Murim Login - Chapter 75

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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 75
The distinction between the modern world and Murim came down to something absurdly simple: smell and temperature.
The sweat stench inside the VR helmet. The warmth of the capsule, heated just right by sunlight streaming through the window.
“Phew.”
Removing the helmet and climbing out of the capsule felt like a breath of fresh air—though it was merely trading scalding heat for lukewarm heat.
‘How much time has passed?’
I checked the watch on my wrist. The cheap digital watch I’d bought seven years ago from a street vendor outside the Hunter Training Institute for twelve thousand won had the advantage of featuring an alarm and stopwatch function.
Beep.
[02:05:35]
Two hours and five minutes and thirty-five seconds.
Since I’d spent roughly twenty days in Murim, the time ratio checked out compared to last time.
‘Now that I’m back in the modern world, the time multiplier must have reversed.’
Now that I’d logged out, ten days in the modern world equaled one hour in Murim. I’d washed up in the Gosiwon’s communal shower and returned to my room.
Just as I was about to close the door, a dark shadow suddenly shot up.
“Whoa!”
Yeah, I knew it had to be Sung Jin-ho.
“Y-o-u… s-c-a-r-e-d… m-e.”
“…What’s with that reaction? You knew I was here?”
“Your breathing was incredibly heavy. Seems like you got excited, Jin Ho.”
My five senses, sharpened with each passing day, could pick up the sounds and movements around me without even needing Qi Sensing.
He’d apparently been waiting with bated breath, but to my ears, his slightest movements and every breath sounded like thunder.
“Breathe quieter. You’re the Gosiwon’s administrator—if complaints come in about your loud breathing, we’ll have a problem.”
“Damn it. How did you know? For an F-rank Hunter to… oh, you became C-rank recently. Right.”
“Look at your character. You just love teasing people about being F-rank, don’t you?”
“Hey, when you reach my age, you can’t even remember what side dishes you ate yesterday—how am I supposed to vividly recall something that happened just a week ago?”
“A week?”
That’s all it had been?
For me, more than a month had passed, yet for Elder Brother Jin Ho, it was merely last week. A subtle sense of disconnect washed over me.
“Why? What’s with that expression? Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. But what brings you here?”
“This bastard. What, do you think we can only meet if there’s business? Are we some kind of transactional relationship?”
“Get to the point. Keep it short.”
Elder Brother Jin Ho’s face hardened. Had I been joking too much?
Now that I thought about it, I’d been rather indifferent lately. Even before returning to Murim, I hadn’t seen him often due to various issues…
“Buy me dinner.”
“…”
“Grilled pork belly. Griddle-cooked. Chicken and beer.”
Damn. So that’s what this was about.
And he was even picking the menu himself.
“Did you leave money with me?”
“Your money is my money. My money is my money, isn’t it?”
“Pronounce it correctly. Unless you want to taste a C-rank Hunter’s fists.”
Elder Brother flinched and wiped his palms clean.
“I humbly beseech you, sir. Please allow me to oil my parched stomach with your generous funds.”
“….”
Look at that tactical shift. Even Udyr would weep.
It was absurd, yet I found myself stifling a laugh. My stomach, which hadn’t tasted proper food in nearly a month, was practically screaming in protest.
‘Let me eat something decent for once.’
I spoke with solemn authority.
“Your attitude pleases me. Lead the way.”
“Where shall I take you, sir?”
“I’m tired of grilled pork belly and teppanyaki. Today, let’s indulge in something more expensive.”
“W-wait, sir. You mean—!”
Elder Brother’s eyes widened.
“Korean beef! That magnificent marbling from grass-fed cattle?”
“What nonsense. We’re going for grilled offal.”
“….”
“If you don’t like it, starve.”
Tap.
Elder Brother gripped my shoulder with a solemn expression.
“I’ve always wanted to try it that way, sir.”
The early dinner that began at five that afternoon ended at a Makgeolli House on the third round, and Elder Brother was thoroughly drunk.
“Kwaaaaah.”
“….”
I’ve definitely seen this scene before somewhere.
As I hoisted Elder Brother onto my back with an odd sense of déjà vu, my phone rang.
〈 Luxury Goods Addict
Luxury Goods Addict
Same time, same place tomorrow. See you then.
A brief message. The sender was Choi Team Leader.
* * *
The drawback—and advantage—of sleep mode was that sleep time decreased. Except for the time I suffered severe injuries fighting Jo Pil, I’d never slept more than three hours.
‘Perfect for training.’
Three in the morning.
I opened my eyes in optimal condition and crossed my legs. At some point, the beginning and end of each day had become breathing exercises.
Whoooosh.
The waves of inner force began to flow.
Fifteen years of accumulated power surged from my dantian, purifying the waste accumulated within my body and breathing vitality into dormant meridians.
Ding.
–
[Qi Cultivation Breathing Technique]
has been completed.
–
[Internal Force]
has increased very slightly.
When I opened my eyes along with the system notification, two hours had already slipped away. If this were the Murim, I would have headed straight to the Training Ground to loosen up my body, but reality imposed numerous constraints.
Especially in a Gosiwon packed together like a chicken farm.
‘Damn this Gosiwon. I need to escape soon.’
Even training costs money these days. Those who earn well own several spacious private training rooms, but those like me without means have no choice but to adapt to poor conditions.
“Huff. Hah.”
I spent the entire morning running through the neighborhood, and upon returning, I continued basic bodyweight exercises without pause. Thanks to my increased stats, I felt no fatigue—only boundless vitality surging through me.
