Murim Login - Chapter 563

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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 563
“You’re later than usual.”
Seok Go-jun’s observation was incorrect. Go Se-won’s watch was always precise, and there was still considerable time before the scheduled arrival hour.
What had changed from the ordinary wasn’t Go Se-won’s punctuality, but rather Seok Go-jun’s unusually irritable mood today.
Yet Go Se-won simply bowed his head in silence, choosing not to speak.
“My apologies.”
“Never mind. Sit.”
Sitting on the same sofa was a privilege reserved exclusively for those in the innermost circle.
However, before Go Se-won could even settle onto the Italian leather sofa, he sensed that his superior’s anger had not yet subsided.
“This is Reporter Go Hyun-woo from Rough News.”
Within the holographic television, a reporter in his early thirties who had secured the floor continued smoothly.
“Just ten days into the new year, we’ve already witnessed three mutated Gates. I’d like to hear the President’s thoughts on this matter.”
Go Se-won’s gaze naturally shifted to the side.
A rigidly clenched jaw and bloodshot eyes—Seok Go-jun’s stare was fixed on a figure within the holographic image.
‘Ah.’
A news article he’d glimpsed on the way here suddenly surfaced in his mind. Something about Jin Tae-kyung and the President holding an official press conference to mark the new year.
Though he’d suspected as much, watching Seok Go-jun in this state of fury consume such content was akin to drinking venom.
‘Like showing a snuff film to a child.’
Just as Go Se-won, having made his decision, bent forward to retrieve the remote control that had fallen to the floor—
“Security Team Leader.”
A sharp, cutting voice pierced his ears. With his gaze still fixed on the television, Seok Go-jun uttered a single phrase.
“Leave it.”
“…I’ll simply place it on the table.”
As Go Se-won hesitated briefly before setting the remote, now dusted with glass fragments, atop the table before the sofa, a man in his early forties began speaking on the holographic screen.
“That’s an excellent question.”
A pleasant voice. An impression both virtuous and commanding.
Baek Han-sung, the 27th President of South Korea and the youngest elected president on record at forty years old, continued in a measured tone.
“As those who witnessed the official Blue House announcement yesterday afternoon will know, these mutated Gates that have occurred in succession…”
Composure and calm demeanor naturally inspire trust in people.
The compelling delivery of his speech, punctuated subtly with humor woven throughout, was one of President Baek Han-sung’s strengths. It was only natural that people remained captivated.
As his lengthy address—reminiscent of his presidential campaign announcement—concluded, vigorous applause erupted among the reporters.
“This is nothing but a campaign rally.”
Seok Go-jun muttered, his words laced with both fury and mockery.
“How many of those bastards in there haven’t pocketed money we’ve given them? Hmm?”
“…”
“When the Master was alive, those wretches couldn’t even breathe properly. The youngest president in history? Anti-Ares Guild? That bastard Baek Han-sung was ultimately nothing but a footstool beneath the Master’s feet.”
From his spiteful tone flowed a humiliation and rage that had never surfaced before.
Go Se-won, quietly lowering his eyes, felt his mind grow cold.
‘It’s the truth. Though it’s become ancient history now.’
Lee Jung-yong’s influence had been nothing short of absolute.
Before Cheon Tae-min vanished from sight, he had shown little interest in worldly affairs—a celestial immortal drifting above the clouds. Lee Jung-yong, by contrast, remained on the ground, wielding authority that surpassed even that of a President or King.
‘Yes. Those were the days….’
The political sphere. The business world. Even the owners of massive Guilds that had risen as a new power elite bowed before Lee Jung-yong.
He was a hero who had accomplished tremendous feats at Cheon Tae-min’s side, and as the sworn brother of the vanished savior, he wielded absolute authority—a pope in all but name.
‘Another Vatican.’
The people of South Korea called this 150-Story Skyscraper a second Blue House, but in truth it resembled the Vatican where the Pope dwelt.
Even those who cursed the incompetent government and lawmakers found themselves unable to speak freely before the name Ares Guild.
It was a realm approaching sacred inviolability.
