Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1708

“Cough.”

Wang Yan-hong coughed weakly.

‘What the hell did they do to my body?’

Wang Yan-hong couldn’t understand the situation he was in.

Kang Jin-ho hadn’t exactly restrained him. If the situation were reversed, Wang Yan-hong would have naturally crushed his dantian [energy center] and severed his limbs. A martial artist who had reached a certain level was that dangerous.

However, Kang Jin-ho hadn’t destroyed his dantian, nor had he touched his muscles. He had simply confined him in this place.

But that fact made Wang Yan-hong even more afraid.

‘Why can’t I escape? Why?’ He knew.

This was a kind of sorcery. Perhaps he had been given a specific suggestion.

But even so, what he couldn’t understand was…

‘Is it even possible to give such a powerful suggestion even when the person isn’t present?’

An overwhelming fear washed over him.

The Demon King he knew was, in the truest sense, the embodiment of power. An absolute being of violence who crushed his opponents with overwhelming strength and martial prowess.

But how was he supposed to accept the reality that this Demon King was using a level of soul-binding magic he had never experienced before?

“You seem confused.”

Wang Yan-hong raised his head with trembling eyes.

He saw Lee Hyun-soo.

Wang Yan-hong couldn’t grasp how to accept this situation.

The reason he came to Korea was to kill Lee Hyun-soo. If he could just put his finger on that weakling’s neck, breaking it would be too easy.

But even though he was looking at Lee Hyun-soo right in front of him, Wang Yan-hong couldn’t do anything.

How was this even possible?

“You seem confused.”

Lee Hyun-soo spoke leisurely to Wang Yan-hong, who was staring at him with bloodshot eyes.

However, unlike his slow and relaxed tone, Lee Hyun-soo’s gaze was not gentle.

Lee Hyun-soo took out a cigarette. Before lighting it, he glanced at Wang Yan-hong.

“Want a smoke?”

Wang Yan-hong bared his teeth.

“Kill me.”

“Geez.”

Lee Hyun-soo lit his cigarette and chuckled. Smoke slowly flowed out with his laughter.

“I thought the strategist of the Chang Clan would have some brains, but you’re just spouting nonsense.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Do you think… I’d kill you that easily?”

Lee Hyun-soo’s lips twisted.

“Even if we ignore all the other reasons, you’re the guy who tried to kill me.”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled softly.

Listening to his laughter, Wang Yan-hong’s face slowly contorted.

“…If it weren’t for this damn brainwashing, I would have skinned you alive.”

“That’s a cruel thing to say. But whatever, I’ll take it. If that’s what you want.”

Lee Hyun-soo grinned.

“So, don’t get so worked up and let’s have a calm conversation. If you learned anything from the Chang Clan, you should know that blind faith isn’t a good choice.”

“Kill me.”

“…You’re impossible to talk to.”

Lee Hyun-soo took a deep drag of his cigarette. Then, with a cold face, he looked at Wang Yan-hong.

“Hey.”

“I get it, more or less. You probably weren’t an easy guy either. Maybe you’ve tortured and killed more than a hundred people with your own hands.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Well…”

Lee Hyun-soo leaned back in his chair and looked at Wang Yan-hong with indifferent eyes.

“What do I look like to you? A pushover who’ll die if you ask? A moron who can’t even open his mouth no matter how much you scream?”

“You know that’s not true.”

Lee Hyun-soo slowly exhaled cigarette smoke.

“It’s too easy to prove what I am. In just five minutes, I can make you understand exactly what kind of person I am. And right now, I’m more motivated than usual.”

Wang Yan-hong bit his lip.

He knew.

What kind of person Lee Hyun-soo was.

Wang Yan-hong wasn’t stupid enough to set out to assassinate someone without investigating them. That’s why he knew better than anyone how cruel and terrible Lee Hyun-soo was.

No.

What did any of that matter?

The fact that the Chang Clan had ordered him to kill Lee Hyun-soo by any means necessary was enough. In another sense, it was the most perfect recognition.

The person who received the Chang Clan’s recognition couldn’t be a pushover.

“But do you know why I’m holding back right now?”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled faintly.

“It’s because I’m not very calm right now. If I start acting carelessly, I won’t be able to stop at a reasonable level.”

Lee Hyun-soo got up from his seat.

Then, he slowly approached Wang Yan-hong and put a cigarette in his mouth.

Click.

The end of the cigarette Wang Yan-hong was holding lit up. Wang Yan-hong took a deep breath and lightly sucked on the cigarette in his mouth.

“So, let’s do this nicely. You can die comfortably, and I don’t have to cause an accident. That’s what you call a win-win.”

“…Not ‘I’ll let you live,’ but ‘you’ll die comfortably’?”

“Why? Did you think you could live?”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

“Should I let you live?”

“I might let you live if you answer well. If you tell me everything you know about the Chang Clan. I’m even curious about that guy’s underwear size.”

“Heh heh heh.”

Wang Yan-hong chuckled, then glared at Lee Hyun-soo with bloodshot eyes.

