Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 155

Kang Jin-ho’s expression didn’t change at all.

However, Park Yu-min was watching him intently from a distance.

It looked like steam was rising from Kang Jin-ho’s head.

“These days…”

Was it Park Yu-min’s imagination, or was Kang Jin-ho’s voice slightly trembling?

“These days, kids are so foul-mouthed.”

“Y-Yeah, they are.”

Kang Jin-ho shuddered as he looked at all the curses filling the chat window.

Park Yu-min quietly approached Kang Jin-ho and turned off the chat window.

“Haha, it’s better to play this game without looking at the chat.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly nodded.

“Something about this game is a bit strange.”

“It just doesn’t suit you. Is there any need to keep playing something that doesn’t suit you?”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“Of course, it doesn’t suit me that well.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the screen.

Flames began to flicker in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes as he saw his character lying defeated.

“But a man shouldn’t lose in a competition.”

“…Don’t look for competition in a game.”

Park Yu-min, a former pro gamer, was confidently saying things he shouldn’t.

“If you lose, you keep going until you win!”

“Use your own ID!”

Park Yu-min cried out, but Kang Jin-ho seemed to have lost sight of everything.

Only when Park Yu-min, horrified, created an ID under Kang Jin-ho’s name did he finally settle down and start playing the game properly.

“…You should pull back there.”

“Jin-ho?”

“Jin-ho, why are you going there?”

“Jin-ho?”

Park Yu-min started to sweat.

His friend had returned from the military a complete soldier.

Imjeonmutaee (臨戰無退)! [Never retreat in battle]

A spirit of never backing down, no matter who the opponent or how many there were!

A soldier might be praised for that, but it was something that could never be praised in a game.

“By the way…”

“Huh?”

“How do you turn on that chat window again?”

Park Yu-min pursed his lips.

‘It’s better not to look at it.’

Just from the pings on the map, he could guess what was being said in the chat window.

It seemed better to just pretend not to know than to see a perfectly good monitor get broken.

‘I shouldn’t have told him.’

Park Yu-min sighed deeply at the sight of Kang Jin-ho, eyes blazing, moving the mouse.

“…”

If you wanted to know what it meant to be ‘soulless,’ you could just look at Kang Jin-ho right now.

Kang Jin-ho was staring blankly at the ceiling like a person who had lost their soul.

“Is he dead?”

Park Yu-min gently pulled away the child who was waving his hand in front of Kang Jin-ho’s face.

“No, Jin-ho is alive.”

“He looks dead.”

“…He’s alive.”

He was out of it, but he wasn’t dead. Of course, it wouldn’t be strange to say he was half-dead.

The child tilted his head.

He was cute, but it would look sad to Kang Jin-ho right now.

“Let’s go play with your friends over there. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Park Yu-min clicked his tongue as he watched the child toddle towards the playroom.

Even a child could see that he looked dead, so wasn’t it obvious how serious Kang Jin-ho’s condition was right now?

“Jin-ho.”

“Jin-ho, you need to come to your senses.”

Kang Jin-ho shuddered.

“Why are you making such a fuss over one game?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes widened.

A crushing defeat.

Since gaining the name ‘Red Demon,’ Kang Jin-ho had never known defeat. There were only two moments in his life when he had felt the sting of defeat so deeply.

One was the second moment of death when the masters of the Righteous Sect all came at him to catch him, and the other was when he was utterly crushed by Park Yu-min in Galaxy Craft back in high school.

But this defeat was significant because it was a series of losses against an unspecified number of people.

‘This can’t be happening.’

Kang Jin-ho began to meticulously analyze the cause of his defeat.

His master had said that everyone would face defeat someday, but those who learn from defeat and those who give up because of defeat are divided into those who can move forward and those who cannot.

As Kang Jin-ho began to think, Park Yu-min was horrified and changed the subject. If he wasn’t careful, a new pro gamer might be born. Of course, it would be fun if Kang Jin-ho became a pro gamer, but now was not a good time.

“So, when are you going back to school?”

“Huh?”

“Going back, going back.”

“Ah!”

Kang Jin-ho nodded and continued.

“I’m planning to go back in the second semester.”

“What are you going to do in the meantime?”

Park Yu-min hoped he wouldn’t say he was going to play games.

“I think I need to go to China for a bit.”

“China?”

“Yeah. There’s something I need to look into.”

“Hmm…”

Park Yu-min slowly nodded. Anyone else would have asked why he was going to China, but his friend didn’t do anything without a reason.

If he had to go to China, there must be a reason.

“When are you going?”

“Tomorrow or the day after.”

“Huh? It takes longer than that just to get a passport.”

“There’s a way.”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“China?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you have to go to China? You just got discharged from the military, and you’re going to China right away?”

This was something a grandfather would say to his grandson.

Hwang Jung-hoo started to get angry.

“If you’ve been discharged, you should eat the food at home and rest, why are you going to China!”

“There’s something I need to look into.”

“Does it have to be in person?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded, and Hwang Jung-hoo let out a groan.

