Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 400

Han Jin-sung stood there for a while, gazing at the school gate.

‘This is a very strange feeling.’

There were times when that school gate seemed like the gates of hell. Every day, he was anxious about what kind of trouble would be waiting for him if he went to school.

But the school gate he was looking at today felt different.

How should he describe it?

It was like a feeling of anxiety mixed with a hint of excitement.

Because of the terrible things that had happened around him recently, he was anxious about the aftermath, but on the other hand, he had expectations that something was changing.

“Hoo-oop.”

Han Jin-sung took a deep breath, steadied his legs, and started walking forward.

‘Things are getting better.’

His surroundings, which he thought would never change even if adults intervened, were definitely changing. He found that alone very encouraging…

“Hey, Jin-sung.”

“Huh?”

Before he even entered the school gate, some of his classmates saw him and rushed over.

‘What is it?’

Anxiety began to flood in.

There was no reason for the kids who had come to school to be loitering around like that, and the fact that kids without their bags were waiting at the school gate meant that something had definitely happened.

“You’re here?”

“…Yeah.”

“Hey, um…”

The kids, who seemed a little hesitant, carefully spoke.

“Dong-min hyung [older male classmate or friend] came this morning and turned the classroom upside down.”

“Huh?”

“You should go to the third-year classroom quickly. Dong-min hyung told us to send you up as soon as you come.”

Han Jin-sung couldn’t even think of an answer and just nodded. His body was responding on its own, but his mind couldn’t grasp the situation at all.

‘What did they say? The third-year classroom?’

When Han Jin-sung hesitated, the kids pushed him on the back.

“What are you doing? He told you to go up as soon as you came. Go up quickly.”

Why were these kids so desperate?

What on earth did that hyung do this morning that made the kids so pale and eager to sell him out?

Han Jin-sung, thinking about what had happened yesterday, swallowed hard and started heading to the third-year classroom like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.

‘He’s not going to say anything to me, is he?’

No matter how much he thought about it, he was innocent. The problem was that the school Han Jin-sung had seen so far was not a court that punished the guilty and freed the innocent.

It was a place where the powerful could attack the powerless as they pleased, without any reason or principle. And now, Kim Dong-min, who could be said to be the most powerful person in this school, was calling for him, so how could he not be nervous?

When he thought of Kim Dong-min getting slapped yesterday, his heart sank. If he thought rationally, he wouldn’t be held responsible, but did these people even have any rationality?

Trying to calm his increasingly anxious heart, Han Jin-sung entered the third-year classroom.

‘Which class was Dong-min hyung in?’

Just as he was wondering if he should grab a passing third-year and ask, someone coming out of the back door of the classroom labeled ‘Class 3’ spotted him and gestured.

“Hey, come here.”

“Yes!”

Han Jin-sung quickly ran to the third-year who was calling him.

“You’re the kid from yesterday, right?”

“Yes!”

He remembered his face. He was one of the hyungs who was occasionally hit while standing next to Kim Dong-min when he was getting hit yesterday.

“Come in.”

“Yes.”

“Ah, no. Let’s go out. Come here. Let’s go to the bathroom over there.”

“Yes?”

Why the bathroom?

Are you talking about that bathroom that often appears as a regular place where upperclassmen call and harass lowerclassmen?

Am I being dragged to the bathroom right now?

Just as he was about to open his mouth in terror, Kim Dong-min walked out of the back door with a frown.

‘Wow…’

So that’s why they say the world is relative.

Kim Dong-min, who looked like a dog with its tail between its legs when Jo Hyuk-tae was in front of him yesterday, was like a lion when he was facing him without Jo Hyuk-tae at school.

The lion, who reigned like a king in the jungle called school, was frowning at him.

“Follow me.”

“…Yes.”

As Kim Dong-min walked ahead, Han Jin-sung had no choice but to put aside all his questions and obediently follow him.

“Hey, get out!”

Whenever he saw this kind of scene, he always felt that the ones who acted up when a group was formed were not the ones at the center, but the ones who were guarding them.

As soon as they entered the bathroom, the rest of the guys except for Kim Dong-min chased out the people who were using the bathroom.

In an instant, only they and Han Jin-sung were left in the bathroom.

*Gulp.*

Kim Dong-min opened his mouth, looking at Han Jin-sung, who was swallowing nervously.

“About what happened yesterday…”

‘Here it comes.’

He felt like what was coming had finally arrived.

What should he say? Should he apologize first?

Just as Han Jin-sung, who was very nervous, was looking for something to say, Kim Dong-min sighed and said,

“I talked to that Yoon Da-bin bastard so he understands, so this kind of thing won’t happen again.”

“Yes?”

“I beat the shit out of him.”

Cold sweat ran down his forehead.

“You don’t have to be so nervous. I didn’t call you here to do anything to you. Do you want something to drink?”

This is a bathroom, you know?

“Ah, no. I’m okay.”

“Okay.”

Kim Dong-min looked at the frozen Han Jin-sung and patted him on the shoulder.

