Murim Login - Chapter 432

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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 432
Magic Johnson is a good man.
On the battlefield and in society alike.
He maintains his cheerfulness and infectious laughter in any situation. Particularly toward Choi Team Leader and me, he harbors special goodwill—so much so that he once discreetly resolved the matter concerning Skeleton King.
Yet in the way Magic Johnson’s eyes regarded me now, I could detect neither playfulness nor amusement.
He had been silently observing me with a gaze turbulent with conflicting emotions, when suddenly he opened his mouth.
「What part of this is the truth?」
“All of it. From beginning to end. Everything you’ve seen and heard.”
I placed particular emphasis on those final two words. And Magic Johnson was far too perceptive a man to miss the weight behind them.
「…So you knew from the very beginning.」
“As you know, I’m rather sensitive about such things.”
「And yet it didn’t matter?」
“I didn’t expect you to follow me. But I thought it might not be entirely unwelcome.”
「I was curious. And worried too. It was obvious you knew something about that mysterious pattern and were deliberately hiding it.」
Before we parted ways, when Magic Johnson had questioned me about the magic circle, I had made excuses—claiming I’d seen it in a dream.
Of course, it wasn’t meant to be believed; it was merely a tactful way of saying: don’t ask me about this now.
「So I followed you on a hunch….」
Magic Johnson trailed off, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings drenched entirely in blood.
「Seems I made a needless decision.」
Two S-Rank Hunters—the very face of a nation—had died in this catastrophic incident. One of them had even been a comrade-in-arms who once fought alongside Magic Johnson on the same battlefield.
Certain truths, at times, feel deeply uncomfortable. This moment was precisely that for Magic Johnson.
“Do you regret it?”
「A little. Perhaps it would have been better not to know.」
Magic Johnson exhaled a quiet sigh, his eyes fixing directly upon me.
「Jin. What is your intention in revealing this to me?」
“I’m not entirely certain.”
「After all, only you knew the truth. Had you chosen to, you could have buried it all. The same applies to him.」
I glanced briefly at the unconscious Seok Go-jun before shaking my head.
“Some secrets cannot be kept, no matter how hard one tries to hide them. No matter how much I denied it, he would never have believed me anyway. Lee Jung-yong, him—they were both time bombs waiting to detonate. Threats to my people.”
「Jin. You were… enemies with them. From long ago.」
“Yes. When you cannot eliminate an enemy, you must make them so terrified they never dare look at you again. A bomb with its detonator removed will never explode.”
「Then what about me? Why did you tell me this truth?」
“Because you understand. In a situation like this, there are only two kinds of people one can choose to be.”
I spoke deliberately, each word measured and slow.
“An enemy. Or a friend.”
「…!」
“I believed you would trust me, Johnson. Because you are my friend.”
Magic Johnson released a low breath, his eyes studying me with a complex gaze swirling with countless emotions.
「Friendship doesn’t mean I’ll believe everything, Jin.」
“But you did believe me. Throughout our entire conversation, you never once doubted me.”
「….」
“Please, help me. Protect my people and help me grow stronger.”
From some point onward, I could feel everything around me transforming.
In Murim, Dark Heaven stirred, and in the modern world, an unprecedented Named Monster called the Arch Lich massacred millions and brought catastrophe.
And the mysterious symbols and glyphs that appeared in both worlds. Or perhaps, something that might be called ‘dark magic’.
‘Could all of this be coincidence?’
Every event in the world is connected by invisible threads. Like dominoes, we must prepare to prevent them from falling in succession.
To do that, I desperately need one ally.
“Johnson.”
「…Damn it.」
Magic Johnson, who had been silent for a moment, exhaled deeply.
「You know what?」
“…?”
「That day. If you hadn’t asked me to teleport you to where the monster army was waiting, I might have suspected you.」
A single word of consent.
My face brightened visibly, and Magic Johnson couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
「Damn. Since it’s come to this, there’s no helping it. First, let’s clean up the area before the patrol arrives.」
As he waved his hand, all the blood scattered around vanished without a trace.
Magic Johnson, who had organized the surroundings with a single Clean spell, furrowed his brow as he looked at the fallen Seok Go-jun.
「This guy’s the problem… Even if I wanted to erase his memories entirely, the situation’s too ambiguous, damn it.」
“Huh?”
My ears perked up at those words.
Suddenly, I remembered when we had raided the Myeongdong Guild in the past—the mages of the Ares Guild had used memory manipulation magic on the Myeongdong Guild members present.
“Can you do it?”
「Of course it would be difficult, but it’s not impossible. However, if the target has strong mental fortitude and depending on the extent of memories to be manipulated, it becomes even harder.」
“I see.”
「This guy looks quite strong, and in the worst case, I might fail and leave traces of the attempted mental manipulation.」
Even so, Seok Go-jun was strong enough to rank among S-class Hunters.
Unlike Wu Hei-xing, he was also someone with considerable mental fortitude, so a reckless attempt could be risky.
“If traces are left, that would be problematic.”
「Right. If it’s discovered, there’s no escaping punishment, you know? Mental manipulation magic is a serious felony.」
Lee Jung-yong and the Ares Guild had pulled off such things without hesitation.
Even if someone noticed, they wouldn’t dare question it. Because they knew the power and authority those people possessed.
“But still, if we attempted it and succeeded….”
「By federal law, that’s a minimum of 100 years imprisonment without parole. Want to try?」
I answered without hesitation.
“No.”
「Good boy. That’s the right idea.」
A minimum of 100 years imprisonment without parole.
If caught, I’d rot away in prison without mercy. Even if I escaped, I’d spend my entire life as an internationally wanted fugitive.
