Murim Login - Chapter 32

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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 32
“Two days ago, a major battle took place. At Hongjoo, the Main Residence’s elite hundred clashed with the Hangsan Inspection Bureau’s vanguard of two hundred.”
“A battle occurred?”
A large-scale engagement involving hundreds of soldiers. My heart lurched for a moment, but then I recalled what Wi Paeng had said earlier.
Good news and better news. I’d already heard the outcome.
“We won, then.”
“A decisive victory. Fewer than thirty managed to escape alive. The Main Residence’s casualties are comparable.”
Judging by the scar that ran from Wi Paeng’s forehead to his jaw, it must have been an extraordinarily fierce battle.
‘Well, the enemy had twice our numbers.’
In any case, I was grateful for the victory. For the Taewon Jin Family, this battle had consumed nearly half their military strength. Had we lost, the damage would have been catastrophic.
“It’s unfortunate we let the Hangsan Inspection Bureau’s lesser lord escape, but capturing the Hangsan Twin Ghosts was a significant achievement.”
“The Hangsan Twin Ghosts?”
“The Hangsan Twin Ghosts—peak-level masters under the Hangsan Inspection Bureau’s command. Their loyalty was remarkable, I must say. They threw themselves at us without regard for their lives, so we had no choice but to kill them.”
Wi Paeng tapped the fresh scar on his face.
“Had we captured them, we could have extracted valuable intelligence.”
“Did you… or rather, did Master Wi kill them?”
“My lord and I each took one. They were formidable.”
“….”
Watching Wi Paeng gulp down his tea, I found myself at a loss for words.
‘What the hell… peak-level masters are nothing to them?’
That had been the most brutal fight of my twenty-seven years. I’d suffered every conceivable internal injury and been slashed like a steak. Even after lying unconscious for five days, I’d barely escaped death’s door.
Yet he’d defeated masters of that caliber and called them merely “formidable”?
‘These people are absolute monsters.’
This experience made one thing abundantly clear: there were tiers even among peak-level masters. I was infinitely grateful that such beings stood on my side.
“That said.”
Clink.
Wi Paeng set down his teacup and fixed me with an enigmatic gaze.
“You were remarkable.”
“Pardon?”
“Jo Pil. Eliminating him is something that defies adequate praise.”
“….”
You all seem far more remarkable to me. This feels like an A-rank hunter praising me for hunting goblins well.
“Ah, yes. Thank you, I suppose.”
I wanted to end the conversation about Jo Pil there. My physical condition wasn’t great, my mood was worse, and I was eager to check the accumulated system rewards.
‘Let me rest now. I’m still a patient, damn it.’
With that intention, I offered a wink, and Wi Paeng’s brow furrowed.
“Does your eye hurt? Shall I summon the Physician?”
“…No, I’m fine.”
“Your eye just spasmed.”
“That wasn’t a spasm.”
“That’s correct, Captain. You saw it clearly.”
“No, wait—what was that just now…?”
Wi Paeng’s eyes rolled back white, and his entire body trembled violently.
The table shook, and tea sloshed over the rim of the cup. I cried out in alarm.
“Good heavens, Wi Paeng!”
The man was an epileptic. No—how could someone of such elite mastery suffer from seizures?
As I scrambled to my feet, the trembling ceased. Wi Paeng, returned to composure, spoke with an unruffled expression.
“I was imitating you.”
“Are you alright… or rather, what?”
“The Third Young Master just did that. My eye twitched.”
“So you were copying me?”
“Yes.”
What kind of lunatic was this man…?
I tried to explain the difference between a wink and a seizure, but the words died in my throat. Wi Paeng was glaring at me like a tyrant who’d been slighted.
“…Shall we just finish discussing Jo Pil?”
“By all means.”
Wi Paeng nodded with satisfaction.
‘Absolute madman.’
In the end, I had to lay bare the entire fight with Jo Pil from beginning to end.
How he moved, what techniques he employed. Wi Paeng’s sharp questions made certain moments tense.
“You severed Jo Pil’s leg tendons with a hidden blade?”
“Yes. I’d concealed it beforehand.”
