WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

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◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 73: Difference in Value

"U-Umai!"

Kim Junyong looked at Yoichi Sasaki, who was diligently wrapping and eating ssam.

"Hahaha, Kobe beef is so expensive that I can't often afford it myself."

"..."

It seemed this guy wasn't very well-regarded in Japan.

"Whoa, don't look at me so pitifully. A civil servant's pay may be modest, but the work is rewarding."

"I didn't say anything."

"Hahaha, the money I spend is taxpayers' money, isn't it? If I save first, the country's finances will become stronger."

"..."

It was a thought Kim Junyong had never once had. A hunter who worried about the national treasury?

What an odd fellow.

The deep patriotism radiating from Yoichi Sasaki seemed to make his soul even purer. That pure soul probably stemmed from nothing but patriotism.

Ah, I want to defile it.

To resist the demonic urge, Kim Junyong quickly sent Yoichi Sasaki on his way.

"Take the leftovers with you."

"Hahh! Hyungnim, your grace is as boundless as the heavens!"

"..."

Even though it was just the gift he himself had bought, repackaged and handed back, Yoichi Sasaki was this happy. It made one's heart ache a little.

[ Yoichi Sasaki, take this too. ]

[ Ah, Miss! Why go to such lengths! ]

[ Our family has plenty. Good food should be shared. ]

[ I-I, Yoichi Sasaki, am moved! ]

[ Please come visit us again often. ]

[ Yu Jihun! Thank you for saying that! ]

[ Aw, it's nothing. ]

Yu Jia's mouth dropped open. When had her brother and mother studied Japanese? Their pronunciation was no different from that of a native speaker.

"Nyaa! Young Lady, do you want to learn too, nya?"

"Eh? Huh?"

When Edmond held out his hand slightly, Yu Jia took it instinctively.

Flash.

"W-What?"

A flood of a new language poured into her mind!

[ Hahaha, Yu Jihun. Just say the word–I can bring this every day. ]

[ That'll clog your arteries. ]

[ Ah, Noona! Such a doctor-like remark! ]

[ Noona? ]

[ If you're hyungnim's sister, you're my sister too. Hahaha! ]

Yu Jia was startled to find that she understood the clearly spoken Japanese without any sense of strangeness.

"Ehh? Huh!"

The words slipped out before she knew it, and she covered her mouth. For a moment, she felt like if she spoke Japanese, it would come out fluently.

No way!

Could this be real? Wasn't this like the demonic contracts her uncle had mentioned?

Impossible!

She had acquired Japanese.

Far from being happy, she felt more bewildered and unfairly treated. If "knowledge" could be gained so easily, then why on earth had she studied so hard?

It was unfair and absurd. It felt as if all her efforts until now–her entire past life of striving–had been invalidated.

"Huh? Jia, where are you going?"

"Let her be."

Seeing Yu Jia's blatant wave of emotion, Kim Junyong held his sister back.

"It looks like she feels wronged because we ate before her."

Who would have thought her emotions could run that deep?

"Next time, let's wait and eat together."

"R-Right."

Kim Jangmi cast a subtle glance at Yoichi Sasaki, then whispered in Kim Junyong's ear.

"Yoichi Sasaki seems like a decent person."

"Yeah, he is. But how do you know after just one day?"

As for him, he could see souls, after all.

"Didn't you see how people dashed off the moment they saw your ticket? At least Yoichi Sasaki doesn't seem like the type to cling to you and try to snoop for information."

"Hmm, as if this can even be called information."

Kim Junyong spun the ticket around in his hand.

Though two tickets remained, if he asked God Earth for more, God Earth would give them to him. Ah, of course, this wasn't God Earth's power.

This holds the power of Goddess Belhaim.

God Earth's power was the creation of time and space. Blessing individuals and opening their status windows fell under Goddess Belhaim's power.

However, God Earth's use of Goddess Belhaim's power was limited.

There were ten million returnees and the G7s.

