Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 143

The atmosphere in the company was like a funeral home. The company commander seemed to have lost his mind and wasn’t giving any specific orders to the soldiers. The officers were also at a loss, not knowing how to handle the continuous accidents.

Two suicides had occurred in just about a month. It wouldn’t be surprising if the unit fell apart.

The Kim Hak-cheol incident had just happened today, so there hadn’t been an official response yet, but everyone could guess what would happen starting tomorrow. Because of that, the company was filled with a quiet silence, even giving off a creepy feeling.

All the barracks were quiet, but Barracks 1 was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

In that Barracks 1, Noh Soo-bong sat in a corner, lost in thought.

Looking back, there were more than a few strange things.

‘Was Kim Hak-cheol really just crazy?’

What filled Noh Soo-bong’s head was the suspicion that maybe this wasn’t just because of Kim Hak-cheol’s mental illness.

If Kim Hak-cheol had shown even a slight sign of that, it would be understandable.

But until a week ago, Kim Hak-cheol was perfectly normal. Then, the conclusion should be that Kim Hak-cheol couldn’t overcome his guilt and ended up like that.

‘He’s not the type.’

If he was the type to feel guilty about that, he wouldn’t have driven Joo Young-gi to that point.

‘Then, is there really something going on?’ Noh Soo-bong’s fist clenched tightly.

If so…

‘Is it not a hallucination?’

“Now it’s your turn.”

Just thinking about that voice sent shivers down his spine.

“Sergeant Noh Soo-bong?”

“Huh?”

Noh Soo-bong raised his head at the sound of Lee Sang-yeop calling him.

“You need to prepare for roll call.”

“…Has it already gotten that late?”

The outside of the window was already completely dark.

And Noh Soo-bong’s complexion was a little pale, unlike the dark outside.

“Have the guys clean up, and we won’t do anything special today, so just sleep after roll call.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And have you heard any news about Hak-cheol?”

“I’m not sure yet. If there was a big problem, we would have heard something already, wouldn’t we?”

“…So he’s still alive. Okay.”

Noh Soo-bong grabbed a cigarette and went outside.

The cold air made him feel a little calmer. Noh Soo-bong lit a cigarette and organized his thoughts.

“No matter how much I think about it, nothing changes.”

If what Kim Hak-cheol experienced was true, and the hallucination he heard wasn’t a lie, then something would happen tonight.

Noh Soo-bong gritted his teeth quietly.

“If they thought they could take me lightly like Kim Hak-cheol, they’re mistaken.”

Noh Soo-bong bit his lip and went back into the barracks.

Sleep didn’t come easily.

It would be stranger if he could sleep in this situation.

In the end, Noh Soo-bong stayed awake until dawn.

And…

Nothing happened, absolutely nothing.

But far from being relieved, the anxiety only grew as time passed.

‘Damn it.’

He even started to wish that something would happen quickly. The anxiety that filled his head as time went on was tormenting him.

‘Should I go out for a cigarette?’

It was then, just as Noh Soo-bong was about to get up, that he noticed something strange.

‘It’s dark?’

Even if the lights were turned off, the basic night lights were usually left on. But he couldn’t feel any red light on his closed eyes.

Noh Soo-bong slowly opened his eyes.

‘Who?’

The shape of someone standing at his bedside came into view, blurry.

The moment he was about to open his mouth, Noh Soo-bong’s consciousness began to sink.

Weeeeeeeng.

What pulled his deeply sunken consciousness was none other than the loud vibrating noise of a large machine.

Noh Soo-bong slowly opened his eyes.

Darkness.

The first thing he faced after barely surfacing from the depths of his consciousness was deep darkness.

‘Where is this?’

It was a familiar place.

And it was a place he had somewhat expected.

The boiler room.

And the moment he confirmed that fact, a tingling shiver started from Noh Soo-bong’s toes.

All the nonsense Kim Hak-cheol had been spouting was true.

It wasn’t just that Kim Hak-cheol had gone crazy and was saying those things.

According to Kim Hak-cheol, someone would appear soon.

Someone.

Noh Soo-bong’s heart began to tremble. He told himself to stay calm, but his heart, once it started beating, was beating wildly, ignoring his will.

“Hoo, hoo…”

His body wouldn’t move.

Kim Hak-cheol’s words were not a lie. Everything was the same as what Kim Hak-cheol had said.

Then…

Noh Soo-bong opened his eyes wide and waited for someone who would appear soon.

Kim Hak-cheol called it a ‘shadow.’

The shadow would appear in front of him soon.

Now…

‘Why isn’t it appearing?’

But the shadow didn’t reveal itself.

All that could be seen was the darkness that filled the boiler room, and all that could be heard was the humming of the boiler and the occasional sound of water droplets falling.

The cold rising from the floor and the heat of the boiler covering his face.

Amidst those strange sensations, Noh Soo-bong could only groan.

It would be better if someone showed themselves, but being left like this in this strange space only made the tension increase.

‘Rather!’

It was at that moment.

“Looks familiar.”

The voice was heard in his ear. Low, heavy, and…

The voice he had heard during the day.

What he heard was not a hallucination.

And this voice was probably the voice of ‘that’ that Kim Hak-cheol was talking about.

Noh Soo-bong’s body began to tremble.

Out of fear?

