Murim Login - Chapter 234

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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 234
Ding.
–
[Acupoint Seal]
has been released!
– You awaken from sleep!
My eyes snapped open along with the system notification.
Below me, tree branches undulated like waves in the night breeze. Stars scattered across the darkened sky entered my vision first, and I felt the cold, hard texture of stone against my back.
‘I’m outside.’
I’d expected as much. Even a preschooler could have guessed that Jeok Cheon-gang wouldn’t have laid me on a soft down mattress.
Well, my body was fine regardless of where I rested.
‘But why does my body feel so heavy?’
Was it because I’d been pushing myself too hard lately?
System or not, I was ultimately still human, it seemed.
Whether from the forced march of the past fortnight, my body felt as heavy as if I were dragging an iron ball….
Clank.
“Huh?”
Clank?
I turned my head toward the sound. Heavy shackles clamped around both my wrists and ankles came into view, connected by chains to an actual iron ball.
“…It really is an iron ball.”
What is this?
My thoughts froze for several seconds. Who was I, and where was I?
And why were these things fastened to my limbs?
The answer came quickly. It was an easier problem than one plus one.
“Fire King!”
The moment I hurled out that thunderous cry.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
“I’ve never seen such an insolent brat in my life.”
Jeok Cheon-gang, who had just struck the back of my head with a stone, approached with a leisurely gait.
“How dare you call out my title so carelessly? Am I your friend?”
I, who had been rolling across the boulder in pain, sprang to my feet.
Clank.
“What is this thing!”
“That? An iron ball.”
“I wasn’t asking because I didn’t know.”
“Then why ask if you already know?”
“…!”
“From now on, it will be your companion. It’s a training tool passed down through generations of the Yeolhwa Sect, so treat it as you would your own child.”
But I was a virgin who’d never even had a relationship, let alone married—what child was he talking about?
I grabbed the chain connected to the iron sphere, my face blank with disbelief.
Screech.
The sound of metal scraping filled the air, and I felt an immense weight pressing down.
It was heavy enough that even a first-rate martial artist couldn’t stand still beneath it.
“This is a training tool passed down through the sect for generations?”
“Did I not just tell you that?”
“How much does it weigh?”
“Not much. Around two hundred jin each?”
“….”
“Ah, of course—two hundred jin for each one, not combined.”
Two hundred jin translated to roughly 120 kilograms by modern standards.
With such monstrous weights fastened to both arms and legs, the total burden came to….
‘About 500 kilograms. Half a ton.’
I pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Have you perhaps lost your mind?”
“…You truly have no filter, do you?”
I’d braced myself for a blow, yet Jeok Cheon-gang’s reaction stopped there.
He regarded me with a complicated expression for a moment before continuing.
“In any case, from now on you’ll wear that iron sphere constantly. During training, of course, but also while sleeping and eating.”
“Mm.”
“This is all part of your training.”
“Really?”
“If you don’t believe me, refuse. I’m not going far.”
I hurriedly called out to Jeok Cheon-gang as he turned to leave without hesitation.
“Wait, just a moment!”
“What? You said you didn’t want to do it?”
“No, I haven’t even answered yet—how can you leave like this?”
“So what’s your answer?”
“That is….”
Damn it, this internal conflict is tremendous.
Yet as the initial shock of seeing the iron sphere faded, my mind settled into calm clarity.
‘There’s nothing I can’t do.’
I’ve survived brushes with death dozens of times to reach this point.
The world shows no mercy. Rewards come only through paying the corresponding price. In the Martial World and in the modern era alike.
Not just me—everyone endures endless quests throughout their lives.
And….
‘If I were going to turn back over this, I wouldn’t have come this far.’
Compared to the fruits I’ll harvest later, this is a pittance.
With my thoughts settled, I met Jeok Cheon-gang’s gaze.
“Fine then. Let’s do it.”
“I can’t hear you well.”
“I said yes!”
“Ahahaha! Excellent!”
A smile spread across Jeok Cheon-gang’s wrinkled lips.
Like some sinister old codger, he carried himself with an air of indifference, yet I had long since discerned that he truly desired me. That much was clear.
“So what shall we begin with?”
“Are you eager to start immediately?”
