Murim Login - Chapter 51

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 51
Whoosh!
Swords, axes, maces.
Dozens of weapons poured down like a downpour. But I could see them all clearly. Each attack, where it was headed, how it moved.
I carved through the gaps.
Slice—
Beheading a C-rank Lizardman Warrior was just the beginning. As the spear traced a semicircle, blood erupted from all directions.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
–
[Lv.40 Lizardman Warrior]
has been defeated!
–
[Lv.41 Swampland Lizardman]
has been defeated!
–
[Lv.40 Swampland Lizardman]
has been…
– Kiiiii…
The survivors hesitated and retreated. The ones who had been radiating killing intent upon meeting their kin’s avenger now trembled with fear.
But that was only temporary.
– Groaaarrr!
– Boss Monster,
[Lv.52 Lizardman Chieftain]
has appeared!
– Skill,
[Warcry]
is being used!
At least twice the size. The air shattered at the cry of the Lizardman Chieftain wielding a massive mace. The Lizardmen who had been backing away at the leader’s emergence snapped to attention and reformed their ranks.
I thought this would be over quickly.
Behind me, Choi Team Leader’s leisurely voice reached my ears.
“Think you can manage?”
“Is that something a person who hasn’t lifted a finger for days would say?”
“This is different. It’s a C-rank Gate.”
“Then help me out.”
Choi Team Leader, who had been pondering, replied.
“I can’t do that. I wore a limited edition outfit today. It would break my heart if blood splattered on it.”
“…Should I really break your heart?”
The more I continued the conversation, the more my insides churned as if I’d been wounded. Fighting the monsters would be better.
As I took a step forward, Choi Team Leader casually dropped a remark.
“Retreat is also a valid strategy.”
A man standing behind with his arms crossed, careful not to get blood on his limited-edition gear, was making a surprisingly valid point. A point worth hearing.
And then….
“There’s a better way. Why waste time?”
Ahead of us, monsters surged forward like a tidal wave, led by the Lizardman Chieftain. A mixed force of C-rank and D-rank monsters—a power that would make any ordinary C-rank Hunter think twice about engaging.
Any ordinary C-rank Hunter, that is.
‘Status window, open.’
Ding.
The system responded instantly.
A week had passed since I returned to Hunter work, and my status window now gleamed with the number 40 displayed prominently, with something else shimmering at the very bottom.
– Remaining Points: 100
Since returning to reality, I had never spent a single remaining point. Pure curiosity drove me—wondering how far I could push myself now.
But hoarding them any longer would be foolish.
‘Allocate 30 to Strength and Stamina each. 40 to Agility.’
In the next instant, my remaining points hit zero.
But in stark contrast, fresh power surged from deep within my body. I was no longer the Jin Tae-kyung from mere seconds ago—I was someone entirely different, standing here now.
‘Yes, this is it.’
My body trembled with exhilaration.
– Roooaaarrr!
The Lizardman Chieftain charged forward with a roar, his massive iron mace casting a shadow. I thrust my spear toward it.
“One Flash.”
From the spear’s tip, a path of wind tore open.
* * *
“Ha.”
Choi Team Leader, Choi Min-woo, let out a hollow laugh.
The thick blood mist enveloping the Swampland, and beneath it the scattered corpses of monsters, filled his vision.
‘What is this.’
Dozens of monsters, including the boss, had been annihilated in an instant. All of it stemming from the spear tip of a C-rank Hunter who had only re-awakened days ago.
‘Is this even possible?’
It was a question I’d harbored since the day I first met Jin Tae-kyung. That day when we went to an E-rank Gate without much thought—the way he overwhelmingly dominated the rare monster that two C-rank Hunters should have been struggling against.
And the power he’d displayed over these past few days….
‘A C-rank Hunter, my ass.’
The reason I’d started this raid with Jin Tae-kyung alone was simple.
To see the limits of this intriguing person. And to keep it hidden from others.
But suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
‘Could he possibly be stronger than me….’
No, no. That couldn’t be.
Choi Min-woo forcefully suppressed the thought, and Jin Tae-kyung came into view. He was clutching the corpse of the boss monster—its upper half severed—and letting out a mournful cry.
