Murim Login - Chapter 388

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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 388
“Hey, hey.”
Tap, tap tap.
The tip of someone’s foot prodding his ribs. Wu Hei-xing’s eyes fluttered open, and a massive silhouette loomed over his blurred vision.
「Ugh….」
“Look, something urgent came up, so I’ve gotta bounce. If anyone shows up, just make up some excuse on your own.”
「Ugh, ugh….」
“I poured a potion on you, so quit your whining, you bastard. Keep it up and I’ll call Magic Johnson to make you really scream. Alright, I’m out!”
Whoosh!
Leaving behind a parting remark that made his backside throb just hearing it, a figure’s presence vanished in an instant.
It was roughly ten minutes later when Wu Hei-xing, sprawled out flat, finally spat out words seething with rage.
「Jin Tae-kyung…!」
The broken bones and torn flesh had been mended by the superior potion’s efficacy, but no remedy could heal the agony seared into his very marrow or the cracks in his shattered pride.
‘How in the world?’
He couldn’t accept it. No matter how frenzied he’d been, an S-rank Hunter like himself had been toyed with so thoroughly.
The shock of having his martial arts techniques read by Jin Tae-kyung was staggering, but for someone who took immense pride in his own power, the sting of defeat cut far deeper.
‘Me? Of all people, me?’
Wu Hei-xing was born into a Hunter’s destiny from the moment of his birth.
In his infancy, he’d proven his potential through an expensive mana compatibility assessment, and his family—among the highest echelons of the Chinese Communist Party—spared no resources in supporting him.
Vast wealth and power accumulated through corruption. Raised under the finest conditions and support, Wu Hei-xing awakened as an A-rank Hunter at twenty and achieved the remarkable feat of becoming an S-rank Hunter a decade later.
And yet….
‘Yet why. Why to some bread from a minor nation like that!’
A gleam flashed across Wu Hei-xing’s eyes as he glared up at the dark night sky.
What burned in his gaze was anger intertwined with jealousy, and a hint of fear toward the power Jin Tae-kyung had displayed.
And these emotions were ones Wu Hei-xing had grown weary of feeling for over a decade.
Toward someone he could no longer find, Wu Hei-xing cried out.
「Was this your doing? Are you tormenting me even from beyond death!」
The masses and media condemned him as an incorrigible wastrel while simultaneously praising him as a genius born of China, but a select few, including Wu Hei-xing himself, knew the truth.
That true genius existed elsewhere. And for that reason, it had been hidden away, concealed from sight.
「Answer me, Lei Fei!」
Lei Fei, possessed of both formidable strength and noble character, had been an insurmountable wall for Wu Hei-xing.
How panicked and elated he’d been when he first heard of his disappearance.
But within a mere week, another wall had emerged. One bearing the name Jin Tae-kyung.
「Aaaahhhhh!」
As his piercing cry echoed out, the surrounding vegetation trembled in the darkness.
“That feeling—I know it well.”
At the soft voice of someone who’d approached without a sound, Wu Hei-xing jolted upright like lightning.
「Who are you!」
“How disappointing. I thought we were acquainted.”
Crunch.
A figure suddenly stepped forward from the darkness. Wu Hei-xing’s eyes widened dramatically.
「Who are you…?」
Beneath the faint moonlight, Lee Jung-yong continued with a smile playing across his face.
“I believe we have urgent matters to discuss. What do you think?”
「…!」
* * *
Ding.
–
[Qi Circulation Technique]
has been completed!
–
[Flame Divine Art]
has risen slightly in proficiency!
When I gathered my energy and opened my eyes, the world outside had grown brilliantly bright.
As if it had been waiting for this very moment, the Skeleton Warlord opened its mouth without hesitation.
– Cunning human. You’ve finally awakened?
“I didn’t sleep, you bastard.”
– Drinking before battle, no less. Tsk, tsk.
“Alcohol poisoning won’t kill me anyway, so keep quiet.”
When one drinks heavily, alcohol toxins accumulate in the body, but any master of my caliber can easily purge such toxins.
As for me, possessing such formidable yang energy, it goes without saying.
‘Now that I think about it, I drank an enormous amount. I completely drained the alcohol Faye Chen brought on her private aircraft.’
I had definitely gone to stop Magic Johnson from drinking, but somehow it ended up like this.
– But human, how much longer do you intend to remain in this suffocating place?
“I was already planning to leave.”
Glancing at my watch, it was five-thirty in the morning. It was time to prepare.
After gathering my belongings from the hotel room assigned as temporary lodging and heading down to the lobby, I spotted Choi Team Leader drinking coffee.
“Oh, Team Leader.”
“…You’ve come down.”
I could see at a glance that his eyes were hollow and sunken. The flawless skin he usually maintained through meticulous self-care appeared rough and irritated.
