Murim Login - Chapter 299
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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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“It’s time to get started.”
It was only after about ten minutes of protests led by Choi Min-woo and the Peace Guild that the head of the Seoul Central Association finally gave the go-ahead.
Gates are intense battlefields where life and death are decided in an instant. No one expected Jin Tae-kyung to survive after being left alone to face a Named Monster commanding hundreds of skeletons.
“Could he still be alive?”
“It’s been exactly one hour and eight minutes. If they at least recover his body, we’d be lucky.”
“Damn it. This isn’t a rescue mission, it’s a body recovery operation.”
“Is this how it should be done? Time is of the essence, and they’re just dragging their feet.”
“What can you do? This isn’t just any A-rank Gate; a Named Monster has appeared. From the Association’s point of view, it makes sense to be cautious. If they rush in and something goes wrong, it could be catastrophic.”
The hunters preparing to enter, as well as the reporters filming the entire situation, gathered in groups and chattered away.
Some were angry at the delayed rescue operation, while others defended the Association’s decision.
However, no one mentioned the possibility of Jin Tae-kyung’s survival. It was an obvious fact that didn’t need to be said.
“Still, the Peace Guild is really taking the hit for this.”
“That’s right. It’s unfortunate, but Jin Tae-kyung is probably gone. And after that public outburst against the Seoul Association head, there’s going to be serious backlash.”
“Exactly. That guy was handed his position through connections, and he’s overly concerned with how the media sees him.”
As Choi Min-woo overheard the murmured conversations around him, his face hardened.
Future disadvantages for the Peace Guild?
He couldn’t care less about that.
‘Dead? Who’s dead?’
He wanted to rush out right then and there. He wanted to grab the idiots spewing nonsense by the collar and knock down the Association hunters blocking his way.
But he had waited until now because of a single word Butler Kim, had said to him ten minutes earlier.
“You said it yourself, sir. That you trust Jin Tae-kyung more than yourself.”
Those words forced him to calm down.
That’s right. Jin Tae-kyung had always worked miracles and made the impossible possible. Today would be no different.
He believed that and wanted to keep believing it.
‘Isn’t that right, Jin Tae-kyung?’
Taking a deep breath, Choi Min-woo stepped forward. Behind him, about fifty Peace Guild members followed with determined expressions.
“Our Peace Guild will take the lead.”
The Seoul Association head responded with a disapproving look.
“That’s up to me as the one in command of this operation. But right now, your tone sounds more like you’re giving orders.”
“That’s correct.”
“What?”
“Shall I say it again? I said it’s an order.”
Before the Association head could say anything else, Choi Min-woo continued in a cold voice.
“I have no intention of delaying any further or wasting time talking. The Peace Guild will take the lead.”
“You arrogant…”
Just as the Association head’s face turned red with anger, a calm, emotionless voice came from behind.
“Let them.”
The Association head turned his head to see who had spoken.
There stood Seok Go-jun, the right-hand man and head of security for Lee Jung-ryong, with his arms crossed and an expressionless face.
“Team Leader Seok?”
“Consider the feelings of the Peace Guild members who have lost their comrade. The media will also see it in a positive light.”
“But there’s a Named Monster inside the Gate. If we send in hunters whose abilities haven’t been verified, there could be serious consequences…”
The Association head trailed off as Seok Go-jun’s cold gaze silenced him.
For a moment, he had forgotten. He wasn’t dealing with just any team leader from the Ares Guild; he was dealing with Lee Jung-ryong’s right-hand man.
And the very disaster he was worried about was exactly what Seok Go-jun wanted.
The Association head’s hesitation didn’t last long.
“The Peace Guild will take the lead. The Association and Ares Guild will follow three minutes later…”
But Choi Min-woo had already turned around and was heading toward the Gate.
Despite the sticky gazes of the Association head, Seok Go-jun, and countless others, he paid them no mind.
“Let’s go save Jin Tae-kyung.”
As Choi Min-woo’s low voice rang out, a deafening cheer erupted from the assembly.
