Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 704

“You don’t look so good.”

“Really?”

Lee Myung-hwan tilted his head, looking at Lee Hyun-soo, whose dark circles reached his chin.

“Did you have a nightmare or something?”

“A nightmare… Yeah, it was a terrible nightmare.”

Lee Hyun-soo rubbed his face roughly. He had barely fallen asleep, exhausted, when a call from Kang Jin-ho had completely chased away his sleep.

His body felt as heavy as a waterlogged cotton ball.

‘It’s a good thing I diligently learned martial arts, even though I didn’t have any talent for it before.’

If it weren’t for that, Lee Hyun-soo would have collapsed from overwork and been rushed to the emergency room by now.

“It was a horrible dream.”

“…Isn’t it because you have a lot of sins that you’re having nightmares?”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Lee Myung-hwan shook his head.

‘I can’t even joke around.’

Judging by how he couldn’t even understand a simple joke, his condition seemed quite serious.

“Shouldn’t you get some rest?”

“Huh?”

“It’s a bit strange for me to say this to you, sir.”

Lee Myung-hwan sighed and said,

“Isn’t it common for more capable people to overload themselves with work?”

“Overload?”

“Yes. It’s like a group project in college.”

Lee Hyun-soo seemed to understand what Lee Myung-hwan was trying to say.

“Isn’t it quite common? You work together, but you’re not satisfied with what they do, and even if you point it out and ask them to redo it, the result is still unusable, so it’s more efficient to just do everything yourself from start to finish, right?”

“That’s enough.”

Lee Myung-hwan clutched his chest.

“Truth bombs always make people feel suffocated. So, let’s stop there.”

“If it’s a short-term task, that might be better. The result itself will be different, after all. But if you solve long-term tasks like that… you’re already feeling the consequences in your own body, aren’t you?”

“That’s a very valid point.”

Lee Hyun-soo scratched his head roughly.

There were various reasons why he had to maintain his current state, but Lee Myung-hwan’s point was valid. Lee Hyun-soo looked at Lee Myung-hwan with a renewed expression.

‘He’s not bad with his head.’

Just by handling things well between Kang Jin-ho and the demonic flames, his ability to navigate situations had to be acknowledged. And his ability to assess the overall situation wasn’t bad either.

If he had to use him, he’d rather keep him under his command for office work than put him in the military force.

Perhaps Lee Myung-hwan could be the answer to the problem Lee Hyun-soo had mentioned. Maybe if he put Lee Myung-hwan under him and delegated work, he wouldn’t feel the urge to tear his own mouth apart?

A mischievous thought of wanting to see that scene arose, but…

‘No, I can’t.’

Lee Myung-hwan suppressed the laughter that was about to burst out.

It would be a decent solution, but Lee Myung-hwan had his own role to play.

Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t assist Kang Jin-ho directly. Due to the nature of his abilities, he was more suited for the office than the battlefield. Since Kang Jin-ho enjoyed being at the forefront, there were limits to how much Lee Hyun-soo could assist him.

That’s why Lee Myung-hwan was needed.

It was a drawback that he couldn’t see anything when demonic energy gathered in his head, but at least he had the ability to calmly assess the situation before entering battle.

And he knew how to convey his opinions without offending people. It might seem trivial, but it was a very important ability for someone serving a superior.

No matter how right a statement is, it’s meaningless if it’s not accepted. But if you can phrase things nicely, the chances of your opinion being accepted increase.

Especially in the current situation, his soft-spoken manner would shine.

“Let’s put my work aside for now. What’s important now isn’t my work.”

“I wouldn’t want to see the person who should be giving orders end up in the emergency room after going all the way to China.”

“…I’m not that much of an idiot.”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled lightly.

In his eyes, Lee Myung-hwan was quite a unique character.

No one in the General Assembly would try to talk to him. If there was anyone, it would be Mr. Wiggins, but Wiggins was his superior, so he could talk to him comfortably.

Among his equals or subordinates, no one dared to speak to him. Lee Hyun-soo was aware of this. Objectively speaking, he was a very prickly person, and he had the power and authority to not just end with being prickly.

He was an intimidating person.

But this guy was now even joking around in front of him. It wasn’t something that could be explained by simply knowing each other. The members of the Yeongnam branch saw Lee Hyun-soo’s face every day, but even they still couldn’t dare to exchange jokes with him.

‘Being shameless is also a talent.’

Come to think of it, wasn’t this the guy who had his life ruined after talking back to the Lord? He seemed to think he was unlucky, but most of his misfortune was self-inflicted.

“So, is the preparation complete?”

“All the personnel you requested have been selected.”

“There weren’t any major troubles, it seems.”

“Yes. It was simple. There were quite a few injuries among the remaining personnel, but they’ll recover soon.”

“Injuries?”

“Yes. I told them to fight and win if they wanted to go. Luckily, we were able to select the top personnel without any major injuries.”

Lee Hyun-soo slightly revised his assessment of Lee Myung-hwan.

This bastard isn’t normal either.

Well, who around Kang Jin-ho would be normal? In the first place, someone with a normal way of thinking wouldn’t approach Kang Jin-ho. There weren’t many people who exuded as much ominousness as him.

