Murim Login - Chapter 35

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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 35
A hospital room at the Medicine King Hall.
Hyuk Moo-jin, swathed entirely in bandages, let out a groan of pain.
“I’m dying.”
Han Yeop, lying in the adjacent bed in similarly wretched condition, replied.
“It’s a miracle we’re alive at all.”
“Right?”
“Indeed.”
Silence settled between them. Both were lost in memories of that day.
Jo Pil’s palm strike—a technique impossible to defend against even with foreknowledge. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that crimson hand blazing before me. Perhaps it would haunt me as a nightmare for the rest of my life.
“A monster. How is something like that even possible?”
“He’s a supreme master.”
Unlike Hyuk Moo-jin’s hollow despair, Han Yeop’s voice remained composed.
“Hey, you bastard. Doesn’t this bother you at all?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…”
Hyuk Moo-jin found himself at a loss for words. That’s true. It’s possible he isn’t bothered.
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“I know.”
“Huh?”
“I know what you’re thinking, Vice-Commander. What you’re trying to say.”
“….”
“When I first regained consciousness, so many thoughts flooded in. Relief at being alive. The helplessness I felt in that moment. Despair about my own martial prowess.”
Hyuk Moo-jin fell silent. Han Yeop’s words were precise. Jo Pil’s Flame Divine Palm had shattered bones and torn meridians, but the wound Han Yeop carried was of a different nature.
A single question that had haunted his mind ever since that day.
‘Can I ever reach that realm?’
The word “overwhelming” hardly sufficed. All the effort until now, all his pride in his own martial arts—it had been torn out by the roots.
“Did you cast all of that aside?”
Han Yeop shook his head.
“Then what?”
“I accepted that I’m weak. It wasn’t difficult at all. I always knew it, after all. But…”
“…?”
“I will grow stronger. As strong as Jo Pil. No—far stronger than Jo Pil.”
Han Yeop continued with conviction in his voice.
“When I thought about that, I felt joy. If I reach the supreme realm, I could become that strong too. That’s what I thought.”
“Supreme master…”
The supreme realm was a domain granted only to the rarest few. Han Yeop’s declaration, coming from someone merely second or third-rate, was almost laughable.
But Hyuk Moo-jin did not mock him.
‘He’s changed. This one too.’
So much had changed in the meantime. Circumstances. People.
Even the timid second-rate martial artists had joined the current. Hyuk Moo-jin’s chest suddenly stirred. In the next moment, words burst forth unbidden.
“I will grow stronger.”
Han Yeop’s eyes widened at those words, and he soon broke into a smile.
“That’s exactly how it will be. First, you must catch up to one person.”
They both thought of the same person simultaneously. Jin Tae-kyung. What was he doing now, already running ahead of them?
Behind the two lost in thought, the door that had been slightly ajar slid shut with a soft whisper.
* * *
As I closed the door and turned around, my entire body trembled.
“Ugh, damn it.”
These fools were filming a coming-of-age drama in the hospital room. I’d been quietly listening to their conversation, and it was absolutely ridiculous.
I nearly became sworn brothers with them.
‘Still, it’s rather touching.’
We’ve shared life and death together, haven’t we? Besides, those two risked their lives to help me. It would be a lie to say I feel nothing for them.
‘Will this be the last time?’
In two days, I will take command of the main force’s rear guard and march out, while those two and the other Scout Unit members will remain at the family estate as the wounded. And perhaps….
‘By then, I’ll have logged out.’
Achieving the final condition of the logout Quest—500 fame—was drawing near. Today’s visit to the Medicine King Hall was a sort of farewell.
You could call it the nostalgia of a veteran soldier on the eve of discharge.
‘Well, I don’t need to tell them anything. Just seeing their faces is enough.’
I’d already glanced over the other Scout Unit members. I’d seen Han Yeop and Hyuk Moo-jin, so if I stop by one more place… huh?
“Oh!”
A cloth doll in one hand, sweets in the other.
A little girl with her hair adorably tied back cried out with sparkling eyes.
“The Observation Method mister!”
“….”
Would it kill you to call me older brother? I waved at So-yul with sad eyes.
