Descent of the Demon Master

-You don't know who I am?

“Yeah,” Kang Jin-Ho replied without much concern. Why would he mince his words when he genuinely didn't know who this person was?

-B-but, how? How can you not know who I am?

Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply. What was he supposed to say when the other side responded this way? Maybe he should praise the other side for being confident enough to assume everyone knew him? Although, such confidence would be a bit of an overkill in everyday interactions.

“Should I know you?”

-Hah... Right, right. You don't have a reason to know who I am. Yes, no reason at all. In that case, it seems an introduction is in order. My name is Cai Kechang.

“Okay. So?”

-...

The ensuing silence went on for a while. It seemed the other party was rendered speechless after this conversation veered off in an unexpected direction.

“You hold on,” said Kang Jin-Ho. He then lowered the phone before staring at Lee Hyeon-Su.

Lee Hyeon-Su noticed something was off and asked curiously. “Who is it, sir?”

“I'm not sure. He said his name is Cai... What was it again? Cai...?” Kang Jin-Ho frowned, then pressed the phone to his ear again. “What did you say your name was, again?”

-...If this is your ploy to piss me off, congratulations. You certainly have done an admirable job. My name... is Cai Kechang!

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su. “He says his name is Cai Kechang.”

“Oh, I see. It's Cai... Who did you say it was?!” Lee Hyeon-Su's brows shot up way higher. Why did that name ring a bell so loudly in his head? To get the confirmation, Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly turned his head toward Vator.

Vator tutted. “Master, you saw Cai Kechang before. Back in that place.”

“Mm?”

“Don't you remember the bastard who was busy yelling orders from the rear of their camp? You could say Cai Kechang is the top strategist of the Crimson King's faction.”

“Oh!” Kang Jin-Ho finally nodded after remembering seeing someone like that back then. And didn't he also hear a brief explanation of who Cai Kechang was? Yet he still failed to memorize that name...?

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled while addressing Cai Kechang on the phone. “Now I remember you. Okay, so? What do you want?”

-I'm oh-so-happy that the high-and-mighty demon emperor has deigned to remember the lowly me. Let me cut to the chase. I called you to make an offer.

“Sure. I'm all ears.”

-No, not now. I'm sure your side requires time to discuss, so I shall call you again in ten minutes.

“Suit yourself.” Kang Jin-Ho grunted and ended the call without waiting for Cai Kechang's response.

Lee Hyeon-Su leaned forward and asked worriedly. “What did he say, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “He said he'd call me again in ten minutes.”

“...!” Lee Hyeon-Su squeezed his eyes shut and silently offered his condolences.

Cai Kechang said he'd call back, but didn't this situation look like Kang Jin-Ho had rudely hung up on the guy first? Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't help but feel bad after imagining Cai Kechang tearing his hair out in rage while yelling at his phone.

'Seriously. Assembly Master will never change.'

Lee Hyeon-Su's stress level has been soaring through the sky every single day lately all thanks to Kang Jin-Ho. However, moments like this helped him appreciate all the special treatment he received from Kang Jin-Ho.

Kang Jin-Ho's disinterest toward those deemed 'not one of his people' could verge on being too excessive. Not only was Kang Jin-Ho reluctant to get involved with such people, but he didn't even want to talk to them if he could help himself.

At least Kang Jin-Ho's life was filled with quite a few people these days, allowing him to live a more-or-less ordinary life. Lee Hyeon-Su grew somewhat curious about how Kang Jin-Ho's life would've turned out had he never joined the Martial Assembly and stopped seeing his friends every day after growing older.

“Cai Kechang, eh...” Vator rubbed his chin. “He's got thick skin, calling us like this.”

Wiggins suddenly entered the office and replied to Vator. “But we shouldn't be surprised.”

“Mm?”

Wiggins smartly bowed at Kang Jin-Ho. “Forgive me, my lord. The urgency of the situation precludes me from greeting you properly.”

“It's fine. Take a seat,” said Kang Jin-Ho while pointing to an empty chair.

Wiggins didn't bother with unnecessary ceremonies and took the seat as indicated. “Since we've been through a war, it's only natural they would contact us.”

Vator furrowed his brow. “Even though we're enemies?”

“Yes. Precisely because we're enemies. Dealing with the aftermath and negotiating terms are the final steps in ending a war, after all. These steps always accompany every conflict that's drawing to a close. Conflicts without a clear-cut end would inevitably create other problems later on.”

