Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 916

“That’s a good way to put it. We’re uncomfortable with each other, but we’re stuck together. That’s probably the relationship between the political world and the Murim world [martial arts world].”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho wore a subtle smile. The Imperial Palace, or what should now be called the government, and the Murim’s relationship wasn’t that different from the past. If that was the case, his old methods would still work.

Then there was no need to overcomplicate things.

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes!”

“Get to the core.”

“What do you mean by the core?”

“In carrying out this task, identify the minimum number of people we absolutely need to bring on board.”

“Understood.”

There was no immediate answer.

It wasn’t an easy task. Modern power structures weren’t that simple. Unlike the past, power in the modern era wasn’t concentrated in one person. Numerous power holders were wary of each other’s influence.

It was a victory for the system designed to prevent dictatorship, but that victory was now giving Lee Hyun-soo a headache.

“It’s… not as easy as I thought.”

“I’m not saying to limit it to one or two. Just find out the minimum number of people you think we need.”

“Yes, I will try.”

Kang Jin-ho looked around.

“Let’s wrap up this issue for now. I think it’s time we had a real conversation.”

At the mention of a ‘real conversation,’ a slight tension appeared on people’s faces.

“After dealing with the issues in Japan and other problems, I’ve realized that the General Assembly doesn’t seem to have a clear goal right now.”

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes widened.

“A goal?”

“Yes.”

“That’s strange, Lord. Isn’t the goal of the General Assembly to become stronger?”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Bang Jin-hoon with a slightly blank look.

Bang Jin-hoon looked around, as if asking, ‘Did I say something wrong?’ But the friendly glances he hoped for didn’t come back.

“I guess my mouth was too loose. I’ll shut it.”

“…You don’t have to shut it.”

Kang Jin-ho gave a wry smile.

He was sure that this was the problem.

“Becoming stronger is a given. But the question is, why do we need to become stronger?”

“Well, that’s…”

Bang Jin-hoon tried to speak but then closed his mouth.

He definitely had a reason in his head. But that reason couldn’t be clearly expressed in words. It was vague and uncertain, like a cloud in the sky.

“Take this recent incident, for example.”

Kang Jin-ho looked back and forth between Lee Hyun-joo and Lee Hyun-soo. Then, he fixed his gaze on Lee Hyun-joo.

“If the reason the General Assembly needs to become stronger is for the people who are with the Assembly to live better lives, then incorporation is a must. It’s about turning the unemployed into employed.”

“That’s right.”

Lee Hyun-joo nodded firmly.

“But if the reason the General Assembly needs to become stronger is to deal with the Murim of other countries, then incorporation is just an obstacle. As Lee Hyun-soo said, being exposed means restrictions on movement.”

“Yes, that’s what I think.”

It was an issue where neither side could be said to be right.

Each had its own reasons, and each had its own validity.

Kang Jin-ho recalled what Joo Young-gi had said. Only one answer, the one closest to the perfect answer, was right, and everything else was wrong. He realized that his attitude was the problem.

Looking at this situation, he could see why that statement was made.

Before, Kang Jin-ho would have tried to find one right answer here as well.

But now, he could accept that both sides were right.

This was a matter of direction.

It was a question of what Kang Jin-ho, and the General Assembly, were pursuing.

“In the end, I think it depends on what we’re trying to do. It’s a question we’ve never thought about before.”

“Yes.”

Everyone nodded.

In fact, when they thought about it, they had been running too frantically until now. From the beginning, Kang Jin-ho hadn’t become the head of the General Assembly with a strategy.

Somehow, he got entangled with the General Assembly, ended up fighting them, and naturally swallowed them up. The others were the same. Most of the people here were those who had been hostile to Kang Jin-ho but had turned to his side.

There had never been a vision or a long-term plan from the start.

“It’s not bad to just live according to the situation. There’s a comfortable side to that. But I think it’s time to start looking a little further ahead.”

“I agree, Lord.”

Wiggins added.

“Actually, I was thinking it was time to bring it up. Whether it’s a country or a company, any place where people gather must have rules and a vision. But the General Assembly doesn’t have that. It’s very haphazard.”

Lee Hyun-soo hung his head.

“I’m not blaming you.”

“Yes, I know. I’m just feeling guilty.”

Wiggins chuckled.

Everyone here knew how much Lee Hyun-soo had done so far.

What Lee Hyun-soo did was the most important work for the General Assembly. He had taken on the most necessary but unnoticeable, annoying, and tedious tasks. So, who could blame Lee Hyun-soo?

“The fact that rules and a vision haven’t been presented isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Thanks to that, the General Assembly could focus on one thing. Everyone waited for the Lord’s words, and everyone focused on the Lord’s actions. Thanks to that, the current General Assembly could be created. In my opinion, the fact that we didn’t have those things until now has definitely worked as an advantage.”

Wiggins cleared his throat slightly and continued.

“But I think the situation has changed now. In order for the General Assembly to expand, we need a vision and rules. I think it’s good that this topic came up at the right time. As expected of the Lord…”

“That’s enough of that.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand. He didn’t want to hear any unnecessary praise.

