Murim Login - Chapter 305
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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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“How’s your body holding up? You’re not fully recovered yet, are you?”
“…I’m fine.”
“Rest if you feel like it’s too much. You’re still young, but if you keep pushing yourself, it’ll take a toll on your bones.”
“I have no excuse, sir.”
Lee Jung-ryong glanced at Seok Go-jun’s pale face and internally clicked his tongue.
‘To think he’d go down so easily.’
Seok Go-jun had been one of Lee Jung-ryong’s most reliable weapons.
Even though it wasn’t widely known, Lee had thought that among all the opponents in Korea, fewer than five could match Seok Go-jun’s skills.
Of course, two of those five were Chun Tae-min and himself.
‘And yet, to be taken down in a single move… this exceeds my expectations.’
Lee Jung-ryong had no choice but to acknowledge that he had underestimated Jin Tae-kyung and the Peace Guild.
The difference in power was laughable, yet he was the one who kept getting outmaneuvered.
Lee’s gaze landed on Seok Go-jun, who had his head bowed.
“Go-jun.”
Seok Go-jun looked up. When Lee called him by name, it meant this was a conversation between master and disciple, not between the Vice guild leader and the head of security.
“Yes, Master.”
“You are the disciple I have painstakingly trained. Never forget that.”
“I have never forgotten, even for a moment. You are more than a parent to me, Master.”
Lee Jung-ryong nodded at Seok Go-jun’s loyal response, delivered without a hint of hesitation.
His disciple might have shortcomings in other areas, but his loyalty was unmatched.
Lee had hesitated before, but now he knew it was time to sharpen his disciple further.
“You didn’t fall—you simply stumbled. I will give you the strength to rise again.”
“Strength, Master?”
“Think of it that way for now. I will make sure you are the one who takes down Jin Tae-kyung.”
Seok Go-jun trembled with emotion and bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Master.”
“Remember, I believe in you.”
Despite his warm tone, Lee Jung-ryong’s eyes were dark and unreadable.
Oblivious to this, Seok Go-jun lifted his head, his face flushed with gratitude, just as faint footsteps approached from outside the door.
“They’re finally here.”
At Lee Jung-ryong’s mutter, Seok Go-jun frowned.
“They’re late.”
“Let it go. It’s only his first year in office. He’s trying to enjoy it before the lame-duck period sets in.”
“But to keep you waiting, Master…”
“Team Leader Seok. Mind your place.”
“Understood.”
Seok Go-jun reverted from the disciple back to the head of security, silencing himself. Shortly after, six people entered the room.
At the forefront was a middle-aged man who confidently approached Lee Jung-ryong and extended his hand.
“Apologies for the delay. The traffic was worse than usual today. I’ve come to appreciate the value of a security convoy even more. Haha.”
His demeanor was polite, yet filled with self-assurance. This was a man who could extend his hand first to Lee Jung-ryong, the de facto leader of the Ares Guild.
The middle-aged man with a Taegeuk badge on his chest was someone who had the right to do so. [1]
Lee Jung-ryong smiled faintly as he took the man’s hand.
“No need for apologies. Thank you for coming, Your Excellency.”
This was Baek Han-sung, the 27th President of South Korea, who had set the record for being the youngest to ever hold the office at the age of 40.
“It’s been a while, Vice Guild Leader Lee. I think the last time we met was during my inauguration earlier this year?”
“Yes, it seems we meet more often than I anticipated.”
“Indeed? Haha.”
Baek Han-sung chuckled softly at Lee Jung-ryong’s remark.
He knew well the power and influence of the man before him.
It was said that South Korea had two presidents, and that the Ares Guild headquarters was another Blue House.
‘During the previous administration, this man never once set foot in the Blue House.’
Large guilds were fortresses built with power and wealth.
Among them, the influence of Lee Jung-ryong, who controlled the Ares Guild, surpassed that of past conglomerate leaders. The fact that he could meet Lee like this, even unofficially, was due to two reasons.
First, because Baek Han-sung was an early-term president with strong public support, and second, because there was a mutually beneficial topic for discussion.
“As people age, they are said to gain patience, but I seem to be an exception.”
“You’re as direct as ever, sir.”
Understanding Lee’s subtle hint, Baek Han-sung handed over a white envelope.
“A non-official diplomatic letter from Chairman Xiao Yang.”
“As expected, it’s unofficial.”
