WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 55: Kim Dokdo

"Ugh."

The pressure grew heavier when Kim Junyong stood and drew closer. Ryu Jai's words had not been wrong.

An apostle of the Goddess!

This was the power of the Goddess. It carried an indescribable, mysterious majesty that forced both body and mind into submission.

Like gravity, it was impossible to resist.

The three, blessed by the Goddess and recipients of her grace, bowed lower with each step Kim Junyong took.

Step.

He passed the table and reached the far end of the long room. By the time he reached the entrance where they stood, all three were bowing with their faces pressed to the floor.

"Now then, let's string them up. Judgment."

Flash.

"Hahh!"

Boom!

A golden radiance crashed down. Three pillars of light appeared.

The three Guardians were trapped inside, their bodies trembling.

< The Warriors of the Goddess shall be judged. In the time they could not hear Her voice, their wandering was long. >

< Jose Ramirez >

< Murder, kidnapping, infanticide, rape... >

A placard appeared on his chest. The densely written litany of crimes read like an encyclopedia of every transgression an immoral man could commit.

< As a Warrior of the Goddess, he is unworthy. Bel's Scale request that death be pronounced upon this fallen one. >

"What about the divine orb?"

< The chaos of his sins shall be requited with death. The Goddess's blessing shall be fully reclaimed. >

So killing was the cleanest solution after all.

"Execute."

< Stripping Jose Ramirez's qualification as a Warrior of the Goddess. >

Flash.

1,000 order points were added to Bel's Scale. Kim Junyong considered reinforcing the scale, but first he needed to create divine orbs for the sake of God Earth, who was struggling to protect the planet.

< Acquire Divinity >

Flash.

"That's the second one."

Following the divine orb he had drained from Ryu Jai, this was the second one. In the meantime, Arjun Mehra's judgment had concluded–his sins were fewer than Jose Ramirez's.

< Arjun Mehra >

< Massacre of civilians, assault, torture... >

Even though his sins were fewer, he wasn't someone worth recycling.

Massacre? One doesn't call just any killing a massacre.

< For a fallen Warrior of the Goddess, only pain and death are fitting. Bel's Scale request that he be executed in agony. >

"Execute."

Whoosh!

The golden light rippled, and Arjun Mehra let out a terrible scream.

< Stripping Arjun Mehra's qualification as a Warrior of the Goddess. >

< Acquire Divinity >

That made three divine orbs. That God Earth fellow would be pleased.

Kim Junyong turned to the next sacrifice, which would become his fourth divine orb.

< Logan Hayes >

< Incitement, assault, gaslighting, adultery... >

"Hm?"

What was this watered-down version? Kim Junyong looked over the list of Logan Hayes's petty transgressions. Unlike the two who were simply executed, the scale even settled his good deeds.

< Slaying demons, hunting servants of evil, rescuing citizens, rebuilding cities, contributing to world peace, donations... >

Good deeds similar to Ryu Jai's. He had put in some effort, but he hadn't risked his life. Was it only hunting, then?

< The Warrior of the Goddess wandered in the absence of Her voice yet did not fall into corruption. Bel's Scale request that an opportunity be granted to the lost one. >

The scale proposed Logan Hayes's salvation.

"Well, it's not like I have a grudge against him."

Two of the G7 hunters were already dead. Turning all of them into divine orbs would be foolish.

If they all die, who will defend Earth?

Like Ryu Jai, Logan Hayes seemed to be a responsible sort, so Kim Junyong decided to give him a chance.

< Stripping Logan Hayes's qualification as a Warrior of the Goddess. >

< Logan Hayes has been appointed as a Knight of the Arbiter. >

< Please allocate the power of order to the knight so that he may stand against chaos. >

< 810 order points remain. >

"..."

Kim Junyong's expression crumpled sharply.

"This guy was lazy, wasn't he?"

