Murim Login - Chapter 404

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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 404
“Phew.”
The dark night enveloped everything.
The Young Man collapsed into a seat the moment he returned, tossing his gear aside. A Middle-aged Guard approached him and handed over a beverage.
“You look exhausted. Drink up.”
The two shared a common bond—both were Hunters dispatched from Shanxi Province—and had grown reasonably acquainted during their journey back.
The Young Man examined the familiar face and the canned drink in his hand, muttering with a lukewarm tone.
“Is this from supplies? I’ve never seen this brand before.”
“It came as part of international aid. Not from our country.”
“Hmm, does it have no carbonation?”
“If you don’t like it, forget it.”
Snap.
The Young Man grabbed the Middle-aged Guard’s hand as he tried to slip away, speaking with a serious expression.
“Sir, did I ever mention that supply beverages are my favorite thing in the world?”
“No.”
“Then you’re about to find out now.”
“Good, that’s the spirit.”
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Pop.
The Young Man cracked open the canned drink and took a sip, his expression shifting subtly. But before he could say anything, the Middle-aged Guard posed a question.
“You’re coming back from finishing the search in the Third District?”
“…Ugh, yes.”
“That must have been rough.”
The Young Man answered with a shrug. His bare torso was drenched in cold sweat that hadn’t yet dried, and green blood splattered across his cheek.
“That’s monster blood. Did you see combat?”
“No. I was passing through a building when a damn Ghoul corpse fell on me. It must have been caught on the rooftop.”
“Quite a mess.”
“You call that a mess? The first and second-year rookies threw up and pissed themselves the moment blood splattered on them.”
“And you?”
“I’m a seven-year veteran Hunter, after all. Didn’t even blink.”
The Middle-aged Guard’s gaze drifted downward, lingering on a slightly stained section of the Young Man’s navy pants. He nodded knowingly.
“I see.”
“…It’s sweat.”
“I didn’t say anything. But looking at you, I feel like tears might form in my eyes.”
“…To be honest, I did a little. Is it that obvious?”
“Yes.”
“Damn it.”
The Middle-aged Guard watched silently as the Young Man cursed and tilted the canned drink to his lips, then suddenly asked.
“Did you find any survivors?”
“…!”
“You experienced the same thing on your end.”
The moment his words ended, the young man’s expression hardened visibly, prompting a sigh from him.
He too had already participated in one search operation. It had been a nightmare of an experience.
Everywhere his gaze fell, corpses lay in heaps, torn to shreds by monsters, and the horrific stench made his head feel like it was splitting open.
Likely, both of them would never forget the sights they witnessed today for the rest of their lives.
“…I simply cannot fathom how fierce that battle must have been.”
“You don’t need to imagine it. Whatever you’re thinking, it was far worse than that.”
The four thousand Hunters who came to this place following Defense Ministry Wei Penghu were divided according to their units and conducted a search of the small city. And all the search equipment they employed yielded only one consistent result.
Zero survivors.
All except the three thousand People’s Liberation Army soldiers who had fled in terror at the battle’s onset now lay as cold corpses. How many of the scattered cowardly deserters had survived remained unknown.
“At this rate, we can’t even use the term ‘casualty count.’ Death toll would be more accurate…”
“Watch your words. We don’t know that yet.”
“Yes, my apologies. I misspoke.”
“That’s enough. And…”
The man who cut off the reckless young man’s remark continued.
“Casualty count is correct. Because there are survivors.”
“…Ah.”
The young man recalled something he had momentarily forgotten. The existence of three people who survived this hellish carnage.
“You said he was a Public Security Armed Forces company commander? That young fellow?”
“That’s right. And the young teacher who came from Korea also survived.”
“And that…”
Though the two previously mentioned individuals had indeed demonstrated heroic conduct, compared to the last remaining person, they were but fireflies before the sun.
The middle-aged man continued on behalf of the young man, who swallowed hard.
