Murim Login - Chapter 27

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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 27
“Take a brief rest.”
The Patrol Unit members collapsed with deflating sighs.
They looked exhausted, but I wasn’t particularly concerned about them. From what I’d observed, their foundational stamina was solid, and during the battle, they’d simply stood by and watched without losing their wits.
The other two were the problem.
“Are you alright?”
“Huff… I’m fine, I’m fine.”
So-cheon answered while breathing heavily. From what I could see, he didn’t look like he’d collapse immediately. But if we continued moving at this pace, he’d hit his limit soon enough.
‘The boy’s stubborn as they come.’
Earlier, I had suggested to So-cheon that he and his sister ride on my back. His answer had been a firm refusal.
“Tell me if it becomes too much. I can handle both of you.”
“For now… huff. This is sufficient.”
It didn’t seem that way to me.
“I’m saying this for everyone’s sake. Don’t answer so carelessly.”
“Understood.”
Determination flickered in So-cheon’s eyes as he answered. I handed the peacefully sleeping So-yul to him and turned away.
“Gong Ya-cheong.”
A pallid face lifted its gaze.
“…Young Master Jin.”
His voice sounded as though it might extinguish at any moment. His condition was far more serious than I’d thought. A question formed on my tongue—are you alright?—but scattered before I could speak it.
“How much longer can you hold on?”
“I don’t know.”
An honest, grave answer.
“What about the Bigu Pills?”
I had given him what remained of his Bigu Pills earlier. But Gong Ya-cheong shook his head.
“They’re hardly effective. Some charlatan must have made them—they’ve only ruined my appetite. Ha.”
“…Are you asking me to laugh right now?”
“Wasn’t it amusing?”
“No. Not at all.”
“That’s unfortunate… *cough*.”
A sudden fit of coughing. Blood droplets fell onto the white snow.
Damn it. I quickly positioned myself in front of Gong Ya-cheong, worried someone might see.
“What is this? It wasn’t this bad before.”
In half a day, his condition had deteriorated rapidly. Gong Ya-cheong no longer bore the marks of mere exhaustion—he bore the unmistakable appearance of a sick man.
“It was inevitable.”
His gaze remained calm, which made it all the more ominous. I brushed aside his restraining hand and lifted the front of his robe.
“Ah.”
His body was covered in wounds of every kind. But what truly startled me were the dark blue veins bulging prominently across his lower abdomen.
“What is this… Could it be?”
Gong Ya-cheong weakly drew his robe closed, seemingly concerned that So-cheon and his sister might see.
“Cowardly dogs. They coated their weapons with poison.”
Now I understood why Gong Ya-cheong hadn’t recovered even after consuming the Sustenance Pills. They only replenished hunger and stamina, offering no antidote properties whatsoever.
“You should have said something earlier!”
“Those bastards must have been short on funds—they used cheap poison. The toxin was so weak I only noticed last night. Too late now.”
When the poison took hold, Gong Ya-cheong’s physical condition was already depleted. Continuing a forced march in this weather under such circumstances…
“Is there no way?”
“There is.”
“Tell me.”
“But time won’t permit it. I cannot waste precious time that’s worth its weight in gold on account of one man.”
He was right. But.
“We have to try.”
“Young Master.”
“Everyone is exhausted. If we rest for just one hour—or even half an hour—we can attempt the method.”
“Ha.”
“Don’t laugh. Besides, I was planning to rest around here anyway…”
I didn’t know what I was saying anymore. Watching myself ramble incoherently, a faint smile crossed Gong Ya-cheong’s lips.
“Go.”
“…”
“You know as well as I do, don’t you? If we waste time now, they’ll catch up to us.”
I fell silent. His words were true. From the moment I saw his precarious complexion and the blood he was coughing up, perhaps since last night, I had been considering this very situation.
‘So it comes to this?’
I had to abandon Gong Ya-cheong. If I brought him along, he might survive for now, but everyone’s pace would slow in return.
What if I carried him myself?
