Murim Login - Chapter 208

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 208
Unrestrained Dominion.
That was my current state. Wherever my eyes fell and my hands reached, I cut, pierced, and shattered without hesitation. Each flash of my spear blade sent blood erupting, flesh and bone splitting apart.
I moved freely through the throng of colossal ogres, unimpeded and unstoppable.
Crunch! Crack!
– Guaaahhhhh!
With a final death cry, the three-meter giant collapsed to its knees.
The Gate continued spewing ogres, yet they posed no threat to me. When two emerged, I killed three. When three came, I killed four.
‘Effortless. Remarkably so.’
The last time I’d applied Points was during my duel with Chul-woo.
Yet the Yin-Yang Meridian’s breakthrough had elevated my power control, explosive force, and perception to extraordinary heights.
Even when the ogres’ iron clubs—laden with tremendous strength—rained down from all directions, they appeared infinitely slow to my eyes.
To me, these creatures were nothing but fools who couldn’t properly utilize their own strength.
Screech! Thud!
– Grrrrgh….
With the sound of blood boiling, yet another ogre—I’d lost count—collapsed to its knees.
The hairy palm that had reached to grasp the spear blade piercing its throat went limp, and dropped with a dull thud.
Ding.
–
[Lv.85 Ogre]
has been defeated!
– You gain substantial experience!
– Level Up!
“Oh.”
Already leveling up.
Clearing them solo like this, the experience absorption rate is absurd.
‘Must be because each one I catch is higher level than me.’
My current level was in the mid-to-late seventies, so the ogres were five to ten levels above me at most.
Slicing through creatures like that as easily as butcher’s brisket, my level had no choice but to rise rapidly.
The experience gain is far more generous than I expected.
‘Wait, hold on.’
A thought suddenly flickered through my mind.
I gazed at the Gate with gleaming eyes, watching it continuously regurgitate ogres.
This is completely….
‘A restaurant.’
The Gate keeps spewing out experience—no, monsters—and I keep killing them. If I repeat this consistently…?
‘A conveyor belt sushi bar right here.’
The experience from ogres was sweeter than premium tuna belly.
My lips curled upward at the thought of grinding each one into Points as they came, when suddenly——
Whoooosh. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
– Stop, stop!
– Descend!
With a fierce gust of wind, four or five combat helicopters circled overhead before roughly twenty hunters plummeted down like lightning.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Over 20 meters in height. Even hunters equipped with magical gear would normally strain their knees from such a drop.
But these newcomers were nothing like the rabble that had been here before my arrival.
“Feather Fall”
With the mage’s incantation came a ripple of energy through the air.
The bodies that had been plummeting fast and hard slowed their descent. Just as the ogres wielding clubs hesitated and missed their timing, a second spell manifested.
“Grease!”
– Gwoooarrgh?
Thud! Crash!
The four remaining ogres lost their footing, staggering or collapsing outright.
“Now!”
As the shout rang out, the deceleration magic lifted and the melee dealers streaked in like arrows of light.
It was the moment the ogres, sensing death, let out low groans.
Clang! Clang-clang!
“…Huh?”
The hunters who had been about to drive their weapons into the ogres’ chests stared at me with expressions of utter bewilderment.
‘What the hell did this bastard just do?’
‘Is he in his right mind?’
That was exactly the look on their faces.
With a single sweep, I’d deflected the hunters’ attacks, and now I spoke in a measured tone.
“Let’s maintain some decorum, shall we?”
“….”
These bastards were trying to steal kills from monsters we’d already claimed.
* * *
“Something like that happened?”
At the captain’s words, the Hunter Team Leader nodded.
“Yes, sir. I’ve been with the support team for two years, and this is the first time I’ve seen someone like that.”
“Interesting fellow.”
“Interesting? He’s completely insane.”
“I see.”
The captain slowly surveyed the surroundings.
The Toll Gate, collapsed beyond recognition of its original form, and the fractured road were spattered with monster blood.
