Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 922

“Such a pointless act.”

Park Hak-gi was in a foul mood.

Whenever things went wrong, he always felt this way. It was like the food he ate in the morning was stuck in his stomach, not going down. He felt bloated and nauseous.

There was one good thing and one bad thing.

The good thing was that this problem wasn’t too complicated. The solution was simple, and those involved were clear. If handled decisively and with accurate follow-up, the probability of it escalating into a major issue was low.

In the end, if they could just keep their mouths shut, it would be as good as resolved.

The bad thing was that the person involved in this was too big a figure.

Choi Yeon-ha?

Of course, Choi Yeon-ha being involved wasn’t a good thing either. She was a celebrity, and her words had an enormous impact compared to ordinary people.

But the big figure Park Hak-gi was thinking about now wasn’t Choi Yeon-ha.

It was the Master.

‘The first big figure to visit Korea since the nation’s founding, you say.’

Of course, in the visible world, even bigger figures had visited Korea many times. Even the presidents of the United States visited Korea quite often. But this was the first time a big figure from the hidden world had visited this country.

All the response systems that had only existed in manuals were seeing the light of day for the first time in decades.

The problem was that the manual was so old that it didn’t fit the current situation at all. Therefore, all responses were being handled almost haphazardly.

That alone was enough to drive him crazy…

Was the Master just an ordinary person?

It would be better if the head of the EU visited. Although the EU didn’t have an official head, there was a representative figure.

It would be more comfortable if such a person visited.

At least they would be mindful of the media and the world’s eyes.

But the Murim world [a hidden world of martial arts practitioners] was different. They were hidden beings. They were dangerous because they were hidden, and they were reckless because they were hidden. Unlike those who would at least consider public opinion and appearances when something happened, these people would immediately draw their guns and swords.

Barbarians.

Yes, that was the right word.

Barbarians who didn’t fit in the modern era.

But unlike the barbarians who were generally referred to as such, who lacked power and only acted out of malice, these were barbarians with immense power.

Being at odds with them was several times more dangerous than being at odds with someone in the visible world.

‘So, I absolutely must not cause any problems.’

There was only one thing Park Hak-gi had to do.

To complete this visit of the Master without any problems. Even if he couldn’t control the people of the General Assembly, his goal was to ensure that no trouble occurred elsewhere.

And that goal had been greatly derailed from the very beginning.

‘Damn it, he shouldn’t be chasing after women at his age, why is he doing such pointless things?’

It was something he should never say out loud, but what couldn’t he say in his mind? Even the king was cursed behind his back.

That was how absurd Park Hak-gi felt.

He had just perfectly isolated the area, so why did he have to bring Choi Yeon-ha in and go through the security checkpoint together?

First, it was the fault of the agents who failed to remove Choi Yeon-ha from the Master’s path. After receiving the report, he had broken all the shins of his subordinates, but he still couldn’t shake off his anger.

How could they handle such an important matter so carelessly?

‘Hoo, I need a cigarette.’

Park Hak-gi fiddled with the cigarette in his pocket.

But that wouldn’t do.

In this day and age, he couldn’t smoke at the airport. And the smoking room was quite far from here. Leaving his post with a VIP he couldn’t afford to lose sight of was absolutely out of the question.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve had a real job.’

The Murim world was actually a special group that the government managed.

They didn’t try to exert direct influence over them. The people of the Murim world extremely disliked control or management. This wasn’t just a matter for the Murim world in Korea.

Even the powerful United States and Europe couldn’t even attempt to control the Murim world. The only places where control over the Murim world worked were in dictatorships where the Murim world was extremely weak.

So, what could Korea do to control them?

But they couldn’t just let them run wild within the country. Proper coordination and negotiation. That was the job Park Hak-gi was in charge of.

“Director.”

“Hmm?”

“The VIP is moving to the lounge.”

“Okay. I’ll go with him.”

“Yes!”

Park Hak-gi nodded as he watched his subordinate run off.

‘I have to finish this matter without any problems, no matter what.’

There was nothing he could do about what had already happened, but he had to eliminate the potential for problems from now on.

This matter had a high probability of being a turning point in Park Hak-gi’s career.

Park Hak-gi was affiliated with the National Intelligence Service (NIS), but he wasn’t really affiliated with the NIS.

To be precise, he had applied to and passed the NIS, and he went around saying he was affiliated with the NIS, but he was actually in an ambiguous position to be called an NIS affiliate.

Externally, he was affiliated with the NIS, but the place he belonged to did a completely different job than the typical NIS affiliate.

Internally, they were in charge of managing spies and investigating forces trying to overthrow the state, and externally, they managed information about enemy countries. Unlike the NIS, his department was solely in charge of managing the Murim world, both domestically and internationally.

Because of that, he was a secret figure even within the NIS. There were many cases where even fellow NIS agents didn’t know of their existence. To put it nicely, they were secretive, and to put it badly, they were inactive.

That was only natural.

Until recently, his department was practically useless.

The Murim people in Korea didn’t cause big problems. Compared to China, where they gathered in groups and fought wars, or Japan, where they manipulated even the Yakuza and politicians like puppets to solidify their power, the Murim world in Korea was rather innocent.

Moreover, Lee Jung-geol, the ruler of the Murim world before Kang Jin-ho, didn’t antagonize the government by giving them kickbacks. So, there wasn’t much to be wary of.

But everything changed with the appearance of Kang Jin-ho.

As Kang Jin-ho overthrew Lee Jung-geol and became the new ruler of the Korean Murim world, the government’s vigilance skyrocketed.

