Murim Login - Chapter 575

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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 575
There was no need to verify with my own eyes, no need to rush forward and check for a pulse.
The moment the spear blade, engulfed in azure flame, pierced through the Kraken’s massive body, I understood.
‘It’s over.’
A sickening crunch, followed by a deafening boom.
A simultaneous severing and internal detonation of fiery energy.
The monster’s head, stretching over ten meters in length, burst like a balloon, and azure blood that hadn’t yet evaporated rained down upon the sea surface like a downpour.
And in the next moment.
Crash—
As the Kraken’s colossal body finally collapsed, a clear bell-like chime pierced my ears.
Ding.
–
[Lv.140 ‘King of the Black Sea’ Kraken]
has been defeated!
– You have acquired a massive amount of experience!
–
[Universal Antidote]
has neutralized all toxins in your body!
– Status abnormality,
[Poison]
has been removed!
– Status abnormality,
[Paralysis]
has been removed!
Despite the system notification of the Kraken’s defeat, my mouth felt gritty, as though I were chewing sand.
‘Damn it.’
I should have kept it alive. I should have found a way to keep it alive and extract the true identity of whoever was behind this.
But a single moment of carelessness had brought irreversible consequences, and the Kraken died, leaving an unsolved mystery in its wake.
If it had attacked me directly, there would have been sufficient opportunity—but that wasn’t what happened.
‘It’s already too late.’
The Kraken was far more cunning than I had anticipated.
It knew I was stronger than it even while poisoned, and it understood that escape was impossible.
That’s why it targeted the survivors instead. Better to die than be captured.
And faced with the Kraken’s final desperate gambit, I had only one choice.
“…”
I exhaled slowly, gazing at the Kraken’s corpse half-submerged in the seawater.
It was an unavoidable decision. If I hadn’t killed it in a single strike, someone would have died right before my eyes.
The phrase about sacrificing the few for the many sounds noble on the surface, but its true essence is nothing more than sacrifice—allowing meaningless death to occur when I possessed the power to prevent it.
‘I should have remained vigilant until the very end….’
But the water has already been spilled.
I won’t deny that I feel anxious and regretful about failing to uncover who was behind all this, but I don’t regret killing the Kraken.
Because there are people alive because of my choice.
“Help! Please, help us here!”
“Cough! Please, my child…!”
“Mom! Mooooom!”
Perhaps it was because I fought so far away.
Hundreds had already perished before I even arrived, but there were still more survivors waiting for rescue than casualties.
To the desperate cries of people echoing from the turbulent sea and the collapsed Gwangandaegyo Bridge, I forcibly shook off my exhaustion and unleashed my divine form.
Screeeech!
The briny, refreshing scent of the sea seeped deep into my nostrils.
I became a single gust of wind, racing across the water’s surface.
Reaching the people beyond the Kraken’s floating corpse, I swiftly pulled them up and instructed them.
“It’s dangerous, so everyone must stay here. Those of you who are able, please help me rescue others first.”
A young man who looked relatively unharmed spat out water and opened his mouth.
“Cough. B-but we should still escape somewhere else….”
“Escape?”
“Y-yes.”
I raised my hand and pointed somewhere. Black smoke rising between the densely packed Building District on all sides.
These ordinary civilians wouldn’t be able to hear it, but with my extraordinarily developed senses, I already knew.
– Ssssshhh!
– Tanker! Three-point advance!
– The building! The building is collapsing! Civilians are in danger!
– Aaaahhh!
Boom boom boom! Crash!
Faint screams and thunderous sounds—evidence that urban combat between humans and monsters was unfolding not far away.
And simultaneously in multiple locations nearby.
“There are monsters waiting all around. Do you still want to go?”
“…No. I’ll stay here.”
At least he understood quickly.
Even though the Kraken is dead, everything isn’t over.
To completely quell this chaos, it seemed I would need to spend the entire day very busy.
Screeeech, boom!
The survivors watched my form burst from the water’s surface with vacant stares.
* * *
Everyone eats.
But it’s undeniable that the formality of a meal differs depending on who shares it with you and where it takes place.
In that sense, today’s meal between just two people held considerable formality.
The late breakfast stretched on for a full two hours with gentle conversation flowing between them, and soon a beautifully decorated glass of sikhye appeared on the pristine white tablecloth.
“Since Lunar New Year is coming soon, I prepared tteokguk… I’m not sure if the meal suited our Choi Team Leader’s taste.”
At the polite yet gentle voice, Choi Min-woo, who wiped his mouth with a napkin, opened his mouth.
“It tastes absolutely wonderful, thanks to the President’s thoughtful consideration.”
“Haha. I’m glad to hear it.”
The middle-aged man seated across from me, President Baek Han-sung, smiled warmly and continued speaking.
“You’ve been so busy lately that you hardly have time for proper meals. So I made a special request to our Blue House chef. I told him you were an important guest and to take extra care with your meal.”
The phrase “important guest” was far from mere flattery.
Being invited to a breakfast at the Blue House alone signified considerable influence, but a private meal between just two people carried an entirely different significance.
It meant President Baek Han-sung regarded Choi Min-woo as exceptionally important.
“It’s nice to see someone eat well. It’s quite satisfying, actually.”
Choi Min-woo bowed his head slightly.
“Thank you for your kindness. Though I must say, I’m not starving myself as much as you might think. I’m sorry for causing you unnecessary concern.”
“Ah, is that so? I suppose you have a personal chef on staff?”
“No, actually. Someone has been taking care of my meals recently.”
“Someone who prepares your meals for you? Ah, could it be…?”
Choi Min-woo nodded slightly.
“Jin Tae-kyung’s mother prepares my meals.”
