Murim Login - Chapter 429

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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 429
“Shall we head there right away?”
The moment the press conference ended, the temporary head of security—or rather, Shao Shen—posed the question, and I nodded in agreement.
“Let’s go. You know where he is, right?”
“Yes, I do. Then let us depart.”
Shao Shen and dozens of bodyguards formed a protective circle around me and began moving forward at a measured pace.
Immediately, chaos erupted all around. Broadcasters wielding cameras and microphones surged toward us in a tidal wave.
“Mister Jin! Is it true that you’re acquainted with Prince Felix Alexander Louis?”
“Jin! Jin!”
You’re the one who’s the problem, you bastards.
Reporters from various nations, unsatisfied with the press conference alone, pressed forward, but they couldn’t breach the wall of Hunter bodyguards.
Though I’ll admit, one particularly persistent fellow managed to push through and thrust his microphone in my face.
“Jin Tae-kyung! Since you’re Korean too, could you just give us one interview…?”
Wherever you go, there’s always someone like this.
“Ah, yes. Since we’re both Korean, please step aside.”
I was about to brush him off when I suddenly froze—I recognized that face. I held up a hand to stop Shao Shen from blocking the reporter and asked.
“Wait. Are you with Dispatch?”
“…!”
“I think you are. You wrote an article about me, didn’t you?”
“No, that’s not—”
It’s definitely him, the bastard.
Now I remembered where I’d seen him—he was the reporter who posted that exclusive story about me being a lifelong bachelor all over the internet. Ever since then, whenever I searched my own name on portal sites, “Jin Tae-kyung lifelong bachelor” appeared as a related search term.
“Shen.”
Shao Shen, unable to understand our Korean conversation, tilted his head in confusion.
“Yes, Elder Brother.”
“Suppress him.”
“Understood.”
Shao Shen answered briskly and seized the Dispatch reporter’s wrist.
“I shall now enforce balance, sir.”
“Wait, wait!”
It was already too late. The reporter, lifted by tremendous force, went flying through the crowd. Several cameras shattered, and curses in various languages rained down like hail.
Faced with this symphony of profanity spanning five continents and seven seas, I couldn’t help but exclaim.
“So this is the global village.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. Let’s keep moving.”
When the public security personnel who had been waiting nearby rushed in to join us, the path finally cleared.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd and the seamless protection of my escort, I made my way to my destination, and shortly after, I was able to meet him in the suite of a five-star hotel where VVIPs were staying.
“Johnson.”
“Oh, Jin. You’re earlier than I expected.”
Magic Johnson, who had been intently examining something with a serious expression, rose from his seat with a bright smile.
With his thick hand patting my shoulder, he guided me to a seat and asked.
“So, did the press conference go well?”
From the way he asked, it seemed he hadn’t watched the press conference directly. I accepted the canned beer Johnson offered and replied.
“Nothing special. I answered the questions adequately and wrapped it up in thirty minutes.”
“Ha ha. The reporters must not have been too pleased.”
“They’d probably prefer me over Johnson, wouldn’t they? At least I held a press conference.”
Magic Johnson had locked himself away in his quarters immediately after the war ended, refusing to show his face.
Unlike the other S-rank Hunter Faye Chen or Prince Felix Alexander Louis, he hadn’t appeared anywhere, so rumors of his death had even begun to circulate.
Only after things reached that point did he leave a brief comment on his official SNS account, which was the entirety of his public activity.
I am researching something new.
It is as mysterious and magnificent as the victory we achieved this time.
Most people probably didn’t understand exactly what he meant and simply nodded along, but I was one of the few who knew the true identity of this ‘new thing’ he spoke of.
“So, how did it turn out?”
Magic Johnson’s lips twitched as he answered.
“Well…”
“Oh, it seems to have ended successfully.”
“I didn’t say anything though?”
“You’re terrible at hiding your smile.”
“I’m not, not at all.”
Of course you are.
At the gleam of anticipation in his eyes, I let out a soft chuckle.
“I heard you disliked it at first.”
“You didn’t even come by then. Did Choi Team Leader tell you that?”
“Who else would it be? Right now, it’s a secret known only to me, Johnson, and Choi Team Leader—just three people.”
“Well, but there’s something wrong with what Choi told you.”
“Something wrong?”
“Yeah. I didn’t refuse from the start.”
Magic Johnson, who had downed the entire 500ml canned beer in one gulp, continued in a serious tone.
