Murim Login - Chapter 297
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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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Sss… Hooo…
Choi Min-woo took a deep breath.
He absorbed the energy permeating the atmosphere while awakening the dormant mass of energy in his lower abdomen.
Mana. The source of power granted to the Awakened, and the greatest weapon to fight against monsters.
However, the one who taught him the Jinga Heart Technique (True Art Heart Method), Jin Tae-kyung, called this energy by a different name.
“Gongryeok (功力, Internal Energy).”
Jin Tae-kyung was a mysterious figure. He had done things that others couldn’t even imagine and succeeded in them.
The things he taught were far from ordinary.
The dantian, Gongryeok, the practice of energy circulation, the Jinga Heart Technique…
Every time Choi Min-woo encountered a new aspect of Jin Tae-kyung’s teachings, he was amazed. But this time, he was also confused.
“To teach such an incredible martial art so nonchalantly…”
Choi Min-woo knew how extraordinary the Jinga Heart Technique was.
No, even ordinary people with a bit of insight could quickly grasp its significance.
If a hunter was like a sword, the Jinga Heart Technique was the whetstone.
No matter how dull a blade, it could be sharpened with a whetstone.
Considering the efficacy and rarity of the Jinga Heart Technique… its value was literally astronomical.
“To so casually reveal such an incredible secret, to have the skill to single-handedly defeat a named monster, and the guts to stand up to the likes of Lee Jung-ryong and the Ares Guild… Is there anyone else like him?”
Choi Min-woo was realizing day by day just how amazing Jin Tae-kyung was, and how incredibly lucky he was to be associated with him.
“I can’t betray his expectations.”
This was why Choi Min-woo devoted himself to the Jinga Heart Technique, even sacrificing sleep.
And the results were evident at this very moment.
Sssaaa…
Time passed unnoticed as he focused on the practice of energy circulation, and the immense energy moved through hundreds of acupoints, subtly growing in size.
It was an energy he hadn’t even known existed just a week ago.
In that moment, a conversation he had with Jin Tae-kyung flashed through Choi Min-woo’s mind.
“Wow, Team Leader.”
“Yes?”
“Did you ever eat anything special when you were young? Like wild ginseng or those round elixirs.”
“Not at all. I always ate organic, but I never had anything special.”
“I bet you’ve never even had a common cold, right?”
“Correct. How did you know?”
“Your bones and muscles… no, your body is just that good.”
“Really? But I thought every hunter had a good physique.”
“It’s not just because you’re a hunter. You have an exceptionally strong body. My guess is that your grandfather must have done something for you.”
“My grandfather…?”
“Does anything come to mind?”
“I don’t really remember. I was too young. Kim the butler told me that he visited me occasionally… but that’s all.”
“Hmm. Personally, I think that’s the only possible explanation.”
Choi Min-woo suddenly thought of his grandfather. The last time he saw him was probably before he started elementary school.
The face he remembered was blurry, but the photos online were clear. The two of them were definitely not close, far from the typical grandfather-grandson relationship.
“So, this great energy hidden inside me… did my grandfather really do something?”
The unexpected discovery of his grandfather’s influence made Choi Min-woo’s heart pound.
As if responding to his emotions, the energy coursing through his body trembled.
The vast energy, which Jin Tae-kyung called “Il Gapja” (One Great Energy), made one final large circuit before gently settling in the dantian below his navel.
At that moment, Choi Min-woo opened his eyes, feeling a tingling pleasure.
“Hoo…”
A long exhale carried the lingering effects of the energy circulation.
Choi Min-woo didn’t realize it, but he had just reached the fourth level of the Jinga Heart Technique. It was an incredibly fast achievement, especially considering it only took him a week.
But with the immense Gongryeok (Internal Energy) that had reached the level of Il Gapja (a full cycle of power) and his exceptional physical foundation, which even Jin Tae-kyung acknowledged, it was possible.
“The others aren’t there yet.”
Looking around, Choi Min-woo saw the three people deeply focused on their own energy circulation.
They were spaced out at regular intervals—Butler Kim, Song Song-yi, and Im Jeok-jung.
