53 - Murim Login

### Chapter 53 Ding. - Sleep mode has been deactivated. "..Oppa!" I woke up abruptly, gasping for breath. The first thing I saw wasn't the ceiling of my tiny room but Ha-yeon's face. Ah, that's right. I came home yesterday. "Did you have a nightmare?" "Hm?" "You've been screaming since earlier. And you're drenched in sweat." Me? Even before I could ask, I realized. My entire body was soaked in sweat, and my throat felt scratchy as if I'd swallowed sand. 'What's wrong with my body?' The system I have isn't just applicable when I'm awake. Sleep mode ensures deep rest and brings one's condition to its peak. Such a situation hadn't occurred before, not in the martial arts world nor after synchronization. A nightmare, too. 'What kind of dream did I have?' But all I could remember was a dull headache; the content of the dream eluded me. Ha-yeon asked in a concerned voice. "Is something bothering you lately?" "No, nothing like that." "If something's wrong, just tell me. Don’t keep it to yourself." "Yeah, sure." "I'm serious." Her tiny fist punched my chest lightly. Losing words at Ha-yeon's serious expression, I just scratched my chin. "Really? Nothing at all? No worries or struggles?" "I'm telling you, there's nothing." That's a lie. It was true 7 years ago, and it will be true 7 years from now. There were days I locked myself in my room and cried, and days I drank too much with Jin-ho to forget. 'That's enough.' There are things I can't discuss with my mom, who worked her knees off raising two young siblings, nor with my high-school-senior sister preparing for college entrance exams. Enduring and overcoming things alone. I'm used to it now. I forced a nonchalant smile. "All that's left is for my life to take off, so what could be the problem? Oh, wait. Maybe how to spend money now that I have it." "Bragger." The mood lightened slightly. I pretended to scowl. "Bragging? Don’t you remember yesterday? Want me to show you my stack of cash again?" "Okay, I'll give you that. Annoying but true." "This is the peak of my 27-year-old life graph. There's nothing to worry about now, just focus on studying hard." "My grades are in the top 0.1% nationwide, okay? I’m doing fine, so stop worrying." Ha-yeon, pouting, was about to leave the room but hesitated and turned back. "Oppa, by the way." "Hm?" "Who’s Jin Wi-gyeong?" "……What?" An unanticipated name dropped out of nowhere. My body stiffened. Crunch. I bit into a freshly made piece of kimchi. It was my mom's dish, which I'd longed for, but I could hardly taste it. It was the conversation with Ha-yeon that caused it. 'Where did you hear that name?' 'From you. You kept calling that name while you were asleep.' And her last remark. 'Do you know them? If they appear in your dreams, you must be close.' I couldn't answer that question. I hadn't found the answer in the martial world nor in reality. No, there was no reason to seek it anymore. I had returned to reality, and Jin Wi-gyeong remained in the martial world. 'But why did Jin Wi-gyeong suddenly appear in my dreams…' My head was full of turmoil. Was it a leftover effect from the martial world? PTSD. The word post-traumatic stress disorder came to mind. 'This is maddening.' Unknowingly, my expression must have hardened. Mom gently asked. "Are you not hungry? I prepared your favorites." "Oh, no. When did you make this kimchi? The soybean paste stew is perfect, too." Quickly making excuses, I picked up my spoon. It's been a while since the three of us gathered at a single dining table. I didn't want to ruin this precious moment. 'It's nothing. It must be nothing.' Slurp. Nevertheless, the savory soybean paste stew had a slight bitter taste to it. Yet, the uneasy feeling soon faded back to my usual self. Laughing and chatting with family all day. After a good nap, night fell. It was time to return. "Why not stay a bit longer? I was going to cook boiled pork tomorrow." "Our dear Kim is at it again. I like boiled pork too, you know?" Ha-yeon murmured in response to Mom’s words, dripping with reluctance. "I'm packing you plenty of side dishes, so what's the worry? You could start a side dish shop with this.' "...That's true." At the front door, the shopping bags mom had prepared were stuffed with side dishes. This was the compromise I managed to negotiate. 'No more room to keep them.' If I put a refrigerator in my 3-pyeong room, there'd be no space to move. Actually, there's no place to put it. I already have a capsule fridge-sized item. 'Maybe it's time to move.' As I mulled over such thoughts and shouldered the backpack I had packed the night before, a realization struck. ≪.. T Why does it feel so heavy? The only things I packed were a few clothes I bought yesterday. As I set down the backpack, my family grew anxious. "Son, you’ll be busy starting tomorrow, right? Go wash up and sleep well." "...But you just said to stay a few more days?" "Oppa, you’ll miss the bus." "I'm taking a taxi." "Night fare. There’s a night surcharge." I grasped what was happening. "When did you put it in?" "What, what?" "The money." Their expressions answered for them. I sighed. “I told you to keep it and use it when needed.” "I earn a lot. I’ll continue to do so." I mixed fact with fiction. A C-rank hunter's average annual salary is 500 million won. I had an unexpectedly generous employer, Mr. Choi, who gave me a huge bonus, but everything would vanish if the system disappeared. That's why I wanted to give more to the family... "It's money you earned risking your life. Use it for yourself, okay?" "Mom." "Son." I was at a loss for words at the gentle utterance that followed. "Don’t overdo it. And don’t get hurt. That’s all I ask." What more could I say? Moments later, I stepped into the humid summer night. With a bag full of side dishes and a backpack stuffed with cash. Vroom. As I took a taxi back to the