WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Our Precious Demon King ◈
Chapter 78: Ranking Changes!
──────
Mana cores.
White mana that filled up on its own.
Dark mana that he had to replenish himself.
Both mana cores were full.
From that point on, his interest in sports dropped sharply.
Whether a team won or lost, his life had been far too violent and intense for him to get emotionally invested in a ball game.
A struggle to decide a winner could never compare to a war that decided who lived and died.
Ding!
[World Announcement]
[All devils in Region 77 of the Demon Realm have been eliminated.]
[A Conqueror has emerged.]
The announcement caught Kim Junyong's interest.
“The kids are back.”
At the same time, messages arrived from the Demon Realm Forum.
[Admin - Congrats, bro! I'll start getting the update ready.]
[Admin - I really do have to put half my resources into this, so I won't have anything to spare.]
[Admin - Bro, please take good care of Earth! Haha.]
Just how much of the metaverse was he planning to overhaul to make such a fuss?
The “resources” used to defend Earth would go toward redesigning the metaverse. There were bound to be problems with the dungeons.
‘I'll earn plenty of points.’
Not bad.
Rescue operations that truly required Kim Junyong's involvement could earn him huge amounts of order points.
The Scales had a sly side. It was stingy with points for crises that could be resolved without his help.
<...Even small acts of good karma are precious.>
Funny to call them small when they were supposedly so precious.
<...>
With Kim Junyong busy messaging on his phone instead of watching baseball, Kim Jangmi casually asked him a question.
“Have you got a girlfriend?”
“No, just a friend.”
“Really? Where does this friend live?”
“On Earth.”
“Honestly. Does anyone not live on Earth?”
“...?”
Probably wasn't human, though.
Still, a middle-aged woman with an aging bachelor for a younger brother couldn't stop worrying.
“Are you seeing anyone these days?”
“Hmm, no?”
“You should get out more.”
The Bureau agent listening behind them went pale.
Was she encouraging the Adviser to go stir up trouble around the world?
“I was planning to. That's why I had you and the kids awaken.”
The listening agent's face turned an even sicklier shade.
“Speaking of which, shall we go?”
“Where?”
“Jihun said he wanted pasta.”
“Hmm? Shall we look for a good restaurant?”
“Come on. For pasta, it's got to be Italy.”
“Huh?”
“Let's go when the game's over.”
“But we don't even have passports. How would we get there?”
“Come on, did you forget?”
Kim Junyong tapped his hunter phone.
Kim Jangmi had never experienced teleportation before, but a curious look of anticipation filled her face.
“Shall we go now?”
“The kids are watching baseball.”
“Mom, let's go!”
“I'm in too.”
Not only was Yu Jihun enthusiastic, but Yu Jia also agreed. She had come along for the family outing rather than out of any real interest in baseball.
“Okay, let's go. Everyone join.”
Pop-pop-pop.
His family members appeared one after another on the party list.
Pop-pop.
When all five of them, including Remi, vanished at once, the Bureau agent hurriedly made a call.
“The Adviser just left for Italy!”
The urgent news reached the Special Adviser Support Headquarters, then made its way up the chain to the director.
He sent an official notice to the Italian government.
[Protect your citizens from a group of five Korean tourists. This notice comes from South Korea's Hunter Management Bureau...]
Please let nothing happen...
Just then, an employee rushed into the director's office.
“Director!”
“Oh? Department Head Kim?”
What brought Department Head Kim, the head of the Personnel Division, here?
“Have you seen the rankings?”
“Hmm? No.”
“Please take a look!”
Department Head Kim looked extremely excited.
“Department Head Cheon Yubeom and Deputy Department Head Lee Mina just had their strength measured. Both tested as Grade 1. So I checked the rankings, just in case...”
Excitement filled Kim's voice.
It sounded happy rather than alarmed, so the director opened the Dungeon Forum with growing anticipation.
“Let's see...”
Anyone with internet access could visit the Dungeon Forum, whether they were a hunter or an ordinary person.