Out of dread?

No.

Noh Soo-bong could tell.

Kim Hak-cheol might not know, but Noh Soo-bong could. Kim Hak-cheol had never been in that position, so he wouldn’t know, but Noh Soo-bong was different.

“Hoo! Hoo!”

Noh Soo-bong’s breathing became rough.

“Isn’t that right?”

Noh Soo-bong shuddered.

This voice.

It was a voice he had heard many times before.

A voice that mixed a bit of languor and playfulness.

A voice that mocked a toy that a predator had obtained and could play with as much as he wanted.

It was also the voice that Noh Soo-bong had used when he had Joo Young-gi sitting in front of him in the boiler room just a while ago.

‘Then, am I the one being eaten now?’

A mouse in front of a cat?

Like a bug caught in a child’s hand?

Noh Soo-bong’s eyes wavered.

That couldn’t be.

He was someone who had never been in the position of the prey. A primal sense of resistance arose, and his eyes filled with strength.

Ssssst.

With a strange sound, something like a black shadow appeared in front of his eyes.

Only then did Noh Soo-bong understand why Kim Hak-cheol called him a shadow.

He had no choice but to understand.

What appeared before his eyes was a strange something, like a mass of black darkness that had formed a shape.

“Ah…”

A groan escaped his lips.

‘I can speak?’

Noh Soo-bong’s lips trembled. His body still wouldn’t move, but his mouth began to move.

It was something that couldn’t be understood logically, but logic hadn’t been with him since a little while ago anyway. He had fallen asleep and woken up in this state, so it was stranger to look for logic.

Then he had to say something. The fact that his mouth had started to move meant that the thing in front of him was practically telling him to speak.

“Are, are you the one Kim Hak-cheol was talking about?”

The shadow tilted its head. That one movement conveyed so much.

Among them, the emotion that Noh Soo-bong felt most clearly was none other than ridicule.

“What if I’m not?”

The voice was laced with laughter.

It was a stupid question.

If it wasn’t this thing, then who was it?

Normally, he wouldn’t have said such a stupid thing.

He was acting calm and composed, but as if to prove that Noh Soo-bong was also being pushed to his limit, a foolish and stupid word was coming out of his mouth.

A fierce look appeared in Noh Soo-bong’s eyes.

‘Yes, I’m scared.’

So what?

There wouldn’t be anyone who wouldn’t be afraid in this situation. No matter how brave someone was, if they were in the same situation as Noh Soo-bong, they would piss their pants.

If you’re scared, you have to honestly admit that you’re scared.

The strength drained from Noh Soo-bong’s eyes. Noh Soo-bong took a few deep breaths to calm his trembling heart and opened his mouth.

“What’s the reason for this?”

“Reason?”

“Yes! There must be a reason for doing this!”

Noh Soo-bong shouted as if he was screaming.

“What, what do you want? If you want money, I’ll give you money. Even if you want something else, I can make it happen.”

The shadow just stared at Noh Soo-bong without answering.

“What do you want!”

At Noh Soo-bong’s frantic shout, the shadow slowly opened its mouth.

“What did you want?”

Noh Soo-bong’s pupils began to tremble.

What did that mean?

Just as Noh Soo-bong was about to ask again, something flashed through his mind.

‘Joo Young-gi.’

Thinking about it, it was obvious.

This incident had started right after Joo Young-gi had attempted suicide.

Everything in the world has a cause and effect, and the reason why the shadow in front of him had started targeting him and Kim Hak-cheol was now clear.

Noh Soo-bong’s mind began to spin rapidly.

It’s hard to deal with someone who has no purpose. But if the opponent has a purpose, it’s not difficult to deal with them.

“Let’s, let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

Noh Soo-bong nodded his head frantically.

This guy had turned Kim Hak-cheol into a wreck in just a week. Of course, Kim Hak-cheol and he were different, but Noh Soo-bong’s state of mind was that he wanted to get out of this situation somehow if possible.

“Yes, a deal.”

“Tell me.”

Noh Soo-bong took a deep breath.

“You’re, you’re doing this because of Joo Young-gi, right? I didn’t know it would come to this either. I know I have to take moral responsibility. So, I’ll pay for Joo Young-gi’s treatment and support his family.”

Noh Soo-bong spoke desperately.

“So, let me go. I promise. If you back down now, I’ll do everything I can. Not only for Joo Young-gi, but I’ll also grant you anything you want. I have that kind of power. But!”

Noh Soo-bong’s face hardened as he spoke.

“If you really want to go all the way, you should throw away the thought that you’ll be safe. Do you think you’ll be safe after messing with me? If you know what kind of person I am, you’ll never be able to touch me. Not only you, but your family will also see hell. You better listen to me carefully and think it over.”

Noh Soo-bong’s voice was almost hysterical by the end. But Noh Soo-bong’s eyes were fixed on the shadow without wavering. He had mixed appeasement and threats appropriately. Any normal person wouldn’t be able to refuse that offer.

But Noh Soo-bong didn’t know.

Who was standing in front of him right now.

“Hehehehehe.”

A low laugh echoed out.

The moment he heard that numb laugh that dug into his ears, Noh Soo-bong’s face began to turn pale.

“Have you ever seen hell?”

The shadow’s hand slowly reached out towards Noh Soo-bong’s face.