Murim Login - Chapter 373

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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 373
The return journey was swift.
On the way there, we had moderated our pace while exchanging information, but now it was like assembling a luxury party of five supreme masters—if this were a game, we would be unstoppable.
A distance that would have taken an ordinary person half a day had been compressed considerably.
“You’ve worked hard, Patron Jin.”
“You must still be weary, yet you followed us anyway. I’m grateful.”
As the two sect leaders offered their greetings upon reaching the vicinity of the Sichuan Tang Sect, I shrugged my shoulders.
“Not at all. I didn’t help much anyway.”
“That’s true.”
“Indeed it is.”
….
Well, it’s a fact that I wasn’t much help, but wasn’t this a bit harsh?
Cheong Poong, who offered me a faint smile, clasped his fists toward Sal-sung and Jeok Cheon-gang.
“I am grateful to you both as well, seniors. I feel apologetic for having caused you unnecessary trouble.”
Sal-sung and Jeok Cheon-gang answered simultaneously.
“Unnecessary it certainly was.”
“Next time, don’t create reasons to apologize. Understood?”
“…Yes, sir.”
Right, that was exactly how I felt.
Sal-sung continued, addressing Cheong Poong, whose expression had turned bitter.
“And… I hope there will be no need to seek me out again.”
It was not a casual request to be called upon sparingly. He who had briefly returned as Sal-sung was now preparing to revert to the young Divine Physician, Moon-kyung.
Everyone present, myself included, grasped the meaning behind those words.
Among them, the two sect leaders were most taken aback.
“S-Senior. That is….”
“Patron. Would you not reconsider once more?”
But instead of an answer, what returned was Sal-sung’s dry gaze.
Cheong Poong and Myeol-jeol Shinni, who had been silent for a moment, nodded with small sighs.
“…We shall respect your wishes.”
“I will honor the patron’s decision. For now.”
For now. The words added at the end carried particular weight. A low voice flowed from between Sal-sung’s lips.
“This venture was merely a small whim, but my resolve remains unchanged.”
An uncompromising answer that left no room for negotiation. Sal-sung’s gaze turned toward me and Jeok Cheon-gang.
“I trust you both understand.”
Jeok Cheon-gang suddenly opened his mouth.
“You intend to masquerade as a Divine Physician again, one who no longer suits you?”
“It is not a masquerade. Sal-sung no longer exists, and only a Divine Physician remains.”
“Can a tiger wearing a goat’s hide truly be called a goat?”
“If it hides its fangs and conceals its claws, even a tiger can become a goat.”
“Yet in the end, you revealed your claws in that final moment. Did you not?”
A shallow furrow deepened between Sal-sung’s brows.
“Growing old has made you more talkative. You must owe me a debt.”
“…Well. You’re not wrong, so I can’t even argue.”
“I’ll take that as your answer.”
Sal-sung dismissed the conversation with Jeok Cheon-gang and glanced at me.
“What about you?”
“Me?”
“Who else would be left?”
“No, that’s not it. Do I actually have a choice?”
“Of course. You have two options.”
Sal-sung opened his mouth with a blunt expression.
“First: you spread the word that the young physician Moon-kyung is actually Sal-sung, and then you’re discovered as a corpse without anyone knowing. Second: you keep your mouth shut without anyone noticing, treat me as before, and quietly leave.”
“…”
“Which will it be?”
My goodness, such a difficult choice left me momentarily speechless.
I swallowed hard and opened my mouth.
“The second one.”
“Good thinking.”
“Yes.”
Sal-sung was about to nod at my swift answer when he paused.
“Wait, what did you just say?”
“What?”
“What?”
“I mean, why are you acting so casual? You said to treat you comfortably like before.”
“…!”
“…!”
Both masters of the Jang family stood with their mouths agape, and Sal-sung, who had been momentarily at a loss for words, turned to Jeok Cheon-gang, who was chuckling.
“Is this guy insane?”
“That’s just how he is. Pretty annoying, right?”
“I want to crush his skull.”
I bowed deeply before my skull could be crushed.
“Ah, I momentarily misunderstood. My apologies.”
