Murim Login - Chapter 566

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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 566
What spilled from Choi Team Leader’s lips was entirely unexpected.
Had the rate of mana increase not been so high, I would have found this matter far more intriguing.
‘A traitor, you say.’
Through this incident, several members of the Ares Guild had indeed shifted their allegiance to our side, but that was merely a simple transfer—they had been nothing more than ordinary guild members within Ares anyway.
However, an internal traitor was an entirely different matter.
‘Especially if that traitor happened to be a significant figure.’
By Murim standards, a master of the previous generation.
The mere fact that he belonged to the elder generation that had endured the great upheaval already piqued my interest, but to learn he was the leader of an internal faction capable of threatening Seok Go-jun himself—
My mouth was already watering.
“…Jin Tae-kyung?”
“Ah, yes. What is it?”
“First, take this.”
A handkerchief. As I blinked in confusion, Choi Team Leader gestured toward my chin with a displeased expression.
“For whatever reason, you currently have quite a bit of saliva pooling at the corners of your mouth.”
“…Ah.”
“It looks like it’s about to dr—”
What the—a person can drool a little, can’t they?
I wiped the corner of my mouth with my sleeve and abruptly broached the main topic.
“So who is he? This traitor?”
“Traitor—that’s a word he’d dislike if he heard it. How should I put it… He probably prefers to be called a business partner. Or perhaps the next sub-guild master of Ares Guild.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? From what you’re saying, it already sounds like the pieces fit together, and since things are clear, we call him a traitor. Is this some kind of mental gymnastics?”
It was not Choi Team Leader who answered my retort. Kim Butler, who had been standing quietly listening to the conversation, opened his mouth in a low voice.
“He is a man of considerable vanity.”
“Vanity?”
“As people age and death draws near, they begin to obsess over their legacy. Or perhaps, looking back at how he has lived his life, the word ‘greed’ would be more fitting.”
Had Kim Butler ever spoken about someone with such a caustic tone before?
If I had to name one person, it would be Lee Jung-yong, but whereas Kim Butler’s past feelings toward him had been anger, what he directed toward this person bordered on contempt.
‘It’s truly rare for him to display emotions this openly.’
From what I had directly witnessed and heard, Kim Butler was a man of virtue rivaling that of Jesus or Buddha.
Well, in his younger days he seemed to have quite the fiery temperament, but that was ancient history.
‘But who really is this person?’
The way they spoke of his life suggested they knew him well, but Ares Guild had so many executives of note that no name immediately came to mind.
And as if sensing my curiosity, Choi Team Leader suddenly spoke up.
“Director Song. Song Cheon-woo is that kind of person.”
“Song Cheon-woo. Song Cheon-woo…”
When I searched that oddly familiar name on my smartphone, brief information about a person appeared.
It was almost embarrassing to call it information—just a birth date, a few lines about his life so far, and a single photograph of a man displayed alongside images from his youth on the page header.
However, it was not entirely fruitless.
“Huh? Could this person be…?”
“Have you seen him before?”
“Yes. I believe I’ve seen his portrait in a frame that’s always hung in the Hunter Training Institute corridor. Am I mistaken?”
“Your memory is likely correct, Jin Tae-kyung. He served as the Director of the Hunter Training Institute about twenty years ago, albeit briefly.”
“Ah.”
Even if it was before regulations were formally established, the position of Hunter Training Institute Director was one that only the highest-ranked hunters with extensive accomplishments could attain.
‘This does make him seem like a genuine heavyweight.’
Yet the information available was woefully inadequate for someone of his reputation.
Given his accumulated achievements and exploits, there should be considerable material, yet his biography consisted of merely two or three lines, and his profile page hadn’t been updated in three years.
‘Three years ago, no less.’
Even a B-list celebrity wouldn’t have such sparse coverage. I was frowning and tapping the screen to search for other information when it happened.
Buzz.
A notification appeared on my smartphone screen accompanied by a subtle vibration.
〈 Choi Team Leader
Choi Team Leader
[File Attached]
“What’s this? Suddenly?”
