Murim Login - Chapter 45

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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 45
Crunch.
Crimson eyes blinked placidly. Even this fearsome C-rank Rare monster, the Hop Goblin Warrior, could wear such an expression.
‘How did I not see this until now?’
With that idle thought, I shook the blood from my spear blade. At the same moment—
Thud.
Something massive crashed to the ground. The Warrior, recognizing what had fallen, instinctively stumbled backward.
Right. It deserved to. Its right arm, severed below the elbow, lay there in the dirt.
‘I thought you’d be different, at least.’
The Jin Family Secret Technique. Yes, I had driven forward with that very technique, boring into its chest. The Warrior reflexively swung its right arm, but that limb was already gone—nothing but empty air.
“Did you forget already?”
I pressed my spear blade against the Warrior’s ribs and thrust upward in one fluid motion. The blade, infused with inner force, tore through its hardened skin and muscle.
Crunch—
Its left arm fell away in a spray of green blood.
The Hop Goblin Warrior, now armless in an instant, unleashed a roar twisted with rage and agony.
— Krraaaagh!
But I could not afford complacency. Even without its arms, the creature remained a formidable threat.
“Come on. Bring it.”
Before the words had even left my mouth, its massive frame hurtled toward me.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Indeed, this beast’s body itself was a weapon. It possessed the primal senses and strength of a true monster, far surpassing any human.
Whoosh. Crack!
Its hooked claws raked across my forearm. Flesh tore away in chunks, blood pouring freely. I did not falter, instead blocking the heel strike aimed at my crown.
Boom. Crunch.
The ground beneath my feet began to give way, sinking steadily.
Tremendous force. At this rate, I would be buried standing.
‘Without inner force, this would be over.’
I drew all the inner force from my dantian. Power flowed through the Four Limbs and Hundred Vessels technique. As my spear rose slowly, the creature’s eyes wavered.
‘Too late.’
Had it been whole from the start, perhaps. But the Hop Goblin Warrior, already bereft of both arms, was no longer my match.
— Grrr.
In the end, it retreated first. And at that moment, the outcome was already decided.
I did not pause. I extended my spear.
‘Jin Family Spear Technique, First Form.’
Movements etched into body and mind unfolded with precision.
Thrust. Slash. Block with the shaft and strike. Individually simple, but combined in sequence and position, they spawned infinite variations.
That is how I define martial arts.
Clang! Clang!
Whoosh. Whish-whish-whish!
This form. Third form. Fourth form….
Steel-hard talons shattered and fell away. With each step backward, new wounds opened and more blood poured forth.
At some point, the Hop Goblin Warrior’s back pressed against the wall.
“Grrrrgh….”
A C-rank Rare monster. This creature that had seemed utterly impossible to defeat—its crimson eyes had long since lost all will to fight.
“Go. Now.”
Thud.
A final death rattle. The massive green corpse slid down the wall.
And then.
Ding.
–
[Lv.45 Hop Goblin Warrior]
has been defeated!
– Level Up!
The system notification chimed. I thought I’d never hear or see it again….
‘A system, out of nowhere.’
But I wasn’t the only one bewildered.
“…Jin Tae-kyung?”
Choi Team Leader’s pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake. He alternated his gaze between me and the Warrior’s corpse.
“What exactly are you?”
Yeah. I’d like to know that too.
Heh, heheheh.
* * *
“A Rare monster?”
The cigarette the Gate Administrator had been holding dropped from his mouth.
For someone who seemed born to be a bureaucrat, this was decidedly unwelcome news. True to form, his eyes as he examined us were nothing short of anxious.
“W-what rank?”
Choi Team Leader waved the Priest’s staff with a weary expression.
Clatter.
“C-rank Rare, Hop Goblin Priest.”
“C-rank?! What the hel——.”
Hey, save the cursing. There’s one more.
I kicked the Hop Goblin Warrior’s greatsword that I’d been leaning on like a staff. At the dull sound, the Gate Administrator turned his head.
“That one?”
“One down, one more. C-rank Rare, Hop Goblin Warrior.”
“Two mid-rank Rare monsters? In a mere E-rank Gate?”
I understand his reaction. This doesn’t make any sense.
The Gate Administrator alternated his gaze between us and our equipment for a while, then finally nodded with a sorrowful expression.
“I’ll contact my superiors right away.”
“Hey, sir. Wait a moment.”
Lim Hyuk-jun, who had finally regained consciousness. With my support, he was suffering serious injuries—at least five broken bones.
“Call a healer. A pretty one.”
The E-rank trio collapsed onto the ground with a thud.
“And potions! Potions! The good kind!”
“Damn it, how was this Gate even managed?”
“All our equipment is destroyed, and—what are we supposed to do about this?”
What could we do? The government would compensate us for everything anyway.
In fact, there was an actual law stipulating that all items consumed within a Gate, along with medical treatment and compensation, would be fully reimbursed.
So this was just a performance to squeeze out a bit more.
‘Tsk. Even so, there are people watching.’
That’s when I felt a sharp gaze from beside me.
“…Tae-kyung.”
It was Choi Team Leader.
“What are you doing?”
