Murim Login - Chapter 385
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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 385
「What are you talking about, you peninsula bread?」
“What did you say, you continental chink bastard.”
In that instant, a heavy silence descended upon the room.
Foreign nationals like Magic Johnson, despite using translation magic, couldn’t quite grasp what “bread” and “chink” meant precisely, leaving them bewildered, while Choi Team Leader clicked his tongue softly, and one man’s face turned rigid as stone.
「What?」
“What, you bastard.”
「Say that one more time, bread.」
“Fine. Chink.”
「You damn….」
“Alright. Let me summarize. I’m a dog. You’re a chink.”
「…!」
I watched his face contort violently. Just as he was about to bolt from his seat, the woman sitting beside him raised her hand to stop him.
「That’s enough.」
A beautiful woman in her early twenties with an atmosphere as refreshing as a soft drink. Her calm voice continued between her lips.
「I’d appreciate it if you both could keep things reasonable.」
Reasonable, huh….
After gazing at the woman for a moment, I shrugged my shoulders.
“Well, if that’s what you’d like.”
Her eyebrows lifted slightly, as if my answer was unexpected.
「I heard you had quite the difficult personality, but you’re accepting this more readily than I expected?」
“I have to accept it. It’s not just anyone asking—it’s you.”
「Fallen for a beauty trap, have you? Ah, this is why being pretty is such a hassle.」
Watching her brush back her long hair with practiced ease, I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
“Did you just laugh?”
「You seem more interesting than I expected, Faye Chen.」
Faye Chen. That was her name.
Don’t be fooled by that appearance and aura—like a university textbook cover model. She was well over fifty years old, just never married.
At the same time, she was an incomparably senior figure to me, and one of the heroes of the Great Upheaval.
「You knew from the start, didn’t you? Hmm, I thought kids these days wouldn’t know who I am.」
It wasn’t wrong. Faye Chen certainly had far less media exposure compared to other S-rank Hunters.
There were frequent rumors that she was living a new life under the radar after laundering her identity.
But I had known her since I was very young.
“My mother has been a long-time fan of yours. You know, she starred in that romance film that came out about twenty years ago in Kaifeng.”
「My goodness, how long ago was that? Still, it’s nice to meet someone who remembers it.」
“Would it be alright if I got your autograph later? I think my mother would be delighted if I brought her your signature.”
「Of course. And from now on, just call me Chen. The full name sounds too stiff, doesn’t it? You can call me noona if you’d like.」
“Pardon? What do you mean? I looked it up online, and you’re five years older than my mother.”
「…You’re not easy to deal with, just as I heard.」
But the one who was truly difficult was someone else entirely.
“What a pathetic bastard…!”
A voice seething with rage. The one who had momentarily faded from our conversation now fixed me with eyes burning with fury.
“How dare a small-time nobody from a weak nation disrespect me. Do you even know who I am!”
“…Wow, that dialogue is absolutely terrible.”
Faye Chen, who had been watching us both, rested her chin on her hand with an intrigued expression.
“Right. I’ve been curious since earlier—do you actually know who this guy is before you’re talking like that?”
Faye Chen wasn’t the only one eager to hear my answer.
Everyone except Choi Team Leader, who now wore an expression of half-enlightenment, had their eyes fixed solely on me.
The one whimpering like a seven-year-old who lost an argument, Magic Johnson, the grand sorcerer of the United States, and the young man from Britain. Even the attendants who followed them were no exception.
Under the weight of all their gazes, I nodded.
“I do know him. Wu Hei-xing.”
With his frequent media exposure, he was among the top one or two S-rank Hunters—impossible not to know.
Wu Hei-xing, the one who had been picking fights with me about being a “nobody,” widened his eyes.
“You knew who I was and still did that?”
“Even a stray dog passing by would know. That there’s some degenerate among the S-rank Hunters.”
“What, what did you say?”
“Why? Everyone knows your hobby is seeking attention and your specialty is committing crimes then doing media play about it.”
“…!”
“Now that I think about it, didn’t you cause trouble last year? You posted photos from a Raid on your official SNS, bragging about the only drug the nation permitted you, and then got caught using actual drugs a month later. Was it cannabis?”
“Jin Tae-kyung.”
“Don’t stop me, Team Leader.”
“It wasn’t cannabis.”
“Pardon?”
Choi Team Leader, who had suddenly interjected, calmly corrected my facts in a composed voice.
“It wasn’t cannabis. It was cocaine and methamphetamine.”
“Ah, I see. Thank you for the correction.”