“I thought it would be faster this way. You’ll likely have difficulty obtaining detailed information about him through internet searches.”
“That can’t be right. What kind of world are we living in these days?”
“Then I’ll delete the attached file I just sent.”
“But out of respect for your effort, I’ll read the file you’ve sent.”
“….”
“Listen to Korean all the way through.”
Having offered Choi Team Leader advice worth its weight in gold, I opened the attachment. Unlike what I’d found on the internet earlier, this time the document spanned dozens of pages.
I began rapidly absorbing the information displayed on the screen into my mind.
His name was Song Cheon-woo. He was in his seventies.
Naturally, he was an A-rank hunter and a former top-tier ranker who had reached third place domestically twenty years ago.
Recalling that the first and second-ranked hunters at that time were Cheon Tae-min and Lee Jung-yong, I could tell this man was also an exceptionally formidable force.
His accomplishments during the Great Cataclysm included participation in dozens of major battles, and his activities abroad were more prominent than domestic ones, earning him decorations from eight countries including Britain, Germany, and France.
As for his other career achievements… there were so many it was difficult to enumerate them all.
“His career is quite impressive. Why didn’t I remember someone like this?”
“He’s not particularly well-known domestically, actually. His past activities were more prominent overseas, and his domestic activities after the war were extremely limited.”
“Ah, I see.”
Despite the significant career as Hunter Training Institute Director, he had voluntarily resigned before completing even half of his four-year term.
The official reason given was health concerns….
“Two months later, appointed as Director of Ares Guild’s European Headquarters.”
As I read the passage aloud, Choi Team Leader nodded.
“That was his last domestic position. For the past twenty years, Song Cheon-woo’s title has remained fixed as Director of the European Headquarters. That’s why younger hunters like myself and Jin Tae-kyung don’t know him well.”
“Excluding you, Choi Team Leader. I suspect you might be one of the people who knows Song Cheon-woo better than anyone. Isn’t that right?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Who do you take me for, a fool? Cheon Tae—my apologies. Anyway, he seems quite connected to that person, and since even Kim Butler knows of him, there must be some connection. If I may give another example….”
“For example?”
The thought didn’t take long. I dredged up a memory that wasn’t particularly old and blurted out a single phrase.
“Director of the European Division.”
“…!”
“Choi Team Leader mentioned it before. When he was with the Ares Guild, he said he was constantly rotated through overseas branches. I think the European region was among them.”
A faint smile spread across Choi Team Leader’s lips. A direct hit.
“You have quite the memory.”
“I’m not that much of an idiot, you know.”
“Your assumption is correct, Jin Tae-kyung. Song Cheon-woo has served my maternal grandfather since before I was born. Five years ago, when I was assigned to the European branch, I kept him at my side using my authority as division director.”
“Then perhaps there was some personal connection….”
“Now that I think about it, ‘kept at my side’ doesn’t quite fit. I should correct that to ‘surveillance and isolation.'”
“…Not even a speck of affection, then. Yes. Continue.”
“Based on what I’ve directly witnessed and experienced, Song Cheon-woo is a man whose abilities fall short of the ambitions he harbors. His past competitors were simply that inadequate.”
Past competitors?
There’s no need to deliberate on this. I murmured a single name.
“Lee Jung-yong.”
“A Mountain can have only one master. Even if they were once friends, one of them had to leave.”
Now the pieces finally fit together. Why someone of this caliber had to leave the country so soon after his defeat. Why he had to languish in the hollow title of European Division Director for a full twenty years.
Twenty years in that prestigious-sounding position.
‘A demotion.’
That’s right. This was clearly a demotion.
Lee Jung-yong, victorious in the power struggle within the Ares Guild, had exiled his rival Song Cheon-woo to Europe, where he slowly faded from people’s memories.
Or rather, Lee Jung-yong had ensured he would be forgotten.
‘If that’s the case, then this….’
The material I was reading now wasn’t some tabloid scraped together from the internet.
It was thorough research with expert analysis, bordering on surveillance.
‘No wonder he sent a separate file.’
