Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 131

At that moment, one of the people holding the howitzer reached out an arm and snatched the falling claw.

“..Huh?”

“Get up.”

“Yes?”

“Get up.”

“Yes! Yes!”

Jang Jae-hwan, now fully alert, stood up straight.

‘Good heavens!’

Kang Jin-ho was holding the howitzer’s leg with one arm and lifting the claw with the other. It was a 100kg hunk of metal that two strong men had to struggle to lift, and he had caught it with one hand as it was falling to the ground with momentum.

‘How can a person do that?’

It was something absolutely impossible for anyone else. If an ordinary person tried that, their arm muscles would be completely torn. Even if that didn’t happen, their body’s balance would be thrown off, and they would have to let go of the howitzer they were holding.

But Kang Jin-ho, without even a change in expression, was holding the howitzer with one arm and the claw with the other, doing something truly unbelievable.

“Get up and lift it again.”

“Yes, I understand! Joo-young!”

Choi Joo-young, who had fallen to the ground in a daze, heard Jang Jae-hwan’s words and quickly got up.

“Don’t rush. Move it slowly.”

“Yes!”

The two, now fully disciplined, gripped the claw tightly and began to move it again. Kang Jin-ho watched them with a calm gaze.

After the firing position was set, the 3rd squad gathered behind the howitzer.

Fortunately, it seemed that no one else had seen the near-accident. If the officers had seen it, there would have been a huge uproar.

Jang Jae-hwan was dripping with cold sweat, his head bowed.

‘That was close.’

If the falling claw had hit Choi Joo-young’s chest, he could have died instantly. Even if it had hit him at an angle, the claw could have hit the legs of the seniors holding the howitzer. If that had happened, a major accident would have occurred.

All of this was Jang Jae-hwan’s fault.

“Jang Jae-hwan.”

“Private First Class! Jang Jae-hwan!”

Jang Jae-hwan tensed up and bowed his head.

Kang Jin-ho stared at Jang Jae-hwan.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“……No, sir.”

“Your temperature is high.”

Kang Jin-ho touched Jang Jae-hwan’s forehead and turned to report to Sung Tae-ho.

“Squad Leader, he has a fever.”

“What?”

Sung Tae-ho grabbed Jang Jae-hwan by the scruff of his neck and cursed.

“You little punk, didn’t I tell you to report it right away if you’re sick?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You should say you’re sick when you’re sick. You little bastard, do you know that one of us could have died today if it weren’t for Jin-ho?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Aish, this…”

Kang Jin-ho quietly grabbed Sung Tae-ho’s waist and pulled him back slightly.

“Why?”

“He’s sick.”

“Hoo.”

Sung Tae-ho shook his head.

“I’ll tell the medic and report it, so go up.”

“No, sir. I can do it.”

“There are people who can do it even if you don’t, you little punk. If you’re sick, you should say so and slack off. What are you trying to prove by coming down here and suffering? When I was your age, I would lie down even if I just had a runny nose.”

“I’m sorry, Squad Leader.”

“You have a lot to be sorry for. I’m worried that if you get hurt, my discharge will be delayed, so go up quickly. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Jin-ho, I’ll go report, so send him up and calm the others down.”

“Understood.”

As Sung Tae-ho walked towards the battery commander, Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Jang Jae-hwan.

“Go up.”

“……Yes, sir.”

“Don’t just lie down, change your clothes and take a shower. There will be hot water.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Jang Jae-hwan’s shoulders felt heavy as he walked towards the barracks.

With an IV drip in his arm, Jang Jae-hwan came out to the smoking area.

Looking around, he found Kang Jin-ho sitting on a bench, smoking, and sat down next to him.

“Why did you come out?”

“I came out for a smoke, sir.”

“Does a patient smoke?”

“……If I just lie down, they won’t stop me, sir.”

“I guess so.”

A slight awkwardness hung in the air. Jang Jae-hwan lit a cigarette and opened his mouth.

“Corporal Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly turned to look at Jang Jae-hwan.

“For what?”

“If it weren’t for you, Corporal, we would have been in big trouble today. I owe you my life.”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t really respond.

He wasn’t used to such praise.

“It’s been a while since I came in as a junior, and honestly, Corporal Kang Jin-ho, you’ve been difficult to approach. But after experiencing this, I think I understand why you always emphasize the rules so much.”

“Difficult?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Why?”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t understand Jang Jae-hwan’s words at all. He had never harassed his juniors, nor had he done anything out of line. He had always ensured maximum freedom during rest periods and had eliminated all internal injustices.

So why did they find him difficult?

“……You don’t talk much, do you, Corporal?”

“Hmm.”

He couldn’t deny that.

“And you usually don’t have any expression on your face, so it’s hard to approach you first, sir.”

“Is that so?”

“Everyone else says the same thing.”

“I see.”

It was an unexpected remark.

He didn’t think they were particularly close, but he didn’t think they would find him difficult to approach.

‘Are others the same?’

He had tried to be someone they could talk to and confide in when they were having a hard time, even if he couldn’t approach them first. But the fact that others found him difficult to approach was a little disheartening.