“They say to strike while the iron is hot—if we’re going to do this, we might as well begin at once.”
“You possess quite the bold spirit. But first, we must eat.”
“Pardon? All of a sudden?”
“How can one train on an empty stomach? One must have a full belly to accomplish great deeds.”
I caught the object Jeok Cheon-gang tossed from his robes.
Beneath the faint moonlight, I peeled away the damp rice paper to reveal a Bigyokdan pill with a reddish hue.
“I would have preferred dried meat instead.”
“Stop complaining and consume it. This is no ordinary Bigyokdan—it was crafted using the secret methods of the Yeolhwa Sect.”
“What effects does it have?”
“It excels in all respects, but…”
“Eating this always leaves me feeling uncomfortably full. Now I lose my appetite just looking at it.”
“It is particularly beneficial for vitality.”
“Wow, my mouth is already watering just seeing it.”
“…”
“I shall eat it gratefully!”
If it’s good for vitality, I must eat it. Even if I have no immediate use for it, I absolutely must consume it.
Thinking of the future, I chewed the Bigyokdan thoroughly and swallowed.
Jeok Cheon-gang, who had been watching intently, asked.
“Have you finished?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you feel anything?”
“Well, it seems my vitality has increased somewhat…”
At my response, Jeok Cheon-gang furrowed his brow and muttered.
“Strange. Perhaps the efficacy has diminished from being stored too long?”
“Pardon?”
What on earth was he talking about?
It was in that moment of bewildered inquiry.
Ding.
–
[Fire King’s Special Golden Pill]
has been consumed.
– Satiation fills you!
–
[Agility]
has decreased by 100!
–
[Strength]
has decreased by 100!
–
[Stamina]
has decreased by 100!
–
[Internal Energy]
cannot be used!
– Effect persists for one week!
“…What?”
It happened without any warning. The moment the system notification appeared, strength drained from my arms and legs, and my breathing became shallow.
Finally, the internal energy that had been flowing through all my meridians descended to my dantian, where it became bound as if locked in place, leaving me unable to move even a muscle.
“Ugh!”
Thud!
As my strength vanished all at once, my body, which had barely been supporting the weight of the iron sphere, collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
In that instant, my knees buckled under the crushing weight of half a ton pressing down upon my entire frame.
“What, what is this!”
“Hehehehe. Finally, the medicine is taking effect.”
I stared at Jeok Cheon-gang with my mouth agape as he let out a sinister chuckle.
“What have you done, you crazy old man!”
“What did you say? Crazy old man?”
“Oh. I mean, that’s not what I meant.”
“Let me see… Yes, this should be perfect for your first training.”
As the words left his mouth, his wrinkled palm opened toward me.
Simultaneously, I felt an enormous surge of energy, and the fierce wind that had been blowing shifted direction, swirling violently around him as its center.
And in that moment, a terrible realization flashed through my mind.
‘There’s a cliff right below us.’
I spun around in panic. The view below the boulder made my head spin.
If I fell from here while bound to this monstrous iron sphere….
“Wait, just a moment!”
“A moment? As they say, strike while the iron is hot.”
“But that——!”
“Too late.”
Boom!
Compressed air erupted from Jeok Cheon-gang’s palm. A fist wind so powerful it could uproot boulders and trees transformed into a giant’s fist and struck me down.
Against such a devastating force, even hundreds of kilograms of iron meant nothing.
Splash!
‘Damn it.’
The next instant, I felt the ground vanish beneath my feet and was hurled into the void.
In my inverted vision, Jeok Cheon-gang appeared, grinning broadly and waving his hand.
“You have two hours to climb back up. A single moment’s delay means failure.”
Ding.
– Quest,
[Fire King’s Inferno Training-1]
has been generated!
– You cannot refuse this Quest!
“This is absolute bullshit—!”
Before I could finish speaking, gravity crushed down upon my entire body.
Plummeting at the speed of light, there was only one thing I could say.
“Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!”
My scream, filled with terror, shook the darkness-shrouded Jiuhua Mountain.
* * *
Splash.
Far below the towering cliff, the sound of water echoing like a whisper made Jeok Cheon-gang chuckle softly.
Suddenly, memories of his youth surfaced.
