Murim Login - Chapter 251

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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 251
My expectation that Jegal Gyun would emerge victorious crumbled spectacularly.
When I found the arena where several matches, including his, were taking place, what awaited us was the thunderous roar of spectators chanting for the Invincible Divine Sword and Jegal Gyun sitting in a daze.
“What? You lost?”
At my question, Jegal Gyun nodded bitterly.
“I was completely toyed with. I couldn’t even touch a single hair on him.”
Jegal Gyun was a direct descendant of the Jeongal Family, one of the Five Great Families.
As his epithet Shin Ki Myo-ryong suggested, his true weapon was a brilliant mind, but the martial arts he possessed were equally exceptional, having mastered his family’s secret techniques.
The title of one of the Ten Dragons and Phoenixes wasn’t something you could earn simply by being intelligent.
‘Someone like that was toyed with?’
That clearly meant the opponent was several tiers above him in strength.
Curiosity suddenly welled up in me, and I asked Jegal Gyun.
“Where is he?”
“He left right after the match… Oh? There he is.”
Following the direction Jegal Gyun pointed, I narrowed my eyes.
“That one? The guy eating dumplings?”
“Yes.”
“…Hmm.”
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s nothing. Just feels familiar somehow.”
A loose, billowing robe and a bamboo hat pulled low over the head. I couldn’t see his face or build clearly, but the side profile of him relentlessly devouring dumplings seemed oddly familiar.
‘Where have I seen him?’
In situations like this, the direct approach is best. I began walking toward the Invincible Divine Sword.
With each step closer, the memory grew hazier, but only up to that point. Instead, one thing became clear.
‘He’s strong.’
His posture was riddled with openings, his demeanor so carefree it seemed devoid of vigilance.
Yet the aura emanating from the Invincible Divine Sword was unmistakably not beneath my own.
Was there someone like this?
After deliberating, I opened my mouth.
“Excuse me.”
Munch, munch.
The Invincible Divine Sword’s jaws, which had been chewing dumplings as if possessed, came to an abrupt halt.
“You’re the Invincible Divine Sword, correct?”
“…”
“Forgive my rudeness on this first meeting. I had a few things I wanted to ask you.”
“…”
“Hello?”
What’s with this guy? Someone’s calling and he won’t respond.
As I stared at him, the Adam’s apple visible beneath the bamboo hat bobbed dramatically.
Gulp.
“Ahem. Ahem.”
“…?”
“Cough. Cough. Just… give me a moment.”
After clearing his throat several times, a low, deep voice emerged from between Invincible Divine Sword’s lips.
But somehow, the artificiality of it was painfully obvious.
“Why, not what brings you here?”
“There’s something I’d like to ask you about.”
“Go ahead. Or rather, speak.”
“….”
What is this guy doing?
I regarded Invincible Divine Sword with sleepy eyes. Noticing my gaze, he pressed his bamboo hat down even deeper.
Something about this feels off. I casually cast out some bait.
“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Park Tae-kyung of the Taewon Park Family.”
“Huh? When did you change your surname?”
“….”
“…!”
A chilling silence. Realizing his mistake, Invincible Divine Sword hastily waved his hands.
Instead of the contrived deep voice, a boy’s clear and crystalline tone spilled out urgently.
“No, that’s not it. The Shanxi Sleeping Dragon is so famous, I already knew about it.”
“Ah. I see.”
“Yes. Yes.”
“What’s your real name, then?”
“Invincible Divine Sword.”
“Not your epithet. Your actual name.”
“Q, Qing Feng.”
Qing what?
His naming sense was beyond ridiculous. I let out a soft chuckle despite myself.
This didn’t even require the [Perception] skill to confirm. At this point, it would be stranger not to know.
“It’s been a while. Let’s talk somewhere quiet.”
“…Why, why would you? This is the first time we’ve met.”
“Really? Then did you send a letter to the Huashan Sect?”
“…!”
Invincible Divine Sword slowly lifted his bamboo hat.
A young man with an innocent expression gazed at me with eyes that mixed resignation and joy.
“Hello, my benefactor.”
A familiar face I hadn’t seen in a year.
I tapped Chung Poong’s bamboo hat and laughed.
