Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1219

It took some time to regain stability. Of course, the General Assembly suffered almost no losses in this war, so there wasn’t much to restore, and there were hardly any problems caused by the injured. What needed to be recovered was their peace of mind.

“I heard Elder Jang Min went to Japan?”

“Why?”

“Those bastards are our lackeys now. We’re supposed to manage them and suck their money continuously.”

“Who?”

“I heard it somewhere, but I don’t know who said it.”

“How would a nobody like you hear such news!”

“No, I heard it! It’s real!”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Now we’re just going to keep sucking their money.”

“Shit.”

The person who was speaking contorted their face.

“Money or whatever, we should have just caught and killed all those Japs.”

“Dude, it’s not just one or two… how could you kill all those guys?”

“I’m just saying. If we had just fought, we could have killed them all.”

“That’s true.”

A subtle confidence was evident in the conversations happening here and there.

It was different from the past.

In the past, the members of the General Assembly were sure that they were getting stronger, but they weren’t sure that they were strong *now*. However, through this battle, the members of the General Assembly gained confidence in their strength. Hadn’t they witnessed the Japanese warriors, whom they had feared so much, being swept away like fallen leaves?

And for those who had been with the General Assembly for a long time, it had another meaning.

“The Lord [referring to Kang Jin-ho] swept away half of them. Why are you all so full of confidence?”

“Hey, didn’t we sweep away half of them too?”

“Is that something to be proud of?”

“It is. Don’t you remember when we fought the Yeongnam Assembly? Back then, we were just twiddling our thumbs.”

“The directors did a lot for us.”

“That’s something. To put it the other way around, it means that if the entire General Assembly gathers, we can go toe-to-toe with the Lord. Could you have even imagined that before?”

“…Huh?”

Come to think of it, it was true.

In the past, the General Assembly was inferior to the Yeongnam Assembly in terms of power. Kang Jin-ho was the one who single-handedly overturned that Yeongnam Assembly and forced them to completely surrender. In other words, at that point, the entire power of the General Assembly was not as good as Kang Jin-ho alone.

“Thinking about it, it doesn’t make sense.”

“Right. But this time, we were somewhat on par.”

“I guess so?”

The fact that they had become stronger was a happy thing for everyone. But the joy felt by those who made martial arts their profession was incomparable to that of ordinary people.

“We’ve really become dragons.”

“No. The General Assembly has become a dragon. Not you. You have to be precise.”

“This bastard?”

The excited mood did not easily subside. Even the department heads, who would normally have disciplined them with a scolding, did not try to suppress the excited atmosphere.

The victors need spoils.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be material. Just celebrating and enjoying the victory is a reward. Those who knew that didn’t try to stop the feast.

There was a slightly excessive looseness, but when else would they enjoy victory if not now?

“We should have fought those bastards too.”

“…I don’t want to.”

“Why? Are you not confident?”

“I’d probably win. But what’s the point if I die in the process?”

“Why would you die, you idiot!”

“We were lucky this time. If the situation had gone slightly wrong, there would have been massive casualties.”

Everyone knew that what he said was true.

War always has variables. This time, the General Assembly overwhelmed Japan, but if they went back to before the war and fought again, it didn’t seem like they could achieve such a great victory.

If the battle had taken place in an open field, the damage would have been enormous.

“Seeing people dying in droves in front of my eyes made me wonder what I was doing. I didn’t realize it then, but when I came back, my hands were shaking and I was completely out of it.”

“…Yeah, me too.”

“War is no ordinary thing. I don’t want to experience it again if I can help it.”

Kim Won-hyeok, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, lowered his hand slightly. The remote lecture on his smartphone didn’t seem to catch his eye today.

No.

It wasn’t that the lecture didn’t catch his eye, but rather that their conversation was what was capturing Kim Won-hyeok’s attention.

‘Responsibility…’

It seemed that others were feeling similar emotions to Kim Won-hyeok.

The joy of victory was not very long-lasting. What Kim Won-hyeok gained from this war was the weight of living as a martial artist.

Killing people, taking lives, and moving forward. This was not an easy path to walk.

In other words…

What Kim Won-hyeok and the others had enjoyed so far was the fruit that their predecessors had created by walking that heavy path. They had created nothing themselves.

‘It means that now we have to walk that path and open the way for future generations.’

It wasn’t clearly etched in their minds, but they were all aware of it. That’s why even in a place where they were discussing victory, there was a subtle heaviness mixed in.

Squeeeeze.

The specially made hand grip in Kim Won-hyeok’s hand was crushed.

“Bearing responsibility.”

The General Assembly was not just Kang Jin-ho’s.

Just because he was the undisputed ruler of the General Assembly didn’t mean that everything in the General Assembly was his responsibility. If they wanted to avoid responsibility, they had to give up all the martial arts and financial benefits that the General Assembly gave them.

Rights come with obligations.

Squeeeeze.

Kim Won-hyeok gritted his teeth.

What they felt in this war was the joy that only the strong could feel.

And the weight of the responsibility that the strong had to bear.

“Anyway, does that mean those Japs are our underlings now?”

“That’s right.”