“Thank Kang Jin-ho, Lee Hyun-soo. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t dare to talk to me like this.”

“Thank him? Oh, you mean the soul-binding? Yeah, I’m always grateful. It’s such a convenient tool.”

“You’re so good at doing such wicked things.”

At those words, Lee Hyun-soo wore a subtle sneer.

“Did you say I should be grateful?”

“Yes. If it weren’t for this damn soul-binding…”

“Did you say I should be grateful?”

The tone in Lee Hyun-soo’s voice gradually disappeared. Instead, a strange, eerie resonance that made one shudder just by listening to it began to mix in.

“No, no. Wang Yan-hong, you seem to be greatly mistaken. The one who should be grateful for this ridiculous soul-binding isn’t me, but you.”

“…What?”

At that moment, Lee Hyun-soo kicked Wang Yan-hong’s face.

Thud!

Wang Yan-hong’s body flew into the air, hit the wall, and crashed to the floor.

“Ugh…”

It was an obvious move, but he couldn’t avoid it.

Wang Yan-hong groaned at this inexplicable phenomenon.

“You stupid bastard.”

Lee Hyun-soo strode towards Wang Yan-hong, grabbed his hair, and pulled him up.

Lee Hyun-soo glared at Wang Yan-hong with gleaming eyes.

“If it weren’t for this soul-binding, you would have been a piece of meat barely clinging to life right now. Your muscles would have been cut into twelve pieces, and a red-hot iron rod would have been shoved into your dantian. I would have poured hydrochloric acid down your spine and gouged out your eyes. All I need is your mouth.”

“Be grateful to the Guild Master. Thanks to him, at least your corpse will be three times more intact.”

Wang Yan-hong’s body trembled.

This was neither a threat nor anything else. There was genuine pity on Lee Hyun-soo’s face. This guy was really regretting that he couldn’t dismantle him.

“You know, I want you to open your mouth and tell me everything right now. But on the other hand… I also have a strong desire for you not to say anything. You know why?”

He didn’t want to answer.

But Wang Yan-hong’s mouth was already opening before he was even aware of it.

“…Because I can play with you as much as I want.”

“You know me well. I’ll give you a compliment, kid.”

Lee Hyun-soo tapped Wang Yan-hong’s cheek.

“Now, choose. Will you talk, or will you not talk?”

Wang Yan-hong closed his eyes tightly without answering.

Lee Hyun-soo stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

“I knew it.”

Lee Hyun-soo let go of Wang Yan-hong’s hair and turned around. Then, he threw the cigarette he was holding into the corner.

“Shall I tell you an interesting story?”

Wang Yan-hong instinctively knew that he shouldn’t listen to those words. But he couldn’t cover his ears.

Even at the moment of death, humans can’t abandon their curiosity.

“You’ve already been affected by the Guild Master’s soul-binding. That means two things.”

Lee Hyun-soo lightly waved his fingers left and right.

“One is that your mind has already been broken once. They say that soul-binding doesn’t work on those with a strong will. But you’ve already put yourself in front of pain once. In other words, you’re a human who can be tortured.”

“Bull, bullshit!”

“No, not yet, Wang Yan-hong. The really interesting thing is the second meaning.”

Lee Hyun-soo opened the button of his suit jacket. Then, he took out a dagger, slightly longer than his palm, from inside his clothes.

Lee Hyun-soo lightly stabbed his own neck with the dagger he had drawn. Even a slight touch caused his skin to split and blood to trickle down his neck.

“Think about it. You’ve already been affected by the soul-binding. You can’t escape from here, and you can’t attack me. Do you know what that means?”

“The Guild Master can now open your mouth with just a glance. If the Guild Master orders you to say everything he knows, you’ll have no choice but to answer.”

Wang Yan-hong’s eyes wavered.

Was that even possible?

No…

He had already experienced the impossible enough. It was ridiculous to discuss the impossible now.

“But the Guild Master entrusted you to me. Do you know what that means?”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled and slowly walked towards Wang Yan-hong.

Seeing the smile on his lips, Wang Yan-hong’s body temperature began to drop.

“Your biggest misfortune is that you can’t die. The Guild Master didn’t allow you to die. So, let’s play together from now on. I’m curious too, how much you can endure.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes drew a gentle curve.

Wang Yan-hong’s jaw began to tremble involuntarily.

This guy was strange.

He had seen countless insane people before, but this guy was different from them.

He wasn’t violent or consumed by madness.

It was as if…

It was as if some part of his mind was broken.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Lee Hyun-soo grinned.

“It’s funny, but martial artists who think they’re strong tend to believe that their mental strength is proportional to their martial prowess. But you know…”

“At least from what I’ve seen, martial prowess and mental strength have nothing to do with each other. None of the guys who were caught by me were weak… Shall I tell you what they said as they were dying?”

“Y-you crazy bastard…”

“Good, that’s the reaction I wanted.”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled and grabbed Wang Yan-hong’s foot.

“I hope you can prove it. That martial artists have strong mental fortitude.”

Lee Hyun-soo winked at Wang Yan-hong and began to take off his shoes.