Even with the System’s aid, I was still human. I had blazed the trail at the vanguard for two days, and the fatigue had accumulated accordingly.
‘Only two Sustenance Pills remain.’
The thirty pills I once had were nearly exhausted. Could I escape their grasp while carrying Gong Ya-cheong with only two left?
And if I ultimately faced them in such a weakened state? Could I stand against them—against Jo Pil, a master of the One Strike, One Kill technique?
The answer had come long ago. Both he and I knew it.
“I entrust the children to you.”
As Gong Ya-cheong spoke, the System notification chimed.
Ding.
Quest
[Gong Ya-cheong’s Final Request]
All he wishes for now is one thing. Please ensure the surviving children return safely.
Rank
: None
Restriction
: Jin Tae-kyung
Objective
: Safe Return of So-cheon and So-yul (Incomplete)
Reward
: None
– Will you accept this quest?
No reward at all.
This is the most shameless quest I’ve ever received.
‘I’m barely surviving myself, you bastard.’
But I nodded anyway. If this could ease the discomfort gnawing at my conscience, it was worth it.
“Very well.”
Gong Ya-cheong smiled with satisfaction.
* * *
“You’re leaving Gong Ya-cheong behind?”
Han Yeop muttered in shock. Hyuk Moo-jin remained silent, lost in thought, while the other patrol members busied themselves reading each other’s expressions.
“That’s right.”
“That’s insane!”
“Lower your voice.”
There was no benefit in So-cheon finding out. He was the type who would stubbornly insist on staying with us.
“But… this is…”
“Gong Ya-cheong has made his decision. I agree with it.”
Then Hyuk Moo-jin suddenly spoke up.
“What’s the reason?”
Was this bastard not thinking straight? I hardened my gaze, but Hyuk Moo-jin neither flinched nor backed down. My clenched fists relaxed.
“His condition is critical. If we continue like this, we’ll all be in danger.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
Han Yeop’s face flushed as he interjected.
“I won’t allow it.”
“That’s an order.”
“Then I’ll disobey it.”
Everyone stared at Han Yeop in shock at his resolute tone.
I never expected that my most devoted follower from our first meeting would ever speak of defiance.
“Your refusal changes nothing.”
“I can’t just leave him behind like this.”
“If you can’t leave him behind?”
Exhaustion suddenly crashed over me. I rubbed my dry, stinging eyes.
“If you can’t leave him behind, will you carry him on your back?”
“Yes. I will carry him.”
“And you’ll tire quickly.”
When Han Yeop grows weary, someone else will step in to help. One by one, they’ll exhaust themselves, our pace will slow, and the enemies will close in.
“We’re facing seasoned rogues led by a master of the peak realm. Can we truly survive?”
Han Yeop couldn’t answer and lowered his head. The other patrol members also averted their eyes. Only one person refuses to look away from me.
“Unit One. Do you have anything else to say?”
Hyuk Moo-jin, who had been silent for a long time, lowered his head.
“I will obey your orders, Commander.”
* * *
We resumed our march. Just before departure, Gong Ya-cheong gently stroked the heads of So-cheon and So-yul with a peaceful expression.
“I’ll see you soon.”
So-cheon nodded briskly, while So-yul, still half-asleep, whimpered and nestled into my arms. Every time I heard her ragged breathing, an uncomfortable weight settled in my chest.
‘Has he left by now?’
Gong Ya-cheong didn’t want the young siblings to know of his absence. So he had told me he would slip away quietly during the journey.
As So-cheon was in the middle of the column, I wouldn’t be able to see him leave through the ranks of the Patrol Unit members.
‘How long has it been since we departed?’
An hour? Half an hour? I couldn’t tell. In the deep night shrouded in darkness on all sides, time itself seemed to lose meaning.
With each step forward, a single thought refused to leave my mind.
‘He must have left by now.’
It was inevitable. Gong Ya-cheong and I both knew it, and the other Patrol Unit members—except Han Yeop—had accepted it. Most of all… I had a family waiting for me outside. A reality to face once I escaped.
‘So why does this feel so wrong?’
