Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1125

The foundation of any relationship is trust. It’s the belief that the person in front of you won’t act irrationally. When that belief is shattered, people tend to sever the connection.

That’s just how relationships work.

There’s no point in maintaining a relationship if you’re constantly stressed by the other person’s unpredictable behavior. Ultimately, all relationships prioritize one’s own well-being.

But what if we take it a step further?

What if, even when the other person acts irrationally and causes stress, you steadfastly continue the relationship? The world calls those in such relationships ‘friends.’

“So…”

Joo Young-gi tapped the pizza box he’d brought.

“You’re telling me you’re going to play games for two straight nights?”

“Here?”

Joo Young-gi slowly turned his head.

It is comfortable.

Well, it would be comfortable. That’s how PC [Personal Computer] rooms are these days. They even have a separate smoking room.

The problem is that this is a PC room!

“Brothers.”

Joo Young-gi put a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Is this something grown men should be doing, holding hands and spending two nights in a PC room? Doesn’t it break your heart to think of your parents at home, hoping for your success?”

“We got permission.”

“Don’t I have parents?”

“Y-Young-min, I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention! I… damn it! My mouth!”

“C-calm down.”

Joo Young-gi, who had unintentionally dropped a fiery insult, was shaking so hard the pizza box almost flipped over.

“I’m sorry! I haven’t been thinking about that lately!”

“Calm down. You’re making me more uncomfortable.”

Park Yu-min calmed the horrified Joo Young-gi. Joo Young-gi took a few deep breaths and regained his composure.

“Anyway, what’s with this sudden behavior?”

“I’m going to play some games with Jin-ho.”

“You have a practice room.”

“It’s distracting when other people are there. It’s just more comfortable at a PC room.”

Joo Young-gi narrowed his eyes.

‘What a weird preference.’

With Kang Jin-ho’s financial resources, he could rent a hotel room and set it up as a PC room in real-time if he wanted to. But it doesn’t make sense that he would choose to play games in a PC room where other people come and go.

No, putting that aside.

“What kind of game do you play all night! You guys are adults now!”

“What’s wrong with an adult playing games? I’m a pro gamer.”

Joo Young-gi, speechless, flinched.

Come to think of it, what’s wrong with a pro gamer playing games all night?

Joo Young-gi looked away from Park Yu-min and stared at Kang Jin-ho.

“Why?”

“You, you are.”

“I am.”

Kang Jin-ho said confidently.

“Since I was discharged from the military, I haven’t had any hobbies. I worked hard in the military, and I’ve been working for about three years.”

“Is two days a problem?”

“Hah, let’s do it.”

Joo Young-gi sank.

Seeing Joo Young-gi like that, Park Yu-min chuckled.

“Don’t say it like that. Even now, if you go to a park, old men are playing chess and Go [a strategic board game].”

“So what?”

“When they first started playing chess, they probably got criticized for playing around.”

“…Huh?”

“Playing games isn’t just a temporary thing from childhood. We’ll probably still be playing games when we get older.”

That seems to be the case.

Joo Young-gi tilted his head, looking confused.

“Well, let’s say I understand that.”

Joo Young-gi’s face became a little serious.

“Isn’t your final match next week? But you’re playing with Jin-ho? Have you given up on the finals?”

“No!”

Park Yu-min said firmly.

“I’m playing games with Jin-ho because it’s the finals. I need it.”

“Hah…”

It doesn’t make sense to him.

“Playing games with him helps?”

“Yeah.”

“What is he?”

An ordinary person.

Joo Young-gi scratched his head.

Joo Young-gi knows very well that Kang Jin-ho excels in everything he does. The Kang Jin-ho he saw in the military was so amazing that he felt like he was a different kind of person.

But that’s from the perspective of ordinary people.

Why is a pro a pro?

It’s because they are the ones who have been filtered and risen to the top, showing an incredible level of skill in one field that ordinary people would be amazed by.

Even if you become a pro, it’s not the end. In most pro leagues, only the first team shines.

To become that first team, those who were once called geniuses are now living a machine-like life in the second team and as trainees, isn’t that obvious?

The world of pros is a place where being good at the level of an ordinary person is meaningless.

Moreover, Park Yu-min is a shining star among those pros. If we compare them as humans, even if Kang Jin-ho is not inferior to Park Yu-min, in this world, Kang Jin-ho is like a speck of dust.

But he’s practicing with Kang Jin-ho?

“Yu-min, I don’t want to say this, but honestly, you don’t seem to be in your right mind right now.”

“I understand.”

“That’s not the face of someone who understands, you idiot!”

Park Yu-min smiled bitterly.

Joo Young-gi’s reaction is not strange.

Even if the team members or the coach saw what Park Yu-min is doing now, they would react the same way. It’s true that what Park Yu-min is trying to do now is outside the realm of common sense.

Logically, it would be better to rest or play games with the team members at this time. But Park Yu-min was confident in his choice.

‘What I need now is not that.’

What Park Yu-min needs now is stimulation. And aggression.

How much can a play style change in two days?

That’s how pros are.

It takes days to adjust a pitching form by 1mm, and changing a shooting form can ruin a season in the pro world. The practice that has been built up step by step sometimes becomes an obstacle that makes change difficult.

