Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1823

“Finding returnees… That’s an idea I hadn’t considered.”

“Wait a minute. Returnees aren’t that common, are they…?”

Lee Hyun-soo began to speak, looking like he didn’t understand, but Wee-gins shook his head.

“This isn’t a matter of logic, but of possibility. So, can you think of another situation?”

“That’s….”

Lee Hyun-soo closed his mouth.

If they thought as Wee-gins said, all the problems that had been bothering them would be solved. It meant that the justification they had forced to fit, which they couldn’t understand, would be resolved.

“We don’t know if it’s possible or not. But what if it is possible?”

“Well…”

Lee Hyun-soo spat out the words with a disgusted look.

“We need to start by changing our thinking that there are only three at the Three Kings level.”

Wee-gins nodded heavily.

Those who had been listening to their conversation with bewildered faces were startled and spoke up.

“W-what are you talking about? That there aren’t three at the Three Kings level?”

“…It’s exactly as it sounds.”

Wee-gins groaned in response to Bang Jin-hoon’s question.

“Instead of gathering those with outstanding talent, if we gather those who have already reached that level… there’s no need to fret about the limits of talent.”

“…What does that mean?”

“If you were reborn in another young body with your current knowledge and experience, wouldn’t you be able to become as strong as you are now?”

“…That’s a piece of cake. I could train efficiently without going through any of the trial and error I’ve repeated so far.”

“That’s what I mean.”

Wee-gins spat out the words.

“From the start, there was no need to find a method.”

His gaze turned to Kang Jin-ho.

Here was the living proof.

Kang Jin-ho had only returned to this body for a little over a decade, but he had quickly caught up to the level he had achieved in his entire previous life.

That’s what it’s like to walk a path you’ve already walked once.

It’s like someone who had been groping their way through a dark path, now holding a lantern and walking the same path again.

“That’s…”

Bang Jin-hoon, realizing the seriousness of the situation, closed his mouth, and this time, Bator opened his mouth.

“But martial artists at the Three Kings level aren’t that easy to come by.”

“Of course. There might be only one in a generation. Just like the Elder Knights of the Round Table in the past [a legendary group of knights in Arthurian legend].”

Wee-gins swallowed hard and continued.

“But there’s no need to specifically look for those at the Three Kings level. What do you think will happen to the Lord after a hundred years?”

At those words, everyone’s gaze turned to Kang Jin-ho.

It was hard to imagine.

Kang Jin-ho was already a formidable force, hard to find an equal. If such a person continued to train diligently for a hundred years without losing their ambition?

Perhaps they would surpass the realm of martial arts that they imagined?

“They already had a hundred years. The difference between leading someone with outstanding talent to the pinnacle of martial arts and leading someone who is already near that point is something that doesn’t need to be explained.”

Wee-gins gave a bitter smile.

‘How ironic.’

It was terribly ironic. The more he explained, the more the twisted sense of incongruity shook him.

‘Isn’t this like the story of us and the Lord after a hundred years?’

Of course, they were not returnees, and they had never reached the pinnacle in the past.

But it was certainly similar that Kang Jin-ho, a returnee, was pulling them, who had established their own domains in their respective fields, to a higher place.

Think about it.

Could the current them stop Kang Jin-ho after a hundred years and the board members after a hundred years?

This was a question that even a three-year-old could easily answer.

“I’m sure of one thing.”

Wee-gins looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“I don’t know who influenced whom, but the Lord and the Black King are somewhat similar. The way they lead themselves, and even the way they lead those around them.”

“Until now, we have been maximizing the advantages of the Lord being a returnee.”

“What advantages?”

“There are many. Experience in martial arts, high skill, and the flood of secret manuals.”

“…Now that I hear it, that’s true.”

Wee-gins stroked his chin.

“The enemies we have to face this time… no, it’s not certain that they are enemies yet, but anyway, the opponents we need to be wary of this time are using the advantages we had over other forces to pressure us.”

Everyone’s faces became serious.

“It won’t be easy. No, honestly, it’s hard to even gauge how strong they are. How much power they possess.”

Wee-gins turned to Kang Jin-ho and said,

“Lord.”

“Hmm?”

“If they don’t try to antagonize us, we shouldn’t fight them right now.”

Jang Min, hearing those words, roared with an angry face.

“What nonsense is that! How dare you speak to the Demon Lord like that!”

“Please calm down, Elder! It’s not about bowing our heads and admitting defeat. Isn’t it also a strategy to retreat when you know it’s not the right time?”

Wee-gins continued without giving anyone a chance to speak.

“It’s not now. Right now, we absolutely lack the means to deal with the strong. The strategy that Chief Lee has devised is the best we can do right now. But how many can we deal with like that?”

“Three. No, two! If there are just two more than we expected, we’ll be helpless. This is not something to judge emotionally.”

“Wee-gins.”

“Chairman, this is…”

*Snap!*

Kang Jin-ho lightly snapped his fingers.

As if coming to his senses at the sound, Wee-gins shut his mouth.

“Calm down.”

“…I apologize.”

Wee-gins had never lost his composure, no matter what crisis had come. The fact that such a person was this agitated made the watching board members feel a lot.

“And…”

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

“Can we really decide that as we please?”

“Yes? The Black King…”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“If the Blue Horse [a reference to the Black King] could completely control everyone, that guy wouldn’t have shown up in front of me this time.”