“Ugh, our ancestors should have seen this! Hey, can’t we go and act like bosses? Should we all go on a trip to Japan?”

“Director Lee would try to cut off your heads.”

“Why? That guy is a specialist in bullying the weak.”

“That’s true. That’s true. He’s the one who knows best how to hurt people.”

“But why?”

“Well, I think he sees Japan as a cow. You have to keep them alive and well-fed to keep milking them.”

“…Hearing that makes me feel bad.”

“Hmm.”

Kim Won-hyeok pressed the hand grip again. It seemed that not everyone was having such thoughts.

“So, how is it?”

“They all seem a bit confused.”

Bang Jin-hoon smiled as he looked at Cheon Tae-hoon.

“Confused?”

“Yes. They’re probably happy for now. Because they achieved such a great victory.”

“I guess so.”

“But the more they think about it, the more they realize that the battle that day was not easy. In the first place, ordinary members rarely get exposed to the danger of dying.”

“That’s right.”

Bang Jin-hoon nodded quietly.

Even when the General Assembly and the Yeongnam Assembly were in conflict, there were small-scale local battles, but they never faced each other with their lives on the line. In other words, Korea was a safe zone.

With the appearance of Kang Jin-ho, the slight breeze that had been blowing turned into a storm through this war. The martial artists of the General Assembly must have realized through this war that they were in the middle of a storm.

“Are you accepting withdrawal requests?”

“I’m thinking of accepting them starting tomorrow. But in this atmosphere, would anyone say they want to quit?”

“Well, maybe not. But it’s not a matter of whether they come out or not. It’s important that those guys know that we’re accepting withdrawals.”

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

Cheon Tae-hoon turned his head and looked out the window.

It was full of energy.

But even in that energy, there was a subtle tension. It was an atmosphere that Cheon Tae-hoon was seeing for the first time.

“Responsibility is like that. As long as you live as a martial artist, you have to understand that you will have to pay the price with your life someday. Those who understand that and still want to walk the path of a martial artist will go with us, and those who don’t will give up quickly. That’s better for them too.”

“…The number of people who left last time was not small either.”

“Well, what can we do? We have to weed out those who don’t fit. A small elite is better.”

“It’s not something you should think about like that.”

“Hmm?”

“Didn’t you see the way the Demonic Cult guys were running wild this time? Unlike us, the Demonic Cult guys are going crazy with joy just because they won the battle. They’re almost out of control.”

“Really?”

“Yes. If our numbers keep decreasing, the roles might be reversed.”

“So what?”

“…Master.”

“Stop it, you idiot. Isn’t this the age of globalization?”

Cheon Tae-hoon’s face slightly contorted.

Seeing that, Bang Jin-hoon frowned.

“Hey, Cheon Tae-hoon.”

“Yes!”

“You, you bastard, what the hell are you doing right now?”

“You bastard, we fought for over 30 years because of factions. I was so sick of that Yeongnam Assembly and General Assembly bullshit that I even created my own faction within the General Assembly and fought with Lee Jung-geol to the death. Now that we’ve finally gotten rid of that and good days have come, are you telling me to create a faction with the Demonic Cult and fight again?”

“…That wasn’t my intention.”

“If it wasn’t your intention, then what, you bastard?”

Cheon Tae-hoon lowered his head slightly.

“Hey.”

“Yes!”

Bang Jin-hoon sighed and said.

“I know why you’re doing this. You’re worried that if we lose in the power game, the Demonic Cult guys will be treated better than us.”

“That’s right.”

“But is the Lord that kind of person?”

“And you bastard, is that a bad thing? It’s natural for capable people to be treated better. If you’re worried about that, we can just get stronger and show more ability than the Demonic Cult guys.”

“You’re right.”

“Go and comfort the kids, and tell them that we’re going to tighten up training again starting tomorrow.”

“Yes, Master!”

“Director, you bastard.”

“Yes, Director!”

As Cheon Tae-hoon bowed his head and left, Bang Jin-hoon slowly got up from his seat.

“Ah, shit!”

Bang Jin-hoon, who frowned at the pain in his side, walked towards the window. He saw people gathered in small groups in the training grounds.

‘Growing pains…’

To grow, you have to experience pain.

That was the same for people and organizations. You can’t just grow by letting time pass.

This war would bring great changes to the General Assembly. Above all, it had given those who had just been living as members of the General Assembly the weight of martial arts, which was a great asset.

‘This will definitely be nourishment.’

The Demonic Cult knew that. That’s why they had been training like crazy without complaining and had come this far.

The General Assembly must have realized that through the war, so now it was up to Bang Jin-hoon. If he pushed the members forward with this momentum, the growth rate would definitely pick up.

However, one thing was worrying…

‘Factions…’

Bang Jin-hoon sighed deeply.

It was a good thing that the directors were raising their own disciples. Because it strengthened the power of the General Assembly. But where people gather, friendly relationships are bound to form.

If they didn’t control it in time, problems would definitely arise.

“I need to meet the Lord.”

Bang Jin-hoon shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the training grounds.

First, he had to kick the asses of those excited guys.