WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 11: Dual Core

Zap.

The moment Kim Junyong tapped the app, a jolt like an electric shock surged through him. His vision blacked out and he found himself in a white void.

"What now?"

He felt nothing in this space.

"Yo! You're finally here!"

"..."

Kim Junyong turned around. Standing there was a boy who looked like an elementary schooler. Kim Junyong immediately knew who he was.

"So it's you. God Earth."

"That's right. Hehe, my greatest creation yet! Welcome back, Junyong!"

God Earth danced. Fireworks exploded in the air and confetti fluttered around him. The scene was so different from what Kim Junyong had expected that he was taken aback for a moment.

"What are you doing?"

"What? You don't like my welcome party?"

Kim Junyong scowled. Was this supposed to be some kind of mirror therapy? God Earth seemed a little...off.

"Do you want to die?"

"Whoa, whoa. You know that's not possible, right?"

He had already gotten into a scuffle with Goddess Belhaim, so he knew how it worked.

"Just tell me what you want."

"I just got too happy and wanted to celebrate, that's all."

"Why does my return make you happy?"

"Because now I'm saved! Earth will be safe!"

"Hah."

Kim Junyong scoffed. This guy was dumping his responsibilities on him as if it were natural.

"You think I'm going to deal with the Demon King for you?"

"Yes!"

Why was this kid so cheerful?

"Hahh...Why don't you gods take care of it yourselves?"

"Didn't Belhaim teach you anything?"

"..."

When Kim Junyong pulled a sour face, God Earth clapped and smiled.

"Come on! How could an architect intervene directly? If we did, the universe would have shattered ages ago! We're just planets."

"...?"

"It's the executor's job to mess around inside the world."

Architects and executors. Gods and humans. He made the distinction clear.

Still, Kim Junyong was irritated by his smug attitude. His tone turned sharp in response.

"I don't live diligently."

"Oh please, who wants to live diligently? Just save me before I die, okay?"

"..."

Kim Junyong laughed hollowly at the god's innocent grin.

"Seriously, where the hell are we?"

"This right here is my design! It's the Metaverse."

"Metaverse?"

"That's right! It's a fake Earth to fool those Demon King bastards."

"...?"

God Earth's bright smile faded, and he spoke quietly with a serious expression.

"This place was originally intended as bait, but the Demon King bastards swarmed in thinking it was the real Earth."

"So this is a kind of midpoint?"

"Exactly! Hunters and the Demon King's army will fight here."

Kim Junyong nodded. While Belhaim's power bestowed level-ups upon its targets, God Earth's power created a virtual space.

Level-ups and the Metaverse.

"You saw those demons popping out like zits, right?"

"You mean the dungeons?"

"Hehe, right. Those demon bastards are gnawing away at my Metaverse! They're trying to use it to summon themselves back to the real Earth!"

So that was why it was called a dungeon. Demons and their underlings were using them to invade Earth.

"The executors have to stop them before they burst!"

"And if we don't?"

"Well, I can only hold them back for so long! If you fail before time runs out, demons and monsters will be summoned to Earth."

He said something serious with such a bright face that it made Kim Junyong pause for a moment. If demons ran loose on Earth, it would end up like Belhaim.

"You sound like this isn't your problem."

"Hey, humans need a little pain to get motivated."

He might look like a kid, but he was still a god.

"Actually, a few dungeons popped while I was creating this space."

"Huh?"

"Hehe, limited resources, y'know."

For the first time, Kim Junyong looked alarmed. Was he insane?

Had he diverted resources meant for suppressing dungeons just to build this party room?

"Oh right! Since humans think this is the Demon Realm and not a virtual world, let's keep that a secret."

"Why?"

"That way, they'll be more motivated, right?"

"..."

Compared to Goddess Belhaim, this god seemed seriously unhinged.

"Heh, anyway, I'm counting on Hyungnim! Keeping these zits from popping ain't easy."

"Who's your hyungnim?"

"I'll text you next time! It's getting rough here. If this keeps up, the demons will throw a reunion party on Earth."

