Murim Login - Chapter 740

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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 740
The subtleties of Mana Cultivation Method extended far beyond merely advancing one’s power.
It naturally purged the waste that accumulated within the body and calmed the mind—these too were among the manifold benefits one could attain through Mana Cultivation Method.
And needless to say, at such heightened concentration, all five senses reached their zenith.
‘This is…’
Thud, thud.
Footsteps thundered from beyond the door.
Recognizing the uninvited guest lingering outside, I gathered my power and withdrew from cultivation.
Ding.
The moment the system notification chimed to signal the end of Mana Cultivation Method, the doorknob turned behind me.
Click.
A pungent odor wafted through the narrow gap of the cautiously opened door.
I exhaled deeply, concluding everything, and opened my mouth.
“I thought I said no one was to enter until I came out myself. What is it—are you a monster who can’t understand human speech? Or do you simply have no intention of listening?”
The uninvited guest, Skeleton King, hesitated for a moment before letting out a dry cough.
“Ahem. How did you know it was me?”
“Presence.”
“Presence?”
“Yeah. Since you’re already dead, you don’t breathe.”
“…That’s oddly convincing, yet somehow insulting.”
“I have no obligation to please you.”
I threw on a tracksuit I’d carelessly discarded nearby and turned around. Skeleton King stood there like a butler, holding a gleaming silver tray.
“So, what brings you here?”
Under normal circumstances, he would have already been thoroughly offended, his complaints pouring forth.
But today’s Skeleton King was different. He glanced at me cautiously before setting the silver tray down on the floor.
“Eat. I brought this myself for you.”
“I told you not to bring things like this.”
“Yet you haven’t eaten in over four days.”
Over four days?
Hearing something unexpected, I suddenly looked around.
A room sealed on all sides without a single window. Whether because I’d entered without my smartphone or because my mind had been too consumed to notice, I’d lost all sense of time.
‘Has it really come to this?’
Humans are peculiar creatures. The moment I realized the days that had slipped away, a belated hunger crept upon me—proof of that peculiarity.
But…
Did I have any right to feel hunger?
Thousands had died, tens of thousands wounded. I cannot know what lives each of them had lived, but most were surely innocent.
Those very people suffered because of what I had done. They died, were injured, lost cherished family and friends.
Not long ago, those who had hailed me as a hero turned away one by one, and the arrows of condemnation extended to those close to me.
All because they were near me.
‘Where did it all go wrong? Where did it begin?’
I locked myself away in my room to resolve that nagging question that wouldn’t leave my mind. Day after day, I passed the time through breathing exercises and contemplation, neither eating nor sleeping.
And finally, I found an answer.
Not a complete resolution that would settle everything, but an understanding profound enough to let me forget, at least for a moment.
“That smells good.”
“Huh?”
“Not you. The food.”
The Skeleton King, momentarily caught off guard by my sudden remark, responded.
“Oh, right. Miso stew and braised short ribs.”
Just from the aroma alone, I could tell whose handiwork it was.
Recalling my Mother’s anxious face as she’d prepared meals these past few days, I lifted the lid covering the silver tray.
Click.
I gazed at the steaming food rising with heat, and for the first time in ages, I took a spoonful of the miso stew.
And the moment it entered my mouth, I spat it right back out.
Ptui.
“What? Why, why?”
What is this?
Alternating my gaze between the bewildered Skeleton King and the miso stew, I opened my mouth with a bitter expression.
“Who made this?”
“Your Younger Sister.”
“…Ah. I see.”
“Is there a problem?”
A problem. Yes, there is. A serious one at that.
But instead of answering, a quiet laugh escaped me unbidden.
I’m not sure why, but it just… happened.
“I’ll just eat this and go.”
“What?”
“I’m saying I’ll just eat this and leave. Oh, and take a shower too.”
For a moment, the Skeleton King seemed not to understand my words, blinking rapidly before hastily nodding his head.
“Oh? Yes, yes, understood. Then I shall…”
“Yeah. See you later.”
Watching the creature slip away like a thief, quietly closing the door behind him, another inexplicable laugh burst from me.
Setting down my spoon, I picked up the braised short ribs and took a large bite.
Most fortunately, the braised short ribs were indeed my Mother’s work.
* * *
“There were vicious dogs biting people, so I dealt with them, but now two mad dogs have appeared.”
At my first words after days of absence, Choi Team Leader, whose lips had been trembling as if to say something, nodded.
“That’s right. Those two mad dogs bit even more people.”
“Do you also think it’s my fault, Choi Team Leader?”
“Mad dogs are nothing more than mad dogs. In the end, it’s merely a difference of timing and justification—they would have bared their fangs at people regardless.”
“But as a result, I was the one who gave them the opportunity to do so.”
“If you insist on blaming yourself, then let’s say we all share that blame. Jin Tae-kyung didn’t act alone, did he?”
“That’s right. I myself accomplished great deeds in the Desert.”
At Skeleton King’s sudden interjection, Choi Team Leader shrugged his shoulders.
“I see.”
“It’s not self-blame. It’s just that I felt I needed to be clear about that much.”
Every event has its cause and consequence.
And given that so many have died and been injured, I cannot absolve myself of responsibility for those causes.
Nor do I wish to.
“I understand those who criticize me. As for those who support me, I’m simply grateful.”
