Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1310

“We have to catch him.”

Kang Jin-ho subtly turned his head.

‘What kind of trouble did she get into?’

Choi Yeon-ha, who had returned to her seat, was radiating a chilling aura. Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Kang Jin-ho cautiously observed Choi Yeon-ha’s mood.

“People tend to become endlessly lax when you let them go. We need to set a date and have a proper exorcism…”

Choi Yeon-ha’s teeth were grinding.

Kang Jin-ho moved slightly to the side to avoid the frost.

He absolutely didn’t want to get caught up in that exorcism. For now, he needed to be careful…

“Jin-ho… no, Mr. Cheol-soo.”

“Yes?”

“Is Director Lee always so slippery?”

Slippery, huh…

Kang Jin-ho was thrown into confusion.

Slippery was a word that didn’t suit Lee Hyun-soo at all. No, to be precise, it was a word that could never be associated with Lee Hyun-soo, who was once called the devil of the Yeongnam Assembly [a regional political group].

But…

‘Can I really deny it now?’

Could there be a more fitting word than ‘slippery’ to describe the current Lee Hyun-soo?

Kang Jin-ho nodded without realizing it.

“Recently, he’s been a bit…”

“Hmph.”

Choi Yeon-ha snorted.

“I can’t do this. I was going to treat him nicely.”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked out the window without saying a word.

‘Let’s pretend I don’t know anything.’

He didn’t want to get involved and get hurt for no reason. Lee Hyun-soo’s problems were for Lee Hyun-soo to handle.

“The higher-ups are going to do important work, and the people who should be helping are gossiping behind their backs!”

“Right?”

“Huh?”

“Is that right?”

“…Of course.”

“Really?”

“Then let me ask you, Mr. Kim Cheol-soo, what business do you have in China?”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

Ah, I hadn’t told her.

“…I just have some things to do.”

“What kind of things?”

“That is…”

I’m going to kill someone.

No, not that.

I’m going to handle a task requested by the government.

No, not that either.

Kang Jin-ho’s brow furrowed as he couldn’t find a suitable excuse. But fortunately for Kang Jin-ho, someone came to his rescue.

“Is there anything I can help you with, sir?”

Kang Jin-ho greeted the flight attendant with a welcoming face.

“I’m fine.”

“We have light snacks and refreshments available. We also have alcoholic beverages, so please feel free to ask if you need anything.”

“Then, um…”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his cheek.

“Could I have a cola?”

“Yes. I’ll bring you a cold cola and some light snacks.”

“Thank you.”

Kang Jin-ho subtly turned his head and looked at Choi Yeon-ha. She was ordering wine from another flight attendant. Her face was full of a business smile, completely different from the face that had been glaring at Kang Jin-ho.

‘She’s pretty.’

Looking at Choi Yeon-ha smiling, he thought she was beautiful. It was pure admiration, devoid of any emotion.

“What are you looking at?”

“Huh?”

After the flight attendant left, Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“No, I just noticed you were glancing over here.”

“Because you’re pretty.”

Choi Yeon-ha pursed her lips and turned her head the other way. Kang Jin-ho, not knowing what was going on, tilted his head.

‘That guy is really weird.’

He throws in these random jabs every now and then.

Choi Yeon-ha, unable to hide her slightly flushed face, sighed.

“Kang Jin-ho, you don’t drink?”

“Not particularly.”

“That’s strange. Are you a lightweight?”

“It’s not that…”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his head slightly.

It wasn’t that he was a lightweight, but rather that he was too strong. Even without using his internal energy to purify his body, his perfectly honed physique would automatically break down any alcohol that entered his system.

He couldn’t get drunk no matter how much he drank.

In the end, when Kang Jin-ho drank, he had to enjoy only the taste of the alcohol without getting intoxicated. He thought it was better to have a soft drink instead.

Of course, there were many martial artists besides Kang Jin-ho who didn’t enjoy alcohol for this reason.

‘It’s better for the Assembly too.’

Most martial artists don’t get drunk easily, but ordinary martial artists can’t break down alcohol as perfectly as Kang Jin-ho. If they drink too much, they will eventually get drunk.

A martial artist getting drunk?

That was a truly terrible thing.

Even in the Central Plains of the past [a historical region in China], there were many cases of drunk martial artists causing trouble. Even ordinary people can cause big accidents when they drink. So, if martial artists get drunk and cause accidents, it wouldn’t end as a normal accident.

That’s why martial artists tended to refrain from drinking. If they messed up, their lives could end.

“I’ll prepare your drink.”

The flight attendant, who had brought a cart with light snacks and cola, smiled and set up the drinks.

She also started setting up wine on the other side.

Kang Jin-ho had a slightly uncomfortable expression.

‘This used to be normal.’

When he was the leader of the Demonic Cult, even drinking a glass of water would cause a stir. But since returning to this world, he felt uncomfortable when others did things for him that he could do himself.

“Thank you…”

Just as Kang Jin-ho was about to give a light greeting, he heard a slightly nervous voice.

“Should I open the peanuts and set them out, or just give them to you?”

Kang Jin-ho and the flight attendant turned to look at Choi Yeon-ha with subtle expressions. Choi Yeon-ha glanced at the peanut bag and smiled.

“What does the manual say?”

“The, the manual says to set it up as the customer wishes.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled playfully and gestured.

