WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

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◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 62: Discreet Compensation

Hunter Management Bureau, South Korea. Choi Hyunju hurried to the bureau director's office as soon as she heard that Park Taejun had returned.

"How did it turn out?"

"What?"

"The president's reaction."

"What reaction?"

Park Taejun smiled with a strange expression as he took off his coat.

"Ah, hurry up."

"Don't rush me like that. I need to catch my breath too."

Seeing Park Taejun joking around, it seemed things had gone well. He leisurely called his secretary to order drinks before sitting down on the sofa with Choi Hyunju.

"We were in the middle of discussing countermeasures when the Japanese prime minister called."

"What?"

"They wanted to bury it first. They suggested we present it as a joint South Korea–Japan operation that wiped out the yakuza."

"...Japan is quick on the uptake."

"Of course. What would they gain by provoking the Special Advisor?"

"A corpse."

"Right, a cor–ah jeez. That's gruesome."

Park Taejun soothed his throat with a sip of green tea before continuing.

"Anyway, they're scared stiff. There'll be a statement on the yakuza soon."

It seemed unlikely that Japanese public opinion would turn negative because of this. After all, public opinion shifts with wording.

The Korean who had massacred Japanese people had become a Korean agent who helped wipe out the yakuza.

At worst, negative public opinion would focus on why Japan accepted South Korea's help and why they spoke in such a self-deprecating manner.

"Want to know the real bombshell?"

"What is it?"

"They want to settle the historical issues between South Korea and Japan."

"What?"

"They were the ones who brought it up first."

"Why?"

"Heh. It seems the Special Advisor said something to them."

"...?"

Frustrating. The absence of Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina, who always stuck to the Special Advisor's side and reported his every move, was deeply felt.

Information obtained through indirect observation was too limited.

It seems that the Special Advisor's adjustment to life on Earth is slipping these days, too.

She worried that the humanity Kim Junyong had been slowly regaining might fade again.

She wished his main concerns would shift from power, war, and conflict to the small details of daily life.

As expected, he needs to be with his family for now.

It was no coincidence that returnees with families adapted to society more easily. This was an area that required careful attention.

"Either way, the Special Advisor played a big role this time."

"Oh, definitely. From the Japanese prime minister down, they're all scared stiff. Heh, of course they're terrified. Honestly, so am I."

Park Taejun, who had once clashed with Kim Junyong, knew that feeling well.

"Isn't it the same for you?"

"..."

Choi Hyunju clamped her lips shut. Naturally, she wasn't the only one afraid of him.

He had killed her. Far from feeling anger or wanting revenge, she didn't even consider opposing him again.

In any case, lately it felt like Kim Junyong's actions were becoming more extreme, which only deepened her anxiety. Meanwhile, Lee Mina and Cheon Yubeom, who should have been looking after him, still hadn't returned...

After all, the only solution is for Kim Jangmi to move.

They had split households because the apartment was too small. She couldn't exactly tell Kim Junyong to just move back into Kim Jangmi's place, and moving elsewhere was a problem too.

Since the base registered in the Demon Realm Subjugation app couldn't be relocated, the plan was to buy all the surrounding houses and provide one to his family. But that required money.

"We'll need the budget increased."

"Go ahead. The president is really into this right now."

"It's a pretty big amount, though."

"Ah, it's fine! Spend as much as you want!"

Park Taejun didn't ask or argue.

"The presidential office is in a festive mood right now. The Japanese prime minister will be visiting soon."

"What about the G-rank issue?"

"On that front, Japan isn't saying anything either."

"It looks like they've decided to ignore it."

"They're probably still trying to figure things out."

"They're already dead. What is there to figure out? They're just preparing countermeasures."

Park Taejun shrugged.

"What about Paraguay and India?"

"On the surface, everything is quiet."

"And in reality?"

"Chaos."

Choi Hyunju shrugged.

"They lost a G-rank hunter overnight. They're scrambling to confirm their whereabouts, but they're already dead, so..."

"And Logan?"

"Our intelligence network has its limits in the United States. Has the NIS said anything?"

"The United States seems to be watching how the situation unfolds."

Choi Hyunju nodded. It was a relief.

Considering what had happened, it looked like things would be quietly brushed aside.

In the span of a few days, four G-ranks had disappeared.

Logan Hayes's and Ryu Jai's ranks dropped. Jose Ramirez and Arjun Mehra were officially missing but in reality dead.

As long as no dungeons erupt...

There were only two unconquered A-rank dungeons left in the world.

One was in the United States and the other in Germany.

Fortunately, both regions still had their G-rank forces intact.

Even if B-rank or lower dungeons erupted, they could be handled well enough. Probably...

"Still, that's one less thing to worry about."

"Right. Deputy Bureau Director Choi, pay a bit more attention to the Special Advisor's care."

"That's why I requested the additional budget."

"Heh, send the report up. I'll approve it right away."

The tension eased. It looked like Kim Junyong's sudden trip to Japan, during which he caused a major incident while supposedly just going for sushi, would be overlooked.

Beep–

At that moment, both their phones blared a warning.

[ Dungeon Break Alert! ]

[ Please evacuate to the nearest shelter! ]

[ Strictly follow the orders of the military and police! ]

"Hahh."

Things had been calm for a while, but the dungeon time-shortening phenomenon had occurred again.

"I'll head out."

"Uh, yeah. Time to tough it out."

In such cases, it was always Choi Hyunju who took charge. She went to the Dungeon Management Division's situation room.

