Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 874

Lee Hyun-soo licked his parched lips.

It wasn’t an atmosphere where anyone could say anything different. From the moment the decision was made, everyone was overwhelmed by Kang Jin-ho’s aura.

It wasn’t that he intended to pressure them.

It was just that his emotions were running high, and his aura naturally surged. And now, that aura was intensifying.

Lee Hyun-soo, who was somewhat used to Kang Jin-ho, was one thing, but Elena, Jang Da-jing, and Lee Hyun-joo, who were there for translation, had faces as white as sheets.

“L-Lord!”

“Hmm?”

“They’re going to die! P-Please stop!”

Only then did Kang Jin-ho realize the reactions of the others and withdrew his aura. Then, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“…A frog can die from a carelessly thrown stone.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Wiggins sorted out the situation.

“It doesn’t seem like we have much leeway, so I think we should decide on a course of action soon.”

“If the Lord has made up his mind, we will just support him with all our strength. Once a decision is made, there’s no need to look back.”

This was directed at Lee Hyun-soo.

It meant that since the Lord had made a decision, he shouldn’t argue.

‘I know that much.’

In an instant, dissatisfaction surged, but Lee Hyun-soo swallowed it down.

‘No, that’s not right.’

The fact that others were saying such things to him meant that Lee Hyun-soo had often argued with Kang Jin-ho’s opinions. This was something he should reflect on.

“Lord.”

“Hmm?”

“Then, are we going to intercept that ship with a small group for now?”

“That’s the plan.”

“How many people?”

Kang Jin-ho looked around.

“This should be enough. Me, Bator, Wiggins, and…”

“Why are you leaving me out?”

“You sure you can handle it?”

“I’m strong!”

Bang Jin-hoon snorted and jumped up from his seat. Then, Kang Jin-ho grinned.

“Bang Jin-hoon too.”

Four people….

“That’s too few.”

Lee Hyun-soo said firmly.

“If you really must, at least take the Flame Demons and the elders of the Demonic Cult with you. And the General Assembly will also select an appropriate number of people to support you.”

“It’s not about having a lot of people.”

“There are at least a thousand people there! Absolutely not! I told you, Lord, you’re too thoughtless…”

Lee Hyun-soo was about to shout but quickly shut his mouth.

‘So, this is it.’

Even though he thought he shouldn’t, he was naturally opposing. This was the kind of behavior Wiggins had been seeing, which was why he had said what he did earlier.

He glanced at Wiggins, and as expected, Wiggins was glaring at Lee Hyun-soo with narrowed eyes.

Lee Hyun-soo shut his mouth tight.

He swore he had never seen Wiggins glare at someone like that before. This was a man who had laughed even when his arm was cut off, so how angry must he be to make such a face?

“I’m sorry. I got carried away.”

“Huh? Why?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head, looking like he didn’t understand.

‘That’s why.’

Kang Jin-ho was what you would call an open-minded person. But that didn’t mean he was someone who readily accepted opinions, as is commonly understood.

He didn’t assert his authority or force his opinions, so people didn’t hesitate to speak to him. But sometimes, this led to people overstepping their bounds.

That was the case now.

Kang Jin-ho looked like he had no idea what was going on.

“Ahem.”

Under the gaze of the dissatisfied Bator and the murderous glare of Wiggins, Lee Hyun-soo opened his mouth.

“I think I was a bit harsh.”

“About what?”

“…Anyway, that’s how it is.”

As Kang Jin-ho was about to say something more, Lee Hyun-soo quickly continued.

There was no good in continuing to talk about this.

“Anyway, we’re dealing with over a thousand martial artists. We need more people.”

Bator objected.

“But if we have too many people, as I said before, it will be harder to get out. That’s not good.”

“That’s true. But using a small force is too risky.”

At that moment, Lee Hyun-joo raised her hand.

Her face was full of determination to speak. Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly and nodded.

“Go ahead.”

“I don’t understand, but why do we have to get on the ship?”

“Huh?”

“Wouldn’t it be enough to just stick to the ship and make holes in it? Or blow it up with bombs.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Lee Hyun-joo.

Did this woman watch too many Hollywood movies?

People’s gazes turned back to Lee Hyun-soo. It meant he should explain.

“It’s not that we didn’t think of that.”

“Then?”

“Even at night, if a ship that big sinks, people will see it. It’s easier to control access on land, but how can we stop a ship from moving?”

“…I guess that’s true.”

“What do you think would happen if a passing ship saw a passenger ship sinking?”

“Uh… report it?”

“Right. They’d report it. And reporting it would be the best-case scenario. They’d definitely take pictures and post them on social media, and if those pictures spread, it would be chaos. We can handle other problems somehow, but… in South Korea right now, a passenger ship sinking is not something that can be controlled by the media.”

“Ah!”

Lee Hyun-joo nodded vigorously.

Now that she heard it, she understood.

