Murim Login - Chapter 288

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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 288
In the spacious limousine’s back seat, Lee Jung-yong grasped Seok Go-jun’s arm and channeled his mana into him.
The limp body trembled, and strength gradually returned to it.
As Seok Go-jun’s eyes fluttered open with a faint groan, Lee Jung-yong posed a question.
“Are you conscious?”
“…I apologize. I should have prolonged the engagement.”
Seok Go-jun lowered his head with a rigid expression.
His assault on Jin Tae-kyung had been no impulsive act.
Seok Go-jun was Lee Jung-yong’s disciple and security team leader. For someone of his exceptional composure and restraint to engage in such an action could only mean one thing—it was at his revered master’s behest.
‘Jin Tae-kyung. I need to see his true capabilities.’
‘What would you have me do, Master?’
‘Draw it out as long as you can. Strip away all his pretenses.’
‘I never liked that bastard from the start. This will be satisfying.’
He should never have spoken those final words.
To boast so confidently and then fail to withstand even a single blow—he had no face to show his master now.
“Since you’ve crossed hands with him directly, you must have felt it yourself. Tell me candidly—what is your assessment of his abilities?”
It did not take long for Seok Go-jun to find his voice.
“He is formidable.”
This was the Jin Tae-kyung who had stormed into the Myeongdong Guild alone. I had known he was no ordinary opponent.
Yet when my mana-infused fist connected squarely with his jaw, he did not fall—he did not even retreat a single step. I had never encountered anyone with such brutish resilience.
“I struck his jaw with precision, but it was harder than reinforced steel. I have never seen anything like it.”
He wore no armor, cast no defensive magic—yet remained utterly unscathed. It defied comprehension.
The greater concern, however, was that Jin Tae-kyung was far more than merely durable.
“His strength, his speed—both surpassed mine.”
“If you had committed your full power from the beginning?”
Seok Go-jun paused in contemplation before answering in a measured tone.
“…It would be difficult.”
I recalled Jin Tae-kyung’s lightning-swift movements.
In the blink of an eye, my arm was bound and my feet driven deep into the ground. I raised my arm to shield my face in panic, but his tremendous fist pierced through my guard and struck home.
“For reasons I cannot fully explain, Jin Tae-kyung possesses abundant combat experience. He operates on an entirely different level from ordinary hunters who face only monsters.”
“And?”
“Sir?”
“There is something more you have not said.”
“…”
“I asked you to speak without reservation.”
Meeting Lee Jung-yong’s gaze, Seok Go-jun understood.
His master harbored the same suspicion he did.
“You had already suspected, hadn’t you?”
“Yes. Today, that suspicion became certainty.”
“Then you mean…”
Lee Jung-yong’s voice dropped to a low murmur.
“There’s no doubt about it. Jin Tae-kyung has mastered the Mana Cultivation Method.”
“…!”
The Mana Cultivation Method.
A subtle ripple crossed Seok Go-jun’s usually unwavering eyes. The words that had fallen from Lee Jung-yong’s lips were nothing short of astonishing.
“An F-rank hunter nobody has grown to this level in merely half a year. People prattle on about re-awakening, measurement device errors, and such nonsense—but that’s just the drivel of ignorant fools.”
Seok Go-jun let out a sound like a groan.
“But how… isn’t the Mana Cultivation Method among the most closely guarded secrets?”
“Secrets? That’s a meaningless word. There’s no such thing as a perfect secret once someone knows of it.”
“Could it be Choi Min-woo’s doing?”
Lee Jung-yong shook his head.
“Min-woo hasn’t mastered the Mana Cultivation Method. Neither has Kim Hwa-jong, who’s watched over him since childhood.”
“Then no one would know, would they? If the Guild Master were to….”
“Who?”
Seok Go-jun’s words froze in his throat, his entire body going rigid.
The moment his gaze met Lee Jung-yong’s deeply sunken eyes, he realized he’d spoken words he should never have uttered.
“I thought I told you not to breathe a word about my brother.”
“I-I apologize. I misspoke….”
Seok Go-jun’s voice trembled like a bird struck by an arrow.
Flustered by the revelation that Jin Tae-kyung had mastered the Mana Cultivation Method, he’d broken an unspoken rule. Cheon Tae-min, the Ares Guild Master, was an existence that must never be mentioned.
Thud!
Both of Seok Go-jun’s knees struck the floor. He bowed his head deeply and spoke.
“Please forgive me, Vice Guild Master.”
“Forgiveness—such things happen when you live long enough.”
“….”
“Rise.”
Even after carefully lifting his knees and returning to his seat, Seok Go-jun couldn’t bring himself to meet Lee Jung-yong’s gaze directly.
Having stood by his side all this time, he’d witnessed and learned much.
To Seok Go-jun, Lee Jung-yong was both an object of respect and fear.
