Murim Login - Chapter 25

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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 25
“Is this the afterlife?”
It was the first thing the middle-aged man said upon awakening.
Before I could answer, something small darted out and threw itself into his arms.
A small child with tears clinging to the corners of his eyes cried out.
“Uncle Gong!”
“So-cheon! You’re safe. But what in the world is all this…?”
The child explained to the bewildered middle-aged man through tears—how we met on the hillside, how all the enemies fell by my hand. The man’s eyes widened at this revelation.
“Are you from the main family?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Ah, heaven has blessed us!”
“….”
I was the one who helped you, you fool.
“I certainly fell down the mountainside… I thought that was the end of it.”
“You nearly met that fate. You were fortunate.”
I pointed with my finger to the base of the ridge. Two corpses—presumed enemies—lay with their heads embedded in trees.
Had the grass not been so thick along the path where he slid, he would have met the same end.
‘I didn’t know at first either.’
I only realized his presence thanks to the Quest window.
Even after defeating all the enemies, the [Sak-ju Branch Survivor] Quest hadn’t been completed. That meant there were more survivors.
‘The question is whether there are survivors besides this man….’
My lingering anxiety dissolved the moment I helped the exhausted middle-aged man to his feet.
Ding.
–
[Survivor]
Quest completed!
– Linked Quest has been generated!
– Level increased!
– Level increased!
– Merit points and Reputation increased!
* * *
“Phew.”
The middle-aged man exhaled. Though it was only a brief breathing technique, he had recovered enough vitality to look considerably better.
He rose to his feet and performed a respectful fist salute.
“You have saved us all, my benefactor.”
“Not at all. I merely did what was necessary.”
Lies flow from my lips as easily as water now. Though in a way, it’s not entirely false either. I had to complete the Quest regardless.
‘If anything, I should be the one bowing in gratitude.’
Yet the survivors—not Santa Claus, but the actual survivors—seemed genuinely moved by my humble demeanor.
“Exceptional martial prowess combined with righteous spirit. I, Gong Ya-cheong, am truly impressed.”
“So-cheon and So-yul have received tremendous kindness from the great master.”
Thanks to that, I learned their names. The middle-aged man was Gong Ya-cheong, and the young siblings were So-cheon and So-yul.
“If I may be so bold, might I ask the name of my benefactor?”
“My name is….”
In that moment, a thought suddenly struck me.
‘What if they draw their blades the moment they hear my name?’
Regardless of any conspiracy, it was I—Jin Tae-kyung—who had ignited the spark that set this war ablaze. These two, who had lost their home and family, were unlikely to harbor warm feelings toward me.
Yes, this was the moment for a well-intentioned lie.
“Hong Gil-dong. My name is Hong Gil-dong.”
“Hong Gil-dong… A name I’ve never heard before. Yet there’s an unmistakable heroic air about you.”
So-cheon chimed in from beside him.
“Appearing in the east with a flash, vanishing in the west with a flash. A name befitting one of mysterious and elusive prowess.”
…How did that brat know that?
I hastily changed the subject before he could mention the tale of the robber hero.
“But tell me, what happened?”
Shadows deepened across both their faces.
It was Gong Ya-cheong who spoke first.
“It was only a few days ago.”
By the time the carrier pigeons arrived with news of war, the Sak-ju Branch was already surrounded without a single gap. The bandits hired by the Hengshan Sword Sect had slaughtered people and set buildings ablaze.
“Their numbers reached nearly a hundred. Thanks to the branch master and his subordinates buying us time, we managed to escape through a secret passage. Most of those who fled were women and children with no martial skills.”
I didn’t need to ask what happened to the others.
The system I possessed was absolute and truthful. According to the Quest window, only three survivors remained from the Sak-ju Branch.
“I wish to know about the enemy.”
“Bandits.”
“Bandits?”
“As you well know, they’re the sort who’ll do anything for money. Among them, the particularly vicious ones took a contract from the Hengshan Sword Sect to attack us.”
“For how vicious they were, they seemed rather weak.”
“Does strength and weakness follow the lines of good and evil? The ones hired this time were common rabble bandits. The real problem was their leader.”
Gong Ya-cheong clenched his teeth.
“One Strike, One Kill—Jo Pil. It was him. The moment the branch master saw him, he sensed defeat and entrusted his family to my care.”
So-cheon’s small fists trembled.
“I will tear him limb from limb with my own hands.”
For a child, his choice of words was remarkably mature, but given the bone-deep hatred he carried, it seemed only natural.
