Descent of the Demon Master

Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes. “You want them to swim?”

Lee Hyeon-Su's reply came from the phone's speaker.

-Yes, Assembly Master.

“You mean something like butterfly stroke? That kind of swimming?”

-I have to say, it's heartwarming to know that I'm not crazy. You reacted the same way as I did, you see?

“But why...?”

-Please wait, sir. I know what you want to say. I 100% understand your sentiments on this one. However, before you lose your temper, please listen to my briefing first.

“...Fine. Tell me, then.”

After listening to Lee Hyeon-Su's long and detailed briefing, Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded in acceptance. This suggestion didn't sound so outrageous, after all.

'This is why not thinking outside the box can be so dangerous...'

Despite knowing that martial artists were different from the regular powerless people, Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su still viewed problems from the perspective of an average human being. Obviously, they had a good grasp of how strong a martial artist could be. However, for some reason, they kept forgetting about martial artists also boasting overwhelmingly superior stamina and endurance than regular humans.

'When you think about it, this task shouldn't be difficult.'

Twenty kilometers... Even if demonic cultivators were weaker than average martial artists, swimming for ten hours shouldn't be too difficult. Covering twenty kilometers in ten hours meant around two kilometers per hour, and swimming that kind of distance seemed more than doable.

“What about hypothermia? What will you do about that?”

-I wasn't sure what might happen, so I had a few of our guys take a 'bath' in the ocean near Incheon harbor, sir.

“...You did?”

-Yes, sir. I've chosen the ones cultivating in demonic arts in consideration of demonic qi's unique properties. If there aren't any notable issues after spending a full day in the ocean, let's proceed with this plan.

Kang Jin-Ho's hand holding the phone trembled subtly. Should he praise Lee Hyeon-Su for being thorough? Or should he hurl a few choice words to question Lee Hyeon-Su's sanity? Kang Jin-Ho couldn't make up his mind. Sure, being cautious and preparing for all contingencies were admirable traits. However, how could he irresponsibly start an experiment without telling Kang Jin-Ho?

'Still... It's the most efficient way, isn't it?'

Indeed, this method should give them the necessary confirmation.

Kang Jin-Ho had been thinking about pointing out this 'quirk' of Lee Hyeon-Su one of these days. However, that wouldn't be today. It felt like the correct thing was to turn a blind eye. Of course, Kang Jin-Ho didn't forget to offer a silent prayer or two for the well-being of the poor Assembly-affiliated martial artists taking a salty bath in the ocean.

“Okay, that's that. What about a ship?”

-We'll search for one, sir. Unfortunately, there has been a spate of shipping-related incidents lately. I'm sure you've heard about them, too. Because of them, renting a big ship has become a lot trickier. And there aren't too many ships in Korea that are big enough to accommodate all those people.

“Is that right?”

-Unfortunately, yes. Even if we get the largest available, the best we can hope for is renting a 130,000-ton cruise ship. A ship of that size can carry up to three thousand people. The initial estimate was for ten thousand, but doesn't that number include the family members of the demonic cultivators?

“Yeah, it does.”

-In that case, a 130,000-ton ship should have no problem ferrying the cultivators. It's not like they are going on a voyage around the world, after all. But the problem with this plan is actually renting a cruise ship of that size. Also, cruise ships that big are usually well-known, so secretly renting one will not be a walk in the park.

“It's fine. Rent it from an overseas company, then.”

-I'm sorry?

Lee Hyeon-Su sounded confused on the line, so Kang Jin-Ho said something else. “It doesn't have to be a cruise ship, either. Load a cargo ship with empty containers. If we fill each container with around twenty people, a hundred containers will equal two thousand. In that case, why bother renting a cruise ship and attracting attention like that? Just get a cargo ship.”

-B-but, aren't they people...?

“Think of them as cargo.”

-Sir, has anyone told you before that sometimes you don't treat martial artists as your fellow human beings?

I don't want to hear that from you, though...

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head before continuing on. “I don't care either way. Anyways, a cargo ship is easier to rent, right?”

-Yes, sir. It should be much easier. I'll finish all the preparations within a week.

“Got it. Call me if something happens.”

-Yes, sir. Take care of yourself.

Kang Jin-Ho ended the call and stared at the ceiling above.

'With this, I guess the initial preparations have been completed...'

