WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

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◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 76: Conquest Monument

Flash.

"Uwaaah!"

Yu Jihun's eyes widened as he took his first step into the Demon Realm. He looked like a child visiting an amusement park for the first time. Kim Junyong couldn't help but chuckle.

"Nephew."

"Yes, Uncle!"

"Are you ready?"

"Of course!"

"Ready for what?"

"Huh? Uh...adventure?"

Kim Junyong sighed in disbelief at Yu Jihun's clueless response.

"You really...good grief."

"Haha."

Feeling uneasy about Kim Junyong's reaction, Yu Jihun shrank back and forced a weak smile.

"Well then, it would be too hard barehanded."

For an average middle schooler, beating a monster to death with his fists would be extremely difficult.

"Use this."

"Ah..."

Yu Jihun's hand quivered as he accepted the long, sharp dagger. The only blade he had ever held was a fruit knife.

Every knife had its purpose, and a fruit knife's purpose was nothing more than peeling fruit.

Just thinking about this dagger's purpose–honed to a razor's edge–made him tense up. It existed solely to take life.

"Then, are you ready now?"

"..."

Yu Jihun swallowed hard. If being "ready" meant being mentally prepared to kill a servant of evil, then so be it. He couldn't afford to appear clueless anymore.

Jihun! You've been waiting for this day!

He had become the hunter he had always admired. He couldn't act foolishly in front of the world's greatest hunter.

You can do this! No–you must!

Seeing Yu Jihun manage a surprisingly resolute expression, Kim Junyong signaled to Edmond.

"Bring one over."

"Nyaa!"

Edmond scampered off with quick steps, then scampered back again.

"Gwaaaar!"

A monster larger than a cow charged toward them. Yu Jihun froze under its sheer pressure.

"H-Huh?"

Reality was far different from his imagination. His little courage was swallowed whole by overwhelming fear.

"Eeek!"

As Yu Jihun fell on his butt, Kim Junyong bound the monster with black tentacles.

"Grrr...Graaaah!"

"Ugh, its breath reeks."

He manipulated the tentacles to clamp the monster's jaws shut.

Whoom, whoom!

Like a muzzled beast, the monster could only express its frustration through wild snorts.

"Nephew."

"Huh? Y-Yes!"

"Get up."

"M-My legs won't..."

"Good grief."

This kid really had no talent. Now he understood why God Earth was so cautious about granting acquired awakenings. Without Kim Junyong's awakening ticket, Yu Jihun had the kind of talent that would never have awakened as a hunter in his entire life.

"Here, the back of the neck. Stab right here."

"J-Just a moment, my legs..."

"Sheesh."

If Yu Jihun weren't his nephew, Kim Junyong would have left him there. As Kim Junyong shook his head, Edmond quickly stepped in.

"Nyaa, the young master must be really nervous since it's his first time, nya."

"So you didn't work to become a hunter, you just obsessed over them?"

"T-That's..."

Perhaps Kim Junyong's biting criticism was right.

Yu Jihun had only vaguely thought that it would be nice to become a hunter. He hadn't made any effort or preparations to achieve it.

I wasn't ready.

He had only become a hunter thanks to his uncle. He just wanted to ride his uncle's bus, but now he realized he wasn't even prepared to board it.

Tears welled up from sheer frustration. His own pathetic self, his helplessness at being unable to act, and the fact that he still feared the monster before him–he found it all contemptible.

"Uuuh...I'm sorry."

Despite Yu Jihun's self-reproach, the bus driver was simply too skilled.

"Well, first times are always like that."

Kim Junyong pulled out his phone to scold someone who didn't deserve it.

[ Kim Junyong: Hey, why the hell is my nephew's class "Student"? Student?! ]

[ Admin: Because he is a student. ]

[ Kim Junyong: -_- Should I just blow up Earth? ]

[ Admin: Hyungnim! What would you like? ]

[ Kim Junyong: Can't you change this? He doesn't have the makings of a melee fighter. Isn't there something where he can fight monsters from a distance? ]

[ Admin: Yes, Hyungnim. Do you want buff support? Or a mage type? ]

"Nephew. Want to be a mage or a buffer?"

