Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1842

Drip.

It sounded like water was dripping somewhere.

Drip.

The keenly honed senses could pick up sounds that would normally go unnoticed.

Drip.

But what made Jang Min struggle was that he couldn’t tell if the sound was real or just a hallucination created by his mind.

That’s what it means to lose oneself.

Humans perceive the world based on themselves. What they see, what they hear, what they touch and feel.

They construct the world through all these senses and gain certainty about it.

But what if the self that should be experiencing these senses disappears? Collapses? Fails to provide certainty?

That leads to the collapse of the world.

Drip, drip.

The regular dripping sound grew faster. No, it was becoming slightly irregular.

At the same time, Jang Min’s face, which had been masking calm, began to twist.

His face, which had been twisting and contorting, momentarily distorted like a demon.

“Hooo…”

A deep breath.

Only after a deep, profound sigh, as if exhaling his soul, did Jang Min’s distorted face regain its calm.

‘What is inside me?’

How could one simplify what’s inside a person with just a few words? But now, he had to achieve the impossible.

If he couldn’t break free from the realm where common sense remained common sense, it would be impossible to break the chains binding him and leap over the wall.

Erase.

One by one.

What constituted him, what made him who he was.

As Jang Min erased each of these things, he felt one thing within him grow larger, swallowing everything else.

Only when he erased this too, would he truly be ready to cross the wall.

But…

Jang Min’s face was covered in sweat.

‘Am I supposed to discard this?’

He observed what was growing within him.

He could just discard it. He was prepared to discard everything, so why wouldn’t he be able to discard this, whatever it was?

But the moment he faced the entity filling him, Jang Min realized how naive his thoughts had been.

The last thing filling him.

It was faith.

No, perhaps it should be called devotion, or maybe something that should be called obsession.

Faith in Kang Jin-ho.

Devotion to the Order [a group or organization with a specific purpose].

Obsession with his life.

It couldn’t be divided or separated.

‘Am I supposed to let go of this? Me?’

It was impossible.

If he let go of this, what would be left for Jang Min?

Crossing the wall might mean being reborn. But what was the point of being reborn if he lost himself?

No matter how strong he became, no matter how much he could ascend to a different dimension, it only had meaning when Jang Min was Jang Min.

‘I can’t do that.’

For a long, long time.

For too long, he had only endured, waited, and waited.

He had endured the criticism of being a crazy old man, endured the deaths of his fellow Order members, who were like family, and watched with his own eyes as the Order declined.

He had only endured and endured.

Even though he understood that the probability of the Demon Lord descending into his world and leading the Order to the holy land, as told in legends, was less than one in ten million, he had waited like a madman, believing only in that prophecy.

Jang Min had lived with only one belief for that long period. For him, this belief was not just a matter of mindset. This belief was the foundation of his being, his very source.

But…

But how could he let go of this?

How could he possibly do it?

Jang Min’s face twisted horribly.

‘What should I do, Demon Lord?’

Whenever he lost his way, Kang Jin-ho had always provided the answer.

His life had not required much thought. Most things could be resolved by simply believing and following.

But now, that was no longer enough. A wall was something one had to overcome entirely on their own. He could no longer seek Kang Jin-ho’s opinion, nor could he follow in Kang Jin-ho’s footsteps.

It felt like he was drifting alone in the vast ocean. No, perhaps that would be better. Even if he was adrift in the middle of the ocean where no land was visible, at night the stars would appear, and during the day the clouds would at least indicate the direction of the wind.

But here, nothing existed.

It felt like endlessly walking through a colorless desert.

This was hell experienced while alive.

“Demon Lord…”

Jang Min, who had lost the candle that illuminated him, fell to the ground and continued to fall.

Kang Jin-ho’s brow furrowed slightly.

“What about Bator?”

“…He hasn’t been seen since yesterday.”

“And Jang Min?”

“It seems so.”

Wiggins’ face, who was answering, didn’t look good either. Seeing this, it was clear that a person’s mind definitely affected their body. Wiggins, who could cure most diseases with a single cough, couldn’t hide his pale complexion.

“Chairman.”

Bang Jin-hoon spoke in a slightly subdued voice, unlike his usual self.

“…Is this really okay?”

“Well, I… I’m okay.

As you can see, my condition isn’t that bad. It’s just like I stayed up all night for a week cramming for an exam…”

I wish he would consider that staying up all night for a week usually kills people.

Anyway.