“I’ll take care of your school life from now on, so don’t worry, and if any pathetic bastards bother you or mess with you, come and tell me.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve already told them everything. There won’t be any pathetic bastards acting up. So…”

Kim Dong-min began to hesitate.

The relaxed expression of a predator he had shown so far had disappeared, and he was showing the appearance of a prey, anxious and worried.

“If there’s any problem, please tell me. I’ll take care of it for you. So, what I mean is, don’t tell Hyuk-tae hyung right away, but please tell me first.”

Han Jin-sung nodded without realizing it.

“It’s not good for someone who graduated… no, someone who got kicked out to keep coming back and meddling in school matters, right? Right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

He was using all sorts of logic, but anyone could tell that the reason Kim Dong-min didn’t want him to tell Jo Hyuk-tae was to avoid getting beaten up himself.

It was a funny sight, but it was not funny at all for Han Jin-sung.

Rather than funny, it was a bit eerie.

Kim Dong-min, who reigned like a king at school, and Yoon Da-bin, who was like a devil in their grade… it really hit him that they were nothing in society.

“Okay. Then go now. If anything happens, tell me right away.”

“…Yes.”

“And this is just out of caution…”

Kim Dong-min said awkwardly with a smile.

“I hope you don’t tell anyone about what you saw yesterday, if possible. I have my pride, you know.”

“I’ll zip it [I won’t tell anyone].”

“Okay. I’d appreciate it. I’m not threatening you. I’m asking you.”

“Yes. I don’t think it’s a threat.”

“Okay, okay.”

Kim Dong-min patted him on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

“Can I go now?”

“No.”

Han Jin-sung’s face was filled with tension again.

“Then?”

“You came all the way here, so I should escort you to your class. Let’s go.”

What?

Escort?

Before he could even resist, Kim Dong-min grabbed Han Jin-sung’s shoulder and started walking towards his class.

‘Huh…’

What is this?

What is this!

It was okay when they were walking through the third-year hallway. The third-years didn’t seem to think this scene was particularly strange. But when they entered the second-year hallway, the situation changed.

Those who saw him and Kim Dong-min walking together with their arms around each other stood aside with stiff faces.

‘This is riding on someone else’s coattails.’

The problem was that the guy next to him wasn’t tiger-level, and Han Jin-sung wasn’t a fox.

It was like a mouse threatening rabbits by riding on the fox’s power.

“Then be careful going in.”

“Yes.”

“If anything happens, come up right away.”

“Yes.”

Kim Dong-min didn’t stop there. Even though Han Jin-sung subtly grabbed his arm to stop him, he completely ignored it and stuck his head into the classroom, scanning the kids once.

And that was enough.

Looking at the pale faces of the kids, Han Jin-sung laughed.

‘Whatever will be, will be.’

It really was ‘whatever will be, will be.’

“I wonder if it will be effective.”

[You don’t have to worry.]

Jo Gyu-min’s voice was full of confidence.

[When Kang Jin-ho was a private [lowest rank in the military], who was the scariest?]

“I wasn’t scared of anything?”

Jo Gyu-min, realizing that the question was wrong, quickly changed his words.

[Of course, Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t have been afraid of anything. But who were the other privates most afraid of?]

“Hmm…”

[The corporals. Or the senior privates.]

“I think that’s right.”

[In terms of power relations, privates should be afraid of sergeants or officers, not corporals. But in reality, that’s not the case. Because those sergeants or officers don’t directly mess with privates. Usually, they are afraid of the rank that has the most influence on them.]

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“So that’s the third-years?”

[That’s right.]

Jo Gyu-min immediately continued.

[Adults are afraid of the law and status. But students are different. They don’t realize how scary the law is, and they don’t know how scary the power and violence that are rampant in the world are. What they are afraid of is the violence within the school. So, you just have to control them with even more violence.]

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

In the military, it was strange that when a lower-ranking soldier made a mistake, the higher-ups didn’t directly talk to them but called the senior private, and it seemed like that was the reason.

“It feels like I’ve done some downward bullying, so I don’t feel very good.”

[Didn’t you give up something to ensure a definite effect?]

“I guess so.”

[Everything is for the sake of the children. Not only Jin-sung but also the other children will realize that their surroundings have changed today. They may be hesitant now, but in a few days, they will be sensitive to the changed power relations and try to be friendly.]

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho made a humming sound.

It was hard to deny Jo Gyu-min’s words. After all, that’s what people are like.

[Anyway, this is the end of the first step. There will be minor problems in the future, but we will solve them one by one.]

“Anyway, thank you for your hard work.”

[You’re welcome.]

“Oh, Jin-sung is coming out. Then I’ll call you again later.”

[Yes.]

Kang Jin-ho hung up the phone and slowly drove his car towards Han Jin-sung, who was coming out of the school gate.

*Beep.*

Kang Jin-ho parked his car in front of the school gate, got out, and waved his hand at Han Jin-sung.

“Over here.”