* * *
The Martial Alliance was nearly a city unto itself. It had residential areas where people could live and all manner of facilities for daily life.
So it was hardly surprising that there was an entertainment district as well.
We settled into an inn tucked away in the most remote alley.
Apart from the proprietor—so elderly his hearing had nearly failed him—not a single guest was in sight.
“I heard the news. You fled on the way back from Huashan Sect?”
“Yes. Right after my benefactor left with Grandfather.”
“Why would you do that? It’s practically your hometown.”
“I didn’t want to go back. Besides, Grandfather wouldn’t be there, and I haven’t seen much of the world yet.”
“Still, you managed to escape quite cleverly.”
“The disciples were blocking the way, so I had to use a bit of force. They probably won’t wake up for three days. I took that chance to slip away. Hehe.”
….
Just how much force did he use?
In any case, only someone of Chung Poong’s caliber could pull off something like that.
Whether you called him a Huashan prodigy or one of the Plum Blossom Three Absolutes, Chung Poong had already transcended into a realm of true genius that stood apart.
Even the Three Disasters sword technique—something third-rate practitioners learned—became supreme martial arts when wielded by his hands.
From what I’d observed, his depth of understanding and speed of mastery in martial arts were unparalleled.
‘If there’s another genius to speak of, it would be Jin Moo-kyung.’
I listened to Chung Poong’s delightful tales of wandering the martial world, lost in such thoughts.
As expected, his account was filled entirely with stories of eating and playing around without any serious martial training whatsoever.
“I ate dumplings in Sichuan and they were so spicy!”
“Ah, yes. That’s quite remarkable.”
“The dumplings in Guangdong and Hainan have seafood in them!”
“Indeed. They’re close to the sea, after all.”
“The dumplings from Zhejiang Province are….”
Had this fool eaten nothing but dumplings for an entire year?
I finally couldn’t hold back and cut him off mid-story about Hunan Province dumplings.
“So then, what are your plans going forward?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Invincible Divine Sword. Will you continue like this?”
“Yes. The disciples of Baek Mu Fortress know I’m participating in the Seongnae Daeyeon. If I hide like this, no one will recognize me!”
….
“Hehe. Everyone’s completely fooled.”
I’d bet my right hand and my entire fortune that he’s already been exposed. I’m even prepared to double down on that wager.
‘Now that I think about it, there were quite a few Huashan disciples near the tournament arena earlier.’
Since the Seongnae Daeyeon was open to all martial artists under heaven, there were no particular restrictions even if one deliberately concealed their identity.
However, if it was the Huashan Sect—one of the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance—they would have certainly noticed Chung Poong’s presence long ago.
Yet the fact that they merely observed from a distance….
‘This is basically a group candid camera operation.’
A movie could be made with a title like “The Chung Poong Show” and it wouldn’t be out of place.
As I watched Chung Poong, who was inwardly delighted despite my silent disapproval, a sudden thought made me speak.
“Then I’ll see you later?”
The smile deepening across Chung Poong’s face grew more radiant.
“I wish that were the case.”
“You wish that were the case?”
“Yes. I’ve been curious how much stronger my benefactor has become. I truly wanted to test myself against you once.”
I felt the same way.
One reason I’d committed to participating in the Seongnae Daeyeon was precisely because of Chung Poong and Jin Moo-kyung’s existence.
“Now that we meet again, what do you think?”
“Hmm….”
“Be honest.”
I leaned back diagonally against the worn chair.
Amid the creaking noise, Chung Poong, who had been silent until then, suddenly tapped the sword sheath hanging at his waist.
“Grandfather said so. A martial artist must speak through their weapons.”
“He spoke wisely.”
It was rare to hear the Sword Saint’s philosophy. I chuckled and rose from my seat.
“Benefactor, where are you going?”
“To prepare for the finals. We’ll continue our conversation there. Of course, through our martial arts.”
“The finals….”
Chung Poong slowly repeated the word, then nodded with an unusually serious expression.
“Fine. I’ll win the championship anyway.”
“Quite the dream, considering you’ve done nothing but eat dumplings all year.”
“I did train my martial arts occasionally.”
“Sure you did.”
I ignored Chung Poong’s complaint, paid the bill, and left the Inn.