“I was about to cast a spell.”
“I see.”
“I’m not joking. If you’d been in my position then, you probably would’ve destroyed the guest room.”
“I would’ve demolished the entire hotel.”
But the guest room and hotel remained intact precisely because Magic Johnson was an Arch Mage.
Humans are called creatures of curiosity, but mages are curiosity itself. And an Arch Mage standing at the pinnacle of that—there was nothing more to say.
And when presented with a proposal for something ‘new’ that he had never seen before, he accepted it readily.
“Even after hearing Choi’s explanation and seeing it myself, I couldn’t believe it. This is truly…”
Magic Johnson, who had been muttering with dazed eyes, suddenly shook his head.
“No, that’s not it. You should verify it yourself directly.”
“Perfect timing. I was about to grow old and die waiting.”
I set down the half-empty canned beer and stood, walking without hesitation until I stopped somewhere within the spacious suite room.
“Is this the place?”
Magic Johnson nodded. It was hardly surprising that an S-rank Hunter, sensitive to the flow of energy, would notice something amiss.
「That’s right. You really do know your stuff.」
“At this level, it’s practically impossible to tell otherwise.”
On the surface, it appeared to be nothing more than a section of space. But I had known from the moment I set foot in this room.
That this was magic blocking all sound and sight.
「Wait a moment. I’ll dispel the magic right away….」
Whoosh, crack!
Magic Johnson fell silent, his eyes widening.
The instant my hand, wrapped in qi, sliced through empty air, all the various spells he had woven shattered cleanly.
「Jin. What on earth is…?」
During my battle with the Arch Lich, I had opened the intermediate gate, allowing me to perceive the grain of qi.
From that point onward, ‘such things’ became possible, but I offered no further explanation and simply stared ahead.
As the magic dissolved, a layer of space peeled away. Beyond it, a figure stood tall.
“Ah, eh, ee, oh, oo. Hello. I am Pancap. I like cook-bap. I love kimchi.”
A blonde foreigner, who had been practicing Korean with awkward pronunciation while holding something before a full-length mirror, caught sight of my reflection and turned around.
A fleeting smile crossed his face, which bore the appearance of an old kisaeng.
“You’ve finally come, wicked human.”
This bastard—only this does he pronounce correctly.
I was briefly tempted to give him a punch, but instead I let out a quiet laugh and opened my mouth.
“You’ve gotten more handsome since we last met?”
The blonde foreigner, Skeleton King, answered with a smug tone.
“You’ve gotten uglier since we last met.”
“….”
“Jonnot.”
“…No, you damn bastard.”
Where the hell did this asshole learn Korean?
* * *
「Mm. Truly beautiful. Not the slightest sense of discord.」
Magic Johnson smiled with satisfaction, like a Gangnam Plastic Surgery Clinic surgeon.
「No matter how many times I see it, it’s a masterpiece for the ages. Skeleton bones—and moreover, the bones of an entirely new Named Monster, inscribed with magical formations. I must be the first mage in human history to accomplish this, wouldn’t you say?」
This was not mere self-praise from the surgeon; it was genuinely the truth.
Lustrous blonde hair and mysteriously gleaming golden eyes. A physique reaching nearly 190 centimeters, perfectly proportioned, with appropriately placed body hair on the elongated limbs.
And that was only the beginning. Defined musculature and veins, bodily responses visible with each breath and swallow of saliva.
Even I, only after paying the most meticulous attention, could discern the anomaly. Skeleton King had taken on the complete form of a human.
“…Wow, this actually works.”
I had made the request thinking it was a long shot, but I never expected it to be this perfect.
As I swallowed in astonishment and reached out to touch his blonde hair, it happened.
Whoosh.
Skeleton King stepped back, regarding me with an arrogant gaze.
“Get your filthy hands off me. You’re damaging my hair.”
“….”
“If I go bald, are you going to take responsibility?”
This bastard has become fully human….
I was so dumbfounded that words escaped me entirely. Ignoring my momentary speechlessness, Skeleton King gazed at his reflection in the full-length mirror and smiled with satisfaction.
“Mm. Looking absolutely fabulous.”
“…I’ve been curious since earlier—where did you learn to talk like that?”
“The internet.”
“The internet?”
“Indeed. I’ve been watching it obsessively for a week straight.”
“You don’t actually have a phone, do you?”
