Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 349

“That’s brutal, seriously.”

Bang Jin-hoon shook his head, watching Kang Jin-ho’s retreating figure.

Kang Jin-ho was one thing, but the guys who followed him were no ordinary bunch either.

‘This is why information is so important.’

Today, Bang Jin-hoon was once again realizing the importance of information, especially in his position of running an organization.

If those guys had done even a little bit of proper research on Kang Jin-ho, this would never have happened. They wouldn’t have come to capture Kang Jin-ho with such a small number, nor would they have dared to follow him to this secluded mountain.

Have you ever seen a flock of sheep trying to corner a wolf in a remote place?

Bang Jin-hoon, witnessing this scene, had to try his best to suppress his laughter.

And this was the result.

As someone leading an organization, Bang Jin-hoon was now seeing firsthand what happens when you don’t properly investigate your opponent.

‘Though, there wasn’t really much to investigate, I guess.’

Bang Jin-hoon, being someone practically intertwined with Kang Jin-ho, knew what kind of person he was, but for others, it wasn’t so easy.

Firstly, Kang Jin-ho had no history.

Those who had some fame in the martial world had their past actions revealed to some extent, and through those actions, their tendencies and strength could be inferred. But Kang Jin-ho appeared like a comet, suddenly turning the world upside down.

So, even if you tried to investigate, there was nothing to find.

And another reason was….

‘You need someone alive to investigate, right?’

The fate of those who opposed Kang Jin-ho was one of two things:

Either they died at Kang Jin-ho’s hands, or they bowed down to him and joined his side.

Bang Jin-hoon was one of the latter.

The reason he survived was twofold.

One was that he didn’t provoke Kang Jin-ho; rather, Kang Jin-ho interfered in his affairs. And the second was that Bang Jin-hoon had judged Kang Jin-ho to be dangerous from the start.

Chun Tae-hoon played a big part in this.

If Bang Jin-hoon had looked down on Kang Jin-ho and tried to eliminate him, he wouldn’t be here right now. He would already be in the afterlife, and the General Assembly would still be under Lee Joong-gul’s control.

“So, it’s important to choose the right side.”

Bang Jin-hoon clicked his tongue and looked ahead.

The end of those who not only chose the wrong side but tried to burn a golden opportunity was now unfolding before his eyes.

Crack!

Ryoji thought he was hearing a lot of sounds today.

How many people in the world know what sound a person’s neck makes when it breaks?

And now, Ryoji was witnessing what sound a human hand makes when it pierces through a person’s body.

‘I really didn’t want to know this.’

Ryoji wanted to close his eyes when he saw something dark red clutched in Kang Jin-ho’s hand, which had pierced through his subordinate’s body.

With an expressionless face, Kang Jin-ho lightly tossed what he was holding onto the ground and pulled his arm out of his subordinate’s body.

“Keuk…”

Blood gushed from his mouth, and the man fell to the ground without even being able to leave a proper last word. His body, which had been convulsing, slowly cooled down.

Ryoji thought the scene before him was like a scene from a movie. And he also realized that the unrealistic movies he had seen so far were surprisingly quite realistic.

He often wondered why the other enemies just watched when one person fell, but now that Ryoji was in that position, he understood why they didn’t move.

Because they were scared.

Because they were afraid.

The men surrounding Kang Jin-ho were fifteen in total. Initially, there were twenty, but now only fifteen remained.

Everyone knew.

It was much more advantageous for the fifteen of them to rush him at once.

Rather than facing that madman who was plucking people’s necks like taking out cigarettes from a pack one by one, it was much more rational for the fifteen of them to attack at the same time.

The problem was that things in the world didn’t always proceed rationally.

If the fifteen attacked simultaneously, they might be able to kill Kang Jin-ho.

But how many would die?

Considering his martial prowess, even if they were lucky and only a minimum number were hit, at least half of them would die.

Then, the question remained: could a human do something that had a 50% chance of certain death? If they hesitated like this, someone might eventually take down Kang Jin-ho. But if they attacked at the same time, they would certainly die with a 50% probability.

So, what should they choose?

‘I know.’

Ryoji wasn’t someone who didn’t know that it was better to gamble with a 50% chance than to be annihilated one by one. But when he was actually in this situation, that 50% probability was pressing down on him.

Could you load three bullets into a six-shot revolver, put it to your head, and pull the trigger?

Just because you had a 50% chance of survival?

‘I can’t.’

Ryoji didn’t have the courage to do that. It wasn’t courage; it was recklessness. Gambling with one’s life was impossible.

The others would be the same.

That was why they couldn’t move rashly, even while watching Kang Jin-ho kill their comrades one by one.