"Eh?"

"Let's change your class."

"...?"

Yu Jihun's eyes widened. You could do that?

"Come on, hurry up."

"M-Mage!"

Tap, tap—

Kim Junyong quickly sent a message.

[ Kim Junyong: Make him a mage. ]

[ Admin: Which type of mage would you like? ]

[ Kim Junyong: -_- Should I just blow up Earth? ]

[ Admin: No, no, Hyungnim, it's just...mages come in all sorts, you know. ]

[ Kim Junyong: Just give him the easiest and strongest one. ]

[ Admin: Yes, Hyungnim! I'll switch it right away. But once he formally awakens, it can't be changed anymore. At that point, he would have to die and be reborn. ]

[ Kim Junyong: OK ]

[ Admin: Done just now. ]

Kim Junyong put his phone away and turned to Yu Jihun.

"Did it change?"

"Yes! It did! I'm a spirit mage!"

That God Earth. Efficient work.

A spirit mage was the absolute jackpot of classes.

As an indirect combat mage, it was perfect for protecting the fragile, still-immature mind of a middle-schooler.

"Huh? Uncle, I don't have any mana, so I can't use skills."

"Obviously."

Regardless of class, the condition for formal awakening in the first place was to slay a single servant of evil.

Even among the ten million returnees, countless heroes failed to accomplish this quest and were reverse-summoned on the first day.

"Hold this again."

"H-Huh?"

Kim Junyong made Yu Jihun grip the dagger and placed his own hand over it. Then, he dragged the still-too-weak-to-stand Yu Jihun and drove the blade into the monster's nape.

Stab, stab, stab.

"Eeek!"

Although Yu Jihun was merely being dragged by Kim Junyong's strength, he could feel the sensation of stabbing flesh travel up the blade.

Splash.

Soaked in the monster's blood, the mind of the innocent sixteen-year-old shattered.

"Urgh!"

"Jeez, this one really doesn't die easily."

Maybe this dungeon was a bit higher level? The monster had a tenacious life force and, in turn, spewed out experience to match.

"Damn, that's a sturdy one."

Kim Junyong patted the panicked Yu Jihun's blood-drenched cheeks.

Pat, pat!

"Nephew, snap out of it. Hey, Jihun."

"Eeek!"

Slap!

At this rate, his cheekbones might cave in. Just then, Edmond stepped in.

"Nyaa, Master, let me try, nya."

After all, passing on vitality was the chef's true skill!

Flash.

The cat's forepaw touched Yu Jihun, and his terror-stricken face quickly regained calm.

"Hahh, hahh."

He still looked agitated, but he was thinking clearly again.

"Do you have mana now?"

"Y-Yes! I-I have 27!"

"Not bad. Your contribution was recognized. Try a skill."

"Spirit Contract!"

Flash.

Soon, spirits appeared. All four of the great elemental spirits revealed themselves.

There's no way his elemental affinity could be that high...that God Earth must have thrown in a bonus.

Under Kim Junyong's gaze, Yu Jihun hesitated for a moment before choosing the water spirit and forming a contract with it.

"Wash me."

Swoosh.

The blood that had soaked him from head to toe was quickly washed away. As the fishy stench of blood faded, his complexion visibly brightened.

"Tsk, my nephew really has no talent."

"...Yes..."

At Yu Jihun's quick admission, Kim Junyong nodded.

"At least you're quick to recognize your limitations."

"..."

That was quite a compliment. If you recognized your limits quickly, you were less likely to die from reckless courage. Prudence wasn't a bad thing.

"Want to look around a bit more before we leave?"

"Ah, n-no. R-Right now I just want to go home."