Non-hunters couldn't read the private posts reserved for hunters, but anyone could see the ranking table on the homepage.
Cheon Yubeom... Cheon Yubeom...
He scrolled up a long way from rank 1,000, but still couldn't find the name.
“Start from the top.”
“Hmm?”
Whirrr.
The mouse wheel spun briskly, bringing rank 1 into view.
He had intended to scan down the list, but there was no need.
The first page listed everyone from rank 1 to rank 100.
And there, in the middle, was Cheon Yubeom's name.
“Huh? S-SR-rank?”
It was a special designation for the rankers on the first page.
The super ranker tier.
...
[Lin Hongyu: Rank 49]
[Cheon Yubeom: Rank 50]
[Leri Chuen: Rank 51]
...
“I-is this real?”
“Look for Deputy Department Head Lee too.”
“Good heavens. How is this possible?”
Both the director and Department Head Kim were brimming with excitement.
...
[Lee Mina: Rank 77]
[Im Dongsu: Rank 78]
[Petrov: Rank 79]
[Im Hajin: Rank 80]
...
“Wow, Deputy Department Head Lee is SR-rank too?”
“Yes! I couldn't believe it when I found her.”
Im Dongsu, who had been ranked 77th, had dropped one place.
“Goodness. How many SR-rank hunters does Korea have now?”
“Six in total.”
“...I don't mean hunters of Korean origin. I mean hunters we can currently call our own.”
“Haha, four, then.”
Choi Hyunju, Rank 31 (Bureau)
Yang Minchan, Rank 39 (Naturalized Chinese citizen)
Cheon Yubeom, Rank 50 (Bureau)
Lee Mina, Rank 77 (Bureau)
Im Dongsu, Rank 78 (Daesan Guild)
Im Hajin, Rank 80 (Rebel leader)
Six were of Korean origin, but one was a villain and another had become a Chinese citizen long ago.
Still, it was encouraging that the Bureau now had three super rankers.
But that was only temporary.
“I can see why the head of Personnel came rushing over.”
“Yes. We can't lose those two to private guilds.”
And it wasn't just private guilds.
Some hunters emigrated to other countries after being offered incredible benefits and salaries.
Choi Hyunju's exceptional patriotism made her a special case. Most people went wherever they received the best treatment.
Bureau Director Park Taejun's face darkened.
“Hmm. We need to do everything we can to keep those two from resigning.”
“I agree.”
“Let's form an emergency response team right away and work on meeting their terms.”
“Yes.”
“I'll meet with them myself to find out what they're thinking.”
“Yes, Director!”
“Goodness. This is quite something.”
Korea had hit the jackpot with talented people.
What sort of magic had turned Grade 5 and Grade 3 hunters into SR-rank hunters in just a few days?
‘A guild would be fine.’
As long as they didn't move abroad.
It wouldn't be too much of a problem if they joined a guild within Korea.
They could still ask for help from their country's hunters during a crisis, just as they had with Im Dongsu.
Of course, having them remain at the Bureau would be best.
And that would require a larger budget.
“Hmm. I'd better get moving too.”
He would have to visit the president again. They had been meeting quite often lately.
The Bureau had achieved a great deal, and the president seemed to be in a good mood. Securing the budget would probably be easier than expected.
* * *
Taiwan.
The source of its former dominance over East Asia had been its G-rank hunter.
With Ryu Jai, a G-rank hunter and the only means of overcoming the disaster that was an A-rank dungeon, Taiwan had enjoyed its position as East Asia's strongest nation, at least in hunter society.
But recently, it had lost the G-rank hunter who had been both its source of confidence and its strongest weapon.
The blame had been aimed at Korea and “that hunter,” but even that soon died down.
The change in Japan's diplomatic attitude had come as a huge shock.
Bowing and scraping to Korea?
[Japanese Prime Minister Heads to Korea]
[Japan Acknowledges Historical Issues with Korea, All but Admitting Defeat]
[Japan Officially Adopts “East Sea.” Has It Decided to Become Korea's Vassal?]
