Murim Login - Chapter 386

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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 386
“I’m afraid I’ve kept you all waiting. My apologies for the delay.”
Lee Jung-yong swept his gaze across the assembled faces—some familiar, others meeting him for the first time.
Magic Johnson, Faye Chen, whom he’d encountered several times during the Great Cataclysm, and even Britain’s young prince alongside China’s troublemaker.
With each meeting of eyes, the S-rank Hunters gathered in the Underground Bunker greeted Lee Jung-yong first.
「Long time no see, Lee. You’ve become even more charming in my absence. Every time I see you, I feel compelled to confess.」
“Spare me, Magic Johnson. You’re not my type. Though if it were Faye Chen here, that might be a different story.”
At Lee Jung-yong’s artless retort, Faye Chen swept back her long hair.
「My, I had no idea you harbored such feelings for me. What a shame. To discover it so late.」
“There’s nothing to regret. You’re still in your prime.”
「I appreciate you saying so, but the younger ones would laugh. What are these old folks doing, they’d say.」
“Is that truly the case?”
At Lee Jung-yong’s gaze, Wu Hei-xing hastily waved his hand.
「No, no, sir. That couldn’t possibly be true.」
“I’ve heard much about you. Exceptional talent, and… an honest young man in all matters.”
「Th-thank you very much.」
Wu Hei-xing bowed his head with a grateful expression.
Though ordinarily he harbored anti-Korean sentiments and spewed disparaging remarks about Koreans, he lacked the audacity to display such behavior before Lee Jung-yong.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down the nape of Wu Hei-xing’s neck.
「I’d heard the rumors, but I never expected you would actually come.」
“Of course I had to come. When neighbors face hardship, we must help them—that’s how we should live.”
「It is an honor to meet you, sir.」
Even Magic Johnson and Faye Chen, heroes born from the Great Cataclysm, could not compare to Lee Jung-yong.
He was the sworn brother of Cheon Tae-min, called the Jesus of the twenty-first century and the savior of the world—and the true leader of the Ares Guild itself.
One of the world’s most formidable guilds. Among S-rank Hunters, he ranked among the top three in strength. Lee Jung-yong.
To stand before him demanded appropriate respect.
Even the arrogant Wu Hei-xing and the royalty of noble blood were no exception.
“Pleased to meet you. It is an honor, Lee Jung-yong.”
“Ah, so you’re that prince.”
「How disrespectful….」
Prince Felix, raising his hand to silence his secretary, inclined his head with dignified grace.
“Felix. You may call me Felix. That is sufficient.”
Awkward Korean filtered through an interpreter, delivered with uncertain inflection.
Yet with this, Felix Alexander Louis, third in line to the British throne, made a clear distinction between himself and the others before Lee Jung-yong—by permitting the omission of the title “Your Royal Highness.”
Of course, Lee Jung-yong paid it no mind.
‘Children, all the same.’
Lee Jung-yong acknowledged only Magic Johnson and Faye Chen as worthy.
Regardless of their temperaments, Wu Hei-xing and Prince Felix, though called geniuses by the world, were mere fledglings in his eyes—barely taking their first steps.
And yet… there were others whose presence truly grated on Lee Jung-yong’s nerves.
‘The Peace Guild.’
Lee Jung-yong’s gaze shifted to one side. A deep smile formed at the corners of his mouth as he observed the two men standing silently.
“I’ve been seeing you two quite often lately. Have you both been doing well?”
At Lee Jung-yong’s greeting, Jin Tae-kyung and Choi Min-woo exchanged glances before shrugging their shoulders.
“Not particularly.”
“Not especially.”
“…?”
What was that?
Lee Jung-yong found himself pausing involuntarily.
The last time he’d seen them was less than a month ago—a brief span of time. Yet the attitude these two displayed toward him had changed dramatically.
‘Hostility.’
That was it. The distinct antagonism and wariness he’d once sensed from them was no longer present.
Observing the two men’s composed demeanor, Lee Jung-yong quickly grasped the reason.
‘They’ve grown stronger. Incomparably so compared to before.’
There was no doubt about it. The aura emanating from Choi Min-woo was far more expansive and refined than before—so much so that Lee Jung-yong found himself wondering what method could have produced such rapid growth in such a short time.
And the other one, Jin Tae-kyung.
‘…This is…’
He could feel it through his skin and instincts. The formidable power contained throughout Jin Tae-kyung’s entire body. The depths that dwelt in his sunken eyes.
This could only mean one thing.
‘He’s broken through the barrier.’
The shock hit him like a blow to the back of his head. Lee Jung-yong had to exert all his effort to conceal his agitation.
‘How is this possible?’
Jin Tae-kyung had certainly been a powerhouse before. Perhaps he stood above countless A-rank hunters scattered across the entire world.
Given that he’d single-handedly eliminated two Named Monsters, it was only natural that people and the media spoke of the birth of a new S-rank hunter.
But Lee Jung-yong had known the truth. He’d known that Jin Tae-kyung hadn’t yet broken through ‘the barrier.’ He’d believed it would take an extraordinarily long time before the man could overcome the wall blocking his path and become a true powerhouse.
And yet…
‘Such an impossible thing has actually happened.’
This was no mere matter of surprise. Meeting Jin Tae-kyung’s calm gaze directed at him, Lee Jung-yong recalled an emotion he’d long forgotten.
Anxiety. Unease.
This was the first time Lee Jung-yong had felt such anxiety since he’d completely seized control of the Ares Guild.
Merely months ago, this man had been nothing but laughable and irritating. Yet now, that very same person had awakened feelings of anxiety and unease within him.
‘This bastard…’
The smile that had been playing at the corners of Lee Jung-yong’s mouth vanished without a trace. Wei Penghu regarded his hardened expression with puzzlement.