Butler Kim, Im Jeok-jung, Song Song-yi, and the fifty Peace Guild members followed behind Choi Min-woo, parting the sea of hundreds of hunters as they advanced toward the Gate.
It was then that Butler Kim, let out a powerful shout.
“Peace Guild, form the attack formation!”
Clang! Clang!
The sunlight gleamed off the moving armor and weapons. In an instant, the fifty Peace Guild members transformed into a wedge formation and shot forward like a single arrow.
Leading them, with a loud battle cry, was Choi Min-woo, charging toward the barrier of magical energy.
“Enter!”
Swoosh!
Had the Gate’s energy ever felt this unpleasant?
Choi Min-woo felt a sense of unease stirring deep within his chest as he opened his eyes. His heart sank before he even realized it.
‘This… it’s a scorched earth.’
Was there any word more fitting to describe the scene before him?
From the hill where the Gate entrance was located, the path ahead was entirely engulfed in flames.
‘Jin Tae-kyung…’
The ominous feeling he had when passing through the Gate was slowly taking shape.
Behind him, Im Jeok-jung spoke in a trembling voice.
“Team Leader Choi, could it be that Tae-kyung is…”
“Enough. We’re in the middle of a mission. Personal judgments are forbidden.”
But this time, not even Choi’s words could instill confidence.
The situation before them seemed hopeless, and not just Im Jeok-jung, but every member of the Peace Guild was shaken.
‘No. It can’t be.’
Determined to hold on, Choi Min-woo bit his lip and moved forward with heavy steps.
“Keep advancing. Stay alert and keep moving forward.”
They cautiously moved forward, prepared for any monsters that might appear.
However, the closer they got to the path, the deeper their despair grew.
“How can this be…”
Piles of broken bones and shattered weapons. Ash-covered, scorched earth.
In that place, overflowing with death and destruction, there was no sign of life. Not even the person they had been desperately searching for.
‘Dead? He’s dead?’
The same question crossed everyone’s mind. The longer they had known Jin Tae-kyung, the harder it was to believe this reality, leaving them blinking in disbelief.
In the suffocating silence, Butler Kim spoke his words like a final doctor’s diagnosis.
“According to the detection spell… there are no signs of movement or life within a 300-meter radius.”
Choi Min-woo’s eyelids trembled.
“Are you saying…”
“I’m sorry.”
Butler Kim, answered with a devastated expression as he reached out. Something floated gently from where his hand pointed and slowly drifted toward them.
“That’s…”
“It seems to be a fragment of the Named Monster. It’s emitting a significant amount of magical energy.”
What Kim held was a small metal fragment, about the size of a palm.
Even though it was covered in ash, it still retained a dark, ominous shine. When the skull emblem on it became visible, a few people gasped.
“A skull emblem! That’s the armor the Named Monster was wearing!”
“That’s right! We saw it clearly!”
Then, someone who had been scanning the area cried out.
“There’s a dagger here too! This isn’t something a skeleton would use!”
“It belongs to Senior Jin Tae-kyung. It’s the one he used frequently.”
As the atmosphere was overtaken by shock, Butler Kim, spoke in a somber tone.
“It seems he was incinerated… along with the Named Monster and all the enemies.”
The air around the path buzzed.
It was now certain. Jin Tae-kyung was dead. He had sacrificed his own life to take the enemies with him to the afterlife.
The silence that seemed like it would never end was finally broken by Im Jeok-jung’s sobs.
“Sniff… sniffff!”
The small tremors that started in his hands traveled up his arms, shoulders, and back until they spread throughout his entire body. Tears streamed down from Im Jeok-jung’s large eyes.
“Tae-kyung… Tae-kyung is… sniff!”
No one mocked him for sobbing with his massive frame shaking.
Though they may have felt different levels of grief, everyone there shared the same feelings.
Sadness over Jin Tae-kyung’s death, guilt for not being able to fight alongside him, and a sense of helplessness.
The Peace Guild members’ eyes turned red with tears, and tears ran down the cheeks of Butler Kim, and Song-yi as well. The only one who didn’t cry was Choi Min-woo.
