Chapter 552
Ting.
[Starting Synchronization.] 10, 9, 8, 7…1, 0.
[Synchronization has been successfully completed. The increased stats have been applied to your body, and usage is restricted for certain titles.]
[Logout has been completed.]
Before my darkened vision even cleared, a refreshing breeze brushed across my body, as it always did.
No, it washed over me, purifying me.
‘Synchronization.’
Since I first started moving between Murim and reality, it was a process I underwent without fail.
Changes in stats are reflected immediately, while scars and injuries are not carried over.
Perhaps to prevent sudden changes in physique and appearance from arousing suspicion, there was also a considerate function that made transformations gradual and natural.
Wham! Ah, it’s the same this time too.
I could feel new strength infusing a body that had already surpassed human limits, and my muscles becoming even more flexible.
The internal energy refined through battles with the Water God Dragon and Moon Kyung’s teachings was no exception.
“Hoo.”
The first thing I saw was a ceiling without a speck of dust.
The high ceiling, reaching several meters, was adorned with an antique painting.
‘Is it because it’s been a while? Or am I just not used to it yet?’
The last time I followed the tributaries of the Yangtze River toward Hubei was a couple of months ago, so it had been quite some time since I returned.
Maybe that’s why everything around me felt unfamiliar.
Feeling the softness of the blanket, I stared at the ceiling for a while before I opened my mouth.
“What’s the title of that painting again?”
A soft answer came.
“The official 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. Right.”
“You’ve heard of him?”
“He’s pretty famous. Are you looking down on me because I only have a 7th-grade academic score?”
“What does your school record matter? Right now, Jin Taekyung, you’re far more famous than that painting.”
Squelch.
Soft leather slippers stepped across the marble floor.
Turning my face halfway into the pillow, I caught sight of a figure crossing the vast, almost boundless space.
‘How does that guy look better every time I see him?’
Usually, you’d feel jealous, but once someone surpasses a certain threshold, all you can do is admire them.
Especially when someone like that carries an aura that makes their good looks feel natural.
I smiled brightly at the man I was seeing again after two months.
“Long time no see, Team Leader Choi.”
At my greeting, the handsome man in a silk gown, Team Leader Choi, halted in his steps.
“You sound like someone who just returned from a faraway journey.”
“I dreamt a dream from a distant place. A long one.”
Spending over two months in Murim, my words weren’t lies.
In fact, considering all the events that happened, even two months felt short.
“Sounds like it wasn’t a bad dream.”
“No. I ended up fighting a dragon right at the start.”
“You mean a dragon?”
“Well. It’s a little different, but close enough.”
“Sounds like a nightmare. In times like that, it’s best to wake up quickly.”
Clack.
Team Leader Choi placed the coffee cup he was holding onto the table next to the bed.
“Here you go.”
“Is this one of those super expensive coffees?”
If it was one of those cat poop coffees or something like Hyuk Mu-jin’s poop coffee again, I was ready to refuse outright.
Glaring suspiciously at the coffee cup, I suddenly caught a familiar scent tickling my nose.
“Huh?”
Looking at him with a doubtful expression, Team Leader Choi chuckled.
“It’s a mix coffee. Gold label. Extra strong.”
“Kyaa. Our Team Leader Choi really knows what’s good.”
“At least I know that ground coffee and Jin Taekyung don’t exactly make a good match.”
“Good. Ten points to Gryffindor.”
Giving him a thumbs-up, I gulped down the coffee in one shot.
Mmm. This is it. Cheap, but sweet.
Coming into contact with a great modern invention after so long made me feel alive again.
“Ahh, nice. Drinking this really wakes me up.”
“Does it? Well, you did seem to sleep longer than usual today.”
Like other Awakeners or Murim people, and especially as someone whose body had already exceeded its limits, I usually didn’t need much sleep.
At most, I would sleep two hours a day, and even that was just self-satisfaction to satisfy sleep cravings.