Watching me, Elder Brother Jin Ho asked with a fed-up expression.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“Not really.”
“I’ve never seen anyone do one-armed push-ups as easily as you. How many are you on?”
“No idea. I counted to three hundred and got too lazy to keep going.”
“You’re a monster. Is that something a C-rank Hunter typically does?”
“By the way, Sung Jin-ho.”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you here?”
Elder Brother Jin Ho had appeared with a vacant expression about ten minutes ago and still hadn’t left my room.
“Can’t you tell? I came to eat ramen.”
Tap tap. Sizzle.
The way he dropped a raw egg onto the nearly cooked noodles was practiced and natural.
His control of the burner’s heat to achieve a soft-boiled yolk was masterful enough to be called an art form.
“Give me three reasons why you absolutely have to eat it here.”
“First, my room doesn’t have a TV. Second, your room does. Third, ramen tastes best when eaten while watching TV.”
Listening to his smooth, flowing response made my blood boil.
“Just buy one! If you don’t have money, just take it!”
“Ah, that’s a bit much. I’m leaving anyway, so what’s the point of carrying extra baggage?”
“Then stop coming in and out so carelessly… wait? What did you just say?”
“What?”
“Did you just say you’re leaving?”
“Oh, that.”
Elder Brother Jin Ho scratched his matted hair.
“It just happened that way. Well, the date isn’t confirmed yet, but I’m planning to move out soon. I can’t stay cooped up here forever, after all.”
“…”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, it’s nothing. Just…”
I averted my gaze with an awkward expression.
Everyone living in the Gosiwon has their reasons. I’m no exception, and neither is Elder Brother. It would be rude to pry into the details.
‘Still, it’s a shame.’
Someone I’d lived with like a friend, like a brother, for years—and now he was leaving so abruptly.
Caught in that complex, ambiguous feeling, I carefully opened my mouth.
“Elder Brother, maybe…”
“I appreciate the thought, but I have to respectfully decline.”
Had he already guessed what I was about to say? Elder Brother Jin Ho cut me off cleanly and continued.
“Look, I’m thirty years old. I take care of my own bowl.”
“Then there’s nothing I can do about it.”
I’d thought living together with Elder Brother Jin Ho would be fine, but my presumptuous meddling seemed to have wounded his pride.
He opened the pot lid with a crumpled expression.
“You should have said something from the start.”
“What are you talking about? You never even considered it.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You said you weren’t eating, so I only made one pot.”
“…?”
Wait, hold on. What’s the flow of this conversation?
After a few seconds of silence, I spoke up.
“What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly cooking?”
“Ramen, obviously.”
Elder Brother Jin Ho glared at me with an ominous look.
“There’s always some guy who says he’s not eating, then when it’s cooked deliciously, he asks for just one bite. How many times have you done this to me?”
“…”
“A C-rank Hunter reaching for his poor older brother’s bowl? Do you even call yourself human?”
“…”
So when he was talking about his bowl earlier, he meant it literally.
I wanted to throw his own words right back at him.
‘Is that even human?’
I was an idiot for ever thinking about living with someone like that.
Feeling self-disgust, I put on my clothes. It was time to meet with Choi Team Leader.
Bang!
I slammed the door shut hard enough to shatter it and bolted out, his final cry echoing behind my back.
– If you’re going to the mart, grab some kimchi!
I wanted to kill him.
* * *
‘Where was the place again?’
I dredged up memories from about twenty days ago and arrived at the meeting spot.
A large upscale cafe in the heart of the Building District. A handsome man sitting by the window spotted me and waved.
“Over here.”
I didn’t need to be told. There were dozens of tables in the establishment, yet the only customer sitting down was Choi Team Leader alone.
‘Still as handsome as ever.’
Choi Team Leader, dressed in a sleek casual suit, looked as though he’d stepped straight out of a fashion magazine. A successful life with everything in his twenties—looks, wealth, personality… No, scratch that last one.
After a brief handshake, we took our seats.
“Have you eaten?”
“No.”
Choi Team Leader tilted his head curiously.
“Really? You look like you’ve had ramen.”
….
Damn it, this bastard’s got a nose like a bloodhound.
I was too embarrassed to explain in tedious detail what had happened at the Gosiwon. I hastily changed the subject.
“It’s lunchtime, but there’s no one here.”
“We’re not open.”
“Pardon?”
“The windows are covered with curtains and there’s a Closed sign on the door, so naturally no one comes in.”
Looking around, Choi Team Leader was absolutely right.
I’d assumed the place would be open since this was our meeting spot, so I hadn’t noticed. The situation itself was so strange that I blinked.
“But you’re operating right now.”
The lights inside the establishment were bright, and the air conditioning kept it cool. I could see at least ten staff members—so why was the door locked?
Choi Team Leader replied casually.
“We have to. We have a customer.”
“But you said you’re not open?”
“That’s the owner’s decision, isn’t it?”
“Um… Team Leader, I’m asking just to be sure.”
“No need to ask. This cafe is mine.”
Yeah, I figured as much.
Now that I thought about it, the last time we met, there were only the two of us in the cafe.
‘There’s no end to this guy’s wealth.’
I clicked my tongue and spoke.
“Team Leader, you’re loaded.”
“I have enough that it’s not lacking. That’s why I can present contracts like this.”
Choi Team Leader smiled gently and slid a folder across the table.
“So, shall we discuss business now?”
There was no reason to hesitate any longer. I nodded firmly.
“Let’s do it.”
An hour later, just as I finished signing the final document, a system notification chimed.
Ding.

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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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