Murim Login - Chapter 3

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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 3
A young man’s reflection rippled across the still water’s surface.
Dark brows, sharp and defined features. When the corners of his mouth lifted, deep dimples emerged. Yet that practiced smile vanished in the next instant, wiped away as if it had never existed.
Crash.
I hurled the basin of washwater, and shards scattered in every direction.
“Damn it, damn it all!”
What good was being handsome when I couldn’t log out?
For the past four days, I’d thrown every tantrum imaginable, but the response remained identical.
– Logout is impossible.
‘What kind of insane bastards designed this thing?’
I cursed relentlessly while recalling the terms and conditions.
– Players cannot logout at will.
– If your character dies during gameplay, you cannot be revived.
In short, it was simple.
I was playing a martial arts fantasy game called Murim, and I couldn’t log out whenever I wanted—if my character died, I died too.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
‘What kind of bullshit is this?’
Yet it was actually happening.
Logout had failed, and I’d endured four days waiting for rescue from the outside world, but nothing came. I hadn’t confirmed the death clause myself, but… all evidence suggested it was true.
‘But there’s a way out.’
The statement that players cannot logout at will implies that logout becomes possible under certain conditions.
‘Like completing Quests or leveling up.’
I’d deduced this answer because Murim was, after all, a game.
In games, you receive rewards each time you complete a Quest or gain a level—a fact proven by completing Tutorial Stage 1 earlier.
‘First, I’ll focus on Quests and leveling up.’
That was my conclusion after four days of deliberation. And it had one essential requirement: survival.
I needed to operate in a place where my life wouldn’t be threatened. If I could even get someone’s help, that would be ideal.
‘And I happen to know just the right place.’
Just then, Wol-hwa’s voice drifted in from beyond the door.
“Young Master Jin, the carriage is ready.”
A carriage to take Jin Tae-kyung—not the F-rank Hunter, but Jin Tae-kyung of the Taewon Jin Family—back home.
* * *
The four-horse carriage provided by Wol-hwa—or rather, by Honghwa House—was large and ornate.
The Coachman was a taciturn man who rarely spoke, and from my perspective, that suited me fine.
Right now, I didn’t want to be disturbed by anyone.
‘Let me check the Quest.’
[Tutorial – Stage 2]
Begin?
Accept / Decline
The Quest window I’d opened and ultimately closed dozens of times over four days. Fear of the unknown had held me back. But now I didn’t hesitate.
Accepted.
Ding.
Quest
[Tutorial – Stage 2]
You have already familiarized yourself with the basic information and circumstances.
However, Murim is a place beyond prediction. From now on, utilize the ‘System’—the sole power that belongs to you alone.
Rank
: Tutorial (Linked Quest)
Restriction
: First-time User
Objective
: Check Status Window and Allocate Points (Incomplete)
Check Skill Window and Allocate Points (Incomplete)
Check Inventory and Equip Items (Incomplete)
Reward
: Sharp Spear
Linked Quest
…If it had been like this from the start, I would’ve finished long ago. Perhaps this is only natural progression.
No matter how abnormal this is, at its core it’s still a game, isn’t it?
I recalled the online games I’d played sporadically in the past and pondered.
‘Check status window.’
Status Window
LV.10 Jin Tae-kyung
Class
: Third-rate Martial Artist
Renown
: 0
Title
: Scion of a Prestigious House / Disgrace of the Clan (Title Effect Active)
Strength
: 10
Endurance
: 10
Agility
: 10
Intelligence
: 10
Charm
: 10
Internal Energy
: 10 years
Remaining Points
: 100
– Distribute your remaining points.
– Scion of a Prestigious House (All Stats +5, Renown +50)
– Shame of the Clan (All Stats -5, Renown -50)
‘What is this?’
I blinked. It felt like I’d been struck from behind.
The Taewon Jin Family—renowned in these parts for their swagger, and from a martial sect no less—yet here I was at level 10, a third-rate martial artist?
‘Is this real?’
Reading the special conditions sent a wave of tension down the back of my neck.
The [Scion of a Prestigious House] title effect was being completely negated by [Shame of the Clan].
‘I was foolish to expect anything.’
Born into wealth, martial training abandoned, drowning in women and wine—a rich wastrel through and through. The [Shame of the Clan] was no misnomer.
‘This is a disaster.’
But there’s no use crying over spilled milk. I had to swallow this bitter pill and move forward.
The one saving grace was that all my stats had been reset. The ability to distribute points as I wished was an enormous advantage.
