Murim Login - Chapter 48

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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 48
“Yes, yes—why are you here?”
“That’s what I’m wondering. Why am I here?”
“Then could it be…?”
“Could it be nothing. It’s exactly as you think.”
Kim Sang-sik’s complexion darkened like that of someone constipated for years.
Watching his expression, I felt the sensation of a decade-old blockage finally passing. Ah, this is true relief.
“Anyway, shall we step back? We’re not alone here, are we?”
As I took a step forward, Kim Sang-sik retreated weakly.
Other scouts surrounded me, business cards in hand.
“We’re from Sangdong Guild. We promise you the best treatment.”
“Rather than this, perhaps we should move somewhere private to discuss—”
Scout offers came pouring in from all directions. Within moments, dozens of business cards filled my hands.
‘So this is what it feels like.’
It was strange and oddly exhilarating. Things I’d never experienced in seven years were unfolding before my eyes.
In just half a day, the world around me had transformed.
No.
‘I’m the one who changed.’
There’s a saying in this field: true hunters start from C-rank. Exceptional abilities, high salaries, mid-tier hunters recognized by society.
I finally felt the reality of stepping onto that path.
‘And…’
This is only the beginning.
With the System’s power, I can continue growing.
And so, I’ll advance down this new road faster than any other hunter.
“Awakened One, if you have any conditions you’d like, we’ll accommodate them without question.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll contact you later.”
“Really? We’ll be waiting!”
No. Don’t wait. I’m not going to call.
“Everyone, please settle down now.”
Hunter Association security guards blocked the persistently clinging scouts.
Truthfully, they rarely went this far for a C-rank hunter, but since I was such an uncommon case, attention was naturally drawn to me.
‘Well, I did leap forward with just one re-awakening.’
This feeling wasn’t bad. No, it was actually quite good.
I suppressed my constantly rising smile as I left the Association. Yet even then, one person followed me.
“Jin Tae-kyung! Or rather, Tae-kyung!”
“Heh.”
I let out a hollow laugh at the sight of Kim Sang-sik.
Just thirty minutes ago, he’d called me a punk, and now he was addressing me as “Tae-kyung.”
“What is it?”
“Back then, I was sorry. All those things that upset you before—I regret them all.”
Kim Sang-sik rambled on incoherently, pouring out all the wrongs he had committed against me in the past. Once his unexpected confession was finished, he broached the main topic.
“So, let’s forget about it all and think of this as business.”
“Business.”
I rolled the word across my tongue.
It sounded pleasant enough, but the feeling it left was something else entirely. Especially since my potential business partner was Kim Sang-sik and the Sopoong Guild.
“Honestly, you know as well as I do. Unless you’re with a Large Guild, they’re all pretty much the same.”
“I know. I’m aware that even Large Guilds extend offers to C-rank hunters.”
“Think about it carefully. They have nothing to lose. C-rank hunters aren’t hard to find in this town. The treatment they’d offer would be exactly at that level.”
Kim Sang-sik continued, spittle flying as he spoke.
“No matter what you ask for elsewhere, I’ll add more on top. The Guild Master has already approved this, so it’s certain.”
The Sopoong Guild had shown a steady decline over the past several years.
In such circumstances, even the Guild Master seemed to be in quite a state of panic.
‘This man is no different.’
His standing within the guild was already rock bottom, and just days ago, an F-rank hunter he had arbitrarily dismissed had undergone a re-awakening and become C-rank.
I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of what would happen when the notoriously hot-tempered Guild Master learned of this fact.
“Just think positively about it. Actually, let’s go somewhere nice and have an honest conversation. The Guild Master is on his way right now….”
“Kim Sang-sik.”
At my quiet voice, he fell silent.
“If you want to recruit me, tell the Guild Master every single word of what I’m about to say.”
“What?”
“Get rid of that one person I can’t stand to look at, and then I’ll consider it.”
It was clear who I was referring to.
Leaving Kim Sang-sik with his contorted face behind, I got into a taxi.
‘Yes, that should do it.’
I leaned back against the plush seat.
The rank re-evaluation and this reunion with an old enemy—it brought an indescribable exhilaration, and at the same time, a profound sense of relief.
“Where shall I take you?”
“Songnae Station Hope Gosiwon.”
The taxi driver looked at me and chuckled.
“You’re that passenger from earlier.”
“Ah.”
Damn Seoul taxis.
* * *
“What’s the occasion? You’ve bought all this beef.”
We spread out a mat and a grill on the Gosiwon Rooftop. My Elder Brother gazed contentedly at the meat as it cooked.
“Good. Seeing your thoughtfulness, I’ll forget about the reward.”
“I wasn’t planning to give you one anyway.”
“Are you a thug?”
“I’m returning that comment right back to you.”
We sat across from each other and raised our soju glasses.
“But where did you get the money? You were just whining about how tight this month was.”
“Today’s earnings.”
“That’s pocket change. You got fired from the Guild and gave up on life?”
“Pocket change?”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What, you’re laughing?”
“Of course I am. You’re treating ten million won like spare change.”
Jin Ho stopped dead in his tracks.
“How much?”
“Ten million won.”
“You earned ten million won in a single day’s work?”
“Actually, a bit more came in, but that’s the baseline.”
“You didn’t…”
Jin Ho swallowed hard. He’s pretty sharp. I flashed him a meaningful smile.
“That’s right, today I…”
“Did you sell an organ?”
I should kill him.
I let out a long sigh and drained my glass.
“Tell me the truth. As the manager of this Gosiwon, I have a duty to know.”
Listening to him, you’d think he was the Prime Minister, not a Gosiwon manager.
“I earned it at a Gate.”