What would happen when they died? God Earth would reclaim "Bel's Blessings" and redistribute them to Earthlings. That was the truth of acquired awakenings.

God Earth had long wanted to use the G7s' power, but since they wouldn't die, he had been fretting over it all this time.

Now that Kim Junyong possessed Bel's Scale, the supply of Goddess Belhaim's blessings had increased.

In any case, a ticket could only be created when a returnee died. This made them practically infinite.

Even now, people must be dying.

Hunters were a high-risk profession, and villains were the kind of beings for who dying at any moment was nothing unusual.

"Yoichi."

"Yes, Hyungnim?"

"Do you want these?"

"Hahh! Are you really giving me that wonderful thing?"

So he did want it. Kim Junyong chuckled as he looked at Yoichi Sasaki's sparkling eyes. To him, the tickets were no more valuable than a coupon for a Chinese restaurant. If needed, he could just ask God Earth for more.

"Here, take them."

"Whoa!"

Yoichi Sasaki was deeply moved.

Something he gave only to his family! Then does this mean I've been acknowledged as family too?

These were no ordinary golden cards.

"Hyungnim! I devote my loyalty to my country, but my brotherly affection for you comes immediately after that!"

"...All right."

What a guy. Even his flattery was genuine. Kim Junyong found himself growing a little attached to this pure soul.

If we become closer...

Maybe his desire to destroy him would lessen as well.

* * *

A Korean who returned for the first time in twenty years since the last official returnee. One who knew Belhaim's history after the Demon King's death. A new G-rank.

He had to be investigated. Intelligence agents from around the world gathered in Hansan 2-dong.

Not content with merely sending agents, quite a few went so far as to form special teams and set up camp there.

[ American Crazy Hot Dog ]

The straightforwardly named burger shop had been open for a week, but the recent influx of people meant that the lines were still tremendous today.

"Oh my god! Jimmy! Why are you just getting here now?"

"Manager, it's an urgent matter."

"No excuses! Change your clothes and get in the kitchen!"

"...Isn't it past closing time?"

"Ha! We still have customers and ingredients, and you want to close up now?"

"..."

Jimmy thought he needed to remind the manager, who was far too enthusiastic about roleplay, of reality.

"Manager, snap out of it."

"You snap out of it, brat! Hurry up and put on an apron."

Jimmy looped an arm around the manager's neck like a headlock and whispered.

"We have new intel on the Special One."

"Hmm?"

The United States, fond of code names, referred to Kim Junyong with the slang "Special One." Team Leader Kuma Hendrik of the "Special One Surveillance Team" stiffened.

"Randy! Watch the counter!"

"Yes."

After pulling Jimmy from the busy kitchen, Kuma Hendrik headed with him to the staff break room in the corner of the shop–their operations base.

"Damn, it's been driving me crazy since this morning. Josh being too good at cooking is a problem too!"

"...Then let's shorten business hours."

"We'll look suspicious! Look across the street. The Chinese place is lit up and bustling all night."

The lamb skewer place across the street was open until 5 a.m.

"Damn, we chose the wrong business."

It would be a little strange for a takeout hot dog shop to stay open until dawn.

Information was by nature different when heard in the day versus at night, so seeing the lamb skewer shop open all night made him envious.

"So, what's the intel?"

"They say the Special One has an artifact that enables acquired awakening."

"Hm? Is that real?"

"Yes, in the form of a golden, card-like ticket. It seems to be single-use, and apparently, two remain."

"Is that reliable information?"

He knew Jimmy was meticulous, but he asked again because the information was too significant.

Hunters were superhuman. Never mind the dangers of the profession–awakening was a blessing that evolved ordinary humans into superpowered beings.

"We fact-checked. His niece, nephew, and Sister Kim all became hunters."

"Hmm."

Rather than relying solely on luck and waiting to awaken someday, some actively pursued research–and most of the support for such studies came from the wealthy.

"All the awakening researchers will be out of jobs."

Rather than investing money in research, it was better to buy the tickets.

