Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 10

As I returned to the classroom, Jung In-gyu rushed over to me, making a fuss.

“Hey, Jin-ho, did you hear the news?”

“News?”

“About Se-yeon. She got cast by an agency this time, didn’t she?”

“Se-yeon?”

“Yeah, Han Se-yeon.”

“An agency?”

“An entertainment agency! She’s going to be a celebrity.”

“I see.”

I nodded indifferently.

It wasn’t really surprising. Countless people try to get into entertainment agencies, and many are chosen as trainees. But only a very few debut, and even fewer survive in that world.

‘And…’

In my memories, she wasn’t a celebrity. Even if she chooses that path, it won’t end well.

But whether she becomes a celebrity or not, it has nothing to do with me.

“Aren’t you surprised?”

“Why should I be surprised?”

“Hey! It’s Han Se-yeon, Han Se-yeon! If she becomes a celebrity, you won’t even have a chance with her!”

I brought up the image of Han Se-yeon from my memories.

A pretty face and a good personality.

She was definitely a nice girl.

And it was true that I once had feelings for her.

But that was all.

I couldn’t confess to her until graduation, and I got into an accident before the graduation ceremony. I don’t know what kind of life she lived after that.

Do I still have those past feelings?

No.

My heart had become too dry for those immature feelings of the past to remain.

Thanks to my dried-up heart, the trees of emotion that were growing had all withered and died. What I’m doing now is watering the ground so that new sprouts can grow.

But, not yet…

“It’s none of my business.”

“This guy, you’ve really become strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your way of talking… did you hurt your head?”

“I’m fine.”

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

“I’m okay.”

“…You really don’t seem okay.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“If you have any difficulties, tell this older brother. Aren’t I your friend? If you have any problems, we should share them.”

I smiled slightly.

When I was in a difficult situation, Jung In-gyu didn’t reach out to me. Nevertheless, the reason I keep Jung In-gyu around is because I need information about the school and the relationships I had with others in the past.

And if I don’t have high expectations from the word ‘friend,’ maintaining a moderate relationship isn’t bad.

“It’s okay.”

“Huh? Are you mocking me?”

“I’m not mocking you.”

“You wanna die? Anyway, let’s go to the PC bang [internet cafe].”

“I told you I’m not going.”

Jung In-gyu touched my head and shook his head.

“Did this guy really hurt his head? Why aren’t you going to the PC bang, which you liked so much? Are you going to study, by any chance?”

I sighed quietly.

I certainly don’t have any lingering feelings for the PC bang, but I do have memories of enjoying it in the past. So, it wouldn’t be bad to go there once.

I nodded.

“Let’s go.”

To live a normal life, I needed to go to the PC bang too. The PC bang was a playground for young people. It wasn’t a place to avoid just because it felt awkward. I needed to keep experiencing things to get used to them.

And I also wanted to touch a computer again. Until I died, the computer had been my friend.

After my lower body became paralyzed, I lived like a recluse, spending all my time on the computer except for the times when the caregiver came and when I slept. Even though I haven’t used a computer for a very long time, the senses engraved in my body wouldn’t have disappeared.

“We’re going to bet, did you bring some money?” I ignored Jung In-gyu, who was chattering incessantly, and looked out the window.

This place is so peaceful.

If those from the past could know about this life, how unfair would they feel?

However, there were some drawbacks.

For example…

*Whoosh!*

My body turned around like lightning.

“What the!”

The person who was approaching from behind was startled and looked at me.

“Huh? Hey, what’s wrong?”

I sighed quietly.

These people don’t worry about threats. Because of that, they don’t have a sense of how their actions can threaten others.

In the Jianghu [martial arts world], approaching from behind was taboo. The back is a blind spot, and the senses are dulled, making it a target for ambushes.

But these people didn’t have that common sense.

If I had formed my dantian [energy center], I would have been able to sense the actions behind me as if they were in my hand, so it wouldn’t have been a problem, but now, all I could do was sense the presence.

If I suddenly feel the presence of a stranger, I still can’t relax and must look behind me.

‘It’s nothing.’

I comforted myself.

The world is peaceful, but I haven’t yet adapted to this world.

I needed a little more time.

The PC bang was noisy.

The sounds from the speakers and people’s voices stimulated my ears.

It was so chaotic that I couldn’t focus.

“There’s an empty seat. Let’s go over there.”

I followed Jung In-gyu’s words and sat down.

“Hey, what are you doing? Log in.”

I struggled to log in.

“What are you doing?”

“It says to enter the ID.”

“Just enter it.”

“I don’t remember it.”

“Find it.”

“It says to enter my phone number?”

“Just enter it.”

“I don’t remember it.”

“Is this guy really crazy?”

Jung In-gyu chuckled and then opened his mouth.

“Just use a card.”

“Card?”

“Forget it! Forget it! I’ll do it!”

Jung In-gyu jumped up from his seat, took a card from the counter, entered it, and opened my PC.

“Is it done?”

“Um…”

“Just log in.”

“What should I log into?”

“Galaxy, of course!”

Min-jae, who was sitting across from me, complained.

“Hey, I told you to just play AOS [Arena of Strife]. Galaxy again?”

“What kind of AOS is it with four people! Isn’t it pitiful for the one person who would have to join a 4-person party? Let’s play Galaxy, Galaxy.”

I nodded and clicked on the icon on the desktop.

Galaxy Craft.

Later on, it lost some of its popularity, but at this time, it was a game enjoyed by many people in Korea.

It was a real-time simulation game that was popular worldwide, producing professional gamers who were active on the world stage.

“Log in.”

I stared blankly at the login screen.

I need to log in, log in.

But what was my ID?

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“What’s my ID?”

“Is this guy really crazy?”

