Murim Login - Chapter 217

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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 217
Bean sprout soup may seem simple, but it actually requires far more ingredients than one would expect.
In that sense, the Black Wyvern’s Nest was much like bean sprout soup.
This vast A-rank Gate didn’t just contain wyverns—it was home to numerous monster species, much like the various ingredients that went into the broth.
– Squeeeeeal!
At the faint sound of a pig’s cry echoing from a distance, I muttered to myself.
“…Do they put pork in bean sprout soup?”
Won Myung-hun, walking beside me, turned his head and asked.
“Huh? Pork all of a sudden?”
“No, it’s just that there seems to be a monster nearby.”
“A monster?”
Won Myung-hun paused in place, listening intently, then spoke.
“I don’t hear anything though?”
“Well, that’s….”
How was I supposed to explain this? As I hesitated, Won Myung-hun opened his mouth with a laugh.
“Ha ha, you seem a bit too tense? Don’t worry about an A-rank Gate. Just relax.”
“But I definitely heard something….”
“It must have been a misunderstanding. If there really was a sound like that, I would’ve noticed it first.”
At his confident tone and smile, I closed my mouth.
Won Myung-hun was a famous celebrity, but his reputation as a Hunter was considerable as well.
Being ranked meant placing in the top 100 among tens of thousands of Hunters in South Korea.
In comparison, I was merely a newcomer just beginning to make a name for myself.
‘On the surface, anyway.’
There probably wasn’t anyone in the entire world with as many secrets as I had.
But people only see what they can see and hear what they want to hear.
I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat and nodded.
“I guess I was mistaken.”
“It happens. It’s good to stay alert, but don’t overthink it. We’re using detection magic anyway as we go.”
“….”
I stared at Won Myung-hun as he patted my shoulder as if he understood everything.
Looking at him since earlier, something felt complicated in a corner of my heart.
‘Was he really just this strong?’
A few hours ago, watching Won Myung-hun face the Green Wyvern, I had come to realize two things.
First, the wyvern wasn’t as strong as I had thought. And second.
‘Elder Brother Myung-hun is the same.’
He was strong. There was no doubt about that fact. He could handle aura, and he had the skills of someone who had once been ranked. In Murim terms, he could be called a master of the highest caliber.
But that was all he was. No, if what Won Myung-hun had shown was everything, he was actually inferior to a true master of the highest caliber in Murim.
‘He doesn’t know how to properly control his power.’
Was it because the environment was different?
Could it be because the environment is different?
Unlike the modern era, the Murim is a harsh place where one must survive relying solely on a single weapon.
In a world where the blade is closer than the law, martial arts naturally develop to an extreme degree.
‘On the other hand, modern Hunters focus on Raids, and magic exists.’
Martial artists who endlessly hone themselves within the vast framework of martial prowess, and Hunters who divide their roles and pursue maximum efficiency within them.
It’s not a matter of right or wrong, but one thing is certain.
‘If we compare individual combat power, Hunters cannot match those of the Murim.’
If what he has shown so far is his full extent, Won Myung-hun cannot escape that category.
Even if he could use an aura, it would be the same.
‘I’ve grown stronger.’
Just a few months.
I’ve developed enough to evaluate an A-rank Hunter who was my idol for so long.
‘It’s both joyful and bittersweet.’
That was when I found myself lost in such peculiar sentiments while observing Won Myung-hun.
– Screeeech!
– Shriek!
The monster’s cry that rang out a second time was louder and more distinct than before.
Won Myung-hun, who had only now noticed this fact, turned his head and began searching for the source of the sound.
“Where exactly did that just come from…?”
I pulled out the spear strapped to my back and answered.
“Five o’clock direction. About a hundred meters away.”
“Huh?”
“There are quite a few of them. Let’s start preparing for the Raid.”
“P-prepare?”
“Yes. It looks like there are about forty to fifty of them.”
“What are you even…?”
Won Myung-hun’s words trailed off.
He had spotted a group of about forty Orcs approaching through the dense undergrowth.
“Forty-seven of them. Should I just handle it?”
“…”
“Elder Brother?”
At my call, Won Myung-hun started as if waking from a dream.
“Uh, u-uh?”
“Should I handle it?”
“…You alone against all of them?”
“Yes. I need to loosen up anyway.”
“O-okay. Do as you wish.”
“If any try to flee, please take care of them.”
After finishing my words, I swung the spear and walked toward them.
It was an ordinary iron spear with no magic enchantments, the kind you could find anywhere.
‘If I use something with magic, I won’t be able to adapt in the Murim.’
Magic is an astonishingly convenient and useful ability.
However, while it may be a plus factor in the short term, it’s a minus in the long run.
I need to build my fundamental skills, not rely on equipment, so I can handle any crisis that arises.
‘Once I catch all of them, maybe I’ll level up once.’