“Don’t mention it. Since we’re already here, what’s there to hold back?”
Look at that serene expression.
With Choi Team Leader now having released all attachments and preparing for transcendence, I turned to Wu Hei-xing with a broad smile and continued.
“Damn, how did you even lay such groundwork? This bastard’s at least Wu Hei-xing of the Purple Raid.”
“What, what are you saying?”
“Come to think of it, there’s more. Five years ago at some club called Burning Moon, you got high and committed sexual assault, got caught—how the hell did you get acquitted? Under Chinese law, you should’ve been executed two or three times over by now.”
“…!”
“I heard rumors you’re the son of Communist Party elite. Did you slip out with money and power? Look at this clever bastard.”
“Sh, shut your mouth! How dare a lowborn nobody like you!”
As Wu Hei-xing screamed with his face flushed crimson, one person who had been quietly observing the situation opened their mouth.
“How noisy.”
An arrogant voice flowed forth like water.
“Frivolous and vulgar. I hear you carry the bloodline of a Chinese noble house, yet you’ve received no etiquette training from your family elders?”
Wu Hei-xing, identifying the source of the voice, bit his lip.
「W-what are you….」
「You?」
Beneath neatly combed chestnut hair, luminous jade-green eyes swept slowly across Wu Hei-xing before withdrawing.
「William.」
At the young man’s call, a salt-and-pepper-haired middle-aged man stepped forward from behind.
Shoes without a speck of dust, a suit pressed with knife-like precision. Standing tall as he surveyed the assembled crowd, a pleasant baritone flowed from between the middle-aged man’s lips.
「Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathern, Baron Carrickfergus, Knight of the Garter, Knight of the Thistle—all present shall rise and show proper respect to His Royal Highness Prince Felix Alexander Louis.」
Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathern… bloody hell, what kind of title is that long?
In any case, Prince Felix or whatever solemnly added a remark.
「Everyone, feel free to simply call me Prince Felix.」
“….”
“….”
Look at everyone’s expressions. They look more uncomfortable than anything in the world.
Of course, the most striking among them was Wu Hei-xing, who had earlier called me a commoner.
And no wonder—when it came to social standing, how could anyone compete with British royalty?
「S-so this is….」
「Ah.」
Prince Felix, observing the flustered Wu Hei-xing, nodded as if understanding dawned.
「I see. Do you have a speech impediment?」
「A s-speech impediment?」
「If not, why can’t you speak properly? Did your family not provide you with speech training?」
Long live the prince.
I didn’t even need to intervene directly. The third in line to the British throne was administering carbonated jabs like a syringe, and my duodenum was practically bouncing with delight.
Just as I was grinning so hard my mouth threatened to split, Prince Felix’s gaze suddenly turned toward me.
「You there.」
“Huh? Are you talking to me?”
At my response, the middle-aged man standing behind Prince Felix opened his mouth.
「When His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathern, Baron Carrickfergus, Knight of the Garter, Knight of the Thistle, Prince Felix Alexander Louis addresses you….」
「That’s enough, William.」
Prince Felix, raising his hand to silence the parrot, gazed at me with benevolent eyes.
「I have personally stepped forward like this because I ordinarily hold the conviction that we must transcend social hierarchies.」
“…?”
「What does it matter if one is a commoner or a noble? We are all merely equal before God. So don’t take his words too much to heart.」
No, what kind of nonsense is this?
For a moment at a loss for words, Choi Team Leader whispered to me discreetly.
“I believe he thinks Jin Tae-kyung is a commoner.”
“…!”
That prince bastard is insane.
As I stared at Prince Felix with an incredulous expression, he slowly rose from his seat and extended the back of his hand with an air of inevitability.
「Come now, quickly.」
“…Come again? What is it this time?”
The middle-aged man—whether secretary or parrot, I couldn’t tell—opened his mouth with a satisfied smile.
「You need only kiss the back of his hand and express your gratitude for the benevolence shown by Prince Felix Alexander Louis.」
“….”
These people are completely insane.
‘Did they all hop out of a time capsule and travel here from the 18th century, these morons?’
Just as my head began to throb, a message spell from Choi Team Leader reached my ears.
– You can’t.
I responded through telepathy.
– Can’t what?
– Either way, you can’t. Just smile and let it pass. Prince Felix is already famous for being rather eccentric, isn’t he?
– If I break his hand right now, wouldn’t he become even more famous?
– Absolutely not! Don’t you dare!
– Just his hand a little. Or maybe just one finger.
– Don’t do it!
