Murim Login - Chapter 618

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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 618
The air had grown thick and humid without my noticing. And there, in the distance, towering mountains and deep valleys came into view.
Bu-chae-ju of the Water Dragon Stronghold pointed toward the rapidly approaching shoreline.
“This is as far as we can escort you. Once you disembark and travel ten li inland, you’ll reach Yunnan Province. You should arrive shortly.”
Though the tributaries of the Yangtze River were said to span vast territories across this continent, they did not extend all the way into the interior of Yunnan Province.
Or rather, to be precise, they weren’t completely severed.
The problem was that if I continued along the waterways to the Highland in the northern reaches of Yunnan, it would actually take considerably longer to reach my destination.
‘My primary objective remains the Southern Beast Palace, after all.’
The Quest I’d received required me to arrive in the Southern Wilderness, but the Fire Dragon Pavilion’s mission demanded I head to the Southern Beast Palace.
With that thought in mind, I bowed slightly to Bu-chae-ju.
“I’m truly grateful. You must be busy with merchant ship raids, yet you’ve brought me all this way.”
“Oh, don’t say such things. You’re not just anyone—when Jin Dae-hyeop calls, I must drop everything and come running at any moment. I’m almost reluctant to part ways like this, hehehehe.”
He looked far too happy for someone saying that.
Then again, he’d banged his head on things in front of his subordinates when bored, and had even prostrated himself flat on the ground before, so today’s parting would certainly bring him joy.
Watching Bu-chae-ju’s expression, I laughed along and asked in return.
“Really?”
“Indeed. Hehehehe.”
“Then it would be perfect if you stayed nearby, wouldn’t it?”
“Hehehehe. What?”
“I came here, certainly, but thinking about the return trip later worried me. And since you just said you’d be reluctant to part ways, this works out well.”
“…!”
“So wait nearby.”
The smile vanished from Bu-chae-ju’s face as he stammered to speak.
“Ah, well. That’s a bit much. We have our own affairs to attend to….”
“I understand. I know. So you can send most of the ships back and just leave one or two.”
“J-Jin Dae-hyeop. Please don’t do this. Rather, once your business in Yunnan is concluded, couldn’t you just send word….”
“Hmm. But then wouldn’t you have to wait far too long?”
“….”
The happiness that had filled Bu-chae-ju’s face was nowhere to be found now.
I gently patted his shoulder as he hung his head dejectedly.
“I know it’s an unreasonable request, but do me this favor.”
“Well, even so….”
“Come on, just do me this favor.”
“….”
“Damn it. Answer me. You need to conduct yourself properly to survive long in the Martial World.”
“Gasp.”
With his face darkened completely, Bu-chae-ju’s answer was already predetermined.
Shortly after, having extracted his agreement to remain anchored nearby until my return, I disembarked, and the gazes directed at me were far from ordinary.
“I thought we were looking at a third-rate bandit.”
“I’m asking this without any ill intent, but could the roots of the Taewon Jin Family perhaps lie with the heterodox sects?”
“As expected of you, Alliance Leader. You never disappoint.”
“Tae-san. I thought the Alliance Leader was referring to the Water Thieves.”
“I believe the Alliance Leader’s judgment is correct. If problems arise in the Southern Wilderness, we can seek their assistance. Isn’t that right?”
That final answer was the only correct one.
Only Ju Hwa-ran truly understood my heart. I gazed at her with genuine emotion in my voice.
“Exactly. Your thoughts align perfectly with mine, down to the last word.”
“Hah, you really thought that?”
“Pardon?”
“I was just… everyone else was saying so much that I wanted to take your side…”
“…”
Is my image really going to be like this?
As I pondered such concerns, how much further had we walked? While treading a crude path that paled in comparison to the Central Plains, a familiar sound pierced my ears.
Ding.
–
[Southern Wilderness]
entry completed.
– Quest,
[Southern Wilderness Entry]
completed.
– Quest,
[Journey to the Southern Wilderness]
successfully completed!
– Quest completion rewards obtained!
– Gained a small amount of experience!
– Gained a small amount of renown!
– Achievement,
[Thousands of Miles to Find the Southern Wilderness]
achieved!