* * *
“Young Master Jin.”
“Benefactor!”
The moment I entered the hospital room, immediate reactions burst forth. I stopped the still-pallid Gong Ya-cheong from rising and helped up So-cheon, who was prostrating himself.
“Rest. You too, get up. I’m not old enough to receive such reverence.”
“A hundred bows would not repay the debt of gratitude we owe you.”
Already, moisture gathered in both their eyes. Innocent So-yul hugged her cloth doll tightly and scampered over to embrace her brother.
“Brother received a favor? Show me the favor too. Is it pretty?”
No, that’s not a favor, that’s my clothes.
Leaving the chattering So-yul behind, I spoke to Gong Ya-cheong.
“How is your body feeling?”
“Better than could be hoped. I’ll need to rest for some time, though.”
A faint smile spread across Gong Ya-cheong’s lips.
“It is all thanks to you, Young Master.”
“I didn’t ask to hear excuses. There was even a time when I left him behind without a second thought.”
“It was my choice. And Gong Ya-cheong came back.”
That night when I was being hunted by Jo Pil came flooding back. Gong Ya-cheong had been in a severe state of intoxication and wanted to stay behind of his own accord. Just as he had made that choice, I too had to decide.
After countless internal conflicts, the decision I made was to return to him.
‘I regretted it terribly.’
It was madness. Gambling with my life for nothing more than an NPC in a game. But now I think I understand. Why I made that choice.
What I saw in those young siblings who had lost their parents, and who I remembered when looking at Gong Ya-cheong and the members of the Scout Unit….
“Young Master Jin?”
Gong Ya-cheong’s voice pulled me back to reality.
“It’s nothing. Just… I had some things on my mind.”
“Ah, I’ve heard rumors too. Is that what’s troubling you?”
“What rumors?”
“They say a major battle will occur soon.”
Wasn’t this military intelligence?
If someone confined to the Hospital Room knew about it, then everyone in the Taewon Jin Family with eyes and ears must know as well.
If there’s even a single spy among them, they might as well have a megaphone broadcasting to the north.
‘Is this war really going to be alright like this?’
The fleeting thought crossed my mind, but I brushed it away. What did it matter? Soon enough, it wouldn’t concern me anyway.
The system notifications that kept ringing were proof of that.
Ding.
– Rumors about you continue to spread.
– Fame increases by 1.
As the saying goes, words travel a thousand miles without feet. Ever since I defeated Jo Pil, my name had begun spreading in earnest.
I opened the Quest window and checked—my remaining Fame was around 50.
Logging out was already all but certain.
“It will be a battle upon which the fate of the Main Residence rests.”
Of course, they had no way of knowing my situation. I listened quietly to the conversation between Gong Ya-cheong and So-cheon, then rose from my seat.
“I should be going now.”
“Benefactor.”
It was Gong Ya-cheong who stopped So-cheon, whose face had fallen.
“Let him go.”
“But….”
“Now, now.”
So-cheon lowered his head dejectedly. So-yul, who had been playing with a doll by herself, looked up at me with her large eyes.
“Mister, are you leaving already?”
“It’s big brother, remember?”
“Okay. Mister.”
I pinched So-yul’s chubby cheeks lightly and turned to leave, when Gong Ya-cheong called out to me.
“Young Master Jin. When you leave, shouldn’t you take with you what you’ve left behind?”
“What I’ve left behind?”
I thought about it for a moment, but there was no way something like that existed. Thanks to the cheat function of my inventory, my hands were always light.
“I don’t have anything like that… What is this?”
In Gong Ya-cheong’s hand was a long bundle.
“It’s something the young master couldn’t pack due to the chaos. Now that the owner has arrived, it’s only right to return it.”
What is this?
Bewildered, I accepted the bundle. It had considerable weight. As I tried to examine its contents, Gong Ya-cheong spoke.
“Open it in your quarters. Make sure no one else sees it.”
Had I just picked up a golden calf?
* * *
The moment I arrived at my quarters, I unwrapped the bundle. And I understood the meaning behind Gong Ya-cheong’s final words.
‘These are definitely items that would make anyone covet them.’