‘Unless I severely overwork my body or exhaust my mind, there’s no real issue.’
Someone like me, sleeping like the dead for hours, would naturally arouse suspicion.
Stretching with a loud yawn, I asked,
“Are you feeling okay?”
“There are just days like this. Maybe the fatigue hit me all at once.”
Rubbing my shoulders sluggishly, I reached out my hand.
Floating above the bedside table, my smartphone flew into my palm like a magnet, pulled by [Water Striding Technique].
‘Maybe because it’s been a while, but everything feels strangely awkward.’
One of the sensations I always experienced when returning to reality.
Tapping awkwardly at the screen, the current time appeared.
07:05am.
Seven in the morning. I remembered lying down not long after midnight, meaning I had slept roughly seven hours…
“Huh?”
What’s this. The date seems strange.
Staring blankly at the smartphone screen, a sudden thought flashed through my mind.
“Ah…”
I had gone through so many things that I had completely forgotten.
What day today was.
Why I only returned to my room after midnight.
And the moment that realization struck like a flash of lightning, Team Leader Choi’s voice pierced my ears.
“As I mentioned last night, I should remind you once again.”
Swoosh.
As he extended his hand, his voice lowered.
“Please take care of me again this year, Jin Taekyung.”
January 1, 2047.
That’s right. Today marked the dawn of a new year in the modern world. And…
“Happy birthday.”
It was also the twenty-eighth birthday of none other than me, Jin Taekyung.
‘Damn. Already?’
As the number thirty loomed right before my eyes, darkness clouded my vision. At that moment, two people burst in from afar with a noisy commotion.
“Hey! Twenty-eight! Mom says to eat your seaweed soup!”
“Congratulations on the day of your birth!”
Correction. Those weren’t people; they were two monsters.
My longtime nemesis and family registry mate, Ha-yeon, and the blond foreigner beside her, Skeleton King.
Seeing the two, I let out a deep sigh.
The time difference between Murim and the modern world was staggering.
According to what I had learned so far, the moment you crossed over to one world, time in the other slowed dramatically—ten days in Murim equated to about one hour here. It was no wonder there was a constant sense of disconnect.
‘Especially since so much happened this time.’
Tremendous changes had occurred in both Murim and the modern world.
Among those changes was the very mansion I was currently staying in.
Every step echoed against the gleaming white marble floors, and the surroundings were filled with antique paintings and sculptures.
And above all…
“Wow, it’s disgustingly huge.”
It was massive. So massive it left my mouth hanging open.
Even if I combined all the places I’d ever stayed in across both worlds, they wouldn’t amount to even a fraction of this mansion’s size.
Yet the true owner of the mansion didn’t seem to think much of it.
“As Jin Taekyung mentioned, it’s a bit large. It does take a lot of maintenance,” Team Leader Choi said.
Following behind, Ha-yeon suddenly chimed in.
“For all that maintenance, I don’t see any staff around. Right, mister?”
She wasn’t talking to Team Leader Choi.
With golden hair like molten gold and eyes that shimmered with a mysterious golden light, the foreigner—who looked like he could cause a scandal in Hollywood—scowled.
“Surely you didn’t call this body for that.”
Without missing a beat, Ha-yeon answered.
“Yep.”
The foreigner, Skeleton King, who had been reborn into a human form thanks to Magic Johnson’s welcoming magic, let out a hollow laugh.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something. In this country, ‘mister’ refers to a male relative from an elder generation or a middle-aged man.”
Skeleton King squeezed out his voice after a pause.
“So what I’m saying is…”
“I heard you’re over thirty. That makes you a mister to me.”
“Well, technically, but…”
“Ah. Got it. So you’re a mister, but you just don’t like being called one?”
Skeleton King’s golden eyes trembled.
Standing still, he glared at Ha-yeon and muttered,
“They say blood ties run deep. You two really must be siblings.”
