Murim Login - Chapter 552

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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 552
Ding.
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[Synchronization]
beginning. 10, 9, 8, 7… 1, 0.
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[Synchronization]
completed successfully. Enhanced stats are being applied to the body, with usage restrictions on certain titles.
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[Logout]
finished.
Before my vision could fully clear from its darkness, a refreshing breeze swept across my entire body, as it always did.
No—it washed over me, purifying me.
‘Synchronization.’
One of the inevitable processes I’d undergone every single time since I began traveling between the Murim and the Modern World.
Stat increases were reflected immediately, while scars and wounds were never carried over.
There was even a considerate feature that allowed physical build and appearance to change gradually and naturally, perhaps because drastic transformations would arouse suspicion in others.
Whoooosh.
This time was no exception.
I felt strength settling into my body once more, already transcending human limits, and my muscles becoming more supple.
The martial power I’d honed through my battle with the Water Dragon and Moon-kyung’s teachings was no exception either.
“Exhale.”
The first thing that caught my eye was a ceiling unmarred by a single speck of dust.
The high ceiling, stretching several meters above, was adorned with an antique painting.
‘Is it because I haven’t seen it in so long? Or am I simply not accustomed to it yet?’
The last time had been when I traveled along the tributaries of the Yangtze River toward Hubei Province—roughly two months had passed before my return.
Perhaps that’s why everything around me felt unfamiliar.
Feeling the soft texture of the blanket, I’d been staring at the ceiling for quite some time before I finally opened my mouth.
“What was the title of that painting?”
A quiet answer came.
“The original title is the Sistine Chapel ceiling, but it’s better known domestically as The Genesis. It’s a masterpiece created by Michelangelo Buonarroti, a sculptor and painter of the Renaissance era.”
“Ah, Michelangelo. That’s right.”
“Have you heard of him?”
“He’s quite famous, isn’t he? Are you dismissing me because my college entrance exam score is only grade 7?”
“What does an entrance exam score matter? Besides, Jin Tae-kyung has become far more famous than that painting now.”
Tap.
Soft leather slippers pressed against marble.
As I tilted my face, half-buried in the pillow, to the side, the figure of one person crossing the vast, expansive space came into view.
‘How does this man grow more handsome every time I see him?’
Jealousy might arise under normal circumstances, but beyond a certain threshold, only admiration remains.
And if such an appearance came with an equally natural aura, all the better.
I offered a slight smile to the man I was meeting for the first time in two months.
“It’s been a while, Choi Team Leader.”
At my greeting, the handsome man in the silk robe—Choi Team Leader—came to an abrupt halt.
“You speak as though you’ve been away on a long journey and just returned.”
“I had a dream of a place quite far away. A very long dream at that.”
Having spent more than two months in the Murim, my words were far from false.
In fact, considering everything that had transpired during that time, even two months felt like a fleeting moment.
“It seems it wasn’t an entirely unpleasant dream.”
“Not really. I ended up fighting a dragon from the very start, so not particularly.”
“A dragon, you mean?”
“Well, somewhat different, but similar enough.”
“A nightmare, then. In such cases, it’s best to wake quickly.”
Click.
Choi Team Leader set the coffee cup he’d been holding onto the table beside the bed.
“Please, have some.”
“Some ridiculously expensive single-origin coffee or something?”
If it was made from cat droppings or Hyuk Moo-jin droppings like last time, I’d have to politely decline.
As I eyed the cup with suspicion, a familiar scent suddenly wafted deep into my nostrils, and my eyes widened.
“Huh?”
Looking at me with an expression of pleasant surprise, Choi Team Leader let out a soft chuckle.
“It’s instant coffee. Gold blend, strong.”
“Wow. Our Choi Team Leader really does know his stuff.”
“At the very least, I know that Jin Tae-kyung and single-origin coffee aren’t a particularly good match.”
“Good. Ten points to Gryffindor.”
I gave a thumbs up and downed the coffee in one go.
Mm. Yes, this is it. Cheap but sweet and savory.
After so long, encountering this marvel of the modern world felt almost revitalizing.
“Ah, good. Drinking this is bringing my mind back online.”
“Is that so? Come to think of it, you seemed to be sleeping longer than usual today.”
Like other Awakeners and martial artists, I—having already transcended the limits of the human body—required very little sleep.
