Descent of the Demon Master

There was something called the "magnetic presence."

Whether it was applied in a positive or negative sense, certain incredibly powerful things had this magnetic something that prevented people from tearing their eyes away.

That was the situation for the Master right now.

Of course he knew. He knew that Kang Jin-Ho was waiting beyond the doorway.

As for the incredible aura the Master could sense while getting closer to the exit, was there a need to even think about who emitted it? As far as the Master knew, only one person in this country was capable of making his hair stand on its endlike this!

'This is much more serious than I expected.'

It got progressively harder and harder to step forward. But what flustered the Master even more was this crushing pressure didn't contain any traces of hostility.

It was as natural as breathing in and out.

Merely by existing, Kang Jin-Ho was releasing all this incredible pressure. However, something done so innocuously was still dreadful enough to tempt the Master into turning around and leaving right away!

The Master's vision was getting progressively getting cloudier. The airport's passageway was gradually dyeing in a crimson hue.

'Just what… am I about to encounter here?'

Of course he knew none of it was happening in reality. Indeed, this was just a figment of his imagination. Cooked up by his brain. Even so, how could he ignore the fact that his imagination was turning the world around him into the vision of Hell!

As a matter of fact, his brain was warning him that meeting the man beyond the doorway was just as dangerous as entering the mouth of Hell!

If that was the right judgment call? The Master would have stopped. He would have turned around without hesitation and left. Unfortunately, the current situation didn't allow that.

Qualities expected of a person tasked with leading the massive organization called the Round Table weren't boldness or aggressiveness to take on dangers and somehow overcome them. No, it was actually… prudence. A nature cautious enough to make you inspect a bridge from top to bottom before crossing it.

And now, the Master's prudent nature was starkly warning him to turn back. It said that encountering the dangerous creature beyond the doorway would put him at grave risk.

'I wouldn't even be debating this if the situation allowed me to turn back!'

The Master subtly bit his lip. Unfortunately, there was no retreat for him. He no longer enjoyed the option of getting back on the plane and flying back home after passing through the airport's customs and immigration just now.

Besides, if he did that now, the whole world would mock and jeer him for being a coward. And the Round Table's reputation would also suffer a near-fatal blow.

Imagine what people would think if the Master used his privilege just for a brief tour of an airport on the other side of the globe. No amount of excuses would save his face.

The Master sneakily clenched his fists. Thankfully, his steps remained resolute. Unshakable. That should prevent people in the surroundings from noticing that he was in an agitated state.

'Even if they did… They wouldn't understand.'

After all, no one else here should be able to sense this pressure. The Master was convinced that only those above a certain threshold of strength could even sense it.

Kang Jin-Ho probably didn't even know that he was unwittingly pressuring others with his incredible strength.

The Master smirked bitterly.

'It seems I've underestimated the severity of this situation, then.'

He knew that Kang Jin-Ho was a powerful individual. Or should it be more the case of "he had guessed it?"

East Asia was a region filled with some of the strongest warriors in the world. Obviously, other regions also had warriors rivaling these people in terms of combat power. But nowhere in the world would you find such a high concentration of powerful experts in relatively close proximity.

And Kang Jin-Ho was someone who had shaken up such a contested region. In that case, there was just no way that he was not a powerful being. He simply had to be.

But his strength had far exceeded the Master's expectations.

'So, will I encounter a devil? Or a monster?'

Chills kept running down the Master's spine. Chills of fear and excitement the likes of which he hadn't felt in ages!

'Indeed. Just how long has it been since I last felt anything like this?'

All the languidness he felt while flying on his private plane was blown away in the blink of an eye. It even felt like every one of his cells was coming alive.

All of his concentration focused on the space before him. He vaguely heard some people whisper something behind him, but none of what they said registered in his mind. Every fiber of his being was too focused on the individual beyond the doorway to care about anything else.

What an ominous and gloomy aura this was…! It certainly fit the label of the "Embodiment of the Demonic" to a T.

The escorts ahead of the Master reached the end of this slightly dark corridor first to open the doorway. And then, bright artificial light poured in.

'Isn't this ironic?'

The Master couldn't help but feel weirded out by the fact that a man emitting such a demonic aura could be found in one of the brightest places in this entire airport. Shouldn't that man be crawling like a hideous monster on the eighteenth floor of the netherworld?

