Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1058

“Good.”

Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo smiled at each other.

Lee Hyun-soo’s smile was genuine, and Kang Jin-ho’s was equally so. Both were in high spirits.

However, the feelings of those watching were a little different.

‘What are they thinking?’

‘Something feels ominous?’

The two most cunning people in the General Assembly were plotting to drag each other into a mess.

Bang Jin-hoon pouted.

‘They tell others to fight with dignity, but they’re brawling with their own subordinates.’

This is what they mean by ‘do as I say, not as I do.’

“Lord.”

Wiggins expressed his concern.

“We’re already short half of our office staff, and if even Director Lee leaves, we won’t be able to handle the gap.”

“I’ll do it.”

“…Lord, you already have a lot of work.”

“It’s alright.”

“But…”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged and turned to Wiggins.

“Wiggins.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“There are things you have to do, and things you must do. This is the latter.”

“Understood.”

Wiggins quickly backed down.

If Kang Jin-ho was so firm, further persuasion was meaningless.

“If there’s anything lacking, Wiggins can help.”

“What’s your answer?”

“…I understand.”

‘This is why I opposed it!’

Wiggins groaned and glared at Lee Hyun-soo. But Lee Hyun-soo was just happily grinning, overjoyed at the prospect of being freed from his duties.

‘I’ll get you back.’

Wiggins, vowing revenge, asked again.

“Then, when does the training start?”

“The sooner the better. I’m thinking of sending him off within this week if possible.”

“…Isn’t that too sudden?”

“The sooner the better.”

“No, don’t you have work to finish, Director Lee?”

Wiggins, realizing that he couldn’t reason with Kang Jin-ho, quickly changed his target.

But that target was the tiger cub that Wiggins had carefully raised.

“I do have work, but I can’t ignore orders, can I? I’ll prepare to finish my work as quickly as possible and go for training. It’s a bit uncomfortable to leave the General Assembly during a busy time, but it’s not like there’s ever a time when I’m not busy.”

He was determined to go no matter what.

‘You rotten bastard.’

Wiggins grabbed Kang Jin-ho’s pant leg again, as if he couldn’t let it go like this.

“Isn’t there no need to send him to a regular training?”

“We need to know what the trainees are learning. It’s different from regular new employee training, so we need feedback, and Director Lee is the only one who can provide feedback and modify the curriculum.”

The logic was perfect.

Lee Hyun-soo grinned at Wiggins.

‘Please take care of me, Master.’

‘You bastard.’

Wiggins’ face darkened.

Kang Jin-ho chuckled, watching the subtle exchange of glances between the two.

‘They’re playing around.’

Lee Hyun-soo might feel like he’s going on a vacation, but right now, a devil was creating hell there.

‘Should I give him a little push?’

Wasn’t pushing someone into a pit always a fun thing to do?

“Instead…”

“Yes?”

Lee Hyun-soo tensed up.

“The moment you go there, you are both the director of the General Assembly and not the director. You must be faithful to your assigned duties, but you must absolutely follow their instructions.”

“Come on, Lord. I’m not a child, I’m obviously thinking about that.”

He probably wasn’t thinking about it.

Kang Jin-ho nodded, trying his best not to show it.

‘You’ll see when you get there, you’ll see.’

“Lee Hyun-joo…”

“I will report separately, Lord.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

Issues related to funds were definitely not something to be discussed in front of everyone. If there wasn’t anything to discuss separately, Lee Hyun-joo would have reported it here, so it was right to follow Lee Hyun-joo’s opinion.

“Then is the report finished?”

Wiggins cleared his throat quietly.

His expression was clearly different from before. It meant that the real thing was starting now.

“Let’s do it.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Wiggins cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“The situation in Japan is not good.”

The directors straightened their postures and leaned forward. The moment the word Japan came out, the tension rose.

“Report properly.”

“Yes. Information has come from the Round Table. The informants we sent to Japan have reported that the atmosphere in Japan has changed. And recently, the heads of each faction have been spotted gathering in Kyoto.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes darkened.

“What’s the prediction?”

“I think they’re preparing for an all-out war.”

All-out war.

It was too heavy a word to just listen and pass by.

Bang Jin-hoon immediately protested.

“All-out war? Isn’t that too much?”

“It’s quite possible.”

“It hasn’t been long since those bastards invaded and got their asses kicked. How can they prepare for an all-out war right away? Do they even have the resources?”

“No.”

Wiggins shook his head.

“It’s true that the last expedition was a defeat that Japan didn’t expect. But if you think about whether that was a serious blow to Japan, you can only say no. Most of those who participated in that expedition were just young martial artists. Unlike the General Assembly, everyone knows that Japan’s main force is the elderly.”

“Okay.”

Bang Jin-hoon nodded.

The General Assembly, and Korea, are very unique cases in the martial arts world. Usually, in any martial arts world, the ones who make up the real power are the elders. Even if you look at the Round Table, the Knights and Masters are all old men with gray hair.

The same goes for Japan and the Three Kings.

Losing young martial artists is losing the future, but it doesn’t have a big impact on the current power.

“And rather, they have no choice but to be more urgent because they lost young people. The General Assembly is steadily catching up with Japan. Then Japan also has to grow. But…”

“They’ve lost the driving force for growth.”

