Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 465

“Let’s start.”

“Okay.”

Park Yu-min rubbed his face a couple of times.

‘Let’s stay calm.’

His friend had come to see him. Preparing for the pro test was incredibly stressful. A little tension was helpful, but too much was toxic.

Moreover, Park Yu-min wasn’t just any pro; he was a former pro. The pressure was immense compared to amateurs who had nothing to lose. Recently, he had been living on stomach medicine throughout his training.

It was clear that Kang Jin-ho had come to relieve his tension, knowing his condition.

Definitely…

“Jin-ho.”

“Yeah?”

“But, don’t you have to go home? If we start playing now, we’ll probably be up half the night. When are you planning to leave?”

“Yu-min.”

“Yeah?”

“…There’s nothing good waiting for me at home these days.”

Park Yu-min wiped his eyes.

“So, it’s okay.”

“Okay.”

Park Yu-min decided he had to somehow restore Kang Jin-ho’s relationship with his parents.

“Uh… what do I do?”

“Ah… I was live streaming.”

“Streaming?”

“Yeah, it’s an internet broadcast. I stream my gameplay and chat with viewers…”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho seemed to recall something for a moment, then turned to Park Yu-min.

“You’re streaming?”

Park Yu-min smiled faintly.

He knew from countless experiences that it was impossible to make Kang Jin-ho understand modern technology with such simple words. What could he expect from someone who didn’t even know how to install an app on his phone?

‘He’s like a real old man.’

They were both in their twenties and had gone to the same school, but he couldn’t understand why Kang Jin-ho was so ignorant of modern things.

“What I mean is…”

“I know.”

“…Huh?”

“I know. You’re talking about internet broadcasting.”

“Oh? You know?”

Park Yu-min looked at Kang Jin-ho with a surprised expression.

Kang Jin-ho chuckled at Park Yu-min’s reaction.

“Is it strange that I know about internet broadcasting?”

“Yeah. You’re usually not interested in that kind of thing.”

“I just happened to find out.”

Kang Jin-ho vaguely glossed over the details.

Old memories resurfaced.

His first life. In that life he had given up on, Kang Jin-ho had lived as a paraplegic for over ten years. The only thing he could do during that time was use the internet.

His upper body was somewhat mobile, but he couldn’t control it accurately, so he couldn’t play games.

Thanks to that, he spent his meaningless time watching videos on internet video sites and broadcasts.

‘Not a good memory.’

He was angry not at the situation, but at his past self. If it were him now, he wouldn’t give up on life so easily just because he became a paraplegic. Even though he couldn’t bear the terrible loneliness in a situation where he had lost his family and friends, that was just an excuse.

He had seen countless people living through even more difficult situations in his two lives.

Kang Jin-ho reflected slightly.

The life he had now was like a bonus. So, he should be more grateful. He had lived with that mindset when he first returned to this world, but recently he had been taking his current situation too much for granted.

‘A little harder.’

Kang Jin-ho, having refocused his mind, turned to Park Yu-min.

“So, you’re streaming right now?”

“Yeah. There’s a camera here. My face is being shown through it.”

Park Yu-min showed Kang Jin-ho the chat window and the broadcast screen.

“There are a lot of viewers? For an amateur? Is this game that popular?”

“The game is popular, and I used to be a pro. So, my old fans are watching.”

“Is there a need to stream while playing games?”

“When you play games alone, you get tired and stuff, but if you think someone is watching, it gives you a little more energy.”

“Hmm. I see.”

It was an idea Kang Jin-ho couldn’t understand, but if that’s what he felt, there was nothing more to say.

“You’re being watched right now. Do you want to say hi?”

“Say hi?”

Park Yu-min brought up the chat window.

— Is that a friend?

— So handsome.

— He said he’s grinding hard because the pro test is coming up, but his friend is here to bother him. No hope.

— What? Is this a male cam show? Did I enter the wrong room? Why does he look like that?

— What’s his name?

— His guest casting skills are amazing.

The chat window filled up, and balloons [virtual gifts viewers can send] started popping like crazy.

“Why are these balloons popping?”

“You know about balloons too?”

“…Is it wrong for me to know?”

“It’s just surprising.”

— Look at the few female viewers going wild. They’re throwing money like crazy.

— This was a clean zone, but this room is ruined too.

— Park Yu-do needs to get some popularity with the female viewers. Honestly, this place is too much of a sausage fest.

— Why do you need women in a gaming room?

— Look at the number of viewers going up. Amazing information.

“What are they saying?”

“…They say you’re handsome.”

“Huh?”

Park Yu-min looked at the chat window with a slightly sad expression.

‘Even in a gaming room, it’s all about looks, this dirty world.’

He wasn’t bad-looking either. He had often been called cute when he used to play games. But when he was on the same screen as Kang Jin-ho, he couldn’t avoid becoming an ‘ugly squid’.

How could he handle something that even most actors couldn’t?

“What is this?”

“…Move away a bit.”

“Okay, I’ll move away.”

“…”

“Let’s just play the game.”

Park Yu-min opened the game window with a gloomy face. He searched for Kang Jin-ho’s ID and started a duo queue [a game mode where two players team up].

‘Will we even get a game?’

The MMR [Matchmaking Rating] difference was so extreme that he had no idea which bracket the game would be in. Before, they could get a game by playing normal games, but now they had to practice, so they had no choice but to play ranked games.

