Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 370

Organizing (3)

“Why isn’t he coming out?”

“I have no idea.”

Bang Jin-hoon, having roughly assessed the situation, stared at the building.

“He hasn’t been hurt or anything, has he?”

“…Surely not.”

Well, surely not.

Kang Jin-ho had been ambushed by the Yeongnam Assembly and buried under a tunnel before, but that was because he was with civilians and hadn’t anticipated such an attack.

It was impossible to put Kang Jin-ho, who was now aware that he could be attacked, in danger. At least, not with the disorganized forces of the Yeongnam Assembly.

‘They’re completely out of it.’

They weren’t even tied up, but the Yeongnam Assembly’s martial artists were all kneeling and staring blankly at the building.

If it were Bang Jin-hoon, he would have been racking his brain for an escape route before Kang Jin-ho came out, but seeing that they showed no such signs, it seemed they were in deep shock.

‘They’ll start coming to their senses soon, though.’

Once they started to grasp the situation, there was no telling how they would react. If Kang Jin-ho were here, they wouldn’t dare to rebel, but with him inside the building, they might try to revolt as a group and escape.

That could lead to a lot of damage.

Bang Jin-hoon looked at the building with a slightly anxious gaze.

‘Seriously, though.’

Even when leaving things behind, he had to do it like this.

He knew that Kang Jin-ho had single-handedly taken care of everything, but it would have been great if he had finished with a clean final pose.

“…I wish he’d come out soon.”

“There must be a reason,” Jo Gyu-min said indifferently.

“Can’t you go in and bring him out?”

“Me?”

“…Honestly, I’m a bit scared.”

“Huh?”

Bang Jin-hoon looked awkward.

“Normally, I’d go in and bring him out, but seeing how angry he is today, I’m afraid I’ll get a knife thrown at me if I go talk to him…”

“He’s not that unreasonable.”

‘You might think so.’

Ask ten other people, and see what they say.

Jo Gyu-min had no idea how amazing it was to have a relationship of trust with Kang Jin-ho.

Jo Gyu-min, on the other hand, looked displeased that Kang Jin-ho had acted alone instead of using the people around him.

‘This guy isn’t normal either.’

Judging by his expression, he was planning to nag Kang Jin-ho as soon as he came out, but the fact that he could think that way after seeing Kang Jin-ho’s actions was proof that this guy was also missing a screw somewhere.

“Anyway…”

Kim Seok-il was probably not among the living anymore.

Whether for good or bad, it wasn’t a pleasant thing to see a giant who had dominated the Korean martial arts world pass away.

Bang Jin-hoon stared at the building with a complicated look in his eyes.

Alive?

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with questioning eyes.

Why would he keep him alive?

To use him?

Or…

‘I can’t predict this guy’s behavior patterns at all.’

Lee Hyun-soo thought that everyone moved according to their own set of rules, but Kang Jin-ho was like an unknown entity to him.

Kang Jin-ho’s actions always deviated from his expectations.

“You’re saying you kept him alive?”

“Yeah.”

“May I ask why?”

“Have you ever experienced death?”

“…No. No one can experience death while still alive.”

Except for you, maybe.

It was a reminder that Kang Jin-ho, a returnee, had already experienced death once, no, twice.

“A person on the verge of death suffers from fear and despair. But when death actually approaches, they tend to feel a little more at ease.”

“Yes.”

“Especially someone like Kim Seok-il. What did Kim Seok-il want while I was tearing him apart?”

‘He wanted to die.’

Only by dying could he escape the pain that made him sob.

“Why should I give him what he wants?”

“You are…”

Lee Hyun-soo took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“Excessively cruel.”

“Maybe.”

“It’s true that Kim Seok-il targeted you. But it’s no exaggeration to say that you suffered no actual damage. Rather, you gained a huge advantage thanks to it.”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer.

“Considering that, isn’t it too cruel not to even grant him death?”

Kang Jin-ho silently held out his hand to Lee Hyun-soo. As Kang Jin-ho intended, Lee Hyun-soo took out a cigarette and offered it to Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho took the cigarette, lit it, exhaled smoke, and then opened his mouth.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Do you know what it means to fight?”

“Fighting with one’s life on the line means that the winner takes everything. It means that you can’t make excuses for whatever happens to you, including your own life. Because you’re literally betting everything. Even if I were lying on the ground after being beaten by Kim Seok-il, would you tell me, ‘Even if you had won, the opponent wasn’t that bad, so treat him moderately’?”

“…That wouldn’t be the case.”

“The law judges by results,” Kang Jin-ho smiled.

“But I don’t.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly got up from his seat.

“I did come up with a reason, but it’s just as pathetic. I don’t need a reason. I’m just doing what I want to do.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly approached Lee Hyun-soo and whispered softly.

“Why did I keep Kim Seok-il alive?”

Lee Hyun-soo knew.