With that pleasant thought, I stomped the ground. The resulting gust of wind whipped through my hair.
Screeeeeech!
* * *
Whoosh! Crunch! Splurt!
The spear blade cleanly severed the orc’s throat.
Before the orc’s knees even touched the ground, another orc’s head beside it burst open.
Then another, and two more, followed by three more… Every time the silver arc traced its path, blood and death poured forth.
Absolute dominance.
“…Wow.”
Team Leader 1, who had inadvertently let out an exclamation of admiration, hastily clamped his mouth shut. Won Myung-hun was glaring at him with a murderous gaze.
“Ah, Director. That’s not what I meant.”
“You bastard. Is now really the time to be admiring?”
“My apologies. I couldn’t help myself…”
Team Leader 1, making excuses, cautiously ventured to speak while gauging the mood.
“But seriously, he really does fight well, doesn’t he?”
“…Fight well, my ass.”
His movements are on a completely different level. He’s no ordinary A-rank rookie.
“…”
Looking at him, he doesn’t seem to be wearing any magical equipment either. The sheer audacity alone—charging at fifty orcs single-handedly without any gear—deserves recognition. If someone told me to do that… honestly, I couldn’t.
Won Myung-hun licked his lips with an irritated expression.
He couldn’t deny Team Leader 1’s words. In fact, everything he said was spot-on from beginning to end.
The more I observed Jin Tae-kyung, the more bewilderment snowballed within me.
‘What exactly is that bastard?’
Orcs are treated as punching bags only in fantasy novels—they’re far from being easy monsters in reality.
There are many species, and dozens of confirmed tribes. The orcs that appeared now, judging by their crudely fashioned armor, belonged to the B-rank Orc Warriors.
Yet Jin Tae-kyung was overwhelming them.
‘Fifty Orc Warriors alone? And he’s just a brat who barely awakened to A-rank?’
I had already gathered sufficient information about him.
He was someone who started as F-rank and was certain to die as F-rank—a defective product branded as the lowest-tier hunter.
So how could someone who used to face goblins and the like in those tiny F-rank Gates possibly do this?
“Director. Director?”
Won Myung-hun, snapping out of his reverie, answered in a hoarse voice.
“What.”
“Didn’t you hear? You’ve been standing right next to me this whole time, so I asked if you noticed anything suspicious.”
“Suspicious?”
“Yes. It’s strange, isn’t it? That bastard Jin Tae-kyung definitely has something going on.
“….”
Won Myung-hun fell silent for a moment before offering Team Leader 1 a brief explanation of what had just transpired.
“You knew the orcs would appear beforehand?”
“Lower your voice. We’re not alone here.”
Team Leader 1 glanced backward. He surveyed the Peace Guild members watching the battle with serene expressions, as though they were on an outing, then whispered in a voice barely audible above an ant’s footstep.
“Good grief. How did that bastard know that? Does anything strike you as odd?”
“It must be detection magic. It has to be detection magic.”
“What if it’s not detection magic?”
“What?”
Team Leader 1 swallowed hard, his throat dry.
“Well, sir. Perhaps. This is truly one in a million, but….”
“Shut your mouth. I have no interest in hearing nonsense.”
“B-but you never know, do you?”
In that instant, a murderous gleam ignited in Won Myung-hun’s eyes.
“Damn it all… Are you saying that Jin Tae-kyung is stronger than me? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
Team Leader 1 hastily shook his head at that lethal intensity.
Yet the low, rumbling voice continued to bore into his ears.
“You think I learned aura from playing card games? I took in a nobody and raised him, and now I’m a joke to you? Does the title of Ranker mean nothing but dog shit?”
“N-no, sir.”
He should speak truthfully. When we first met, he and I were equals, and Ranker was a status built on entertainment industry fame and enormous lobbying efforts.
Team Leader 1 swallowed the words rising in his throat.
More than ten years had already passed since they began working together. Too much had transpired between them to return to the past.
Sensing this hesitation, Won Myung-hun fixed Team Leader 1 with a viper’s gaze.
“Our Jong-hun has grown quite a bit.”
Being called by his name rather than his title carried a different meaning entirely.
Several members of the Star Guild, detecting the ominous atmosphere, instinctively surrounded the two men and blocked the view of outsiders.
“Hey, Kim Jong-hun.”
Pat, pat.
Won Myung-hun tapped Team Leader 1’s cheek lightly, his voice as parched as desert sand.
“Get your head straight. One mistake here and everything goes to hell.”
“…Yes.”
“Send a few of your quick ones to find the boss monster. If that doesn’t work, drag over a few wyverns that look reasonably strong.”
“Understood.”
The moment Team Leader 1 answered with a dejected expression, a cheer erupted from somewhere.
A middle-aged man with a mountain-man’s beard was bouncing about like a fresh fish.