I reached out and stroked So-cheon’s head.
“That is exactly what will happen. I will help you.”
“Truly?”
“A man’s word is worth more than gold. Do you think I would speak with a forked tongue? I will surely capture that wretch and level up….”
“Pardon?”
“No, I mean I will kill him and avenge your hatred.”
“Ah, thank you. Thank you so much. Master Hong!”
“Thank you. Truly, thank you!”
The two men expressed their gratitude repeatedly. Ah, I felt a sharp pang in my chest—as if I’d become something rather contemptible.
‘No, that’s not it. They’re happy their enemy is dead, and I’m happy to level up. It’s mutually beneficial. Mutually beneficial.’
I forced myself to rationalize as I asked the question.
“How many of them are there?”
“While we were tracking the enemies’ positions, we overheard them talking. Including Jo Pil, they said there were roughly thirty of them.”
“Thirty? Thirty people?”
“Indeed. So we must flee at once——.”
Gong Ya-cheong’s voice faded into the distance. Instead, a faint sound from far away grew closer. Ding. Ding. Ding.
I could hear it. The sound of leveling up. The sound of logging out!
I suppressed the corners of my mouth that kept rising and spoke.
“Let us wait here for the rest of them.”
“Wait? What do you mean?”
“Annihilate them all! We cannot let such vicious creatures live!”
“No, Master Hong. Please listen to me——.”
“A benevolent master of such skill can do it! Thank you. My savior!”
So-cheon rushed into my arms with tears glistening in his eyes. I opened both arms and embraced the boy.
“Yes. Let us kill them all!”
“Kill them all!”
“That bastard Jo Pil!”
“Bastard!”
Then Gong Ya-cheong spoke.
“Jo Pil is a supreme master.”
“That bastard Jo Pil—— What?”
“One strike, one kill—Jo Pil. He is one of the few supreme masters in all of Shanxi Province. How do you think he has survived despite being entangled in countless grudges?”
“Surely not——.”
“All who have challenged him are dead. That is what Jo Pil is. Cruel, and equally strong.”
“Ah.
Young eyes that sensed something amiss looked up at me.
“So-cheon.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Now that I think about it, this may not be the right time.”
“What?”
“I was foolish. The priority must be getting you and your sister safely back to the main family. Is that not so?”
“….”
“In truth, I sustained injuries during that earlier fight, and my subordinates are quite exhausted. A prolonged battle would be difficult.”
So-cheon’s eyes swept over me from head to toe. Though drenched in the enemies’ blood, my clothes were intact without a single tear. There could be no wounds.
“I have sustained internal injuries.”
“….”
This time I turned to look at the scout unit members. Since the battle had ended without them drawing their swords even once, they were not merely unscathed—they were practically bouncing with energy.
“Appearances can be deceiving.”
“…Master.”
I gently pried So-cheon away and shouted.
“We’re heading back to the main estate. Everyone, prepare to depart!”
I turned to hurry back to the team members, but So-cheon’s hand clung desperately to my collar, refusing to let go. Tears glistened in those round eyes.
“Master.”
“Come on, move it! So-cheon, I’m busy right now. We’ll talk later, okay?”
“Hong Dae-hyup.”
“Gong Ya-cheong, sir. No, Master Gong, what are you doing? Time is of the essence.”
“…So-cheon, come here.”
Gong Ya-cheong looked at me as though I were a cripple and separated So-cheon from me. It was the protective gesture of a guardian shielding a child from a criminal.
So-cheon nearly wailed.
“Hong Gildong Dae-hyup!”
And that cry was the signal.
Crash! The hut door exploded inward with a thunderous boom, and a figure appeared.
[Lv.22 Hyuk Moo-jin]
“Jin Tae-kyung, you fucking bastard!”
Szzzt, szzzt. Hyuk Moo-jin’s furious eyes locked directly onto me. Gong Ya-cheong and So-cheon stared at me with blank expressions.
“Hong Master?”
“Hong Gildong Master?”
“Ah. Well. That is to say.”
…Damn it all.
* * *
“Hmm.”
Jo Pil gazed down at the corpse with cold eyes. The twisted expression, the wide-open eyes. Frozen in blood and ice, he had been known by the alias Heuk San-do.
“Tsk, tsk. How did this fellow end up like this?”
He had been quite loyal and sharp-witted, yet I never expected he’d meet such a pathetic end.
“I told you repeatedly. Keep your eyes wide open as you move about.”