Jung In-gyu found my ID in the friend list.

Then, the password became the problem.

“What are you doing!”

“What’s my password?”

“…Is he really crazy?”

After several trials and errors, Jung In-gyu, who had exploded, snatched my mouse.

“Hey! Just use my sub-account! Did your brain fly away after the accident? You can’t even remember your own ID and password!”

“This is embarrassing.”

“Anyway, you have to do well today. Min-jae and Tae-ho said they paid for the PC bang last time, so they’re determined to win this time.”

“I won’t lose.”

“Of course!”

I looked at the screen.

Galaxy Craft was a game that I also enjoyed playing. Moreover, I was quite skilled, to the point where it was hard to find an opponent at school.

According to my old memories, I would adjust the game by losing moderately so that it wouldn’t be one-sided. That’s how much of an overwhelming difference there was between me and the other kids.

Whether it’s a game or a fight, once I start, I have to win.

That was my philosophy.

Just because it’s a normal life doesn’t mean I have to lose.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“…I’m producing units.”

“What about workers?”

“I produced them.”

“Five of them?”

“Is something wrong?”

“Are you really crazy?”

At that moment, red dots filled the mini-map. The enemies were attacking.

“Hey, defend!”

“The units haven’t come out yet.”

“Ah, you idiot!”

Jung In-gyu shouted, and the PC bang employee approached.

“Please be quiet.”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

Jung In-gyu, who was embarrassed, glared at me with eyes that looked like they were about to burst.

“Are you doing this on purpose to mess with me?”

“Of course not.”

“Do it properly! Don’t hold back. We have to win.”

“Okay.”

I smiled.

The problem was the workers. As I recalled, I needed to continuously produce workers to secure resources, and with resources, I could produce more units.

“It’s okay now.”

“Okay, I trust you.”

The second round started.

This time, I continuously produced workers. One of my strengths was that I could immediately put into action what I had learned.

But this time too, Jung In-gyu seemed dissatisfied with something.

“Hey!”

“What?”

“How can you just produce zealots!”

“Is something wrong?”

“The air units are coming!”

“Huh?”

I had produced a lot of troops. However, those troops were just dancing in front of Tae-ho’s air units that were flying in.

My eyes twitched.

“This…”

“Ah, why are you doing this! You have to have a combination!”

“A combination…”

“Yes!”

And so, the second round ended in vain without even being able to attack once.

I sighed.

‘A combination, a combination. Just like you can’t win a war with only infantry, you need a combination to overcome the weaknesses. You used to do combinations a lot. Remember, Kang Jin-ho.’

I focused my eyes and stared at the screen.

Perhaps because of my experience, my hands were gradually getting faster, and I was starting to see the tactics. Having adapted quickly, I compared the enemy’s troops with my own.

‘My production is better. If I have a combination, I can win!’

“Next round!”

At my words, Jung In-gyu became angry.

“If you mess around this round too, I’m going to beat you to death?”

“Don’t worry.”

I was also burning with passion after a long time.

Competition.

It always had something that made a man’s heart burn.

The third round started.

My hands moved like lightning in the air.

Precise movements and perfect input.

The control ability of my body, which had improved incomparably after learning martial arts, was beginning to show in the game as well. My hand speed was now faster than when I used to just eat and play games.

My troops, combined with various units, appeared majestically.

‘Perfect!’

It was a force that seemed like it would never lose in a single battle.

I clicked attack, putting all my frustration into it.

But then, something strange happened.

“Huh?”

“What!”

“The troops are spinning?”

“What are you talking about… Hey! What about the detector?”

“What’s that?”

“There are cloaked units! All the troops are dying! Detector! Ah, you don’t have one?”

“So…”

“Ah… they’re all dead.”

And so, the third round ended, and I buried myself deep in the chair, staring at the screen with unfocused eyes.

Strangely, I felt a surge of heat.

It was an emotion I hadn’t felt even when I was fighting for my life. It wasn’t resentment or anger, but an emotion filled entirely with annoyance that was making me boil.

“Ah, just do it right!”

“I tried!”

“Tried? You bastard, tell me honestly. Are you messing around? Or is it normal that you don’t produce detectors or workers?”

“Ah, I’m going to have to pay for the PC bang. What are you going to do! I don’t have any money.”

“I’ll pay.”

“Then you should pay!”

“But is it over?”

“We lost because we lost three rounds.”

“Over… you say?”

“Yeah.”

My face flushed slightly.

“One more round.”

“We lost.”

“I know, so let’s do one more round!”

“…What’s wrong with him?”

That evening.

“I’m home.”

“Welcome home.”

I opened the door and entered the house, heading to my room with a stiff face.

*Thud, thud.*

My footsteps were urgent and forceful.

“Did you eat?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Did you have fun with your friends?”

“Yes.”

My mother looked at me with strange eyes. I wasn’t usually the type to go straight to my room like that.

I quickly took off my clothes and turned on the computer.

“…”

Then, I launched Galaxy Craft and started playing the game with a terrifying intensity.

“…Jin-ho.”

“Yes?”

“Did you lose?”

“…”

“Just do it moderately.”

“Yes.”

I nodded lightly and started playing the game with the intensity of someone who was about to devour the monitor.

His posture looked so desperate that my mother couldn’t bring herself to scold her son for playing games as soon as he got home.

“Oppa, why is he like that?”

“He lost.”

“So, he’s playing the game like he’s about to jump into it?”

“I guess so.”

“Honestly, men.”

My mother and Kang Eun-young looked at my back with a pathetic gaze.

But whether I knew that gaze or not, I clenched my teeth and moved the mouse diligently.

Ten losses in a row.

Having realized that you can’t play a game well just with willpower, I clenched my teeth and focused on training to regain my old skills.