Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 90

Only a day after the completion ceremony, trucks heading to their assigned units filled the training grounds.

“It’s really over.”

Joo Young-gi looked at the trucks with a mix of relief and regret.

“Young-gi, I’m going to miss you.”

“You guys.”

Joo Young-gi sniffled. It seemed he had grown attached to them after living together for over a month.

“Make sure to contact me when you get your 100-day leave.”

“What’s the point of us contacting each other during leave?”

“Still, isn’t our bond special? We should see each other.”

They were exchanging phone numbers here and there.

“Jin-ho.”

Several people approached Kang Jin-ho, offering notebooks and pens. Without a word, Kang Jin-ho wrote down his phone number.

“Jin-ho, I’ll definitely contact you.”

“Okay.”

Joo Young-gi clicked his tongue at the scene.

“Hey, do you think those bastards will actually contact you?”

“They probably won’t.”

“Then why are you giving it to them?”

“They asked for it.”

“Tsk, tsk.”

Joo Young-gi shook his head, looking at Kang Jin-ho.

“Hey, why didn’t you become an instructor? They were going to select you, but you refused, right?”

“That never happened.”

“Huh? Really? That’s strange. Sergeant Choi said he was going to pick you.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly.

It was probably true that Sergeant Choi had tried to select him as an instructor. However, Kang Jin-ho had been involved in so many incidents that he likely didn’t pass the selection.

‘The battalion commander seeing Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo must have been another reason.’

It would be one thing if keeping Kang Jin-ho around would lead to some benefits from Hwang Jung-hoo, but having an acquaintance of Hwang Jung-hoo in the unit, with no connection to such benefits, would have been a burden.

He had some idea of what happened, but Kang Jin-ho couldn’t know exactly what had occurred. If he excluded the circumstantial evidence, they probably thought he wasn’t suitable as an instructor because he had been involved in so many incidents.

Kang Jin-ho also didn’t want to be selected as an instructor.

‘I’ve learned everything I need to learn here.’

Now, he wanted to learn new things in a different place.

“Isn’t that our truck over there?”

Joo Young-gi pointed, and a large military truck was approaching them.

The person in the front seat of the truck got out, scanned them, and began a headcount.

After confirming about twenty people, the person pointed to the back of the truck.

“Get in.”

“Yes, sir.”

The trainees got on the truck without complaint. Joo Young-gi and Kang Jin-ho also boarded the truck.

“Don’t stick your heads out. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!”

As the officer entered the front seat, the truck started again.

“You guys worked hard!”

“Make sure to contact us when you go on leave!”

Their fellow trainees, who hadn’t left yet, waved goodbye. Joo Young-gi waved his arm wildly and shouted.

“You bastards! Contact me! I’ll treat you big time!”

“Definitely!”

As the truck departed, Joo Young-gi sat down with a face full of regret. He placed his duffel bag in front of him and sighed deeply.

“I got attached…”

“We can just see each other later, Young-gi.”

“Is it that easy, man?”

Leaving the bickering Joo Young-gi, Kang Jin-ho looked at the mountains passing by.

‘A civilian control zone…’

What he didn’t like about this place was that the surrounding scenery resembled the landscapes he knew. The untouched nature reminded him of the Central Plains where he used to live.

Until recently, he would have tried to forget it as something that had already passed. But now, he knew that it might not be something that had passed.

‘There are martial artists in this world too. Then what should I do?’

Kang Jin-ho sank into thought with a stern face.

‘Can modern martial artists really use their power?’

He would have said yes before. But now, his thoughts had changed a bit.

What could martial artists do against firearms like guns?

Maybe a few martial artists could survive. But everyone else, except for those few, would be wiped out.

In the short term, they might be able to rise to the level of a local overlord, but even then, if they continued to fight against modern armies, they wouldn’t be able to pass on their legacy, and eventually, their martial arts would die out.

Kang Jin-ho was once again keenly aware of how terrifying science was.

No matter how skilled he was, could he withstand a nuclear bomb if it were dropped here?

Even if the Red Demon of his prime came, it would be impossible.

‘Science has already surpassed martial arts.’

Kang Jin-ho had crossed over to the Central Plains from a world that had embraced science, so he wasn’t too shocked by that fact. His identity was Kang Jin-ho, no matter what anyone said.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Nothing.”

“Man, are you anxious because you’re going to your assigned unit? Don’t worry, just trust me, man. I’ll take care of everything. You should consider it a blessing that you’re going to the same unit as me.”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

Where did this absurd confidence come from?

He had met quite a few people in the Central Plains, but this type was new to him.

“Just because we’re going to the same battalion doesn’t mean we’ll be assigned to the same place.”

“Really?”

Joo Young-gi tilted his head, looking confused.

Kang Jin-ho chuckled and looked at the passing scenery.

“Get off.”

After driving for a while, the truck entered a large gate and stopped at the entrance of the barracks. It felt like they had come much further north than where the recruit training center was.

“Let’s get off!”

The fellow trainees all had tense faces. Even though they were just rookie recruits, no one was unaware that real military life began at their assigned unit.

“We need to report, so wait here for now.”

The officer who had been in the front seat said that and went inside. Soldiers who were passing by gathered around them.

