Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1296

Kang Jin-ho looked back and forth between the people standing before him and Lee Hyun-soo.

“So….”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo grinned.

“Their skills are solid.”

“Uh….”

Solid?

That doesn’t seem like the right word for this situation.

Kang Jin-ho scanned the faces of those standing before him. After checking and piecing together everyone’s faces, he came to one conclusion.

“Did you pick out gangsters?”

“It’s true that our guys look a bit rough, but they’ll be hurt if you say that.”

“…Sorry.”

“They’re not some amateur gangsters. They’re basically from the Triads [Chinese organized crime groups].”

Ah, that’s a relief.

I’m not sorry anymore.

Lee Hyun-soo puffed out his chest and said,

“It was hard to pick them out. They’re all pretty capable. These three are from the Triads.”

“…I did some gang stuff in China.”

“We’ll do our best, Lord!”

“Just give us the order, Boss!”

The moment the word ‘Boss’ came out, Lee Hyun-soo glared at the speaker with a fierce look.

“Sorry.”

“…You wanna die?”

Lee Hyun-soo, with a displeased look, stared at the man before pointing to the side.

“These guys are from the French Foreign Legion.”

“We will complete the mission accurately, Lord.”

“Uh… uh, okay.”

“And lastly, these guys….”

Lee Hyun-soo grabbed the shoulders of the last two people and said,

“Don’t be surprised. They’re North Korean defectors.”

Oh my.

I’m really surprised.

A vein popped on Kang Jin-ho’s forehead.

“So, you want me to take these guys?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

‘Why the hell do I have to drag these guys, who don’t seem particularly skilled, like a bunch of baggage to China?’ Kang Jin-ho thought, cutting off his words with a single syllable.

“Hehe, Lord, it may be hard to accept, but there’s a reason.”

Lee Hyun-soo waved his fingers left and right.

“After carefully observing your fighting style and life, I’ve found something crucial.”

“Crucial?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“It’s that you have a tendency to start strong but fizzle out.”

What the…?

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo, wondering what he was talking about.

“It might be hard to understand, but think about it. Most of the things you start are quick and lively at the beginning, but as you get closer to the end, things tend to get serious.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes widened slightly.

“It was like that when you fought the Hong King, and it was like that during the war with Japan.”

That seems right.

That’s a painful truth.

‘No, isn’t that how it is when you fight a war?’

That’s just called a crisis, not fizzling out….

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

‘Wait a minute, come to think of it….’

Wasn’t my previous life like that too?

I seemed to have achieved everything as the leader of the Demonic Cult [a fictional evil group] and the ruler of the world, but in the end, I just got ganged up on by the righteous and demonic factions and died cleanly.

‘It’s kind of true?’

Come to think of it, I’ve rarely expected to struggle so much at the end of most battles or wars. I always thought it was because the enemy was stronger or more meticulous than I thought….

“You understand now.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a slightly displeased expression.

Lee Hyun-soo had a triumphant look on his face.

“According to my analysis, what you need to be perfectly supported isn’t a good plan or perfect support. You’re capable enough to handle that yourself.”

This feels like a dig….

“So, what I need to do isn’t to help, but to create a perfect escape route.”

“So, I’ve put together a team. Triad members who know Beijing’s situation best, mercenaries from the Foreign Legion who are experts in infiltration, and North Korean defectors who know the ins and outs of North Korea.”

“Oh, um….”

“And me, to lead them. Hehe, it’s a perfect combination.”

“You’re going too?”

“Yes.”

“Why you?”

“Lord.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you acknowledge that you faced a great crisis in the last incident in China and the recent incident in Japan?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

Well, it’s not a pleasant thing to admit, but it’s the truth.

“I admit it.”

“Do you know what the commonality between those two incidents is?”

“I don’t know?”

“It’s simple! It’s that I wasn’t by your side!”

Kang Jin-ho’s face was filled with bewilderment. Then, that bewilderment soon turned into absurdity.

“Huh?”

“I wasn’t there.”

Kang Jin-ho’s lips trembled slightly.

‘Should I really tell him to get psychiatric treatment?’

Ah, of course, it’s good to love yourself. Self-confidence is helpful to a certain extent. People who love themselves live happier lives than those who don’t believe in themselves.

But if that self-confidence goes too far, it becomes narcissism, and if it goes beyond that, it develops into a mental illness.

It seems like he’s slightly crossing into the stage of mental illness….

“I know what you’re thinking, but I’m in my right mind.”

Is he a ghost?

It felt like there were more people reading his mind these days.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that I solved everything.”

“Then?”

“It means that when I’m around, you’ll be careful.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head slightly.

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s say there’s something that could cause a crisis. But the benefit is huge.”

“Uh-huh.”

“When you’re alone, you start without thinking. It’s because you’re confident that you can somehow fix things later.”

“Uh….”

That seems to be the case.

No, this is an undeniable fact.

“But if someone like me is around, you’ll think about it at least once. Because to save me too, you have to finish the job at a level where you won’t get hurt.”

Kang Jin-ho’s face went blank.

What the hell is this….

“Hehehe, this is what you call reverse thinking. I actually thought that I was a burden to you in battle, but when I thought about it carefully, it was the opposite. When I’m with you, the probability of you getting injured drops drastically. In other words, I am!”

“Your!”

“Restraint!”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t say anything.

He wondered if it was a joke, but looking at Lee Hyun-soo’s overly proud expression, it was definitely not a joke.

Lee Hyun-soo said with a proud face,

“So, you have to take me with you.”

“Ah, no….”

Calm down, you crazy bastard!

“I’ve already finished the preparations.”

“…Director Lee.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Is it really necessary to go this far?”

“Lord, you’re not alone anymore.”

“…I wish you’d be careful with your word choice.”

That’s not the right thing to say in this situation.

“Your body is the asset of the General Assembly. I have a duty to eliminate all situations where you could be in danger. I won’t back down this time. I’ll make the perfect escape route, so take me with you. I won’t be a hindrance.”

Kang Jin-ho rubbed his forehead slightly.

Goodness, a migraine.

Kang Jin-ho, who had reached the pinnacle of extreme martial arts and could perfectly control his body. How long has it been since he felt the sensation of pain in a non-combat situation?

‘He’s definitely not normal.’

I’ve been living thinking he was just a bit more friendly lately, but every time this happens, I realize how out of his mind the man in front of me is.

People usually move to avoid danger, don’t they?

That’s human instinct.

In other words, people try to avoid anything that seems dangerous. Kang Jin-ho knows how dangerous this mission is, and so does Lee Hyun-soo.

But instead of whining to be excluded from the mission, he’s whining to be taken on the mission.

There might be people who would applaud his great passion, but….

“Director Lee.”

“Yes.”

“I hope you don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say.”

“Yes, Lord. Don’t worry.”

“How about getting a psychiatric consultation?”

Kang Jin-ho added words that he didn’t really need to say.

“No. Well, there were many people who were reluctant to do that in the past, but that’s not the case these days. Everyone visits for trauma care or… well, for various reasons, and the culture of being ashamed of that should disappear….”

“Lord.”

Lee Hyun-soo said with a smile.

“I’m perfectly sane.”

That’s even scarier, you idiot.

If it’s an illness, it can be cured.

“Just asking, just in case….”

“Yes.”

“You’re not doing this because I said that I didn’t really need you for this mission, are you?”

“…No.”

That’s it.

That’s right.

Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply.

They say you can’t even drink water in front of a child, but a timid man is more terrifying than a child.

“I understand what you’re saying….”

“Yes, Lord. This plan is perfect.”

“…I already have an escape plan in mind.”

“Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“If I’m going alone anyway, Wiggins can just come and pick me up. Why bother escaping by land or sea?”

“Haha, I’ve already completed the investigation on that part. The distance that Wiggins can travel with one person is shorter than you think.”

“You might be able to easily reach the coast of Beijing. But the coast around Beijing is heavily guarded. The ship has to wait in international waters, and it’s impossible to move from land to international waters at once.”

“Hmm.”

This guy is thorough.

“So, it’s right to escape by land to the coast and then move from the coast.”

Kang Jin-ho narrowed his brow.

He thought he would have prepared, but he didn’t expect him to be this thorough.

“You seem to be worried….”

“Oh….”

“There’s no need to worry.”

“Huh?”

“Actually, the problem with you isn’t just your problem, you acknowledge that, right?”

Kang Jin-ho silently nodded.

A person in charge of an organization has a duty to take responsibility for the members of the organization. Acting as one pleases is a disservice to all of them.

Like Kang Jin-ho of the Demonic Cult in the past.

“So, let’s just pass it on to the council.”

“The council?”

“Yes. We can ask the directors for their opinions and gather the consensus.”

Lee Hyun-soo curled up the corners of his mouth.

“I’m very curious which side the directors will take.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes wavered. And then he realized something.

‘Chungma.’

His subordinate, who would oppose him to the death, but would drop his opinion and bow down if Kang Jin-ho coughed once. The only friend he could call his own in the Central Plains [a historical region in China]….

‘I’m sorry.’

What would Chungma think if he saw this scene in the afterlife?

Kang Jin-ho shuddered with guilt for his dead comrade.

“Let’s go, Lord.”

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho thought that dictatorship wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.