WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Our Precious Demon King ◈
Chapter 81: We've Met Before, Right?
──────
"I'll be back."
"Junyong, be careful."
"Oh, come on. It's nothing."
Kim Junyong looked at Lorenzo.
Could he trust this guy?
Should he leave Remi behind?
"Let's call Ed."
With a hundred years of experience as Kim Junyong's bodyguard, Remi knew exactly what he was thinking.
"You never miss a thing."
Kim Junyong summoned the devil Ed from his summoning ticket.
Pop-pop.
"Meooow. Master, did you call, meow?"
"Stay with my sister and her family."
"Meow! Don't worry about a thing!"
Ed had become the Demon King's chef through sheer luck and an ability to read the room. He understood at once.
"All right, we're off."
Pop-pop.
With a few taps on a phone, Kim Junyong and Kim Remi disappeared.
Lorenzo gave Special One's family and their new feline companion a professional smile.
"Please let me know if there's anything you want."
"N-nothing in particular."
"Pizza! Can we go to a pizza place before Uncle gets back?"
Lorenzo smiled at Yu Jihun's request.
"Hahaha, Naples certainly deserves to be called the home of pizza. I'll treat you to the finest Neapolitan pizza."
"Oh, yeah!"
They now had a local Italian guide who spoke fluent Korean.
Their reactions left Lorenzo wondering.
'Did they really come here as tourists?'
Had they spent all that money for nothing?
The usual fee for clearing an A-rank dungeon was around fifty million dollars.
That came to about seventy billion Korean won.
Of course, depending on the dungeon's conditions and international relations, that amount could drop to thirty million dollars or soar to a hundred million.
'No. Don't overthink it.'
Lorenzo decided not to begrudge money that had already been approved.
The standard fee and one excellent meal.
Offering a meal was only common courtesy. The surprising part was that Special One had agreed to help for the standard fee alone.
'Maybe this is an opportunity.'
Special One and Special Two were both away.
His family had stayed behind, making this a good chance to find out their true purpose. With any luck, he could win the family over and build a good relationship.
"Meooow. This coffee has a lovely nutty flavor, meow."
"..."
Special One's pet.
This cat, known as the chef of Jun Dragon Kitchen, really could talk and walk on two legs like a person. According to their intelligence, he could even use telekinesis...
'Maybe this pet needs a Special codename too.'
It seemed Special One and Special Two had left a bodyguard to take their place.
The fact that they trusted the cat enough to leave gave him a rough idea of the creature's strength.
"Allow me to show you the very best of Naples."
For now, he would start by being their guide.
Lorenzo, the very picture of an Italian macho man, led the family along with a bright smile.
Simply getting Special One and Special Two out of Italy and into France before they caused any trouble was already a major achievement.
* * *
France's Special Security Bureau.
Its role was similar to Korea's Hunter Management Bureau. Upon receiving grave news, Director Hugo Blanc immediately called an emergency meeting.
"An A-rank dungeon has appeared in Paris."
"The clearance deadline is only fifteen days."
"Director, we need to start preparing immediately."
A dungeon wasn't something they could clear on their first visit.
They had to identify the monsters inside, then use that information to determine what sort of devil the dungeon boss was.
That usually took three to five days.
Then they had to assemble a team of hunters whose abilities were effective against that devil and make several trial runs.
The newly formed team needed to learn to work together, build teamwork, and get used to the monsters.
That usually took five to ten days.
They needed fifteen days to prepare, yet the deadline itself was only fifteen days away.
"We'll have to shorten the schedule."
What other option was there?
They could only hurry.
"Send in a scouting team at once!"
"Yes, Director."
With Director Hugo Blanc's approval, the Special Security Bureau's hunters hastily formed a team and entered.
The reason A-rank dungeon raids in Europe required so much preparation lay in the unusual nature of Sophie Giro, the G-rank hunter responsible for the continent.
Her epithet was the Saintess.
She was a G-rank hunter, but her role was that of a support healer.
Because of her class, it was important to build a team suited to fighting the particular devil.
"Where's Sophie now?"
"Resting at home."
"At least she's still in the country."
Sophie frequently attended parties and social gatherings.
For most G-rank hunters, the crew they traveled with was their raid team.
Her crew, however, consisted of stylists, managers, and the like, just as if she were a celebrity.
"Contact Sophie. Tell her not to leave France for the time being."
"We already did, but she says she'll only attend on the day of the raid."
"...Damn it."
It hardly showed much enthusiasm, but clearing the dungeon would be difficult without her.
Her healing abilities were nothing short of divine. Across countless raids, not a single person had died. On top of that, the powerful debuffs she applied during A-rank devil raids made the battles far easier for the team.
She was like a pop singer who briefly showed up to perform and left after countless other people had prepared the stage.
"Whew. Let's hurry the preparations as much as we can. We'll raid in ten days."
That damned shortening of the deadlines left them no room to spare.
They had to finish exploring the dungeon and assembling a suitable team within ten days.
"Oh, we have a call from Italy's Supernatural Abilities Bureau."
"Hmm? What do they want?"
"I'm not sure. They're asking for you, Director."
"Put them through."
Hugo Blanc, director of France's Special Security Bureau, took the call.
[It's me! Marco.]
Even that booming voice was irritating.
"What is it? Have you called to mock us again?"
Marco, director of Italy's Supernatural Abilities Bureau, laughed.
[Now, why would I make fun of a neighbor in trouble? I'll take care of that A-rank dungeon in Paris for you.]
