Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 167

‘Ugh….’

Ryuchi’s jaw trembled uncontrollably.

From the moment he laid eyes on the monster before him, his instincts screamed a warning.

Run.

Run.

That thing is beyond anything a human can handle. Close your eyes, block your ears, and run as far as your legs can carry you without looking back.

But before his will could even form a coherent thought, his body was already betraying his instincts.

His legs wouldn’t move.

Ryuchi slowly raised his gun.

Bang!

Clang!

The gunshot and a sharp metallic clang echoed simultaneously.

Ryuchi stared blankly at the monster.

A dark gray, club-like object in the monster’s hand was blocking the space directly in front of its face.

‘Did it deflect it?’

A bullet?

This is insane; this isn’t a movie.

Ryuchi’s hand trembled violently. Even if it wasn’t human, deflecting a bullet was just too much.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ryuchi frantically pulled the trigger, determined to empty his gun.

But the monster simply waved the long club in its hand, deflecting all the bullets, and slowly advanced towards Ryuchi.

‘This is a dream.’

This can’t be happening in reality. No! It shouldn’t be happening.

Ryuchi’s jaw dropped as he watched the monster slowly approach him.

“D-don’t come closer.”

But the monster tilted its head and whispered softly to him.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“Then I have no choice.”

Is it going to spare me?

Ryuchi’s futile hope vanished in an instant.

“I have to do it my way. It won’t be a pleasant way for you, though.”

The monster’s dark hand slowly reached out towards Ryuchi.

Drag, drag, drag.

Kang Jin-ho dragged the sprawled-out men and gathered them in one place.

They were all unconscious. If they were left like this on the mountainside where the night dew was starting to fall, they could die, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t care.

‘I’ve changed a lot.’

In the past, they wouldn’t have survived just for showing their teeth to him.

He would have cut off their heads right then and there.

But now, he was deliberately keeping them alive.

Was it because Kang Jin-ho had become weak?

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

Humans are animals that adapt to their environment. No matter how much he tried to live as the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign of the past, he couldn’t maintain the life of killing humans like flies.

The value of modern humans is different from that of the past.

Some might say it’s a harsh thing to say, but Kang Jin-ho actually felt that way. Humans in the past were treated as replaceable labor, no better than livestock.

But if you treated humans like that now, wouldn’t there be an uproar?

It wasn’t that something had changed within Kang Jin-ho, but rather that the world had changed Kang Jin-ho.

‘That should do it.’

What happened to the sprawled-out humans was no longer his concern.

They could freeze to death in the night chill or become food for wild animals. If they were lucky, they would regain consciousness by morning and be able to go down safely.

Of course, he didn’t bother to think about whether it was even possible for them to descend the mountain in their condition. That was their problem, not his.

Kang Jin-ho didn’t need to worry about that.

As he slowly descended the mountain and returned to Jang Min’s place, Jo Gyu-min greeted Kang Jin-ho with a delighted expression.

“Don’t leave me alone like that!”

From Jo Gyu-min’s perspective, being left alone with the strange-looking Jang Min, who couldn’t even communicate properly, was quite a burden.

“Understood.”

That wouldn’t happen again.

“Then, is everything you needed to do here finished?”

“Yes.”

“Then what are you going to do now? Are you leaving now, or are you going to wait until it gets light?”

“I don’t mind either way, but isn’t night hiking difficult for you?”

“Ah, no!”

Jo Gyu-min jumped up from his seat.

“I’m fine. I can leave right now.”

Jo Gyu-min was clearly eager to get out of there as soon as possible.

“Then let’s do that.”

Kang Jin-ho also started packing his things, following Jo Gyu-min’s suggestion.

“Demonic Sovereign.”

But Jang Min didn’t seem happy that Kang Jin-ho was leaving right away.

“There are things prepared for the descendants of the Demonic Sovereign. If you leave like this…”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“I don’t need them.”

“But…”

If they were things prepared for the descendants of the Demonic Sovereign, Kang Jin-ho didn’t need them. Although he hadn’t regained his martial prowess to the level of that time, he was Kang Jin-ho and the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign.

“Your role is over. Now, find your own life.”

“Serving the Demonic Sovereign is the life I have left.”

Kang Jin-ho let out a low sigh.

‘I guess so.’

For someone who had lived this way for 150 years, telling him to find his own life now was no different from telling him to die. How could someone with no family or human relationships find a new life?

“Do you have no connection to the world at all?”

“That’s not true.”

“Hmm?”

“I am guarding this place, but I am not the only descendant of the Myung Cult [a fictional cult]. Although they cannot move openly, the descendants still keep in touch and maintain their relationships. If they hear that the Demonic Sovereign has appeared, they will all drop everything and come running.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded and said to Jo Gyu-min.

“Do you have any paper?”

“Yes? Ah, of course.”

Jo Gyu-min took out paper and a pen from his backpack and handed them to Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho wrote down his cell phone number and gave it to Jang Min.

“This is my number. Tell the young ones to contact me.”

“Yes!”

Just as Kang Jin-ho was worried about whether he would understand this properly, Jang Min went to a corner and took something out.

