Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 347

“Has there been any contact from Bang Jin-hoon’s side?””No, sir.”Kim Seok-il frowned.”They must know the tide has already turned. Are they still not giving up? How foolish.”Kim Seok-il’s words were laced with composure, but his expression was far from relaxed.’Damn it.’If this drags on, the Japanese could make a move at any time. They’ve managed to buy time so far, but if the Japanese start moving in earnest, both the Yeongnam Association and the General Assembly will be swept away in an instant.They can’t commit all their forces to the Korean mainland, and they can only dispatch a small number of experts. They need to overwhelm them with numbers, exploiting their weakness.Meanwhile, they need to apply pressure in the public sphere, using the connections they’ve built within the General Assembly. Only then can they barely escape this crisis.Yet, they’re so caught up in their petty greed that they’re jeopardizing the nation. It’s hard not to question Bang Jin-hoon’s character.”I thought he was rebelling against Lee Jung-geol for some grand cause, but it seems that wasn’t the case. He’s just a petty man.”Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.”Why are you laughing?”Lee Hyun-soo stared at Kim Seok-il before speaking.”I’m laughing because the word ‘petty’ is funny.””…What’s so funny about that?””How can I not laugh when I see a martial artist, who is so afraid of one person that he sets off explosives in several tunnels to kill him, calling others petty for not achieving unity through him?””What did you just say, you bastard!”*Thwack!*Kim Seok-il slammed his fist down, instantly shattering the table.The atmosphere turned icy, but Lee Hyun-soo didn’t even blink, meeting Kim Seok-il’s gaze.”Still, Bang Jin-hoon didn’t abandon his pride as a martial artist. Shooting guns, throwing grenades, and collapsing tunnels with bombs is something even the military can do. It’s funny to hear someone like that call others petty. Does that answer your question?”Kim Seok-il stared silently at Lee Hyun-soo.”Is that all you have to say?””Yes.”Kim Seok-il’s expression was surprisingly calm.And Lee Hyun-soo accepted Kim Seok-il’s reaction as if it were natural.The Kim Seok-il that Lee Hyun-soo knew wasn’t someone who would be insulted by something like this. Such insults only worked on those who prided themselves on being martial artists.To Kim Seok-il, who was more of a power-seeker than a martial artist, the words ‘you are not a martial artist’ had no value as a provocation.”That’s ridiculous. Weren’t you the one who devised all those plans?””That’s correct.””So now you’re saying it was a cowardly tactic? It seems like you’ve found the perfect situation to bite the hand that feeds you.””Yes. Of course, I have.”Lee Hyun-soo said with a smile.”I don’t believe in all that martial arts nonsense. In this day and age, no matter how much someone flails their fists, they’ll die if they get a bullet in the head.””And?””I used to think that way, but recently my thoughts have changed. I don’t see how what we’re doing is any different from the mafia or the triads [organized crime groups]. This is just gangsterism.””…Hey, Lee Hyun-soo.””No, it’s not like I suddenly want to be righteous or anything. It’s just… how should I put it… I’ve always thought I was smart and laughed at fools, but when a person gets sentimental, those foolish acts can sometimes look cool, can’t they?””What nonsense are you spouting?””…I said something unnecessary. You’ll never understand, so just forget about it.”Kim Seok-il stared at Lee Hyun-soo for a moment before speaking.”I already know you’re arrogant, so you don’t have to keep showing it. You know how pathetic it is to try to flaunt your superiority by being so snarky, right?””We’re both trash that can’t be denied, so what difference does it make if we become even more pathetic?””Yes, you and I are trash. And we’re trash in the same boat.”Kim Seok-il chuckled.”So, as long as you’re useful, I won’t punish you. I won’t use you and throw you away like those pathetic power-hungry bastards. You’re competent. So, I’m going to suck you dry. So don’t say things I don’t want to hear.”Lee Hyun-soo’s smile deepened.”Everyone has their sensitive days. I apologize.””No, it’s okay. It happens.”Lee Hyun-soo felt that Kim Seok-il’s eyes were like those of a reptile.’No, I should apologize to the reptiles.’They just act on instinct. They don’t live as filthily as Kim Seok-il. Kim Seok-il would never kill him. But that didn’t mean Kim Seok-il trusted him.Even if he was uncooperative, as long as he was useful, Kim Seok-il would never abandon him. He knew that enduring a few unpleasant words and using him was many times more beneficial.’That’s why I’ve come this far.’As long as he could pride himself on being useful, even if Lee Hyun-soo tried to betray him and got caught, Kim Seok-il wouldn’t kill him.Humans get angry when they’re betrayed by other humans. Even if a pet dog bites them, they get angry and kick it.But if a toy on a shelf falls on their head and hurts them, they don’t kick the toy.To Kim Seok-il, Lee Hyun-soo was worth about that much.’However, that’s only while I’m still useful.’The moment a replacement appears, Lee Hyun-soo would face a death more cruel than anyone else. Knowing this, Lee Hyun-soo could no longer smile at Kim Seok-il.’Damn it.’It’s all because of that guy.If that guy hadn’t appeared, Lee Hyun-soo could have continued to live a comfortable life as Kim Seok-il’s loyal right-hand man. Thanks to getting to know that guy named Kang Jin-ho, Kim Seok-il, whom he had thought of as a partner in mutual exploitation, now seemed pathetic.He had thought of him