Murim Login - Chapter 555

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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 555
He was a man with an iron tower of a physique. His expressionless face was hard as stone, and his lips were pressed firmly shut.
And… he had eyes.
A pair of eyes bloodshot with crimson. Rage and sorrow beyond measure, mingled with countless other emotions. Merely meeting the gaze of such a man sent chills down one’s spine.
Even the Prime Minister of South Korea—a permanent member of the UN Security Council and counted among the world’s great powers—was no exception.
‘What kind of eyes are those….’
The moment the Prime Minister opened the door and stepped inside, the blade-like gaze pierced through him, and he momentarily flinched before forcing his trembling heart to settle.
Though his counterpart was a Hunter renowned for exceptional skill even within the nation, he himself had spent nearly sixty years rolling through the mud of politics.
There was no reason to be frightened before the conversation even began.
‘Especially not in a situation like this.’
The Prime Minister, having regained his composure, extended his hand toward the man.
“Ah, there you are. Seok Go-jun.”
Seok Go-jun, who had been staring fixedly at the extended hand, answered instead with a dry voice.
“It’s been a long time, Prime Minister Jang.”
Neither the courtesy due to an elder nor the respect befitting the Prime Minister of one’s own nation. Wrinkles creased Prime Minister Jang’s forehead.
“…Heh. It seems your distress runs deeper than I anticipated. I understand that feeling well enough.”
“Understand?”
Seok Go-jun’s eyes grew even more crimson. No one could possibly comprehend what he felt in this moment.
Yet this old raccoon of a man dared to smile and spout such words.
Crack.
A sound of bones grinding came from his clenched fist.
Once taciturn and rarely expressive, he had been like a statue—but the death of Lee Jung-yong, whom he respected and followed above all others, had transformed him into an entirely different person.
“Ahem.”
Prime Minister Jang was not one to miss such a detail. Watching Seok Go-jun’s fist with an uneasy gaze, he awkwardly lowered himself into a seat.
“It seems I’ve misspoken. If I’ve hurt your feelings, I apologize.”
“…Never mind. I too allowed my emotions to overwhelm me and showed such agitation.”
Seok Go-jun forced down the rage that threatened to boil over.
He was no longer the orphan of thirty years ago with nothing left to lose. He bore a mission to protect what his master had left him, and to fulfill it, there were mountains of matters yet to resolve.
“But surely… you didn’t come alone, Prime Minister?”
At last it came. To Seok Go-jun’s abruptly voiced question, Prime Minister Jang answered with deliberate composure.
“I did.”
“Then where is the President?”
“I suspect you already know where he is.”
Prime Minister Jang glanced briefly out the window, which was sealed without gaps.
Though hidden now behind specially treated blackout curtains, one need only draw them back to see the Blue House directly beyond.
“The President has numerous urgent matters to attend to at this very moment. In three hours, when the state funeral officially begins, he will come then. The presidential secretariat has already informed you of this, I believe…?”
At Prime Minister Jang’s trailing words, Seok Go-jun’s gaze sank deeper.
“That’s precisely why I’m asking once more. The matter I was informed of… I cannot bring myself to believe it.”
“What is it?”
“Prime Minister Jang. Or rather….”
A soft rustling sound.
My upper body, which had been leaning against the sofa, tilted toward Prime Minister Jang.
The aged politician’s figure reflected in my crimson eyes, and a chilling voice flowed from between my lips.
“Jang Taek-hwan.”
“…!”
“Stop wasting time with games and speak plainly. Go back immediately and arrange a private audience with the President. We still have three hours before the state funeral procedures begin, so I’m giving you one hour.”
“L-listen here! How dare you….”
“How dare I?”
A sharp crackling sound.
Prime Minister Jang’s eyes widened. A solid crystal glass was crumbling into fine powder within my grip.
Along with it, a shifted tone pierced through his ears.
“That’s right—how dare I. You shouldn’t be speaking to me like this. Have you forgotten who laid the flowery path you’ve walked for decades?”
“Y-you….”
The old politician’s voice trembled.
