Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 183

The force of Kang Jin-ho kicking the dagger’s side produced a heavy, booming sound, as if a sledgehammer had struck it. The recoil sent Kang Jin-ho flying towards the building like a cannonball.

Clang!

The glass window shattered as Kang Jin-ho’s back slammed into it, and his body was flung inside the building.

Kang Jin-ho pulled Jo Sang-pil close, embracing him as they fell back onto the floor.

Thud!

“Ugh.”

The impact was so strong that even Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but groan. Although he didn’t gain any additional speed from falling all the way to the floor, the downward momentum hadn’t been completely negated. He had fallen at least 20 stories.

“Cough.”

A dry cough escaped his lips, and his head spun.

“What, what is it!”

Those on the lower floors, completely unaware of the situation, were startled by the person who suddenly crashed through the window and all stood up from their seats.

“H-how did someone get in here?”

“Is that person okay? The impact looked huge.”

People approached Kang Jin-ho and spoke to him.

“Are you okay?”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer and instead unfastened the safety harness around his waist.

“Cough.”

He kept coughing dryly, and his head was still spinning, but his body seemed to be moving okay, so it didn’t seem like there was any damage to his spine or neck.

“Please call 119 [emergency services]. And please check on this person.”

“Where…”

Kang Jin-ho pushed away the people trying to help him and headed for the elevator. Limping, Kang Jin-ho got into the elevator and went to the top floor, opening the door that led to the rooftop.

The door was locked and wouldn’t budge.

Wham!

Kang Jin-ho kicked the door, breaking it, and walked onto the rooftop with a grim expression.

Whoosh!

A sharp wind blew.

Kang Jin-ho stared at the empty rooftop for a moment before clenching his fist.

‘Is this their greeting?’

He had received their greeting very well. And now it was time for him to return the favor.

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t know how many times he had been asked that question.

Even though he had said he was fine, Jo Gyu-min was forcing Kang Jin-ho into the car and heading to the hospital. He said it was necessary to get a proper check-up.

It was annoying, but since it was out of concern for him, there was no reason to refuse.

“What about your parents?”

“Please don’t tell them.”

If Baek Hyeon-jeong heard that Kang Jin-ho had fallen from a building, she might faint. It wasn’t something that needed to be shared with others, nor was it something that could be explained to others.

“I’ll try to handle the police, but we’re a bit weak when it comes to matters involving public authority, so I can’t completely prevent an investigation.”

“It’s okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Even if it’s not Jae-gyeong [the company], there will be people who will step in to smooth things over.”

“…Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer and looked out the window. If the upper echelons of society were controlled by martial artists, like what happened in the military in the past, then matters involving martial artists would be thoroughly covered up.

Otherwise, there was no way the existence of martial artists could be completely hidden from the world.

‘I’ll find out if I watch closely.’

Kang Jin-ho stared out the car window with a hardened expression, watching the scenery pass by.

“It’s a minor contusion.”

“…Yes?”

“There seems to be a slight concussion, but it’s not a major issue. You’ll be back to normal in a day or two.”

Doctor, this man fell from the 45th floor and crashed on the 22nd floor. To put it simply, he fell from a 23-story high-rise apartment building.

And you’re saying it’s a minor contusion?

‘No.’

Jo Gyu-min shook his head.

If he thought about it that way, the fact that he was even alive was absurd. A 23-story building wasn’t a slide, and it didn’t make sense that he was alive after falling from there.

Jo Gyu-min had already seen Kang Jin-ho do enough unbelievable things in China.

“Where did you say you fell from?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Jo Gyu-min shook his head and said nothing. If he told the truth, he might be transferred to the psychiatric ward instead of the surgical ward. Not Kang Jin-ho, but Jo Gyu-min himself.

“So, you don’t need treatment?”

“There are some damaged muscles, but it’s not to the point where surgery is needed. It’s better to let it heal naturally. If the pain is severe, you can take some painkillers…”

“I’m fine.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, the doctor frowned.

“You must be in a lot of pain?”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head and got up from his seat.

“Thank you.”

“Ah, yes.”

As Jo Gyu-min and Kang Jin-ho left, the doctor sighed lightly.

“What kind of body is that…”

He had once boasted a six-pack himself, but this young man’s body looked like it was drawn with CG [computer graphics]. There were bruises here and there, which dulled the impact a bit, but it was still a sculpted body that anyone could see.

“I need to work out.”

Kang Jin-ho had needlessly deflated the doctor’s ego.

“The doctor said you’re fine, so I don’t have anything else to say, but you should still rest for a few days.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded at Jo Gyu-min’s request.

“I don’t know exactly what happened, but I’m sorry that you had to go through this because of me.”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head firmly.

“It’s not because of you, Jo Gyu-min. This was something that would have happened no matter what I did. It wasn’t an accident.”

At that moment, Jo Gyu-min’s eyes turned serious.

It wasn’t an accident?

“Are you saying that someone was targeting you, Kang Jin-ho?”

At Jo Gyu-min’s question, Kang Jin-ho nodded silently.

“Who on earth?”

“I don’t know.”