"Where did it erupt?"

"Deputy Bureau Director!"

The division director greeted Choi Hyunju with a face that looked on the verge of tears. Her gaze fell on the map of South Korea on the wall.

There were seven problematic dungeons.

"Which places have requested support?"

"B97, B54, B114."

"Damn."

They were all B-rank dungeons.

"What about C-rank or lower?"

"No requests yet. It looks like they can conquer those on their own."

Thankfully, after experiencing several cases of time-shortening, people now set their conquest times conservatively. It looked like no dungeons would break.

"Fortunately, we only need to provide support for the B-ranks."

Normally, a team of Rank 1 hunters would suffice, but with the shortened conquest time, time was tight.

Since standard strategies took too long, the only option was to raid the dungeon boss with overwhelming firepower and conquer the dungeon in an instant. However, doing so required the deployment of high-level hunters.

"Where are the three locations?"

"Busan, Jeonju, and Paju."

"Hahh, if only I had three bodies."

In a crisis like this, what was needed was a surplus high-level resource like her.

SR-rank Choi Hyunju agonized. After factoring in travel time and the remaining time for dungeon conquest, she realized she could only be deployed to one dungeon.

How nice would it have been if the Hunter Management Bureau had two hunters like her–or even just one more?

"Deputy Bureau Director, might it be possible to ask the Special Advisor?"

"...That's..."

Kim Junyong was the first person who came to her mind, of course. But there was only so much sense in using a butcher's knife on a chicken.

These were B-ranks, not A-ranks. She hesitated to ask the Special Advisor for help, feeling that it wasn't right to ask if they couldn't even handle such minor crises on their own.

What if they couldn't obtain his help during a major crisis? He was a joker card that had to be used carefully.

"How many conquest rights did Daesan purchase recently?"

"Only one C-rank and one D-rank. Y-You're not thinking of requesting manpower from Daesan, are you?"

They were the company with the most hunters in South Korea. Yet they only had two dungeons in progress.

After clashing with Special Advisor Kim Junyong, they stopped participating in the bidding altogether for conquest rights to newly emerged dungeons.

They have manpower to spare.

But ultimately, the problem was their clash with them.

"Would Daesan really cooperate willingly?"

"Hmm."

If they could get even just SR-rank Lim Dongsu to help, one B-rank dungeon would be no problem. Choi Hyunju's mind raced.

Force a draft?

Just as that thought crossed her mind–

Ring–

[ Daesan Electronics President Kang Changseong ]

"Hm?"

It wasn't the Daesan Guild, but rather the president of Daesan Electronics. As she hurriedly answered the call, a familiar voice came through.

[ This is Kang Changseong. ]

"Yes, Deputy Bureau Director Choi here. Please go ahead."

[ I wish to provide urgent support with Daesan's hunters. ]

"..."

It was welcome, but what was the motive? Could her brief silence have conveyed that thought?

[ Please don't misunderstand. Even now, I only wish to ask for forgiveness and seize the opportunity. ]

"Opportunity?"

[ I wish to improve our relationship with the Special Advisor. ]

"..."

Remarkable. On a personal level, wasn't Kim Junyong the enemy who killed his son? Yet, there was no room for hesitation.

When your house is on fire, even enemies must join hands.

"The Hunter Management Bureau won't forget Daesan's support."

[ Thank you. That's all I need. Speak with the guild president. ]

Choi Hyunju ended the call and let out a sigh of relief. Rumor had it that Kang Mujin had completely stepped away from management, and that Kang Changseong now held real control of Daesan Group...

"Contact the Daesan Guild for manpower support!"

"Yes, Deputy Bureau Director!"

It was only after calculating the break times for the imminent dungeons and completing the personnel assignments did she finally allow herself to relax.

With Lim Dongsu dispatched to the Jeonju B-rank dungeon, she only needed to handle Paju herself.

"That leaves Busan..."

Break time was five hours away. In fact, it was so urgent that they needed to begin the conquest immediately.

If I conquer the dungeon in Paju as quickly as possible and head to Busan...

Even so, it seemed there would be no time.

"Maybe we should at least hint to the Special Advisor?"

"If we rely on him for every little thing like this, we might not be able to get his help later when it's really needed."

"But Taiwan's already in an uproar over the Special Advisor. If he stays busy, won't less of that news reach him?"

"Huh?"

Right. Taiwan. Anti-Korean sentiment was boiling over furiously.

Their icon and representative hunter, Ryu Jai, came to South Korea, clashed with Kim Junyong, and returned with a lower ranking...Their feelings were understandable.

However, she feared that the boiling rage and demand for accountability might reach the Special Advisor's ears. To prevent that from happening, agents Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina chose to accompany him into the Demon Realm...

The two remained in the Demon Realm while the Special Advisor ended up returning to Earth alone.

"Fine. It's better if the Special Advisor stays as busy as possible until public opinion in Taiwan calms down."

This actually worked out. As payment for the job, they could quietly give him a house in Hansan 2-dong as "compensation." And if Kim Jangmi and her family moved there...

Doesn't this all line up perfectly?

Choi Hyunju smiled subtly at the plan.

"All right. We'll ask the Special Advisor to handle Busan."

"Yes, understood."

"Good."

"Um?"

"Hm?"

"Deputy Bureau Director, you're the one who has to make the call."

"Hahh!"

Suddenly, Choi Hyunju felt her chest tighten. Ask the Special Advisor for help?

Just the thought of making the call made her heart pound.

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