Murim Login - Chapter 488

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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 488
The Water Dragon was indeed a divine being.
In broad strokes, it could be called a spirit creature, but possessing power far beyond that of ordinary spirits, it had been able to absorb all the magical energy from the Gate.
‘You can tell just by looking at the weather.’
True to form for a serpent that had lived five hundred years, there was something distinctly different about it.
When the Water Dragon in its transformed state had rampaged, thunder and lightning had nearly capsized Dongting Lake with towering waves, yet now it lay serene as if nothing had ever occurred.
But unlike the peaceful appearance of Dongting Lake, my heart churned with turbulent currents.
‘…Is this that calm before the storm everyone talks about?’
I glanced at the back of Moon-kyung walking ahead of me.
A frame a head shorter than mine, with a slender build. Yet that reality was a beast of prey wearing the skin of a herbivore.
‘Why did he suddenly call me out? What does he have to say?’
I felt a sudden sense of injustice.
Could he still be upset about me speaking casually during the battle?
He called me out saying he had something to discuss, but surely he wasn’t suggesting we have a physical conversation.
It was precisely when my unease grew with each step Moon-kyung took toward increasingly desolate terrain.
“Halt right there.”
Whoosh!
One voice, yet seven figures surrounded us.
All of them were peak masters who had accumulated considerable inner strength, their waists adorned with swords bearing pine tree engravings.
‘Pine-pattern ancient swords.’
Sure enough, a middle-aged Taoist dressed in Wudang Sect robes stepped forward from the thick darkness.
The middle-aged Taoist, who by his bearing seemed to hold a position of leadership, opened his mouth toward us.
“This area has been restricted from entry after the hour of Xu. You should turn back… wait, a moment. Could you be the Fire Dragon?”
“Pardon?”
The middle-aged Taoist, spotting me over Moon-kyung’s shoulder, widened his eyes and asked.
“Jin Tae-kyung the minor expert, no wait. Jin Tae-kyung the major expert, is it not?”
“I’m not a major expert, but my name is indeed Jin Tae-kyung.”
“Ah yes. My intuition was correct then. I thought your face looked familiar.”
While it may have been familiar to him, I was a complete stranger to myself.
The middle-aged Taoist, who had greeted me with the warmth of welcoming a son freshly discharged from military service, suddenly asked as if remembering something.
“But what brings you to this place at such a late hour? Temporary quarters should have already been assigned to you.”
“…Well, that is.”
I was being dragged along by Sal-sung.
I swallowed the words rising in my throat and was about to deflect vaguely when a sudden realization struck my mind.
Now that I thought about it, this was the last escape opportunity heaven had granted me.
“Is this area restricted from entry?”
“Indeed. We take turns standing watch to prepare for any contingency. But who is this young-looking person accompanying you?”
“Sal….”
“Hmm?”
– Immediate execution.
“The wind blows gently, doesn’t it?”
“Ah, heh heh. Indeed it does.”
Sal-sung! Old man! That bastard Sal-sung!
I understood the barber’s heart who once cried out that the king had donkey ears.
But facing the predatory gaze sinking deep within those eyes, I forced a smile and answered.
“We simply came to know each other through various circumstances.”
“If you know each other, then precisely how…?”
“We met in Sichuan and have traveled together ever since. He’s not a martial artist, but a physician.”
“Ah. I remember now. They say there’s a renowned doctor with exceptional skills despite his youth, and this must be the one.”
“Yes. This is that person.”
“But what brings you both here at such a late hour?”
“Well, we had some urgent matters to discuss.”
“You seem quite close then?”
I couldn’t let that one pass.
I answered with a serious expression.
“No. We’re not that close.”
“Hmm, then I’m afraid that’s rather problematic. I apologize to Jin, but according to regulations, without proper guarantees….”
“Ah, I see. Thank you for your trouble. Moon-kyung, let’s go!”
– Immediate departure.
“….”
– Back to position.
A chill ran through me as the transmission struck home.
I, who had half-turned my body, helplessly turned back around.
– Say you’re close.
“I was joking. In fact, we’re very close.”
The middle-aged Taoist, alternating his gaze between Moon-kyung and me, muttered.
“For people that close, you were walking apart without saying a word….”
– Answer well.
“We understand each other just by exchanging glances.”
“But you turned your head. How could you exchange glances….”
“Before, we understood each other just by glances, but these days I can tell what he’s thinking just by looking at the back of his head.”
“….”
– Out of genuine curiosity, does the Yeolhwa Sect’s regulations specify that only idiots should be recruited?
Damn it. What do you expect me to do?
At the lukewarm gaze of the middle-aged Taoist studying me, Moon-kyung’s transmission followed.
– Come closer.
“…?”
– Link arms.
“…!”
This isn’t some avatar game.
But what can I do? In the Murim, the strong are the law and the divine.
I shuffled forward, draped my arm across Moon-kyung’s shoulder, and arranged my face into a death mask.
“Phew, we’re really close friends.”
– Smile.
“Hahaha! We’re really close friends!”
– Louder.
“Ahahahahaha!”
– I can see every sidelong glance you’re giving. Do that even once more, and I’ll grant you the ability to perceive the world not with eyes, but with your heart.
He threatened to gouge out my eyes with remarkable eloquence. I desperately abandoned my sidelong glancing and muttered.
“In any case, we are close friends.”
And throughout this entire spectacle, the Wudang Sect martial artists, including the Middle-aged Taoist, watched with expressions as if they’d just witnessed the summer’s greatest horror film.
I’d arranged my face into a death mask, then laughed like a madman, all while shooting sidelong glances at Moon-kyung—if anyone failed to notice something was amiss, they should abandon the Wudang Sect’s teachings.
