Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1858

Lee Hyun-soo stared at Bator, who was sitting on the sofa, with a strange, unreadable expression.

‘He can actually sit down.’

It wasn’t that Bator had never sat on the sofa before. If you considered barely perching on the edge of his rear as ‘sitting,’ that is. Of course, because of his ridiculous weight, they had to replace the sofa countless times as it kept getting warped…

‘He can sit.’

Anyway, Bator was now ‘sitting’ on the sofa normally.

It might not seem like a big deal to others, but for Lee Hyun-soo and the people of the Assembly, it was a momentous event.

“…Did you not eat?” When Bang Jin-hoon asked, dumbfounded, a vein popped out on Bator’s forehead.

“Does not eating make you shorter? Shorter?”

“No, it’s just so absurd. A person suddenly comes back half the size(?).”

People often say ‘their face has become half its size’ as a metaphor, but Bator’s face was literally half its size.

“You seem to have gone on a very extreme diet.”

As Bang Jin-hoon kept staring at him with a strange look, Bator sighed deeply.

What kind of reaction should he have when his legendary achievement of breaking through the wall and reconstructing his body was being belittled as a diet failure?

“Anyway…”

But Bang Jin-hoon had his own reasons for saying that. Where else would he see something like this in his lifetime? It’s not uncommon for people to shrink as they age, but it’s rare for someone’s form to change like Bator’s.

“Well, that’s amazing.”

Bang Jin-hoon turned his head sharply to look at Kang Jin-ho.

“Is this normal?”

Kang Jin-ho stroked his chin slightly.

“It wouldn’t be normal. Basically, ‘rebirth’ is the process of reconstructing one’s body to be most suitable for unleashing their martial arts…”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Bator with a strange gaze.

“It was a bit too big.”

“That’s true.”

“It was way too much.”

Bator’s face contorted.

“You guys…”

But Bator couldn’t really argue. It was true that he had learned martial arts focused on external power, and it was also true that his previous massive body had greatly helped him in learning external power.

But now, Bator’s martial arts were not limited to external power, and his destructive power didn’t necessarily come only from his body. Rather, his excessively large body was creating a limit to his flexibility and hindering him from reaching a higher level.

In that sense, his body shrinking was actually a good thing, but…

“Ugh…”

Bator, who had lightly touched the cup in front of him a couple of times, soon put his hand down and sighed deeply.

“Ugh~ This is not getting any easier. Everything is too big.”

“…It’s because your body was too big in the first place, Bator.”

“I know!”

Bator yelled.

“I know, but what am I supposed to do when it doesn’t work!”

Lee Hyun-soo burst out laughing.

To understand what Bator was feeling from the perspective of an ordinary person, it would be similar to waking up one day and finding your body had returned to when you were a child.

Depending on how you think about it, it might be a good thing, but reality is not that simple. It was only because Bator was who he was that he could move around as if nothing had happened; if it were an ordinary person, they wouldn’t have been able to walk two steps.

The length of his legs, the weight of his torso, the balance of his body.

There was no way someone whose everything had completely changed could walk and move as usual.

Even now, Bator probably didn’t know how much force he needed to use to pick up that cup. That’s why he couldn’t even touch that small cup.

Of course, he would get used to it soon, but he would probably have to struggle for a while.

“How is it?”

At Kang Jin-ho’s question, Bator gave a wry smile.

“Should I say it feels too strange? I thought I would adapt automatically if my body changed, but this is a bit weird.”

“It’s because your case is very different. Usually, there are hardly any cases of people experiencing such extreme changes in body shape like you.”

“Ugh, I guess so. But I’m gradually adapting.”

Bator slowly clenched and opened his fist.

The power he felt in his hand was not the same as before. His body, which seemed capable of crushing a mountain with his bare hands, no longer existed.

But Bator didn’t feel any regret or emptiness.

Even though the power in his body was not as strong as in the past, there was a power surging within him that could crush not just a mountain but even the sky. Even Bator, who was confident that he was second to none in terms of power, was bewildered by the power flowing within him.

‘Breaking through the wall, huh…’

Transcend the limits of humanity and advance to a new realm.

Bator had been worthy of being called a superhuman, but after breaking through the wall, he could finally realize why superhumans were superhumans.

“Is it that different?”

“Huh?”

At Bang Jin-hoon’s question, Lee Hyun-soo turned his head to look at Bator.

“Like, does the world seem to move slower, or can you see through things?”

“I can definitely tell that you’re not in your right mind.”

Bator chuckled.

Other than everything feeling more vivid and tangible, there weren’t any major changes. The change had occurred within him, not outside.

“Anyway, I’ve overcome one hurdle.”

Lee Hyun-soo let out a deep sigh.

Breaking through the wall was an act that involved great danger. The worst-case scenario was that all those who attempted it would die or become disabled, and in reality, that was the most likely outcome.

But fortunately, thanks to Bator breaking through the wall, they had avoided the worst-case scenario.

But…

‘That doesn’t mean we can let our guard down.’

After all, Jang Min and Wiggins were risking their lives to break through the wall right now.

“Do you think Elder Jang will be okay?”