“Just give it to me. I have hands, so I can open it myself.”

“Ah, is that so? Then here…”

“Although, it seems there are people without hands.”

The flight attendant had a very troubled expression and forced a smile.

“Then, please press the bell if you need anything else.”

“Thank you.”

As the flight attendants moved away, Choi Yeon-ha said in a low voice.

“Those ladies, they’re twitching at the sound of peanuts.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

A red cola can caught Kang Jin-ho’s eye as he lifted his head.

‘It’s been a while.’

Looking at the cola made him feel strange.

Even if people experienced the same situation as Kang Jin-ho, what they missed would be different. But for Kang Jin-ho, this cola was like a symbol of the modern world.

That’s why, when he first returned to this world, he drank several cans of cola every day.

It wasn’t just because he wanted to drink cola. It was more like… it was a ritual for Kang Jin-ho to confirm that he existed in the modern world.

But as time passed and he adapted to the modern world, he gradually distanced himself from cola.

‘Have I lost my initial resolve?’

Well, if it’s this kind of resolve, it’s okay to lose it.

*Tsss.*

Kang Jin-ho opened the cola can and poured the cola into a glass with ice. Looking at the bubbles rising in the cola made him smile. The fact that Kang Jin-ho was going to China also played a big role in this feeling.

Kang Jin-ho picked up the cold glass, took a sip, and slowly placed the cola back on the table.

“Is it good?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if he was in a good mood, and Choi Yeon-ha looked at him with a surprised expression.

Kang Jin-ho wasn’t exactly a gourmet. To be blunt, he wasn’t someone with a well-developed sense of taste. Even when he ate fancy food with Choi Yeon-ha, he didn’t have any particular comments.

Yet, this person was smiling happily after taking a sip of cola.

She thought she understood him a lot now, but sometimes he was still a difficult person to understand.

“Anyone would think you just had a glass of really good wine.”

“Isn’t this better than that?”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho slightly lifted his cola glass.

“The one that sells the most is the best.”

“…That’s a good way of thinking.”

Certainly, if you approached it from that perspective, cola could be considered a more valuable drink than fine wine.

Choi Yeon-ha lightly swirled her wine glass and took a small sip.

“People need to have some class.”

“…Is it good?”

“It’s good.”

“It must be a good wine.”

Choi Yeon-ha puffed out her chest slightly and raised her chin.

“I don’t know what it is?”

You were the one who ordered it.

Choi Yeon-ha lowered her voice slightly and whispered.

“Honestly, I think all wines are pretty much the same. But if I say that, I’ll be called uncultured, so I have to pretend I know.”

Kang Jin-ho burst out laughing at Choi Yeon-ha’s whisper.

Kang Jin-ho found this side of Choi Yeon-ha amusing. She was somehow easygoing yet clumsy, and yet, she was also flawless despite her clumsiness.

It was a charm that couldn’t be found in anyone else.

“I just distinguish between carbonated and non-carbonated drinks? I prefer non-carbonated ones.”

“That’s different from me.”

Kang Jin-ho preferred carbonated drinks if possible.

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at the cola.

‘It’s interesting.’

Even with the power to overturn the world, he couldn’t make something as simple as dissolving carbon dioxide in sugar water. If he had even a little bit of chemical or practical knowledge, he might have been able to try, but it was impossible for Kang Jin-ho at the time.

Because there was no channel to gain knowledge like in this world.

In that sense, this cola was a symbol of the modern world for Kang Jin-ho, and an object that symbolized the fact that there was a clear limit to what could be done with martial arts alone.

‘It’s probably the same now.’

He was doing his best to regain his past power, and he was also developing the Assembly to fill the gaps that were lacking.

But he shouldn’t forget.

There were definitely things that Kang Jin-ho’s power and the Assembly’s strength couldn’t do. The moment he tried to force something that was beyond that line, the downfall of Kang Jin-ho and the Assembly would begin.

Then…

Where was the line that Kang Jin-ho had to protect now?

“Sir.”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head.

“We will be arriving at the airport soon. Shall I clear this away?”

“Ah, just a moment.”

Kang Jin-ho neatly downed the cola in his glass and placed it on the table.

“Please.”

“Yes. Excuse me.”

The flight attendant, having collected the snacks and glasses, pushed the cart away.

‘That was fast.’

It only took two hours to travel from Incheon to Beijing. It was an unimaginable speed in the past.

The world was increasingly not tolerating the existence of martial artists.

What only they could do was gradually disappearing, and the things they couldn’t do were increasing.

Kang Jin-ho suddenly had such thoughts.

His past power.

Was there a reason why Kang Jin-ho, who possessed the legacy of the era when martial arts reached its peak, came to this world?

He didn’t believe in gods.

He didn’t believe in the laws of the world either.

But Kang Jin-ho had already experienced things that humans shouldn’t have experienced.

‘It’s difficult.’

Kang Jin-ho shook his head to clear his mind.

He didn’t need to think too deeply about it now. He had things to do now.

If he didn’t miss the things he had to do and carried them out, he might one day reach the things he was curious about.

Seeing the seatbelt sign light up, Kang Jin-ho fastened his seatbelt without a word.

‘China, huh.’

Kang Jin-ho calmed the corners of his mouth that were rising on their own and quietly closed his eyes.

But the tips of his fingers had been twitching on their own since a while ago.