Kang Jin-ho groaned.

He knew it was a martial artist, but among the martial artists or forces he had been involved with so far, there were none who would try to kill him.

‘No.’

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes flashed.

If it wasn’t among the martial artists, there were plenty of people who had grudges against him that would make them want to kill him. What happened in the military, and what happened in China. It wouldn’t be strange if they tried to kill Kang Jin-ho.

“There’s something I need to ask of you.”

“Yes, please tell me.”

“There was someone on the rooftop.”

“On the rooftop? You mean there was someone who cut the wire.”

“Please secure the footage of that person. If they went to the rooftop, they must have been caught on CCTV. And when the cleaning staff who were originally on the rooftop wake up, please find out what happened to them.”

“Understood. Leave it to me.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes gleamed quietly.

The fact that those on the rooftop were found unconscious in the top floor bathroom was proof that he was the only target. If it was someone who simply enjoyed killing, they wouldn’t have left them alive.

A martial artist who could throw that kind of hidden weapon could easily kill a few people.

“Use all the resources you can to find them.”

“Yes.”

Jo Gyu-min bowed deeply and answered.

Kang Jin-ho was asking him for a favor, but his tone was different from when he had asked for favors before.

An order disguised as a favor.

For the first time, Kang Jin-ho was giving him an order.

Jo Gyu-min made a firm decision with a hardened expression.

“Trust me! I will find out for sure.”

Jo Gyu-min, who was aware that his success in Jae-gyeong depended more on Kang Jin-ho than on Hwang Jeong-hu, was burning with the determination to resolve this matter at all costs.

“And yet…”

Jo Gyu-min lit a cigarette with a hollow expression.

“Did a ghost come and go?”

Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t lie, so there must have been someone there, but nothing was captured on CCTV.

“They’re thorough.”

He knew it wasn’t a ghost.

The fact that all the CCTV cameras on the top floor malfunctioned at the time the cleaning staff moved to the bathroom was not a coincidence. Moreover, if the CCTV cameras were physically broken, it was definitely the work of a person.

“How did they even get to the top floor in the first place?”

He had checked all the CCTV cameras at the stairwell entrances and elevators, but not a single suspicious person heading to the top floor was found.

It was truly a ghostly matter.

“I said I would find out for sure…”

Jo Gyu-min let out a painful groan, having hit a snag before he could even start properly.

He needed to find some kind of clue to even start working, but this was too much.

Bzzzz.

At that moment, Jo Gyu-min’s phone started ringing. Jo Gyu-min, seeing Hwang Jeong-hu’s name on the screen, stubbed out the cigarette he was holding and answered the phone in a stiff posture.

“Yes, this is Jo Gyu-min!”

Jo Gyu-min’s face turned pale as he heard the voice coming from the other end of the phone, and he shouted.

“Yes! I’ll go in right away!”

Jo Gyu-min, hearing Hwang Jeong-hu’s angry voice, started running towards his car. It seemed like he was having a bad day.

“Targeting Kang Jin-ho?”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

Jo Gyu-min had to make every effort to calm his pounding heart.

‘He was always like this.’

He had built up quite a bit of rapport with him, or maybe he had just relaxed, but there were times when Hwang Jeong-hu felt like a kind, old neighbor. But seeing Hwang Jeong-hu in a rage, he was reminded of who this man really was.

A giant of the era was unleashing his fury.

“Who? Who targeted Kang Jin-ho?”

“I don’t know yet…”

“Find out.”

“Yes?”

“Find out no matter what! You can use everything in Jae-gyeong! So find out! I’m giving you full authority!”

Jo Gyu-min nodded frantically at Hwang Jeong-hu’s lion-like roar.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes!”

Jo Gyu-min had nodded before he even realized it. In that moment, he realized his mistake, but the ship had already left the harbor.

“Find them! Find them and report back! You can postpone all other tasks. Now go!”

“Yes, Chairman!”

“Jo Gyu-min!”

“Yes!”

Jo Gyu-min, frozen stiff, waited for Hwang Jeong-hu’s next words.

“Make sure you find them.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Jo Gyu-min bowed at a ninety-degree angle and carefully left the chairman’s office.

‘What, what have I done?’

As soon as he left the chairman’s office, it hit him. Right now, there wasn’t even a speck of dust to be found on the CCTV, so what was he going to do by saying he would find them?

‘I, I need to report back…’

Before the situation worsened, he needed to honestly say that this was impossible. As Jo Gyu-min reached for the door to the chairman’s office, he heard a strange sound.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jo Gyu-min was startled by the heavy sound and was about to open the door when the secretary guarding the chairman’s office approached and stopped him.

“Director, the chairman breaks things like that when he’s angry. If you go in now, you’ll get caught in the crossfire.”

“…Is that so?”

Jo Gyu-min, with his shoulders slumped, trudged towards the stairs.

Reaching the empty stairwell, Jo Gyu-min took out his phone and made a call.

“Hey, Mom? It’s me, Gyu-min. Is everything okay?”

Jo Gyu-min continued in a pathetic voice.

“…But Mom, is it okay if I quit my job?”