“Yes, that person. Or rather, That Person is also here.”
His voice carried unmistakable reverence. The reason he felt no resistance in addressing someone far younger than himself as “That Person” was because he understood the magnitude of the achievement that individual had accomplished.
“Can you believe it? That a single Hunter could be that strong?”
He too was a seasoned veteran Hunter with considerable experience. Because of this, he could vaguely predict just how monstrous S-rank Hunters truly were.
But the performance Jin Tae-kyung displayed was truly…something that defied belief as the power of a Hunter, or even of a human.
“A monster army numbering as many as ten thousand. Two Death Knights, and even a Death Knight Lord said to be as strong as or stronger than an S-rank Hunter.”
The middle-aged man continued rapidly, his voice brimming with excitement.
“And how many Hunters did we have in comparison? Merely a thousand. We had the People’s Liberation Army, but even they…”
“When the front lines collapsed, nearly half fled. The rest fought valiantly but were slaughtered by the monsters. I’ve heard the accounts myself.”
“How many Hunters do you think remained when Jin Tae-kyung arrived? A thousand? No, I’d stake my life that not even half of that survived!”
Had he directly witnessed the situation at the time of Jin Tae-kyung’s arrival, he might have suffered cardiac arrest from the shock.
Even he, harboring such profound reverence, could not conceive that Jin Tae-kyung had faced the monster army alone.
“He led hundreds of exhausted and wounded Hunters and annihilated a monster army numbering more than ten times their strength! Does this make any sense to you?”
And the young man observing such a man wore a distinctly uneasy expression.
“I don’t think it makes sense.”
“Right, but That Person accomplished it!”
“Um, sir. I’m sorry to throw cold water on this, but hasn’t the truth not been properly established yet?”
“What?”
“In my opinion, Jin Tae-kyung…”
“Not Jin Tae-kyung—Jin!”
The Middle-aged Guard bellowed with wide eyes, and the Young Man flinched before letting out an awkward cough.
“Ahem. Look, I’m not denying that Jin is an incredibly powerful fighter, but don’t you think there’s been some exaggeration mixed in? That’s what I’m saying.”
“Exaggeration? You saw the traces left on the Battlefield and still say that? Who else could have…”
“Come on, don’t just get angry. Look at this more objectively. If everything you’re saying is true, then Jin is stronger than Faye Chen or Wu Hei-xing.”
“I don’t want to rank them, but based on the achievements shown during this Monster Wave, Jin is first. So what?”
“Faye Chen may be of Hong Kong descent, but she’s a hero who earned countless accolades during the Great Cataclysm. And Wu Hei-xing, despite his recklessness, is a true genius born of China. Jin Tae-kyung surpassing both of them? That crosses the line.”
The Middle-aged Guard stared at the Young Man with eyes full of disappointment and contempt.
“You’re the one crossing the line.”
“Pardon?”
“Is that all you have to say? Spouting ‘China First’ while belittling a hero who achieved great victory and saved the people?”
The Young Man’s face twisted sharply.
“Since we’re on the subject, Jin Tae-kyung only saved two people today. Actually, one of them is Korean, so really just one. And that person didn’t even have a scratch—they were perfectly fine. He fought just to protect his own countrymen. Did he even use a top-tier potion?”
“Stop talking. Not only can’t you offer praise, but you show such disrespect. I wonder what Jin would say if he heard this…”
The moment the Middle-aged Guard shook his head and rose from his seat—
“Well, I think I’d call him a worthless bastard who didn’t need my help.”
“…!”
“…!”
At the voice that appeared without warning, both men spun around in shock.
What they faced was a face they had grown familiar with through television and mass media.
“…Hic.”
The Young Man, looking up at someone a head taller, began to hiccup.
“J-j-j-j-j-jin!!”
The Middle-aged Guard stammered as if buffering.
Jin Tae-kyung, observing the two of them, opened his mouth with a good-natured smile.
