Chapter 746

Returning to everyday life usually means things have settled down.

But immediately after the mysterious death of Siegfried Bassmann, we returned to our respective positions only to face a frantic stretch of time.

“The magical-power reading at the C-rank Gate in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, is rising rapidly. It’s at Stage Two… entering Stage Three! We have a mutation Gate!”

“How many people can we deploy?”

“Four teams are on standby at the Gangwon Province branch. The Teleport Magic Formation linked to Sokcho City Hall can get them to the site within five minutes.”

“Send them now. This could turn into a monster wave. Make rescuing survivors and containing the situation your top priorities.”

The situation after our return was about as bad as it could get.

Until a few years ago, mutation Gates had appeared no more than once a month. Now we were seeing three or four a day—and that was just in Korea.

While stock prices rose and fell, magical-power readings climbed every single day.

Broadcasters cut back on entertainment shows. On newly launched disaster-news channels, experts from every field argued fiercely.

“Many people overlook the fact that magical-power readings have risen steadily every year. Compared to the period immediately after the Great Cataclysm, today’s readings are actually quite low. Once this situation is resolved, things will settle down quickly, so the public needn’t worry—”

“Settle down quickly? What kind of nonsense is that? And how can you compare today with the period right after the Great Cataclysm? After we killed the Demon King on the ‘Day of Victory,’ did humanity put down its weapons and dance Ganggangsullae together?¹ Back then, you could go to Han River Park and find Lizardmen. It took nearly a year just to finish off the monster armies that were still out there. Have you forgotten?”

“I live in Ilsan, and I never saw any Lizardmen in Han River Park. I’m right.”

“What a fucking idiot…”

“Now, now. You’re a year younger than me. No need to swear.”

“A year younger, my ass, you fucking bastard. My parents registered my birth late. Happy?”

“Mr. Host, are you going to let him talk to me like that?”

The sight of white-haired academic authorities turning red in the face on TV and fighting over whose argument would win was no longer particularly surprising.

While they grabbed each other by the collars, the next channel was reporting breaking news of a mutation Gate or monster wave somewhere in the world.

And at those horrific scenes, I fought as hard as I could.

Shhk!

White Flame’s spearhead sliced cleanly through hide and bone harder than armor.

The enormous monster—I had no idea how many I’d killed by then—stopped dead in its tracks. Then it slowly turned around and split in two from top to bottom.

Shff. Thud!

As its three-meter² body fell in two equal halves, I met the eyes of a man sprawled a few steps away.

He had escaped death by a hair. In his hand was a plastic protest sign painted with red letters.

ARREST INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL JIN TAEKYUNG!!!

Hmm.

I wondered how I was supposed to react, then gave him a rueful smile.

Even if he hated me, three exclamation marks seemed a bit much.

“Are you okay?”

“…Ah.”

“You look all right apart from a few scratches, but stay seated just in case. It’s over now. The rescue team will be here soon.”

I left the man moving his lips without a word and turned away.

In barely thirty minutes, the street had been devastated. Monster carcasses lay among human bodies.

I sharpened my senses and searched the area, but felt no other signs of life.

The damage never should have been this bad.

It was tragic enough that a monster wave had struck this peaceful little city.

And that the hundreds of protesters gathered to condemn me had chosen this street for their rally.

Splash. Splash.

I crossed the street through puddles of mingled red and blue blood.

The hyenas had already caught the scent. They rushed me with cameras and microphones.

“What do you think of this monster wave?”

“You arrived before anyone else and stopped the monster wave! First, as a fellow human being, I’d like to express my deepest gratitude—”

“These people were here to condemn you. Could someone who supports you have caused this monster wave deliberately—”

“Why hasn’t Mr. Sky appeared yet? What connection do you have to the recent death of Siegfried Bassmann?”

“Jin, give us a statement!”

It felt as though filth were raining down on me from every direction.

A few defended me, but far more reporters were desperate for sensational headlines.

And I suspected many of them were being paid handsomely to ask those questions.

By someone like…

Odin Guild.

I’d already suspected as much. I hadn’t been particularly surprised when Team Leader Choi first told me.

Turn the media against us, and public opinion would follow.

Dragging me and Ares Guild through the mud so openly, when we had overwhelming public support, wasn’t something just anyone could attempt.

Michael Silbert had both the power and the justification to try.

The problem was that, in the media at least, it was working far better than I’d imagined.

“The Prophet still hasn’t shown himself. What would you say to him, knowing he’s watching you from somewhere?”

“Statistics show that Ares Guild handles an average of 3.6 incidents a day, while Odin Guild handles 6.5. Any comment?”

