Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 569

Kong Young-gil was utterly dumbfounded.

What he was looking at was, undeniably, a door.

A door is meant for passage. A door that can’t be passed through isn’t a door at all. It should be called something else, like a dog flap.

So, what was in front of him now?

A door?

Until recently, Kong Young-gil would have naturally said it was a door. But now, his thoughts were shifting.

Because behind that opening, that so-called door, stood a figure that seemed impossible to pass.

You couldn’t see their face.

Even though the doorway was quite large, all he could see was their chest, stomach, and long legs.

‘What the hell am I looking at?’

Kong Young-gil’s common sense was crumbling.

In this situation, he had to make a decision. Either call the opening that allowed that body through something other than a door, or not recognize the giant figure behind it as human.

In the end, Kong Young-gil decided not to recognize the opening as a door. He didn’t have the courage to deal with the consequences of not recognizing that person as human.

“Hmm…”

A deep, low voice rumbled from behind the door.

‘Wow…’

Kong Young-gil now understood a documentary he had watched recently.

Animals first fight with sounds before biting and clawing. They growl at each other, showing off their strength. And humans aren’t much different.

Generally, the swearing before a fight, the competition of who has the louder voice, and trash talk are all the same thing.

When he first saw that documentary, Kong Young-gil scoffed. He thought that might be true for animals with low intelligence, but how could humans distinguish each other’s levels just by sound?

‘That’s what I thought…’

Kong Young-gil swallowed hard.

Kong Young-gil now understood what the documentary meant. The moment he heard the low sigh of the giant man behind the door, every cell in Kong Young-gil’s body tensed and trembled.

His body gave up resistance.

His body understood and reacted first, that he could never fight that person.

“Kkeueung.”

The man who had crushed Kong Young-gil with just his voice lowered his head and pushed his body through the door. His head barely made it through, but his shoulders got stuck, preventing his body from entering.

It was a scene that could have been comical, but no one among the people gathered here was laughing. And no one in the world who saw that scene with their own eyes would ever be able to laugh.

“Eueum.”

The man, twisting his body several times, finally squeezed through the door. Then, he looked at Lee Hyun-soo with very dissatisfied eyes.

“…We will start the construction of the entire building as soon as possible. We can expand all the doors, right?”

The giant man, Bator, nodded heavily, as if he understood Lee Hyun-soo’s words.

When Jang Da-jing, who was standing behind, walked in and stood next to Bator, Lee Hyun-soo turned his head and addressed the young martial artists who were spaced out.

“This is Bator, who recently joined us. Some of you may have heard of him, and some may not have… Well, I guess you guys wouldn’t know.”

‘Bator?’

Kong Young-gil stared at the giant man blankly.

Strength.

There was raw strength in front of his eyes.

If the word ‘strength’ were to be expressed in human form, it would look like this. Just by looking at him, he could understand how strong this man was, how much tremendous power was packed into that body.

If that man wanted to, he could probably crush everyone gathered here and have them ready for recycling in less than ten minutes.

Overwhelming strength.

It was the first time he had experienced this since Kang Jin-ho.

To feel awe at the strength of another person.

“The reason I gathered you today is simple. Bator wanted to guide you.”

“Ah…”

A groan escaped from Kong Young-gil’s mouth.

To be taught by that person?

‘What is this all of a sudden?’

At least with Kang Jin-ho, there was an indication that such a thing would happen, and there was also a notice about the test, so there was time to prepare mentally. But today, this was too sudden.

“Personally, I think this is a very good opportunity for you. So, I gathered you first. Anyone have any questions?”

Kong Young-gil frowned.

Questions? What kind of questions could he ask without a proper explanation? They could fill an hour just with Q&A.

Kong Young-gil raised his hand without a second thought. The situation he was in now was not so relaxed that he could afford to be hesitant and waste time.

“Yes, speak.”

Kong Young-gil couldn’t bring himself to turn his head towards Bator and spoke while looking at Lee Hyun-soo.

“Is he… strong?”

“You… you crazy bastard?”

“Yes?”

“Or are you blind? Ask something that makes sense, you crazy bastard.”

Kong Young-gil quietly closed his mouth. Actually, even he thought that this question was a bit absurd. But… Lee Hyun-soo clicked his tongue and said.

“Okay. I didn’t think about your characteristics even though I gathered you. So, the question you wanted to ask is… if you learn from Bator, can you definitely become stronger, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. And…”

“Can you beat the guys who are currently learning from Kang Jin-ho, is that it?”

“Yes, that’s it!”

Kong Young-gil smiled refreshingly, as if he had finally scratched an itch. Lee Hyun-soo smiled bitterly as he looked at Kong Young-gil.

“I don’t know if this explanation is necessary, but…”

Lee Hyun-soo glanced at Bator and opened his mouth.

“This person is a strongman even recognized by Kang Jin-ho.”

No further explanation was needed.

At least, no one within the General Assembly had ever been recognized by Kang Jin-ho as a ‘strongman’.

“And people have their own characteristics. In my opinion, at least those gathered here would be better off learning from Bator than from Kang Jin-ho, don’t you think so?”

Kong Young-gil turned around without realizing it.

He thought it was strange that they had only gathered people with broad shoulders, but it seemed like this was the intention.

“…So, is that why you gathered us like this?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo added slightly.

“Actually, let’s be honest. Your results aren’t good compared to your efforts, right?”

“Having a big body means you have good power, but it also means that your basic agility is low. But the problem is that most of the martial arts you learn are based on that agility.”

“Hmm…”

Kong Young-gil nodded his head greatly.

In fact, Korean martial arts were somewhat like that.

Most of them are martial arts that emphasize softness, speed, and flow. The body type suitable for learning such martial arts is a slightly small and agile type.

People like Kong Young-gil can get ahead in the beginning by using their physical strength, but as the level of martial arts increases, they cannot overcome the hurdle of agility.

“This is not your fault. The problem is that the martial arts you have learned do not suit you. I also had a headache over this problem and tried to solve it, but surprisingly, there are no power-oriented martial arts for people like you in Korea.”

“…Seriously, there aren’t any at all?”

“I don’t know if they never existed or if they were lost. But it’s certain that there are none among the martial arts you can learn now. I’ve looked through everything. But fortunately, Bator has decided to join the General Assembly. So, an opportunity has finally come for you.”

Everyone looked at Bator with a new look.

Even though many eyes were focused on him, Bator didn’t even blink.

“I think that’s enough explanation. Now, let’s listen to what Bator has to say.”

As Lee Hyun-soo stepped back slightly, Jang Da-jing took Lee Hyun-soo’s place.

When a slightly questioning gaze gathered towards him, Jang Da-jing put his hand to his mouth and coughed.

“…I’m the translator.”

“Ah…”

Then, Bator opened his mouth.

“Your physical conditions…”

Jang Da-jing hurriedly began to translate.

“…are a bit lacking. Too thin.”

Kong Young-gil, after hearing the translation, turned his head back as if he was dumbfounded and looked at the people gathered here. Even if you threw just one of them into a busy street, it would be like the parting of the Red Sea [a biblical reference to a miraculous event], and all the shoulder thugs were gathered here, and they were thin?

Of course, compared to Bator’s body, they were like two-year-olds, but even the people gathered here were considered irregular compared to the average in Korea.

“Well, it’s good. You can overcome the lack of physical condition with effort. Follow me. I will make you strong. I will make you a perfect body that will not lose to anyone.”

Kong Young-gil jumped up from his seat.

Bator’s gaze followed Kong Young-gil.

“I have a question.”

When Bator nodded, Kong Young-gil shouted.

“If I learn from you, can I beat the guys who are learning from Kang Jin-ho!”

The only important thing for Kong Young-gil was that one fact.

What kind of training they did, how hard it was, and what kind of martial arts they learned were none of his concern.

There are things in the world that you only know after experiencing them.

The feeling of being left behind while your peers are moving forward is a humiliation that those who have not experienced it can never know.

If he could overcome this humiliation, Kong Young-gil could jump into the fiery pits of hell.

With the mindset he had now, he would never have failed Kang Jin-ho’s test.

Bator, who had heard the words from Jang Da-jing, laughed lightly.

“It’s possible.”

The moment Jang Da-jing’s mouth opened, everyone’s eyes began to burn.

“One!”

“The standard I set was a little lower. Because I thought you couldn’t keep up. But if you want that, I have no choice but to be a little more aggressive. Even if your body is shattered and your bones are broken into pieces… I will make it happen. Do you want that?”

The answer didn’t take long.

“I want it!”

“I want it too!”

“Me too!”

Bator grinned and scratched his chin.

‘There are quite a few tenacious guys here too.’

Ordinary young people don’t show this much enthusiasm for training. Maybe Kang Jin-ho changed something.

“Since you’re coming out like this, I’m getting competitive too. Okay, let’s do it seriously. But be prepared. You will see hell. A hell beyond your imagination. If you can keep up, try to follow me. Then I will give you strength.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled bitterly as he looked at the auditorium, which had suddenly filled with a strange heat.

‘Is this the power of competition?’

Perhaps this situation would have been impossible if Kang Jin-ho and his disciples hadn’t been there.

The source of the heat in their eyes was not so much the desire to become stronger, but rather the competitive spirit.

It’s not bad.

Martial arts are originally like that.

By being aware of each other and struggling to become stronger, the overall level increases.

Lee Hyun-soo smiled as he watched the heat of competition that had begun to engulf the General Assembly.

‘Hurry up and get stronger, so I can use you.’

With their own thoughts, the General Assembly began to rush at full speed.