“Did you not sleep?”
“Would you expect me to sleep with Jin Tae-kyung involved?”
“….”
Fair point.
Last night, after receiving the most urgent message imaginable and rushing over, the sight that greeted me was nothing short of catastrophic.
‘Hey, Choi. This is a drinking game. Come on, let’s do this coolly. Right?’
‘Faye Chen! Please help me, Faye Chen!’
‘Hmm…. Sorry, but this is a drinking game. The king’s command is absolute. That’s the rule, isn’t it?’
‘No matter what, a kiss?! I’ve never even played a drinking game before! You didn’t even explain the rules properly!’
‘Ah. I don’t know, I don’t know. Number Two must kiss Number Three’s cheek. That’s my command.’
‘Choi. Stay still. I don’t want to cast binding magic on you.’
‘This is insane… Jin Tae-kyung! We’re here, Jin Tae-kyung!’
‘Jin. Don’t interfere. I don’t want to use attack magic on you.’
Honestly, if I’d been just one minute late, it would have been a catastrophe.
I had to down an enormous amount of alcohol in one shot as compensation for saving Choi Team Leader, but I harbored no regrets whatsoever. After all, I’d secured a fitting reward in return.
“You remember that promise from yesterday, right? About adjusting my settlement ratio.”
“…I’m aware. Nine to one.”
Choi Team Leader glared at me with frigid eyes.
“How could you do that in such an urgent situation? Are you even human?”
“Then why don’t you give me a nice kiss right now. Look, Number Two is arriving.”
His number was two, but his track record with men was world-class.
Spotting Magic Johnson, the massive Black man who’d just entered the lobby, Choi Team Leader spat out the coffee he’d been drinking.
“Pfft! Please, please hide me.”
“I think it’s already too late.”
Before my words even finished, Magic Johnson, having spotted us, waved his palm-sized-like-a-pot-lid hand.
“Hey, gays!”
Isn’t it usually “guys”? He must have misspoken…?
Magic Johnson approached both me and Choi Team Leader, who were doubting their ears, and chuckled heartily.
「Don’t make that face. Yesterday I got a bit too excited and played a little prank.」
“…You were really that excited?”
「Ah, that’s how it came across.」
“Please watch your words. You startled me.”
「Haha. Anyway, yesterday had its circumstances.」
“…What kind of circumstances?”
「Huh? No, I mean circumstances in a different sense.」
“Please watch your words. You really startled me.”
“Please, both of you, stop. I’m afraid someone might hear.”
Choi Team Leader, his face serene with enlightenment, downed the remaining coffee in one shot and turned his head.
A group of people who’d just passed through the hotel’s main gate was walking toward us.
「It’s time to depart, gentlemen.」
The voice of Wei Penghu, the Defense Minister leading the group, was rigid with tension.
At his glance, an elderly-looking military general distributed folders one by one.
“What is this?”
「Information about the regions where you’ll be deployed and the stationed forces. Of course, we’ve already made the necessary arrangements and communications with the other side. From now on, you’ll be traveling by designated jets.」
Given that this is the modern era with highly advanced cutting-edge technology, at least this much is convenient.
Shortly after, at the temporary airfield we reached following Wei Penghu, there were familiar faces surrounded by rigorous security.
「Did you sleep well, young ones?」
「….」
“You’re late.”
Faye Chen, stretching languidly as she greeted us. Wu Hei-xing, who lowered his gaze silently, perhaps because of what happened yesterday, and Lee Jung-yong, who wore an enigmatic smile.
The Skeleton Warlord, carefully stored in my inventory, spoke in a disgruntled tone.
– For some reason, this human leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I, the Commander, find this fellow quite disagreeable.
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Faye Chen’s eyebrows shot up at the soft murmur I’d let slip.
「Huh? What did you say?」
“Nothing, ma’am. By the way, where is Prince Felix Alexander Louis?”
「He left just before dawn. Apparently, combat signals came from the region the prince was assigned to.」
“…I see.”
Less than twenty-four hours after arriving, and battle erupts once more.
The weight of those two words—war—suddenly pressed down on my chest, squeezing it tight.
Different nations, different upbringings, yet I couldn’t help but feel heavy knowing that humans like myself were being slaughtered somewhere without mercy.
「Hey, young man.」
“Yes?”
Faye Chen, who had been studying me intently, gave my shoulder a light tap.
「Loosen up. You’ll never swing a spear properly if you’re that tense.」
“….”
「Don’t blame yourself. Don’t rush. And don’t try to bear responsibility for every death.」
Responsibility. I paused to consider her words, then answered honestly.
“…I’m not so sure about that.”
