Murim Login - Chapter 489

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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 489
A secret martial art.
The moment those words reached my ears, the four characters “stubborn fool” vanished cleanly from my mind.
I blinked for a moment, then asked in a hesitant voice.
“A secret… martial art? You’re saying you’ll teach me a secret martial art?”
For those of the Murim, a secret martial art is as precious as life itself—no, more precious than life.
Even in martial arts novels, there were countless fools swarming like moths to a flame just to obtain a single secret technique.
Moreover, having experienced the Murim firsthand, I realized it was far more valuable than I’d ever imagined, not less.
‘But he’s offering to teach me a secret martial art? And from someone as formidable as Sal-sung?’
Even hearing it directly, I couldn’t believe it. No—before that, a massive question mark hung over everything.
“Why?”
At my question laden with doubt, a deep furrow carved itself between Moon-kyung’s smooth brows.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why are you suddenly doing this for me?”
“I suspected as much. It seems that old Fire King truly gave you no hint whatsoever.”
“Then perhaps…”
“Yes. Your suspicion is correct. The Fire King…”
“Am I defecting? Changing from the Yeolhwa Sect to the Salseong Sect or something?”
“….”
Moon-kyung, whose expression had been murderous, continued with a sigh.
“The Fire King came to me directly and asked me to teach you martial arts.”
“What?”
At least it wasn’t a trade between sects, which was a relief, but this was equally unbelievable.
I regarded Moon-kyung with suspicious eyes.
“What’s with that look?”
“No matter how I think about it, it sounds like a lie.”
“A lie?”
“First, our Old Master Noya has such a foul temperament and such pride that he’s not the type to ask anyone for anything.”
A warm glow swept across Moon-kyung’s face, replacing the cold chill that had lingered there.
“Hmm, you’ve grasped it quite accurately. Continue.”
“Second, the person who received that request is equally foul-tempered and prideful as our Old Master Noya, so he’s not someone who would willingly teach his secret martial art to anyone.”
“…!”
“In any case, for these two reasons, I cannot believe it even if a blade were put to my throat.”
“Yes. Exactly.”
Moon-kyung, who had been muttering softly, fixed me with eyes that had turned cold as ice.
“So you’re saying you’d believe it if a blade were put to your throat. I heard you clearly.”
In that instant, something gleamed at the edge of Moon-kyung’s sleeve. Upon catching sight of the small sword that had quietly revealed itself, I quickly changed my tune.
“My faith is suddenly quite firm.”
“Suddenly?”
“In fact, I’ve believed it firmly from the very beginning.”
“Are you insane? Is there something wrong with your character?”
“Ugh!”
“…You’re thoroughly mad, aren’t you.”
Ah, I just want to kill him. It’s written all over my face.
Moon-kyung, who had been fidgeting with his short blade with conflicted eyes, suddenly spoke up.
“Come to think of it, you’re not entirely wrong.”
“Pardon?”
“First. You’re right that the Fire King has a foul temperament and strong pride. But it seems he makes an exception when it comes to his disciples.”
“…!”
“You’ll probably stubbornly insist you’re not his formal disciple anyway, but regardless. The Fire King cherishes you. Very much so.”
Hmm.
I don’t know what to say. For some reason, my chest feels ticklish, and my throat tightens. Just… that’s how it is.
Toward me, who had clamped my mouth shut, Moon-kyung continued in a dry voice.
“Second. I myself am not possessed of a particularly gentle temperament. However, if there is sufficient reason, I would be willing to teach my secret martial arts even to a madman like you.”
“Even though I’m a madman?”
“Because that madman will become a major obstacle to Dark Heaven’s future path.”
His quiet voice spreads through the night air. Moon-kyung gazed at the flowing waters of Dongting Lake and continued.
“I have lived more than half my life as a martial artist. No, as an assassin. That was not a life I chose—it was a life given to me from the beginning. Therefore, the path I have walked has been drenched in blood and corpses.”
Sal-sung. The epithet that designates the greatest assassin of all time was not earned overnight. He killed, and killed, and killed again, until finally he reached a position that everyone acknowledged and could only fear.
But everyone has their own circumstances.
And in this world, there are far more hidden things than I know. The Moon-kyung before my eyes must have lived such a life.
Moon-kyung, gazing beyond the darkness with eyes mixed with indescribable emotion, spoke softly.
“If it could be of any help against the great calamity already upon us, teaching you martial arts doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. That’s all.”
He spoke casually, but it was surely not an easy decision.
It is easy to receive from others, but difficult to give of oneself.
If those who experienced the Great Martial War had thought and acted like Moon-kyung does now, half of all martial artists under heaven would have mastered the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance’s techniques by now. In that sense, Moon-kyung appeared to me in a new light.
“Is that… what you call righteousness?”
“Righteousness?”
“You decided it for others. Sacrificing yourself for another. Isn’t that what righteousness is called?”
Moon-kyung shook his head at my words.
“Righteousness is not a word someone like me can speak of. An assassin who once killed others for survival speaking of righteousness—it’s utterly embarrassing.”
“Old Master Noya once said it. That Sal-sung only kills those who deserve to be killed. That’s why he’s quite a decent assassin.”
“To forge a single blade, it must be hammered hundreds of times and tempered. I was no different. Before I became Sal-sung, there was a time when I was called Sal-gwi. That is why I cannot speak of righteousness.”