“That’s right. So, the further they go, the more disadvantageous it will be. In that situation, there are only two strategies they can take. Either cut off our growth engine, or make a move while they are still ahead.”

“But… even so, it’s too extreme. Aren’t those guys living well enough? They wouldn’t be crazy enough to start an all-out war just because they might fall behind Korea, would they? Maybe a hundred years ago.”

Wiggins nodded.

“That’s right.”

Wiggins and Bang Jin-hoon were people who had held high positions. They are still high-ranking officials in the General Assembly, but the feeling is a little different from the past. Bang Jin-hoon and Wiggins know very well how difficult it is to break the stability they enjoyed in stagnant water.

Even though they had been vocal about reforming the Round Table, nothing had changed. Even though the double-crossers were hindering the development of the General Assembly and committing all sorts of atrocities, the General Assembly did not try to get rid of them.

Older people can’t help but want stability, and society changes as young people push them out and deal with them. But in the martial arts world, the elderly are stronger and have more power than the young, so such changes don’t happen easily.

But those who hold power and strength take a risk to prepare for the future when they are gone?

It was ironic.

“In my opinion, there’s someone pushing them.”

“…Who is pushing Japan?”

“Well, you can guess, can’t you?” The answer came from Lee Hyun-soo, not Bang Jin-hoon.

“Chai Ke-chang.”

“It’s not certain, though.”

Wiggins shrugged.

“There’s no one else I can think of.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face became serious. If Chai Ke-chang was involved, it was not something to take lightly.

‘That bastard.’

Even though they had an alliance, he was still pulling all sorts of tricks.

Well, it was the same on this side, so there was no reason to criticize… but emotionally, he couldn’t help but curse.

“Then…”

Kang Jin-ho changed the atmosphere.

“If we assume that Chai Ke-chang is involved and is pushing Japan, how do you think Japan will move in the future?”

“They will invade.”

Lee Hyun-soo answered.

“From the perspective of the Hong King, it’s best for Japan and Korea to engage in a war of attrition. Chai Ke-chang will definitely aim for that situation.”

Bang Jin-hoon frowned.

“The Japanese wouldn’t be ignorant of that, would they? Would they just move as he wants?”

“Yes. That’s how it will be. Because Chai Ke-chang is the one handling it. In fact, the General Assembly has escaped Chai Ke-chang’s clutches several times, so there’s a tendency to ignore him, but in reality, Chai Ke-chang is a scary guy. The reason the General Assembly was able to escape Chai Ke-chang’s grasp was because there was a variable called the Lord. If the Lord hadn’t been there, or if a Lord with similar power had led the General Assembly, the General Assembly wouldn’t have survived by now.”

Bang Jin-hoon frowned.

As far as he remembered, Lee Hyun-soo had countered Chai Ke-chang several times and turned his stomach. If Lee Hyun-soo was evaluating Chai Ke-chang so highly, he had no choice but to acknowledge it.

“War is inevitable.”

Wiggins continued.

“So we should discuss countermeasures…”

Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes.

When he closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa, no one could open their mouths.

Everyone knew. The General Assembly’s countermeasures ultimately depended on Kang Jin-ho’s decision. They were there to make suggestions to Kang Jin-ho and make his ideas more complete, but they could not lead Kang Jin-ho forward.

Kang Jin-ho, who had been closing his eyes for a long time, slowly opened his eyes and put his hand in his pocket.

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

Click.

White cigarette smoke filled the air.

“Inevitable…”

A smile appeared on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

“I was wondering what excuse I should use to invade Japan, but you’ve saved me the trouble.”

Wiggins smiled bitterly.

He had been sweating trying to stop Kang Jin-ho from going to Japan and cutting off the head of some leader or something. He thought he had calmed down, but it seemed like he was still looking for an opportunity.

‘Does he never forget a grudge?’

Well, Kang Jin-ho was that kind of person.

“Preparing for an all-out war means they thought they could win now.”

“That’s right.”

“Is that so?”

Kang Jin-ho looked around at everyone and bared his teeth.

“Answer me. You know best what you’ve done so far. What do you think?”

The answer came quickly.

Bator grinned and said.

“It’s historically proven that those Japs don’t properly grasp their power. They just get heated up and invade, get their asses kicked like dogs, and sign a surrender document.”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled.

“There won’t be any surrender documents this time. We’ll cut off all their heads.”

Wiggins shrugged.

“My side is also pretty much ready. And the Round Table will also support this war. Then it will be easier.”

Jang Min didn’t seem to have any particular thoughts from the start.

“If the Great Demon Lord orders us to destroy the enemy, the Church will risk everything to kill the enemy. We will be the Great Demon Lord’s hands and feet.”

“Good.”

Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth and smiled.

Maybe Japan had a chance. But they made one mistake.

‘They must have thought we were getting stronger.’

But they also had to know that the speed at which we were getting stronger was getting faster and faster.

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“What do you think?”

“Uh…”

Lee Hyun-soo scratched his head.

“War is inevitable, but if possible, I want to fight a defensive war this time. We have to fight in Korea.”

“Why?”

Everyone looked at Lee Hyun-soo with interest.

A strategic solution…

“That way, we can eat up all the businesses of those guys in Japan without any damage. If we can do that, we won’t have to worry about money for about twenty years.”

Kang Jin-ho stared blankly at Lee Hyun-soo.

“He’s a genius?”

Or maybe he’s a money-obsessed ghost.