Murim Login - Chapter 441

“Te-, Team Leader. May I come in for a moment?”

A nervous voice trembled through the air.

Seok Go-jun, his bloodshot eyes glaring at the door, extended his hand.

*Crack!*

A massive force ripped through the air, shredding and crumpling the steel door as if it were paper.

The security team member, who had witnessed the overwhelming scene up close, gasped.

“Gasp.”

“I told everyone not to approach, didn’t I?”

Confronted directly by Seok Go-jun’s blazing red eyes, the team member felt a chill run down his spine.

Though he had heard rumors of his usually mechanical and cold superior’s extreme change, facing it firsthand made his voice quiver with fear.

“Well, um… there’s something I need to report—”

“Postpone it.”

The low voice seemed as though it had been pulled from the depths of the abyss.

The subordinate wanted to comply, but if it were a minor issue, there wouldn’t have been a need to draw lots to determine who would deliver the report.

After swallowing dryly, he mustered his courage and spoke.

“We’ve received an urgent message from the investigation team leader. They said they discovered a strange item of unknown origin…”

Seok Go-jun, who had been about to storm away, froze in place.

“A strange item?”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“Could it be…”

“Ah, no, sir!”

Fearing he might be misunderstood, the team member quickly added, “Upon investigation, none of the late deputy guild leader’s belongings have been found yet.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. The team deployed to the site is under constant surveillance to prevent theft. It’s confirmed.”

“And?”

“Ah… uh?”

“The only report I expect from them is that they’ve found what I’m looking for.”

Seok Go-jun’s gaze darkened ominously.

Even as the Prince’s Party, once closely tied to the Ares Guild, faced decline, the Ares Guild’s influence and power remained intact.

Greed doesn’t disappear with leadership changes or regime shifts.

Even bamboo, strong as it is, bends under enough weight. Seok Go-jun had created that weight with hundreds of billions of won.

The investigation team leader and key executives managing the city—formerly the Arc Lich’s base—were no exception.

“Tell them to do whatever it takes to find it. Until then, I don’t want to hear from them.”

In this world, there is no kindness without a price. Seok Go-jun had bought their loyalty with a fortune and would exact retribution if they failed to deliver.

The item he sought was that important.

It wasn’t just a keepsake from a mentor he revered like a father. It was a weapon capable of driving someone into an inescapable corner.

*A hologram recorder.*

Lee Jeong-ryong, the true power behind the Ares Guild, always carried a miniature hologram recorder as a safeguard against unforeseen circumstances.

And that included the day he met his end at the hands of Jin Taekyung.

“All the evidence is in there. If I can find it, then after that…”

At that moment, the fire in Seok Go-jun’s eyes flared violently.

“After that… what should I do?”

Before he realized it, the face of someone he both loathed and feared appeared in his mind.

“…Jin Taekyung.”

Just thinking of the name made his chest tighten, and his hands and feet trembled.

Under the faint moonlight, he recalled the indifferent gaze and dry voice looking down at him, as if etched into his mind.

“This is your last warning.”

The voice that had pierced through Seok Go-jun’s ears when he was writhing in unimaginable pain echoed again.

“Let it end with Lee Jeong-ryong. Hide your fangs and claws. If you do, nothing will happen.”

His entire body had been crushed like matchsticks, his flesh torn apart. Without even having a chance to wield his weapon properly, he had struggled in an endless pit of agony.

If Lee Jeong-ryong was a wall he couldn’t surpass, a mentor he respected, Jin Taekyung was something beyond comprehension.

No, it was more like…

“A monster.”

The word escaped from Seok Go-jun’s lips, soaked with his fear and emotions.

And in the next moment, as he regained his composure, Seok Go-jun realized something.

His hatred for Jin Taekyung was nothing compared to the terror he felt.

Jin Taekyung’s presence was a permanent scar on his soul—a mark of terror itself—and his first experience of complete helplessness.

“Team Leader?”

Seok Go-jun didn’t respond to his subordinate’s call. Grinding his teeth, he lowered his head, staring at his trembling hands.

“This… this damned thing…”

*Crack.*

Biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, Seok Go-jun lifted his head. Ignoring his subordinate’s startled gaze, he spoke.

“Tell the investigation team leader to bring me that cursed strange item. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll need to confirm it myself.”

“But earlier you said… ah, understood.”

Realizing his mistake, the subordinate quickly bowed and left the room.