The others might not have considered the specific circumstances of Korea, but they had similar reasons for not considering that approach.

“Wait a minute. So, does that mean we have to be careful not to sink the ship even while fighting?”

“…Huh? I guess that’s how it is.”

“What kind of nonsense is this…”

Lee Hyun-joo looked dumbfounded, but the others were generally calm. They had received countless absurd missions like this before.

“So, going back to the beginning…”

Lee Hyun-soo said firmly.

“Take more people with you.”

“I know that the Lord prefers a small elite force. But please listen to me this time. As someone who is responsible for the Lord’s safety, I absolutely cannot agree to this. So, please reconsider!”

Bator said, looking dumbfounded.

“Since when did he ever protect the master’s safety? The master protected his safety.”

Lee Hyun-soo pretended not to hear the clearly audible words.

“There’s a problem.”

Kang Jin-ho said with a smirk.

“If we take more people, we need a big ship. It will take time to find one, load everyone on, and move. It will also be noticeable.”

“I’ll figure that out somehow.”

“It’s not a problem that can be solved. Getting on a ship isn’t that easy. It’s not like they’ll just let us board. So, we have to get on the ship using my abilities. Without damaging the ship. There’s no need to explain how difficult a siege is, right?”

Bringing another ship alongside a moving ship is not an easy task. Especially if it’s a ship full of martial artists who are desperately trying to stop you.

And even if you manage to dock, the difference in ship sizes means you’d have to climb up….

‘This is ridiculous.’

Lee Hyun-soo admitted it. It was something that the Flame Demons, the elders of the Demonic Cult, and the elites of the General Assembly couldn’t do. It was something that only the people here could attempt.

“But…”

“Let’s do this, Lord.”

Wiggins interrupted Lee Hyun-soo.

“We’ll supplement the numbers. But they don’t have to go with us.”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Wiggins in surprise.

“We’ll break through the front lines. Then, the people on the other ships can decide whether to board or watch the situation.”

“Ah…”

It was a reasonable approach.

Kang Jin-ho nodded, seemingly pleased with the compromise.

“Let’s do that.”

“I’ll leave the selection of personnel to Lee Hyun-soo. And I’d like to take the Chevaliers with us this time.”

“Them?”

“Yes. They’ve been eating a lot, so it’s time for them to pay their dues. They’re also feeling uncomfortable, so it will be beneficial for both sides.”

“But Master, they’re not affiliated with the General Assembly?”

“What does that matter? We’re giving them shelter and feeding them, so they should at least do their part. That way, they can leave with peace of mind when the time comes.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Once the personnel was settled, the next problem arose.

“How to move is also a problem…”

“Find ships. It doesn’t have to be one big ship. As long as we can board, we can divide them among several ships. Move the selected personnel to the East Sea.”

“Then, what ship will Master and the Lord be on?”

“We should prepare a speedboat. Is that possible?”

“No. That’s a bit of a problem.”

“…Hmm?”

“But there’s a better way.”

Wiggins tilted his head.

He didn’t understand what Lee Hyun-soo meant. Seeing that expression, Lee Hyun-soo grinned.

“Don’t worry about that. I have a way to solve the problem of boarding the ship in one go. You’ll be very satisfied.”

“…I don’t know what you’re planning, but do as you see fit.”

Wiggins turned to Kang Jin-ho.

“It seems like everything is settled, Lord.”

Kang Jin-ho stood up.

“Move. From now on, it’s a race against time. We’ll finish this before those guys get close to the coast. Lee Hyun-soo!”

“Yes, Lord!”

“While you’re preparing, don’t lose track of their movements.”

“Yes! I’ll make sure to keep track of them.”

“Then, let’s begin.”

There were no grand words.

And there were no declarations that stirred emotions.

It was as calm as saying he was going to the convenience store to buy something.

But those who heard those words all hardened their faces and quickly began to move.

Kang Jin-ho called out to Lee Hyun-soo, who was about to rush out.

“How long will it take?”

“If we’re fast, one hour, two hours at the latest, and we’ll have everything ready.”

“Hurry.”

“Yes!”

As Lee Hyun-soo also rushed out, Kang Jin-ho was left alone in the conference room.

Kang Jin-ho approached the window and opened it.

A cold breeze brushed past Kang Jin-ho.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

‘This is strange.’

He didn’t have any animosity towards Japan. Kang Jin-ho wasn’t sensitive enough to empathize with the wounds of history that he hadn’t personally experienced.

It was just one of the countries next to him. That was the image Kang Jin-ho had of Japan.

But now, he felt uncomfortable deep down.

The fact that those who had invaded this land once were coming again was grating on Kang Jin-ho. No, not just once. It had happened before too.

“I don’t know why, but…”

The corners of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth curled up.

A smile.

A deep, cold, and eerie, devilish smile.

“I’ll make them pay the price for invading someone else’s land.”

A dispassionate voice slowly flowed out.