WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 10: Demon Realm Subjugation

Hunter Management Bureau, South Korea. Backed by more funding and support than even the National Intelligence Service, this agency operated with impeccable efficiency.

"Here you go."

"Wow, that was fast."

Less than ten minutes after Cheon Yubeom arrived, Lee Mina returned with two resident registration cards.

"Kim Remi?"

Kim Junyong tilted his head as he looked at Remi's resident registration card.

"Born in XX? How old does that make her?"

"Nineteen. We assumed she was the age of a third-year high school student..."

Kim Junyong chuckled.

"Remi, looks like you can't drink."

"..."

Remi's expression darkened, and Lee Mina flinched.

"S-Should I go make another one?"

"No, it's fine."

Kim Junyong grinned mischievously at Remi, but she simply let it go. She knew her master's antics were beyond anyone's control.

The store manager, now in possession of the IDs, began the phone registration with bated breath.

Seated in the waiting area, Kim Junyong pointed to the opposite seat.

"You guys sit too."

"Ah, yes."

He quietly looked at Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina.

"So, is this some kind of returnee care?"

"...?"

Cheon Yubeom looked puzzled, so Lee Mina quickly answered.

"Yes, that's correct."

Cheon Yubeom protested with his eyes.

Isn't this more villain surveillance than returnee care?

Senior, shut it.

As they exchanged eye signals, Kim Junyong smiled brightly.

"So, how's the observation going?"

"Well, you seem..."

Cheon Yubeom paused, choosing his words carefully.

"Easier to talk to than expected."

"Funny. Weren't you the ones who arrested and transported me before we even talked?"

"Usually, killing someone gets you arrested."

Kim Junyong shrugged.

"So you would let a rapist live?"

"Huh?"

"You've never killed a villain before?"

"..."

Both Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina fell silent. As members of the Special Investigation Unit, they often encountered villains or soon-to-be villains. It wasn't uncommon for those missions to turn deadly.

"I don't really like killing."

"Huh?"

"She does the killing."

Now that they thought about it, it did make sense. The two people's gazes turned to Remi. Kim Junyong's further explanation hit their ears like a jab.

"By the way, she loves killing."

"..."

"I usually prefer to keep them alive for torture."

The equally heinous remarks didn't sound like jokes. Their heads spun.

In the now-quiet atmosphere, only the mouse clicks of the phone store manager echoed.

"Anyway, I plan to live quietly. I don't need your returnee support, so there's no need to tail me."

"...We can't allow that."

"Oh?"

Lee Mina mustered the courage to speak up.

"The Returnee Support Program is vital."

Belhaim was an alien world. A battlefield. Time flowed ten times faster there. Returnees only came back after experiencing death.

If a returnee's mental state was intact, that was what seemed abnormal. Many of the early returnees couldn't adjust and became villains.

"Kim Junyong's case is better. Having family increases social reintegration by ninefold."

"Heh. So what do you want?"

"Please allow us to continue monitoring you closely, just like now. We'll do everything we can to help you adjust to modern society."

"Hmm."

Kim Junyong smirked at the blatant surveillance.

"I already have a bodyguard."

Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina glanced at Remi, then shut their eyes tight.

That's even more dangerous!

Understanding their concern, Kim Junyong generously offered an explanation.

"Fine. I'll explain my principles. I only fight back if someone picks a fight with me first."

"..."

They had just spent all morning rescuing civilians from situations like this.

"Anyway."

This wasn't a negotiation. It was Kim Junyong giving them a friendly warning.

If a tiger appeared in the village, it was only natural that the villagers would be on edge. However, the tiger didn't owe them an explanation.

The tiger just wanted to stroll through the village.

"Now get lost."

"..."

Seeing their refusal to budge, Remi's lips curled slightly.

"Shall I cut them?"

"If they're still here in 3 seconds."

Whoosh.

Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina vanished at the same time–it was impossible to tell who moved first.

"Shall I track and cut them anyway?"

"Leave them. It's not like they'll actually give up just because I warn them."

Besides, this world was already crawling with surveillance cameras. He just didn't like their direct interference. If they wanted to struggle where he couldn't see, that was fine with him...

"Are you done yet?"

"Y-Yes, it's done."

The store manager, who had been watching nervously, handed over the phones with trembling hands.

"Oh."

Kim Junyong and Remi stared at their phones like children with a new toy.

And they just kept staring.

"How do you use it?"

"Ah! I'll help you with the initial setup. Let's start with facial recognition..."

The store manager kindly handled the setup.

"Try calling this number."

"Ah, yes!"

He took the business card Kim Jangmi had left earlier and saved the number.

"Should I save it as 'Director Kim Jangmi'?"

"Just save it as 'Noona'."

"Oh, okay."

Once the setup was complete, he made the call.

"Hey, Noona. It's me."

[ Junyong? Is this your number? ]

"Yeah."

[ Thank goodness. I was worried. Is everything okay so far? ]

"Yeah, don't worry. I met them, and they left."

[ You met them? What did they say? ]

"Just like Jihun said, it's that returnee support thing. Anyway, we agreed not to interfere with each other."

[ ...Does it really work like that? ]

"Apparently."

[ ...All right then. Can you come to the clinic by 6? ]

"Sure."

He had some time to kill. After hanging up, he handed the business card to the store manager.

"Do you know where this clinic is?"

"Yes, of course. Just open your map app and enter the address like this..."

[ Starting navigation. ]

"Ooooh!"

Upon hearing Kim Junyong's exclamation, the store manager smiled as if he had achieved success himself.

"Just follow this route."

"All right, thanks. I'll pay with this."

"Oh, no need."

Kim Junyong offered the store manager his sister's magic card, but the store manager waved it off.

"Did those two pay earlier?"

