WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 91: Hotspot

"How much mana do you have?"

"Hahh, just a second."

Yu Jia quickly shook off the dizzying thrill of exhilaration and opened her status window.

< Yu Jia >

Class: Archer

Mana: 98

Skill: Focused Shot

"98."

"That's quite a lot."

It seemed this was another high-rank demon's territory. One monster had increased her mana by 98.

"Want to try using your skill?"

"Yes!"

Seeing Yu Jia's shining eyes, Kim Junyong gave a faint chuckle. After all, she was family–and among Yu Jia and Yu Jihun, at least one showed promise, which was fortunate.

"Let's see."

Kim Junyong rummaged through the dungeon's tribute storehouse, which was connected to a fragment of his consciousness.

This was where all things dedicated to the Mad Monarch's altar accumulated. Though fresh ingredients and local specialties were most numerous, equipment was not lacking.

In particular, when master craftsmen produced their magnum opus, they would sometimes dedicate it to the altar. Since Kim Junyong had no real use for them, he kept them stored away.

Over the course of more than one hundred years since the storehouse's construction, such equipment had piled up in abundance...Just the bows alone numbered in the hundreds.

"This should be good."

Flash.

Kim Junyong pulled out a bow. It was just right for a beginner to use.

"Oh."

"Try drawing it."

"Yes."

Yu Jia accepted it with an emotional expression. The last time she held a bow was back in her middle school archery club.

It was a simple wooden bow. She had never used a traditional Korean bow...

Creak.

Yet, her form as she drew the bow looked quite natural.

"How is it?"

"The draw weight is much stronger than it looks."

"Really? But that's the weakest one."

"Oh, I think I can still use it."

Yu Jia didn't want to let go of the bow she had drawn for the first time in a long time.

"Yeah? Since archers are power types, build up your strength normally."

"Yes, Uncle."

Their relationship had always been awkward. However, the psychological distance between the high school senior and her forty-year-old uncle, who had suddenly appeared, felt like it was closing fast.

"Here, try this strap."

Kim Junyong handed Yu Jia a leather strap commonly used by adventurers. It was an X-band style, combining a waist belt and a shoulder strap, favored by archers.

"Oh right, armor."

He began selecting a full set of equipment tailored for her.

"Wear it over your clothes."

"Yes, Uncle."

Seeing how clumsy Yu Jia was, Lee Mina stepped in.

"I'll help you."

"Thank you, Auntie."

"A-Auntie?"

Lee Mina's face showed great shock.

"Oh, sorry. Since you're Uncle's colleague..."

"Haha, that's fine. But how about calling me unni instead? We're not that far apart in age. I'm only thirty."

"O-Okay."

For a high school senior, it felt very awkward to call an adult who had lived one and a half times longer "unni," but in this way she was learning another aspect of social life.

"Oh my, but isn't this the Imperial Ranger Corps emblem?"

"Huh?"

Even at Yu Jia's questioning, Lee Mina focused on examining the equipment.

This is Imperial Ranger equipment, isn't it?

Every piece, from the armor to the boots, gloves, and hat, was from the Imperial Mountain Special Forces.

"Hahh, th-this bow...?"

"Ah, Uncle said it's a beginner's bow."

"Th-This?!"

Lee Mina nearly foamed at the mouth. Even among rangers, each had their own specialty.

Although she specialized in close combat, infiltration, stealth, and escape, she could handle a bow fairly well.

Information.

Fortunately, the item's information had already been unlocked, so the artifact information window popped up immediately.

< Lullaby of the Forest >

A bow mainly used by forest fairies.

The Whispering Wind effect is permanently active.

< Whispering Wind >

Greatly reduces air resistance, extending range.

"C-Crazy."

It was a fairy's bow. And what was more, the active skill Whispering Wind was attached as a passive. This skill greatly reduced air resistance, providing advantages in range, destructive power, and noise.

"Is-Is it really that great?"

"Of course! This is an archer's dream bow! One of my ranger comrades had a fairy's bow too–though not as good as this one–but it was a family heirloom passed down for generations!"

"..."

Was it really that amazing? For a beginner like Yu Jia, who wasn't even a returnee, it was hard to tell.

She began to see her uncle, who had tossed her a pile of equipment and went off to chat with Cheon Yubeom and Yoichi Sasaki, in a new light.

"Ah, anyway, hurry and put it on."

"Yes."

"Hahh!"

When Yu Jia put on the armor, Lee Mina sucked in a sharp breath again.

"The quiver!"

"Yes? What about it?"

"The load capacity is insane!"

< Spatial Expansion Quiver > 2000/2000

"Is that a lot?"

"A lot?! Spatial expansion items are incredibly rare to begin with!"

Only a noble archer could hope to own an item like this.

No...even nobles wouldn't have expansion space this large...

Even just a hundred arrows would be tremendous, yet this small quiver could store two thousand.

Lee Mina looked at Yu Jia with envy. What must it feel like to have Kim Junyong as your uncle?

"Ah. I need to get a grip."

"Yes?"

"Hurry up and put it on."

Lee Mina snapped herself out of it. Who was she to feel jealous?

She had formed a bond with Kim Junyong by sheer luck, and she had even risen to SR-rank. Others would be envious just looking at her situation. Wanting more would be shameless.

Yu Jia finished putting on all the equipment.

"Uncle! I'm done."

"Oh, really?"

Dressed in a tunic and full gear, Yu Jia looked every bit the imperial archer.

"You look the part. Here."

"Huh? What's this?"

"A necklace."

It was a pendant necklace set with a large gemstone.

< Tranquil Mirror >

Generates a protective barrier that absorbs incoming damage.

When the accumulated damage exceeds a certain threshold, it reflects.

Damage: 0/1000

Lee Mina and Cheon Yubeom's jaws dropped. If this artifact were put on the market right now, it could fetch hundreds of millions of dollars.

"This is the only one without restrictions. Just wear it for now."

"Yes, Uncle."

"With this, I won't lose my niece to bad luck."

"Hahh."

Yu Jia was startled by Kim Junyong's casual mention of death, but she soon steeled herself. Kim Junyong noticed the change in her expression and found it admirable.

Well, would you look at that?

True talent was mental, not physical. In that sense, Yu Jia's talent was genuine.

"Good. Let's go."

The preparations for Yu Jia to use her skill were mostly complete. Thanks to the artifacts, she had gained a series of passive skills. However, her awakening skill was Focused Shot.

"There it comes. I won't restrain it, so aim carefully."

"Yes, Uncle."

Yu Jia pulled an arrow from her quiver, nocked it, and drew back the bowstring.

Creak.

Focused Shot.

Her awakening skill increased the power and penetration of her shot the longer she held her draw.

I can't hold it any longer.

The problem was that compared to her mentality, her physical strength was a bit lacking. Even with a springy wooden bow, she lacked the strength to keep it drawn.

Twang. Wisp!

There was no sonic boom splitting the air. Only a very faint sound of wind. Accompanied by what sounded like the whispering breeze, the arrow instantly flew and lodged itself in the monster's head.

"Guehh!"

Flash.

Yu Jia trembled with exhilaration again, her body shivering from the thrill.

"You're good at this."

"Th-Thank you."

Kim Junyong grinned at her excited face.

"Want to try more?"

"Yes!"

With her reliable uncles and aunt...unni watching over her, the budding hunter Yu Jia began her safe hunt.

* * *

Remi stepped outside and hesitated.

"..."

She had been swept along by the mood. After putting on such a stylish front, she couldn't just stay behind.

"Hahh."

With a light sigh, she walked.

She was stressed. Something sweet sounded good.

Her steps naturally carried her downhill. The main road lay straight ahead, but plenty of new shops had recently opened on this street, so she didn't need to go far.

"Wow, she's fucking pretty."

Wherever she went, eyes followed her. Not just passersby, either.

"Hey, boss, you're burning the crepes."

"Huh?! Ah, sorry, customer."

Even shop owners turned their heads when she passed.

"Good grief, you're too old for this."

"Haha, sorry."

Of course, it wasn't just because of Remi's beauty.

Special Two spotted on the streets.

Half of the shops lining both sides of the street were foreign-owned. Resembling an international food expo, the area looked like a vast culinary battlefield where intelligence agents from all over the world had gathered.

Remi stopped in front of "Mango Tango."

"Uh-ahh!"

The owner of Mango Tango was startled. Wichai, an agent dispatched from the Thai National Intelligence Agency, grew tense. Special Two had suddenly appeared at the headquarters of the Thai National Intelligence Agency.

D-Did I get exposed?

He wondered if he should run.

"One mango juice."

"Ahh, o-order received."

Wichai felt as if his heart had dropped with a thud. He quickly began making the mango juice.

Whirr.

His mind was a tangled mess. Did she really come just to order mango juice?

Despite his complicated thoughts, his hands skillfully made the juice and neatly inserted the straw.

"That'll be five thousand won."

Ah, damn! He had blurted it out by habit.

Surprisingly, even Special Two flinched. Remi hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"...Can I run a tab?"

"O-Of course."

Remi nodded and walked off.

Slurp, smack.

She smiled contentedly, as if the mango juice suited her taste.

"Phew."

Wichai's heart began pounding only belatedly. As his tension eased, he finally noticed that his back was drenched in sweat.

At that moment, the surrounding shop owners rushed over in a crowd.

"What did she say, Wichai?"

"No idea. She just bought mango juice and left."

"What the hell? It felt like there was about to be a big scene."

"Ugh, it gives me chills. She always carries that sword around."

"Isn't this the first time she's gone out without Special One?"

"Yeah. We should report this."

The sight of foreigners crowding together and speaking Korean to each other had something curious about it. To passersby, it was unfamiliar and amusing.

"Wow, it looks like the foreign shop owners even have a merchants' association."

"This place is really hot. Glad we came like you said."

"I told you it's booming these days."

Thanks to the surge of trendy international shops, the neighborhood had become popular. Instead of South Korean imitations of world cuisine, shops owned by actual foreigners now line the street.

Hansan 2-dong was already famous as a hot spot on SNS.

"Wow, wasn't that girl the goddess of Hansan High?"

"It looked like it."

"Wow, total knockout! Did you see?"

"Oh, found her account. Gotta follow!"

"Send her a DM!"

Even today, the follower count of the SNS account @↘remi, which had not a single post, kept rising.

@↘remi

Posts: 0

Followers: 12,000

Following: 4

Remi looked at the mango juice that had disappeared after only a few sips.

"..."

Only ice was left. Wasn't this practically fraud? Would beheading be an appropriate punishment for fraud? Should she test it? Would the restriction activate?

A delicious smell caught her attention, and she turned her head. It was a hot dog shop.

[ American Crazy Hot Dog ]

The manager, Kuma Hendrik, sucked in a sharp breath.

"Huhhk."

"..."

Her gaze was fixed on the hot dogs. Kuma Hendrik shouted instinctively.

"You can run a tab!"

"...!"

Remi's ears twitched, and she was drawn to the hot dog shop like a magnet.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried