Murim Login - Chapter 601

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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 601
Reconstruction was underway at the Ares Guild Headquarters.
The air within the Council Chamber hung heavy with tension.
Thirty-odd men and women seated around a massive circular table in the center all wore grim expressions as they fixed their gaze upon a single speaker.
“…and that is why I have called this emergency meeting.”
Park Dae-won, the Vice President, spoke with barely concealed anxiety, and the moment his words ceased, reactions erupted from all corners simultaneously.
“Unbelievable. We were far too careless. And against a mere child not yet thirty at that.”
“The intention is painfully obvious. This is nothing short of an attempt to swallow the entire Ares Guild whole.”
“Wait, sir. Why would you convene an emergency meeting at the request of an outsider with no authority? Even if you are Vice President, this is unreasonable.”
Assailed by waves of condemnation from all directions, Park Dae-won dabbed his half-exposed forehead with a handkerchief.
Now approaching sixty, he found himself bewildered by the entirety of the situation.
‘Sigh. How did things come to this?’
Though he had distinguished himself in warfare, he possessed no talent whatsoever for political intrigue.
Fortunately, his disposition to avoid making enemies had allowed him to maintain his nominal position as Vice President all these years.
Yet merely ten days ago, while on leave before his retirement, he received news he could scarcely believe.
A single person had breached the Ares Guild Headquarters, and Seok Go-jun, the Sub-Guild Master, had been slain.
‘It cannot be.’
That was what he had thought. At least for the first ten minutes.
But everything had proven true. The fortress they had painstakingly built over thirty years had crumbled, and the newly appointed City Lord had lost his head before long establishing himself.
And the retainers who had barely escaped the Prosecution’s grasp were now voicing their grievances in unison.
“This is absurd! We need not entertain such nonsense.”
“We built the name Ares, and we have defended it. What right does an outsider—a mere child who knows nothing of the world—have to interfere?”
“Vice President Park, surely you cannot accept this!”
“….”
Park Dae-won drank from his water glass in silence.
Those gathered here were executives who had devoted at least ten years, at most thirty, to the Ares Guild.
Even though most of those who wielded real power within the Guild had been summoned by the Prosecution, their collective strength remained formidable.
‘…But that does not mean I can simply disregard him.’
Regarding Choi Min-woo, Park Dae-won was well aware.
Indeed, he could not help but know. Though Cheon Tae-min’s private life and family relations were strictly protected, a select few classified as close associates knew otherwise.
Park Dae-won, included among the founding members, was one of them.
‘I saw him first at his first birthday celebration, and the funeral was the last time.’
That child, gradually fading from memory, had grown tall and returned. To reclaim what he himself had lost so long ago.
Park Dae-won, who had merely acquiesced to all circumstances throughout his life, found this truth weighing heavily upon his heart.
It was a shallow guilt stemming from his past—from having turned away from Choi Min-woo, who had been completely excluded from within the Guild.
‘What am I to do?’
As Park Dae-won wrestled with his thoughts, a short, forceful voice cut through the clamorous Conference Hall filled with complaints.
“I was willing to observe how far this would go, but it has become too much of a spectacle to endure any longer.”
“…!”
“…!”
A chilling silence descended upon the Conference Hall. Multiple pairs of eyes snapped wide open, all converging on a single figure.
“Director Kim, what kind of reckless statement is that!”
“Director? You, Kim Gwang-pil! What nonsense are you spouting!”
After a brief silence, a harsh cry erupted, and Director Kim shrugged his shoulders with a deliberate shrug.
“Did I say anything incorrect? I merely called a spectacle a spectacle. And Director Baek, let’s watch our words. No matter how junior I am, I find such language rather uncomfortable to hear.”
“Now look here, you traitorous bastard…!”
Director Kim’s thick eyebrows twitched.
“What do you mean. A traitor?”
“That’s right, you son of a bitch! If it weren’t for traitors like you, we wouldn’t be in this dog-eat-dog situation!”
“The ones who acted like dogs were Director Baek’s faction. You can tell just by looking at who’s in detention right now, can’t you?”
