Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1080

‘I hate to admit it, but I’m a mess,’ Wiggins said calmly.

‘I’ve learned too much. I learned swordsmanship, and I learned magic. Once, that gave me a foundation to get ahead of others, but now it’s just a hindrance.’

The listeners all nodded.

A person who can do two things is more useful than a person who can do one.

But that’s only when they have equal abilities.

Compared to one thing with a proficiency of 100, two things with a proficiency of 100 are definitely superior.

But what if it’s two things with a proficiency of 80 against one thing with a proficiency of 100?

It feels different from the beginning.

The advantage of learning two things is only meaningful when you keep pace with someone who has learned one thing.

If you master both swordsmanship and magic perfectly, you are superior to someone who has mastered swordsmanship. But walking the path of two martial arts, where the end is not visible even if you dig into one, is like enduring several times the training of others.

It might be possible at first.

Wiggins is also a genius.

He has a talent that others cannot dare to follow. But if he is human, he will inevitably hit a wall someday. Even overcoming one wall consumes a person’s mental strength to the limit, and they even experience inner demons. That’s what martial arts are.

But mastering two martial arts and overcoming walls at the same time?

That’s not something a human should do.

Wiggins, of course, knows this fact.

Most geniuses are like that. Before calculating and understanding with their heads, they instinctively know first. That it is impossible for him to overcome this wall as he is now.

A dullard who has crawled up from the bottom doesn’t know. For a dullard, a wall is always an unpredictable existence. They don’t know if they can overcome it or not. So they always have to throw themselves at it with all their might.

But not for Wiggins.

He knows. He even understands what cannot be calculated. He understands what cannot be explained by logic with just his senses.

That’s why he knew. That the wall he faced could not be broken through with his efforts alone.

‘There is only one choice for a person who has seen an insurmountable wall.’

‘Did you stop?’

‘No. I’m going back.’

Wiggins smiled.

‘Even if it’s martial arts, it’s just one of the many conditions that can raise a human’s level. In that sense, my goal may be a little different from the Lord’s. The Lord put everything on the strength of martial arts, but I wanted to become stronger as a human.’

Wiggins smiled bitterly and continued.

‘Before, I learned many things that I used to treat as *japgi* [miscellaneous skills]. If I couldn’t go all the way in one field, I thought I could become stronger by learning many things in various fields.’

But that way, he couldn’t do anything.

That’s where he arrived.

He could be called a jack-of-all-trades and the most helpful person, but he couldn’t become a real force.

‘It’s subtle.’

Wiggins laughed.

His position in the General Assembly is very subtle. He can take a position after Bator and Jang Min, but he is not considered a powerful force like Bator or Jang Min.

Then is he better than Bang Jin-hoon?

Until recently, he was.

But not anymore. He still has pride that he is stronger than Bang Jin-hoon, but Bang Jin-hoon is getting stronger even at this moment. Soon, there will come a moment when his strength cannot handle Bang Jin-hoon’s strength.

It’s like a runner who has injured his leg during a race and is waiting for someone running fast from behind to overtake him.

It’s not just Bang Jin-hoon.

Soon, there will be those among the Flame Demons who will overtake him. It’s a pleasure to watch their development. But it’s a different feeling when that development overtakes you.

Wiggins was not a good-natured person who could be happy and laugh that those he had taught had surpassed him. If others develop, he must also develop. He can only be genuinely happy about the growth of others when he is also developing while maintaining the gap.

It’s a petty thought, but that was Wiggins’ honest feeling.

That’s why he asks.

Can you help me overcome this wall?

And now it was time to wait for Kang Jin-ho’s answer.

Kang Jin-ho stared at Wiggins for a moment before opening his mouth.

‘Do you want me to do that?’

‘……Of course, Lord.’

‘No matter what happens?’

‘If it were a while ago… my answer might have been different.’

He wanted to become stronger.

But he didn’t think it mattered much even if he didn’t get stronger. What he wanted was not the strength of force, but the strength of an individual. If he could wield a place bigger than the Round Table, he would also be stronger than in the past.

He wasn’t deceiving himself.

He really thought so.

But recently, he could no longer be satisfied with just that.

‘I can see those who are pushing forward.’

Bator has become stronger.

It might be a little strange to say this to someone who was beaten by Kang Jin-ho in a mess, but Bator is really getting incredibly stronger.

However, Bator is okay. He was originally stronger than Wiggins. He is a slightly different kind of person. Putting everything on martial arts and just going forward consistently… It’s something he can’t do.

The humans who do that without any problem eventually reach the top.

Like Bator, like Kang Jin-ho.

What caught his eye was rather Bang Jin-hoon.

‘I can’t say it.’

That he feels inferior to Bang Jin-hoon.

‘It’s strange.’

There’s no reason to feel inferior.

