Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1792

Crack.

The sword tip severs the neck bone.

“Guh…”

The man, his throat pierced, stares at the sword embedded in his neck with disbelief.

“Th…”

Blood gushes from his mouth as he tries to speak. The blood flows down his chin, dripping onto the sword and staining it red.

Thud.

Swish.

Kang Jin-ho pulls the sword from the fallen man’s neck. Then, with cold, sunken eyes, he surveys the corpses surrounding him.

Looking at the bodies piled high, forming a small hill, Kang Jin-ho’s eyes sink even deeper.

‘A sea of corpses, a mountain of blood…’

Though the corpses don’t quite form a mountain, and the blood only creates a puddle that barely covers the ankles, looking at this scene, he understands why the saying exists.

“Kuh-euk…”

One of those thought to be dead trembles and raises his head.

His eyes, filled with pain, wander around before finding Kang Jin-ho, and then they convulse.

“D-demon…”

Thump.

A pristine white shoe stomps down on the back of the man’s head.

“Your cleanup isn’t very thorough, is it?”

The man, nonchalantly wiping the blood off his shoe, smiles at Kang Jin-ho.

“What do you think?”

Kang Jin-ho stares at Cheong-gwi with indifferent eyes. Seeing the emotionless gaze, Cheong-gwi’s lips twitch as if he’s feeling a chill.

“Isn’t this enough to prove my worth?”

His face is pale, but he doesn’t lose his arrogance.

He’s a strange man.

He seems endlessly polite, yet subtly looks down on people. He seems to humble himself, yet never loses his confidence. Kang Jin-ho can’t claim to have met many people, but in all his life, he has never encountered a man like this.

Is that why?

Kang Jin-ho, who usually pays no attention to humans, finds himself drawn to this man.

The reactions of humans who meet his gaze are usually one of two things.

They either turn their heads away to avoid his gaze, or they defiantly meet his eyes. But Cheong-gwi’s reaction is neither. He simply accepts his gaze with a smile in his eyes, as if he finds it amusing.

“Can I get an answer now?”

At Cheong-gwi’s words, Kang Jin-ho slightly frowns.

“What answer do you want?”

“Oh, my, you really don’t pay attention to what others say, do you? I’m asking if I’m qualified to serve you.”

Kang Jin-ho snorts.

Qualified to serve?

Usually, isn’t it the one accepting a subordinate who proves their worth as a master? Besides, Cheong-gwi is actually higher in rank than him within the cult.

A superior proving his worth to be a subordinate to someone below him.

It’s a comedy, a real comedy.

And…

‘Proof, huh…’

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze sweeps over the surroundings.

So many corpses.

Among them are many powerful individuals that even Kang Jin-ho couldn’t ignore. If he had fought them head-on, Kang Jin-ho would have had to risk his life.

Even if he had survived, he would have been injured and needed at least a month to recover.

But what about Kang Jin-ho now?

He only has a few scratches on his body. Of course, he doesn’t look completely unscathed, but they are just flesh wounds. Wounds that will heal in a few days.

He just fought as that guy told him to…

It wasn’t a scheme, nor a trap.

He just knew where to fight first, and understood who to kill first. With just that, the battlefield was easily trampled under Kang Jin-ho’s feet.

It’s absurd, even to Kang Jin-ho.

“Red Demon, you are strong.”

“Perhaps you are intoxicated by your own strength. But on the other hand, you must know. If you continue to live like this, you will surely die.”

Cheong-gwi smiles.

“There are so many people stronger than you in the cult. You’ve just been lucky so far. You must know that it’s about time the big shots start moving, right?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes twitch slightly.

“The old devils who control the cult are not as easy to deal with as those you’ve faced so far. They are the ones who have survived in this hell and proven themselves. No matter how strong you are, you have no chance of winning against them without any power.”

Contrary to his words, Cheong-gwi’s face is full of confidence.

“But if it’s me, I can help you dominate this cult. It’s entirely possible with you and me.”

Kang Jin-ho wipes his mouth with his sleeve. The blood that had flowed down stained his sleeve a deep red.

“One.”

“Yes.”

“Why me?”

There were many meanings in those words.

Why him, out of all the cult members?

As Cheong-gwi said, he is just one of many cult members. Rather, since he wasn’t a cult member from the start, he carries a heavy burden from the beginning.

So why him?

“Well…”

Cheong-gwi smiles wryly.

“There could be many reasons. First, the speed at which your martial arts are developing has easily surpassed my expectations.”

Cheong-gwi lightly waves his finger.

“At least within the cult, no one has ever shattered my expectations so thoroughly. I thought you would die within a month. But you’ve managed to survive until now.”

Kang Jin-ho curls up the corner of his lips.