At most, I slept no more than two hours a day, and even that could be called self-indulgent sleep merely to satisfy the biological need.
‘As long as I don’t overexert my body or exhaust my mind, there’s no problem.’
When someone like me sleeps for hours like the dead, suspicion naturally arises.
I let out a series of yawns and stretched.
“Are you alright?”
“It happens sometimes. Perhaps fatigue accumulated all at once.”
Slowly raising my upper body, I reached out my hand.
The smartphone on the table beside the bed, drawn by my Void Attraction technique, snapped into my palm like a magnet.
‘Perhaps because it’s been so long, it feels strangely unfamiliar.’
One of the disorienting sensations I experience each time I return to reality.
When I awkwardly tapped the screen, the current time appeared.
07:05 AM.
Seven in the morning. I’d gone to bed not long after midnight, so I must have slept roughly seven hours.
“Huh?”
That’s strange. The date seems off.
As I stared blankly at my smartphone screen, my eyes suddenly widened at a thought that flickered across my mind.
“Oh.”
I’d forgotten amid all the chaos I’d been through.
What day today was. Why I’d only returned to my room after midnight.
And the moment that flash of realization struck, Choi Team Leader’s voice pierced my ears.
“As I mentioned last night, I should say it once more.”
Whoosh.
Along with an abruptly extended hand came a quiet voice.
“I look forward to working with you this year as well, Jin Tae-kyung.”
January 1st, 2047.
That’s right. Today marks the dawn of a new year in the modern world. And…
“Happy birthday.”
“…!”
It’s also my twenty-eighth birthday.
‘Damn. Already?’
Just as the number thirty looming ahead made my vision darken, two figures burst through from afar with a tremendous commotion.
“Hey! Twenty-eight! Your mom says to eat seaweed soup!”
“I hereby celebrate your natal day!”
Let me correct myself. Those aren’t people—they’re two monsters.
My nemesis of a housemate whom I’m meeting again after so long, Ha-yeon, and the blonde foreigner beside her, Skeleton King.
At the sight of them, I let out a deep sigh.
* * *
The time differential between Murim and the modern world is staggering.
Based on what I’ve learned so far, whenever one crosses into either world, time flows far more slowly in the other—to the extent that ten days in Murim equals one hour in the modern world, so it’s hardly surprising that I sometimes feel this dissonance.
‘Especially this time, with so much having happened.’
Dramatic changes have occurred in both Murim and the modern world.
And among those changes was this grand mansion where I currently reside.
Tap, tap.
Brilliant white marble gleams with every step, and the walls are adorned with classical paintings and sculptures.
And most of all…
“Wow, this place is ridiculously huge.”
Huge. Jaw-droppingly so.
Even if I combined every place I’d stayed in while traveling between the two worlds, it would pale to nothing compared to the scale of this grand mansion.
Yet the mansion’s owner didn’t seem to share that sentiment.
“As Jin Tae-kyung mentioned, it is rather large. It requires quite a bit of hands-on work.”
At Choi Team Leader’s words, Ha-yeon, who had been trailing behind, suddenly spoke up.
“For something that requires so much work, I didn’t see any other people around. Isn’t that right, mister?”
That was not the proper way to address Choi Team Leader.
Golden hair that looked as if it had been melted from pure gold, and mysterious golden eyes.
At first glance, the foreigner looked as if Hollywood might cast him in a film, but his face contorted.
“Surely you didn’t call for me.”
Ha-yeon answered without hesitation.
“Yes, I did.”
“Heh.”
The Skeleton King, who had been reborn in human form thanks to Magic Johnson’s illusion magic, let out a dry laugh.
“It seems you’re misunderstanding something. As I understand it, ‘mister’ in this country refers to an older male relative or a middle-aged man.”
“Yes.”
“….”
The Skeleton King, momentarily at a loss for words, squeezed out a response.
“What I’m trying to say is….”
“You said you’re over thirty. So to me, you’re definitely a mister.”
“Well, I am over thirty, but….”
“Ah, I see. So you are a mister, but you don’t like being called one, right?”
“…!”
His golden eyes trembled slightly. The Skeleton King, who had stopped in his tracks and was glaring at Ha-yeon, muttered under his breath.
“They say blood runs true. You two are definitely siblings.”
