Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1793

A warm ray of sunlight gently pushes its way through the window.

A man, slightly bowing his head to the sunlight tickling the back of his hand, takes a sip of his slightly cooled coffee.

The aroma isn’t strong.

But it doesn’t matter.

Drinking coffee in the afternoon sun is more about enjoying the atmosphere than the flavor.

Click.

The sound of the coffee cup touching the glass table echoes softly.

Time sometimes flows too slowly and tediously.

If one hasn’t learned how to enjoy that time, they wouldn’t be able to have such leisure as now.

The man slowly raises his head and looks out the window.

The sunlight is shining down on a well-landscaped garden.

It was a perfectly clear day, a perfectly peaceful scene.

Knock knock.

Unfortunately, the sound of knocking on the door interrupts the man’s peace.

“Come in.”

The closed door opens carefully, and a man walks inside.

“I apologize for disturbing you while you were resting.”

“It’s alright.”

The man smiles gently.

“I was getting bored anyway.”

“That’s a relief then.”

The man who entered swallows slightly.

It’s a strange thing.

This scene is very familiar to him. His master is originally this kind of person. Not hasty, but relaxed and leisurely.

However, those who have heard of this man’s reputation would never imagine him to be like this.

‘Black King.’

The Black King.

One of the three kings who rule the Central Plains [a region in China, often used in martial arts stories].

‘No, now it’s… no. There are still three kings.’

Though the Azure King is dead, there is the Demon King instead.

He looks like a handsome man, but whenever he has to engage in external activities, the Black King wraps his entire body in black bandages, completely concealing his appearance.

Whenever they ask him why he does this, the Black King always answers:

“Someone might recognize me.”

The man has never understood the meaning of that answer.

“You’re deep in thought.”

“…I apologize. I was lost in thought for a moment.”

“Having many thoughts is a good thing.”
The Black King nods lightly and turns to look at the man.

“So, what do you have to say? I hope it’s something interesting. I was bored. The drama I was watching ended terribly.”

“…It seems the ending wasn’t good?”

“Those writers always mess up at the end. Well… life isn’t much different. My endings are always the problem.”

The man smiles gently.

“Continue. So, what is it?”

“First, it’s a report on the Crimson King’s faction. They are steadily taking over the Azure King’s territory.”

The man reports in a slightly serious tone, but the man doesn’t seem to pay much attention to the report.

“If the consolidation is complete, the Crimson King’s faction will surely become the largest faction in China.

It might even become a bit of a threat.”

“It might be.”

The man shakes his head lightly.

“But that’s all. Only the beasts can climb to the top. Only those who cannot be tamed can reach the summit. A wolf that has been collared is no longer a wolf, but a dog. Or, in the Crimson King’s case, should I say a cat?”

No matter how big a cat is, it can never become a tiger.

No matter how much power they accumulate, no matter how much they try to intimidate with their authority, if their essence is broken, it’s meaningless.

“If that’s all you have to say, I’ll be disappointed. Don’t you have anything more interesting?”

“He said he is ready, so he told you to come directly.”

The Black King, who was reaching for his coffee cup, stops his hand.

The hand, which seemed to hesitate in the air, soon grabs the coffee cup.

The Black King takes a sip of coffee and scratches his head as if troubled.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, he’s impatient.”

The Black King rests his chin on his hand and laughs softly.

“Besides, that’s not the reaction I expected. I thought he wouldn’t even pay attention, or he would come directly himself.”

“Are you disappointed?”

“Disappointed… it’s the opposite.”

The Black King smiles and looks at the man.

“People are bound to change. Even those who are confident that they will not change, if you look closely, they change little by little. It’s just that they don’t think they do.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s what’s interesting. Meeting someone who hasn’t changed is boring. Because nothing will be different.”

The Black King smiles and raises his head.

“Tell me again exactly. What did he say?”

“He said that he is ready, so don’t send useless underlings and come directly. He said he will face anything.”

The Black King chuckles.

“Indeed, the Heavenly Demon Lord. It feels like he’s changed, yet he hasn’t.”

“And…”

“Hmm?”

“He also said to thank you for your consideration. He said not to send anyone anymore unless you’re coming yourself…”

The Black King’s eyes gleam.

“He said that?”

“Yes.”

A deep groan escapes from the Black King’s lips.

As he rests his chin on his hand and sinks into thought, the man holds his breath, trying not to disturb the Black King.

“It’s a strange feeling.”

The Black King laughs lightly.

“What should I say… if you were to meet an old friend after a long time, so long that your memories of them have faded, and that person was so different from what you remember, how would you feel?”

“I think I would be disappointed.”

Upon hearing that answer, the Black King looks out the window with a subtle expression.

“Well… I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. When he once mentioned that his emotions seemed to have worn out, I just thought he was saying it.”

Now, I think I understand.

What it means for emotions to wear out.

“Withdraw all surveillance.”

“We can check without being noticed.”

“You guys are not enough.”

The Black King shakes his head.

“No, I want to use harsh words. Don’t underestimate him. You might think you’re being careful, but he’s someone who is worth risking everything you have.”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

“If he said it with his own mouth, it’s only polite to listen.”

The Black King smiles gently.

“It seems I have to go myself now.”

“What will you do?”

“Well.”

The Black King reaches out and grabs the coffee cup.

The Black King’s eyes lower as he looks at the now cold coffee.

“Did I say before that alcohol has meaning because it matures?”

“Yes, you did.”

“That’s right. But sometimes, there are things that must be drunk before they cool down. Like this coffee.”

The Black King pushes the coffee cup away slightly.

His gaze is fixed on the window.

“However…”

The corners of his mouth form a subtle curve.

“I’ve waited for him for too long.”

“So, I want him to know a little bit about what it feels like to wait.”

“Then…”

“It won’t take too long.”
The Black King says with half-sunken eyes.

“Because I’ll have a hard time holding back. I’m curious too.”

The man bows his head.

“Then I will keep that in mind.”

“Can I ask you for a favor?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Bring me a bottle of cola.”

“…Yes?”

“Is it difficult?”

“Ah, no! I’ll prepare it right away.”

The man looks at the Black King with a surprised expression.

Has this man ever drunk cola before?

But it’s not a particularly important matter.

The man bows his head and leaves the room.

A little later, a servant knocks on the door and places a cola and a glass of ice in front of the Black King before leaving.

The Black King quietly looks down at the cola can.

“You wouldn’t know even if I told you.”

“There’s no way you would know.”

A smile forms on the Black King’s lips. Of course, there’s no way they would know.

The Black King opens the cola can and gulps down the cola. Then, he puts down the cola with a slightly expressionless face.

Thud.

The Black King, who was quietly looking at the cola, smiles strangely.

“Thank you for your consideration, huh…”

To others, it would sound like gratitude for not causing any major problems while monitoring. But to the Black King’s ears, those words didn’t sound like that.

“You’ve changed too much.”

In an unfamiliar way.

Consideration, huh?

Those are words that the Heavenly Demon Lord of the past would never have uttered.

The Black King closes his eyes and thinks for a moment, then reaches out and presses the intercom button.

[Yes.]

“A ticket to Korea. Right now.”

[I will prepare it.]

The Black King, who took his hand off the intercom, smiles crookedly.

“It’s pathetic to act like you have so much time.”

But it doesn’t matter.

Because it’s hard to hold back any longer.

* * *

“Stop drinking cola!”

“Your teeth will rot! No, how can this guy drink so much cola and still have such white teeth?”

Kang Eun-young’s forehead veins throb as she looks at Kang Jin-ho’s abs while he scratches his stomach.

Until now, she had just let it go. Kang Jin-ho was a person who lived diligently.

But it’s been a month since he’s been lying on the sofa, rolling around, and yet the definition of his abs is still maintained. How is that even possible?

‘The world is unfair.’

She has to work her body like hell in the gym during her active period to barely get rid of the fat on her stomach, and even then, she’s told she has a blessed body. But this guy is just too much.

“By the way…”

“Huh?”

“Have you been drinking too much cola lately? You didn’t even touch it for a while before.”

“…It’s not like I was trying not to drink it.”

“Hmm?”

Kang Jin-ho lowers his head slightly and looks at the cola can in his hand.

“It reminded me of the old days.”

“What old days make you crave cola?”

Kang Jin-ho laughs.

“I don’t know.”

“Anyway, drink it in moderation. It’s not good for your health.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho puts the cola can on the table.

“Hmm.”

I didn’t really notice it…

Maybe I was thinking about the old days, and some of those feelings came back.

“Eun-young.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you happy to have me around?”

“…I would appreciate it if you would go crazy quietly, Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

“…Okay.”

Kang Eun-young makes a face and heads to her room, and Kang Jin-ho chuckles.

Kang Eun-young might not know, but Kang Jin-ho is happy to see Kang Eun-young. At least compared to his first life.

Kang Eun-young seems a hundred times happier.

Of course, it’s not just Kang Eun-young.

‘I also became incomparably happier than in the past.’

Kang Jin-ho leans back on the sofa. Yes.

He became happy.

But…

What if he really is Cheonma [Heavenly Demon]?

What kind of life has he lived so far?

He was more curious about that than ‘why he is alive in this era.’

Just like Kang Jin-ho became happier than in the past, is he living a better life than in the past?

There are many questions, but all those questions will not be answered until he meets him directly.

Kang Jin-ho rubs his face slightly and opens his mouth listlessly.

“Don’t make me wait too long.”

Because I can’t hold back any longer either.

Kang Jin-ho grabs his cigarettes and lighter and walks out of the house.

It seems like it will be hard to fall asleep easily today.