The Precious Demon King - Chapter 25

WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 25: The One Who Judges

Remi had a thought. Being pretty wasn't a bad thing.

With a face that provoked fights, wouldn't her master have no choice but to permit revenge for such insults?

"Hmph, a bitch with a sword..."

Slash!

"F-Flame—"

Fwoosh!

Remi darted between the fools who thought that striking a pose meant they were ready for battle and swung her sword.

Before they could properly use their skills, ten heads went flying.

Click!

Remi wiped the blood off her blade and sheathed it. With a bright smile, she returned.

"Enemies eliminated, as ordered."

"Oh, good job."

"...!"

Kim Junyong casually praised her, while Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina stood frozen in shock.

< Bel's Scale is pleased by the disposal of evildoers. >

< The world will be a little more peaceful now. >

So there was another one obsessed with villains.

< "Evildoer Disposal" has been added to the Scale of Order. >

A few white orbs rolled onto the order pan with a soft clatter.

"What the hell? I took out ten of them. Why are there so few orbs?"

< Without a proper "Judgment," their evil deeds cannot be measured. >

"..."

What was this, a secondhand deal? If the scale didn't know the value, it priced it cheaply. The next time he encountered a big-shot villain, he would use the Judgment skill to ensure he received proper credit.

"All right, let's see here."

Kim Junyong stretched out his hand, and the ten heads vanished into his subspace.

"Huh? W-Why are you taking those?"

"Didn't you hear? There's a bounty."

"Ah, r-right. I-I'll check their IDs."

Cheon Yubeom hurried over and began searching the bodies the traditional way. As he rummaged through them, he found that their gear was fairly high quality.

"Whoa, appraisal scrolls too. Huh? That's Magic Light. And tracking incense."

Cheon Yubeom's hands moved quickly, like a fisherman expertly pulling fish from a net.

"Hey, Team Leader. Their wallets."

"Oh right."

Completely absorbed in looting gear, Cheon Yubeom finally pulled out a wallet.

"No national IDs, but judging by the cash, they're Indian."

Even just identifying the country was a major gain. They could take the heads there and exchange them for cash.

"Can't we check their phones?"

"Ah, hunter phones become unusable when the hunter dies. They go dead."

"Oh, really?"

"And since there's no world alert about their deaths, they must not have been high-profile villains."

"So they were like that Osong Station guy."

"Yes."

Another lesson learned today.

"Next time, I should ask their names before killing them."

Lee Mina, who had joined the looting late, pulled out a driver's license.

"Ah, here we go. Amit Verma. Definitely Indian!"

"Perfect. That should be enough."

Now they could claim the bounty.

"Special Advisor, what about their gear?"

"Handle the junk yourselves."

"Ah, yes!"

Cheon Yubeom practically shouted "Jackpot!" three times as he pulled out the biggest bag he had and started gathering anything of value.

"Are we continuing the raid?"

"Hmm, now that I've digested lunch..."

Having come all this way, though, he might as well take care of at least one demon. Like a model citizen picking up litter to protect the environment, Kim Junyong took action.

"Remi."

"Yes."

"Go take care of it."

"Yes."

Flash.

Remi kicked off the ground and vanished into the distance.

"Please, have a seat."

"Oh, okay."

The quick-witted Lee Mina brought over a flat rock for Kim Junyong to use as a chair. As he sat down, he felt a chill on his backside.

"I guess I should buy some camping gear."

"Whoa, should we recruit a porter class?"

"What's that?"

"There are hunters with inventory skills. They're in demand for long-term dungeon runs."

"No one uses subspace?"

"Subspace pouches? They're too expensive..."

"Tch."

Lee Mina watched for a reaction, then asked.

"Special Advisor, what kind of subspace artifact do you use?"

"I just have subspace."

"Pardon? Are you a porter class?"

"Ugh, all you click-addicts."

Because Earthlings relied on awakened skills, their limits were already set.

"You should consider actually learning magic."

"..."

Seeing them remain silent in the face of his old-man lecturing, Kim Junyong demonstrated the tolerance of an adult.

"Those subspace pouches? I have a few of them..."

"What? You have multiple subspace pouches?"

Kim Junyong quietly chuckled as he watched Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina visibly startle.

"Well, I could probably find them later if I tried."

"Ah!"

They were in Belhaim's dungeon, of course. It seemed only souls could travel across dimensions, but Kim Junyong had crossed over with his entire body.

Still connected to my consciousness.

All souls and spaces bound to a black mage were inherently linked to their consciousness.

Currently, only his void pouch and the Earth's dungeon were active. However, Belhaim's dungeon was still connected. Activating it would require a different level of energy, but he might find the answer soon.

"If you're obedient, I might share."

"Ah!"

"I pledge my loyalty, Special Advisor!"

He used the classic skill often seen in grandfathers during the holidays: "If you're filial, I'll share my inheritance."

It worked wonders.

"Special Advisor, I pledge my loyalty!"

"Camping gear! I'll prepare it and offer it to you!"

"Good. She's almost back. Let's go."

Soon, Remi returned, drew her sword, and pointed it at the ground.

Flash.

The loot stored in the subspace within her sword spilled out.

"Pick one."

With Kim Junyong's permission, Remi used the tip of her sword to select the most valuable demon dungeon core.

Sssss.

Dark energy rose and was absorbed into her sword.

"..."

With her beauty and dreamy aura, Remi looked like a saint performing a sacred ritual. Cheon Yubeom was bursting with curiosity but didn't dare ask.

"How do we get out?"

