Murim Login - Chapter 276

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

Chapter 276
The middle-aged man was an ordinary neighborhood ajusshi you could find anywhere.
A bluish stubble shadow traced from below his ears to his jaw. His practical hiking outfit strained against his belly.
In the early dawn, his eyes drooping with sleep, he finished stretching and began jogging slowly down the Rice Field Path.
Huff-huff, complete with that distinctive middle-aged man’s labored breathing.
This was the ‘tail’ that Driver Kim had found.
“Is this the guy?”
Inside an ordinary van, Song Song-i muttered with a skeptical expression while watching the footage Driver Kim had magically recorded.
“He looks so ordinary.”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if he looked extraordinary? A Black Hunter shouldn’t give off the vibe of a Grade 9 Gate Administrator.”
“Still, this guy looks way too ordinary. Is there something only combat hunters can recognize?”
“There is.”
I stared intently at the middle-aged man entering the Mansion after finishing his jog.
Since I was only watching a recording, I couldn’t sense his inner energy. But no matter how talented an actor is, they always reveal themselves through subtle movements.
And I had the insight to see through such performances.
“A master at the peak realm….”
“Huh?”
It wasn’t just Song Song-i who reacted to my muttering.
I continued speaking as Choi Team Leader and Driver Kim looked at me questioningly.
“…rather, an A-rank Hunter.”
“I think you said something. Did you say ‘master at the peak realm’?”
“Nope. You must have misheard.”
In situations like this, a solid wall of denial is the answer. What can they do if I say I didn’t say it?
The skeptical glint in their eyes faded quickly, and both Choi Team Leader and Driver Kim nodded as if agreeing with my assessment.
“I share the same opinion that he’s an A-rank Hunter.”
“From what I observed, he’s quite skilled even among A-rank Hunters. I had to keep my distance because he seemed likely to detect surveillance magic.”
Driver Kim had lived through the Great Cataclysm as a hero of reversal and had observed directly, so I’d let that slide. But Choi Team Leader’s discernment was far sharper than I’d expected.
This wasn’t something just anyone could recognize.
‘Well, anyway, that’s not what matters right now.’
I asked what I was most curious about.
“But how did you find him? I heard the investigation team collected all the nearby CCTV footage.”
“We found it again.”
No, but how did you do that?
Before I could ask again, Choi Team Leader formed a circle with his thumb and index finger.
“You mentioned it before, Tae-kyung. That this works universally.”
“Ah….”
“It’s an eternal truth. I’ve been using this method for a long time myself.”
So he’d slipped a bribe to someone in the investigation team.
Considering Choi Team Leader’s resourcefulness, whoever it was had definitely pocketed a tidy sum.
“Didn’t you mention there was external pressure?”
“In such cases, one simply needs to provide enough money to withstand external pressure.”
That’s quite impressive.
But listening to what came next, it seemed money had its limits after all.
“It appears someone of considerable influence has stepped in. Normally they’d talk freely, but whether out of fear or something else, no amount of money could loosen their tongue. The CCTV footage was our best option.”
“The person caught on camera—that’s our target?”
“Yes. There were minor discrepancies, likely due to an Illusion artifact, but I’m certain it’s him.”
I’d already suspected as much, but whoever was orchestrating this clearly wielded considerable power.
They had the top executives of political parties in their pocket, manipulated internet public opinion with ease, and even corrupted police and prosecutors so thoroughly that they’d cover their own tracks.
‘It’s definitely a Large Guild operation.’
Any of the top twenty Large Guilds could pull this off. They were essentially conglomerates operating under the guild name.
The fact that they’d even cultivated Black Hunters as illegal mercenaries meant they’d seen it all.
“So what exactly does this man do?”
“A city dweller who’s realized the dream of returning to farming.”
Kim Butler added smoothly and extended the tablet toward me.
“On the surface, anyway.”
The tablet displayed everything about ‘the tail’.
