WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Our Precious Demon King ◈
Chapter 70: Korea-Japan Summit
──────
The world had been turned upside down.
At least, that was how Koreans and Japanese people felt.
The almost unbelievable Korea-Japan summit had ended.
Economic exchanges with minimal tariffs, a joint response to North Korea's nuclear threat, and other matters like those didn't even enter the conversation.
"Goodness, the Japanese president bowed right down!"
"I cried so much... Goodness."
"Oh, did you see the visit to Seodaemun Prison after the summit?"
"Of course I did."
Political news ratings hit 34%.
No, considering how the news swept through video platforms and social media as well as television, it was no exaggeration to say that every Korean had seen it.
"I never thought I'd live to see this day. Sob... Mr. President, thank you. Sob..."
A tearful interview with an elderly survivor of Japan's wartime sexual slavery passed a million views in no time.
- Wow, this is insane.
- Never thought we'd see a day like this.
- But what exactly did President Kim Seungtae do?
- What did the president do? Japan probably bowed down on its own because Korea got a G-rank hunter.
- Give credit where it's due, lol.
- For real. Some people can't even secure their share when they have the upper hand. This looks like good negotiating.
- Maybe our country's seriously powerful, haha.
- Not maybe. It is.
Koreans were stunned by the sudden news, but most welcomed it.
What they had truly wanted was an apology.
With Japan's prime minister bowing low to show sincerity, they couldn't help but acknowledge it.
A sincere apology naturally led to forgiveness, and Korean feelings toward Japan softened considerably.
Some anti-Japanese sentiment remained, but most people wanted to get along with Japan as neighbors from now on.
Of course, that generosity came from a sense of security, and the source of that security was the special adviser.
Even brotherly nations had an older brother and a younger brother.
It was only natural for the older brother to be stronger and take the lead.
Naturally, the Japanese were even more bewildered by this sudden turn of events than the Koreans.
[Humiliation, but Mishima's Government Chooses Practical Benefits.]
[The Only Solution to Prepare for an A-Rank Dungeon Disaster: An Unavoidable Choice.]
These were the two most-viewed articles in Japan.
The general view was that, when weighing the gains and losses, it was a practical choice to prepare for dimensional invasions.
Yet most media outlets, while acknowledging that the choice was unavoidable, sharply criticized Mishima's government for giving up too much.
[Mishima's Government Concedes Too Much. Was All This Really Necessary?]
[Support for Mishima's Government Plummets. Public Sentiment Ignored.]
[Approval Ratings Plunge After Soaring on War Against Crime and Stronger Ties with Korean Hunters. More Lost Than Gained.]
[Japan's Economy Staggers. Can We Go On Like This?]
[Fishing Organizations Protest Together. Further Action Announced!]
[Korea-Japan Economic Exchanges? A One-Sided Loss.]
Public opinion boiled over, and online communities were on fire.
- This is insane. Bowing down to Korea?
- Takeshima is Korean territory? Bullshit!
- Are we not going to be allowed to call the Sea of Japan the Sea of Japan anymore?
- This move has cost Japan a major strait.
- Insane. Is Mishima a traitor?
- Young people obsessed with K-pop are ruining Japan.
- What a humiliation. Mishima should come home and commit seppuku!
- But they're eating bibimbap and bulgogi right now?
- Is Mishima planning to become a Korean citizen?
- What a disgrace to Japan!
Unlike the raging internet, western Japan was in a desperate situation.
[A-Rank Dungeon Appears in Kobe. Local Community Gripped by Fear.]
An A-rank dungeon had appeared.
By coincidence, it had appeared while Prime Minister Mishima was on the way to Seoul for the Korea-Japan summit.
- Huh? We're fucked, aren't we?
- It'll be fine. Korea's going to handle A-rank dungeons instead of Taiwan now.
- That's why the prime minister's going to Korea.
- Why doesn't Japan have a G-rank hunter?
The people of Kobe, Osaka, and Kyoto alike were watching the Korea-Japan summit closely.