He was staring at me with confused eyes. More precisely, at my hand gripping the short sword.
Screeeech.
The seven-year-old leather armor, gouged by the mana-infused blade, was so damaged it could no longer be used.
“….”
“….”
“Team Leader Choi.”
I let out a sigh that seemed to sink into the ground itself.
“That Hop Goblin Warrior was incredibly strong. I managed to survive, but all my equipment was destroyed.”
“….”
“The armor that protected me for seven years, and now the spear too.”
“The spear looks fine to me….”
At that moment, I pressed down on the center of the spear shaft with one foot.
With the might of three-digit strength stats, the iron shaft bent like taffy.
“Fine, you say? This?”
“….”
Choi Team Leader fell silent.
* * *
Choi Team Leader was called away by the government officials dispatched as supervisors, while the other four were transported by ambulance for treatment.
I remained alone in a spacious, pleasant office instead of the stuffy Rest Area. As the moment finally arrived, my heart pounded wildly.
‘S-status window?’
At my hesitant call, the system responded.
Ding.
Status Window
[Lv.33 Jin Tae-kyung]
Occupation
: First-rate Martial Artist
Renown
: 0
Titles
: 2 (Title effects active)
– Novice Practitioner (Training Speed +10%)
– Gambler (One-on-One Combat: Combat Stats +10%)
Strength
: 120
Stamina
: 125
Agility
: 121
Intelligence
: 20
Charm
: 20
Cultivation
: 15 years
Remaining Points
: 30
– Synchronization complete. Titles and Renown will change.
“Damn. It’s really happening.”
I stared blankly at my status window for a moment before noticing something odd.
‘The status window… it’s changed?’
The first things that caught my eye were my Renown reset to 0 and the disappearance of a title. Reading the last line, I could make a rough guess.
‘Because I’m not in Murim anymore?’
All 500 Renown I’d accumulated had been earned as a member of Murim. And the title that vanished this time, [Scion of a Noble House], made sense in the same context.
‘Well, I’m not a scion of a prestigious family here, and I’m certainly not a sleeping dragon or anything like that.’
If I were to receive a title here, it would probably be something like “Commoner’s Child” or “Worm”—something equally pathetic.
“I wonder how much else has changed?”
I spent the next ten minutes toggling every system function on and off to test them, but the only change was to my status window.
Well, there was one more thing: the Quest window.
Ding.
Quest
[Traitor]
You have discovered the identity of the traitor. Rejoin the main force and alert them to the traitor’s presence, then lead the battle to victory!
Rank
: Peak
Restriction
: Jin Tae-kyung
Objective
: Punish the Traitor (Incomplete)
Combat Victory (Incomplete)
Rewards
: Vast Experience and Renown
Precious Iron Chest
Failure
: Death
A linked Quest received after defeating Gwak Jun and the assassins. I felt my mind growing complicated.
‘Is it telling me to go back? To Murim?’
Now I understand. What I experienced in Murim was neither fantasy nor a game. It’s an absurdly implausible story, but Murim is probably….
Creak.
I turned my head at the sudden sound. Choi Team Leader stood in the doorway.
“Let’s go, Tae-kyung.”
It seemed the conversation had wrapped up. I set aside my thoughts and stood.
“What about the others….”
“They should be heading to the Hospital by now. They said they’ll need about a week of hospitalization. There’s no need to worry.”
I’m not particularly worried. With a combat Hunter’s resilient body, potions, and healing magic, they’ll be back on their feet soon enough.
And….
“What happened with that?”
“You’ll hear back within a few days. An investigator will probably visit you as well.”
An investigator.
A type of person I’d rather not encounter again. But that wasn’t the answer I was looking for. So I asked again.
“What about the other matter?”
“Hmm.”
Choi Team Leader regarded me with an enigmatic expression. His eyes held the look of someone observing a curious creature.
‘Did he tell them the truth?’
I don’t want to reveal my power. Especially not at this point, when I don’t even understand why the System is visible in reality or what connection it has to Murim.
An F-rank Hunter single-handedly defeating a C-rank Rare monster was unprecedented. A nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Having lived a life opposite to that—always keeping my head down—I had no choice but to be cautious.
So I asked him for a favor.
‘Could you keep what you know about me confidential?’
It must have been a difficult request for Choi Team Leader. Asking a stranger to make a false statement.
“Jin Tae-kyung.”
“Yes.”
My heart grew heavy at the weight in his voice.
“Let’s grab some food.”
“Pardon?”
“Look.”
Choi Team Leader extended his wrist. A gleaming mana stone digital watch pointed to two o’clock in the afternoon.
“It’s an N Corporation product carved from a solid C-rank mana stone. It has reinforcement magic cast on it, so it can even be used as a shield in emergencies….”
So that was it.
“…Let’s go.”
This man is utterly unpredictable.
“How about some meat? Do you like Korean beef?”
“Korean beef?”
“Yes. Prime grade.”
And he’s a man of considerable means.
“I can’t eat what I don’t have.”
Not just any meat—Korean beef. Prime grade Korean beef, no less.
System or no system, I need to fill this empty stomach first.

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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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