Murim Login - Chapter 559

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

Chapter 559
Teleportation. The spatial displacement magic commonly called “Teleport” earned its notorious reputation as a high-difficulty technique even among mages.
A single miscalculation of coordinates meant instant death, and the mana consumption was so severe that attempting long-distance travel would leave you clutching your head as you collapsed.
‘In other words, the ultimate waste of resources.’
But regardless of that, it all came down to ‘who’ was performing it.
Just as the Three Calamities Sword Technique unfolded by a supreme master differed little from any divine art, the same applied to the Arch Mages—of whom only three existed among all seven billion humans on Earth.
「Fucking Korea. Every time I think about it, the distance is just too far. I nearly got motion sickness on the way here.」
Watching the dark-skinned Arch Mage Magic Johnson grumble, I let out a quiet chuckle.
“Getting motion sickness from intercontinental travel is getting off easy. Any other mage would still be seasick crossing the River of Three Paths.”
「Sam-doo-cheon? What’s that? Is it something like the Clear Stream Heaven in Seoul?」
“…It’s a bit different, actually. Well, never mind.”
Magic Johnson, who had turned Seoul into a hellish city in a single moment, spotted the people inside the room and broke into a wide smile.
「Hey, what’s up guys! Long time no see.」
To the greeting from Time magazine’s selection of ‘the world’s most influential LGBTQ+ person #1’, Choi Team Leader responded in the world’s most resolute voice.
“It’s ‘guys’, Mr. Johnson. Not ‘gays’.”
「Choi, if you’re going to be like this, my feelings are hurt. I came running at your request.」
“We appreciate you coming in person, but couldn’t you have just sent it through secure email?”
「It’s been a while, and you’re being too harsh?」
“If I recall correctly, it hasn’t even been a week since we last met. Isn’t that right, Jin Tae-kyung?”
I nodded in agreement.
“That’s true. Johnson was here for the state funeral too.”
The scale of the state funeral held this time was enormous. Along with condolences from a million citizens, influential figures from nations around the world visited Korea.
As if to demonstrate the influence Lee Jung-yong had wielded in life, there were quite a few presidents of various nations among the mourners, and some media outlets even used the term ‘summit meeting’.
And among those dignitaries was Magic Johnson, one of the symbols of the United States.
「Hey, Jin. Is this how you’re going to act? I came not to meet you all, but simply to pay my respects.」
“Pay your respects?”
「That’s right. I only came to bid farewell to an old comrade.」
“Then why did you go to that gay bar in Itaewon? And you even changed your face with an illusion spell.”
「…Who told you such nonsense?」
“The guy who went to the gay bar with you told me. It was very compelling testimony.”
The initial warmth had vanished without a trace. The victim from that day, Skeleton King, opened his mouth with an expression full of fury.
“I realized something was wrong the moment something touched my rear end. That damned bastard deceived me.”
「You ungrateful monster murderer….」
Look at that expression. I’d believe it if someone said he was Time magazine’s ‘world’s most violent LGBTQ+ person #1’.
Magic Johnson, who had been muttering in a menacing voice, quickly noticed everyone’s gaze and hastily put on a serious expression.
「Everyone, don’t misunderstand. I only went to experience Korean culture.」
“Did you sell your respects for an old comrade on eBay?”
「Jin, don’t do this. My respects were complete just by attending the funeral service. You know better than anyone what kind of man Mr. Lee was.」
I did know. Could anyone know him as well as I did?
And Magic Johnson was one of the very few who knew what had transpired at the Arch Lich’s Headquarters.
「Anyway, we’ve met again, so let’s drop this subject. You feel the same way, don’t you? Your name was… Robin Hood, right?」
Unfortunately, Lim Hyuk-jun, Korea’s Robin Hood who didn’t possess a translation artifact, answered with a frozen expression.
“Ah, I’m fine, thank you. And you…”
「I’m naturally fine. But from now on, I’m afraid we’ll have no choice but to discuss some rather unpleasant matters.」
*Whoosh.*
Along with a sigh, Magic Johnson extended something no larger than a fingernail—a small memory chip.
Choi Team Leader’s eyes sharpened as he took it and examined it.
“Is this the information I requested?”
「Yes. It took considerable effort to track it down after all this time.」
“I’ll save my thanks for after I’ve reviewed the data.”
「By all means.」
*Tap. Whoooosh.*
It happened in an instant.
The moment Choi Team Leader tapped something beneath the table, every window and crack in the private office was sealed, and an invisible mana draped down like a curtain.
‘Magic?’
What I noticed, Magic Johnson—an archmage—could hardly miss. He surveyed the office with curious eyes.
「Seven layers of nested magic. Security is far more thorough than I expected. There aren’t many mages of this caliber even within our Guild… whose handiwork is this?」
“Someone who has been my hands and feet since childhood.”
Kim Butler and Magic Johnson had never faced each other until now.
Choi Team Leader, who answered briefly, inserted the memory chip into his smartphone, and immediately a holographic image burst onto the screen.
– *CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!*
With a vivid roar, the ground spanning dozens of meters in radius flipped over, and sand scattered in all directions. A sight that could only be called an earthquake.
Around a hundred Hunters of mixed races screamed out curses and shouts.
– Fuck!
– Scatter! Scatter immediately! They’re coming!
