WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 5: Golden Scale

"Whoa, that's amazing."

Kim Junyong's cheerful voice made Kim Jangmi's chest ache again.

"Sniff...Junyong, it's okay. I'll protect you."

"Huh? What?"

"I'll take care of everything, so don't worry about anything."

"Ooh."

Kim Junyong smirked. Kim Jangmi was clearly not in her right state of mind, yet she was the one comforting him.

Perhaps the stress of the situation outweighed the joy of their reunion. An overwhelming sense of responsibility and pressure began to surface in her.

"Try to calm down."

"Yeah, Noona, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

From inside the holding cell, Kim Junyong tried to soothe her.

Family.

Kim Junyong's heart lifted. It was like receiving an unexpected gift. He had assumed they were dead. Yet here was his family.

"Junyong...Mom and Dad, they..."

"Noona, let's talk later."

Just then, two obvious Hunter Management Bureau agents approached. Their high-density mana gave away their status as elite hunters.

"That's Cheon Yubeom!"

"Wow, this is my first time seeing him in person."

He was famous enough to draw the attention of bystanders.

"The Hunter Management Bureau? No, no, no!"

Kim Jangmi began to tremble. Kim Junyong was alarmed by her almost seizure-like reaction.

"What's wrong, Noona?"

"If they take you to the Hunter Management Bureau, it's over!"

The Special Investigation Unit of the Hunter Management Bureau was both feared and admired. To the public, they were elite heroes. But to suspects, they were hell incarnate.

The Hunter Special Act crushed any notion of human rights during investigations. Even an innocent person could come out broken.

"No way! You're not taking my brother!"

Her terror overwhelmed her senses. She had finally reunited with her brother after twenty years. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him again. As Kim Junyong watched her, he felt something strange.

Someone had remembered him. Someone had missed him. Someone wanted to protect him. Someone was worried about him.

After two hundred years as a black mage in Belhaim, these feelings were unfamiliar.

I don't hate it.

His chest tingled with a light, fluttery feeling. A quiet, swelling emotion rose within him.

"Noona."

"Yeah?"

Kim Junyong placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Uhh..."

Her eyes went vacant, and as she collapsed to the floor, the officers jumped in surprise.

"Huh?! What the?"

"What do you think? She's asleep. Take her home."

"What is this..."

While the officers were still processing what had happened, one of the Hunter Management Bureau agents stepped in front of the cell.

"Are you Kim Junyong?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Section Chief Lee Mina from the Special Investigation Unit of the Hunter Management Bureau. You need to come with us."

The officers glanced at the unconscious Kim Jangmi on the bench and nodded.

"All right."

Kim Junyong was just going with the flow, treating everything that happened as an event. Before he knew it, he was in a holding cell.

He hadn't known his sister was alive. If he had, he would have searched for his family first.

What a pointless mess.

He had to clear his name. Or rather, he had to skip the whole trial process.

It was pointless to argue with small fry. They would only pester him. It would be better to meet with someone in authority and settle everything at once.

Clank.

The cell door opened. Kim Junyong put on the hunter-specific cuffs without resisting. They were heavier than the standard ones.

"Let's go."

When they stepped outside, a van was already waiting for them.

Clunk. Vroom!

The vehicle started moving as soon as the door closed.

"Whoa, smooth ride!"

Compared to Belhaim's carriages, this was luxurious.

Cheon Yubeom sat beside Kim Junyong. Lee Mina sat across from them. These were the perfect positions for controlling him if he tried anything.

"You probably don't remember, but this is our second meeting."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I was at the scene. You fell from the sky."

"Ah. That time."

Thinking back on it, Kim Junyong chuckled. They said it had been three days, but since he had been unconscious, it felt like just yesterday.

"We'll conduct a formal investigation once we arrive at the Special Investigation Unit. But first, may I ask a few questions?"

"I'm bored, so sure."

Lee Mina raised an eyebrow at Kim Junyong's unexpectedly cooperative attitude.

"Are you a returnee?"

"Yeah."

"When did you return?"

"That day."

"That day?"

"I came back that day."

"Um...that doesn't make sen–"

Lee Mina cut herself off mid-sentence.

"What? Why ask if you don't believe me?"

"I do believe you. It's just...it defies common sense."

"Then maybe common sense is wrong."

"..."

Kim Junyong looked out the window.

"The woman in the parking lot...that was a summoning, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Summoning was magic. But he hadn't awakened yet. Was that possible? Putting Kim Jangmi to sleep earlier had also been magic.

"...You haven't awakened yet, have you?"

"Awakened?"

"Yes. All returnees lose their powers when they come back and must awaken again by defeating a servant of evil. That opens their status window."

"Everything resets?"

"Exactly."

"Hmm."

Kim Junyong sank into thought.

"Is something wrong?"

He didn't respond immediately, but then nodded.

"What's the time difference between Belhaim and Earth?"

"Excuse me?"

"The time ratio. Earth to Belhaim."

After a long silence, Lee Mina answered.

"Ten to one."

"Heh. So it's been twenty years here."

"Are you saying you've spent two hundred years in Belhaim?"

"That's right."

"That's ridiculous..."

Lee Mina was about to object when Cheon Yubeom stopped her. Kim Junyong closed his eyes and sank deep into thought. Before long, a smile crept across his face.

"I see."

"What do you mean?"

He glanced at Lee Mina. He normally wouldn't share such insights with others, but he made an exception this time in recognition of the valuable information she had provided.

"It was an avatar. Only the soul was summoned to Belhaim, where an avatar was created. But it's no different from a real body. It was crafted by a god."

"What?"