After walking down the hallway for a long while, he finally let out a breath and gestured to the hotel staff waiting nearby.

“Hold on. Wait until he calms down, then go in. Ah, the new room is ready, right?”

The Chinese hotel staff nodded wordlessly.

This wasn’t the first time Seok Go-jun had caused a disturbance. It had happened several times over the past week.

But why did it matter?

Ever since the Ares Guild had acquired this hotel in Sichuan from a local magnate, these Koreans were now their employers.

The hotel staff, keenly aware of their new roles, maintained their professionalism, understanding that confidentiality was part of their generous remuneration.

“There’s no need to say more. We all know what to do, so let’s get it done properly,” remarked one staff member as they received instructions.

Seok Go-jun’s subordinate, wiping the sweat off his brow, left the area. But even as he walked away, the uneasy image of his superior lingered in his mind.

‘Could those rumors be true?’

Within the security team, whispers about Seok Go-jun’s condition had begun to circulate. Although only a handful of trusted individuals knew the full extent, the stories had started to spread like wildfire.

‘If those rumors are true… this is going to get much messier.’

Taking a deep breath, he refocused on the tasks ahead. For now, the priority was retrieving the item that the investigation team leader had secured.

As he made his way to the agreed-upon meeting point, an involuntary thought arose: envy.

‘Damn it. If I had 50 trillion won like that guy, I’d be living in Europe like a king.’

Despite being relatively wealthy himself, with several properties in his name, his ambitions were insatiable.

It was human nature. Once someone acquired a luxury car, they’d start dreaming of yachts and helicopters, and then private jets.

‘What do you think Jin Taekyung is doing right now? Probably partying on a yacht with supermodels?’

Under the blazing sun, he envisioned Jin Taekyung, showing off his perfectly tanned, muscular physique, surrounded by glamorous women from around the world at an extravagant yacht party.

But that vision was swiftly shattered by reality.

—

“Hup, hup, one, two!”

“Hey, heave-ho!”

Instead of a yacht filled with models, there were muscular, sweat-soaked pirates bustling about on the deck of a riverboat.

‘A yacht party… yeah, right.’

The grim reality was far from his imagination. Instead of supermodels, it was a ship full of hardened men hauling cargo along the Yangtze River.

Not to mention the constant “training” under Jeok Cheon-Gang.

*Swish!*

Jeok Cheon-Gang’s projectile came flying at him, forcing him to dodge once again.

“Oh? You dodged that?”

“Well… isn’t this supposed to be training? Something about honing my reflexes and senses, and achieving inner calm?”

Jeok Cheon-Gang chuckled smugly.

“That one was meant for you to get hit by! Who told you to dodge it?”

“Well, I did dodge it though, didn’t I? Isn’t that the point of the training?”

“You cheeky brat!”

Jeok Cheon-Gang’s eyes narrowed as he prepared to launch another strike. His hand moved with a claw-like gesture, a clear indication of his readiness to unleash another round.

“This training isn’t as easy as it looks. Even with full concentration, dodging my attacks is no simple feat!”

“Fine, fine. I get it. I’ll focus.”

Grumbling under his breath, he closed his eyes to concentrate. But only a moment later, he peeked them open again.

“But, seriously…”

“What now?”

“Didn’t I just dodge your last attack perfectly, even when I wasn’t fully focused?”

“…Huh. You did.”

A silence fell between them, as Jeok Cheon-Gang seemed genuinely surprised for a moment. But the silence didn’t last.

“Forget that! Look over there at Cheongpung! Do it like him!”

Jeok Cheon-Gang pointed at a young man sitting cross-legged nearby. Cheongpung, dragged into the training alongside him, appeared completely serene, unmoving.

“See that? Even if the kid seems odd at times, when it matters, he does it perfectly. His posture is flawless, his breathing steady and deep, and his focus unshaken by anything happening around him. That’s what it means to have true composure!”

Jeok Cheon-Gang’s voice brimmed with admiration as he gestured toward Cheongpung.

“Watch closely. Observe how he dodges when I attack—”

*Swish!* *Thunk!*

The projectile struck Cheongpung squarely on the temple. His eyes fluttered open as he groggily rubbed his head and muttered, “Ow, that hurts…” before promptly falling back asleep.

Jeok Cheon-Gang froze.

I turned to him with a blank stare.

“So, about that ‘true composure’…”

“Forget it! Forget it all! You and him, both! Just quit everything!”

The Yangtze River remained as tranquil as ever.