TPDGR 15

TPDGR

Posted by Zoe, Released on September 4, 2025

Chapter 15….

As expected.
The Association knows.

In this novel, the so-called Hunter Association is nothing less than a colossal axis of evil.

Not only do they leech off the blood of low-ranked hunters, but they also have deep connections in politics and entertainment, wielding such overwhelming power that even the government can’t restrain them.

If those Association bastards had caught wind of my dungeon’s existence, it wouldn’t be long before they barged in.

But there was no problem.

By the time the Association tried to invade, I’d be standing at the very front to fight.

I was a powerhouse rivaling even the protagonist himself.

Mask covering my face, I shouted at Han Hyun-jin, who was walking out of prison.

“Never set foot here again, Han Hyun-jin!”

Han Hyun-jin disappeared leisurely before my eyes. He never gave me a reply until the end, but I smiled in satisfaction as I watched him go.

Good.

That much delivery was plenty menacing for a Demon King.

Even if only out of fear of me, he wouldn’t dare approach my dungeon for the time being.

Or so I thought…

“I told you never to come back!!”

I glared, eyes wide.

Han Hyun-jin was sitting right at the dungeon gate, in a circle with the kids.

This guy again! He snuck back into my dungeon!

And what’s more, he was acting all harmless, sitting in a ring with the children!

“You vile wretch. To think I misjudged you. Are you luring innocent children with your face?!”

“…I never did such a thing.”

I quickly pulled the three kids away from him.

“Anyway, what are you eating?”

The moment I asked in alarm, the children, who’d been glancing nervously at me, shoved the food in their hands straight into their mouths.

It was like catching your puppy chewing on something you never gave it during a walk.

The instant the kids stuffed the unknown food into their mouths, my blood ran cold.

“Hey! Spit it out! Spit it out right now! You don’t eat things strangers give you!”

Horrified, I shoved my fingers into their mouths to make them cough it up.

Didn’t they know how ruthless hunters could be? And they were gulping down whatever he handed them?

Han Hyun-jin shot to his feet in shock.

“It’s just food from my world. I heard you only eat fruit here, so I brought something I eat often.”

“Silence!”

How could I possibly trust a hunter?

Sure, Han Hyun-jin might be the righteous protagonist, and even when imprisoned he kept an air of mystery.

But that didn’t mean everything he did was right.

Isn’t “don’t go with strangers” something you learn at home?

Children should always be taught to doubt everything!

I resolved to re-educate them, even if I had to drill it into their heads.

Just then, Han Hyun-jin held out something that sparkled faintly, as if in protest.

“This is called gimbap. I don’t have the money to buy you something fancy since I spend it all on potions and items, but…”

“…What?”

I froze and turned to him.

He was really holding out foil-wrapped gimbap.

As I stepped closer, the faint scent of sesame oil wafted over.

It was real gimbap.

Gulp.

The sound of me swallowing must have been loud, because Han Hyun-jin stared straight at me.

Still, more saliva pooled in my mouth.

“Want some?”

“No…”

Wait. Did I?

No, I didn’t want to eat it.

Sure, I missed Earth’s food, but I still couldn’t lower my guard against Han Hyun-jin.

This guy lived only to close every gate.

Even if he left ordinary people alone, he could have laced my share with poison…

“Here. Look, I’ll eat it first. Satisfied?”

Han Hyun-jin popped a piece into his mouth right in front of me, swallowing it down.

My gaze locked onto the savory gimbap sliding past his lips.

Sensing my intense stare, Han Hyun-jin held out the roll again.

“Are you sure you don’t want it?”

“…How dare you. Get that away from me!”

Denying my true feelings, I raised my voice in defiance.

But Han Hyun-jin didn’t budge.

Instead, he sighed and quietly wrapped the leftover piece back in foil.

Ahhh. What a waste.

That was tuna gimbap…

“Don’t get me wrong, Demon King. I only stopped by because I was worried about the kids. And, well, I also wanted to hear more about this other human world connected to your dungeon…”

“Enough! Just leave already!”

“Mhm. Fine.”

Once the gimbap disappeared, I suddenly felt like a moody teenage girl on a diet.

I was so overly sensitive, I was about to get annoyed at myself.

Fine, better not to look.

I forced my eyes away from both the gimbap and Han Hyun-jin.

If both vanished, maybe I could have peace of mind again.

Though… a tiny part of me didn’t want him to leave.

To be completely honest, what I really wanted was that tuna gimbap…

I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for him to leave.

“Hey.”

I startled and turned.

My eyes met Han Hyun-jin’s in midair.

Why wasn’t he leaving right away? Was he testing me?

I glared sharply, but Han Hyun-jin only gave me an awkward smile.

Then his gaze slipped down my face.

“…You won’t let me go unless you release me, will you?”

Oh, crap.

My elongated shadow tentacles had wrapped around his legs all the way up to his thighs, like a tail.

When did that happen?!

It was pure instinct holding him back. Hastily, I withdrew the shadow tendrils and turned my head away with a huff.

“Hmph.”

Damn it. How embarrassing.

“Here.”

Han Hyun-jin offered me the gimbap he had pretended to tuck away.

“Take it.”

“No—”

“Eat. You look hungry.”

“I said—no!”

I glared at the gimbap, pretending not to care.

Like I’d ever fall for something like that.

Absolutely not.

I wasn’t about to be swayed by such a petty bribe.

I had my pride as the Demon King.

“Come on, eat quickly. If Griffiths and Joanna find out we had something strange, they’ll freak out.”

Moments later, I was sitting in the grass with the kids, scarfing down gimbap at lightning speed.

Unbelievable. Even after a hundred years, gimbap tasted exactly as I remembered.

So in the 2100s, gimbap still existed…

I’d thought one capsule would be enough to provide all necessary nutrients. Guess not.

Turns out the only real advancements Korea made were gate-related technologies.

On rainy days, the only “invention” to keep out rain was still an umbrella that flipped inside out in the wind.

Even in the 2100s, people’s pant legs still got soaked walking through puddles.

The 2100s!

And here I’d imagined we’d have flying bicycles by 2050. What a shattered dream.

“Personally, I think we need a better invention for rainy days than umbrellas.”

“Stop rambling and just eat, Demon King.”

One of the kids cut into my muttering sharply.

So I shoved down another donkatsu gimbap roll.

No matter how sweet and well-balanced a magic fruit was, you’d get sick of it if it was the only thing you ate.

But with this miraculous invention called donkatsu gimbap suddenly in my hands, how could I resist?

Of course, I still had to act the part of the Demon King.

I sampled each roll the kids ate first, making sure there was no poison.

Thanks to that, I ended up eating three leftover gimbap ends.

Han Hyun-jin sat across from us, watching me and the kids eat.

What a frugal guy.

Seriously, the #1 ranked hunter, and his staple food was gimbap? Gimbap?

Apparently he spent all his money on dungeon items. What could I say? Right now, the Association bastards were probably eating steak. What was he, some kind of monk?

That’s how obsessed he was with closing gates. But then why was he wasting time in my dungeon, sharing gimbap?

Then he asked,

“Is it good?”

“…Ahem. Well enough.”

He stared at me eating gimbap the whole time. It was unnerving.

Still, I did my best to maintain my Demon King dignity.

When I picked up the last piece, he said,

“Should I bring more next time?”

I froze.

“If you don’t want me to, I won’t.”

“Ahem…”

I delayed answering, clinging to my pride. Then the kids elbowed me in the side.