Murim Login - Chapter 490

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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 490
“Well then, did your conversation end well?”
The Wudang Sect Taoists returned in exactly one hour as mentioned before.
Though I still had many questions to ask, I wanted to move to another spot and continue our discussion, but Moon-kyung had other ideas.
“I’ve said all there is to say. Now leave.”
“…Pardon? It’s over? You won’t even tell me what kind of training this is?”
“You’ll naturally understand by tomorrow.”
“It’s already the Hour of the Boar anyway. Midnight approaches soon—couldn’t you just tell me plainly and satisfy my curiosity?”
“The night grows late. Don’t forget, it begins tomorrow.”
“Wait, excuse me.”
“Excuse me?”
Whoosh.
Alternating my gaze between the small blade that had subtly emerged from my sleeve and Moon-kyung, I pointed into the darkness with a stern expression.
“That way over there. You should head in that direction.”
“…”
“Just go straight ahead and then turn right.”
“I don’t think that’s what you were trying to say.”
“I thought you might not know, so I was just making sure. Hehe.”
“I know already. Now shut your mouth and get out.”
“Yes, sir. Have a pleasant night then.”
After confirming that Moon-kyung’s figure had completely vanished from my sight, I muttered softly.
“Damn it…”
Mountain after mountain.
Just when I thought I’d finally grown accustomed to Jeok Cheon-gang’s methods, now I had to watch out for Sal-sung’s moods as well.
Thinking of the hardships that lay ahead, my vision already grew dim.
‘No, Old Master Noya was far better.’
Setting aside the intensity of the training, Jeok Cheon-gang at least told me what kind of training I’d be doing.
Apart from his fiery temperament, he at least had some semblance of a curriculum in place.
‘But what kind of training is it that he won’t even mention?’
The reason I was this curious was simple. The Quest I’d accepted on impulse contained no information whatsoever.
‘Open Quest window.’
Ding.
Quest
[Fake Martial Artist]
Sensing the storm clouds that would soon descend upon the world, Moon-kyung has decided after careful deliberation to teach you directly.
However, all endeavors require a preparation phase.
Before Moon-kyung transmits his secret martial arts to you, he will test you through various methods.
And when this first trial ends depends entirely on you.
Rank
: None
Limit
: Jin Tae-kyung
Mission
: [Moon-kyung] Gain Recognition (Incomplete)
Reward
: ???
Failure
: ???
I checked the Quest window again two, three times, but it remained unchanged.
Compared to the training Quest that had been precisely detailed when I was training on Jiuhua Mountain, this was like grasping at clouds.
‘Gain Moon-kyung’s recognition, huh.’
At this rate, I’d be better off running around dragging iron weights. At least that has a defined objective and I can track my progress.
But this—if we’re talking about charges, it’s similar to being accused of displeasing someone.
It means I have to keep rolling until I win their favor.
‘This feels like it’ll take longer than expected.’
I don’t know what Moon-kyung’s training methods are like, but one thing’s certain—gaining his recognition won’t be easy.
To put it more objectively and coldly, it would be strange if it were easy.
‘It’s going to be brutal, but I’ll have to accept it.’
My opponent isn’t just some ordinary martial artist—he’s Sal-sung, one of the greatest masters under heaven. Learning secret martial arts from such a formidable expert could itself be called a stroke of fortune.
And when I think about it, I’ve already received such fortune twice.
The first was obviously the system, and the second was….
‘Old Master Noya.’
I can’t overlook Jeok Cheon-gang either.
If I hadn’t met him, if I hadn’t learned the martial arts of the Yeolhwa Sect that are passed down only to one person each generation, I wouldn’t have reached this level of power and position even with the system.
Following that chain of thought to its end, the face of Jeok Cheon-gang suddenly flashed before my eyes.
‘Still, I should go see him.’
Of course, Jeok Cheon-gang and I aren’t formally bound as master and disciple.
But just because we don’t call each other master and disciple doesn’t mean our relationship is merely one of necessity.
We know each other without speaking. Between us, the words master and disciple lingered in our hearts.
“….”
Or maybe not. Suddenly I’m losing confidence.
Jeok Cheon-gang might think differently, but regardless, that’s how it is.
And the fact that Jeok Cheon-gang’s heart must be troubled—having bent his pride to ask Moon-kyung to take me on—was something I could already well imagine.
‘By now, he’s probably somewhere alone, feeling sorry for himself again.’
Others gossip about Jeok Cheon-gang as just a hot-tempered and stubborn old man, but the Jeok Cheon-gang I know has a tender heart.
Beneath his gruff complaints lies a heart soaked with affection for those he cherishes—that kind of person.
I glanced up at the bright moon and began walking.
‘I’ll find him soon. There are plenty of people around.’
But such comforting thoughts vanished without a trace before even an hour had passed.
“You haven’t seen him?”
“Yes. I haven’t seen him since earlier.”
“If you’re lying to me….”
“Why would I lie to you, Squad Leader? If I didn’t want to get beaten to death, I’d make up facts that don’t exist and tell you those instead.”
“What about Cheong So-hyup? You haven’t seen him either?”
“No, Benefactor. Why? Is something wrong?”
“That’s… never mind. It’s nothing important, so just finish what you were doing.”
“Oh! If nothing’s wrong, would you like to see Mi-mi? She ate twenty blood fish, so her belly is absolutely stuffed!”
“Yeah. That’s impressive.”
It wasn’t even that large a place, yet where on earth had he disappeared to?
I searched high and low for the missing Jeok Cheon-gang. But no matter how many people I stopped and questioned, the results were utterly disappointing.
“Hey, you there passing by. Come here.”
“No.”
“You haven’t been beaten enough lately, have you?”