"Ah, yes. Return portals randomly appear at intervals. They show up on the map...here's the closest one."

When they opened the dungeon map, they saw small blue dots scattered across it.

The four wrapped up their productive outing to the Demon Realm and returned to Earth.

Flash.

They reappeared at the sashimi restaurant, where rookie employee Kim Sangsu was waiting for them.

"I kept the table while you were gone."

"Eh, we already ate. No point."

"Hehe, but I had to hold the spot until you returned."

Normally, entering the Demon Realm wasn't something to be done in such a public setting, but Kim Junyong's presence was too frightening to explain that.

"Whew, I've digested now. Let's head back."

"Yes!"

Vroom.

By the time they arrived at Kim Jangmi's apartment, it was late at night.

"Phew, that was fun. I won't be calling you tomorrow, so take the day off."

"Yes. Please head up safely!"

"Oh, right! You'll need to take this with you."

Kim Junyong loaded the ten heads into the trunk of the van.

"Ack!"

"Ah!"

Lee Mina hurried to shut the trunk, worried that someone might see.

"Handle the heads properly and collect the bounty."

"Yes, understood."

As Kim Junyong waved and left, Cheon Yubeom shouted in alarm.

"Th-The trunk is full of blood!"

"Ugh, that's what you're worried about right now? Just get in!"

The two hurried back to the Hunter Management Bureau headquarters. They had already reported the situation from the Demon Realm via the Special Advisor Support Division group chat, so Choi Hyunju was waiting for them in the office.

"How did it go?"

"Here are the villains' heads. And here's an ID we found."

Choi Hyunju didn't flinch at the ten heads rolling around in the trunk. She was also a veteran who had survived all of Belhaim's hardships and returned.

She had seen far more gruesome and revolting sights than this.

"Ugh."

"Eugh."

The support staff waiting nearby turned pale, but she gave a sharp command.

"What, you here on vacation? Get moving!"

"Yes!"

The support staff and the corpse disposal team took the ten heads. They would be stored in the frozen morgue for now, then likely sent to India.

"Amit Verma..."

"Have you checked?"

"Come with me."

She led them to her office.

"Three coffees."

"Yes, Deputy Bureau Director."

Once her secretary left, Choi Hyunju brought out her tablet and showed them the screen.

"It's a villain elimination notice that was posted in the India region 3 hours ago."

[ Regional Notice (India) ]

[ Villain "The Building Destroyer" has been eliminated. ]

[ Villain "Julian" has been eliminated. ]

[ Villain "The Moonlight Assassin" has been eliminated. ]

"Whoa, judging by the timestamps, those are the ones the Special Advisor took out."

He killed ten, but only three had committed enough evil deeds to be listed by the system.

"They were all part of a terrorist group called 'Kali's Fang.' The rest were likely members too."

"Woah, Kali's Fang?"

While they didn't know individual details, the group was infamous–an Indian terrorist cell known for assassinating corrupt elites.

In South Korea, they were known as the Indian Robin Hoods, and were believed to have a considerable civilian following.

"Will this hurt the Special Advisor's reputation?"

"I'll handle that."

Choi Hyunju hadn't called them here just to talk about villain kills and bounties.

"After spending the day with the Special Advisor, what are your thoughts?"

She asked, her expression serious and grave.

"Ah, he seems normal."

"Normal how?"

"He likes good food, reacts well to things..."

"Seriously, Team Leader. That's not what she's asking."

Frustrated, Lee Mina stepped in.

"He seems to be adapting smoothly to modern society. After lunch, while we were walking to a café, he waited quietly at a red light."

"Ah!"

Choi Hyunju was genuinely shocked.

"In my opinion, we can probably start gradually reducing traffic support during vehicle movements going forward."

"That's faster than I expected."

She nodded. The Mad Monarch's adaptation to modern life was going surprisingly smoothly.

"I've learned a bit more about the instant-kill skill I reported earlier."

"What is it?"

"It's called Judgment. The greater the evil the target has committed, the greater the damage it deals."

"Wow!"

Seeing the shock on Choi Hyunju's face, Lee Mina gave an awkward smile and continued.

"It's kind of unsettling, right? I mean, before a proper trial..."

"The Mad Monarch acting as judge?!"

"Huh?"

"That means he's distinguishing right from wrong, not acting on impulse."

"I...suppose?"

"Incredible. So, fair and just."

"What?"

Apparently, Choi Hyunju was shocked for a different reason.

"Deputy Director Lee, keep nudging him. Encourage him to use the Judgment skill as much as possible."

"Yes, understood. But the issue is Remi."

"What about her?"

"She keeps goading the Special Advisor. At the slightest confrontation, she's ready to decapitate people."

"Hmm."

Watching Choi Hyunju deep in thought, Lee Mina asked.

"Deputy Bureau Director, do you not know who she is either?"

"I don't. When I exploded and died at the hands of the Special Advisor, there was no such demon beside him."

Choi Hyunju, a Year 91 returnee. Until then, the Mad Monarch hadn't had any demon like that at his side. His strength alone had been overwhelming enough to not require a bodyguard.

"...You exploded?"

"..."

Recalling that day, Choi Hyunju trembled.

"Deputy Bureau Director. Deep breaths!"

"Hoo, hoo. I'm okay."

After steadying her breath, she spoke.

"Be especially careful that the Special Advisor's true identity doesn't get out."

"Yes! Understood."

Choi Hyunju repeated her warning.

I may be living like this now, but there might be those who want revenge.

Even just lining up the Earthlings killed by the Mad Monarch...

"All right, you're dismissed for today. Good wor–"