His face, always expressionless like a machine, now carried a subtle undercurrent of dread.
“Listen here, Seok Team Leader.”
It was Lee Jung-yong who broke the suffocating silence.
Seok Go-jun’s head bowed even deeper.
“Yes, Vice Guild Master. Please speak.”
“Things are going to get busy ahead. If you carelessly wag your tongue like you did just now, it will put me in quite the predicament.”
“I will remember. I will always remember.”
“From now on, strengthen surveillance on the Peace Guild. Find out if there are any capable people among them.”
Seok Go-jun carefully raised his head.
“Are you considering reinforcing the security team?”
“Yes, this won’t do as it stands. I need to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.”
“Yes. I’ll implement it immediately upon returning to the guild.”
“And… keep a close eye on the executives’ movements as well. Include the status of overseas branches.”
“I’ll execute this without any oversight.”
Lee Jung-yong’s position within the Ares Guild was already firmly established.
However, not everyone followed him with the blind devotion that Seok Go-jun displayed.
Discontent existed everywhere, and those dissidents cast suspicious glances at Lee Jung-yong’s every move.
The security team, by contrast, were little more than Lee Jung-yong’s personal soldiers.
Compensated with exorbitant salaries and trained in mana cultivation techniques, the security team offered absolute loyalty to one person alone—Lee Jung-yong.
‘Yes, things have been far too peaceful lately.’
Lee Jung-yong turned his gaze toward the window. Beyond the immaculate glass, wiped clean of even a speck of dust, the Han River sprawled wide and open.
Thirty years ago, that river had been choked with the corpses of humans and monsters; now it flowed clear and pristine, as if those horrors had never been.
‘Elder Brother. The world has changed so much.’
The thought never escaped Lee Jung-yong’s lips.
His eyes had begun to trace through distant memories. Burning cities and dying people. Monsters surging forth, overturning heaven and earth in their assault…
And in that hellscape, there had been one person who shone alone.
‘Don’t take a single step forward from behind me.’
At thirty years old, Lee Jung-yong had been filled with cynicism toward the world; the moment he met that person, he was utterly captivated.
Though no blood bound them, he regarded him as an elder brother, always gazing upon him with reverence and awe.
Now, past sixty, those memories and emotions remained vivid and alive.
It was Seok Go-jun’s single word that pulled Lee Jung-yong from his silent contemplation at the window.
“We’ve arrived.”
At that moment, the limousine door slid open smoothly. A Skyscraper District towering high enough to pierce the clouds came into view, surrounded by the Building District like a royal guard.
Dozens of hunters waiting in attendance bowed deeply toward him. The emblems on their formal suit lapels bore the mark of the Ares Guild.
“We greet Vice Guild Master Lee Jung-yong!”
The cry rang out with precision, as if measured by a blade.
The man of power stepped onto the red carpet with a faint smile.
* * *
This was a world where even white-haired elderly people watched video content while wearing wireless earbuds.
On snowy days when the roads turned to ice, nursing homes shut down, and old Kim and old Park would chat through voice messaging apps while playing online card games.
If magic was an enigmatic realm of unknown origin, then the internet was the crystallization of twenty-first-century civilization.
With just a few clicks and keystrokes, one could learn of events unfolding across the globe as easily as peering into the palm of one’s hand.
In such a world, information about the most famous person among billions of people hardly needed explanation.
Click. Click click.
‘Cheon Tae-min.’
Just typing the initials completed the name. In fact, his search ranking surpassed even “heaven” itself.
People were far more interested in the person who had prevented them from going to heaven than in heaven itself.
‘I was no different.’
Muttering to myself, I touched the text reading [Cheon Tae-min—Character Information] with my thumb.
That face, which I’d seen hundreds and thousands of times since elementary school, filled the phone screen.
Dark brows and sculpted features. He looked like a reincarnated handsome Greek god.
And then….
“They look alike.”
“Now that I see it, they really do look alike.”
“Wow, they’re identical.”
They resembled each other so strikingly that I finally understood why people said blood couldn’t be deceived.
Lim Hyuk-jun, Song Song-i, and I all stood there with our mouths hanging open, our eyes darting between the phone screen and Choi Team Leader.
“Ahem.”
Only after Choi Team Leader let out an awkward cough could I regain my senses.
No, wait—I still hadn’t regained them. Not even close.
‘What on earth is happening here?’
It seemed that whether in the Murim or the modern world, things were unfolding in the most spectacular fashion imaginable.
When Park Ji-hoon blindsided me and Lee Jung-yong suddenly appeared, I’d sworn nothing more shocking could happen. But this—this was pure shock and horror.
‘Not the president’s grandson, but Cheon Tae-min’s grandson.’
A president’s term lasts five years, but Cheon Tae-min has no term limit.
The achievements and renown bearing his name will remain eternal, passed down through generations.