“Then….”
I gazed directly at Moon-kyung and continued.
“What if it’s righteousness not as Sal-sung, but as the Divine Physician?”
“…!”
His slender frame stiffened abruptly. Unlike the perfectly still waters of Dongting Lake, ripples stirred in Moon-kyung’s eyes.
And shortly after. A voice, deep and subdued, broke the brief silence.
“Divine Physician…. I have never liked that epithet.”
“Why is that?”
“Being called the Divine Physician doesn’t erase my past. I know that if my history were revealed, they would curse me and fear me.”
“But you’ve saved countless lives. Innumerable people. They won’t forget their gratitude.”
Even after a long silence, Moon-kyung offered no response.
Lost in thought, staring silently at the river, he suddenly whipped his head toward me.
“Hah, you startled me. What is it?”
“I was considering what to do with someone audacious enough to speak presumptuously to me.”
“…Isn’t that usually what people call consolation?”
“Consolation? You, comforting me?”
That cold gaze was enough to make my organs feel refreshingly chilled.
Right, damn it. Divine Dragon of the Flame Fire Sect or whatever—to Sal-sung, I’m just some nobody.
Changing the subject was probably the secret to longevity, better than risking a backlash by talking back here.
“My, what a bright moon tonight.”
At my immediate deflection, Moon-kyung’s eyebrows twitched.
“I’m not sure how this conversation drifted this far. Refrain from such unnecessary remarks in the future.”
“And such a refreshing breeze.”
“Shall I make your shoulders equally refreshing?”
“…I’ll keep those words in mind, sir.”
Shhk.
The short blade that had been half-drawn slipped back into his sleeve.
Moon-kyung’s expression hardened into its usual austere, rigid mask as he spoke again.
“So I ask—what are your intentions?”
“Regarding what, sir?”
“Whether you’re a fool or hard of hearing, I don’t know. I mean learning martial arts from me.”
“…It’s not that I’m a fool. I just didn’t expect you’d give me a choice.”
“Why would I force someone unwilling to learn from me?”
That was a fair point, but hearing such reasonable words from an abnormal person felt extraordinarily strange.
Of course, I didn’t voice this thought aloud.
If I had, Moon-kyung would probably try to rip my soul from my body himself.
“So, your answer?”
At Moon-kyung’s urging, I scratched the back of my head.
‘Sal-sung’s exclusive martial arts….’
I was naturally tempted.
Everyone has martial arts suited to them, and unsuitable ones can become poison, but this was the exclusive technique of Sal-sung, one of the greatest masters in all the realm.
If I could understand even half—no, a fraction of the insights woven into his martial arts and make them my own, I felt my cultivation could advance to new heights.
But there was one thing troubling me….
“It seems the Fire King weighs on your mind.”
“…Did you perhaps learn mind-reading techniques?”
“What use is mind-reading? Your thoughts are written all over your face.”
Moon-kyung regarded me with a look of exasperation and continued.
“A true martial artist of the Murim must know how to conceal their heart. Even the Fire King is lacking. To think he didn’t even teach you something so fundamental.”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d take back what you just said.”
At the sight of my furrowed brow, Moon-kyung’s eyes grew dark and distant.
“Was what I said incorrect?”
“Yes. Even if one’s mouth is crooked, their words should be straight, shouldn’t they?”
“How dare you….”
“It’s not that he didn’t teach me—it’s that he couldn’t. Old Master Noya is even worse at hiding his expressions than I am. How could he teach what he doesn’t know himself?”
“…Beyond imagination, truly.”
Moon-kyung let out a sigh and shook his head slowly.
“In any case, don’t concern yourself too much about the Fire King. It was his direct request, and I have absolutely no intention of forming a master-disciple relationship with someone like you.”
“Yes, understood.”
Well, even so, that’s harsh. Someone like me, he says.
Hearing it stings a little, but once I accept Moon-kyung’s firm declaration, my heart feels considerably lighter.
‘But why do I feel like I’m betraying Old Master Noya somehow?’
This is something Jeok Cheon-gang himself requested, and it will be helpful for the arduous battles ahead.
Considering all the circumstances, there’s nothing wrong with it, yet I can’t shake this unease.
Thinking of Jeok Cheon-gang, who vanished without a word, I smacked my lips and finally nodded.
“I understand.”
“Think it through carefully before you answer. The beginning is your choice, but the ending is another matter.”
“Yes? What do you mean by that….”
“You must move only according to my judgment. But if you complete this training, you will become a different kind of martial artist than you are now.”
What is this?
Given that my teacher would be someone of his caliber, I expected something demanding, but for some reason, a chill runs down my spine.
As I swallowed hard, Moon-kyung’s crisp voice rang out alongside the familiar sound of a bell.
“You are a martial artist who has reached considerable heights, but there is a difference between a martial artist and a true denizen of the Murim. I will make you into a genuine martial artist, not this half-baked version.”
Ding.
– Sudden Quest,
[False Martial Artist]
has been created!
[False Martial Artist]
Do you accept?
Yes / N
“….”
Wait, why is there “Yes” instead of “Y” in the options?
Staring at the quest window with bewildered eyes, I muttered without thinking.
“Yes?”
Ding.
– Quest accepted. Yes!
“…Ah.”
I’m going to lose my mind.

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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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