Chapter 1483: Discussing (3) |
“The American government will finish organizing their new base in Korea and dispatch their martial artists from the Special Operations Brigade as soon as possible. However, as the Korean government must take part in the consultation process, I believe it might take them a little while,” said Wiggins.
Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “The Korean government, you say?”
“Yes, my lord. On the surface world, at least, it’ll be reported as an increase in the number of American troops in the country. And the location of their base will also become an issue. The construction of a new American military base in the country is a sensitive topic among South Korea’s political elite, so…”
Kang Jin-Ho scratched his head. He obviously didn’t know much about the complicated machinations of the political sphere. Since Wiggins said it was sensitive, it must be.
“Will it be difficult to take care of?”
“No, not exactly, but it will take some time, my lord. If the Americans think there’s no other way, they can always have the SOB integrate with a preexisting base, anyway. Having said that, I’m sure they would want to avoid doing so for the sake of convenience and to maintain the secrecy of the program. They will find a way.”
“Mm…”
Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. He obviously didn’t have the full details of the issues the Americans faced, but when there was a will, there should be a way, too.
Even now, the Korean government was not free from the American government’s influence. It’d have no choice but to go along if the Americans requested cooperation in the strongest terms possible.
When he thought about it, Kang Jin-Ho’s feelings toward the Korean government should not be described as amicable. But the idea of the Korean government having no choice but to humor the American government’s request didn’t sit well with him, either.
It wasn’t as if he had patriotism coursing through his veins, so for him to still feel this way was… It seemed one should not downplay the psychological significance of one’s birth country.
“Yeah, I’m sure they’ll take care of it by themselves.”
“Indeed, my lord. There’s no rush for us, anyway,” said Wiggins with a smirk.
What a mysterious development this was. At least within the martial world, the Korean Martial Assembly held an upper hand over the American government. That was something not even the Round Table managed to achieve in the past.
Although, it’s not the Assembly but my lord. He alone has accomplished this feat.
If the Martial Assembly went to war against the American military’s 15th armored division, the losses of lives the Assembly suffered would have been incalculable.
Martial artists incapable of dodging the artillery bombardment in an open field would’ve died in droves every time an explosion went off, after all! At least half of the Assembly would have been killed before Kang Jin-Ho and the other directors breached the armored division’s defensive formations and destroyed their artillery.
That was fighting only one division of the American army. In short, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say waging a war against the American army was realistically impossible. And what if the air force was to join in, too?
Then there wouldn’t even be a discussion in the first place!
The Americans should know this, too. But they were still being very agreeable because Kang Jin-Ho had taught them that an expert of a certain level of martial prowess boasted an incredible battlefield “utility.”
Just having a few experts like that would vastly expand the scope of military strategies the military could explore. Imagine Kang Jin-Ho showing up at the rear of the enemy camp, for instance; that would bring down figurative hell down on the enemy.
There was simply no way the Americans, who went to crazy lengths to bolster their military strength, would have missed that. If they could buy even a hint of possibility, a mere promise of their martial artists getting stronger one day, the Americans would consider all the money thrown in the Assembly’s way a bargain. That they were getting stuff for free.
I heard that the United States government spends close to a trillion dollars on their defense.
If it was possible to nurture an expert on the level of Kang Jin-Ho by spending only one percent of the annual defense budget, which country wouldn’t want to explore that option? No one, that was who!
Anyone stupid enough to reject such an idea wouldn’t even be allowed to occupy high-ranking positions in governments, anyway.
Besides, the total value of all the things the American government had handed over to the Assembly and would do so in the future still wouldn’t reach ten billion dollars even at the highest estimation, anyway.
Wiggins sighed deeply. “Now that I think about it, I think we’ve made it too cheap for them, my lord.”
“No, it’s fine,” Kang Jin-Ho replied relaxedly. “It’s not like we’re planning to give them everything they want, anyway.”
“Well, that is true.” Wiggins helplessly shrugged.
If the original plan had been all about taking the Americans to the proverbial cleaners even at the risk of creating bad blood, they could have demanded for more. Far more. But that wasn’t the case here. To maintain this working relationship for as long as possible, they must not be excessively greedy this time.
Besides, the more money the Americans paid, the more overbearing and demanding they would get. Whether it was Wiggins or Kang Jin-Ho, neither of them wanted to deal with such a situation.
Indeed, we’ve somehow created a delicate balance, haven’t we?
Wiggins couldn’t help but be impressed by Lee Hyeon-Su’s negotiation ability once more. Being able to spot the perfect middle ground where both sides could be satisfied using his instincts and calculations was rather awe-inspiring at times.
Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “Anything else?”
“The gate magic is functioning beautifully, my lord. The strength of our mage unit is on an upward curve now, too. They now have no issue with operating the gates without my supervision. Which means traveling will become so much more convenient from now on.”
“Mm…”
Kang Jin-Ho nodded at this encouraging news.
“And we’ve contacted the Chinese regarding the installation of the gate in their territory, my lord. It didn’t sound like they were opposed to the idea, but… They weren’t all that cooperative, either. It seems we’ll be forced into selecting the location and installing the gate by ourselves, my lord.”
Wiggins scratched his cheek.
“However, I wouldn’t call that a concerning development. If anything, it’d make life more convenient for us. In any case, the installation should be completed within two weeks.”
With that, the Martial Assembly had teleportation gates installed in four countries: the United States of America, China, Japan, and Britain.
That sounded like a drop in the ocean compared to the Round Table that had gates installed all over the globe, but the Martial Assembly members rarely needed to travel overseas, anyway. Four should be enough.
Besides, having a method to dispatch a combat force immediately in case of an emergency had given the Assembly so much flexibility in how it responded to threats now.
“How is the magic education going these days?”
“It’s going swimmingly, my lord. First of all… I must express my appreciation for the South Koreans’ enthusiasm for learning.”
“Huh?”
When Kang Jin-Ho reacted in confusion, Wiggins chuckled softly.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the pupils’ eagerness to learn and research magic on their own. Of course, the mages in Europe also display some eagerness to improve themselves after completing a certain level of education, but… The process that comes before that, as in where one must simply recite and memorize the knowledge presented before them, has always proven to be a tough hurdle to clear for most, you see?”
Oh, that? Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. Wasn’t that something Korean students were forced to do for twelve years straight in schools?
“Many people find it difficult to progress during that stage, but our pupils passed it with considerable ease,” said Wiggins.
Lee Hyeon-Su smirked and chimed in. “Master, that’s because you took six months to teach something that Korean schools would’ve taken three to finish.”
“Really now? Just what do the schools here teach, then?”
“I’m not sure about what they teach, but they certainly make you memorize lots of things.”
All South Korean martial artists at least attended up to high school. Even if none of them boasted a proper academic record to speak of, sinking a sizable chunk of one’s day into studying was still a familiar concept to them.
That familiarity must’ve helped them out this time.
Wiggins grinned and addressed Kang Jin-Ho. “Our pupils have reached a point where they can research and study on their own.”
“That was much faster than expected,” said Kang Jin-Ho.
“It’s not that fast, unfortunately. They have only reached the true beginning stage of magic, after all. For them to truly become a mage who can act independently, they will still need another thirty years.”
“…”
In terms of martial arts, that meant these people had finally learned how to swing a sword around.
In other words, I shouldn’t expect them to contribute greatly as a combat force.
These mages might become useful in thirty years, but Kang Jin-Ho didn’t have the luxury nor the strength to worry about what would happen so far in the future. His current priority was overcoming the immediate threats, after all.
Kang Jin-Ho asked, “Can they be utilized now, though?”
“They can assist me. That should be enough,” said Wiggins confidently.
Kang Jin-Ho acknowledged that Wiggins’ confidence was well justified. After all, hadn’t he already witnessed Wiggins utterly crushing the American army’s 15th armored division with the help of his disciples?
Although mages might lose out against the martial artists when it came to focusing the destructive power into a singular point, magic spells boasted a level of convenience and a much-larger area of effect that martial arts simply couldn’t compare to. Magic undoubtedly held the potential to become a powerful weapon if utilized properly.
Kang Jin-Ho nodded in acceptance. “Tell me if you need anything.”
