Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2100

Lee Hyun-soo slowly nodded.

Coming from Bang Jin-hoon, who usually never spoke seriously, those words were surprisingly insightful.

They seemed different, but they were not.

It was a point that even Lee Hyun-soo might have missed.

“Yes. I think so too.”

Lee Hyun-soo cleared his throat slightly and continued.

“It’s just a matter of scale, but ultimately, it’s the same. However, if what we did before started with affection for those we were responsible for, now it’s different in that we have to think about more people.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“But that too is ultimately an extension of what Chairman, you were doing, isn’t it?”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his cheek.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done anything so grand…”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“Those who try to do grand things are bound to get bogged down somewhere. Ideals are about growing small things into big ones.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho let out a deep groan.

Then, Jang Min looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“Oh Great Demon Lord.”

“Huh?”

He looked at Kang Jin-ho with an unusually serious face.

“The reason I decided to give my life to you, Oh Great Demon Lord, is not for any other reason. It’s not because you are a celestial being who fell from the sky… well, you are, but that’s… uh? Ah, no, that’s not it… What I’m trying to say is…”

Bator contorted his face.

“Has this old geezer gone senile?”

“Shut up, you!”

Jang Min glared at Bator as if to kill him, then composed himself and spoke again.

“Ultimately, it’s because I understood that you, Oh Great Demon Lord, are just a human being.”

“…What are you talking about?”

Jang Min smiled faintly.

“I once lived waiting only for your descent, Oh Great Demon Lord. For me, who had nowhere to run, your existence was both hope and despair, and also the only place I could rely on.”

“The emotion I felt when I met you in person was indescribable. I had no doubt that you would lead us to an ideal.”

Jang Min’s expression turned a little bitter.

“But… after some time, I came to realize that you, whom I had believed in so much, were also just a human being carrying the burdens of the world.”

When Kang Jin-ho met Jang Min’s gaze, Jang Min closed his eyes slightly.

“Actually… I know it too.

That you, Oh Great Demon Lord, don’t have much affection for the cult.”

“That’s…”

“No, Oh Great Demon Lord. I’m not daring to complain. Rather… that’s why I must give my life to you.”

“It’s only natural when you think about it. No matter how unique you were in the past, Oh Great Demon Lord, there’s no need to continue that relationship in this distant future. Especially just because they were waiting for you. That’s just a burden, just a shackle.”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t deny it.

What Jang Min was saying was not wrong.

“But you, Oh Great Demon Lord, took pity on the cult members and accepted them. And you risked your life to fight and protect them.”

Jang Min opened his eyes and looked straight at Kang Jin-ho.

“I didn’t know. I thought that because you were great, Oh Great Demon Lord, I just had to follow you. But after meeting you in person, I realized that being great is not a reason to follow, and that someone too great cannot truly care for anyone. Because someone who can do everything doesn’t need any sacrifice.”

“Caring means accepting one’s own sacrifice. No matter what you thought of the cult, Oh Great Demon Lord, from the moment you risked your life for them, you became someone we truly had to follow.”

Kang Jin-ho took a hard drag on his cigarette.

Then, with a slightly flushed face, he spoke bluntly.

“How embarrassing.”

“It’s just my opinion, Oh Great Demon Lord.” Jang Min smiled gently.

“So, I think Director Bang’s words are not wrong either. At least, from my perspective, you are doing the same thing you did when you led the cult members from China to Korea in the past.”

“The reason you led the cult members was not because of past ties, was it? It was just because you couldn’t leave those who were being persecuted alone.”

“It wasn’t such a grand intention.”

“It’s like a small thorn stuck in your fingertip.”

“Uncomfortable… something you can endure if you try, but you can’t ignore. Yes. Maybe it was just that much. But…”

Jang Min shook his head.

“It’s not common for someone to think of another’s pain as much as a thorn in their own hand. I think what you did this time is not that different from that time.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply.

“Listening to you, it’s like I’ve become some great person.”

When the directors looked at him with blank faces, Kang Jin-ho waved his hand.

“No, that’s not what I mean…”

Kang Jin-ho’s statement that he was not great was neither humility nor modesty. What he had achieved so far was by no means small.

“I was just struggling.”

Kang Jin-ho continued calmly.