“Jo Pil couldn’t possibly have missed that… continue.”
When the long account finally ended, Wi Paeng exhaled the breath he’d been holding. The look in his eyes conveyed a tangle of complex emotions.
“Third Young Master. You have truly accomplished a great deed.”
“Ah, thank you….”
“I hate to admit it, but I mean it sincerely.”
“…Yes.”
“Considering all the trouble you’ve caused, my blood boils—yet I was genuinely astounded. I mean it with all sincerity.”
“….”
“Who would have imagined it? The Third Young Master, who spent his days embezzling family funds to squander at brothels, stumbling drunk through the streets and dragging the family name through mud—that you would become such a man. I, Wi Paeng, am truly in awe.”
I’d rather he cursed me outright….
I barely restrained the dual curses threatening to burst forth and replied.
“I was fortunate. Jo Pil let his guard down as well.”
Wi Paeng shook his head.
“No. It was all skill. Excuses about carelessness and hidden blades mean nothing. If Jo Pil could be killed so easily, he would not have been Jo Pil of One Strike, One Kill. In Murim, only the strong survive.”
“Only the strong survive.”
I rolled those words quietly across my tongue. Somehow, they tasted both bitter and sweet.
Murim—this game—had always been that way from the beginning. I had survived in such a place, and I had grown strong.
“Jo Pil unleashed all his martial techniques. In the end, he even drew upon his innate qi. An elite master willingly sacrificed his own life to kill you. But what was the result?”
“I won, didn’t I?”
“Yes. That’s exactly it.”
“Then I was stronger than Jo Pil.”
Wi Paeng, who had been sullen until now, spoke with a serious expression.
“What are you saying? Jo Pil is stronger. Does a peak master look like a joke to you?”
“….”
“You’re only strong enough to kill Jo Pil through a surprise attack.”
Seriously, enough already.
Just as I was debating whether to pull a weapon from my inventory, Wi Paeng let out a soft chuckle. It was the first time I’d seen him laugh like that.
“You did well.”
I regarded Wi Paeng with suspicious eyes.
“What are you going to add this time?”
His smile deepened.
“I mean it sincerely. It’s true that I disliked the young master quite a bit, but… this time I have no choice but to acknowledge it.”
When he puts it that way, there’s nothing I can say. For some reason, I felt embarrassed and let out a hollow cough.
“Ahem. I nearly died, but all I did was catch Jo Pil and a few bandits. Ahem.”
“How many peak masters do you think exist in a single city? Even across all of Shanxi, where the Main Residence is located, there aren’t even twenty.”
Twenty. Far fewer than I expected.
“The Hangsan Inspection Bureau must have suffered considerable losses. Losing three peak masters like that.”
“But the greatest blow lies elsewhere.”
“What is it?”
“That is….”
It was the moment Wi Paeng opened his mouth.
“Justification. The justification for starting this war has vanished. The third son of the Taewon Jin Family is strong enough without resorting to poison. Yes, absolutely.”
A trembling voice came from the doorway. The large frame of Jin Wi-kyung wavered as he spread both arms wide.
“My youngest broooother!”
“….”
Please, just leave me alone.
* * *
In the end, I had to replay the past several days of pursuit and my confrontation with Jo Pil all over again.
“The bandits who had been tracking the survivors back then….”
“Those bastards deserve to be torn to shreds!”
Crash!
“Jo Pil suffered internal injuries from the Flame Divine Form….”
“Kill them! How dare those vicious bandit scum! I wouldn’t be satisfied even if I tore out their organs and chewed them to pieces!”
Crash! Crash! Crash!
“….”
I stared blankly at the devastated bedroom. It was the result of Jin Wi-kyung’s excessive immersion.
Wi Paeng had long since retreated to a safe distance, his mouth hanging open.
– It would be best not to bring that up again.
It was the first moment our opinions aligned.
Jin Wi-kyung grumbled for a while before regaining his composure….
“If that bastard were still alive, he wouldn’t have died peacefully.”
Crack! I watched with sorrowful eyes as the corner of the bed crumbled into dust and scattered. Wi Paeng shook his head disapprovingly.
“Master. Please calm yourself. The young master seems distressed.”
This time the words were effective. Jin Wi-kyung’s eyes reddened as he saw me sitting there wrapped in bandages from head to toe, my gaze hollow.
“Look at our youngest. How much suffering must this boy have endured to be in such a daze?”
Thump!
A hand the size of a pot lid grabbed my shoulder and pulled me close. I was no small man myself, but this fellow was nearly ogre-sized. I trembled in fear as I was drawn into his broad chest.
“There, youngest. You’re safe now. Everything’s alright.”
Jin Wi-kyung finished his touching embrace and sniffled.
“I always thought you’d remain a child… but you’ve grown up now. Wi Paeng, do you know what I mean?”
Wi Paeng answered without hesitation.
“Yes. There’s no need for you to explain.”
Of course, Jin Wi-kyung pretended not to hear.
“The rumors are spreading from the Main Residence to the streets themselves. Tales of a hero who led a suicide squad in a surprise raid on enemy territory, defeated Jo Pil and a hundred bandits, and rescued the Sak-ju Branch family members.”
“Wow. That’s incredible… Wait?”
I blinked. Hold on. Was that story about me?
“Uh, I think there’s been some misunderstanding.”
“That’s right. Master. There seems to be some misunderstanding….”
Jin Wi-kyung chuckled warmly.
“Our youngest is so humble. Wi Paeng, you stay quiet.”
“No, it’s not humility—the rumors seem to be distorted somehow.”
“That’s correct. Master, I know you care for the young master, but this has gone too far. If the rumors become too exaggerated, people won’t believe them….”
“Rumors? Exaggerated?”
Boom!
Wi Paeng’s voice was swallowed by the deafening sound. I stared at the gaping hole in the bedroom wall, my mouth hanging open.
‘What are you doing? You madman.’
Jin Wi-kyung threw another punch. With the sound of compressed air bursting, the remaining wall collapsed.
As wood and bricks tumbled down from the two-story pavilion, people outside screamed.
“It’s the Third Young Master! The Third Young Master’s quarters are collapsing!”
“Call people! Hurry!”
While everyone was still in shock, Jin Wi-kyung lifted my body effortlessly.
‘Let go. Let go, you madman!’
I struggled with all my strength, but I couldn’t match Jin Wi-kyung. Step by step, as he walked toward the gaping wall, terror flooded through me.
‘He’s going to drop me!’
More than fifty people had gathered below. Technically it was just one story, but the pavilion was so massive that it was nearly ten meters high. The wind that blew up was dizzying.
‘If I fall, it’ll be at least a fracture.’
Even as my spine went cold, people kept gathering. Over fifty people craned their necks to look up at us.
“Who is that? Wasn’t this an accident?”
“Isn’t that the Third Young Master? Who’s he holding in his arms?”
“The Third Young Master. It’s the Third Young Master!”
At someone’s cry, a wave of commotion rippled through the crowd.
“The Third Young Master? Did you say Third Young Master?”
“The Third Young Master who defeated Jo Pil has awakened!”
What in the hell is happening? As my eyes and ears spun wildly, a grave voice cut through the chaos with crystalline clarity.
“Can you see?”
“Ah, yes. I can see, but… could you please put me down?”
“Can you hear?”
“I can hear, but first, just—”
“What do you feel?”
“Embarrassment. And shame.”
“They believe in you. They’re calling your name!”
“Damn it, you bastard.”
My final curse was swallowed up by the roaring voices of the crowd.
“Third Young Master! Third Young Master!”
In that brief moment, dozens more had gathered. Countless gazes rained down upon me like arrows finding their mark.
‘What the hell is this?’
Then Jin Wi-kyung, his face resolute, thrust his hand into my armpit and hoisted me upward with a flourish.
On cue, a thunderous roar erupted from the masses.
“Waaaaaah!”
“Third Young Master! Jin Tae-kyung!”
“The Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi! The Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi!”
And then…
‘Damn it. This isn’t some baby lion.’
The background music of an old anime echoed in my ears.

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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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