“I think this incident is the same. In running the General Assembly, should we prioritize development? Or should we prioritize eliminating threats? That difference created a difference in thinking.”

To be precise, it was closer to prioritizing retaliation rather than eliminating threats, but sometimes, a slightly softer word was needed rather than a raw one.

“Then… in what way?”

“We need to think about it.”

Kang Jin-ho took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Kang Jin-ho slowly inhaled the cigarette smoke and smiled.

“This is the first time you’ve all heard this story. But I can’t ask you to come up with an answer right away. I want you to think about it. How should we do it, and what is the best way? Then we can talk about it again.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a subtle gaze.

‘He’s so relaxed.’

In the past, if Kang Jin-ho thought there was a problem, he had to get an answer on the spot. Even if the answer was incomplete, he pushed forward.

He thought it was better to come up with an answer and move, even if it was incomplete, rather than wasting time deciding on an answer. But now, Kang Jin-ho was showing a more cautious side than in the past.

The fact that he looked relaxed was probably not just Lee Hyun-soo’s thought.

“Then let’s put this issue aside.”

Kang Jin-ho leaned back slightly on the sofa.

“I want to wrap up this issue with Japan.”

“Well, that issue…”

Lee Hyun-soo tried to change the subject slightly. He thought that if he brought up this topic again without a premise, it could cause problems. It might be a little rude, but…

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

Kang Jin-ho firmly waved his hand.

“I need to talk about what I saw.”

What Kang Jin-ho saw?

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes were filled with questions. Was there something special to see there?

“I saw Kim Seok-il.”

Lee Hyun-soo straightened his back.

Kim Seok-il.

That name still remained vivid for Lee Hyun-soo. He was once the master he served, and his greatest enemy.

He hadn’t heard any news since he escaped from the hospital, but to hear his name here.

“D-Did you say you saw Kim Seok-il?”

Kang Jin-ho was unlikely to be wrong, but he wanted to confirm it one more time. It was that unexpected.

“Well, it was a corpse.”

“A corpse? Do you mean he’s dead?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure it was Kim Seok-il?”

“Probably.”

Lee Hyun-soo leaned back in his chair with a deflated look.

He felt empty.

He felt utterly empty.

“Kim Seok-il is dead…”

It was a strange feeling.

For Lee Hyun-soo, the worst adversary wasn’t Hong Wang. His most intense enemy was Kim Seok-il, no matter what anyone said. An enemy wasn’t just determined by martial arts prowess.

The worst human he knew, and the most dangerous human, was Kim Seok-il, no matter what anyone said.

And that Kim Seok-il was dead?

On a Japanese ship invading Korea?

‘Why was he there?’

Lee Hyun-soo could instinctively tell.

Kim Seok-il’s influence had been at play in this expedition.

“Why was that crazy bastard there?”

Bang Jin-hoon also reacted with disbelief. Kim Seok-il’s presence was that unexpected.

“Well, he must have been plotting something. Lee Sung-hwi was there too.”

“Lee Sung-hwi?”

Bang Jin-hoon’s face was filled with suspicion.

Lee Sung-hwi and Kim Seok-il were both there?

‘It’s not that strange, but…’

There had been signs in various places that Kim Seok-il and Lee Sung-hwi had joined hands, so it was understandable that the two were together. But to be in Japan.

And that too…

“That traitorous bastard!”

Bang Jin-hoon’s face flushed red as he grasped the situation.

This was unacceptable.

“No, this crazy bastard. He’s shitting on his master’s face!”

Bang Jin-hoon hated Lee Joong-gul.

If Kim Seok-il was Lee Hyun-soo’s lifelong enemy, then Lee Joong-gul was Bang Jin-hoon’s. No matter how hard he tried to think well of him, he couldn’t see Lee Joong-gul in a good light.

But even Lee Joong-gul wouldn’t try to sell out his country.

He tried to borrow the power of Japan at the last moment, but that was just a desperate measure to deal with Kang Jin-ho. He didn’t take the initiative to sell out his country.

Bang Jin-hoon was the one who could see everything about Lee Joong-gul in a bad light. Even Bang Jin-hoon couldn’t call Lee Joong-gul a traitor.

But that bastard, who was Lee Joong-gul’s disciple, was selling out his country!

Lee Hyun-joo’s face was also pale.

‘Crazy bastard.’

He was out of his mind.

No matter how crazy he was with hatred, there were things that a person could do and things that a person couldn’t do. Did he really not know what would happen if Japan conquered Korea?

As the atmosphere in the room rapidly turned cold, Wiggins tilted his head.

“It seems like a part where I might feel a little left out. Is there anyone who can explain the situation for me?”

Seeing Wiggins raise his hand with a slight jest, everyone let out a deep sigh.

At that reaction, Wiggins lowered his hand with a sullen face.

“…Did I misread the mood?”

It was the first time Wiggins had been so flustered since joining the General Assembly.