Ha-yeon and I answered simultaneously.
“I’m an only child.”
“I’m an only child too, mister.”
Good heavens, the number of cunning humans had doubled.
With eyes that seemed to say exactly that, the creature looked back and forth between Ha-yeon and me before shaking his head in resignation.
“Fine. I get it, so both of you stop. And you, impudent human girl. If you call me ‘mister’ one more time….”
Thud.
The Skeleton King’s words trailed off.
Ha-yeon had stopped in her tracks, staring at him with vacant eyes.
“What did you…say?”
“No. That’s not it. I misspoke.”
The Skeleton King was busy trying to salvage the situation while watching my expression, and Choi Team Leader finally let out a sigh as if to say, “Here we go.”
“He’s caused trouble after all. I’ll take him with me, so Jin Tae-kyung, please comfort your younger sister. Be careful not to let her misunderstand.”
“…?”
What is he talking about?
I blinked at Choi Team Leader.
“Why?”
“Pardon?”
“What? Why are you coddling her?”
“What do you mean why? Ha-yeon just heard insulting language….”
Choi Team Leader was about to continue when Ha-yeon suddenly opened her mouth.
“An arrogant human bitch? Is that what you say to people, you flat-nosed bastard?”
“…What?”
“…Huh?”
It’s starting. A warm smile played at the corners of my lips.
‘There she is. Still the same.’
Yes. This is Jin Ha-yeon.
As the capillaries in my body swelled magnificently and I finally felt myself returning to the modern world, Ha-yeon suddenly turned her head toward me.
“Did you hear? What that Yankee bastard just said?”
I nodded silently.
“I heard.”
“Got blackmail material on you? Did you get caught filming body cam videos before? Why the hell do you hang around with that inhuman bastard? Someone like that….”
Quite accurate, actually. I responded with admiration.
“Oh, you’re right. Really inhuman.”
“She called me an arrogant human bitch. Is this lunatic seriously saying that? Human bitch? That’s seriously pissing me off.”
“Well. Words are words. They’re just bad ones.”
“If it was just some normal curse like ‘crazy bitch,’ I wouldn’t even mention it. But human bitch? What the hell is that? It’s genuinely infuriating.”
I pulled out my smartphone and whispered.
“Siri, what’s the weather like today?”
– Today’s weather is. Clear. Thank you.
“You crazy bastard. Are you in the mood for wordplay right now? Your one and only younger sister just heard that kind of language from someone else?”
I hastily straightened my clothes and bowed respectfully.
“Hello. My name is Jin Tae-kyung, and I’m an only child in my family.”
“You’re seriously insane.”
“Your language is quite harsh for a first meeting. I’m actually considering filing a defamation lawsuit.”
In that instant, Ha-yeon’s eyes turned cold and sharp.
“I’m telling Mom everything.”
“What?”
“I said I’m telling Mom. Every single thing.”
“Are you threatening me right now?”
“Yes.”
“You little bastard….”
Whoosh!
With eyes wide open, I grabbed the collar with all my strength.
Of course, not Ha-yeon’s collar, but Skeleton King’s.
“Apologize to my younger sister right now! You inhuman monster! You beast!”
“I, I’m sorry! This one was wrong! I’ll apologize a hundred times, so please…!”
“Of course, it’s true that she’s arrogant! And human! And a girl! But you shouldn’t have put those three things together and said them!”
“Ugh! Ack!”
“Speak properly! Use your words clearly and put them together correctly!”
“Y-you! Insolent! Person! Girl!”
Crash.
For a moment, I thought I heard such a sound.
It was the sound of Ha-yeon’s rage meter shattering, and she grabbed the nearest plaster statue.
“Die. Just die, both of you!”
Whoosh! Bang!
The corridor transformed into absolute chaos with that first blow.
Ha-yeon charged forward like a valiant Viking warrior, while Choi Team Leader stared at the unfolding scene with a dazed expression.
“I said come eat, what is all this commotion…!”
The elevator installed inside the mansion at the end of the corridor opened, and a familiar face that suddenly emerged froze solid.
My dear Kim Jung-hee. Our mother, that is.
“…What are you doing, all of you?”
From her petite frame, barely reaching 160 centimeters, I sensed an aura rivaling at least the Ten Kings themselves.

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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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