"Wait!"

God Earth clapped.

Flash.

In an instant, the world disappeared, revealing a familiar landscape. A cluttered road. Fencing. A half-summoned...dungeon blocked by divine power.

"Shall I cut these bastards down?"

Kim Junyong turned. Remi was stepping on a downed Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina.

"Let them go. How long was I gone?"

"Uh, about this long!"

Cheon Yubeom stood up and protested.

"It wasn't us, really! R-Remi just kind of–like this, like that..."

The situation was understandable. Her master had suddenly disappeared, so she must have thought that Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina were responsible and had subdued them.

"B-By the way, did you suddenly access the Demon Realm?"

"Access the Demon Realm?"

"Didn't you go to the Demon Realm?"

Kim Junyong looked down at his phone. The app still radiated divine power.

[ Demon Realm Subjugation ]

Subjugation? What a joke.

This was the Metaverse that God Earth had built to mimic the real world. The Demon King's army had taken it over.

Before launching a full invasion of Earth, they had already breached the internet.

Now, using this virtual world as a foothold, they were trying to cross over to the real Earth...And God Earth was desperately holding them back.

"Would you like to try tapping the app again?"

When Kim Junyong tapped it, the app that launched couldn't have been simpler.

[ Enter Demon Realm ]

[ Dungeon Map ]

[ Demon Realm Forum ]

"Tap 'Enter Demon Realm,' and you'll land in one of 256 sectors. It's like a huge battlefield."

There, you hunt the servants of evil, find a return portal, and come back to Earth. In other words, it was field hunting.

"Would you like to try tapping the Dungeon Map?"

"It's just a map of the world."

"Yes, but it shows the status of the dungeons that have appeared around the world. If we miss one that appears in the middle of nowhere and a demon is summoned there, it would be a big problem."

The map looked just like the one Kim Junyong used to find his sister's clinic.

"B and C here are dungeon ranks. They show the level of difficulty. This timer shows the dungeon break time. You have to defeat the boss before it ends."

"How do you enter a dungeon?"

"Oh, just open your camera app and point it at the dungeon."

Cheon Yubeom personally opened the camera app and, when he pointed it at the dungeon, a link appeared.

< Dungeon Information >

Death Knight Oran

Rank: C

Time Remaining: 8 days - 12 hours

"Ah, this dungeon's boss is a Death Knight named Oran."

"Oh."

Kim Junyong instantly grasped the structure. The demon in question was currently in the virtual world.

So they're trying to invade Earth from the summoning points.

While God Earth did his best to block the demons' summoning attempts, hunters were deployed to hunt them down.

"Got it."

Kim Junyong nodded and looked at Cheon Yubeom.

"Why the detailed briefing?"

"Huh? I-I'm always enthusiastic about everything I do."

"Are you trying to shove this on me?"

"N-No!"

Kim Junyong grinned, then looked at Remi. There was still time before his appointment with his sister.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

Despite not being an Earthling, Remi easily downloaded the app.

Is Remi a hunter too?

Wasn't that summoning magic? Isn't she a familiar?

What is she?

Section Chief Lee, could you ask them?

Ignoring the whispers, Kim Junyong and Remi opened the app.

"After entering the Demon Realm, secure the return portal first. With a little scouting you'll quickly...huh? Why are you taking a picture? What?"

After taking a photo and clicking the link that appeared, the dungeon entry screen popped up. Kim Junyong and Remi's names were listed in the queue. Kim Junyong tapped the glowing entry button below.

Flash.

Kim Junyong and Remi vanished.

"Ah!"

"Gah!"

"...Team Leader."

"...Yeah."

"Did they just go into the dungeon?"

"...It sure looks like they did."

"It's C-rank. Can the two of them handle it?"

Usually, dungeons required groups of five to twenty people. Cheon Yubeom shivered.

"Remi is strong."

"...I thought I was going to die."

Remi, once thought to be Kim Junyong's summoned familiar, had entered the Demon Realm as a hunter.

