Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1837

The aftermath of the chaotic general meeting was surprisingly swift.

Repairing the damaged buildings and repaving the roads was a minor issue. The real problem was the scars left on their minds.

Click.

Lee Myung-han lit a cigarette and slowly exhaled.

Seeing this, Gong Young-gil frowned.

“Why the sudden smoking?”

“Just because.”

“Are you trying to imitate the Guild Leader? Stop it, you punk. At least he looks cool doing it. You just look pathetic.”

“Whatever.”

Lee Myung-han chuckled and took a deep drag.

“What are the kids saying?”

“What do you mean? They’re just acting normal.”

“But they can’t be completely normal.”

“If those guys whine, they deserve a beating.”

Lee Myung-han shook his head.

He was stupid to even bring it up to Gong Young-gil.

‘They must be shaken.’

People died?

They faced an absolute powerhouse and were defeated without even putting up a fight?

That wasn’t really the shock.

The real shock was that the enemy had entered their territory, destroyed it, and left alive.

Pride?

‘It’s not that.’

It wasn’t the humiliation of defeat. It was the anxiety from realizing that the place they lived could be engulfed in flames at any time.

It was funny.

They always said they lived on the edge, but when they were forcibly dragged to the edge, they were as anxious as new recruits drafted into a war zone.

The reason he couldn’t laugh at them was…

Lee Myung-han’s feelings weren’t that different from theirs.

‘Annihilation…’

The enemy’s strength was uncertain. All they knew was that they were strong enough to do what even the Hong and Chang factions couldn’t do.

Lee Myung-han had always been prepared to die on the battlefield, but he had never imagined the General Assembly collapsing and burning.

But this incident made Lee Myung-han realize that something he had never imagined could become a reality and engulf him.

‘Putting your life on the line…’

In the past, he only needed to steel himself when he went to the battlefield. But now, just being part of the General Assembly meant he had to be prepared to die at any moment.

“Don’t you have any thoughts?”

Gong Young-gil scoffed at Lee Myung-han’s probing question.

“Why? Are you scared?”

“…If someone is talking to you, you punk, pay attention!”

“That’s because your resolve is weak.”

Gong Young-gil said without dropping his sneer.

“Warriors have nothing to regret when they die. ‘Living on the edge,’ ‘walking on a knife’s edge’… Those pathetic bastards are all talk. It’s hilarious to see them trembling in fear of death when they usually spout those words.”

“If we were worried about that, we wouldn’t have started. We had so many chances to quit.”

“…That’s right.”

“I was the one who refused to quit every time. So, what now? You didn’t expect this? Bullshit.”

Gong Young-gil flipped him the middle finger as if telling him to go to hell.

“You must be so great.”

“Of course.”

It would be great if everyone thought like Gong Young-gil, but the reality was different.

Gong Young-gil was a macho among machos. That’s why he got along so well with that bastard and became his top disciple.

But others weren’t as tough as Gong Young-gil, nor were their wills as strong.

It would be disrespectful to Gong Young-gil to say they didn’t value their lives, but it was clear that others valued their lives more than Gong Young-gil did.

“It seems like there’s some talk going around.”

“Some of them are acting weird. I was thinking of beating them up.”

“Hold it, you punk. What are you trying to do?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t touch those guys. What’s the point of beating up scared guys? It’ll just hurt my hand.”

Gong Young-gil’s eyes twitched.

“More importantly, are the directors doing okay?”

“How would I know?”

Lee Myung-han sighed and looked into the distance.

‘It feels like I’ve been forcibly pushed off the rails.’

It seemed like they had nothing to do after the war with the Chang faction ended. Even with Baek Yeon-hong’s attack, they couldn’t do anything, to be honest.

His life was being decided when he couldn’t choose anything.

That wasn’t the life Lee Myung-han wanted.

Just as he was about to say something, his phone rang.

“Huh?”

At the same time, Gong Young-gil’s phone vibrated briefly.

“What is it? A general announcement?”

The two men opened their phones and narrowed their eyes simultaneously.

“I’m being called to the Guild Leader’s office?”

“Me too.”

“…Why are they calling both of us at the same time?”

The two men tilted their heads and got up.

“Come in.”

«

“Why?”

“No…”

Lee Myung-han scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“I thought the Guild Leader would be here since we were called to his office…”

“Are you unhappy that I’m here?”

“No, absolutely not.”

Lee Myung-han waved his hands frantically.

Lee Myung-han was now the leader of the Flame Demons and considered the top fighter among the non-executive members. The way he was treated and the way people looked at him were different from when he first joined the Flame Demons.

Some even said that in a few generations, Lee Myung-han would be in a position to aim for the Guild Leader’s seat.

But such a position or evaluation meant nothing in front of this person. Wasn’t it clear from the way Gong Young-gil, who had been showing off his masculinity just moments ago, was now frozen stiff?

“I, I didn’t expect the Chief of Staff to be here. I’m definitely not unhappy.”

“You talk a good game.”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled and pointed ahead.

“Sit down.”

“Is it okay?”

“Am I going to eat you, you punks?”

“Ah, we’ll sit.”

Gong Young-gil and Lee Myung-han quickly sat on the sofa, and Lee Hyun-soo glanced at them.

“So…”

“Yes!”

“You can get the explanation from the person coming here.”

“Yes?”

At that moment, the door opened, and Kang Jin-ho entered. He looked directly at Lee Hyun-soo, who was sitting at the head of the table.