"All right then."

Kim Junyong didn't blame Yu Jihun for his weakness. Hunter. Literally, when it came to hunting monsters and demons, Yu Jihun's talent was far too insignificant.

He had little courage, little ferocity, and little drive to improve. Even with more experience, no significant progress could be expected.

It seemed Yu Jihun knew it, too. He looked quite disappointed in himself. But that wasn't something Kim Junyong could help with. Nor should he.

Flash.

Back on Earth, they found that Remi and Yu Jia had returned.

"Hm? Where did you go?"

"The Demon Realm."

"What? With Jihun?"

"Yeah."

Startled as she was, Yu Jia still showed a mix of envy and curiosity.

"Why? Niece, do you want to go too?"

"Eh? N-No. W-Why would I go somewhere that dangerous?"

"Is that so?"

Curiosity, drive to challenge, competitive spirit, obsession.

Her words didn't match her feelings. Perhaps the one with more talent as a hunter was Yu Jia.

The desire to hold a bow again stirred strongly within her.

"Did you come straight from school?"

"Yes."

"What about cram school?"

"I quit them all. What's the point of going?"

"Oh, hmm."

"It's not Uncle's fault. I just...reality hit me, that's all."

Yu Jia comforted Kim Junyong. He was a hero fighting to save Earth, and as his family, she felt it was wrong to complain. Even when you're not okay, you pretend you are–that's what families do.

"I'll just make some memories this last semester, and then I'll graduate."

Hearing her spirited words, Kim Junyong was about to ask about her day at school, but he didn't.

She had gone with Remi. There was no way it would have been normal. Fortunately, it seemed no one had been killed or beaten.

"What time was the baseball game again?"

"If we stop by the clinic to pick up Mom, we'll be right on time."

"Good! Let's go!"

Today, they were heading out to watch a live game at the stadium.

Through numerous dungeon conquests, Kim Junyong's black mana core had grown considerably. On top of that, he had used up the rest of his mana earlier to create sentinels.

"How many people does the stadium hold?"

"A little over twenty thousand!"

"Ohh."

Negative energy from twenty thousand people...now that was something to look forward to.

"Special Advisor! The car is ready!"

"Okay."

The family set out in a van driven by Kim Sangsu, a former military driver. Along the way, they picked up Kim Jangmi. Their destination today was Jamsil Stadium.

* * *

Rumble.

In the Hansan 2-dong residential area, demolition was in full swing. Residents were stunned as buildings crumbled in the blink of an eye and heavy machinery rolled in, transforming their village into a construction site.

"Goodness, what's going on here?"

"I asked one of the workers earlier. They said they found cultural artifacts."

"What? All of a sudden?"

"I heard it's practically an excavation site now."

"Ah, so that's why there seemed to be so many workers."

It didn't look like an ordinary construction site. Here, demolition was underway. Over there, waste concrete was already being poured.

The sheer simultaneity made you wonder how it was even possible in just a few hours. Clearly, it was an excessive investment of resources.

All that manpower costs money. What construction company would invest so heavily without considering profit?

"So it's a cultural heritage excavation."

As expected, state funds were being thrown around like this.

While residents loitered about watching, foreigners were busy snapping photos and looking around.

"Why are they ignoring the tourist spots and taking pictures of a construction site?"

"Ah, Mr. Kim, leave them be. Thanks to the foreigners, the shops are open and land prices are rising."

"True. Let's treat them kindly."

"Especially keep old Mrs. Jung in check. Don't let her file noise complaints again. It'll bring property values down."

"That's right! If the shopping street thrives, land prices here will rise too!"

As the gathered residents found themselves in agreement, a natural disaster struck.

Rumble.

In the sky beyond the construction site, something resembling a black hole appeared. A long object shot out of it and slammed into the ground.

A massive stone monument suddenly appeared.

Beep–

And then, a world message blared out–something that had only happened a handful of times before.

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