「Is something the matter, Lee?」
“…Nothing of importance.”
「Hmm. Then shall we begin the meeting now?」
Lee Jung-yong nodded silently, his gaze remaining fixed on one person throughout.
The young man leaning back against his chair at an angle, Jin Tae-kyung, murmured as if speaking to himself.
“Well, it certainly looks like something to me.”
“…!”
“But then again, maybe not.”
Lee Jung-yong clenched his fists without realizing it.
* * *
The conference held in the Underground Bunker stretched on for hours.
A monster wave that had claimed at least hundreds of thousands of casualties over the past week. It was already an enormous natural disaster in itself, and with the situation unmistakably resembling wartime, careful deliberation was only natural.
「Thus, dividing our forces into five armies to gradually pressure the enemy would be…」
Someone interrupted Wei Penghu, who was continuing with a grave expression.
「Pardon me, Defense Minister.」
「Speak, General Liao.」
General Liao, a middle-aged man in dress uniform adorned with countless medals, stroked his beard and opened his mouth.
「I must say, listening to the Defense Minister’s words is utterly frustrating. How long will it take to deal with those monsters at this snail’s pace?」
Good grief.
His tone was extraordinarily harsh. To speak to Wei Penghu—the Chairman’s right hand and the supreme power holder of the military—in such a manner was remarkable.
As if reading my bewilderment, Choi Team Leader sent a message spell.
– The Communist Party also has its own factions. General Liao is a core member of the Crown Prince Faction, the largest faction within the Communist Party since his grandfather’s era. He’s in a competitive relationship with the Shanghai Faction, to which Chairman Xiao and Defense Minister Wei Penghu belong.
– The Crown Prince Faction and Shanghai… what?
– …If I had to rank them, the Crown Prince Faction is first, and the Shanghai Faction is second, so they say.
– Ah.
Until now, I’d assumed the Communist Party was simply a one-party system, but it seems they squabble fiercely among themselves as well.
– But is that even allowed? If Chairman Xiao points with his finger and says that guy is harmful, wouldn’t he be beheaded in Tiananmen Square?
– It’s allowed because it happens.
– …Well, I have nothing to say to that.
– The factions reached an agreement. During the Great Upheaval, the Chairman from the Crown Prince Faction made so many mistakes that he was hesitant to continue holding power.
– Ah, Ping-ping?
– Yes, Ping-ping.
That Great Upheaval certainly changed many things.
While I was receiving such explanations from Choi Team Leader, General Liao, supposedly a youth from the core lineage of the Crown Prince Faction, put forth a brilliant proposal.
「Let’s use nuclear weapons.」
「…?」
「…?」
「I’m saying we should formally request Chairman Xiao to launch dozens of nuclear warheads across all of Sichuan. That would solve it cleanly, wouldn’t it?」
「….」
「….」
I’d never seen such a mad nuclear maniac.
Everyone, myself included, stared at each other with dumbfounded expressions.
Among them, Defense Minister Wei Penghu’s expression was particularly striking. He replied with the look of someone barely restraining himself from drawing a pistol.
「Rejected.」
「Why! Are you now disrespecting the Shanghai Faction!」
「Speak sense! Speak sense! If that happens, what of the people still alive or unharmed! What of our devastated homeland!」
「The sacrifice of the few for the many is unavoidable!」
Regardless of anything else, the man simply had the brains of an ox.
Magic Johnson, who had been listening quietly, suddenly opened his mouth with a deep voice.
「Even if the nuclear attack succeeds, what if they use spatial transfer magic to move the nuclear warhead? For example, to Beijing.」
「That’s why we have you, a Grand Mage….」
「Me? The opponent isn’t just an ordinary Lich. If this Arch Lich is superior to me in magic, then a truly irreversible catastrophe will occur. Haven’t there already been similar incidents several times in the early days of the Cataclysm?」
「Still… even this level of sacrifice….」
「Hey. Watch your mouth.」
Boom!
I was startled. Magic Johnson, who had shot up from his seat, flexed his bronze muscles.
「Stop it. I like Asian men too, you know. I could punish you.」
「…!」
「…!」
That was the most terrifying threat I’d ever heard.
General Liao, his face drained of all color, looked around desperately for salvation, but the bureaucrats who appeared to belong to the same faction, and even Wu Hei-xing, the last bastion of support, all averted their gaze from him.
『So it’s resolved like this.』
The man was America’s national hero and national gay icon.
Everyone was desperately trying not to become the type of Asian man Magic Johnson preferred.
Of course, General Liao spouting such nonsense had played a significant role as well.
「Enough, both of you. Especially you, General Liao—stop talking such drivel.」
Under Wei Penghu’s leadership, the Chinese official who had suppressed the chaos, the subsequent meeting proceeded swiftly.
After synthesizing the opinions presented earlier and reaching consensus through debate, Wei Penghu opened his mouth with a weary expression.
「I will deploy the six S-rank Hunters present here across six sectors. According to formal organization, each sector will receive three divisions of army and air force, along with Hunters from the Public Security Armed Force.」
Three Chinese divisions and the Public Security Armed Force.
I didn’t know the exact numbers, but the sheer volume would be staggering.
China was always competing for first or second place in terms of the number of Hunters it possessed.
『Of course, they’re not to be underestimated either.』
The estimated casualty figures alone were in the hundreds of thousands.
If the Arch Lich had resurrected the dead as undead… then an incomprehensibly vast number of enemies would be waiting for us.
「With this, I will conclude the meeting. Please proceed to your destinations promptly.」
Just as people were rising from their seats following Wei Penghu’s words about providing exact numbers and organization in writing—
– Wait, look at me for a moment.
A voice piercing my ears. It was unmistakably a transmission spell, not a message spell.

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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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