I muttered to myself and stared at the smartphone screen.
Unlike the internet biography page that had stopped updating five years ago, the final page of this material covered recent events.
· November 15, 2046. Discussion regarding retirement during a British Ambassador’s reception. Audio file attached.
· November 28, 2046. Purchase of a two-story mansion of approximately 300 pyeong in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Appears to be for residence after retirement.
· January 1, 2047. Entry through Incheon Airport. Secret meetings with key figures in the Ares Guild’s board of directors. Exact number of attendees and names attached in supplementary materials.
· January 2, 2047. Attendance at Lee Jung-yong’s funeral. Secondary meetings with key guild figures and prominent political and business figures.
· January 4, 2047. Official board meeting of the Ares Guild regarding the appointment of a new Sub-Guild Master. Appointment of Seok Go-jun passed after three rounds of revoting.
.
.
From about two months ago until now, information about Song Cheon-woo’s movements was densely packed.
And simply by reading the text, I could clearly discern what changes had occurred in his state of mind.
“This Song Cheon-woo fellow. He’s quite ambitiously dreaming of a comeback.”
Choi Team Leader nodded at my words.
“In November, he subtly conveyed his intention to resign in private, and even purchased a mansion domestically to reside in after retirement. However….”
“Lee Jung-yong is dead.”
“Yes. It was an unforeseen development that no one anticipated. For someone on the verge of retirement, it must have seemed like a final opportunity.”
“Moreover, the opponent wasn’t Lee Jung-yong but Seok Go-jun. He probably thought that if he joined forces with Choi Team Leader, it would be worth attempting.”
The fact that Seok Go-jun held three separate revotes to inherit the Sub-Guild Master position was proof of exactly that.
Song Cheon-woo, in his seventies and facing retirement, was gathering power from all directions, aiming for one final strike.
“For someone of such advanced years, he certainly lives with remarkable vigor.”
At my murmur, Choi Team Leader let out a soft chuckle.
“That’s the allure that power possesses, isn’t it? And thanks to that, an opportunity has come to me as well.”
“That’s fine. Everything is fine, but…”
What is this feeling? My mouth felt gritty, as though I’d bitten down on a handful of sand.
As I stood silently, staring intently at Song Cheon-woo’s face reflected on the screen, Choi Team Leader’s quiet voice pierced my ears.
“And if this succeeds… grandfather and grandson could finally face each other after all this time.”
What grandson?
I blinked blankly, but it wasn’t long before I grasped the meaning behind those words.
“Surely not?”
The savior of the twenty-first century who rescued humanity. An immortal hero forever etched in humanity’s memory, yet one who vanished beyond an invisible veil one day.
‘Cheon Tae-min.’
Even when his only bloodline faced crisis, even when Lee Jung-yong died, he never revealed himself.
And the grandson born of that hero’s bloodline opened his mouth, his expression now devoid of any trace of laughter.
“Song Cheon-woo. He knew. He knew where my Maternal Grandfather was.”
* * *
Security Team Leader Go Se-won gazed quietly at the teacup placed before him.
The once-steaming cup had long since grown cold, and atop the deliberately remaining bit of tea, tea leaves floated about.
‘My circumstances are just like this cup.’
After finishing my report, I’d been staring at this teacup for over an hour—now I was even beginning to sympathize with it.
But there was nothing to be done about it. I merely reported the facts as they were. I wasn’t the one giving orders.
Moreover, considering the gravity of the matter I’d conveyed this time, I was fortunate that I hadn’t destroyed everything around me like last time.
‘Long deliberation. The longer one thinks, the better the result tends to be.’
But in the next moment, a single word from my superior shattered that hope entirely.
“Kill them.”
“Sir?”
“Kill them. The son, the grandson. The daughter-in-law. All of them.”
Thud.
The file folder that fell from the table scattered across the floor as it struck.
Three characters reading “Song Cheon-woo.” And in Seok Go-jun’s eyes, as he gazed upon the photograph of that man with his prominent cheekbones, flames flickered.
“Has this old man lost his mind….”

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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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