Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1158

‘Huh?’

Seong Ju-chan blurted out before he could stop himself. He quickly clamped his mouth shut and lowered his head, feeling the sudden weight of everyone’s gaze on him.

‘Damn it.’

With so many people gathered, it was inevitable that speaking out would draw attention. The problem was, Seong Ju-chan was a typical Korean, not used to being the center of so many eyes.

‘I’m not sure what you mean.’

‘Hey, if you say that, what does that make me?’ Seong Ju-chan thought, looking at Kim Won-hyeok, who had answered instead, raising his head. Even with all the attention focused on him, Kim Won-hyeok seemed completely unfazed.

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled and then spoke, ‘It’s exactly what it sounds like. Anyone who wants to leave the Assembly can leave now.’

‘…Just like that?’

‘What else? Should I have you fill out a withdrawal form?’

The collective gaze shifted back to Bang Jin-hoon.

‘Is that really okay?’

‘Is there any reason why it wouldn’t be? The Assembly is a place where you’re free to leave whenever you want. If you want to quit, you can quit anytime.’

The Assembly doesn’t prevent members from leaving.

Instead, they have one condition.

Those who leave the Assembly must not use martial arts. If they are caught using martial arts, they will pay the price.

It sounds very scary, but if you just live a normal life like everyone else without using martial arts, you will never have to deal with the Assembly or the martial world again.

There have been some who left the Assembly and were punished for using martial arts, but most of them live normal lives without using martial arts.

‘But isn’t a war about to break out?’

‘That’s exactly why,’ Bang Jin-hoon said with a light laugh.

‘Among you, there are those who are here because they’re determined to walk the path of a martial artist, no matter what? Ah, there must be. There definitely must be. There will definitely be those who would rather die as a martial artist.’

But there are also those who are not like that.

‘But there are also those who became martial artists because their parents were martial artists, or because they happened to meet a master, or just because they ended up on this path. There must be some of you here who still don’t know what to do.’

Seong Ju-chan shut his mouth tightly.

It felt like Bang Jin-hoon was talking about him, making it awkward for him to raise his head.

‘I never chose the path of martial arts, I’m not sure if I want to live as a martial artist, and I just became a martial artist by chance, so I can’t just tell you to risk your life and fight in a war, can I? Right?’

No one readily answered.

But it seemed like Bang Jin-hoon didn’t really want an answer.

‘So, if you want to quit, quit now. I won’t be petty and tell you to risk your life just because you’ve received things from us.’

Seong Ju-chan couldn’t help but speak up again.

‘Why are you saying this now?’

‘Huh?’

‘…If you just didn’t say anything, wouldn’t we have to fight? Then, at least we would be of some help to the war effort, right? I don’t understand why you’re saying this when the war is right around the corner.’

‘Uh…’

Bang Jin-hoon scratched his head.

The reason was clear. But putting that reason into words wasn’t easy for Bang Jin-hoon. If it were Wiggins or Lee Hyun-soo, they would be able to speak fluently with jokes, but he didn’t have that talent.

So, he had no choice but to speak his mind sincerely.

‘I don’t like that.’

‘…Yes?’

‘Maybe it’s because I’m a bit twisted, but I think that at least the people who will shed blood together, cover each other’s backs, and fight together here should have some kind of awareness of what they’re doing? What do you call it? Anyway, that’s what I think. So, I don’t want to fight alongside someone who was forced to come here and is only thinking about running away.’

It was a rough way of speaking.

But the rougher it was, the clearer the meaning was.

‘You guys are the same, aren’t you? There must be some of you thinking that martial arts and all that is useless when you die, and that you’d be crazy to be dragged to the battlefield to fight.’

Seong Ju-chan lowered his head.

It felt like he was being talked about again.

It was true, wasn’t it?

It was true that he had received a lot from the Assembly. But that was because he had become a martial artist even though he didn’t want to. By the time he had come to his senses, he was already a martial artist. There was no way for him to choose a different path.

‘People like me who are worn out have no other choice, but you guys aren’t like that. You’re still at an age where you can do other things even if you’re not a martial artist. So, don’t just get swept away by those around you and think about going to the battlefield. Think about it seriously.’

Bang Jin-hoon looked around at everyone and nodded.

‘I won’t give you much time. Anyone who wants to quit, come to my office by nine o’clock tonight. And those of you who don’t plan to quit, you might be deployed to the field tomorrow, so be prepared. Get your energy up and make sure you’re in top condition.’

Kim Won-hyeok raised his hand.

‘What?’

‘If we quit, there really won’t be any disadvantages?’

‘Damn it, do you think I’d beat you up just because you said you’d quit? I’m also facing a war, you idiot. I need to save my energy too.’

‘It seems like there’s too little risk. Aren’t those who quit just going to run away with all the money and support they’ve received from the Assembly?’

‘It’s okay.’

Bang Jin-hoon waved his hand.

‘I don’t want to keep going with people who aren’t ready because they’re worried about that. Ah, of course, this isn’t to belittle those who want to quit. It’s just that they’re a bit different.’

