Murim Login - Chapter 342
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I will re-publish the earlier chapters to fix those issues with the translation. I apologize in advance if it did not meet your standard. Please comment the chapters you find that is lacking in quality so I can fix them ASAP. Thanks for understanding!
Current re-published chapters (270 - 305)
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The quest [Finding the Divine Master in Sichuan] was of an extreme difficulty level. As vicious as the challenge was, the rewards were bound to be significant.
[Ding. Ding. Ding.]
An enormous amount of experience points and subsequent level-ups. Even achievements were unlocked.
I dismissed the endlessly ringing system notifications and hologram screens that were blocking my view. It was hard to be purely happy because the Divine Doctor’s expression was troubling.
“What’s wrong? You’re not going to say you can’t treat him after all, are you?”
“No way. Even though I’m an old quack, if I do my best, there’s still hope.”
“Then why…”
He hesitated for a moment and then sighed lightly. The faint smile on his lips turned into a wrinkle of deep worry.
“There are too many things to prepare for the treatment.”
“Oh, if it’s about the cost, don’t worry about it.”
I might look like this, but I’m still the youngest son of the Jin family of Taewon. It’s already well-known that the wealth the Jin family has amassed through northern trade routes in recent years is immense.
“If it gets urgent, we can even borrow some money from his family. Hey, isn’t there a Hyeok family fabric store in Sichuan?”
Hyeok Mujin nodded reluctantly.
“Yes, there is. It’s a fabric store in name, but it’s famous for silk in Sichuan. How could it not be?”
“Then let’s pull some emergency funds. You wouldn’t mind selling the store if it comes to that, right?”
“Of course, I would mind.”
“I’ll pay a lot of interest.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Then I’ll pay a lot of tolls for the underworld journey.”
“…Just take it all. Take everything, even the foundations of our house.”
Okay, problem solved.
But for some reason, the Divine Doctor’s expression remained gloomy.
Moonkyung, taking the place of his hesitant master, opened his mouth to speak.
“Jin Gongja.”
“Yes?”
“The biggest problem isn’t that. Although it’s true that an enormous amount of money is needed for the treatment process, there are materials that are difficult to obtain no matter how much gold and silver you have.”
“Materials that are difficult to obtain… Are you talking about elixirs?”
“Yes. For Daehyup’s treatment, we need elixirs that meet certain conditions. They are extremely valuable and rare, and it might take years to find them.”
Years?
That’s too late. In just a few months, Jeok Cheon-Gang’s life will come to an end.
At that moment, as I was at a loss for words, the Divine Doctor spoke in a calm voice.
“I need to explain in detail. The reason the patient hasn’t regained consciousness is because his balance is broken.”
“Balance?”
“Everything in the world contains the energy of the Five Elements (오행) and must achieve proper balance. This applies to the human body as well. The patient tried to harness immense energy and ended up breaking that balance.”
Immense energy?
Hearing his words, something suddenly came to mind.
Hwasingwimu (화신귀무). The ultimate secret technique of the Flame Sect that amplifies all the power of its caster.
‘So that’s the cause.’
In the distant past, Jeok Cheon-Gang earned the title of the Fire King by using Hwasingwimu against a thousand demonic cultists. However, his aged and ailing body could no longer withstand that power, and it shattered.
“When a vessel breaks, what’s inside seeps out. Fortunately, there is a way to reverse it, but it requires a rare elixir.”
“A rare elixir…”
“Moreover, it must meet specific conditions.”
“Tell me. I’ll find it no matter what it takes.”
The Divine Doctor sighed and nodded.
“It’s incredibly difficult, but I have to hope you can do it. Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
“Yes.”
With a serious tone, the Divine Doctor explained Jeok Cheon-Gang’s current condition, the treatment method, and the conditions required for the elixir in detail.
“Did you remember everything?”
“Jin Gongja?”
“Oh, yes.”
“I asked if you remembered everything.”
“Yes. I remember everything. But this is… whew.”
“Can you check, I mean confirm, if I got it right?”
“I was planning to do that. Go ahead.”
I carefully began to speak.
“So, right now, his balance is broken due to excessive consumption of energy, and particularly the harmony of yin and yang is disrupted, correct?”
“Correct.”
“The cause is the uncontrolled massive heat energy.”
“Go on.”
“To restore this broken balance and harmonize it again, we need an elixir, a very high-quality elixir. And for that…”
Moonkyung quickly interjected.
“The elixir must have the property of Yin Cold Energy (음한지기). Additionally, it must contain the energy of at least one ‘Gapja’ (갑자).”
“Four months. If we can’t obtain it within four months, everything will be in vain.”
The Divine Doctor ended the conversation with a heavy voice at that moment.
Ding.
– A linked quest, [In Search of the Elixir], has been created.
– This is something you must achieve. You cannot refuse!
– Find an elixir that contains the energy of one ‘Gapja’ and has the property of Yin Cold Energy!
Staring blankly at the hologram window, I finally snapped back to reality and asked.
“Will this do?”
“There are many other materials needed, but this is the core ingredient. So, you must leave immediately to find the elixir…”
“Ah, yes.”
So, I set out.
Two steps towards the Divine Doctor. Then, I took out something from my inventory and handed it to him.
“Here.”
“Take it.”
The two disciples stared at me blankly before reaching out to take what I was offering.
“What is this?”
“Master, please open it first.”
“Shall I?”
Click.
As the Divine Doctor carefully opened the wooden case, a refreshing scent that seemed capable of purifying even the coronavirus filled the air, and ‘that’ appeared.
