Murim Login - Chapter 429

“Shall we head directly there?”

The temporary security chief, Xiao Shen, asked right after the press conference ended. I nodded.

“Let’s go. You know where they are, right?”

“Yes, I do. Let’s move.”

Xiao Shen and dozens of guards surrounded me in a tight formation as we began to move.

Instantly, chaos erupted around us. Journalists carrying cameras and microphones surged forward like a tidal wave.

“Mr. Jin! Is it true you’re close friends with Prince Felix?”

“Jin-sang! Jin-sang!”

You’re the *real* pain in the neck, seriously.

Even though the press conference should have been enough, reporters from all over clung to me. But the security guards—consisting entirely of hunters—held firm, blocking their path.

Some stubborn reporters, however, managed to slip through and shove their microphones toward me.

“Mr. Jin Tae-kyung! I’m a fellow Korean, please, just one interview—”

No matter where you go, there are always people like this.

“Ah, sure. Since you’re Korean, how about stepping aside for me, then?”

As I brushed past him with a quick reply, I suddenly stopped. The reporter’s face looked oddly familiar. Holding Xiao Shen back with a hand, I asked,

“Wait a second. Are you with *Das Patch*?”

“Uh…”

“Thought so. Didn’t you write an article about me?”

“Ah, no, that wasn’t me…”

Liar.

Now I remembered. This bastard had posted that viral article about me being a lifelong single. Ever since that piece hit the internet, if you searched my name, “Jin Tae-kyung single” would pop up as a related search term.

“Shen.”

Xiao Shen, who couldn’t understand our Korean conversation, tilted his head in confusion.

“Yes, brother?”

“Suppress him.”

“Roger that.”

With a cheerful reply, Xiao Shen grabbed the *Das Patch* reporter by the wrist.

“Sir, I’m here to enforce balance.”

“W-wait a minute!”

Too late. The reporter was hoisted off the ground and tossed back into the crowd. Cameras shattered, and curses in various languages rained down like hail.

I couldn’t help but admire the display of insults spanning the seven seas.

“Truly a global village.”

“Brother?”

“Never mind. Let’s keep moving.”

The path cleared as public security officers, who had been standing by, rushed in to assist.

With everyone’s eyes on me, we proceeded smoothly toward our destination. Before long, we reached the suite of a five-star hotel, where VIPs were staying.

“Ah, Jin! You’re here sooner than I thought.”

Magic Johnson, who had been poring over some documents with a serious expression, looked up and greeted me with a broad grin.

He patted me on the shoulder with his massive hand and gestured toward a seat.

“So, how did the press conference go?”

It seemed he hadn’t watched it himself. Taking the can of beer he offered, I answered,

“It went fine. I gave them reasonable answers and wrapped it up in thirty minutes.”

“Haha. Bet the reporters didn’t like that.”

“They liked it better than they like you, at least. I held a press conference, after all.”

Unlike other S-rank hunters like Pai Chen or Prince Felix, Magic Johnson had gone straight into seclusion after the war ended, making no public appearances.

Rumors of his death had even started circulating, until he finally made a brief post on his official social media account:

[I’m researching something new. It’s as mysterious and magnificent as our victory.]

Most people had no idea what he was referring to. But I was one of the few who knew what he meant by “something new.”

“So, how did it go?”

Magic Johnson’s lips twitched as he tried to suppress a smile.

“Who knows?”

“Oh, so it was a success.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Come on. I can tell you’re holding back a grin.”

“No, I’m not.”

Of course, you are.

Seeing the excitement gleaming in his eyes, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I heard you weren’t too keen on the idea at first.”

“You didn’t even come to ask me yourself, did you? Was it Choi who told you that?”

“Who else would it be? Right now, only the three of us—me, you, and Chief Choi—know about this.”

“There’s one thing Choi got wrong, though.”

“Got wrong?”

“Yeah. I didn’t reject it from the start.”

Magic Johnson drained his beer in one gulp and continued in a serious tone.

“I was ready to cast a spell.”

“I see.”

“No joke. If you were in my position, you would’ve torn the room apart too, right?”

“I would’ve destroyed the whole hotel.”

But the reason neither the room nor the hotel was in ruins was simple—Magic Johnson was a *great mage*.

Humans might be creatures of curiosity, but mages *are* curiosity itself. And at the pinnacle of that curiosity stood great mages like him.

When offered the chance to experience something entirely new, he eagerly accepted.

“Even after hearing Choi’s explanation and seeing it for myself, I could hardly believe it…”

Lost in thought, Magic Johnson murmured dreamily. Then he shook his head abruptly.

“Never mind. Why don’t you confirm it yourself?”

“Finally. I was getting old waiting.”

Setting down my half-finished beer, I stood up and walked across the spacious suite without hesitation, stopping at a particular spot.

“It’s here, right?”

Magic Johnson nodded. S-rank hunters like us are naturally sensitive to unusual energy flows, so noticing this was no surprise.

“Impressive. You found it right away.”

“It’s really well-hidden, though.”

At a glance, it seemed like an ordinary part of the room. But I had known the moment I stepped inside—it was protected by a spell that blocked both sound and sight.

“Hold on. I’ll dispel it—”

*Whirrr—Slice!*

Before he could finish, I cut through the magic with a swift chop of my hand, infused with *gang-gi* (sword energy).

Magic Johnson’s eyes widened in shock.

“Jin… What the hell?”

Ever since unlocking my middle energy center during the battle with the Arc Lich, I could see the threads of *gi*. Thanks to that, I could perform feats like this.

Without offering any further explanation, I fixed my gaze ahead.

As the magic dissolved, the hidden space revealed itself—and there, a figure stood tall.

