Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1723

“Hoo…”

Kang Jin-ho sprawled on the sofa, leisurely puffing on a cigarette.

His whole body felt heavy, like waterlogged cotton, and there wasn’t a single place that didn’t ache. Yet, this exhaustion brought him a profound sense of satisfaction.

“…You seem to be in a good mood?”

“Hmm?”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled as he spoke.

“It looks like you’ve finally gotten rid of a thorn in your side, now that you’ve beaten Hong Wang.”

Kang Jin-ho smirked at Lee Hyun-soo’s words.

“Is there really anything to be happy about when you predictably beat an opponent you were always going to beat?”

“Wow, you know that sounds really obnoxious, right?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes twitched slightly.

Sometimes, that guy was more annoying than Hong Wang.

“But it seems like you struggled more than I thought? You said you’d win easily.”

“I did win easily, didn’t I?”

“Easily? After fighting for half a day?”

Kang Jin-ho started to say something, then shook his head.

It was like trying to explain a computer game to a caveman. No matter how much he yelled and ranted, that guy wouldn’t understand anything.

After explaining it to death, he’d probably just say, ‘Oh, is that so?’ It wasn’t worth the effort.

“And…”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a strange expression.

“Wasn’t your initial plan to completely crush him so he wouldn’t even dare to look you in the eye again? Considering that, it seems like it ended quite gentlemanly?”

Kang Jin-ho subtly avoided Lee Hyun-soo’s gaze.

It wasn’t Hong Wang who couldn’t meet his eyes, but Kang Jin-ho himself.

“Oh?”

Lee Hyun-soo, noticing that reaction, approached Kang Jin-ho with the eyes of a hyena spotting its prey.

“Am I right in what I’m thinking?”

“…What?”

“It doesn’t look like you crushed him at all.”

“Just be honest.”

Kang Jin-ho looked out the window without answering.

‘That damn ghost.’

He had no skills, but he was quick to catch on at times like this.

Of course, Kang Jin-ho hadn’t intended to open a new path for Hong Wang from the start. His original plan was to completely crush Hong Wang so he would never dare to defy Kang Jin-ho again.

But there were people like that, weren’t there?

The kind of people who, when they saw someone struggling against a wall, couldn’t help but say something.

Like those who couldn’t resist giving advice when watching someone else play a game of chess.

Kang Jin-ho wasn’t usually that interested in others, but when it came to matters related to martial arts, it seemed like things were a little different.

“I knew it.”

Lee Hyun-soo glared.

“What, a charity… uh… no, you’re already doing charity work.”

“…Right?”

“If you’re going to run a business, you should focus on your own field! Why are you expanding, expanding! Don’t you know that reckless expansion ruins a company?”

“MK is doing that.”

“…That’s a bit of a different case.”

As he spoke, Lee Hyun-soo was at a loss for words.

Come to think of it, both Kang Jin-ho and MK were doing everything they shouldn’t be doing in business. Yet, they were somehow succeeding, which was infuriating.

“But you said you knew it?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“You always give your own people way too much. Lately, it seems like you’ve stopped seeing Hong Wang as an enemy, haven’t you?”

Kang Jin-ho looked blank.

‘Stopped seeing him as an enemy?’

“Why are you making that face? It makes sense. You went all the way to China to save him when he was in danger, fought alongside him against enemies, and even let him recover at our place!”

Kang Jin-ho nodded blankly.

Now that he thought about it, it was true. This was not something you would do for an enemy, no matter how you looked at it.

If he had a clear perception of Hong Wang as an enemy, Kang Jin-ho would never have helped him, even if the sky were to fall.

“Anyway, those martial artists are so unpredictable. It’s like some 80s youth movie, making friends while fighting.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t such a bad situation. Whether he crushed Hong Wang to eliminate future threats, or the two of them built a friendship and eliminated their animosity, the result was good either way.

It was just that the latter left a bad taste in his mouth.

“What if Hong Wang becomes incredibly strong?”

“It’s okay.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly exhaled cigarette smoke.

“I’m stronger.”

“…You’re hopeless, really.”

It was a ridiculous reason. But the sad thing was, there was no arguing with that reason. What could you say when a strong guy said he was strong?

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head as if he had a headache.

“So, is Hong Wang going to get stronger now?”

“I don’t know.”

“…You helped him.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“If just a little nudge from the side could solve problems and make someone stronger, then everyone in the world would be a powerhouse.”

“It’ll get a little easier. Because the direction he needs to go has become clearer. But that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to overcome. Especially for a guy like Hong Wang.”

He had never fallen before.

Throughout his life, Hong Wang had only climbed higher and higher. He had reached this point by building up his skills without a single slip.

But conversely, the higher he climbed, the deeper the fall would be.

If he fell to the bottom and looked back at where he needed to climb, wouldn’t it seem impossibly far?

“Then, is it impossible?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Even so, Hong Wang would eventually climb.