“Hey, young man—if you don’t want to be a good Chinese citizen, stop hiccupping. And sir, stop the earthquakes. Unless you’re planning to bring down the Arch Lich with a massive quake.”
“H-hic.”
“A-are you really…the one?”
Jin Tae-kyung gave a slight nod.
“I was just passing through, but I heard something irritating.”
“…Th-that…”
Toward the Young Man—the very source of that irritating noise, now trembling like an aspen leaf after stopping his hiccups—Jin Tae-kyung asked:
“How old are you?”
“T-twenty-nine, sir.”
“You’re older than me. I’ll speak casually.”
“…Pardon?”
“What.”
“N-no, nothing.”
I had no words left to say—not even a casual tone would suffice; I deserved every curse hurled at me.
The young man realized that Jin Tae-kyung, whom he had only glimpsed from afar in passing, had heard every single word he’d spoken. His limbs went numb, and his vision turned white.
「I-I’m terribly sorry.」
“No need to apologize. That’s just how gossip works—it feels good until you get caught. I understand.”
「Th-thank you.」
Just as the young man’s heart was melting at Jin Tae-kyung’s gentle smile, everything changed.
“Nothing to thank me for. Gossip is always fun until someone finds out—then it becomes a complete disaster.”
「…!」
“There’s someone standing right behind me. Can you see them?”
The young man slowly, very slowly, shifted his gaze.
Sure enough, about ten meters away, a middle-aged man with a demonic expression was radiating a terrifying aura in his direction.
“He’s an A-rank Hunter with the Central Military Commission. He found your story quite fascinating—he kept bowing to me. Why don’t you run over and help him with some pain relief?”
「Y-yes, sir!」
The young man answered like he was screaming and bolted away, only to let out a genuine scream when mana-infused joints struck him.
Jin Tae-kyung chuckled softly at the sight and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.
“Actually, there’s one thing you’ve misunderstood.”
「Y-you mean me, sir?」
The middle-aged man, who had been half-dazed, suddenly snapped back to attention.
「I’m sorry, but what would that be…?」
“It wasn’t something I did alone.”
「Pardon?」
“Everyone fought desperately. By the time I arrived, most of it was already over. Please let the others know that as well.”
「Is that truly the case?」
“Of course. By the way, do you have a family?”
「Yes, I do. Three daughters and five sons…」
“You’re quite the patriot. In a few years, you could form a soccer team.”
Jin Tae-kyung, who had been pondering something, suddenly asked a question.
“You’re not part of a combat unit, are you?”
「…You really do see everything right away.」
The middle-aged man lowered his head in embarrassment.
「As you can see, I’m only an E-rank Hunter, so I was excluded from combat. I’ll probably be assigned to casualty reporting.」
“Then could I ask you for one favor?”
「I-it would be an honor, Jin.」
“Then please include one person in the death toll. Since we won’t be able to find their body, I’d appreciate your special attention to this.”
「What is their name…?」
“Lei Fei—Lei Fei.”
That was the last thing I said.
The middle-aged man stood in place, watching Jin Tae-kyung’s receding figure for a long time before finally exhaling the breath he’d been holding.
The expression on Jin Tae-kyung’s face in that final moment would likely remain etched in his memory for years to come.
『What kind of eyes were those…』
A resolve that would see this through to the end, no matter what.
The middle-aged guard, who had been lavishing praise on Jin Tae-kyung without pause, picked up the canned beverage the young man had left behind and took a long drink to quench his thirst. His face twisted at the indescribable taste.
*Ptooey!*
Buddy?
It tasted like a Korean drink, and it was absolutely vile.
* * *
“You’ve arrived, Master Jin.”
Wei Penghu was not the only one waiting for me.
Five monitors lined the Council Chamber walls. And within those screens sat five S-rank Hunters.
I opened my mouth with a measured tone.
“Let us end this war.”
At last, the time had come to eliminate the very source of all this calamity.

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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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