Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 453

“Hey, isn’t this… the atmosphere a bit strange?” As Gong Young-gil started making a fuss, Lee Myung-hwan let out a deep sigh. ‘Does this guy have to stick his nose into everything, really?’ It was frustrating to see him, the type who would whine and give up as soon as any slightly difficult training started, insist on joining in. It just showed how many random people had gathered. Even after Kang Jin-ho had openly threatened them, there were still guys who weren’t scared at all. ‘Crazy bastards.’ They were all out of their minds. Even after Kang Jin-ho had said all that, there were still guys who had applied with a naive attitude like, ‘It’ll all work out somehow.’ Gong Young-gil right in front of him was a perfect example. ‘And the number of applicants from the General Assembly is overwhelmingly high.’ He had just found out while dividing up the order, but the number of applicants from the General Assembly was more than double that of the Yeongnam branch. Considering that the number of young martial artists was actually higher in the Yeongnam branch, it was clear how many applicants there were from the General Assembly. He had learned from Choi Jin-young’s words last time that there was a clear difference between how the Yeongnam branch viewed Kang Jin-ho and how the General Assembly viewed him. Those who had watched Kang Jin-ho’s exploits while being protected behind his back and those who had been exposed to Kang Jin-ho’s blade even once had completely different reactions and resolutions. Hadn’t he already felt that enough from Choi Jin-young? In the end, Lee Myung-hwan couldn’t argue with Choi Jin-young, who had called him a naive kid who just talked big. After hearing his words, he knew they were right. ‘And these guys will all get weeded out.’ In some way or another, Kang Jin-ho would definitely try to select people. Like sifting through a sieve to pick out the chaff. Even to him, the number of people gathered here was too many. Considering that they were all learning from one person, Kang Jin-ho, the efficiency was too low. ‘At least half of them need to be cut.’ That’s how it would be efficient… “Ugh, should I have just gone home? I was just waiting, and now I’m so bored.” Lee Myung-hwan rubbed his eyes. ‘Efficiency, my ass, I need to cut out this moron first.’ Of course, Gong Young-gil was his friend. But just because they were friends didn’t mean he could shield him in every situation. In private matters, he would defend him as much as possible, but in public matters, Gong Young-gil was someone who couldn’t be shielded. “By the way, Myung-hwan.” “…What?” “Where did all the people who went in there go?” “Huh?” “I mean, they don’t come back here. So, do they just see Kang Jin-ho and then go home?” Lee Myung-hwan frowned at those words. ‘I haven’t thought about that part….’ Kang Jin-ho had only asked him to divide the people and send them in one by one. He hadn’t thought at all about what happened to the people who went in there. Come to think of it, almost fifty people had already gone in, but no one had come back this way. ‘Are they just being sent out right away?’ Lee Myung-hwan narrowed his eyes slightly. If this was like an interview, it wouldn’t be strange to send those who were done home. But Lee Myung-hwan felt a subtle sense of unease. Not a single person was coming back this way. It was impossible unless Kang Jin-ho was intentionally preventing those who had finished the interview from returning this way. ‘It’s really like a company interview.’ Lee Myung-hwan felt a slight tension. If his guess was correct, then Kang Jin-ho was definitely asking them for a specific ‘answer’ inside. Those who got the right answer would pass, and those who didn’t would fail. And the fact that those who had been interviewed were being controlled meant that the questions were the kind that could be solved if you heard them in advance…. ‘It’s complicated.’ He had roughly identified the questions, but the scope was too broad. He couldn’t figure out what the questions were like this. Well, Kang Jin-ho was the kind of person who wouldn’t make it easy to guess the questions in advance. “How much longer do we have?” “…An hour or two?” “Ah, damn, it’s too awkward to go back and come again.” “Go out and grab something to eat.” “Should I? Aren’t you coming with me?” Lee Myung-hwan chuckled. His nonchalance, being able to eat at a time like this, was something he might need to learn. It was better to get hit first, as the pressure was getting worse the longer he waited. “Then I’ll go get some fresh air. Being in here is making me feel weird too.” “Whatever.” “Okay.” Lee Myung-hwan sighed deeply as he watched Gong Young-gil go outside. How much time had passed? Lee Myung-hwan couldn’t rest at all. The pressure of one person after another disappearing was weighing him down. ‘Damn it, I made the wrong decision.’ Since the order was entrusted to him, he had the privilege of deciding his own order. That’s why Lee Myung-hwan had decided to go last today. He didn’t have the confidence to sleep with the tension of having a one-on-one with Kang Jin-ho, and he didn’t have the courage to meet Kang Jin-ho right away either. He thought it was appropriate when he decided the order, but now that he was experiencing it, it was a stupid thing to do. Time passed, and he received all the pressure. By the time everyone in front of him had disappeared, he felt like his joints were creaking and his body was worn out from the pressure. But now it was all over. The person in front of him had just left the auditorium. He was the only one left. It felt strange to be left alone in the silent auditorium. ‘Is it my turn now?’ As he thought that, his heart started pounding like crazy. It was like an elementary school student waiting for their turn to get a shot. He was pretending to be calm on the outside, but he couldn’t calm his trembling heart. If he had been given a little more time, he could have fully enjoyed this feeling, but Lee Myung-hwan wasn’t given that time. “Lee Myung-hwan.” “Yes.” Lee Myung-hwan answered the call and stood up. The heart that had been pounding and tormenting him a moment ago began to calm down as if it were a lie. ‘Maybe I’m… a bit stronger in a crisis.’ As soon as he thought about meeting Kang Jin-ho, he felt a little calmer. He didn’t know what Kang Jin-ho would ask, but the answer wouldn’t be that difficult. He just had to say it as it was. The result was up to fate, and Lee Myung-hwan walked down the hallway, determined to answer whatever came to mind. Lee Myung-hwan, who let out a low sigh in front of the room where Kang Jin-ho was, clenched his teeth. ‘He wouldn’t kill me, would he?’ Knock knock. He knocked without hesitation. Then, a soft voice came from inside. “Come in.” Lee Myung-hwan immediately opened the door and went inside. The longer he delayed, the more the tension that had been tormenting him a moment ago would return. It was better to face Kang Jin-ho as soon as possible. “Uh…” “Have a seat.” Kang Jin-ho pointed to the opposite side, but Lee Myung-hwan couldn’t bring himself to sit down right away. First of all, the scene inside the office was a little different from what he had imagined. Based on the information he had been given so far, he had thought that something similar to a company interview would take place, but the inside of the office he saw was more like an interrogation room than an interview room. A dark room, a light hanging from above, a large desk in the middle, and chairs placed facing each other. And another problem was…. ‘The smell of blood?’ A chill ran down his spine. ‘No, am I imagining things?’ It wasn’t clear. But he felt like he could faintly smell blood. Lee Myung-hwan didn’t even think about wiping the cold sweat from his forehead and just stared at Kang Jin-ho. ‘Tension, my ass?’ It suddenly hit him. All his tension came from this man. The moment he saw this man, it was normal for tension and fear to follow as if they were natural. “Have a seat.” “Ah… Yes.” In an instant, Lee Myung-hwan, realizing his pathetic state, quickly sat down. The fact that Kang Jin-ho’s face, which he could see across from him, looked a little softer was the only consolation. If Kang Jin-ho had also hardened his face in this strange atmosphere, he would have been worried about a heart attack rather than the training or interview that would follow. “You’re Lee Myung-hwan, right?” “Yes.” “While other people had a bit more of a process, Lee Myung-hwan, you’re someone I know, so let’s skip the useless process that just wastes time. I’ll get straight to the point.” Click. Kang Jin-ho suddenly put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. Kang Jin-ho, who slowly exhaled the smoke he had inhaled, asked with a slightly hardened expression. “Lee Myung-hwan.” “Yes.” “Are you really prepared to risk your life to become stronger?” Lee Myung-hwan took a deep breath. ‘So, it’s this after all.’ Yes, it seemed like it would be this. Even if he was Kang Jin-ho, he would have asked this. Since there was nothing else to ask people he couldn’t really call acquaintances. Lee Myung-hwan looked straight at Kang Jin-ho and opened his mouth. He had predicted the question, but he hadn’t prepared an answer. He would just answer as his heart led him. “Of course.” “It’s good to think carefully before answering.” Kang Jin-ho gave a soft smile. “It’s not a simple question. You could really die. Is becoming stronger worth that much to you?” “Yes. I think so.” Lee Myung-hwan clenched his fist tightly under the table. ‘It wasn’t bad.’ The answer was rough, but it seemed to contain sincerity. What was the point of all sorts of flowery words? The important thing was to show his true feelings. Lee Myung-hwan had no doubt that his sincerity would be conveyed to Kang Jin-ho. But the answer that came back was a little different from what he had expected. And the tone of the answer that came back was very different from what he had expected. “That’s ridiculous.” A low voice. Even though it was low, a voice that irritated people’s nerves like scraping a large iron plate was heard. Just as Lee Myung-hwan was about to be dumbfounded by what he had just heard, Kang Jin-ho reached out and grabbed Lee Myung-hwan’s face. “Guh!” In an instant, his mind went blank. What brought Lee Myung-hwan’s mind back to reality was none other than pain. “Kuh-uh-uh!” Lee Myung-hwan struggled with the terrible pain of his fingers digging into his face. But his body couldn’t escape Kang Jin-ho’s hand by even a single step. “You guys here are all ridiculous. I don’t know if you even know what it means to die when you say such things.” Lee Myung-hwan’s mind began to turn white. Only then did he realize his mistake. The smell of blood. The smell of blood he had felt when he came in here was not an illusion. If you interpret that the other way around…. It meant that he would now shed blood here. “You’re okay with dying?” That voice was not human. He couldn’t see anything because he was blocked by Kang Jin-ho’s large hand. Lee Myung-hwan considered that a blessing. If he saw Kang Jin-ho, who was probably smiling like a demon behind this hand, he would give up on everything. A low and strange voice. A voice like a demon whispering pierced his ears. “Let’s see if you can say those words again after experiencing pain like death.” As he felt Kang Jin-ho grabbing his limp hand, Lee Myung-hwan resented his consciousness for stubbornly clinging to reality.