“Then there must be a lot of complaints from those who were left behind?”

“Yes. But what can they do? Unless they plan to swim across the West Sea [Yellow Sea], they’ll just stay and train quietly.”

“I see.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded.

He didn’t know anymore.

He had definitely learned the lesson that he should stay away from those who had learned demonic arts as much as possible.

“I’ll arrange a flight for you, so go quickly. The situation over there seems quite serious.”

“Did something happen?”

“It seems the Jap bastards attacked the Lord.”

“Are they safe?”

“…Shouldn’t you be asking if the Lord is safe?”

“I don’t think he would even get a scratch? The Lord isn’t someone who would be harmed by some random Japanese guys who came to China. Unless he clashed with local Chinese martial artists.”

“This is hopeless.”

Lee Hyun-soo clicked his tongue.

He didn’t know whether to call it absolute faith or reckless faith. But what was certain was that it was faith.

He felt that the loyalty he sent to Kang Jin-ho and the loyalty they sent to Kang Jin-ho were fundamentally different.

‘I need to work harder.’

It was unimaginable now, but if Lee Myung-hwan continued to grow like this, Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t need to favor Lee Hyun-soo himself. A subordinate with a sharp mind always carried the risk of betrayal.

But Lee Myung-hwan even had blind loyalty. If he were Kang Jin-ho, he would trust Lee Myung-hwan more than himself.

However, he had no intention of competing for loyalty.

That didn’t suit Lee Hyun-soo. If he wanted to continue being favored, he just needed to show his own strengths that Lee Myung-hwan couldn’t have.

However, that was also a bit of a crisis.

Bang!

The door opened without a knock.

Lee Hyun-soo raised his hand and rubbed his eyes.

‘My stomach hurts, my stomach hurts.’

Everyone would laugh if they heard that a martial artist was suffering from a stomach ulcer, but what could he do when it was the truth? One corner of his stomach was hurting as if it was being poked with a needle.

Lee Hyun-soo was proving that nervous gastritis was an incurable disease that even martial artists couldn’t avoid.

“I’ve done everything you asked.”

“Good. Very good. Very good, but…”

Lee Hyun-soo said as if in pain.

“Can’t you just message me and wait a bit? Do you have to barge in like that every time you finish a task? I also have my privacy, and I’m someone who can do other things, right?”

“I don’t want to waste time.”

My stomach hurts, my stomach.

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Lee Hyun-joo, who had opened the door and entered, with a distorted face.

‘Her abilities are ridiculously good…’

It was to the point where it could be called a rediscovery.

He knew that Lee Hyun-joo had handled most of the practical work when Lee Joong-geol dominated the General Assembly in the past, so he thought her abilities weren’t bad, but he never imagined they would be this good.

Lee Hyun-joo was acting like a crazy person who couldn’t do her job.

It wasn’t impossible to understand.

The work she was currently in charge of was originally her specialty, and she was full of the desire to prove her abilities through her work, so she was doing her work like a hungry wolf tearing at its prey.

However…

Lee Hyun-soo turned his head and looked at Lee Myung-hwan.

“I’m sorry, but can I talk to her first? I know it’s rude, but she’s someone who doesn’t understand words…”

“Is that woman working here?”

“Huh?”

Displeasure appeared on Lee Myung-hwan’s face.

“Lee Joong-geol’s granddaughter is working in the General Assembly? I don’t understand what’s going on. Does everyone know about this?”

Why are you like this again?

Wasn’t Lee Myung-hwan someone who lived with the mindset of just solving whatever he was told to do, like water mixed with water, or alcohol mixed with alcohol? For Lee Myung-hwan to show this much displeasure meant that he was quite angry right now.

Was there some kind of bad blood between them, or was there no need to be like this?

“Lee Joong-geol is someone who opposed the Lord. I can’t understand why we’re using that woman, let alone erasing all traces of him. I will report this issue to the Lord.”

“No…”

Lee Hyun-soo, whose excuses were becoming lame, sighed and said,

“The Lord won’t care.”

“Even so, it’s something that shouldn’t be happening. If it’s allowed just because the Lord doesn’t care, there’s nothing that can’t be done within the General Assembly. He’s someone who would tell you to do it even if you told him to tear down all the buildings of the General Assembly and move to Gangnam [a wealthy district in Seoul] right now. If there’s no self-censorship, the General Assembly will be ruined in an instant.”

“Uh…”

Why is this bastard only saying the right things today?

Lee Hyun-soo began to be pushed back.

Lee Hyun-joo, who had been watching the situation, frowned and opened her mouth.

“Who are you to interfere in such matters?”

“Is who I am important? There isn’t anyone in the General Assembly who can’t say a word about your position. Who was it that made the General Assembly a mess…? Do you have no conscience?”

“What was that?”

Lee Hyun-soo leisurely reached out and grabbed his coffee cup.

He carefully took a sip of coffee, watching the two people fighting with their mouths like swords.

A smile appeared on his lips.

‘Haha, it’s a mess.’ I don’t know anymore, now.

I really don’t know.