There were plenty of wealthy buyers, but only two tickets remained. Kuma Hendrik smacked his lips in envy, even though the money wasn't his.

That precious thing...on family...

No, was it because they were precious that he used them on family? The Special One wasn't exactly short on money.

"Any chance they'll hit the market?"

"Many corporations are already contacting the South Korean government directly."

"Lobbyists will be running rampant."

Bang, bang!

[ Get out here before I plug your asshole with a sausage! ]

At their colleague's angry shout, Kuma Hendrik and Jimmy stood up.

"Let's go for now."

"Yes."

Jimmy headed for the kitchen. Kuma Hendrik skillfully wrapped a hot dog, lavishly drizzled sauce over it, and handed it with a warm smile to a customer who had been waiting a long time.

"Crazy hot dog is ready!"

"Oh! Kamsahamnida."

Hmm, judging by his pronunciation, the guy who just left must have been an intelligence agent from another country.

Half of the people still in line for a hot dog must be foreign operatives.

The Chinese have caught on too.

Seeing the bustling lamb skewer shop across the street, he figured they too had gotten hold of the awakening ticket intel. Since ancient times, the Chinese had been earnest about self-preservation and immortality. If they got involved, the ticket's price would...

"Yes, crazy hot dog is ready!"

Despite the frantic sales, the line didn't shorten at all.

Hansan 2-dong's food alley, once in decline, was suddenly dubbed the new Itaewon. As word spread and foreigners began to gather there, it experienced a second boom.

* * *

Psychic Awakening Agency, Japan. Yunosuke Kuroda's mind snapped awake at Masanobu Mishima's urgent call.

"A-An awakening ticket, you say?"

[ That's right. It's information obtained urgently and in secret. ]

Masanobu Mishima was in South Korea at the moment. If he were to return without spending even a single night there, it would look as though he had just signed a humiliating treaty and been driven out. So his visit was scheduled for three days and two nights.

The information came from a politician friendly toward Japan, so the source was certain.

[ Is there no way for Japan to secure this? ]

"...Impossible."

[ I thought so. ]

Masanobu Mishima's disappointment was clear over the phone.

"Even if we offered Tsushima, the South Korean government wouldn't agree. No–in the first place, South Korea made it clear that negotiations must be conducted individually."

South Korea treated its own hunters like foreign diplomats. They might live on Korean soil, but they were regarded as individuals.

If one wanted the Special Advisor's help, one had to negotiate with him directly, not through South Korea.

What could we possibly offer for a ticket?

No matter what Japan gave up, could it even compete? The tycoons of the United States and China would immediately rush in like mad.

We should give up.

It was pie in the sky.

At any rate, we've learned that the tickets exist.

As long as awakening tickets exist, there must also be some way to obtain them. For now, only the Special Advisor knew–but someday, the tickets might well circulate widely on the market.

While Yunosuke Kuroda reassured himself with hopeful, positive thoughts, Yoichi Sasaki returned.

"Yoichi Sasaki! Reporting mission success and safe return!"

"Ahh! Seeing you makes all my worries vanish! Why don't you go home and rest right away?"

"Ha, how could I possibly do that without making a return report?"

Seeing Yoichi Sasaki, the epitome of principle and stubbornness, Yunosuke Kuroda gave a faint smile.

"That's just like you! So, Yoichi. What did you do after the dungeon conquest?"

"I ate Kobe beef!"

"Well done!"

"It was delicious!"

"Excellent! Truly, Japan's next prime minister should be someone like you!"

At Yunosuke Kuroda's mental care, Yoichi Sasaki's nostrils flared.

"No other reports?"

"None!"

"Good! Go home and rest well!"

"Yoichi Sasaki! By the Commissioner's order!"

Yoichi Sasaki marched off energetically but suddenly seemed to remember something. He fumbled through his pocket.

"I happened to receive a gift."

This was something worth bragging about.

Hehe, the gift Hyungnim gave me.

"I got something even better than a special Pokémon card."

"Hm? Pokémon card?"

He pulled out two cards that shone with golden light.

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