The Middle-aged Taoist, his face suddenly resolute, moistened his lips.
– I ask this out of an abundance of caution, but if there’s something you yourself may not be aware of, blink your eyes three times. If nothing is amiss, blink twice.
– I heard all of that. If you blink three times, know that your body will be split into three pieces.
You bastard! This bastard! This bastard Sal-sung! This bastard with a surveillance device in his ear!
But my outcry remained silent, and I quietly blinked my eyes twice.
In truth, no matter how much suspicion arose over there, they would never guess that the young physician before their eyes was a supreme master rejuvenated through the Reverse Heavenly Cycle.
And speaking coldly, Sal-sung was unmistakably an ally.
– Are you certain?
There was only one answer I could give to such a question.
Even among supreme masters, Jeok Cheon-gang and Sal-sung—whose depths of enlightenment differed—were living surveillance devices capable of intercepting even the transmitted thoughts of others.
– Yes. Why would I deceive about something like this? He’s simply a friend I’ve built camaraderie with through traveling together.
Though someone seems to have built murderous intent instead of friendship. Still, something was certainly built.
The Middle-aged Taoist, having heard my transmitted thought, let out a soft chuckle.
– Indeed, what misfortune could befall the legendary Yeolhwa Divine Dragon? Please forgive this old man’s broad-mindedness, Jin. It seems recent events have made me inadvertently sensitive.
No, you’re dull. Please, become just a little more perceptive.
But contrary to my wishes, the Middle-aged Taoist opened his mouth with a warm smile.
“Then all is well. If it’s Jin, I can trust you. You may pass!”
“Wait, just a moment.”
“Hehe, I wondered what brought you all this way, and it seems to be quite an important conversation. I understand—it’s against regulations, but I’ll step aside for a time.”
“Pardon?”
“One meal’s time. Would that suffice?”
Of course it won’t, you fool. How could it possibly suffice?
But before I could answer, Moon-kyung offered a serene smile and bowed respectfully.
“That will be sufficient.”
“…!”
Why does that brief reply sound like a death threat to my ears?
The Middle-aged Taoist, unaware of my trembling eyelids, stroked his beard with satisfaction and smiled warmly.
“A youth with proper manners. Do examine my body next time as well.”
“Of course, Taoist.”
“Heh heh. Then I shall return after one hour.”
Whoosh!
Seven masters at the pinnacle of cultivation—or rather, seven witnesses including the middle-aged Taoist—launched themselves into the air.
I watched their receding figures fade into the distance with a blank stare, then slowly turned around as I felt the layers of energy barriers enveloping the space around me.
Sound and impact.
A space where everything had been cut off from the outside world by an energy barrier.
And there, within the darkness, a pair of eyes gleamed with an icy brilliance.
“Master or disciple, you both have a talent for exhausting people, don’t you?”
“…!”
A voice that chilled my chest merely by hearing it.
The young man who had transformed from an innocent-looking child physician into the greatest assassin of all time leaned his back against a large boulder.
Though he emitted no aura of energy, I could sense it—countless invisible blades concealed throughout his entire being.
‘Sal-sung.’
This was Moon-kyung’s hidden name, his true nature.
I don’t know what he looked like in the past. But I would stake Hyuk Moo-jin’s manhood on this: even after forty years away from the Murim, Moon-kyung’s blades had not dulled one bit.
No, they had undoubtedly grown sharper and more refined.
‘Ah, I miss my mother.’
Truth be told, I know it myself—that Moon-kyung would never truly harm me.
But the mind and heart think differently.
Even knowing that the beast before me won’t sink its fangs into my throat this instant, one’s heart still recoils from drawing near.
Gulp.
I swallowed hard and carefully opened my mouth.
“Why did you suddenly….”
Moon-kyung regarded me with those icy eyes.
“You sound displeased at being summoned.”
“No, that’s not it at all.”
“It certainly appears that way.”
“That can’t be. I’m simply poor at expressing emotions. The truth is, I’m delighted beyond measure.”
“Delighted?”
“…I’ll refrain from that particular word. My mouth has betrayed me. I need to see a coffin to come to my senses.”
“See a coffin?”
“…Please spare my life.”
“Spare your life?”
Damn it all.
The internet says repeating someone’s last words is how women flirt, but this is the kind of conversation that would make the Grim Reaper excited.
I could almost see the Yama King finishing his shift and cheerfully returning with the Book of Life and Death in hand.
‘What the hell. Why did he summon me in the first place?’
Was it really because I spoke informally to him last time?
If only I knew what this was about, my mind might find some peace, but without a clue, I’m going mad with frustration.
Moon-kyung, who had been regarding me with displeasure, suddenly furrowed his brow.
“What is it?”
“Pardon?”
“Haven’t you heard yet?”
“Heard what?”
“Fire King Red Sky River. Your master.”
“…?”
“Fire King Red Sky River.”
But so what? I couldn’t comprehend what he meant, and I had no idea what to say in response.
After hesitating for a moment, I cautiously opened my mouth, grasping at straws.
“Ganggang Sullae?”
“Red Sky River hasn’t said anything… what?”
“Ah, is this a word-chain game?”
“…I’ve never seen such a madman.”
“Or perhaps there’s a character limit? But Fire King Red Sky River is also five characters, so there shouldn’t be a problem….”
The atmosphere grew tense.
Moon-kyung gazed at me with eyes brimming with anger and regret, then sighed as he looked up at the sky.
“That I must teach this blockhead the forbidden martial arts.”
“….”
Damn it, no matter what, calling someone a blockhead to their face was too harsh. It really was too much….
‘Wait?’
What did I just hear?
Forbidden martial arts?

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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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