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes widened.

Isn’t that an iPhone?

Jang Min turned on the latest smartphone and started entering Kang Jin-ho’s contact information.

That’s newer than my phone, isn’t it?

“…It’s glossy black.”

Jo Gyu-min also said, as if he was dumbfounded.

He wasn’t a wild man?

Oh, wait a minute? Come to think of it, there’s also a light bulb here? If that’s the case, they should have brought a container!

A latest smartphone with that appearance! What is going on!

Ignoring their bewilderment, Jang Min smiled and said.

“I’ve entered it. Shall I give you my number?”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho blankly held out his phone, and Jang Min skillfully entered his number.

“Hmm….”

Kang Jin-ho nodded with a sullen expression.

Something about this… feels like I’ve been tricked?

“I will gather the children and contact you as soon as possible, Demonic Sovereign.”

“Hmm.”

He had just made up something that would take a long time, but he had an ominous feeling that things would proceed smoothly.

“Then what should I be doing in the meantime?”

Kang Jin-ho pondered for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Do you know the name Muryeon?”

“Of course. They are the organization that currently dominates the world.”

He seemed to be more knowledgeable about the current situation than Kang Jin-ho. When Kang Jin-ho stared at him, Jang Min smiled awkwardly and replied.

“…When you’re alone in the mountains, there’s nothing else to do.”

“Hmm…”

Well, even in the past, hermits who stayed in the mountains to train would go down to the village and buy things like books and hide them.

So, it wasn’t that strange, but….

‘Does the data work here?’

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze turned to the corner of the hut. Kang Jin-ho’s body trembled as he saw a pure white wire sticking out of the floor.

Did they really pull an internet line all the way up here?

Which crazy installer did this in the middle of the mountains?

Jang Min smiled and replied.

“I installed it myself.”

“Ah, okay.”

Kang Jin-ho gave up on understanding. The fact that the longest-serving descendant of the Demonic Cult was an early adopter was hard for Kang Jin-ho to accept, but people are all different.

‘Then at least get some decent clothes.’

Kang Jin-ho sighed and continued.

“Investigate Muryeon. Especially who is in their upper echelons.”

“Yes. I will obey your command, Demonic Sovereign.”

That old-fashioned way of speaking now felt strange. Kang Jin-ho sighed and went outside.

“Then.”

As Kang Jin-ho and Jo Gyu-min were about to descend the mountain, Jang Min stopped them.

“Demonic Sovereign!”

Kang Jin-ho, who didn’t like drawn-out farewells, frowned.

“Speak.”

“W-where are you going?”

Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth silently.

“Korea.”

“N-no, not that…”

“Huh?”

“…Aren’t you going down the mountain?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you going that way?”

“Huh?”

Jang Min took out his cell phone, searched for something, and handed it to Kang Jin-ho.

“If you go this way, you’ll find a road right away, though?”

“Huh?”

The map Jang Min showed had a red point marked on it. It seemed to be where Kang Jin-ho was.

The direction Kang Jin-ho was heading had a long contour line stretching out for a long time, while the direction Jang Min pointed to had a very steep but short contour line.

“Ah…”

Kang Jin-ho mumbled blankly.

“A road was built. I was only thinking about the old days, so I didn’t think a new road would have been built.”

Jo Gyu-min’s face trembled.

Three days!

He had climbed the mountain for three whole days to get here, and what was that short path!

Jang Min, looking somewhat sympathetic, spoke to Kang Jin-ho in a cautious voice.

“Demonic Sovereign, times have changed. It might be good to use modern things a little…”

Kang Jin-ho’s feelings were very miserable as he received advice about modern things from a person from the Qing Dynasty [a historical Chinese dynasty].

If he had at least dressed in modern clothes, it would have been different, but to be advised to use modern things by someone wearing rags.

Kang Jin-ho covered his face without realizing it.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

The Demonic Cult of the 21st century was different from the Demonic Cult of the past.

“T-then.”

Kang Jin-ho said goodbye to Jang Min with a dazed face and started walking in the opposite direction.

“I will see you again, Demonic Sovereign. May the Demonic Sovereign live for ten thousand years and receive the blessings of all demons!”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand in response and quickly started descending the mountain.

Jang Min, who had been watching him quietly, shook his head.

“His martial prowess is unparalleled, but… hmm, his strategic skills seem lacking, I’m worried.”

Jang Min was more determined than ever to find someone to assist Kang Jin-ho’s strategic skills.

If Kang Jin-ho had heard that, he would have given up on respecting the elderly and switched to attacking the elderly, but no matter how strong Kang Jin-ho was, he couldn’t hear Jang Min’s muttering from this far away.

Kang Jin-ho quietly turned around.

In the distance, Jang Min’s figure and the old site of the Demonic Cult came into his view. Engraving the place of memories that he would probably never visit again in his eyes, Kang Jin-ho slowly descended the mountain.

“Can’t you even read a map, a map!”

Along with Jo Gyu-min’s nagging.

After coming back to this era, Kang Jin-ho had to remain silent for the first time, not by his own will, but by the will of others.