“That kind human over there bought me one. Thank you, Johnson.”
Magic Johnson, who was using interpretation magic, nodded with a pleased smile.
「I wish you a successful fresh start, Mr. King.」
“Thank you, Johnson.”
He sounds like he’s saying “thank you Johnson” as a catchphrase. When did he even learn basic English conversation?
I immediately confronted Magic Johnson about it.
“Wait, you bought him a phone?”
「Hey, Jin. What’s the problem? My youngest daughter is five years old, and she uses a smartphone too.」
“That’s your youngest daughter’s situation, but he’s Skeleton King.”
“Hold on. Cunning human. I apologize for interrupting our conversation, but I must say this.”
Skeleton King interjected with a serious expression.
“From now on, call me Stone King.”
“What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that?”
“It is my new name. Stone King. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States….”
I muttered while feeling a headache coming on.
“Should I just kill him right now?”
“Are you planning to kill a United States citizen?”
“Who’s a United States citizen, you lunatic?”
“Even if not right now, I can acquire United States citizenship soon enough.”
“You might as well write a web novel on Kakao Page. What kind of insane person says things like that?”
Magic Johnson sheepishly raised his hand.
「Jin, with my connections, it’s entirely possible…」
“Aaah! Argh! Aaaaagh!”
I’m going to lose my mind.
I grabbed my throbbing forehead and spoke to Magic Johnson.
“Hey, Johnson.”
「Hmm?」
“What I asked Choi Team Leader to request was just to make him look human, that’s all.”
「Ah, of course that was it. He said he desperately wanted that, though?」
All of this transpired shortly after I first awakened, driven by the Skeleton King’s forceful insistence.
He had voiced his frustration about being confined indefinitely within that suffocating inventory.
His argument was that given his significant contributions in battle, he deserved commensurate compensation—a demand that both Choi Team Leader and I found entirely reasonable.
‘During the battle with Lei Fei, he protected both Choi Team Leader and Shao Shen, and thanks to him, we were able to defeat the Arch Lich.’
I had already been contemplating how to repay the Skeleton King for his efforts.
Beyond that, if he could assume human form, it would prove advantageous in countless ways.
He would no longer need to conceal his appearance, and we could establish a formal contract with the Peace Guild for mutual benefit.
But then….
“This isn’t the East Asian appearance I mentioned earlier. Even with the influx of foreigners into Korea, this stands out. Especially with looks like these.”
Before Magic Johnson could respond, the Skeleton King interjected with a firm voice.
“I asked him to change it.”
“What? Why?”
“I saw it on the internet. Handsome Caucasian men are universally appealing everywhere in the world.”
“…What does that have to do with anything.”
“I want to experience romance too.”
“Oh, heavens above.”
Magic Johnson patted my shoulder as I sighed deeply.
「It’s fine, Jin.」
“Fine? How is this fine? In this day and age, do you know how terrifying social media is? If netizens dug into his background and discovered he wasn’t born in Atlanta, Georgia but was actually a native of the Demon Realm, would that even make sense? Why did you agree to such a request in the first place, Johnson?”
「I wanted to create a face matching my ideal type once.」
“Pardon?”
「That face is my ideal.」
Damn it all….
As I stood speechless for a moment, the final words that shattered my patience came.
“Feeling wronged, Johnson?”
“You bastard!”
Smack!
In an instant, I launched myself forward and drove my fist straight into his crown.
With a grunt, blood gushed from the Skeleton King’s lips—red blood, no less. Was this also illusion magic? The craftsmanship was genuinely impressive…or rather, it wasn’t.
Red blood. Was this also illusion magic? The execution was really well done…no, that’s not the point.
“Die! Just die already!”
“Ugh! Cough!”
The moment two muscular frames began grappling, the room descended into chaos in an instant.
Caught in the aftermath, the desk collapsed with a crack, and the stack of documents Magic Johnson had been reviewing came cascading down onto my face.
“Wait, stop! Wretched human! I can’t see!”
“I’m going to break that habit of yours today…!”
And in the next moment, I froze completely.
It was because of certain peculiar yet strangely familiar symbols visible between the papers obscuring my vision.
‘This is….’
Abandoning the Skeleton King, I rose from my seat and blankly picked up the paper with the printed symbols.
‘Sichuan.’
There was no doubt.
It was the exact same pattern I had seen in Sichuan, not some mere coincidence.

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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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