Ha-yeon and I answered at the same time.
“I’m an only child.”
“I’m an only child too, mister.”
The look in his eyes said it all: the world had produced two wicked humans instead of just one.
Skeleton King shook his head with a resigned expression.
“Fine. Fine. Just stop already. And you, impudent human girl, if you dare call this body ‘mister’ again…!”
Thud.
Skeleton King couldn’t finish his sentence.
Ha-yeon had stopped walking and was staring at him with a blank expression.
“What… did you say?”
“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I misspoke.”
Skeleton King glanced nervously at me while trying to recover, and Team Leader Choi sighed as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“You really did it this time. I’ll take care of him, so please calm your sister down, Jin Taekyung. Make sure there are no misunderstandings.”
???
What the hell is he talking about?
I blinked at Team Leader Choi.
“Why?”
“Excuse me?”
“I said why. Why should I calm her down?”
“What do you mean why? Miss Ha-yeon just heard an insult—”
Just as Team Leader Choi was about to continue, Ha-yeon suddenly opened her mouth.
“Impudent human girl? Is that something you say to a person, you Yankee bastard?”
“Huh?”
“…Huh?”
It had begun.
I smiled warmly.
‘Still the same, I see.’
Yes. This was the Ha-yeon I knew.
As my capillaries throbbed with a rising sense of grandeur, I finally felt the reality of being back in the modern world.
Ha-yeon snapped her head toward me.
“Did you hear that? Did you hear what that Yankee bastard just said?”
I silently nodded.
“I heard it.”
“Are you being blackmailed? Did he catch you doing something shady online? Why the hell are you hanging around with that freak?”
She wasn’t wrong. I answered admiringly.
“Oh, you’re spot on. He really doesn’t feel human at all.”
“He called me an impudent human girl. Is he out of his damn mind?”
“Well. Words are words. Just… bad ones.”
“If he had just called me crazy or something, I wouldn’t have cared. But ‘human girl’? That’s seriously disgusting.”
Pulling out my smartphone, I muttered,
“Hey Siri, what’s the weather today?”
* Today’s weather is clear.
“You crazy bastard. Are you seriously joking right now? Your only sister just got insulted!”
Straightening my clothes, I bowed politely.
“Hello. My name is Jin Taekyung, and I’m the only child of this household.”
“You’re insane.”
“That’s a harsh thing to say upon first meeting. I’ll sue you for factual defamation.”
For a moment, Ha-yeon’s gaze turned icy.
“I’m telling Mom everything.”
“What?”
“I’m going to tell Mom. Every last detail.”
“You… Are you threatening me?”
Hmph.
“You little—”
Wham!
Eyes wide open, I grabbed someone by the collar with all my might.
Of course, it wasn’t Ha-yeon. I grabbed Skeleton King’s collar.
“Apologize to my sister right now! You less-than-human monster!”
“I-I’m sorry! This body was wrong! I’ll apologize a hundred times, just please—!”
“Sure, she’s impudent! Sure, she’s human! Sure, she’s a girl! But you can’t string all three together like that!”
“Ugh! Ack!”
“Say it properly! Say it the right way!”
“Im… impudent! Person! Girl!”
Boom.
I thought I heard something explode.
It was the sound of Ha-yeon’s anger gauge bursting.
She grabbed the nearest plaster statue.
“Die! Both of you, just die!”
Whoosh! Clang!
And so began the chaos of the day.
As Ha-yeon charged like a fierce Viking warrior, and Team Leader Choi watched the scene unfold with a stunned expression—
“What is all this racket when I told you to come eat?!”
At the end of the hallway, the mansion’s elevator opened, and a familiar face appeared, frozen stiff.
Dear Mrs. Kim Jeong-hee. Our mother.
“…What are you two doing?”
From her petite frame, barely reaching 160 centimeters, I felt a pressure comparable to the Ten Kings of Hell.