Murim Login - Chapter 303
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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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A week ago, the reactions of the four people who heard my story were similar yet different.
“Controlling a captured Named Monster to carry out a raid? Haha! What a crazy bastard!”
“…Are you really insane?”
“Forgive me for saying this, but… Are you out of your mind, Hunter Jin Tae-kyung ?”
“You’ve lost it. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear this.”
The only one who laughed was Im Geok-jeong. Song Song-yi, Butler Kim, and Team Leader Choi looked at me as if I were a lunatic.
But what could I do? As soon as the interview ended, the media erupted like a volcano, and within less than an hour, I became a household name in Korea.
“We should have stopped you back then.”
As Team Leader Choi watched Warlordmon’s [Lightning Speed], he sighed with regret.
But the water was already spilled, and for a spill, it had been cleaned up quite neatly.
“Still, we managed to get through it.”
Even the government’s thorough inspection team couldn’t uncover the truth behind this incident.
It was only natural since no one could have imagined it. And there was evidence to support the story.
“We passed the mana distribution test, and even had bone fragments from the Skeleton Warlord’s armor. It’s a free pass.”
Everything leaves a trace.
Unlike the other Skeletons that melted away or were shattered by a single strike, the tough bones of the Warlord remained intact.
And those bones, still brimming with powerful mana, became key evidence to prove the existence and defeat of the Named Monster.
“By the way, didn’t those bones get auctioned off? I wonder how much they’ll go for.”
“Don’t call my noble body ‘bones’!”
“Still doesn’t know his place. Warlordmon, body slam.”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Warlord bounced off the walls of the office like a tennis ball, clicking his jaw pitifully.
“Oh, my loyal soldiers… I miss you all.”
“So, how’s the tribute army coming along this month?”
“…I’ll make sure to fill the quota.”
It was right then that the door to the office clicked open.
A pair of artistically sculpted legs paused as they entered. I looked into the light brown eyes and asked,
“What are you doing? Come in.”
“…Jin Tae-kyung, you lunatic. Would you want to walk into a room where someone is playing ball with a talking skull?”
“Fair point.”
I shook the Skeleton Warlord at Song Song-yi, who was grimacing.
“Warlordmon, surprise attack.”
“Kyaaa! Stop it! Stop!”
“Warlordmon, wag your tail.”
“I don’t have a tail.”
“Then, Lightning Speed.”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Uwaaaah!”
It was a good thing the room had a soundproofing spell.
As Song Song-yi’s screams and the Skeleton Warlord’s howls created a strange acappella, the phone on Team Leader Choi’s desk began to ring.
“Everyone, be quiet for a moment.”
After staring intently at the screen for a few minutes, Team Leader Choi finally spoke.
“It seems I’ll have to leave.”
“Is something wrong?”
I asked, but Team Leader Choi shook his head.
“I’ll let you know once things are clearer. And Song-yi.”
“Yes?”
“Cancel the additional raid scheduled for next week. I’ll be tied up for the next few days, so help Butler Kim in the meantime.”
Butler Kim was already overwhelmed. Besides managing the aftermath of this incident, he was also overseeing the guild members’ raids and training them in the Jingga Heart Technique.
Of course, the workload was shared among the other four of us, but as the guild leader, his responsibilities were on a different level.
“Got it, no problem. It’s not like we can ask Geok-jeong to do it.”
Song-yi nodded smoothly, then paused and looked at me.
“What about you?”
“…Me?”
“Is there anyone else here besides you?”
“Warlordmon, Lightning…”
“If you do that one more time, I’ll kill you. I mean it.”
“…Petrify.”
I guess I should stop now.
I swiftly put Warlordmon, who was twitching like Pavlov’s dog, back into the inventory.
“I’m getting ready to leave.”
“Leave? I’m on night duty today.”
“I’ve got something to do.”
“Oh, really? What could be so important that you leave early while everyone else is working?”
Yawning, I replied, “It’s because of an exam.”
“An exam? What exam?”
“What else could it be? Don’t you know what day it is today?”
Song-yi blinked a few times before her eyes widened.
“The college entrance exam, of course. Even the busiest person knows what day it is today. It’s the day of an important exam that even the news is counting down to.”
“Are you taking the exam?”
“Are you crazy? It’s my sister.”
I checked the clock on the office wall.
It was 5 PM. If I left now, I could make it in time to see her after the exam ended.
“I’m off. Good luck with the night shift, Song-yi.”
I got up from the comfy sofa and left the office.
I pictured my mom praying desperately near the exam site and Ha-yeon diligently answering questions in the exam hall.
“She must be stressed. She probably couldn’t focus on her studies because of all the attention I’ve brought lately.”
In the past few months, Ha-yeon had been exposed to the media and the public’s intense interest because of me.
For a student taking the college entrance exam, it was a fatal distraction.
“I’m sorry for putting you through this.”
I set off for the exam site with a heavy heart. An hour later, seeing Ha-yeon’s gloomy face confirmed my fears.
“You… Never mind, you did well.”
“Yes, you did great, sweetie. You worked hard.”
At my mom’s and my words, Ha-yeon forced a faint smile.
“What a surprise. The hard-to-see person is actually here.”
“Of course, I had to be here since my sister was taking the exam.”
“And you came in disguise?”
“Is it obvious?”
“Yeah. Sunglasses and a mask at night are really conspicuous. You stand out even more.”
