Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 268

‘What is this guy?’

No.

Don’t panic.

‘This is normal.’

Only then did Bang Jin-hoon feel like the pieces were finally falling into place. The ordinary face he had seen so far kept creating a sense of incongruity within him.

There was no way the guy who had turned Cheon Tae-hoon into such a mess and slaughtered twenty elites of the Yeongnam Association could be so docile.

However, not all the problems were solved yet.

‘Isn’t this a bit much?’

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

It was a wonder that Cheon Tae-hoon hadn’t gone crazy. It was even more surprising that Cheon Tae-hoon had endured this much pressure when he was feeling it so intensely.

No, that’s not it.

It was because it was Cheon Tae-hoon that he endured it.

A puppy doesn’t know the fear of a tiger.

It was because Bang Jin-hoon had reached his level that he could guess how terrifying and dreadful this person was just from his aura.

“…Are you asking about the reason for taking over the association?”

“Yes.”

Click.

Kang Jin-ho lit a cigarette.

Bang Jin-hoon clenched and unclenched his fist hidden under the table, trying to ease his tension.

‘Can a person look this different just by changing their demeanor?’

It was the same face. But it was a different person.

“The reason for taking over the association… Do you know nothing about us?”

“Is there a reason I should?”

“…Hehehe.”

Bang Jin-hoon laughed.

That arrogance.

That confidence that treated him as if he were nothing. It was something he had always wanted.

That attitude that could never come out without certainty in one’s own power. Skill is confidence, and skill is arrogance.

“Reason, you ask! What other reason could there be? To survive!”

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes began to burn.

He bounced back as much as he was pushed down. Bang Jin-hoon was not the type of person to lower himself just because he was under pressure.

“Survive?”

“The Yeongnam Association.”

Bang Jin-hoon took a sip of his shake and opened his mouth.

“The Yeongnam Association has already bared its teeth. If things continue like this, the General Assembly will soon be under the control of the Yeongnam Association. Ordinary members might be able to live under the banner of the Yeongnam Association, but we can’t. The head of the Yeongnam Association is not one to leave loose ends.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if he understood.

“So, what does that have to do with aiming for the head of the association?”

“It’s because the head of the association is the one who caused this situation!”

Bang Jin-hoon’s voice was filled with resentment.

“The previous head of the association had backbone. But the current head of the association does not. He has become weak. The Yeongnam Association never intended to negotiate with us in the first place. What they seek is dominance. But the head of the association can’t let go of his attachment to them and tries to resolve the situation through dialogue.

If he had cut off the bud when it sprouted, he could have prevented it with minimal sacrifice, but he dragged it this far. Now, it can’t be resolved without cutting off an arm on either side.”

Bang Jin-hoon glared at Kang Jin-ho and said,

“Do you think a martial artist can untangle a twisted thread with dialogue?”

“No.”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t know.”

Kang Jin-ho replied nonchalantly.

“I’ve never tried to solve things that way. If there’s a knot, I cut it, and if there’s something twisted, I burn it.”

Bang Jin-hoon’s body trembled involuntarily.

But it was definitely not out of fear.

“That’s it!”

Bang Jin-hoon said with a confident tone.

“No matter how much times have changed, that is the essence of a martial artist. If you are not going to subdue your opponent’s martial arts with your own, then why learn martial arts! If you are going to solve things with words, you should become a politician, and if you are going to solve things with the law, you should become a lawyer!”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

He didn’t fully agree, but Bang Jin-hoon’s thinking had some common ground with Kang Jin-ho.

“It’s not just me. This is also what the head of the Yeongnam Association thinks. The current head of the association is throwing away even the knife in his hand, saying he will talk to someone pointing a gun at him.”

Bang Jin-hoon kept gulping down his shake as if his throat was parched.

His hand, which roughly put down the shake cup, was trembling slightly.

“I thought there was no answer if things continued like this. I thought someone had to reorganize the association now! Whether it was me! Or someone else! No one stepped up, so I had to!”

“Hmm.”

“And you stopped it!”

Anger clouded Bang Jin-hoon’s face.

“You, who know nothing! You, who don’t even know how the situation is unfolding, stopped it with simple grudges and simple friendships. If the head of the association’s position is strengthened because of this, it will take years to take back that position! By that time, the Yeongnam Association will already be drumming their bellies on the grave of the General Assembly! Do you understand what you’ve done!”

Bang Jin-hoon’s last words were almost a shout.

His chest was still heaving even after he finished speaking, as if his resentment had not been fully resolved.

“Let me make one thing clear first.”

“…Speak.”

“Don’t shout.”

Kang Jin-ho’s lips parted slightly, revealing his white teeth.

“If you raise your voice even once more, you won’t be able to shout again. Do you understand what I mean?”

Bang Jin-hoon’s face was stained with humiliation.

But at this moment, his instincts were desperately screaming that he should not resist this person.

‘Where did such a person come from!’

Kang Jin-ho was shaking the very foundations of the standards of martial arts that he had thought of so far.

In the face of that overwhelming aura, there was nothing Bang Jin-hoon could do.