“Ah, eh, i, o, u… Hello! Nice to meet you! I like ramen. I love kimchi.”

The blond foreigner, practicing awkward Korean in front of a full-length mirror, turned toward me upon noticing my reflection.

A fleeting smirk crossed his face—an expression as mischievous as a fox spirit’s.

“Finally, you’ve arrived, wicked human.”

His pronunciation was suspiciously accurate for those kinds of phrases.

For a moment, I considered smacking him, but I ended up chuckling instead.

“You’ve become quite handsome, haven’t you?”

The blond Skeleton King grinned smugly. (TL Note: WWWWHHHHATTTT?)

“And you’ve become even uglier.”

“…Jerk.”

“Ha! You mad, bro?”

Where the hell did he learn this Korean…?

Magic Johnson, watching like a proud plastic surgeon admiring his work, couldn’t stop smiling.

“Marvelous, isn’t it? A masterpiece. I’m probably the first mage in history to carve magic circles into the bones of a named skeleton monster.”

His pride wasn’t misplaced.

The transformation was incredible—golden hair, gleaming eyes, a perfectly proportioned 190 cm frame, and even realistic body hair and muscles that reacted naturally with every breath.

The Skeleton King no longer looked like a monster. He looked entirely human.

“Wow… I can’t believe this worked.”

I reached out to touch his blond hair, but he stepped back with an arrogant glare.

“Don’t touch me. You’ll ruin my hair.”

“…Unbelievable.”

I could only shake my head in disbelief.

The Skeleton King looked at himself in the full-length mirror and smiled in satisfaction.

“Hmm. Perfectly handsome.”

“…I’ve been wondering, where did you learn to say stuff like that?”

“From the internet.”

“The internet?”

“Yes. I’ve been binge-watching it all week.”

“You didn’t… you have a phone too?”

“That kind human over there bought one for me. Thank you, Johnson.”

Magic Johnson gave a contented nod, his smile brimming with satisfaction as he used his translation magic.

“Best of luck with your new beginning, Mr. King.”

“Thank you, Johnson.”

Thank you, Johnson, my foot. When did this guy even learn basic English conversation?

I turned toward Magic Johnson in disbelief.

“Wait, you bought him a phone?”

“Hey, Jin, what’s the problem? Even my youngest daughter, who’s five, uses a smartphone.”

“That’s your daughter, Johnson. This guy is the Skeleton King.”

“Hold on, wicked human. I hate to interrupt your conversation, but there’s something I must say.”

The Skeleton King spoke with a serious expression.

“From now on, call me Stone King.”

“What nonsense is this?”

“It’s my new name. Stone King, born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA…”

A headache started to set in as I muttered under my breath.

“Should I just kill him?”

“Are you planning to kill an American citizen?”

“Who said you’re an American citizen, you idiot?”

“Not yet, but soon I will be. I’ll get U.S. citizenship.”

“Why don’t you just write a web novel on KakaoPage? Who’s filling your head with this nonsense?”

Magic Johnson shyly raised his hand.

“Jin, with my connections, it’s entirely possible…”

“Aagh! Ugh!”

I clutched my forehead in frustration, feeling my mind unravel.

“Johnson…”

“Yes?”

“When I asked you through Chief Choi, all I wanted was for him to look human enough to blend in.”

“Of course. But he insisted, didn’t he?”

All of this began right after I woke up. The Skeleton King had insisted, complaining about being stuck in the inventory.

Considering the contributions he made in battle, it was hard to deny his request for a reward. From our perspective, it was reasonable.

‘He protected Chief Choi and Xiao Shen in the fight with Lei Fei, and thanks to him, we defeated the Arc Lich.’

I had already been thinking of giving the Skeleton King some sort of reward.

Plus, if he had a human form, it would make things much more convenient.

He wouldn’t have to hide his appearance anymore, and we could forge a mutually beneficial partnership with the Peace Guild.

But…

“The thing is, I asked for an Asian appearance. Even though there are more foreigners in Korea now, this kind of look stands out. Especially a face like this…”

Before Magic Johnson could respond, the Skeleton King cut in with a firm tone.

“I requested the change myself.”

“Why? What’s the reason?”

“I saw it on the internet. Handsome white men are universally loved.”

“And what exactly do you plan to do with that?”

“I want to experience romance.”

“Oh, dear god.”

As I let out a deep sigh, Magic Johnson patted my shoulder reassuringly.

“It’s okay, Jin.”

“How is this okay? Don’t you know how dangerous social media can be these days? What if people do some digging and find out he’s not really from Atlanta but from the underworld? Can you imagine the fallout? And why on earth did you agree to this?”

“I just wanted to create my ideal face.”

“What?”

“That’s my dream face.”

I was speechless.

And then, the final straw came.

“Are you mad, ugly human?”

“You little—!”

*Wham!*

In a flash, I slammed my fist onto his head.

With a groan, the Skeleton King winced, biting his tongue as a trickle of blood escaped his lips.

Blood? That must be some illusion magic. The attention to detail is incredible… Wait, no, focus.

“Die! Die!”

“Argh! Ack!”

As we started brawling, the room quickly descended into chaos.

A desk shattered, and the documents Magic Johnson had been reading scattered all over me.

“Hold on! Wicked human, I can’t see!”

“I’ll teach you a lesson today—!”

Suddenly, I froze in place.

Amid the papers that had fallen over my face, strange but familiar symbols caught my eye.

‘This is…’

I stood up, leaving the Skeleton King behind, and picked up the sheet with the symbols.

‘Sichuan.’

There was no doubt.

These were the same symbols I had seen in Sichuan, not just anywhere else.