An old manuscript, a small box, and a familiar sword.
To a martial artist, the value of these items was incomparable to any golden calf. I possessed the ability to assess their worth more accurately than anyone else.
‘Item check.’
Ding.
Item Window
[Flame Divine Form]
Type
: Martial Art Secret Manual
Grade
: Supreme
Restriction
: Owner of the Yeolhwa Flame Vessel
Description
: One of the secret techniques of the Yeolhwa Sect. A martial art based on powerful flame energy.
Effect
: Acquisition of [Flame Divine Form]
Item Window
[Yeolhwa Spirit Elixir]
Type
: Spirit Pill
Grade
: Peak
Restriction
: None
Description
: A spirit pill manufactured using the secret methods of the Yeolhwa Sect.
Effect
: Upon consumption, grants thirty years of cultivation. However, if one cannot control the powerful flame energy contained within the pill, a terrible fate awaits.
Item Window
[Nameless Blade]
Type
: Sword
Grade
: None
Restrictions
: None
Description
: Forged from ten-thousand-year cold iron, it is extraordinarily sharp and resilient. Having absorbed countless bloodshed over the ages, it has undergone its own transformation. Special conditions are required to draw forth the blade’s true power.
Effects
: Unknown
“This is insane.”
Truly insane. An elixir containing thirty years of cultivation from the supreme secret technique, and on top of that, a sword that looks absolutely incredible even if I don’t know the exact details.
They say a tiger leaves behind its hide when it dies—Jo Pil left behind three such treasures.
‘Damn it. Always saving the good stuff for after everything’s done.’
What a ridiculous game. If you were going to give me something, why not earlier? Showing up late like this makes my blood pressure spike.
‘Still, these items are genuinely incredible.’
Reading the description alone was enough to tempt me. What if I absorbed the elixir and mastered Flame Divine Form? Then I could conjure fire from my palm just like Jo Pil did, and…
‘It would look absolutely badass.’
But such thoughts were fleeting. They say in your final years, even falling leaves demand caution—I have no desire to accidentally swallow the elixir and orchestrate my own immolation.
‘Remember this. Safety first. Safety first.’
It’s laughable to talk about safety now, but I’m not so foolish as to recklessly gulp it down either.
‘It’s almost over.’
One misstep and everything ends. I stashed all the items into my inventory. In the dead of night, somewhere a drinking gathering must have been underway—a system notification chimed.
Ding.
– Reputation increased by 1.
* * *
At that moment, the Grand Elder was strolling through the Garden. The appointed date and place. ‘He’ in the darkness never failed to keep time.
– The moon is quite bright tonight.
– Indeed.
Just as he said, tonight’s full moon shone with unusual brilliance.
– When I was young, I loved the moon so… but as I grew older, such thoughts changed.
– What thoughts?
– I wish the moon didn’t exist. Something like that.
– A world without refinement, then.
– What does refinement matter? I’m a creature of the night, so I’d be delighted if the moon vanished.
Night work, he said—speaking in a frivolous and cheerful tone like a kept man—but the Grand Elder knew the truth. He was a master of formidable martial arts and an accomplished assassin.
Between the wind, the scent of blood seemed to drift.
– Ah, by the way. How are things progressing?
– Smoothly. The troop deployments are complete.
– Don’t overextend yourself. If that sharp-witted Young Lord catches wind of this, everything falls apart.
– No need to worry. I didn’t even have to lift a finger.
– Heaven favors us.
– And what of them?
– You ask the obvious.
The Grand Elder fell silent at the light rebuke.
‘What can one expect?’
They were like Hae-mu—figures shrouded in mist. Their true nature remained obscured, and even when I reached out to grasp them, they slipped through my fingers like vapor. All that lingered was the dampness on my palm and a sickening unease.
‘But they possess power.’
The power to make me the patriarch of the Taewon Jin Family, the sole hegemon of Shanxi Province. An ambition I’d nursed for half a lifetime. The Grand Elder was prepared to do whatever it took.
– All preparations are complete.
– As am I.
When the two great sects that divided Shanxi Province clashed… everything would end, and something new would begin.

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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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