Bang Jin-hoon sighed deeply.

‘It’s been okay until now, until now. But from now on, it’s different. Now is the time for you to do something for the Assembly, not just receive from it. So, I’m telling you to choose now. Whether you really want to live as a martial artist and risk your life for the Assembly, or whether you want to choose a different path. Anyway, you guys can’t choose something like this unless I set it up for you.’

‘So, don’t feel pressured and choose. And those of you who have decided to stay, don’t ever harass or insult those who quit. I’ll beat to death anyone who does. Got it?’

‘Yes!’

Bang Jin-hoon, hearing the loud response, muttered bitterly.

‘It’s the same. If you stay without being able to do either, you won’t be able to get stronger with that mindset. You can’t move forward, and it takes courage to quit when you can. I told you, it’s until nine o’clock tonight. And those of you who can’t quit this time, you have no right to complain even if you die. Got it?’

‘Yes!’

‘Okay.’

Bang Jin-hoon nodded his head and turned around.

‘Cheon Tae-hoon.’

‘Yes.’

‘Separate those who aren’t quitting and organize them into units. As I instructed earlier.’

‘In advance?’

‘We need to do the preliminary organization to save time. There will be some who don’t hesitate.’

‘Understood.’

With those words, Bang Jin-hoon went inside. The moment Bang Jin-hoon disappeared, a completely different scene unfolded. Everyone started talking excitedly to those around them.

The plaza instantly turned into a marketplace.

‘Wait a minute, let me finish what I have to say!’ Cheon Tae-hoon shouted.

It wasn’t completely quiet, but the noise subsided a little. Thinking that was enough, Cheon Tae-hoon continued.

‘Those of you who think you’ll stay without hesitation, please gather at the Second Training Hall. We’ll be organizing units.’

‘Can we go right now?’

‘Wait a bit. It’s not ready yet. We’ll start accepting people in 30 minutes.’

‘Okay.’

Cheon Tae-hoon stepped down from the platform as if he had finished speaking. Watching him, Seong Ju-chan couldn’t hide his complicated feelings.

‘Hey, Won-hyeok.’

‘Yeah?’

‘What are you going to do?’

‘What do you mean? I’m going to the training hall.’

‘…Without even thinking about it?’

‘Thinking my ass.’

Kim Won-hyeok scoffed.

‘I’m a martial artist. I’ve been strutting around as a martial artist until now, and now I’m going to run away because I’m scared? I can’t live that shamefully.’

‘Director Bang said that making a different choice is also courage.’

‘I guess so. But that’s someone else’s story, and it’s not courage for me. Even if I die tomorrow, I’ll live as a martial artist. And I’ll survive and climb to the top.’

‘Are you going to quit?’

‘I haven’t decided yet.’

Kim Won-hyeok shook his head.

‘I think you should just quit.’

‘…Why?’

‘Do you see?’

Seong Ju-chan looked where Kim Won-hyeok was pointing. More than half of the people gathered in the plaza were moving to the Second Training Hall. Even though they were told that they would be accepted in 30 minutes, it seemed like they felt that even those 30 minutes of hesitation were a waste of time.

‘Those who stay are like that.’

‘Quit. Honestly, seeing you, I understand what Director Bang is saying. You’re a good friend, but I don’t want to go to the battlefield with you covering my back.’

It was a harsh statement.

But Seong Ju-chan couldn’t refute it.

How could they do that?

Everyone must know that people die in war. Maybe everyone in the Assembly could die. But how could they go to the battlefield without a moment’s hesitation?

It was something Seong Ju-chan couldn’t even imagine.

‘No, I…’

‘It’s okay.’

Kim Won-hyeok waved his hand.

‘What’s going to change if you tell me? This isn’t me looking down on you. People have aptitudes. Even if you leave here, I’m still your friend. I don’t know if they’ll tell us not to meet in the Assembly, but I won’t look down on you or despise you. It’s just a choice. So, think about it carefully.’

Kim Won-hyeok turned around without another word. Then, he walked towards the Second Training Hall without hesitation.

Watching his back, Seong Ju-chan bit his lip.

If a war breaks out?

People die.

And there’s no guarantee that you won’t be one of them.

Were they taking the war too lightly, or was he overreacting to the war? Or maybe, without Seong Ju-chan knowing it, he was just a coward.

He didn’t know, he just didn’t know.

About two-thirds of the people remaining in the plaza immediately moved to the Second Training Hall. And about half of those who were left left the plaza and went somewhere.

And….

Those who couldn’t go anywhere remained in the plaza, looking down at the ground with subtle expressions.

The ground.

Yes, the only place to look was the ground.

It was embarrassing to even make eye contact. They knew what each other was thinking. Just being there made them feel like their weakness had been exposed, and they couldn’t raise their heads.

Seong Ju-chan sighed and slowly left the plaza. He hadn’t decided what to choose yet, but he couldn’t stay there any longer.

Looking at the sunset that was beginning to cover the sky, Seong Ju-chan tightly closed his eyes.