"...?"
Director Hugo Blanc was dumbfounded.
"Are you on drugs?"
Italy didn't exactly have a deep pool of hunters.
During the last A-rank dungeon incident in Rome, they hadn't even been able to put together a team of their own hunters. They'd had to hire foreign mercenaries.
For A-rank dungeon raids in Europe, the country involved assembled a team, then Sophie Giro was sent in to make the operation safer.
"French hunters will be more than enough."
[Hahaha! I'm not offering to help. I'm saying we'll take care of the dungeon for you.]
"...?"
Was this bastard really on drugs?
"I don't have time to fool around with you, so hang up."
"Director! Special has appeared at the Paris dungeon!"
"What?"
The time bomb that had appeared in East Asia.
A man suspected of being the Mad Sovereign, who had returned after enduring Belheim for a full hundred years longer than the last heroes.
[Hahaha! Looks like he's already there. The dungeon will be dealt with shortly, so start writing your letter of thanks.]
"What in the..."
Director Hugo Blanc hung up and tried to find out what was happening.
"The site! Get me someone at the site!"
[Director Blanc! An Asian man and woman appeared and entered the dungeon!]
"That's impossible! What about our scouting team?"
[Well, they entered while the dungeon was already being raided!]
"Do you think that makes any sense?"
[I'm only reporting what I saw.]
Director Blanc's head throbbed.
For a moment, the surge of stress felt enough to make their hair fall out. Fortunately, they were already bald.
"Inform Korea of the situation and request that they share their information!"
"But it's already nighttime in Korea."
"They don't go home just because the sun sets! Send the request now!"
"Yes!"
Why had Korea's Special suddenly appeared in France?
And less than an hour after an A-rank dungeon had appeared in Paris, at that.
"Director! Korea has replied."
"What did they say?"
"He's currently traveling in Italy with his family."
"What in the..."
Why would someone on vacation in Italy suddenly turn up at a dungeon in Paris?
'What has Director Marco done?'
Why was Special One at the Paris dungeon when he'd been sightseeing in Italy?
"Director! Korea says Special One can enter dungeons even when a raid is already in progress."
"Good grief. Just what is he...?"
His absurd teleportation ability was enough of a headache, but now he could barge into dungeons too.
To put it bluntly, couldn't he enter a dungeon being raided by hunters he disliked and kill them all without leaving a shred of evidence? It would be the perfect crime.
Of all the hunters in the world, only Korea's Special One possessed this ability.
"I'll go to the site myself."
"Yes! We'll prepare an escort!"
"An escort? Don't bother."
What good would that do?
If he decided to kill someone, they were as good as dead.
An escort would be pointless.
This was the Mad Sovereign they were dealing with.
Even if Blanc couldn't quite bring themself to admit it...
* * *
Pop-pop.
"Oh, is that the Eiffel Tower?"
As soon as Kim Junyong teleported to the dungeon entrance, he marveled at the Eiffel Tower standing not too far away.
It was such a famous landmark that even a returnee like him recognized it at once.
[Huh? You're...?]
"What's that person saying?"
"Should I cut them down?"
"Why?"
"I think they insulted you."
"They're just speaking French."
After reining in Kim Remi, a woman who became dangerous whenever she took the initiative, he opened the camera app and pointed it at the dungeon.
<Dungeon Information>
Mirror's Shadow. Yarun's dungeon.
A-rank, 14 days 23 hours 9 minutes
[Raid in Progress][Leon and 15 others]
[Would you like to enter?]
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
Kim Junyong and Kim Remi both paused as they read the dungeon information.
"It's someone we know."
"Yeah. That doppelganger bastard."
It was a devil they'd met in Belheim.
The creature had a cute side, in its own way.
"How dare it take a swing at Earth?"
He'd wondered why it hadn't shown itself in Belheim for a while. So it had been living in Earth's metaverse.
Kim Junyong tapped to enter the dungeon.
Pop-pop.
Kim Junyong and Kim Remi disappeared.
"Ah!"
They had appeared in front of the dungeon in the blink of an eye, then vanished just as quickly.
<Dungeon Information>
Mirror's Shadow. Yarun's dungeon.
A-rank, 14 days 23 hours 8 minutes
[Raid in Progress][Kim Junyong and 17 others]
"My God!"
The French Special Security Bureau employee hurried to report to headquarters.
* * *
Pop-pop.
The scenery changed as they entered the dungeon.
"Oh, it's Korea."
Metaverse maps were modeled after Earth.
The sight looked as though someone had copied a Korean city exactly, giving him a strange sense of familiarity.
They started in a small park.
Down the road were two apartment complexes. Beyond them stood rows of commercial buildings, apparently a shopping district.
Kim Junyong used his dark mana to try to sense the dungeon boss Yarun, then grinned brightly.
"This bastard's hiding again."
Just as he would expect from such a sneaky creature.
It was bound to be hiding among the monsters.
A little farther down the road, they found people in a playground.
They didn't look like hunters, but ordinary neighborhood residents.
"They're people."
"They're monsters that look like people."
At Kim Junyong's correction, Remi tilted her head.
"What's the difference?"
"...?"
Honestly, the way devils thought.
Or should he call this the way Remi the demon sword thought?
Kim Junyong gave a small smile.
"No difference."
"Let's cut them all down."
"That's my Remi."
Their opponent knew how to play hide-and-seek.
If you didn't know who was it, you could just kill them all.
One of them had to be the right answer.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