‘Dead. Jin Tae-kyung is dead.’
With dark eyes, he surveyed the still-smoldering path.
It was as if Jin Tae-kyung would jump out from somewhere at any moment, like a surprise from a jack-in-the-box.
‘I thought you’d survive anything.’
Suddenly, his chest felt tight. It was the first time he had felt this way since losing his parents.
As the balloon of sorrow swelled, ready to burst at any moment, someone spoke.
“Such devastation.”
“There’s no sign of Jin Tae-kyung anywhere. It seems he’s dead after all.”
As Choi Min-woo slowly turned around, he saw a group of hundreds of people entering the path.
At the forefront were two people leading the hunters participating in the rescue operation.
“It looks like the rescue has failed. Don’t you agree, Association Head?”
“Yes, it seems so. Everything’s turned to ash. I wonder if we’ll even find a body. But never mind that, where’s the Named Monster?”
“We’ll have to search more thoroughly, but according to the detection spell, it seems all of your concerns have been resolved.”
Seok Go-jun’s words made the Association Head’s furrowed brow relax.
“Oh, that’s good news. I was worried there might be more casualties.”
“Thanks to your wise judgment, we were able to minimize the loss of life.”
“What are you talking about? It’s all thanks to the Ares Guild’s involvement. If everything goes well, I’ll make sure you receive a certificate of appreciation. Haha. Since this is the first achievement of my term, I plan to hold a grand event… I’m sure Guild Leader Lee Jung-ryong will attend?”
“Not the Guild Leader, but the Vice Guild Leader.”
“Ah, right. My memory’s not what it used to be.”
A dry smile appeared on Seok Go-jun’s lips.
“That’s understandable. And I’m sure the Vice Guild Leader would be delighted to attend if you present the certificate.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen him. Make sure to pass on my regards, Team Leader Seok.”
“Just conveying what I’ve seen and heard should be enough to make him very happy.”
“Haha.”
The conversation between Seok Go-jun and the Association Head was like a sharp needle. A needle that could burst the balloon of Choi Min-woo’s emotions at any moment.
“Shut your mouth.”
All the noise suddenly stopped.
Realizing what had been said, the Association Head’s face twisted in anger. But Seok Go-jun was quicker.
“You should watch your mouth.”
“I said, shut your mouth.”
“Young man, you lack manners. Don’t you agree, Team Leader Choi Min-woo of the Peace Guild?”
His words were full of subtle barbs.
To Seok Go-jun, Choi Min-woo was like a string that had been cut. The Ares Guild, founded by his grandfather, was already in Lee Jung-ryong’s hands, and now that Jin Tae-kyung, a key figure, was dead, there was no need to hold back.
“I understand that you’re emotional over the death of a guild member, but you need to calm down.”
Choi Min-woo spat out his words.
“If you hadn’t wasted time, he could have survived.”
“We did our best. The Association Head’s decision was correct. And…”
Seok Go-jun continued in a dry voice.
“You’re to blame too, aren’t you?”
“What…?”
“Where were you when Jin Tae-kyung died? Relaxing in the office with a newspaper? Or maybe drinking at a bar in the middle of the day?”
Choi Min-woo bit his lip. Everything Seok Go-jun said was true.
He had trusted Jin Tae-kyung and focused solely on his training.
But… at the very least, he should have been there.
As Choi Min-woo struggled to find the words to respond, another needle struck.
“You killed Jin Tae-kyung. All of you, forgetting your duties and being weak, killed him.”
Seok Go-jun smirked.
“It’s too late for regrets. The dead don’t come back.”
Just as Choi Min-woo clenched his fists so tightly they seemed ready to burst, a low but powerful voice reached everyone’s ears.
“What did you just say, you filthy bastard?”
The unfamiliar voice left those who didn’t recognize it puzzled, while those who did froze in place like statues.
‘No way…’
As Choi Min-woo slowly turned his head, he saw someone walking down the path in the distance.
“You finished the memorial rites while I was taking a piss, huh? Damn bastard.”
Jin Tae-kyung spat on the ground.
“Come here, you son of a bitch.”