Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 463

“This is perfect. I was actually going to talk to you about that. I’ll take charge of interpreting and translating the secret manuals. In return, please grant me one request.”

“You’re going to do it?”

Bang Jin-hoon looked at him with a skeptical expression.

“Hey, Lee Hyun-soo. No, Manager Lee. Secret manuals are so sensitive that even a single misplaced word can completely change their impact. If you’re going to do a sloppy job, it’s better not to do it at all.”

“I know.”

Lee Hyun-soo replied as if it were nothing, causing Bang Jin-hoon to frown.

“If you misinterpret it, you’ll just end up ruining the kids. Can you handle the aftermath?”

“I’ve interpreted several secret manuals obtained from China under Kim Seok-il’s orders.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. There haven’t been any significant side effects from those who learned them. But if you’re still worried, Kang Jin-ho can review the translations. While other secret manuals might have interpretation issues, there shouldn’t be any problems when the author is present, right?”

“Hmm…”

Bang Jin-hoon swallowed a groan.

‘He’s disgustingly competent.’

Is there anything more annoying than a guy you don’t like being competent?

Should he be happy that there’s nothing to criticize, or should he be sad?

“Then let’s do that.”

Kang Jin-ho made a simple conclusion, and Bang Jin-hoon nodded in agreement with silence.

“Then, what’s the request?”

“Please include me.”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

Include him?

“In the training this time.”

“You want to join the training?”

“Yes.”

“Hey, Lee Hyun-soo!”

Bang Jin-hoon was shocked and shouted.

“You have a ton of work to do, what are you going to do if you just disappear to train?”

Whether he liked Lee Hyun-soo or not was a secondary issue. Currently, Lee Hyun-soo was almost entirely in charge of managing the Yeongnam branch.

It was a decision made because they judged that there would be resistance if people who didn’t know anything about the branch were put in charge and gave orders right after the merger.

But if Lee Hyun-soo were to leave, the operation of the Yeongnam branch would be in immediate trouble.

“The handover is almost complete. And I’ll handle important tasks while training.”

“Still…”

“And now, enough time has passed. It’s time for you to take charge directly. Or are you okay with the Yeongnam branch becoming my personal power base?”

Bang Jin-hoon frowned.

‘He’s not wrong.’

With Kim Seok-il gone, Lee Hyun-soo was swallowing up the power vacuum in the Yeongnam branch.

It was a measure taken due to practical issues, but if left unchecked, it would become a problem.

‘This is such an annoying situation.’

It was all a problem that arose from Kang Jin-ho’s sudden attack and merger of the Yeongnam Association.

If the General Assembly and the Yeongnam Association had clashed head-on and reached a conclusion, this problem wouldn’t have occurred, but the merger of the General Assembly and the Yeongnam Association was entirely done by Kang Jin-ho alone.

Moreover, because the process was so unconventional, the Yeongnam Association had surprisingly preserved almost all of its power. Since the Yeongnam Association had submitted to and merged with Kang Jin-ho, not the General Assembly, it became difficult for the General Assembly to exercise control over the Yeongnam Association.

They could get their orders to work to some extent because they had Kang Jin-ho’s name backing them, but they didn’t know when a rebellion might break out.

Knowing this well, they had handed over the real power to Lee Hyun-soo, but if time passed like this, Lee Hyun-soo, not the General Assembly, would end up swallowing the Yeongnam branch.

Even though he knew that he had to cut off Lee Hyun-soo at the right time and regain control over the Yeongnam branch, he had no choice but to postpone it day by day because it was such a sensitive and complicated issue.

“And the things you’re worried about won’t happen.”

Bang Jin-hoon looked at Lee Hyun-soo as if asking what he meant.

“Me working under Kang Jin-ho is a more certain shackle than me giving orders there.”

“Hmm…”

It made sense.

“And the Yeongnam branch’s fear of Kang Jin-ho is greater than what you think, Chairman. As long as Kang Jin-ho doesn’t antagonize the General Assembly, there won’t be any rebellion or disobedience, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Bang Jin-hoon nodded quietly.

“I understand what you mean.”

He couldn’t keep harping on the work issues when he was saying all this. They would have to discuss the details separately, but it wasn’t something to talk about with Kang Jin-ho present.

“But wanting to learn under Kang Jin-ho, what’s that about?”

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. I want to join.”

“Now, of all times?”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled wryly.

“If we’re talking about age, I’m in my early thirties, so I think I’m qualified enough. And compared to those young guys, I’m several times stronger. It’s just that the people I usually deal with are monsters, but I’m still considered strong among young martial artists.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Bang Jin-hoon clicked his tongue.

He wasn’t wrong, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a waste. Bang Jin-hoon personally didn’t like Lee Hyun-soo very much, but he trusted his abilities.

Right now, the only subordinates he could consult with when a threatening situation arose in the General Assembly were Chun Tae-hoon and Lee Hyun-soo. Especially if he had to choose one, it would be Lee Hyun-soo. He trusted Chun Tae-hoon more than anyone, but in terms of ability, he trusted Lee Hyun-soo more.

