Murim Login - Chapter 24

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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 24
I ran. There was nothing else I could do but run.
With my father dead and the household members of the Sak-ju Branch—those I had lived with like family—falling one by one, all a fourteen-year-old boy could do was flee.
“Brother, I’m cold.”
My younger sister whimpered in my arms. I, So-cheon, breathed warm air onto her frost-bitten hands.
“We’re almost there. Just hold on a little longer, okay?”
“When are we going home? So-yul wants to see Mother….”
“She came yesterday too.”
“That’s a lie. Did you see her, brother?”
“Yes, I did.”
In a dream. I swallowed the rest of my words.
The Mother who appeared in last night’s dream was identical to how she was four days ago. She had stroked and gazed upon So-yul, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion, for a long time before speaking.
‘You must survive. You must survive no matter what.’
That voice, that departing silhouette as she led others away—it still flickered before my eyes.
‘What has become of Mother? Could it be… No, no. That cannot be.’
It was just as I was desperately suppressing the ominous feeling.
Rustle.
“Who goes there!”
In one fluid motion, I pulled my younger sister close while drawing the dagger I carried.
Since that night when the house burned and I witnessed countless deaths, the cheerful boy I once was had been replaced by one with the eyes of a beast.
“I’m counting to three. One, two….”
“It’s me.”
The dagger lowered as a face suddenly emerged from the darkness.
“Uncle Gong?”
“Shh. Lower your voice.”
The man called Uncle Gong was a weary middle-aged figure. He was an old friend of So-cheon’s father, the branch director of Sak-ju, and was now the guide and protector of the young siblings.
“I grew worried when you didn’t arrive for over half an hour.”
“I had to be careful. We were followed.”
“Already?”
“Yes. Time is of the essence.”
So-cheon rose without hesitation. Uncle Gong hoisted the bewildered So-yul onto his back and pushed through the grass ahead.
“Where are we going?”
“Hongjoo. No matter how ruthless those bastards are, they won’t be able to pursue us that far.”
Would that truly be the case? Doubt crept into my mind.
The Sak-ju Branch had already fallen. The building was burned, and everyone was dead. I didn’t know who they were, but their purpose was clear.
‘Annihilation.’
I exhaled the word into the cold air. I began walking again.
After walking for what felt like an eternity, the white snow that had been falling like sleet had piled up to my calves.
“Quiet.”
Uncle Gong’s footsteps ahead came to a halt. I held my breath as well. The sound of fierce wind. The sound of bare branches striking against each other… nothing more.
Yet So-cheon sensed it instinctively.
“Are they the ones?”
Gong Ya-cheong answered with a face hardened like stone.
“At least a dozen. They’ll catch us soon.”
The situation was dire. Yet strangely, my heart settled into a calm stillness.
“The fault is mine. I should have hurried before the snow fell. How I resent the heavens.”
“Uncle, you did all you could.”
I drew a dagger from my robes—the one Father had left me a year ago. The only trace he left behind.
“I too have learned martial arts, however meager. I shall die as a warrior should, fighting.”
“…It is too early to surrender.”
Those were the only words Gong Ya-cheong could offer. We gathered what little strength remained and resumed our flight.
But days of relentless flight without rest had pushed our bodies to their limit. My steps grew slower, my breath more ragged.
“There!”
“We’re almost upon them!”
Now I could hear them too. The voices of our pursuers and the torches they carried drew ever closer.
Then Gong Ya-cheong pressed the sleeping So-yul into my arms.
“Go on ahead.”
“Uncle!”
“Do not worry. This Gong Ya-cheong is no easy prey.”
“But how can I….”
“Now!”
I left Gong Ya-cheong behind and climbed the mountain once more. My body had reached its limits, yet I did not stop.
When I reached the snow-covered ridge, the clash of weapons and a cry of pain echoed through the air.
‘Uncle.’
I clenched my teeth. Every fiber of me wanted to draw my dagger and rush down into the fray. But….
‘Endure. I must endure.’
For five days I had sworn this oath hundreds, thousands of times. That I would survive, that I would protect my younger sister in my arms and take vengeance upon the beasts who hunted us.
Upon the ridge, my eyes blazed like wildfire as I gazed at the flickering torches below.
‘I will survive. I must.’
The moment I turned my back and climbed over the ridge, my body went rigid as if struck by lightning.
“Ah, ah….”
On the broad clearing atop the ridge, ten men in dark blue martial robes stood before me.
A single character—Chen—embroidered in crimson thread upon their chests gleamed prominently.
* * *
I sensed something amiss just as I was about to begin my training.
A faint sound carried on the fierce wind. As I drew upon my inner force, its source became clear….
‘Human voices?’
There seemed to be more than a dozen of them. Close enough that I wondered how I had not noticed sooner.
‘In this weather, with that many people….’
Very well. I had made my decision.
“Pack your things.”
“Pardon?”
The team members, who had been preparing for training with their weapons in hand, asked back with bewildered expressions.
“Hurry up and pack. Someone go inside and wake Hyuk Moo-jin….”
“Squad Leader. There’s a small child over there?”
Damn it. This was real. A small child carrying an even smaller one was staring blankly at us.
“Who is that?”
“I’m not sure. Is he the owner of this hut?”
I hoped that was the case. But why did the ones following behind not feel like members of a warm, extended family?
“He’s crying?”
As someone said, the child was crying. Running while sobbing uncontrollably. The problem was the direction.
“Wait, he’s coming this way… Squad Leader, where are you going?”
Suspicious gazes turned toward me. I had already retreated far to the rear.