“I will keep that in mind.”

Kang Jin-ho made a slight snort as if satisfied with Bang Jin-hoon’s attitude.

“There’s no need to get worked up over something so trivial. If you want the head of the association position, I can make you the head of the association.”

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes trembled violently.

Was it possible?

Was that really possible?

‘It’s possible.’

He was certain.

The power that Bang Jin-hoon had built up was inferior to the power of the head of the association. On the surface, his power seemed to overwhelm the head of the association, but he could not ignore the power that had been in the position of the head of the association for decades.

If a real confrontation were to begin, those who he thought were on his side would defect and join the head of the association. And the power that the head of the association had hidden would also reveal itself.

That was why he had not been able to directly pressure the head of the association until now.

But what if this person was on his side?

The picture was complete.

‘I need to revise my assessment.’

This person is definitely not like a natural disaster.

He seemed to be acting impulsively, but there was already a calculation within him. From the moment he asked to meet him, this person had already envisioned this picture.

Then?

“When you help me, what do you gain?”

“Soldiers.”

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes were bloodshot.

“Are you telling this Bang Jin-hoon to become a dog?”

“If your voice had been just a little louder, your vocal cords would have been blown away.”

“……”

“You get easily agitated. Or are you pretending to be agitated? It’s only useful if you use it on the right person. Isn’t that right?”

Looking at Kang Jin-ho’s cold smile, Bang Jin-hoon felt the surrounding air grow chilly. He felt like everything that had happened since he entered this place was happening in the palm of this person’s hand.

“I never told you to become a dog. You don’t have to follow me. You just have to continue to be hostile to the Yeongnam Association.”

“…In the same place as you?”

“That’s right. The enemy of my enemy is my ally, right?”

Kang Jin-ho smiled brightly.

Looking at Kang Jin-ho, who was smiling brightly without any hesitation, Bang Jin-hoon felt a fear that was completely different from what he had felt so far.

This person was really planning to destroy the Yeongnam Association. And he would not hesitate to use any means or methods to achieve that goal.

Enough to call someone he had never met and say he would give him the General Assembly.

“But it’s a bit bothersome. Didn’t you join hands with the Yeongnam Association?”

“I have to if necessary!”

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes were burning.

“If the interests align, it is the way of the world to join hands even with someone you were fighting to the death with just a moment ago. It’s just a matter of time before they split up when the head of the association dies.”

“Didn’t the Yeongnam Association know that?”

“…They probably did.”

“Even so, the fact that the Yeongnam Association tried to help you means that, from the Yeongnam Association’s point of view, you were easier to deal with than the head of the association. Isn’t that right?”

Bang Jin-hoon’s face went blank for a moment.

He had never thought that far.

“It’s harsh to push a fool who is looked down upon even by the enemy.”

“…I wasn’t looked down upon.”

“Then?”

“They didn’t properly understand me! I am their strongest adversary!”

“Hehehehe.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled softly.

It was pleasant.

It was extremely pleasant.

It was as if he had returned to the Central Plains of the past, going back in time. The modern buildings and tables around him were almost jarring.

“A fool has a fool’s way. Good.”

Kang Jin-ho said quietly, looking at Bang Jin-hoon, who was still unable to control his emotions.

“If your desire to oppose the Yeongnam Association does not change, I will help you. If you want to remove the head of the association, I will remove the head of the association. In return, you just need to prepare to strike them as soon as possible.”

“The conditions are the best. You don’t want anything more than that?”

“Not at all.”

“Hehehehe.”

Bang Jin-hoon laughed softly.

“Good, very good. But, you see.”

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes burned like a blazing sun. That passionate gaze was directed at Kang Jin-ho’s entire body.

“All those contracts can only be discussed when you are worth it, right? Before discussing the contract, you need to prove your worth first, right?”

“That’s not wrong.”

Kang Jin-ho also preferred a fair contract.

“So, how can I prove my worth?”

“The worth of a martial artist is obvious.”

“Hehehehe.”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

He was trying to be neutral, but he kept liking this fool in front of him. The way he rushed forward passionately without looking back kept reminding him of someone from the past.

“I like you, I like you.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly. Very slowly, leisurely.

“So, I’ll let you live.”

Bang Jin-hoon didn’t understand what Kang Jin-ho was saying.

Let him live?

What was that all of a sudden?

“I will forgive your arrogance in daring to ask me to prove my martial arts this time. Maybe it’s just a whim, but I like you.”

Bang Jin-hoon was about to shout.

This was not arrogance.

It was an act that completely ignored Bang Jin-hoon as a martial artist. A martial artist would rather have his head cut off than be humiliated.

But before he could even shout,

Kang Jin-ho slowly got up from his seat.

Thud thud.

A strange sound was heard.

A sound like bones colliding with bones.

It was a little later that he realized that the sound was coming from his jaw. Before his head could feel anything, his body was reacting first.

His whole body was trembling.

The presence of the person who had risen in front of him was pressing down on him like a ten-thousand-pound boulder.

“If you want to see, I’ll show you who I am.”