“Hmm...?” Vator cocked his brow. He wanted to say a few things but wasn't sure how to start his counterargument. Wiggins used to handle these kinds of matters as a part of his job, after all.

The Round Table's role was mediating countless conflicts breaking out around the globe and even managing them at times. Naturally, no one here knew more about how to end a large-scale conflict than Wiggins.

Wiggins pondered something for a bit before resuming his explanation. “Although I'm not best pleased with the other party directly contacting you, they must've thought it was the best method available. They need to wrap this matter up as quickly as possible, you see?”

Kang Jin-Ho and others tilted their heads. “Wrap it up quickly?”

“Yes. They are still engaged in a three-way war against other Kings, after all. The relationship between our side and theirs has become as bad as it could possibly get. Anyone with a functioning brain would never want to deal with enemies in front and rear at the same time... So, they would naturally gravitate toward making peace with us.”

“Peace, is it...?” Kang Jin-Ho slowly chewed on that word. What an unfamiliar concept that was... Especially to Kang Jin-Ho, someone who had never stayed on 'friendly' terms with another faction in his life.

What he wanted was submission... or death and destruction, after all! However, the ways of the old Zhongyuan obviously couldn't be applied to the modern era.

Kang Jin-Ho looked at Lee Hyeon-Su. “What do you think we should do?”

Lee Hyeon-Su grew a little more excited just then. Even though Wiggins was right next to him, Kang Jin-Ho still asked for Lee Hyeon-Su's opinion. What a symbolic moment this was!

“Assembly Master. I think you should consider it.”

“Why?”

“We won't gain anything by fighting them now, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho mulled something before asking another question. “Can we even fight them?”

“Well, it won't be easy, but...” Lee Hyeon-Su subtly licked his lips.

Kang Jin-Ho was asking about the likelihood of the Crimson King's faction invading South Korea in case he refused to shake their hands.

Lee Hyeon-Su would've replied, 'Yes, yes they would!' without hesitation if this question had been asked in the past. But the situation had changed somewhat. Their most powerful ace up their sleeve, the Crimson King, was currently sealed away, so they most likely wouldn't want to escalate the hostilities.

“Master,” Vator decided to interject just then. “What we encountered wasn't the true depth of the strength the Crimson King's faction possesses.”

Vator's expression was as somber as it could get.

“Like how the Crimson King's strength has far exceeded our expectations, your strength must've been far beyond what they had estimated. That's why the previous encounter unfolded the way it did. If they had perfectly guessed your strength and utilized everything at their disposal at that time... Master, you wouldn't have walked out of there in one piece.”

“That's obvious,” Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders.

“No, it's not as obvious as you think,” Vator wet his dried lips before resuming his explanation. “I'm not talking about thousands of small fries joining the battle. The core combat force would've come after you, master. If the experts currently manning the frontlines to keep the other Kings in check and Dao Protectors who could ignore the Crimson King's commands to some degree decide to step up…”

Vator sucked in a deep breath.

“...This place will crumble in less than three days.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “And they would also crumble in less than three days?”

“Yes. Most likely.”

Lee Hyeon-Su offered an additional explanation. “Sir, few things are scarier than thinking that some things are realistically impossible and won’t happen to you. It'll be too careless of us to assume the other side wouldn't attack us since doing so would mean our mutual destruction.”

Kang Jin-Ho and the others focused their attention on Lee Hyeon-Su.

“Historically speaking, similar events have happened plenty of times before. In the end, we are all human beings. And humans are not exactly the most rational creatures on Earth. Emotions can easily overrule our rational minds.”

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho weightily nodded away.

Although the odds were low, the Crimson King could dispatch his entire faction to South Korea since he had tasted proper humiliation. Even if doing so would lead to his complete defeat at the hands of the other two Kings!

The Martial Assembly still hadn't enjoyed enough time to grow stronger, so it'd get obliterated out of existence in the proverbial blink of an eye.

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “I don't think that man would do something that drastic, though?”

“If it's me…” Wiggins interjected next. “I'd choose to invade Korea with everything I have, then try to take over Japan afterward. Please do remember, my lord. In the end, money reigns supreme in this world. Including martial arts factions.”

“Mm...!”