Kang Jin-ho was incomparably more aggressive and cruel than Lee Jung-geol. It would be stranger if they didn’t pay attention to such a person.

The government reorganized the forgotten organization and made every effort to monitor Kang Jin-ho.

In the midst of that, a war broke out with Hong Wang of China, and now even the Master of the European Round Table was visiting Korea.

Korea, which had been a backwater of the Murim world, was rapidly transforming into the center of the Murim world. The government couldn’t help but be on high alert.

“Where is Kang Jin-ho?”

“He’s in the lounge.”

“Okay.”

Park Hak-gi let out a groan.

‘The lounge….’

Once they left this place, they would be right at the VIP lounge. If Kang Jin-ho was already there, the Master and Kang Jin-ho would meet in the lounge.

Park Hak-gi’s heart began to pound.

‘What an incredible sight.’

One was the Master of Europe, who had ruled Europe for decades.

And the other was a rising star who had suddenly appeared in East Asia, which had been stagnant, and changed the balance of power in just one year.

He couldn’t even imagine what would happen when these two met.

‘This is it.’

Park Hak-gi clenched his fist tightly.

His department had been severely mistreated for a long time. How many times had he swallowed tears of resentment at the contempt of being an idle organization that just received a salary without doing any work?

But now the situation was different.

With the appearance of Kang Jin-ho, their organization had begun to be treated as extremely important.

If they handled this matter well, their importance would increase, and the treatment they received would change. So, they had to handle this matter perfectly, no matter what.

“How is the surrounding control?”

“It’s perfect.”

“Check it properly. If any problems arise, I’ll put a bullet hole in your head.”

“I, I’ll check it again.”

“Move it, you bastard!”

“Yes!”

Park Hak-gi sighed as he watched his subordinate run off.

‘Once this is over, I need to get some smart guys to fill the ranks.’

Since the organization itself had been pushed to the sidelines, no proper recruits had come in. But now that the government was pushing them, they would be able to receive new recruits with excellent abilities.

No matter how he thought about it, only good things remained, but Park Hak-gi couldn’t enjoy this good feeling. Rather, his lips had been parched since earlier, and he kept swallowing dry saliva.

The fact that he would be facing Kang Jin-ho directly was making him nervous.

He had seen countless videos and photos of him, and he had even watched him from a distance, but this was the first time he would be facing Kang Jin-ho at such close range.

Facing the man who had begun to be called the Demon King of East Asia was a great burden for Park Hak-gi as well. Of course, he wouldn’t even pay attention to someone like him.

The meeting between Kang Jin-ho and the Master.

This was an incredibly significant event.

It was fortunate that he could witness that historical moment with his own eyes.

‘Once I pass through that door….’

History would be made.

But at this moment, there was one thing that bothered Park Hak-gi. The Master’s group walking ahead, and behind them….

‘Impurities.’

There were people who didn’t belong here.

“Wait a moment.”

Park Hak-gi stepped forward and called out to Choi Yeon-ha and the others.

“What is it, again?”

“Once you pass through the door, don’t look around and go straight outside. Our agents will be waiting at the door to escort you.”

“…Don’t look around?”

“There are people you can’t handle. I recommend not looking. And…”

Park Hak-gi slightly bared his teeth as he spoke.

“You’re an actress, so you can do it well, right? Like an extra, just pass by as if you’re nothing. There should be no interference with the meeting that will take place in the lounge. Do you understand?”

“You’re really asking for a lot.”

Choi Yeon-ha said with a frown on her face.

“But I also have someone to meet, you know?”

“It’s none of my business who you meet. So, for now, get out of the lounge. And I warn you, don’t even mention any complaints about what happened inside to the person you’re going to meet outside. Keep this in mind, Choi Yeon-ha. We can do anything for the sake of the nation’s interests…”

“Ah, I get it. I’m mute, and I’m blind! I can’t see anything, I can’t hear anything, and I can’t speak. Okay?”

“Good.”

As soon as Park Hak-gi gave his permission, Choi Yeon-ha turned away irritably.

‘If you were going to do this, you shouldn’t have made us go together in the first place.’

It was frustrating, but what could she do? What that man was saying didn’t sound like a simple threat.

She had to be careful of people who so easily spoke of the nation. She didn’t know what they might do.

At that moment, the door opened.

Park Hak-gi’s eyes widened.

‘Kang Jin-ho!’

He could see them.

Two men were standing behind the open door. One of them was definitely Kang Jin-ho. The front of Kang Jin-ho and the dignified back of the Master were overlapping.

‘I, at this historical moment….’

That was when it happened.

Step, step.

Choi Yeon-ha, who had been following quietly from behind, straightened her shoulders and strode forward.

‘This crazy woman!’

He had told her not to interfere so many times!

It was a mistake to leave them alone to avoid offending the Master. He should have just….

Just as Park Hak-gi was about to rush out and grab Choi Yeon-ha!

Step.

Kang Jin-ho began to move.

Kang Jin-ho’s actions rooted Park Hak-gi to the spot. In the face of that overwhelming presence, Park Hak-gi couldn’t dare to try anything.

And then….

“Mmmph, mmmph!”

Choi Yeon-ha pretended that she couldn’t speak because her mouth was covered.

Kang Jin-ho, who looked at Choi Yeon-ha with a somewhat dumbfounded expression, slightly hardened his face. After briefly exchanging glances with Choi Yeon-ha, Kang Jin-ho tilted his head to the side.

His eyes were fixed on Park Hak-gi.

The moment he saw Kang Jin-ho’s sunken eyes, Park Hak-gi knew instinctively.

He was screwed.

He didn’t know how the situation was unfolding, but one thing was certain.

He was definitely screwed now.