The most immediate problem was chugging along nicely toward its conclusion. Still, relocating this many martial artists from China to Korea was definitely not going to be a walk in the park. All Kang Jin-Ho could do for now was to trust Lee Hyeon-Su's capabilities.

Which left him with minor matters to deal with. Matters such as...

Chang Min dryly scanned Vator up and down. “Hoh? You seem to have found clothes large enough to fit your overblown body? So inefficient, I tell you. So inefficient...”

Vator grunted. “If you want to talk about inefficiency, why don't we discuss how inefficient it is for an old fart like you to keep breathing like this?”

“Hoh? A large lump of meat like you dare?”

“Say what, you stinky old fart?”

Indeed, this was a minor matter.

Two factions were currently under Kang Jin-Ho's wings. The first one was the Martial Assembly, which he had completely taken over. The second was the current era's demon cult, which wasn't fully under his control... But it'd be soon.

Excluding Kang Jin-Ho, Chang Min and Vator could be seen as leaders in these two factions. And these two men baring their fangs and growling at each other didn't seem like a huge problem in Kang Jin-Ho's view.

...Because there were lots more urgent problems requiring his attention, after all!

That was what Kang Jin-Ho tried to tell himself. Even so, this back-and-forth was a bit...

“You sure are fluent in Chinese, aren't you, you uncouth foreign invader!”

“At your age, shouldn't you be warming up the inside of a coffin? You old fart!”

“Hah! Listening to your poor pronunciation is giving me ear cancer! Don't you know what intonation means?”

“For a pathetic little demonic cultivator, you sure know how to run your mouth off, don't you?”

Kang Jin-Ho kept flinching as he listened to these two men. In the eyes of the Chinese, wasn't Kang Jin-Ho also a foreign invader? And he was older than everyone here, excluding Chang Min, which meant he was an old fart, too. And finally... he was a pathetic little demonic cultivator with a poor grasp of Chinese.

'...Why am I getting mentally damaged when they are arguing with each other?'

How strange this was. Those two men were busy throwing straight jabs at each other, yet those jabs bizarrely deviated from their intended target and slammed into Kang Jin-Ho's abdomen instead! Even Major League Baseball pitchers would've been impressed by how the jabs changed trajectories in such razor-blade-like sharp angles!

“Listen, you two...” Kang Jin-Ho couldn't endure anymore and tried to say something. Unfortunately, Vator and Chang Min were in no mood to listen.

Chang Min growled. “You better thank the heavens that you're the demon emperor's servant! Otherwise, I would have cut your stupidly large head off and used it as a soccer ball for demonic cultivators!”

“Oh? You think those punks can even kick my head like a ball? They all look like feeble weaklings, after all.”

“Get up! You shall soon see how your head will serve as a soccer ball... In the afterlife!”

“If we do that, we'll find out how fragile your bones are instead. At your advanced age, broken bones will not heal properly. How about being a little more cautious of your surroundings?”

“You bastard!”

“What, you stinky old fart!”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned loudly when the two men glared murderously at each other. When he thought about it, making these two get along with each other should be harder than dogs getting along with monkeys.

Not only was Vator a Mongolian, but he was also an orthodox martial artist. His compatibility with Chang Min, a demonic cultivator born and raised in Zhongyuan, would obviously be terrible. They might have thought of each other as 'amusing' when they were only tangentially involved. However, after realizing that they would have to work together as colleagues from now on, Vator and Chang Min began baring their fangs.

At least they hadn't started throwing actual punches yet, much to Kang Jin-Ho's relief.

'They are keeping it at this level because of my presence.'

Since they were with Kang Jin-Ho, their method of conflict remained as a verbal sparring. The truth was, though, neither Vator nor Chang Min were the type to resort to insults. It wouldn't be strange to see the two immediately enter mortal combat if Kang Jin-Ho wasn't here.

“That's enough from both of you,” said Kang Jin-Ho, prompting both men to step back and cough awkwardly. Kang Jin-Ho glared at Chang Min first. “It seems you're unhappy about working together with a foreigner.”

“O-of course not, my liege! That can't be true. I've never, ever entertained such a thought in my life. I swear! And, and... My liege, you're one of us from Zhongyuan. It's just that you're stuck in that body now, but...”

Kang Jin-Ho looked even more unimpressed by that. “Really? But I'm originally a Korean?”

“Oh... I didn't know that.”

Kang Jin-Ho ignored the flustered Chang Min and shifted his glare to Vator next. The big man visibly flinched when their gazes met.

