Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1657

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kang Jin-ho.”

Changwang smiled faintly. It was strange.

That enemy’s smile, which didn’t seem to hold any warmth, looked even more dangerous.

Lee Hyun-soo watched Changwang intently, not missing a single detail of his entire body.

‘I don’t know.’

He couldn’t figure it out.

Generally, a person’s appearance reflects their personality to some extent. You can tell their tastes from their clothes, and their character from their expressions. Besides that, a person’s outward appearance usually contains a lot of information about them.

However, Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t glean any information from Changwang’s appearance.

Inorganic.

Colorless and odorless.

Yes, it felt like a human without a soul. Not in the sense of being spaced out, but in the sense of lacking vitality.

‘How can such a human exist in this world?’

Lee Hyun-soo bit his lip.

This was the second time Lee Hyun-soo had felt that he was looking at someone beyond his understanding.

The first time was when he first saw Kang Jin-ho.

Even when he saw Hongwang, he didn’t feel this way.

When Lee Hyun-soo first saw Kang Jin-ho, he saw an abyss that sucked in the world. But Changwang felt completely different.

Alien and bizarre….

It was like looking at a blue moon in the black sky.

Changwang slowly put his hand in his pocket. Then, he took something out and threw it to Kang Jin-ho.

Thud.

Kang Jin-ho caught the object and glanced at it in his hand.

“I heard you like cigarettes, so I prepared some for you. I’m not sure if I chose the right ones.”

His tone was extremely polite.

If this bastard wasn’t the one who had ordered his many underlings to surround them and had just ordered the bombing of this place, one might have thought he was truly polite.

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“You chose well.”

Changwang smiled and said,

“It’s not easy to choose a gift that suits someone you’re meeting for the first time. I thought about preparing an expensive gift, but it didn’t seem like you’d be the type to be pleased by that.”

“I like it.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Kang Jin-ho tore open the pack of cigarettes Changwang had given him and put one in his mouth. Then, he snapped his fingers and lit the cigarette.

“Hoo.”

Kang Jin-ho exhaled a low puff of smoke and looked directly at Changwang.

“A gift is a gift, but this is quite the grand welcome.”

“A greeting should be done in consideration of the recipient’s status.”

“Did you know I was coming?”

“Of course, wouldn’t I?”

Changwang smiled.

“That fool who clung to Hongwang seems to think he’s quite smart, but that’s just baseless confidence. A person’s intelligence is proven when they’re cornered. A human who can only move in one direction when their life is in danger doesn’t even deserve to be called intelligent.”

Changwang stretched his arm out to the side and bowed exaggeratedly.

“That’s why I respect you, Demon King. Your actions are so unpredictable that even I can’t foresee them. If it weren’t for this situation, I wouldn’t have dared to face you.”

“I’m unpredictable?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“That’s not something someone who fell into such a simple trap should be saying. If it’s a taunt, I won’t accept it.”

“A taunt… If you took it that way, I apologize. But please know that wasn’t my intention.”

Changwang gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

“Those who try to avoid obvious situations are actually easier to predict. The truly unpredictable ones are those who seem obvious but then suddenly do something completely unimaginable. I still can’t understand the Demon King’s thought process. To me, you’re like a mystery.”

“Enough with the self-introduction.”

Kang Jin-ho exhaled a long stream of smoke.

“So, what do you want? If it’s not a taunt, I don’t see why we need to be face to face like this.”

“I’ve come to make a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

Changwang nodded.

“A proposal for you, me, the Changwang faction, and the General Assembly. I should first explain that there’s a deep misunderstanding between us.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“Yes, a misunderstanding.”

Changwang’s gaze fixed directly on Kang Jin-ho.

“It seems the Demon King doesn’t have anyone giving him proper advice. They’re all just fools who make their own judgments and drive the situation as they please. It’s not befitting of your status.”

Changwang’s gaze swept over the directors once and then fixed on Lee Hyun-soo.

“Especially, you should be wary of those who think their minds are so brilliant that they can calculate everything.”

Lee Hyun-soo bit his lip.

It was like being stabbed in the chest with a sharp knife. But Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t refute a single word.

“So it seems.”

“You understand, it seems.”

“Yes. I can see it now that I’m looking at you.”

Changwang looked at Kang Jin-ho with a slightly stiff face and sighed.

“Yes. I suppose I’m not much different.”

“Stop beating around the bush and say what you want. I’m starting to get bored.”

“Yes, of course. My proposal is very simple. I’ll let you go back.”

“••••••Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

Changwang’s words were too different from what he had expected.

“What’s the condition?”

“There isn’t one.”

Even the great Kang Jin-ho tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand the situation.

“You set up this whole thing just to say that?”

“Yes.”

“……Are you crazy?”

“I hear that quite often, but I’m not. Rather, I’m excessively rational.”

Changwang smiled faintly.

“Think about it. We have no reason to fight. We could even have a good relationship.”

“……Why?”

“It’s as I said. Because there’s no reason to fight.”