He couldn’t see Kang Jin-ho’s face as he leaned close to his ear. But he was probably smiling now. He was probably smiling with a cruel expression that Lee Hyun-soo could never imagine.

“Because I wanted to, because I wanted him to suffer more. That’s all. Is that wrong?”

“…No.”

Nothing was wrong.

That was the privilege of the powerful.

Even if Kim Seok-il had been treated like that by Kang Jin-ho without any fault, who would dare to tell Kang Jin-ho that he was wrong?

He was a king, a tyrant.

“Then, is the reason you’re keeping me alive also because you want to?”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho turned around casually and sat back down.

As if the emotion he had shown a moment ago was a lie, Kang Jin-ho had returned to his expressionless face.

His sharp jawline gave off a rough feeling, but Kang Jin-ho’s face was usually pleasing to others. That fact made Lee Hyun-soo even more confused.

“Rather than that… it’s more like I haven’t even thought about it.”

“To me, you’re that insignificant.” There were many words in the world.

But at this moment, no matter what words he brought, there were no words that could crush Lee Hyun-soo’s pride more than Kang Jin-ho’s words.

Humiliation filled Lee Hyun-soo’s entire body.

“Then I’ll just have to become a meaningful person to you.”

Seeing Lee Hyun-soo looking at him with hostility, Kang Jin-ho grinned.

“I’ll give you a chance.”

“…A chance?”

“Take over the Yeongnam Assembly and make it yours.”

“Are you saying that I should take over and control the Yeongnam Assembly, which is practically yours?”

“Yeah.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded slowly.

“I’m not a person who’s particularly talented at creating and controlling organizations. I’ve already failed at it before. I don’t overestimate myself. What I can’t do, I can’t do.”

Lee Hyun-soo had to try hard to suppress the chilling feeling that ran down his spine.

A man like Kang Jin-ho was allowed to be arrogant.

No, it was hard to even call it arrogance. Even if someone else said something that sounded arrogant, if Kang Jin-ho said it, it would be accepted as such. Kang Jin-ho had the qualifications and the power to do so.

But such a man was admitting his shortcomings in front of Lee Hyun-soo, whom he had just met, with a nonchalant expression.

That fact made Lee Hyun-soo tremble even more.

A person who tries to package themselves has weaknesses. But those who accept themselves as they are have no weaknesses. Because the weaknesses they know are no longer weaknesses.

“But there’s also Bang Jin-hoon, the head of the Assembly.”

“Is it possible?”

“…It won’t be easy.”

“It might be possible to tie them together and just keep them breathing. But that’s meaningless. He’s a great person, and he’s capable, but he’s not someone who can assimilate a hostile force that has been hostile for decades and use them like his own limbs. No one would find that easy.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho’s words were correct.

Unless Kang Jin-ho stepped in directly, all Bang Jin-hoon could do was use Kang Jin-ho’s prestige to suppress those who didn’t follow him at all. That alone would be a great achievement.

“It’s not good just to be tied together under the same name. It’s more likely to lead to a worse situation than when the forces were divided.”

“…So you’re saying you’re going to use me to run the Yeongnam Assembly?”

“Yeah.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Why?”

“Didn’t I already tell you? Because I want to.”

“You don’t know me well. What if I don’t handle things properly? What if I don’t meet your expectations? Or what if I betray you?”

Even though Lee Hyun-soo’s words came out as a near-shout, Kang Jin-ho didn’t react.

He just stared at Lee Hyun-soo silently.

“You seem to be mistaken…”

“Don’t think that I expect anything from you. It’s just that it’s annoying, so I’m just putting anyone in charge. If you don’t meet my expectations, I’ll just put someone else in charge. If you betray me? You know better than anyone what will happen then, right?”

Kang Jin-ho slowly got up from his seat.

“Don’t try to give yourself meaning. You’re just a nobody. As of now, you’re a nobody not even worth killing. If you want to prove your worth, take over the Yeongnam Assembly so perfectly that I can’t say a word. Then I might remember your name.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled and walked past him, heading outside.

Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t bring himself to look back at him.

The anger and humiliation that filled his head, and the helplessness against the irrefutable logic, tormented him.

‘Damn it.’

Either die at Kang Jin-ho’s hands, or accept Kang Jin-ho’s offer and go under him.

Either way, he would have been able to protect his pride.

If he died at Kang Jin-ho’s hands, it would mean that he was a person worth Kang Jin-ho’s anger, and if he was offered a position, it would mean that he was worth even more.

But this was neither.

To Kang Jin-ho, he was just a person not worth killing.

Just as no one would bother to kill an ant crawling on the street. Whether you kill an ant or leave it alone, there’s no need for a reason.

A position where life and death are determined by a simple whim.

That was the value Lee Hyun-soo had right now.

‘Okay. I’ll make you remember me.’

Lee Hyun-soo clenched his teeth and stood there trembling for a long time.