"There won't be a problem, right?"

"Wait, which guild has jurisdiction over this dungeon?"

"Ah!"

Right. They had forgotten.

Guilds usually bought the conquest rights to dungeons. Since this one was fenced off, it had clearly been claimed.

"There's a sign here."

[ Daesan Guild ]

This dungeon is under exclusive conquest by the Daesan Guild.

Unauthorized entry is strictly prohibited.

"We're screwed."

"Should we run?"

"What if Kim Junyong gets into a fight with the guild?"

Lee Mina shook her head, imagining the bloodshed.

"What do we do?"

"...We'll have to negotiate."

"Ugh, why did they go into a restricted dungeon..."

"Hahh."

They needed a plan. Of all the guilds, it had to be Daesan. They were a troublesome group in many ways.

"First, let's report to the Hunter Management Bureau."

"Yeah."

But just their luck, the fence gate opened before they could make the call.

Screech.

A group of people came in and were startled to see the two of them.

"Huh? Who are you? You can't just walk in here."

"We're from the Hunter Management Bureau."

"Huh? Why is the Hunter Management Bureau here..."

About thirty people poured in, and the familiar emblem on their uniforms caught their attention.

[ Daesan Guild ]

"Huh? What's going on?"

"Executive Kang. The thing is..."

"Step aside."

With a sharp voice, a slicked-back young man stepped forward.

Ugh, of all people.

Cheon Yubeom tightly shut his eyes when he recognized who it was.

* * *

Fwoosh.

Summoned to the dungeon, Kim Junyong and Remi looked around.

"...A city."

It was a city, but it looked like it had been abandoned for months. Demonic plants had sprouted through the cracked asphalt, and half of the buildings had collapsed.

"Where are we?"

According to God Earth, this place was supposed to be modeled after Earth. If Earth were ever invaded and destroyed, it would probably look just like this.

One of the broken signs caught Kim Junyong's eye.

"What language is that?"

Either way, it was a ruined city in a foreign country. No, it had been a fake city built in the virtual world, but it had now turned into a Demon Realm. And this one belonged to Death Knight Oran.

Kim Junyong surveyed the world. Something like a translucent barrier enclosed a wide area.

Was this the entirety of Death Knight Oran's domain? The barrier marked the dungeon's boundary.

"Calling this a dungeon isn't exactly wrong."

"He's over there."

Remi pointed past a low hill. They couldn't see him, but they could feel him.

"Let's take him down and get out. We might as well test something while we're at it."

"Yes."

The two of them walked. Their destination was the area emitting the strongest chaos mana, the low hill.

After walking a short distance, a collapsed skeleton on the street suddenly rose and approached them in a grotesque manner.

"Kieeek!"

"Shall I cut it down?"

"Of course."

Slash!

Remi's blade cleanly severed the slow-moving skeleton's head.

Kim Junyong frowned at the collapsed bones.

"No lingering mana?"

All monsters and demons had a chaos mana core. Even after death, that mana usually remained for a while. But here, it vanished like vapor.

As a black mage, Kim Junyong loved harvesting the pure chaos mana left behind by death. Converting emotions into mana was inefficient. Harvesting death residue was far better.

But what should have remained vanished in an instant, as if it had evaporated.

"It came to me."

"What?"

"My status window popped up."

"What? You don't even have Bel's blessing."

No, even if she did, what demon would receive a blessing from Goddess Belhaim? The status window was Belhaim's power.

"No idea."

"You've gotta be kidding."

Just then, another skeleton approached. Kim Junyong stepped forward. He gathered its longing for life, its obsession, and its hostility, and turned them into energy.

Then, with his palm brimming with that energy, he touched its skull.

Thud! Fwoosh.

< You have slain your first servant of evil. >

< Status window unlocked. >

The clear voice didn't register with him.

What was even more shocking was the change in his body.

"...!"

Though only slightly, Kim Junyong's firmly hardened mana core had come under his control. And a new type of mana core had formed.

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