"Returnees like you must have died in Belhaim. Yet you're alive now, right?"

"Well...yes?"

"When the avatar died, your soul was reverse-summoned to Earth and returned to your original, preserved body. When your body changed, everything you learned was lost. So, of course, it must have felt like a reset."

"..."

Kim Junyong's face gleamed with curiosity. What made him the most powerful black mage was his intellectual hunger.

So that's why Remi wasn't summoned.

Belhaim and Earth existed on different timelines. They were different dimensions.

Apparently, only in spirit form could beings other than gods move freely between dimensions...

Then Remi has two avatars.

In Belhaim, she appeared as a cold-eyed man. On Earth, she was a high school girl with long black hair...

"Ahem."

Did he also have two bodies? Where was his Earth body?

Just then, a golden scale appeared before his eyes, interrupting his train of thought.

Clink.

< "Generosity of Knowledge" and "Shared Insight" have been placed on the Scale of Order. >

< Bel's Scale tips heavily toward order. >

It tilted even more than before.

"Oh!"

"What is it?"

"I'm just thinking out loud. Don't respond to everything."

"..."

Lee Mina's brow twitched. She tried to hold it in, but her irritation was rising.

Kim Junyong's deliberate provocation rubbed her the wrong way. Regardless, Kim Junyong focused only on the golden scale.

The scale, already heavily tilted, suddenly tipped completely over.

< Bel's Scale cannot maintain balance. >

< Bel's Scale forcibly intervenes. >

< A "Reward" has been placed on the Scale of Chaos. >

Clink.

A half-white, half-black orb appeared on the other scale. The scale, which was on the verge of collapsing, remained balanced in a precarious, tilted state.

Was the scale not supposed to collapse before the settlement was finished? The left side still drooped under the weight of the white orbs. It hadn't collapsed yet, but it was barely holding together.

If I continue to build virtue, the rewards will continue to stack.

Was it really a relic crafted by a god? Its structure clearly rewarded virtue.

Then–

< Reward rejected. Arbiter has not activated the status window. >

Crack.

The yin-yang orb shattered. The scale, which had already been heavily tipped, suddenly tipped sharply to one side.

The turtle-shaped pan, which symbolized order, fell away and vanished. The golden scale followed.

< Bel's Scale is growing. >

< Arbiter, please determine the direction of the scale's growth. >

< Strengthen Scale Beam >

< Enlarge Scale Pan >

Kim Junyong was startled when the scale vanished, but the prompt reassured him.

I thought the scale was going to break completely.

He hadn't even had a chance to use it properly but nearly lost the relic for nothing.

Let's see...

"Strengthen Scale Beam" would help it endure more imbalance. It would be able to withstand situations like the one earlier.

"Enlarge Scale Pan" would allow it to hold more orbs. There seemed to be a limit to how many it could support.

"Strengthen Scale Beam."

Flash.

The scale reappeared out of thin air, sturdier than before, with longer arms on both sides.

Interesting.

A relic that evolved...

"Heheh."

"Why are you laughing?"

Lee Mina finally asked, unable to ignore Kim Junyong talking to empty air like a lunatic.

"Ah, I just got a pretty decent retirement gift for a hero."

"What?"

"So, when are we arriving?"

"Hahh."

Lee Mina let out a loud sigh and frowned. Kim Junyong smiled gently.

After gently provoking her, she had ripened nicely. Now the fruit was about to fall.

"...You seem to be under a major misunderstanding."

Lee Mina lowered her voice.

"You're being transported as a murder suspect, Kim Junyong. Are you not aware of your situation?"

"What about you?"

"...?"

"You've never killed anyone?"

"You little–!"

Her face flushed red.

"You bastard! Can't you show some respect? Just because I've been polite doesn't mean I'm your servant!"

"Hehehe."

"Are you laughing? Do you think this is funny, you bastard?!"

Lee Mina exploded, grabbing Kim Junyong's collar.

"Hehe."

"Still laughing?"

Kim Junyong burst into louder laughter. Yes, more. Get angrier.

A black mage who lacked negative emotions created them. A curse of emotional excess worked very well.

Lee Mina's slight discomfort turned into irritation. Irritation turned into annoyance. Displeasure deepened into disgust. And finally, rage!

Kim Junyong absorbed that energy, his eyes gleaming with madness.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, a cool aura enveloped Lee Mina.

"Ah."

Startled by her own actions, she released Kim Junyong's collar.

"...Whew. I lost my temper."

"..."

Cheon Yubeom stepped in to calm Lee Mina, who wore a regretful expression.

"It's not your fault, Section Chief Lee."

The provocation came from the other side. Right?

"..."

Kim Junyong didn't avert his gaze. He looked straight at Cheon Yubeom. He was disappointed, but not completely discouraged. The energy he needed had already been gathered.

"You. Are you a cleric?"

"I'm a paladin."

"Strange thing to follow."

"I don't know why you're provoking us, but your curses won't work on me."

Kim Junyong chuckled.

"Where do you rank in the Hunter Management Bureau?"

His interest had shifted to Cheon Yubeom.

"Rank 3 hunter."

"And that means what?"

"It's enough to be in charge of a division."

"Oh?"

A high-ranking paladin soul...Perfect for corruption. It was tempting.

Kim Junyong shifted his gaze. Cheon Yubeom quickly looked away. There was something deeply unsettling about Kim Junyong's eyes, which gleamed with a chilling sense of possessiveness and madness.

"Do you want to make a bet?"

"..."

"With your soul on the line."

"..."

Cheon Yubeom's face stiffened.

The intuition that had saved him countless times was screaming a warning.

This man was extremely dangerous.

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