Murim Login - Chapter 553

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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 553
No matter how many levels I gained or how much I increased my stats, there was one immutable truth: to one person, I remained an immature child.
And my mother, the esteemed Kim Jung-hee, possessed hands that ignored all defenses with their devastating power.
“What are you two doing?”
Her fist clenched tight. A ladle in her other hand. Sensing the gravity of the situation, I quickly spoke up.
“Ma’am, you seem to have forgotten—your son’s birthday is today.”
“So?”
“It means I’m turning thirty soon. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing to hit me in front of others?”
“I’ll be turning sixty in just a couple of years.”
“Ah, well…”
I’d miscalculated badly.
Acknowledging my mistake, I shifted the conversation’s direction.
“Just two months ago, I was locked in a desperate battle with a monster.”
“Thank heavens you returned safely, my son.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
“But why do you fight so much with your younger sister—eight years your junior—instead of actual monsters?”
“Mother, I don’t fight people. Therefore, that is not my younger sister, but a monster.”
“So you’re saying I gave birth to a monster.”
“…!”
“My palm or the ladle—which would you prefer?”
I was cornered. Realizing there was no escape, I closed my eyes and answered.
“Your palm, ma’am.”
“Your forearm? Your back?”
“My back will do.”
After careful deliberation, my answer was met with immediate punishment.
“Your mother”
Smack!
“told you not to fight!”
Crack!
“I warned you!”
Crack!
“Ow!”
“Ugh!”
Good heavens, was she a flame deity incarnate?
Ha-yeon and I screamed as searing pain tore through our backs.
Even the perfect physique I’d cultivated in Murim—what they called the Celestial Martial Earthly Body—was useless now. This was primal fear and agony etched into the soul itself.
‘There’s no escaping this.’
If I dodged, I’d be charged with disrespect, and the punishment would multiply tenfold.
Finally, Ha-yeon and I were released only after bearing the certified mark of Mother’s hand upon our backs. As we turned away, breathing heavily, Choi Team Leader and Skeleton King’s eyes trembled with the force of an earthquake.
“M-ma’am, I was trying to stop them, I swear.”
“Ah, I’m American. United States citizen. Don’t touch money. Please.”
His desperate struggle for survival was almost pitiful to witness.
Of course, Kim Jung-hee simply smiled with maternal warmth, as if she’d never seen such a thing before.
“Hoho, my children caused you some trouble. I’m sorry. They’re both still so immature. I’m preparing breakfast, so please join us.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Thank you. Thank you, Jung-hee.”
What the hell?
Anything else I could forgive, but “thank you, Jung-hee” was absolutely unacceptable.
I shot a murderous glare at the Skeleton King before heading toward the Dining Hall.
True to the Grand Mansion’s grandeur, the distance to the Dining Hall was considerable, but with the Elevator installed inside the residence and the short-range Teleport magic circle, it was quick work.
“…?”
Wait, now that I think about it, this is absurd. How does a residence have a Teleport magic circle inside it?
I looked at Choi Team Leader with bewilderment, and he answered matter-of-factly.
“The Mansion is so vast that it was installed to reduce travel time.”
“…That’s what Teleport magic circles are normally used for. Obviously.”
Eating is meant to fill one’s belly—I couldn’t see how his explanation differed from such a mundane truth.
Though I suppose it made sense that everything would feel natural to Choi Team Leader.
‘He’s certainly far removed from ordinary middle-class life.’
Even a third-generation South Korean conglomerate heir or the youngest son of a renowned martial arts family would have to concede several moves to Choi Team Leader.
His maternal grandfather was the immortal hero who defeated Demon King Asmodeus in the final battle and saved humanity.
‘Cheon Tae-min.’
Just as some ancient prophet’s birth divided history into before and after, Cheon Tae-min determined the fate of all humanity.
Tens of millions witnessed his deeds, and hundreds of millions remember him.
The vast archives proving his existence would endure through countless ages until the day humanity itself faced extinction.
‘And that very Cheon Tae-min once lived in this Mansion.’
Even his grandson Choi Team Leader doesn’t know his current whereabouts or whether he still lives, but that hardly diminished the awe I felt.
Though I was merely a temporary tenant here thanks to the zealous media attention, sharing the same space as the immortal hero Cheon Tae-min filled me with profound emotion.
‘This is incredible.’
I gazed at the interior of the Mansion, where A-rank magic stones—treasures of such immense value—were embedded like batteries, ceaselessly supplying energy, and drew a deep breath.
“Whoosh.”
Choi Team Leader’s expression grew uncomfortable at my display.
“…What are you doing?”
“Drawing strength, I suppose. Sensing the scent of a hero.”
Ha-yeon muttered while rubbing her aching back.
“You’re just a pervert. You have an olfactory fetish.”
“Insolent girl, keep quiet, would you?”
“What? Mom—ugh!”
“If you don’t want to be killed tonight, shut your mouth.”
I’m nearly thirty now, and I have no desire to keep showing my defeated side in front of others.
Fortunately, just before Kim Jung-hee noticed something amiss and turned around, someone appeared.
“Good morning.”
A smooth, deep voice like a coffee commercial playing on autoplay. Despite the early hour, his pomaded hair was razor-sharp, and his tailored suit was immaculate yet dignified.
Kim Butler approached at an unhurried pace and bowed first toward Choi Team Leader.
“I trust you had a restful night, sir.”
Choi Team Leader nodded with practiced ease.
“Yes. I did retire rather late due to some matters requiring attention, but I’m in good condition.”
“Ah, the proposal from Mr. Johnson’s side, then.”
“There are sections of the agreement we concluded with the Wizard Guild that require adjustment. I’ve organized the details already, so….”
Ha-yeon, listening to their exchange, murmured under her breath.
