Murim Login - Chapter 247

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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 247
In the damp underground gambling house, a middle-aged man sitting in a corner corner fumbled with tiles, then lowered his head.
“…I’m dying.”
Perched on his nose were spectacles—a foreign contraption from the Western Regions that would have fetched dozens of silver taels mere days ago, but no longer.
The lenses, which magnified objects several times over, were now spider-webbed with cracks like a drought-stricken rice paddy.
Two men watched the middle-aged figure from a distance.
“Is that him? The one we’re looking for…?”
“That’s Gwak Chul-yung himself. I’m certain.”
“Heavens, in all my years I never thought I’d lay eyes on the legendary Docon in the flesh.”
The two men—one with sparrow-like eyes, the other sporting a goat beard—were ordinary gamblers you could find anywhere.
The goat-bearded man, watching Gwak Chul-yung shuffle tiles again, asked a question.
“But why does he look like that?”
Just as he asked, Gwak Chul-yung’s appearance was deplorable.
A haggard complexion, an unkempt beard, silk robes stained black with grime and torn in several places.
This was the man who had wandered gambling dens his entire life, accumulating immense wealth.
Yet now he was nothing more than a failed gambler.
“Did something happen to him?”
“Something did. Something quite significant.”
Baek Sae-nun nodded. Unlike the goat-bearded man who had arrived in Hanan only recently, he was well-informed about what had befallen Gwak Chul-yung.
“What was it? Don’t keep me in suspense—tell me.”
“He lost at gambling.”
“Winning and losing is commonplace in this world, isn’t it?”
“It is. But what if the stakes were a thousand silver taels?”
“What! A thousand silver taels!”
The goat-bearded man’s eyes widened.
That was an astronomical sum—enough for a lifetime of comfort, or for three generations to live in luxury.
Regretting that he hadn’t witnessed such a monumental game, he smacked his lips and asked.
“That must have been the greatest match since the founding of the dynasty. Who was his opponent? Agu? Or Jjak-gwi?”
“You’ve always been deaf to news, but lately you’re completely in the dark. Agu had his wrists severed by some fellow called Cheongseong Jakdu a couple months back, and Jjak-gwi disappeared long ago.”
“Then who else could defeat the incomparable Gwak Chul-yung?”
“Shanxi Sleeping Dragon.”
“Who?”
“Jin Tae-kyung of the Taewon Jin Family, disciple of the Fire King.”
The Fire King was one of the Ten Kings and a supreme master whose reputation echoed across the realm. It made no sense for such a man’s disciple to gamble with Docon.
After pondering briefly, the goat-bearded man exclaimed as if sighing.
“Dodo! They played Seongnae Daeyeon Dodo.”
“Correct.”
The wagering games of Seongnae Daeyeon are called Dodo because they are said to be the finest gambling matches held throughout the realm.
Finally grasping the situation, the goat-bearded man clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk. Gwak Chul-yung made a foolish choice. The preliminary odds were high, but he should have considered the risk that came with it.”
“He wouldn’t have walked into that without thinking it through. He must have had some confidence in his choice.”
“Who did he bet against? How?”
“The top seed of Chul Soo Shin-ryong’s preliminary round.”
“Well, as a disciple of the Sea King, he’s certainly strong, but I don’t think he’s quite at that level.”
Baek Sae-nun shook his head.
“Apparently he’s had a recent breakthrough. They say a tenth of the cliff face was blown away by Chul Soo Shin-ryong’s Wave Fist technique.”
“…Does that even make sense?”
I’d heard rumors that masters of the Martial World could shatter earth and split sky, but I never imagined it would be to this degree.
Just as I was struggling to process this, another sentence that made me doubt my ears followed.
“What doesn’t make sense about it? Right after that, the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon actually brought down the entire cliff.”
“…!”
My eyes went wide as saucers, and I fumbled for words.
“He, he brought down the cliff?”
“That’s right. According to eyewitness accounts, it came crashing down spectacularly.”
“….”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I stared at my friend with eyes full of disbelief.
“Isn’t that just a rumor?”
“Even I and others initially dismissed it as a rumor. After all, it doesn’t make sense for a person made of flesh and blood to bring down a cliff with bare hands.”
“Exactly.”
“But what can we do when it’s the truth? Gwak Chul-yung over there is a living witness to it.”
“Gwak Chul-yung? Why would he…Ah, he must have lost a thousand silver coins.”
“Five thousand.”
“What?”