It’s almost impossible to change yourself in two days. But Park Yu-min was determined to do it.

It might be difficult if he tries to change himself, but right next to him is Kang Jin-ho, whose presence alone can overshadow even pros, and if he can actively imitate and accept that…

“It’s something I have to do.”

“…Ugh.”

Joo Young-gi sighed and stepped back. Park Yu-min pursed his lips.

‘Thank you.’

Joo Young-gi wasn’t just nitpicking. Joo Young-gi is desperately worried about Park Yu-min right now.

That’s why he rushed all the way here with pizza, without even being told, after hearing that the two of them had gone to a PC room, right?

Joo Young-gi is worried that Park Yu-min, who is about to have a final match, won’t be able to practice properly.

‘Really…’

Strangely, his heart warmed.

He hadn’t realized it while being in a world of grades and competition, but he has friends like these.

And judging by their reactions, it seems that they were all watching his matches, even if they didn’t say it.

Park Yu-min slightly curled up the corners of his mouth.

‘I feel energized.’

He’s been feeling recently how important it is to have people who watch over and support you.

‘I also feel sorry.’

In fact, Park Yu-min was looking for the cause of his slump elsewhere.

And the cause of the slump that Park Yu-min was thinking of was something that he couldn’t help.

That’s why he had half given up, but he managed to seize an opportunity in such an unexpected place.

‘So I feel even more sorry.’

And embarrassed.

“Anyway, if you say it helps… it must help. What do I know? You know more about games than I do.”

Joo Young-gi frowned at Kang Jin-ho.

“Don’t slack off and do your best to help, you jerk!”

“Have you ever seen me slack off?”

“I’ve seen it so much that I don’t even know where to start. You were supposed to come and help in the kitchen once in a while!”

“You were also supposed to help develop new menus! And you were supposed to make sure the taste doesn’t change in between!”

Kang Jin-ho became speechless and shut his mouth tightly.

He had nothing to say, even if he had ten mouths.

“If you’re a partner, you have to do your part! What are you, a stock investor? Just sitting there and getting dividends?”

“Sorry.”

Cold sweat ran down Kang Jin-ho’s spine.

He regretted saying anything, as he was about to lose more than he gained.

“Do a good job.”

“Yes!”

Kang Jin-ho cautiously asked.

“But the pizza is going to get cold, can we eat before we start?”

“Shut up. Eat after you play the game.”

“Uh… I’m hungry too.”

“Yu-min, you can eat. Here, I brought pickles and sauce too.”

It seemed that Kang Jin-ho was not only being treated poorly at home.

‘Games, huh? It’s been a while.’

There was a time when Kang Jin-ho also had games as a hobby. Back when he was in school, he would spend his time playing games when he came home.

Was it because games were fun?

Of course, there was that too.

For Kang Jin-ho, who couldn’t find any entertainment in the Central Plains [a historical region in China], games were a form of play that he enjoyed for the first time in nearly a century.

But as time passed, he gradually drifted away from games. It wasn’t so much that he lost interest, but rather that he lost the time to play games leisurely.

“Did you log in?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded, looking at the main screen.

It felt strange to see the game screen after a long time.

‘Why was I so into this that I used to play games all day?’

After all, the virtual world is virtual.

And games are just games.

‘I feel a little sorry.’

Park Yu-min seemed to be expecting something from him, but perhaps Kang Jin-ho might not be able to meet Park Yu-min’s expectations.

Because he doesn’t have the same passion as before.

“Let’s just start with a basic game.”

Kang Jin-ho logged into the game with a slightly indifferent gaze.

After the match was made and he entered the game smoothly, Kang Jin-ho started playing the game with a blank face.

‘A character moving in graphics.’

He kills enemies by using the character that moves according to the mouse clicks. This simple rule must be what makes it fun.

Well… even though he’s lost interest now, he’s still helping Park Yu-min, so he’ll do his best…

“Huh? You died.”

A mistake. It was a mistake.

Now, let’s focus…

“Huh? You died again.”

Less than a minute after respawning, the gray screen appeared again. The moment he saw his character lying sprawled on the ground, a corner of his heart felt a pang.

It seems his skills have deteriorated since it’s been a while.

But it’s okay. Well, of course, it’s okay. This round is just for practice.

“Hey, are you dying again?”

Kang Jin-ho’s face went blank.

He’s already died three times in less than five minutes since he started. At this point, recovery is impossible.

“J-Jin-ho, stay calm.”

“Yeah, it’s okay.”

Park Yu-min’s reaction is amusing.

Games.

You can be good at games, and you can be bad at them. It’s natural to lose your touch if you’ve been away for a while.

So it’s okay to lose. Isn’t it stranger to get upset just because your game character died a few times?

“Hey, what is that guy saying to you?”

“Huh?”

At Joo Young-gi’s words, Kang Jin-ho’s gaze turned to the chat window.

-Hey, did you get boosted? Why is a noob like you playing here? It’s annoying to deal with you, so surrender quickly and go play where you belong.

Blood vessels popped in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes.

Unable to control the force in his hand, the mouse began to twist and creak.