“His mother cooks for you personally?”
“Yes. I’ve tried to decline, but she’s quite stubborn about it.”
President Baek Han-sung let out a small exclamation.
He already knew that Jin Tae-kyung’s family was temporarily staying at Choi Min-woo’s mansion, but hearing it directly from the man himself carried a different weight.
‘If she’s even preparing his meals… they’re far more intimate than I realized.’
Jin Tae-kyung and Choi Min-woo. Choi Min-woo and Jin Tae-kyung.
From President Baek Han-sung’s perspective, these two were invaluable assets—the only counterbalance to the overwhelming influence wielded by the Ares Guild.
Jin Tae-kyung, who possessed tremendous prestige, and Choi Min-woo, the grandson and sole blood relative of Cheon Tae-min.
With these two at his side, he could ascend to even greater heights.
After becoming South Korea’s youngest president, there was every possibility he could become the first president to be reelected under the revised laws.
‘By any means necessary, I must make these two mine.’
While President Baek Han-sung entertained such political calculations, Choi Min-woo sipped his coffee, lost in entirely different thoughts.
‘That evening menu she said she’d prepare today… it was kimchi stew, wasn’t it?’
It was strange. Despite having just finished eating, his stomach felt empty, gnawed by hunger.
More than the rice cake soup prepared with such care by the Blue House’s acclaimed Korean cuisine master, he craved the kimchi stew made by Jin Tae-kyung’s mother.
Fluffy white rice cooked in a pressure cooker—a rarity these days—paired with tender pork and kimchi.
And people crowded around a single table, chopsticks moving frantically in cheerful chaos.
‘Hmm.’
Choi Min-woo suddenly noticed himself licking his lips and let out a quiet laugh of realization.
‘That’s it. That’s what it is.’
He didn’t particularly care for rice cake soup or kimchi stew.
The reason he looked forward to evening meals wasn’t because her cooking surpassed the Blue House chef’s skill.
It was simply… that place. That warmth of sharing a meal with warm-hearted people.
‘Home.’
And family.
For Choi Min-woo, those two words—family—were something he had lost when he was shorter than the chair he now sat in. Something he had long believed could never be recovered.
‘No. If we’re talking about family, there is still one person left.’
A hero who saved humanity. A living savior.
Yet one person whose own family he could not protect.
Choi Min-woo recalled his final meeting with his maternal grandfather, a memory so distant it had nearly faded, and murmured softly to himself.
‘Soon… I’ll be able to see him again.’
As he thought of his maternal grandfather, who had secluded himself for decades, an emotion whose meaning he could not quite grasp suddenly stirred within him.
President Baek Han-sung, noticing the unusual atmosphere emanating from Choi Min-woo, asked with concern.
“Is something troubling you?”
“Ah. No, sir. Nothing at all.”
“Haha. I see. Well then, since we’ve finished our meal, there are urgent matters I need to discuss with the Team Leader….”
The door burst open.
However, President Baek Han-sung’s words never reached their conclusion.
Upon seeing the aide who had entered without knocking, his brow furrowed.
“I said no one was to enter.”
“My apologies. I tried my best to avoid this, but you weren’t answering calls….”
“Calls? Of course I had my phone on silent.”
This was an important conversation. Considering their respective positions, pulling out a smartphone would have been quite disrespectful.
“Huff, I’m terribly sorry. But this matter is extremely urgent.”
Ragged breathing and beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.
Sensing something amiss in the aide’s appearance, Choi Min-woo retrieved the smartphone he kept in his suit jacket’s inner pocket.
Over a dozen missed calls from Kim Butler and accumulated messages.
A sense of foreboding welled up from deep within his heart.
‘Could it be…?’
And the moment he confirmed the contents of the messages, his carefully groomed eyebrows twitched.
〈 Kim Butler
Kim Butler
Emergency Busan Monster Wave outbreak
Massive Named Monster appearance
Young Master where are you
Young Mas—
The sender was Kim Butler.
The messages were brief, yet their contents were far from trivial.
‘A Monster Wave, and in Busan of all places?’
Busan was South Korea’s second-largest city, home to millions. A single tumble from a massive Named Monster would cause catastrophic casualties.
The greater problem, however, was what was currently pouring from the aide’s lips.
“The barrier activation was delayed by approximately ten minutes. The Monster Wave occurred far too suddenly, and with the Gate Management Office and all surrounding facilities destroyed in the process….”
“Are you serious right now?!”
“I-I’m terribly sorry.”
The aide, drenched in cold sweat, continued speaking.
“However, according to a report that came in just a minute ago, the colossal Named Monster has been suppressed. Thanks to Hunter Jin Tae-kyung arriving at the scene at precisely the right moment….”
“What? You’re certain?”
“Yes. I’m certain. The remaining monster swarms are being eliminated at the scene, and survivors are being extracted.”
“…Phew. Thank goodness for that, at least.”
President Baek Han-sung exhaled in relief, and Choi Min-woo rose from his seat without hesitation.
Even with the immediate crisis averted, the situation was far too precarious for leisurely conversation.
“I’ll take my leave now, Mr. President.”
“Of course. We can continue this discussion another time.”
Choi Min-woo had barely exchanged these brief courtesies and stepped out of the Blue House when—
Bzzzzzzt.
His smartphone, powered back on, vibrated with insistent force.
Choi Team Leader, already suspecting who was calling, answered immediately.
“Yes, Kim Butler. I’m heading there now….”
– Come back.
“…!”
Choi Min-woo’s footsteps froze in place.
Through the receiver, Song Cheon-woo’s weathered voice resonated.
– Wait a moment. We need to talk. It’s urgent.

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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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