Murim Login - Chapter 226

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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 226
Click, click!
The barrage of camera flashes was blinding. By now I should have grown accustomed to it, yet it seemed I was destined to be a pine caterpillar forever doomed to consume pine needles.
“Jin Tae-kyung! Did you clear the Gate?”
“If not, why did you emerge so quickly?”
Questions erupted from the reporters like a downpour. Had it not been for the Gate security personnel, they would have shoved microphones into my mouth without hesitation.
Yet that fervor was short-lived. Soon the initial enthusiasm began to wane, replaced by voices tinged with bewilderment.
“But… why is Jin Tae-kyung covered in blood like that?”
“The numbers don’t add up. Those behind him are Star Guild Members.”
“And they’re bound?”
“Where’s Won Myung-hun? I don’t see Won Myung-hun!”
I could easily imagine what the cameras were capturing at this moment.
Myself drenched in monster blood and Won Myung-hun’s blood, a dozen Star Guild Members trailing behind me in a line, bound together, and Kim Butler holding the rope in his hand as if walking a dog.
‘That reaction is understandable.’
I licked my parched lips. I shook my head at Kim Butler, who was stepping forward to take my place.
He had clearly tried to dissuade me, and I had refused. Since this situation had unfolded by my choice, it was only right that I handle the aftermath myself.
“Jin Tae-kyung! What happened?”
“Please, just say something!”
The clamor lasted only briefly. The reporters, having caught the scent of an exclusive story, became frenzied.
I observed the chaotic press corps for a moment, then directed my question toward the young reporter at the front—the one wearing thick horn-rimmed glasses.
“Which outlet are you with?”
The horn-rimmed reporter startled visibly.
“Eh? Me, me?”
“Yes. You.”
“Oh, well, that is to say…”
He had been shouting the loudest from the front, but apparently hadn’t expected to be singled out like this.
The horn-rimmed reporter, momentarily flustered, finally managed to open his mouth.
“I-I’m with Hunter TV.”
“Ah. That channel.”
A network that concentrated on Hunter-related issues and information.
Though a cable channel, it commanded viewership ratings that rivaled terrestrial broadcasters and was a major media outlet.
As it happened, what I was about to say was connected to their coverage, so both he and I were fortunate.
“I’ll take questions from you.”
“Pardon?”
“There are too many microphones. I’ll focus on one.”
“So… an exclusive?”
“Either way. Shall we begin?”
He still seemed green, but a reporter is a reporter nonetheless.
The bewilderment vanished from his expression, and his eyes behind the glasses suddenly gleamed with intensity.
“Would you be open to a live broadcast?”
“A live broadcast?”
“Yes. Like the Hunter Association last time. Real-time streaming.”
Real-time streaming.
After a moment’s consideration, I nodded.
“Let’s do it that way.”
* * *
AiTube was the number one video-sharing website by market share.
Countless channels were registered, from individuals to organizations, and among them, Hunter TV was a massive channel with millions of subscribers domestically alone.
At the same moment, the same notification rang on the phones of Hunter TV subscribers going about their daily lives.
Buzz.
[Hunter TV has started a live stream.]
[‘Exclusive live broadcast: Jin Tae-kyung.’]
A hundred thousand viewers gathered in no time.
The screen remained dark from the sudden influx of so many people, while the chat window blazed like a furnace stoked with kindling.
What? Jin Tae-kyung exclusive live broadcast out of nowhere?
No idea. It doesn’t seem like even a day has passed since he entered the Gate.
An A-rank Gate and he’s already out?
This buffering is killing me.
I want butter.
Oh, the stream’s up.
Everyone, show proper reverence and welcome the legend.
Pop.
As the brief yet endless buffering ended, the stream began to play.
The moment viewers caught sight of the massive Gate and the young man standing before it, their fingers flew across their screens.
It’s him!
Oh man, the legend.
Please curse for us!
Hit us too!
Stop it, you lunatics.
Jin Tae-kyung’s popularity had reached astronomical heights.
By suppressing a B-rank Gate and saving countless lives, coupled with his unassuming demeanor unbecoming of an A-rank Hunter and his infamous slip-up of cursing at an official press conference, he had become the talk of the town day after day.
