Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 445

As Knight Wiggins trembled without replying, Knight Levo chuckled softly.

‘That might be a bit harsh. It could be like separating a father and daughter. Well, I suppose I have no choice but to take on this important task.’

‘We should all emulate Knight Levo’s spirit of sacrifice for the Round Table.’

Even the Master sided with Knight Levo, causing Knight Wiggins’ face to contort further.

‘Don’t worry. As it’s a task I’ve been given, I’ll make sure to handle it thoroughly.’

‘May the will of the Round Table be with you.’

With the situation somewhat settled, the Master gave a brief blessing and ended the meeting.

‘Then, let’s conclude the meeting regarding the situation in East Asia. Each Knight will follow the Round Table’s decision, and please provide support to Knight Levo, who will be taking the lead on this matter.’

‘Yes, Master.’

‘Understood.’

‘Then.’

As the Master’s screen turned off, screens in various places began to shut down simultaneously.

Knight Levo stopped Knight Wiggins, who was about to turn off his screen with a nervous gesture.

‘Wait, Knight Wiggins.’

‘…What is it?’

‘I need the relevant information.’

‘I’ve already submitted the report, haven’t I? I’ll send you the documents.’

‘Also, send me the data that Pawn Elena personally collected.’

Knight Levo shrugged.

‘She’s more talented than I thought. If such a talented person has spoken, we should certainly listen.’

‘…I’ll send it right away.’

‘Thank you for your cooperation, Knight Wiggins. May blessings be upon you.’

As Knight Levo disappeared from the screen with a bright smile, Wiggins slammed his fist into the monitor.

*Thwack!*

The loud noise that suddenly echoed made Purvis, who was waiting outside, jump in surprise and rush into the room.

‘K-Knight?’

Purvis stared at Wiggins with a stiff face, seeing black smoke rising from the shattered monitor.

‘That damn Frenchman.’

Wiggins trembled, unable to contain his anger.

‘I won’t forget this humiliation.’

‘Please calm down, Knight.’

‘…I must.’

Knight Wiggins sighed deeply.

Purvis quickly took a beer from the refrigerator and placed it in front of Wiggins. Wiggins stared at the beer for a moment, then sighed.

‘It’s my own doing.’

‘…Did you say something?’

‘Tsk.’

Wiggins clicked his tongue.

‘I can scold my own daughter, but I won’t allow others to look down on her. If I don’t convey my daughter’s words, who will?’

‘Knight…’

‘Don’t misunderstand.’

Knight Wiggins shook his head.

‘It’s not about fatherly affection. The Round Table is a sacred place. Personal feelings have no place here. As you said, that child has talent. As a Knight who must gather the opinions of pawns, I thought I couldn’t just pass on her opinion as it was. Even if the result is ridicule.’

Purvis smiled gently.

‘That’s a wise decision.’

‘Tsk.’

Wiggins roughly opened the beer can and gulped down the beer in one go.

*Clunk!*

Wiggins put down the beer, wiped his mouth, and said,

‘Now that it’s come to this, I’d rather that Kang Jin-ho be exactly as Elena described him. Then those French knights who go to deal with him will get a taste of their own medicine.’

‘Knight.’

‘I’m just joking. Why are you looking so serious?’

Knight Wiggins leaned back deeply in his chair.

‘But what if Elena’s eyes were really accurate?’

Anxiety began to surface in Knight Wiggins’ eyes.

‘I should probably meet with the Master separately.’

Such a thing would never happen, but the Round Table is a place where even the slightest possibility cannot be overlooked.

‘For now, let’s quickly take care of the tasks at hand. I think I’ll need to set aside about two days.’

‘Yes, Knight.’

Watching Purvis rush out, Wiggins shouted loudly.

‘And bring me some aspirin on your way back!’

‘…Yes.’

Knight Wiggins quietly massaged his face.

‘Kang Jin-ho…’

Judging from what he’s done in Korea and Elena’s report, one thing is certain.

‘He’s definitely not someone to be trifled with.’

Kang Jin-ho, whom he had never met. He only knew what he looked like from a photo. But Knight Wiggins felt as if he had already met Kang Jin-ho.

‘A bomb that shouldn’t be touched… It sent a chill down my spine.’

‘Ugh…’

Kang Jin-ho, who was being watched by Knight Wiggins, was now in a very difficult situation.

‘Are you sure you delivered the message correctly?’

‘Ah, well, I did…’

Kang Jin-ho scratched the back of his head.

‘Don’t push me. I’ll kill you?’

‘What a load of crap. Is there anyone here who didn’t come here ready to die?’

‘Should I kill you before you even start training?’

‘Come on out, you punk. I’ll cut four of you down today.’

Bang Jin-hoon sighed deeply.

Normally, he would have severely punished those who openly showed hostility towards each other. Because what he was currently focusing on was the integration of the Yeongnam Association and the General Assembly.

He knew that it wouldn’t be easy to quickly integrate with each other, as feelings had been building up for a long time. That’s why he had to be firm.

But now, Bang Jin-hoon couldn’t say anything even as he watched the two baring their teeth at each other.

From the start, it was a pipe dream to expect lions and tigers to be locked in a small cage and not fight.

‘I said don’t push me, you bastards! I’ll kill you all!’

‘Who does that punk think he is, acting like that? He’s asking for it.’