– The Southern Wilderness boasts chaotic weather and is filled with ferocious beasts and venomous creatures—a treacherous land. Outsiders must always be wary of endemic diseases and poisons here.
–
[Advanced Antidote]
x10.
[Intermediate Antidote]
x20.
[Basic Antidote]
x30 obtained!
A new linked Quest has been generated.
Check the Quest window?
Y / N
System notifications rang out in succession, and holographic windows filled the empty air.
Bu-chae-ju’s words held truth. With no one visible around, it seemed we had already stepped into Southern Wilderness territory without realizing it.
I nodded silently, pretending indifference while muttering inwardly.
‘Confirmed.’
Ding.
Quest
[Seeds Planted in the Southern Wilderness]
You have arrived in the Southern Wilderness after traveling thousands of leagues, but it is a land sparsely populated and unwelcoming to outsiders.
With your current limited knowledge and information, you cannot act rashly. Make contact with Shadow Pavilion agents previously stationed here by the Martial Alliance to obtain detailed intelligence.
Rank
: Peak
Restriction
: Jin Tae-kyung and Fire Dragon Pavilion personnel only
Objective
: Contact Shadow Pavilion agent (Incomplete)
Reward
: Linked Quest
???
Failure
: Stat decrease
‘Hmm.’
Contact a Shadow Pavilion agent, then.
After reading through the new linked quest several times, I recalled the conversation I had exchanged with Cheon Myeon-ho Song Ho, the Shadow Pavilion Master of the Martial Alliance, before leaving Hanan.
‘After the Great Conflict ended and the First Alliance Leader, Mu-shin, disappeared, the Shadow Pavilion naturally dissolved. However, a minimal network of personnel to maintain intelligence operations remains even now, decades later.’
‘You mean….’
‘Did I not say? The eyes and ears of the Shadow Pavilion are everywhere.’
After the great war that shook the world ended, people gradually surrendered to peace. Yet there were those who did not.
Cheon Myeon-ho Song Ho and the Shadow Pavilion were precisely such people.
‘Holding only righteousness and honor in their hearts, they have maintained their posts through long years. When you arrive in the Southern Wilderness, seek him out first. You will gain not only information but considerable assistance.’
‘How should I find him? Surely you won’t simply give me his name and address.’
‘There is a secret mark known only to Shadow Pavilion agents. I will tell you the specific location where this mark can be verified, and you will be able to meet him there.’
It was a remarkable revelation. Nearly fifty years had passed since the Great Conflict ended, yet the Shadow Pavilion’s intelligence network remained active.
‘Especially in a remote place like the Southern Wilderness—I would have thought it impossible for such a network to survive.’
But thanks to the sacrifices of such people, my mission and Fire Dragon Pavilion’s operations would become considerably easier.
After organizing my thoughts, I opened my mouth toward the Fire Dragon Pavilion members who were moving while maintaining vigilance.
“We head to Yeongin.”
“Yeongin?”
Hyuk Moo-jin, tilting his head in confusion, asked.
“I’ve never heard of that place. Where is it?”
“It’s a town roughly two hundred leagues from our current position. Of course, it’s far more underdeveloped than Hyeon-eup in the Central Plains.”
Ju Hwa-ran, answering on my behalf, continued speaking.
“It’s a place where various ethnic minorities have blended together and coexist. Though that doesn’t mean there are no conflicts, of course.”
Sensing something in her fluent response and tone, I posed a question.
“Have you been there yourself?”
Ju Hwa-ran smiled softly and nodded.
“Didn’t I mention it? Three years ago, I barely managed to persuade Father to take an escort mission to the Southern Wilderness.”
“Ah, so that was Yeongin.”
“Yes. It was brief, but those memories remain vivid. Song Il-seom was with us then as well.”
As everyone’s gaze turned toward him, Song Il-seom raised his eyebrows and spoke bluntly.
“The Southern Wilderness is a dreadful place I never wish to visit again. But Yeongin was tolerable enough. The ethnic minorities there were relatively docile.”
Given Song Il-seom’s typically cynical demeanor, this was surprisingly generous praise.
Then again, that’s precisely why we could traverse this harsh and treacherous Southern Wilderness on an escort mission.
“But why are we heading to Yeongin specifically?”
