Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 510

“If we try to avoid it, can we?”Lee Hyun-soo closed his mouth.In this situation, there were dozens of answers he could give. But none of them could be the perfect answer to Kang Jin-ho’s question right now.’Can we avoid it…’Lee Hyun-soo bit his lip tightly.Right now, Kang Jin-ho was piercing his core with just one word.’Let’s admit it.’Fear of China was rooted in Lee Hyun-soo’s heart. China was a great power. A great power that Korea could not handle.The difference in national power in the revealed world was nothing compared to the unrevealed world. Even if the Hongwang faction, which divided China into three, acted alone, Korea could not handle it. No, it wouldn’t just be that they couldn’t handle it; they would be unilaterally swept away.The reason they were able to survive now was, on a small scale, because the three factions of China were keeping each other in check, and on a large scale, because China and Japan were wary of each other.The balance of power, which was so perfectly matched that it was abnormal, was guaranteeing peace on the Korean Peninsula.’Perfectly, indeed.’A normal person might feel relieved by that fact. But Lee Hyun-soo was feeling pressured by that fact.The fact that the balance was so perfectly matched also meant that if even a small variable occurred, that balance would collapse. Even a small, unexpected variable could shatter the peace that had been maintained until now.’No, it’s already collapsing.’That variable was right in front of Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes.Kang Jin-ho.This man was completely destroying the balance of East Asia that had been maintained with difficulty.The change had already appeared.The Nanahoshi Group had come over to swallow Korea and attacked Kang Jin-ho, and even the European Round Table, which had only been rumored, had appeared in Korea.It was something that could not have been imagined before Kang Jin-ho appeared.Whether it was positive or negative, Kang Jin-ho was definitely changing the situation in East Asia.’Well, it’s closer to the negative side, though.’Lee Hyun-soo was basically a pessimist.If he were the type to believe that everything would be resolved positively, he wouldn’t have brought down Kim Seok-il and offered his neck to Kang Jin-ho.That’s why Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t help but worry about this whole situation. Who could guarantee that China or Japan wouldn’t push into Korea as a result of this broken balance?The balance that had been maintained on thin ice had already collapsed. Then, wasn’t the next result obvious?”Honestly… I’m a little scared.”At Lee Hyun-soo’s words, Kang Jin-ho narrowed his eyes slightly.”Scared?””Yes.”Saying these words in front of Kang Jin-ho took great courage. But Lee Hyun-soo decided to be honest.He had always been forced to act strong and mature, but he knew that sometimes such an attitude only made things worse.”We still can’t handle Japan and China. Kang Jin-ho… you are strong. Maybe you personally are equal to the martial artists of China and Japan. No, maybe more than that. But we can’t handle even Japan, let alone China.”Lee Hyun-soo’s voice was trembling.”I’m talking about reality.””Keep going.”Kang Jin-ho didn’t scold him. And he didn’t blame him either. What he was saying was clearly a fact.Kang Jin-ho didn’t think he was great himself, but he wasn’t stupid enough to pressure someone who was telling the truth.”There’s only one way to deal with an enemy you can’t handle. Don’t engage them in the first place. Until now, Korea has thoroughly followed that rule. No. To be precise, we had no choice but to follow that rule. We couldn’t handle China or Japan. But… if we continue to clash with those two countries like this, we will eventually face destruction.”Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.Lee Hyun-soo bit his lip.He had to stop here.From a rational point of view, this was as far as he could go without provoking Kang Jin-ho. The strong were always fickle and capricious.It was Lee Hyun-soo’s choice to trust Kang Jin-ho a little more, but the risk was entirely his to bear.Lee Hyun-soo’s position was nothing more than a sandcastle that could collapse with Kang Jin-ho’s slightest whim.Lee Hyun-soo raised his head and looked at Kang Jin-ho.”Fighting Bator might be nothing to you, Kang Jin-ho. It might just be a minor fight. But the aftermath will not be small. That fight could lead to the collapse of the General Assembly. If we think rationally… we have no choice but to pursue a policy of appeasement with either China or Japan.”Kang Jin-ho didn’t say anything and just stared at Lee Hyun-soo.A low silence.Lee Hyun-soo swallowed hard.It was still difficult for him to look directly into Kang Jin-ho’s sunken eyes.And finally, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth.”If you keep bowing and bowing, you’ll eventually lose your pride. Even if you lose, if you maintain your pride until the end, it’s not a defeat.What’s the point of surviving if you abandon your pride? A martial artist isn’t like that.”Lee Hyun-soo closed his eyes.The worst possible answer he could imagine had come out of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth. Having heard these words, he had nothing more to say.”Yes. If that’s what you want…””…I’m not going to say something obvious like that.”Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes widened. Kang Jin-ho was smiling. But that smile was definitely different from the eerie smile he had shown a moment ago.”Survival is the priority… I agree with that.”Lee Hyun-soo didn’t know.The strong man he knew and Kang Jin-ho were fundamentally different. The modern martial artists who had become strong by learning their martial arts in a good environment and Kang Jin-ho, who would do anything to survive, were fundamentally different beings.Pride?’It’s useless.’If necessary, he could bow his head to anyone, not just Hongwang. If he were to lose and fall because of his pride, everyone around Kang Jin-ho would be unhappy. Compared to the absolute value of everyone’s happiness, pride was nothing more than non-recyclable trash.”If necessary, I wouldn’t mind making peace with Hongwang.”Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with surprise.If Kang Jin-ho was speaking sincerely now, it meant that he hadn’t fully grasped Kang Jin-ho either. Just as he was thinking that he was like an onion, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth.”But is that possible?””Yes?””Peace is made because of mutual need. What can Hongwang gain by making peace with us?””Ah, no. Hongwang has already tried to dominate Korea through the Yeongnam Association [a regional organization].””That’s domination.””Ah…”Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened.”That’s what a deal with the strong is like. I may be weak, but a deal where I can get all the benefits I want is something that only exists in fairy tales. From the moment you bow your head in the name of peace, real domination begins.”Lee Hyun-soo had no choice but to nod heavily.He realized that it was not Kang Jin-ho, but rather himself, who had been looking at the world too easily.’This person was like this before too.’On the surface, he seemed to be doing things recklessly, but there was a meticulous calculation hidden inside.When he attacked the Yeongnam Association, everyone said it was reckless, but it was Kang Jin-ho who minimized the damage based on that recklessness.’Reason and wildness…’In Lee Hyun-soo’s view, Kang Jin-ho’s wild side was not fabricated. He wasn’t forcing that side of himself to create an atmosphere.But Kang Jin-ho was well aware that he had such a side, and he knew how to use that fact.”Then what should we do?””There’s only one way.”Kang Jin-ho said calmly.”There’s only one way for the weak to avoid being harmed by the strong. Become strong. If you can’t become strong…”Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth.”Even if I can’t kill you, I have to show the will to bite your neck and die if I fight you with my life on the line. That way, they won’t be able to treat you carelessly.”It was chilling.Because he knew that he wasn’t just saying it.Lee Hyun-soo could feel it. Kang Jin-ho had really lived with that mindset, and he would continue to live that way.Could Lee Hyun-soo easily look down on this man just because he was stronger than Kang Jin-ho?’No, I couldn’t.’What more could be said to a person who lived by his own words?One thing was certain: Kang Jin-ho was much more skilled than Lee Hyun-soo in dealing with this situation. He didn’t know why, though.Lee Hyun-soo, who didn’t know what kind of life Kang Jin-ho had lived in the past, could never find out the reason.”Then…”Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.”The moment you show weakness, you’ll be eaten. I don’t know what the revealed world is like, but the world I’ve lived in has never deviated from that category. It’s just a difference between being eaten right away or having your blood slowly drained. It’s a cruel story to choose between the former and the latter.”Lee Hyun-soo bit his lip tightly.He realized that what he had suggested was ultimately a way to try to survive by having his blood slowly drained.Where was the guarantee that if they acted gentlemanly, the other side would act gentlemanly as well?To expect gentlemanly behavior from the Chinese?’That’s bullshit.’Lee Hyun-soo, who knew better than anyone that it was a pipe dream both historically and socially, had come up with the answer of appeasement, which meant that he had failed to make a normal judgment in the face of the overwhelming power of China.Lee Hyun-soo got up from his seat and bowed.”I was foolish.””No.”A strange pressure arose and forced Lee Hyun-soo back into his seat. Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes widened.”You can’t even call it a mistake. We don’t know yet if what I’m saying is right or not. It’s just armchair theorizing. No one knows how it will actually go.””…That’s right.”In the end, Lee Hyun-soo’s words might be right.Right now, Kang Jin-ho’s words just seemed plausible. There wasn’t just one right answer, and there was no guarantee that the right answer now would be the right answer later.”Then, what are you planning to do first?”Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly.”We have to show them.”Lee Hyun-soo’s body trembled slightly.Yes.If they saw it, things would change. Their thoughts as well.If they saw ‘that’ Kang Jin-ho, anyone, even Hongwang, would be shaken.Lee Hyun-soo trembled at that strange feeling.The fact that China, that powerful and oppressive country, would tremble at the name of Kang Jin-ho was an indescribable pleasure.”And we have to become stronger too.”Lee Hyun-soo smiled brightly.”Of course.”It was the moment when another direction was set.