Chapter 191

The situation was quickly brought under control.

All the criminals of 「Gotham」 lost their lives.

The victims, whose bodies had become those of monsters, were buried deep in the ground.

……

Thud, thud!

With solemn expressions, the entire force packed earth over the buried bodies.

I had considered recovering them all and returning them to their homeland, but there were simply too many.

“Farewell……”

“May you go to a good place, where you eat well and see only good things.”

“Yeah, and if you happen to see any of those Gotham bastards over there, punch them in the jaw for us.”

They threw out a few half-joking blessings to soothe their aching hearts.

And Vladimir watched them in silence.

Before long, he shook his head and approached me.

“……Team leader.”

I hadn’t noticed before, but his eyes were slightly red.

‘It can’t be helped.’

He was someone who had lost his family to the mafia in the first place.

The brothers he had come to cherish with all his heart.

How could he not grieve when he found them again as corpses?

Now, there was no family left around him.

Even so, Vladimir forced the corners of his mouth upward.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, Team leader, my revenge would have been delayed much longer.”

His voice was hoarse, as if he had been shouting for a long time.

“It was only natural for me to help.”

Honestly, I didn’t know what to say to comfort him.

No matter how hard I tried to empathize completely, how could I possibly know the pain of the one actually living through it?

“No, there was nothing natural about you helping, Team leader.”

Vladimir spoke firmly.

“During those hellish three years, there were countless hunters in the world stronger than Andrey. But not a single one of them dealt with Gotham. Whether they didn’t know, were afraid, or simply couldn’t be bothered…… whatever excuse they might give, that fact does not change.”

His voice wasn’t as upbeat as usual.

It was heavy, but sincere.

“Only you, Team leader……”

That only made it feel more genuine.

“……were able to do it.”

“……”

Did they hear the conviction in Vladimir’s voice?

The hunters of 「Idam」 began to gather beside him one by one.

“Vladimir is right! The Skeleton King is our savior!”

“That’s right! If it weren’t for you, we’d still be hiding underground like rats!”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you, and thank you to Vladimir, who fought until the very end!”

They surrounded Vladimir and me, offering words of gratitude to each of us.

Calling me Russia’s benefactor. A hero.

They cheered as they praised both Vladimir and me.

‘Hmm.’

I always think this, but this kind of thing is really burdensome.

I only came here because of a deal with the Association.

And since I was already here, I fought the villain ranked 69th to raise my own ranking too.

Of course, I also wanted to help Vladimir.

‘Still.’

It didn’t feel bad.

With a single action from me, several people had regained hope and found their smiles again.

I smiled.

‘Right.’

Hypocrisy, justification.

What’s the point of weighing those things?

I feel good.

In the first place, wasn’t the reason I wanted to become a Ranker because it made me feel like I, as a person, had value, and because I wanted to be treated like a hero?

》You rascal.

The Elder smiled.

》Do not forget that feeling you have right now. With great power comes responsibility. Using that power correctly is also a kind of skill in itself……

At that moment, a message appeared in the air.

[The Essence of Wood (Wood) gives a pleased smile.]

[The Essence of Wood (Wood) watches you with interest.]

Fire, Water, Wood, and Metal.

Of the four essences, the Essence of Wood (Wood) had reacted.

It seemed to be an essence that liked good deeds.

‘By the way.’

I looked at the Elder.

‘Are you alright, Elder?’

》Me?

Flinch.

The Elder’s body twitched ever so slightly.

Then he looked back at me.

》What, you mean that fellow Dang Hwi-pyeong?

‘…….’

Dang Hwi-pyeong was a fragment of the world the Elder had once lived in.

Everyone longs for their hometown.

Even though I had asked in the middle of the chaos whether it was fine to kill him, it was true that the thought had weighed on me a little.

》You brat.

‘Yes?’

》I’m telling you this in case you’re mistaken. That fellow may have briefly aimed to be the strongest under the heavens, but that doesn’t mean he was my rival.

‘……?’

》Hoh? What’s with that expression? I am over five hundred years old. Do you know how many villains have passed through my hands in all that time? Surely you don’t think a mere bug like that was on my level?

‘No, that’s not it.’

Dang Hwi-pyeong was dead.

He had vanished along with Andrey’s death.

Maybe it was because my profession dealt with the dead.

There were things I could sense even if I couldn’t see them.

If that was the case, then would the Elder also vanish if I disappeared?

》Heh heh, judging by that look, you’re worrying about something useless again.

‘Pardon?’

》You brat. I am already one of the dead. I’m a being that can only come out when you call me, in the form of a ghost. Did you think I lacked the self-awareness to realize even that much?

‘…….’

》Before I died, I had a lingering regret, and to resolve that regret, I made a promise with you. To spread the Legacy of the Ten Thousand Arts to the wider world. That is all that remains in my head. I have no lingering attachments to my past life.

He was saying he didn’t care about Dang Hwi-pyeong.

Or the secrets of this world.

》Heh heh, but you’ve grown a lot. To think you’re even worrying about this master now! Mwahahaha!

The Elder laughed in satisfaction.

Of all the times he had laughed, this was the heartiest.

‘So that’s how it was.’

But for some reason, as I met the Elder’s gaze, I found myself thinking:

‘Someday, I want to give life back to the skeletons, and to the Elder as well. If such a thing is even possible…….’

A world as vast as the universe.

A world where the dead and the living both exist.

And a world where dragons exist.

Who’s to say resurrection doesn’t exist?

No matter what kind of story you look at, there isn’t a dead person who lacks the desire to live again.

Because that is life.

Of course, it might be an arrogant thought for now.

But they say progress is born from reckless imagination.

For now, it was just a small wish of mine.