「Well, you didn’t seem to have much doubt last night when you were drinking yourself silly.」
“That was….”
「I know, I’m joking. People like us need to forget the burden, even if just for a moment. After all, we might be dead by tomorrow—or even today.」
Words that contradicted the brightness of her voice. The hero who had weathered the tempest of upheaval lifted her gaze to the sky.
「Ah, perfect weather for a fight.」
With that, she turned and walked gracefully toward the jet that had completed its takeoff preparations.
Leaving behind a quiet parting word.
「Let’s all… see each other alive again.」
Her silhouette disappeared into the aircraft.
Magic Johnson, who had been gazing up at the sky with a contemplative expression, suddenly spoke.
「Hey, Choi.」
“Yes?”
「Loosen up your butt too.」
“….”
「No wait, loosen your shoulders. Let’s see each other alive again.」
That actually sounded sincere.
Choi Team Leader’s wary eyes softened as Magic Johnson chuckled and boarded the aircraft after Faye Chen.
Wu Hei-xing followed with hurried steps, and finally, Lee Jung-yong, the last to remain, swept his gaze over Choi Team Leader and me with an enigmatic expression.
“Both of you be careful. You can’t die in a place like this. Not at your age.”
The old man’s manner of speaking—truly, words laden with meaning.
In place of Choi Team Leader, whose face had hardened, I opened my mouth with a smile.
“That’s how it should be. Unlike others, even if we die now, it won’t be a good death.”
“…!”
“If you happen to fall, I’ll make sure the condolences are generous.”
“I’m counting on it.”
After a brief silence, Lee Jung-yong uttered a single word before leading the Ares Guild members away. Now only we remained.
I stretched with all my might and tapped Choi Team Leader on the shoulder.
“Let’s go, Team Leader.”
“Yes. That’s how it should be.”
“No need to be nervous. Just relax your backside.”
“….”
“…That was a joke. My apologies.”
Make two jokes and you’d think you were killing someone.
I was boarding the aircraft while cautiously gauging Choi Team Leader’s mood.
「Unit—Attention!」
A thunderous shout erupted from behind.
Defense Minister Wei Penghu, his salt-and-pepper hair flowing, was saluting us with a raised hand.
The people filling the temporary airfield then followed Wei Penghu’s lead, assuming a salute position.
A gesture of respect toward heroes marching off to fight for their families and friends.
Their salute did not end until the jet’s door closed and we became a distant speck, vanishing from sight.
‘Well, I’ll be.’
With them doing this much, my shoulders couldn’t help but feel heavy.
Suddenly aware of fatigue, I leaned back against the seat, and in that instant—
Crackle. Crackle-crackle.
– …respond. Respond. This is….
A static-filled transmission suddenly crackled from the cockpit, accompanied by a notification piercing my ears.
Ding.
– Sudden Quest,
[Escalating Battle Situation]
has been generated.
– You cannot refuse this Quest. Arrive as quickly as possible and defeat the enemies!
“….”
Damn it, my life is always like this.
I let out a heavy sigh and shouted forcefully toward the cockpit.
“Sir, full throttle!”
* * *
「What of them?」
The one who spoke was an elderly man in his eighties. His face was covered with wrinkles and age spots. Though his aged body was no match for his youth, his eyes held far greater intensity than they had back then.
Wei Penghu, feeling the old man’s piercing gaze even through the holographic screen, swallowed hard and answered.
「They have all departed, Chairman.」
「What is the current battle situation?」
「The magical interference and barriers make it difficult to easily discern enemy movements, but we are doing our utmost to detect any activity.」
「If the S-rank Hunters arrive….」
「With their power, we can certainly turn the tide of this battle.」
「Do not jump to conclusions. Remain vigilant every moment. The lives of countless people rest upon our decisions.」
「Yes. I will keep that in mind.」
After the brief communication with Wei Penghu, the Defense Minister, Xiao Yang, the Chinese President, sat alone in the expansive Council Chamber, lost in thought.
‘How did it come to this.’
Since the Cataclysm, this was an unprecedented catastrophe. Despite deploying countless personnel and resources, we could not stop the monster army centered around the Arch Lich.
I had wanted to prevent chaos if possible… but if we delay any longer, the opportunity may vanish forever.
That is why Xiao Yang overcame the fierce opposition within the Chinese Communist Party and came to this place today.
「Everything is ready.」
「…Connect immediately.」
At the secretary’s words, Xiao Yang opened his eyes that had been closed.
Across the empty seats in the vast Council Chamber, holographic figures began to materialize one by one.
Fourteen people of different races and genders. No—fifteen people including Xiao Yang.
Each and every one of them was a leader of their nation and belonged to a single organization.
‘The UN Security Council.’
The aged president announced the beginning of the emergency session in a grave voice.

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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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