What I said was the truth. In his decades-long political career, the name Ares Guild was an indelible stain.
They were the ones who cleaned up his filth, wiped away his messes, and loaded heavy boxes into car trunks.
But….
“That was Lee Jung-ryong Vice Guild Master! Not you!”
“Correct. It was all the Vice Guild Master’s doing. Or rather, my master’s.”
A dry laugh formed at the corners of my mouth.
“And now it’s become my responsibility.”
“…!”
“Don’t be mistaken. Even though he’s gone, the Ares Guild still stands strong.”
The Ares Guild is an impregnable fortress.
Cheon Tae-min, the immortal hero and savior who rescued humanity, laid its foundation, and Lee Jung-ryong constructed walls that no one dared to breach.
“There is nowhere in Yeouido, nowhere in this nation, beyond our reach.”
This is a world governed by the laws of capitalism.
While none of the world’s top ten guilds appear in the Forbes rankings released each time, everyone knows the truth.
The power and vast wealth possessed by the great guilds. Among them, the influence of the Ares Guild stands unmatched.
And… that power will be transferred from the dead to the living.
“Do you think all I inherited from him was merely his will?”
“W-what?”
Prime Minister Jang’s eyes widened. According to information received from the National Intelligence Service, Lee Jung-ryong had left no will. Or rather, he shouldn’t have.
The ignorant masses had speculated endlessly, but he had firmly believed that information.
“S-so you….”
In that instant, my eyes glowed crimson.
“You should address me as Vice Guild Master instead.”
“…!”
The old politician’s entire body trembled faintly. After a suffocating silence, Prime Minister Jang opened his mouth with a weakened voice.
“Seok Go-jun. Or rather, Vice Guild Master Seok—the situation isn’t as simple as you think it is.”
The crimson light that had clouded Seok Go-jun’s eyes gradually faded. His voice remained dry, but a noticeably softer tone followed in its wake.
“I understand. Which is why our Prime Minister Jang must exert himself further. Along with the others.”
“Sigh. That’s… not easy, I’m afraid. There are various rumors circulating.”
“Rumors, you say…”
“Jin Tae-kyung the Hunter. No, I wasn’t intending to discuss him. Though there is considerable connection to him, of course.”
Prime Minister Jang hastily offered an explanation to Seok Go-jun, who reacted immediately at the three syllables of Jin Tae-kyung’s name, and continued speaking.
“You already know this, Vice Guild Master Seok. That young Team Leader from the Peace Guild. His name is Choi Min-woo, I believe.”
“…Continue.”
“Ever since the former Vice Guild Master Lee Jung-yong passed away, there’s been all manner of talk around us. No matter who might succeed him… it’s true that the Ares Guild is not what it once was.”
Lee Jung-yong was himself a symbolic figure.
A hero who had quelled the great upheaval at Cheon Tae-min’s side, and an S-rank Hunter ranked among the very best across the entire world.
Though the Ares Guild would not collapse in an instant simply because he had died, it was inevitable that the Guild’s military strength and influence would be drastically diminished.
‘Damn it.’
Seok Go-jun was not unaware of this fact. No—he knew it better than anyone.
The discord and resistance echoing from various corners within the Guild itself was proof of it, and Prime Minister Jang, who had adopted an attitude unimaginable in the past, was a witness to it.
‘If Master were still here. If Master were alive…’
The murmur that lingered on Seok Go-jun’s tongue never escaped his lips.
He could not afford to show any further wavering. Having resolved this in his heart, he opened his mouth with a face hardened into rigidity.
“Prime Minister Jang, you seem to have both worries and time to spare.”
“What do you mean by that…”
“It is a matter for the Ares Guild to resolve. Prime Minister Jang must attend to what you must do.”
“No, that’s not what I—”
Seok Go-jun gazed at Prime Minister Jang, who was attempting to make excuses, then leaned his back against the sofa.
“Fifty minutes remain.”
“F-fifty minutes? What do you mean?”
“Ten minutes have passed since the hour I mentioned earlier, leaving fifty. It seems you no longer have time to sit idle. Am I mistaken?”