– Healer! Healer!
A scene of screams and shouts. Between withered trees and sand dunes covering every direction, several collapsing buildings were visible.
Lim Hyuk-jun’s eyes widened as he grasped the meaning.
“A… a Monster Wave?”
Correct. There’s no way modern buildings would exist inside a Gate.
All Gates possess at least minimal mana, and their rank is determined by the total amount of mana each Gate contains.
But when a monster appears that far exceeds the Gate’s rank, the story changes.
‘That’s a mutated Gate.’
Even a mutated Gate alone is a serious problem, but if the presence of such superior monsters causes the Gate to exceed the total mana it can contain, an even greater catastrophe awaits.
‘A Monster Wave.’
When a sturdy dam cannot withstand the pressure and collapses, the water held back will overflow.
What was visible through the hologram now was exactly that.
– *Shriiiiek!*
Massive scorpions uttering bizarre cries—a full dozen of them.
Their tails, burrowed deep into the sand, thrust upward, and screams and blood erupted from all directions.
– Kraaaaaaagh!
– Joseph! Save Joseph!
– Open fire, all units!
Crack-crack-crack!
In that moment when humans and monsters hurled themselves at each other to kill.
Poof.
The holographic image filling the Office vanished as if wiped clean.
Choi Team Leader, who had cut the video feed, opened his mouth with a subdued voice.
“When did this happen?”
Magic Johnson answered with a dark expression.
「Four days ago. The location was the Mojave Desert. The desert spans multiple states, but it was closer to Arizona. I don’t know the exact coordinates.」
I, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly furrowed my brow.
“Four days ago?”
「Yeah, four days ago.」
“If that’s the case, an official announcement should have been made by now.”
A Gate is like a time bomb that detonates with infinitesimal probability. That’s why every nation in the world remains constantly vigilant about Gates.
It’s for this reason that state-sanctioned Hunters—the so-called “bomb disposal teams”—are stationed in each region, and the discovery must be reported within a set timeframe according to established law.
‘But why is it so quiet?’
Aberrant Gates are rare phenomena, but Monster Waves are events that occur at probabilities dozens of times lower than that.
Something of this magnitude should have been plastered across the media and become the talk of the world….
For someone like me, who has been keeping my ear to the ground for news lately, or Choi Team Leader to be unaware of such a major incident—it made no sense.
In the end, only one answer remained.
“There was no official announcement.”
At my murmur, Magic Johnson gave a small nod.
「Right. The Defense Ministry stepped in and covered everything up cleanly. Just like that desert that was overturned by the monsters.」
“Is that even possible?”
「Possible? Why are you like this, Jin? This is something the United States Defense Ministry handled in secret. You should’ve asked what’s impossible instead.」
Magic Johnson let out a small laugh and continued.
「Twenty-two dead and thirty-five injured—that fact doesn’t change anything. Since it happened in a military base area off-limits to civilians, it was easy to cover up.」
“But this is… literally a cover-up.”
「That’s right. It goes against the constitution that was extensively revised after the Cataclysm. But sometimes, a kind lie is better than a cold truth.」
“…!”
For a moment, it felt like I’d been struck on the back of my head.
It was because I remembered that I, too, had harbored the same thoughts as Johnson just now, even while knowing this was wrong.
‘Dark Heaven.’
Those unprepared inevitably fall into confusion when truth arrives one day.
In Murim, the existence of Dark Heaven was exactly that, and I too had agreed that the time wasn’t right for their identity to be revealed.
But the reason the back of my head was tingling now wasn’t just that.
The shock of a vague unease taking concrete form was also included.
“How many times has this been?”
A question without a subject.
Yet Magic Johnson’s rigid, hardened expression was proof enough that he understood the meaning behind my question.
“Johnson.”
「…Fuck.」
He muttered the curse like a sigh, then turned his head toward Choi Team Leader.
「Choi, how many videos are stored on the chip I gave you?」
Choi Team Leader, who had been staring silently at his smartphone screen, let out a groan.
“Thirty-two.”
「Right. Two of them were Monster Waves, and the rest were mutated Gates. The important part is, that’s just what I’ve managed to acquire.」
Magic Johnson’s position, status, and influence in the United States were undeniably formidable.
But they still couldn’t compare to the intelligence capabilities of the United States Defense Ministry, which claims to be the world’s strongest.
‘Only thirty-two incidents from what Johnson acquired.’
Then how many more incidents had occurred? At that same moment, as if Choi Team Leader and I had made a pact, we both fell silent.
“Wait. Hold on.”
The Skeleton King, who had been counting something intently on his fingers, stared at Magic Johnson with eyes as wide as lanterns.
“Ungrateful human. According to what you just said, such incidents are happening without fail every single day, aren’t they?”
「Hey, you talkative monster, aren’t you viewing this situation far too lightly?」
“Huh?”
What Magic Johnson said next would have been better left unheard.
「Not a month. This all happened within the past week.」
“…!”
“…!”
In the suffocating silence that suddenly pressed down on all sides, only one voice—the sole person who hadn’t understood Johnson’s meaning—rang out.
“Ah, I’m fine thank you. And you?”
“….”
“….”
And you, my ass. This is absolutely ridiculous.

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