Murim Login - Chapter 743

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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 743
A space granted to only one person.
Within the flickering light that dimly illuminated the darkness, a bone-chilling sound of tearing flesh echoed through the chamber.
Crack. Crunch.
Bones and muscles twisted. A tremendous force surged with each heartbeat, bringing about transformation.
The weak became strong.
The strong became ever stronger.
My entire body was drenched in cold sweat, and a thin stream of blood trickled from between my clenched lips, sliding down my jaw.
Drip.
Blood droplets fell one after another.
Yet despite the excruciating agony that wrung my entire body, my gray eyes held no trace of fear or suffering.
For this pain—worse than death to some—had long since become familiar to me.
The reward for enduring such torment was always exquisite.
Just as it was now.
Whoooosh.
The tearing sound ceased.
In that same instant, the raging power within me rapidly stabilized.
The veins that had bulged so disturbingly across my body slowly receded, and the muscles that had convulsed naturally with the stimulation ceased their trembling.
And… I had obtained my ‘reward’ once more.
Boom! Crash!
In a single moment.
A tremendous wave of energy erupted from my center, sweeping across all directions.
The light that had dimly illuminated the space vanished, and everything within a radius of thirty meters crumbled to dust.
It was power.
Overwhelming power.
As Michael Silbert confirmed the changes that had occurred within me, the corners of my mouth curled upward.
Hummmmm.
A subtle vibration transmitted from somewhere.
Knowing well the meaning of that vibration, I rose from my position without hesitation.
As I extended my hand silently, a hidden door opened, and light from beyond poured in.
Step. Step.
My footsteps were powerful, belying the situation from moments before.
I crossed my vast Office—expansive enough to be called boundless—and came to a halt before a massive mirror.
A full-length mirror that gleamed with a faint vibration.
I gazed at my reflection on its flawlessly smooth surface, then placed my hand upon it.
Tap.
And in the next instant.
Whoosh!
With a brief flash, everything within the mirror reversed.
My figure and the landscape of the Office vanished without a trace, replaced by an endless horizon, slowly moving buildings, and the form of a single person filling the mirror’s surface.
Black skin and golden eyes. A silk hat and oval glasses—rarities in this modern age.
Michael offered a greeting to Huginn, the loyal servant who had been at his side for ages.
“You’ve been working hard, Huginn.”
Huginn, facing his superior, lifted his silk hat slightly in acknowledgment.
– Not at all, Guild Master.
A greeting such as that is sufficient.
The two men dove into business as though they had arranged it beforehand.
– An hour ago, the Swiss Federal Police recovered Siegfried Bassman’s corpse.
“And them?”
Them.
A brief question, yet there was no need to deliberate over whom it referred to.
Huginn immediately relayed what he knew.
– They were all released after light questioning as witnesses. If we exert ourselves fully, we might drag this to the International Court of Justice, but anything beyond that seems unlikely.
“That conclusion isn’t yours alone, I presume. Where does your information come from?”
– Within Switzerland, it’s Minister Berse.
“Berse?”
At the mention of the Interior Minister whose election as Swiss President next year was virtually assured, Michael nodded with composure.
“There’s no need to hear more. It would be best to wrap this up at an appropriate point.”
– I share your thinking, Guild Master, but given the nature of the matter, I believe it wouldn’t be a bad strategy to persist and keep pressing.
“Force them into a cesspool by any means?”
– Shouldn’t we seize them by the collar and shove them in? The moment this becomes public, the world’s attention will converge, and many will question the cause of Siegfried Bassman’s death. If that happens….
“All manner of conspiracy theories will flourish. They’ll become the primary target of those theories.”
– Yes. In the current situation, we could achieve considerable effect, could we not?
Yet Michael shook his head without hesitation.
“The essence of conspiracy theories is ultimately nothing but absurd drivel. Only fools obsessed with gossip and minds filled with delusions would suspect them.”
Siegfried Bassman was a towering figure whose influence extended far beyond Switzerland to the entire world.
Using his death to spread conspiracy theories about his enemies would be an easy task for Michael, but it would clearly backfire.
If he forcibly dragged his enemies into a cesspool, the filth would splash back onto himself as well.
“Most of the public won’t give a damn. Rather, people will emerge who suspect the circumstances surrounding them to be contrived. Those who cursed them until today will turn around tomorrow and embrace them warmly.”
From what Michael understood, humans were simply that kind of creature.
Deceived by the smallest falsehood, they hastily condemn, and once all truth is revealed, they swiftly change their stance and gently embrace the very person they had cursed.
As though nothing had ever happened.
As though the whole world had cursed him, but they alone had not.
And that was not the development Michael desired.
Setting aside the structure of this scenario with its uncertain conclusion, the most critical point was the absence of the most important character.
‘Jin Tae-kyung.’
A single name lingering on the tip of his tongue.
Using Siegfried Bassman’s death to apply pressure could only extend as far as Magic Johnson.