“Yes, as you know.”
The People’s Republic of China. As the name suggests, China remains a deeply rooted communist country.
And the Communist Party leadership neither wanted the people to be agitated nor to lose trust in the Party.
“To think they’ve managed to keep such a massive disaster under wraps. Should I be impressed?”
“If this becomes known, China will be thrown into chaos. And there will be no going back.”
But among the very few who were aware of this, it was already being referred to as the ‘Sichuan Disaster.’
The Chinese Communist Party had announced it as a major earthquake and had mobilized the People’s Liberation Army to seal off the area.
“They’re calling it a Lich? That Named Monster unwittingly aided the Central Committee. Even U.S. satellites can’t see what’s happening inside.”
“It’s a powerful spatial distortion spell.”
“I see. I’m still quite a novice when it comes to magic.”
“While the Central Committee might have benefited, this will only complicate the situation on the ground. No one knows what’s really happening in there.”
Despite his calm response, Lee Jung-ryong’s eyes quickly scanned the characters on the document.
After a few moments, having taken in all the details, he muttered softly.
“Thirty A-Rank Hunters, two hundred B-Rank Hunters…”
The document from China was a contract. They wanted to hire Ares Guild members as mercenaries to resolve the crisis.
And there was one clause that couldn’t be overlooked.
“They specifically requested me.”
President Baek Han-sung nodded.
“The Central Military Commission insisted. They said the role of Vice Guild Leader Lee and the Ares Guild would be crucial.”
“Of course. The situation is spiraling out of control.”
“As you know, Vice Guild Leader Lee, China has always struggled to maintain an elite force despite the large number of Hunters they have.”
“It’s one of China’s chronic problems.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Lee Jung-ryong’s fingers slowly drummed on the document. His mind was calculating quickly.
The forces China was requesting amounted to 20% of the Ares Guild’s total strength.
But if Lee himself joined, that figure would rise to 50%. An S-Rank Hunter was one of the world’s top 20 absolute powerhouses.
‘They must be desperate.’
This wasn’t the first offer from China.
Just three days ago, Lee Jung-ryong had secretly met with the Chinese ambassador to Korea. The video that accompanied the proposal had far exceeded his expectations.
‘That was incredible magic.’
The ability to command thousands of monsters, the overwhelming destructive power of the magic—it was on a different level from the Liches he had encountered during the Great Cataclysm. Just one spell was enough to show the extreme danger of this situation.
However…
‘Danger always comes with great rewards.’
Establishing a foothold in a dictatorship was always a challenge.
‘For someone, the Sichuan Disaster is a catastrophe. But for others, it’s an opportunity. And China’s offer is tempting enough to worry about competition snatching it away.’
‘As long as I’m involved, this operation won’t fail.’
Finally, Lee Jung-ryong came to a decision and spoke.
“I will accept China’s proposal.”
“A wise decision.”
Baek Han-sung’s smile widened.
If the Ares Guild played a key role in resolving this situation, it would be a significant diplomatic victory. For a president eager to make his mark during his term, it was an opportunity not to be missed.
“Helping my country and Your Excellency is my honor. But…”
However, Lee Jung-ryong’s next words caused Baek Han-sung’s smile to waver.
“I’ve heard rumors that similar offers have been made to other top ten guilds in Korea.”
“I know it’s just a rumor, but I wanted to confirm with you, just in case.”
After a moment of silence, Baek Han-sung responded.
“Unfounded rumors have leaked out. That’s not going to happen.”
At that moment, the chief of staff standing behind Baek Han-sung thought that he should remove tomorrow’s unofficial meeting with the leaders of the top ten domestic guilds from the schedule.
After trimming the troublesome branches, Lee Jung-ryong finally smiled brightly.
“As expected. I understand. I’ll begin selecting the necessary personnel immediately.”
But Baek Han-sung’s words didn’t stop there.
“While the rumors about the top ten guilds are false, they’re not entirely baseless.”
Lee Jung-ryong paused while organizing the documents.
“What do you mean?”
“A guild that isn’t in the top ten has also received China’s offer.”
“Don’t tell me…”
An idea flashed through Lee Jung-ryong’s mind.
And at that moment, Baek Han-sung revealed the name.
“That would be the Peace Guild, where Jin Tae-kyung is a member.”
” I…”
Lee Jung-ryong’s face hardened.