Logan Hayes should have hunted as diligently as Ryu Jai and built up order points. The Goddess must have given him 1,000 order points, but he squandered even more through his sins.

"Should I just kill him..."

< Even with 1 point allocated, he could fulfill his role as a Knight of the Arbiter. >

"Hah, fine. I'll give him 10."

< We celebrate the birth of an ally who will aid the Arbiter of the Scale in their heavy burden. >

Flash.

< Order : 800 - Chaos : 0 >

Seeing the golden scale tip lopsided, Kim Junyong's face twisted into a scowl.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

Should he go after the villain he had been saving for a time like this? Somehow, it just felt irritating.

"Hey."

Thud, thud.

Kim Junyong kicked Logan Hayes, but he showed no sign of waking up.

"Master. Let me try, nya."

Edmond hopped down from the table and staggered. For a demon, his alcohol tolerance was low.

"A chef's duty is to provide energy!"

The cat's forepaw touched Logan Hayes's forehead.

Flash, flash, flash.

A violet glow swiftly absorbed into his forehead.

"What did you give him?"

"I shared some of my vitality, nya."

"What kind of demon just hands that out?"

"Nyan-nyan, isn't he Master's underling now? Hohohon."

"..."

The little drunk. In any case, Logan Hayes stirred, having regained some vitality.

"Ugh..."

He had blacked out. When he came to, he sat there in a daze before suddenly jolting in shock.

It-it wasn't a dream.

He had met Goddess Belhaim. She was a beauty that seemed unreal in this world. He had faced the expressionless countenance of a god.

Her gaze, from a face seemingly filled with deep disappointment, felt like a great nail driven into his chest.

There was no reproach or questioning, only that gaze. And that alone was profoundly sorrowful.

When he awoke, Kim Junyong was squatting in front of him.

"Why are you so lazy?"

"Huh?"

"Do you not usually hunt?"

"..."

Logan Hayes hurriedly prostrated himself flat on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

Ah, so this is it.

He now understood what Ryu Jai had meant. She was right.

If he wasn't going to spend his whole life running, he should have hurried to meet Kim Junyong and beg for forgiveness. He should have pleaded for a chance.

"Th-Thank you for granting me this opportunity."

He didn't dare look up directly. It felt as though they were different species.

The gap between them was like that between an elephant and an ant.

"Hunt diligently."

"Y-Yes, I will."

"Just working hard isn't enough. You've gotta bust your ass."

Only then could he steadily earn points as a Knight of the Arbiter.

"I will devote my very being."

"What a funny guy."

All this time, he had ignored the divine voice. Or had he simply never heard it and lived as though it didn't exist?

Logan Hayes trembled uncontrollably as he looked at the corpses of Jose Ramirez and Arjun Mehra.

It was a ridiculous plan.

Two against one would work? A skill fatal to Guardians? Nothing like that.

No, Kim Junyong wasn't even an enemy.

Now he was certain of it.

This man is an apostle sent by the Goddess.

Mad Monarch? No, he might not even be an Earthling.

He was a messiah prepared by the Goddess.

Ah.

Ryu Jai hadn't been wrong at all.

We were deceived by those damn Japanese.

Come to think of it, he shouldn't have listened to the likes of yakuza.

In the meantime, the noisy fight between Yoichi Sasaki and Kenchi Takahashi had ended.

"Yoshi! Justice triumphs!"

"Y-You lunatic! I'm the one who won!"

Kenchi Takahashi, who had hastily bound Yoichi Sasaki and held a sword to his throat, shouted in exasperation.

"Hmph! Becoming a hostage means nothing. Saving a woman in danger and dying in her place–that alone makes life worthwhile."

"...I was the one in danger!"

Kenchi Takahashi hadn't expected to run into this blockhead here. He might not have been SR-rank, but even R-rank hunters were precious talent.

The ranking only went up to 1,000. Even if Yoichi Sasaki had only scraped in at 999, that was no reason to belittle him.

