Murim Login - Chapter 516

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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 516
It is human nature that the closer one draws to their destination, the more arduous the journey becomes—and my body, wrung dry by ten days and nights of relentless exertion, had nothing left to surrender.
‘Father, I’m coming now.’
Was this how a father and son would reunite after so long? In that very moment when my flailing limbs surrendered their last reserves of strength—
A firm grip!
My vision, which had been fading into obscurity, suddenly sharpened.
A hand clamped firmly around my wrist. Through ears dulled by the water that had flooded them, a voice cut through like a blade.
“Thinking of departing before your old master, are you? What an impudent wretch.”
When had he arrived? Jeok Cheon-gang had closed the distance from the Ferry Dock in an instant, now gazing down at me with an amused smile.
The moment I beheld his face, the tension that had gripped my entire body dissolved.
“…Ahhh.”
As I exhaled the breath I’d been holding, Jeok Cheon-gang’s laughter deepened.
“So you still cling to life.”
“Remarkable, isn’t it? Am I truly still alive?”
“Listen here, boy. Yes, you live.”
“Then please, don’t just look—lift me up. I think I’m truly about to perish.”
“Such dramatics. You’ve a hundred years left in you yet.”
With a sharp splash and a wet sound, powerful hands seized my wrist and hoisted me skyward.
Aquatic weeds that clung to my swollen body cascaded away with the river water.
Water plants tumbled down in torrents alongside the current.
“Do you see?”
“Who—God?”
“Those who await you.”
I blinked through my exhaustion. Far below at the Ferry Dock, a crowd had gathered like clouds, and several familiar faces were rapidly drawing near.
Chung Poong, waving his arms frantically; Gung Ki-bang and Hyuk Moo-jin, their eyes wide as saucers; Jin Wi-kyung, nearly weeping aloud.
And… Moon-kyung, watching quietly from afar.
– Welcome to Hanan.
With that brief transmission, Jeok Cheon-gang’s feet touched solid ground, still cradling me.
Simultaneously, a crystalline bell tone pierced the air.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
–
[False Murim Stage 2]
has been successfully completed!
– You have achieved the rare Achievement
[Crossing the River on a Single Reed]
!
– In recognition of your remarkable perseverance and effort, a reward befitting your deeds shall be granted!
–
[Internal Force]
control becomes significantly more fluid! The power and efficiency of your martial techniques increase!
– All ability stats increase slightly!
– You have obtained 50 bonus points!
– You have obtained tremendous experience!
– Level Up!
System notifications rang out in succession, and holographic windows filled the air around me.
I felt my body grow lighter with each level-up message, and simultaneously, a wave of drowsiness crashed over me like the tide.
“…Old Master Noya.”
“Hmm?”
“Please, don’t wake me.”
With those final words, the god of sleep descended upon me, my eyelids growing heavy.
* * *
Where am I?
That was my first thought the moment I opened my eyes.
I blinked slowly and surveyed my surroundings. Pitch darkness engulfed everything in all directions.
As my eyes gradually adjusted to the gloom, I finally recognized where I was.
‘The Swamp.’
Yes, this was the Swampland.
Bleached bones—whether human or beast, I couldn’t tell—lay scattered everywhere, and a stench so vile it made me retch permeated the air.
What made matters worse was that my body moved of its own accord despite all this.
Squelch.
My bare feet, unshod, pressed into the sticky mud. I struggled desperately to stop, but my body had already slipped beyond my control.
One step, then another.
It was as my body slowly sank deeper into the Swampland.
Whoooosh.
A wind from nowhere stirred the skeletal trees that formed a forest across the marshland, causing them to tremble.
And from beyond the thick darkness, an inexplicable crimson light surged forth.
‘…That is…’
Not flames. It resembled the pupils of someone’s eyes far more.
A chilling gaze devoid of even a hint of warmth fixed upon me, as if beckoning me to come if I dared.
A typical protagonist from some common film or novel would struggle and crawl forward…
‘You come here, bastard.’
Screw the clichés.
I’d already assessed the situation.
It seemed I was having a nightmare from all the hardship I’d endured lately, but there was no need to play along with it.
