Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 915

“So, the reason you’ve gathered us all is to discuss how we should deal with the politicians we’ll be facing?”

It was Bang Jin-hoon who spoke.

And, unusually, Bang Jin-hoon was using a very polite tone.

“That’s part of it.”

Bang Jin-hoon sighed.

“It’s not as easy as I thought…”

The hand scratching his head didn’t seem to find relief.

Only then did Kang Jin-ho remember that Bang Jin-hoon already had experience with this. Bang Jin-hoon had been a director of the General Assembly for quite a long time. As such, he must have had to deal with many high-ranking people.

“Well… if it has to be done, I’ll do it.”

“Director Bang?”

“Yes. Well… I think it would be best if I did it. It wouldn’t look good if the Assembly Head stepped forward directly.”

“Look good?”

When Kang Jin-ho seemed not to understand, Wiggins added an explanation.

“It seems Director Bang doesn’t want to see the Lord [referring to Kang Jin-ho] bow his head, or perhaps he can’t stand to see him in a dirty situation. Haha, he has a softer side than I thought.”

Bang Jin-hoon’s face contorted after hearing the translation.

“Don’t speak so lightly. You’re saying that because you don’t know how venomous those politicians are.”

“I know well enough. The assessment of politicians hardly changes from country to country, does it?”

However, Bang Jin-hoon did not agree with that.

“Don’t you want to learn some Korean? If you knew Korean and just watched the news for 24 hours, your opinion would change.”

Wiggins shrugged at Bang Jin-hoon’s words.

“Sure, why not.”

Bang Jin-hoon sighed and continued.

“It’s not that all politicians are bad. There are some who are full of passion and truly live for the country. The problem is that even those people change when they get involved with us. That’s the issue.”

“Change?”

Wiggins added.

“In fact, we are like a thorn in the side of politicians.”

“An interesting expression.”

“Actually, politicians all have different ideologies and different ideas, but they have one thing in common. They are all people who try to control.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Wiggins with interest.

“They enact laws and clarify norms. They are the ones who think about how the country should function. In other words, they are the ones who determine the flow. But the Murim [martial arts world] are outside of this flow.”

Wiggins chuckled.

He too had experienced many troubles with the British political world as a knight in the past.

If he were to recount each of those incidents, it would not be enough even if he stayed up all night.

“In fact, from their perspective, there is no way they can see us in a good light. A country, in the end, always returns to laws and rules. But aren’t we outside of those laws and rules?”

“That’s right.”

“Think about it. If the Lord were a politician, and a bear-like guy sat in front of him. And that bear-like guy doesn’t pay taxes, runs a violent group, and kills people in the underworld?”

“…He wouldn’t even seem human.”

“It would be more refreshing to interview a serial killer. In fact, the original sin is on our side.”

After listening to Wiggins’s words, he could understand why Bang Jin-hoon was saying those things.

Of course, they would look at this side like they were looking at bugs.

“Besides, well, there’s also the issue of the situation.”

“Situation?”

“Most people who first enter politics don’t know about the existence of the Murim. Only when they rise in rank and become someone who can take responsibility for their words do they get information about us. But the timing is delicate.”

Wiggins chuckled.

“Imagine when they are proud of their political career and feel like they can finally accomplish something, they find out about a violent group that is outside of the control of the state. Moreover, even if they become the head of a country, they realize that there is a place they cannot touch.”

“That would be infuriating.”

“Yes. Very infuriating. So, we are inherently people who cannot be welcomed by politicians.”

“Actually, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”

“Yes, please ask.”

“Why doesn’t the state control the Murim?”

“Hmm?”

Wiggins looked at Kang Jin-ho as if he had heard an unexpected question.

“I don’t understand. No matter how strong the Murim are, the state has an army. It shouldn’t be impossible to control them, right?”

“Of course. No one wants to fight against someone with a gun. Unless they are the Lord, that is.”

Wiggins smiled.

It was a very interesting question.

“The answer is very simple. Think about why Japan, Europe, and the United States don’t eradicate criminals.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

It was something he had never thought about.

“That side is actually easier. We at least have force, but petty criminal organizations can’t stand against the state. So, theoretically, the moment the state decides to eradicate crime, the Yakuza, the Mafia, the Triads, and the gangs should all be crushed.”

Wiggins shrugged exaggeratedly.

“But in reality, that’s impossible.”

“Why?”

