Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 907

The atmosphere at the General Assembly was incredibly heated. When they had left for the battlefield, the mood had been subdued. But after a day of returning, the heat emanating from the people was palpable. In a way, it was only natural. Japan. In East Asia, Japan was one of the two major powers. Although it couldn’t compare to the might of China, Japan was a nation that could never be ignored anywhere. It was just unfortunate that it was located next to China; if Japan were placed next to England, it would have easily become the bully of Europe. In the visible world, Japan’s position was significant, but in the Murim world [martial arts world], its position was even greater. If it wasn’t for China, the European Union, and the United States, no other country would dare to challenge Japan. Although they were neighboring countries, the difference between Korea and Japan was as extreme as an elephant and an ant. And yet, they had achieved a complete victory against Japan.

“Hey, hey, calm down a bit,” Lee Myung-hwan grumbled.

“What did we even do to be so hyped up?”

Lee Myung-hwan’s words were not wrong. In reality, it was the directors, including Kang Jin-ho, who had fought the war. All they had done was prevent the guys who fell into the sea from climbing back onto the ships. But people’s hearts aren’t so simple.

“What’s that jerk saying?”

“Leave him, leave him. That guy’s got a bad case of ‘big shot’ disease lately. Look at how puffed up he is.”

“…Let’s get him one of these days.”

“Yeah, everyone’s got their eyes on him.”

Lee Myung-hwan became a bit dejected.

‘These guys are not even human.’ They dump all sorts of annoying chores on him but don’t even treat him properly. It was his fault for taking on this role in a place filled with these ignorant fools.

“But what I’m saying is true, isn’t it?”

“Man! Why are you saying we didn’t do anything! We pushed those Japanese bastards into the sea!”

“Is that such a big deal?”

“Look at this guy, he’s got some nerve?” A sneer came back.

“Hey, could you have even imagined this in the past? Even if they cut off our arms and legs, we would have been crushed by their mere breath.”

Listening to that, it was also true. From the very beginning, the fact that they were even in a situation to consider geographical advantages was something unimaginable in the past. In the past, didn’t Lee Joong-gul reach out to the Japanese Yakuza [Japanese organized crime syndicate] to settle the internal strife within the General Assembly and overwhelm the Yeongnam Association? It meant that he had staked the fate of the Assembly on a branch of the Japanese Yakuza, not even the Murim world of Japan. That was how big the difference between Korea and Japan was. Just because they were neighboring countries didn’t mean they were at a similar level. The Korean Murim world wasn’t that bad on a global scale, but because the guys next door were a historically powerful nation, they had no choice but to be pushed around. If Korea’s location had been outside of Japan or below China, so that it wouldn’t be simultaneously checked by both countries, the Murim world, if not the nation, would have been annexed by now. The worst position had actually given them a chance to breathe. And now, they had fought well against that formidable Japan, so how could they not feel proud?

“And you… didn’t you feel it?”

“Feel what?”

“Those guys must have been the cream of the crop in Japan, right? The look in those kids’ eyes was no joke.”

“I guess so. They wouldn’t have gathered a bunch of nobodies to invade another country.”

“Didn’t they seem manageable?”

Lee Myung-hwan closed his mouth. Manageable? This was a sensitive topic. Although they were in the sea, each of them didn’t look easy to deal with. But if he was asked if they were impossible to handle, that was not the case either. If they had fought on flat ground? ‘I’m not sure?’ He couldn’t make an accurate assessment. A person’s strength was fluid. Could those who were chased by the Assembly Leader and jumped into the sea have displayed their full abilities? Probably not. But if he were to set aside all those circumstances and fight those he had seen with his own eyes, he was confident that he could win. ‘I could take on more than one?’ If he were to boast a little, maybe two or three. It was definitely something he couldn’t have imagined in the past.

“We all know that we didn’t really do anything, you jerk. But honestly, until recently, weren’t those Japanese samurai guys like mythical creatures to us? Like unicorns or pegasus.”

“…We even fought Hong Wang.”

“Is that what you call fighting, man? If a fly sticks to a lion’s face, do you call that fighting? It’s just annoying.”

“That’s true.”

It was something that didn’t feel real at all. Lee Myung-hwan had the experience of facing Hong Wang and holding onto his ankle, but he didn’t feel like he had become stronger because of that fact. If the Japanese Murim warriors felt like unicorns, then Hong Wang was more like… a dragon? ‘Even that’s not enough.’ If it were a dragon, he might be able to avoid its front paws and climb up to scratch its scales, but he wouldn’t even be able to leave a scratch on Hong Wang’s body. ‘He’s not wrong.’ In the past, the Japanese warriors were beings that those here couldn’t even dream of challenging. But even with the buffs, they were now considered opponents that they could somehow face.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“…I didn’t realize it.”

“I understand. There are so many monsters around here.”

“Yeah.”

It was all because of Kang Jin-ho. Seeing such a person every day made everything else seem less impressive. When you see Kang Jin-ho, you feel like you have to consider taking down ten Japanese guys as a snack to even earn your keep.

“How are the others doing?”

