Murim Login - Chapter 491

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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 491
“Oh, Team Leader. You didn’t sleep…?”
In the dim light of early dawn, Hyuk Moo-jin entered the Temporary Barracks where I was staying, his expression as if he’d seen a ghost.
“What.”
“Well, that is….”
“Speak.”
“It’s nothing. You just look particularly exhausted today, sir.”
“…Sigh.”
Exhausted, they call it. Should I really reduce this to mere exhaustion?
I glared at the bronze basin filled with wash water. Disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes. When I lifted my head to survey my surroundings, everything was in complete disarray.
Hyuk Moo-jin’s pupils dilated as he belatedly registered the chaos.
“What on earth happened here?”
“Well. Something did happen.”
The voice flowing from my lips felt unfamiliar, as if belonging to someone else. I muttered while wiping my haggard face.
“That damned Assassin bastard….”
It was a quiet murmur, but not so quiet as to be completely inaudible. Hyuk Moo-jin flinched at the word Assassin.
“Pardon? Assassin?”
“What.”
“No, you clearly just said Assassin.”
“You misheard.”
“I heard it clearly with my own ears.”
“You didn’t.”
Of course, the truth was otherwise.
Some vicious Assassin had planted a dozen hidden projectiles inside the barracks, and I’d walked straight into every single one with a flawless 100 percent success rate, becoming a complete wreck in the process.
But the lamentable fact was I couldn’t tell anyone about it.
“T-Team Leader….”
“I said you misheard!”
“That’s not it. You’re bleeding from your rear.”
“…!”
Damn it. No wonder my backside had felt warm this whole time.
As I inwardly cursed while stanching the wound on my rear, Hyuk Moo-jin’s expression grew skeptical.
“I’m pretty sure it was an Assassin.”
“I got injured during training.”
“Really?”
I nodded weakly.
It was training, in a manner of speaking. I have no idea what training method involves not sleeping all night and doing nothing but detoxification, but that’s what it was.
“It really was training. I swear on your testicles.”
“As I’ve mentioned before, please don’t wager my testicles. If you’re currently being coerced by an Assassin, blink your eyes twice.”
“…Moo-jin. If you’re going to ask something like that, shouldn’t you at least use sound transmission?”
“I can’t use sound transmission yet, sir.”
“Then we can just use written communication.”
“Oh, right.”
“Is he insane?”
Well, when the other person is Hyuk Moo-jin, what more could I expect?
I exhaled a deep sigh and looked him up and down. The fact that he’d come at this early hour, dressed neatly in martial robes, made it clear he had business with me.
“So what’s this about?”
“Ah, Je-gal Dae-hyup is looking for you. Everyone’s gathered right now.”
“Everyone? Why?”
“Well, you know how it is.”
Hyuk Moo-jin glanced around unnecessarily before his lips moved. Then came a voice so hushed that only I could hear it.
“The imoogi. The dead imoogi.”
“Ah.”
“Only a select few are going, and in secret. Xuangong Zhenren from the Wudang School is waiting as well.”
“Xuangong Zhenren too? Ah, well, that makes sense.”
Xuangong Zhenren was the only supreme master who had participated in this incident and remained at the Dongting Pavilion.
Moreover, as both a disciple of the Wudang School’s sect leader and an elder of the Murim, he had more than enough credentials to represent the Wudang School.
No matter how secret the existence of the Water Dragon was, it couldn’t be kept hidden from the Wudang School.
‘But if it’s a matter of this magnitude, shouldn’t the sect leader himself come? Why specifically Xuangong Zhenren?’
The question flickered through my mind, but it was instantly swept away by thoughts of someone else that suddenly surfaced.
“Hey, is there someone going with us who—”
Just as I was about to continue with that uneasy suspicion, a quiet voice came from outside the barracks.
“Young Master Jin. Everyone is waiting for you.”
“…!”
“Once you’re ready, please come out.”
The moment the words ended, the presence receded into the distance. Hyuk Moo-jin tilted his head, watching me turn rigid as stone.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Why is he going too?”
“Who, ah. Moon-kyung? Since he’s practically a disciple of the Divine Physician, he should be quite helpful with understanding the imoogi’s physical structure and such things… But why do you ask?”