“Mr. Jin Taekyung! Mr. Jin Taekyung!”

“Hey, you! What kind of question is that? You call yourselves reporters?”

“Everyone, step back. Now!”

It was chaos.

Reporters pushed forward for more stories and more payoffs. Police officers and Hunters struggled to hold them back.

I slipped between them, my stomach churning, while a voice seemed to echo inside my head.

You humans… really are a shitshow.

I never thought I’d hear that from a monster.

But I had no answer.

Maybe seeing that sign had taken the fight out of me.

“Shut up. You’re loud.”

I hadn’t used much internal energy, but I was mentally exhausted. After giving the Skeleton King a curt reply inside my Inventory, I pulled out the Magic Scroll I’d brought and tore it.

Riiip. Fwoosh!

The familiar sensation of Teleport Magic swept through me.

The scenery changed in an instant. As my vision cleared, I saw a familiar face.

“You’re back early. I only just heard you were on your way.”

Exhaustion weighed on Song Song’s voice, and she had dark circles under her eyes that hadn’t been there before. She promptly held out a handkerchief.

“Wipe your face. You’ve got blood on it.”

I looked from the handkerchief to her and smacked my lips.

“Just curious. Are you saving your Clean Magic to make soup with?”

“Do you think Magic works by putting coins into it? You can chug potions to replenish mana, but you can’t replenish mental energy that’s already been spent. I’m already not getting enough sleep these days, so shut up and use the handkerchief.”

I knew who was chiefly responsible for her lack of sleep, so I couldn’t argue.

I wiped off the blood and handed it back. Song Song took the dirty handkerchief and quietly cast a spell.

“Clean.”

“…?”

Whoosh.

Dust and blood vanished, leaving the handkerchief spotless.

I stared at her. She blinked innocently.

“What? It’s designer.”

At that shameless answer—and the realization that she’d set me up for it—I couldn’t help snorting.

“Ha.”

“There. You’re smiling. You looked miserable on TV.”

“You were watching?”

“I saw it live. Heard those fucking reporters talking bullshit, too.”

“…Well, I guess I have to take it. When you get down to it, I bear some responsibility for this mess.”

Song Song frowned.

“Are you going to start talking bullshit too?”

“…”

“I thought you were getting back to normal. What’s with you? If you want to blame yourself that badly, kill those bastards first. Then you can beat yourself up all you like.”

That was exactly what I wanted to do.

But it wasn’t that easy. Three days had passed since our trip to Switzerland, and little had changed.

Magic Johnson’s investigation had produced no results. Neither magic nor satellite surveillance could find a trace of The Prophet. And Michael Silbert’s Odin Guild kept rising higher by the day.

“Don’t blame yourself so much, and don’t worry so much. You’re not the only one working hard. Uncle Kkeokjeong was raising hell yesterday, saying he’d go straight to Paris and cut Michael’s head off.”

“That… It’s reassuring to have an entire army on our side, but if he did that, Uncle Kkeokjeong would be the one losing his head.”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I told him.”

“You told him that?”

“Of course. It’s true. He was a bit dejected, but he came around pretty quickly.”

Well, I was grateful for that much.

Song Song and I talked as we walked. By the time she’d finished telling me about my mother and Hayeon, who were staying at the mansion under tight security, we had reached Team Leader Choi’s office.

“You’re here.”

He looked even more exhausted than Song Song. His usually immaculate office was a mess, and empty coffee cups covered the desk.

“Thank you for making the long trip. But…”

Team Leader Choi looked back and forth between Song Song and me, then lowered his voice.

“Where’s the other one?”

“Don’t worry. He came with me.”

I’m here.

Had I kept him shut away too long? He sounded furious.

I took the Skeleton King out of my Inventory, pretending to rummage through the subspace pouch at my waist as I recited the command.

Inventory open. Summon.

A sturdy young white man popped into view. Song Song muttered, “Wow. Easy birth.”

“Shut your mouth, beautiful but ill-mannered human female. How dare you compare this body to such a thing…”

“Thanks. I feel so much better now.”

“Damn it.”

The Skeleton King’s face was full of displeasure as he muttered a curse, but there was nothing we could do about it.

Even if his identity is partly out in the open, we need to keep him hidden as much as we can.

We’d given him a new past and identity, but nothing in this world was perfect. Even the Pentagon, supposedly the most secure place on earth, had been breached the same way.

Given the circumstances, we had no choice but to limit his exposure as much as possible.

But Team Leader Choi’s next words made me realize we would have to play the Skeleton King card.

“Three minutes ago, Tokyo Bay collapsed.”