The Precious Demon King - Chapter 7

WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 7: That's Our Uncle?

The Mind Slime had been planted. While it wasn't enough to control Park Taejun like a puppet, it could restrain him. More precisely, it was like a ticking time bomb that would prevent him from doing anything foolish.

"Ugh, guess I'll head out."

As Kim Junyong stepped into the corridor, armed soldiers raised their guns at him. There was no need for him to deal with these small fry himself.

"Remi."

Whoosh.

The military-trained high school swordsman Remi was summoned and immediately scanned the area.

"Shall I cut them?"

"No, don't kill them. Just open a path."

"Okay."

Tat-tat-tat! Ping! Bang!

Neither the armed soldiers nor the standby hunters who rushed in could stand against Remi.

"Uuugh."

Broken weapons and groaning, wounded soldiers were left in her wake.

"Mmm, that should get the message across, right?"

It would have been easier to kill them all. Still, choosing to show mercy served a purpose.

He was merciful.

Surely they got the hint?

"Looks like I'm going out with a bang."

< On the Scale of Chaos, "Violent Teacher" has been added. >

< On the Scale of Chaos, "Facility Destruction" has been added. >

Tiny black orbs clattered onto the pan.

"I wonder what reward these black orbs will give me this time?"

It was something to look forward to. Perhaps because the scale beam had been strengthened, it was still bearing the imbalance, even with a large pile of black orbs.

They passed the devastated perimeter post. The roads outside the headquarters were empty and surrounded by countryside.

"Hmm."

This was a problem. After a short pause, Remi, who had already subdued the nearby soldiers, stood beside him.

Her school uniform was riddled with bullet holes.

"You need new clothes."

Whether they needed clothes or directions to his sister's house, they had to get past this stretch of road with nothing but streetlights.

"Grab someone in decent shape."

"Okay."

Soon, Remi returned with a soldier.

"Eek!"

"You can drive, right?"

"Huh?"

"Can't drive?"

"N-No, I can."

"All right. Bring a car."

"Y-Yes!"

Trembling with fear, Kim Sangsu grabbed a key from the guard station and pressed a button.

Beep, beep.

A sedan blinked. That was the one.

"Let's go."

"W-Where to?"

"To my sister's place."

"Where is that?"

"I don't know. Ask your superior. Don't tell me they didn't already check."

"Huh? Uh, yes."

Kim Sangsu started the car and made a call to his command.

"Yes, yes. I'm accompanying him now. Yes, to his sister's house...Huh? Understood."

"What did they say?"

"They'll text it to me."

"So they did have it."

If they hadn't, he would've had to go back to the Michuhol Police Station. This saved him the trouble.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"I'm Sergeant Kim Sangsu."

"All right, Sangsu. How do I look in this outfit?"

"You look cool."

"The hell? Are you mocking me?"

"N-No!"

Wasn't that what he wanted to hear?

"L-Like a hospital patient."

"Right. And what about the one next to me?"

"Uh, she's beautiful."

"Hah, would you look at this punk."

Seeing Kim Sangsu's cheeks turn red, Kim Junyong let out a soft snort.

Remi was indeed unrealistically beautiful.

Of course. She's a demon.

Given how flustered Kim Sangsu was–even forgetting the situation–it wasn't surprising.

"If you saw a real succubus, you would probably pass out."

"Huh?"

"Anyway, wouldn't you like to buy this lovely lady some clothes?"

< Bel's Scale detects "Threat." >

Hey, don't interrupt without reading the room.

"Buy her something on the way."

"Y-Yes."

On the way, they stopped by a sportswear shop that happened to be open and bought a few tracksuits.

From the Special Investigation Unit Headquarters in Gwacheon, his sister's place wasn't far.

They arrived at the entrance of an apartment near Sadang Station.

"Thanks for the ride. I'll wear the clothes well."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Y-You're leaving me here?"

"What, you want a sleepover too?"

"N-No! Thank you!"

"I should be thanking you."

Kim Junyong greeted cheerfully and then walked into the apartment complex. A woman in a tracksuit followed him. Kim Sangsu watched Remi walk away with a wistful look.

"Ah, this isn't the time for this."

He quickly called his superior.

[ Hey! Sangsu! Are you okay? ]

"Yes, I'm fine. I just parted ways with Kim Junyong and Remi."

[ Who is Remi? ]

"You know, the swordsman in a school uniform."

[ That monster! Anyway, you're safe, right? ]

"Yes, I am safe."

[ Good. Return immediately. That was a huge help! ]

"Not at all. I thought I was dead meat, but I just drove."

[ That's a big deal! ]

Tracking the fugitive turned out to be unexpectedly easy.

[ A surveillance team will be dispatched. Return now. ]

"Roger!"

Kim Sangsu hung up and let out a sigh he had been holding.

"Hahh!"

As the tension left him, an odd sense of regret filled the void. He glanced back at the apartment one more time.

"Whew."

Remi. I guess I'll never see you again.

* * *

The Special Investigation Unit Headquarters was practically a military fortress. It had triple-layered walls, and a full battalion guarded it around the clock. No unauthorized person or vehicle could enter or exit.

It was designed this way because its suspects were hunters. Escaping from here should have been impossible. It absolutely should have been...