“To get a horse. We need to depart soon.”
“In this weather? The horses won’t even move.”
“So? Then we abandon them and go.”
“Sir?”
“That’s how missions work. Snow or rain, we do what we must. Keep quiet and pack your gear.”
“But still….”
“Pack your things! Wake Hyuk Moo-jin!”
The reverent gazes they had cast upon me just moments ago had transformed into looks reserved for the insane.
“Why are you suddenly like this?”
Why? Because my instincts screamed that something was terribly wrong.
In an instant, I could smell it clearly. As the child drew closer, the stench of disaster grew stronger.
I could already envision how this would unfold. There was only one way out.
“Then I’ll just head down first….”
At that moment, with a shout, uninvited guests crested the hill. Twenty or so men, no less.
‘Damn it all.’
Ding.
–
[Sudden Quest]
has been generated!
Quest
[Survivors of the Sak-ju Branch]
You have encountered the survivors of the Taewon Jin Family’s Sak-ju Branch.
Save the survivors from the ruthless pursuers of the Hangsan Inspection Bureau!
Rank
: Sudden Quest
Restriction
: Jin Tae-kyung
Mission
: Rescue Survivors (Incomplete)
Reward
: Linked Quest
???
Failure
: ???
“….”
“….”
We saw them. They saw us. A deathly silence fell over the frozen clearing.
‘I knew it would come to this. I knew it.’
But regret wouldn’t change anything now. What could I do about my cursed luck?
I exhaled deeply and shouted.
“Attack formation. Deploy!”
Snap, snap, snap. Despite the sudden situation, my team members moved exactly as I’d taught them. By the time the formation solidified, the enemies realized who we were and roared.
“They’re the brats from the Taewon Jin Family!”
“There aren’t many of them. Wipe them out!”
Brats. Outnumbered.
Facts plucked out with surgical precision stabbed at my chest.
I hadn’t even finished training them yet, their martial skills were pathetic, they had no real combat experience—they were complete greenhorns….
‘Maybe I’ll have to break through alone.’
I activated [Energy Sense], feeling the weight of despair. A rippling wave of blue energy, visible only to my eyes, swept across the enemies charging forward with their cries.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
[Lv.12] [Lv.11] [Lv.12]
“…Huh?”
Just then, the scout team members cried out with ashen faces.
“What do we do?”
“They’re coming, they’re here!”
“Commander!”
At 30 meters, then 20 meters, I watched the enemies charge forward at breakneck speed and opened my mouth.
“Don’t worry. These enemies are nothing but simple experience points—no, a ragtag mob. But!”
“But?”
“Hold them back with everything you have. Just hold them back.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
What do I mean? Don’t land the finishing blow.
“Defense formation, deploy!”
Right. All the experience points are mine.
* * *
“Commander!”
“We can’t hold them! Commander!”
“The squad leader is throwing his life away!”
That’s not it, you lunatics. I pushed past the screams of the scouts and threw myself at the enemies.
Inner force surged from my dantian, flooding through my limbs in all directions.
“Madman.”
The lead enemy bares his yellowed teeth in a grin.
I returned the smile.
“Pretty one.”
“What?”
Crunch.
In the moment I passed by, seizing his throat and watching him collapse, I heard the voice I’d been waiting for.
Ding.
– Experience acquired.
– Gained 50 merit points!
“What, what?!”
“How dare this bastard….”
The enemies before me were truly impressive specimens. Scars crisscrossing their faces were standard issue, and their hygiene was so abysmal that the stench assaulted my nostrils.
But….
“Ah, this is good.”
I felt as though I stood in a flower garden. Twenty blossoms brimming with the honey of experience points. With a blissful expression, I descended upon the flowers and drank their nectar.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
– Experience acquired.
– Gained 50 merit points…
– Experience acquired….
– Gained 50 merit points….
I tore through them without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, the front line crumbled and the enemies instinctively faltered.
‘Then I’m grateful.’
The Jin Family Footwork and Jin Family Spear Technique were martial arts founded on forward momentum.
I moved with the footwork, driving toward the center while wielding my spear.
“Gahhh!”
“Ahhhhh!”
The keen edge and crushing weight of the spear combined with an overwhelming spear technique. Moreover, as the enemies continued to retreat.
It was time for the Jin Family Spear Technique to show its true worth.
‘First form.’
I began wielding the spear in tandem with my footwork. With each thrust and strike, someone’s scream and blood erupted.
“Hack.”
“Cough—ugh.”
Second form, third form, fourth form.
At some point, I surrendered myself to the flow. Ripples became waves, and the enemies were swept away by the tide. Every nerve in my body stood on end, trembling with exhilaration.
More, more, more….
“You damned bastard!”
Squelch. Squelch squelch.
Throat, chest, abdomen. I pierced and carved through each in sequence. The system notification confirmed the deaths for me.
How much time had passed? Only one figure remained standing on the ground.
“B-Brother will surely find you….”
I didn’t wait.
A wave is a current. And the final wave erupted from my spear’s tip. The ultimate technique of the Jin Family Spear Method—Heaven’s Piercing Strike.
Whoooosh!
The last man standing, Baek Sae-nun, stared at his shattered spear before dropping to his knees. The center of his chest had burst open as if struck by a cannonball.
Ding.
–
[Lv.32 Heuk San-do]
has been defeated!
–
[Survivor]
Quest completed!
– Connected Quest has been generated!
– Massive experience gained!
– Massive merit points gained!
– Level increased!
– Level increased!
– Level in….
As the relentless system notifications continued, I patted my belly.
“Burp.”
Phew, I’m stuffed.

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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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