“At the very least, the order not to come near this place isn’t working.”

Wee-gins’ face hardened.

‘There’s that problem too.’

If the Black King had taught everyone from the beginning and led them to this point, they wouldn’t dare disobey the Black King’s words. That’s a relationship like a teacher and a student.

But if, as he guessed, he had only helped those who had already established themselves to regain their martial prowess, then his influence might not be as high as he thought.

That means….

“Maybe that guy will soon be in front of us…” Kang Jin-ho stopped talking. The cigarette in his mouth tilted slightly downward.

Kang Jin-ho, with a blank face, slowly turned his head to one side.

The front window.

The window that showed the front of the general meeting.

“…You said we’d see them soon.”

The filter of the cigarette in his mouth was chewed.

“I didn’t expect it to be this fast.”

“Yes?”

“Prepare.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly got up.

“It seems we have a guest.”

*Thud.*

Baek Yeon-hong, having closed the car door, opened the trunk. Then, he took out a long sword from inside and strapped it to his waist.

“No…”

Kwak So, who had gotten out of the driver’s seat, looked like he was about to die.

“I told you we could just ram them on the way home.”

“We can’t use such methods to deal with just one demon. Haven’t you heard of the saying, ‘A gentleman walks the great path’?”

“That’s what a gentleman would say.”

Kwak So sighed deeply.

His ancestor’s head had no concept of an easy path. If he had to fight someone, he believed that the only way was to just cut their neck in a straight line, no matter what was in front of him.

The biggest problem was that this ridiculous method worked.

“You’re usually quick-tempered, but isn’t this too much this time? It’s only been a day.”

“There’s no point in dragging it out. What if the Black King comes after another day?”

“You seem scared?”

“It’s not that I’m scared, it’s that I’m disappointed. If that happens, I’ll be dragged to China without even getting to cross swords.”

Baek Yeon-hong, having tapped the sword at his waist, turned around.

“Go somewhere and rest. I’ll finish this quickly and come back.”

“I don’t have anything else to do, so I’ll go with you.”

“It’ll be dangerous?”

“When has there ever been an enemy that wasn’t dangerous?”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Baek Yeon-hong nodded slightly, looking at the uphill road ahead.

“It’s on a hill… They have a sense of style.”

“It’s just high…”

“Shut up.”

Baek Yeon-hong started walking up the hill, swinging his arms.

“It’s clever.”

They had planted trees densely on the left and right, so the path itself was not easily visible unless you were deliberately looking for it. Moreover, the entrance was deliberately not paved, making it look like a small path leading into the mountains to anyone who saw it.

As Baek Yeon-hong leisurely climbed the hill, he saw a neatly paved asphalt road and a vehicle barrier in the center.

“Hmm?”

The guard who was on duty at the guardhouse next to the barrier frowned and looked at the person coming up the road.

“Why?”

“Someone’s coming?”

“Send them back. They’re probably just here to pick acorns.”

“No. They’re wearing a suit?”

“Huh?”

The person who had glanced down frowned and stepped out of the guardhouse.

“How did you get here?”

“Hmm?”

The man in the pure white suit smiled and looked at the guard who had come out of the guardhouse.

“I’m trying to go up a bit.”

“This is private property. I’m sorry, but if you haven’t contacted us in advance, you can’t visit, so I would appreciate it if you would go back.”

“You’re polite.”

The man, Baek Yeon-hong, smiled.

“But I’ve already contacted them.”

“Yes? Who…”

“Kang Jin-ho. Your chairman, or whatever you call him? The Venerable One? Or maybe the Demon King?”

At the mention of Kang Jin-ho’s name, tension appeared on the guards’ faces.

“Are you a guest of the Chairman? We haven’t received any notice that anyone would be visiting… I’ll check right away. Please wait a moment.”

“Rather…”

“Yes?”

“You don’t seem to be demons? The energy flowing through your bodies isn’t demonic, but righteous.”

The guard, not knowing what was going on, slightly distanced himself from Baek Yeon-hong.

“That’s strange.”

“What’s strange about it, when even the Sword Saint is working under a demon?”

“…That’s true.”

Baek Yeon-hong shrugged slightly and smiled brightly as he watched them retreat.

“Be glad you haven’t learned demonic arts. I still have some mercy left for those who walk the same path as me.”

Then….

*Swoosh.*

A small….

A very small sound, so faint that it wouldn’t be heard unless you were listening carefully, echoed.

“What sound…”

The eyes of those who had been watching Baek Yeon-hong with suspicion momentarily glazed over.

*Thud, thud.*

The two people fell to the ground without resisting.

“Did you kill them?”

“I just knocked them out.”

Baek Yeon-hong smiled and moved his feet.

“The skills of your subordinates are a bit disappointing. I can’t even give them a proper greeting.”

His gaze turned to the guardhouse in the middle of the road.

“So, I’ll have to give a proper greeting, right?”

*Whoosh.*

A black and white energy gathered in his hand, then began to swirl in an instant.

*KWA-A-A-A-A-ANG!*

One strike.

The strike he unleashed blew away the guardhouse and flipped over all the asphalt on the ground.

“Let’s go.”

A bitter smile appeared on Baek Yeon-hong’s lips.

“I’ve stirred up the hornet’s nest, so now the hornets will come out.”

“You always have such bad taste.”

Baek Yeon-hong, with his hands behind his back, began to walk up the hill.