“Thank you, my lord. I’ve been receiving everything I need right away through Chief Lee. However, I’ll make sure to consult with you first if we need materials from overseas or there’s a project that might cost a lot of money.”
“Mm!”
Kang Jin-Ho nodded again. He knew Wiggins would do a fine job on his own. He had been doing a great job even before Kang Jin-Ho had entered his life, after all.
No, the issue was someone else. And that someone else was…
Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Bang Jin-Hun next.
Bang Jin-Hun sourly muttered, “Sir, it kinda feels like you’re looking at me differently from how you looked at Mister Wiggins.”
“…That’s a misunderstanding.”
“But it doesn’t feel that way, though…?”
Bang Jin-Hun stared suspiciously at Kang Jin-Ho, then began his report while subtly tutting away.
“For me, well, I was just doing what I’ve been doing all this time, sir. Our people’s overall level is gradually improving, and…. Sooner rather than later, they will master the stuff we’ve given them. After that, well, they just gotta polish and improve themselves continuously. Like what they have been doing all this time.”
Bang Jin-Hun’s brows quivered weirdly.
“And also… Haaah, it feels like I’m about to dig my own grave here, but the thing is, since the Assembly-specific foundational martial art has been completed, I figured I should start creating something new that’s a bit higher tier. But my abilities simply aren’t enough, sir. It’d be great if someone else could take over, but…”
Kang Jin-Ho stared back at Bang Jin-Hun in dismay. “Someone else? Like who?”
“And that’s the problem, sir. Someone else coming in and taking over the job would be great, but… Haaaah, if only I knew this would happen, we should’ve spared the former Assembly elders, sir. Heck, I don’t care even if I have to resort to using the Yeongnam Group elders, too. We could’ve put slave collars on them or something and forced them to do all the R&D.”
Bang Jin-Hun kept licking his lips ruefully.
Back then, they had no choice. No, rather than that, the purge had to be done.
However, the void left behind by the deaths of elders suddenly made itself known now that Bang Jin-Hun wanted to do something big for the Assembly.
Bang Jin-Hun never was the strongest among the elders, nor was he the most talented. He solely relied on his personality and the strength of his character to oppose Lee Jung-Geol.
In Kang Jin-Ho’s view, Bang Jin-Hun must’ve been feeling the pressure after being asked to supervise the Martial Assembly’s martial arts.
“Hmm… So, you say you don’t have the abilities?” Kang Jin-Ho asked while rubbing his chin.
“Yes, sir. It’s not that I don’t have the will, it’s more like… Mm?”
Bang Jin-Hun stopped talking and hurriedly clamped his mouth shut. Everyone in the room could see that he had finally realized what he had done to himself.
Kang Jin-Ho grinned brightly. “That means you only need to get stronger, no?”
“…!”
“Director Bang. From tomorrow onward, you and I will spar at least once a day. Honestly, I was feeling a bit apologetic for not paying as much attention to your progress as I’ve done for the others, so this is excellent news.”
“…! H-hold on, sir! I, uh… B-but, you and I are from different schools, no? Demonic cultivation and orthodox culti…”
That was when Chang Min shot up to his feet and began glaring at Bang Jin-Hun. “How stupid can you get?! You dare imply that my liege can’t even see through your pitiful level of orthodox martial arts?!”
“N-no, that’s not…”
A tiger was creeping closer and closer from the front, but a pack of wolves had set up a camp behind Bang Jin-Hun. In other words, there was no escape for him!
Chang Min grunted. “If you can’t do something because you are not strong enough, all you have to do is get stronger!”
“B-but what about my age…?”
“What was that?!”
This time, it was the turn of Vator to roar.
“What’s age got to do with strength?! Besides, you’re the youngest among the directors here!”
“…!”
“That old fart is still getting stronger at his age! So stop whining like a baby!”
Large tear drops began pooling near the edge of Bang Jin-Hun’s eyes.
You… You bunch of hyenas!
This was most likely the case of another man’s misfortune filling their hearts with happiness!
What a bunch of bastards they were! Judging from how the corners of their lips quivered as they shouted at Bang Jin-Hun, they were obviously enjoying this situation!
Fine! Let’s go to hell together, then!
Flames of determination erupted from Bang Jin-Hun’s eyes.