Jo Pil grasped Heuk San-do’s wide-open eyes and pulled them further apart.
The frozen flesh tore, and a grotesque sound leaked out.
Crack. Crackle.
The others held their breath, watching the scene unfold.
His expression and tone were no different from usual, yet they felt his rage coursing through their entire bodies.
The killing intent radiating from a master of the highest caliber suffocated them, and cold sweat poured down their faces.
‘It’s only natural.’
Twenty-odd men had been annihilated. And all for a mere task of mopping up the remnants of the Sak-ju Branch.
One question, one death. Jo Pil possessed a vicious temperament—whenever he encountered a worthy opponent, he would ask a single question before killing them.
The bandits were grateful Heuk San-do was dead. Had he survived, he would have endured something far more horrific.
“That’s better.”
Jo Pil wiped the blood from his trouser cuffs and stood up.
“Well then, what does everyone think? Speak freely, without reservation.”
“Of course we should follow orders.”
A single man stepped forward—a middle-aged figure of neat appearance and dignified bearing, flanked by a dozen swordsmen standing at attention. They were observers and guides sent by the Hengshan Sword Sect to control the bandits.
Jo Pil smiled faintly.
“Ah, that’s right. I nearly forgot about our esteemed leader from the Hengshan Sword Sect. But orders, you say?”
“Eliminate the Sak-ju Branch and rejoin the main force. Have you already forgotten the Sect Master’s command?”
“Command, you say? I recall receiving a commission, nothing more.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
The middle-aged man glared at Jo Pil with displeasure.
“Your coming here in the first place was an act of insubordination. And what has been the result? Have you not lost over twenty subordinates to mere remnants of a branch faction?”
“Which is precisely why we must pursue them. Half a day is all I need to finish them.”
“I cannot speak to Jeong-yang, but if you pursue them all the way to Hongjoo, there is risk of a counterattack. I will not permit any further acts of insubordination.”
“Permission, you say? Permission…”
Jo Pil, who had fallen into contemplation, finally spoke.
“This won’t do. I don’t like it.”
“What in the—!”
Crack. The man’s neck shattered, and he died without finishing his words. Jo Pil, who had twisted the middle-aged man’s neck with the speed of a flash of light, licked his lips.
“I love war. When people die, they are forgotten.”
“You monster!”
The swordsmen of the Hengshan Sword Sect, understanding the situation, drew their weapons, but Jo Pil had already plunged among them.
Crack, slash!
Hot blood spilled across the snow. Each time Jo Pil rampaged like a beast, someone’s neck, arm, or leg was torn away and sent flying.
“Gahhhhh…”
The moan of a nameless swordsman was the last sound.
Amid the pile of corpses and the crushing silence, Jo Pil spoke.
“We pursue them.”
No one dared speak. As his subordinates hurried their preparations in haste, Jo Pil gazed upon the bodies.
‘Who could it be?’
He was a master of the highest caliber. From the wounds and tracks left upon the corpses, he could reconstruct the image of his opponent.
A single person. A spearmaster of exceptional skill had been present here. It was that very person who had slaughtered the other twenty or so men.
‘The one who killed Heuk San-do in a single strike—what heights must he have reached?’
Especially that final blow, piercing through the chest… it was enough to kindle Jo Pil’s interest.
‘This will be an entertaining fight.’
Who could it be? A master from the Taewon Jin Family? Or someone unknown to the world?
It mattered little. Jo Pil burst into delighted laughter.
“Let us meet soon, my friend.”
* * *
“What news has arrived?”
“Nothing. We have no choice but to move as swiftly as possible…”
“Damn it, damn it!”
Wi Paeng’s fury erupted, yet he found himself powerless. As his subordinate had said, there was no choice but to locate the Third Young Master with utmost haste and shield him from harm.
‘One strike, one life—Jo Pil….’
I knew well the sinister reputation that preceded him. Should the Third Young Master fall into that monster’s grasp, only death would await.
‘How could I ever face my lord again?’
Jin Wi-kyung endured through superhuman restraint.
He stood at the helm of the Taewon Jin Family, its beating heart. He had placed upon the scales those he loved most—his younger sister—alongside hundreds of household members, and after careful deliberation, had sent his most trusted subordinate, Wi Paeng, to her side.
Yet if he should fail….
‘I would have no face to show my lord.’
His grip tightened upon the reins. Wi Paeng spurred his mount forward, and behind him, some twenty mounted warriors thundered in pursuit.

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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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