Chapter 751
Unlike the imperialist lunatic of a Defense Minister, the newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister at the negotiating table was surprisingly reasonable.
“It’s impossible to remove the Defense Minister immediately, but we will grant independent operational authority to Mr. Jin and the other Korean nationals.”
“Please also confirm material and military support through the Ministry of Defense. We came to cooperate at your country’s request, not to sacrifice ourselves.”
At Team Leader Choi Minwoo’s polite but firm words, the Japanese Prime Minister nodded.
“I will gladly accept. I will do my utmost within my authority.”
‘Personally, I’d like to throw those bastards from the Ministry of Defense into a radioactive hot spring and call it a day.’
‘But what can you do? The deed is already done, and all we can do now is our best within what’s possible.’
“But how do you plan to deal with the monster that’s already fled?”
“I have a method in mind.”
The words slipped out. I made a quick throat-slitting gesture at the Skeleton King, who was staring at the Japanese Prime Minister with a murderous glare, and hurriedly corrected myself.
“There is a method, yes.”
It was an honorific that wouldn’t show up on any family register, but the Japanese Prime Minister—already famous for his gem-like quotes—didn’t seem like the type to care.
Instead, he looked at the Skeleton King with a friendly gaze.
“Oh. Suto-mu King. I have long heard rumors about you.”
“Me? No, me?”
“Of course. Not just this incident—I’ve known about you since you suppressed several Mutation Gates in Korea.”
The Skeleton King had already become quietly known to the public even before the Self-Defense Force incident came to light.
Public attention briefly fixated on the sudden appearance of a top-tier Hunter no one had heard of, but it was soon buried.
Partly because Magic Johnson’s identity laundering was perfect, and partly because the whole incident was so absurd that no one even suspected he’d been a monster from the start.
‘…Actually, it’s because I was the only one who got cursed out that much.’
“I am truly pleased to meet you like this. Suto-mu King.”
The Skeleton King, who had been basking in the fact that a national Prime Minister recognized him, furrowed his brow.
“Pleased to meet you. But I, no, my name is Stone King.”
“That’s why I’m calling you that now. Suto-mu King.”
“It’s Stone King. Here. Try saying it slowly. S. Tone. King.”
“S. Tone. King.”
“This time, a bit longer. Stone. King.”
“Stone. King.”
“Excellent! Now try putting it together.”
“Suto-mu King.”
“Good heavens. You’re really driving me crazy. I can’t believe it! What on earth is wrong with your tongue?!”
A fantastical collaboration between the cursed archipelago’s pronunciation system and the underworld’s Waldo-style speech.
Unable to watch the pitiful scene any longer, I stepped in as traffic control in place of Team Leader Choi Minwoo, who had tightly closed his eyes.
“Let’s stop. Whether it’s Stone King, Suto-mu King, or Stalking, what does it matter?”
“It matters a lot! You bastard!”
“More than your skull cracking soon?”
“Hmph. Thinking again, it probably doesn’t matter much.”
“Right?”
“Of course. Just call me whatever’s convenient. That’s my name.”
“Good attitude, Fucking. Now tell us the method to deal with Leviathan.”
Apparently disliking his newly assigned name, the Skeleton King muttered a small curse and opened his mouth.
“First, the premise itself is wrong. We’re not tracking Leviathan; we need to lure it to a place as close to land as possible.”
“Lure it?”
“Yes. That ocean is entirely its territory. If we try to track it with half-baked methods, we might lose it forever.”
“Are you saying…?”
“It was too severe an injury to flee. Leviathan probably hasn’t gone far yet.”
Team Leader Choi Minwoo raised a question.
“Although Leviathan suffered significant damage thanks to Mr. Jin Taekyung, I understand it obtained an unrefined S-Class Magic Crystal Stone. Wouldn’t that be enough to recover from its wounds?”
“Recover?”
The Skeleton King snorted and continued.
“If it’s Leviathan, no matter how much magical power it has, it can absorb it all.”
“But even if it makes all that magical power its own, completely healing those injuries is a different matter.”
“Hm.”
“The amount of magical power needed to recover from that level of injury would be greater. By now, it must have realized that too.”
The opinion coming from an actual monster was persuasive.
One Annihilation is a lethal strike with power enough to destroy even the caster’s body.
True to its name, Leviathan twisted its body at the last moment, but it still wasn’t an injury that could heal in a short time.
‘Lure it. Lure it…’
Turning that word over in my head, I suddenly spoke.
“A creature cunning enough to assess the situation instantly, take only what it wants, and flee—would it really fall for a trap?”
The answer was simple.
“It will. If the conditions are right.”
“You mean a trap it can’t help but enter even knowing it’s a trap?”
“You have to think of Leviathan as a hungry, wounded beast. That’s the same reason it came here.”
Team Leader Choi Minwoo muttered as if groaning.
“We’ll need to prepare tremendous bait.”
“Yes. Bait so tempting that Leviathan would risk danger to rush at it.”
At this point, there was only one bait that could draw Leviathan in.
“Excuse me, Prime Minister?”
At my subtle voice, Prime Minister Koizumi, who’d been watching with dazed eyes, blinked.
“Ah, please speak.”
“It’s just, by any chance… do you have a few of those in Japan?”
“Those? What are you referring to?”
“Don’t play dumb. S-Class Magic Crystal Stones.”
“…Huh?”
“Let us borrow them for a bit.”
“…Huh?!”
“Hey now. Why so surprised? We’ll catch Leviathan and return them. Here, promise.”
