Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1006

Kang Jin-ho took a drag from the cigar and slowly exhaled.

‘Is it to your liking?’

‘It’s not really my style.’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

‘I’m not one to fuss over taste. It’s alright, I guess.’

‘Ah… I see.’

To think he was giving a cigar worth over three hundred dollars to someone who would evaluate it like that.

It was a painful sight.

Treasures always find their rightful owners. To those who don’t know their value, treasures are meaningless. The Master felt this keenly and let out a hollow laugh.

‘First, I’d like to thank you for coming here.’

The Master bowed his head while still seated.

This was not an empty gesture.

Not long ago, he had visited Korea for a meeting with Kang Jin-ho. But the situation was different now. In just a few days, a huge gap had opened up between him and Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho didn’t even need to deal with the Master directly. If he wanted, he could have easily conveyed his opinions through Wiggins.

Yet, Kang Jin-ho had readily agreed to this meeting, so he couldn’t help but feel grateful.

Kang Jin-ho accepted the greeting calmly.

‘Assembly Head.’

The Master called out to Kang Jin-ho in a serious voice.

‘I have a question for you.’

‘Ask away.’

‘Why aren’t you killing me?’

Kang Jin-ho looked at the Master with a calm gaze.

‘I’d prefer a more specific question.’

‘I don’t understand.’

The Master stared directly at Kang Jin-ho.

‘You’ve succeeded in neutralizing the Round Table. There’s no one here who can stop you. Even though the Round Table is a coalition of various countries, the fact that its headquarters have been occupied is significant.’

‘So?’

‘If I were you, I would use this situation to kill me and put Wiggins in the Master’s position.’

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at the Master.

‘Even if there’s resistance, you have the power to quell it. That would be the best course of action.’

Kang Jin-ho slowly inhaled the smoke. Unlike regular cigarettes, thick smoke billowed out.

‘You’re well-informed.’

‘But why are you telling me this? Isn’t this digging your own grave?’

‘I believe that both you and Wiggins are aware of this. Yet, you haven’t killed me, which suggests you have other plans. I want to know what those plans are.’

‘Do you think I’ll tell you?’

‘Yes.’

The Master answered calmly.

‘Why?’

‘Because I’m not worth it.’

It was a self-deprecating remark.

‘If I hadn’t seen what you did here with my own eyes, I might have thought differently. But having witnessed everything, I can’t help but think this way. To you, I’m not worth the effort of using any schemes.’

Kang Jin-ho turned his head to look at Wiggins.

Wiggins shrugged.

‘Didn’t I tell you? He’s not someone to be trifled with.’

‘…It’s hard to grasp just by hearing about it.’

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

The Master was humbling himself endlessly. But that attitude made it even harder to deal with him.

Whether it was intentional or not, he was definitely not an easy opponent.

‘Do you want an answer?’

‘Yes.’

‘The reason is simple. It’s more of a loss for me.’

‘…Could you elaborate a bit more?’

‘It’s exactly as I said.’

Kang Jin-ho answered indifferently.

‘I could do that. I could leave Wiggins here and let him control the Round Table. Wiggins would then manipulate the Round Table as he pleases.’

Wiggins scratched his cheek and said,

‘You’re talking about me like I’m a villain, but I’m not that kind of person.’

‘Really?’

‘I suppose so.’

The Master and Kang Jin-ho cleanly ignored Wiggins’s complaint.

‘But what’s the point of that?’

‘…Excuse me?’

‘I don’t know what you think, but the Round Table isn’t worth much to me. What difference does it make if I control the Round Table on the other side of the world? Are they going to send aid or something?’

The Master looked at Kang Jin-ho, dumbfounded.

Of course, Kang Jin-ho had crushed the Round Table with force. Even if it happened while the Round Table’s forces were unable to move properly, Kang Jin-ho’s achievement could not be denied.

The power of an Elder Knight was equal to or greater than the entire Round Table’s power. Having defeated an Elder Knight single-handedly, no one could deny Kang Jin-ho’s abilities.

But that didn’t mean the Round Table was an easy target.

There were only a few places in the world that had more power than the Round Table.

And yet, the Round Table was worthless?

It wasn’t a matter of pride. It was a matter of perception.

‘I feel like I’m defending the Round Table right now, but I can’t understand what you’re saying. The Round Table’s power is immense. If you didn’t exist, the Assembly wouldn’t dare to challenge the Round Table.’

‘I suppose so.’

Kang Jin-ho didn’t deny that fact.

The Round Table might be an old lion with missing teeth, but the Assembly was just a chick that had barely hatched from its egg.

If they were given more time, if Kang Jin-ho and the others could develop the Assembly further, things might be different. But right now, the Assembly was heavily reliant on the board members, with Kang Jin-ho at the forefront.

If Kang Jin-ho were to leave, the Assembly would be helplessly slaughtered by the Elder Knights. Even if the Elder Knights didn’t exist, it was obvious that the Assembly wouldn’t be able to break through the Round Table’s defenses with its own power.

