Murim Login - Chapter 302
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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 had been well over 30 minutes since the rescue team was deployed.
Hunters from other guilds, who were tasked with external security to prevent unforeseen events, were already armed and ready. Meanwhile, the media personnel had their microphones and cameras out, broadcasting the current situation.
The commotion wasn’t just on the ground.
In the sky, dozens of combat helicopters were flying overhead, while countless drones equipped with cameras hovered in the air, transmitting the scene live across the country.
“What are you so engrossed in?”
“Watching the news live.”
“The news? You don’t even watch variety shows, so why the sudden interest? What’s going on?”
“Do you just carry your phone around as an accessory? It’s been over two hours since the Named Monster caused a ruckus. Try checking the internet, dumbass.”
“Holy shit, a Named Monster appeared… Jin Tae-kyung presumed dead? Is this for real?”
“I don’t know. I can’t hear anything because you keep talking, so shut up.”
At home, at school, at work, even on the crowded commute home—everyone was glued to their TVs or the screens of their phones.
The Hunter TV YouTube channel, which was streaming live, had already surpassed 100,000 concurrent viewers long ago.
– Did he really die?
– Stop saying unlucky shit like that.
– It’s not just bad luck; honestly, the chances of survival at this point are slim. The golden time for rescue operations is 15 minutes, and it’s been over an hour with no news. Plus, the opponent is a Named Monster.
– But the rescue team looks serious. I’ve never seen so many A-rank Hunters gathered in one place.
– But seriously, will they rescue him? If they’re just retrieving the body, that’s not a rescue—it’s a recovery. The Peace Guild team leader wasn’t yelling “bastards” for no reason. Safety is important, but saving lives should come first.
– Fact check: It’s already looking certain that Jin Tae-kyung is dead. The Hunters deployed seem more focused on raiding the Named Monster than on a rescue mission. The fact that there’s no news from the rescue team suggests that either the battle has started, or they’ve been wiped out.
– Wiped out? If even those guys get wiped out, what happens then?
– What happens? The Named Monster feast begins. It’ll start with the people waiting outside as appetizers. Evacuation orders have already been issued in the surrounding areas.
– Damn, I’m all fat, so I don’t even taste good. Can’t they just make me some ramen?
– Are you an idiot? You think that’ll fill it up and make it leave the Gate?
– What’s the max number of people a Named Monster can take out?
– What’s that even mean?
– How many people can it kill at once?
– Another idiot joined the chat.
– Are you guys just fooling around with jokes? Have you thought about what would happen if, the next time the Gate opens, a monster comes out instead of people?
As someone pointed out, the situation was more serious than it seemed.
Even though powerful Hunters had been deployed, the opponent was still a Named Monster.
If it possessed strength beyond imagination, a catastrophe could ensue.
There have been cases where a single powerful Named Monster caused tens of thousands of casualties and destroyed entire cities.
As time passed, the tension in the chatroom grew more palpable.
– Still no news. By now, someone should have come out.
– Isn’t this how rescue operations usually go?
– In the Gate, communication devices don’t work, so it’s standard to send someone out every 30 minutes to signal that they’re alive.
– So why hasn’t anyone come out? They said the battle site was just a stone’s throw from the Gate.
– Are they fighting the Named Monster? Shouldn’t reinforcements be sent in?
Just then, the live-streamed screen showed the magic barrier of the Gate rippling like waves.
Simultaneously, the chatroom, which had been filled with debates and speculation, erupted as the scroll sped up crazily.
– They’re coming out!!!
– The magic barrier just…
– Please let it be people.
– I want to see Jin Tae-kyung. I hope he’s alive.
Online, on TV, and among the people on the scene…
Countless eyes, representing half the population of South Korea, were watching the changes occurring at the Gate.
And then, in the next moment—
*Swooooosh!*
The swirling magic barrier of the Gate began to spit out some objects.
Human arms and legs. Armed in gleaming armor and weapons, arranged in orderly lines as they walked out, were not monsters, but the Hunters who had been deployed earlier.
“Waaahhhhhh!”
A cheer erupted from the crowd, startling the middle-aged man in a suit at the front.
However, he quickly recovered, grinning broadly, and waving.
“Yes, we have returned! Everyone, we are all safe!”
– I was wondering who that guy was; turns out it’s that useless piece of crap, Lee Woo-jung, the Seoul Central Association President.
– Why is Lee Woo-jung acting so smug?
– Why the hell is he wearing a suit when he’s supposed to be on a rescue mission?
– Whether it’s Lee Woo-jung or his bloated chest hogging the screen, just get out of the way.
The chat was flooded with criticism.
The drone cameras ignored Lee Woo-jung and focused on the Hunters emerging behind him.
The government-affiliated Hunters who led this operation. Then the members of the Ares Guild, stepping out with grim faces.
In their hands was a large stretcher covered with a cloth. As it swayed with their steps, a blood-soaked hand slipped out from under the cloth.
*Click, click!*
Camera flashes went off from every direction. As people watched this scene, a wave of grief spread through the crowd.
– Ah… I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.
– Jin Tae-kyung really is dead.
– May he rest in peace.
– Rest in peace. I hope you find peace in heaven.
Just when everyone was caught up in this sorrowful atmosphere…
“Holy crap, there are so many people here.”
Huh?