as someone who was despicable but capable of rising to the top, but after seeing someone who truly could rise to the top, he couldn’t think of him that way anymore.Lee Hyun-soo, who had been staring at Kim Seok-il, bowed his head.”I apologize.””People have those days. No need to apologize.””Yes, then.”Kim Seok-il glared at Lee Hyun-soo’s back as he turned and walked out, his eyes like a viper’s.’He talks a good game.’He’ll let him live for now. But it won’t be long.Lee Hyun-soo knew exactly what Kim Seok-il was thinking. That’s why he could smile.’I’m truly sorry.’Of course, this apology wasn’t for what he had said to Kim Seok-il. It was an apology for not telling him in advance about the demon that would soon come to this place.Even Lee Hyun-soo thought this was too great a punishment for the sins Kim Seok-il had committed.Kang Jin-ho, having accepted Jo Gyu-min’s answer that he would find a way, got back into Bang Jin-hoon’s car and set off.Since he had received confirmation from Jo Gyu-min that he would find a way by tomorrow, Bang Jin-hoon suggested that it would be good to at least see the guys they would be working with before they started things in earnest with the Yeongnam Association.It was a reasonable point.He didn’t particularly intend to form a bond with them. This was a temporary alliance between the General Assembly and Kang Jin-ho, not Kang Jin-ho becoming a member of the General Assembly.However, meeting the people he would be fighting alongside for the first time on the battlefield was against Kang Jin-ho’s principles.”It seems there hasn’t been any contact from the Yeongnam Association?””They told us to come crawling back.””Is that so?”Kang Jin-ho looked at Bang Jin-hoon with an amused expression.”I told them to wait, I’d bite their necks off. That guy used to seem like he had some brains, but he seems to have lost it lately.””People tend to become irrational when they’re close to achieving their goals.””Yeah.””The bigger and more grandiose the goal, the more their reason flies away with the pleasure of achieving it. And the means they use to achieve that goal also tend to change from their usual methods.””That seems to be the case. He used to be someone I thought was really annoying but also competent, but lately, he seems a bit…”Was it because their era was coming to an end that Lee Jung-geol and Kim Seok-il, who once held the world in their hands, seemed less impressive than before? Or was it because Bang Jin-hoon had grown so much that he could now see things he couldn’t see before?It was an unknowable question.The car began to enter a national highway. Suddenly, Bang Jin-hoon sighed.”Hey, Kang Jin-ho.””Yes?””Is this a new trend these days? Every time I drive, someone starts following us.””It’s not so much that…”Kang Jin-ho chuckled lightly.In the past, inns, taverns, or official roads were the main stages.The stages where battles were decided.But in this day and age, people can’t try to kill each other in places where there are eyes watching.So, they have no choice but to wait until they enter a secluded place. If they had come on foot, they would have come on foot, but since they were traveling by car, they had no choice but to follow by car as well.”They need a place where there are no eyes.””What should we do?””Pull over.””Yes?”Kang Jin-ho pointed to the shoulder of the road with his hand.”If you don’t want to damage your newly bought car again, let’s pull over and go on foot.””I agree, but…”Bang Jin-hoon glanced at the rearview mirror.Several cars were following them. And there might be a few more behind them.He couldn’t help but wonder if it was the right thing to get out of the car without knowing the exact identity and number of the enemy.’He’ll take care of it, I guess.’Since Kang Jin-ho said so, Kang Jin-ho would take responsibility. That was the surface reason.There was another hidden reason.’Damn it, I’m scared to death.’Ever since he realized someone was following behind the car, Kang Jin-ho’s face had been changing strangely.Looking at Kang Jin-ho’s face, which seemed so happy that he didn’t know what to do, sent shivers down his spine.’Poor bastards.’He didn’t know who they were, but they had chosen the wrong time. They shouldn’t have come looking for Kang Jin-ho now. It’s not wise to provoke a beast that’s been poisoned.As they pulled the car over to the side of the road, the cars behind them stopped all at once.*Click.*As Kang Jin-ho got out of the car, the doors of the sedans lined up behind them opened one after another, and men in black suits poured out.Among them, the man sitting in the front seat of the lead car stepped forward.He walked up and stopped right in front of Kang Jin-ho. Their eyes met in the air.The man stared at Kang Jin-ho for a long time before finally opening his mouth.”I am…”And at that moment.*Crack!*Kang Jin-ho reached out and grabbed the man’s face.”Aaaargh!”The sound of bones cracking was chilling. The sight sent shivers down Bang Jin-hoon’s spine as he watched from behind.”I don’t care.”*Crack, crack.*The man, who was convulsing violently, soon went limp. Kang Jin-ho, as if displeased with the limp man, shook him a couple of times before letting go.*Thud.*The faces of those watching the scene began to turn pale.He hadn’t lost consciousness. They instinctively felt that the limp man was already dead.And at the same time…No one gave a signal, but everyone looked up at Kang Jin-ho.Kang Jin-ho, who had been looking at the setting sun in the west, slightly opened his mouth, revealing his white teeth.”You came at the right time. I was about to explode anyway.”It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from.”Let’s begin.”Kang Jin-ho slowly began to move.