While mulling over this strange feeling, the Master stepped inside the VIP lounge. Almost immediately, his gaze locked on the two men waiting for his arrival inside this luxurious place.

More correctly, his gaze was drawn to one of the men. Which was rather odd in the current situation.

The Master was in an unfamiliar place. An unfamiliar environment.

When people were in familiar places, they would immediately start noticing strange things they were unfamiliar with. And the opposite was also true. For instance, a traveler to a foreign country would inevitably notice things or people from their home country.

In that sense, the familiar sight in the Master's eyes should have been Wiggins standing to the right. After all, Wiggins' facial features had not changed. His aura also had not mutated into something else. The whiff of Wiggins' mana was as familiar as the voice of an old friend to the Master's perception, yet…

Yet the Master's gaze couldn't even drift toward Wiggins. No, his eyes were practically glued to the Asian man next to Wiggins!

How should the Master describe his initial impression, then? Kang Jin-Ho's appearance wasn't all that remarkable. He was basically what the Master would think of while trying to picture a typical young Asian man. After all, it wasn't as if Kang Jin-Ho had six arms or three heads!

The thing was, though… The Master wasn't focusing on Kang Jin-Ho's outer appearance. That was because he could see "it." Or, more accurately, he could feel it.

Something beyond the Master's comprehension and incomparable to anything he knew… was writhing and seething inside that man. Something indescribably dark, destructive, and more violent than anything!

It felt as if something humans were not allowed to harbor was busy hissing and twisting inside Kang Jin-Ho.

The Master's breathing instantly clogged up. The tips of his fingers shuddered ever so slightly, but he didn't have the mental leeway to remind himself not to display any signs of weakness.

This feeling, it… It was as if his soul was being sucked out of his body.

What an overwhelming power this was. What an overwhelming evil this was!

The only thing the Master could do was freak out at this power and not much else.

'What… What have you done, Wiggins?!'

The Master thought Wiggins had seen the hope of a better future in South Korea. But that was wrong. What the Master saw was the evil incarnate!

This man truly deserved the label of the Demon King! And such an individual had been hiding in this small country until now.

'What… What am I supposed to do here? Just what…?'

Before the Master's chain of thoughts could go anywhere…

"Euph, euph, euph!"

A series of funny-sounding sounds came from right behind the Master.

'...Ah!'

Thankfully, that sound helped the Master to sober up instantly. For a moment there, he felt the choking tension disappear completely.

Kang Jin-Ho's expression shifted just then. His previously expressionless face showed a hint of fluster only to return to its expressionless state. And that helped Master realize something.

'He… He wasn't even looking at me.'

Even as the doorway opened and the Master stepped through it, Kang Jin-Ho never once looked at him or his entourage. No, he had been looking at a small-statured Asian woman walking behind the Master.

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled and took a step forward.

The Master's body responded to that extremely non-threatening move with a nasty flinch. And he had to summon every ounce of willpower available to stop his body from throwing himself back.

In the meantime, Kang Jin-Ho walked forward a couple more steps, his gaze still fixed on the woman behind the Master. He curiously asked, "What's the matter, Miss Yeon-Ha?"

"Euph, euph!"

"Huh? What…?"

Choi Yeon-Ha turned her head away while making an obviously sulking face. Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in confusion, prompting Han Eun-Sol to trot over and whisper something to him.

Only then did Kang Jin-Ho's gaze move away from Choi Yeon-Ha to zero in on the poor Bak Hak-Gi in the rear.

"…!" Bak Hak-Gi couldn't even squeak out a word at that moment.

Then again, what could he even say in this situation? When he was emphatically not a moron?

A clueless idiot would have never reached the position Bak Hak-Gi currently occupied in the NIS. And they wouldn't even be allowed to attend this historic meeting as the representative of the Korean government.

So, anyone with functioning eyes and a brain should be able to figure out that Choi Yeon-Ha was a "friend" to Kang Jin-Ho. And that their friendship was deep enough to share thosekinds of emotions!

A woman who seemed like just another TV celebrity just so happened to be Kang Jin-Ho's close acquaintance? Close enough for him to personally welcome her back into the country?!

No other thoughts wanted to form inside Bak Hak-Gi's head. It was as if his brain had morphed into a clean sheet of empty paper.