‘What, you punk? What did you just say?’

Bang Jin-hoon turned to Kang Jin-ho with a blank expression.

Then, Kang Jin-ho also turned his head the other way without saying anything, avoiding eye contact.

‘A small elite group?’

‘Well, the plan is…’

‘While ‘small’ is a relative concept, I don’t think this many people can be called a small group anywhere.’

Kang Jin-ho was speechless.

He had mistakenly failed to notify the Yeongnam Association of the recruitment, so he gave them an extra day. Thanks to that, he thought it couldn’t be helped even if the number of applicants from the General Assembly decreased due to the extra time to think.

It wasn’t good to receive such a task in two installments. It was likely that some people would be motivated by the first group of applicants and apply without much thought.

‘So…’

So, the number of people should have decreased…

‘Why are there so many?’

Kang Jin-ho looked at Bang Jin-hoon, puzzled, as he saw the people filling the auditorium.

‘Why are you asking me that? What did I do?’

‘No, I just don’t understand.’

‘Hmm…’

The auditorium was a mess.

When they had first come in yesterday, there had been a sense of tension, but when they gathered the most hot-blooded young men from the Yeongnam Association and the General Assembly, it seemed like a brawl was about to break out at any moment.

‘Are you sure you delivered the message correctly?’

‘I think so.’

‘Then, there’s only one reason.’

‘Yes?’

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled and said,

‘The idea that they could die seemed funny to them. Would they all have rushed here like this if Kang Jin-ho didn’t seem easy? Hehehe.’

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes twitched.

‘Easy?’

What kind of word was that?

It was a word that had never been associated with Kang Jin-ho in his life.

Kang Jin-ho was used to modifiers like ‘vicious,’ ‘ruthless,’ ‘heartless,’ and ‘more terrifying than a ghost.’ That’s why he had never thought that the word ‘easy’ would ever be used in front of his name.

However…

‘I can’t deny it.’

Of course, there would be a reason. There must be some other reason why they came here. It was hard for Kang Jin-ho to understand, but it was difficult for him to fully grasp the way modern young people think.

He understood that. He understood, but…

‘Come on out, you punk. I’m going to use your intestines for jump rope today. I’ve been worried about gaining weight lately, so this is perfect.’

‘A pig doing jump rope? Come on, the ground will cave in. You look like you’d lose all your fluids just by walking. Are you sure you’re okay with such intense exercise? Beginners should start with light exercise. I’ll teach you, so learn well.’

‘You bastards! Do I have to deal with these country bumpkins?’

‘Shut up. You’re all weaklings.’

Kang Jin-ho’s brow furrowed slightly.

Of course, he could accept that there were other reasons for them to come here, but if they didn’t think Kang Jin-ho was easy, they wouldn’t be baring their teeth and fighting in front of him like that, as Bang Jin-hoon said.

Kang Jin-ho stared blankly at the ceiling.

‘It was better when I was in the Central Plains [a fictional region in many martial arts stories].’

Back then, he was full of dignity. Even if he didn’t try to establish his dignity, everyone would naturally respect him.

Kang Jin-ho had never thought that his life in the Central Plains was even slightly better than his current life, but at this moment, he missed his subordinates in the Central Plains who would do as they were told without him having to say a word.

As Kang Jin-ho was speechless with the sadness of becoming an easy target, Bang Jin-hoon urged him.

‘Kang Jin-ho, well, how about you try to sort out the situation…’

‘Yes…’

Kang Jin-ho nodded lightly and quietly opened his mouth.

‘So…’

Contrary to his expectations, Kang Jin-ho’s influence seemed to be working to some extent. As soon as Kang Jin-ho started to speak to them, the auditorium became quiet in an instant.

‘Are all the people here those who came to learn?’

‘Yes!’

A loud answer rang out.

‘All of them?’

‘Yes!’

Kang Jin-ho looked around the auditorium with a blank face.

‘…If there are any of you who came here half-heartedly, just because others are going, and you don’t want to be left behind, leave now. No one will blame you.’

‘There aren’t any.’

‘No, don’t try to pressure them with herd mentality…’

‘There aren’t any!’

Bang Jin-hoon looked at Kang Jin-ho with a subtle expression.

‘He’s a little different than usual, or rather…’

Bang Jin-hoon, who was thinking that Kang Jin-ho’s tone was different than usual, finally noticed it.

‘A vein?’

A vein was standing out on Kang Jin-ho’s forehead.

‘Where did he get so heated?’

Whether he knew what Bang Jin-hoon was thinking or not, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth.

The auditorium began to cool down as a heavy voice, as if coming from the depths of a cauldron, filled the air.

‘So, it’s okay for everyone here to die.’

That’s not it…

It was a situation where he had to make some kind of excuse, but he couldn’t open his mouth when he saw Kang Jin-ho’s strangely smiling face.

‘His eyes aren’t smiling.’

‘That’s not a smile.’

‘You’ve all come this far, so I can’t disappoint you. Don’t worry. I’ll give you what you want.’

Kang Jin-ho smiled brightly, but to the people in the auditorium, it looked like something out of a horror movie. They felt that something was wrong, but it was too late to turn back.

Bang Jin-hoon shook his head as he watched the scene.

‘Seriously, his personality is so weird…’

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer.