Chapter 753

The man looked around, thinking.

What a lovely day. The sea that had been raging like mad just over twenty hours ago was calm now, and flocks of seagulls crossed the clear sky.

‘Beautiful. Is this nature?’

The place the man had lived wasn’t like this. That place, somewhere far, far away, was always dark as night and reeked of a vile stench. Of course, due to personal circumstances, he’d never actually smelled it, but it must have been like that.

Anyway, the man liked this world.

Especially because he could see beautiful scenery he’d never seen before, and because he was with some fairly decent people.

Come to think of it, one of them… no, two of them should probably be excluded.

The man—Skeleton King—suddenly recalled a conversation from a few hours ago.

– ‘Anything?’

– ‘Huh?’

– ‘You said you’d do anything. Right?’

– ‘Uh… huh?’

– ‘My god, such a noble spirit of sacrifice. I, your captain, am genuinely moved.’

– ‘Sacrifice? What spirit of sacrifice?’

– ‘Shh. Enough. I know. I know your heart, so don’t pretend anymore.’

– ‘Holy sh…it…?’

It was strange.

Something was going weirdly wrong.

He looked at the other human with eyes desperately pleading for help, but even that guy—whom he’d thought was at least sane—was clearly in on it.

– ‘Hey, handsome, smart human…’

– ‘Do not speak to me. My heart is so full right now that it’s difficult to answer.’

– ‘You son of a bitch…’

– ‘We meet again, Mr. King. To sacrifice yourself for the greater cause…’

– ‘No, I never said anything about sacrificing… why do you keep saying that…’

– ‘We will all never forget this sacrifice. You are a true hero.’

– ‘Stop! Why are you approaching me?!’

By the time he felt a sense of crisis beyond mere strangeness, it was already too late.

Before he knew it, Jin Taekyung—blocking the door—was creeping closer with a bundle of rope in his hand.

– ‘Shall I speak carefully? Shall I try to be brave?’

– ‘Don’t sing that weird song! Put down the rope in your hand!’

– ‘From today, I want to use you as bait.’

– ‘What kind of song has lyrics like that! Don’t change the lyrics!’

– ‘Team Leader Choi Minwoo, what are you doing not holding him? Am I the only bad guy here?’

– ‘Ah, sorry. I was busy wiping away tears for a moment.’

– ‘Get the hell out of here!’

Splash! Thud-thud-thud!

A wave rolling in from afar crashed against the stern of the small fishing boat.

Awakened from his thoughts by the cool seawater splashed across his face, Skeleton King muttered.

“…Damn it.”

Naturally, resistance was futile.

The human bastards he’d trusted surrounded him front and back, and Jin Taekyung—the root of all evil—declared solemnly, like a judge.

– ‘Don’t make a fuss. If you obediently become the bait, there will be no skeletal incident.’

– ‘Don’t you mean bloody incident?’

– ‘He doesn’t have any blood.’

– ‘Ah.’

– ‘So, what are you going to do?’

What could he do?

The dice had already been cast, and they were loaded dice—rigged by card sharks.

Realizing he’d fallen into the trap before Leviathan did, Skeleton King, to avoid a skeletal incident, obediently boarded the fishing boat.

Along with the two S-Class Magic Crystal Stones the Japanese government had provided in advance.

– ‘Get rid of this cumbersome stuff. Even with just me alone, that bastard will be drooling.’

– ‘No way. When you eat pork belly, do you eat it without ssamjang and scallions?’

– ‘…Is it already decided that I will be eaten by Leviathan?’

– ‘Don’t worry. I’ll save you right around the time you’re dipped in ssamjang.’

– ‘What if he swallows me in one bite?’

– ‘Wow, that would be really delicious.’

– ‘…You are going to save me, right?’

– ‘Suddenly I’m craving soju. Don’t you think so, Team Leader Choi Minwoo?’

– ‘I prefer wine, but soju definitely goes better with pork belly.’

– ‘Saving me… are you really sure?’

That was the last of it.

The fishing boat, loaded with one S-Class monster and two S-Class Magic Crystal Stones, departed without waiting for an answer. Following the pre-programmed GPS, it began cruising near an uninhabited island hundreds of kilometers away.

From an hour ago until now.

Waiting for the big catch hiding somewhere in the deep sea to take the bait.

“You damn human bastards.”

Sighing as he stared up at the blue sky, Skeleton King felt his nonexistent heart pounding.

‘What if that bastard really shows up?’

Skeleton King knew all too well the gap between himself and Leviathan.

Unlike his past self, who lacked even reason, the opponent was a predator born with immense magical power. In other words, their foundations were different.

In the demon world, Leviathan had been ranked among the top ten of the so-called ‘72 Legion Commanders,’ the S-Class monsters.

Even though its power had waned from its former glory, the fear lodged in his heart refused to fade.

‘Don’t come. Don’t come. Please don’t come…’

Skeleton King liked this world.

Nature brimming with vitality, in stark contrast to his already-dead self. Cities filled with dazzling, wondrous civilization. And human women of blinding beauty.

Sure, he sometimes felt disillusioned by the behavior of certain humans, but most were fine, and he was gradually getting used to the word ‘friend,’ which had been unfamiliar at first.

But even for him, being eaten by Leviathan and turned into nutrition was something he’d rather decline.

At the thought of becoming a hearty pork belly set meal, Skeleton King felt like crying.

‘You damn human bastards, please, let’s live together!’

It made him even more miserable that he couldn’t shout out loud for fear Leviathan might appear, but it was already far too late to turn back.

Skeleton King stroked the ssamjang and scallions around his neck… no, the two S-Class Magic Crystal Stones, and glared at the sea.

‘Right. You only die once, not twice.’

As he repeated the phrase humans often used, an inexplicable courage welled up from somewhere.

Besides, unlike humans, he’d already truly died. Since only bones remained, maybe he could survive even if he got chewed a few times. It’d be even better if he got stuck between its teeth.

“Come at me, you monster! I’ll take you on!”

And at the very moment Skeleton King let out his brave cry—

Splat. Plop.

Something fell from the sky, splattering across his crown and shoulder.

With a bewildered face, Skeleton King rubbed the sticky, pure white substance and grimaced.

Shit.

Warm, fresh bird droppings.

“I’ll pluck every last feather off you bastards.”

Growling softly, Skeleton King raised his head.

Sure enough. A flock of seagulls—apparently treating humans as a free feeding station—had been tailing the fishing boat, circling above him.

To be precise, they were already flying off somewhere far away, scattering droppings and piss as they went.

“Disgustingly quick to sense…”

His words trailed off.

Skeleton King’s pupils trembled.

Before he knew it, in his wide-open eyes, flying creatures were blackening the opposite sky as they rushed in.

‘Birds? All of those are…?’

As Skeleton King stood there dumbfounded, mouth agape, tens of thousands of birds—mixed in a way even an ornithologist would struggle to identify—swept past his head, chasing after the distant flock of seagulls.

No, that wasn’t it.

That was—

‘Escape.’

The instant those two words filled Skeleton King’s mind, the calm sea began to churn.

Gugugugung!

A resonance rising from deep within the seabed.

And—

Splash!

A triangular wave surged up as if to swallow the world, and within it, a massive shadow undulated.

Graaaaaaaah!

A ferocious roar shook the Philippine Sea.

The moment the mythical monster—three hundred meters long—opened its maw toward the feast laid out on the tiny fishing boat.

“Twenty-three hours later. You son of a bitch.”

Along with a voice no one had anticipated, fierce flames shot forth, evaporating the moisture.

Fwoosh!

In Murim, there exists a technique called the Ghost Breath Great Method.

To be precise, it’s closer to a technique than a martial art.

But the important point is that with the Ghost Breath Great Method, one can suppress breathing and heartbeat to the absolute limit and even lower body temperature.

In short, it’s a bizarre technique that erases vitality for a certain period. And because it requires outstanding internal energy and martial prowess, even in Murim, few ever learned the Ghost Breath Great Method.

In fact, that was only natural if you knew even a little about the oddities called Murim-in.

In a world teeming with show-offs who shout the names of their techniques even in life-and-death struggles, doing corpse cosplay…

So, on days when even those rolling on the ground bragging about mastering the ‘Touch-Drive-Beat-Play’ technique get humiliated, the types who learn the Ghost Breath Great Method are bound to be extremely limited.

Heretics. Ronin.

And—

‘Assassins.’

Unlike the two professions listed above, assassins are rare breeds you’re lucky to see even once in a lifetime.

Even if your clothes brushed past them, you wouldn’t realize they were assassins, and by the time you understood the person in front of you was one, you were already halfway screwed.

However, there are times when meeting an assassin can be helpful.

Especially if that assassin’s epithet is ‘Killing Star.’

‘I’m not sure what to teach you. But I can’t possibly teach something like the Ghost Breath Great Method to a guy who’s practically the successor of the Fire King…’

‘Wow, Ghost Breath Great Method!’

‘..?’

‘Teach me! I want to live!’

‘…You, aren’t you from the Orthodox faction?’

‘Do Orthodox faction members not die when stabbed?’

‘No, but still, to further develop your martial arts…’

‘Ghost Breath Great Method! Ghost Breath Great Method! Survival! Taekyung Grills!’

‘Alright, alright, please calm down. Stop spouting that weird nonsense.’

In short, he was lucky.

The living legend of the assassin world had lecture skills that rivaled top instructors in Daechi-dong, and I—good at anything physical—soaked up his teachings like a sponge.

Of course, I never imagined I’d use the Ghost Breath Great Method I learned back then in the modern world before Murim, but at least its effectiveness was certain.

Fwoosh!

A spear imbued with blue-white flames was sucked into the monster’s dark maw.

No—it shattered the newly grown teeth and lodged itself into its palate.

Kraaaaaaah!

Crash-crunch!

Along with the roar, the fishing boat was crushed like a toothpick by the massive body writhing in agony.

Grabbing the scruff of Skeleton King’s neck as he stared at me with wide eyes, I kicked off the boat on the verge of sinking and leaped up.

Bang!

Shrapnel exploding behind me grazed my shoulder. A fierce wind swept over my entire body. I stepped on invisible stairs and steadied myself in midair.

Grrrrr.

A rough breath. Leviathan’s massive, crocodile-like pupils narrowed into vertical slits.

You. How did you…?

“Ah, that. It’s a long story.”

I grinned and continued.

“And I have no intention of telling it.”

[Inventory Open.]

[Summon.]

As the thought rose in tandem with my words, I hurled the spear in my hand.

Kwaaaaaa!