Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1845

“Do you remember the Elder Knights?”

“…Isn’t it stranger if I didn’t, Master? Unless I’ve developed dementia in the meantime.”

The Master chuckled softly.

“I misspoke. Yes, those Elder Knights.”

The Master shrugged and began to speak.

“Their strength is…”

“Just a moment, Master.”

Before the Master could say more, Wiggins interrupted.

“If you’re talking about a way to become as strong as an Elder Knight, I don’t need it.”

“Hmm?”

“They couldn’t even handle a single Lord when they were gathered. I can easily take on one of them now. No… I’m confident I can handle at least two.”

The Master’s eyes narrowed.

“Aren’t you being a bit too confident in yourself?”

“While you were preoccupied with other things, Master, I wasn’t just playing around. Even you can’t defeat me now.”

It was an unbelievable claim. But the Master didn’t question it. The Wiggins he knew wasn’t one to bluff.

Moreover, having fallen so low, he had even less reason to boast.

“If that’s true, it’s quite remarkable.”

“It’s not that impressive. In this place, it’s impossible to even maintain your self-esteem without this much effort.”

The Master gave a wry smile.

‘I suppose so.’

He understood why Wiggins had abandoned the Round Table and thrown himself into the General Assembly, but he couldn’t quite accept it emotionally. Now, the results were proving it.

‘So, that choice was ultimately the right one?’

Long history and a perfect system.

In some ways, that might be a great advantage. But the perfect system and the laws refined over time suppress people’s growth and consume them as parts of the system.

‘He must have felt suffocated.’

Walking a predetermined path within it.

The difference between him and Wiggins was that when he realized this, he had already lost the ambition to move forward.

For someone who had been running on a set track, taking a step off the path was never easy. Glory was already prepared just by running straight along the path.

Stepping off that path meant gaining new possibilities, but at the same time…

‘It also meant being prepared to lose everything.’

Moving towards a better place?

It was easy to say.

But no one could be sure that place would be better. Especially when abandoning a place like the Round Table, which was perfectly prepared for him, and making a new choice was never easy.

What would have happened if he had made a different choice back then?

‘I would have just become another mediocre Master after me.’

That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but…

“You’re shining.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m talking about you.”

The Master sighed lightly.

‘The problem was that I didn’t want to lose anything.’

Warriors are a breed that can only rot the moment they settle down. To avoid losing, they must move forward.

But he stood in place, unwilling to let go of anything he held onto. He wanted to enjoy it all while sitting still, instead of getting up and moving.

The difference between Wiggins and him began there.

“It’s not good when a person changes too much.”

“I don’t know. I wonder if I’ve really changed.”

Wiggins chuckled softly.

“Everyone carries a monster within their heart. They just suppress it to live in accordance with society.”

The Master frowned.

“That’s… a childish thing to say.”

“But it’s true.”

A twisted smile appeared on Wiggins’ face.

“I wanted to be upright. A great knight, a great father, and someone to be proud of for those who followed me.”

The Master nodded. He felt the same way.

“I made all sorts of excuses, but in the end, I was captivated by the Lord.”

“Captivated?”

“Yes. The overwhelming sense of power that violence gives, the longing for a power that doesn’t restrain itself. I realized that true power isn’t about living in accordance with the world, but about making the world conform to you, when I saw the Lord.”

Wiggins continued with a bitter tone.

“Of course, I didn’t know it back then. I just vaguely understood it with a poorly fitted logic, pretending to understand something I couldn’t clearly explain.”

“But you understand it now?”

“Yes, Master.”

Wiggins shook his head.

“I was never the kind of person who could live upright. If I had to say, I’m more suited to being a villain.”

“…It’s sad that I have to agree with that.”

The person who suffered the most from that Wiggins was the Master himself.

But now, there were no feelings of resentment or anger left. It was clear that the Round Table had also ruthlessly exploited those who had become their enemies.

It was just that those whose paths had diverged could no longer be the same as before.

In addition…

There was no hesitation on Wiggins’ face as he called himself a villain. That was an expression that only someone who was sure of their path could show.

“The story has gone off track. Anyway, it’s very encouraging that you can now face two Elder Knights, but it has nothing to do with what I was going to say. I’m not trying to make you an Elder Knight in the first place.”

“Then…”

“Elder Knights aren’t made. It’s a path chosen by those who have already proven themselves.”

“I know that too.”

“However…”

The Master wore a subtle smile.

“The important thing is the process.”

“Process?”

“Proof is ambiguous. And strength is relative.”