“…Even a dog wouldn’t believe that, but I’ll let it slide this time.”
My attempt to play innocent was far too transparent. Sal-sung, who had been glaring at me with narrowed eyes for a moment, opened his mouth.
“In any case, be careful from now on. Apart from those present here, no one knows the truth about me. Ah, except for that boy Chung Poong. My disciple naturally knows.”
“So-hyup also knew?”
“Yes. Apart from that boy, everyone who saw my true form that day is dead.”
Thorough cleanup work. Now I finally understand why there were no prisoners taken at the Sichuan Tang Sect.
A masked Sal-sung. Remove the mask and everyone—judges, spectators, all of them—drops dead.
‘Still, the more I think about it, the stranger it feels. Moon-kyung was actually Sal-sung all along.’
Memories from our first meeting at the Yangtze River until now flashed through my mind in rapid succession.
Which of the faces he had shown me were truth, and which were lies?
The innocent young Divine Physician I once knew no longer existed. There remained only the greatest assassin in all the land, with eyes devoid of warmth and color.
Without thinking, a question tumbled from my lips.
“Why do you conceal yourself so thoroughly?”
Sal-sung’s figure, which had been advancing toward the distant Sichuan Tang Sect, froze abruptly at my unexpected question.
After a brief silence, an unexpectedly composed answer came.
“I’m sick of the Murim.”
“Is that why you left?”
“Yes. I swore to the heavens that I would never take another life.”
In this place, the Murim, assassins are despised. They are unwelcome not only by the Orthodox Sects but also by the Demonic Heretical Way.
They are regarded not as martial artists pursuing higher realms of technique, but as beings born solely for murder.
I could only imagine how much blood had been spilled and buried before a single assassin earned the epithet of Sal-sung, the Kill Star. I understood his heart to some degree.
But…
“Still, I’m curious about one thing.”
“What?”
“Why you returned to the Murim you despise so much.”
“…Return? What nonsense are you spouting?”
Sal-sung’s eyes grew distant and hollow.
“It was an unavoidable, inevitable choice.”
“I see. If you say so, I have nothing to argue. But it seems you made several choices of your own accord. For instance…”
I scratched the back of my head and continued.
“You asked to travel together with some martial artists you met at the Yangtze River, saying your paths were the same. Then, a few days later, you happened to meet again and subtly revealed your identity. Or perhaps you borrowed my name to command Hu Gae of the Beggar Clan to save the Emei Sect, while you yourself went to the Qingcheng Sect…”
“Enough.”
“Yes. I was planning to stop anyway. Listing them one by one, there are quite a few.”
“What is it you wish to hear? That I should have stood idle and watched countless people, including you and your master, die?”
“That’s not it at all. I’m truly grateful. So-hyup.”
Not mockery, but absolute sincerity. Had he not stepped forward at the right moment, countless would have perished and suffered.
Of course, Jeok Cheon-gang and I would have been no exception.
Yet Sal-sung’s reaction to my gratitude was as parched as desert sand.
“Don’t call me So-hyup.”
“Then what should I call you?”
Sal-sung, who had been staring at me in silence, turned his head away.
As he took a step toward the Sichuan Tang Sect, which appeared as a mere speck in the distance, his form glided like a phantom.
A boy’s voice scattered through the wind that blew between us.
“Moon-kyung. That will suffice.”
Would that truly suffice? Only he held the answer to that question.
I shrugged and replied.
“Understood. Moon-kyung.”
“…!”
At that moment, the figure of one person walking ahead stumbled.
* * *
Two leeches had attached themselves to me as I returned to the Pavilion.
One was Hyuk Moo-jin, who couldn’t tell if he was my right arm or pinky finger, and the other was that fellow whose skin had turned slightly pale, as if I’d pushed him recently.
“Moon-kyung, why is he like that? For some reason, he seems a bit darker.”
“That could be. Our master, the Divine Physician, was also wounded, and there are so many patients waiting right now.”
“Ah, I see. But Clan Leader, where did you and Moon-kyung go?”
“The kid looked gloomy, so I took him out for some fresh air. Why are you so foolish?”
