Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 353

As Bang Jin-hoon finished speaking, the noisy atmosphere in the auditorium quieted down slightly.

‘Fight him?’

Of course, that was the most direct method. There was no practical way to ask him to demonstrate his skills in front of everyone. The easiest and simplest way to prove one’s abilities was to defeat someone else.

He knew that, but he didn’t expect Bang Jin-hoon to actually suggest it. If the person Bang Jin-hoon recommended was defeated by someone else, it would be incredibly humiliating.

Moreover, if the person he was bringing in as a director was defeated by those present, Bang Jin-hoon would lose a lot of face.

‘Is he willing to risk that?’

Lee Myung-hwan suddenly felt a sense of unease creeping in. Unless Bang Jin-hoon was a fool, he would know very well what would happen if Kang Jin-ho was defeated by Gong Young-gil here. Yet, he was suggesting such a thing.

Considering that Bang Jin-hoon was definitely not a fool, it meant that Bang Jin-hoon had absolute confidence in Kang Jin-ho.

‘In that guy?’

It was hard not to be doubtful.

In Lee Myung-hwan’s eyes, Kang Jin-ho didn’t look strong at all.

‘Don’t judge by appearances?’ That was a ridiculous statement.

Appearance was the primary basis for judging a person. How else could anyone judge others? They weren’t mind readers.

Besides, it wasn’t like there was no basis for his judgment.

First of all, Kang Jin-ho’s body had too little muscle.

Even if a martial artist fought based on internal energy [a concept of vital energy in traditional martial arts], a basic physique was necessary. After all, muscles were what moved the body. Internal energy was just something that increased destructive power.

And secondly, there was Kang Jin-ho’s hand.

Lee Myung-hwan stared at Kang Jin-ho’s hand, which was visible below his suit.

‘There aren’t any.’

He couldn’t see any calluses.

The biggest proof of training was calluses. Those who used fists would have large and small scars on the back of their hands, and those who used swords would have their palms torn to shreds.

Even if they reached a level where they no longer got injured, it wouldn’t be different. Even if they no longer got injured, the scars wouldn’t disappear.

Bang Jin-hoon’s hands were also covered with large and small scars. But Kang Jin-ho’s hands were clean.

No matter how much of a returnee he was, it was impossible to become strong without effort. Martial arts were not something you did with your head. It was something you did with your body.

Returning was like leveling up a character again [a reference to video game mechanics]. Someone who had leveled up a max-level character several times might be able to level up a character faster and stronger than others even if they started the same way, but they couldn’t do it without time and effort.

‘Unless they pay to win, I guess.’

Unfortunately, you couldn’t pay to win in reality.

Perhaps everyone else was thinking the same thing, as they were all focused on Gong Young-gil.

However, Kang Jin-ho didn’t seem to think so.

“I don’t intend to go that far.”

Kang Jin-ho stepped forward, stopping Bang Jin-hoon.

“I just came to say hello, so I’ll just say hello and leave.”

“Yes, if you wish.”

Bang Jin-hoon clicked his tongue.

‘It would be perfect if he showed off his skills here.’

The best way to quell dissatisfaction was to demonstrate one’s skills. If the guys who were talking now knew what kind of person Kang Jin-ho was, they wouldn’t dare open their mouths.

He didn’t prefer this method, but he recognized that it was necessary. However, if Kang Jin-ho was going to act like this, there was nothing he could do.

“Still, it would be good if you showed us once—”

“I have no intention of performing.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s firm words, Bang Jin-hoon nodded.

Well, from Kang Jin-ho’s point of view, it would be ridiculous to mix hands with those guys. Wasn’t it customary for high-level players not to play in low-level hunting grounds [another video game reference, referring to areas where weaker players are]?

“Anyway, please take care of me.”

As Kang Jin-ho bowed his head slightly again, Gong Young-gil snickered.

Lee Myung-hwan felt a chill when he saw that smile.

‘Stop there.’

He should stop there. He shouldn’t go any further. He had started it, but he had stopped at a stage where he could still manage it.

But now, Gong Young-gil’s reaction was going beyond that stage. Mob mentality was scary, and people would cross the line if others supported what they did.

Gong Young-gil was exactly in that state now. If he crossed the line here, there was a high chance that Bang Jin-hoon would be displeased. Now, if he thought about what it meant to be out of favor with the head of the council, who was about to reach the peak of his power, it was something he should never do.

Just as he was about to reach out and stop him, Gong Young-gil spoke first.

“Scaredy-cat.”

The atmosphere turned cold.

In an instant, the auditorium became quiet, and Gong Young-gil, slightly flustered by the reaction, looked around.

Everyone was looking at Gong Young-gil with slightly reproachful eyes. Only then did Gong Young-gil realize that he had made a mistake, and he tried to fix the situation, but…

‘Is he laughing?’

Bang Jin-hoon, who he thought would be angry, was surprisingly laughing.

It was as if he found the situation so funny that he was about to die. His eyes, which had turned into crescents, were turned towards Kang Jin-ho. Gong Young-gil’s gaze naturally followed Bang Jin-hoon’s gaze and landed on Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho’s expression didn’t change.

However, perhaps thinking that he had to say something, he looked at Gong Young-gil with a slightly troubled expression.

“Uh, um…”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his head.

“It’s not that I’m scared, but if it’s a matter that can be resolved through conversation, I’d like to resolve it through conversation.”

“Huh?”