"No, they didn't. It'll be auto-charged to your next month's bill."

"Wait, so I just acted generous...with my own money?"

"I-I'm sorry!"

Seeing the store manager pale, Kim Junyong chuckled.

"I'm kidding, kidding. Thanks for your help."

"Yes, please take care!"

The store manager bowed deeply until they were gone. As soon as they left, he collapsed into a chair.

"Holy shit, I almost died."

When the Hunter Management Bureau agent dragged him off and threatened him, he seriously thought he was going to die.

"But I have to admit, she's damn pretty."

He stole another glance at the customer walking away for no real reason.

* * *

[ Turn right. ]

He showed Remi the phone as if he were bragging about its bright voice.

"See that? This is Earth civilization."

"I have one too."

"Heh, you Belhaim folks have never seen anything like this, huh?"

"...I'm from the Demon Realm."

"Pfft, you bumpkin."

"..."

They turned right and were about to keep walking when they stopped in their tracks.

A barricade plastered with "No Entry" signs had been set up, and a tall fence was strung across the center of the road, obstructing their view.

"What is this?"

Vehicle traffic was completely restricted, but at least one side of the sidewalk was left unblocked, and people were still walking through.

Kim Junyong asked a passerby.

"What's going on here?"

"It's a dungeon."

"Huh?"

What kind of crazy mage made a dungeon here? Wasn't it common sense a dungeon was supposed to be made in secluded areas with few intruders?

Kim Junyon was about to ask more questions, but the man had already disappeared.

His curiosity and impulse wouldn't allow him to walk away from the dungeon. He approached the fence and tapped on it. It was thin.

"Cut it."

"Yes."

Slash!

With a light swing from Remi, an entrance opened. Kim Junyong was genuinely surprised for the first time since returning to Earth when he stepped inside.

"Whoa!"

A black sphere floated in the center of the road. It was about five meters wide and as black as oil. It wasn't hard to figure out what it was.

"That's a demon."

But why couldn't he sense its energy? Even though the summoning had stalled, he should have been able to sense some demonic power this close.

"Let's take a closer look."

Kim Junyong was about to draw mana from his mana core but stopped.

"Oh, right."

His mana core was still hardened. This was strangely uncomfortable. He needed to unlock the status window soon.

Back outside, Kim Junyong slapped the back of a passing man's head.

Smack.

"Ah, why are you hitting me?"

"I just wanted to see what would happen."

"You psycho bastard!"

The man retreated, doing his best to stay out of trouble.

"No fighting spirit at all..."

Even when provoked, he ran away. As expected, were modern people weak?

Still, that brief burst of discomfort, pain, and indignation provided Kim Junyong with plenty of emotional fuel.

It wasn't until he examined the black sphere with his mana vision that he could clearly see its structure. He let out an exclamation.

"Wow..."

A golden glow gently surrounded the sphere. He recognized that familiar yet unfamiliar energy source.

"God Earth."

It was soft and comforting. God Earth was blocking the demon summoning.

"So that's why there was no smell of the Demon Realm."

For a city under demonic invasion, it seemed surprisingly intact. But the spectacle didn't last long.

Beep– Beep–

Soon, the police arrived with their whistles at the ready.

"Step out! You're not allowed in there!"

"Hurry up!"

"Hey, guys. I heard this is a dungeon. Where's the entrance?"

"Huh? What kind of nonsense is that?"

Remi stepped forward.

"Shall I cut them?"

"...Are you a hunter?"

The officers eyed the longsword in her hand and took a step back. They had asked because only hunters were permitted to carry such a large sword.

But honest as ever, Kim Junyong told the truth.

"I'm a returnee, but not a hunter yet."

"Ah!"

Well, that was understandable. Only hunters were allowed to enter dungeons.

"You enter the dungeon with your phone."

"Huh?"

The officers became more cautious when they heard Kim Junyong's response. Returnees and hunters were practically synonymous.

How could a returnee not know this about hunters? They looked tense as they prepared to call for backup.

"We're with the Hunter Management Bureau."

Cheon Yubeom reappeared inside the broken fence.

The officers relaxed when they saw the ID Cheon Yubeom showed them.

A Rank 3 hunter was a very reliable support.

"These two breached a restricted dungeon zone."

"Understood. We'll take it from here. You're free to go."

"All right, thank you for your efforts."

The police retreated easily. Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina stood before Kim Junyong and Remi once again.

"You followed us again."

"..."

"Well, good timing."

"Huh?"

What rhythm were they supposed to match?

"This demon summoning was interrupted. Why call it a dungeon?"

"Huh? Because it is a dungeon."

"Where's the entrance?"

"Here."

"Here? As in where?"

"Your phone."

"This bastard..."

Kim Junyong smirked.

"You look pretty comfortable, huh? Even cracking jokes?"

"N-No! I mean it!"

Seeing Kim Junyong's expression darken, Cheon Yubeom hurriedly showed him his phone.

"Y-You just have to install this app."

"Hey, what kind of dungeon can you enter using an app..."

Kim Junyong trailed off. Cheon Yubeom had many apps installed on his phone.

Only one of them had the divine power of God Earth.

"What is this?"

Kim Junyong strengthened his mana vision and looked more closely.

The golden light surrounding the massive black sphere and the light emitted from the app were the same energy.

"K-Kim Junyong, since you're a returnee, you should be able to install the app too."

Skeptical, Kim Junyong followed along anyway. Before he knew it, he was staring intently at the newly installed app on his phone.

[ Demon Realm Subjugation ]

"What the..."

"Tap it, and you'll enter."

"Enter where?"

"Where else? The Demon Realm."

First Goddess Belhaim, who only knew how to bless others, and now God Earth...

Did all gods have such strange powers?

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