“Well, I never thought I’d hear such words even from a beggar. I may look like this, but I’ve read hundreds of books. I’ve never been called foolish anywhere else.”
No, from my perspective, they both seemed equally foolish.
I swallowed the two characters—Sal-sung—that lingered on the tip of my tongue. Those fools would never know even if they died and came back to life. Moon-kyung’s true identity.
‘Well, with that level of acting ability, anyone would be fooled.’
The moment attention turned away, Sal-sung reverted to Moon-kyung.
No one suspected his identity just because the usually cheerful young physician’s demeanor had grown slightly darker.
Rather, it would be more accurate to say they couldn’t even have guessed.
“I’d acknowledge it if you’d read the Four Books and Three Classics, but all you’ve done is read martial arts novels.”
“I’ve read romance novels too. Don’t you know Gwi-yeom-mi?”
“Wait. Gwi-yeom-mi? You mean that scholar who wrote ‘The Temptation of the Latter Period Index’ and ‘That One Was Strong’ and so on?”
“Yes, you know about it.”
“Of course I do. Back when I was a first-rate disciple, I borrowed that with money I begged for, and the boss beat me until dust flew. Ha, if I meet that bastard now, I’ll just—”
Thwack!
“Oof!”
“Ack!
I kicked the backsides of those two fools who were happily sharing memories and threw them out, slamming the door shut.
I had no idea why they came here to cause a ruckus when they already had so much to think about.
‘Finally, it’s quiet.’
By now, Chung Poong would be wandering around here and there, and I’d told Jeok Cheon-gang to rest all day, so there would be no one looking for me for a while.
Lying down on the soft bed, I decided to attend to the matter I’d been putting off.
‘Check unread messages.’
Ding. Ding. Ding, ding!
Along with the endless ringing of bells, system windows filled the empty space. It had happened a few times before, but this was a new record.
Momentarily at a loss for words, I began checking the important messages one by one.
–
[Supreme Pinnacle]
realm has been reached!
–
[Lv.170 No Gun-baek]
has been defeated!
– Quest,
[Uninvited Guest]
successfully completed!
– You have acquired vast experience and fame!
– System Message has exceeded its limit. Consolidating acquired experience and fame.
–
[Lv.120]
reached!
– Your fame has surpassed the threshold, granting you a new epithet!
– Through battles where life and death hung in the balance, you have attained enlightenment. The proficiency of all martial arts has greatly increased, and you can now utilize new techniques!
–
[Flame Divine Art]
has reached the eighth stage!
–
[Flame Divine Expansion]
has reached….
–
[Fire Dragon Divine Spear]
has….
Countless messages—no, a veritable torrent of notifications.
My eyes spun dizzily just from skimming through them.
“…Wow, damn.”
What is all this?
I was bewildered by the fact that half of the messages remained unread.
As I scrolled down with my hand to grasp the remaining count, something peculiar caught my eye.
– A new item has become bound to you.
– Currently bound items in possession:
[White Flame]
,
[???]
– The name has not yet been determined. Once you assign a new name, the item will become wholly bound to you and can be summoned from your inventory anywhere.
“It’s showing up here too….”
The modern world and the Murim inventories are kept separate. However, bound items like White Flame can be retrieved and used anywhere without spatial constraints.
I had already felt lacking with just White Flame alone, so this stroke of fortune was most welcome.
‘If you’re giving it to me, then thank you.’
It was precisely as I swelled with anticipation and moved to check my inventory.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock on the door, and someone peeked their head in cautiously.
“Chief, it’s me, Moo-jin….”
“Get out.”
“No, it’s not that….”
“I’m busy. Go read some Gwi-yeom-mi novels.”
“Oh, you saw the team leader too?”
“…This bastard, seriously.”
This won’t do. Before I open the items, I need to deal with this bastard first.
The moment I bolted upright from the bed, Hyuk Moo-jin cried out in panic.
“Hanan! It’s Hanan!”
“What?”
“An investigation team has arrived from Hanan! They’re looking for the team leader.”
“…An investigation team?”
My brow furrowed at Hyuk Moo-jin’s disjointed words.
Ding.
A familiar notification reached 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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