But right now, the Master was missing the point.

‘What does it matter if the Round Table is strong?’

‘…Excuse me?’

‘Does the Round Table being strong mean they can send a large number of troops to the other side of the world?’

The Master fell silent at Kang Jin-ho’s words.

‘That’s…’

The Round Table had dispatched the Chevalier [A knightly order] to Korea to eliminate Kang Jin-ho.

A single knight order.

It was certainly not an insufficient force to eliminate one person. But the problem was that when that force failed to eliminate Kang Jin-ho, they had no backup plan.

Dispatching more troops would be a significant burden on the Round Table.

It was similar to the dilemma faced by the United States.

The United States had the most powerful military in the world. But the military force that the United States could use in a war on the other side of the world was extremely limited.

The more troops they dispatched, the higher the maintenance costs became, and the fewer troops they had to station elsewhere, causing overall instability.

The Round Table was the same.

The Round Table was huge. And as such, it required a lot of maintenance. And it also needed troops for that maintenance. Moreover, since they had so many operations going on around the world, many troops were deployed away from Europe.

In that situation, concentrating excessive forces in one place would be a huge burden.

Even if Wiggins were to control the Round Table, this situation wouldn’t change for a while.

‘This is a problem I couldn’t see because I was part of the Round Table.’

What if China or Japan were to invade Korea in that situation?

The best they could do was to send a small number of elite troops as support. They would be stuck twiddling their thumbs on the other side of the world.

‘But even if it’s a small number, the Round Table’s forces are elite.’

‘The problem is that they can’t properly mobilize those elites.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘It would be awkward to pick two or three people from each country to send. Wouldn’t it?’

The Master nodded without realizing it.

This was a chronic problem for the Round Table.

The Round Table was a coalition of European countries.

The knights tried to communicate with each other and act as rationally as possible, but it was impossible to expect that kind of mindset from the knight orders or the regular troops below them.

Problems were bound to arise when troops were mixed together.

Being neighbors was never a good thing. Historically, neighboring countries were always at odds. They had accumulated animosity from countless wars.

The more they gathered, the less efficient they became. That’s why the Round Table operated its forces on a per-country basis. If they were to gather only the elites from each country, as Kang Jin-ho said, they wouldn’t be able to exert their full power. Before that, internal strife would break out.

If you thought about what would happen when a coalition force made up of Korea, China, and Japan was not properly controlled, the answer was obvious.

Moreover, martial artists were several times more prideful than regular soldiers. To put it nicely, they were prideful, but to put it badly, they were arrogant and self-righteous.

‘…I understand what you’re saying.’

The Master nodded.

He wanted to deny it, but Kang Jin-ho’s assessment was accurate.

‘But even so, the Round Table’s value isn’t just its military strength. The information network, the relationships with numerous countries, and the wealth that the Round Table has accumulated around the world are more than you think.’

‘That’s something that can be done without Wiggins, right?’

‘Isn’t that so?’

Kang Jin-ho said with a smile.

This meant that the Master would be the one to do it. The Master looked at Kang Jin-ho with a serious expression.

Kang Jin-ho was smiling.

But the moment the Master disagreed, that smile would disappear.

‘He just doesn’t carry a sword, that’s all.’

There was no need to raise his voice or build up his aura. The Master was already under enough pressure just from the way Kang Jin-ho was acting. He had already seen enough of how cruel and extreme this man could be when he decided to take action.

‘…Assembly Head.’

The Master bit his lip.

‘In other words, you want my full cooperation with the Round Table, is that correct?’

‘That would be nice.’

‘Then.’

The Master took a deep breath.

‘If I were to refuse your offer, what would you do?’

It was an obvious question.

And he knew what kind of answer he would get.

But he had to confirm it. He had to hear what Kang Jin-ho would say.

The Master asked this question with the feeling of pushing his head into a tiger’s mouth.

But Kang Jin-ho’s answer was completely different from what he expected.

‘I won’t do anything?’

The Master stared at Kang Jin-ho with a blank look.

‘What does that even mean?’

What do you mean you won’t do anything?

‘Ah, you won’t do anything?’

‘I’ll just go back, I guess.’

Kang Jin-ho leaned back on the sofa indifferently.

‘Then, why did you come here?’

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Wiggins. Wiggins opened his mouth with a troubled expression.

‘Master.’

‘Yes?’

‘Please don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say. You might find it absurd and ridiculous, but this is the absolute truth.’

‘Don’t beat around the bush and just say it.’

‘The Lord came to Europe to settle my grudge.’

‘Grudge?’

‘To punch Knight Levo in the face.’

The Master’s mouth fell open as he looked back and forth between Wiggins and Kang Jin-ho.

Then, he said something he absolutely shouldn’t have.

‘Are you crazy?’

Wiggins frowned.

‘That’s a secret, you know.’

These guys are really out of their minds. Seriously.