Murim Login - Chapter 223

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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 223
A shiver ran through me.
It was the emotion everyone who witnessed the battle felt.
I had long known that Jin Tae-kyung’s skills were exceptional. I also knew that what I’d seen so far wasn’t the full extent of his abilities.
‘But to this degree.’
Choi Team Leader—or rather, Choi Min-woo—swallowed hard.
Though not for an extended period, he was the person who had observed Jin Tae-kyung most closely over the past several months.
Yet in this moment, Choi Min-woo realized that all his judgments about Jin Tae-kyung had been wrong.
‘What exactly is this man?’
Everything up to now had been merely the tip of the iceberg.
A few months ago, when we first met at the Hunter Personnel Office, he had volunteered as a porter for mere tens of thousands of won per day. Now he hunted Named Monsters alone.
And overwhelmingly at that.
Thwack—!
A spear blade infused with aura pierced through the creature’s brow.
The Named Monster, so formidable until moments before, fell to a single person—and in that instant, a new legend was born.
“Young Master.”
“…Yes.”
Choi Min-woo, who had been momentarily dazed, only regained his senses at Kim Butler’s call.
Looking around, everyone wore a similar expression.
Astonishment. And astonishment again. Those trembling with inexplicable awe rushed toward Jin Tae-kyung as though they had agreed beforehand.
“Jin Tae-kyung!”
“Tae-kyung!”
Jin Tae-kyung smiled at them—a refreshed smile as though he’d shed every last shred of doubt. Choi Min-woo let out an involuntary laugh.
“You’re laughing now?”
“I’m not sure what else to do, honestly.”
“Why not just shout? It’s only us here anyway.”
“I killed a Named Monster! Something like that?”
“Yes, now it’s finally starting to feel real.”
Choi Min-woo, who had been staring intently at Jin Tae-kyung scratching the back of his head, suddenly extended his hand.
A phrase he had nearly forgotten came to mind.
If—just if—he won, there was something he had desperately wanted to say.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“…”
“You’ve truly endured so much all this time.”
In that instant, Jin Tae-kyung’s eyelids trembled slightly.
An indescribable emotion flickered across his clear, deep black eyes, and he grasped the offered hand firmly.
“Thank you. And to everyone else as well.”
* * *
I was overwhelmed for a time by the barrage of questions and congratulations raining down from all sides.
“So that was already thirty years ago. It was during the height of the Great Upheaval…”
“Ah, yes.”
Kim Butler, typically reserved in his expressions, rattled off the events that had transpired during the cataclysm in an excited voice.
“Good heavens. This isn’t a dream, is it? No, it can’t be, right?”
“No, it’s real.”
Song Song-i stared at me with an expression that screamed she couldn’t tell whether this was a dream or reality.
“Ugh. Tae-kyung! You bastard! Ugh, ugh!”
“…Uh, why are you crying again, sir?”
“Because I’m proud of you. Damn it. So proud. Ugh!”
Lim Hyuk-jun wept as though his own son had returned from the dead.
In the chaos of the moment, I had no time to check the pile of System Messages accumulating in my log.
It was Choi Team Leader who ultimately brought order to the confusion.
“Everyone, calm down and let’s handle the cleanup first.”
“That’s… certainly a good point.”
I posed the most critical question carefully.
“How exactly do we handle the cleanup?”
“…Well, that’s the thing.”
Even Choi Team Leader, who usually navigated every situation flawlessly, showed clear signs of bewilderment.
Post-raid cleanup was something we’d always done, and it was always similar.
Accounting for casualties and treating the wounded, collecting and organizing byproducts—and if I had to add anything, checking equipment.
But this time was different.
‘This bastard’s torso alone exceeds fifty meters.’
That was just measuring length; the sheer girth, wings, tail, and everything else were separate matters entirely.
Just thinking about how to process it made my head throb.
‘And I can’t just leave it behind and walk away.’
Processing byproducts meant separating hide, bone, and flesh.
Since Karus was a Named Monster that I’d brought down, the rarity and difficulty of the task defied imagination.
‘Damn it, what about the scales?’
These weren’t fish scales you could scrape off with a kitchen knife.
Only I, Kim Butler, and Choi Team Leader could manage work of this difficulty. Of course, there was a method.
Just one—a method that was both remarkably simple and incredibly difficult.
‘The Inventory.’
Based on my experience so far, the Inventory’s capacity was nearly infinite. Moreover, Karus’s corpse wasn’t a living creature. It was worth attempting.
‘The problem comes after.’
I could already picture the reaction if I stuffed Karus’s corpse into my Inventory.
Even if I came clean with the guild members, unless I kept the byproducts forever, suspicion would arise.
‘Reporters are camped at the Gate Entrance—how on earth did I smuggle it out?’
If that happened, it wouldn’t be long before the entire nation learned my secret.
The front page of every newspaper and news headline would be decorated with my name.
[Breaking News) A-Rank Hunter Jin Tae-kyung Revealed to Be a System User.]
[Interview with Jin Tae-kyung. “Martial Arts Was the Easiest.”]
[Hunter Association, “Jin Tae-kyung’s hunter license must be revoked.”]
[Jin Tae-kyung, his retort toward the Hunter Association, “Damn it. If you’re so upset, why don’t you use the system yourselves?”]
[NASA Official Statement, “We will certainly capture him and place him on an experimental table.”]
“….”
“Jin Tae-kyung? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.”
“Pardon?”
“Things like that exist, you see.”
Things that absolutely should never happen. Of course.
In the end, after everyone put their heads together and deliberated, one opinion was finally adopted.
Choi Team Leader declared with the solemn voice of a judge.
“Let’s bring in outside personnel.”
A Gate is not an unchanging space like an evergreen tree.