The moment I emerged from the narrow, dark alley, I found myself face to face with a familiar figure.
“Jong Ri-chu?”
Jong Ri-chu waved with a smile.
“Oh, we meet again here. It seems fate has truly bound us together.”
“Fate? More like coincidence. But what brings you to this place?”
“Just grabbing a bite.”
“Why specifically here?”
The secluded alley held only a few scattered shops, all of them decrepit and on the verge of collapse.
By any measure, it hardly seemed like an ideal place to find a meal.
Yet Jong Ri-chu nodded casually.
“I had some thin noodles at a nearby street stall, and the vendor mentioned that the dumplings at that shop are supposedly delicious.”
The sign he pointed to was, by coincidence, the very shop Chung Poong and I had just exited.
“Is that so?”
“Of course. They say it’s a hidden gem known only to those in the know. Have you tried it?”
Chung Poong, who had pulled down a bamboo hat low over his face, suddenly interjected with an awkward, disguised voice.
“Incredibly delicious. Or rather, very tasty.”
Jong Ri-chu’s gaze turned toward Chung Poong.
“A young friend I haven’t seen before. Would it be rude to ask your name?”
“Invincible Divine Sword Qing Feng.”
“What a splendid alias. I am Jong Ri-chu, the Ascending Sword. Looking forward to our acquaintance, friend.”
“F-friend?”
Qing Feng lifted his bamboo hat slightly to regard Jong Ri-chu, then nodded vigorously.
“Wonderful! No, truly wonderful! Delightful! You’re the first person to ever ask me to be their friend!”
“…That’s enough. That will suffice.”
He might as well have worn a sign declaring himself Qing Feng of the Hua Mountain Sect.
Jong Ri-chu smiled gently as he observed Qing Feng bouncing with joy and me attempting to calm the boy.
“It seems you already have a fine friend by your side. Well then, until next time, friends.”
“Yes, let’s try to meet again sometime. But not too often.”
“Farewell! Farewell, my friend!”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He bowed his head slightly and vanished into the shadowed alley.
Qing Feng emerged onto the sunlit street, chuckling softly.
“He seems like a good person. That’s the feeling I get.”
I offered him sincere counsel.
“Just because someone likes dumplings doesn’t make them a good person.”
“Ah, I should have told him to dip them in just a little soy sauce.”
“….”
He truly doesn’t listen to a word I say.
* * *
Qing Feng’s concerns proved unfounded.
Jong Ri-chu never entered the restaurant.
His footsteps continued past the shop without pause.
After wandering through the labyrinthine shadows of the alley, surrounded only by rats and refuse, Jong Ri-chu finally stopped.
A soft voice emerged from his lips.
“Invincible Divine Sword. The more I think about it, the finer the alias seems. What do you make of it?”
The moment the words left his mouth.
The silence that had filled the alley shattered.
Whoosh! Crack!
Three streaks of light hurtled toward Jong Ri-chu’s vital points.
Simultaneously, a small-framed Masked Figure launched upward into the air. His movements along the walls were swift as wind and shrouded in secrecy.
Exceptional lightness of body combined with superior concealment technique. Just as the Masked Figure prepared to leap with all his might.
Thud.
“Where are you rushing off to in such haste?”
“…!”
“Come down and let us talk.”
Thousand-jin force pressing down upon both shoulders, breath tickling the nape of the neck.
The Masked Figure’s body trembled as though struck by lightning during his descent.
‘How is this possible!’
I had carried out hundreds of missions, but never once had I faced an opponent like this.
Overwhelming. Irresistible—the words had never felt more apt. I realized there was only one path left for me.
‘Commander, it seems this is where my service ends.’
The face of Cheon Myeon Ho-ri, the superior I had loyally served for decades, flashed before my eyes.
The Dark Assassin, once the Shadow Pavilion’s finest operative, now forgotten, was about to bite down on the poison hidden between my teeth.
“As expected of the Shadow Pavilion. No hesitation. But…”
Thud-thud-thud.
Lightning-quick strikes drummed across the Dark Assassin’s entire body. A subdued voice seeped into his rigid ears.
“You should have known who you were pursuing.”
Along with a vast despair, the Dark Assassin’s consciousness was sucked into the abyss.

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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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