Taiwanese media poured out articles filled with betrayal and mockery.
Japan should have been treating Taiwan that way.
The jealousy was intense.
It hadn't ended with Ryu Jai's personal downfall. Taiwan's standing had plummeted too.
[A-Rank Dungeon in Kobe, Japan, Vanishes Before Emergency Response Can Begin]
[How Did Korea and Japan Become Blood Allies?]
[Japan Gives Up Much but Gains a Reliable Shield]
[Humiliating Diplomacy? No, Practical Diplomacy!]
That used to be our place in the world!
Our Ryu Jai used to do all of that!
Korea, Korea, Korea.
Taiwan's interest in Korea had reached its peak.
It had gone beyond the Korean Wave and become a frenzy.
Ninety percent of the news articles being produced were related to Korea.
[Japanese Prime Minister Returns Home After Visit to Korea]
[Japanese Prime Minister Mishima Masanobu Surrounded by Welcoming Crowds]
[US Announces Zero Tariffs on Japan. The Mishima Magic]
[Diplomatic Genius Mishima Masanobu's Approval Rating Soars]
[Nikkei Index Breaks Previous High]
Japan had gone to Korea and bowed its head, yet America had given it a gift.
“...?”
Taiwan couldn't understand why.
[China Ends Senkaku Islands Dispute. Announces Removal of All Structures in Surrounding Waters]
“...?”
Taiwan burned with envy.
Japan had bowed to Korea, so why were America and China giving Japan gifts?
Korea, Japan, America, China.
There had to be some sort of close arrangement among the four countries!
[Taiwan's Growing International Isolation. Can We Afford to Go On Like This?]
[Wu Feilong and Lin Hongyu Are Taiwan's Hope. They Need Active Support]
The country was anxious.
Its pride still stood tall,
but reality had gone down the drain.
The public still thought of Taiwan as the leader of East Asia, but the international community no longer gave it a second thought.
The voices criticizing Korea grew quieter.
After all, if an A-rank dungeon appeared in Taiwan now, they wouldn't even be able to deal with it on their own.
The public's anger and feelings of inferiority found another target.
[The Fallen Hero's Rehabilitation?]
[An R-Rank Hunter Appears at an F-Rank Dungeon]
[Ryu Jai Enters Dungeon Without Answering Reporters' Questions]
Having ended her long seclusion, Ryu Jai found her movements under scrutiny.
Some media outlets followed her relentlessly, reporting on everything she did.
[Ryu Jai Visits Only Low-Rank Dungeons. Has the Fallen Hero Lost Even Her Courage?]
[No Teammates. A Lonely Figure Enters the Dungeon Alone]
A few comments under the articles offered support, but most were filled with criticism and mockery.
- Even I can solo an F-rank dungeon. Why is Ryu Jai going there?
- Is she going for fun? What a waste of combat power.
- Does she have no intention of serving her country? This is a waste.
- We should push for cuts to her benefits budget.
- We already have Lin Hongyu and Wu Feilong. We don't need her anymore.
- What's the point of being R-rank? She's just playing around.
- She's not even trying to work her way back up the ranks.
Ryu Jai didn't care in the slightest about the public criticism.
No, she hoped it would grow even louder.
This anger, this sense of betrayal,
would temper her further.
Slaaash!
She had no companions to coordinate with.
She was slowly growing used to her one-handed sword and shield.
She wasn't lonely.
She had been reborn as a warrior who enjoyed solitude.
The damage dealer who had been used to teamwork
had built her foundations as a sword-and-shield warrior.
It was about time to prove herself.
‘I'll become a knight worthy of you.’
Just thinking of him made her breath quicken.
A little more.
With a little more confidence.
She would become a knight worthy of him.
‘And stand by your side.’
She needed to work a little harder.
Before he gained so many excellent subordinates
that there was no place left for her.
Ryu Jai headed for a D-rank dungeon.
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