Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1039

“S-Save me!”

A hand gripped the back of his neck.

The force of that grip made Lee Myung-hwan feel utterly defeated. The moment the hand touched his neck, he knew there was no way he could escape, no matter how hard he struggled.

“You bastards!”

Lee Myung-hwan turned around, despair evident in his eyes.

A beast.

Or a monster.

That was the only way he could describe the person glaring at him with burning eyes.

“You weakling!”

No!

It’s not that I’m weak, it’s that you’re too strong!

But if he said what he was thinking, he’d be eating through a straw for the rest of his life.

“B-Bator-nim! It’s not like that!”

“Words are unnecessary!”

Bator lifted Lee Myung-hwan and slammed him to the ground.

“Crack!”

The moment he hit the floor, a pain that felt like his insides were about to burst shook Lee Myung-hwan.

Bator glanced down at the convulsing Lee Myung-hwan and growled as he looked around.

“How dare you slack off just because the master is away for a moment!”

‘That’s not it!’

‘We’ve been working our asses off until just now, and we just took a short break!’

‘Who the hell trains 24 hours a day!’

There were so many excuses he could make, but none of them would be considered valid.

No matter how valid their reasons were, if Bator heard them as excuses, they were just excuses.

“What do you think is the reason the master could leave his post?”

“It’s because he trusts you.”

The Flame Demons looked at Bator with subtle expressions.

“If it were the old you, the master wouldn’t have been able to leave you and focus on other things. He was able to leave because he believed you would train well on your own. But you’re betraying the master’s trust like this…”

“U-Um… B-Bator-nim.”

Lee Myung-hwan opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

“What is it?”

“The master… is coming back for dinner…”

“Huh?”

“He said he’s coming back for dinner.”

Bator’s face twisted strangely.

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“To check our training.”

Bator’s eyes darted left and right.

It was obvious he was thinking hard.

“Ahem, the master!”

“The master is coming to check on us himself! And you’re training like this!”

‘Wow, what logic.’

‘Either way, it’s my fault.’

‘If that’s the case, why even give a reason? Just say you’re beating me because you don’t like it!’

Bator, realizing the atmosphere had become a bit awkward, straightened his back.

His muscles naturally rippled.

“What?”

“…Nothing!”

“We’ll work hard!”

The Flame Demons, realizing that it was much better when Bator at least tried to make some kind of logic when he beat them, shouted at the top of their lungs.

Why would Bator even need logic in the first place?

His muscles were the logic.

“Listen.”

Bator’s voice softened slightly.

At his serious tone, the Flame Demons dropped their complaints and playfulness and listened attentively.

“I know that you feel I’m pushing you too hard.”

“That’s not true!”

“We’re just grateful!”

Bator glared.

“…If you lie, you’ll get hit.”

“A little bit, yes.”

“Slightly, just a little.”

Bator chuckled.

“I understand your complaints. But the reason I’m pushing you this hard is very simple. Martial arts is ultimately a game where the persistent one wins.”

“You guys have become too strong in a short amount of time.”

Bator’s voice was a little different from usual.

“The world is fair, and there is always a reaction to everything. Becoming strong in a short amount of time is a good thing, but it comes with two drawbacks. One is that your foundation will inevitably be weak, and the other is that, being human, you will inevitably become arrogant.”

The first point was understandable.

The short time they had become strong meant that the time they had trained was short. Even if they were at the same level of strength, those who had trained for a shorter period would naturally have a weaker foundation.

But the second point didn’t make sense.

‘Arrogance?’

Lee Myung-hwan pouted.

‘Arrogance, my ass.’

Of course, he understood what Bator meant by saying that. Those who suddenly become rich tend to become arrogant, and those who become strong in a short amount of time tend to be proud of their strength.

But that didn’t apply to the Flame Demons.

They saw Kang Jin-ho, Bator, and Wiggins every day at work, so how could they be arrogant?

Wasn’t the General Assembly full of people who could snap their necks with a single strike?

Even Jang Min, whom they didn’t think much of, had recently shown martial prowess reminiscent of Kang Jin-ho, and even Bang Jin-hoon, whom they thought was the easiest to deal with, had recently opened a new realm and was rapidly advancing.

So how could they be arrogant?

“You don’t think so, do you?”

“…Honestly, yes. With the master and Bator-nim here, how could we be arrogant…”

“Can’t you see that the very fact that you’re comparing yourselves to chicks is arrogance?”

Lee Myung-hwan shut his mouth.

Bator clicked his tongue and said,

“Humans aren’t as great as you think. It’s hard for those with ability and talent not to be arrogant. I don’t want to admit it, but you guys are now among those with ability.”

The Flame Demons’ faces softened a little.

Bator had never praised them before. This was the first time praise had come from Bator’s mouth.

“But the moment you fall into arrogance and neglect your training, you’ll be devoured by those who are chasing at your heels.”