‘They can’t approach me first…’

This was something he needed to think about seriously. If he wanted to keep the promise he made to the head nun, he needed to become someone easier to approach.

“Thank you for telling me.”

“I’m the one who should be grateful, sir.”

“From now on, if you’re sick or anything, tell me. Why do you think the Squad Leader tried so hard to eliminate injustices? It’s all for your comfort, but if you’re sick and can’t say anything, what’s the point?”

“……I’m sorry.”

Jang Jae-hwan wiped his eyes.

Being sick in the military was the most miserable thing. Even though they were supposed to be considerate of the sick, the moment a junior lay down because they were sick, the seniors whose workload increased wouldn’t look at them kindly.

That’s why many people couldn’t say they were sick and just endured it.

“It’s not like the squad will fall apart if one of you is missing. That’s why we made it so that everyone does their own work.”

“I didn’t think that far, sir.”

“It’s okay as long as you know now.”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t like to elaborate. As Kang Jin-ho got up, Jang Jae-hwan also stood up.

“Finish your smoke. I have something to do.”

“Yes, Corporal Kang Jin-ho.”

As Kang Jin-ho silently headed towards the barracks, Jang Jae-hwan watched his back.

‘He’s big.’

Kang Jin-ho was a strong person.

He already knew that from living together, but at times like this, it felt even more profound. Kang Jin-ho was already encompassing the entire squad, not just himself.

“You should whine moderately.”

In fact, he knew that he was free from all kinds of internal injustices because of Kang Jin-ho. How could he not know when he was watching his peers suffer from the unreasonable demands of their seniors?

Jang Jae-hwan was newly realizing that Kang Jin-ho was doing more for them than he thought.

“Oh, and…”

“Yes, sir?”

Kang Jin-ho, who was entering the barracks, turned around and said to Jang Jae-hwan.

“When you’re fully recovered, you need to wash the blanket you were using.”

“……Yes, sir.”

“You’ll catch a cold.”

As Kang Jin-ho disappeared inside, Jang Jae-hwan quietly looked up at the sky and thought.

‘No one can be perfect.’

Kang Jin-ho felt a bit uneasy.

‘They said it was hard to approach me first.’

It was strange.

Kang Jin-ho hadn’t done anything to harm them, so why was it hard for them to approach him?

“Hmm…”

If that was the case, it meant that there might have been people who had a hard time but couldn’t talk to him.

‘She told me to reach out.’

She told him to be the one to reach out first. If so, instead of passively waiting for those who were having a hard time to ask him for help, he might need to be more proactive.

‘I don’t even know how to make a good impression so people can approach me easily.’

This was easier.

And as soon as he changed his mind, an unexpected person caught his eye.

Kang Jin-ho stared at the man sitting next to him.

“You look like you’ve lost some weight?”

“……Really?”

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Joo Young-gi.

Now that he looked at him, it wasn’t just that he had lost weight, he was practically emaciated.

Joo Young-gi, who was chubby to the point of being fat when they met at the training center, was now thinner than a normal person.

“Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

Joo Young-gi waved his hand, his brow furrowed. His skin was rough, and the dark circles under his eyes were noticeable.

‘Was it not just weight loss?’

He had thought that since he was overweight, he was just losing weight due to the regular life. But now he saw that wasn’t the case.

‘Why didn’t I notice this?’

For Kang Jin-ho, Joo Young-gi was one of the few acquaintances he had made in the military.

They weren’t exactly friends, but he felt more comfortable with him than most of the people he had met in the military.

But that meant he hadn’t noticed the changes in such a person at all.

‘It’s not just a matter of being indifferent.’

He was more than just blind.

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

He was aware that he lacked interest in others. But this felt like it was too much.

He could understand why the head nun had told him to become someone who could reach out to others, even as she was passing away. To her, who had cared for so many vulnerable people, Kang Jin-ho must have seemed like a hedgehog who didn’t accept others.

“You don’t look good.”

“……What good can happen to your face in the military? Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m saying that because it doesn’t seem like just that.”

“Ah, I said it’s fine, man!”

Joo Young-gi jumped up and turned to walk away.

His extremely irritable reaction made Kang Jin-ho feel even more frustrated.

‘There’s something going on…’

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed.

Night falls.

It had been a while since the roll call and lights out, and Kang Jin-ho slowly opened his eyes. He slowly got out of bed, put on his shoes, and went outside the barracks.

“Where are you going?”

The guard asked him.

“I’m just going to the bathroom.”

“Yes, sir.”

He mumbled vaguely and moved towards the 1st barracks. It was completely on the opposite side from the 5th barracks where Kang Jin-ho was, but no one stopped him.

‘He’s not here.’

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed.

According to what he had asked, there weren’t any people who were harassing Joo Young-gi during the day. So he thought that something might be happening at night or that there might be something going on at home.

But as expected, Joo Young-gi was nowhere to be seen. Kang Jin-ho confirmed that several beds in the 1st squad were also empty.

‘Where are they?’

Kang Jin-ho opened the door and went outside the building.