Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1822

Baek Yeon-hong was the first to step back.

He lightly raised both hands, signaling that he had no intention of fighting.

“I apologize if I offended you.”

Kang Jin-ho’s calm eyes remained fixed on Baek Yeon-hong.

To ordinary people, his face might have seemed expressionless, but Baek Yeon-hong could clearly feel the intense killing intent burning in those eyes.

A killing intent that made his soul tingle.

‘He’s different from the Black King.’

It was distinctly different from the Black King’s refined demonic energy that constricted his entire body. Kang Jin-ho’s demonic energy was like a fiercely burning flame.

His hand twitched involuntarily.

‘It’s a good thing I didn’t bring my treasured weapon.’

If his treasured weapon had been in his hand right now, he might not have been able to hold back. He had long since surpassed the point where he couldn’t unleash his full power without his treasured weapon, but the realm of emotions was another matter.

“I don’t particularly intend to do anything right now.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes twitched slightly.

“You come into someone else’s territory with muddy feet and say you had no intention?”

“We’re not beasts.”

Baek Yeon-hong smiled faintly.

“There’s no need to start a sword fight just because we entered someone’s territory.”

Kang Jin-ho placed the coffee he had brought in front of Choi Yeon-ha.

“Then get lost.”

“You’re very impatient.”

Baek Yeon-hong smiled slightly.

“I was hoping we could have a simple conversation.”

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Baek Yeon-hong and said,

“You don’t understand what I’m saying.”

“I told you to get lost, didn’t I?”

Baek Yeon-hong shrugged.

“I’ll retreat today. It’s true that I was rude. But I’ll be back soon…”

“Aaaaaaaah!”

Baek Yeon-hong and Kang Jin-ho turned their heads simultaneously.

Someone, running with all their might, grabbed Baek Yeon-hong’s arm as if flying.

“Please! Please, just please don’t cause any trouble! Do you know how many eyes are watching here!”

“Ah, no, I was just saying hello…”

“If you want to die, just stick your nose in a dish of water! You’re not some kind of suicide artist, why are you so eager to die in so many different ways! Why!”

Baek Yeon-hong sighed deeply and turned his head to look at the distant ceiling.

And Kang Jin-ho’s face also showed bewilderment at the sight.

“…I’ll be going now.”

Baek Yeon-hong, pushing away Gwak So who was clinging to his arm, looked at Kang Jin-ho with a twisted smile.

“We’ll meet again soon. Until then, it wouldn’t be bad to tidy up your life a bit.”

The two men’s eyes met in the air.

But Baek Yeon-hong quickly turned his head away and walked away from them as if he had no regrets.

“What’s with that jerk?”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at the scene with an annoyed expression. Then, she turned her head sharply to look at Kang Jin-ho.

“Are you okay?”

“…That’s what I should be asking you.”

“I’m always fine. It’s Jin-ho who’s the problem.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled. At times like this, he was truly grateful for Choi Yeon-ha’s toughness.

“It seems like another psycho has latched onto you. Looking at my man, it seems like he’s more popular with men than women.”

“…The problem is that I can’t deny it.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s gaze subtly scanned Kang Jin-ho’s expression.

No matter what she asked, he wouldn’t answer anything anyway. She knew that it was Kang Jin-ho’s way of reassuring her, but sometimes it felt unfair.

‘I’m so frustrated, so frustrated.’

What frustrated her even more was the expression on Kang Jin-ho’s face. An expression that was impossible to understand. It seemed like he was angry, but also strangely enjoying it…

Choi Yeon-ha sighed softly and shook her head.

‘It’s not like it’s any different.’

People can’t understand each other anyway. Especially if they are men and women.

They just bury the parts they can never understand and try to increase the parts they can match.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you put in syrup?”

Kang Jin-ho listlessly picked up his coffee cup and got up from his seat again.

“Please! Please!”

Baek Yeon-hong covered his ears with his fingers.

“Please, just live with some common sense! You’re already half-dead, what are you trying to do? If the Black King hears that you fought with the Demon King in front of everyone, he might fly to Korea in a fighter jet!”

“It would be nice to see his face after a long time.”

“Ugh, gulp!”

Gwak So clutched his throat as if he was about to suffocate.

“There’s no need to make a fuss. That’s why I left my sword behind.”

“What’s the difference between not being able to catch a fly without a fly swatter!”

“As a Taoist, one must avoid killing.”

“Is that something a Sword Master should say? How many people did you kill in your past life, saying that the life of a Taoist was nothing but a past life?”

Baek Yeon-hong smiled wryly.

“Anyway, I just came to say hello.”

Baek Yeon-hong’s gaze turned towards the cafe behind him.

“The real thing is next.”

Gwak So frowned as he saw Baek Yeon-hong’s eyes flash sharply.

“That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“You usually show interest, but when you have your target in front of you, you lose half of it. But this time, there’s not a single sign of that.”

“Interest…”

Baek Yeon-hong chuckled softly.

‘How can I lose interest when I see someone like that?’

It was quite shocking.

It couldn’t be the first time he had seen a demon. He had often encountered demons in his past life, and in this life, he had even become a subordinate of a demon.

But that guy was different from any demon he had ever known.

“It’s like comparing a dog and a wolf.”

“Yes?”

“A trained hunting dog can catch a wolf. Depending on the breed, there are even dogs that can beat a wolf without training.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“But a dog is a dog, and a wolf is a wolf. Just because there is a dog stronger than a wolf doesn’t mean that the wolf’s ferocity decreases.”

