Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 186

Kang Jin-ho quietly waited for the man to continue.

“You seemed to be having so much fun shopping that I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt. So, I came to talk to you this way. Nice to meet you.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled softly.

He couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling up.

Was it because he was happy?

No.

His anger was boiling over, and the laughter came out involuntarily.

“Nice to meet you?”

At Kang Jin-ho’s question, the man pressed close behind him chuckled.

“What do you think? If I start causing trouble here, do you think you can stop me? You might be able to get out of this unscathed, but I think at least one of these people will end up in pieces.”

Kang Jin-ho’s smile deepened.

“Just because you’ve learned martial arts doesn’t make you invincible. Since you entered this building today, I’ve had dozens of chances to kill one of you. Did you know that?”

“A martial artist who has become complacent in peace can no longer be called a martial artist. Of course, that’s how I make my money.”

Baek Hyun-jung turned to Kang Jin-ho and tilted her head.

“Jin-ho, why do you keep laughing?”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“It’s nothing, nothing at all.”

“You’re being silly.”

The elevator slowly descended. The people inside had no idea what was happening in their midst.

Even though the elevator should have stopped at least once on the way down to the first floor, it continued its descent without stopping.

“Should I make a move before we reach the first floor, or should I not?”

“Heh.”

A strange glint appeared in the man’s eyes.

‘He’s laughing?’

In this situation?

Just as he was thinking that this Kang Jin-ho might be more interesting than he thought, Kang Jin-ho slowly reached his hand behind him.

Thwack.

Kang Jin-ho’s hand grabbed the blade of the dagger pressed against his back.

‘Well, look at this?’

This was a blade that had been honed and refined to a razor’s edge.

Even if it wasn’t meant to cut, there was no way he could grab a blade sharper than a razor with his bare hand. To do that, he would have to gather his inner energy [a concept in martial arts referring to internal power] in his hand, and it was no easy feat to grab and hold the blade without being noticed in this confined space.

As expected.

Kang Jin-ho’s hand, which had grabbed the blade, was cut deeply, and blood flowed down the dagger.

‘Oh?’

He had willingly injured himself, but it was true that he had also made it impossible for the man to move the blade.

“That’s a good move. Okay, Kang Jin-ho. When the elevator stops on the first floor, just walk out like you don’t know anything. Let’s meet again next time. I won’t bother you anymore today.”

But Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer.

The man didn’t seem to expect an answer either.

Ding.

When the elevator stopped on the first floor, people rushed out, and new people waited to get on.

Kang Jin-ho released the dagger and stepped out of the elevator.

Swish.

He heard the sound of someone using a movement technique [a martial arts skill for quick movement] to move behind him, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t bother to turn around. If he chased after him now, it would cause a big commotion.

He didn’t want to cause such a scene where his family and friends could see it.

The man, who had moved far away, waved his hand at Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho quietly met the man’s gaze. The man flinched, then turned and disappeared from Kang Jin-ho’s sight.

Kang Jin-ho raised his hand to stop the bleeding and then hid it deep inside the shopping bag so his mother wouldn’t see the injury.

“Oh my! What’s this?”

The people who had entered the elevator screamed in surprise at the blood on the floor.

“What’s wrong with them?”

When Kang Eun-young tried to turn around, Kang Jin-ho stepped to the side, blocking her view, and said,

“Let’s go quickly.”

“Okay.”

Thinking it was nothing serious, Kang Eun-young nodded and followed Baek Hyun-jung to the underground parking lot.

“Mother.”

“Yes?”

“I have to go somewhere for a bit.”

“You said you were going to eat, where are you going all of a sudden?”

“I got a call, and I need to go to Jae-kyung for a bit. I’ll eat there.”

“To see the Chairman?”

“Yes.”

Baek Hyun-jung said regretfully.

“If you’re going to see the Chairman, you’ll get to eat something good. Then I shouldn’t stop you. But still, he should have told you earlier.”

“It seems like it’s urgent.”

“Okay, go ahead. I’ll feed your friends and go help your father. He’s probably sulking by now.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

“Are you going in your car?”

“Yes. Please give Young-gi a ride.”

“Yoo-min has been riding with us from the start, so it’s fine, and Young-gi is going to the orphanage, so we can drop him off too, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Park Yoo-min looked at Kang Jin-ho and tilted her head.

“What’s so urgent that you’re not even eating?”

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Hmm……”

Park Yoo-min looked displeased, probably because she felt uncomfortable eating with Baek Hyun-jung without Kang Jin-ho.

But Joo Young-gi was still full of energy.

“Mother! Let’s go! I’m starving.”

“Okay, okay, let’s go quickly.”

“Hey, Yoo-min! What are you doing! Jin-ho isn’t eating, let’s go!”

“Oh, I’m coming.”

As Park Yoo-min and Joo Young-gi waved and walked away, Kang Jin-ho quietly removed his hand from the shopping bag. The long gash had already half-healed, but the dried blood still stained his hand a dark red.

