Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 541

Sometimes, a single word leaves more room for interpretation than a thousand actions.

The words just spoken were exactly like that.

– Confront Kang Jin-ho.

That one sentence presented those gathered here with a topic far beyond their imagination.

‘Confront him?’

Everyone thought of Kang Jin-ho.

That devilish figure.

Silence.

A chilling silence flowed through the room. No one dared to speak first.

Although they had harbored numerous complaints, the reason they hadn’t voiced them was because of Kang Jin-ho’s presence. About half of those who came here were likely aiming to find a way to convey their concerns without provoking Kang Jin-ho’s wrath.

So, discussing the removal of Kang Jin-ho made the atmosphere turn cold, as expected.

“…It would be wise to watch our words,” someone said in a trembling voice.

“Walls have ears. Complaining about Chairman Bang might end as simple gossip, but if we go further than that, it won’t end easily.”

“But isn’t there no other way?”

“Director Jo!”

“Did I say anything wrong?”

The man called Director Jo gripped the table slightly.

“I know, I know. He is strong. So strong that we can’t even think of doing anything about it. But that’s all he is.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes. That’s all. He is alone. An individual. He doesn’t have any power, nor does he have anyone to fight alongside him. Before, we supported him because there was a justification to strike the Yeongnam Association. Otherwise, who in the General Assembly would side with him?”

Everyone looked at Director Jo with a mix of fear and tension.

“Let’s be honest, where are we? Isn’t this the Martial Arts General Assembly? A place where our blood and sweat are poured. Who has built this General Assembly until now? Bang Jin-hoon controlling the General Assembly? I understand that. But isn’t it true that someone who isn’t even from the General Assembly, someone who rolled in from nowhere, is now ruling the General Assembly under his feet? Are you all okay with this situation?”

Those words were very painful.

The faces of the directors and elders contorted.

If there was one thing they were passionate about, it was their love for the General Assembly. They had dedicated their youth to building this magnificent General Assembly, and now some outsider had come and swallowed it whole. Who could accept that calmly?

“Of course, we can accept an outsider if they lead us reasonably. We are not that narrow-minded. But martial arts? Is the price for handing over the General Assembly, which we have built with our lives, teaching martial arts to children and Western martial arts to foreigners? This is a matter that undermines the legitimacy of the General Assembly!”

At Director Jo’s sharp voice, everyone nodded.

However, none of them directly mentioned Kang Jin-ho.

‘He’s really something.’

Lee Jung-gul was once again feeling Kang Jin-ho’s power.

He acknowledged Kang Jin-ho.

Because of his strength?

No. What Lee Jung-gul truly admired was Kang Jin-ho’s deep strategy.

Kang Jin-ho’s plan must have been in place long before he stormed the Yeongnam Association. If so, they were not really needed.

To prevent them from running away?

Why would he need to do that? He didn’t intend to annihilate them from the start.

If his intention was to reduce casualties by quickly crushing a small number and inducing overall panic, it would have been right to open an escape route. Those who have nowhere to run will resist. They need a place to run to panic more easily and show their backs.

Then why did he do it that way?

He wanted to show them.

To the General Assembly as well.

To show that if they opposed him, he could do the same to them at any time.

To make them choose whether they could dare to handle him after seeing his current state.

It might not have been such a clear message, but whether consciously or unconsciously, he had clearly tried to convey that feeling.

He doesn’t create one result from one action.

He envisioned multiple results from one action and created results that were beneficial to him. That was what was truly frightening about Kang Jin-ho.

You shouldn’t become an enemy of such a person.

As a price for choosing to become his enemy, Lee Jung-gul lost everything and retreated to the back room. The work he was currently doing was merely solving the troublesome issues that Bang Jin-hoon was struggling with, or advising on realistic and financial aspects of leading the General Assembly.

‘It’s impossible not to have complaints.’

Lee Jung-gul had also prepared for this.

A defeated person has no choice but to be faithful to their given role. If he couldn’t accept that, he would have either refused to acknowledge his defeat or retired. But he accepted it. And he understood it.

Until a guy named Lee Hyun-soo appeared.

That was a variable that Lee Jung-gul hadn’t anticipated.

In the end, Bang Jin-hoon could be a leader who led, but he was not well-versed in practical matters. Without Lee Jung-gul’s help, he couldn’t move the massive group that was the General Assembly. It was the same even if Chun Tae-hoon helped.

This was Bang Jin-hoon’s fundamental limitation from the start in opposing Lee Jung-gul. The working-level staff of the General Assembly were firmly in Lee Jung-gul’s grasp, and for the stable operation of the General Assembly, he had no choice but to join hands with Lee Jung-gul.

Moreover, the problems that were piling up in the process of merging with the Yeongnam Association would further strengthen Lee Jung-gul’s necessity.

There was such a calculation in deciding to work with them. Although he was stepping down from the chairman’s position on the surface, if he held onto that influence, what did the position of chairman even mean?

