Murim Login - Chapter 345

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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 345
No matter how much the Murim was a realm where murder and violence ran rampant—a stage where death was commonplace—the upper echelons of any organization still maintained a certain decorum.
‘Especially for someone like Dang Sa-dok, the patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Sect and a member of the Five Great Families.’
In that respect, Dang Sa-dok was someone who could speak bluntly, but was unaccustomed to hearing bluntness directed at himself.
Precisely like now.
“Could you lend me the Antidote Orb, please?”
“…!”
A completely unexpected blow.
In that fleeting instant, his eye twitched, and he opened his mouth.
“You still believe such absurd nonsense? I knew you were young, but you’re far more naive than I thought.”
“I just saw your eye twitch, though.”
“Nonsense!”
“Why does your voice get louder when you’re struck a nerve?”
“I said I don’t have it!”
“Ah, your fists are clenching?”
“I don’t have it!”
“If it comes out when you empty your pockets, may I take it?”
“Fine! Search me! If you search and don’t find it, I’ll cut off your head instead!”
“Ah, so you’ve hidden it somewhere else. Then I’ll drop it.”
“Ugh…!”
“Tsk…!”
“You insolent brat, I’ll kill you!”
Ah, I should have held back on that last one.
Struck by the fantastic combo barrage, Dang Sa-dok’s eyes began to roll back.
I hurriedly shouted before he could scatter hidden weapons.
“Just once! I only need to borrow it for one time!”
“Didn’t I say I don’t have it!”
“Then let’s say you don’t. Just listen to what I have to say once.”
“Nothing you say will change anything.”
“Not even if I said I’d eliminate Hyung Soo?”
“What?”
“Hyung Soo—the one who harmed Dok Wang and Dang Sa-mun, the great heroes.”
The next moment.
“You blood-soaked wretch, now you’re showing your true colors…!”
Whoooosh.
A green aura shimmered and rose from Dang Sa-dok’s entire body like heat haze. His eyes blazing with intensity, he spoke in a voice that had grown dangerously quiet.
“Do you truly wish to die?”
“I have too bright a future ahead to want death.”
“Punishing that wretch is the Main Residence’s responsibility. How dare an outsider like you!”
Whooooom!
A gale-like momentum erupted, shaking the Pavilion. I stepped forward to shield the trembling Divine Physician and Moon-kyung as I answered.
“So what was the result?”
“…!”
“Hyung Soo is such a formidable master that he could topple even the Dok Wang of the realm. Moreover, to orchestrate a blood massacre at the Ami Sect while evading the Tang Sect’s notice in Sichuan itself—his strength extends far beyond martial prowess alone.”
No matter how vast the lands of Sichuan, the Tang Sect had taken root there across countless generations.
It was as though a family’s mortal enemy had slipped through their grasp in their own front yard. Dang Sa-dok’s face had hardened into stone—he’d led most of the clan’s forces in pursuit, yet returned empty-handed.
“Are you blaming the Main Residence for its incompetence right now?”
“Of course not.”
If the Sichuan Tang Sect were incompetent, most of the martial sects scattered across the realm ought to seal their gates and close their doors.
The Nine Major Sects and One Alliance, the Five Great Families—they were truly the giants supporting the Martial World. This calamity wasn’t a failure of the Sichuan Tang Sect or the Ami Sect; it was that Hyung Soo was a monster.
“I’m merely offering a possibility.”
“A possibility?”
“He possesses martial prowess comparable to the Ten Kings and is skilled in evasion. Wouldn’t the chances of capturing him increase if more hands lent their aid?”
“The Main Residence’s Green Shadow Squad already pursues him. I myself have only returned temporarily to prepare for any contingencies, and soon I shall personally hunt him down.”
Dang Sa-dok’s sharp gaze swept across me and Chung Poong.
“The Main Residence is the great Sichuan Tang Sect. We have no need for outside assistance. Least of all from mere saplings like you.”
“…Ah, yes. Of course.”
Well, I’d long since surpassed the level of a late-stage expert, hadn’t I?
‘Especially that one.’
I scratched the back of my head as I glanced at Chung Poong, who stood there gawking like a simpleton.
‘Hmm. I suppose this was inevitable.’
Given the Sichuan Tang Sect’s family ethos of doing things their own way, this response was entirely predictable.
That’s why I’d already devised a more compelling alternative on my way to the Sichuan Tang Sect.
“Then what of the Fire King, rather than these saplings of unknown origin?”
“…!”
“Suppose we somehow managed to track down Hyung Soo. He wouldn’t simply roll up his sleeve and politely ask you to inject poison into his veins, would he?”
One seeking to save. One seeking to kill. A fierce blood battle was inevitable.
If the Sichuan Tang Sect committed its full strength, they could achieve the Dok Wang’s vengeance, but they would have to bear enormous casualties.
Countless clan members, whether from cadet or main branches, would fall.
“Old Master Noya—rather, my master and I will assist you. We’ll minimize the Tang Sect’s losses and leave Hyung Soo’s disposition to the Patriarch.”
“…Impossible. No matter what losses we suffer, the Main Residence must accomplish this through its own strength.”
“Your response was half a beat too slow.”
“This is the path our ancestors forged, the path the Main Residence has walked. That is what made the Sichuan Tang Sect!”
“I understand. I know the path the Sichuan Tang Sect has walked.”
Kinship bound by blood—ties so viscous and enduring. Grudges once formed are never forgotten, and vengeance is merciless.
That was the path the Sichuan Tang Family had walked, and why people both revered and feared them.
I continued in a quiet voice.
“But people won’t point fingers if you take a shortcut now and then. Especially not if that shortcut is chosen to reduce the sacrifice of your clan members.”
Dang Sa-dok’s lips pressed into a tight line.
Perhaps he wasn’t quite as cold as he appeared.
No, even if that were the case, he wouldn’t be a ruthless family head who prioritizes only revenge.
‘If he were, he wouldn’t have returned to the family in the first place.’
Yet Man Dok-su, the Dang Sa-dok, had returned. To protect the family from any unforeseen danger, to shield the powerless family members left behind in his absence.
“What will you do?”
The answer to that question came only after a considerable time had passed.
“…If, just if, the Man Dok Restoration Pill existed—could you treat the enemy’s great hero?”
“According to someone I know, yes, you could.”
At my glance, the Divine Physician opened his mouth.
“The preparations are nearly complete. With the Man Dok Restoration Pill added, there would be no problem with the treatment.”
“How long would it take?”
“A fortnight. A fortnight would suffice.”
“A fortnight….”
Dang Sa-dok, exhaling a low breath, spoke while gazing at the Divine Physician.
“I too examined the enemy’s great hero’s condition some time ago. Though my medical skills are shallow compared to poison mastery, I could not discern what ailment he suffered from. Is it truly possible?”
“It is possible.”
In that instant, a clear voice rang out.
Moon-kyung stepped forward and added a word.
“If it is the Divine Physician, it is possible.”
“A reckless one. Your disciple?”
The Divine Physician answered Dang Sa-dok’s question with a faint smile instead of words, then spoke.
“For the patient’s recovery, the Man Dok Restoration Pill is absolutely necessary. I understand your reluctance to reveal your secret medicine, but I humbly ask that you show benevolence and compassion.”
“Compassion. Do you think the same?”
“Suddenly?”
“Speak. I wish to hear your thoughts.”
“If you insist.”
I shrugged and answered.
“Rather than compassion, let’s call it reciprocity.”
“Why?”
“Because this is the Martial World. If someone helps you, repaying that debt is the way of the martial realm, is it not?”
A faint smile appeared at the corners of Dang Sa-dok’s wrinkled mouth.
“Much more pleasant to hear.”
“Pleasant to hear, and not mere flattery either.”
“What if Hyung Soo flees to distant lands while the enemy’s great hero is being treated?”
“I will pursue and capture him myself. Ah, of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll leave right now. I won’t budge until my master awakens.”
“A funny one. Hyung Soo deserves to be torn to shreds, but he is an extraordinary master. Can a mere brat like you capture such a man?”
“If I cannot capture him, I’ll have to kill him.”
“Ahahaha!”
Dang Sa-dok burst into hearty laughter, then stopped and uttered a single statement.
“The Man Dok Restoration Pill does not exist.”
“…What?”
What the hell is this nonsense?
Has this old man been toying with me all this time?
Just as I felt the back of my head tingling with that realization, Dang Sa-dok’s voice continued.
“The Man Dok-su Elixir is merely an ancient legend. Even among the bloodline of the Main Residence, it’s nothing but a dusty old tale.”
“What? It doesn’t exist? It really doesn’t exist?”
“No one knows of it, and no one should ever know.”
“Damn it. Then why didn’t you say so from the beginning! Are you messing with me right….”
Ssshhhhh.
I fell silent, unable to finish my sentence.
A pure white serpent had slithered out from Dang Sa-dok’s robes, its forked tongue flicking as it stared directly at me.
‘What is that?’
This isn’t Voldemort. Why is a snake suddenly appearing here?
And unlike any ordinary serpent, it even had horns. As I locked eyes with the creature’s black pupils, the Divine Physician let out a murmur.
“A Thousand-Year Venom Horned Snake…?”
The name alone sounded perfectly fitting for a venomous creature.
Watching me slowly back away, Dang Sa-dok chuckled and stroked the serpent’s triangular head.
“There’s no need to fear. It’s not a dangerous creature, so you needn’t retreat.”
“The name itself looks incredibly dangerous.”
“A Thousand-Year Venom Horned Snake?”
“Yes. What kind of name is that—it’s not like it’s a Golden Retriever. Anyway, does the Man Dok-su Elixir really not exist?”
“It’s not a Thousand-Year Venom Horned Snake. It’s Mi-mi.”
“Pardon?”
“Dang Mi-mi. It’s the name I gave to this creature.”
What is this? It’s terrifying….
Dang Sa-dok, stroking Mi-mi with affectionate care, suddenly turned his gaze toward the Divine Physician.
“You would know this—this creature is no ordinary Thousand-Year Venom Horned Snake.”
The Divine Physician nodded.
“The Thousand-Year Venom Horned Snake is a rare venomous creature bearing extreme toxins, with a body entirely black and a temperament so ferocious it cannot be tamed. However….”
“As you can see, this one’s appearance is different, and its temperament is remarkably docile.”
“Yet there is no telling when it might turn. A single drop of its venom can kill a hundred cattle.”
“There is nothing to worry about. This creature has no venom.”
“Pardon?”
“To be precise… it no longer has any.”
Having finished speaking, Dang Sa-dok locked eyes with Mi-mi—the Thousand-Year Venom Horned Snake.
Though it lasted only a brief moment, it was unmistakably a communion of understanding, and the intelligent serpent clearly grasped its master’s intent.
Shhhhk, ssshhhhh!
Lowering its head and releasing a metallic sound, the creature spat something onto Dang Sa-dok’s palm.
With a soft thud, the object emerged from its mucous coating.
‘That is….’
A ring.
A ring embedded with a black jewel, as if it had imprisoned all the darkness of the world within itself.
That very ring, which had absorbed even the extreme poison of the Thousand-Year Solitary Fang Sect, gleamed with an ethereal yet ominous brilliance.
“Could it be?”
As I stared at the ring with my mind half-adrift, Dang Sa-dok’s low voice pierced through my ears.
“Remember this well. No one must know, and no one must ever learn of it.”
“Then….”
“Yes.”
Dang Sa-dok extended it toward me.
“It is a sacred treasure of the Main Residence.”
The moment I grasped the ring with trembling hands, the awaited chime resonated through the air.
Ding.
– Quest Condition,
[Acquire the All-Poison Ring]
has been completed!
– Linked Quest,
[All-Poison Ring (萬毒指環)]
has been successfully completed!

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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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