I scanned the status window with hawk-like intensity.
‘This isn’t a simple game. Think. Think carefully.’
I couldn’t treat this space as mere entertainment.
This was a matter of life and death. If I played it like those RPGs from my school days—dumping everything into strength or agility—I’d be dead in an instant.
My eyes, which had been moving restlessly, suddenly stopped.
‘Should I invest in internal energy?’
Internal energy—or qi cultivation.
In reality, it was what top-tier hunters called mana or aura, the vital force that high-ranking martial artists wielded.
In most martial arts novels, decrepit old masters would utterly dominate young, vigorous martial experts, and the reason they could do so was their overwhelming reserves of internal energy.
Martial arts meant internal energy. A master meant possessing qi. There was even a saying that internal energy was the very measure of a master’s caliber.
‘First, I’ll be cautious… allocating 1 point to internal energy.’
Beep!
–
[Internal Energy]
can only be increased through cultivation and items such as elixirs.
Right. I knew it would be like this. I had no expectations whatsoever.
…Damn this system.
‘Then internal energy is off the table.’
Excluding internal energy, five stats remained.
Strength, Vitality, Agility, Intellect, Charm.
I decided to exclude Intellect and Charm from my allocation.
‘They won’t help.’
My goal was survival and logging out, not passing exams or finding romance.
Fortunately, I was a professional hunter with seven years of experience, and I knew exactly what was necessary to survive.
‘Strength and stamina at thirty each. Agility at forty.’
It was a decision reached after careful deliberation. Adequate power, exceptional evasion, and endurance. It was the combat style I’d grown accustomed to over seven years.
– Will you apply these settings?
‘Yes.’
That was the moment.
Ding.
–
[Second-Rate Martial Artist]
You have advanced to this class!
Total points: 100.
As the remaining points evaporated, I felt my body transform. From the crown of my head to the tips of my toes, and deep within places I couldn’t see—the power granted by the system seeped in. It connected. It gathered and released.
In an instant, heat swept through my body as if I’d swallowed the sun, and only after the afterglow faded could I barely open my eyes.
And I was horrified.
“This… this is.”
My voice trembled without my realizing it. Not from surprise at an unfamiliar sensation. It was because a feeling I’d experienced only once long ago—yet could never forget—had surfaced in this moment.
How could I forget? That day, seven years ago.
‘Awakening…!’
When that sensation arrived without warning, twenty-year-old me was helpless against it.
And when I opened my eyes again, I realized I had been chosen. The chosen 0.1%. I had become an Awakener.
The joy I’d felt that day now confused me in the present.
“Why is this happening here?”
It was a system notification that pulled me from my bewilderment.
Ding.
–
[Status Window Confirmation and Distribution]
has been completed.
My lips had grown parched, and I moistened them with my tongue as I thought.
Right, focus on the present first. Only two more stages remained until I completed Tutorial Phase 2.
‘Check the skill window.’
Skill Window
LV.10 Jin Tae-kyung
Internal Method
: Taewon Jin Family Internal Method (Unavailable)
Martial Arts
: Taewon Jin Family Spear Technique / Taewon Jin Family Footwork (Unavailable)
Bone Strength
: 10
Meridian Strength
: 10
Remaining Points
: 100
– Please allocate your remaining points.
– Martial arts cannot be used.
– You have forgotten the incantations due to prolonged neglect of martial arts training.
Opening the skill window was the right call. The moment I saw it, all distracting thoughts vanished and clarity washed over me.
‘One, two, three.’
Did I miscount? Or perhaps the text was too small for me to notice. I stared at the skill window with wide eyes.
One, two, three… and three.
The Taewon Jin Family’s core technique, the Taewon Jin Family’s sword technique, and the Taewon Jin Family’s footwork. That was everything—all the skills Jin Tae-kyung possessed, all that I possessed. And I’d forgotten them all.
‘I’m going mad.’
If I died, the cause of death would be rage-induced illness. Rage-induced illness.
Only after calming myself somewhat could I regard the skill window with clarity.
Right. I can learn more martial arts going forward.
‘At least I have remaining points.’
I comforted myself and looked at the skill window again. Perhaps because it was so empty, a word caught my eye immediately.
‘Meridians and bone structure. I’ve seen these terms a lot in martial arts novels.’
Meridians referred to tendons and blood vessels, while bone structure meant muscles and skeletal frame.
That meant if I focused on internal energy, I’d develop meridians; if I focused on external power, I’d develop bone structure. I decided to lean slightly more toward bone structure.