But Lee Hyun-soo shattered all those plans.

He was an amazing practical worker, and he quickly seized the real power of the General Assembly and the Yeongnam faction. Even while doing so, he never opposed Bang Jin-hoon. With a perfect way of handling things that deserved applause, he had become Bang Jin-hoon’s, no, Kang Jin-ho’s right-hand man.

Thanks to that, Lee Jung-gul had to hand over even the work he had to Lee Hyun-soo.

‘If it weren’t for that guy, I wouldn’t be here.’

He was only eighty years old, and he had no intention of retreating to the back room yet.

The unnecessarily high position made it impossible for him to take on other work. No matter how much the back waves of the river push the front waves, if the speed is too fast, it will eventually overflow.

Right now, this place is filled with the boiling currents just before overflowing.

Lee Jung-gul pretended to drink, slightly covering his mouth.

To hide his expression.

The people who had been chattering loudly shouted.

“Now that the situation has come this far, we can’t just sit idly by!”

“Even if the chairman is Bang Jin-hoon, how many directors and elders are gathered here! Even the president of a country can’t do something that all the ministers oppose! This isn’t North Korea.”

“That’s right. At least a process of gathering opinions is necessary. But among you, who has recently voiced their opinion to Chairman Bang?”

There was no answer.

More than they thought, the perception that Bang Jin-hoon was a dictator was spreading.

“Former Chairman, what do you think?”

“Even if you ask me that…”

“Still, you have led the General Assembly for decades. There were no problems back then. But now, it’s a mess, a mess!”

Lee Jung-gul had to try his best to hold back his laughter.

‘There were no problems back then?’

It hadn’t been long since the Lee Jung-gul faction and the Bang Jin-hoon faction had been fighting each other. But what? No problems? It was just foolish talk. There were always problems. It’s just that this time, they were the victims of the problem. Lee Jung-gul tried not to become like these fools.

There was no way that things would go well if he thought and proceeded like them. Calmly and composedly.

“Indeed… Chairman Bang’s unilateral decisions are a bit excessive.”

“That’s right!”

“Very excessive.”

“There are two ways to solve the problem.”

Then, Lee Jung-gul waited for a moment without speaking. To heighten the atmosphere.

After confirming that everyone’s attention was definitely on him, Lee Jung-gul opened his mouth.

“One is to solve it through dialogue. I will convey to Chairman Bang that you have these complaints. He is not someone who can’t understand, so he will probably resolve some of it. Although not completely.”

Slightly dissatisfied expressions could be seen.

He knew.

That they didn’t want such a moderate solution.

Even though he was the chairman, Bang Jin-hoon was about the same age as their first disciples. There was no one who couldn’t speak to him because they were intimidated.

“But… this method is a bit ineffective. Although I don’t want to admit it, this General Assembly is revolving around Kang Jin-ho, not Chairman Bang.”

“…That’s right.”

“It wouldn’t be bad to talk to Kang Jin-ho directly. Surprisingly, he is someone you can reason with. But… would those people care about the elders or directors here? I don’t think so.”

“If they cared, they wouldn’t treat us like we’re nothing.”

“You are right.”

“Then, in the end, there is only one way…”

Lee Jung-gul closed his mouth.

Politics is like that. You don’t say things that you have to take risks for. There was a clear difference between Lee Jung-gul leading people by speaking himself and people directly raising Lee Jung-gul to the throne.

There was someone else to take on that role.

“We have to strike Kang Jin-ho.”

Everyone’s gaze focused on one place.

Director Jo.

He spoke with a stern face.

“The current General Assembly is in a situation where the poison called Kang Jin-ho has taken root. If we don’t take action immediately, the poison will quickly spread throughout the body.”

“But… isn’t Kang Jin-ho trusted by Chairman Bang? No, rather, it’s a situation where it could be said to be the opposite.”

“The poisoned part must be cut out entirely. If we try to find an antidote carelessly, the poison will reach the heart.”

“…The problem is how to solve that poison, isn’t it? There is no way to cut it out.”

Director Jo slightly raised his head.

“The person who will figure out that method is not us. When have we ever been people who worried about such things? We don’t have the ability to do that.”

“Then?”

“There has always been someone who worries about it. We just need to become that person’s hands and feet and do our best. Isn’t that what the General Assembly was? Not this corrupted General Assembly, but the pure General Assembly.”

With his skillful speech, everyone’s gaze turned to Lee Jung-gul.

The person who should worry.

The person who leads.

Everyone knew that person was Lee Jung-gul.

“It’s too much.”

“You have to do it.”

“…Then, before that, I would like to discuss one thing.”

Lee Jung-gul slightly opened the conversation.

Now is the time.

Now is the right time.

“If I have a way to deal with Kang Jin-ho, what would you all do?”

The air in the room suddenly turned cold.