Murim Login - Chapter 439

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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 439
Crack!
The Skeleton King’s form staggered as my fist connected squarely with his forehead.
But it was only momentary. The creature straightened his head back into place without issue and laughed with smug satisfaction.
“Heh heh, that barely tickles.”
“Right, right. I forgot for a second there—the makeover was just too convincing.”
An undead monster that was already dead shouldn’t be capable of feeling pain. Magic Johnson really had done an impeccable job with the full-body reconstruction.
At the sight of me clicking my tongue softly, the Skeleton King shrugged his shoulders.
“You mustn’t treat this body as the equal of some frail human.”
“Of course I’m not treating you as an equal. You’re an undead monster.”
“An undead monster?! This body was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia as Stone King!”
“Hey, hey!”
The lunatic suddenly started shouting and causing a commotion.
I hastily conjured a barrier of energy to muffle the sound, then exhaled in relief as I looked at the people sleeping peacefully around us.
“You can barely speak English in the first place.”
“I learned a few things from the internet. The man said that knowing just two phrases is enough for perfect communication.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Stone King, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, opened his mouth confidently.
“How you. I’m fine thank you. And you?”
“…You’re Korean, aren’t you?”
His face might be Hollywood material, but his English proficiency and accent screamed pure Korean.
As I shook my head in disbelief, the Skeleton King asked with a shocked expression.
“Is… is my English really that terrible?”
“Yeah. So let’s just say you’re a Korean-American hybrid. Nobody’s going to ask about your background anyway.”
“Then I was adopted in Atlanta, Georgia…”
“No, damn it. Is there honey hidden in Atlanta? Does the world’s entire treasure hoard sit there?”
“Still, doesn’t it sound impressive? I read on the internet that white men are popular with women from all over the world. And besides, this body is quite handsome.”
“Then what good is it if you can’t even get it up?”
“…!”
The Skeleton King, rendered speechless, pointed at me with trembling fingers.
“How could you say something so cruel!”
“I can say even worse things, so stop spouting nonsense. If you don’t want your monster identity exposed, wear this.”
The Skeleton King took the item I summoned from my inventory, his anger forgotten as he tilted his head in confusion.
“Cunning human, what is this?”
“A gift from Magic Johnson. He said it took a while to rush-order it from the United States.”
“That kind human? A ring… for me?”
The Skeleton King stared at the ring I’d given him with a serious expression.
“Could this be what humans call a proposal?”
“What are you talking about, you madman? It’s just a ring enchanted with translation magic.”
“Hmm. I’m grateful, but the craftsmanship is rather crude. It doesn’t sparkle like a diamond. It’s unworthy of a king’s dignity.”
“Magic Johnson has connections with a Grand Mage who crafted this as a special commission. The performance is top-tier. It’s worth whatever price he’s asking for.”
“Now that I look at it again, I can feel a certain noble elegance. This will surely establish the authority of a king.”
“….”
This bastard really gets under my skin.
There’s no doubt about it—he’s become far stronger than when he was the Skeleton Warlord, and far more insufferable as well.
Regardless, the creature slipped the ring onto his middle finger with a satisfied expression, then retrieved a smartphone from the inner pocket of his suit jacket.
That too was a gift from Magic Johnson—an expensive, cutting-edge smartphone embedded with a magical stone core.
“What are you doing?”
“I must personally convey my gratitude to this benevolent human.”
“You’ve got the basics down, at least. Sending a text?”
“Cunning human.”
“Huh?”
The Skeleton King looked at me with an expression of utter disdain.
“Who sends texts in this day and age? Obviously, I’m using social media.”
“…Oh, right.”
“I’ve already followed him back. I’ve even learned how to send direct messages.”
I stared at the Skeleton King’s smartphone screen, my mouth falling open.
Unbelievable. An undead monster with an actual social media account. Does this app not require identity verification?
But that wasn’t even the most shocking part.
“…Five thousand followers?”
“To be precise, 5,134 followers. A record achieved in less than a week.”
“Wait, what? This has to be fake.”
“Isn’t it obvious that good looks are supreme? I simply used a photo of my face as my profile picture, and follow requests have been pouring in from all over the world. Hehehehe.”
The Skeleton King answered with an arrogant expression, then began typing a message to Magic Johnson.
Good human. I’m fine thank you. and you?
After reading the message, I let out a small sigh.
“Don’t send messages to anyone else.”
“Why not?”
“Just don’t. Got it, you bastard?”
Atlanta, Georgia my ass.
It would be more credible to say he’s a native of Atlanta Ward in Gyeonggi Province.
That distinctly Korean-accented English was so jarring that even translation magic couldn’t smooth it over.
“At this rate, even the Akabatakchi Tribe, who’ve preserved their traditions for centuries in the Amazon Rainforest, wouldn’t believe you’re American.”
“Hmm. I’m not entirely sure what you’re referring to, but for some reason, the specificity of it all is rather infuriating.”
“Regardless, just do as I say. If this gets exposed, the fallout will be far worse than just a headache.”
No matter how good my current image was, if the Skeleton King’s true identity were revealed, I’d have to brace myself for serious consequences.
I turned my head and asked.
“Isn’t that right, Choi Team Leader?”
From the diagonal seat beside me, Choi Team Leader, who had been awake for the past few minutes, answered.
“Exactly. The Skeleton King….”
“It’s Skeleton King. Call me Mr. King.”
Choi Team Leader, who had been staring intently at the Skeleton King as he cut off the conversation sharply, continued with a sigh.