Lee Myung-hwan’s face hardened.

He knew very well who those chasing at their heels were.

‘Gong Young-gil.’

The performance of Bator’s disciples in the battle against the Round Table was shocking.

They thought the gap between them was already huge, but they were catching up to the Flame Demons in a short amount of time.

‘Come to think of it…’

It wasn’t that strange.

They were acting like they were special because they were chosen by Kang Jin-ho, but the Flame Demons weren’t chosen by Kang Jin-ho because they had great talent. They were simply recognized for their desire to become stronger, even if it meant risking death.

In terms of talent for martial arts, they were no better than others.

No, to be honest, they might even be below average. Those who have talent and steadily become stronger don’t crave strength as desperately as the Flame Demons do.

But if those people had that desperation, the gap could be closed in an instant.

“It’s not easy to chase after grown men and nag them to train. I can lead you to the water, but it’s up to you to drink it.”

Bator shook his head and turned around.

“Then, shall we go guide those who haven’t fallen into arrogance?”

With those words, Bator left the training ground without any regrets. Lee Myung-hwan, who had been watching his back for a while, sighed and got up from his seat.

“Let’s train.”

“…Yeah, we should.”

Lee Myung-hwan gritted his teeth.

‘I know he’s saying that to piss me off…’

Knowing the other person’s intentions doesn’t mean you can’t be swayed by them.

Just because someone wants you to get angry and curses at you, doesn’t mean you won’t get angry when you hear the curses.

It was obvious that he was trying to provoke them by mentioning Gong Young-gil, but the problem was that the Flame Demons were actually feeling a sense of crisis.

It was a clear fact that the Flame Demons had been pushed out of the front lines during this Round Table expedition, and it was undeniable that Kang Jin-ho was now paying attention to the office workers instead of them.

“Damn it.”

Lee Myung-hwan felt a sense of irony.

It was a good thing that everyone was training hard and getting stronger. All that effort would make the General Assembly stronger. But right now, Lee Myung-hwan was feeling a sense of crisis at the fact that others were training hard and getting stronger.

‘Did I want to monopolize even that tiny bit of power?’

The subtle sense of superiority he felt from being the first to become strong and receiving Kang Jin-ho’s favor. Lee Myung-hwan had to admit that he had been intoxicated by that sense of superiority.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think we’re being a bit petty?”

“…Can’t deny it.”

“Right?”

It seemed like the others were feeling the same way.

They felt a sense of crisis at the fact that the other young martial artists of the General Assembly were getting stronger. That fact made them feel incredibly small.

“But what’s wrong with that?”

Lee Myung-hwan said, grinding his teeth.

“So what if we’re a bit petty? I have no intention of giving up. I’ll be damned if I let those bastards get ahead of us.”

“That’s right.”

“Of course!”

“I heard Bator-nim is teaching them demonic arts too.”

“…Really?”

“At this rate, we’ll really end up like dogs chasing chickens. We have to work our asses off.”

A sense of crisis filled everyone’s eyes.

They knew the power of demonic arts better than anyone. If Bator’s external martial arts were combined with demonic arts, it would unleash unimaginable power.

And the people Bang Jin-hoon was teaching were not to be underestimated either. They had continuity. The fact that they were learning higher-level martial arts while continuing to learn what they had been learning their whole lives was an advantage that they didn’t have.

“We’re not kids, how long are we going to wait for someone to kick our asses to get us moving? It’s time for us to do it ourselves. It’s a fact that we slacked off after the master’s nagging, isn’t it?”

“…That’s true.”

“Let’s get serious, let’s get serious. Even if we’re called petty and small-minded, I’ll be damned if I lose to those bastards.”

“We feel the same way!”

The Flame Demons’ eyes blazed as they began to emit demonic energy.

“Start training!”

Bator, feeling the demonic energy from afar, curled up the corners of his mouth.

‘Simpletons.’

Well, even if they knew, there was nothing they could do. Using human competitiveness was an old classic and a textbook method. Why is a textbook method a textbook method? Because you can’t help but fall for it even if you know it.

Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t understand this feeling.

Kang Jin-ho wasn’t the type to feel competitive when someone was ahead of him. For him, strength wasn’t a means to achieve something, but rather a goal to be pursued.

It would be hard for him to understand that strength could be just a means for others.

That’s why Bator had to step in.

‘A good structure is being created.’

Humans grow through competition.

It would be a good stimulus for the Flame Demons, who had only known how to follow the strong, to have rivals.

‘The master should now focus on external activities.’

Then there had to be someone to manage the internal affairs. In Bator’s opinion, that should be Bator himself, Wiggins, and Lee Hyun-soo.

“Now then, shall we go roll some more lazy bastards?”

Even though Kang Jin-ho was away, the General Assembly was steadily developing.