“What?”
“It seems my joining Jin Tae-kyung along with several other executives bothered you greatly, but ultimately—Sub-Guild Master Seok. No, wait, what exactly has Seok Go-jun been doing? Or perhaps Director Baek also had a hand in it?”
“You, you bastard…!”
“Hey, Director Kim! Watch your tongue!”
“It’s you all who need to watch yours!”
“Hear, hear!”
“How dare these bastards!”
Inside the Conference Hall, divided into two factions with heated arguments flying back and forth, it was then that Vice President Park Dae-won, who had maintained silence alone, suddenly spoke.
“Strictly speaking, he’s not exactly an outsider.”
At those words, the executives who had been arguing with reddened faces froze.
“Pardon?”
“Vice President. What are you saying….”
“I’m referring to Choi Min-woo.”
Park Dae-won, who had slowly surveyed the thirty-odd executives, continued.
“Isn’t he the only grandson of Guild Master Cheon Tae-min?”
“…!”
“…!”
At those words that struck precisely at the blind spot, the Conference Hall fell into silence.
In that instant, the faces of Director Kim and his faction lit up brilliantly, while the faces of those who had been voicing complaints turned ashen.
“That’s, that’s merely a rumor, isn’t it?”
“Y-yes, that’s right. Brother. It’s just unconfirmed gossip.”
Since the incident at Sogyeok, information about Choi Min-woo’s identity had been leaking out bit by bit.
So their behavior was less about not knowing and more about pretending not to know.
But at least Park Dae-won was different.
“No, I’m certain. From what I recall, he’s definitely that person’s grandson. And….”
Before anyone could mount a rebuttal, Park Dae-won placed the smartphone in his hand onto the table and continued.
“It seems he’s made up his mind to reveal it himself.”
“What do you mean….”
“Trading blows is fine and all, but you should have at least checked the outside situation. We’ve even banned the secretaries you each brought from entering. Haven’t we?”
At those words, people who grasped something hurriedly pulled out their own smartphones.
And before even a minute had passed, gasps echoed throughout the room.
From dozens of smartphones, a video played—the Reporter’s urgent voice filling the air.
– Choi Min-woo! Could you please state your maternal grandfather’s name one more time, precisely?
And immediately after, a single voice rang out through the Council Chamber.
– Cheon Tae-min. The character for heaven, the character for great, the character for people. Cheon Tae-min. He is my maternal grandfather.
– …!
– …!
The endless camera flashes and murmuring noise vanished in an instant.
Not only in the location where the official press conference was held, but the situation inside the Council Chamber was identical.
A suspicion that had taken root in everyone’s hearts. Yet when that suspicion became reality and was announced to the world, its impact was far greater than imagination.
Especially when it concerned the sole bloodline of Cheon Tae-min, shrouded in mystery.
Moreover, everyone in the Council Chamber could simultaneously realize it.
‘He has finally drawn his blade.’
Twenty years of exile, no different from banishment.
The royal heir who had finally returned drew the sharpest blade at the most opportune moment. To reclaim what he had lost through his own strength.
But the most crucial question was where that blade would be swung, and against whom.
Gulp.
No one could easily speak. In an atmosphere where invisible tension stretched taut, time flowed filled with hushed whispers—until that moment.
Beep.
With a subtle electronic sound, everyone’s heads turned simultaneously. The source was a clock hanging on the wide Council Chamber wall.
A red LED, as if warning of danger, displayed the current time.
PM 06 : 00
Six o’clock in the evening.
The reason they had gathered here, and simultaneously, the time that signified someone’s arrival.
Footsteps, footsteps.
Everyone heard the sound of shoes crossing the Corridor outside, and without thinking, they reflexively rose from their seats.
And….
Click.
Beyond the gently opened door, two figures appeared.
“You’ve gathered early, I see.”
“Oh, this got fixed quickly. I think I broke it last time.”
The arrival of an occupying force—courteous yet rude, yet inescapable.
* * *
When I was young, my Father used to say it like a habit.
