Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1782

“……Who are you?”

“Huh?”

Choi Yeon-ha narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Kang Jin-ho.

“No matter how I look at you, you’re not the Kang Jin-ho I know.”

Choi Yeon-ha frowned, watching Kang Jin-ho tilt his head as if asking what she meant.

‘What is this, this half-baked human?’

The Kang Jin-ho she knew was someone who never lost his razor-sharp edge, no matter the situation.

Of course, that edge could sometimes be so dull it couldn’t even cut tofu, but he never lost the essence of that edge.

But the Kang Jin-ho in front of her now…

“Why are you so out of it?”

“……Huh?”

Looking at Kang Jin-ho, who answered with a dazed look, she felt a strange fire rising within her.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

“Did you get hurt somewhere this time? Like your head, or somewhere around your head?”

“……I’m fine?”

“You don’t look fine?”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Kang Jin-ho with a mixture of doubt and dissatisfaction.

‘No, even his eyes look blurry…’

These weren’t the eyes of Kang Jin-ho, who was always filled with a resolute determination that came from deep within his bones.

“Hey, you bastard! What did you do to my boyfriend!”

“……What’s wrong?”

“He’s acting weird!”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

He clearly looked like Kang Jin-ho, but it felt like his insides had been swapped.

No, if his insides had completely changed, it would be easier to judge, but this felt like only half of him had changed…

Choi Yeon-ha narrowed her eyes and examined Kang Jin-ho.

‘Last time, I thought he was just mentally exhausted from going through something difficult.’

The fact that it was the same even after looking again was a problem.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

“What have you been doing lately?”

“Lately?”

“Yes. At home or at the company.”

Kang Jin-ho cut his cake with a fork and answered.

“I haven’t been doing much lately.”

“I’m just resting.”

“……Are you very tired?”

“No. I’m not tired.”

“Then?”

“I’m just resting.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled faintly.

‘This bastard isn’t Kang Jin-ho.’

The Kang Jin-ho she knew was a workaholic.

He was such a serious workaholic that even when the great Choi Yeon-ha sent him countless messages to hang out, he would turn off his phone, saying he had to work.

‘Thinking about it makes me angry?’

Anyway.

That Kang Jin-ho was abandoning work and playing around?

This was an earth-shattering event.

“……Are you sure you didn’t hurt your head or something?”

“No way.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled awkwardly.

In fact, he was just as awkward about the current situation.

“Come on, if you have any worries or problems, tell this older sister right away.”

“……Older sister?”

“Then should I call you granddaughter, old man?”

“……Let’s go with older sister.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“No. There’s nothing really wrong.”

“Huh? It looks like a serious problem to me? It wouldn’t be strange if you coughed up blood and died tomorrow?”

“……That’s a bit of an overreaction.”

Kang Jin-ho said with a wry smile.

“It’s not like I’m sick or have a problem…”

He was about to say something but scratched his head slightly.

“Can I go have a cigarette?”

“I’ll be right back.”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled as she watched Kang Jin-ho dash to the smoking room with a cigarette.

“That’s definitely Kang Jin-ho.”

Seeing that, she knew it was him.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho entered the smoking room, closed the door, and sat on a chair, lighting a cigarette.

After slowly exhaling the cigarette smoke, he felt a sense of calm.

‘What’s so strange about me?’

Everyone, from his family to Choi Yeon-ha, was treating him like an alien.

“There’s nothing particularly different.”

“No. You’re very different.”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head. Choi Yeon-ha opened the door to the smoking room and came inside.

“You’ll smell.”

“I’ll just wash it off.”

Choi Yeon-ha walked over with a sullen face and sat across from him.

“I’m only going to have one.”

“It’s okay, just tell me. You’re the type of person who can only talk properly with a cigarette in your mouth.”

“What’s the problem?”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“The problem is that there’s no problem.”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho took a light puff and slowly exhaled the smoke.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong, but since everyone around me keeps saying there’s a problem… I feel like there should be a problem.”

“……But why have you become so out of it?”

“I don’t know.”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his cheek.

“It’s not like anything is really wrong, I just don’t feel motivated.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes widened without her realizing it.

Unbelievable.

That Kang Jin-ho would say he had no motivation.

In her mind, the opinion that this was not something Kang Jin-ho would say and the opinion that it was about time he did started fighting.

After a fierce battle, the side that finally won was surprisingly the latter.

“You’ve been a bit excessive all this time.”

“Who in the world has to make a reservation just to go on a date? Thinking about it, it was strange all this time.”

But the fact that this felt strange meant that Choi Yeon-ha had adapted to the human being that was Kang Jin-ho.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

“Honestly, it’s a bit awkward and strange.”

“But when you think about it, that’s normal.”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“People can’t always live with the pedal to the metal. If you do, the engine will overheat and explode. You have to hit the brakes every now and then, stop at rest stops… that’s how you get to your destination.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded at Choi Yeon-ha’s words.

They were words that resonated with him.

“Honestly… I was really prepared this time. Your face when you left was so determined that I thought even if you came back, you would be a little different than before. But…”

The man who left with a knife in his mouth came back with a screw loose, so should I be happy about this?