“So, it seems hanging out with a pathetic demonic cultivator is beneath your mighty station, then?”

“...Master, it's a misunderstanding. I wasn't talking about you.”

“Really? You still sound like you haven't changed your mind about demonic cultivators being pathetic and weak?”

“I, I'll try my best to be more open-minded.”

“Urgh... What's the point of saying all this, anyway...?” Kang Jin-Ho massaged his forehead while leaning back. There was a dull pain knocking inside his skull. It seemed his temperature had risen up a bit.

'Why is everyone around me like this?'

Sure, people who assisted him back in ancient times were also a bit unhinged, but they still knew when to be serious. However, the folks around Kang Jin-Ho these days all seemed to have misplaced far too many screws in their heads!

'I miss Yu-Min...'

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly got a reminder of how fortunate he was. The first person he befriended after returning to the modern era was Park Yu-Min, after all! He couldn't even imagine how things would have turned out if he never met the cushion called Park Yu-Min and joined the martial world right after his return.

Kang Jin-Ho glared at both men. “I know you're dissatisfied with each other.”

“N-no, that's not true, my liege.”

“Master, it's not what you think, but...”

“Even so!” Kang Jin-Ho subtly gritted his teeth. “If you keep whining without worrying about the consequences just because you're not happy about something... Aren't you too ashamed to call yourselves adults?”

“...My sincerest apologies, my liege.”

“Mm... Yes, I went overboard just now, master.”

Kang Jin-Ho roughly scratched his head. Chang Min was a 180-year-old old man... No, an old monster. And Vator was also over fifty years old. In that case, why were they behaving like middle schoolers causing trouble for a transfer student?

“What's the problem with you two, anyway?” Kang Jin-Ho sharply glared at the two.

Chang Min replied by silently lowering his head. However, Vator didn't back down and instead raised his voice. “Master?”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his attention to the big man. “Mm?”

“If I back off now, it'll make things more tolerable for you. However, doing that won't help anyone out in the long term, so I must say this to you now.”

“Ng?”

Vator puffed his chest out as if he had done nothing wrong. All he did was stand straighter, yet such a simple gesture still came across as threatening.

“Master, men are animals.”

“...?” Kang Jin-Ho stared at Vator dumbfoundedly. What on Earth was he saying now?

“Oh, it seems you've misinterpreted my intentions. Let me clarify myself, then. All men possess this primal instinct. And animals living in a large pack requires a hierarchy.”

“Mm...!” Kang Jin-Ho nodded after finally figuring out where Vator was going with this.

“With only a few people, such a thing might not be necessary. However, establishing a hierarchy is a must when the number of people grows past a certain threshold. Whether I like it or not, I must work together with this old man or oppose his opinions and suggestions.” Vator paused there briefly and glanced at Chang Min. “The reason why wolves of the great plains can maintain such large packs is straightforward. Fifty animals mean a hierarchy for all fifty creatures. The same idea will still apply if a pack had a hundred wolves.”

Kang Jin-Ho grew stupefied. “Oh, so... you want to fight to determine the hierarchy?”

“Yes. That is the way of men. The way of the martial artists! I'm sure you've witnessed this plenty of times before.”

“...I don't know much about that, though.”

Kang Jin-Ho simply beat up anyone daring to get on his nerves or didn't know their place and tried to order him around. After a while, no one was left standing above him in the pecking order, and Kang Jin-Ho naturally became the cult leader.

What was even worse was that no one challenged him for the cult leader position. Because Azure Demon utterly crushed anyone daring to challenge Kang Jin-Ho back then!

“The Mongol isn't wrong, my liege!” Chang Min raised his head, his eyes gleaming dangerously. “Establishing a clear chain of command is a must, my liege. Allow me to teach this wet-behind-ears brat how noble and divine the demon cult can be!”

Kang Jin-Ho nearly fell out of his chair. “W-wait a sec...!”

Vator cut him off. “Master, We won't make any progress if you try to make the demon cult the center of your activities. There's a need to make these men remember their position in the organization.”

“Wha...”

“My liege!”

“Master!”

Kang Jin-Ho gave up just then. His energy-less hand pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. After mouthing a cigarette, he tried to use his lighter but couldn't gather much strength in his hand.

“...Fine. Do whatever you feel like.”

Yup. I totally give up. I don't care anymore.

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