Because he and Kang Jin-ho were the kind of people who couldn’t resist climbing a mountain if they saw one.

“…Well, fine. Anyway, it’s better if Hong Wang is strong right now.”

At least for a while, Hong Wang was their ally in the fight against Chang Wang. So, no matter what happened later, it was better for him to get stronger now.

Besides, wasn’t running forward without looking at the distant future Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo’s style? Maybe this was a good thing after all.

“When is Hong Wang going to China?”

“He was planning to leave right after the duel.”

“…He’s got some big dreams.”

“I know, right?”

It meant that he thought he wouldn’t be seriously injured even after fighting Kang Jin-ho. It was a reckless confidence that was very Hong Wang-like.

“Since the situation has changed, he’ll probably go to China as soon as he recovers. How long do you think it’ll take?”

“About three days.”

“…He was a mess, and you’re saying three days? Not everyone heals from injuries just by smoking cigarettes like you do, sir.”

“…I didn’t hit him that much.”

“He was on the verge of death.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“Physical injuries aren’t a big deal. It’s the internal injuries that matter. His insides aren’t twisted, so it won’t take long. It was just a duel, after all.”

A duel….

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

Just calling it a duel showed how different these guys were.

“Anyway, that settles things with Hong Wang’s side. Which means…”

Lee Hyun-soo scratched his cheek.

“It means that only our side is left now.”

“How’s it going?”

“Our side’s preparations are being handled by Director Bang. They’ll be finished soon. And Wiggins is in charge of the Round Table, recruiting troops.

I have to negotiate with the government and the US military.”

“What about Japan?”

“They’re at the point where they’ll fight if we tell them to, so there’s no need to worry about them.”

Lee Hyun-soo added an unnecessary comment.

“And they’re basically just bullet fodder, not even close to being a real force…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face contorted in frustration as he thought about it.

“You should have killed them less! If you had spared some useful guys back then, things would be easier now! Why did you kill them all, even going on an expedition to kill them? Now we don’t have anyone to use.”

“…You told me to.”

“I did.”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“That’s why you never know what’s going to happen in life.”

I want to punch that bastard in the face….

If I hit him, he’d die, right?

Kang Jin-ho stared at Lee Hyun-soo before opening his mouth.

“By the way…”

“Yes.”

“You seem a bit more relaxed?”

“That’s right.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled brightly.

Until recently, Lee Hyun-soo had been on the verge of a mental breakdown due to the pressure of fighting Chang Wang. But now, Lee Hyun-soo was back to his usual self, joking around with Kang Jin-ho.

“Is there any good news?”

“No. I just let it go.”

“Let what go?”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“Until recently, I felt like I’d be completely screwed if I couldn’t outsmart Chang Wang. I felt like my tail was on fire.”

“…And?”

“Today, watching you and Hong Wang fight, I had a bit of an epiphany. No matter how much I strategize and run around, in the end, the winner will be the one who wins in a head-on fight.”

“So, I decided to relax. So what if we lose a bit? If we survive in the end, that’s what winning is.”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Lee Hyun-soo with a dumbfounded expression.

“So, please do your best.”

It was half a joke, but it was clear that he was less burdened.

He never thought that anything would be resolved in this way.

“Anyway, good.”

Kang Jin-ho put a new cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

Click.

The end of the cigarette burned, and smoke spread like a haze.

“Hoo.”

The throbbing sensation was strangely comforting. Fighting a strong opponent like Hong Wang was an incredibly pleasant experience. And winning such a fight was even more pleasant.

‘There’s still more.’

He could still fight Chang Wang. And perhaps, there would be a chance to fight the Black King, who had yet to reveal himself.

Someday, he would regain his power.

No, maybe he would even get to fight Hong Wang again, who would have gained even more power.

That fact made Kang Jin-ho’s heart race a little.

It was a funny thing to think about.

Kang Jin-ho was afraid of this war. He was terrified of losing everything. That was an undeniable fact.

But within that fear, there was another Kang Jin-ho who was looking forward to this war more than anyone else.

It wasn’t as clear as when his personalities were divided in the past, but his heart was definitely contradictory.

‘Whatever.’

The way to unify these subtle feelings was very simple.

Fight.

And win.

Then, Kang Jin-ho could protect everything. And he could also obtain what he desired.

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Prepare thoroughly.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve put everything on the line too.”

Kang Jin-ho’s lips curled up.

“China…”

The place where he had once rampaged.

The Central Plains [Historically, the cradle of Chinese civilization].

Now, no one called it China anymore, but if he led them to the Central Plains, he could fight with everything he had, just like he did in the past.

Yes.

Like the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign [A title often associated with powerful martial artists in wuxia novels] who led the Demonic Cult and lashed out at the Central Plains.

An unknown pleasure surged from his toes, and Kang Jin-ho took a deep drag of his cigarette.

‘Wait for me, Chang Wang.’

I’ll be there soon.

And I’ll make sure to kill you then.