To him, Kang Jin-ho was such a being.

A true demon.

He could easily guess how much intense killing intent and wildness were hidden beneath that expressionless face.

“Think about it.”

“Yes?”

“No matter how strong a dog is, the pleasure of hunting a dog and the pleasure of hunting a wolf can’t be the same. Isn’t that right?”

Baek Yeon-hong smiled brightly.

“The Heavenly Demon Lord… indeed, he is the Heavenly Demon Lord. A true demon is like that.”

Baek Yeon-hong slowly raised his hand.

When he unclenched his fist, his palm, damp with sweat, was revealed. No matter how much he tried to act calm, his body clearly recognized Kang Jin-ho as a formidable opponent and was extremely tense.

‘A wildness that smells like a beast…’

To be able to meet someone like that in this peaceful era was nothing short of a blessing. Even those with a harsh past, when they live in modern society, most of them lose their wildness.

Even a general who has massacred thousands.

Even a martial artist who has shaken the world with his fists.

Even the worst criminals are bound to lose most of their inherent ferocity in this peaceful world.

But not that guy.

“He’s not a wolf.”

Because a wolf can be tamed and made into a dog.

Considering his status and achievements, he was worthy of being called the king of beasts.

“Let’s go back. I don’t think I can hold out much longer.”

Gwak So sighed and followed Baek Yeon-hong, who was walking ahead.

Kang Jin-ho stared at the screen on the monitor with a dumbfounded look.

“I think this is him.”

“It’s hard to tell just by looking at this.”

“Oh, he’s even getting an autograph?”

Kang Jin-ho’s listless gaze returned to Lee Hyun-soo.

“Is there a problem?”

“…Do you always monitor me like this?”

“Oh, no, how could I? That’s stalking. I just quickly secured the CCTV footage after hearing what the Chairman said.”

“In 30 minutes?”

“Hehehe, you’re admiring my abilities after a long time. That’s enough praise. I’m embarrassed.”

Kang Jin-ho raised his head and looked at the ceiling.

‘Why is he so weak?’

If it were Bator, he could just swing at him without thinking, but he’s so weak that he’s afraid he might die even if he just pokes him with his finger.

“How was he?”

“I’m thinking of killing him.”

“That’s a given.”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head to look at Lee Hyun-soo.

“Ah, you were talking about that guy.”

“…Then who were you thinking of killing?”

“You’re not asking because you don’t know, are you?”

“Let’s move on.”

Lee Hyun-soo quickly changed the subject to avoid a long conversation.

“Was he strong?”

“He was.”

“How much?”

It was the most important question. The eyes of all the executives gathered here were fixed on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

“Well, it’s not easy to judge his exact martial prowess without exchanging blows…”

Kang Jin-ho seemed to think for a moment before opening his mouth.

“I think I could have a match with the Red King.”

“…At the maximum?”

“At the minimum.”

Lee Hyun-soo was speechless.

At least Red King level? [The Red King is a high-ranking martial artist or demon in this context.]

No, that’s not it. Being able to have a match doesn’t mean they’re equal. But if what Kang Jin-ho said was true, then even at the minimum, he could have a match with the Red King…

“He’s at the Three Kings level.”

“It’s not accurate.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“His martial prowess is a type that’s hard for me to grasp. It basically pushes back my senses and demonic energy.”

“Yes?”

“It’s Taoist. He’s properly trained.”

Jang Min, who rarely interrupted Kang Jin-ho, opened his mouth in disbelief.

“If he’s Taoist, then he’s one of those Taoist bastards, why would they be under the Blue Demon?”

“…Well?”

Jang Min’s mouth dropped open.

“Is that very strange?”

“Wouldn’t it be strange if a demon’s subordinate was a Shaolin monk?”

“Y-yes, that would be strange.”

“That’s exactly what it’s like.”

Wee-gins rubbed his chin as if he still didn’t understand.

“Please explain it in a way that even foreigners can understand.”

“It’s like a Catholic bishop working under a devil worshiper.”

“That’s insane.”

Wee-gins raised his middle finger.

“What the hell are you talking about? Don’t insult Catholics!”

“…That’s what I’m saying the situation is like.”

“Huh.”

Wee-gins scratched his head as if he was confused.

“This… this sounds like worse news than I thought.”

“Yes?”

“That person didn’t look like a religious person. That means he lived that kind of life in his past life.”

“That’s right.”

“Then, could it be that all of the Black King’s henchmen are like that?”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened as he understood Wee-gins’ words.

“You said before that even the Blue Demon couldn’t raise someone to the Three Kings level. The Chairman is overestimating that Blue Demon.”

“Why are you bringing that up here…”

“But…”

Wee-gins said with a stiff face.

“What if there’s no need to raise them?”

“Yes?”

“Talent is just a necessary element to awaken. It’s meaningless to those who already know. It takes brains and talent to understand what one plus one is, but once you know it, you don’t need it anymore. In other words…”

Wee-gins said in a trembling voice.

“Just because the Chairman was reborn in the modern era with the body of someone with a bad brain doesn’t mean that the level he had is gone.”

“So what you’re saying is…”

“They’re not raising them. They’re finding them, returnees. Returnees like the Chairman who can regain their past selves just by securing time!”

A cold dagger pierced the hearts of those who understood the meaning of those words.