Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1735

“Then, I’ll be off.”

“Alright, be careful on your way.”

“Oppa, bring me back a present!”

“You’re always asking for presents whenever someone goes somewhere!”

Baek Hyun-jung frowned at Kang Eun-young before turning to Kang Jin-ho and asking,

“Don’t you need to pack? You’re going overseas, after all.”

“It’s okay. I’ll buy what I need there. It’s inconvenient to have too much luggage.”

“Still, you should pack the essentials.”

“They’re at the company. I’ll be leaving straight from there.”

Only then did Baek Hyun-jung nod.

“Okay. That place is half your home anyway.” Kang Jin-ho smiled.

He was old enough now, but it seemed Baek Hyun-jung still worried about him.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho left the house, receiving their farewells. The dog was still growling at him, but that was nothing.

Kang Jin-ho went to the garage, opened the car door, and started the engine.

*Vroom, vroom!*

The escalating engine sound pounded in Kang Jin-ho’s heart.

However, Kang Jin-ho didn’t leave right away. Instead, he leaned back in the car seat and closed his eyes.

*‘How is it?’*

What was his current state?

Kang Jin-ho opened his eyes.

Then, he stepped on the gas with a light heart. Kang Jin-ho’s sports car left the garage and began speeding down the road.

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes twitched subtly.

“You dare show your face. I’ll give you credit for your courage.”

“Showing up on the morning of the day, I’d have no excuse even if my head was chopped off.”

Kang Jin-ho coughed awkwardly and rubbed his neck.

“Don’t try to sweet-talk me, you!”

“Haha…”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Kang Jin-ho with a displeased expression.

“What good thing did you expect to hear by coming here this morning?”

“I didn’t come to hear anything good, but I was a little worried about the aftermath…”

“Then that’s enough.”

“Huh?”

Choi Yeon-ha shrugged.

“Saying you’re worried about the aftermath means you’ll get an earful when you come back, right? That means you’re confident you’ll return.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if it were obvious.

“Of course.”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Kang Jin-ho with a slightly sulky expression.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Huh?”

“The orphanage can manage fine without you now. I can handle it. Well, I might fumble a bit, but it’ll be resolved soon enough.”

“As for Eun-young, she’s under our management anyway, so I’ll take good care of her. And I’ll look after your parents, so don’t worry.”

“…What are you talking about?”

Choi Yeon-ha shrugged.

“Usually, you’re the one who should be asking me to do that, but I’m offering first. So, don’t worry and go.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“That’s…”

“The company will manage somehow with Hyun-joo there. And I’ll help too. I don’t know if it’ll be helpful, but isn’t it important to have someone by your side?”

“…I guess so.”

Choi Yeon-ha kept cutting him off before Kang Jin-ho could say anything.

“So…”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Kang Jin-ho with a determined gaze.

“Take care of yourself and do well.”

“I don’t want to say cliché things like ‘come back healthy’ or ‘just come back no matter what,’ so just do well, okay?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Of course.”

Choi Yeon-ha strode towards Kang Jin-ho.

“…Why?”

“In movies, they usually have a tearful kiss at times like this. How about it? Will you do it?”

“W-Well, this isn’t a movie…”

“What’s so special about movies? Movies are just an extension of reality. Come here, let’s have a passionate one…”

*No, how did this person become like this?*

When they first met, she had a somewhat shady side, but she still tried to give off a pure vibe!

“Just stay still. I’ll take care of it.”

“Please don’t say things that people might misunderstand…”

“What misunderstanding?”

Choi Yeon-ha pulled Kang Jin-ho close. Then, she lightly touched her lips to his and pulled away.

“A little lacking.”

“I’ll let it slide. We’ll do it properly when I get back, okay?”

“Thank you.”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Kang Jin-ho with a faint smile.

“You know I’m trying really hard right now, right?”

“Please come back.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho reached out and pulled Choi Yeon-ha into a hug. After hugging her tightly, Kang Jin-ho waved and walked away from Choi Yeon-ha.

“I’ll buy you a present.”

“…He’s hopeless, really.”

Choi Yeon-ha shook her head, watching Kang Jin-ho walk away with a bright smile.

“You little jerk.”

Why does he always leave with that smile?

It’s as if Choi Yeon-ha had been holding him back from having fun all this time.

“Ugh.”

Choi Yeon-ha sighed.

They say men are like kids no matter how old they get, but who knew he’d be like this even at his age?

“Acting like a kid even when he’s old!”

“…Still, old people are more romantic than young people.”

“You scared me!”

Choi Yeon-ha turned her head sharply and looked at Lee Hyun-joo, who was approaching her.

“How long have you been watching?”

“I saw the kiss, so don’t worry about it.”

*She’s so straightforward.*

“…Even someone who I suspected was an inanimate object because he was so blunt came to see his girlfriend on the morning of the day, but this jerk…”

Lee Hyun-joo gritted her teeth.

Choi Yeon-ha, noticing Lee Hyun-joo’s expression, lowered her voice and said,

“…He didn’t come?”

“He called.”

“To tell you not to worry?”

“No. He said that they might need support supplies in the middle of their trip, so we should secure them in advance and answer the phone right away.”

*That’s really hopeless.*

Isn’t he afraid of the aftermath?

“I really want to…”

“Uh… Hyun-joo.”

“Yes.”

“If Hyun-joo and Hyun-soo fought, who would win?”

“I can separate his bones and flesh in three seconds.”

*I’ve got to look at Lee Hyun-soo in a new light. He’s a very courageous person.*

“Anyway, all men are the same.”

“Oh, my man is a little better?”

“Don’t hit him.”

“I won’t hit him!”

Lee Hyun-joo sighed and looked at Kang Jin-ho’s car, which had entered the road.

“Just come back safely, just safely.”

The two of them quietly watched until Kang Jin-ho’s car completely disappeared from their sight.

Kang Jin-ho’s car entered the main headquarters. *Vroom, vroom.*

Contrary to the expectation that it would be very chaotic, the headquarters was rather quiet. No, it was so quiet that not even an ant could be seen.

“Hmm?”

Kang Jin-ho glanced around.

*Did they move out first?*

The parking lot he saw on the way up clearly had cars. That meant there were people there…

Kang Jin-ho parked his car at the end of the training grounds and headed towards the main building.

The main building was also quiet, but the offices were packed with people. However, unlike the usual noisy atmosphere, everyone was silent.

*‘Is it the pressure?’*

They also understood that they were now starting a battle of no return.

Kang Jin-ho went up the stairs and arrived at the council chamber, opening the door and entering.

Inside, Lee Hyun-soo and the directors were waiting for Kang Jin-ho.

“Welcome.”

“We greet the Demon Lord.”

The directors’ faces also looked a little stiff, unlike usual.

Kang Jin-ho walked to the center and sat on the sofa at the head of the table. He looked at the people sitting on either side of him and opened his mouth.

“Are the preparations done?”

“Everything is finished.”

“I don’t see the members?”

“They are waiting at their residences.”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“The preparations were completed faster than expected, so I thought it would be better for them to wait in the dorms rather than tiring them out by having them line up.”

“Good job.”

It was definitely better than wasting energy unnecessarily.

In the past, Kang Jin-ho had to boost everyone’s morale before setting out, and he also needed to forcefully drag them along, but not anymore.

The members of the main headquarters now perfectly understood what they had to do. No one was left who would be afraid of fighting against a strong enemy.

“What about the others?”

“The government has completed its preparations and is waiting for our signal. Including the ships prepared to deceive the enemy, a total of twenty-two ships are anchored in the West Sea.”

Wee-gins added.

“They will also depart from the South Sea. Of course, they won’t be fooled, but they won’t be able to ignore it.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“And that fact has already been leaked to the Changwang Realm, right?”

“Of course. But even if they know, there’s nothing they can do.”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his cheek.

*‘It’s so different from the past.’* In the past, the wars between martial artists were about predicting the enemy’s surprise attacks and figuring out where they were.

But that era was over. No matter how much you try to deceive the enemy, information spreads in real-time, and no matter how much you try to hide your route, satellites are watching from above.

In the end, they had no choice but to move while knowing each other’s positions.

“From now on, the main headquarters will enter a state of emergency. Those who are not going to the battlefield will analyze the information coming from the government and other places here and relay it to me and Director Wee-gins.”

“So, this place is also fighting.”

“Everyone is fighting.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded heavily.

“Good. Then, when do we depart?”

“In the traditional way, we will move when the sun sets.”

Kang Jin-ho glanced at his watch.

*‘It’s one o’clock.’*

There were about six hours left until sunset. Then, from now on, he had to fight against the boredom.

“Let’s do one last check. In all directions.”

Wee-gins spoke first.

“The magic unit has completed its preparations. And the Round Table is also fully prepared for cooperation. We will check one more time before departure.”

Bator frowned.

“The Mongolian government seems to have completely turned its back. But the warriors of the steppe still follow me. They are not a problem.”

“Double-check.”

“Understood, Master.”

Jang Min looked at Kang Jin-ho with a serious gaze.

“The followers are ready to risk their lives at any time. Please do not doubt their faith.”

“What about the Japanese side?”

“They will also join us.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Jang Min quietly and smiled.

“Good.”

He didn’t need to tell others to check, but he didn’t need to tell this veteran martial artist.

Just as Jang Min trusted Kang Jin-ho, Kang Jin-ho also trusted Jang Min.

And…

“Ah, I’m not done yet.”

Bang Jin-hoon scratched his head and nervously tapped on his phone.

“No, how can I handle this when there are so many people? Why do these guys go to the bathroom so often? I can’t finish the headcount! Ah, really!”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

*‘Sorry, Director Bang.’*

No matter how much the others had suffered, no one had suffered as much as Bang Jin-hoon.

If there was anyone, it would be just one person.

“All external coordination is complete. We have also established a hotline with the Hongwang Realm. The communication side is connected to the satellite and has been checked. If there is jamming, there is no answer, but in other situations, we can receive information.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded at Lee Hyun-soo’s report.

“Then…”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked at the window where the sunlight was shining.

“We’ll start when it gets dark.”

A war that might change the world.