WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 77: You Don't Have This?

Hunter Management Bureau, South Korea. Park Taejun's stomach hurt so badly that he thought he might die.

"My goodness, he really gave that to Japan."

Acquired awakening that could turn ordinary people into hunters.

An item that made this possible had appeared. Three tickets were used on family, and two were handed over to Japan.

"Not to Japan, but to Sasaki."

"Hah, same thing. Ugh, my stomach hurts."

Choi Hyunju clicked her tongue at Park Taejun.

"Stop fussing over it. They belonged to the Special Advisor to begin with, so why is Bureau Director begrudging it?"

"Am I the only one begrudging it? Deputy Bureau Director is not?"

"If you know how to fish, you wouldn't cling to every single fish."

"Hm?"

"Is the Special Advisor going anywhere?"

Park Taejun slapped his forehead.

"Right! If anyone can get more awakening tickets, it's the Special Advisor!"

Now, the existence of the tickets was known. There was no rule that said an item could not reappear once it had appeared in the world.

"Hahaha, my stomachache's gone just like that."

"Good grief."

Park Taejun now watched the breaking news with a bright expression. For the past couple of days, the TV had been filled with coverage of the South Korea–Japan summit.

From South Korea's perspective, all the long-standing issues were resolved at once, so it was all good news.

[ South Korea–Japan Summit: Visit to Dokdo. ]

A broadcast showed the South Korean president and the Japanese prime minister clasping hands and raising them in a cheer. The sight would puzzle people.

From Japan's standpoint, it was practically a declaration of giving up Dokdo. So why was Masanobu Mishima wearing such a broad grin?

The public didn't know, but Park Taejun, who knew the inside story, gave a bitter smile.

"Japan profited greatly."

What could they do with two tickets? They could use them in negotiations with China, or leverage them for major economic gains with the United States.

"Is there no way to get more tickets?"

"Don't be impatient."

"Anyway, when are Director Cheon and Deputy Director Lee returning? They were always the best at keeping in step with the Special Advisor."

"They'll be back by tomorrow at the latest."

"Oh, finally!"

Park Taejun's eyes sparkled with anticipation. He always felt reassured when they were by the Special Advisor's side. Lately, without them around, he had felt uneasy.

In fact, hadn't the Special Advisor gone to Japan, killed two G-rank hunters, and wiped out the yakuza while they were away? There are no what-ifs in this world, but if those two had been there, they might have stopped him before he caused an incident.

Beep–

Just then, a notification rang on Choi Hyunju's hunter phone.

[ World Notice ]

[ All demons in Demon Realm Sector 77 have been exterminated. ]

[ A Conqueror has been born. ]

World notices sounded only on rare occasions. Immediately after, a regional notice came up.

[ Regional Notice (South Korea) ]

[ A Conquest Monument has been erected in Seoul. ]

[ No further dungeons will appear in the surrounding area. ]

"Huh."

Regional notices kept ringing in succession.

Beep–

And then both Park Taejun's cellphone and Choi Hyunju's hunter phone simultaneously blared emergency alerts.

[ Seoul Metropolitan Government ] An unidentified monument has appeared in the Hansan 2-dong area. Citizens are advised to avoid the area unless necessary.

As soon as they read the text, the two locked eyes.

"The Special Advisor?"

"The Special Advisor again?"

They hurried into the Special Advisor Support Division group chat to check the situation. The Special Advisor was currently at Jamsil Stadium.

"What's happening?"

The Special Advisor was in Jamsil while an unidentified monument appeared in Hansan 2-dong. As they struggled to understand what was happening, a notification appeared in the group chat.

Pigeon: Team Leader Cheon and Deputy Team Leader Lee have returned!

Deputy Bureau Director: I'll head there immediately.

Pigeon: Oh! Got it.

"Bureau Director, call in police forces and secure the scene."

"Understood."