He tried so hard to make a success of today's event. So, how was he supposed to accept that he was responsible for the biggest blunder here?!

"U-uh, well, that is…"

Maybe it was better to keep his mouth shut. However, Bak Hak-Gi couldn't endure this awkward silence any longer. He desperately wanted to turn the situation in his favor, but his blank brain didn't want to help him out by thinking up appropriate things to say.

"From the government?" Kang Jin-Ho asked.

Bak Hak-Gi realized that question was meant for him, so he animatedly nodded away. He knew nodding like this was incredibly rude to a man like Kang Jin-Ho, but he just couldn't stop his body from reacting instinctively.

"Hmm…!" Kang Jin-Ho nodded slowly as if he had more or less guessed the situation.

Of course, Bak Hak-Gi did not miss the subtle furrowing of Kang Jin-Ho's brow just then. He was able to detect that through his ultra-sharp wits honed by the years of exposure to his job's unique quirks, which included observing the fluctuating moods of various VIPs.

However, if he was being honest… He'd rather prefer to have missed it!

If he hadn't seen it, if he didn't know about it… At least Bak Hak-Gi would have been spared from feeling this way! And what an unfortunate thing it was for the airport lounge's windows to be made out of bulletproof glass… Without that, Bak Hak-Gi would've broken through the glass and jumped outside to flee from this deeply shameful scene!

That was how terrible this situation and his feelings were right now.

"I'm sure we will have a private conversation later," said Kang Jin-Ho, then promptly stopped paying Bak Hak-Gi attention. He shifted his gaze over to Choi Yeon-Ha and gently smiled. "You must be tired from the lengthy trip."

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head and pointed to her mouth. "Euph?"

"...It's okay to speak, Miss Yeon-Ha."

"Hnnng?" Choi Yeon-Ha slowly turned her head and glanced at Bak Hak-Gi. Her eyes were obviously saying, "He said it's okay to speak, so you cool?"

Bak Hak-Gi hurriedly nodded, his complexion as pale as it could get. His nodding was so visceral that his head might fall off at this rate!

"Haaah. Well, I guess I'm not mute anymore. But… I'm still blind and can't see anything, you know?"

"...Please stop torturing the poor guy," Kang Jin-Ho awkwardly chuckled. "Anyway. Welcome back, Miss Yeon-Ha. It must've been a tough journey."

"Yes, well… It wasn't the easiest, I can tell you that much. But everything is fine now."

"Mm? Why do you say that?"

"All my stress got blown away after I saw you. Which was expected."

"…"

Bak Hak-Gi noticed a bout of awkwardness seeping into Kang Jin-Ho's expression just then. But there was also a hint of smile etched on the latter's face, too!

'Ah, f*ck. I'm definitely screwed now.'

That pretty much sealed his fate, now didn't it? This scene clearly proved beyond any reasonable doubt what Kang Jin-Ho's relationship with Choi Yeon-Ha was.

So, the question Bak Hak-Gi should ask himself now was…

'What the f*ck have I done?!'

Also, the other question bubbling in his mind was, "What should I do to fix this situation?"

He couldn't think about anything else or notice the fact that the Master of the Round Table had been just standing there since the beginning of this exchange, unable to do or say anything.

Kang Jin-Ho pointed to the exit. "Shall we get going? I've brought my car along."

"Yes, we should," Choi Yeon-Ha nodded, then glanced at Han Eun-Sol. "Sorry, Eun-Sol, but you know Mister Jin-Ho drives a two-seater, right? So… We'd have taken you along if only his car was a four-door. Ah, well. Can't be helped, right? Please take the company car and join us later, okay? No, wait. I'll just call you tomorrow. How's that?"

"Oh, uh…" Han Eun-Sol blinked his eyes. "S-sure… Later, I guess?"

That was when Kang Jin-Ho casually shook his head. "Ah, no. It'll be fine. I came with a different car, so…"

"Okay, see you later, Eun-Sol!" Choi Yeon-Ha abruptly cut Kang Jin-Ho off and tugged at his arm.

"…" Kang Jin-Ho stared in stupefaction at Han Eun-Sol as Choi Yeon-Ha dragged him away.

Han Eun-Sol silently spectated on that scene before muttering to no one in particular. "It would've been better if you didn't say anything, you know?"

A groan automatically leaked out of his mouth.