Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1204

“News from the General Assembly!” Kim Myung-chan jumped up from his seat at the sight of the reporter bursting through the door. Bursting through the Prime Minister’s office door was an act of rudeness that could get one’s head chopped off, but neither Kim Myung-chan nor the person who came to report had the capacity to care about such things right now. “What happened! What!” At Kim Myung-chan’s urgent voice, the person quickly continued. “According to the General Assembly, the first and second waves that entered Korea have been completely annihilated. The damage on our side is not significant!” “Annihilated?” “Yes!” “Are you sure?” “I haven’t been able to verify it, but there’s no reason for them to give the Prime Minister false information…” “I suppose not.” Kim Myung-chan slumped back into his chair. He felt all the strength drain from his body. As the tension eased, a terrible fatigue washed over him. He had stayed up all night with his eyes wide open just to hear this one sentence, focusing as much as possible on the voices he heard. ‘A great victory…’ It was good news. Of course, it was good news. Enough to release the tension that had been gripping his entire body at once. But it wasn’t the best possible outcome. As a Korean, Kim Myung-chan wanted the General Assembly to win completely. But as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Kim Myung-chan couldn’t help but want something a little different. Why? It’s simple. The General Assembly is currently expanding its power with tremendous momentum. But if they were to gain the upper hand in Japan and bring the Japanese Murim world [martial arts world] under their control, how far would their momentum extend? ‘The position of a person is truly funny.’ The General Assembly and Kim Myung-chan were in the same boat. They had actively supported the General Assembly, and thanks to that, the General Assembly had brought them enormous benefits. The money the General Assembly made while becoming a corporation was absorbed into national taxes, but a certain amount flowed into the party. It was money that should be called black money, in that it couldn’t be revealed openly. But it was also the safest black money in the world. Money that the opposition party couldn’t point out. Money that no one could point out, even if they denied it. They gained money and tax revenue, and the General Assembly expanded its business area legally. It was a win-win deal for both sides. In that sense, the General Assembly and the government were good friends. They knew what each other wanted, and there was no need to be hostile to each other. But… ‘Nothing lasts forever in this world.’ Kim Myung-chan knew. Anyone in politics had to know. There are no eternal friends or eternal enemies in this world. If it’s beneficial, yesterday’s enemy can become today’s friend, and today’s friend can become tomorrow’s enemy. In that sense, the General Assembly growing stronger wasn’t necessarily good news. If the General Assembly continued to grow stronger like this, there would come a time when the political world would have to be mindful of them. Just like Japan right now. Of course, he didn’t want them to lose. But he thought the best situation would be for them to fight each other and suffer some damage, but the balance had tipped drastically to one side. This was a burdensome situation for the government. Kim Myung-chan closed his eyes slightly. ‘It’s a fait accompli [an irreversible action].’ There was nothing he could do now. Now that it had come to this, he had no choice but to continue to support the General Assembly and seek coexistence. There was no proper way to keep them in check. Kim Myung-chan let out a small sigh without realizing it. “Prime Minister?” “Just a moment.” At the reporter’s voice, Kim Myung-chan waved his hand. It wasn’t good to show this kind of appearance in front of others, but he needed a little time to sort things out right now. Kim Myung-chan, who had been lost in thought with his eyes closed for longer than it would take for a cigarette to burn, finally opened his eyes slowly. “Is that all the General Assembly had to say?” “They said they are moving to finish the war.” “Where to?” “I didn’t hear that part.” Kim Myung-chan’s chin twitched slightly. The reporter bowed his head without saying anything and left the room. It was because Kim Myung-chan didn’t look very comfortable. He had no way of understanding Kim Myung-chan’s reaction, but he knew from experience that it was better not to talk to Kim Myung-chan when he looked like that. Click. As the door closed, Kim Myung-chan leaned back in his chair. ‘Good news, huh…’ It’s a strange thing. The more he lived in the world, and the more he learned about the world, things didn’t fall into neat categories. When he was young, the world was very simple. There were good things and bad things, good people and bad people. He stood on the side of the good people and fought against the bad people. That’s how he created good things and eliminated bad things. It was a very simple time. But as he got older and learned more about the world, he realized that things weren’t so simple. Good things always had a hidden side, and even bad things could bring about good situations if you waited long enough. This situation was the same. On the surface, it should be called a good thing. Winning a great victory in a fight against another country is always a good thing. But if you look at the other side, it’s not necessarily a good thing. The fact that the General Assembly’s influence in the Republic of Korea’s system was increasing was not something that could be seen as simply good. ‘I need a way to control them.’ What the state has to do. That’s protection and control. Protecting the people from threats and controlling dangerous people. Opinions may differ from person to person, but Kim Myung-chan thought this was the basis of the state. To maintain that basis, it was necessary to control the enormous power of the General Assembly. “Hoo.” But he couldn’t think of a way to do it. Weakening the General Assembly’s influence was simple. The state is a great power. No matter how great a company or organization is, it is powerless in the face of the state’s power. If they were determined, it wouldn’t be impossible to eliminate their influence. But what would that accomplish? The General Assembly’s power is not capital or political power. It’s military power. Unless the source is removed, the General Assembly will not lose its power. Even if they froze all their financial assets and cut off their wrists, they would soon restore their severed wrists like a lizard and hold a knife to Kim Myung-chan’s throat. Kim Myung-chan sighed deeply as he pondered. Reaching out, Kim Myung-chan grabbed a cigarette and put it in his mouth. Then, with a slow movement, he lit it. The end of the cigarette burned, and white smoke billowed out. ‘I’m getting old.’ His eyes were blurry. Just staying up for one night was enough to make fatigue weigh down his entire body. To be in a position where he had to negotiate with these powerful people with this body. It was a pitiful situation. At that moment, Kim Myung-chan’s phone rang. Kim Myung-chan frowned as he checked the name on the screen. ‘At this hour?’ It was still too early to be morning, and too late to be dawn. There was no specific time for discussing state affairs, but it was definitely early for a phone call. Especially a call from his superior. Kim Myung-chan stubbed out his cigarette and straightened his posture. Then, he answered the phone. “Yes. This is Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan.” Kim Myung-chan rose from his seat at the voice coming from the other end of the phone. “Yes.” Kim Myung-chan’s brow furrowed as he listened to the voice. His face wore a subtle expression, as if he had heard something completely unexpected. “But that…” Before Kim Myung-chan could finish his sentence, a voice was heard. Kim Myung-chan, who was listening to the other person without being able to answer, bit his lip. “Yes. I understand what you mean. But they are not people we can control. I will try my best to make the request, but I can’t give you a definite answer…” Kim Myung-chan’s brow furrowed a little more. “Yes. Of course, that’s possible. But Your Excellency… no, Mr. President.” He even used an outdated term, showing how flustered he was. Kim Myung-chan, who immediately corrected his mistake, hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. “Giving them too much benefit could strangle the country. Isn’t that the case right now?” Kim Myung-chan closed his eyes and listened to the voice coming from the other end of the receiver. That was it. He could advise and nudge, but he was in no position to dare to object. The fact that the Prime Minister was the second-in-command of the country was just a facade. In reality, the Prime Minister sometimes had less power than the Chief of Staff, and compared to the heads of the opposition or ruling parties, he was no more than a mayfly. That was all he could do in his position. “I understand, Mr. President. I will try. Yes, then.” As the call ended, Kim Myung-chan carefully put down the phone. Then, without moving, he stared at the phone for a long time before picking up a cigarette with a slightly faster hand than before. Kim Myung-chan lit a new cigarette and let out a deep sigh. ‘What a pathetic sight.’ A surge of irritation welled up. He knew. That his thoughts couldn’t all be right, and that he couldn’t predict the future. That’s why humans broke away from monarchy and established a republic. Because sharing opinions among many people could reduce the probability of being wrong, even by a little. But at times like this, it was hard to contain his frustration. ‘The General Assembly is dangerous.’ That person was taking the danger of the General Assembly too lightly. No, rather than the General Assembly, he was overlooking the danger of the Murim world too much. Even though he had seen several countries that had become puppet governments, crushed by the power of the Murim world. There was no need to bring up the Murim world. Just looking at Mexico or the Middle East, there were situations where the state was being crushed by the influence of certain powerful groups. Of course, the General Assembly wouldn’t go as crazy as those lunatics, but who could guarantee that they wouldn’t try to subtly dominate the Korean political world? ‘I need a countermeasure.’ If it was impossible within Korea… even by borrowing power from elsewhere. Several forces came to Kim Myung-chan’s mind. He didn’t know if they would reach out, but if he could get their help, he could effectively pressure the General Assembly. Of course, he had to avoid a situation where he was bringing in a tiger to avoid a wolf. “Anyway…” Not now. Now was still the time to reach out to them as good friends. Kim Myung-chan consciously curled up the corners of his mouth, so that no hint of anxiety would be heard in his voice, so that they wouldn’t notice the dissatisfaction that was suppressed within Kim Myung-chan. It wasn’t a difficult task. He was a politician, after all. If you couldn’t drink from a spit-filled cup, you couldn’t live as a politician. Kim Myung-chan picked up the phone with a much softer expression. After a few rings, a voice was heard from the other end. Kim Myung-chan opened his mouth in the softest voice possible. “Chief Lee? This is Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan.”