Yet the fervent atmosphere was short-lived as viewers began to notice something amiss.
But why does he look like that?
Is Jin Tae-kyung hurt? He’s covered in blood.
And the team’s down to half strength? Plus they’re tied up;;.
What is this? Something’s gone wrong.
Hunter TV, what are you doing? If you’re going to broadcast, at least ask some questions.
As if aware of the chaos in the chat, a reporter from Hunter TV finally spoke.
“I’ll ask directly. What happened inside the Gate?”
“The full story would take too long to explain… Would it be alright if I summarized it?”
“Of course.”
Zing.
The camera zoomed in, capturing Jin Tae-kyung’s face in full detail.
Though covered in blood and dust, his eyes gleamed with composure. Soon, a calm voice flowed from between his parted lips.
“There was a Named Monster.”
“…!”
“It was a mutated Gate.”
In an instant, the ambient noise from the scene fell silent as if someone had pressed a mute button.
The chat window, which had been frozen moments before, erupted with frenzied scrolling.
??
???
Wait, why is a Named Monster appearing here;;;?
They must all be dead. That’s why there were so few people;;;
Didn’t Won Myung-hun die too? I haven’t seen him since earlier;
Insane…
Major incident.
The word flashed through everyone’s minds simultaneously. Even the bespectacled reporter who had held the microphone toward Jin Tae-kyung forgot his duty and stood slack-jawed.
‘A Named Monster.’
I knew well the destructive power it wielded.
Five years ago, a Named Monster that appeared in Central and South America possessed enough strength to destroy an entire small city on its own.
Though it was eventually defeated after days of battle, the casualties were staggering.
Hundreds of Hunters died, along with ten times that number of civilians.
It was an incident that captured the world’s attention, so neither the press nor viewers could be unaware of it.
If it’s a real Named Monster, surviving is a miracle;
Wait. Hold on.
Then that means there’s still a Named Monster inside the Gate;;;?
Why is that a problem? Isn’t it fine since it’s inside the Gate?
Did this bastard just arrive from Mars? You idiot, don’t you know monsters break out when the Gate’s mana capacity is exceeded?
The massive disaster in Central and South America a few years ago happened because the mana exceeded capacity and the Gate opened;
Black Wyvern’s Nest? Does anyone know the location?
Crazy;; Press should evacuate immediately.
The numerous reporters who had been alternating their gaze between Jin Tae-kyung and the chat window suddenly snapped back to reality.
“Yes, a Named Monster!”
“Hey, evacuate now! Grab the cameras!”
No exclusive story, however valuable, was worth more than one’s life.
Just as the press, sensing mortal danger, stepped into the abyss of chaos, one person who had been observing the entire situation spoke up.
“Ah, I’ve already defeated the Raid Monster, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
A clear voice that pierced everyone’s ears.
Both the reporters who had been frantically trying to flee and the viewers who had been swallowing hard while staring at their phone screens suddenly doubted their own ears.
“Pardon?”
“…What?”
????
I must have misheard.
What did Shibul-jwa just say?
That he killed a Named Monster…?
Who?
Shibul-jwa.
What?
A Named Monster.
Is that even possible?
I have no idea….
The cameras, which had been shaking as if an earthquake had struck, finally refocused. Dozens of lenses captured the composed young man before them.
The reporter with horn-rimmed glasses asked Jin Tae-kyung in a trembling voice.
“C-could you please repeat that?”
“I said exactly what I said.”
“So you really did defeat a Named Monster….”
“Yes, I did.”
He killed it? A Named Monster?
At those unbelievable words from Jin Tae-kyung’s lips, everyone’s jaws went slack. A reporter who barely regained his composure blurted out a question.
“Then, did the others perish during the process?”
“Seven dead. The rest are safe….”
He trailed off, then after a moment of contemplation, continued with an unwavering voice.
“Ah, I need to add Won Myung-hun to the casualty count. Eight total.”
“W-why Won Myung-hun….”
“Well, that’s….”
Jin Tae-kyung paused briefly before adding.
“I handled it.”
“…Pardon?”