Choi Hyunju promptly opened the Demon Realm Subjugation app on her hunter phone and tapped the base function.

The moment she tapped the world's only base, "Junyong-hyungnim's House"–

Flash.

* * *

I, Cheon Yubeom. I always gave it my all.

I had the paladin class, a rather decent profession. Tank, damage, healing–an all-around class. In other words, it was a class that excelled at nothing in particular.

But after raising every stat tier, everything changed. I became truly versatile.

If told to take a hit, I could take it. If told to bite, I could bite. If told to heal, I could heal.

"Grrrr!"

I, Lee Mina. The ranger class was my path, one with fairly assured stability.

Specialized in scouting, tracking, and evasion, it was a class that could even survive in the heart of enemy lines and slip away with ease.

But now I understood. Tearing the enemy apart was easier than evasion.

"Grrr!"

The two stood in the yard, scanning their surroundings. Then–flash–Choi Hyunju appeared.

"Oh!"

She flinched in surprise.

This killing intent...

It felt like facing a razor-sharp blade. No, more than that–were they even in a normal state? Their eyes were wild.

"Hm, that face looks familiar...Huh? Deputy Bureau Director!"

Lee Mina's eyes, which had been filled with killing intent, softened instantly. The teary look in her eyes revealed all that she had been through.

"Deputy Director Lee, this could be a doppelgänger."

"Get a grip. This is Earth."

"Ah!"

Cheon Yubeom, who had been hit in the back by Lee Mina, also softened his gaze. He flared his nostrils and took a deep breath.

"Hahh...Earth's air!"

Choi Hyunju calmed her racing heart. For a brief moment, the two of them gave off tremendous killing intent. It was enough to make SR-rank hunter Choi Hyunju tense up.

"You've both been through a lot, haven't you?"

"Heeeng, I missed you!"

Lee Mina suddenly hugged Choi Hyunju tightly. How dearly she had missed this familiar scent.

Demons. Monsters. She was sick of them.

"You've worked hard."

Choi Hyunju gently patted Lee Mina's back.

"Waaah, I nearly died!"

"Oh dear, you really had it rough."

The Special Advisor must have trained them to the bone.

"But...were the two of you the only ones left in the Demon Realm?"

"Hic."

"Hup."

Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina turned pale.

"Th-The Instructor isn't here right now."

"Where is he?"

"He said he couldn't set foot in a house without its master..."

Summoned demon familiars, when reverse-summoned, could only wait in a black mage's dungeon or in a void pouch. Luciel was currently in Kim Junyong's void pouch.

"Anyway, you've been through a lot. But since I came to investigate the monument of the Conqueror...could you tell me if it has any connection to the two of you?"

Their emotional state resembled the symptoms of PTSD seen in returnees, so she asked cautiously.

"Oh, that's simple. Clearing the map gave us the Conqueror title, and with it, we could decide where to place the monument."

"Yes, that's right. We chose to put it in front of the Special Advisor's house."

"A Conqueror trait?"

"Yes."

Choi Hyunju was astonished. Until now–twenty years after the Day of Beginning–there had been cases of people being designated as villains and registered with nicknames in the system, but no one had ever received a distinct title.

< Conqueror Cheon Yubeom >

< Conqueror Lee Mina >

"Have you two taken measurements yet?"

"No."

"Then we'll do that later. For now, I'll go inspect the monument. You two should rest."

"Oh, we won't refuse."

"We're sorry we can't help, Deputy Bureau Director. We desperately need to rest."

"I can tell. You've both been through a lot."

"Yes, then we'll just close our eyes for a moment."

They wanted to dash off and report their return to the Special Advisor, but he was enjoying a peaceful baseball game with his family. They couldn't bear to intrude.

More than anything, they were desperate for rest.

"Hahh."

Choi Hyunju let out a short sigh. Even if only for a moment, their sheer presence had made her tense up unknowingly. There was no doubt they had achieved meaningful growth.

They might be Rank 1.

She would have to attach them to the measuring device later, but she expected them to exceed the Rank 1 standard.

When she stepped outside, the local police were already securing the area around the monument.

The monument was located outside the messy construction site. It stood on the sidewalk beyond where nine lots had been merged into one.

As she approached, an officer recognized her and saluted.

"Oh! At your service!"

"Stop people from taking photos. Push the crowd farther back and set up canopies."

"Yes, understood!"

"And make sure to properly manage the foreigners."

"Got it!"

Hansan 2-dong had become a battleground for spies from around the world.

Regional notices did not distinguish by nationality. They were sent to all hunters in the country. Thus, foreigners in South Korea had also learned of the monument's existence.

They must be dying of curiosity. Choi Hyunju came straight away for the same reason.

"Why the restriction?"

"Let us see too!"

"Hey, stand back!"

Even the foreigners spoke Korean well. But there was no need to give them the chance to investigate.

"It's dangerous, so keep access strictly controlled."

"Yes!"

Fortunately, the monument appeared amid an active cultural heritage excavation. They could quickly fence it off with construction barriers. When Choi Hyunju stepped inside the fence, an agent from the Hunter Management Bureau who had arrived ahead of her recognized her and saluted.

"Ah, Deputy Bureau Director."

"So this is it."

The monument was about two meters tall and bore an inscription written in Hangul.

[ Conquest Monument of Demon Realm Sector 77 ]

"If you look here beside the monument, you'll see names too."

[ Conquerors ]

Kim Luciel

Cheon Yubeom

Lee Mina

"..."

It was akin to a victory monument. A pioneer's monument, a victory monument–whatever the name, it commemorated the feat of Earthlings reclaiming a sector of the Demon Realm.

"What about the dungeon suppression?"

"Please take a look at this dungeon map."

"...They've disappeared."

"Yes, within a radius of about ten kilometers."

All dungeons within ten kilometers of Hansan 2-dong had vanished. Further observation was needed to be certain, but it was highly unlikely that new dungeons would ever form in this area again.

"...So this is a true safety zone."

"Exactly."

"..."

The implications were enormous. This might spark a rush of hunters attempting to conquer the Demon Realm. But...

Who could actually succeed?

Was there even a guild with that kind of capability? No–even a country might not have it.

* * *

Presidential Office, South Korea. After returning from his official visit to Dokdo, Kim Seungtae received some rather uplifting news.

"A safety zone? Well now. The Hunter Management Bureau has truly achieved something remarkable."

Cheon Yubeom and Lee Mina had made a great achievement.

"And who is Kim Luciel? Did we collaborate with a foreign hunter?"

"No, he's presumed to be someone from the Special Advisor's side."

"Hahaha, our Special Advisor really is a blessing."

"Indeed!"

A dungeon safety zone had appeared in Seoul. The implications were enormous.

"All right. Let's discuss the ripple effects this good news will bring."

"President! The most urgent issue right now is halting real estate transactions."

"Hm? Ah! That's right."

Every Korean would have the same initial thought.

"Make an emergency announcement. Effective immediately, all land transactions in the area will require approval."

"Requests for information about the monument are pouring in."

The world was in an uproar.

"There doesn't seem to be anything that needs concealing...Bureau Director, what's your opinion?"

"I believe it would be fine to make it public."

Even if the monument's existence became known abroad, no one could do anything about it. All they could do was envy.

Currently, only South Korea's Special Advisor had the ability to conquer another Demon Realm sector and secure additional monuments.

"Hahaha, the whole world will envy Korea."

Kim Seungtae beamed. Unintentionally, he was about to taunt the entire world.

The presidency was a heavy seat, laden with stress. Yet these days, Kim Seungtae found it thoroughly enjoyable.

Soon, at his emergency press conference, the president's announcement, as expected, set the whole world abuzz.

Among the responses, Taiwan's was especially explosive.

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