Yoichi Sasaki was plenty capable, but he had his flaws.

"Why are you siding with the Mad Monarch?"

"That man is not the Mad Monarch."

"Yes he is!"

"Hmph, sowing discord won't work on me."

"Ugh, you blockhead bastard!"

He was a stubborn fool who never listened to anyone. He was obstinate to the core, with serious problems in both brains and stubbornness.

How bad must it have been that even guilds were reluctant to recruit him, leaving him with the Psychic Awakening Agency? An R-rank talent, no less. Rumor had it that his father, Congressman Sasaki, had used his influence.

"What nonsense! If a man swings a blade at an innocent woman, who else could be the villain?!"

"...I was the one who got hurt!"

"That sort of trivial thing isn't important!"

This maniac.

Kenchi Takahashi looked around. Everything was already over.

G-rank hunters? Nothing but empty titles.

They knelt before the Mad Monarch and were immediately defeated.

Just like Ryu Jai.

There must be some kind of matchup issue. In the end, was the only way to subjugate the Mad Monarch for SR-rank hunters to join forces, or to rely on overwhelming modern firepower? He had to be killed, even if it meant detonating a nuclear weapon.

But to do that, he first had to escape.

"What are you doing?"

"D-Don't come any closer! If you come any closer, I'll stab him!"

Kim Junyong chuckled at the sight of one Japanese holding another hostage. And a stranger at that.

"What nonsense. Ugh. What does his dying have to do with me?"

< Bel's Scale requests the rescue of the citizen who has become a hostage. >

"..."

So it mattered after all.

"Even if I save him, I'll only get a few order points, right?"

< 10 will be granted. >

"Just kill him."

< 50 will be granted. >

"Well, that makes it worth doing."

Kim Junyong gave a slight grin and stepped forward.

"Huh? Don't come closer! I'll really stab him!"

Kenchi Takahashi made his threat, and Yoichi Sasaki shouted with a resolute expression.

"Hunter of South Korea! Don't concern yourself with my life. Strike down the villain!"

Resolve, fear, courage, justice.

"Ohh."

Since earlier, Kim Junyong had found the man called Yoichi Sasaki all too tempting.

A pure soul.

It was so healthy that even the temptation of corruption could take hold.

I must endure it.

If he were to corrupt such a soul, chaos points might rack up in the thousands. In any case...

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"I, Yoichi Sasaki, am a man who has never spoken a lie!"

"Hehe, I like you."

Kenchi Takahashi quickly seized on Kim Junyong's words.

"If you want to save this guy, then back off!"

"You're really something–huh?"

Kim Junyong narrowed his eyes. He felt like he had seen him somewhere before.

"What's your name?"

"..."

At Kim Junyong's question, Kenchi Takahashi's face flushed red and his body trembled.

"I have never forgotten my grudge against you, and yet you've already forgotten me?!"

"Hm?"

Kim Junyong opened his eyes wide. So they had met before after all! No wonder his face had seemed hazy from the start...

"Oh? Kim Dokdo?"

"Damn you! Don't call me by that accursed colonial name! I am Kenchi Takahashi!"

"Right, Takeshima. Well, Dokdo, good to see you."

"Urrgh!"

Kenchi Takahashi let out a pained groan as the terrible memory of being captured and tortured by the Mad Monarch resurfaced.

"Dokdo is?"

"Korean land! Urgh! Damn it!"

Damn, he shouted it reflexively. Had the repeated torture engraved it into his soul?

Yoichi Sasaki didn't miss the moment when Kenchi Takahashi's mental state faltered.

"Hyah!"

He quickly jabbed his elbow into his gut, rolled on the floor, and escaped his clutches.

"Hyungnim! Strike him down at once!"

"Huh?"

Kim Junyong didn't know why he was being called brother, but he didn't waste the chance and roused his mana.

Shrrrk!

Black tendrils burst from the floor and ensnared Kenchi Takahashi.

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