“I mean, even if something goes wrong with me, it won’t be a big deal, but those two, even I can see that if something happens, there’s no hope.”

“Is it okay?”

Kang Jin-ho sighed softly.

Bang Jin-hoon wasn’t far off the mark. He hoped it wouldn’t happen, but if those two couldn’t cross the wall, the side effects would be significant.

To be blunt, the number of people who failed to overcome the inner demons that came with the challenge and ended up as invalids or lost their lives was definitely several times greater than those who succeeded in crossing the wall.

It was a challenge that literally required risking one’s life.

‘They haven’t come out…’

If they had even a shred of sanity left, they wouldn’t be neglecting their training. They probably didn’t even realize that time was passing, and they had already forgotten what they were supposed to be doing.

Click.

Feeling frustrated, Kang Jin-ho unconsciously put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He realized he had come out to train, but the cigarette was already lit.

As he awkwardly tried to put it out, Bang Jin-hoon clicked his tongue.

“Why are you trying to put it out? You’ve already lit it, just smoke it.”

“…Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Bang Jin-hoon twitched his cheek.

Kang Jin-ho’s absentmindedly lighting a cigarette meant that he was that worried about them. It was good that he was concerned about the other directors, but the fact that Kang Jin-ho was so worried that he didn’t even realize what he was doing was a problem in itself.

“Is there anything we can do?”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“This is something they have to bear entirely on their own.”

“I see.”

Bang Jin-hoon sighed deeply.

In truth, he wasn’t that close to the other directors emotionally. He had lived in the Assembly [a place of gathering or meeting] his whole life, while the other directors had only joined a few years ago.

They were comrades who had faced life and death together, but he had never had personal interactions with them. To put it nicely, they were comrades-in-arms; to put it coldly, they were nothing more than colleagues.

Even so, the fact that he felt so suffocated meant that he had grown quite fond of them in that short time.

‘Those guys who seemed like they wouldn’t even get a scratch if you hit them with a rock…’

Considering that Jang Min was like that, and that Bator had ended up in that state, the inner demons were more dangerous than he had thought.

“Lord.”

“Hmm?”

Wiggins, who had been silent until now, spoke.

“Honestly, I don’t really understand this whole process. I can’t interpret why they’re suffering so much with my common sense.”

It seemed that Wiggins, whose foundation was in Western martial arts, would say something like this.

“So, I’m asking, how long does this inner demon last?”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

‘How long does it last…’

“Are you asking when it will be resolved?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Whether they succeed in crossing the wall or fail and lose their lives.

“Well, it depends on what they’re trying to achieve.”

“There are those who achieve it after decades of meditation, and there are those who cross the wall in just a few days. There are those who die spitting blood in less than ten days, and there are those who die after decades of training because they can’t overcome the last hurdle.”

Sudden enlightenment, awakening, detachment, ascension, liberation.

They were called by many names, but their essence was one.

Could they discard themselves and find a new self?

No one knew how long that would take.

“Hmm.”

Wiggins frowned.

Although he said that, he also understood to some extent what Bator and Jang Min were experiencing. He too was feeling the pain of his bones breaking as he was redefining his martial arts.

These two were going even further.

‘Going further…’

Wiggins’ gaze shifted slightly to the side, checking Bang Jin-hoon’s complexion. Bang Jin-hoon was also clearly changing. He was different from the one who was exhausted from excessive contemplation.

“…It’s either success or failure, then.”

“That’s right.”

Wiggins nodded.

“Lord, can you excuse me from training today?”

“Why?”

“I have something I need to do.”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Wiggins for a moment, then nodded.

“Do as you wish.”

“Thank you, Lord. And I have one more request.”

“What is it?”

A twisted smile appeared on Wiggins’ lips.

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head, slightly puzzled by the smile.

“I need to meet the Master.”

“Please grant me permission.”

Kang Jin-ho stared intently at Wiggins. He must know how unreasonable his request was. Yet, there wasn’t a single flicker of hesitation in Wiggins’ eyes.

“Do as you wish.”

“Thank you.”

Wiggins turned abruptly and walked towards the Assembly.

Kang Jin-ho, watching his retreating figure, nodded quietly.

‘He’s going to struggle.’

The desire not to be left behind was probably the same for everyone. At least, no one here would laugh at a life-risking challenge as reckless.

“Then today…”

“It’ll be a bit more relaxed, huh?”

“…Damn it.”

Bang Jin-hoon, the only director left, sighed deeply and raised his fist.

“Go easy on me.”

“I’ll try.”