“Damn, no wonder people were staring at me.”
“Idiot? It’s obvious when you disguise yourself so blatantly.”
The more I saw Ha-yeon’s exhausted, grayish smile, the guiltier I felt.
“Are you okay?”
Ha-yeon answered with a sad face.
“No.”
“I’m sorry, it’s because of me.”
“I was aiming for a perfect score, but I got one question wrong in English.”
“As your brother, I’ve been causing you so much trouble. I’m too ashamed to look you in the… What did you say?”
“I got one question wrong! Just one question away from a perfect score on the college entrance exam!”
I stared blankly at Ha-yeon, who was kicking the ground in frustration, and thought,
‘Is she crazy?’
She only got one question wrong on the entire college entrance exam?
I knew she was smart, but this was on another level.
‘Wait, how does she even know she got one wrong?’
Was that why she came out 30 minutes late?
One thing was for sure: this winter would be a warm one for our family.
And…
“Only one wrong! If I had just answered one more question correctly, I would have gotten a perfect score!”
If I left this lunatic unchecked, the other examinees and parents would probably want to kill us.
“Stop ranting and let’s go get something to eat.”
“Let me go! How could a lowly student with a C average understand my pain?”
“Lower your voice, please.”
I grabbed my hysterical sister by the scruff of her neck and dragged her along. The Skeleton Warlord muttered from inside the inventory,
“As expected, blood is thicker than water.”
You’re getting 100 lightning bolts, confirmed.
* * *
Time flew by.
With Ha-yeon’s exam over, our family finally moved back into our newly remodeled old house, and Mom was moved to tears by the unexpected gift.
“Son… Thank you so much. I don’t even know what to say.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Thank you too, son.”
“Ha-yeon, do you want to end your life just because the college entrance exam is over?”
Finally resolving something I had been putting off, I felt a weight lift off my chest.
But I couldn’t completely relax.
“They might target my family.”
Taking hostages was a simple yet effective tactic.
I didn’t think Lee Jung-ryong would resort to something so low, but it was better to be prepared for the worst.
“Money will keep coming in anyway, so I shouldn’t be stingy.”
Top-tier hunters are often called walking small businesses because of their high incomes. But even those top hunters couldn’t match my earnings.
It was thanks to my speed in clearing raids and my frequent solo play.
A hunter’s superior skills naturally led to wealth.
And if there was one more factor to add, it was fame.
“Butler Kim, can you handle the interviews and commercials that are coming my way?”
“All of them?”
“No, just the important and well-paid ones.”
Even by handling only a fraction of the offers, an enormous sum of money was deposited into my account.
Both domestically and internationally, the attention I received was overwhelming.
A few commercials, interviews, and TV talk show appearances were more than enough.
The numbers in my account became obese, and the stock price of Peace Guild skyrocketed.
It was a win-win.
“Can I ask you for one more favor?”
“Anything.”
“Please find a security company. One I can trust.”
“Leave it to me.”
Neither Mom nor Ha-yeon noticed anything.
They were unaware that the houses on either side and across the street had been secretly sold. They didn’t know that the seemingly happy couples living there were actually undercover bodyguards.
They just found it curious.
“Son, did you know there are a lot of couples living in this neighborhood?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I see them every time I go to the local grocery store. There are young couples and older couples, but none of them have kids.”
“It’s the era of low birth rates.”
“Oppa, the house next door has two men living together. They walk around holding hands.”
“…It’s the era of gender equality.”
That’s way too conspicuous!
A few days after requesting the agency to rearrange the guards, Ha-yeon received a text message.
[Wow, now a couple of women have moved in next door. They hold hands all the time.]
Can I really trust this security company?
Despite my worries, the bodyguards did an excellent job.
They reported every 30 minutes and never took their eyes off my family.
Life was hectic, but everything was going smoothly. The only downside was leveling up.
*Ding*
– [You have defeated a Level 70 Skeleton Archer!]
– You have gained a small amount of experience points!
– The power difference is too great. Experience points gained are significantly reduced.
“Oh, come on, Lord! Please!”
Contrary to my desperate pleas, the experience farm no longer provided much help.
After a few level-ups, that was it.
“Whew… I don’t know what you mean by experience points or leveling up, but it’s good news. This is the end of greed.”
“But if I destroy you, I can level up one more time, right?”
“…I’ll work harder. Just please, don’t do that!”
“Whew. I’ll put that on hold for now. But you’d better keep supplying the tribute army.”
“Why?! You said there’s no point in fighting my soldiers anymore!”
“That’s just for me. My guild members still need to gain experience.”
“Experience?”
“I’ll use your soldiers for combat training. Make sure they act well and don’t make it obvious that they’re going easy. Of course, if any of my people die, you know what’ll happen.”
“…You’re planning to bleed me dry. Just how ruthless can your kind be?”
The Skeleton Warlord lamented, but I had his leash firmly in hand.
The new guild members gained valuable battle experience by sparring with the well-trained Skeletons.
“Yes, work hard and grow strong.”
It was around then that Team Leader Choi showed up—exactly a week after Ha-yeon’s exam.
“It’s been a while, everyone. But before we catch up, I need to show you this.”
With a tired voice and a stiff smile, he pulled a USB drive from his pocket and plugged it into the hologram TV.
“This is footage from China.”
*Beep*
With a cold mechanical sound, the video began to play.