Once again, that man was standing in his way.
The name Jin Tae-kyung was becoming more bothersome than the name Choi Min-woo.
“This is troublesome.”
Lee Jung-ryong’s voice had taken on a rough edge.
The newly elected president, who had a five-year term, was clearly aware of this and hadn’t blocked it.
He knew that Baek Han-sung’s political stance was opposed to Ares, but was this an outright declaration of hostility?
Suppressing the urge to raise his voice, Lee Jung-ryong said,
“When there are too many captains, the ship ends up in the mountains.”
“I’m aware.”
“Your Excellency, this isn’t a matter to be handled so lightly…”
However, Lee Jung-ryong was cut off by Baek Han-sung’s calm response.
“The captain himself made the call. I had no choice.”
“The captain? Don’t tell me…”
“Yes, Chairman Xiao Yang personally requested that Vice Guild Leader Lee and the Ares Guild, as well as Jin Tae-kyung, be involved.”
The tremor in Lee Jung-ryong’s eyelids was unmistakable.
And at that moment, Baek Han-sung experienced the same thrill he had felt when he defied all expectations and won the presidential election. He suppressed a smile as he glanced at his watch.
“It seems the Peace Guild was quicker to prepare than expected. By now, they’re probably already on the plane.”
* * *
“You vile human.”
“Wow. This is what First Class is like.”
“I thought you were a vile and stupid human, but I was wrong. I humbly apologize.”
“Damn, these cushions are amazing. What kind of alcohol do they serve here?”
“You’re insane. A madman. A lunatic. A complete nutcase!”
“Look at all this space. I could live here.”
“You madman! I told you not to go!”
Man, this is getting loud.
Ignoring the Skeleton Warlord’s screams from inside the inventory, I turned to Team Leader Choi.
“How much do these things cost?”
Team Leader Choi immediately began to explain, as if he had been waiting for the question.
“This is a new model from the famous German aircraft manufacturer, Focke-Wulf…”
And here we go again.
I quickly interrupted him before he could launch into a history lesson about Focke-Wulf’s founder.
“No, I mean, I don’t care if it’s Focke-Wulf or Pokemon Black Friday. How much does one of these planes usually cost?”
“A plane like this one would be just over 100 billion won.”
“Hmm. I should buy one.”
If anyone else had heard that, they’d probably think I was crazy.
But it wasn’t an impossible idea.
I recalled the conversation I had with Team Leader Choi just a few hours ago.
‘It’s unfortunate, but tell Mr. Secretary that I can’t go.’
‘Mr. Secretary? He’s the Chairman, Xiao Yang. Anyway, that’s really unfortunate.’
‘Yeah, it’s unfortunate. It would be nice to get my name out there and raise the guild’s status, but there’s no way I’m going there. I’m not crazy.’
‘They offered 10 billion won.’
‘What?’
’10 billion won. And if you go beyond the agreed period of one week, it’s 10 billion per week.’
‘Per week? Per week, they’ll pay me 10 billion?’
‘Unfortunately, yes.’
‘Yeah, but I’m still not going. I mean, we’re talking about thousands of monsters and a crazy skeleton wizard. No matter how much they pay, I’m not some money-crazed lunatic.’
‘They’re offering 50 trillion won to the person who takes down the Lich.’
‘You know, I suddenly feel like something spicy. I heard the food in Sichuan is really spicy and full of flavor…’
‘Damn it, let’s go.’
Everything was prepared at lightning speed. Only Team Leader Choi and I would be going to China.
After all, Xiao Yang had originally only requested me.
‘This isn’t about the money.’
I’m doing this for the suffering people of China and to raise the guild’s reputation.
With a face full of determination, I turned to Team Leader Choi.
“But Team Leader.”
“Yes?”
“If I make that 50 trillion won, do I have to split it with the guild?”
“We should sort this out before we go. Money matters need to be clear.”
Team Leader Choi looked at me like I was insane before responding.
“Let’s split it nine to one.”
This guy is really something.
As we exchanged looks of utter contempt, the in-flight announcement came on, and the private jet that China had sent began to take off.
***
Footnotes:
[1] Taegeuk refers to the red and blue symbol found at the center of the South Korean flag, known as the Taegeukgi. It symbolizes the concept of yin and yang, representing balance and harmony in the universe. The Taegeuk is a significant emblem of Korean culture and identity, often associated with national pride and authority.