“Gasp!”
“My goodness!”
“It’s a Millennium Snow Ginseng (천년설삼). It contains the energy of one ‘Gapja’ and the Yin Cold Energy. Will this do?”
The Divine Doctor, who had been looking back and forth between me and the Millennium Snow Ginseng with wide eyes, nodded vigorously.
“It’s more than enough!”
Ding.
– Quest conditions fulfilled!
– Successfully completed the linked quest, [In Search of the Elixir]!
– Achieved [Herbalist]!
– Gained substantial experience points!
– Level up!
Hearing the ringing system notifications, I suddenly thought of Joo Hwaran.
‘Thank you, Miss Joo.’
Thinking of her, who even tricked me into thinking the Millennium Snow Ginseng was a Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng just to avoid burdening me, made me laugh.
‘I have a reason to stop by Shaanxi on my way back.’
And by then… I hope to be with a healthy Jeok Cheon-Gang.
I asked the Divine Doctor, who was still in shock.
“So, what’s next?”
The Divine Doctor, who had carefully put the wooden case in his bosom, began to move.
“Follow me. Kyung, stay here and take care of the patients.”
“Yes, Master.”
Leaving the courteous Moonkyung behind, we followed the Divine Doctor.
* * *
Swoosh! Swoosh!
A small figure moved quickly beside me. Each time he extended his foot, he covered a distance of one jang (about 3.3 meters), and a breeze followed.
What was astonishing was that his feet never touched the ground.
With a faint sound, the grass under his feet bent gently and then returned to its original state.
Watching this, I furrowed my brow.
‘Walking on Grass (초상비)?’
Walking on Grass is a technique where one seems to fly over grass. Martial artists who have perfected their body techniques can use similar skills, like leaving no trace in the snow (답설무흔) or walking on water as if it were flat ground (등평도수).
Air-walking is only possible for supreme masters with an abundance of internal energy.
‘Of course, I could do it if I wanted to.’
The reason it felt so surprising was that the person performing this in front of me was the Divine Doctor.
‘I knew he practiced martial arts, but… His body technique is excellent.’
I had realized from our first meeting that the Divine Doctor practiced martial arts. Despite his small stature, he had the vitality and firmness of a young warrior, and the energy in his dantian was considerable.
‘His martial arts are first-rate, and his internal energy is probably at the supreme level.’
As I quietly assessed him, the Divine Doctor, sensing my gaze, turned his head and smiled.
“Why do you ask?”
I answered honestly.
“Your body technique is impressive.”
“Haha. No matter how much this old man tries, can I compare to you? I just happened to learn it along the way.”
“To be honest, before meeting you, I never imagined you practiced martial arts.”
“That must have been surprising. It’s the same for the others.”
Glancing back, everyone except Cheongpung had faces full of curiosity.
Given the situation, there was no reason to beat around the bush. It was better to ask directly.
“It might be rude, but may I ask how you came to learn martial arts?”
Martial arts and medicine are an odd combination. But the Divine Doctor didn’t avoid the question.
“When I was about your age and just becoming an apprentice doctor, my master personally taught me.”
“Then, your master was…?”
“Yes. My
master was a martial artist.”
That the Divine Doctor’s master was a Murim warrior was something I had never imagined.
Seeing my expression, he laughed heartily.
“Don’t be surprised. By the time he accepted me as a disciple, he had already left Murim.”
“Ah, I see.”
“My master reached the highest realms as both a martial artist and a doctor. He said he became a doctor to erase the karma of his killings.”
Suddenly, I felt I understood his sentiment.
I, too, have accumulated the karma of killing. At first, I wielded my spear to return home, thinking it was just a virtual world created by a game.
‘But everything was real. They were all living people.’
By the time I realized it, it was too late.
I couldn’t stop, and I didn’t stop. I killed to survive, and I killed because they were enemies.
In Murim and in the modern world.
At some point, the smell of blood clung to me. It was an odor that wouldn’t wash off no matter how much I cleaned.
“…I see.”
My delayed response made the Divine Doctor smile faintly.
“It’s just a matter of choices. My master chose the path he believed was right, and so did I. Many people sought me out, so I had to learn martial arts for self-preservation. I was so clumsy that I often got scolded, though, haha.”
Everyone has memories.
The Divine Doctor, perhaps thinking of his time with his master, laughed heartily and then suddenly stopped.
“We’ve arrived.”
Crunch.
The sound of frozen leaves being crushed underfoot was heard.
This place was a particularly cold valley within the Qimen Formation centered around the Divine Doctor’s residence.
“Where exactly are we?”
“I call this place the Cold Ice Land (한빙지).”
Cold Ice Land, fitting name.
It reminded me of places like Yanggu in Gangwon Province or Moscow. I glanced at Hyeok Mujin, who was already shivering, and asked the most important question.
“What do we do next?”
“You’ll have quite a task ahead. We need to find and gather various herbs essential for the treatment.”
“Sounds simple enough.”
“Let’s see… We need about a hundred roots of each type.”
“Ah, yes. A hundred roots…”
“I said a hundred roots of each type.”
“Yes, that’s right. A hundred roots.”
As I nodded, I froze. Wait, what did I just hear?
“A hundred roots, each? Not the total?”
“That’s right.”
The Divine Doctor chuckled.
“Twenty-four types, a hundred roots each.”
[Ding.]
– A linked quest, [Herbal Slave of Cold Ice Land], has been created!
– This is something you must achieve. You cannot refuse!