‘Master! Please save me!’
‘I’m counting. Let go. Three.’
‘Please! If I fall from here, your disciple will die!’
‘Two.’
‘Gasp! Master!’
‘One.’
His master was merciless—harsh to the point of cruelty toward a child who hadn’t even lost his baby teeth.
Yet without such brutal teachings, neither the Yeolhwa Sect nor Fire King Jeok Cheon-gang would exist today.
‘I shall pass on what I received… no, even more harshly.’
Jin Tae-kyung didn’t know, but Jeok Cheon-gang understood.
That they didn’t have much time left.
Teaching step by step would be too slow.
The celestial circumstances that Hongdao had foreseen were thus, and Jeok Cheon-gang’s current condition was the same.
‘Endure until then. I too shall do my utmost.’
After staring intently at the base of the mountain for a while, Jeok Cheon-gang muttered softly.
“…I should not have filled the iron sphere.”
Jeok Cheon-gang had not anticipated using the restraint tool meant to seal a heretical disciple in such a manner.
* * *
“Huff. Huff!”
Grunt. Groan.
With each step forward, the earth—just beginning to thaw—sank beneath my feet, and deep trenches formed in my wake.
But this was already familiar. I climbed the steep Mountain Road, drenched in cold sweat.
“Huff, huff.”
Ding.
– Extreme Training! Endless effort never betrays you!
–
[Strength]
,
[Stamina]
,
[Agility]
have each increased by 1!
–
[Bone Density]
,
[Muscle Veins]
have each increased by 2!
Like a light drizzle soaking the body, even these modest stat increases proved invaluable.
‘If only that damned iron sphere didn’t exist, if only that cursed golden altar wasn’t here!’
Without either one, I would have completed the Quest long ago.
But my most crucial cultivation was sealed, my physical stats plummeted by 100 each, and the sheer weight added was unbearable.
With the Dragon’s Finishing Touch, my time limit was merely two hours.
‘Damn it, Jiuhua Mountain isn’t some backyard hill.’
I’d even considered snapping the chain connected to the iron sphere midway through.
That was before I learned the chain was made of ten-thousand-year-old iron.
‘Using such material for a mere chain—these bastards are insane.’
In the end, I had no choice but to endure through sheer willpower and grit.
One day, two days, three days, four days… and finally, today—the tenth day.
Ding.
– Quest
[Fire King’s Infernal Flame Training-1]
completed!
– Substantial experience gained!
– Level Up!
– Bonus Points +30 acquired!
With roughly fifteen minutes remaining before the time limit, I finally reached the summit.
Boom—!
“Yaaaaaaah!”
I hurled the heavy iron sphere to the ground and let out a triumphant roar that erupted from the depths of my chest.
At that sound, Jeok Cheon-gang, who had been dozing against a boulder, jolted awake in alarm.
“W-what is it!”
That damned old man. A martial artist who preaches about saving every moment of sleep, yet he’s been napping soundly while I’ve been suffering like this?
I ground my teeth and approached him.
“Can’t you see? I’ve successfully climbed Jiuhua Mountain within a single hour!”
“Huh? Why did you climb Jiuhua Mountain?”
“Pardon?”
Jeok Cheon-gang, who had been blinking rapidly, shook his head in haste.
“Ah, no. You’ve done quite well.”
“And?”
“It seems you’re ready to move on to the next stage. I’ve already prepared everything, so handle it yourself.”
I turned my head toward where his finger pointed.
Leaning against a large boulder was a vest—an enormously thick, iron vest.
My fingertips trembled involuntarily.
“…Is this perhaps what I think it is?”
“What did you think?”
“That I’d wear this and repeat the exact same actions I’ve been doing until now.”
“You rascal, always joking.”
“Right? Wow, you really scared me.”
“Hehe. You have quite the cute imagination.”
Jeok Cheon-gang, who wore the warm smile of a kindly grandfather, continued speaking.
“If you’ve accomplished one task, the next must be two or more. Now that I think about it, one hour was far too generous.”
“Pardon?”
“You have half an hour. Go put it on and come back.”
“…!”
Ding.
– Quest information has been updated!
– Repeating Quest,
[Fire King’s Inferno Training-1]
has been created.

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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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