Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 674

‘Is this Guo Liqin?’

Thinking rationally, there was no reason for that Korean to lie to him.

Bator.

What reason would a man who commands Bator, a legend even in China, have to lie to him?

Of course, humans lie to each other. But humans don’t need to lie to dogs. There’s no benefit to be gained from lying.

That was the relationship between Dabaao and that Korean right now.

The power dynamic between him and that man was already tilted more than that of a master and a pet dog.

Unless that Korean had a perverse hobby of enjoying his flustered reactions, there would be no reason to lie to him.

So, does that mean the man in front of him is Guo Liqin?

But…

‘This is absurd.’

He wasn’t exactly close to Guo Liqin. Their relationship was awkward, not quite colleagues, and too distant to be called acquaintances. It was such an ambiguous relationship.

But they were part of the same organization, and they had worked together several times, so they couldn’t not recognize each other’s faces.

But that person is Guo Liqin?

That person?

Dabaao stared in shock at the man who had collapsed onto the floor like a liquid the moment he opened the bathroom door.

Snow-white hair.

Skin cracked like dry wood.

And an emaciated body.

It was as if all vitality had been sucked out of him.

Dabaao’s clenched jaw trembled.

It hadn’t even been a week since Guo Liqin went missing. Even considering the time they started moving after receiving the call, it had only been a week.

How could a person change so much in just one week?

What on earth could happen to a person to make them look like that?

His legs trembled.

Cold sweat trickled down his spine.

It wasn’t the fact that Guo Liqin looked like that that scared him.

What truly terrified him was that they had turned Guo Liqin into that state in just one week.

And now, Dabaao was in their hands.

Who could guarantee that he wouldn’t end up like that?

He couldn’t speak.

He couldn’t even breathe properly.

He couldn’t understand how this could happen.

If Guo Liqin had appeared looking like he had been horribly tortured, he wouldn’t feel like this. But Guo Liqin’s body was clean.

There were no external signs of torture.

Then why on earth did Guo Liqin look like that?

At that moment, Guo Liqin, or rather, the man presumed to be Guo Liqin, began to stir.

Slowly, very slowly, his head lifted.

Even the simple act of lifting his head seemed difficult, his body trembling intermittently, but eventually, Guo Liqin fully raised his head.

‘Damn it.’

The curse he couldn’t utter out loud swirled in Dabaao’s throat.

It was Guo Liqin.

He could tell at a glance. This person was definitely Guo Liqin.

But is this person really Guo Liqin?

Confusion.

Confusion about the unacceptable reality was consuming him. The face of the person who had just raised his head was clearly the face of Guo Liqin he knew.

Except for the fact that he looked older.

Whatever had happened in the meantime, Guo Liqin’s face had aged drastically. Combined with his snow-white hair, he looked like he had aged into an old man in an instant.

The combination of a face that wasn’t quite that of an old man, withered skin, and snow-white hair created a bizarre feeling that was hard to describe.

“…am…”

Dabaao flinched.

‘Is he talking?’

Looking closely, Guo Liqin’s lips were moving incessantly. Red blood seeped from the cracks in his dry, parched lips.

Dabaao strained his ears.

“…am, I’m sorry… I… I told… everything. Everything… there’s nothing… more. I’m sorry… I’m… sorry.”

He couldn’t do anything.

He couldn’t get angry, nor could he pity him. He couldn’t be flustered, nor could he accept it.

‘Is this Guo Liqin?’

Was this really the Guo Liqin he knew?

Dabaao bit his lip hard.

For him, Guo Liqin was like a goal. Someone not much older than him was always a few steps ahead.

All his efforts were focused on catching up to Guo Liqin.

It was jealousy, and also admiration.

The man who had always been ahead, showing his back, was now in front of him, completely broken.

Guo Liqin put his head on the floor and constantly muttered words of apology. The sound was so small that it was barely audible, but the desperation in his words was clear to anyone.

“…kill me. Please… please kill…”

Dabaao’s head slowly turned towards Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho was looking at him as if he had no particular interest in Guo Liqin.

It was becoming clear.

This man looked like them, but he was not like them at all.

When humans step on ants, they don’t consider the ant’s perspective.

Sometimes they show mercy to ants, or show interest, but they simply crush the ant that bit them with their finger.

They don’t think about why the ant bit them. They just think that the ant bit them because it was there.

That was the difference.

Perhaps an even greater difference.

The difference between humans and ants, that was the difference between Dabaao and that Korean.

Even though they looked like humans, how futile was it to ask a being who could crush you with a single finger to treat you as an equal?

But he had to ask.

“Did Guo Liqin commit a crime against you?”

“I suppose so.”

“…Even if he angered you, you can’t drive a person this far.”

“Heh.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled instead of answering.

The laughter that escaped his lips sounded strangely eerie.

“If I had given him a peaceful death, would you have praised me for being merciful?”

Dabaao didn’t answer Kang Jin-ho’s question. He knew it wasn’t a question seeking an answer.

Kang Jin-ho looked at Dabaao quietly and opened his mouth.

“Humans are sometimes too lenient with themselves. Shall we make a bet? Are there more people in the world who would wish for this guy’s miserable death, or more who would wish for a peaceful one?”

“You’re the same, aren’t you?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes fixed on Dabaao.

“You’ve been killing others as if it were nothing, haven’t you? So you should have thought that you could be on the receiving end someday. Why? Are you trying to repent and live as a good person now? That wouldn’t be bad either.”

Kang Jin-ho’s lips curled up.

“If there’s an afterlife, that is.”

Dabaao’s body trembled.

Kang Jin-ho slowly walked towards Dabaao.

Step by step.

The low sound of his footsteps hitting the floor shook Dabaao’s body. The sound of footsteps piercing his ears. The closer he got, the more his soul was crushed.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of pretending to be good. In fact, it doesn’t matter whether you guys are good or bad. That’s not the important thing. The important thing is that you touched me and those around me.”

Kang Jin-ho reached out and patted Dabaao’s shoulder.

“What would have happened if I were weak? I would have been killed by you. You would be celebrating your success at this time. No, without going that far, I would have been killed by that guy. The people around me wouldn’t have been safe either. Right?”

Dabaao couldn’t answer.

But no one could deny that everything Kang Jin-ho said was true.

“I won’t tell you to put yourself in my shoes. People usually can’t do that. People always pretend to think about others’ perspectives, but in reality, they don’t understand it at all.”

Kang Jin-ho whispered quietly in Dabaao’s ear.

“But it’s a bit of a letdown to ask for recognition and humanity only at times like this. If you know that the outcome won’t change anyway, at least try to muster some dignity.”

Words that sounded like mockery.

But there was no hint of laughter anywhere.

“There were guys like you in the past too. Guys who spouted nonsense about mercy, humanity, and compassion. I’ve always wondered. Even after their families were brutally murdered and their limbs were cut off, would they still be able to utter the word ‘compassion’?”

Laughter began to seep out.

“So, what do you think I did?”

His mouth froze.

The air froze.

And it felt like the world itself was freezing.

The cold chill emanating from Kang Jin-ho’s words and eyes seemed to freeze everything as if it were real.

“I’m asking you.”

A voice like a demon from the underworld whispered.

The voice dug into Dabaao’s mind.

“Even if I kill your family one by one in agony and throw you into a pit of hell, can you treat me as a human? Answer me. Does the ‘human’ you speak of apply even when you’re on the receiving end? Answer me.”

There was no way he could answer.

In that situation, Dabaao would also be thinking about how to inflict the greatest pain on his opponent. Even tearing them apart hundreds or thousands of times wouldn’t be enough to vent his anger.

But Kang Jin-ho wasn’t the kind of person to easily let go of a fish that had taken the bait.

“Answer me. If you say you can, I’ll let you go right now. If you want, you can even take that guy with you. At least here, I promise to let you go safely. I swear on everything I have.”

The look in his eyes.

Kang Jin-ho’s cold, calm eyes were saying it.

At least here.

Then what would happen once he left this place?

“It’s just a matter of standing by your own words. It’s simple. You wouldn’t say that you can’t do what you expect of others, would you? Now, answer me.”

He could imagine it.

Humans are creatures of imagination. The moment he said yes, what would happen to him was all too obvious.

Then…

What on earth should he answer?

“Answer me.”

Dabaao finally broke down.

He had a family.

And there were people he had to protect.

There was no way he could say yes here. Seeing Dabaao crumble in his place, Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“Courage that doesn’t come out when needed isn’t courage. Do you know what they call courage that relies on the other person’s mercy?”

“Cowardice.”

Kang Jin-ho let out a low laugh.