Chapter 439

Smack!

The blow caught the Skeleton King square in the forehead, sending him staggering.

But only for a moment. He lowered his head, which had snapped back from the impact, into its proper position and grinned smugly.

“Heh heh. That barely tickled.”

“Oh, right. Your disguise is so convincing that I forgot for a second.”

There was no way an undead monster—already dead, whether it had a soul or not—could feel pain. Magic Johnson really had done one hell of a job with his full-body plastic surgery.

As I clicked my tongue softly, the Skeleton King shrugged.

“You must not place this king on the same level as a weak human.”

“Of course I don’t. You’re an undead monster.”

“An undead monster? This king is Stone-King, born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States!”

“Hey, hey!”

What the hell was wrong with this lunatic? Why was he suddenly shouting?

I hurriedly raised my internal energy to block the sound, then sighed in relief when I saw that everyone was still sleeping soundly.

“You can’t even speak English properly.”

“I learned several things on the internet. They said communication would pose no problem as long as I knew two phrases.”

“Go ahead, then.”

Mr. Stone-King, a proud native of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, opened his mouth.

“How are you. I’m fine, thank you. And you?”

“…You’re Korean, aren’t you, you bastard?”

He had a Hollywood face, but his skill and pronunciation were purely homegrown Korean.

As I shook my head in disbelief, the Skeleton King asked with a shocked expression,

“Is this king’s English truly that terrible?”

“Yeah. So let’s just say you’re half Korean. It’s not like anyone’s going to care about your background anyway.”

“Then I was adopted by a family in Atlanta, Georgia…”

“No, for fuck’s sake. Did you hide honey in Atlanta or something? Is every treasure in the world supposed to be there?”

“But it sounds impressive, does it not? I read on the internet that white men are popular with women all over the world. Besides, this king is handsome.”

“What good is that when you can’t even get it up?”

“……!”

Rendered speechless, the Skeleton King pointed at me with a trembling finger.

“How could you say something so cruel?”

“I can say worse, so stop talking nonsense. If you don’t want people finding out you’re a monster, wear this.”

The Skeleton King accepted the object I summoned from my Inventory and tilted his head, his anger forgotten.

“Vile human, what is this?”

“A gift from Magic Johnson. He said it took a while because he had to have it flown in from the United States on short notice.”

“That gracious human? A ring for me?”

The Skeleton King stared gravely at the ring I had given him.

“Is this perhaps what humans call a proposal?”

“What the hell are you talking about, you lunatic? It’s just a ring enchanted with translation magic.”

“Hmm. I appreciate the gift, but it looks rather crude. It does not sparkle like a diamond, either. It is unbefitting of a king’s dignity.”

“Magic Johnson commissioned a Grand Mage he knows to make it specially, so its performance is top-class. It’s probably worth whatever price they care to name.”

“Now that I look again, I can sense its noble dignity. It will uphold my royal authority nicely.”

“……”

What an irritating bastard.

There was no doubt about it. He had become far stronger—and far crazier—than he had been as the Skeleton Warlord.

Regardless, he slipped the ring onto his middle finger with a satisfied expression, then pulled a smartphone from the lining of his suit.

That, too, was an expensive, cutting-edge smartphone with a Magic Gem built into it, another gift from Magic Johnson.

“What are you doing?”

“This king must personally express his gratitude to the gracious human.”

“You’ve got better manners than I expected. Are you going to text him?”

“Vile human.”

“Huh?”

The Skeleton King looked at me as though I were pathetic.

“Who sends texts in this day and age? Naturally, one uses social media.”

“…Uh, sure.”

“We already follow each other. I have also learned how to send direct messages.”

I stared at the Skeleton King’s phone, my mouth falling open.

Holy shit. It was real. An undead monster with a social media account. Did this app not even require identity verification?

But something else was even more surprising.

“…You have five thousand followers?”

“State the number accurately. It is 5,134. A record achieved in less than a week.”

“What the hell? Is this fake?”

“Is being handsome not the greatest advantage? I merely used this king’s face as my profile picture, and countless requests to follow one another came pouring in from around the world. Heh heh.”

The Skeleton King answered with an arrogant look and began sending a message to Magic Johnson.

└ Good human. I’m fine thank you. and you?

After checking the message, I let out a small sigh.

“Don’t send messages to anyone else.”

“Why not?”

“If I say don’t, then don’t, you bastard.”

So much for Atlanta, Georgia.

Calling himself a native of Atlanta District, Georgia City, Gyeonggi Province, would have sounded more believable.

Apparently, even translation magic couldn’t save English so painfully Korean that it made my head spin.

“At this rate, even the Akabutakchi tribe, who have preserved their traditions in the Amazon rainforest for hundreds of years, won’t believe you’re American.”

“Hmm. I do not know exactly what you mean, but the oddly specific nature of it makes me even angrier.”

“Just do as I say. If your identity gets exposed, it won’t end with a little trouble.”

No matter how good my public image was right now, if the Skeleton King’s identity became known, we would clearly have to brace ourselves for considerable repercussions.

I turned my head.

“Isn’t that right, Team Leader Choi?”

In the seat diagonally beside us, Team Leader Choi had been awake by himself for several minutes. He answered,

“I was already considering the matter of the Skeleton King—”

“Stone-King. Call me Mr. King.”

The Skeleton King cut him off firmly. Team Leader Choi stared at him for a moment, then continued with a sigh.

“In any case, we are considering every possibility regarding Mr. King’s future arrangements. For now, it would be best to avoid exposure to the press and other media.”