So was almost everyone else in western Japan.
They too were shocked to see their prime minister kneeling in apology on a public broadcast, but most understood.
An A-rank dungeon had appeared.
Pride be damned. This was a matter of life and death. What did bowing low matter?
Why did the dungeon have to appear right in the middle of the city?
If it broke open, Kobe would be wiped out.
There were twenty-one days left to clear it.
With dungeon deadlines being shortened so often lately, three weeks wasn't actually much time.
The local residents didn't care what Prime Minister Mishima did. They just wanted Korea's special adviser brought over immediately to clear the dungeon.
If, by any chance...
If relations between Korea and Japan worsened and the dungeon-clearing agreement fell through, Japan would suffer a devil invasion every time an A-rank dungeon appeared.
'Give them what we have to! The mainland's in danger!'
Straits or whatever else, they needed to give up what they had to and protect what mattered. The nasty thing about dungeons was that your front yard could become the front line of a Demon Realm invasion overnight.
[From now on, Korea and Japan will strengthen their cooperation against dimensional invasions by alien races and actively support exchanges between private-sector hunters.]
"Yeah!"
The statement they had been waiting for rang out.
Some felt relieved, while others were bitterly upset.
Some felt an unbearable sense of defeat, and others took to the streets in anger.
"Damn it! To think we'd live in a world where we grovel to the likes of Korea."
"Calm down. We're just doing it to Korea instead of Taiwan now."
"I already hated watching the Taiwanese strut around. The Koreans will be even worse!"
"I don't think it's so bad. Korea's our neighbor, after all."
"Hey, try using your brain. Didn't you learn anything about Korean-Japanese history? Korea's a country that claims everything belongs to them."
"You're the one who needs a history lesson, Ryuji. You get those wrong ideas because you learn everything from the internet and online communities."
"Are you a traitor? They just stole Takeshima right in front of us!"
"It was Korean territory to begin with, Ryuji."
"Hmph. Traitor. There's no talking to you."
A world where people could hold different opinions and express themselves freely.
It was an everyday occurrence in any modern country.
* * *
After arriving in Kobe, Sasaki smiled brightly as he held a premium Kobe beef gift set.
"Big Bro's going to love this!"
He quickly took out his phone and opened the Demon Realm Conquest app.
The base section, which should have been empty, had a single option.
[Big Bro Junyong's House]
Of everyone in Japan, he alone had been granted this blessing.
Flash.
Sasaki Yoichi smiled brightly at the scenery changing in an instant, then froze.
Shing.
He hadn't even sensed anyone approach.
Looking at the sharp sword touching his throat, Sasaki gave an awkward smile.
"Haha, you must've been practicing your swordsmanship!"
"..."
Of course she hadn't.
She had drawn her sword the moment he arrived and aimed it at a vital point.
'If she'd wanted to kill me, I'd be dead.'
He didn't move.
"Huh? It's Sasaki."
"B-Big Bro."
"Tsk."
Remi, who had gotten excited at the thought of an intruder, put away her sword.
Only when the blade at his throat was gone did the tension leave Sasaki's body.
"Let's just put the dungeon core in the yard."
"That would be better."
Now that he thought about it, he'd told quite a few outsiders about his dungeon base.
Choi Hyunju knew about it, and so did Sasaki.
Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina were his subordinates, so they were one thing. But having visitors suddenly appear in the middle of the room where he slept was a problem.
They might end up targeted by Remi, who would leap out of bed drooling at the thought of an intruder.
Kim Junyong pulled out the sword embedded in the center of the room.
Flash.
[The base “Big Bro Junyong's House” has been deactivated.]
"Oh?"
Ding.
Ding.
Just then, the Demon Realm Conquest app flashed.
He opened the Demon Realm Forum and found urgent private messages.
[Admin - What?! Big Bro! Set the base back up, quick!]
[Admin - Ah, Big Bro! The demons will get our coordinates!]
[Admin - Big Broooo!]
Kim Junyong vaulted over the terrace railing and jumped down into the yard.