small room, I kept recalling my mom's last words and the warmth they carried. ### Chapter 53 "Survive, don’t look back, just run. That's your mission." The voice from my increasingly faint memories. Splash— Blood spurted out. Not the green blood of a monster, but human red. Feeling a burning pain in my thigh, I thrust a spear into the chest of the Lizardman chief. "Screech... Ding. - You have defeated [Lv.50 Lizardman Chief]! - You have gained experience! Gate cleared. A magical field leading outside formed above the deceased Lizardman chief. That was when Chief Choi peeled his back off the tree. "Three times." "Sorry?" "The number of injuries you sustained today, Jin Tae-kyung." His long, firm fingers pointed at various spots on my body. My neck and arm had already been treated with potions, yet my thigh still bled. "I'm fine. Just grazes; a low-grade potion is enough..." "You are not fine." He cut in with a firm tone. Usually inscrutable, Chief Choi seemed different this time. The emotion underlying his expression was not mere concern. "Last week, you didn't get injured at all. Same gate, same monsters, yet different results mean there's one reason." His clear eyes focused on me. "Jin Tae-kyung. Is something troubling you?" A few days passed, yet the situation did not improve. Eventually, on the fourth day, I ended up with five injuries. 'You're not in the right condition. Go home.' As I headed to my small room, Chief Choi’s words lingered in my mind. 'What is the problem?' Everything was going well. The system hadn't disappeared, and my account had 300 million won safely stored in the bank. My path as a C-rank hunter was bright... 'Damn dreams.' It started from the first night after visiting my parents' home. I kept having nightmares. The scenes grew clearer, and each time I woke up drenched in sweat. Even using energy circulation techniques, my unstable mind led to mistakes. 'This can’t continue.' Physically present in reality, yet mentally shackled in the martial world. I considered seeing a psychiatrist while returning to my room. Click. "Hey, you're back?" His greeting was so casual that I almost thought I’d gone to the wrong place. Stupified, I asked, "What are you doing?" Jin-ho responded without missing a beat. "Disassembling and reassembling." Seeing him with a screwdriver in front of the capsule made my vision blur. Surely, he couldn't be... "Are you crazy? Move!" "Whoa, whoa. At least hear me out." Jin-ho quickly raised his hands in defense. "I haven't even started yet." "What?" "I just got here too." Seeing his expression assured me he wasn’t lying. Only after confirming the intact state of the capsule did I breathe a sigh of relief. “Whew.” Seeing me relax, Jin-ho asked in confusion, "Why fuss over this useless capsule? You were ready to throw it out like trash." "That was then." Jin-ho knows nothing about synchronization. To him, this mysterious contraption would mean nothing. "Just don't touch it, okay?" "Geez, you look like you're ready to kill someone." "I will if I have to." Ignoring Jin-ho's bewildered expression, I collapsed onto the bed. A light confrontation had drained my energy. "Is something going on?" 익으 무스 "Your complaints have been relentless lately. Today, I had to calm down the guy next door." I had an inkling as to why. Jin-ho continued gathering his scattered tools. "You're groaning all night; it drives people crazy. Oh, and who’s Jin Wi-gyeong?" That name came up again. I buried my face into the pillow. "Just say it’s a girlfriend." His hand with the wrench trembled slightly. "You have a girlfriend? Traitor." "Is she pretty? How old? Show me a picture." The man couldn’t be thirty. I couldn’t help but sigh. "Her name sounds foreign. Is she ethnic Korean? Or Chinese?" "...Chinese." Not incorrect, after all. "This guy hit C-rank and is already going global. Introduce me to some girls. I like China. Ni hao ma. Wo ai ni, what else was there?" "Niyi$%!#@." "Dumbass. You got the tone and pronunciation all wrong. You think you can last a hundred days like that? Try again. Ni chi ba le ma." "Niyi$%!#@." "Again. Ni chi ba le ma." "Niyi$%!#@." "...Are you kidding me?" Ignoring Jin-ho's irate realization, I pointed to the door. "Get out." Just let me have some alone time. In the now quiet room, I sat up from the bed and approached the capsule. I gently knocked on its worn surface, murmuring, "What are you, really?" Of course, no response came. I was secretly hoping, though, and felt disappointed. 'With the system synchronized to this world, a talking machine wouldn’t be that strange.' Frankly, I'm not sure it even is a machine. Reality feels more like a fantasy these days, but this is a whole new genre. If I were to write a novel about my current situation, what genre would it be? Fantasy? Game fiction? Or maybe... Dimensional travel?' A chuckle escaped my lips. Dimensional travel, how ludicrous. I'm going insane. Things like that aren’t possible. Aren’t possible... The chilling realization hit me like cold water. '...but they are.' Dimensional travel has existed in the past and remains in the present. The invasion by the Demon King Asmodeus, and the gates are proof. We might just pass through the gates in our reality, but decades ago, monster legions crossed from another dimension to Earth. 'The demon realm.' The land of evil. The monsters' birthplace. The domain of the Demon King. Humans have never set foot there; it’s an unseen, unexplored dimension. Humanity has defined it as such. What if this capsule before me is a type of gate leading to another dimension? If Murim is indeed another hidden dimension... 'Murim is another reality.' Everything I saw and experienced there—water, earth, wind, and even the people... 'They weren't NPCs.' I stared at my own bewildered reflection on the faded surface of the capsule. And I remained there for quite some time.