“Your forte isn’t martial arts, is it? Even though this place is full of fighters, we still need someone to handle the practical work. You must know that.”

“…I thought so too.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“Until recently, that is. But this is a place where martial artists gather. No matter how well I use my brain, I’ll be treated as nothing more than a convenient smartphone app. I’ve already experienced that to the bone. Otherwise, why would I have abandoned Kim Seok-il and joined this place?”

“You’re quite the historian, speaking so freely.”

“It’s not something that can be hidden.”

Lee Hyun-soo answered calmly.

“I’ll refuse the role of a helper who gives hints at the right time. I eventually had to realize it. In this world, everything else is just a secondary issue. You need power to have brains. I’ve also experienced all my plans being crushed by his power.”

“Ugh.”

Bang Jin-hoon covered his forehead.

‘That one guy has ruined so many people.’

In the past, they still had some semblance of a business, but after Kang Jin-ho appeared, everyone was just about power, power, power.

‘I’m sick of it.’

But he had to admit that it might be the right direction, so he couldn’t say anything…

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho quietly opened his mouth.

“Do as you want.”

“You’re allowing it?”

“The test is already over. Get the secret manuals, interpret them, and send them to me.”

“I’ll finish it as quickly as possible.”

Lee Hyun-soo bowed his head.

“However…”

“Yes?”

“Even if you step down from your current work, you still have to advise the Chairman.”

“Of course. That much…”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho cut off Lee Hyun-soo.

“It’s not just about stepping down from your current work. You also have to gather overall information about the General Assembly.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened.

“That’s a bit difficult right now.”

Lee Hyun-soo glanced at Bang Jin-hoon.

It wasn’t a matter of his ability, but whether Bang Jin-hoon could trust Lee Hyun-soo that much.

Bang Jin-hoon also had a displeased look on his face.

“It’s not that urgent… I think we can do it slowly?”

“Not urgent?”

Bang Jin-hoon shut his mouth at Kang Jin-ho’s question.

“It seems like you’ve lost your sense of crisis, but just because you’ve integrated the General Assembly doesn’t mean everything is over. The issue with Japan isn’t over yet.”

“Ah…”

“It’s been too quiet for too long, so problems will arise soon. No, problems might already be happening. They just haven’t surfaced yet.”

“Hmm…”

Bang Jin-hoon nodded heavily.

Those persistent Japanese wouldn’t back down so easily. The silence could mean they were aiming for something big.

“That’s certainly true.”

“And strange foreigners are also entering Korea.”

“What?”

At Bang Jin-hoon’s question, Kang Jin-ho explained what he had seen at the airport.

After hearing the whole explanation, Bang Jin-hoon frowned.

“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like something we can just ignore…”

Lee Hyun-soo, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.

“One of the biggest problems with the current General Assembly is that its information is very limited. Other countries share information with each other, but Korea is outside of that line. We don’t really feel the lack of information when it comes to domestic issues, but when overseas matters are involved, the problem becomes serious.”

“Indeed.”

“Moreover, the enemies we have to face will inevitably be overseas. It’s a natural flow. The General Assembly needs to collect information about overseas matters.”

“But that’s not easy. Other countries have been building information networks overseas for decades, but we haven’t paid any attention to overseas matters until now. Creating an information department now and sending it overseas is almost impossible.”

“Yes, that’s right. So…”

Lee Hyun-soo turned his head and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“We need to make contact.”

“Contact?”

“Yes. Distant alliance and close attack is the basics of strategy. China and Japan will never give us information. We are already in a hostile situation with Japan, and our line with China was cut off with the collapse of the Yeongnam Association. In the end, to get information, we need to connect with a third country that is not China or Japan. A place that is familiar with the situation in East Asia and has no reason to be hostile to us.”

“Hmm…”

A person came to Kang Jin-ho’s mind.

‘What was her name?’

The woman who had boldly barged in and said what she had to say, the blonde woman. She said she was from Europe, right?

Lee Hyun-soo watched Kang Jin-ho’s expression.

“Do you have someone in mind?”

“…Let’s just consider it for now. I’m a little scared of bold women.”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had unknowingly revealed his true feelings, shook his head in embarrassment.

“I also have something in mind regarding that, so I’ll move separately. But since that can’t be a complete solution, please prepare countermeasures for that.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

Bang Jin-hoon thought that today was the first time they had a proper meeting.

‘That’s why I can’t ignore that guy.’

When he has a meeting with Kang Jin-ho, he doesn’t think about these things at all. Bang Jin-hoon was realizing once again how important a brain is to an organization.

“However, Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

“Japan and Korea have already crossed the point of no return. Regardless of whether we have information or not, they will definitely try to target you.”

Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

Lee Hyun-soo, seeing that chilling smile, shut his mouth and gripped his thigh.

‘That’s more like it.’

That’s Kang Jin-ho.

Lee Hyun-soo was curious.

He had felt Kang Jin-ho enough as an enemy. So now it was his turn to feel what it was like to fight alongside this person.

And that time came sooner than Lee Hyun-soo had expected.