“There are several reasons. First, they are lobbying as hard as we are. Over several generations, their interests have become closely intertwined. Getting rid of them is not very helpful to those who rule the country. Especially economically.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

That seemed plausible.

“But the more fundamental problem is that it can’t be solved.”

“Why?”

“Crime doesn’t disappear.”

Lee Hyun-soo agreed with Wiggins’s words.

“Crime is like dust that accumulates in a house. No matter how much you clean, clean, and clean again, it keeps reappearing. And if you leave the house for a while, the dust piles up. You can do a big cleaning once in a while to get rid of all the dust in the house, but that doesn’t mean the dust will disappear forever.”

“That’s right.”

“Criminal organizations are the same. Crime is not eradicated. If you get rid of all the people who commit crimes, new criminals will appear.”

He could certainly agree with that.

The nature of humans is never good.

Now, the social system can suppress criminals as much as possible. But the era Kang Jin-ho lived in was not like that.

An era of lawlessness.

Kang Jin-ho had seen with his own eyes what happens when humans are released into the world as they are. Anyone who has lived even a little in that era would never say that humans are good.

“If eradicating criminal organizations would eliminate crime, everyone would do it. In fact, how many times do we see cases where obvious criminals are not arrested?”

“That’s right.”

“From the state’s point of view, it’s better to manage the existing criminals than to eradicate all the criminals that will reappear anyway. The Murim is the same. There have been several attempts by the state to eliminate the Murim. But the Murim has not disappeared. They somehow maintained their lineage and reappeared. So, they don’t touch it.”

“I don’t understand. Are you saying they just give up because they failed a few times?”

“The most feared situation for the state is when the Murim goes into hiding. Rather than seeing uncontrollable human weapons disappear from the state’s sight, it’s better to leave them in a visible place, even if it’s unsightly.”

It was hard to grasp.

It was quite a complex story, so it didn’t immediately sink in.

“There are also some other reasons in modern times.”

Wiggins added.

“There have been several attempts to eradicate the Murim in other countries. Especially when a dictator came to power. Isn’t it the nature of a dictator to not tolerate areas where their power doesn’t reach?”

“That’s right.”

“A dictator who did not recognize the Murim tried to massacre the Murim in his country. The result was very simple. The dictator was assassinated.”

Kang Jin-ho was speechless.

“If you think about it, it’s simple. It’s difficult for the Murim to directly confront the military, but it’s not a big deal to secretly kill one person. Unless they live in an underground bunker for the rest of their lives or surround themselves with the military 24 hours a day, their safety is never guaranteed.”

Kang Jin-ho pondered for a moment.

‘It’s not a difficult task.’

It would be difficult if the surrounding area was completely guarded by military forces. But it’s impossible to live like that in peacetime. And it’s impossible to maintain such a life forever.

‘It’s the same reason why the emperors of the past couldn’t touch the Murim.’

The emperor had absolute power.

The current president is just a civil servant compared to the emperor of China. The emperor was truly the sky. He was a powerful figure who could control everything in the world.

Even such an emperor could not touch the Murim.

No matter how much he was guarded by the imperial army and surrounded by the imperial palace guards, he could not stop a single absolute master. As far as Kang Jin-ho knew, there were quite a few emperors who died that way, even though they were not recorded in history.

If a million soldiers were to invade, the Murim would be devastated. But if such a war were to break out, the emperor would surely die as well.

That is why the imperial palace and the Murim had an obvious non-aggression pact, and they looked at each other like a dog and a chicken.

Except for the era when the Demonic Cult dominated the Murim with overwhelming power, most of the time, that was the relationship.

But it was interesting that the logic of that time still applied today.

“So, in the end, it’s because they don’t want to die?”

“That’s not the whole reason, but that concern is definitely there.”

That was definitely relatable.

He didn’t quite understand the various relational and systemic aspects, but the idea that they were left alone because they were worried about their own lives was easy to understand. He already knew of such precedents.

“So, there’s a reason for it.”

“Yes. And there’s another big reason that I think is the biggest.”

“A big reason?”

“It’s like this case. If the Murim in their country is destroyed, the Murim from other countries can rush in to fill the void. They can easily take over a place that has become a no-man’s land. There have been several such cases. The result is… I don’t think I need to explain it, do I?”

He understood immediately.

From the government’s point of view, the General Assembly is no different from outlaws, but they are still people who live together in Korea.

They cannot be compared to the Murim from foreign countries who would just suck them dry and leave.

“An uncomfortable cohabitation?”

Kang Jin-ho smiled bitterly.