Of course, even that possibility was slim, and without toppling Jin Tae-kyung—the very center of everything—it would be nothing but a wasteful expenditure of effort.
“Withdraw from the Switzerland matter. There’s nothing to gain from it.”
Michael issued his instructions with calm but unwavering resolve, and Huginn responded.
– Understood. I will relay the same message to Minister Berse.
“That should suffice. How are matters progressing with the media outlets?”
– Excellently. Once we added fuel to the fire, it blazed magnificently. However, there is something I must report regarding that matter….
“Money?”
– Yes. They have demanded a sum far greater than we anticipated.
“Greedy lot. What they’ve already received should be more than enough.”
– That is precisely why I consider it fortunate. We need only satisfy their desires, whatever they may be.
At Huginn’s response, Michael let out a soft chuckle.
He was right.
If one simply fulfilled the extent of another’s greed at the opportune moment—or better yet, exceeded even that greed with something more—that person would never betray you.
“I will transfer a portion of my private accounts to you. Use whatever you need.”
– Should I interpret that as an instruction to be astonishingly generous?
“Precisely. You’ve become quite the villain yourself.”
– I learned from the best.
“There is a rather intriguing saying among Eastern proverbs. Three people gathered together can conjure a tiger… We must maintain control of the media until everything concludes. Just as we are doing now.”
– I shall keep that in mind.
Michael understood the power of the media.
He knew how shallow and terrifying the herd mentality of the masses could be.
Yet at the same time, he found his own circumstances—that he had to resort to such measures—almost laughable.
‘Excluding Cheon Tae-min, I was certain no one in this world could stand against me.’
The Ares Guild, once called the world’s greatest; Lee Jung-yong, who had claimed its vacant throne; even the heroes of the great upheaval like Magic Johnson—none of them were his match.
Not until Jin Tae-kyung appeared.
‘How is such a thing even possible?’
Michael found it utterly unbelievable.
For a youth from the slums, possessing nothing but poverty, to reach his current position required an extraordinarily long time and perseverance.
But Jin Tae-kyung was different.
He had suddenly risen to prominence one day, and in merely a year or so, he had accumulated tremendous achievements and renown, earning the love of the entire world.
Much like someone from Michael’s past, whose image remained vividly etched in his memory.
‘Sky.’
A week ago, when Michael first encountered the Eastern youth in the Ruins, he sensed traces of Cheon Tae-min within him.
Their appearances differed, and the aura they emanated was different, yet his instincts screamed.
This one is dangerous.
He will become the greatest obstacle blocking my path forward.
And Michael’s instincts had proven accurate.
Even now, as he wielded numerous media outlets to pour forth malicious news, voices supporting Jin Tae-kyung never ceased.
It was merely that the voices of those swept up in the fear of terrorism and the herd mentality planted by the media grew louder; Jin Tae-kyung remained unshaken.
‘But if my suspicion proves true… it is only a matter of time before he crumbles.’
Michael, muttering inwardly, recalled something.
The eyes of Jin Tae-kyung burning with rage, and someone who had stood beside him.
One step.
Only a single step remained between me and the summit I had yearned for so long, and in my hand I held the flag that would announce my conquest of this height.
“Huginn.”
Huginn, who had been waiting silently for his superior lost in solitary contemplation, responded.
– Yes, Guild Master.
“This mission cannot afford even the slightest mistake or variable.”
– Do not worry. I have handled everything flawlessly as you instructed.
Michael smiled at the unhesitating answer of his loyal servant, with whom he had walked through long years and shared many secrets.
“Yes, that will do.”
– I will not disappoint you.
The one who issued the command. And the one who carried it out.
Both men understood the consequences their actions would bring.
That countless others would die and suffer in the process.
Yet for Michael, this was merely an insignificant fraction of the greater whole.
An unavoidable sacrifice that had to be paid to reach the destination I had so desperately yearned for.
If only I could obtain what I desired through such means, the sacrifice of those who would perish somewhere in this vast world was far too cheap a price.
* * *
Crash!
The enchanted glass shattered in an instant.
The countless fragments that had moments before been called communication crystals were swept away by the approaching wave and vanished somewhere.
Whoooosh.
The wind swept across my entire body as it passed.
Huginn, standing tall at the stern, gazed fixedly at the undulating seawater.
‘No later than four days. It will likely begin within that time.’
What he had cast into those deep waters was far more than mere fragments of communication crystals, and the consequences would soon be revealed before the eyes of the entire world.
‘The calculations are perfect. The mission was a success.’
There was no guilt. Only the sense of accomplishment that came from executing the orders flawlessly once more, and a lingering unresolved doubt.
‘Can this truly destroy him completely—Jin Tae-kyung?’
But soon Huginn shook his head.
The superior to whom he pledged his loyalty was always meticulous, and the path he chose was always the right one.
“We return. Prepare yourselves.”
At Huginn’s brief command, the ship changed course.
Behind the slowly receding vessel, the Building District of Tokyo rose up majestically.

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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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