“It doesn’t matter.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled brightly.

“Anyway, it’s a relief that you came back without losing any limbs.”

“Now that it’s like this, take a good rest. Even if the company goes under, I can support you, so don’t worry.”

“No, it won’t go under…”

“Since you have nothing to do anyway, let’s just relax and go on dates for a while. Should we go on a trip?”

Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly as he watched Choi Yeon-ha’s face gradually brighten.

‘I don’t think she understands the meaning of relaxing…’

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head slightly and looked at the ceiling.

The cigarette smoke was slowly flowing along the ceiling.

‘You need to rest to reach your destination…’

Good words.

Really good words.

But there was a subtle feeling that something was off.

“First, let’s go eat. I’m hungry.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Wiggins’ face contorted.

He was busy to death, but suddenly there was a board meeting. And Kang Jin-ho was nowhere to be seen. That meant someone other than Kang Jin-ho had called the board meeting.

As soon as he asked why they had called him when he was so busy, he heard unexpected words.

“The Guild Leader is acting strange?”

“Yes.”

“……Tell me more details.”

Wiggins’ dissatisfaction vanished as if it had been washed away. There were always countless big and small problems at the General Assembly, but no issue could compare to Kang Jin-ho’s well-being.

Wiggins stroked his chin with a strange look after hearing a rough explanation from Lee Hyun-soo.

“I wondered why I hadn’t seen him.”

Wiggins raised his head and looked at Lee Hyun-soo.

“So, has the Guild Leader not come to work since then?”

“No. He came to work about three days ago and briefly checked the reports.”

“And then?”

“He went home.”

Wiggins’ eyes twitched.

‘This is definitely strange.’

Kang Jin-ho was such a severe workaholic that the directors had to physically drag him away from work to make him rest.

In fact, his workaholism wasn’t because he really enjoyed working, but rather it was closer to a typical ‘group project leader syndrome’ caused by his distrust of those who had to handle the work instead of him. But it wasn’t like that trust could be completely built just because he had a good fight, right?

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes.”

“What do you think?”

Lee Hyun-soo frowned.

“He’s definitely a bit different from the Guild Leader we know.”

“Since when?”

“I started feeling that way on the plane back. No, maybe it was even before that. Ever since he regained consciousness, the Guild Leader hasn’t been the same.”

“Hmm.”

Bator, who heard those words, spoke with an uncharacteristically serious face.

“The fact that he returned to Korea immediately is also not like the master. If it were the old master, he would have tried to completely pacify China before returning. The master doesn’t like leaving loose ends.”

“……That’s right.”

That was the case with the Round Table and Japan. Kang Jin-ho stayed in the area and returned to Korea after the organization was completely settled.

But this time, he returned so urgently that you could say it was as soon as he opened his eyes.

The justification was clear and the reason was understandable, but it didn’t feel like it explained everything.

“……Is there a possibility that the King of Creation did something?”

“The King of Creation is dead.”

“I’m not saying that I’m interested in the occult, so the King of Creation has come back to life, or that he’s not dead and is plotting something. I’m talking about the possibility that the things he did before he died are still having an effect.”

“Uh…”

Lee Hyun-soo narrowed his eyes.

If the King of Creation, who was called the manipulator of all things, was capable, he might have been able to give Kang Jin-ho some kind of suggestion even in that short moment.

But…

“That doesn’t make sense, to be honest.” Bang Jin-hoon interjected.

“Well, I don’t know much about hypnosis or brainwashing, but even if that King of Creation was a master of brainwashing, I don’t think he could do anything to the Guild Leader. If he could, he would have conquered the world already. Why would he be fighting with his fists?”

“I see…”

Wiggins nodded at those words.

If the King of Creation was an absolute being, then Kang Jin-ho was also an absolute being. No, he was even superior to that King of Creation. It was incomprehensible that such a person would be affected by the King of Creation’s suggestion.

Even if he was affected by a suggestion, it wouldn’t be difficult for Kang Jin-ho to break it if he wanted to.

‘Then what the hell…’

Jang Min, who had been listening to their conversation quietly until then, frowned and opened his mouth.

“I’m seeing all sorts of ridiculous meetings.”

“……Old man, I wish you would develop some cooperation. Is it difficult to learn something more now that you’re about to go into a coffin?”

“Cooperation is for those with brains.”

Jang Min neatly ignored Bator’s criticism and continued.

“There’s nothing wrong with the Demon Lord [a title for Kang Jin-ho]. The problem is with you guys.”

“……What do you mean by that, Elder?”

Jang Min clicked his tongue and looked at the directors.

“You guys are saying with your own mouths that the Demon Lord has been overdoing it, and now you’re acting like there’s something wrong with the Demon Lord’s condition?”

“This is normal, you idiots. Where in the world does an absolute being work harder than their subordinates?”

“No, that’s…”

“To put it the other way around…”

Jang Min said firmly.

“It means that the General Assembly needs to become independent now. It’s not like you can just keep picking up the food that the Demon Lord throws at you.”

Everyone’s faces were filled with bewilderment at those words.