Why indeed. Because I have no idea what that madman might do.
I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat and moved to stand. No—I stopped mid-step and turned my head toward Hyuk Moo-jin.
“Moo-jin.”
“Yes?”
“Lead the way. I’ll just follow behind you.”
“Eh?”
It felt like a system notification was ringing in my ears.
Ding. [Meat Shield] acquired!
* * *
As I boarded the small vessel that had been prepared, familiar faces came into view.
Xuangong Zhenren, dressed in a patched robe with an old pine-patterned sword at his waist, greeted me with a gentle smile.
“The young Daoist has arrived. I’m delighted to see you again.”
“I pay my respects to Xuangong Zhenren.”
As I cupped my fist in a proper martial salute, Je-gal Poong, seated beside me, waved his folding fan and interjected.
“But your expression….”
“Nothing has occurred.”
“That hardly looks the case. Wouldn’t you agree, Zhenren?”
“I concur with the Je-gal Family Head. You look as though you’ve been tormented by an Assassin all night long.”
“An Assassin? The Zhenren certainly has a way with jest. Haha.”
“Hehehehe.”
“….”
Don’t laugh. Don’t show your teeth.
Without the Antidote of Ten Thousand Poisons, I doubted I could even stand properly at this moment.
I had been so thoroughly marinated in toxins that I’d seriously considered renaming my epithet from the Water Dragon to something like “Poison Pickle” instead.
‘Look at him sitting there so brazenly in the midst of all this.’
I fixed a piercing glare upon Moon-kyung, who had somehow claimed a seat aboard the Fast Ship.
The boy’s head turned slowly as he caught the stabbing intensity of my gaze.
– Lower your eyes.
“….”
If he said lower them, I had to lower them.
As I quietly averted my gaze, Moon-kyung’s voice transmission reached me in succession.
– From the look of things, you fell for every trap from the first day. Pathetic. Without the Antidote of Ten Thousand Poisons and the Flame Yang Technique, you would have been dead by last night.
– …How could you possibly know whether I’d be dead or alive?
– Shall I tell you?
– I misspoke.
And truthfully, there was nothing wrong with what he said—every hidden blade Moon-kyung had set was coated with potent toxins.
I once heard someone say that medicine and poison are two sides of the same coin, and whoever said it was absolutely right. Whatever method he’d employed, every poison I’d encountered came with the epithet “potent” attached to it.
It was only because of the absurdly overpowered performance of the Antidote of Ten Thousand Poisons and my mastery of the Flame Yang Technique—which stood in direct opposition to poison—that I’d managed to escape with merely a few puncture wounds.
If I hadn’t possessed those two things… the very thought sent chills down my spine.
‘Talking like some physician. Is he the Divine Physician or the Poison Master?’
– I heard every curse you just leveled at me.
“Tch.”
As I inadvertently swallowed a sharp breath, the kindhearted Xuangong Zhenren regarded me with a look of concern.
“What troubles you, Jin?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Merely a habit.”
“Then I’m relieved. For a moment, I thought you were being threatened by an Assassin. Isn’t that so, Je-gal Family Head?”
“Ehehehe! You’re killing me, Zhenren!”
“Hehehehe.”
“….”
I was tempted to just rip his belly button clean off.
As I glared daggers at Je-gal Poong’s midsection, the vessel carrying its passengers glided smoothly through the calm waters.
Only a beat too late did I realize the ship had departed, and I hastily opened my mouth.
“Wait a moment. Master No hasn’t arrived yet.”
Je-gal Poong’s face twisted with confusion at the sudden objection.
“Hmm? Didn’t you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“Jeok Cheon-gang decided not to attend. Moreover, he instructed me not to seek him out until all matters are concluded.”
“…Is that so?”
“You didn’t know? It’s strange—he didn’t even mention it through his disciples.”
This was the first I’d heard of it.
And regardless of the reason, the fact that he hadn’t spoken a word to me directly felt somewhat disappointing, and I could sense what he must be feeling now.
‘He must be troubled.’
Though I’d never raised a disciple, I suspected I’d feel similarly in such circumstances.