“By taking over the underworld of Korea and Japan, you'd be able to acquire enough wealth to rival one-third of China. There are some drawbacks, such as dealing with various minor issues that keep cropping up and losing the territorial foothold in China, but... This method is worth exploring in case everything goes south.”

“I see. In conclusion?”

“Although we need to discuss further... I believe a ceasefire will do us much good. Extra time will favor us more, after all,” said Wiggins.

“I see. Then, you guys handle it,” Kang Jin-Ho dismissively waved his hand. He didn't want to get involved in this matter anymore.

Unfortunately, the response he got missed his expectations by a wide margin.

“My lord, no! This isn't something we can handle. You must be the one to decide.”

“Yes, you need to think about how we will respond, Assembly Master.”

“Master, don't dump this responsibility on our shoulders.”

Kang Jin-Ho's jaw slightly fell at the chorus of dissatisfaction. “Uh...”

Wiggins firmly rebuked Kang Jin-Ho. “We'll deal with all the sundry chores, my lord. Whether it requires our head or fist, we will handle them all. However, a crucial decision like this requires you to step up to the plate. You need to weigh all the options and make the decision. Stop trying to minimize your authority. If your head stops thinking, your body will grow lazier.”

Vator raised his voice next. “I agree, master. Giving your subordinates some authority and responsibilities can be good for everyone's autonomy. However, such free reign without constant monitoring will always lead to corruption.”

“I agree as well, Assembly Master.”

Kang Jin-Ho closed his eyes. Things like this were never Kang Jin-Ho's expertise. Back in Zhongyuan, Azure Demon was the brains of the operation. He compared the strength of different factions and cooked up various ways to deal with them. That was his job.

Unlike Azure Demon, these three dudes were now demanding Kang Jin-Ho to act like a leader and use his brain.

Kang Jin-Ho pouted slightly. “Huh. Aren't you supposed to say you'll take care of everything so I should just kick back and relax? Isn't that how it usually goes?”

“People who say that are most likely treacherous backstabbers, my lord.” Wiggins chuckled while replying. “Thankfully, you can rest easy since we're all loyal retainers.”

'I can't rest easy at all, though?' Kang Jin-Ho thought that before groaning slowly. He nodded in defeat. “Very well. What should I do?”

Lee Hyeon-Su raised his voice. “You need to get as many concessions as possible.”

“Mm?”

Lee Hyeon-Su sounded determined. “The goal of reaching a ceasefire should not change, but the process of getting there must favor us. We must make the other side cough up as much as possible in exchange for the cessation of hostilities.”

“Like what?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in confusion.

This wasn't a war between countries, so what were they supposed to get from the negotiations? It wasn't as if Kang Jin-Ho could demand food supplies or raw materials. And secret cultivation manuals were also meaningless to him. In that case, what could be the concessions Lee Hyeon-Su wanted?

“...Is it money?”

“Bingo!” Lee Hyeon-Su began applauding enthusiastically. “Finally! You've finally reached this stage, Assembly Master.”

Kang Jin-Ho's expression crumpled as the energetic applause came from his left and right. To think he'd be treated this way!

Wasn't this like... they saw him as a creature with his brain almost exclusively made up of muscles? What crushed Kang Jin-Ho's heart even more was Vator applauding with a proud look on his face!

“Excellent, master. Even I'm impressed by your progress.”

“...Shut up.”

Kang Jin-Ho was about to say something, only for the phone to go off again and interrupt him. After confirming Cai Kechang's number on the screen, Kang Jin-Ho scowled in irritation while tapping the green 'answer' icon.

-Are you done with your preparation, Kang Jin-Ho? I'm calling you like this because...

“No, we're not done yet, so you wait. You know what, I'll call you later myself.”

...And then, Kang Jin-Ho unhesitantly ended the call.

All Lee Hyeon-Su could do was stare in slight stupefaction at his boss.

Kang Jin-Ho nonchalantly put the phone down on the table, then stared back at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Okay, where were we? Right. What am I supposed to do now?”

“...You're already doing great, sir.”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow.

Vator began nodding weightily. “Indeed, pushing the other party's buttons is one of the tactics employed in negotiations.”

Wiggins finished the joke by playing the straight man next. “I hope Cai Kechang's phone survives.”

“...Huh? Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho's confused head tilting intensified as he scanned his companions.

Did I do something wrong?

But... what did I do?

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