He plunged the sword into a large landscaping boulder beside the front gate.
[The base “Big Bro Junyong's House” has been activated.]
Flash.
With the dungeon core at its center, full control over the surrounding area returned to him.
"Wow, that's interesting."
Having safely moved the dungeon core, Kim Junyong returned to the second floor.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Oh! I heard your sister moved in, so I brought a gift!"
"My sister?"
"Your big sister is my big sister!"
"Hah."
What a shamelessly friendly guy.
His bright, sparkling soul held not a speck of ill intent.
He genuinely thought that way.
He saw Junyong as his big brother and Junyong's sister as his own older sister.
He had really come today just to congratulate them.
'Good grief.'
He wanted to corrupt him.
He wanted to experiment and see just how ugly this pure soul could become.
Holding back that powerful urge, he looked at the wooden box in Sasaki's hands. It looked quite expensive.
"What's that?"
"Kobe beef. The finest beef there is."
"Oh, beef."
Kim Junyong nodded.
"You'll have to wait a bit for my sister to get back."
"Haha, I'll wait."
"Sure."
Sasaki settled comfortably onto the sofa and brought up the latest hot topic.
"Did you watch the Korea-Japan summit, Big Bro?"
"What's that?"
"Oh, it's about Korea and Japan getting along from now on."
"Really? That's good."
"It is."
"Anything going on?"
"Haha, nothing much. Oh, an A-rank dungeon appeared in Kobe."
"Wow, that's serious."
"Yes. Very serious."
"..."
Kim Junyong gazed at Sasaki.
Sasaki was looking back at him.
Respect, brotherly affection, closeness.
"..."
It was painful to look at this guy, who was a perfect target for a phone scam.
The urge was like wanting to leave footprints on a snow-covered schoolyard that no one had walked across.
'Ugh, I should just go clear a dungeon.'
If he waited until his sister got home, he might really end up corrupting this guy.
"Let's go."
"Pardon?"
"You said a dungeon appeared in Kobe."
"Gasp! You're going to help us?"
"..."
Most people would have brought it up with that intention quietly in mind, but this guy truly hadn't.
Junyong had asked if anything was going on, so he'd simply told him what was going on.
"Yeah."
"I'll never forget your kindness, Big Bro!"
"...All right, just follow me."
Kim Junyong, Kim Remi, and Sasaki Yoichi teleported to the Kobe dungeon.
* * *
[Breaking News: Kobe A-Rank Dungeon Disappears Two Hours and Fourteen Minutes After Appearing.]
- ?????
- What?
- Why did the dungeon disappear?
- Who cleared it?
- That time makes no sense. Even if someone went in the moment it appeared, they'd barely have enough time to clear it.
- Hey, it's official! Korea's special adviser went there.
- Quit bullshitting.
- (Photo)
People were stunned when a photo appeared showing Kim Remi, Kim Junyong, and Sasaki Yoichi together at the Kobe dungeon.
Articles soon poured out.
[Kobe A-Rank Dungeon Cleared by Korea's Special Adviser's Team and Sasaki Yoichi. First Step in Joint Korean-Japanese Dungeon Operations.]
[Mishima Masanobu's Approval Ratings Rebound While Visit to Korea Continues.]
[Nikkei Index Rebounds as Foreign Investment Floods In.]
[A-Rank Dungeon Cleared and Gone Before Evacuation Manual Could Even Be Written.]
[Strong Korea-Japan Alliance. Japan Now Safe from Dungeons.]
Japanese online communities went wild too.
- What? How was that so fast?
- Koreans are impatient. They do everything fast.
- Insane. With Ryu Jai, negotiating the fee alone would've taken a week.
- How much did we pay for the clear?
- According to the Superhuman Awakening Agency... one beef gift set.
- ? What kind of nonsense is that?
- That's basically the same as doing it for free.
- Insane. An A-rank dungeon, for free?
It had only been four hours since Prime Minister Mishima Masanobu arrived in Korea.
Footnotes:
Takeshima is the Japanese name for Dokdo.
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