“I just tried to solve the problems in front of me, and I was lucky to get this far. I didn’t see that far into the future, and I didn’t try to protect any great value. Just… yeah, it’s funny, but the phrase ‘just happened’ would be the most fitting.”

“Isn’t that enough?”

Bator, who had been silent until now, opened his mouth.

“Sometimes, I think the master is seriously mistaken about something.”

“…What?”

“No matter how great an ideal is inside a person, no matter how great a thing they proclaim, no matter how warm their heart is.”

Bator wore a cynical smirk.

“That doesn’t matter at all.”

“People are not evaluated by their intentions. They are evaluated by their actions. Whether their intentions are big or small, good or bad, all that remains is their footprints.”

Everyone nodded.

“Surely, you don’t think that we’re following the master because we highly value his character, do you?”

“…Huh?”

“Wake up, master.”

Bator scoffed.

“I’m sorry, but in my opinion, the master is timid for someone who has so much, unnecessarily domestic for a man, lacks the ability to properly grasp the order of things, and is a pathetic leader who always hopes someone else will pave the way when something happens.”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Bator with a blank look.

But at that moment, what made Kang Jin-ho feel sad was not what Bator said, but the sight of Jang Min nodding in agreement.

‘Why even you?’

Kang Jin-ho, flustered, protested.

“No, putting aside the other things, being domestic has nothing to do with it.”

“Then, I’ll leave that out.”

Bator chuckled and continued.

“Still, the reason we believe in and follow the master is not because we think his way is right. It’s because the master produces results even with that way.”

“No matter how much we insist that our way is right, if the results the master produces are superior to ours, then the master is simply right. Everyone here understands that.”

Bator pointed his chin at Lee Hyun-soo.

“The reason that smart guy follows the master’s decisions at crucial moments is also because of that. A brain is just a brain. It’s not always right.”

“It’s a bit different in detail…” Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“I admit it. Broadly speaking, it’s true.”

“So, master…”

Bator looked at Kang Jin-ho and said,

“Just do what you’ve been doing.”

“It’s nothing new. It’s what the master has always been doing. It’s just that the things the master can do have become bigger, and there are more things to decide. Whether you worry or not, the master will ultimately choose a way that is like the master.”

Bator leaned back on the sofa. The sturdy sofa groaned under his weight.

When Kang Jin-ho looked at him with a strange gaze, Bator made an awkward face.

“If that guy were here…”

“He would have said the same thing. Probably…”

Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes.

He knew who Bator was talking about without having to ask.

‘Wiggins.’

If Wiggins were really here, would he have said the same thing as Bator?

Yes, he probably would have.

He would have persuaded him more calmly and logically, but the essence of his words would not have been different. Perhaps Wiggins was someone who believed in him even more than Jang Min did.

Kang Jin-ho slowly opened his eyes.

The directors were calmly waiting for him to organize his thoughts.

“Do what I’ve been doing…”

Kang Jin-ho smiled faintly.

“Even if you say that, I don’t really know what I’ve been doing.”

“…That’s just like the master.”

“But…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“I know what I have to do. I have to start with the things in front of me. Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes, Chairman!”

Lee Hyun-soo answered quickly.

“Tell the Hongwang Group and the Round Table to select people who can represent each region. We will directly control the areas within our influence.”

“Understood. However, may I ask what your top priority is?”

“First, we need to establish a form.”

“…What do you mean?”

Kang Jin-ho said calmly.

“Just saying that they represent the Murim world [martial arts world] won’t get them a seat at the table. They’re not so idle that they’ll deal with a representative without real power.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“We’ll need something clearer. We’ll unite all the small groups that exist, beyond the Hongwang Group and the Round Table.”

Bang Jin-hoon stretched his back.

It was called a union, but it was no different from saying that they would unify the Murim world. If those who joined the union followed Kang Jin-ho’s orders, what would be the difference from unification?

‘So, this day is finally coming.’

The moment Bang Jin-hoon swallowed hard, Kang Jin-ho’s voice echoed.

“It wouldn’t be good for this situation to drag on. Tell both sides to proceed as quickly as possible. Director Lee, you should also move actively.”

“There will be those who resist.”

“Crush them.”

Kang Jin-ho said with a firm look.

“But no killing. Make that clear.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes quietly.

It was as if he could hear the voice of Cheongma in his ear.

– Don’t hesitate.

The more he hesitated, the more sacrifices there would be. What Kang Jin-ho needed now was decisive determination.