“Bring proof. I only believe what I see with my own eyes.”
“Fine then, here.”
I handed my phone to Jin Ho. It was a message I’d received on my way back from the Hunter Association after the remeasurement.
The sender was…
“Luxury goods addict? Who’s this?”
“The Team Leader I ran the raid with today.”
“Sounds loaded. I want to become sworn brothers with him.”
This guy thinks just like me.
A moment later, Jin Ho’s eyes widened as he read the message.
“Thirteen million won? Am I reading this right?”
“You are.”
According to the contract, the payment should have been 300,000 won. Choi Team Leader had added an extra ten million on top of that.
‘And there’s still more coming.’
The Hop Goblin Shaman and the Hop Goblin Warrior were both C-rank Rare monsters. Choi Team Leader noted that he was still looking for buyers for their equipment, hides, and mana stones.
‘I’ll provide additional payment as soon as they’re sold.’
When I came to my senses, I found myself at a nearby mart, frantically loading beef into my basket.
“You…”
Jin Ho stared blankly at me and the phone in his hand, alternating between the two.
“What exactly did you do out there?”
“It’s a long story.”
Jin Ho chuckled dryly, gripping the scissors.
“So your lifespan is short?”
Where do I even begin with this?
I’d decided not to say anything more about the capsule.
It seemed better to let Jin Ho think it was some absurd lie.
“Two Rare monsters appeared at the Gate today….”
In that moment of desperate peril, the fortune of re-awakening found me, allowing me to strike them down. And then there was what happened at the Hunter Association.
It was a hastily stitched-together story, but Jin Ho bought it.
“So, you’re a C-rank Hunter now?”
“The re-evaluation process will take a few more days, so technically not yet.”
“That’s splitting hairs, man.”
His face was blank, his voice hoarse.
Moisture glistened in Jin Ho’s eyes as he stared at me intently.
What’s gotten into him?
“…Are you crying?”
“Crying? What the hell are you talking about?”
He turned his head away with a curse, but he couldn’t hide the single tear that fell. I watched Jin Ho rub his face vigorously with his sleeve.
“Brother?”
“Just flip the meat. It’s burning.”
“Stop changing the subject.”
“It’s burning!”
“Yeah, okay.”
Sizzle.
As I flipped the meat, something felt awkward, yet there was a strange warmth spreading through my chest.
‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve spent time with Jin Ho.’
Six years? Seven? I’d lost count. After finishing a grueling day, whenever I returned to the Gosiwon, he was always there.
If I had a real older brother, I wondered if it would feel like this—we’d grown close like siblings, like friends.
“Hey.”
Jin Ho broke the awkward silence. I flipped the meat once more for no reason.
“Yeah, what?”
“You did well.”
“…Yeah.”
“And.”
His voice grew quieter.
“You worked hard.”
At just those words.
Something surged up from deep within me. Seven years of emotions and memories, layered upon each other, came flooding back all at once.
“Congratulations on becoming a C-rank Hunter. I won’t be able to tease you anymore.”
“Brother….”
“Tae-kyung….”
“Elder Brother!”
“Tae-kyung!”
We embraced fiercely across the hot plate, and Jin Ho whispered in my ear with a trembling voice.
“Do you remember what I said earlier?”
“I understand everything you meant, Elder Brother. Thank you.”
“Not that. The reward money.”
“…What?”
“Make sure you give me the reward. I’m struggling these days.”
“….”
“You’re making good money now anyway.”
I could kill him for real.
* * *
I stumbled back to my room and threw myself onto the bed.
Thinking of that one person grumbling and cleaning up the Rooftop by now, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘You really can’t let your guard down with him.’
That’s so like Jin Ho. His way of congratulating me, his final prank.
I knew well that everything was simply his own way of expressing himself.
‘You’ve worked hard.’
Those words kept circling in my mind. It’s embarrassing to admit, but…for a moment there, I nearly shed tears.
‘Yeah, I’ve worked hard.’
After Father passed away, I never stopped running. I graduated high school while working part-time jobs, and I had to endure—had to keep enduring—for my ailing Mother and my young Younger Sister.
At some point, all of that became natural to me.
And then.
Ding.
– Abnormal Status,
[Extreme Intoxication]
has been applied.
–
[Qi Circulation]
can detoxify it.
‘Something unnatural’ had invaded my life.
It all began with that mysterious old game capsule.
“A game capsule, huh.”
Now I don’t even know what to call it anymore. Should I call it a gift from the gods since it made me a C-rank Hunter?
Or perhaps it’s a gift from a demon.
‘Is this really okay?’
The reason I’m thinking this way despite having lived the best day of my life is simple.
‘Nothing is free.’
That’s what the world I’ve experienced taught me. Everything has a price tag. Whether visible or not, eventually you always pay the cost.
‘How expensive would the System be?’
A hundred billion? A trillion? Perhaps even more?
As I laughed weakly, I felt my eyelids grow heavy.
‘Ah, right. I was completely drunk.’
Chirp. Chirp chirp.
Beyond the window, the chorus of field insects sang loudly. My vision darkened as sleep crashed down upon me. And that night, I dreamed.
A dream of someone shaking me awake somewhere deep in the Mountain.
– Team Leader, Team Leader!
That voice—merely hearing it made me want to strike something. Yet part of me wanted to confirm the identity of its owner, though I was far too drowsy to open my eyes.
– What do we do?
– We need to inform headquarters immediately….
– Why is the Team Leader like this all of a sudden….
It felt like listening to a broken radio. The voices were filled with static and cut off abruptly.
‘So sleepy….’
As my consciousness faded, a small but clear voice reached me.
– Youngest, survive.
But when I awoke the next day, I could not recall any of it.

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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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