He saved all of humanity by driving his sword through the Demon King’s heart—what more needs to be said?
A hero born of mankind. The world’s greatest hunter, acknowledged by the entire globe.
‘Unprecedented and unrepeatable. That’s what he is.’
Choi Team Leader is Cheon Tae-min’s one and only grandson.
With only a single daughter to his name and no information about other relatives, he’s likely the sole heir.
My goodness—Cheon Tae-min’s heir. The very thought sent chills down my spine.
I opened my mouth with a trembling voice.
“Choi Team Leader.”
“Yes, what is it?”
Choi Team Leader answered as if he’d been waiting for me to speak, relief evident even in his response to break the awkward silence.
“If you don’t mind, may I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Then, going forward, is it alright if I continue calling you Choi Team Leader?”
“Pardon?”
Choi Team Leader asked as if bewildered.
“What did you think I should call you instead?”
“Choi Min-woo. Min-woo hyung.”
“I refuse.”
“There’s one more option….”
“Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Please adopt me. I’ll call you Dad. I’ll be a filial son.”
Choi Team Leader’s face flushed crimson.
If I’d actually been his son, he would’ve erased me from the family registry on the spot.
He then let out a long, heavy sigh.
“…This is not the time for such jokes.”
“I’m not joking. I’m serious.”
“Jin Tae-kyung!”
Choi Team Leader’s voice dropped to a grave tone.
“Didn’t I explain my situation to you? All of it?”
“You did. We all heard it together, including me.”
Lim Hyuk-jun and Song Song-i nodded in agreement.
An hour ago, after Lee Jung-yong departed, Choi Team Leader had laid everything bare to us, still reeling from the shock.
His true identity and everything that had transpired. It all came with reasons—unavoidable ones.
“Lee Jung-yong is an ambitious man. He’s always viewed me as a thorn in his side and kept me under constant surveillance. The reason I’ve been shuffled between foreign branches and kept away from headquarters is entirely his doing.”
Choi Team Leader said his surroundings had been saturated with watchful eyes.
He’d been assigned to positions where he couldn’t achieve notable results, and even then, his posting changed once a year. It was exile in all but name, despite the title of “foreign branch.”
“Cheon Tae-min—no, rather, the Ares Guild Master allowed this to happen?”
“As I mentioned, my maternal grandfather…”
Choi Team Leader bit his lip hard.
“He is an extraordinary person. Though my memories are from childhood, he is absolutely not someone with ordinary thinking.”
Kim Butler, who had been standing quietly, added his own words.
“It was true in the past, and it remains so now. I have served the elder for a long time, yet I have never once discerned his true intentions.”
Was this the dark underbelly of a hero unknown to the world?
Choi Team Leader exhaled and continued.
“Even after I submitted my resignation and left the Ares Guild, he must have continued watching. Later, when I founded the Peace Guild… recruiting even a single mid-rank hunter proved difficult.”
As I listened to the story, I learned something new: Lim Hyuk-jun and I were not the Peace Guild’s first members.
There had been several high-rank hunters before us, but they’d received generous contract offers out of nowhere and switched guilds. Some even went silent before they could even stamp the contract.
‘It must have been Lee Jung-yong’s doing.’
No matter how much money you have, without hunters, you don’t have a guild.
Pressed from all sides by the Ares Guild’s pressure, Choi Team Leader began recruiting from the Hunter Association. That’s when Lim Hyuk-jun and I showed up on the radar.
Fortunately, no particular pressure came this time.
‘Two low-rank hunters probably weren’t worth their attention.’
And that had been the Ares Guild’s miscalculation.
No one could have predicted that an F-rank hunter—fit only for carrying luggage—would create such a whirlwind.
“This situation is the same. When I heard that Tae-kyung had met Lee Jung-yong, I realized this was happening because of me.”
“And?”
“Pardon?”
I scratched the back of my head.
“What exactly are you trying to say, Team Leader? You haven’t been clear about it yet.”
“The power gap between us and the Ares Guild is too vast.”
“That’s something we all already know.”
“Similar incidents will continue to occur.”
“Be more specific. Be precise.”
Choi Team Leader clenched his teeth.
“I will terminate your contracts. If you sever your ties with the Peace Guild, the Ares Guild will leave you alone.”
His voice boiled with rage. Choi Team Leader closed his eyes and clenched his fists.
I watched him silently for a moment, then opened my mouth.
“I don’t want to.”
“Pardon?”
“I said I don’t want to.”
….
“They’re dinosaurs. We’re ants. We’re weak, so let’s retreat before we get hurt any further. That’s what this is, right now.”
“Jin Tae-kyung.”
“Then it’s simple.”
I spoke to Choi Team Leader, who stared at me with wide eyes, slowly and deliberately.
“Let’s become strong.”
No.
“I’ll make you strong. I will.”

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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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