The reason was simple.
‘I need to choose what I’m already familiar with to increase my survival rate.’
In reality, I was an F-rank Hunter. In Murim terms, I was a third-rate martial artist, perhaps even worse.
Magic, aura manifestation… I’d seen them with my own eyes, but with my abilities, it was beyond reach. I couldn’t even dream of it.
‘The one who’s tasted meat eats it best.’
The one who’s used internal energy uses it best. For the past seven years, my combat style had been closer to that of an external power practitioner.
‘Sixty to bone structure. Forty to meridians.’
– Will you apply this allocation?
‘Yes, apply it.’
In that instant, a sensation different from before swept through me. Perhaps it was pain. I heard the sound of bones twisting deep within my body.
‘Ugh.’
Seconds? Minutes? I couldn’t tell. Where the pain receded, labored breathing and the reward of endurance awaited.
‘My physique…’
had changed. Both shoulders had broadened by half a span, and my muscles were firm front and back. The silk robes that had been loose before now felt constraining.
As I clenched my fist, I felt a strength and elasticity I couldn’t perceive moments ago. I had grown stronger. An experience I’d never felt in reality.
‘Because there was no system there.’
Through training, I could build strength, stamina, and flexibility, but until measurement, I could only sense it vaguely as a feeling.
But here, in Murim, it was different.
Through the status window, I could see my abilities and enhance the ones I needed. I didn’t know where the limit was, but I could continue to improve.
‘I grow stronger. And I survive.’
Over the past seven years, I’d fought countless monsters. There were days I returned without a scratch, and days I barely escaped death.
F-rank Hunter Jin Tae-kyung possessed something that the Jin Tae-kyung of Murim did not. Experience. And desire.
Stronger. Stronger. Stronger. And survive.
With that resolve, I clenched my fists, and an alert chimed.
Ding.
–
[Skill Window Confirmation and Redistribution]
has been completed.
Now only one thing remained.
‘Check the inventory.’
Ding.
Inventory
[Sturdy Martial Arts Uniform Set]
Grade
: Third-rate
Restriction
: None
Effect
: None
Description
: Made from light and durable fabric. Suitable for beginners.
As a basic item, the description was simple enough.
‘Equip item.’
My entire body felt refreshed, and I found myself clad in a black martial arts uniform.
What changed wasn’t just the upper and lower garments. A headwrap—what martial arts novels commonly called a hero’s cloth—was tied firmly across my forehead, and leather shoes replaced the silk slippers.
Now I might actually pass for a martial artist, at least.
‘Store item.’
The silk clothes in my hand vanished instantly at the thought.
An inventory. This is incredibly convenient. Depending on how I use it, I could even apply it in combat.
‘If I had an inventory like this during raids, things would be so much easier.’
With just this, I wouldn’t need to fight monsters—I could collect magic stones from the back lines and build skyscrapers with my annual salary.
‘But that won’t happen.’
Because it’s a game. Once I log out, it’s over.
…Though whether I’ll even survive to log out is questionable.
Ding.
–
[Inventory Confirmation and Equipping]
has been completed.
–
[Tutorial – Stage 2]
has been completed. Rewards will be distributed.
– Linked Quest,
[Tutorial – Stage 3]
has been generated.
New reward!
I immediately opened my inventory to check the new item.
Inventory
[Sharp Spear]
Grade
: Second-class
Restriction
: None
Effect
: 5% chance to trigger [Bleeding] on hit
Description
: A reasonably serviceable spear. Handle with care when maintaining, as it is quite sharp.
“….”
If the status window and skill window are a mess, shouldn’t they at least give me something decent for an item? Though considering what happened earlier, I suppose this is acceptable.
‘Equip item.’
The moment the spear shaft settled into my grip.
Ding.
–
[Tutorial – Stage 3]
begins now. Prepare yourself.
“…What?”
Prepare? For what?
I haven’t even opened the Quest window yet.
The answer came from an unexpected source.
The taciturn Coachman spoke for the first time.
“Young Master.”
“Yes?”
“A minor problem has arisen.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden….”
Ding.
Quest
[Tutorial – Stage 3]
You have awakened to the method of growing stronger through the system.
Learning must bear fruit.
Defeat the bandits who have suddenly appeared!
Grade
: Tutorial (Linked Quest)
Restriction
: First Accessor
Objective
: Bandit Extermination (Incomplete)
Reward
: Complete Recovery from All Injuries
Linked Quest
Failure
: Death
…A trivial problem, my foot.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————