"Reporting casualties! 128 perimeter troops injured, 1 missing. 37 hunter agents injured."

"Are there any fatalities?"

"None."

"None?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"What about critical injuries?"

"There are no critically injured individuals at a life-threatening level."

"..."

Jin Hojin furrowed his brow. Even during his escape, Kim Junyong had shown restraint.

This was despite the coordinated assault by armed elite soldiers and hunters.

"...Who's missing?"

"Sergeant Kim Sangsu and one vehicle were taken from the first checkpoint."

"..."

The emergency meeting fell silent.

"Commander, what should we do?"

"About what?"

"Should we dispatch a pursuit team?"

Bang!

Jin Hojin slammed the table.

"Even if we find him, can we capture him? Huh?"

"...But a soldier was taken hostage..."

"Hey! Handle the situation at headquarters first!"

"Yes, understood."

Jin Hojin cradled his head. The position of Special Investigation Unit Commander was important enough to serve as a stepping stone to becoming the next bureau director of the Hunter Management Bureau. Unfortunately, however, such a major incident had occurred.

"What's the bureau director's condition?"

"Holy incantations aren't working. In fact, they're making him worse. We've paused treatment."

"Hahh."

They didn't know what had hit him. Mentioning Kim Junyong's name would send him into a seizure. They guessed it was some kind of curse.

"Team Leader Cheon."

"Yes, Commander."

"You'll lead the emergency unit."

"What's the mission?"

"We're designating Kim Junyong a villain. Begin surveillance."

"Uh, yes!"

Villain. It was a term used for criminals who were no longer pursued for arrest.

The government used this label when they lacked the power to capture someone, when pursuing them posed extreme danger, or when politics were involved...

Examples included Lim Hajin of the Gangneung Rebellion and Dokgo Jin of Daegu Station.

Catching such villains required a team of Rank 1 hunters or foreign support from national-level hunters–something South Korea lacked.

The resources invested were substantial, and the risks were even greater.

This was why South Korea never officially recognized North Korea as a country, yet never went to war either.

If a villain posed a serious threat to the government, the government would take risks to arrest or kill the villain. Otherwise, an unspoken line was drawn, and as long as both sides acted reasonably, the villains were left alone.

In truth, surveillance teams closely monitored the villains and gathered intelligence on them. They collected information on their weaknesses so they could act immediately if an opportunity to eliminate them arose.

"Commander, the target's capabilities are already clear...aren't they?"

"...Just confirm his whereabouts for now."

"Yes, understood."

Cheon Yubeom left to form a surveillance team for "Villain Kim Junyong."

* * *

"Ugh, I'm exhausted."

Yu Jia, a high school senior.

After finishing the nightly self-study sessions dreaded by all Korean students, she came home.

"Ugh, I'm starving. Mom!"

But when she opened the front door, her mother wasn't there to greet her as usual.

"Noona, shhh!"

Her younger brother, Yu Jihun, poked his head out of a room and put a finger to his lips.

"What? Where's Mom?"

"Be quiet. She's crying."

"What? Why?"

"Uncle was arrested by the police."

"What the hell? We don't have an uncle."

"No, that uncle. You know, the one who went missing."

"Huh?"

The news was so sudden that Yu Jia frowned sharply. She vaguely recalled her mother drunkenly mentioning a missing younger brother.

"Mom."

When she opened the master bedroom door, she found Kim Jangmi sitting on the bed with swollen eyes and a dazed look.

"Jia, you're home."

"Jihun said something about an uncle. What's going on?"

"Hrrrk."

That was the trigger. Kim Jangmi broke into tears again.

"No, don't cry. Tell me what happened."

"Noona, seriously! Cut the crap."

"What are you even saying?"

"Mom, don't cryyy!"

Yu Jihun hugged his mother, and they held each other tightly and sobbed loudly.

"Haaah, how are we supposed to help if we don't know what's going on?"

"Jia...It's just that..."

Kim Jangmi recounted everything that had happened that evening. Yu Jia pieced it together.

"So, the missing uncle was found...locked up in a holding cell? For a murder case? And then he was taken away by the Hunter Management Bureau?"

"Yes. What should we do?"

"What do you mean? If he committed a crime, then he should pay for it."

"No, Noona! He was wearing hospital clothes! I bet he was wrongfully locked in a psych ward or something. That murder charge sounds fishy, too."

"You're writing a novel."

Yu Jia sighed, but continued to think about it. Since she had never met this uncle, he was practically a stranger to her. Still, seeing her mother so sorrowful pained her as well.

"Shouldn't we get a lawyer first?"

"Noona, you can't get a lawyer for a Hunter Management Bureau case. Don't you know that?"

"How would I know?"

To an ordinary student like her, the world of hunters was far removed. Her brother, however, admired it.

"I think we should go to the media."

"The media?"

"As long as it's made public, they won't be able to do anything too harsh to Uncle, right?"

Was Yu Jihun's idea actually plausible? Kim Jangmi's expression changed.

"We should protest!"

"Mom, it's past 11!"

"So what? Do you think I can sleep like this?"

As if possessed, Kim Jangmi searched for her outerwear and put it on. Yu Jia and Yu Jihun gasped in alarm and tried to stop her.