“…!”
A clear order to leave—one laden with the meaning: secure a private audience with the President before the state funeral begins, by any means necessary.
Prime Minister Jang rose unsteadily on trembling legs and turned to leave, when a quiet voice reached his ear.
“One more thing. That person… the Guild Master will not be attending. Make sure there is no gossip about it.”
What more could be said.
Prime Minister Jang, who had given a feeble nod, slipped out of the secret chamber.
Click.
The sound of the door closing echoed with unusual loudness. Seok Go-jun, who had been staring silently at the empty space, suddenly turned his gaze toward his own left arm.
An armband marked with two black lines. He had become the chief mourner for Lee Jung-yong, who had no proper blood relatives.
‘Master. Are you at peace in that place.’
Though I cannot remember the faces of my parents, the face of Lee Jung-yong—with whom I share not a drop of blood—aches with longing.
Perhaps I will never forget my master for as long as I live. Nor the names of these two that cling to me like labels.
“…Jin Tae-kyung. Choi Min-woo.”
The one who killed my master. And the one who seeks to steal everything my master had accomplished.
The voice that flowed through the clenched teeth was scorching, and his eyes burned a deeper crimson than ever before.
Then Seok Go-jun, whose body trembled with rage, suddenly touched his own neck.
A metallic clink.
The cold touch of metal against his fingertips.
Seok Go-jun unfastened the necklace, its plating peeling away in patches to reveal an unsightly appearance, and gazed down at it in silence.
‘Master.’
He knew as well. This necklace was not Lee Jung-yong, nor was it a keepsake left behind by Lee Jung-yong.
Yet one thing remained certain.
Within the ruins that had once been the Arch Lich’s Headquarters, this was the only object fortunate enough to maintain its form.
Though merely a piece of junk, for Seok Go-jun it was an item worth bribing the Division Commander with a substantial sum to smuggle out.
“…Sigh.”
Seok Go-jun exhaled deeply and rose from his seat.
He was the chief mourner of this grand funeral.
He had to greet the countless people waiting for him beyond the door and show his face to media outlets across the globe, making clear who the new power broker of the Ares Guild was.
Click.
As he opened the door, dozens of men and women lined up in the corridor bowed their heads.
Each one, as if proving they were an A-rank Hunter, possessed intense eyes and power flowing through their slightest movements.
These were Seok Go-jun’s new hands and feet.
“Let’s go.”
With Seok Go-jun’s quiet voice, dozens of footsteps crossed the corridor.
* * *
The state funeral of Lee Jung-yong, former Vice Guild Master of the Ares Guild, was held grandly for five days.
Media outlets and dignitaries from around the world visited South Korea, and hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets to mourn during the state funeral.
Yet not everyone did. For those struggling with hunger today, someone’s death hardly strikes deeply.
Slash!
Thud thud thud thud!
“Kill it, stab now!”
“Maintain spacing! Hey! You bastard! Don’t go out there!”
– Kieeeek!
Inside the damp, dark cave.
Piercing screams echoed, and the dulled polearms, deliberately coated in mud to kill their shine, moved ceaselessly to sever the enemy’s lifeline.
Whoosh, thud!
“Sung Ha!”
“Hey, you monster bastards!”
– Squeak. Screech screech!
The battle between Hunters and monsters was fierce, and on the other hand, brutal.
And it was at that very moment when blood of two different races spurted forth from all directions.
Boom boom boom boom!
The earth shook and stalactites fell from the cave ceiling.
At the same time, a tremendous magical force erupted from somewhere and swept through the interior of the Gate, and the humans screamed.
“A mutated Gate!”
“Damn it…!”
The mana emanating from this was no low-rank Gate. At minimum, mid-rank. Perhaps even high-rank. It could be something far worse.
‘This… this can’t be.’
‘It’s over.’
Death. In that very moment when despair settled upon everyone’s eyes alongside that word.
“Hell. This brings back old memories.”
Someone’s weary sigh echoed through the dim interior of the Cave.

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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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