Now in his mid-forties, he’d accumulated considerable wealth through stocks about a decade ago, but after repeatedly collapsing from chronic illness, he’d decided to return to farming.
“Chronic illness?”
“There are hospital records to prove it.”
A-rank hunters don’t get chronic illnesses.
I chuckled and flipped through the hospital documents dismissively.
“I’d bet my left wrist that this is all nonsense.”
Choi Team Leader nodded as if it were obvious.
“Then I’ll wager Jin Tae-kyung’s right wrist.”
“….”
Is this guy insane? Why is he betting my wrist?
Ignoring my bewildered stare, Choi Team Leader continued.
“Regardless, on the surface he’s the perfect ordinary citizen. From the moment he settled there, he had excellent social skills, and by hosting village gatherings every two weeks, he shed his outsider status long ago.”
“In a remote Mountain Village with few people, no one would suspect anything?”
“He’s wealthy and personable—a generous benefactor.”
“Perfect cover for staying hidden. Say, cultivating Black Hunters.”
I examined the final image carefully.
A picturesque two-story detached house. The building looked relatively small compared to the spacious yard.
Beside the gray stone wall, a luxury SUV and a sedan were parked.
‘How many people are inside?’
There were three who attacked Lim Hyuk-jun. No reason to scatter them like Dragon Balls—they’d be inside that house.
Wait. Hold on.
“You mentioned earlier—village gatherings every two weeks?”
“Yes. Each time, he orders large quantities of food supplies from outside… Oh!”
The village gatherings were likely a cover for procuring supplies.
‘This might actually involve more people than I initially thought.’
Since they’re conducting training, are the rest of them holed up in the basement?
Or somewhere deep in the dense forest nearby?
Personally, I’d prefer if they were all crammed together in the basement. It would be more convenient that way.
“If you approach too hastily, you might end up on the receiving end instead. So perhaps we should stop here for today….”
“Yes. Let’s get started right about now.”
I pulled my hood down low and opened the car door.
“I’ll be going.”
“Pardon?”
“The three of you come in twenty minutes. By then, things should be wrapping up.”
Three pairs of bewildered eyes fixed themselves on me all at once.
Kim Butler, the most experienced among them, spoke first.
“Hunter Jin Tae-kyung. There’s nothing more frightening than an enemy you can’t assess.”
“Yes. I know.”
“I understand you’re skilled, but….”
Kim Butler’s grave voice continued.
“I’m saying there could be dozens of A-rank hunters waiting there, just like the one I’ve been monitoring.”
“It’s fine. Those three idiots I know actually looked stronger than that guy anyway.”
“…?”
“Ah, never mind. Just remembered an acquaintance.”
Song Song-i asked in a tone dripping with exasperation.
“You’re thinking about an acquaintance at a time like this?”
“No, I’m always thinking about you.”
“Eek.”
“Be quiet. Before I punish you for that confession.”
“Kyaaah!”
Damn, that was cool. No wonder women lose interest. I’m on a roll today.
Just as I was about to step down from the van to claim my easy victory.
“I want to stop you, but I can’t.”
Choi Team Leader continued with an expression that was difficult to describe.
“Everything crazy you do always succeeds anyway.”
“You’ve got good judgment. Then move exactly as I said. Even if it takes time, everything should be done within an hour.”
“Black Hunters… They’re not monsters—they’re men trained to hunt humans. Be careful.”
I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.
“That works out well. That happens to be my specialty.”
“…Pardon?”
Leaving Choi Team Leader with his eyes wide open, I stepped outside.
The rural night sky scattered with stars, I breathed in the cool breeze deep into my lungs and stretched languidly.
Walking toward the Black Hunters’ base shrouded in darkness in the distance, I was no longer the hunter Jin Tae-kyung—I had become Jin Tae of the Murim.
* * *
A low growl rumbled through the darkness.
In the pitch-black void, a beast’s eyes gleamed with predatory hunger.
