Murim Login - Chapter 85
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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 85
“Elder Brother. Are you alright?”
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
At his team members’ words, Im Chang-su clenched his teeth.
“Shut your mouths, you bastards. After everything I’ve done for you, you just stand there watching?”
“No, it’s just that….”
“The situation was a bit chaotic back then. We’re sorry.”
“Disloyal bastards.”
Though his relationship with his team members wasn’t bound by loyalty, he believed he’d given what needed to be given and received what needed to be received. It was he who had forcibly placed those Training Facility dropouts into the Guild, bought them cars, and given them spending money.
In return, he’d received their loyalty—yet being abandoned at the most critical moment made his head throb with humiliation.
‘Damn it, what kind of shitty situation is this.’
Tens of billions? It was certainly a large sum, but not an amount Im Chang-su couldn’t handle. He could easily pay it by selling just one or two buildings registered under his name.
But having his pride trampled was something he absolutely could not tolerate.
‘I’ll beat that bastard to death.’
Im Chang-su glared at one person’s back with wide, furious eyes.
That guy in the black leather armor—Jin Tae-kyung—was the root cause of all this.
‘I don’t know where he came from or what he was doing, but… I will definitely repay this humiliation.’
He still didn’t know exactly who this man was. What was certain was that he was definitely not an ordinary C-rank Hunter.
There was no C-rank Hunter in the world who could crush eight B-rank monsters in direct combat.
‘Why hide his identity? Is he a fugitive criminal? Or an illegally registered Hunter? Once we leave this Gate, I’ll expose everything about him.’
It was then that Im Chang-su was quietly fueling his thirst for revenge.
Whoosh!
Jin Tae-kyung suddenly turned his head in that direction, his eyes narrowing. The predatory gaze of a hunter observing its prey made Im Chang-su’s heart plummet.
“Hey.”
“Y-yes?”
“You just cursed me out, didn’t you.”
“N-no, I didn’t.”
“Yeah, you did. Your stammering alone gives it away. I’ve had a tingling sensation in the back of my head since earlier.”
Im Chang-su recalled his father’s words—a Hunter and war hero of the Cataclysm Era. Handle dangerous situations with composure.
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“My Insight tells me you’re lying.”
“Insight? What kind of thing is that?”
“Magic exists, so why wouldn’t Insight. Abandon your outdated way of thinking.”
“Either way, I swear I’m not.”
“No. I swear you are. And you’re getting hit too.”
Smack!
Tears welled up in his eyes. It was a flick to the forehead—something he hadn’t received from his father since turning twenty. Yet here he was, suffering such humiliation from someone who barely looked his age, and in front of his team members and the women no less.
“You’ve got decent technique. Feels just like when I hit Hyuk Moo-jin. Anyway, be careful. Got it?”
Im Chang-su didn’t know who Hyuk Moo-jin was, but either way, he bowed his head deeply.
“…Yes.”
“But this damned labyrinth has no end. Hey, how much further to the Boss Zone?”
“I don’t know either. It’s a labyrinth.”
“No more monsters showing up either. I’m dying of boredom.”
“….”
Of course they stop appearing when I crush every single one I see!
Im Chang-su and his team members didn’t even need to lift a finger. Those five alone were more than enough—no, Jin Tae-kyung alone was more than enough.
‘The man’s a monster. Is he really going to become an A-rank Hunter?’
Jin Tae-kyung seemed to have taken down over thirty creatures by himself. Just when I thought he might be tiring, he’d suddenly burst into motion again with renewed vigor.
‘The raid pace is accelerating.’
Normally, raids slow down as they progress toward the end due to accumulated fatigue.
Yet here he was, facing the same monsters but moving faster than before….
‘Is he continuously growing stronger?’
Im Chang-su immediately tried to dismiss the thought that had surfaced.
What nonsense—this wasn’t some video game character leveling up. That blow to the head must have scrambled my brains.
“Sigh.”
His team members hesitantly approached as he exhaled deeply.