“In any case, we’re keeping all possibilities in mind regarding Mr. King’s future whereabouts. For now, avoiding exposure to the press and various media outlets would be best.”
“I refuse. I will reveal myself to the world with confidence.”
“Really? Team Leader Choi, what are the penalties for illegal entry into a foreign country?”
Choi Team Leader answered immediately.
“Deportation, obviously. You’d also have to prepare for fines or imprisonment.”
“And what about illegal entry from the Demon Realm?”
“It’s unprecedented, but large-scale Raid Teams would be dispatched instead of police.”
“So that’s how it is.”
The Skeleton King, who had been silently rolling his eyes, opened his mouth.
“…I see no choice then. The world isn’t ready to accept me yet, so I’ll exercise restraint for a while.”
“Of course you should. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life in the Inventory.”
“Ah, I understand.”
The biggest headache was resolved.
Now the second headache remained—and this one I’d have to face head-on.
Not because I had no choice, but because it would help with my future plans.
‘Troublesome, but unavoidable.’
I, who had been lost in thought while quietly tapping the armrest of my seat, suddenly spoke up.
“What’s the domestic atmosphere like right now?”
Choi Team Leader’s short, gruff answer came back.
“It’s gone insane.”
“…To that extent?”
“When someone passes the judicial examination, banners go up in their neighborhood and alma mater, and local newspapers run brief articles about them. There are over 1,500 judicial exam passers in a single year—so what do you think it’s like for Jin Tae-kyung?”
Choi Team Leader clicked the empty air with a perfectly apt analogy.
The hologram screen installed in the seat was packed densely with countless internet articles.
[He finally returns.]
[Jin Tae-kyung, who is he? Chairman Xiao Yang bowing his head on behalf of the Chinese people. The reverent farewell of S-rank Hunters….]
[The young hero who struggled to the end to rescue survivors, finally returning to his homeland.]
It wasn’t just domestic media. China, which had been the epicenter of this incident, and various countries abroad were ceaselessly churning out articles about my return and future plans.
I had known about it and expected it, but seeing the photograph attached to an internet article that had been posted five minutes ago, I couldn’t help but gape.
“Wait. Are all of those actually people?”
“They’re not monsters, so it should be correct.”
“Oh my, shit….”
The photograph attached to the internet article showed crowds packed so tightly at Incheon Airport that not even water could seep through.
Thousands? No, tens of thousands.
As I stared blankly at the screen, Choi Team Leader’s voice continued in my ear.
“Traffic in the entire area has been paralyzed, and a car parade is being prepared under military and police control.”
“What? A car parade?”
“Didn’t I mention that to you?”
“I thought you were joking, the way you said it so casually. But this… this is too much.”
Choi Team Leader shook his head firmly.
“It has to be this much. He’s South Korea’s new S-rank Hunter representing the nation.”
“Even so, this is excessive. At this rate, the President will show up too.”
“Ah, that’s actually something I failed to mention.”
“What?”
“He’s coming. The Blue House contacted us first thing this morning. I was supposed to tell you on the plane, but I dozed off and forgot.”
My thoughts ground to a halt.
Tens of thousands of people waiting for me at Incheon Airport. Roads paralyzed by the crowd. A dazzling car parade. And now the President was coming too.
I sat in silence, at a loss for words, before forcing out a response.
“…Really? You’re not joking?”
“Yes. He wants to shake hands once, stand on the photo line, and take pictures together.”
“No, Team Leader Choi. I don’t know much about politics. If I get tangled up in something by mistake, it could become a serious problem.”
“I understand your concerns, Jin Tae-kyung. That’s why I tried to decline politely, but they seem quite determined on their end. It wasn’t easy.”
“You should have refused anyway. Even if I’m affiliated with the Peace Guild, you can’t just decide something like this on your own. What about me?”
No matter how much we trusted each other or how pressed for time we were, this was something that required my consent first.
Choi Team Leader bowed his head apologetically at my stern expression.
“I apologize. They offered several favorable conditions, including tax reductions, so I thought it would benefit you as well.”
“Forget it. Call them right now and tell them to forget the whole thing… Wait, tax reductions?”
“Yes. There’s a bounty on the Arch Lich, isn’t there? When the Chinese government pays Jin Tae-kyung, under our country’s law it counts as foreign-source income for a domestic resident…”
“Hold on. How much tax are we talking about here?”
“I’m not sure exactly, but it should be several trillion won. The bounty alone is 50 trillion won. Even if we calculate conservatively at just 10 percent, it’s an astronomical sum. Of course, what remains will be far greater.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
“I sincerely apologize for not seeking your consent beforehand. I will inform the Blue House that this matter should be forgotten.”
I nodded with a rigid expression.
“Team Leader. This should never happen again.”
Yes, soon I would be holding tens of trillions of won in my hands. Even paying taxes properly according to the law, I would become extraordinarily wealthy.
Regardless of how trivial their request seemed, I couldn’t entangle myself with the political sphere just for tax reductions. That was something to avoid.
‘A few trillion won? I’ll pay it gladly and be done with it.’
Shaking off my concerns, I leaned back into the plush seat.
* * *
Flash, flash-flash-flash!
Incheon Airport. Hundreds of cameras erupted in flashes simultaneously.
On the carefully controlled photo line, two people with completely opposite professions stood smiling brightly as they shook hands.
“Jin Tae-kyung. You’ve worked so hard.”
“Oh, please. You must be busy these days as well, Mr. President.”
And the Skeleton King, observing the scene, thought to himself.
‘What a cunning human.’
A brief impression, including Choi Team Leader, who was smiling contentedly as though everything had gone according to plan.

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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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