WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 19: Before the Noodles Get Cold

Park Taejun was panicking.

"What on earth are we supposed to do?"

The A-2 dungeon in Daejeon was about to erupt. Ryu Jai, the G-rank hunter from Taiwan who was originally scheduled to conquer it, canceled her visit to South Korea. They had even paid the penalty fee for not attacking the dungeon.

"How much was the penalty again?"

"Double the 75 billion won we were going to pay to have it conquered. 150 billion won! But that's not the issue here, is it? Daejeon is about to be wiped off the map!"

Daejeon was about to be destroyed. Losing Daejeon would be far worse than losing 150 billion won. The only way to prevent that was to conquer the dungeon.

However, the risk without a G-rank hunter was enormous.

Hunter ranks ranged from 1st to 9th. Among the 1st ranks, the top 1,000 were classified as rankers.

Their rankings were updated in real time on the Dungeon Forum.

Ranks 1–7: Guardians (G-rank)

Ranks 8–100: Super Rankers (SR-rank)

Ranks 101–1000: Rankers (R-rank)

These Rankers possessed a prestigious qualification held by only a thousand people worldwide, and were treated as VIPs wherever they went.

"With a team of twenty Rankers or higher, there's still a decent chance of raiding an A-rank dungeon."

South Korea had its share of Rankers, including two Super Rankers.

Deputy Bureau Director, Choi Hyunju (SR-rank, 31st)

Director of Daesan Guild, Lim Dongsu (SR-rank, 77th)

If they formed a dream team with R-rank hunters from various guilds, success wouldn't be impossible. The problem was that a stable conquest couldn't be guaranteed, and sacrifices might occur.

"Hunter Lim Dongsu of the Daesan Guild refused the summons."

"What? Why?"

"He says he has enteritis."

"Enteritis, my ass!"

Such an obvious excuse made Park Taejun's blood boil.

"A whole city might be destroyed and he pulls 'enteritis'? Fuck!"

"All of Daesan Guild's hunters refused the draft."

"Damn it, Daesan..."

The worst-case scenario was unfolding. Backed by South Korea's top conglomerate, the Daesan Guild had many elite hunters.

Now, they were staging a group boycott.

"Ha, shit."

Park Taejun sighed deeply. Who could he blame?

The government and the Hunter Management Bureau had sided with Kim Junyong in his dispute with the Daesan Group.

"Still, this violates the Hunter Special Act."

"So what, should we declare a damn forced draft? Huh?"

Forcible conscription would require a declaration of a national emergency.

"It is a national emergency!"

"Sure. Say we invoke martial law and drag them in by force. Would you come if it were you?"

"They would have to come. What choice would they have?"

"That's how you end up with rebels."

"..."

It would only set a precedent like Lim Hajin, the rebel leader based in Gangwon-do.

Or worse, they might become outright villains or seek asylum overseas.

It was effectively impossible to force hunters who were virtually superhuman. The only exception was that corporate guilds could be pressured through business sanctions.

"The government and Daesan are completely at odds. And I was the one who made that happen."

Park Taejun ruffled his hair in frustration. After much persuasion, he received approval to appoint Kim Junyong as Special Advisor. However, the long phone call between the president and the Daesan chairman wasn't pleasant.

"Where is the deputy bureau director?"

"At the training grounds."

"Good grief."

The busiest person always ended up doing everything. Ultimately, they could only rely on Choi Hyunju, the deputy bureau director of the Hunter Management Bureau.

When Park Taejun arrived at the training grounds, she was gathered with the other hunters.

"What is this? Why are there only nine?"

"That's everyone."

"What?"

"The hunters who volunteered."

"..."

Park swallowed hard. There were eight hunters, not including Choi Hyunju. None of them were Rankers. Just a mix of 1st and 2nd ranks.

"What about Lim Dongsu?"

"He declined."

"..."

Choi Hyunju nodded, as if she had expected it.

"What about the other guilds?"

"Noncommittal."

"Hahh."