“Ah, not handled—I killed, no, that doesn’t sound right either. One moment.”
A second bombshell detonated before the shockwave from the first—the revelation of a Named Monster—had even settled.
The dozens of reporters on-site and the hundred thousand viewers watching at home were left half-dazed.
‘What is he saying right now?’
In the moment they all shared the same thought, Jin Tae-kyung finally arrived at what he considered the most appropriate phrasing.
“That’s the best way to put it. I ‘disposed of’ him.”
“….”
“….”
After the heavy silence, a single message appeared in the frozen chat.
Did this guy just come back from sorting recyclables?
* * *
Everything proceeded at breakneck speed. The emergency dispatch team investigated swiftly and meticulously, uncovering the truth of the incident.
It was an incident that had drawn the attention of countless eyes, and missing even a single detail could mean enduring a lifetime of criticism.
“Handle this properly. If you slip up even once, it’s your head on the block!”
“This has already been reported all the way up to the Blue House. One misstep and we all go over the cliff together.”
The government, as well as the upper echelons of the Hunter Association, were on high alert.
Yet contrary to their concerns, it didn’t take long for everything to be revealed with crystal clarity.
“Insane… He took down a monster like that alone?”
“And he actually managed it.”
Upon confirming the massive Named Monster lying dead in a pitiful state, the investigation team clicked their tongues, and by then, all the Star Guild Members who had participated in the raid were bound to cold steel chairs in the interrogation room.
“I don’t know anything.”
“Look, Hunter. It’s going to come out anyway soon enough—why make this difficult?”
“I’m serious. I don’t know anything.”
“Tch, you bastard… One mental magic spell and you’d spill everything, yet you’re being so annoying about it.”
“Did you just curse at me? Is it okay for a prosecutor to act like that? And mental magic—don’t you know that’s illegal?”
His entire life hung in the balance. As a B-rank Hunter, he couldn’t throw away the comfortable life he’d enjoyed so far just to rot in a cell for the rest of his days.
While the prosecutors were struggling against the Star Guild Members’ stubborn refusal to cooperate, an unexpected savior appeared.
“I… I’ll tell you everything.”
Team Leader 1 of the Star Guild, Kim Jong-hun, confessed to everything that had happened, his weakened resolve unable to hold firm any longer.
A perfect testimony. And on top of that, a USB drive and a note from an anonymous informant were added to the evidence.
The Habsburgfon Family, a prestigious equipment-crafting lineage from Germany, has long created rare and highly practical items. This PSV-96K camera, which evades any detection magic and operates normally even in Gates with unstable mana, is a prime example….
The prosecutor handling the case asked the investigator with a bewildered expression.
“What is this supposed to mean?”
“They filmed the entire raid. Open the USB and you’ll find the footage. That bastard Won Myung-hun deserved to die.”
“But filming is illegal, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“It must be from the Peace Guild?”
“Wouldn’t you say so?”
….
“Let’s overlook that much. Every guild that’s a little out of line does this sort of thing. They didn’t leak it to civilians, and thanks to them we’ve secured solid evidence anyway. Consider it mutual aid….”
Bang!
An employee burst through the door and thrust a phone forward.
“Have you seen this?”
The title sitting confidently at number one in real-time searches was “Won Myung-hun Raid Footage Leaked.”
As the ugly side of a forgotten star from the past was exposed, the internet boiled like a cauldron over hot coals.
This crazy bastard.
My head’s really spinning. Is this even real? Is this a fake?
Good death, good kill.
Still, it’s clearly murder, but did they really have to kill Won Myung-hun….
└ Jong-hun?
└ WiFi signal from hell?
└ Did the King of Hell turn on a hotspot for him?
└ They’re calling it murder; do they not know what self-defense means?
Only two days had passed since the incident erupted. Yet the shockwaves were unprecedented in their ferocity.
Each time suspicions about Won Myung-hun—long buried in secrecy—came to light, people burned with righteous fury.
After waves of unrelenting anger swept through them, they invariably ended with the same question.
So what is Jin Tae-kyung doing right now?
└ Probably sleeping at this hour.
└ Seems like he’d be sorting recyclables.

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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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