Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1250

Vroom, vroom, vroom!

The sound of the engine starting was not just pleasant, but almost violent. Kang Jin-ho felt the vibrations from the car and sat quietly, looking outside.

‘Sometimes, a bicycle would be nice…’

After breaking his ‘boong-boong’ [slang for bicycle] a while back, he hadn’t gotten a new one. A bicycle that could withstand Kang Jin-ho’s leg power would need to be custom-made, but with his current wealth, there was no reason he couldn’t have one made.

Even so, the reason he hadn’t bought a new bicycle was that he had become quite accustomed to driving a car.

However, there were times when he wanted to feel the unity of moving forward by pedaling with his own feet, rather than relying on an engine.

Thinking that he should order a bicycle after winter, Kang Jin-ho gently pressed the accelerator.

Whoosh!

The low car glided along the road.

It was a strange thing to think about.

Despite being a modern person, Kang Jin-ho, who had lived most of his life in the past, had a subtle resistance to modern civilization. But now, Kang Jin-ho drives a car for most distances and runs a company.

He was living a life more faithful to the modern world than anyone else.

Thinking about this, he was reminded of how amazing human adaptability was.

But there was one thing.

Kang Jin-ho leaned back weakly in his seat, looking at the cars that filled the road ahead.

‘This, I can never get used to.’

No matter how hard he tried to get used to it, he could never get used to the traffic jams in Seoul. Every time the road was blocked, he struggled to suppress the urge to park the car on the side and run to work.

‘Well, that would be faster anyway.’

Even on an open road, if Kang Jin-ho ran at full speed, he could arrive faster than a car, and on a blocked road like this, there was no need to even calculate.

But he had to be patient.

There were countless eyes and CCTVs here.

Living in the modern world as a Murim [martial arts world] person was like that. No matter how much the Assembly managed things, they couldn’t block people’s eyes, and there were limits to the CCTVs they could erase. So, the Murim people had no choice but to be careful themselves.

‘It would be stranger if there weren’t any accidents.’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

Even the noble righteous sects sometimes couldn’t control their temper and caused accidents, let alone those who had learned demonic arts.

In the past, the main task of the Demonic Cult wasn’t fighting the righteous sects, but rather beating, appeasing, and restraining the mad demonic leaders. How could it not be so?

There was a reason why the Demonic Cult pushed into the Central Plains [the heartland of China in martial arts stories] when their power grew.

To gain control of the Central Plains?

That was a secondary issue.

The rise of the Demonic Cult meant that there were many strong demonic individuals, and if left alone, they would not be able to control their bloodlust and would fight each other, causing chaos.

It was better to find an excuse to engage in a war of attrition with the Central Plains.

So, from the Central Plains’ perspective, it was maddening.

They would push in like crazy for no reason, fight to the death, and then, when their numbers had decreased to a reasonable level, they would retreat, saying, ‘See you next time.’ That’s why the people of the Central Plains feared and hated the Demonic Cult more than any disease.

Even Kang Jin-ho, who rarely felt the urge from demonic energy, was frustrated by the traffic jam, so how much did the demonic people usually have to endure?

‘This also needs a solution.’

Kang Jin-ho, who had been looking ahead with a serious face, chuckled.

‘Now, everything is connected to the Assembly.’

He thought about managing the Assembly because of an encounter with a fierce dog on the street, and he thought about measures for the demonic people after seeing the traffic jam.

Kang Jin-ho now associated everything in the world with the Assembly. The Assembly had become one of the most important parts of his life.

The light changed, and the road opened up, so Kang Jin-ho pressed the accelerator. His car began to speed down the road.

“Good morning, Chairman!”

“Good morning!”

Kang Jin-ho greeted the employees as he headed to the elevator. Although the place was different, the people were the same, so the scene was not much different from when he went to work at the Assembly.

The building was a bit more modern, and there were fewer burly people?

Of course, the people here were also burly, but they were much more gentle compared to those at the Assembly.

As Kang Jin-ho headed to the elevator, a security guard was surprised and ran to him.

“Chairman, it’s not that way, it’s this way.”

“Huh?”

“There’s an executive-only elevator at the innermost part.”

“…Executive-only?”

“Yes. This way!”

The security guard led the way to the inside. Kang Jin-ho followed him silently. There was a card reader in front of the elevator button at the innermost part.

“If you put your employee ID card here, it will open.”

“…Was this always here?”

“No. Director Lee Hyun-soo ordered the executive-only elevator to be made.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

‘They do things without being asked.’

He understood Lee Hyun-soo’s intentions. But this was not Kang Jin-ho’s style.

“Get rid of the card reader and just change it to a regular elevator.”

“Yes? But… the executives often have urgent matters, so they need an exclusive elevator…”

“Urgent?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That might be the case for other companies.”

“Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho pointed his chin at the stairs.

“Not in our company. If they’re that busy, tell them to run up the stairs. That will be faster than the elevator.”

The security guard nodded with a blank face.

What he said was true.

No matter how fast the elevator was, it couldn’t be faster than a Murim person climbing the stairs. It might be a bit tiring, though.

“If you’re an executive, you should be able to climb the stairs faster than the elevator.”

“…That’s a very harsh qualification.”

A culture different from that of a typical company was emerging.

“And…”

Kang Jin-ho glanced at the elevators.

“Is an exclusive one really necessary?”

The security guard smiled awkwardly.

More employees were using the stairs than the elevator.

“They’re the type of people who get rashes if they don’t use their bodies…”

“I see…”

“Even now, many of them are having a hard time because there’s no training ground since they started working here.”

Hmm?

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head at the unexpected words.

“But they still train, don’t they? They can’t give it up, so they came to work in the office, but there’s no place to train here.”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his cheek.

This was a problem he hadn’t even thought of.

“So, what are they doing?”

“It seems they’re releasing their energy by going to the gym… but… what a pity for the trainers.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

His heart ached when he thought about the gym trainers who had to accept Murim people as members. They would be lifting unbelievable weights in unbelievable postures.

If they pointed out their posture, they would be lifting more weight than them, and if they left them alone, it would have a bad influence on other members.

And that wasn’t all.

Even if they were office workers, they were still Murim people. If they wanted to sweat by running, even running at the highest speed on the treadmill for tens of minutes wouldn’t be enough.

What could he say to those who were running half marathons at almost world-record speeds?

“There wouldn’t be anyone getting personal training, right?”

“There shouldn’t be, if they have any conscience.”

“…Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho decided that he needed to create a training ground near the office for the employees to use as soon as possible.

“If there are any other problems like that in the future, tell me right away.”

“Oh, how could I?”

“I’m asking you to.”

The security guard’s eyes changed when Kang Jin-ho said the word ‘asking’.

“Don’t worry, Chairman! I will make sure that no complaints within the company escape my ears!”

No… well, it didn’t seem like something he needed to feel so obligated about…

Kang Jin-ho decided to keep his mouth shut because it was awkward to interrupt him.

“Then.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had gotten into the elevator, smiled wryly as he watched the security guard salute him.

‘He found his aptitude in a strange area.’

Looking at his satisfied face, it seemed like there was nothing to worry about with the security guard.

Then, first, he should go to the office…

Ding.

At that moment, the elevator stopped. Kang Jin-ho narrowed his eyes slightly. He had ordered the elevator to be changed from an executive-only one to one that everyone could use, but this elevator was still executive-only.

And the only executives in this company were…

The door opened, and a person was standing in front of him.

“Oh my? You’re here early, Chair.man?”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled brightly as she entered the elevator.

“…I’m going up.”

“Yes. I’m going up too.” Going up?

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze checked the floor of the elevator. The only place to go from here was the top floor.

And on the top floor…

“I have something to tell you, Chairman. I’ve been trying to have a meeting with you several times, but you haven’t been in your office.”

Cold sweat broke out on Kang Jin-ho’s forehead.

“It’s strange. The chairman is the owner of the company… but this company doesn’t have an owner, an owner.”

“You lured me in to create a company, but when I actually came, you said you had work and went into hiding, and when you finally emerged from hiding, you didn’t come to the company. It’s a very interesting company. Isn’t it?”

Of course, he had never lured her in.

But Kang Jin-ho didn’t have the courage to point that out.

“Chairman.”

And that title felt incredibly awkward.

“Just call me Kang Jin-ho…”

“Absolutely not!”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes sharpened.

“You have to use titles in the company. I’m also facing you as a director, not as Choi Yeon-ha! Do you understand what I’m saying?”

I do.

I understand…

‘Then shouldn’t you not be yelling at me like this?’

Why is she doing whatever she wants?

“There are so many things that need to be approved right now, but since you’re not here, nothing is progressing!”

“I gave you the authority to handle that on your own…”

“Chairman.”

“Is giving me autonomous authority because you respect me, or is it just because you’re annoyed?”

“Of course, I respect you.”

“Right?”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled brightly.

“But I think that not reporting to you and just proceeding is disrespectful to you. So, from now on, I will make sure to report to you.”

“My boyfriend is so busy, if I don’t see him like this, I’ll forget his face. Please let me know in advance when you’re coming to work. I’ll go to report to you.”

“Ah…”

“And don’t even think about reducing the days you come to work. I’ll come to your house.”

Kang Jin-ho stared at the elevator door without saying a word. The elevator was too slow today.

“Now, let’s start this morning with a refreshing meeting.”

The elevator door opened, and Choi Yeon-ha walked energetically to the chairman’s office. And Kang Jin-ho followed behind her weakly, like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

“Hurry up!”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho was pondering and pondering again what the position of chairman was in this company.