“How do you think it feels to lose money on a match you were absolutely certain would win?”
“Oh, perhaps.”
“There’s nothing special about Gwak Chul-yung. In the end, he’s just as addicted to gambling as anyone else.”
Baek Sae-nun regarded Gwak Chul-yung with a pitying gaze.
The disheveled man stared blankly at his cards in hand.
“Four days ago, when Chul Soo Shin-ryong abandoned Seongnae Daeyeon and returned to the Yangtze River, Gwak Chul-yung’s eyes went wild.”
“Did he continue gambling?”
Baek Sae-nun nodded.
“The next person Gwak Chul-yung chose to bet on after Chul Soo Shin-ryong was Jong Sam of the Thunder Kick. He wagered on him achieving the highest score in the kicking technique examination.”
“That supreme master whom no one in Guangxi can match in kicking techniques?”
“Yes. But now there are quite a few who can match him. One of his legs is broken.”
“Don’t tell me it was the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon again?”
“Getting the picture? That’s right. They had a minor dispute and agreed to exchange one blow each and call it even, but the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon’s kick shattered his shin.”
“H, how?”
“Who knows. He just kicked, and it snapped.”
“….”
“And even though the Thunder Kick mounted a defense, the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon only got a few scratches on his calf. And then next….”
And what continued to pour from Baek Sae-nun’s mouth about the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon’s exploits was nothing short of astounding.
Konryun Un-ryong of the Kunlun Sect, renowned throughout the martial world for possessing the most superior lightness technique, leaped five zhang from a standstill only to plummet with his face trampled beneath Jin Tae-kyung’s heel.
Hu Gae of the Beggar Clan, unable to narrow the gap between himself and Jin Tae-kyung during the divine technique assessment, flew into an uncontrollable rage. Unable to contain his fury, he grabbed the back of Jin Tae-kyung’s neck, only to be beaten like a dog—literally.
“The fifth assessment was mechanical formations and arrays. This time, everyone believed the young master of the Jeongal Family would surely claim first place, but….”
The goat-bearded man, who had been listening with a vacant expression, cut him off.
“It was the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon again, wasn’t it?”
“You guessed it exactly.”
“Even so, how is that possible? How did that bastard become proficient in mechanical formations and arrays?”
“No, he’s just skilled in martial arts. This ignorant fool didn’t understand what was what, so he apparently just destroyed everything and passed through.”
“….”
“In any case, the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon became the top scorer of this preliminary round, and Gwak Chul-yung, who had placed bets in different places each time, got completely wiped out. They say he borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates, putting up all the money he’d earned so far, along with the estate and land he planned to live on after retirement as collateral… tsk tsk.”
Baek Sae-nun gazed at Gwak Chul-yung with a look of pity.
Before this legendary gambler who had once accumulated immense wealth, there remained only a few silver coins. And those were likely his entire fortune.
“Making money is one strike. Losing it is one strike too. Isn’t that how it goes?”
Only then did the goat-bearded man regain his senses, licking his parched lips.
“Five thousand silver coins, you say. Whoever won that must have hit the jackpot.”
“He really struck it rich. No wonder they call him the Golden Mask Young Master.”
“The Golden Mask Young Master? Did he bet on the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon?”
Baek Sae-nun nodded.
“That fellow has remarkable foresight. In this gambling event alone, he must have won tens of thousands of silver coins, at least? No wonder he wears a mask made of gold.”
“Phew.”
“They say he’s a young man not yet twenty years old… this is why some people are destined to succeed.”
“Damn it. Here I am at this age without even a proper house to my name. Sigh….”
Just as the two men heaved deep sighs, the sound of a chair scraping echoed as someone rose from their seat.
Gwak Chul-yung, stumbling out of the gambling house, held in his hand only a few copper coins received as change from the Beggar Clan.
* * *
The Seongnae Daeyeon is a long-distance race lasting at minimum two weeks, and at most a month.
After the four-day preliminary assessments concluded, the participants were granted one day of free time, and this applied to me as well.
“Ahem. Ahhh-hem!”
“Youngest! Youngest!”
“Captain! Captaiiiin!”
“…ah, please.”
Don’t do this. Don’t shout so loudly in a crowded place like this. I’m already dying from the attention of those around us without drawing even more eyes.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
I rushed toward my companions with steps faster than anyone else’s. As if he’d been waiting, Jin Wi-kyung, massive as a bear, came charging forward with his arms spread wide.
