Chapter 140 ….
I sat at the table, facing Shin Seolheon, still in my giant form.
Soldiers stood at a distance, keeping guard, while Shin Seolheon spoke quickly.
“I’ll be honest. I never intended to build a good or friendly relationship with the Demon King. I only intended to use him to take down Baek Junhyuk.”
Shin Seolheon laid her cards on the table without hesitation. From that, I could sense her sincerity.
I responded in kind.
“Honestly, I already knew that much through you and An Baekho’s thoughts.”
“So, you can read minds after all.”
“You guessed it. And honestly, I never intended to become real friends with you either.”
I shrugged.
She must have already suspected that I possessed all sorts of abilities within my dungeon.
Shin Seolheon leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.
“To be frank, if the Demon King asked me to kneel, I would do it immediately. That’s how sincere I am about this country and its people.”
The soldiers standing beside her swallowed audibly. It seemed their best response was to stay silent and still.
I, too, replied seriously.
“Alright. I understand your sincerity, President.”
“Yes.”
“But I don’t particularly need the knees of an elderly president-grandmother.”
“……”
A faint ‘kheup’ sound came from somewhere.
Damn, if someone heard that, they’d be in trouble.
Shin Seolheon, who had maintained a poker face like a master negotiator, glared at me for about half a second when she heard ‘grandmother.’
Her tiger-like eyes made me flinch, but I immediately lifted my head as if nothing happened.
Truthfully, I didn’t need human knees for anything.
“I’m not some villain who fills his pride with that kind of thing.”
“I see… My apologies.”
Shin Seolheon nodded gracefully.
“Whatever the case, please state your conditions freely. If the Demon King and the dungeon’s monsters help us resolve this situation, we will provide whatever the Demon King desires in return. You have… time to think.”
I cut her off and raised my hand.
And I held up three fingers.
“You have thirty seconds to tell me. Three things I will negotiate for.”
Shin Seolheon smiled slightly.
“Indeed… I like how fast you are. I’m eager to hear them.”
She hesitated for a moment, but my three demands were clear.
“First, treat the Demon King’s dungeon as an independent nation, not a dungeon, and call it the ‘Demon Kingdom.’”
“Yes.”
Someone in the back—number 2 or 3—muttered, “Demon Kingdom sounds too much like meat soup,” but I ignored it.
“Second, import the Demon Kingdom’s special products to Korea at a fair price. Don’t worry, this is no loss at all for Earth. Nutritionally, and in every way, these will surely become one of the world’s top eleven superfoods!”
“You mean the fruit called Mapitnun? We’ve already confirmed its taste, so we will actively consider it.”
“Right. And third…”
I carefully chose my words.
The first two were easy enough, but the third required thought.
Shin Seolheon looked at me curiously as I hesitated.
This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
A chance to make a huge deal with a strict, high-ranking official like her.
Even if she were told to make the Demon Kingdom a vassal state, she would have no choice but to consider it begrudgingly.
It would be a monumental balance game: ‘Destruction vs. Becoming a Vassal.’
But that wasn’t what I wanted.
What I wanted was simply…
“?”
I glanced at the scruffy number 2 and 3 standing beside the soldiers.
Hmph, they wouldn’t understand…
That I was recalling my first encounter with those orcs, back when they were stealing fruit from my dungeon.
The pitiful sight of them loomed before my eyes.
When I saw the orcs, I made a decision.
I spoke slowly.
“Even if we catch Baek Junhyuk, monsters will sometimes emerge from the dungeon suddenly, like during Dungeon Break. They’ll continue to invade Korea.”
“Yes, that’s likely.”
“Of course, most of them will be monsters that ruthlessly kill humans—creatures that have tormented you humans for over a hundred years… It’s understandable to want to wipe them out.”
In A Hundred-Year Hunter, monsters relentlessly torment the protagonist and kill civilians brutally.
People here would shudder at the thought of monsters.
But…
“There are others too.”
Some who endured abuse daily, working without food or medicine.
Those who ran away to escape their harsh life.
Monsters like Orcs 1, 2, and 3.
Their escape was brave.
A desperate gamble to live properly.
“Sometimes, there will be monsters that can communicate like humans. Some will have run from exploitation, some forced into war against their will.”
“……”
“If you see such creatures, bring them to my dungeon. I’ll take care of all of them.”
“……”
“Even if it seems inappropriate now, with Seoul already lost to monsters… some are truly kind and pitiful. I think I have to embrace them.”
If not me, no one else would take care of or think about them.
The fools praising themselves as virtuous for merely feeding and medicating them…
Caring for those creatures felt like my true duty.
“That’s my third condition.”
I looked Shin Seolheon in the eye seriously. She pondered instead of dismissing my words.
As I said, I could read the hearts of humans and monsters alike. Any with ill intent would be easily weeded out.
With my abilities, I could manage the monsters without fail…
“I understand.”
“!”
“I’m surprised your demands are so modest. I expected requests like special status or visas for the dungeon monsters…”
“Well, that’s something for later, when nations get along. For now, it’s better not to interfere with each other.”
I snorted in amusement.
The secretary hurriedly drafted a contract with the exact terms of our negotiation.
It was rough, but Shin Seolheon stamped and signed it without hesitation.
I quickly signed beside her as well, my mind racing.
“First, I’ll go help Han Hyunjin. He’s gone to take down Baek Junhyuk.”
“Alone?”
“Not completely alone. A few elite members from my dungeon are assisting Han Hyunjin… uh.”
I realized I had rushed them from my dungeon without mentioning it to Shin Seolheon.
Still, she nodded.
“They’ll help reclaim Seoul as well.”
“Right! Since we agreed, I’ll bring a thousand monsters and elite knights from my dungeon to help reclaim Seoul first. After that, I’ll personally…”
I stopped mid-sentence and turned sharply.
“Why, Demon King? A few elite units entering Korea is fine.”
“No, not that… just now… something.”
An unknown sensation blocked my words.
A Demon King’s instinct. Sharper than any animal’s sense… my gut screamed.
I jumped to my feet and faced the direction of the Hunter Association.
The smell was there.
“The scent of death…”
“Eh?”
It sounded like something from middle school delusions, but it wasn’t a joke.
My heart raced uncontrollably.
I looked at the puzzled Shin Seolheon and said,
“Something has happened to Han Hyunjin.”
I clenched my teeth. He must have run into trouble while going to stop Baek Junhyuk… I had to go immediately.
“You need to go immediately?”
“Yes.”
Oddly, Shin Seolheon and the soldiers stared at me intently. On edge, I snapped.
“Why are you staring?!”
“It’s an emergency. You intend to fly there, right?”
I froze, then shouted incredulously.
“…I don’t have wings!!”
Were they implying I’d flown here with style? I had run all the way to Daegyo on foot!
I fumed but then flinched.
Yes, that’s it!
I pointed at something with my fingertips and shouted,
“Let’s take that and head straight to the Association building!!”
