Murim Login - Chapter 407

Daniel Inouye was a Japanese-American.

Once a member of the Navy SEALs, he awakened as an A-rank hunter at the age of 30. After his discharge, he joined a private military company, where he could fully utilize his newfound abilities.

Mercenary work suited Inouye well enough. He spent half of each year in conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa, but the substantial pay and long rest periods made it worthwhile.

His participation in the Monster Wave in China followed a similar pattern.

“Hey, ninja. What are you thinking about?”

Inouye squinted at his companion’s sudden question.

“Shut up, Sam. Aren’t you tired of that ninja crap?”

“Why would I be? By now, you should be used to it.”

“I’m sick of it. Try being called a ninja or samurai since you were seven. It’ll drive you insane.”

“Why? I’d love it.”

“You damn Yankee.”

“Thanks, man! I’m a Yankees fan, after all.”

The small, white man chuckled at Inouye’s grumbling.

“Come on, accept it already. At this point, it’s destiny. Your abilities are basically ninja powers.”

“…Damn it.”

Inouye muttered a curse under his breath.

Sam wasn’t wrong. Since his awakening, Inouye’s abilities had been optimized for stealth.

Thanks to that, he had become a specialist in espionage and assassination, but the “ninja” image had stuck with him completely.

“I heard your girlfriend’s pregnant. How about naming the kid Naruto?”

Inouye shot his middle finger at his still-joking partner.

“Sure, if you name your son Sasuke.”

“Ooh, not bad.”

Laughter rippled around them as the tension, which had been thick just moments before, loosened up. Inouye and Sam exchanged a small smile.

They’d been partners for years now, and their banter was a routine way of easing the pre-mission jitters.

‘Too much tension leads to mistakes.’

That applied to combat, but even more so to a mission like this—an espionage operation.

They were in uncharted territory, with no access to communications or magic. And their enemy wasn’t a dumb, cruel warlord, but the Arch Lich who had triggered an unprecedented Monster Wave.

‘No matter how favorable the situation may seem, complacency is dangerous.’

Inouye thought to himself before addressing the twenty espionage agents under his command.

“Alright, we’ll split into pairs and infiltrate. Use hand signals for communication, and fire the flare only in case of emergency. Everyone knows their objective and routes, right?”

He received nods of affirmation from his team.

“Good. We’ll rendezvous here in three hours. Dismissed.”

At Inouye’s command, the agents scattered swiftly and silently. His partner, Sam, gave a quick nod.

“Shall we get going too, ninja?”

“Yeah, you easygoing Yankee.”

“Don’t be like that. You’re the best at this. By the time we’re back, you’ll know the color of the Arch Lich’s underwear.”

“…I wish.”

Inouye sighed quietly as he started moving. The pale mist that blanketed Suining city enveloped him, clinging to his body.

* * *

The seemingly unstoppable advance across five fronts had come to a halt, 200 kilometers from Suining City, where the Arch Lich was located. While we were resting and regrouping, a familiar face arrived.

“Hey, Korean friends, how’ve you been?”

Even before he spoke, the intense aura of energy gave him away. Of course, it was him. I bumped fists with Magic Johnson in greeting.

“Getting by.”

“Jin, my beloved Miracle Boy, I missed you.”

“Please drop the ‘beloved’ part.”

“Alright, how about Crazy Boy instead? After all, the insane stuff you’ve done speaks for itself.”

Magic Johnson grinned as he added:

“And of course, your actions were nothing short of heroic. The same goes for Choi over here.”

Team Leader Choi, who had been carefully maintaining [Spirit of the Hero], gave a small nod in response.

“It’s good to see you again, Mr. Johnson.”

“Come on, Choi, don’t be so stiff.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Of course, I’m talking about the atmosphere.”

Magic Johnson laughed heartily.

It was clear he enjoyed seeing our reactions. Despite his size, he was full of playful energy.

At this point, we all knew it was just his personality.

Even Team Leader Choi, who used to brace himself every time Magic Johnson appeared, chuckled lightly as he asked:

“What brings you here this time?”

“Urgent summons from headquarters. It’s something important.”

I frowned slightly and muttered to myself.

“Déjà vu… Haven’t we been through this before?”

“Don’t worry, Jin. It won’t be like last time.”

He was referring to the time when the main camp was wiped out while all the S-rank hunters were away.

Well, this time the fronts were much closer together, so even if we were called away, we could respond quickly enough.

‘The fact that they didn’t communicate this through normal channels shows how important it must be.’

As the allied forces secured victory after victory and the monsters retreated, the Arch Lich’s territory had shrunk to Suining. We were now at a point where both communications and magic functioned smoothly.

“Do you know what the meeting’s about?”

“Nope. But I can guarantee it won’t be pleasant. I’d bet my life on it.”

Please don’t bet your life on something like that. Give us a bit more hope instead.

But Magic Johnson, as confident as ever, extended his hand toward me and Team Leader Choi.

“Anyway, everyone else is already there. You guys are the last ones to arrive.”

“Alright, let’s get going then, Mr. Johnson.”

Without hesitation, Team Leader Choi took his hand, and having experienced Magic Johnson’s teleportation before, I grabbed his fingers with a resigned sigh.

“Please… just make it a smooth ride… Aaaaah!”

*Whoosh!*

It felt like my entire body was being crushed like a soda can, and I was violently thrown into a new space.

“Gaaah!”

Damn it. Why here, of all places?