“New recruits!”

“Look at how fresh they are.”

The new recruits, led by Kang Jin-ho, had no choice but to stand there with their posture straight.

“Don’t bother the recruits and go do your own work.”

“Yes, sir.”

The driver chased away the approaching soldiers.

After some time, the officer came back out and led them into the battalion commander’s office.

After listening to the battalion commander’s predictable speech, they were finally able to enter the administration office.

“Call the guys and tell them to take their new recruits. Did you contact Alpha and Bravo?”

“Yes, sir. I did.”

“What about Charlie?”

“Charlie said they don’t have a vehicle today, and they’ll come to pick them up tomorrow, sir?”

“Really? Then have them stay at headquarters.”

“Yes, sir, I understand.”

Unfamiliar terms were exchanged, but none of the new recruits could understand what they meant.

“Victory!” [A common military greeting]

Soon after, squad leaders wearing chevrons [rank insignia] entered the administration office and took the new recruits assigned to their units. Until the last of the new recruits disappeared, Kang Jin-ho and Joo Young-gi had no choice but to stand awkwardly in the administration office.

“Tae-young.”

“Corporal Yoon Tae-young.”

“Take these guys and have them change their clothes, and let them have a cigarette.”

“Yes, sir, I understand.”

A soldier who had been working on one side of the administration office got up and approached Kang Jin-ho.

“Guys, come this way.”

“Yes, sir, I understand.”

“Just answer comfortably.”

“Yes, sir, I understand.”

Yoon Tae-young chuckled. No matter what he said, they wouldn’t hear or understand him. What was the point of talking to new recruits who didn’t even have a concept of the unit?

Following Yoon Tae-young, Joo Young-gi and Kang Jin-ho went to the living quarters, changed into their fatigues, and went to the smoking area.

“Do you guys smoke?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, we do.”

“Have one each. When you get to your assigned unit, your seniors will take care of you, but until then, I’ll take you out when you want to smoke.”

“Isn’t this our assigned unit?”

“Your assigned unit is a bit further from here. Alpha and Bravo are with headquarters, but Charlie is an independent company, so it’s a bit far. They were supposed to take you today, but it seems they don’t have a vehicle, so they’ll come to pick you up tomorrow.”

Joo Young-gi tilted his head.

It was definitely Korean, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying.

“Just know that you’ll be going somewhere else tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

For now, that was a matter for later. Joo Young-gi was more focused on the cigarette in front of him. Yoon Tae-young gave cigarettes to Joo Young-gi and Kang Jin-ho and lit them.

“You guys are going to have a hard time, so rest comfortably today.”

“We’re going to have a hard time?”

“Charlie is, how should I say it, famous for being rough because it’s an independent unit. You guys seem to be in great shape, so it seems like that’s why they’re sending you there.”

Kang Jin-ho smoked his cigarette without saying anything.

‘I thought I was going to quit.’

He didn’t expect to smoke this often even after coming to the unit.

“It’s almost dinner time, so eat and sleep for the day, and a car will come in the morning.”

“Yes.”

After finishing their cigarettes, Yoon Tae-young led them back to the living quarters.

“Watch TV and relax.”

As Yoon Tae-young gave them the remote and went outside, Joo Young-gi looked around the living quarters where they were left alone and opened his mouth.

“Hey, isn’t it surprisingly gentle?”

“It seems so.”

“I thought as soon as you entered the military, they’d shout ‘Receive the new recruits’ and give you all sorts of grief… I guess the military has changed a lot. It’s really kind.”

“We don’t know yet.”

“Really?”

At that moment, the door to the living quarters opened, and soldiers who had finished their day’s work poured in.

“What? New recruits?”

Just as Kang Jin-ho and Joo Young-gi were wondering how to react, a voice came from behind them.

“There are no new recruits. They’re Charlie’s guys.”

“Ah, they’re the guys.”

A soldier wearing a sergeant’s rank came in front of Kang Jin-ho and said with a bright smile.

“Wow, you guys are from Charlie. You’re going to have a hard time. Did you smoke?”

“Yes, we did.”

“If you want to smoke, tell me, and relax. You’re going to see hell there, so you should rest comfortably here today.”

Joo Young-gi and Kang Jin-ho’s expressions slightly hardened.

They had been hearing that they would see hell if they went to Charlie. They couldn’t tell if it was just a joke to tease the new recruits or if the perception of Charlie was really that bad.

They followed the people who called them ‘guys’ to eat dinner, spent some time, and then it was bedtime. As they laid out their bedding in a corner, voices filled with pity poured out towards them.

“Sleep well, guys.”

“Good night.”

Joo Young-gi asked Kang Jin-ho in a low voice with an anxious face.

“Hey, isn’t this a bit strange?”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho was also a bit confused. This situation seemed very different from what he knew about new recruits.

“We’re going to our assigned unit tomorrow, so we’ll know when we get there.”

“Yeah, but…”

Joo Young-gi trailed off and sighed.

“Ah, I don’t know. Yeah, we’ll know when we get there.”

Seeing Joo Young-gi closing his eyes to sleep, Kang Jin-ho also closed his eyes. Either way, they would have a rough idea of what they would experience tomorrow.