The fact that all four of them were practicing the Jinga Heart Technique was a closely guarded secret.
The place they were currently in was Choi Min-woo’s private training room, equipped with the tightest security.
“I shouldn’t disturb them.”
Jin Tae-kyung had drilled into him the dangers of the demonic deviation known as Juhwaipma (走火入魔). [1]
Very carefully, Choi Min-woo slipped out of the training room and picked up his phone, which he had turned off earlier. It took less than a minute for his mouth to fall open.
His phone screen was rapidly updating with breaking news.
– The Reappearance of a Named Monster! Korea in Crisis!
– Grade A Gate, Anomalies in the [Black Forest of the Necromancer].
– Jin Tae-kyung Voluntarily Becomes Bait. Eyewitnesses Testify, ‘He is a noble hero with a sacrificial spirit.’ A benefactor we’ll never forget.
– Hunter Association Preparing Countermeasures and Rescue Mission.
– Spokesperson for the Peace Guild: ‘Unable to reach the leadership at this time…’
– Netizens Rage at the Association’s Slow Response. Jin Tae-kyung Isolated for 20 Minutes—Will a Miracle Happen?
“W-What is this?”
Sacrifice? Isolation? What is going on?
Jin Tae-kyung, who was supposed to be raiding the gate with his guild members, being called a sacrifice?
A Named Monster out of nowhere?!
Staring wide-eyed at the news, Choi Min-woo quickly gathered his thoughts.
“This is no time to be standing around.”
He knew Jin Tae-kyung’s skills well.
But if he had chosen to act as bait to ensure his guild members’ escape, it meant he was facing a tremendous threat.
“This is… really dangerous.”
As he gripped his phone tightly, the training room door opened, and the three people stepped out.
“Ah, that was refreshing.”
“Uncle, doesn’t my skin look better?”
“Oh, Young Master. You’re already out…”
“Mr. Kim!”
One urgent shout was all it took. The faces of the three immediately hardened, sensing that something serious was happening.
Butler Kim calmly asked,
“What has happened?”
“We need to go to Jin Tae-kyung. Right now!”
—
At the entrance of the Grade A Gate, [The Black Forest of the Necromancer], the scene was already bustling with people.
Hunters from the association deployed for safety, hunters from other guilds, and even reporters risking their lives for an exclusive story.
The voices of the hundreds of people gathered there created a buzz of noise all around.
“Do you think Jin Tae-kyung is dead?”
“It’s unlikely. We haven’t heard anything for over an hour.”
“But he’s already taken down a Named Monster once before…”
“Oh, that wyvern? Impressive, sure. But…”
A senior reporter, who was talking with his junior, flicked the ash off his cigarette.
“You need to think a bit more, especially since you’re a reporter for the hunter department. Didn’t you hear the interview with the Peace Guild member who was with Jin Tae-kyung earlier? It wasn’t just one Named Monster; there were hundreds more. The situation is completely different.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“Yeah, it is. If it weren’t for Jin Tae-kyung, you wouldn’t hear anyone saying, ‘maybe’ or ‘it’s tough.’ Who would believe a hunter could last an hour alone? The rescue preparations wouldn’t be for saving him but for recovering his body.”
The junior reporter sighed quietly.
“So, it’s really that dire…”
“It’s a total mess. And here we are, just as crazy, trying to get a scoop.”
“But they wouldn’t have let us report if some level of safety wasn’t guaranteed, right?”
“See those over there? More than thirty Grade A hunters have shown up.”
The senior reporter pointed with his chin at a group of hunters who looked impressive even at a glance.
Among them, the most noticeable were the hunters wearing emblems with crossed swords and shields on their chests.
“The Ares Guild is here too.”
“They just arrived. They’re notorious for ignoring even government requests when they think it’s not worth it… I wonder what brought them here.”
“Could it be to rescue Jin Tae-kyung?”
“Maybe. Or they could be here to claim the Named Monster.”
The value of a Named Monster is enormous.
The wyvern ‘One-Eyed Karus,’ which Jin Tae-kyung took down most recently, was a newly awakened Named Monster, and even so, it was worth billions.
“But… with this many people, shouldn’t the rescue operation be starting by now? We have enough strength, don’t we?”
“We do. But those guys might think differently.”
“What?”
“Never mind, just drop it.”
The senior reporter clammed up after that.
He was a veteran who had been in this field for almost 20 years. His eyes and ears were everywhere, and he saw and heard more than most.
“They must’ve found Jin Tae-kyung a nuisance.”
Recently, he had heard a strange rumor from a reliable source.
There was tension between the Myungdong and Peace Guild.
Not many people knew, and it was soon dismissed as just gossip… but the veteran reporter’s instincts told him something was happening.
“The appearance of the Ares Guild is also suspicious.”
It’s not unusual for the largest guild in the country to respond to the emergence of a Named Monster.
But it didn’t sit right with him. There was something he couldn’t put into words, an inexplicable feeling.
As he gazed at the leadership gathered together, the reporter frowned.
“They’re going to rub their palms raw, this guy…”
The head of the Seoul branch of the association, who was in charge of the operation, was fawning over a man in his 30s.
“What was that guy’s name again? Seok Go-sang? Seok Go-jun?”
He had heard that this guy was the head of security for the Ares Guild and practically Lee Jung-ryong’s right-hand man.
Watching the Seoul branch head groveling like he was ready to hand over his kidney gave the reporter a good idea of why the rescue team was being delayed.
“These bastards are really having a good time.”
The senior reporter muttered under his breath as he stubbed out his half-burned cigarette. Just then, a commotion broke out.
“It’s the Peace Guild!”
“What? Where?”
“Hey, get the camera ready!”
The atmosphere buzzed with excitement as shouts from broadcast crew members rang out, and everyone’s attention focused on one spot.
Only four people. Three men and one woman made their way through the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea, stepping up to the gate.
Before the Seoul branch hunters could stop them.
“Step aside.”
The young man in the lead, Choi Min-woo, spoke in a voice that was calm but firm, and the Seoul branch head hurriedly replied.
“It’s not safe yet. We need more time before we can launch the rescue operation…”
“Time? How much more time are you asking for?”
“Just a moment, only a moment.”
“It’s already been almost an hour.”
His voice was calm, but his eyes were aflame. The three people behind him were the same.
“We need to rescue him immediately.”
“Now is not the time. Follow the procedure.”
“Whose procedure? The association’s? Or…?”
In that brief moment, Choi Min-woo’s gaze shifted past the branch head to Seok Go-jun standing behind him.
Biting his lip, he continued.
“Pull back the association’s hunters. We, the Peace Guild, will go in alone.”
“You know that goes against protocol, don’t you?”
The branch head snapped his fingers, and the Seoul branch hunters surrounded the Peace Guild members with displeased expressions.
“It won’t take much longer. Just be patient.”
That single remark snapped Choi Min-woo’s patience. He exploded with a voice filled with fire.
“There’s a friend of mine in there!”
Click, click! Flashbulbs popped as cameras captured the scene, but Choi Min-woo didn’t care. His voice, filled with anger, continued.
“He might die! We have to save him!”
Thinking of Jin Tae-kyung, who was risking death to fight against the Named Monster leading the army of hundreds of skeletons, made his anger erupt like a volcano.
“Get out of the way, you bastards!”
—
The Skeleton Warlord spoke with a voice full of authority.
“I command you in the name of your commander. Rise, my faithful servants. Soldiers of the legion…”
At that moment, someone struck the Warlord’s skull with lightning speed.
Whack!
“Goddammit, your incantation is unnecessarily long. I told you to hurry up.”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“…Yes, sir.”
The Warlord muttered in a resigned voice.
“Rise… rise, my skeletal warriors…”
Whoosh!
Dark energy poured out from the Warlord, spreading throughout the black forest.
Watching the skeletons sprouting up from the ground, the young man’s lips curled into a bright smile.
“Wow, this year’s harvest is bountiful.”
***
Footnotes:
[1] Juhwaipma (走火入魔): A term used in martial arts and cultivation contexts, referring to a dangerous state where a practitioner’s internal energy becomes chaotic, leading to potential mental instability, physical harm, or even death. It symbolizes the loss of control over one’s power during intense training or cultivation.