Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1191

“Is everything loaded?”

“Yes!”

“Then, start cleaning with water.”

“……Yes?”

“I said, clean with water, you bastards. Can’t you see the floor here?”

When Bang Jin-hoon pointed at the floor, everyone nodded. Dried blood and burn marks were a mess. If they left it like this, it was obvious that someone would discover the traces.

Park Yong-chul asked on behalf of the group.

“Where do we get the water? There doesn’t seem to be a water supply nearby. Should we call a fire truck?”

“We can’t waste the nation’s precious tax money on something like that. You guys, who don’t even pay taxes properly, don’t deserve to call a fire truck.”

“……We’re paying taxes now, though?”

“Don’t act like you’ve done something great just because you paid for one month when others have been paying their whole lives. It feels like watching a recruit who just finished basic training give his thoughts on military life.”

It was such an apt comparison that they couldn’t argue.

“Then, how do we do it?”

“Can you see over there?”

“Yes?”

Park Yong-chul turned his head at Bang Jin-hoon’s words. Behind the door of the warehouse that had been destroyed during the battle, large water tanks were visible.

“There are some good buckets. Use those to carry the water.”

“……Those don’t look like buckets to me, though?”

“I can make them look like buckets, do you want to come over here for a second?”

“They look like buckets. It’s like magic.”

“Yes, it’s magic. Start carrying now.”

“……Where do we get the water from?”

“Is this bastard crazy? Everything you see is water, what nonsense are you talking about?”

The person who saw the vast sea stretching out behind him nodded with a satisfied smile.

‘My back is going to break.’

Even if they were martial artists, having to carry seawater in water tanks to clean the floor was a violation of human rights.

However, if they argued carelessly, there was a high probability that not only their human rights but their lives would be violated.

And looking at the extent of Bang Jin-hoon’s injuries, they couldn’t complain even if they had any. How could they complain to the boss who had fought so hard at the front?

Park Yong-chul looked at Bang Jin-hoon with a slightly respectful gaze.

“Are you staring at me?”

It seemed like a misunderstanding. Respect was bullshit.

“Clean everything up quickly before sunrise.”

“But, Director.”

“What?”

“Do we have to do even this? There are people left over…”

Thud!

Bang Jin-hoon’s fist mercilessly struck Park Yong-chul’s head. Park Yong-chul sat down on the spot, clutching his head.

“Agh!”

“This bastard is being insolent.”

“No! That’s not it… I mean, aren’t there people who could do this besides us?”

“That’s what’s insolent, you bastard. Who do you think you are, trying to make public officials do your work?”

“……No, because we’re connected.”

“Connected my ass. Find connections with the national soccer team, we don’t have that. You clean up the mess you made, you bastard.”

“……Yes.”

Park Yong-chul grumbled and led the remaining people to the warehouse. Those who rushed into the warehouse came out with water tanks and headed towards the sea.

Watching the scene, Bang Jin-hoon nodded.

‘It won’t be completely erased, but it’ll be enough to cover it up.’

They couldn’t do anything about the destroyed warehouse and the shattered concrete, but at least they had to clean up what they could.

“Ugh.”

Bang Jin-hoon grabbed his side and sat down on the spot.

It was thanks to Wiggins’ treatment that he was in this condition; if he hadn’t received treatment, he should have been in the emergency room, not here.

‘That bastard… was strong.’

If they had fought normally, Bang Jin-hoon would not have been able to defeat Kazuhiro.

So, was he feeling self-loathing?

Not at all.

It was a great thing to have defeated someone stronger than himself through improvisation. He felt proud, not self-loathing.

Moreover, the fact that improvisation worked was also significant. If Bang Jin-hoon’s skills hadn’t improved to this level, he wouldn’t have been able to face Kazuhiro no matter what he did.

‘If it had been just three months ago, I would have been beaten to death without even being able to lift a finger.’

He knew he had become stronger. His martial arts had improved, and his internal energy had increased. Of course, he would have become stronger. However, that was just a vague feeling, and he needed a benchmark to know exactly where he stood.

Kazuhiro had become an excellent benchmark.

Nevertheless, the reason why Bang Jin-hoon couldn’t fully enjoy his victory was because of the situation he was in. Kang Jin-ho was in a dangerous situation right now, and he didn’t have the luxury to be happy about that small victory.

He had to clean up this place as soon as possible and go help Kang Jin-ho. Even if it wouldn’t be of much help.

“Um…”

Bang Jin-hoon turned his head at the voice coming from behind him.

“Huh?”

A face that he seemed to have seen somewhere was looking at him with an awkward expression.

“What is it?”

“Director, it’s Kim Won-hyuk. Thank you for earlier.”

“Earlier?”

Bang Jin-hoon tilted his head.

“Ah, you…”

He was the guy who almost died from Kazuhiro when they first clashed.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. My internal organs weren’t cut…”

Bang Jin-hoon frowned when he saw Kim Won-hyuk’s bandaged stomach.

“Hey, didn’t you hear that all the injured people should go to the hospital?”

“It’s not really an injury worth mentioning.”

“This guy is something else, isn’t he?”

Bang Jin-hoon snorted.

“Hey, you bastard. Do you think a stab wound is something to take lightly? Are you filming a movie? Do you think that if you get shot and stabbed, you can just wrap it up and it’ll heal on its own? Man, there’s something called infection. Do you know how many people die because a minor wound gets infected?

Anyway, that’s why these days, young people…”

“I’ll go to the hospital as soon as the cleanup is finished. But… then, Director, you should also go to the hospital…”

“I’m fine.”

“Yes?”

“I’m stronger than bacteria.”

Kim Won-hyuk’s face became awkward.

“But why?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you sticking your head in if you don’t have anything to say?”

“Ah…”

Kim Won-hyuk scratched the back of his head.

“I wanted to thank you.”

“Don’t talk nonsense and say what you have to say quickly, man. I know better than anyone that our guys are rude. I saved a truckload of guys today, and not one of them came to say hello on purpose.”

Kim Won-hyuk realized that the manners of the Assembly had fallen to the ground.

He hadn’t come to see Bang Jin-hoon just to express his gratitude.

“Actually…”

Kim Won-hyuk sighed.

“I don’t know if I should say this in this situation…”

“If you have any conscience, you shouldn’t. You’re sitting comfortably while the others are working hard, aren’t you?”

“I’m injured.”

“You said you were fine earlier, you bastard?”

“It’s a bit sore.”

“Never mind.”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled.

“Say what you have to say quickly.”

Kim Won-hyuk hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Weren’t you scared?”

“……Huh?”

Kim Won-hyuk’s face darkened slightly.

“Honestly, I couldn’t do anything in this battle. If it was because I was weak, I could just get stronger, but I couldn’t even use half of my skills.”

Bang Jin-hoon, looking at Kim Won-hyuk’s face, opened his mouth slightly and then closed it again. It didn’t seem like a situation to make a joke.

“……I hate to admit it, but I think I’m a coward. Everyone else is fighting beyond their abilities, but I was just a hindrance. If you hadn’t helped me, Director, I would probably be dead. And everyone around me would have died too. Because of me.”

“Huh?”

Bang Jin-hoon looked at Kim Won-hyuk with a dumbfounded expression.

“This guy is funny.”

“Yes?”

“Hey, man. The guy you fought was the leader of the Japs [a derogatory term for Japanese people]. Even if they’re Japs, a leader-level guy is someone who has only trained in martial arts his whole life. He’s stronger than me. How could you fight someone like that?”

“Ah, no. It’s not just because of him. Even before that…”

Kim Won-hyuk stopped talking and lowered his head slightly.

“I don’t think this world suits me.”

Bang Jin-hoon stared at Kim Won-hyuk, who had lowered his head, and sighed.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Look here.”

Bang Jin-hoon pulled up his blood-soaked shirt.

“Can you see it?”

“……I can see the bandage well, though?”

“Above that, you bastard. Above that.”

“Yes?”

Kim Won-hyuk narrowed his eyes and looked at Bang Jin-hoon’s side. There was a small scar above the bandage.

“Were you stabbed by a knife?”

“Yeah. A long time ago.”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled and lowered his shirt.

“Do you know when this scar was made?”

“I wouldn’t know…”

“It was made when I went to my first battle. At that time, I was a guy who didn’t see anything. As you know, I’m a guy who has some natural talent.”

It was an annoying thing to say, but it was true.

Recently, because of the situation where Kang Jin-ho, Wiggins, and Bator were sweeping through, it wasn’t very noticeable, but originally, Bang Jin-hoon was famous as a genius in the Assembly. [The Assembly is likely a reference to a specific organization or group within the story.]

He had secured a director position at a young age and was in conflict with Lee Jung-geol, so how could he not be? No matter how popular Bang Jin-hoon was, it would have been absolutely impossible if his own skills hadn’t supported him.

“When I went to my first battle, I was just a fool who only knew how to rush in with my head full of blood. I was overconfident in myself. Thanks to that, I was immediately stabbed and fell down.”

“It would have been a relief if you had lost consciousness.”

A stab in the side wasn’t enough to make a person faint. I fell down after being stabbed, but there were still enemies around. So, do you know what I did?”

“……Did you fight and win even in that situation?”

“No. I begged for my life. I cried and sobbed. It would have been great if someone had filmed that.”

Bang Jin-hoon grinned.

At the same time, Kim Won-hyuk just blinked.

It didn’t seem like a joke…

It was hard to imagine Bang Jin-hoon showing such a 모습 [moseup – Korean for ‘appearance’ or ‘figure’].

The Bang Jin-hoon he knew was someone who never lost his spirit in any situation.

“At that time, if my seniors hadn’t come to save me, I would probably be dead. A coward? What’s wrong with that, man. It’s a hundred times better than dying early by acting recklessly. If you had rushed in recklessly back then, do you think you would be here now? You would have already died.”

“Don’t be scared, you bastard. Everyone gets scared. It’s weird if someone doesn’t get scared. It means there’s something wrong with their head. These days, kids watch too many movies and cartoons. They think that not being scared is being brave.”

Bang Jin-hoon looked straight at Kim Won-hyuk and said.

“I get scared too, so why wouldn’t you get scared? Of course, you should be scared. Don’t be mistaken, you bastard. Courage isn’t about not being scared. It’s about stepping forward even when you’re scared. Not being scared isn’t courage, it’s a mental disorder.”

Kim Won-hyuk stared at Bang Jin-hoon with a blank look.

“Then earlier…”

“Huh?”

“When you were fighting that Japanese guy. Were you scared too, Director Bang?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

He really wanted to hear this answer.

Objectively speaking, Kazuhiro was stronger than Bang Jin-hoon. What kind of feeling did Bang Jin-hoon have while fighting someone stronger than himself, risking his life?

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled and opened his mouth.