Like in a comic book, with a bounty of around ten billion beri on my head, I might end up living as a pirate on the great sea routes of Somalia.
Just thinking about it was horrifying.
“That’s unfortunate. If it were Korea, I’d consider trying it.”
「Korea? Why?」
“Spread money around here and there, hire a lawyer who’s a former prosecutor general with preferential treatment, and the sentence wouldn’t be that long.”
「Preferential treatment? What’s that?」
“It exists. Oh, if you say you committed the crime while intoxicated after downing five bottles of soju in one go, you might even get a suspended sentence.”
Magic Johnson laughed heartily as if he’d heard some grand joke.
「Don’t talk nonsense, Jin. What kind of country operates like that?」
“….”
「Seriously? Good heavens.」
In any case, the memory manipulation magic was off the table.
I moved forward, leaving the collapsed Seok Go-jun behind. The three A-rank Hunters that Seok Go-jun had hidden away were frozen like statues, their pressure points struck by the wind blades I’d unleashed, rendering them unable to move.
“You saw everything, didn’t you?”
The three men looked up at me with eyes drenched in terror.
Sometimes watching is more terrifying than experiencing it directly.
Those who had witnessed Seok Go-jun being crushed so ruthlessly and thoroughly while unable to lift a single finger were half-hollowed out, their spirits partially departed.
“I’ve memorized all your faces, and it’s only a matter of time before I obtain your personal information.”
It was the method that the powerful had always employed.
Since I couldn’t kill them, I had to instill fear in them using that very method. So they would never dare bare their fangs again.
“If we meet like this again… then I’ll kill you.”
Kwaaaaaaah!
The killing intent I suddenly released cut and pressed down on all sides.
After containing my energy, I slowly swept my gaze across the three men’s faces, now corpse-pale, before suddenly extending my hand.
Thud-thud-thud!
“Kugh!”
“Huff, huff.”
Finally released from the pressure points, the men exhaled the breath they’d been holding. Their bloodshot eyes glistened with tears, and drool and vomit dribbled from their gaping mouths.
“Ten seconds. Get out of here with that bastard.”
It was obvious who “that bastard” referred to.
Before I’d even finished speaking, the three men scrambled to their feet and rushed toward Seok Go-jun.
At lightning speed, they hoisted their still-unconscious superior and disappeared. I threw one final warning after them.
“Erase everything that happened today from your memory. And think carefully. Which ship you need to be on to preserve your lives.”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
The Ares Guild was a massive and formidable ship.
But Cheon Tae-min, once its great captain, had long since vanished, and Lee Jung-yong, who took the helm after him, had met his end.
A ship that seemed destined to sail the seas forever was beginning to list.
A captain cannot abandon his ship, but the crew hired to serve on it can.
They could find a new ship and captain if they desired.
‘That should be more than enough for them to understand.’
The three men, who had hesitated momentarily upon hearing my words, were soon swallowed by the darkness beyond.
They vanished without a word, without any particular reaction, but I knew the truth. They would never forget what I had said.
They would chew over it dozens, hundreds of times, pass it along to their colleagues around them, and thus water would slowly begin to seep into the hull of that massive vessel called the Ares Guild.
– Ooh, what a cunning human. Oooh.
“This is all part of the scheme, you bastard.”
– Your mind is dull, yet how can you be so insidious and devious!
“…You son of a bitch.”
He wasn’t wrong, but it still pissed me off.
After a few years of working as a Hunter, I’d picked up various things through experience.
Currently, mana stones are the essential driving force of cutting-edge civilization. Naturally, this drew vast capital, and where capital gathered, people followed, and among people, all manner of things inevitably occurred.
‘I’ve cast out what I know for now… If I wait, the fish will bite.’
Much like the martial sects in the Murim, the status of modern Guilds is determined by how formidable a Hunter they possess.
And Seok Go-jun could never fill the void left by Lee Jung-yong. Just as Lee Jung-yong could never have filled the gap left by Cheon Tae-min in the past.
It was only a matter of time before the fish, glimpsing another tempting bait beyond the empty void, would slip away.
「You’re quite bold. Are you planning to wage war against the Ares Guild?」
I shrugged at Magic Johnson’s words.
“It’s not impossible, but we should do it gracefully.”
「Gracefully, you say.」
“The Peace Guild will experience tremendous growth from here on. I’m there, and Choi Team Leader is also receiving media attention.”
「Ah, I heard about that. They say Choi’s doing quite well these days.」
The world’s media spotlight was on me, but the more I avoided contact with the press, the greater the interest directed toward Choi Team Leader grew.
A rare individual who belonged to the same Peace Guild and could freely enter my hospital room.
Add to that the outstanding achievements made during this Monster Wave and an appearance that rivaled celebrities.
‘The greatest secret hasn’t been revealed yet.’
If it were made public that he was descended from Cheon Tae-min’s bloodline, the media would undoubtedly create an uproar.
“Anyway, it’s only a matter of time before the Peace Guild takes flight. The Ares Guild’s influence will diminish day by day.”
「Mm. That’s certainly possible.」
Magic Johnson, who had nodded in agreement, suddenly opened his mouth.
「But, Jin.」
“Yes?”
「What exactly do you know about magic circles…」
“Oh, that’s right. The club!”
「Huh?」
“You promised to go to the club with Skeleton King.”
「Wait, wait a moment, Jin!」
“Come on, Skeleton King. Let’s go to the club!”
– Yeah! Grab the ribs and scream!
I hurried along, listening to Skeleton King’s nonsense, and gazing at the faint moonlight, I suddenly found myself thinking.
It’s about time I headed back.
The moment was drawing near—the time to return to another world, to the Murim.

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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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