“I refuse. I will proudly reveal myself to the world.”

“Really? Team Leader Choi, what are the penalties for entering the country illegally?”

Team Leader Choi answered at once.

“Deportation, without question. He would also have to expect a fine or imprisonment.”

“What about entering illegally from the Demon Realm?”

“It has never happened before, but instead of the police, a large-scale raid team would be dispatched.”

“You heard him.”

The Skeleton King’s eyes swiveled back and forth in silence before he finally spoke.

“…It cannot be helped. The world is not yet prepared to accept this king, so I shall exercise restraint for a while.”

“That’s what you should do. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life lying low in my Inventory.”

“A-All right.”

The biggest headache was dealt with.

Now there was the second headache… and this one I had no choice but to face head-on.

Not because I lacked alternatives, but because doing so would help with my plans going forward.

It’s a pain, but it can’t be helped.

I quietly tapped the armrest, lost in thought, then abruptly spoke.

“What’s the atmosphere like back home right now?”

Team Leader Choi gave me a terse, emphatic answer.

“It’s insane.”

“…That bad?”

“When someone passes the judicial exam,¹ banners go up in their neighborhood and at their alma mater, and the local newspaper runs a short article. More than fifteen hundred people pass that exam every year. How much more attention do you think you would receive, Mr. Jin Taekyung?”

With that perfectly apt comparison, Team Leader Choi clicked in midair.

The holographic screen built into the seat filled with countless online articles.

[At Last, He Has Returned.]

[Who Is Jin Taekyung? Chairman Xiao Yang Bows His Head on Behalf of the Chinese People. The Reverent Farewell of S-Rank Hunters…]

[The Young Hero Who Fought to Rescue Survivors Until the Very End Finally Returns to the Arms of His Homeland.]

It wasn’t just the Korean media. China, where the incident had taken place, and countries around the world were flooding the internet with article after article about my return and what I would do next.

I had known this was coming and expected it, but I still couldn’t help gaping when I saw a photograph attached to an online article posted five minutes earlier.

“Wait. Are all those people actually human?”

“They aren’t monsters, so they probably are.”

“Holy shit…”

The photograph showed a crowd packed into Incheon Airport without so much as a gap between them.

Thousands? No, tens of thousands.

As I stared blankly at the screen, Team Leader Choi continued.

“Traffic throughout the surrounding area has come to a standstill, and a car parade is being prepared under military and police control.”

“What? A car parade?”

“Did I not tell you?”

“You mentioned it in passing, so I thought you were joking. I mean… isn’t this a bit much?”

Team Leader Choi shook his head firmly.

“It has to be this much. You are the new S-rank Hunter representing Korea.”

“Even so, this is excessive. At this rate, the President will show up too.”

“Ah, I really did fail to mention that.”

“What?”

“He is coming. The Blue House² contacted us first this morning. I meant to tell you on the plane, but I dozed off and forgot.”

For a moment, my thoughts ground to a halt.

Tens of thousands of people waiting for me at Incheon Airport. Paralyzed roads and a spectacular car parade. And now the President was coming too.

I sat there speechless, then finally forced the words out.

“…Really? You’re not joking?”

“Yes. They want to shake your hand, stand with you at the photo line, and take a picture together.”

“Team Leader Choi, I don’t know anything about politics. If I get tangled up in something and it goes wrong, I’ll be completely screwed.”

“I know how you feel, Mr. Jin Taekyung. That is why I tried to turn them down politely, but they seemed quite determined. It was not easy.”

“You still should have refused. Even if I belong to Peace Guild, how could you make that decision on your own?”

No matter how much we trusted each other or how little time there had been, this was something he should have consulted me about.

At the sight of my rigid expression, Team Leader Choi lowered his head apologetically.

“I’m sorry. They offered several favorable conditions, including tax breaks, so I thought it would benefit you as well.”

“Forget that. Call them right now and tell them it’s off… Wait. Tax breaks?”

“Yes. You know the bounty that was placed on the Arch Lich. If the Chinese government pays it to you, then under Korean law, it would count as foreign-source income for a Korean resident…”

“Wait. So how much tax would I have to pay in total?”

“I cannot say for certain, but it would be several trillion won.³ The bounty alone is fifty trillion won.⁴ Even if we simplify things and assume only ten percent is deducted, it would still be an enormous amount. Of course, the amount left over would be much larger.”

“…That’s true.”

“Once again, I apologize for failing to get your approval. I will tell the Blue House² that this is no longer happening.”

I nodded, my expression hard.

“Team Leader. This must never happen again.”

Right. I was about to get my hands on tens of trillions of won.⁵ Even if I paid every cent of tax I owed, I would still be incredibly wealthy.

No matter how insignificant the conditions they were offering might be, I couldn’t get involved with politicians just to save a little on taxes. That was something I needed to avoid.

A few trillion won?³ I can just pay it and be done with it.

I cast my worries aside and leaned back against the soft seat.

Pop! Pop-pop-pop!

At Incheon Airport, hundreds of cameras flashed at once.

At the photo line set up under strict security, two men whose professions could not have been more different shook hands with broad smiles.

“Mr. Jin Taekyung. You’ve truly been through a lot.”

“Oh, not at all. You’ve been busy lately too, haven’t you, Mr. President?”

As the Skeleton King watched the scene, he thought,

What a vile human.

The thought applied just as much to Team Leader Choi, who was smiling contentedly as though everything had gone according to plan.