Time passed.

Vladimir left, saying he would rebuild the fallen Russia.

The forces of Idam followed after him.

[Judgment Spear: You worked hard. I’ll be heading back now too.]

[Spring Apostle: I’m glad everything was resolved well.]

[Water Witch: See you again next time.]

My peers who had helped me.

One by one, they left the dungeon and returned to their home countries.

And a total of eight people, myself included, remained behind in the dungeon.

First were the new members of Dmir’s Workshop: Floa, Maximilian, and Capu.

Then Ki Soyul, who had come with me.

And finally—

“Phew, this guy. We still have to take him too, right?”

“Well, what can we do? He’s from the Association.”

“Aigoo, he’s so heavy. His body really is a lump of iron, isn’t it? You could probably melt him down and use him for something.”

Kwon Soye and Im Sujin were carrying the unconscious Bong Jaeyoung on their backs.

I smiled.

“We’ll be going back in a rather special way.”

At the same time, I touched the stone hanging around my neck.

The artifact Delilah had gifted me.

Peach Blossom Land.

‘This thing is a godsend.’

It’s difficult to use when setting out somewhere.

But it can be incredibly useful when returning from somewhere.

I only had to open a portal, enter Peach Blossom Land, and then use the portal there to go to South Korea.

As long as it was for the return trip, it was the best means of transportation for saving both time and money.

Swoosh!

I gently infused Energy into the stone in my hand.

[Using ‘Delilah’s Dungeon Artifact’ (SS-Rank).]

[Using 100 Energy.]

Wooooong.

A golden, oval-shaped gate soon appeared.

[A ‘Portal’ has been created at this location.]

[If you enter the ‘Portal’, you can move to ‘Peach Blossom Land’.]

[Warning! This ‘Portal’ will disappear after 24 hours.]

“Alright, everyone, follow me in.”

Step.

As I walked, I said,

“You all worked very hard.”

It was the end of the Russian expedition.

A week passed after I returned.

And during that time, the expedition I had gone on became world news.

[The Atrocities of the Unprecedented Criminal Organization Gotham Come to Light, Shocking the International Community!]

[Russian Citizens, Who Trembled in Fear for 3 Years, Finally Walk the Streets Again!]

[Russian Citizens Cry Out for the Skeleton King Day and Night.]

[Chairman of the South Korean Hunter Association: “The Hero Who Resolved the Russian Situation Is None Other Than the Skeleton King.” Expresses Gratitude for the Ranker’s Noblesse Oblige.]

[War of the Stars? Massive Ranking Changes Overnight.]

[South Korean Ranker Skeleton King’s New Ranking Is 69th!]

…….

At first, the eyes of the whole world were on me.

Thanks to that, I had to stay hidden in Peach Blossom Land all day.

‘Phew, I should just train.’

Now, wherever I went outside, people swarmed me like bees.

They shoved their phones at me, thrust Sharpies toward me…….

There were even reporters lurking around every corner of the workshop like assassins.

‘I’ve definitely gotten famous.’

I could now understand why people said no one had ever seen Hase Ra outside.

Haaah.

First of all, I had to be able to go outside.

Should I try finding a mask or something?

For the first time, I truly understood why celebrities wore masks.

‘For now, let’s just endure it here.’

Construction in Peach Blossom Land was still underway.

How big of a city were they even trying to build?

They were still busy putting up the framework.

‘Ah.’

And during that week, another incredible piece of news came out.

[A Good Coup in Russia? The Existing President Steps Down, a New President Takes Office.]

[Russia’s 5th President Is ‘Vladimir Rodygin’, Known to Be a Ranker!]

…….

That was it.

Vladimir had become the president of Russia.

Naturally, his party was independent, and he rose to power with overwhelming support from the citizens.

It had happened smoothly, without even friction with the former puppet president.

[Water Witch: Wooow, Vladimir is the president. Is this for real?]

[Judgment Spear: Even I’m a little surprised by this.]

[Absolute Unrivaled: Hoho, to think an acquaintance of mine is now a head of state.]

The chat window was shocked, and so was I.

I had never imagined he would make that choice.

‘Then again.’

Maybe it was for the best.

Rather than staying lonely with no one to protect, it was better to work hard and do something.

[Space Mage: Yo, if you’re born a man, you should at least try being president, right? Especially you, Team leader! Just wait and see! Russia plans to treat you as a national benefactor and support you in a big way. First, I guess I’ll have to make Dmir’s Workshop open branches in every city in Russia.]

[Water Witch: Ack, what kind of corruption is that right after taking office?]

[Space Mage: How is that corruption? Having Dmir’s Workshop open branches is good for the nation. And what, a president can’t even do that much? It’s not like I said I wanted to! The people told me to!]

Vladimir had returned to his usual cheerful self.

It didn’t suit the tone of a head of state at all, but—

‘Anyway, that’s great.’

Just as a satisfied smile spread across my lips—

“Pant, pant! President! I’ve been looking everywhere for you, and you were up here?”

I heard Kim Jina’s voice for the first time in a while.

‘Ah.’

Come to think of it, I was on the peak of the mountain next to ours.

The breeze was cool, so I had come up here for a moment.

“You came all the way up here yourself?”

“Of course. My phone doesn’t work here, so I had to come. What else was I supposed to do? Or you could just let me join that chat window thing!”

Ah.

I’d have to think about that part too.

I should ask them to make a dedicated chat window for the workshop.

“Anyway, what is it?”

“Phew, outside right now, the Association Chairman is here to see you. You should go out and meet him.”

“……The Chairman?”

My eyes sharpened.

The Fragment of Ancient Magic (SS-Rank).

Could it be that he had finally found a lead on it?