My feet felt heavy. Not just from the snow piled up to my calves. Not from the grass and branches blocking the path ahead.
Gong Ya-cheong—just an NPC—kept weighing on my mind.
His final smile. A worthless quest with no reward.
Han Yeop’s defiance came to mind, and Hyuk Moo-jin’s calm gaze pierced my chest like a thorn.
‘It’s only natural, so why…’
Because it’s a game. Because it’s just a game.
If I don’t abandon them, they all die. I die! You bastards.
“Damn it…”
A curse caught in my throat spilled out. So-yul, stirring from her light sleep, mumbled something and wrapped her arms around my neck.
Her small hands were cold. The chill was so vivid against my skin it raised goosebumps. Too real to be a game.
Real enough to feel guilt over abandoning a single NPC.
“…They really made this game like shit.”
I turned around.
“Where are you going, sir?”
I retraced my steps quickly. I didn’t see So-cheon or the faces of the Patrol Unit members.
So I couldn’t know. That Hyuk Moo-jin’s face, when he asked where I was going, flickered with a faint smile. Or that Han Yeop, who should have been at the very rear, was nowhere to be seen.
“Huff. Huff.”
I ran across the snowy field like the wind. And then I saw him.
At the bottom of the hill, Han Yeop pressed forward with gritted teeth, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
On his back, the unconscious Gong Ya-cheong was being carried.
“You…”
I didn’t know what to say. I grabbed Han Yeop’s hand and pulled him up with a sigh.
“Th-thank you.”
Damn it…
‘I don’t even know anymore.’
* * *
This Secret Place belonged to one person alone.
For thirty years since becoming its master, he had forbidden anyone else entry. It was a law that had hardened with the passage of time, and others thought the same way.
– How are things progressing?
With a subtle tremor in the air, the two shadows conversed through sound transmission.
– Smoothly. And on your end?
– It would be tedious to explain.
– I can imagine.
– Blood Wolf Sword. For an alias, he’s quite sentimental.
– What of it? Even those bound by blood ties have their attachments. So?
– The vanguard alone numbers two hundred. There’s this madman named Jo Pil who’s running amok on his own… but it should be fine.
– One Question, One Kill Jo Pil? Blood Wolf Sword chose well.
– That reckless young master is being chased relentlessly. It wasn’t in our calculations, but this works out nicely too.
– Hahahaha.
– Perhaps?
– Exactly. I sent him. Once the So clan master sees his beloved youngest brother’s head, he’ll have a change of heart.
– Tsk, such ruthlessness without blood or tears. Admirable.
– You’re one to talk?
– I merely took one worthless life.
– Thanks to which, a storm of blood will sweep through Shanxi Province?
– Isn’t that what you wanted?
– Can’t deny it. Right. I’ve waited far too long.
– The fruit will taste all the sweeter.
– Let’s hope so.
– Ah, one more thing. The Haowen Sect has interfered.
– The Haowen Sect? How did they get involved?
– The new branch master has a keen nose. Once this matter is settled, I plan to eliminate them.
– Be careful. No matter how formidable Heaven is, carelessness is forbidden…
In that moment, the wind ceased. The air trembled.
– …I spoke carelessly.
It was a long while before sound transmission came again.
– It would be wise to watch your words.
A voice soft as a cat’s paw. Yet the listener felt it—the razor-sharp edge of a blade.
– I apologize once more.
– Let us end here for today. Should problems arise, I shall visit again within the day.
The conversation ended there. Without a trace or sound, the other presence vanished.
‘Ghostlike beings.’
Sometimes I wondered what their true identity was. How strong they were, who comprised their ranks.
But soon I shook my head.
It merely shortens one’s lifespan.
I endured these long years of hardship for the sake of reaping the fruits of my labor. I would never allow mere curiosity to ruin such a grand design.
‘It has been truly endless.’
The shadow stretched a hand toward the moon. Faint moonlight filtering between the fingers illuminated the silver beard.
‘Soon… everything will find its rightful place.’
The Grand Elder laughed with unbridled joy.

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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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