Park Taejun read Choi Hyunju's expression and spoke.

"Let it go. There are still three days left, and Daesan isn't the only guild dragging its feet."

Choi Hyunju looked at her fellow hunters. They were patriots with a strong sense of duty. That was why they remained civil servants in the Hunter Management Bureau rather than joining a guild.

She couldn't send them to die.

A-rank dungeons were brutal. To conquer one, they had to defeat a demon. Even with the best Rankers, victory was not guaranteed.

The only exception was a G-rank hunter with extraordinary power. That was exactly why they were considered national-level.

"This is out of our hands. We need to hand it off to the Ministry of Defense."

"..."

She was right. If the odds of success were even slightly higher, they would attempt it. However, taking these people into the dungeon would only result in their pointless sacrifice.

"Understood."

"Yes, that's the right call. I know how you feel. Cities can be rebuilt, but people can't be replaced."

The nine hunters gathered at the training grounds all wore bitter expressions. It wasn't courage they lacked, but combat strength. That was the only thing they truly regretted.

Ring–

"Huh?"

[ Special Advisor Support Division, Director Cheon Yubeom ]

Choi Hyunju hurriedly took the call.

[ Deputy Bureau Director! I did it! I, Cheon Yubeom, finally pulled it off! ]

"...What are you talking about? Calm down and report properly."

She wasn't in the mood for jokes. She tried to calm the overly excited Cheon Yubeom.

"Yes, the Special Advisor is heading to Daejeon."

Choi Hyunju shot to her feet.

"Really?"

"Hehe, yes. He said he'll take care of the dungeon."

"Wow!"

Unbelievable! This was an unbelievably shocking development.

"How? How did you convince him?"

[ I got on my knees and begged, and he actually agreed! ]

The Mad Monarch? Just like that?

"Did he have any demands?"

[ He said he's opening a restaurant and asked for the necessary equipment and facilities to be set up. ]

"Restaurant?"

Her brow furrowed.

What? Did she hear correctly?

"Where are you right now, Team Leader Cheon?"

[ I'm with Ed at Mart XX. ]

What was he saying?

"Aren't you going to Daejeon with him? Who's Ed?"

[ Ah, Deputy Director Lee Mina went with him. Ed is a cat. ]

"...?"

Was this even a real conversation? What did he mean, cat?

[ Huh? Ed, that's not how you do it. Anyway, Deputy Bureau Director, please take good care of the Special Advisor. ]

"Got it for now."

Park Taejun, who had been waiting for the call to end, asked.

"What? Is it true? The Special Advisor is going?"

"Yes."

"See?! I told you we should have asked him sooner!"

"..."

Choi Hyunju had been the most firmly opposed to Park Taejun's idea. She was sure he would never agree.

"Do you know how much flak I took for the 20 billion won salary?! Now, we'll finally have something to show for it!"

Park Taejun was ecstatic. If Kim Junyong handled the Daejeon dungeon well, he could report it straight to the president. He could already hear himself saying, "See? I told you I was right."

What was 20 billion won compared to a top-tier hunter? And just look at how much they were already saving on defense.

"Bureau Director, please contact the Daejeon branch immediately."

"Ah! Right. It's an emergency dispatch."

Choi Hyunju quickly got ready.

"I'm taking a helicopter to Daejeon."

"Ah, yes. Don't worry, go take care of it."

She looked to the eight remaining hunters.

"Everyone, get ready. We're going in to back up the Special Advisor."

"Yes, Deputy Bureau Director!"

It was an A-rank dungeon. Usually, it would take a team of twenty hunters to conquer it. There were only nine of them, but if they could handle the mobs, reaching the boss room would be easier.

Whup-whup-whup.

As the helicopter sped toward Daejeon, a van sped down the highway.

Vroom.

Kim Junyong sat in the passenger seat, watching Lee Mina drive with mild amusement.

Honk, honk!

"Ugh, move!"

Despite her irritation, a car in the fast lane was still going 100 km/h.

Wee-oo-wee-oo!

