Murim Login - Chapter 570

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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 570
Eight o’clock in the morning.
Even as the new year dawned, the rhythm of daily life remained unchanged.
Office workers in crisp suits hurried along the commute with exhausted faces, while the roads congested with tightly packed vehicles.
Honk, honk!
The middle-aged driver sitting in the van’s driver seat grumbled as he rolled up the window he’d left half-open against the relentless blaring of horns.
“Damn it. This godforsaken road hasn’t improved even after the catastrophe. What the hell are people supposed to do—drive or not drive?”
Cursing while driving is as inevitable as the laws of nature. Especially when driving in Busan.
The middle-aged driver laid on the horn as he watched a compact car attempt to cut in without signaling.
Honk!
But if the driver had possessed even basic driving etiquette, the situation wouldn’t have arisen in the first place.
The compact car, celebrating its cut-in with high beams in broad daylight, glided smoothly ahead. The middle-aged driver cursed upon seeing the message plastered across the rear window.
[Child on board.]
“…Damn it, hell, and the kid’s in there while you drive like that?”
Realizing belatedly that he’d cursed aloud, the middle-aged driver glanced toward the passenger seat and cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Ahem. Sorry about that.”
The young man sitting in the passenger seat responded matter-of-factly.
“It’s fine. These things happen.”
His voice was directed at the middle-aged driver, but his gaze tilted diagonally toward the window outside. The driver, catching a glimpse of this, spoke again.
“Your name was… Dong-seok, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good thing I remembered. With everything exploding all over the place lately, it’s hard to keep track of three names.”
“I understand. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not sure if I mentioned it before, but my name is…”
“I’ll just call you Team Leader. It’s easier that way.”
Just as the Team Leader blinked in bewilderment, Lee Dong-seok, the young man who’d answered with razor-sharp precision, dropped a comment.
“And Team Leader.”
“Huh? What?”
“The light changed.”
Honk!
Snapping back to attention at the horn blaring from behind, the Team Leader stepped on the accelerator. As the van lurched forward roughly, his brow furrowed.
‘That kid’s got some nerve. Damn brat.’
The Team Leader, muttering inwardly, soon reconsidered his thoughts.
Right, what did it matter if he lacked manners? It was only a one-day job anyway. As long as he performed his assigned duties properly, that was enough.
‘Besides, he’s a hundred times better than some trembling rookie or a loudmouth.’
The Team Leader was a C-rank Hunter who’d been working freelance for several years.
Because of this, he naturally understood that a competent fighter with no manners was far preferable to someone polite and well-behaved.
‘At least he won’t screw up and disappear like that bastard did recently.’
After the last team member had made a critical mistake at the Gate and vanished, he’d needed to find a temporary replacement—and that’s how Lee Dong-seok had come into the picture.
His resume was impeccable, and from what the Team Leader had assessed firsthand, his abilities as a Hunter were quite considerable. It was almost strange that someone of his caliber was working as a freelancer.
‘Well, if it works out, that’s good enough.’
In times like these, finding people was a job in itself.
Even now, the quiet conversation of DJs drifting from the radio touched upon the greatest reason behind the recent shortage of Hunters.
– We have a comment from Shin A-young, a woman in her twenties living in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Three days ago, a mutated Gate ruptured near my house. Because something like that happened just ten minutes away, I’ve been so anxious I can’t sleep.
– Oh my… of all places, you had to be living in that neighborhood. What a mess.
– I remember seeing this on the news too. It was said to be an extremely dangerous situation that could have caused massive damage if things had gone wrong.
– Thank goodness it stopped just before the Monster Wave. Really.
The Team Leader turned up the radio volume.
The mutated Gate in Pocheon that had occurred just four days ago was an incident he, as a Hunter, couldn’t possibly be unaware of.
Lee Dong-seok, who had been staring out the window, seemed to be listening intently as well.
– And fortunately, there were no casualties from this incident either, I hear.
– That’s right. Thanks to stopping the Monster Wave, there was no civilian damage whatsoever, and the mutated Gate was suppressed swiftly.
– The Emergency Rescue Team, right? From the Peace Guild.
– Exactly. While Jin Tae-kyung, the Hunter everyone knows, didn’t personally respond, the Peace Guild’s Emergency Rescue Team showed remarkable performance.
– These days, both domestically and internationally, the rise in magical power levels is a serious issue, but our country has been recognized globally as having the swiftest response and minimal damage.
– That’s truly remarkable. Not only Jin Tae-kyung and the Peace Guild’s Emergency Rescue Team, but all the Hunters fighting monsters in these circumstances deserve…
As the DJ’s voice continued, the Team Leader glanced over at Lee Dong-seok.
“Come to think of it, you’re pretty impressive too, Dong-seok.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Well, running Raids in dangerous times like these isn’t easy.”
As magical power levels increased, monsters grew stronger, and mutated Gates that used to appear once or twice a year now surfaced every three days, making headlines on the nine o’clock news.
The Team Leader turned the steering wheel as he continued speaking.
“I do this because of my family, but you’re still in your twenties and not even a breadwinner. Is it youthful vigor or something?”
“No, sir.”
“Huh?”
“It’s simply what I must do. It’s something I have to do.”
His resolute answer and eyes gleaming with clarity—a side of him different from before—made the Team Leader blink.
“Is… is that so?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Well, that’s admirable. Your professional spirit as a Hunter is quite solid.”
Now that the other party had responded this way, he felt flustered. Especially those eyes of Lee Dong-seok, shining with such unwavering resolve that the word “sense of duty” seemed fitting.
‘What’s with this guy?’