After hearing such words, his urge to kill surges. The reason he hasn’t shoved a knife into that arrogant mouth is because he’s curious about what he’ll say next.

“Second, you are unusually resilient.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Your martial prowess isn’t that great. Well, it will be great in the future, but right now, it’s not that significant. What’s unusually great is your spirit.”

Cheong-gwi turns his head to look at the corpses.

“Even if they were trying to kill you, they are still people. Killing so many one by one, you can’t help but be shaken. Because you’re human.”

“But you don’t show any signs of wavering. You kill people like you’re stepping on bugs, and then you turn around and forget about it as if nothing happened. Usually, those who pretend to be evil try to appear calm, but you are truly unaffected by the deaths of others.”

Cheong-gwi licks his lips.

“You are the perfect person to be called a demon from hell.”

Kang Jin-ho snorts.

‘He’s just spouting nonsense.’

The reason Kang Jin-ho isn’t affected by taking the lives of others is different.

This isn’t his world.

There’s no reason for his heart to waver just because he’s killing things that don’t even seem human. After all, he doesn’t have any meaning in this world either.

He doesn’t even have the courage to die, so he just lives day by day.

‘No, that’s not it.’

Thinking about it again, he himself is probably a demon in their eyes. A being who doesn’t want anything, has no purpose, and kills people without a second thought. What else would you call that but a demon?

“Lastly…”

Cheong-gwi smiles and extends his hand.

“It’s because you are an empty human.”

Kang Jin-ho, not understanding the meaning, frowns and looks at Cheong-gwi.

“What do you mean?”

“All the mistakes humans make come from desires and wants. Even humans who can achieve great things often ruin their plans at the last minute because they can’t resist a small desire.”

“If a human has no desires, there’s no risk of that happening. That’s why you are perfect. At least to me.”

Kang Jin-ho snorts.

Then, he glares at Cheong-gwi with cold eyes.

“So you’re saying you’re going to play with me.”

“Hmm, I suppose it could sound like that.”

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“Yes, anything.”

Kang Jin-ho smiles, baring his teeth.

“You talk like you know me so well, but what kind of guts do you have to say such things in front of me? Do you think I won’t kill you?”

“Yes.”

“…What?”

“You won’t kill me.”

Cheong-gwi grins.

“It’s true that you’ve killed countless people so far, but most of them were either trying to kill you or attacked you first. At least they were people who started a fight. As far as I know, you’ve never attacked anyone first.”

“So why should I be afraid of you?”

Kang Jin-ho stares at Cheong-gwi with cold eyes, then turns his body.

“Is that a rejection?”

Kang Jin-ho stops in his tracks and lets out a low sigh.

What a fool…

“It’s good to think before you speak.”

“That’s a great point. I’ve never heard such a thing in my life.”

“As you said…”

Kang Jin-ho mutters under his breath.

“I’m a person with no desires.”

“So why should I accept you?”

“That’s a very interesting answer. Then I’ll answer like this.”

Cheong-gwi’s voice pierces Kang Jin-ho’s ear as he tries to ignore him and leave.

“I’ll help you find it.”

Kang Jin-ho stops.

Then, he slowly turns his head to look at Cheong-gwi.

Cheong-gwi smiles wryly at him.

“Isn’t it boring and dull? If you don’t have anything to do anyway, it wouldn’t be bad to find something you want to do. Like killing those arrogant elders and trampling on those who call themselves demons.”

Cheong-gwi takes a small breath.

“If you keep climbing, you might see something different someday. Then maybe your life will become a little more enjoyable, wouldn’t it?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes sink.

“I guarantee it.”

Cheong-gwi takes another step towards Kang Jin-ho and extends his hand.

“At least if you have my assistance, your life will be several times more interesting than it is now.”

“And if that doesn’t happen?”

“Cut my head off or whatever you want.”

Cheong-gwi grins.

“It’s better to just die than to live a worthless life like this anyway.”

“Is that my story?”

“No. It’s my story.”

Kang Jin-ho laughs softly.

He’s a strange and bizarre guy.

However…

At least while listening to what that guy was saying, he could escape this terrible sense of incongruity.

“Don’t think I’ll move according to your plans.”

“Of course not.”

“And…”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes sink.

“I don’t mind being used. But there’s a limit to that.”

Cheong-gwi smiles and bows deeply.

“Of course, my lord.”

Kang Jin-ho stares at Cheong-gwi for a moment, then turns his body away.

‘Strange guy.’

From that day on.

Cheong-gwi, who was called the most troublesome existence in the cult, stuck to Red Demon, who was called the most heterogeneous existence in the cult.

Later, those who discussed the history of the Jianghu [a martial arts world] said that the axis of history was twisted from this point on.