“Chang-su hyung….”
“Oppa, are you okay? What do we do? You’ve got a bump on your forehead.”
“I’m in a foul mood, so all of you get lost. You understand? If you leave Sangdong Guild, you’re all finished. Got it?”
No matter how battered and broken, a tiger remains a tiger.
His team members swallowed hard at Im Chang-su’s threat.
‘The installment plan isn’t even paid off yet.’
‘Where will accept us if we leave Sangdong Guild?’
‘This month’s credit card bill….’
The reason they’d been able to live so comfortably all this time was thanks to Im Chang-su’s support. While they wouldn’t starve as Hunters, finding treatment this good anywhere else would be difficult.
“You think I’m done? Dream on. Wherever you go, I’ll make sure to call ahead with the Sangdong Guild’s name. You know how small this industry is, right?”
At his words about not just expelling them but sabotaging their future prospects, his team members’ faces went pale.
“Chang-su hyung, that’s going too far.”
“Hyung? You only call me that when it suits you?”
“Oppa, do you really have to go that far?”
“That’s exactly it, you bastards. You should’ve picked your allies more carefully.”
I wanted nothing more than to slap each of them across the face right then, but I held back.
I couldn’t afford to make a loud scene—not when Jin Tae-kyung might turn around at any moment.
‘Damn it, how did I end up like this….’
Afraid of a blow to the head, unable to even vent my anger properly. Just as I spat on the ground and turned away, it happened.
Grab.
“Chang-su hyung. Or rather, Team Leader Im, what are you doing?”
“Just think about it one more time, oppa. Please?”
“Let go. I won’t say it twice.”
“This time I really mean it. I’ll really do everything you ask. Okay?”
“…You’ll do everything I tell you to?”
Im Chang-su, who had been about to shake off his colleague’s hand, suddenly froze mid-motion.
Glancing to the side, I could see Jin Tae-kyung’s group moving ahead in the distance while I was caught up in this scuffle with the Guild members.
Even from afar, Song Song-i’s stunning silhouette was impossible to miss.
‘Wait. There might be a way after all.’
The Jin Tae-kyung I saw was a monster, but he had exactly one weakness—a woman named Song Song-i.
‘From what I saw earlier, he was completely smitten.’
There was no need to be subtle about it. Anyone who’d seen them once could tell that he harbored feelings for Song Song-i.
‘He said she was a C-rank Healer, right?’
Subduing a Healer was easier than wringing a chicken’s neck. If his beloved was held captive, even Jin Tae-kyung wouldn’t be able to act freely.
‘Then it’s over.’
Aside from Jin Tae-kyung, the other three weren’t much of a concern.
That old man calling himself Guild Master was B-rank, but as a mage, he’d be useless in close combat. And that E-rank Tanker wasn’t even worth discussing.
The one person who gave me pause was Choi Min-woo. That guy….
“Can I trust what you just said?”
“Of course.”
“Trust only us.”
“Brother, why won’t you trust people? Are we really only at this level?”
I had a raid team of four B-rank Hunters and five C-rank Hunters who obeyed my commands—all of them trained to eat only from my hand.
“Fine. Now listen carefully to what I’m about to say….”
Once my brief and simple explanation ended, my team members couldn’t hide their tension.
“Will it work?”
“It seems possible.”
“Brother, surely you don’t mean what I think you mean? If it’s about killing someone, I’m not sure about that.”
“Didn’t you say you’d do everything I tell you to?”
“Still, that’s….”
“That’s enough. Truth be told, I’d like to, but I’m not the type to go that far. First, I’ll take the camera, and then I’ll make sure that bastard suffers a humiliation he can never wash away.”
“Phew. Thank goodness. Then I’m absolutely on your side.”
“Do well. If anyone hesitates or backs down even slightly this time, you know what happens, right?”
“Of course.”
“Trust only us, Team Leader. Or rather, Brother. Hehe.”
A bitter smile twisted at the corners of my mouth.
‘If he trampled on my pride, he’ll have to pay the price.’