Son, when a man draws his blade once, he must cut through something.
From that perspective, Choi Team Leader was a man among men. He had come here not to cut through something, but to dismantle the Ares Guild itself.
“….”
Come to think of it, I had already dismantled it once, but regardless.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Choi Min-woo.”
As Choi Team Leader offered a polite greeting with a slight bow, the executives of the Ares Guild standing around the large round table awkwardly returned the gesture.
In three seconds, some faces bore expressions as dark as if the world were ending, while others displayed familiar countenances brimming with smiles.
They were the executives from Song Cheon-woo’s faction who had stood by my side during the Headquarters assault.
Yet there were also those whose attitudes remained ambiguous.
The elderly middle-aged man seated at the head of the table was one such person—Park Dae-won, the Vice President.
“Welcome, Team Leader Choi Min-woo.”
Choi Team Leader, who had been studying the complexly-expressioned man intently, nodded in acknowledgment.
“I hope my tardiness hasn’t caused offense. The press conference ran longer than anticipated, and I inadvertently committed a breach of etiquette.”
As expected, judging by their expressions, everyone had watched the broadcast faithfully.
Of course, roughly half of them seemed displeased with the atmosphere, as if they hadn’t felt the broadcast justified the effort.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth. Then, before you speak, please take a seat….”
“That’s unnecessary.”
Choi Team Leader, restraining Vice President Park Dae-won’s attempt to offer a seat, added gently.
“I’ll keep this brief anyway. Until now, the rest of you likely still regard me as an outsider, so wouldn’t things become awkward if this dragged on?”
“…Ahem.”
His pointed remark drew scattered coughs from various corners of the room.
Unbothered by such reactions, Choi Team Leader glanced around before suddenly speaking.
“I notice five seats are empty. The three advisors, and where are the branch managers from the United States and France?”
A stubborn-looking middle-aged man opened his mouth with a reluctant expression.
“You seem quite interested in our people.”
“I have a good memory, Director Baek.”
“….”
Just as Director Baek fell silent, an executive who had joined my side ten days prior answered swiftly.
“They did not attend.”
“It seems there were unavoidable circumstances. Isn’t that so?”
“The three advisors cited illness as their reason for non-attendance, and the two branch managers apparently refused to participate.”
“I specifically requested their attendance. It appears my intentions weren’t properly conveyed.”
As Choi Team Leader remarked this calmly, Director Baek spoke again.
“This isn’t an official meeting, but rather a gathering at an outsider’s request. There’s no compelling reason they must attend. Even if that outsider….”
He hesitated momentarily before continuing in a noticeably diminished voice.
“Were that person’s grandson.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
Choi Team Leader nodded in agreement and produced a small memo from his pocket, handing it over.
“What is this?”
“A prescription for the advisors who are suffering from illness. Ah, for the other two branch managers, something different will be sent instead of a prescription.”
Those who had used illness as an excuse for their absence would undoubtedly recover from all their ailments the moment they saw that memo.
After all, it contained detailed accounts of crimes yet to be revealed.
Director Baek, upon examining the memo, swallowed hard.
“This, this is….”
“Director Baek, your complexion doesn’t look well either. Shall I prepare a separate prescription for you?”
“Ah, no. What are you talking about! I, I’m fine!”
I stood with my arms crossed, watching the situation unfold, and muttered under my breath.
“Isn’t that an informal way of saying it’s okay?”
“Right, I’m fine.”
“101 Ways to Kill Without a Sound, by Jin Tae-kyung.”
“Right, I’m fine.”
Hmm. This man clearly understood the hint. I glanced at him standing there, swallowing dryly, and turned to address Choi Team Leader.
“Could we sit down and talk? My legs are killing me.”
“Well, you see… there aren’t really any available seats…”
Instead of letting him trail off further, I helpfully pointed to the head seat.
“There. That one’s empty.”
“Ah, I see. But would it be alright if I sat there?”
“Let’s vote. Majority rule. Anyone opposed? Raise your hand.”
“….”
No one raised their hand.

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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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