‘Let’s think positively.’

Even a pro can’t help but harm the team on a bad day. If he becomes a pro and goes to tournaments, he will face such situations several times. So, he could think of it as practice for that.

Whether that practice was necessary for him right now, when he had to take the entrance test, was something he would put aside for now.

Park Yu-min glanced at the chat window.

— Bronze lololololololololololololol

— Did I enter the wrong room? Is this a deep sea room? What’s that poop color over there?

— Oh my god, I’m seeing a Challenger and a Bronze duo. Isn’t this illegal? Shouldn’t I report them for boosting?

— Will the Challenger be able to carry the Bronze 5? This is a historic challenge.

— They say they’re changing it so you can’t duo if there’s more than a 2-tier difference starting next season. This is the last fun time. So much fun!

“Hahahaha…”

Whatever. The fans like it.

There should be days like this.

With a thud, the queue popped. Park Yu-min, confirming that the screen had switched to the pick screen, asked casually.

“Jin-ho, where do you want to go?”

“Top.”

Yeah. That suits him.

You should go top. Yeah.

Fortunately, there were no problems in the pick screen, and they were able to go to their desired lanes. Park Yu-min’s eyes blazed as he locked in mid.

‘I’ll carry.’

There was a big lump of poop in the top lane, but since he was matching MMR with Kang Jin-ho, who was Bronze 5, the opponents’ MMR wasn’t that high either. In this bracket, if Kang Jin-ho did the bare minimum, he could force the game to victory.

Park Yu-min, determined not to lose, quickly bought his items and went to his lane. As he was thinking about how to play this game, he heard a chilling voice in his ear.

Even before the minions had arrived, there was already the sound of skills being used and thumping…

“Jin-ho?”

— First Blood.

“Wha, already?”

Park Yu-min, horrified, turned his head to look at Kang Jin-ho’s screen.

“Huh? You got it?”

He thought he was dead for sure, but he wasn’t. Kang Jin-ho had confidently taken down the enemy champion who had come to the top lane and was recalling.

— Bronze 5 class taking down a Diamond! Gg Gg Gg Gg Gg Gg Gg Gg Gg Gg Gg Gg

— That’s either a booster or a smurf [an experienced player using a low-level account]. How can a Bronze 5 take down a Diamond? I should report them.

— If they’re both level 1 without items, it’s possible.

— Ah, it’s a shame I missed the screen. Park Yu-min really missed it and couldn’t show it. Class. 7 people.

— This is actually pretty fun.

— Oppa, you’re good at games too.

The balloons, which hadn’t been popping much even when he played well, started popping like crazy.

‘This is strangely fun.’

Park Yu-min chuckled as he watched the chat window scrolling at lightning speed. The tension that had been making his body stiff just a moment ago had completely disappeared.

‘I was a little too sensitive.’

Kang Jin-ho had come to play games with him, and instead of welcoming him, he had been feeling uncomfortable… He had to reflect on that.

‘Okay, let’s enjoy the game for now. Enjoying it is the priority. You can’t improve if you don’t enjoy the game.’

Park Yu-min, having rediscovered a simple truth, smiled and grabbed his mouse. For some reason, he had a feeling that this game would go really well.

At that moment, the chat window scrolled up.

— Top! Top top!

— Yu-min! Take the top! Top!

— He’s going to the top again!

“Huh?”

Park Yu-min, startled, clicked on the minimap. The screen that went to the top showed Kang Jin-ho’s champion and the enemy champion fighting to the death.

— Top lane addict is crazy.

— A man’s fight. A battle they can’t back down from.

— At this point, he needs to go to the hospital.

— He looks normal, but he’s a real psycho. Look at him going again lololololol

— At this point, CS [Creep Score, the number of minions killed] doesn’t matter. It’s a fight to see who wins.

Park Yu-min’s broadcast, which had been criticized for being boring because he only played the game silently, was now becoming a blast.

— An enemy has been slain.

“Again?”

Park Yu-min just blinked.

‘Is this weird? Or is it not weird?’

It was strange that a Bronze 5 had taken down a Diamond class, but considering Kang Jin-ho’s physical abilities, it was natural. When he thought about it, Kang Jin-ho was someone who had played Galaxy Craft at a pro-winning level in the past.

Even though the game types and styles were different, his basic physical abilities were outstanding, so the fact that he was in Bronze was incomprehensible.

‘But why is he in Bronze?’

Maybe it was because he hadn’t played many games. Maybe he wasn’t in good condition last time. Park Yu-min decided that he had to watch Kang Jin-ho’s game carefully today.

Before that, he had to focus on his own lane first…

— An ally has been slain.

“Huh?”

When he turned his head slightly, Kang Jin-ho was staring intently at the screen with a stiff face.

“…Jin-ho?”

“The jungler came.”

“I guess you can’t win 2:1 yet. I understand.”

“Ye, yeah.”

He had gotten two solo kills, so it was okay that he got killed once by the jungler.

Park Yu-min believed that.

But soon, it became clear that he was mistaken.

— An ally has been slain.

— An ally has been slain.

— An ally has been slain.

“…Jin-ho, Jin-ho!”

“…”

“Why are you doing this, Jin-ho!”

“I can win next time.”

Park Yu-min’s eyes twitched.

‘What the heck is going on?’

Park Yu-min moved his champion back slightly and turned the screen to the top lane. And he began to quietly observe Kang Jin-ho’s play.