I intended to make him understand exactly who he’d dared to touch when we reached the Boss Zone coming up soon.
Conveniently, there was a monster there capable of matching Jin Tae-kyung.
‘The Minotaur Warlord.’
The boss monster of this place, the Minotaur’s Labyrinth.
A monstrous creature that, despite being a B-rank monster, possessed physical abilities rivaling A-rank.
‘Once the Warlord exhausts his strength, then I’ll make my move.’
Using the enemy to defeat the enemy.
Barbarians are defeated by barbarians. Monsters are defeated by monsters.
When both sides are exhausted—that’s the moment. I can recover everything lost so foolishly: the money, the pride scattered on the ground.
“Hey, hurry up! It’s the Boss Zone!”
In the next instant, Jin Tae-kyung’s shout echoed. Im Chang-su broke into a wide grin.
“Yes! Coming!”
His footsteps toward the Boss Zone were remarkably light and eager.
* * *
“Annihilation Strike.”
Kwaaaaa.
The sound of the sky splitting erupted from the spear’s edge. A white vortex that tore and consumed everything it touched struck the muscular chest.
– Mooo?
Crack-crack-crack.
There was no need to confirm whether it lived or died.
The moment I withdrew the spear from its chest, the system notification chimed.
Ding.
–
[Lv.70 Minotaur Warlord]
has been defeated!
– Level Up!
– Quest,
[B-Rank Gate Clear]
has been completed!
– Calculating your contribution… Complete!
– Quest success rewards have been deposited to your inventory!
“Phew.”
As expected, the finale calls for one decisive blow. My body is utterly exhausted, but I turned around, wiping the blood from my spear.
“Let’s grab the byproducts and get out. I’m starving to death… Why is everyone looking like that?”
Lim Hyuk-jun spoke up as the representative.
“You don’t know why you’re asking?”
He alternated his gaze between the dead boss monster’s corpse and me.
His eyes said: You just killed a B-rank boss monster in a single strike—try making any excuse.
“Well, let’s chalk it up to good luck.”
“Luck?”
“Yes, luck.”
It really was just good fortune.
That I lived in the Gosiwon, that a capsule was abandoned in front of it—all of it.
“Hah, I’m so dumbfounded I can’t even speak. Never mind.”
The others reacted similarly to Lim Hyuk-jun. Even Choi Team Leader, who had already experienced a raid with me, stared blankly and offered a comment.
“I didn’t expect it to be this much.”
“Now you know.”
“Could we have a conversation about this?”
“Of course.”
Not now, though—later. I had more pressing matters to attend to first.
I approached one person with the most charming smile I could muster.
“Song-i, could I ask you for some healing? What are you all doing over there?”
“Oh.”
“What do you mean ‘what’? Why are you here?”
“Well, we were just… standing here.”
“I-I just think you’re so beautiful, unni.”
The Sangdong Guild members clustered around Song-i suddenly flinched and began stammering excuses.
‘What is this?’
I’d meant for them to scram since they were getting in the way between Song-i and me. Did I really look that intimidating?
“Where’s Im Chang-su?”
At my single word, the Sangdong Guild members parted like the Red Sea. Im Chang-su answered with a face as pale as blank paper.
“I’m here.”
“Why do you look like that? Are you sick?”
“N-no, just a bit of body aches.”
“Tsk, tsk. You should be taking potions, man. You’ve got plenty of money at home anyway.”
“….”
“Anyway, let’s collect the byproducts and head out. I’m exhausted.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
Once Im Chang-su disappeared with the nuisances, the moment I’d been waiting for finally arrived. I flashed Song-i a brilliant smile.
“You must be hungry, right? How about some steak at a nice restaurant for dinner?”
Song-i smiled back at me.
“I’m sorry, but I’m a vegetarian.”
“That’s strange. You seemed to enjoy meat just fine yesterday. How about a salad bar instead?”
“I’m actually a carnivore.”
“….”
I’d just been shot down, hadn’t I?
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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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