I unleashed my killing intent toward the two Dosa Hounds snarling behind the iron bars, their fangs bared in my direction.
“If I hear so much as a bark from you two, you’re becoming dog meat stew.”
The Dosa Hounds weren’t attending Korean language classes, so they wouldn’t understand my words.
But killing intent was a different matter entirely.
The killing intent honed through countless battles and brushes with death awakened primal terror.
Even the most thick-skinned person would lose control of their bladder under such pressure—and dogs, far more sensitive to such things, were no exception.
Whimper. Whine.
Sensing my killing intent, the Dosa Hounds tucked their fangs away and flattened themselves against the ground, their tails curled beneath their bellies. Their anxious eyes didn’t dare so much as glance in my direction.
“That’s right. Good dogs.”
A scraping sound.
The moment I sliced through the iron bars with the Hand Qi gathered in my palm and stepped into the Garden.
A sensation like passing through soft membrane, followed by a deafening siren wailing through the air.
Weeeeee!
Ding.
–
[Alarm Magic]
has been activated!
–
[Sound Blocking Magic]
has been activated! All noise is contained within the Mansion!
–
[Sight Blocking Magic]
has been activated! The interior cannot be seen from outside!
They’ve set up decent defenses. Actually, this works in my favor.
The moment the magic activated, lights blazed throughout the Mansion’s interior.
I sensed dozens of figures moving frantically inside, and then the metal front door exploded outward.
Crash!
Five men emerged first, with “Tail” at their center.
The middle-aged man who’d seemed ordinary now had eyes that burned with murderous intent.
[Lv.95 Lim Young-jun]
“You….”
His face twisted. His eyes wavered. He’d definitely recognized me.
I flashed him a broad smile.
“I’m here on behalf of the Village Youth Association.”
“Jin Tae-kyung!”
“No, sir. I’m Tae-kyung.”
“How did you find this place?”
“Our Guild has a wealthy young master. That guy’s got connections for days.”
Lim Young-jun’s sharp gaze swept across the surroundings.
“You came alone?”
“What if I did?”
“Looks like you did.”
His lips twisted into a sneer.
“You ignorant bastard. There’s a limit to how much you can not know about the world.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to say to you. You should’ve at least checked who you were targeting before making your move.”
“Ah, that pathetic D-rank hunter? Did his arm reattach?”
“It did, but… there are lingering aftereffects? So I came to collect some compensation.”
“I was going to kill him but held back. Be grateful it ended there. If you don’t want to see something worse, stay down and keep your mouth shut.”
“I’ve already seen worse, staying down doesn’t suit my temperament, and I’m not particularly grateful either. That’s why I’m here.”
Lim Young-jun let out a low chuckle.
“Kid, I get that you’re excited being treated like royalty around here, but don’t mistake us for ordinary hunters.”
Just as he said, the aura and killing intent radiating from the Black Hunters was far denser and more potent than that of ordinary hunters.
I swept my gaze across the mansion. I could feel it—the presence of those lurking inside, waiting for orders.
“One, five, ten… twenty-eight in total. You’ve scraped together quite the collection.”
“…How did you—?”
“I’m not an ordinary hunter either.”
I continued speaking while staring at his hardened face.
“Three. Hand over just the three who participated in the attack two days ago, including you. Disarm the rest and spill everything you know. Then I’ll let you live.”
“You crazy bastard.”
“Good. I was worried you might actually accept.”
That was my first and last offer. There would be no second chance.
Inventory open. Equip White Flame.
The moment my hand grasped the cool spear shaft, Lim Young-jun screamed out an order.
“Kill him!”
That word was the signal.
Dozens of Black Hunters who had been holding their breath, waiting for the command, burst through walls and windows, surging toward me.
Crash! Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A torrential rain of countless blades and arrowheads pouring in from all directions.
My eyes watching it all had already turned cold.
“You picked the wrong person to mess with.”
Whoooosh!

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