They were following the actions of a movie where reactions were limited for dramatic effect. It was Ryoji’s misfortune that he couldn’t laugh at this absurd and ridiculous scene.

“Ah… ah…”

One of Kang Jin-ho’s subordinates began to tremble as Kang Jin-ho slowly approached him.

Ryoji bit his lip until it bled.

A Japanese warrior, the pride of Japan, trembling before a Joseon [Korean] man—this was an unprecedented disgrace.

He couldn’t even curse his subordinate in his heart for losing the composure they had emphasized so much and trembling like an aspen, because he couldn’t hide the fact that his own legs were also trembling slightly.

Then, Kang Jin-ho turned his head.

Ryoji flinched and trembled when his eyes met Kang Jin-ho’s.

Kang Jin-ho left the subordinate in front of him and slowly began to walk towards him.

To Ryoji’s eyes, it looked as if a grim reaper was walking towards him.

Kang Jin-ho, expressionless under the moonlight, slowly walking towards him, instantly changed the feeling of being in an action movie.

And now, Ryoji had become the protagonist of that movie.

Should this movie be defined as a thriller or a horror?

If you looked at the subordinates lying behind Kang Jin-ho, it wouldn’t be strange to define it as a slasher movie.

“…Just a moment.”

Ryoji opened his mouth without realizing it.

He, who had always thought that the mouth was useless when facing an enemy, had opened his mouth without realizing it.

Kang Jin-ho’s feet stopped.

“Do you understand Korean?”

“…Yes.”

Cold sweat began to trickle down Ryoji’s forehead.

‘Damn it.’

He had been chosen for this expedition because he could speak Korean. Looking back, that was what had brought all this trouble. But ironically, that fact was now extending Ryoji’s lifespan. Because Kang Jin-ho was showing interest.

At least, he could live as long as he could pique the curiosity of that heartless demon.

Realizing that, Ryoji desperately tried to open his mouth.

‘But what should I say?’

Ryoji’s mouth wouldn’t open easily. No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t find the words.

What should he say in this situation?

They had chased Kang Jin-ho here to kill him, and Kang Jin-ho had already killed five of his subordinates. So, what should he say now?

Hello?

If you have time, would you like to have a cup of tea with me?

A chuckle escaped him.

‘Damn it.’

Ryoji gritted his teeth.

They were already in a situation where they couldn’t resolve anything through conversation. There was only one thing he could say.

“If, if we….”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“If we go back like this… will you let us go?”

It was a question he could barely utter after abandoning all his pride.

‘If we attack you now, risking our lives, you won’t be safe either. So, it’s beneficial for you if you let us go when we’re willing to take the loss and retreat,’ was the underlying meaning, but his Korean wasn’t perfect enough to express all of that.

He could only hope that Kang Jin-ho would understand his intentions.

“Heh.”

A low laugh.

A low laugh that he had tried to suppress but couldn’t help but let escape from his lips burst out of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth. Kang Jin-ho looked at Ryoji with a renewed interest and quietly opened his mouth.

“You understand our language to some extent, right?”

“…Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled as if he understood. The meaning of that smile was all too clear.

“I heard that Japanese people value etiquette, but you guys don’t seem to be like that. You’re asking for your life to be spared, but you’re being too arrogant, aren’t you?”

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze turned to the ground.

“Beg.”

Ryoji’s face began to turn bright red.

“Get on the ground, bury your head, and beg for your life. Beg so desperately that I won’t even feel like touching you because it’s so pathetic and ridiculous. There’s etiquette and posture even in begging and pleading. Who knows? If you show that much sincerity, maybe my heart will move.”

It was humiliation.

The humiliation, so intense that his hands were trembling, was constricting Ryoji’s heart. He felt so humiliated that he would rather bite his tongue and commit seppuku [ritual suicide by disembowelment].

“Are, are you mocking me?”

“Heh heh heh heh.”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re begging for your life, but you want to leave with your pride intact? That’s a great approach. But what a shame? I have no intention of doing that.”

Kang Jin-ho growled.

“Give up everything you have and beg like a dog. Beg with the thought that you’re leaving everything behind except your life. Beg pathetically and disgustingly. Then I’ll consider it.”

As Ryoji’s face flushed red, the sound of a sword being drawn came from behind him.

Shhh.

That low metallic sound awakened Ryoji’s mind.

“That Joseon bastard’s mouth is still alive.”

“Are you going to keep listening?”

Ryoji nodded.

A warrior who has lost his pride is no longer a warrior. If he is no longer a warrior, it is better to die.

The devil began to whisper in Ryoji’s ear, who had regained his composure.

“What will you be thinking when you die?”

The devil licked his lips with his bright red tongue and declared.

“I promise you, you’ll regret not begging like a dog. I’ll make sure you can’t let go of that regret even in death.”