“This is like a scene straight out of a drama.”
“Not a drama exactly—if anything, it’s more like a web novel.”
A webtoon might work, but if they tried to turn this fantasy into a live-action drama, the production budget would be astronomical.
“Just let it go. You’ll get used to it eventually if you keep watching.”
“To that?”
“…At least try to get used to it.”
The truth is, I still find it strange every single time—maddening, even.
When you think about it, just six months ago in modern time, I was an F-rank Hunter scraping by on sundae soup and instant ramen.
The media now hails me as a new hero following in Cheon Tae-min’s footsteps, and tucked inside my worn leather wallet—the one I haven’t replaced yet—is an S-rank Hunter license card crafted from specially processed high-grade mana stones.
‘I should be getting used to this by now, but somehow I’m not.’
Perhaps it’s because there’s still so much I need to do.
Right now, I’m constantly shuttling between the Modern World and Murim, barely keeping up with the endless crises that erupt.
Maybe it’s actually strange that I’d ever fully adjust while enjoying the wealth and fame given to me.
“We should discuss the finer details after we eat, sir.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Following Choi Team Leader and Kim Butler, who had just finished their brief conversation, I walked into the Dining Hall.
Or rather, it would be more fitting to call it the Banquet Hall.
It was that spacious—immaculate and elegant, with advanced AI-equipped robots stationed at their posts, waiting for us.
And in this meticulously prepared space, there was one thing conspicuously absent.
“Hmm.”
“As expected.”
Everyone except Ha-yeon and me blinked. Skeleton King’s whisper in particular was laden with pure bewilderment.
“Cunning human. Might I ask just one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“What is this? I clearly heard we were to dine, yet the table is bare. Where is the food?”
Skeleton King was right. The large table at the center of the Banquet Hall sat empty. No dishes, no food—a perfect blank slate.
I, who had already suspected as much, nodded quietly.
“That’s just how it works.”
“What do you mean?”
“An absolute rule. Or maybe a species-specific habit. Something like that.”
When Mother calls you to eat, it means she’s still in the middle of preparing.
Whether Mother calls out once or ten times that the meal is ready and for me to come out immediately, the result is always the same when I go check.
Ha-yeon, knowing this well, is already searching for the dishes.
“Excuse me, but where are the utensils?”
“Pardon?”
“The utensils. The spoons and chopsticks.”
Choi Team Leader blinked silently, then his gaze quietly shifted toward one person.
“Kim Butler?”
In that instant, a single stray hair popped up from Kim Butler’s meticulously groomed pompadour.
“Since everything is integrated into the robot’s circuitry, it’s all supposed to bring things automatically… but why isn’t the robot moving?”
At that moment, Kim Jung-hee, who had rushed to the kitchen with a ladle in hand saying the soup was boiling, poked her head out.
“Oh, I turned that off.”
“Excuse me?”
“What?”
“I’m already sorry for the trouble, but it felt wasteful to use electricity like that. The kids can do it quickly anyway, so please just have a seat.”
“….”
“….”
It was obvious that Kim Jung-hee wouldn’t hear that all the robots in the mansion actually operated on embedded mana stones rather than electricity, nor that there was any need to save on electricity bills.
She was a professional housewife who had spent her entire life tightening her belt and raising two children with unwavering determination.
Facing the gazes of people at a loss for words as they stared at me, I could only smack my lips.
“Just accept it as it is. I’ve tried talking to her about it more than once or twice, but it doesn’t work.”
The living expenses she had sent over the years—she had carefully saved them all, questioning how I was spending the money. She was that kind of mother.
Recalling her old figure working at the Dining Hall, I smiled bitterly and smacked the back of Skeleton King’s head.
Whack!
“Hey, why…?”
“What are you doing, you fool? Go help.”
“Cruel human! This is unjust. This isn’t even American style!”
“Then go to America. You’ll be exposed as a monster the moment you enter and dragged off to the Octagon.”
Choi Team Leader stared at me with a bewildered expression.
“It’s the Pentagon, Jin Tae-kyung….”
“Octagon or Pentagon, either way. Anyway, Choi Team Leader and Kim Butler, you go help too.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s a meal we’re sharing together. Everyone should prepare it.”
In that moment, Choi Team Leader’s eyes wavered.
“Sharing… a meal?”
“You heard correctly. Now go set the table. I’ll be watching to see how well you do it.”
Choi Team Leader’s eyes, which had wavered for a moment, became clear again.
“Watching?”
“Yes.”
“Then what about you, Jin Tae-kyung? Aren’t you doing anything?”
“Today is my birthday. Even at the Hunter Training Institute, they give people with birthdays free time.”
“….”
“What are you doing? You need to prepare before the seaweed soup arrives.”
Even though Choi Team Leader had been thoroughly excluded by Lee Jung-yong after his parents passed away and his maternal grandfather Cheon Tae-min disappeared, he was still a young master from a prestigious household.
For someone like Choi Team Leader, this must have been something he’d never experienced in his entire life.
I let out a quiet laugh watching his unfamiliar, bewildered expression as he and Kim Butler retreated into the distance, then sat down and pulled out my smartphone.
‘There’s nothing better than the news for understanding the situation.’
Tap. Tap tap.
After a few touches, I logged into the massive community exclusive to Hunters and checked an article that had been posted just ten minutes ago, when I suddenly stopped.
[Former Ares Guild Sub-Guild Master Lee Jung-yong (68 years old). State funeral scheduled for tomorrow.]
[The Immortal Hero, Cheon Tae-min—where is he?]
[With the world’s attention focused, Ares Guild members who remained in Sichuan Province depart the country. Global interest pouring in on Hunter Seok Go-jun, who was the late Lee Jung-yong’s security team captain…]
“Seok Go-jun.”
Right, this one existed.

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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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