It must be like entrusting a beloved companion—a family member nurtured with love and care—to someone else’s hands.
“…”
No, let me correct that. If that were the case, I’d be no different from Jeok Cheon-gang’s pet dog.
‘A son. Yes, let’s call it that.’
Just as I was finding common ground within myself, Chung Poong approached with a bright expression and suddenly thrust something into my hands.
“What is this?”
“It’s candied fruit, benefactor.”
“…I know it’s candied fruit, but where on earth does this keep coming from endlessly?”
One of two things had to be true.
Either Chung Poong was a System user with ten tons of candied fruit stacked in his inventory, or there was a tree bearing candied fruit nearby.
“Well, I’ll enjoy it regardless.”
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have given it a second glance, but with my mind so cluttered, candied fruit was an excellent source of sugar.
I bit into the candied fruit he’d handed me and asked him a question.
“But to procure candied fruit in the midst of all this—you’re quite resourceful. Ah, did you buy this when you came to the Je-gal Family Estate last time?”
“No. I already finished those.”
“Hmm? Then where did this come from?”
“Sal—I mean, Moon-kyung gave it to me. He said this is specially for you, benefactor. He’s such a good person!”
“…Who?”
The answer came from elsewhere.
Beep beep.
–
[Potent Mountain Poison]
has poisoned you!
–
[Mountain Poison]
temporarily prevents the use of inner force.
–
[Inner Force]
is gradually dissipating! Immediate action is required!
“….”
Damn it, the sweetness of the medicine was unusually strong.
I quietly retrieved the Ten Thousand Antidote Pill.
* * *
They say humans leave behind their names in death, and beasts leave behind their hides.
And this saying applied equally to the divine being that had dominated Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River for five hundred years.
Though the Water Dragon’s spirit had already departed from its flesh, its body remained where it had last laid down, preserving in full the majesty and beauty it possessed in life.
“…Ahhh.”
Even No Do-sa and Xuangong Zhenren, who possessed profound insight and enlightenment, lost their words and let out a single gasp of wonder.
The oppressive presence emanating from the Water Dragon’s corpse was truly formidable.
Even Gung Ki-bang, who had already witnessed the Water Dragon, stood with his mouth agape, uttering exclamations repeatedly.
“No matter how many times I see it, it’s absolutely staggering. Don’t you think?”
I answered in a measured tone.
“Staggering indeed. Your breath is too. Speaking of which, could you do me a favor and leave? It seems even more potent than Mountain Poison Antidote.”
“Hmm. That’s not difficult. However, there is a condition.”
“What is it?”
“Out of the ten silver taels you promised to give me yesterday, I still haven’t received five. I knew you were always short on funds, but to think you’d resort to extorting a beggar like this.”
“I’ll pay you, so keep your mouth shut. I’m about to hallucinate right in front of you.”
It was impossible to tell whether that was a mouth or a sewer.
Gung Ki-bang, having managed to extract an additional five silver taels, grumbled.
“You’re such a complainer. And if we’re talking about hallucinations, I’ve had my fill of them too. I’ve even had strange dreams these past few days.”
“Dreams?”
“Yes. Dreams.”
Gung Ki-bang chuckled and pointed at Moon-kyung.
“In the dream, Moon-kyung was fighting that water serpent. His sword energy was whistling through the air, and he kept vanishing like a ghost and reappearing—I would have believed it if someone told me that was Sal-sung, the greatest Assassin of all time.”
“….”
That’s exactly who Sal-sung is.
I deliberately ignored Gung Ki-bang’s continued chatter and gazed upon the Water Dragon’s corpse.
From head to tail. A colossal body stretching over a hundred zhang in length.
The scales that had once been darkened now scattered brilliant silver light, and countless wounds were carved across its form.
I traced the gaping scars with my hand and murmured inwardly.
‘I’m sorry.’
Of course I knew. The battle with the Water Dragon was unavoidable, and there was no need to apologize.
Rather, it had been grateful to us for stopping it this way.
The only reason I apologize is because I cannot bury its body as it deserves.
‘The corpse.’
Now that the Raid Team’s mission was complete, it was time to process the remains.

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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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