“I think it’s natural for you to feel resentful about the story of me joining as a director. It’s not something that was discussed with me, but you just blurted it out. That won’t happen, so don’t worry.”

It was Gong Young-gil who was taken aback by Kang Jin-ho’s reaction.

“Ah, yes. If that’s the case…”

If you criticize someone and they apologize without getting angry, you tend to have nothing to say. As Kang Jin-ho bowed his head slightly, Gong Young-gil also bowed his head in response.

‘This is a bit strange.’

He had boldly provoked him, but when the other side backed down, he also backed down. It felt like he had been played.

Bang Jin-hoon, thinking that the situation had calmed down a bit, spoke again.

“I think I was a bit hasty about the issue of the position. I’ll discuss this with the directors and find a more amicable solution, so please understand.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll fully accommodate your side’s position, so I’d appreciate it if the representatives would take in the positions of others and report them to the higher-ups.”

“Understood.”

“Well, then…”

As Bang Jin-hoon turned his head to look, Kang Jin-ho gave him a ‘again?’ look. When Bang Jin-hoon nodded, Kang Jin-ho sighed.

He hated these kinds of situations.

“It seems like we’ll have to work together within a day or two, so please take care of me.”

As Kang Jin-ho bowed his head, those gathered in the auditorium also bowed slightly. They liked his polite demeanor. If the head of the council was pushing and supporting him, he could have become arrogant with his young mind, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t show any such behavior.

‘He’s a surprisingly good guy?’

While Gong Young-gil was thinking that, Lee Myung-hwan let out a low sigh.

‘That stupid bastard.’

If Kang Jin-ho hadn’t reacted like that and had shown displeasure, Bang Jin-hoon probably wouldn’t have stayed still. If someone he had brought was being insulted by his subordinates, it was the same as insulting him.

At that point, his head began to feel confused.

“Is he strong, or is he weak?”

The judgment he had made based on his appearance was distorted by his response. In the end, he couldn’t figure out how strong Kang Jin-ho was.

“Then, everyone, disperse. We’ll probably have to move within a short time, so maintain your communication systems well.”

“Yes.”

Bang Jin-hoon smiled and went outside, and Kang Jin-ho followed him. As soon as Kang Jin-ho left, the auditorium became noisy.

“Hey, what’s with that guy?”

“He looks so weak, what’s the point of putting him on the board of directors? Is the head of the council getting old?”

“How old is he to be considered old? He’s still in his prime.”

“He’s doing things that we can’t understand, so that’s why.”

“Hey, Young-gil. Why didn’t you just stomp him? Why did you just let him go?”

Gong Young-gil scratched his head.

“Hey, if I had stepped up to stomp him there, what would have happened to the head of the council’s reputation? I had to back down at the right place and save his face.”

“You know how to navigate social situations, huh?”

The atmosphere was heating up.

‘It’s like they succeeded in a coup.’

It seemed like there were some guys who thought they had broken Bang Jin-hoon’s nose with this incident. Those guys were the ones who were acting up the most. From Bang Jin-hoon’s point of view, they were guys he didn’t need to pay attention to, but seeing them act like they had done something was pathetic, but there was no need to say it out loud.

‘But this… now that I think about it, the situation is strange.’

If the rumors about the relationship between Bang Jin-hoon and Kang Jin-ho were not true, there was no need to put him in the position of director.

As such, it seemed certain that there was some kind of relationship between Bang Jin-hoon and Kang Jin-ho.

The only difference was that Kang Jin-ho wasn’t the crazy person that the rumors made him out to be…

At that moment, the door creaked open.

Lee Myung-hwan was speechless as he looked at the people who had entered. People covered in blood on their hands and clothes were entering. In an instant, everyone’s attention was focused on them.

“Ah, damn…”

The people who had entered were all sighing with dark expressions.

“You, you guys… did you come back from a battlefield? What’s with that look?”

“Battlefield?”

The first person who had entered snickered.

“I wish it was a battlefield. This, ah…”

‘They’re the cleanup crew.’

They were the guys who specialized in handling incidents related to the martial artists of the General Assembly. But this was the first time they had returned in such a state.

“It’s like they didn’t even try to kill people nicely, they just made a bloody mess. Wow, I’ve never felt like throwing up while doing this job, but today I threw up a lot.”

“Where did you go?”

“You know where we went, don’t you?”

“…Didn’t the head of the council call you?”

“Yes.”

Lee Myung-hwan couldn’t help but speak.

“Did Kang Jin-ho do it?”

He didn’t know why he said that. But the answer that came back proved that Lee Myung-hwan’s question was more than appropriate.

“That bastard is a complete psycho.”

“…Huh?”

“Ugh.”

The people who had pulled out chairs sat down with a thud.

“Wow, damn. What did he do to people… No, I’m basically hostile to the Japs [a derogatory term for Japanese people], but this was the first time I felt sorry for them. Even if I minced meat, it wouldn’t look like that. I don’t know how a person can kill another person like that.”

“Kang Jin-ho killed the Japs?”

“Yes.”

“Ordinary people?”

“What do you mean ordinary people? They were all carrying swords. It seemed like they came for Kang Jin-ho?”

Lee Myung-hwan’s body trembled.

“He killed twenty Japanese martial artists?”

“He didn’t just kill them, he completely minced them. Damn, it was too much.”

Silence descended upon the auditorium.

They couldn’t believe that the man who had just laughed off their provocations like a scholar had done such a thing.

“We’re screwed.”

Someone’s muttered words represented their feelings. But the real trouble happened after that.

Creak.