But….
「This world! The entire globe! Continues to change even now! We have entered a new phase!」
Like the words of the President on television, speaking forcefully amid endless applause, everything was being overturned.
With the giant Lee Jung-yong fallen, the shadow he had cast began to lift.
And… at the center of all these events, one person’s presence exerted a powerful influence.
「However, my fellow citizens! The government, including myself, will spare no effort to ensure your safety! Together with this young man sitting beside me! We will protect South Korea from all threats, both within and without!」
President Baek Han-sung did not directly speak the young man’s name, yet everyone knew it.
Over the past few months, this man in his late twenties had become one of the most famous figures in human history.
「Waaaaaah!」
「Jin Tae-kyung! Jin Tae-kyung!」
「Damn it! Damn it!」
Louder cheers than ever before shook the press conference hall.
The young man, Jin Tae-kyung, who had been sleeping with his chin resting at an angle, suddenly opened his eyes wide and began clapping at a frenzied pace while gazing at the President.
「That was truly a magnificent speech, Mr. President. Especially what you said at the end—it was so moving that…」
「Uh, at the end you were talking about Hunter Jin Tae-kyung.」
「Oh, wait a moment. My stomach is really churning. I think I’m about to get nauseous.」
「This is all being recorded. First, let’s do something about that drool mark…」
「Edit it out, please. Please. Yes?」
「I told you several times before we started. It’s a live broadcast.」
「Right. Wow, damn it. I’m screwed.」
「It’s live. It’s a live broadcast, please. Hunter Jin Tae-kyung. Yes?」
The image of the middle-aged President breaking into a cold sweat and the young hero in his twenties was broadcast unfiltered across the airwaves.
It was a broadcasting accident significant enough to be recorded in South Korean television history, yet no one would criticize or curse Jin Tae-kyung for it.
Even now, the people captured on camera were not frowning—instead, their faces were filled with laughter as they chanted his name.
‘Jin Tae-kyung.’
And watching this spectacle unfold, Go Se-won suddenly realized something.
The reactions of that young man on the holographic screen and the people surrounding him resembled a certain word that had crossed his mind just moments before.
‘…Sacred inviolability?’
Compared to the sun that was Cheon Tae-min, Jin Tae-kyung was still merely a torch.
But one thing could not be denied.
Jin Tae-kyung now walked the same path as one remembered as an immortal hero.
And perhaps, regardless of Jin Tae-kyung’s own wishes, the circumstances around him were making him into a second Cheon Tae-min.
「Jin Tae-kyung! I heard you suppressed all three mutated Gates that occurred this time entirely on your own! Would you care to comment on that?」
「It wasn’t entirely alone—there were actually two of us….」
「Jin Tae-kyung! This is Kim Jin-mu from Mudang Daily News!」
「I have a question regarding this mutated Gate!」
Reporters clutching microphones swarmed forward like a hive of bees, camera flashes erupting relentlessly.
Go Se-won, who had been listening to the barrage of questions from all directions, suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
「This is…」
Something felt off about the flow. On the surface it seemed natural, but everyone was being herded in a specific direction by someone’s deliberate design.
And in the next moment, hearing the cry of an unnamed reporter, Go Se-won felt a chill creeping down his spine.
「I have a question about the third mutated Gate you suppressed two days ago! According to information our newspaper obtained, that Gate was being managed by a certain famous Guild….」
“…!”
This was it. This was exactly it.
With a flash of realization, Go Se-won hastily reached for the remote. But someone’s hand moved faster than his.
Crash!
Seok Go-jun’s eyes blazed crimson as he obliterated the table along with the remote.
“I distinctly told you to leave it alone.”
“But Sub-Guild Master….”
“I don’t repeat myself.”
The superior’s eyes, with burst blood vessels. The voice that followed was chilling enough to raise goosebumps.
“Stay quiet. Unless you want to die.”
“Gasp…!”
Go Se-won, swallowing an involuntary breath, collapsed back onto the sofa with his body half-risen.
Meanwhile, the hologram TV displayed the very situation he had been dreading.