At Ju Hwa-ran’s question, everyone’s attention shifted to me. They had clearly been dying to ask from the beginning but held their tongues.
Since there was no reason to conceal it, I answered honestly.
“I intend to meet with an informant of the Martial Alliance in Yeongin.”
“Then we absolutely must go. News from the Southern Wilderness rarely reaches the outside world.”
The Southern Wilderness is the remotest of remote regions.
Dozens of ethnic minorities dwelling within the dense jungles regarded the Han Chinese of the Central Plains with extreme suspicion, and they waged countless wars among themselves to preserve their respective territories.
For this reason, even the largest escort agencies and merchant caravans reportedly avoided journeys to the Southern Wilderness.
Success would yield rare spices, medicinal herbs, and precious gems, but one could just as easily lose their life to the countless perils lurking within the jungle.
Even without ethnic minorities suffering from anger management disorders, the various poisons, fierce beasts, and endemic diseases with high mortality rates posed serious obstacles.
“But Yeongin should be fine.”
Ju Hwa-ran continued with a bright smile.
“Our Yongbong Escort Agency has maintained connections there since our predecessors’ time, and the ethnic minorities residing there are relatively kind to the Han Chinese.”
“I see.”
“Yes. Once you meet them, you’ll understand—they’re all good people, I assure you.”
* * *
Hack, spit.
Thick, viscous phlegm landed at our feet.
True to the name “Bai people,” a white-robed ethnic minority man glared at us with menacing eyes before vanishing.
Watching his departure in silence, I carefully opened my mouth toward Ju Hwa-ran.
“Forgive me for asking, but… is that degree of behavior considered kind among the ethnic minorities here?”
“….”
“Miss Ju?”
After a brief silence, Ju Hwa-ran finally answered.
“Well, that man does seem to have a rather rough temperament. Most aren’t like that.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, yes. Of course. I know well from having come here myself.”
Scarcely had Ju Hwa-ran finished speaking when a middle-aged ethnic minority woman dressed in flamboyant, peacock-like garments covered a child’s eyes and muttered.
“Heavens, Han Chinese dogs have dared to venture this far. Come, child. Don’t let your eyes be corrupted.”
“Mother. Mother. I can’t see.”
“It’s alright, my daughter. Let’s quickly get away from those vicious brutes. Honey! Come out now. Han Chinese have entered the village!”
“What? Wait. I’ll grab the plow and smash these Han Chinese bastards’ heads in!”
“….”
“….”
I saw it clearly. In that instant, an earthquake erupted in Ju Hwa-ran’s eyes.
I asked her with my last shred of hope.
“Those people are just… a bit rough compared to the average atmosphere, right?”
“…That should be it. Probably.”
But Ju Hwa-ran’s wish was cruelly ignored.
Not long after, the ethnic minorities filling the roadside expressed their hostility toward us.
“They really were Han Chinese.”
“Bold ones too. Contact the clan leader immediately.”
“I’ve already sent someone.”
“Get the women and children inside, and gather the able-bodied men to watch those Han Chinese bastards.”
I felt like a criminal.
No—to them, we were already criminals they wouldn’t mind tearing to shreds.
The other team members, who couldn’t use the system’s translation like me and hadn’t learned the ethnic minority language like Ju Hwa-ran, were sufficiently sensing that fact.
“Squad Leader.”
“What.”
“I think we’re in real trouble.”
Hyuk Moo-jin, swallowing dryly, continued in a hushed voice.
“I don’t know what they’re saying, but the atmosphere is far too ominous. Wouldn’t it be better to just get out of here?”
“Mm.”
Easing my subordinates’ anxiety was also a leader’s role. I answered in a stern voice.
“That’s not it.”
“It’s not?”
“Right. They’re just curious about Han Chinese, that’s all.”
“Then why are they holding axes?”
“They must have been chopping firewood.”
“But they’re holding swords too?”
“They must have been butchering animals.”
“….”
Don’t look at me like that. My conscience is pricking me.
Deliberately ignoring Hyuk Moo-jin’s distrustful gaze, I crossed through the ethnic minorities emanating an ominous aura and stopped before a wooden building.
[Dok Hwa Pavilion]
A sign so weathered it looked ready to crumble at any moment. It was the meeting place Cheon Myeon Ho-ri had told us about.

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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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