“Damn it. I have my pride too. No matter how supremely skilled you are, if you treat Hu Gae like some stray dog on Market Street, what will the disciples think?”
“Two silver coins.”
“Do you really see me as a beggar….”
“Ten coins.”
Snap!
“Mm. One cannot ignore a friend’s call. What is it?”
“Our master, I mean, Teacher. Do you know where he is?”
“Je-gal Dae-hyup? I don’t know. I haven’t seen him once since coming here.”
“Can you ask the other Beggar Clan members?”
“Well, we’re all busy with our own tasks. But just in case, I’ll take a look around and give you a tip or two.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Between us.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“…But what about the silver?”
“Payment on delivery. But if you find my teacher’s location, I’ll double it.”
“T, twenty coins! You beggar!”
Yet Gung Ki-bang, having become a slave to capitalism, ultimately failed to discover Jeok Cheon-gang’s whereabouts.
After tossing five silver coins to him, I continued searching various locations, but the answers I received were always much the same.
“Je-gal Dae-hyup. Have you perhaps not seen our teacher?”
“Oh, you’ve come at just the right moment. I’m in the middle of testing our sect’s formation technique. If I refine it a bit more, I should be able to suppress the energy leaking through these gaps….”
“That’s good. Please continue your work.”
“Jin Dae-hyup, I saw him!”
“Really? Where?”
“About two hours ago, by the waterside over there, he was beating someone terribly.”
“The one being beaten then was me.”
“…Ah.”
“Jin Dae-hyup! Jin Dae-hyup!”
“Yes. Where did you see the person who placed their hand there?”
“I haven’t seen Je-gal Dae-hyup.”
“No, but why—”
“Would you sign this martial robe for me? My son dreams of becoming an outstanding martial artist like Jin Dae-hyup, and he says if I could get your signature, he’d have no other wishes….”
“…What is your son’s name?”
“Je-gal So-pyung. Please write something about diligently training in martial arts and not being a picky eater. Especially about leeks.”
“Wait. Then may I also request your signature?”
“Wasn’t I here first? Get in line!”
“What? Why are you suddenly forming a line? Move to the back! Don’t line up! Ugh, this is driving me crazy.”
About half an hour later, when I returned to the temporary private quarters after finishing a brief tour of performances, it was already past midnight.
After signing autographs with instructive messages for the young talents—Je-gal So-pyung, Chang-woo, Myo-ryung, Jin-su, and others—I felt completely drained.
“…So where exactly is Old Master Noya?”
This wasn’t even the Yodong Plains, yet he could vanish so suddenly.
At this point, he’d definitely made a deliberate decision to hide. He must have anticipated that I would come looking and concealed himself.
‘Since I’ll see his face soon anyway, the fact that he’s avoiding me to this extent….’
He seemed far more troubled than I had suspected.
I exhaled a small sigh and grabbed the water pitcher from the wooden table in the corner of the quarters, gulping it down greedily.
My throat was parched from talking all day, but why does this water taste so strange?
‘Did they just scoop it straight from the river? It tastes kind of salty.’
Even in the Murim where environmental pollution hadn’t progressed, there was no avoiding the unpleasant sensation.
It was precisely at that moment when I was frowning and smacking my lips.
Beep.
–
[Potent Numbing Powder]
has poisoned you.
–
[Potent Numbing Powder]
is a type of anesthetic that clouds the mind and stiffens the body.
– You feel your consciousness becoming hazy!
– Your
[Blazing Yang Qi]
resists the poison!
– If you do not take action quickly, the abnormal status
[Total Body Paralysis]
will activate!
…?
What the hell. What is this.
Forgetting my body gradually going numb, I stared blankly at the system window when a brief memory from not long ago flashed through my mind like lightning.
‘You’ll naturally find out tomorrow.’
‘Since it’ll be midnight soon anyway, couldn’t you just tell me outright?’
‘The night grows deep. Do not forget—tomorrow, we begin.’
“…!”
Moon-kyung, you bastard!
Blood surged backward through my veins in a fury of indignation.
Simultaneously, my bloodstream carrying the numbing toxin raced wildly, and my vision swam.
I gasped sharply, and as I desperately drew upon my inner strength, I shouted a command in my mind.
‘Inventory open, summon!’
The ring materialized on my finger the instant I thought it.
The Ten-Thousand Poison Ring, which I normally kept in my inventory to avoid others’ prying eyes, now gleamed with an otherworldly luster.
Ding.
–
[Ten-Thousand Poison Ring]
usage conditions have been met
– Special skill,
[Toxin Absorption]
has activated!
–
[Potent Numbing Toxin]
resists!
Whoosh!
I felt it—deep within my body, two forces with opposing purposes colliding.
Yet the Ten-Thousand Poison Ring was a divine artifact of the Sichuan Tang Sect, one that had even absorbed Jeok Cheon-gang’s formless poison.
With the addition of scorching yang energy, which stood in direct opposition to toxins, the numbing poison could only crumble helplessly.
Ding.
–
[Detoxification]
complete!
–
[Potent Numbing Toxin]
has been completely purged from your body!
– All status abnormalities have been cured!
“…Phew. This insane old man.”
I muttered a curse along with the breath I’d been holding.
The moment midnight passed, he’d laid this trap. I never imagined that his promise to make me a true martial artist meant something like this.
‘Damn it. No wonder he’s an assassin.’
At first, I’d thought it was an ambush from Dark Heaven.
Could this really be what he meant by making me a true martial artist? Already depleted, my heart now pounded violently at this sudden turn of events, and my legs nearly gave way. I collapsed onto the bed with a heavy sigh.
Thump thump!
“…?”
Beep beep.
–
[Addicted to Powerful Unmarried Mountain]
has occurred!
Sal-sung, you bastard.

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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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