Kang Jin-ho brought his hand to his mouth and slowly licked it.

As he tasted the blood on his fingertips, the corners of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth slowly curled upwards.

“A martial artist who has become complacent in peace can no longer be called a martial artist.”

“Heh heh heh heh.”

A sinister smile began to form on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

“I agree.”

If you become complacent in peace, you can no longer be called a martial artist. So, you see…….

“How far did he run?”

Kang Jin-ho slowly walked towards the place where the man had disappeared. He could see the darkness settling through the large glass doors of the department store.

“You better run far away.”

Because now is the time the hunt begins.

Jinbao slammed on the accelerator.

The car was already going over 150 kilometers per hour, but Jinbao had no intention of slowing down. If it weren’t for the cars blocking the roads, he would have gone even faster, but this was the maximum speed he could reach right now.

But Jinbao was stepping on the accelerator frantically, as if he was being chased by someone.

‘Why am I so anxious?’

It was something he couldn’t understand.

He was completing his mission perfectly. But why did he feel so uneasy and like he was being chased by someone?

‘No one is chasing me.’

Jinbao gritted his teeth.

Then he frantically stepped on the accelerator.

‘It seems like I’m getting tired, I should take a break after this job.’

The money he was going to receive for this mission was quite large. Chaikechang had paid a sum that was equivalent to what he would earn from ten similar jobs.

‘I thought Muryeon’s work was generous, but……’

Looking back, they wouldn’t have paid so much if there wasn’t a significant risk involved.

‘He was just an ordinary guy……’

He knew he was a martial artist, but there weren’t that few martial artists in this world. Besides, Jinbao’s work was targeted at martial artists, not ordinary people.

Not just a hitman, but a hitman targeting martial artists. That was Jinbao’s job. So, it didn’t make sense that he would feel burdened by dealing with a kid like that.

The Kang Jin-ho that Jinbao saw was a kid among kids.

He wasn’t trying to do anything with his martial arts, he was just living as things went. He didn’t seem to have much power either. At first, he was even curious why Muryeon had asked him to investigate such a guy.

He was a little surprised to see him escape the trap he had set in the high-rise building, but it wasn’t enough to scare Jinbao.

“Damn it!”

Baaang!

Jinbao couldn’t hold back his frustration and slammed on the horn.

But why was he so anxious and uneasy!

‘Those eyes.’

The moment their eyes met from a distance.

That was the moment Jinbao’s anxiety began.

It was quite a distance, but Jinbao could see it clearly. Kang Jin-ho’s eyes were completely different from the dull look he had shown until now.

The eyes of a predator hunting its prey.

‘Did I misjudge him?’

If Kang Jin-ho was as harmless as Jinbao thought, he would never have such eyes. Those were the eyes of someone who had killed countless people and survived endless battlefields.

No, it wasn’t just that.

He had met quite a few big shots, but none of them had eyes like Kang Jin-ho. He had never seen such eyes, burning with madness and viciousness.

“Calm down.”

Jinbao took a deep breath.

“Calm down.”

He admitted it.

Jinbao had completely misjudged Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho was a dangerous person, enough for Muryeon to take an interest and order an investigation.

But no matter how dangerous he was, he would never be able to find him unless Jinbao approached him first.

Next time, he just needed to keep his distance and approach more carefully.

Jinbao took several deep breaths to calm his churning heart. But no matter how hard he tried, his heart only beat faster and faster.

“Damn it!”

At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to sleep even if he went back to his lodgings. He felt like he would only be able to sleep if he got drunk or slept with a woman today.

“Because of a kid……”

Jinbao kept shaking his head, trying to shake off the negative thoughts that were popping into his head.

But as time went on, the compulsion that someone was about to grab his neck from behind kept growing.

‘This won’t do.’

At this rate, he felt like he was going to cause an accident.

Jinbao slowly reduced the car’s speed. He felt like he needed to pull over to the side of the road and rest for a while to clear his head.

That’s when it happened.

Flash.

Jinbao frowned and looked at the rearview mirror. A car suddenly appeared behind him, turning on its high beams and approaching his car at a furious speed.

“What the hell!”

That was a clear provocation.

He was already frustrated to death.

“……Wait a minute.”

Jinbao, enduring the glare, quickly turned his head back. It was impossible to distinguish the type of car following him in the dark with its high beams on. But one thing was certain.

‘It’s low.’

The light was coming from a lower position than where the headlights should normally be. That meant the car’s chassis was lower than a normal car.

Jinbao felt his hair stand on end.

He had already done enough research on Kang Jin-ho. And that included information about the car Kang Jin-ho drove.

A low chassis was a characteristic mainly found in sports cars designed for speed.

And Kang Jin-ho’s car was…….

“N-no way!”

As if mocking the flustered Jinbao, the car behind him accelerated and approached his car at a furious speed.