An ordinary person would have lost control of their bladder upon meeting those crimson eyes, but I was someone who needed to urinate flames.
There was only one minor, trivial problem…
Squelch. Squelch.
‘Damn it.’
My body continued forward regardless of my will.
My lower half already submerged in the Swampland, I moved slowly and steadily, as if treading water.
But I knew the truth. No matter how far I pressed forward, I would never reach it.
My body would sink deep into the Swampland before I ever encountered the owner of those crimson eyes.
‘Very well. Let this end quickly.’
It was in that moment of half-resigned acceptance.
Crack!
‘Gasp!’
Something unknown tightened around my throat.
My eyes snapped wide as an enormous body covered in smooth scales came into view. A low, hissing cry pierced my ears.
‘A snake?’
No—far too massive to be merely a snake. This was a python of monstrous proportions.
Its thick coils wound around my neck and bound both my arms in their suffocating embrace.
‘Ugh.’
Damn. Even my nightmares are getting graphics updates these days. Why is this so vivid?
The putrid mud had already risen to my neck, and the stench burrowing into my nostrils made me retch involuntarily.
Helpless and sinking deeper into the Swampland, my eyes met those crimson ones.
‘…!’
A chill raced down my spine.
In that instant, my mind snapped into crystalline clarity—a fear so vivid it could not possibly be mere nightmare.
Simultaneously, an eerie sense of wrongness enveloped me.
‘This sensation… somehow, it feels familiar.’
Then when, and where, had this been? As I trembled violently, desperately clawing through memories I wished to forget.
Burst!
From somewhere, a blindingly brilliant light exploded.
The crimson eyes that had scattered such ominous, damp malevolence—even the darkness they had consumed shattered away, and the chill vanished.
Warmth enveloped my entire body as I reached out toward the radiant glow drawing near.
Grasp!
…Huh?
A thousand thoughts flooded my mind.
Why can I grasp light? And why does it feel so pleasant? I clearly woke from the dream, yet I can still feel it.
Rub, rub.
What on earth is this?
After a moment of bewilderment, I slowly opened my eyes.
There, bathed in brilliant light, was someone’s shining head.
Upon their forehead was the precept mark that monks bear.
“Krillin?”
Krillin—or rather, a monk I’d never seen before—opened his mouth with an awkward expression.
“You have finally awakened, Donor Jin.”
“Forgive me, but who are you…?”
“This humble monk is called Jung Ho.”
Who is Jung Ho?
After a moment of hesitation, I stammered out the question in a voice thick with confusion.
“Are you… Park Jung Ho from Class 6, Third Year at Garam Middle School…?”
“Yes?”
“When did you become a monk?”
“About forty years ago… No, wait. Would you please listen to what I have to say, benefactor?”
“Right, now that I think about it. This bastard said he was going to be a priest, but when did he switch? A heretic, a heretic. Did the Full Gospel Church crusaders beat you up? Look at how your face has aged. Which temple did you get a job at?”
My old classmate answered with an expression of half-resignation.
“…I serve as the Precept Hall Director at Shaolin.”
“Shaolin?”
“Yes, Shaolin. I mean the Shaolin Temple.”
“Wait a minute. Shaolin Temple?”
Damn. What the hell is this?
Only then did my mind snap awake. I shook my head urgently to dispel the drowsiness and opened my mouth carefully.
“Ah, my apologies. I wasn’t fully awake for a moment.”
“I understand.”
Jung Ho, the middle-aged monk who answered with an expression suggesting he understood nothing at all, continued speaking.
“Would you please remove your hand from this humble monk’s head? You’ve been touching it continuously since earlier…”
“Oh my. My apologies.”
“It’s fine.”
This fellow’s expression and words didn’t match at all.
It was clear he wanted to say something, but he was restraining himself because he owed me a debt of gratitude.
‘But why is the Precept Hall Director of Shaolin Temple right beside me the moment I open my eyes?’
Only then did I sense something amiss. I looked around to assess the situation.
A room large enough to accommodate ten people at once. Sunlight streaming through the half-open window caught Jung Ho’s forehead and gleamed brightly, and the familiar faces were… scattered all around me.
‘It was a dream, but half of it was reality.’
