Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 870

“Haa.”

Nobuo, having entered the restroom, sharpened his senses and scanned his surroundings.

Empty.

He had thought that there would be many nervous guys, so the restroom might be full, but thankfully, there was no one in the restroom. It was also because Nobuo had deliberately sought out the restroom in the most secluded corner.

‘Inside.’

Nobuo walked straight into a stall and locked the door. In a place overflowing with the mindless [referring to the soldiers who are blindly following orders], locking this thin wooden door was meaningless, but the feeling of having his sight blocked gave him a sense of stability.

Nobuo glared at his cell phone.

He couldn’t understand his own actions. What was Korea to him that he would take such a risk?

And this wasn’t just a matter of Korea.

If he were to inform Korea that Japan was invading, he would be in danger.

He was clearly part of the Japanese expeditionary force. Unless he jumped off this ship right now and swam back to Japan, there was no way to escape.

The ship was headed for Korean soil, an enemy territory. If this expedition were to fail, Korean soil would become his grave.

‘Crazy bastard.’

Would they consider his circumstances?

Of course not.

Even when he was just an ordinary Korean-Japanese, Koreans had mocked and scorned him as a half-breed. So, would they understand and take into account that he was part of an expedition attacking Korea?

It would be a miracle if they didn’t become even more cruel.

To survive, Nobuo shouldn’t be doing such crazy things. It would be better to fight hard in front, read the room, and know when to back out.

If the expedition were to be victorious and he could survive until the end, the world he truly desired might open up.

A life where he would be recognized as a true Japanese.

A life where he wouldn’t be discriminated against for being Korean.

Yes.

That was the life Nobuo had always wanted.

But….

Ugh.

Nobuo chuckled softly.

It was funny.

It was something he had longed for so much, but now that the opportunity was given, he was going in the opposite direction.

Perhaps the reason he was in this situation wasn’t because he was Korean-Japanese. Maybe it was just because Nobuo was that kind of person.

A person who throws away opportunities to change his life, a person who can’t make a choice. A person who is always full of complaints but can’t gamble to break free from reality.

No, more accurately….

‘A rebel.’

Nobuo laughed.

The world operates by certain rules. But there are always people who are uncomfortable with those rules.

Like him right now.

There was no need to overthink it.

Patriotism?

Damn patriotism.

A shitty country that had never once extended a hand to him.

Don’t think about doing something for that kind of country. It’s just that those bastards are even more shitty.

The wounds from indifference and coldness were smaller than the wounds from scorn and ridicule.

Yes, this was an opportunity. This was an opportunity.

An opportunity that would never come again in his life.

‘In the opposite direction, too.’

It could be an opportunity to change his life, but it could also be an opportunity to screw those dog-like bastards over.

An opportunity that would never come again in his entire life.

“Hoo.”

Nobuo sighed softly and raised his senses again to scan his surroundings.

If he had seen his own face right now, he would have been shocked. His eyes, bloodshot as he scanned his surroundings, resembled those of a drug addict.

‘Empty.’

Having confirmed that there was definitely no one, Nobuo looked at his cell phone again.

‘A call is impossible.’

This was on a ship.

A call wouldn’t work.

Perhaps they weren’t too far from the mainland yet, so a call might work, but making a call in this place swarming with the mindless was impossible.

Anyone passing by could hear it.

‘Wi-Fi!’

There would be one.

It might not be on a cargo ship, but these guys had chartered a passenger ship. If so, there would be Wi-Fi for the passengers who normally ride the ship….

‘There is!’

Nobuo, having confirmed that the Wi-Fi list was on the screen, desperately connected to it.

‘Please….’

This had to work. It had to!

This….

“It worked!”

He spoke without realizing it.

Nobuo, having confirmed that he was connected to the network, took a deep breath.

This was the end.

Once he sent it, there was no turning back.

Nobuo lowered his cell phone, closed his eyes, and leaned back. He felt the cold touch on his back.

After a long time of being slumped like that, Nobuo opened his eyes.

The anxiety had disappeared, and only determination filled him. Nobuo picked up his cell phone and began to type something. After writing a long message, Nobuo pressed the send button with trembling fingers.

Loading.

Watching the circle spin, his head felt like it was spinning too.

Wouldn’t it be better to cancel it now?

Why did he have to do this? Why?

To screw those bastards over?

‘Bullshit.’

Damn it, didn’t he already know that he would have to share the shit those bastards would eat?

He and this expedition were already a community of fate. Just because he informed Korea of this fact didn’t mean that Koreans would distinguish him and spare him.

This was suicide.

Nobuo’s fingers frantically fumbled for his cell phone.

Let’s stop.

This wasn’t it!

Cancel it right now….

But just before he pressed the button, the transmission was complete. Nobuo stared blankly at the screen that had finished sending.

There was no turning back.

A message once sent could not be canceled. Now the turn had passed to Korea.

“Hah…”

As he thought that everything was over, a sense of emptiness and futility washed over him.

‘You pathetic bastard.’

Why did he commit such an act? What was Korea to him?

He acted like he was the smartest person in the world, but at the crucial moment, he had done the dumbest thing in the world. Even if you searched the entire Japanese archipelago, there wouldn’t be a dumber guy than him.

