Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1966

Kang Jin-ho, who had been walking slowly, stepped into a designated smoking area by the side of the road.

It wasn’t a long distance, so there was no real need to stop for a cigarette. Yet, he sat down inside because his heart felt inexplicably heavy.

The streets looked no different.

The people passing by were the same as before the existence of the Murim [martial arts world] was known.

Yet, to Kang Jin-ho’s eyes, they didn’t look the same.

No.

Perhaps it wasn’t them that had changed, but Kang Jin-ho’s own heart.

It was like…

‘It feels like I’m walking around naked.’

He had never cared about the gazes of others while walking the streets. He was not the type to pay attention to others.

But today was different.

Every time a casual glance landed on him, he couldn’t help but flinch. He worried that their gazes might not be as indifferent as before.

He worried that their gazes might be searching for beings different from them.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho lit the cigarette he had taken out.

It was a funny thing.

Even the most potent poison that could kill an elephant was detoxified the moment it entered Kang Jin-ho’s body. It was impossible for nicotine to affect his brain.

Yet, he habitually reached for a cigarette.

Perhaps what he sought was just solace.

“Ugh, it’s cold!”

“It was warm for a few days!”

Two young men hurried into the smoking area and quickly lit their cigarettes.

“Why is the smoking area so far away? They should at least put up higher walls.”

“Don’t complain. We’re still relatively close. People who come to smoke from across the street would curse if they heard you.”

“I should quit, ugh.”

The men who had lit their cigarettes glanced around.

“Aren’t those people cold?”

“Of course they’re cold. It suddenly got cold, so they probably didn’t bring thick clothes.”

“Maybe, who knows, maybe they’re one of them.”

One of the men chuckled.

“You know, those supermen. The ones who fly around in the sky.”

“Aren’t they cold either?”

“They’re probably much better off than us, right?”

“…I’m jealous.”

“Jealous? They’re not even human.”

There was a strange mix of annoyance and anger in the man’s voice.

“I don’t know what those congressmen are doing. If something like this happened, they should apologize quickly and make a law to isolate those bastards.”

“Would they be isolated? They haven’t committed any crimes, have they?”

“What about us? What did we do to have to live face-to-face with those guys? If you get into a fight at a bar and the other person is one of them, you’re done for.”

“That’s true…”

“Damn it.”

The man flicked his cigarette ash, looking annoyed.

“What is the country supposed to do? Isn’t it supposed to protect the safety of its citizens? If they leave those human weapons wandering the streets, it’s dereliction of duty.”

“…They’re citizens too.”

“Citizens my ass. They don’t even seem to pay their taxes properly. What kind of citizens are they? And… even if they are citizens, aren’t there far more ordinary people?”

The man, chewing on his cigarette filter, frowned and continued.

“Anyway, just watch. If they don’t come up with proper measures this time, they’ll have to accept the change of government. People are in an uproar right now.”

“What kind of solution could there be? Other countries haven’t come up with any solutions either.”

“Then their governments will change too.”

The man chuckled and said.

“Just watch. In any country, the next election will be swept by those who propose strong measures.”

“You know, to be honest, what good is the economy or anything else if you’re not alive? Until now, I liked the guys who made money or gave good welfare. Because my life wasn’t in danger.”

“That’s right.”

“But after experiencing this, I realized that’s not it. First, I have to be safe to have welfare and money.”

The man listening nodded. He seemed to agree with this.

“I wish they would just mobilize the army and shoot them all dead.”

“Watch your mouth.”

“Why?”

“We don’t know if there’s someone like that in our company. What if they get offended and attack us? The police can’t stop them.”

“Damn it, this is so messed up… What did I do to have to live with monsters?”

The men quickly finished their cigarettes, shivered, and left the smoking area.

“Hoo.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly exhaled the cigarette smoke.

‘They’re not entirely wrong.’

From Kang Jin-ho’s perspective, their words were harsh. Since he became the head of the General Assembly, he had been trying his best to minimize the harm the Murim caused to ordinary people.

Those with power had been avoiding ordinary people.

But…

If Kang Jin-ho were an ordinary person, he wouldn’t think much differently from them. The thought that a being you can’t resist might ruin your life at any moment makes people anxious.

Worldwide, thousands of people die in car accidents every day. Even in Korea, nearly a hundred people die every day.

But few people avoid cars to avoid accidents. Because they believe they can control the accident situation.

On the other hand, the number of airplane deaths is at most a few hundred a year, and if you break it down to a daily average, it’s barely one person a day. But when an airplane accident occurs, the number of airplane users plummets worldwide.

The level of danger people feel is not rational. They don’t feel much danger about things they believe they can control, but they are terrified of things they feel they cannot control.