Silently, I noticed a dozen pairs of eyes staring at me. Among them were the incredulous looks of S-rank hunters and high-ranking Chinese military officials. I quickly stopped screaming and awkwardly took my seat.

“Shall we begin the meeting?”

After a brief pause, Defense Minister Wei Feng-hu spoke up.

“…Let’s begin.”

The topic of the meeting was straightforward: the sole survivor of the espionage unit had returned with crucial information.

“Daniel Inouye, who led the espionage unit, escaped from Suining eight hours past the scheduled time. He reported the presence of a monster legion numbering approximately 30,000.”

Thirty thousand…

That was a massive force, but still within the range of what we’d expected. The Arch Lich’s army had been retreating for a week, suffering tremendous losses along the way.

“Judging by the look on your face, that’s not the whole story.”

There weren’t many people here who could speak so casually to Defense Minister Wei Feng-hu.

But Lee Jeong-ryong was more than qualified, setting aside any personal feelings between us.

“You’re right. The estimate of 30,000 is based solely on what Inouye directly observed. The actual number could be…”

“Double that. Maybe more.”

“Exactly.”

A heavy silence fell over the room. We’d expected the Arch Lich to have reserves for a final push, but not to this extent.

Wei Feng-hu continued with a grave expression.

“However, most of the monsters are mid- to lower-tier. That’s at least some comfort.”

“We’re in the same situation, Wei Feng-hu.”

Felix, who had been quietly drinking, nodded in agreement with Pai Chen’s remark.

“That’s true. Although we’ve gained more reinforcements than expected, it’s still not enough to guarantee victory.”

“Damn it. No matter how many of these monsters we kill, there’s always more.”

Unable to hold back my laughter, I smirked at Wu Haixing’s grumbling.

“What’s so funny?”

“I laugh because it’s funny, dumbass.”

“What?”

“If someone heard you talk, they’d think you’ve been fighting really hard. This is the same guy who tried to take a detour to avoid danger when the monster legion attacked last week.”

His expression was priceless.

He must have thought no one knew, but Wu Haixing’s cowardice had already spread across all fronts.

“I get that you’ve been through a lot, but don’t whine in front of us. It’s annoying.”

“You…!”

“Are you self-employed or something? Why do you keep making profits off your complaints?”

Wu Haixing’s face turned bright red as he flinched, as if ready to attack. But that was as far as he got.

The memory of his past defeat clearly haunted him.

Those pampered by life, living like hothouse flowers, wither easily when exposed to the cold wind.

Of course, there are other kinds of people as well.

Like Team Leader Choi, who sat beside me, silently watching.

“Gentlemen, that’s enough.”

With a calm voice, Team Leader Choi stepped in, and Wu Haixing glared at him.

“Are you ordering me around?”

“I’m sorry if you took it that way, Mr. Wu.”

“You…”

Unfazed by Wu Haixing’s hostility, Team Leader Choi continued speaking with the same calm demeanor. Wu Haixing stood up abruptly—or tried to.

“Sit down.”

“…!”

At my command, delivered with a wave of oppressive energy, Wu Haixing froze.

The other S-rank hunters, who had been watching with shocked expressions, turned to look at me.

I glanced briefly at Lee Jeong-ryong, who was watching with a cold, calculating gaze, before speaking again.

“Let me be clear: yes, that was an order.”

“You, you…!”

“Sit down. That’s the last time I’ll say it.”

*Whoosh!*

The pressure of my aura washed over Wu Haixing, making his lower lip tremble.

Maybe he had been a prodigy, even by Murim standards.

No, he had to be. Becoming an S-rank hunter by the time he was in his thirties would have been impossible without some level of extraordinary talent.

But he was only half-formed.

An awakening is a free gift. Wu Haixing had won the lottery, receiving his powers and mana the moment he turned 20.

Could he build up internal energy like the martial artists of Murim, perfecting advanced martial techniques?

Maybe. If he did, it would compensate for his lack of skill, but I was certain he would fall before he even got that far.

Because his effort and determination were third-rate at best.

“That’s enough.”

It was Lee Jeong-ryong’s low, soothing voice that finally broke the tense atmosphere.

Despite being well over 60, the man still carried the aura of a handsome, middle-aged veteran. He looked at me with a smile.

“It seems you’ve sharpened not only your skills, but your killing intent as well.”

I met his gaze with indifferent eyes.

“That’s what happens when you’ve been through enough battles.”

“I’ve heard the western front was particularly intense.”

“That’s not inaccurate. Interested in switching places?”

“I’ll have to politely decline. I’ve heard only three of you survived. It must’ve been quite the ordeal.”

“…”

“The older I get, the more cautious I become. It’s a flaw.”

I felt a chill run through me as the memories of that brutal battlefield flickered before my eyes. A faint smile tugged at my lips.

“What is it you’re trying to say?”

“Instead of wasting energy fighting each other, let’s focus on something productive. We need to come up with a plan for the final battle. What’s your opinion, Jin Tae-Kyung?”

I tapped the armrest of my chair lightly.

As much as it twisted my insides, Lee Jeong-ryong was right.

Now wasn’t the time for personal disputes. We had to prepare for the battle looming right before us.

And an idea began to form in my mind.

“A suicide squad.”

“A suicide squad?”

All eyes turned toward me. Some people nodded in agreement, while others looked uneasy.

But both my instincts and reasoning told me that this was the best way to minimize casualties and secure victory.

“We’ll gather our finest and strike at the heart.”

If the Arch Lich falls, the undead army will collapse.