Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 857

“Taxes?”

“Yes, taxes.”

“Pay taxes?”

“Yes. Taxes.”

Kang Jin-ho stared blankly at Lee Hyun-joo.

“Us?”

“Yes.”

“Uh…”

Kang Jin-ho began to seriously contemplate what this was all about. It was rare for him to get lost in thought in front of someone, but this was a problem he couldn’t ignore.

Taxes?

Taxes?

The clan paying taxes?

Kang Jin-ho’s head tilted bizarrely to the side. That one simple word began to overload his brain.

“Taxes, you say?”

Lee Hyun-soo questioned Lee Hyun-joo instead of Kang Jin-ho.

“The taxes you’re talking about don’t mean we’re handing over a certain percentage of our profits from business activities to the government, do they?”

“That’s correct.”

“…You’re suggesting we pay those taxes?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled brightly.

Her eyes were so warm that her smile alone conveyed warmth.

“Are you crazy?”

Though the words were a bit different.

Lee Hyun-soo burst out.

“No, are you trying to win some kind of diligent taxpayer award! Why should we hand over taxes to the National Tax Service when the government isn’t even collecting them? Do you think they’ll give us a ‘good kid’ stamp for that?”

“Of course, that wouldn’t happen.”

“Then why?”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes widened.

Seeing her expression of utter disgust, a vein popped out on Lee Hyun-joo’s forehead.

“Um, Director.”

“What?”

“…We’re in a meeting, so I’d appreciate it if you could keep it down. We should try to control our emotions and proceed with the agenda during meetings. So, please sit down for now. If you don’t want to die.”

Lee Hyun-soo quietly sat back down.

As the situation calmed down a bit, Kang Jin-ho’s mind started working again. His mind had frozen a bit due to the unexpected situation, but he managed to overcome it.

“So… taxes, you said.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-joo with a slightly strange expression.

“So, you’re saying we pay taxes?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his cheek with his finger.

‘Taxes, huh…

In a way, it’s very natural. But it was something he had never thought about before. Because Kang Jin-ho had never seen a martial artist pay taxes before.

The Demonic Cult, of course, didn’t pay taxes.

If the emperor had told the Demonic Cult to pay taxes, they probably would have chopped off his head and used it as a soccer ball. If he wanted to live, the emperor would have had to pay taxes to the Demonic Cult instead.

‘Come to think of it, I think they received tributes…’

Looking back, it seemed the emperor often sent him gifts. Considering that those gifts included things like grains, they were probably closer to bribes than gifts.

In any case, he didn’t pay taxes. He was more on the receiving end of protection money than paying taxes.

Of course, this wasn’t just because they were the Demonic Cult. He had never heard of places like the Shaolin or Wudang sects paying money to the government either. Rather, there were cases where the government gave rewards when they had done something meritorious.

So, the conclusion is…

‘Martial artists are just beings who take without giving, aren’t they?’

It was sad, but it was the truth.

From a societal point of view, martial artists are beings who don’t create anything and only consume. They are beings who live off the production of others.

But taxes…

“What’s the reason?”

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Lee Hyun-joo. The Lee Hyun-joo he knew wasn’t a fool. Nor was she someone overflowing with morality.

Her suggestions were always directly related to the clan’s profits. So, she wouldn’t have brought this up without thinking.

“Of course, it’s because it’s beneficial.”

Before Kang Jin-ho could even answer, Lee Hyun-soo burst out.

“No!”

Just as Lee Hyun-soo was about to say something, Kang Jin-ho raised his hand slightly. When Lee Hyun-soo shut her mouth, Kang Jin-ho spoke quietly but firmly.

“Bring Wiggins.”

“Oh?”

Wiggins looked at Lee Hyun-joo with an intrigued expression.

“You said taxes?”

“Yes.”

Everyone else had left. It seemed that it was a somewhat sensitive issue, so they couldn’t have a meeting with everyone. The only ones left in the meeting room were Kang Jin-ho, Lee Hyun-soo, Lee Hyun-joo, and Wiggins.

People like Bator, Jang Min, and Bang Jin-hoon were qualified to participate, but they wouldn’t have much to say even if they did. They weren’t particularly interested in money-related matters either.

“Good, very good.”

Wiggins nodded as if he found it interesting.

“So, you’re saying we should pay taxes? What’s the reason for saying that?”

It was like an old professor who had discovered a bright talent, doting on his student.

“First of all…”

Lee Hyun-joo glanced at Lee Hyun-soo.

“I’ll start by saying ‘first of all.’ There’s someone here who wants to interrupt and make a fuss before I’ve even finished speaking.”

“That’s right, that’s right. Interrupting others is a bad habit.”

“Ugh.”

Lee Hyun-soo groaned, but Wiggins didn’t pay any attention.

“Alright. Let’s hear the reason for saying such an absurd thing.”

“First, it’s because of a moral issue. If there’s income, paying taxes is a very natural thing to do.”

“It’s very natural, indeed. So that’s not the reason, is it?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s skip the obvious and get to the real reason. Why do you want to pay taxes?”