“No! My hide! This stuff is expensive!”
…There’s no way someone like that could be. No, he shouldn’t be.
Choi Min-woo suddenly felt wronged.
* * *
Burning Friday. Shortened to Burn-Fri.
Twenty-somethings would swarm bars and clubs, but I spent the day clearing Gates with Choi Team Leader.
Once in the morning. Twice in the afternoon. After clearing three C-rank Gates like that, night had already fallen outside.
“You’ve worked hard, Young Master.”
A familiar face by now. Choi Team Leader called this broad-featured man in his forties by that title.
“You’ve worked hard too, Kim Butler.”
Kim Butler. Not a secretary—a butler.
The word was so unrealistic that I’d thought I’d misheard it at first.
‘I’ve only ever met church deacons.’
Back when I was a snot-nosed kid receiving a thousand won in weekly allowance, he was the bastard demanding I tithe a hundred won.
Of course, he never called me Young Master, and when I refused to pay the tithe, he even muttered that I was a child of Satan.
And at seven years old, I had the kind of personality that asked about everything that puzzled me.
‘Mom. Are you Satan?’
‘Huh? Satan?’
‘Yeah. The church deacon said I was a child of Satan. I’m your child, so that makes you Satan, right?’
That comment made my mother out to be Satan. I never got to eat church tteokbokki again, and the church deacon nearly went to meet the Lord.
Thinking about it now, life really is a variety show.
“Is something on your mind…?”
I snapped back to attention at Kim Butler’s words.
“Nothing at all. Just lost in thought for a moment.”
“Let’s call it a day.”
Choi Team Leader had already changed into casual clothes. In his tailored suit, he looked just like a celebrity.
‘Life really is unfairly cruel.’
I grumbled inwardly as I began removing my gear. Carefully, of course. I’d looked up the price on the first day and…never mind, I won’t go there.
While Kim Butler took the equipment and loaded it into the car, I asked Choi Team Leader a question.
“What time should I come in tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow, you say?”
Choi Team Leader asked back with a puzzled tone.
“Today is Friday.”
“Yes.”
“Tomorrow is Saturday.”
“I know Saturday comes after Friday.”
Who does he take me for, an idiot?
“What I mean is…”
Choi Team Leader furrowed his brow.
“Surely you don’t work weekends too?”
“…Isn’t that obvious?”
“….”
“….”
Choi Team Leader asked with a shocked expression.
“What do you mean you don’t rest on weekends?”
“Well. When I can’t find work?”
“How often is that?”
“Let’s see. If I rest a lot, maybe once a month?”
“You were part of a Guild. Did you work on weekends too?”
“I did. When there was work.”
“Isn’t that a violation of Hunter labor law?”
There was precisely one thing that the seemingly perfect Choi Team Leader didn’t understand.
How the world actually works.
I let out a quiet laugh.
“Where do you find a small-to-mid-sized Guild that actually follows that? They all add extra hazard pay and send you on raids anyway. Well, I’m fine with it though.”
“Excuse me? You’re fine with it?”
“Because I’d go to the Labor Office on weekends otherwise. Might as well get that extra pay from the Guild instead. They hand it over in cash so there’s no record.”
“….”
“Everyone does it, really.”
Choi Team Leader shook his head firmly.
“Our Guild complies with labor law. The same goes for temporary contracts.”
That’s unfortunate. Looks like I’ll have to visit the Labor Office this weekend after all.
Choi Team Leader watched me lick my lips with that peculiar, enigmatic gaze of his.
“Why do you push yourself so hard?”
“Why?”
“You’re a C-rank Hunter now. You could take it easier.”
“That’s….”
Because I don’t know when the System will disappear.
I caught the words before they could tumble out of my mouth. That’s a secret I can’t share with anyone.
“No particular reason. You row when the tide comes in.”
“If you keep working like that, you’ll break the oar. Think about the people sharing the boat with you.”
“People sharing the boat? You mean you, Choi Team Leader?”
“Well, for instance….”
Choi Team Leader hesitated before continuing.
“Family, perhaps.”
Family.
Just a single word, yet warmth seeps into every corner of my body. I call occasionally, but it’s been over two months since I’ve seen them. If I include the time in Murim, it’s been three months.
