I couldn’t help but sigh.
The situation was so unexpected that it was absurd, yet at the same time, my heart felt heavy.
‘Why didn’t he say anything sooner?’
If it were the past, perhaps I wouldn’t have understood, but now I have more than enough means to help Elder Brother Jin Ho. No—even back then, I would have supported him in every way possible.
‘How much time have we spent together?’
He was like a true brother to me in all but blood. That was Elder Brother Jin Ho.
I had even considered proposing that we live together for a while, worried about leaving him alone.
‘Anyway, I was planning to tell Mother and Ha-yeon after the college entrance exam, so there’s still some time…’
I looked around the house with a contemplative gaze. Though different from how it appeared in my childhood memories, this was finally our family’s home that I had reclaimed.
A house that still held traces of Father, whose voice had grown faint.
Having finally made my decision, I opened my mouth.
“This house won’t work, Elder Brother. I hope you understand, even if it’s disappointing.”
Elder Brother Jin Ho shook his head with a forced bright expression.
“What’s there to be disappointed about? It’s all my fault anyway.”
“Your luggage? Did you unpack it?”
“Not yet. It’s just books and a few clothes anyway, so it’s light. I’ll go out with you when you head to work.”
Now that I thought about it, the window had been bright for a while. It was already eight o’clock. Considering traffic congestion and the distance between Ilsan and Bucheon, the timing was cutting it close before work.
“I think we need to go separately. Get your things ready first.”
“Okay, got it.”
“And clean up the new place completely before I get off work.”
“…What?”
“Don’t misunderstand—it’s not here. Wait a moment.”
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my messenger.
Finally, I found the address I was looking for in the chat with Choi Team Leader, saved as ‘Luxury Goods Addict’.
“Ah, here it is. I just sent the address to your number, so find your way there.”
“Wait. What address?”
“An officetel.”
“What?”
“The Guild was supposed to provide housing. Last time I declined because it felt burdensome, but I might as well accept it now.”
Seeing Elder Brother Jin Ho’s eyes widen, a laugh escaped me.
“Why are you so surprised? I’m doing well these days.”
“…!”
“Since this house needs remodeling anyway, let’s live together there. Besides, my commute will be easier, so it works out well for me.”
“Tae, Tae-kyung.”
I turned away, pretending not to hear Elder Brother Jin Ho’s trembling voice.
I had no interest in awkward morning scenes. I didn’t want to hear gratitude from the person who had comforted me during my darkest days.
‘That’s enough.’
Yes, this was sufficient.
* * *
Mid-September. The summer heat had finally broken, but the morning commute remained as congested as ever.
The Taxi Driver, who had been honking at reckless drivers cutting into the gridlocked traffic, turned up the radio volume.
– An F-rank Gate has appeared in Yangju City, Janghung-myeon, Uldae-ri. An immediate evacuation order has been issued. While Hunters and military forces are rapidly suppressing it through cooperation, a total of 6 casualties have been confirmed so far…
“Damn it, as if traffic wasn’t bad enough, now these monster bastards are causing trouble.”
The man who had spat out the colorful curse glanced at me sitting in the passenger seat.
“You’re a Hunter, right?”
“More or less.”
At this point, I honestly couldn’t say whether I was a Hunter or someone from the Martial World.
For now, my official status in the modern world was a C-rank Hunter affiliated with Hope Guild.
The Taxi Driver chuckled at my answer.
“I figured as much. You can always tell a Hunter at a glance.”
“I suppose that’s often the case.”
It’s like the difference between herbivores and carnivores.
There are exceptions, of course, but everyone has a certain aura about them. If someone my size walks around carrying a large case, it’s one of two things.
Either a musician who loves the gym, or a Hunter.
‘It’s obvious at a glance.’
Nothing particularly special about it. Especially not to a Taxi Driver who meets countless passengers every day.
But this middle-aged man’s mouth never seemed to stop.
“Say, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“It seems like Gates have been opening pretty frequently lately. Is there nothing we can do about it?”
“…Excuse me?”
“I mean, how are ordinary people like me supposed to live without worrying? A Gate could open in my apartment complex parking lot the moment I wake up in the morning. And even if I manage to get passengers, land prices in the Safety Sector aren’t exactly cheap.”
I responded with a bewildered expression.
“Well, that’s true, but why are you asking me?”
“I know, I know. I’m just frustrated, that’s all. Just frustrated.”
“…I’m frustrated too.”
I’m a Hunter, not a prophet.
Even Nostradamus couldn’t have predicted this.
Gate generation cannot be predicted by anyone. The rapid early suppression is only possible because astronomical amounts of money have been spent deploying mana measurement devices across various locations.
Just like the news flash currently coming through the radio.
– Breaking news. The F-rank Gate that occurred in Yangju City, which we reported earlier, has been stabilized. Hunters and the military have eliminated a total of 58 goblins so far, and search operations are underway to find any remaining monsters…
“Gates this, monsters that. I’m sick of hearing about it.”
Beep beep.
The Taxi Driver irritably switched off the radio.
An awkward silence filled the air, but thanks to it, I could ride quietly to my destination—which was perfectly fine by me.
‘I wonder what Mother and Ha-yeon are doing right now.’
I was lost in thought, gazing out the window, when it happened.
Honk! Honk honk—!
A faint horn blared into my ears, followed by a cacophony of chaotic noise. I urgently rolled down the window.
‘What is this? Did an accident happen?’
The Taxi Driver looked bewildered at my sudden action and asked.
“Sir, I have the air conditioning on, so why….”
“Wait, just a moment.”
At my grave tone, the Taxi Driver fell silent, and I drew upon my inner energy.
With hearing and sight that far transcended the bounds of ordinary human perception, I surveyed the congested road.
“Huh?”
In the distance, a black speck shot upward into the air.
I murmured as I recognized the identity of that object descending in a curved arc.
“…A car?”
Though compressed like a ball, it was unmistakably visible to my eyes.
The crumpled hood and scrap metal.
And where that thing would land as it hurtled down, scattering fragments of glass.
Whoooosh!
‘Damn it all.’
Why here of all places.

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