The announcer, who was somberly delivering the news of Jin Tae-kyung’s death, the photographers who couldn’t stop pressing their shutters, and even the chatroom that was filled with messages of condolence—all of them froze in place and stared wide-eyed at one person.
“Wow, look at all the cameras. But is it okay to broadcast this live?”
The young man, looking around curiously.
Dressed in simple leather armor, with a spear slung across his back—there wasn’t a person who didn’t know his name.
– …Isn’t that Jin Tae-kyung?
– What?
– …Why is he there…?
– Am I the only one seeing a ghost right now?
As everyone was floundering in confusion, a field reporter, the first to regain his senses, thrust a microphone in Jin Tae-kyung’s face.
“Are you Jin Tae-kyung?”
“No, I’m Fatty.”
“What?”
“Just kidding. Yeah, it’s me.”
Is this guy joking? And on live television?
The reporter, thrown off by the unexpected joke, pulled himself together and asked again.
“So, you’re not dead?”
“Well, seeing as I’m here talking to you, I guess not.”
“Then who’s on that stretcher?”
“Oh, that?”
Scratching his neck, Jin Tae-kyung answered.
“Well, uh, that’s a Hunter who fought bravely and got injured. It’s not too serious, so they’ll recover quickly.”
“Then what about the Named Monster?”
“The Named Monster? It’s gone.”
“What? Are you saying the Named Monster never existed?”
“No, it existed.”
Jin Tae-kyung added in a calm voice.
“It’s just not here anymore.”
It was the moment a legend was born.
* * *
“I’ve got a question…”
Team Leader Choi, who had been reading a newspaper filled with squiggly writing, suddenly looked up and asked.
“Why is Jin Tae-kyung in my office?”
“Why? Can’t I come visit?”
“You’re here more often than I am, so I have to ask.”
“Come on, that happens. I just stopped by to see your face.”
“But I locked the door.”
“It was open.”
“You broke the lock.”
“Really? That’s strange.”
“Just out of curiosity…”
Team Leader Choi calmly took off his glasses and asked.
“Is it because of the 17th-century Russian Imperial sofa made by Sorkovache, the Russian master craftsman?”
Still lying on the sofa, I responded.
“Not at all.”
“…You know you’re not very convincing in that position, right?”
“Don’t know, don’t care. Ah, this is comfortable.”
The price may be outrageous, but once you lay down on it, it’s impossible to get back up.
As expected of a chaebol, or rather, as expected of the third son of a conglomerate family, Team Leader Choi’s office was filled with luxurious items like this.
One of them was the latest holographic TV with outstanding picture quality.
– The video we’re introducing this time is the one that’s been setting the internet on fire over the past week. Johnson, have you seen this video?
On screen, a white man with a long nose spoke to a black man whose name made me curious why he was called Johnson, and the black man nodded.
– Of course, Conan. I’ve already memorized the lines.
– Which lines?
– You know, that last line he said.
It was a popular American talk show, even I had heard of.
The co-host, Johnson, said seriously.
– It’s not here anymore. It doesn’t exist.
– Haha! That’s spot on.
Spot on, my ass. Do you have actual snails in your ears instead of eardrums?
Shaking my head in disbelief, I turned off the TV.
If I let it play, they’d just keep showing that interview, so it was a wise choice to turn it off now.
“The popularity doesn’t seem to be dying down.”
“Right? I didn’t think it would become such a big deal.”
“Well, I have a different opinion.”
Team Leader Choi, who had suddenly appeared with a cup of coffee, sat across from me and continued.
“It’s not the words that became a sensation; it’s the person. You took down two Named Monsters all by yourself, so it’s natural that the world would take notice.”
A week had passed, but the aftermath still hadn’t subsided. In fact, it was burning even more fiercely.
The official interview video posted on YouTube had already surpassed 200 million views within 24 hours, breaking the record previously held by an idol group. On top of that, the internet was flooded with parodies and memes from all over the world.
And even…
“We’ve received an interview request from the American network CNM.”
“Again?”
“I already mentioned the offer from the British BCC. They want to invite you as a special guest for a live interview lasting up to 20 minutes.”
“Special, indeed.”
Requests for interviews were flooding in from major international broadcasters whose names were recognizable worldwide.
Of course, none of them had been accepted, and just hearing about them was enough to give me a headache.
“Are you still thinking it over?”
“Yeah. If it’s for the growth of the Peace Guild, then I should do whatever I can… But…”
I added in a voice only Team Leader Choi could hear.
“All of this is a lie.”
That’s right. This is the most important thing.
Everything surrounding me isn’t the real truth.
Team Leader Choi spoke with a tense expression.
“Did you… bring it with you today?”
“Of course.”
With the solemnity of a priest summoning a god, I chanted a spell.
“Come forth, Warlordmon!”
Inventory. Summon.
As I uttered the command in my mind, a skull with a black sheen appeared in my hand. Accompanied by a loud noise—
– Who are you calling Warlordmon?! I am the lord of the Black Forest and the great commander of the Undead Legion, Skeleton Warlord!
“Warlordmon, do a forward roll!”
– You crazy human!
“Warlordmon, lightning speed!”
*Rattle-rattle-rattle!*
As I held the Warlord’s skull and shook it wildly, Team Leader Choi muttered in a detached tone.
“Why on earth did you bring that thing…”