Overturned and shattered vehicles were visible, though not many.
“How many casualties?”
Soldiers and hunters. Though their statuses differed, both were registered with the government as belonging to the 25 Support Team.
The Hunter Team Leader answered promptly to the captain’s question.
“Four dead so far. Five critically wounded. We’ll know more once we finish assessing.”
“Four dead, five critically injured.”
Captain Yu Si-jin spoke in a measured tone.
“This is the second Gate to appear today.”
“Tell me about it. An F-rank Gate erupted in Yangju about an hour ago. I have no idea what’s happening anymore.”
Jung Team Leader’s words made Captain Yu Si-jin click his tongue.
“Hey, Jung Team Leader.”
“Yes?”
“The F-rank Gate that appeared in town. The B-rank Gate that erupted in the middle of the morning commute road. Which one looks more serious?”
“Well….”
“But the F-rank Gate had more casualties. Ten dead and over twenty critically injured.”
“What? That can’t be right. The news bulletin said….”
“Downplayed, covered up. You’re in your second year now—you should be getting a feel for how things work here.”
Captain Yu Si-jin exhaled a deep sigh.
“From our perspective, we owe them a hundred bows. A citizen hero who prevented a catastrophe single-handedly.”
“That’s true. Though they seem a bit crazy.”
“Jung Team Leader.”
“No, I mean they’re incredibly strong and crazy. They took down over ten ogres alone, so they must be at least an A-rank Hunter.”
“Either way, watch your tongue. There are many ears listening.”
“But they’re all our people. What ears are there to worry about? Oh.”
Jung Team Leader’s expression darkened as he followed Captain Yu Si-jin’s gaze.
A gaunt middle-aged man carrying an expensive camera was approaching them with eager steps.
“Hey, Captain Yu Si-jin! Jung Team Leader! Where have you two been hiding? I’ve been looking everywhere.”
Jung Team Leader responded with obvious displeasure.
“We were avoiding you, Kim Reporter.”
“Wow, why are you being so prickly today? I’m part of the 25 Support Team too.”
“So you only remember being a team member when it’s convenient? Usually you’re drowning in hangovers, but now that you’ve got a scoop, you’re thrilled about it, aren’t you?”
Captain Yu Si-jin stepped in on behalf of the startled reporter.
“That’s enough. Kim Reporter, you should be mindful going forward too. This is clearly an accident scene, and looking excited about snagging a scoop doesn’t reflect well on us.”
“…Right. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Even as he spoke, the reporter’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Gate manifestations are essentially natural disasters—or in some ways, worse than natural disasters.
If a typhoon is approaching the Korean peninsula, you can at least predict when and how it will arrive, which regions will be affected. But Gate generation is unpredictable.
‘Two Gates appearing in a single day is unprecedented, and a B-rank Gate at that.’
The toll gate security team breached without resistance, and an unknown Hunter’s heroic appearance preventing catastrophe during morning rush hour!
The story writes itself.
The reporter, already sketching the narrative in his mind, was practically vibrating with energy.
“So where is our hero? They’re A-rank, right? What’s their name? A fresh face like this always sells.”
“Fresh face? Come on.”
Jung Team Leader frowned and pointed behind the reporter.
“Right there. Your fresh face.”
“Where? I don’t see anything.”
No matter how thoroughly I scanned my surroundings, there was no sign of a hero clad in gleaming armor.
Only military personnel busily managing the accident scene were visible.
The reporter’s eyes, which had been hastily sweeping the area, suddenly froze.
“There, Jung Team Leader. Could that be him? In front of the Ogre corpse…”
“The person in sweatpants. Yes, that’s correct.”
Slice, scrape, scrape.
The reporter muttered as he watched the young man’s back, crouched like someone preparing kimchi, skillfully separating fat, meat, and hide.
“…That’s way too fresh though?”
“It is fresh. Isn’t that the image you wanted?”
“It does look fresh. The Ogre meat.”
“He’s been at it since earlier. The staff offered to help, but he won’t let them touch it. Says it’s all his.”
What was even more amusing was how impeccably skilled his butchering technique was. In fact, the two staff members responsible for butchering were glancing over and mimicking his hand movements.
“Is he really an A-rank Hunter?”
“I’m not sure. He’s clearly capable of wiping out Ogres solo, but the more you look at him, the more…”
“Jung Team Leader asked, but he said he’d talk after finishing the butchering.”
It was at that moment the three exchanged glances mixed with belief and disbelief.
“Phew, done.”
The A-rank Hunter, who had carved up the notoriously tough Ogre meat like mackerel, straightened his back and stood up.
The reporter muttered upon seeing the stretched-out training pants and three-striped slippers on his feet.
“Why does someone who makes so much money live like that?”
Was this deception?
It was absurd, yet on the other hand, the more he looked, the fresher it seemed. After all, character was the most important thing in media.
‘An unpretentious A-rank Hunter with a strong sense of justice—this image would photograph well, wouldn’t it? And he has a clean-cut, handsome face too.’
Yes, this was far better than a polished, model-student image.
The reporter grinned and raised his camera.
It was to capture natural shots without any artificial setup.
* * *
‘Ogres really are something. Nothing goes to waste.’
I gazed at the neatly separated byproducts with a satisfied smile.
Ogres were truly symbols of power, and they were popular among men.
There was high demand, but since they were officially classified as high-tier B-rank monsters, supply was limited.
‘I did well to strike the vital points.’
It was while I was humming and sorting the byproducts.
Click.
“…Huh?”
I turned my head toward the mechanical sound that suddenly reached my ears.
The middle-aged man, who had been continuously pressing the camera shutter, flashed me a friendly smile.
“Oh my, you startled?”
What is this guy.
I asked, bewildered.
“Most people are startled when they’re photographed without permission. You’re pleased?”
“You might be pleased once tomorrow’s newspaper comes out.”
“The newspaper?”
“Ah, I apologize for the late introduction. Please, take my business card first.”
I accepted the business card embossed with military insignia and read it.
“Military correspondent.”
“You know the Seoul Defense Command, right? I’m a military correspondent with the 25 Support Team.”
“Ah, yes.”
“And the two people coming behind me are from the support team.”
Two figures approached from behind the grinning correspondent, who was giving a thumbs up.
Dressed in special forces uniforms and armor, they embodied the typical appearance of both soldiers and hunters.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Captain Yu Si-jin, leader of the 25 Support Team.”
“Ah, yes.”
For some reason, it felt like a name the sun would regret.
I tilted my head and exchanged introductions with the two of them.
The moment their self-introductions and platitudes about my great deeds concluded, the military correspondent—who had been sending heated glances my way—opened his mouth.
“So you’re Hunter Jin Tae-kyung, correct?”
“Yes. But—”
“Since my field covers what it does, I know most A-rank hunters. However….”
Ah, I could roughly guess where this was heading.
It was something I’d have to face eventually anyway.
I answered readily.
“I’m not A-rank.”
“Pardon?”
“And I’m not S-rank either.”
“…?”
Seeing the question marks materialize on the faces of all three, I couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh. This was amusing.
‘Here I am, getting pushed around in another world, yet hiding my strength in reality.’
That would make a decent novel title.
As I continued smiling silently, the correspondent stammered his next words.
“Then, could it be B-rank?”
“No. I’m C-rank.”
“…C-rank? You mean C-rank, not a C cup?”
“Yes.”
What nonsense is he spouting about C cups? And why is he looking at my chest?
I continued speaking, ignoring the flood of disbelieving stares.
“I was on my way to the Guild when a Gate happened to open by chance….”
“So, what happened?”
“Well.”
I couldn’t answer the eager reporter’s question. A fact I’d momentarily forgotten suddenly came rushing back.
“…What time is it right now, exactly?”
Damn it, I’m going to be late.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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