Nobuo raised his hand and grabbed his cheek.

“Hoo, hoo….”

His breath quickened.

Only now did he realize what he had done.

But what could he do? It was already done, and now there was no turning back.

‘Let’s go back.’

Now he had to return to his place before he became more suspicious. Nobuo weakly shoved the cell phone he was holding into his pocket.

Then he flushed the toilet.

‘Don’t be nervous.’

He had to relax his face. If he returned to his place with a tense face, everyone would be suspicious. So, he had to go back as if nothing had happened.

Should he show that he was a little upset because he was beaten by Motobe? Or….

Nobuo, pondering, opened the door and froze on the spot.

“Yo.”

Nakata Yuji was walking into the restroom from the entrance.

“We meet often, don’t we?”

“Huh? Ah… yes!”

Nakata Yuji gave a friendly smile. But the moment Nobuo saw that smile, his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

‘Why is this guy here?’

Since when?

Since when had he been here? No.

No!

Nobuo clenched his fist tightly.

If this guy had been here from the beginning, and if he had suspected Nobuo’s actions, he wouldn’t have waited for him to send the message. He would have rushed in and knocked him down before that.

So, this guy was just coming in now, and he didn’t know what had happened inside.

So, he just had to act like nothing was wrong.

“You don’t look so good?”

“Ah….”

What should he say? What?

“I, I have a bit of seasickness.”

“Really? A mindless with seasickness, that’s funny.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about. I was just joking, but you’re taking it too seriously.”

“Ah….”

As Nakata Yuji grinned, Nobuo smiled back. He felt like his face was twisting uncontrollably, but he somehow managed to smile.

Even if that smile was awkward, from Nakata Yuji’s perspective, it would be understandable as a result of tension.

“Then.”

“Hey.”

“….Yes?”

“If you went to the restroom, you should wash your hands. Don’t they teach you that in Eihanakai [likely a reference to a military or training academy]?”

“Ah….”

Nobuo hurriedly went to the sink and turned on the water. Then he pushed his sweaty hands into the sink. The cold water touching his fingertips made him feel refreshed.

Nobuo washed his hands, making sure not to look rushed, and even lightly washed his face before raising his head. Looking through the glass, he saw Nakata Yuji urinating at the urinal.

He felt relieved.

He felt the tension leaving him.

‘That’s a relief.’

It seemed like he wasn’t suspicious of him. So, he had to get away from that guy as soon as possible.

“Then….”

“Ah, I didn’t say it.”

“Yes?”

“You said you were Korean-Japanese, right?”

“….Yes.”

“I did say something earlier, but things in the world don’t always go according to common sense, so I gave an order.”

“You gave an order?”

“Yes. While on this ship, we will confiscate the cell phones of all the Korean-Japanese. Just in case.”

Nobuo’s mind began to race.

‘There’s a pattern. And I can delete it before I hand it over.’

It wasn’t difficult.

“Then I should give it to you. Where should I return it?”

“Well, is there really a need to go that far? Just give it to me.”

“….Yes?”

“It’s not that difficult, is it?”

“Ah, of course….”

Before he could even finish speaking, Nakata Yuji grinned. But that smile was different from the smiles he had shown so far.

It was chilling.

It was the smile of a predator in front of its prey.

“So, hand it over. The cell phone in that pocket you’ve been trying to hide from me since earlier.”

Nakata Yuji tilted his head and approached Nobuo.

“I hope your cell phone has fingerprint recognition. If it’s iris recognition, I’ll have to pluck out your eyes, but if it’s fingerprint recognition, I can just cut off your finger, right? So, which is it? I hope you’re not an early adopter.”

Nobuo’s eyes were filled with despair.

Clatter.

Kang Jin-ho put down his book.

‘Hmm….’

He had finished reading countless books, but he didn’t think that anything would come of it.

It was only natural.

Knowledge was just knowledge. If you could achieve something with knowledge, the world’s best managers would be university professors. But that wasn’t the case in reality.

How you utilize the knowledge you have was more important.

What he was doing now was just building the base of knowledge for utilization.

‘It’s not easy.’

It was difficult, but he had to do it.

Each of these efforts would accumulate and create the future.

The Assembly was rapidly developing even now. But that development wouldn’t continue forever. The Hongwang faction and other places wouldn’t sit idly by.

This was a race against time.

Whether the Assembly would become stronger faster, or whether other places would attack faster.

It wasn’t enough to be relieved just because they had bought some time….

That was when it happened.

Bang!

The door opened without a knock. And Lee Hyun-soo rushed in with a pale face.

The moment Kang Jin-ho saw that expression, he realized that something had happened.

“L, Lord Assembly Leader!”

“Wait!”

Kang Jin-ho stopped Lee Hyun-soo and stood up from his seat.

“Call a meeting first. It seems like there’s no time to explain twice.”

“Yes!”

As Lee Hyun-soo rushed out again, Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked out the window.

The dark sky was ominous.

‘Is it a battle again?’

Kang Jin-ho’s tongue licked his lips.

He could feel the thick stench of blood. Kang Jin-ho’s lips curled up as he felt the impending war.

Unlike his head, his body was definitely looking forward to the coming blood.