“Come here.”

“Yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo got up neatly and sat down next to him.

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

The two men couldn’t bring themselves to ask Lee Hyun-soo why he was sitting there if he was going to move anyway.

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the two men and nodded lightly.

“No problems?”

“Yes, Guild Leader!”

“No problems at all!”

Kang Jin-ho felt a strange sense of nostalgia looking at them so full of energy. There was a time when the directors were like that… No, were they ever like that?

Anyway.

“The reason I called you is that I need to ask for your opinions on something.”

“Yes! Give us your orders!”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard…”

Kang Jin-ho hesitated slightly, and Lee Hyun-soo cut him off as if it was nothing.

“There’s this bastard named Baek Yeon-hong or whatever who came and caused a ruckus.”

“Yes?”

“You don’t know?”

“Ah, we know! Of course, we know.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded.

“We heard that there are about twelve of those guys in the Black Faction, which we don’t get along with.”

“Two people?”

“Twelve people.”

“Two people?”

Lee Hyun-soo didn’t even want to blame Lee Myung-han.

Honestly, it was hard to believe.

“Don’t try to escape reality, you punk.”

“It’s just… I can’t believe it…”

Kang Jin-ho coughed softly and took over Lee Hyun-soo’s words.

“As you know, it’s impossible to fight absolute masters with numbers. At least one master who can go toe-to-toe with them is necessary.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

At least one person had to be able to block and withstand the attacks so that they could try something else. Whether it was casting magic from afar, shooting arrows, or finding an opening to stab with a sword.

Or even just hanging onto their legs.

“So… the General Assembly needs someone to play that role to stop those guys.”

Lee Myung-han and Gong Young-gil looked at each other.

The emotion in their eyes was the same.

“Us?”

“Someone like us?”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head, seeing the two men expressing ‘What kind of nonsense is this, Guild Leader?’ with their whole bodies.

“I’m not saying you have to win…”

“Hey, we didn’t hear it like that.”

“We have ears, so we understood what you said. But shouldn’t the one who grabs their ankles be someone who can actually do it? A rabbit can grab a lion’s ankle, but what can a mosquito do?”

Kang Jin-ho tried to ignore Lee Myung-han’s muttering, ‘A mosquito can at least suck blood. We’re mayflies, mayflies.’

“I know it’s not going to be easy.”

Kang Jin-ho looked directly at the two men.

“But in this world, there are things you have to try because they’re possible, and there are things you have to do even if they seem impossible.”

“If you say it’s too difficult, I’ll look for someone else.”

“Um…”

While Lee Myung-han was still in a daze, Gong Young-gil asked in a slightly louder voice.

“If we say we’ll do it, what happens?”

“What do you mean?”

“Will anything change from now?”

“Ah…”

Kang Jin-ho realized his mistake and continued.

“You’ll train separately from the others.”

“With the directors?”

“No. I’ll be training you.”

“You’ll train with me separately once a day and find ways to improve your martial arts…”

“I’ll do it.”

Lee Myung-han’s head snapped around.

‘What is this crazy bastard doing?’

He agreed without even thinking about it?

“Hey, are you thinking before you speak?”

“What’s there to think about, you crazy bastard? Is this something to think about?”

Gong Young-gil looked at Lee Myung-han as if he was the one who was being ridiculous. Then, his face contorted.

“Ah, you’re the one who used to train with the Guild Leader. That’s why you’re saying that. Hey, you can get lost. I’ll do it.”

Gong Young-gil looked at Kang Jin-ho with unwavering eyes.

“I’ll do it! Just give me the order. I’ll lick the floor if you tell me to, and I’ll die if you tell me to!”

“Ah, no, not that far.”

“I’ll follow you even if it means death. I don’t care if I die during training, so please push me harder!”

Kang Jin-ho, the great, was slightly overwhelmed by Gong Young-gil’s momentum.

Kang Jin-ho, who had leaned back with a slightly awkward expression, nodded awkwardly.

“You understand what we’re trying to do, right?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t need to understand. Someone else with a good head will understand. Anyway, you’re saying that the Guild Leader will train me one-on-one, right?”

“…That’s right.”

Gong Young-gil gritted his teeth.

“I’m someone who has always regretted being eliminated from the Flame Demon selection. While others dream of going back to the past and living again, I only dream of taking that test again.”

“So why would I hesitate? Just give me the order. I’m willing to die if it means I can get stronger here!”

“Y-you’re very motivated.”

He thought he would need a long and persuasive process, but the response he got was a little different from what he expected.

He didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

“What about you?”

Lee Myung-han looked back and forth between Kang Jin-ho and Gong Young-gil as if he was pondering something.

But before Kang Jin-ho could even try to persuade him, Gong Young-gil spoke first.

“You can get lost. You’re too weak to endure it. The fact that you’re only this strong even after training separately means you have no talent. Don’t waste the Guild Leader’s energy. Get out.”

“What, you punk?”

Flames sparked in Lee Myung-han’s eyes.

“I’ll do it! I can do it too!”

“Just give me the order. I’ll make sure you’re satisfied!”

Kang Jin-ho, seeing the two men burning with motivation, turned his head slightly to look at Lee Hyun-soo.

Then, Lee Hyun-soo chuckled and opened his mouth.

“See? I told you it would work if you called them together.”

“Warriors are all just kids.” Kang Jin-ho couldn’t deny it.