“Don’t worry!”

Bator said firmly in a booming voice.

“There’s no way the old man can’t do what I did.”

“But the wall… If it were really that simple, there would be no reason why we haven’t been able to break through it until now, right?”

“That’s different.”

Bator shook his head.

“That’s because we hadn’t met that pretty boy back then.”

“By pretty boy, do you mean Baek Yeon-hong?”

“Yeah.”

Bator snorted softly.

‘If it weren’t for that fight, I wouldn’t have even dared to think about breaking through the wall.’

People need the right kind of stimulation. And there’s nothing better than a competitive spirit to push someone forward.

Bator, Jang Min… No, especially in Bator’s case, he had been saying that he would surpass Kang Jin-ho someday, but in his heart, he had already despaired at the vast gap between them.

Then, Baek Yeon-hong appeared.

Baek Yeon-hong was someone who had broken through the wall. But he didn’t make them feel as distant as Kang Jin-ho did. If Kang Jin-ho was on a cloud that they could never reach no matter how hard they tried, Baek Yeon-hong was at a height where they could at least grab his ankle if they tried hard enough.

That sense of distance ignited the competitive spirit in Jang Min and Bator.

Just as Bator had rushed at the wall based on that competitive spirit, Jang Min was also doing his best to break through the wall right now.

“There’s no way that old man is going to die. Frankly, just looking at how he’s lived so far, he’s closer to a monster than a human, so there’s no way he’d die from something like this, right?”

“Who’s a monster, you big oaf?”

Bator’s head snapped towards the door.

“Huh?”

Bator’s lips twitched slightly.

“What…”

Bator, who had been staring intently at the door, turned his head sharply towards Kang Jin-ho. Seeing an inscrutable smile on Kang Jin-ho’s face, Bator unconsciously clenched his fist.

Click.

The slightly old door opened, and behind it, someone familiar yet unfamiliar appeared.

“E-Elder!”

“Old man!”

Lee Hyun-soo and Bator jumped up from their seats.

Their eyes quickly scanned Jang Min’s appearance, who had appeared behind the door.

And unlike them, Bang Jin-hoon, who was sitting on the sofa, shook his head and sighed deeply.

“One gets smaller, and the other gets younger… Damn it, I should put on some makeup and show up too.”

Just as he said…

The appearance of Jang Min, who had opened the door, was not that different from what they knew.

The neatly combed-back pompadour [a hairstyle with the hair swept up and back from the forehead], which he had probably styled, was still impressive, and the rough sideburns had been perfectly trimmed.

However…

“…Where did his wrinkles go?”

The face visible under that hairstyle was not that of an old man, but rather that of a middle-aged man.

“Is this old man acting out by rejuvenating?” Bator shouted through gritted teeth, and Jang Min chuckled.

“It’s ridiculous to hear a shrunken guy yelling.”

“Ha…”

Bator let out a hollow laugh.

But unlike his voice, there was an undeniable excitement in his eyes.

“Without any sign…”

“You’re the one who’s being noisy. What’s so great about breaking through a wall that you have to release your energy all over the neighborhood?”

“…Did you break through?”

“Of course.”

As Bator approached excitedly, Jang Min reached out and grabbed Bator’s shoulder.

“Old man!”

“Get out of the way, you!”

Jang Min pushed Bator into a corner and quickly ran towards Kang Jin-ho.

“Oh, Great Demon Lord!”

Then, without any change from his usual self, he prostrated himself on the floor and shouted.

“Your subordinate was incompetent and made the Great Demon Lord wait for a long time! Please punish this disloyalty!”

Lee Hyun-soo and Bator, who saw the scene, quietly looked up at the ceiling.

‘What changed?’

‘He’s the same.’

Other than his face being a bit younger, nothing had changed.

Well…

If he changed, he wouldn’t be Jang Min.

Kang Jin-ho, who had been staring at the prostrated Jang Min, chuckled and opened his mouth.

“How do you feel?”

Jang Min raised his head.

Jang Min, who was facing Kang Jin-ho with an extremely serious gaze, opened his mouth in a heavy voice.

“I have seen the past.”

“Did you discard it?”

“I have let it go.”

“Good.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

“That’s all that matters.”

A smile also appeared on Jang Min’s lips.

“Everything is by the grace of the Great Demon Lord. This Jang Min will shake off his past foolishness and serve the Great Demon Lord with all his heart from now on! I will also dedicate my soul so that the Order can be reborn!”

“…Take it easy.”

“Yes, Great Demon Lord!”

Kang Jin-ho, who shook his head, reached out and lightly patted Jang Min’s shoulder.

“…You’ve worked hard.”

“You really have worked hard.”

Jang Min, who got up with a smile, turned his head to look at Bator.

“What are you doing, you pathetic guy? You can’t even move your limbs properly, yet you’re sitting here comfortably? Instead of training to regain your senses, what are you doing?”

“How can I not be anxious when you guys are serving the Great Demon Lord?”

“…Old man.”

“What?”

“…Please just die, you monster of a human.”

It was the moment when the reliable nag of the Assembly made a triumphant return.