Objectively, he is superior to Bang Jin-hoon in every way. Intelligence, ability, martial power, and even in minor aspects such as wealth and appearance, he would not be inferior to Bang Jin-hoon.

If it’s the power to attract people, he might be a little behind Bang Jin-hoon. But that’s because this is the East. In the West, he would be far ahead, not behind.

That’s why it becomes a knife held to his throat.

The feeling that someone you thought would never fall behind is slowly approaching. The anxiety when you turn your head thinking they’ll just stay there, and then turn back to see them much closer than you thought.

He doesn’t want to be overtaken.

It’s like a child’s tantrum, but what’s pushing Wiggins now is that pure tantrum.

‘Can I ask you one thing before that?’

‘Ask.’

‘Is it appropriate for a martial artist to be stubborn with just the feeling of not wanting to lose?’

The others didn’t seem to understand this question.

Then what about Kang Jin-ho?

Kang Jin-ho’s head tilts.

As expected, this is not something that suits Kang Jin-ho……

‘I don’t understand?’

‘Then it’s okay…’

‘Aren’t martial artists all like that?’

‘••••••Yes?’

Wiggins raised his head and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

‘If you’re not going to be stubborn, it would be much more profitable to get a job at a company. If you wanted to, you could easily get a position as an executive at a major corporation, right? Or you could start your own company.’

That’s right.

That’s definitely true.

‘Isn’t it because they can’t think rationally that they’re doing this? Everyone is probably the same.’

‘Is that an answer?’

Wiggins smiled.

‘It’s enough, Lord. Please make me stronger. If there’s anything I need to do, I’ll do anything. If I can overcome this wall and become stronger, I’ll even chew on earthworms.’

Kang Jin-ho looked at him with a blank face.

‘Your determination is good, but the direction is wrong.’

‘Yes?’

‘You’re talking nonsense. There’s no such thing as a way to get stronger.’

‘No, it’s the opposite. Everyone knows the way. It’s just that they don’t want to do it. If you’re lacking, fill it, and if it’s too much, throw it away. And then move forward. That’s all.’

Wiggins trembled slightly.

Bator received what he lacked from Kang Jin-ho. That thing called inner strength. Thanks to that, Bator became stronger.

Then what about Wiggins?

‘Are you saying I should throw it away?’

‘You know it.’

‘One thing…’

Wiggins’ hand trembled.

What he is holding now are the things that have supported his entire life. But what can he throw away?

‘Lord, I…’

‘The weak cannot choose.’

‘You know what you have to throw away first.’

Wiggins’ mouth opened and closed.

What to throw away?

Sword, magic? Or…?

No, it’s nothing. What he has to throw away first is…

‘……It’s my pride.’

Wiggins lowered his head.

‘You didn’t hit a wall.’

Wiggins raised his head sharply.

‘You can overcome that kind of wall. It’s just that you couldn’t overcome it alone.’

Wiggins’ face contorted slightly.

‘If I can’t solve it alone, it’s not my strength. This path is not easy enough to climb with such a half-baked thought. If you want to become stronger, you must not hesitate to throw yourself into the mud and lick the filth.’

Wiggins sat down on the spot.

Then he stared at the floor with a blank face.

It was a scene that ordinary people would not understand. But those who were watching the scene here seemed to know what Wiggins was going through.

‘……Is it okay to do that with just a few words?’

Bang Jin-hoon mumbled with a very dissatisfied face. Even Bator, who would have scolded Bang Jin-hoon in normal times, agreed with a frustrated face.

‘I couldn’t break through even after getting beaten to death.’

‘That’s your fault, Director.’

‘What, you punk?’

Bator, who had raised his fist, sighed and lowered his fist.

‘I don’t like it…’

Wiggins is now surpassing himself.

Hwadu [a key phrase or question used in Zen Buddhism to provoke enlightenment].

In Buddhism, *hwadu* refers to the key to reaching a clue. Reaching a clue may sound like nothing, but grasping a clue means that if you try, you will eventually reach a solution.

To get stronger at that level is like dropping a person in the middle of the desert with their eyes covered. Just knowing which way to go is half the battle.

‘It’s an unpleasant feeling.’

‘I want to interfere…’

Even Jang Min, who had been watching indifferently, was slightly annoyed.

‘If it wasn’t for what the Demon Lord did, I would have blown him away.’

And Lee Hyun-soo was watching the scene with a pleased look.

‘You won’t find a place like this anywhere in the world.’

Where else would you find a place where people are so openly jealous of their colleagues’ achievements?

It’s a place that’s tearfully honest and tearfully evil.

What was certain was that Wiggins would take a step forward with this.

And what was left was…

‘Come out.’

When Kang Jin-ho turned his head, Bator and Jang Min took a step to the side. Bang Jin-hoon’s face, who was left alone in the middle, turned dark.