I held out my pinky finger to the wide-eyed Prime Minister.
‘Ah, we can just pay it back by mining more. By mining.’
In modern times, S-Class Magic Crystal Stones are treasures of tremendous value.
Even before being the highest-grade energy source capable of powering a major city, they’re incredibly rare—only around a hundred worldwide.
Perhaps because of that, even the Prime Minister, who had promised active cooperation, was stunned at first. Of course, in the end, he had no choice but to reluctantly hand them over.
“I’ve brought them.”
Click.
With the security magic released, a box lined with soft velvet opened. Inside were two Magic Crystal Stones scattering brilliant light.
“Hmm. Only two?”
Seeing my expression, the Japanese Prime Minister hurriedly added.
“This is all the S-Class Magic Crystal Stones owned by the Japanese government.”
“Is that true?”
“It’s the absolute truth! I went through so much trouble persuading cabinet members and His Majesty the Emperor!”
“If more are found later, then for each S-Class Magic Crystal Stone…”
“…Mr. Jin Taekyung?”
“Ah. Sorry. It’s just become such a habit.”
‘This is why habits are scary.’
At Team Leader Choi Minwoo’s dissuasion, I scratched the back of my head, and the Prime Minister—who had been slowly edging away—swiftly left the room with earnest pleas for us to return them safely.
But the atmosphere in the room, now with just us, stayed lukewarm.
“Hmm. Two… This might be a bit insufficient.”
“This one thinks the same. They still contain considerable magical power, but not enough to lure Leviathan.”
How many S-Class Magic Crystal Stones exist doesn’t matter. What matters is the quantity and quality of magical power left inside them.
‘Normally, they should be refined, of course… but this time, the purpose is different.’
Two S-Class Magic Crystal Stones sat before us, but what we needed was bait—bait so enticing that Leviathan would rush at it even knowing it was a trap.
A massive, pure lump of magical power, just like what it took.
‘Even if we used these two together as bait, they’d still fall far short of an unrefined one.’
And it wasn’t just me thinking that.
As we exchanged similar looks, the Skeleton King spoke.
“No matter how much this one thinks about it, these won’t work. How about getting more instead?”
“Getting more? You mean… ah.”
A fact I’d momentarily forgotten flashed through my mind.
Area A hidden inside the Ares Guild headquarters. The place shrouded in mystery, stuffed with astronomical amounts of cash, artworks, and Magic Crystal Stones—and among them, a whopping five S-Class Magic Crystal Stones.
“But those are refined too.”
“That’s… true.”
The Skeleton King clicked his tongue, then added regretfully.
“Still, better than nothing. Can’t we do something?”
Of course, having is better than not having.
But even if we added five more, the situation wouldn’t change much.
The more perfectly refined a Magic Crystal Stone is, the higher its value. And the S-Class Magic Crystal Stones Lee Jeong-ryong and Seok Go-jun had stashed in Area A were literally top-grade.
And there was one more issue. The final decision-making authority lay with the owner.
“Those were obtained through illegal means. If they’re revealed to the world, the media will go wild.”
Yes, especially these days—it would be absolute chaos. Hyenas with cameras were everywhere, ready to pounce at the slightest opening.
At Team Leader Choi Minwoo’s point, the Skeleton King thought for a moment, then suggested something else.
“What about gathering completely unrefined Magic Crystal Stones? Collect all the ones coming from nearby Gates right now and procure them here…”
I beamed and patted his shoulder.
“Congratulations. You’ve been sentenced to life imprisonment for violating international law.”
“Damn it all!”
“Welcome to the 21st century with a smile. It’s surprisingly damn hard to live here.”
Grit.
Gnashing his teeth, the Skeleton King continued.
“If that’s how it is, there’s no choice. Either use those Magic Crystal Stones as bait, or form a raid team with only the most elite to directly track and kill it.”
“Well, the world really has improved. Who would’ve thought the day would come when a monster advocates raiding a monster.”
“Isn’t there any other method?!”
‘Method… well.’
I exchanged a subtle glance with Team Leader Choi Minwoo.
Watching the Skeleton King’s furious reaction, I slowly opened my mouth.
“I didn’t say there wasn’t.”
“What?”
“There is one method.”
The Skeleton King leaned in, eager.
“What method is that?”
“Before I tell you, let me say one thing. If a raid team is organized… you’re out.”
“Out? What do you mean?”
Seeing his wide-eyed shock, I continued.
“Can’t be helped. There are too many eyes on us right now.”
He wasn’t stupid enough to miss what I meant. The Skeleton King asked again, face hardening.
“You’re saying to exclude me from the battle with Leviathan because my power might be revealed?”
“You understand well.”
“You’re insane. How can you say that now?!”
Bang! Thud!
A fist slammed down with a shout, shattering the table. Disappointment and anger burned in the eyes right in front of me.
“Treacherous human. I must have misjudged you. How can you say such a thing in this situation!”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re a monster.”
“…What?”
“Even if we catch Leviathan, if your identity is exposed, it’s over. This is just to prevent that.”
Crack.
Bones shifted within the Skeleton King’s clenched fist. Staring at me as if he couldn’t believe it, he shouted like he was vomiting blood.
“It doesn’t matter! If I can save them, I can do anything! Leviathan, who caused this disaster…”
“Anything?”
“Huh?”
‘Got him. Hooked.’
I smiled, satisfied, and looked the Skeleton King in the eye.
“You said you’d do anything. Right?”