“Tae-kyung! You magnificent bastard!”
The battle had finally ended.
It took merely fifteen minutes to annihilate roughly fifty B-rank Orc Warriors.
Among the dozens of corpses scattered across the ground, a young man with sharp, refined features was grinning widely.
“Ah, I’m finally warmed up. Myung-hun, how was that?”
“…!”
Won Myung-hun spun around hastily, desperate to hide his grotesquely contorted face.
‘This damned bastard…!’
Every time I saw Jin Tae-kyung, my head burned with fury and my stomach twisted with revulsion.
A mere fool blessed by dumb luck to capture the media’s attention—and despite such fortune, he lacked the wit or desire to properly leverage his fame.
In my eyes, it was all pretense, the very source of my disgust.
‘This punk who’ll spend his whole life running Gates and die in obscurity dares to reject my proposal?’
Had he chosen to become a Star Hunter for one of the major entertainment agencies instead, I wouldn’t be consumed by this rage.
But Jin Tae-kyung refused without a moment’s hesitation. He chose the Peace Guild—nothing but a hole-in-the-wall operation.
‘Pathetic fool.’
He’ll regret it.
Won Myung-hun, seething inwardly, gestured toward Team Leader 1.
* * *
“Excellent! Excellent work, my friend!”
Thump! Thump!
Lim Hyuk-jun clapped me on the shoulder with a sharp exhale.
“Wow! Fifty Orc Warriors! You’re truly the greatest Hunter!”
“Please, calm down.”
“Your movements, your spear technique, your soul… truly an A-rank Hunter. You’ve turned this Gate inside out!”
“….”
Wait, where did soul come from? And what do you mean turned inside out?
While I stood bewildered, Lim Hyuk-jun’s excitement showed no signs of waning.
“I knew you’d become like this, ahem.”
“…Are you perhaps crying, sir?”
Unable to continue speaking, Lim Hyuk-jun’s lips trembled as he turned away.
“Crying? No. Just… old memories came back to me.”
“Sir.”
“Do you remember back then? Two years ago, when we were ambushed in that E-rank Gate.”
“When… ah, yes, I remember.”
“That’s right. That bastard of a Team Leader ran first, and I thought we were all done for, but you stayed at the rear and protected the wounded until the end.”
“Was sir among those you saved?”
Lim Hyuk-jun nodded, his face flushed with emotion.
From what I recalled, I’d saved around seven people back then, but I was only learning today that Lim Hyuk-jun was among them.
So that’s why he recommended me to Choi Team Leader.
“You still remember that?”
“I may forget what I’ve suffered, but I never forget a debt of gratitude—not until the day I die.”
“Forget it. It’s all in the past now.”
“Regardless, I’m truly glad you’re doing well, Tae-kyung. No matter how hard I try, I can only be a D-rank Hunter… but know that I’m always rooting for you.”
I know. Not just Lim Hyuk-jun, but all the Guild members have always cherished and thought of me.
‘I’m blessed with good fortune when it comes to people.’
I gazed at my guild members with warm eyes.
First, there was Choi Team Leader, who could be called the actual financial backer.
“Jin Tae-kyung.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“You’re truly remarkable.”
“What’s the big deal about this?”
“Your eye for detail is impressive.”
“…?”
“That look you just showed me—you must have recognized this ‘Frozen Eye’ hanging around my neck.”
Choi Team Leader smiled contentedly and pulled the necklace from around his neck.
When did he even start wearing that? I was seeing it for the first time today.
“Russia’s finest jewelry craftsman, Vladimir Stalin, designed it….”
“….”
Damn it, give me back my sense of wonder.
I was exhaling a deep sigh at his relentlessly consistent demeanor when it happened.
“Hmm?”
Choi Team Leader suddenly paused and pointed at Lim Hyuk-jun’s neck.
“Isn’t that a Yeti’s Necklace?”
Startled by that covetous gaze, Lim Hyuk-jun nodded his head.
“Huh? Y-yes.”
“That’s an item that rarely shows up even on the secondhand market… Where did you get it?”
“Th-this?”
If Lim Hyuk-jun said it was his own, the man looked ready to tear it from his neck.
Sensing the threat to his life, the middle-aged man hastily removed the necklace and handed it to me.
“It’s not mine. Tae-kyung lent it to me.”
“Jin Tae-kyung lent it to you?”
I nodded.
“I lent it to him. Though I borrowed it from Elder Brother Myung-hun myself.”
“I see. Would it be alright if I took a closer look?”
“Sure, looking at it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Just as I was about to hand over the [Yeti’s Necklace] in my hand, curiosity suddenly struck me.
Was this really such an expensive item?
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t even appraised it yet.’
It wasn’t particularly useful to me anyway, but it wouldn’t hurt to know exactly what its properties were.
I muttered absently in my mind.
‘Item Appraisal.’
Ding.

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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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