“…It’s even worse over there than here.”

“I guess so.”

At least the Flame Demons had several opportunities to confirm their skill improvements. They had been deployed in actual combat a few times. But for those guys, this was practically their first real battle. It must have been much more intense. But in the end, they had done it. ‘They must be incredibly proud.’ Just like Lee Myung-hwan when he took down Lee Joong-gul. It was a moment to confirm the improvement of their abilities, which they had been half-doubting, with their whole bodies. Considering that there was no greater joy for Murim practitioners than improving their martial arts, it wouldn’t be strange if they were throwing a party right now.

“What about the Demonic Cult?”

“They seem to be the worst.”

“I guess so.”

Lee Myung-hwan smiled wryly. Honestly, even to Lee Myung-hwan, the level of the Demonic Cult was terrible. To the point where Lee Myung-hwan, before receiving Demonic Arts from Kang Jin-ho, was confident that he was stronger than them. Now, Lee Myung-hwan was confident that he could take on dozens of ordinary Demonic Cult members at the same time. Since those guys had achieved results, they must be incredibly excited.

“Seeing those guys walking around with their chests puffed out is a bit annoying.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Are you taking their side?”

Lee Myung-hwan shook his head.

“It’s not that I’m taking their side, but I’m worried they’ll get humiliated later.”

“Huh?”

Lee Myung-hwan smiled wryly.

“To be honest, it’s not like we got stronger because we had some great talent. We just mastered what the Assembly Leader gave us, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But those guys are still Demonic Cult members. They’re more familiar with it than us, and they’ll get stronger faster than us.”

“If you think about what we were like half a year ago, no one knows what those guys will be like in half a year. Hey, if they’re even half as good as we are now, can you handle that number?”

“…Thinking about it, it’s terrifying?”

Even if they didn’t get stronger, their numbers were terrifying. Even if they were ants instead of people, he wouldn’t be confident in facing that many. And those guys were getting stronger as a group? That was horror.

“So don’t talk carelessly in front of them. If you don’t want to be humiliated later.”

“Hey, but this is Korean land, are you saying we should be intimidated by those Chinese bastards?”

“I’ll pass that message to the Assembly Leader.”

“…I was short-sighted. In this era of globalization, what does nationality matter?”

Lee Myung-hwan smiled wryly.

“So, what is the Assembly Leader doing?”

“I think he’s in a meeting right now.”

“Is that so?”

Lee Myung-hwan turned his head and looked at the top floor of the main building. ‘How far are we going to go?’ How long had it been since Kang Jin-ho joined the General Assembly? In that short amount of time, the General Assembly had developed to the point where it could now confidently fight against Japan. And that development would never stop. Even to Lee Myung-hwan, the potential of the General Assembly was limitless. The time to reap the rewards of their investment was approaching. ‘I need to work harder too.’ To not fall behind this trend. Respect filled Lee Myung-hwan’s eyes as he looked at the main building. Kang Jin-ho. He was changing everything. Now, no one within the General Assembly would dare to deny Kang Jin-ho’s authority and dignity. He was leading them to higher places. To even higher places.

***

***

“So…” Lee Hyun-soo looked at Kang Jin-ho with a slightly pathetic gaze. Kang Jin-ho was sprawled on the sofa like seaweed.

“Have you been making excuses all this time?”

“…Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve figured out what I’ll do if I can’t make a living with this.”

“A pizza place?”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head weakly.

“A novelist.”

“I didn’t know I had such an endless story in my head.”

Lee Hyun-soo covered his face with his hand. ‘There’s no hope, really.’ He just couldn’t get used to this person. How could the Murim warrior who charged in like a demon and slaughtered the Japanese and the young man who was caught by his family and questioned about his overnight stay be the same person?

“He’s old enough, I think it’s time to understand that. Honestly, there are hardly any men who get nagged about that at the Assembly Leader’s age.”

“…Then you should say something.”

“I refuse.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head vehemently. The value of a person depends on how others treat them. Let’s say there are two dogs. The value of a stray dog wandering the streets and a pet dog at Kang Jin-ho’s house, receiving all of Kang Jin-ho’s love, cannot be the same. The same goes for people. Kang Jin-ho’s family were just ordinary people, but just because they were Kang Jin-ho’s family, they were a top-priority target for Lee Hyun-soo. He absolutely, positively did not want to get involved with them.

“Hehehehe.”

With a low chuckle, Wiggins lightened the mood.

“Well, now that you’ve finished chatting, shall we start the meeting?”

At Wiggins’ words, Kang Jin-ho got up.

“Let’s begin.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho, sitting at the head of the table, looked around at everyone.

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo jumped up from his seat and opened his mouth. After finishing a brief briefing on the recent battle, Lee Hyun-soo continued.

“The damage was less than expected.”

“What about the injured?”

“There are about twenty. They are currently being treated. None of them are in life-threatening condition… and there are none who will not be able to relearn their martial arts.”

“What about the casualties?”

“According to additional investigations… it seems that about ten of those who boarded the ship did not return.”

Kang Jin-ho’s brow furrowed.