Changwang looked directly at Kang Jin-ho and said,

“I know you. Demon King, you have no desire to conquer this Central Plains [the historical heartland of China], make your name known, and become a ruler of history. You just want to live a peaceful life.”

“Of course, you have a tendency to be obsessed with fighting, but you don’t start fights to satisfy that obsession. Yes. To put it simply, you’re like a hornet’s nest that doesn’t leave its territory. If you don’t bother it, it won’t harm you.”

“……That’s a rather unpleasant analogy.”

“Please forgive me for not finding a more suitable word.”

Changwang smiled faintly and continued,

“In other words, the General Assembly has no intention of conquering the Central Plains. So, you should actually join hands with me.”

Changwang didn’t wait for Kang Jin-ho’s answer and continued,

“Because I have no desire to conquer Korea either.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lee Hyun-soo shouted.

“How can we believe that?”

Changwang looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a pathetic gaze.

“The concept of ‘putting yourself in someone else’s shoes’ shouldn’t be that difficult, should it? Put yourself in my position. If you were me, would you bother invading Korea?”

Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t answer. He wouldn’t. Absolutely not. But….

Changwang frowned slightly and said,

“When you think about it rationally, there’s no reason to invade Korea. All you’d get is a tiny piece of land.”

Changwang shook his head.

“If the General Assembly becomes a threat, that should also be considered. But a threat only arises when power and will are combined. The General Assembly has power, but no will. Why would you waste your strength and invite danger by attacking them?”

Changwang ran his hand through his hair and met Kang Jin-ho’s eyes.

“I’m not that stupid.”

“Think about it. If that moron Hongwang unifies the Central Plains, he’ll lead all his forces and invade Korea. Black King won’t be any different. But what about me?”

Changwang shrugged.

“We can coexist. I don’t have any particular demands. We can live like strangers. I have no reason to antagonize the Demon King to get that small piece of land, and the Demon King has no interest in the Central Plains, so there’s no need to antagonize me. Maybe we could even become good friends and share a drink.”

“So, accept my proposal. Leave Hongwang and retreat. And go back to Korea and give up your interest in the Central Plains. Once everything is resolved, I won’t stop you from traveling to China.”

Kang Jin-ho let out a hollow laugh.

It was a funny story.

Perhaps this was the situation Kang Jin-ho had been hoping for.

“You created this situation just to say that?”

“Because you wouldn’t believe me otherwise.”

Changwang curled up the corners of his mouth.

“If I had gone to Korea and told the Demon King this, would you have trusted me?”

“I would have cut your head off first.”

Changwang shrugged as if to say, ‘See?’

“It’s because of this situation that my words have power. I can attack the Demon King at any time and take his head. Yet, I’m saying I’ll let you go. So, can’t you believe my words?”

Lee Hyun-soo stared blankly at Changwang.

‘What the hell is that crazy bastard talking about?’

Each word he spoke exceeded expectations, and each time he elaborated, the situation seemed to fit together perfectly.

He felt like he was incredibly intelligent, but at the same time, he was so reckless that it was impossible to know what he was thinking.

That’s why one thing became clear.

‘That’s the kind of human you should never turn into an enemy.’

Changwang had an unknown order within his overflowing uncertainty. How could anyone predict and prepare for such a human?

“I’ll make a proposal.”

Changwang smiled faintly and said,

“The first is to join hands with me. If you help me unify the Central Plains with appropriate support, I’ll make an eternal non-aggression pact with Korea. If you wish, I’ll also promise you certain rights in China.”

“If not, then retreat as you are. Even then, the Central Plains won’t invade Korea. Just by not interfering in this situation, we can get along well.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes wavered.

That was a truly absurd proposal.

But it wasn’t an unreasonable proposal either.

He had thought that if one of the Three Kings unified the Central Plains, their next target would be Korea. That conclusion was drawn under the assumption that the Three Kings were warriors.

But that guy wasn’t a warrior.

If he was someone who prioritized rationality over a warrior’s desires and soul, then what he was saying now couldn’t be a lie. Basically, the reason why China had historically left the small neighboring country of Korea alone was because of that.

There was no profit in eating it, and trying to eat it would cause enormous damage.

So, it was more profitable to keep a proper distance and coexist.

That’s what Changwang was saying now.

And even Lee Hyun-soo was starting to be swayed by his words. He knew it was nonsense, but it was such rational nonsense. It was even sweet.

And….

‘Master.’

This proposal was more meaningful to Kang Jin-ho than anyone else. What Kang Jin-ho wanted was to protect his current life, not to rule the Central Plains.

Then….

What answer would Kang Jin-ho give?

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a tense gaze.

“Hoo…”

Kang Jin-ho threw the cigarette he was smoking onto the ground and stomped it out.

Then, he looked at Changwang with a subtle smile on his face.

His smile grew a little deeper.

“I heard you very well.”

“Then?”

“However, one thing.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled faintly and said,

“Your mouth isn’t just for barking, so I don’t know why you’re talking such nonsense.”