“Youngest! My honorable younger brother!”
Whoosh! Embrace!
As the bear’s paw tightened around my upper body, Hyuk Moo-jin grasped the back of my hand and rubbed his cheek against mine.
“Oh, Captain! Top scorer of the Seongnae Daeyeon! Pride of the Taewon Jin Family! Beacon of Shanxi Province! Our captain! My lord!”
“….”
I could accept Jin Wi-kyung’s behavior, but why was Hyuk Moo-jin acting like this?
I suppressed my bewilderment and asked.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Yes! I’ve gone mad! I’ve been driven insane by your strength, Team Leader!”
“You really are insane. Let go. Release me, now!”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Despite delivering three consecutive strikes to his crown with lightning-fast speed, Hyuk Moo-jin remained unmoved.
Tears streamed down his face from the pain, yet he refused to release his grip.
“Thank you! Thank you for striking me!”
“…Are you perhaps into that sort of thing?”
I’d only heard rumors—that some people derived pleasure from being struck.
It had puzzled me why he never left despite being hit countless times before, but now that I considered this possibility, chills ran down my spine.
“Respecting personal preferences!”
Thwack!
Hyuk Moo-jin, struck precisely at the temple, crumpled to the ground.
Simultaneously, something glimmering fell from his embrace onto the floor with a soft thud.
“Huh? A golden mask?”
What on earth was this?
Was it a prop used for that sort of play? I picked up the mask with a serious expression and tucked it into my robe.
This dangerous bastard Hyuk Moo-jin—the mask was confiscated for life.
‘Not a chance.’
Just as I was steeling my resolve, someone I’d momentarily forgotten caught my eye.
“Ahem. Cough, cough!”
“Is your throat bothering you?”
Jeok Cheon-gang, who had been staring off at distant mountains while clearing his throat repeatedly, flinched.
“W-what nonsense are you talking about!”
“Well, you’ve been coughing constantly since earlier.”
“Cough, cough!”
Watching Jeok Cheon-gang feign indifference with an expression as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t, I felt my lips curl upward involuntarily.
“I did well, didn’t I?”
“…”
“Five perfect scores in the preliminaries. Unanimous first place overall. Surely that speaks for itself, doesn’t it?”
“Cough. To boast over such a trivial matter. Anyone could accomplish that—don’t spout empty bragging.”
“They say it’s the first time in Seongnae Daeyeon’s history.”
“This is merely the preliminary round. Have you forgotten this old man’s words—the world is vast and masters are plentiful?”
“I defeated three of the Ten Dragons and Phoenixes, though.”
Chul Soo Shin-ryong of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance, Konryun Un-ryong of the Kunlun Sect, and finally Shin Ki Myo-ryong of the Jeongal Family.
Hu Gae of the Beggar Clan was also a master of comparable skill, and Hun Roe-gak was already a peak master of considerable renown in Guangxi.
Though their origins and specialties differed, these five shared one common point.
“I defeated them all.”
“That’s….”
Jeok Cheon-gang’s words caught in his throat, and he shook his head with a wry smile.
“Bah, weaklings.”
“I’m strong, aren’t I?”
“There he goes again, being insolent.”
“Just say I did well, Master. I’ve brought honor to my name and the Yeolhwa Sect.”
“You still have far to go!”
Yet his lips twitched at the corners.
He was barely suppressing laughter that threatened to burst forth.
It was something I could have guessed even without the telepathic message from Jin Wi-kyung that arrived the very next moment.
– Don’t mind him. It seems the leadership has already been bragging about you quite a bit.
“Ahem!”
As if he had overheard, Jeok Cheon-gang let out a perfectly timed cough and spoke with an exaggerated stern expression.
“Don’t get cocky just because you defeated a few nobodies. Compose yourself and prepare for the main tournament. Understood?”
He was right. The preliminaries had only just ended; the true main tournament where genuine masters would emerge had not yet begun.
Among those who had survived the preliminary filter, there would certainly be many experts comparable to—or even surpassing—the Ten Dragons and Phoenixes.
I had already encountered several such individuals during the preliminaries.
‘The world is vast. That saying rings true.’
Those who had not revealed their true strength in the preliminaries were both powerful and wise.
I smiled knowingly and clasped my fist in salute to Jeok Cheon-gang.
“I shall remember your words, Master.”
“That boy. Hehe. Ahem!”
Laughter bloomed unmistakably at the corners of Jeok Cheon-gang’s weathered mouth.

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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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