No wonder it felt too vivid to be called merely a dream.
After exhaling a deep sigh, I first kicked at the lump curled up at my feet, still asleep.
Thump!
“Ha! Today’s lunch is meat dumplings!”
“…”
What kind of wake-up chant was that?
Chung Poong, jolted awake by the sudden impact, opened his mouth with sleepy eyes.
“Ah, benefactor. Did you sleep well?”
“I slept, but not well.”
“Why? Then sleep more.”
“…Are you joking? Stop talking nonsense and get this thing off me already.”
“Oh, Mi-mi! Come here!”
As Chung Poong cried out, belatedly noticing the pet snake coiled around my neck, its thick body slithered down across my chest.
Wait. A thick body?
My mouth fell open at the sight of the Thousand-Year Venom Serpent, which had become something like a python.
“Cheong So-hyup. Was he always that large?”
“No, sir. He’s grown considerably lately. He’s at that age where they shoot up.”
“How old is he?”
“According to Grandfather Jang, he hasn’t even reached a hundred years yet.”
“…Ah, I see.”
“At this rate, he might end up taller than me. Ah, I need to grow faster too.”
“You’ve already finished growing. Waiting won’t make you any taller.”
“That’s not true. Mi-mi keeps growing as she gets older. I’ll keep growing too.”
“…?”
Then damn it, Jeok Cheon-gang and Moon-kyung would have to be at least three zhang tall.
Gazing at Chung Poong with a complicated expression, I gave up trying to convince him. Instead, I smacked the snout beside me that was emitting a ghastly stench.
Smack!
“Ugh!”
“I grew up brushing my teeth. This beggar’s mouth is nothing but a swamp, a swamp.”
“Huff. Huff huff.”
Gung Ki-bang, forcibly awakened, glared at me with glistening eyes.
“Why do you always pick on me!”
“I don’t just pick on you. I’ll deal with this one the same way.”
People should be treated equally, after all.
Moments later, a similar fate befell Hyuk Moo-jin, who had been sleeping soundly while clutching my leg.
Thwack!
“Ow! Why only me, sir!”
“Did you two rehearse your lines? Or are you long-lost brothers or something?”
“Don’t just hit me—hit Gung So-hyup too. Oh, he’s awake.”
“…Sigh, troublesome wretches.”
I gave the grumbling Hyuk Moo-jin a solid kick, sending him tumbling beneath the bed.
Because of these fools, I’d even dreamed—something I rarely did—and it was a nightmare at that, unsettling beyond measure.
‘Those eyes.’
Even recalling them now, that eerie crimson light made my skin crawl.
Just as I was trying to revisit that inexplicable sense of wrongness I’d felt in the dream, Jung Ho, who had briefly stepped away amid the commotion, opened the door and entered.
“Benefactor Jin. Might you spare a moment of your time?”
“Ah, yes.”
At Jung Ho’s words, I straightened my posture.
Since I’d been rubbing someone’s head like it was a bowling ball, I owed them some time.
“Speak, Monk.”
“It is not a trivial matter. My teacher’s master wishes to see you.”
“His master? Is that person waiting outside right now?”
“Yes, that is correct. He wishes to have a conversation after all this time….”
Somehow, I’d sensed two presences. Why was that?
In any case, if Jung Ho’s teacher’s master is indeed a high monk of Shaolin, then wanting to converse after so long is quite intriguing.
‘Who could this be? The way they’re speaking, we must have met before.’
Besides the Dharma King, was there anyone else at Shaolin with whom I had forged such a connection?
My bewilderment lasted only a moment before I nodded readily.
“Of course.”
The moment my words left my lips, I caught sight of a figure stepping through the door, and my brow furrowed.
“Forgive me, but who are you….”
A lean frame, skin crisscrossed with scars. From between the lips of this impressionist monk I had never seen before came a gravelly voice.
“Fortunate indeed. Though the heavens have grown clouded, the sacred radiance that rose from the north shines ever brighter.”
“…!”
“How have you been, Benefactor?”
Only then did I realize who the monk before me was.
Unable to reconcile his dramatically transformed presence and appearance, I spoke his name at last.
“Mu-myeong.”

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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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