A young man without manners but burning with justice. A youth dreaming of becoming a hero in turbulent times. Whatever it was, one thing was certain—he was an unusual fellow.
Muttering inwardly, the Team Leader slowly applied the brakes. As he parked the medium-sized van in the Gate Management Office parking lot and stepped out, his team members came rushing over.
“Hey, Team Leader Kim’s here?”
“Welcome, boss.”
“You’re early, hyung. But who’s the person next to you…?”
“This is Dong-seok. You know, that temporary recruit we got this time.”
“Ah, right. Looks like a Seoul guy at first glance.”
“He’s probably from Seoul. Dong-seok, these are our team members…
The Team Leader turned his head naturally and blinked. Lee Dong-seok’s condition seemed decidedly off.
“Lee Dong-seok. Are you feeling unwell?”
“….”
“Hey. Lee Dong-seok?”
Lee Dong-seok, who had been staring silently at the Gate with a rigid expression, wiped the cold sweat beading on his forehead.
“No, sir. I just suddenly felt a bit nervous, that’s all.”
“Hmm. Really? You’re sure you’re fine?”
“Yes. There’s no problem whatsoever.”
The Team Leader regarded Lee Dong-seok with a suspicious gaze, but having already come this far to the Gate Entrance, there was nothing to be done about it.
The management director overseeing the C-rank Gate located in Haeundae, Siren’s Black River, was already ambling toward them from a distance.
“Ah, Kim Team. You’ve arrived.”
“Yes. We’re a bit late.”
“No issues, right? Everyone’s accounted for?”
The Team Leader, glancing sideways at Lee Dong-seok, nodded.
“Of course.”
“You’re certain? You know the regulations have been tightened. If something goes wrong, it’s on both of us….”
“Ugh, I know. Have you ever seen my team or me cause an accident? Besides, you’re going to inspect everything anyway.”
“The situation’s been so tense lately, I’m just worried. And I was planning to do the inspection anyway.”
The inspection finished quickly. The management director, having checked everything with Lee Dong-seok last, let out a satisfied laugh.
“All right. Go ahead.”
Once permission was granted, everyone, including the Team Leader, bustled about noisily. But one person—Lee Dong-seok—was the exception.
He stood at the edge of the group, his eyes fixed on the Gate with an unsettling intensity.
Thump. Thump.
My heart hammered violently. Ever since my days at the orphanage, I’d suffered from cold extremities, but now my palms were drenched with cold sweat as if I’d contracted hyperhidrosis.
‘Don’t be nervous. Not until the very end.’
I had a mission. A mission I absolutely had to accomplish.
Just as Lee Dong-seok took a deep breath, the Team Leader walking at the front suddenly turned back and asked.
“Lee Dong-seok. Are you really sure you’re all right?”
“…Yes.”
“Your expression doesn’t look good. Your responses are delayed too. You’re not distracted or something, are you?”
“No, sir.”
The Team Leader would never know that the reason for Lee Dong-seok’s delayed response wasn’t distraction, but rather an unfamiliar name he still wasn’t accustomed to.
And Lee Dong-seok—or rather, he—had never forgotten his purpose for even a single moment.
“Don’t worry, sir. I will see it through.”
“What?”
The Team Leader’s expression momentarily conveyed incomprehension, but he soon cast a look suggesting the man was peculiar and turned back around.
They were already standing at the Gate Entrance.
“All right, before we enter, everyone together now—safety first!”
“Safety first!”
As the spirited chant echoed, the Team Leader stepped toward the Gate Entrance.
“Then, enter!”
Whoooosh!
The undulating mana engulfs the people one by one.
As the people rushed in, Lee Dong-seok suddenly lifted his gaze toward the sky.
A January morning. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the wind still carried winter’s chill.
And… this might be the last sky he would ever see in his lifetime.
‘I have a task to entrust to you.’
A voice from days past mingles with the wind, brushing against my ears.
Along with the answer I had given then.
‘I will do it.’
‘This task could put your life in danger.’
‘It is a life that the former Sub-Guild Master saved anyway.’
They said my mother, whose face I never saw, gave birth to me in a subway bathroom.
The newborn, wrapped in tissue and discarded in a trash bin, miraculously survived, and was sent to an orphanage secretly supported by Lee Jung-yong, where I grew up strong and healthy.
‘If I can be of help… I will do anything.’
Lee Jung-yong was a father to me, and the Ares Guild was no different from a home where I lived with that father.
I could do anything for him.
‘Please entrust it to me.’
At my answer, filled with resolute determination, the other person smiled deeply.
And handed me one item. The very thing now stored deep within my subspace pocket.
‘You must succeed, no matter what.’
That was the last thing. Having received the order, I changed everything—my face, my name, everything—and came down to Busan.
Carrying that precious and dangerous thing close to my heart.
“I… will definitely accomplish this.”
Soon, it was my turn.
Suppressing my fear and steadying myself with a whispered affirmation, I stepped toward the undulating mana field.
Whoooosh!
And about an hour later. Those outside the Gate could see it.
Beep beep beep beep beep!
Mana levels skyrocketing madly. And the transformation beginning at an unstoppable pace.
Screeeech.
Through the rent in the very fabric of space, a thick aura of death blanketed the sandy shores of Haeundae.
* * *
Arriving in Busan after riding three teleportation circles, I immediately understood. No—I could feel it.
– Kyaaaaaaah!
– Groaaaah!
Boom!
Countless screams echoing from afar, and a tremendous roar. And…
Thud thud thud!
A tremendous mana that shook the very earth itself.
“…Damn it.”

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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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