I didn’t know a message spell could convey this much emotion. Choi Team Leader seemed genuinely desperate.
Right, he’s a British prince—there’s no helping it. That’s when I was swallowing my anger.
「Hey, Shibul-jwa.」
What now? I regarded Magic Johnson, who had suddenly approached, with a wary gaze.
I hadn’t expected much from Wu Hei-xing, notorious for his anti-Korean sentiment and various scandals, but the joy of seeing S-rank Hunters I’d only watched on television in person was slowly fading away.
“…Please, not that. Call me by my name. Would you like it if I called you ‘Jock-son’ instead of Johnson?”
「Hmm, you have a point. Then, Jin?」
“Much better. But why?”
「Nothing special. You weren’t thinking of kissing the prince’s hand, were you?」
That sounds like something special to me.
I responded immediately, bewildered.
“Of course not. This isn’t the medieval ages. Would you want to do it, Johnson?”
「I would.」
“Excuse me?”
A sudden flash of realization struck through my mind.
I’d completely forgotten—Magic Johnson was America’s national hero and national gay icon.
The man whom Time magazine had named the world’s most influential LGBTQ+ person was now making a serious proposal to me.
「So here’s the thing—I’d like to express my gratitude to the prince on your behalf.」
“….”
He really knows how to package things. But unlike Magic Johnson, Prince Felix quietly withdrew his hand.
「Before God, we are all equal human beings. Such archaic customs should disappear. Magic Johnson, I shall accept your goodwill at another time.」
“….”
Is that what he should be saying after offering his hand just moments ago? Even Faye Chen, who was listening, muttered in disbelief.
「My, how shameless. If he hadn’t committed any crimes, he might actually be worse than Wu Hei-xing.」
“No matter what, he’s still better than Wu Hei-xing. That guy should have been executed under the law.”
“That’s true.”
Sparks of fury ignited in Wu Hei-xing’s eyes as the arrival of the major players had reduced him to a mere shadow.
“Y-you, you bastard!”
“Stop whining about that. Most people can’t even get past the second verse of the national anthem. I’m doing you a favor too.”
“…A favor? From someone like you?”
I nodded at his tone, which suggested he couldn’t comprehend the situation at all.
“Yeah. Now I’m certain.”
I had a grasp of Wu Hei-xing’s level, but he hadn’t the faintest idea who I was.
Combat begins with gauging your opponent. This fight was already over before it started.
“So stop picking fights for no reason and leave while I’m being nice. Let’s each focus on our own work.”
“An A-rank Hunter acting high and mighty just because Chairman Xiao Yang has expectations for you…!”
“Ah.”
I’d wondered why he was causing trouble from the start, but now I understood. The reason was so painfully obvious and childish that a bitter laugh escaped me.
“That’s something. You’re too old for this to be called cute.”
“…!”
“What can you do? You want Chairman Xiao Yang’s expectations and attention all to yourself, but you’re losing to some Korean guy.”
“You…”
Wu Hei-xing’s face flushed crimson with shame and rage as he realized his true feelings had been exposed.
Everyone’s attention had converged on this moment. He could feel the contemptuous gazes of the crowd bearing down on him with crushing weight.
And men of his type, when faced with such circumstances…
‘They always cross the line.’
My prediction proved accurate.
Swish.
His fingertips sliding ever so subtly toward the sword at his waist.
Chairman Xiao Yang, magnanimous as he was, had asked no one present to disarm themselves as a sign of trust, but his consideration would become poison for Wu Hei-xing.
‘Draw it. Don’t hesitate.’
No matter how reckless I might appear, I maintain certain standards.
Until now, I’d held back because I came to help China at the Chairman’s request, but if he drew a weapon, I’d have justification to discipline him appropriately.
‘Yes, more. More.’
As if controlled by me, Wu Hei-xing’s hand was just about to seize the sword when—
Tap. Tap.
The sound of multiple footsteps echoed through the Corridor outside the previously silent Underground Bunker.
Wu Hei-xing’s hand froze, and the tightly sealed door opened almost simultaneously.
The moment I spotted the figure who had arrived alongside Defense Ministry official Wei Penghu, Wu Hei-xing’s existence was cleanly erased from my mind.
“I’m afraid I’m quite late. Have you all been waiting long?”
Bold features as if drawn by brush strokes, and a muscular frame that no amount of clothing could conceal.
Though he appeared to be only in his early forties, what lay beneath that skin was an old tiger and a cunning serpent.
‘Lee Jung-yong.’
When our eyes met, a deep smile bloomed at the corners of Lee Jung-yong’s lips.
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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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