‘Has it really been that long?’
Ever since Father passed away, my life has been like a car perpetually climbing an uphill road.
So I could only keep my foot on the accelerator. Afraid I’d roll backward if I lifted it. Afraid the engine would stall at any moment.
“Anyway, you’re taking the weekend off. Don’t think about going to the Labor Office—just rest. That would be a breach of contract.”
“Yes, understood.”
The way he’s insisting I rest like this… maybe Choi Team Leader here actually has decent character after all.
No, I can’t fall for such cheap emotional manipulation. Do you know what kind of hell I’ve been through alone all this time?
‘Choi Team Leader is an exploitative employer. An exploitative employer.’
Telling me to rest on weekends was obviously just to work me to the bone starting next week. It’s the mindset of a cruel slave plantation owner telling me not to exhaust myself in the wrong places. A despicable human being.
“Preparations are complete, Young Master.”
That’s when Kim Butler returned from loading the equipment.
That gentleman is also suffering under an exploitative employer. He can’t even leave work by ten at night.
“Is this what you mentioned?”
“I’ve brought it.”
“Give it to him.”
At the exploitative employer’s command, Kim Butler extended the small box he was holding.
“Please accept this, Hunter.”
To me.
“Huh? Me?”
It looked like a box of energy drinks. I blinked at it, then a thought flashed through my mind, so I asked carefully.
“Could this be money?”
“We contracted for weekly payment. Did you forget?”
I had forgotten. I naturally assumed I’d receive it on Sunday.
I accepted the box with a bewildered expression. It was heavy.
“Is it usually paid in cash?”
“Of course not.”
“Then…”
“Jin Tae-kyung mentioned he prefers cash. Especially crisp new bills.”
I’d mentioned it casually yesterday or the day before, but I never expected it to come back like this. My evaluation of the exploitative employer rose slightly.
‘Of course, the most important thing remains.’
Tuesday through Friday. Four days’ worth of wages in total. My first weekly pay as a C-rank Hunter. The amount was bound to be exciting.
I swallowed hard and opened my mouth.
“So how much is all this…”
“I included a bit more than the contract specified. There’s a settlement statement inside, so please verify it. I’ll be going now.”
“Until we meet again, Hunter.”
Choi Team Leader and Kim Butler vanished in a flash.
It all happened in an instant.
With a dumbfounded expression, I watched the taillights of the car disappear into the distance, then opened the drink box. Under the hazy moonlight, thick bundles of bills came into view.
‘One, two, three…’
The count didn’t go beyond six.
Six bundles of hundred-note stacks. That meant 6 million won.
“What is this?”
A scam.
The moment that word flashed through my mind, my legs nearly gave out.
“Huh?”
Did I see wrong? Why is the bill color yellowish?
“Wait, wait just a moment!”
I concentrated my inner energy into my eyes, and my vision brightened. Then I saw it.
Inside the banknote, an elderly woman dressed in traditional Korean hanbok, smiling benevolently.
“Ahhhhh! Shin Saimdang! The exemplary wife and mother! Her son was Yulgok Yi I! Her husband was Yi Won-su!”
A dialect burst from my lips unbidden. I’ve lost it. This is absolutely insane.
One hundred Shin Saimdang notes bundled together. Six bundles of those meant….
“Th-three hundred million!”
This time, my trembling legs gave out completely. With a heavy thud, I dropped to my knees, my eyes glazed as I stared into the drink box.
Beneath the stacks of banknotes, white paper lined the bottom of the box.
‘Right. The settlement statement!’
I frantically unfolded the paper.
There, recorded without omission, was the revenue from the past four days.
Even the final amount to be paid to me.
‘The settlement statement shows thirty million won, though?’
What? Did I misunderstand?
Confusion. Utter confusion. My wavering gaze fixed sharply on the final line.
Bonus: 270,000,000
And the last words Choi Team Leader had left behind as he departed.
‘I added a bit more than what the contract specified.’
Rumble.
Thunder and lightning tore through my mind. I rose on unsteady legs. In the distance, the taillights of the car were already fading.
It was like a single ray of light.
“Ah. Ah ah….”
Choi Team Leader. No—he is ‘light’ itself.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————