Even with a police light on top of the van, the car wouldn't budge.

"Is it urgent?"

"Huh?"

"Do we need to get there quickly?"

"W-Well, faster is better."

"Okay, hold on."

As Kim Junyong gestured, the car blocking their path rolled to the side.

Crash!

Through the side mirror, they saw the car that had suddenly veered into the next lane flip twice.

Kim Junyong grinned as Lee Mina stared, stunned.

"No need to thank me."

"...I-I think we can go slowly now."

"Whatever, doesn't matter to me."

Anyway, it was a dungeon with three days left before the conquest deadline. If they got there quickly, they would eat at home. If they arrived late, they would just eat in Daejeon. That was the only difference.

Wee-oo-wee-oo!

Five police cars appeared on the highway and closed in on the van.

"Hey, you sped and now the cops are here."

As if it were her fault! Before she could argue, a loudspeaker rang out.

[ We will escort you to Daejeon. ]

Thanks to the police escort in front of and behind them, they no longer had to force slow cars out of the fast lane and could cruise ahead at full speed. After passing through the tollgate, they didn't hit a single red light.

"Wow, we're really lucky with the traffic lights today."

"..."

It wasn't luck!

"Whoa, it's big."

The dungeon had formed on an elementary school field.

As expected of an A-rank dungeon, the demon being summoned seemed powerful. It dwarfed the one they had seen in town.

Makeshift convenience stores, restaurants, rest areas, and sleeping quarters had been set up around it.

"It looks like a campsite."

"That's because hunters often come and go to investigate."

"Really? That store has me craving cup noodles."

"Want a drink too?"

"Two."

"On it!"

While Lee Mina shook out the soup powder, Kim Junyong took out his phone and aimed the camera at the dungeon.

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"I'll be right back."

"What? The raid team is arriving soon!"

"Raid team?"

"It's an A-rank dungeon. They're coming to support Special Advisor. Ah, there they are!"

They turned around and saw a large helicopter flying in.

"What a show."

Why send a team just for one demon?

"Remi."

Whoosh.

The two of them were enough.

"Let's go."

"Okay."

Flash.

As they entered the dungeon, Choi Hyunju rushed over from the helicopter that had just landed.

"Good grief! Deputy Director Lee, why didn't you stop them?"

"Huh? I-I tried! He said there was no need to make a fuss and went in."

Hunters followed behind Choi Hyunju one after another.

"What? Did someone just go in alone?"

"No, it looked like two people."

"Was it him? The Special Advisor?"

"I was curious. What a shame."

The newly appointed special advisor was known to be a powerful hunter, but his identity as the Mad Monarch was classified information.

Judging by their reactions, some hunters seemed to know, while others did not.

"Quiet, everyone!"

Choi Hyunju silenced them.

"Please just wait for now."

"Okay."

The hunters scattered in twos and threes. Some went for a smoke, some grabbed snacks, and others collapsed onto beds in the resting area.

They had rushed over only to miss him. Choi Hyunju had lost the perfect chance to gauge the Mad Monarch's current strength and determine if he had reset.

"Who was that with him?"

"Ah, Remi?"

"Remi?"

It was the name she had seen in the reports.

"Yes, that's what the Special Advisor calls her. She carries a sword this long...Deputy Bureau Director don't know her? It seems like they've known each other since Belhaim."

"...No, I don't."

Choi Hyunju survived in Belhaim for ninety-one years. From the moment she was summoned until the Mad Monarch took her life, there had never been a swordsman like her at his side.

Did he gain a companion after that?

Could Remi be an Earthling? She needed to be investigated.

Only G-rank hunters would know what happened after her reverse-summon.

In any case, the Mad Monarch, Kim Junyong, had entered the dungeon.

We'll know his current strength by measuring the conquest time.

Crackle.

"Huh?"

A massive black sphere rippled. To her knowledge, that symptom meant only one thing.

Dungeon conquered.

"N-No way."

It hadn't even been ten minutes since the helicopter landed.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried