Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1024

“Think about it.”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice wasn’t loud, but to the groaning demonic flames, it sounded as clear as thunder.

“Does thrashing around change anything just because the situation isn’t favorable?”

“Power isn’t about releasing it; it’s about gathering it. A predator doesn’t roar when hunting. It holds its breath and waits for the chance to strike. Charging in with your eyes wide open against a stronger opponent is just asking to be killed.”

Lee Myung-hwan slammed his head on the floor.

It was true.

But they were too exhausted for that truth to sink in properly.

“The idea that things will get better if you try is a pipe dream. If a Go player [a strategic board game] only does strength training from morning till night, can that be called effort? In the end, the important thing is the direction. Don’t just try hard. How you try is also important.”

Kang Jin-ho looked around at everyone and nodded.

“That’s it for today. We’ll do it again tomorrow.”

“…You… worked hard.”

“Thank… you.”

Even in their pain, they managed to reply somehow.

Kang Jin-ho looked over the demonic flames who still couldn’t get up, then turned around.

‘They’ve passed one stage.’

Humans are troublesome beings.

No matter how strong their will, they can’t repeat the same routine like machines. Even if they set a clear goal and try hard, as time passes, their lives inevitably become lax.

The problem is that they can’t properly recognize that situation themselves.

By the time they realize they’ve become lazy, the situation is already serious. Most don’t even realize they’re becoming lazy.

Ironically, the more they get rewarded for their efforts and know they’ve done their best, the less passionate they become about trying.

‘I’ve worked this hard, so it’s okay to rest a little.’ Effort can’t last forever anyway, so you need to take proper breaks in between.

Of course, that’s true.

But people don’t stop there. The rest periods get longer day by day, and the rest goes beyond the level of rest.

So, you need a process to tighten the loose spirit from time to time.

Squeeze.

Kang Jin-ho quietly clenched his fist.

‘They’re doing better than I thought.’

The impact on his fist was definitely there. If he had hit them with this much force a month ago, the demonic flames would have been a bloody mess. But now, they were enduring this level of attack with their bodies.

It meant that the demonic energy had firmly taken root and was protecting their bodies.

A smile spread across Kang Jin-ho’s face.

At this rate of growth, they would soon catch up to the demonic flames of the past. At the same time, Kang Jin-ho’s range of action would also increase significantly.

If only that could happen…

Lost in thought, Kang Jin-ho was about to head down the mountain when he looked up. Two people were standing in front of him.

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-soo and Lee Hyun-joo were staring at Kang Jin-ho with pale faces.

They must have been shocked by the sight of him mercilessly beating the demonic flames.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Uh, well.”

Lee Hyun-soo stammered.

“Well…”

When Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t continue, Lee Hyun-joo poked him in the side. Urged on, Lee Hyun-soo wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled awkwardly.

“The weather is really nice, isn’t it, Chairman?”

“We, we need to have a meeting. We’ve received a good proposal.”

“A good proposal?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes filled with question.

Clunk.

Kang Jin-ho put down his coffee cup and tilted his head.

“New employee training?”

“…Yes.”

“New employees?”

“…Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho’s head tilted to the side.

Lee Hyun-soo’s heart was also tilting as he watched him.

“Do we have new employees?”

“No, we don’t.”

“Then why new employee training?”

“Our employees aren’t that different from new employees. They don’t have the basics.”

Lee Hyun-joo chimed in.

“There will be a lot of things to do to run the company in the future. We’ve decided that it’s too much to continue like this. Training for the office workers is essential.”

“Can’t we just hire new ones?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-joo as if he didn’t understand.

“If we complete the incorporation and establish a new company, we’ll need additional personnel to work there, and we can just leave the people here as they are and hire new employees there, right?”

“There are many difficult aspects. First of all, the fact that we have to deal with things that shouldn’t be exposed is a very sensitive issue.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded. It was true that the General Assembly was involved in too many illegal activities. The funds were being laundered, but there were too many illegal funds.

They couldn’t entrust such areas to new employees.

“Then shouldn’t we just do it? Is there a problem?”

“W-well, that’s…”

Lee Hyun-soo was sweating profusely. Kang Jin-ho chuckled at the sight. It was the first time he had seen Lee Hyun-soo this flustered.

Even when he faced Kang Jin-ho as the second-in-command of the Yeongnam Assembly in the past, he didn’t seem this nervous…

“C-Chairman Hwang Jung-hoo…”

“The Chairman?”

“He wants you to participate in the new employee training too, Chairman.”

Kang Jin-ho’s head tilted to the side again.

“New employee training?”

Seeing the same situation repeat, Lee Hyun-soo wiped away tears.

After finishing all the explanations, Lee Hyun-soo anxiously waited for Kang Jin-ho’s reaction, feeling like a student waiting for their college entrance exam results.

‘Just you wait, Cho Gyu-min.’

Regardless of the outcome, the fact that he was in this situation was terrible for Lee Hyun-soo.

Kang Jin-ho silently took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

“The Chairman?”

“…Yes.”

“Haha.”

Kang Jin-ho laughed as if it was amusing.

Kang Jin-ho knew that Hwang Jung-hoo had tried to get him to work several times. Cho Gyu-min had also complained about it several times.

He had managed to slip away each time, but it seemed he still hadn’t given up.

“…It seems like a decent proposal.”

Kang Jin-ho put the cigarette in his mouth with a strange look on his face.

‘New employee training, huh?’

It felt strange.

He wouldn’t have felt this way before. Living as a company employee was definitely part of Kang Jin-ho’s life path. But now, Kang Jin-ho had completely decided on the direction of his life.

He had given up on a normal life.

The life of going to college and getting a job like everyone else was completely excluded from his mind. But now, he was going to take new employee training again?

Kang Jin-ho chuckled quietly.

‘Life doesn’t go as planned.’

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a strange look in his eyes.

“What do you think?”

“…It’s true that we proposed it first.”

To be precise, it was more of a request than a proposal. But in this situation, the exact choice of words wasn’t important.

“But that doesn’t mean we have to accept this proposal.”

“Why?”

“Chairman, your situation aside…”

“Leave my situation out of it.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Even without considering your pride, this is a proposal that shouldn’t be accepted. The reason is very simple. The time you would have to spend taking the training isn’t worth the cost.”

“Didn’t you say training was necessary?”

“It’s not a big part compared to the time you would waste, Chairman.”

Kang Jin-ho turned to Lee Hyun-joo.

Lee Hyun-joo, receiving his gaze, cleared her throat and opened her mouth.

“With all due respect, training is absolutely necessary.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled lightly and looked at Lee Hyun-joo. It was a prompt to continue.

“What Mr. Lee said is correct. It’s important to train the employees, but considering the time you would waste, Chairman, it’s a loss.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly waited for Lee Hyun-joo to continue. After a slight pause, Lee Hyun-joo nodded and continued.

“For now.”

“Long-term?”

“Currently, the General Assembly relies too much on its executives. Whether it’s in terms of force or work, they can’t do anything without a small number of executives.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded. This was something he was aware of as well.

“I think that you training the personal guards by spending your time is also part of that. In my humble opinion…”

“That’s right.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“So, continue.”

“Yes. When my grandfather ran the General Assembly, the imbalance wasn’t this severe. But now, the General Assembly is too imbalanced. I think the biggest victims of that are you and Mr. Lee.”

“Hmm.”

“The problem is that these two shouldn’t be dealing with current issues, but should be working on the long-term development of the General Assembly. If they’re constantly dealing with immediate issues, they won’t be able to do bigger things.”

Kang Jin-ho turned to Lee Hyun-soo.

Lee Hyun-soo awkwardly avoided Kang Jin-ho’s gaze. It was awkward to have his face praised right in front of him.

“It’s a shame to waste your time, Chairman, but if it allows Mr. Lee to be a little more free, I think it will bring more benefits than that.”

Ugh.

Kang Jin-ho nodded silently.

It was true that there was a lot to do. The General Assembly was at a very important time, and there were many things he had to oversee. It wasn’t pleasant to waste this important time on such things, but…

‘There’s some truth to it.’

In the past, Lee Hyun-soo was someone who had even pushed Kang Jin-ho into a crisis. Aside from the battle with Hong Wang, the biggest crisis he had faced since returning to the present world had come from Lee Hyun-soo.

But recently, Lee Hyun-soo seemed to be busy cleaning up after the General Assembly. This was something Kang Jin-ho didn’t want either.

So?

“If I take on this task, does that mean Lee will be more comfortable?”

“It will be more difficult for the employees to be absent for a while, but once the training is over, it will be easier.”

“Hmmmm…”

Kang Jin-ho smiled strangely and looked at Lee Hyun-soo intently, causing Lee Hyun-soo to sweat profusely.

“And it will definitely be helpful to you, Chairman. After all, you’re the one who will lead the General Assembly. Knowing the general format of the work is a big advantage.”

Lee Hyun-joo bowed her head.

“That’s all I have to say.”

Kang Jin-ho leaned back on the sofa.

“Mr. Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes! Chairman.”

“What should we do?”

Kang Jin-ho smiled and looked at Lee Hyun-soo. Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes twitched at the sly look.

“You don’t have to go…”

“I’m going, though?”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho got up.

“If it helps Mr. Lee, I can’t not go.”

“N-no, please don’t go! I’m fine as I am! How much more are you going to use me after doing this one thing!”

“It’s okay. It’s okay. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Please don’t go! I’ll just live like this! Please!”

“Manager Lee Hyun-joo, proceed.”

“Yes! Chairman.”

“I said don’t do ittttttttt!”

And so, with Lee Hyun-soo’s desperate screams, Kang Jin-ho’s entry into the business world was decided.