He couldn’t predict this guy’s behavior patterns at all. He thought he had his heart set on Jae-kyung when he said he was coming to Jae-kyung University, but then he suddenly enlisted as soon as the semester ended. And now, as soon as he was discharged, he was saying he was going to China in a day.

Nothing he did was normal.

“If that’s what you want, then so be it. But you’re not planning on causing any trouble in China, are you?”

“…”

“China is not like Korea. If things go wrong there, we can’t protect you. It’s not that we don’t want to, it’s that our influence doesn’t reach there.”

“I know.”

“It’s a relief that you know, but I wonder if you really do.”

Hwang Jung-hoo sighed and shook his head.

If it was the Kang Jin-ho he knew, he wouldn’t deliberately cause trouble. The things Kang Jin-ho had done so far were not really caused by Kang Jin-ho, but rather, trouble had come to Kang Jin-ho.

‘But the response is the problem.’

Kang Jin-ho didn’t intend to cause trouble, but he also didn’t intend to avoid trouble that came his way.

When trouble came to him, Kang Jin-ho would do everything he could to crush it.

In Korea, Hwang Jung-hoo could mitigate the side effects, but that was impossible in China.

And China was still a country where irrationality was rampant compared to Korea. If he sent Kang Jin-ho to China, there was no telling what might happen.

“Do you really have to go?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

Hwang Jung-hoo’s mind began to race. He was as important as his own life. So, Hwang Jung-hoo had no choice but to use every method he could to protect him.

“Okay, I understand. If that’s what you want, there’s nothing I can do.”

Hwang Jung-hoo already knew that once Kang Jin-ho had made up his mind, it was difficult to change it.

“So, what can I do to help?”

“I would appreciate it if you could help me with the passport and visa issues.”

“Hmm, that’s not difficult.”

Hwang Jung-hoo nodded.

“However…”

“Yes?”

“To expedite your visa issuance, we need a reason, don’t we?”

“…”

“What kind of era is this? Do you think a passport or visa will be issued just because I say a word?”

“Then what should I do?”

“It seems we need a reason, even if it’s just on paper, for you to go to China… How about we process it as if you’ve joined Jae-kyung…”

“I’ll just wait.”

“Hey, you should listen to what people have to say. It would be difficult to process it as if you’ve joined Jae-kyung since you’re still a student, but we could say you’re doing an internship at Jae-kyung.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho narrowed his eyes.

“That seems okay.”

“Right. It’s all for the best.”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled contentedly.

The fact that he had created another connection with Kang Jin-ho was a comfort to Hwang Jung-hoo.

Kang Jin-ho’s personality was such that if you tried to put a leash on him, he wouldn’t just break free, he would bite the neck of the person trying to tie him up.

The best way to deal with such people was to slowly, gradually, and subtly get closer to them.

“That way, we can get cooperation from the Jae-kyung affiliated companies in China. China doesn’t like foreign companies operating freely in their country, so it’s better to go through an intermediary for support.”

Kang Jin-ho just nodded.

It didn’t matter whether what Hwang Jung-hoo was saying was true or if he was just trying to tie him down.

As long as he could go to China a little faster, that was enough.

“And… are you planning to go alone?”

“Yes.”

“Do you speak Chinese?”

“Of course.”

“Do you really? China is a place where various ethnic groups and languages are mixed. It’s not a place where you can solve everything just by speaking Cantonese or Mandarin.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned slightly.

He had already realized that there was a significant difference between modern Chinese and ancient Chinese when he was studying Chinese characters in high school.

Hwang Jung-hoo, noticing Kang Jin-ho’s expression, clicked his tongue as if he knew it.

“Tsk tsk, I knew it. I’ll assign a reliable translator to go with you.”

Kang Jin-ho seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding.

It felt a bit unnecessary, but if they were offering the consideration, it wasn’t bad to accept it.

“I’m uncomfortable traveling with someone I don’t know.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t have thought of that? It’s not someone you don’t know, so don’t worry.”

“Then it’s fine.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded, and Hwang Jung-hoo smiled contentedly.

“Be careful on your trip.”

“But, Chairman.”

“Hmm, what is it?”

Kang Jin-ho was about to ask Hwang Jung-hoo something, but then shook his head.

“It’s nothing.”

“You’re so bland.”

As the two of them finished their conversation, the reliable translator Hwang Jung-hoo had mentioned was receiving instructions.

“C-China?”

Jo Gyu-min asked in a trembling voice.

“What do you mean, China?”

Director Baek Young-gi laughed heartily as he answered.

“The Chairman has ordered you to assist Mr. Kang Jin-ho. This time it’s a trip to China, so you’ll be going as a translator.”

“A translator?”

“Your resume says you have a Level 1 Hanja Proficiency Certificate and a Level 1 Chinese Proficiency Test Certificate, doesn’t it?”

“…Director.”

Jo Gyu-min said something he shouldn’t have said in the company.

“I’m a mapo.”

A strange silence fell over the director’s office.