The temperature is rising.

The scene before his eyes wasn’t much different, but the world was clearly heating up, unlike what it seemed.

“Hoo.”

The cigarette tasted bitter.

Especially today.

“Hold on.”

The guards standing at the door blocked Kang Jin-ho.

“We will conduct a body search.”

The guards’ eyes were firm.

This had never happened before. Yet, for them to act like this…

“Don’t be rude!”

Then, a loud voice came from inside, and the door burst open.

The Prime Minister, Go Han-bong, appeared, glaring at the guards with a frown.

“Doing things you weren’t ordered to do.”

“…We apologize.”

Go Han-bong bowed deeply to Kang Jin-ho.

“I apologize, Assembly Head. It seems the guards were overzealous. Please forgive them with a generous heart.”

“It’s alright.”

“Thank you for understanding, Assembly Head. Please come inside.”

Kang Jin-ho followed Go Han-bong inside.

“This way.”

“Yes.”

As Kang Jin-ho sat down, Go Han-bong, sitting across from him, opened his mouth with an awkward expression.

“I apologize. Security has been tightened these days…”

“I understand. I would have done the same.”

This wasn’t just a polite remark.

Those who were most on edge right now were the guards.

For those who didn’t know about the existence of the Murim, they had to re-establish the ABCs of security, and even those who knew about the Murim couldn’t possibly provide the same level of security as before.

They didn’t know when someone who agreed with the Black King’s ideas might appear, and regardless, there could be anyone who would show aggression in this twisted situation.

“The meal…”

“It’s alright.”

Go Han-bong smiled.

“Then, how about some tea? I know you’re sensitive to coffee, Assembly Head, but it’s better than water.”

“Yes, thank you.”

At Go Han-bong’s words, the secretary who had been waiting went outside. Then, as if prepared in advance, coffee was quickly brought in.

“Don’t let anyone in.”

“Yes, Prime Minister.”

The secretary nodded and went out, closing the door firmly.

Go Han-bong picked up the coffee in front of him, took a sip, and smiled.

“When I heard that you had entered Korea, Assembly Head, I wanted to drop everything and rush over… but the situation is so chaotic that it took some time to make time. Please understand that I came without scheduling an appointment in advance.”

“Don’t worry about it. Things are surprisingly slow on this side.”

“Is that so?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Internal control comes first, after all.”

“Hmm, I suppose so.”

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Go Han-bong and opened his mouth.

“How is the situation?”

Go Han-bong took a sip of his coffee without a word. He seemed to be wondering what to say first.

“…It’s not good.”

Go Han-bong sighed deeply.

“Each country is trying to come up with measures to resolve this situation, but they haven’t found a solution.”

“Is there no solution at all?”

“There are a few things being considered. Discussions are being held on methods such as neutralizing them through a preemptive strike or disabling the base’s launch function itself through EMP [electromagnetic pulse]… but as you know, this is a very sensitive matter, Assembly Head.”

“…I suppose so.”

There were many things that could be tried.

But none of them were without risk. If even one in a thousand or ten thousand of those risks became a reality, the world would turn into hell.

No one wanted to take such a gamble.

“As the discussion drags on, the atmosphere is becoming divided.”

“Divided as in…”

“One side is hawkish, but there are also talks about negotiating with them. The idea is to agree to their demands in exchange for them first relinquishing control of the nuclear missile launch facilities.”

“…They wouldn’t agree to that.”

“I think so too.”

If the knife disappears from the hand of the person threatening you, the threat disappears. Then, those who had been enduring humiliation would try to take revenge. Unless the Black King was a fool, he wouldn’t accept that offer.

“So, we would have to enter negotiations while handing over nuclear weapons to them… then the same thing would happen again.”

“That’s right. But are you saying that there are still talks about negotiations?”

“Many people think that buying time is the priority. If we step back once and secure time, wouldn’t the types of countermeasures we can use become more diverse?”

“Hmm.”

It was a difficult problem.

One thing was certain: no method was a perfect solution.

“And the bigger problem isn’t the solution.”

Kang Jin-ho closed his mouth and looked at Go Han-bong.

It was time to get to the real issue.

“The work of each department is being paralyzed. The public’s anger is beyond imagination.”

“There aren’t any direct protests happening right now. But that’s only temporary. Once this situation is resolved, the pent-up issues will explode.”

“I suppose so.”

“Korea is still relatively calm, but there are already sporadic riots in Europe and the United States. The leaders of each country are worried that these riots might turn into full-scale uprisings.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed softly.

“So…”

“Yes, Assembly Head.”

“What is the government’s position?”

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, Go Han-bong’s eyes lowered.