“Because our range of activities is narrowing.”

“Range of activities?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-joo turned her head to look at Kang Jin-ho. Although the question was from Wiggins, the answer was directed at Kang Jin-ho.

“Times have changed. As the Clan Lord also felt this time, there’s a limit to hiding and living in seclusion here.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Lee Hyun-joo.

“Why is that?”

“It’s because times have changed, as I said.”

“Times have changed for everyone. It’s not just us, is it?”

“The situation is different from other countries. First of all, China and Europe can hide themselves as much as they want. The size of their land is different. In comparison, there’s almost no abandoned land in Korea.”

“What about Japan?”

“Japan has already gone through the process of legalization. The Yakuza also pay taxes and operate. The days when they lived by collecting protection money are long gone. Even if they do bad things behind the scenes, they have legitimate companies on the surface.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

He had heard such things before.

“Clan Lord.”

Lee Hyun-joo took a deep breath.

“The amount of money the clan handles has increased. There’s a limit to operating like this.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

“I’m sorry, but…”

“Yes.”

“I’m having trouble understanding what you mean by ‘like this.’ It might be a bit of a bother, but I’d appreciate it if you could explain it in more detail.”

“Yes. I will explain.”

Lee Hyun-joo handed out a document to Kang Jin-ho, Lee Hyun-soo, and Wiggins. It seemed she had prepared it in advance.

“The clan’s income is roughly divided into three categories.”

Lee Hyun-joo’s voice was clear.

“The first is the rental income from the buildings and properties we own nationwide. We sometimes buy and sell buildings to realize profits based on market prices, but most of it is rental income.”

“The second is the businesses that the clan operates. Most of these businesses are entrusted to others. We hand over the operation and only take a certain percentage of the profits.”

“Why is that?”

“Because they’re illegal.”

Lee Hyun-joo said it as if it were nothing.

“The previous Clan Lord started all sorts of businesses to earn operating expenses for the clan. But the only businesses that don’t involve taxes are obvious. I don’t think I need to say it myself.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

He didn’t particularly want to be considerate of Lee Hyun-joo. But this was something he had to do as a person. He couldn’t let her speak ill of her own grandfather.

“I understand. And what else?”

“Lastly, there are the donations from each clan. To be precise, it’s closer to membership fees.”

“There’s such a thing?”

“It’s nominal, but it’s still a decent amount.”

“So, those who have joined the clan receive a salary and also pay membership fees?”

“Yes.”

It was absurd.

That such a system was in place, and that no one had fixed it until now.

“Alright. So what’s the problem?”

“Times have changed, Clan Lord. The funds accumulated in the clan are still at a tremendous level, but it’s clear that the income is decreasing.”

“Hmm?”

“Considering the inflation rate, the clan’s current income is half of what it was twenty years ago. The biggest reason is that various illegal businesses are decreasing. In the past, we made money indiscriminately. We even distributed drugs.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

Drugs, really?

The clan was still a martial arts sect.

It was a place based on violence, but it was different from a gang. The clan was at least a place where those who wanted to achieve the ultimate goal of martial arts gathered. Drug dealing in such a place?

“That’s too much.”

“It’s a trashy thing to do.”

Lee Hyun-joo was merciless.

Despite it being something her grandfather had done, she showed no support for it.

“That’s not all. Before Director Bang Jin-hoon took the position of Clan Lord and stabilized the clan, one of the clan’s main sources of income was as a fixer.”

“A fixer?”

“We would take requests from external power figures or illegal forces and eliminate certain people.”

“…Like a ronin [masterless samurai]?”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

‘It’s not a joke.’

In the past, even the Demonic Cult wouldn’t do such a thing. Those who did such things were only ronin or black-hearted groups who chased after money. Both were not treated as human beings by anyone.

Has the morality of this world decreased compared to the past?

‘That can’t be.’

People haven’t changed. Rather, their consciousness has probably developed. It’s just that money has become overwhelmingly more important than in the past.

“I see. So, as a result…”

Kang Jin-ho summarized what he had heard so far.

“The income from not doing illegal things has decreased sharply?”

“Yes. To be precise, we’re not even able to properly collect that sharply decreased income.”

“Why?”

“Because of automation. In order to avoid tax tracking, cash has to move. But now is not the era of moving around bundles of cash. And in the past, we could secretly hide the income of businesses, but now that’s impossible. So, we’re not even able to properly collect the income we’ve earned.”

Hearing that, Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Lee Hyun-joo.

Then, he opened his mouth.

“So, what’s the conclusion?”

“Yes, Clan Lord.”

Lee Hyun-joo took a slight deep breath. At the same time, she clenched her fist on her lap. As if she was about to say something very important.

Finally, Lee Hyun-joo’s mouth opened.

“I believe that the clan should become a legitimate force and go out into the world. It’s time for us to go out into the bright world.”

Lee Hyun-soo, hearing Lee Hyun-joo’s resolute words, gave a very typical reaction.

“…She’s completely lost it.”

Even Kang Jin-ho almost agreed.