After a certain amount of time passes, the destroyed environment and monsters are restored—a phenomenon called Regen—and the time it takes for Regen varies depending on the Gate’s rank.
“From what I know, A-rank Gates typically regenerate once a week. Since today is day one, we have plenty of time.”
The idea was to bring in outside personnel as quickly as possible and accelerate progress. For now, it was the most reasonable and feasible opinion.
However, this plan had a slight complication.
“The exit Gate hasn’t opened.”
It was exactly as stated.
We’d defeated the Named Monster, so the exit should have opened—yet even now, after dozens of minutes, there was nothing but silence.
Lim Hyuk-jun looked around with an anxious expression.
“Right? Why won’t it open? Could the Gate be broken?”
“….”
That’s a horrifying thought.
A Login Murim wasn’t enough—now a Login Gate? If that were the case, I’d rather bite my tongue and die.
As I felt an ominous chill, Kim Butler spoke up.
“It appears the boss monster is still alive.”
“Still alive? The boss monster?”
I pointed to Karus’s corpse lying motionless in a pool of blood, and Kim Butler shook his head.
“Named Monsters and boss monsters are different. To explain simply… the former is an intruder, the latter is the original master of the house, so to speak.”
“The master of the house?”
“Yes. Think of it this way for simplicity. If an armed intruder broke into Hunter Jin Tae-kyung’s home, what would you do?”
“I’d beat them until they begged for death.”
“…I forgot. That explanation was for ordinary people.”
“Ah, then I’d run. Or if I thought I’d die before escaping, I’d stand and fight.”
“The boss monster is the same. A vastly superior opponent appeared, so it got scared and fled.”
Inside a Gate is ultimately a world of survival of the fittest. The strong rule, and the weak are trampled.
If it were a tribal monster, perhaps not—but a Wyvern, known for being independent and ferocious, wouldn’t have simply vacated after a few hits.
From the boss monster’s perspective, it was a rather wise decision.
‘And because of that, we’ve become even more troubled.’
A man who fled for his life wouldn’t be grooming his claws nearby—that much was certain.
He’d have hidden as far away and as discreetly as possible, and searching this vast Wasteland with only five people was simply impossible.
“Then….”
“We need to return to the Gate Entrance where we first entered.”
It was an obvious conclusion. And the right person for the job was already decided.
Without hesitation, I raised my hand.
“I’ll go.”
Choi Team Leader asked with a worried expression.
“You mean Jin Tae-kyung?”
“That seems like it’ll be fastest. Don’t you think?”
“That’s true, but you must be quite exhausted after that battle.”
I just leveled up, man. Just let me go.
I swallowed the words rising to my throat and answered instead.
“I’m still fresh. If you’re really worried, I can get a recovery spell before heading out.”
“As you know, the distance to the entrance is considerable.”
“As you know, I’m considerably fast.”
Getting here initially had taken some time, but alone it would be different. I wouldn’t need to watch for monsters, and without group movement constraints, running at full speed I could reach the Gate Entrance within an hour or two.
“Very well. Then I’ll ask you to do this. Tae-kyung and Kim Butler should go together.”
“Kim Butler too?”
Kim Butler stroked his magnificently grown beard and answered.
“We need to bring in outside personnel.”
Processing byproducts from a Named Monster requires at least a B-rank Hunter, or an A-rank Hunter.
“I have several acquaintances. If I go myself, they’ll drop everything and come running.”
“….”
That does seem likely.
I still haven’t forgotten the sight of the Sangdong Guild Master doing PT exercises with loud, booming calls.
‘It was a sight I could scarcely believe even witnessing it.’
Knowing Kim Butler’s impressive track record as I do, this decision makes perfect sense. He was essential for bringing in outside personnel.
“So it’s just the two of us going? You and me?”
“Yes.”
Kim Butler nodded and positioned himself behind me.
“I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Huh?”
“Would you bend your waist a bit?”
“…Why my waist?”
What do you mean you’re ready? Why would I bend my waist?
With a sense of foreboding, I opened my mouth.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to….”
“Please carry me on your back.”
“Ah, yes.”
Lucky it wasn’t a Centaur.
Exhaling in relief, I readily offered my back to Kim Butler.
* * *
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
With Kim Butler on my back, I sprinted forward without hesitation. During the journey, we encountered a pack of Orcs wandering the Wasteland once, but that was all.
“Fire Rain.”
A spell from an A-rank Mage, no less.
A third of them perished in the downpour of flames, while the rest scattered in all directions. I felt like a mobile artillery platform.
‘This isn’t half bad.’
As I pondered how much more efficient Raid Teams could become operating this way, the barren Wasteland gave way to a dense Jungle stretching before us.
“You’re incredibly fast. We’ve already reached the Jungle.”
“From here on, I’ll slow our pace. The terrain makes it easy to lose our way.”
“I’ll defer to your judgment, Jin Tae-kyung.”
The Jungle, thick with trees and undergrowth, was like a Labyrinth—easy to get lost in. I was navigating carefully, reducing speed as I followed the path, when it happened.
“…Ha.”
Suddenly, a hollow laugh escaped me as I stopped in my tracks.
Kim Butler, puzzled by my abrupt halt, asked cautiously.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing serious. Just….”
How should I explain this?
Finally finding the right words, I added softly.
“Hyenas are here.”
“Hyenas, you say?”
“Yes.”
Stupid and relentless creatures—baring their fangs even after being let go once.
I flicked my fingers toward the dense undergrowth in the distance.
“Come out, you bastards.”
Rustle.
The bushes trembled as hyenas emerged one by one. But my gaze fixed on only one person.
[Lv.80 Won Myung-hun]
“Look at this disrespectful bastard.”
The alpha hyena bared his teeth and growled.

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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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