「That’s right. It was a Gate under Ares Guild’s management. Well, technically it’s a permanent lease, but as everyone knows, it’s essentially the same as ownership.」
The monopolization of Gates by massive Guilds was an open secret everyone tacitly acknowledged.
Yet Jin Tae-kyung had not only exposed this corruption without hesitation at an official Blue House press conference broadcast live, but had gone even further.
「The exact circumstances? The magical energy levels kept rising, but the rescue team never showed up.」
Reporters who had caught the scent of a story rushed forward eagerly.
Among them were quite a few who had once accepted dirty money from Ares Guild, but money always flows toward bigger money.
「Wait, wait a moment. Are you saying the rescue team never arrived even after waiting?」
Jin Tae-kyung nodded.
「Yes. Fifteen minutes passed from the initial situation and they still hadn’t come. During that time, the magical energy kept rising, and it eventually became a mutated Gate.」
「That means if the rescue team had arrived on time, the Gate could have been resolved before it fully mutated, correct?」
「Well, I can’t say with absolute certainty, but if even one S-Rank Hunter had been deployed early, there was a high probability they could have handled it independently.」
「Unlike the other mutated Gates, the Guild managing that particular Gate is known to possess enormous Hunter personnel and capital. So why do you think they failed to dispatch a rescue team in time?」
「The reason…. Well, I’m not sure.」
Jin Tae-kyung, pausing briefly in thought, casually dropped a remark.
「It seems that family has been in quite a bit of turmoil lately. Should I say the Restaurant Owner? The management has been reshuffled, and there’s been some confusion here and there.」
Crunch!
Hearing something shatter beside him, Go Se-won shut his eyes tightly.
‘It’s over.’
A certain massive Guild possessing enormous manpower and capital. Management restructuring.
Just these two key phrases were enough. Even without searching the internet, anyone who needed to know would already understand.
Though the exact name hadn’t been revealed yet….
「It was a serious mistake, certainly, but what can be done? Fortunately, I was present, so there were no casualties—personally, I consider that a blessing. Ah, and I would like to take this opportunity to once again offer my deepest condolences to the deceased.」
「An excellent answer, Hunter Jin Tae-kyung. I have no doubt the deceased would be grateful and proud of you.」
Damn it. Go Se-won muttered a quiet curse under his breath and opened his eyes that had been squeezed shut.
On the television screen, South Korea’s youngest President had already seized the microphone again, delivering the final blow.
「Fortunately, we’ve concluded this matter without any casualties, but the government will now actively investigate this incident. As the President of South Korea! And as one of its citizens, I find the Guild’s negligent measures deeply regrettable, but the will and legacy of the deceased hero shall be faithfully inherited by Hunter Jin Tae-kyung…」
The President’s words never reached their conclusion. More precisely, Go Se-won couldn’t hear them.
“…!”
The moment he instinctively assumed a defensive stance, a tremendous surge of mana shot forth with the speed of light, shattering the holographic television and tearing through everything around him.
Crash!
The layered protective magic circles installed by ten high-ranking mages shattered, and everything—bulletproof glass and all—crumbled into fragments, then scattered into dust.
At the center of all that destruction stood Seok Go-jun, his eyes blazing with bloodlust.
“How dare you! How dare you! How dare you—!”
Boom! Boom! Crash!
Everything has its limits.
And that single remark had ignited all the rage that Seok Go-jun, now Sub-Guild Master, had been suppressing and enduring for days.
“I’ll kill you! I swear it! I will absolutely kill you!!”
Crash!
Seok Go-jun was the practical successor following Lee Jung-yong, but those who witnessed today’s press conference would think otherwise.
They would believe that Jin Tae-kyung was the true new hero, the sole inheritor of the will of Cheon Tae-min, who still hadn’t revealed himself, and Lee Jung-yong, who had recently passed away.
“Jin Tae-kyung! Jin Tae-kyuuung!”
Go Se-won’s eyes grew dark and hollow as he watched Seok Go-jun screaming like a madman, spewing blood with each cry.

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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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