“Is that all?”
“No. The most important part is still to come.”
I continued speaking with composure.
“No matter what the world says, I will capture those mad dogs.”
Upon hearing my answer, Skeleton King’s eyes gleamed, and a faint smile played at the corners of Choi Team Leader’s mouth.
“You’ve found your own answer.”
“It may not be a complete answer, but it should be enough reason to keep moving forward, shouldn’t it?”
“That’s sufficient. Then I can share some information with a considerably lighter heart.”
“Some information, you say….”
“We’ve been compiling information related to Michael Silbert and the Odin Guild since before this incident occurred. The results came in not long ago.”
Choi Team Leader, who had been monitoring the movements of other major guilds even before the Mana Cultivation Method was made public. Given his meticulous nature, it was only natural.
“What is it? I hope it’s good news, if possible.”
“Unfortunately, there’s bad news as well. Which would you prefer to hear first?”
“Things couldn’t possibly get worse than they already are. Tell me the bad news first.”
Choi Team Leader chuckled softly and withdrew a thick stack of documents from a drawer.
“I’ve organized it as best I could, but the volume is still quite substantial.”
“What is this?”
“Information regarding assets and businesses owned by the Odin Guild. Of course, a considerable portion of these remain hidden.”
“You mean shell companies?”
“Yes. Legally unrelated, but in practice operated as subsidiaries of the Odin Guild. Other major guilds and corporations commonly use such methods, but… the scale here is in a different dimension entirely.”
Though I’m essentially blind when it comes to such matters, the sheer thickness of the stacked documents was enough to give me a sense of the scope.
As I skimmed through documents filled with terminology and sentences I couldn’t begin to comprehend, I searched for the closest comparison.
“More than the Ares Guild?”
“You’d need to combine the Ares Guild and the Peace Guild into one, then add several more major guilds on top of that.”
“Insane.”
“Just counting the Gates under the Odin Guild’s management, the number exceeds two hundred worldwide. Since they’re permanently leased, they’re essentially owned, and through them, vast quantities of mana stones flow out.”
Even if a considerable portion came through unofficial channels, possessing over two hundred Gates would put them on par with a small nation.
Or perhaps even exceed it, considering the combat power of their affiliated Hunters.
‘…I wish he’d just been a mad dog after all.’
To speak frankly, Michael Silbert is not merely a mad dog.
He’s a seasoned fighting dog among fighting dogs, and worse still, an intelligent one at that.
‘But he’s definitely someone who needs to be beaten to death.’
Muttering to myself, I suddenly recalled something.
“Then is there any possibility that the mana stones from that Gate were used in this terrorist attack without being refined?”
“No. At least not according to the records.”
“According to the records?”
“As you know, Jin Tae-kyung, Michael Silbert is a meticulous man. He has no reason to risk smuggling unrefined mana stones, and even if he did, he wouldn’t leave any openings. The mana stones used in the terrorist attack likely came from the Middle East or Africa.”
It was a persuasive argument.
The Middle East and Africa had been hotbeds of terrorism and civil war even before the Cataclysm, and even now, somewhere in those regions, bloodshed and conflict continued without end.
No one could know exactly how many mana stones emerged from Gates controlled by terrorists and rebels, or how many of those were unrefined.
Moreover, Michael Silbert was not alone.
He had a collaborator as mad as himself—a reliable ally.
“The Prophet.”
At those three words I suddenly blurted out, Choi Team Leader nodded with a hardened expression.
“I’ve already conducted a thorough investigation into him as well.”
“What kind of person is he?”
I was genuinely curious.
The true identity of that madman who had decapitated the leaders of two massive terrorist organizations, rallied the scattered terrorists, and shaken the entire world.
But the next moment, Choi Team Leader’s voice fell far short of my expectations.
“We don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“No. Considering various circumstances, there is virtually no information about The Prophet. In fact, he completely disappeared without a trace after that declaration.”
“Wait. Even the United States doesn’t know?”
“Not just the United States. Even with the entire world mobilized now, we still can’t find him.”
I blinked, thinking.
Did that make any sense?
That madman who called himself The Prophet had turned not just the United States but the entire world upside down. Yet he managed to evade everyone’s eyes and vanish completely.
“Could they know but be keeping it classified for security reasons?”
“I recently made contact with Chuck Haigl. He swore to God that he has no idea where The Prophet is.”
Chuck Haigl, who had fought alongside me in the Desert, was the United States Secretary of Defense before being an S-rank Hunter.
If he wasn’t lying, and the Secretary of Defense himself didn’t know, then it truly meant The Prophet had vanished into thin air.
‘What the hell is that bastard doing?’
Just as I was furrowing my brow, Choi Team Leader continued.
“And one more thing. Mr. Johnson contacted us. He said he found a likely candidate among the great mages who had contact with Michael Silbert. He said we could learn more critical information through him.”
Fortunately, this was good news.
Though I hadn’t heard his name yet, that great mage would know something about Michael Silbert’s true nature.
He was the key figure who had directly created Area A of the Ares Guild and knew about Cheon Tae-min’s condition.
As one of only three great mages in the entire world, he would become a new lead.
Or so I thought.
Until I heard Magic Johnson’s voice on the phone that came through to Choi Team Leader not long after.
– Damn it. He’s dead.

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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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