“The strongest person in an era becomes an Elder Knight. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s correct.”

“That’s where the problem arises. The biggest problem is that there’s no way to compare the strongest person of this era with the strongest person of another era. As I said, strength is relative. In some eras, someone with a strength of 100 might be the strongest, but in other eras, someone with a strength of 20 might be the strongest.”

Wiggins nodded.

‘It’s the same as what Baek Yeon-hong said.’

In the end, people from different eras can only guess at each other’s strength through stories and anecdotes.

In the Central Plains, it would just be a matter of regret, but for the Round Table, which had to select Elder Knights, this was a real problem. It was too inefficient to wake up the previous Elder Knights every time they selected new ones.

“So, what you’re saying is…”

“The ancients devised a way to make people prove their qualifications to be Elder Knights. They tried to establish a standard that wouldn’t change even as time passed. That’s the ‘Trial Gate’.”

Wiggins looked at the Master with a puzzled expression.

“Is it like a dungeon?”

“Similar.”

“What era is this…”

“It was created quite a long time ago. It was very natural in that era.”

Wiggins sighed.

“Master, I don’t think you understand me… I don’t want to take the Elder Knight trials. I’m already beyond that level.”

“It seems you’re still young.”

“Excuse me?”

“It seems you have no intention of listening to what people have to say until the end.”

“So, have you ever heard of this Trial Gate?”

“…No, I haven’t.”

“Do you remember how the last Elder Knights were chosen?”

“They woke up the existing Elder Knights.”

Incredibly inefficiently, too.

“That Trial Gate is a discarded policy. It was proven that it was impossible to distinguish Elder Knights with it.”

“Why is that?”

“They all died.”

The Master smiled awkwardly.

“All those who entered the Trial Gate to become Elder Knights died. When it seemed strange, they woke up an Elder Knight and put someone who was recognized for their skills into the Trial Gate, but they didn’t return. They messed up the balance.”

Wiggins stared at the Master with a dumbfounded look.

“Then, rebalance it… No, no. It’s not something that can be easily fixed.”

“That’s right. Besides, as you know, there aren’t many people in an era who are qualified to take the Elder Knight test. By the time they realized the problem, all those who created the Trial Gate were dead, and there was no way to fix it.”

“Hmm.”

Wiggins nodded as if he understood.

“I understand everything, but there’s one thing I don’t understand.”

“What is it?”

“What value does that unbalanced dungeon have? What I need isn’t proof.”

“Right. That’s why I brought up this story.”

“Yes?”

The Master smiled.

“Everyone who entered the Trial Gate died. But not everyone died inside. There was one person who returned from that Trial Gate.”

“…After the failure was proven?”

“There are people in the world who are full of self-esteem, and there are people who are overly adventurous. And sometimes, there are people who have both.”

“I suppose so.”

“Anyway, he broke the seal of the Trial Gate himself and went inside. And when he finally passed the test inside the Trial Gate…”

The Master tapped his head with his finger.

“He was insane.”

“The berserker began to slaughter everyone in sight. Even though all the forces stationed at the Round Table were mobilized to stop him, they couldn’t. In the end, the Master of that time woke up all the Elder Knights and tried to suppress him. What do you think happened?”

“…What happened?”

“The suppression was successful, but three of the Elder Knights died.”

Wiggins’ eyes wavered.

“He was never that strong before he went in there. If he was, he wouldn’t have needed to enter the Trial Gate.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“I don’t know exactly… but if my guess is correct, if you can pass that place, you’ll be able to get what you want now.”

Wiggins sighed briefly.

‘Either way, I can’t overcome the wall with the Eastern way.’

Contemplation, meditation, abandoning oneself.

No matter how much he heard those words, he couldn’t understand them. He needed his own way to overcome the wall.

“Where is that Trial Gate?”

“Are you going to do it?”

“I have no intention of backing down now.”

The Master nodded silently.

“It’s not important where it is. Only the Master can open that gate.”

“I guess I’ll have to start by becoming a Master first?”

“…It’s not that difficult.”

Wiggins glanced at the Master and turned away.

“I’ll come back after I’ve obtained the qualifications of a Master.”

“Hey, Wiggins.”

“Try not to spill any blood, if you can help it.”

“…I’ll try.”

The Master, who had been staring at Wiggins as he walked away, quietly closed his eyes.

‘I don’t know if it’s goodwill or malice.’

Whether he really wanted Wiggins to get stronger by passing that trial, or if he wanted him to die in agony inside.

The Master himself couldn’t clearly understand his own heart.