Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1869

“He’s not eating.”

“He might not be.”

“…It’s been a week.”

“A martial artist won’t die from not eating for a week.”

“He’s not drinking water either.”

“…That’s a bit of a problem.”

At Lee Hyun-soo’s words, Kang Jin-ho looked at the conference room where Bang Jin-hoon was sitting with a troubled expression.

“But, Guild Leader.”

“Yeah?”

“Is it okay for him to be like that over there? Considering how Bator and Elder Jang Min were acting up last time… the building could collapse and get destroyed.”

“It’s okay. It’s not that kind of enlightenment.”

“Are you sure?”

“Guild Leader?”

Kang Jin-ho subtly turned his head to the side.

“We can just rebuild the building.”

“Oh, you! You’re a real piece of work!”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face crumpled.

‘No, just because he has a lot of money, does that mean he can treat buildings like they’re kids’ names? What do you mean, rebuild it? Rebuild it!’

“And!”

“…Why the sudden ‘and’? What were you thinking?”

“Let’s say the building is fine! What about the people inside? The building is going to collapse!”

“Do you think they’ll get hurt if the building collapses?”

“It would have to be a 20-story building collapsing to….”

That’s right.

That’s a valid point.

If the martial artists working at the main headquarters get hurt by some falling concrete pieces, they’d be in trouble for neglecting their training.

That’s true, but….

“Still, we should be careful.”

“Just tell him that it might be possible. He doesn’t seem to care much.”

In a world where three-eyed people live, if a two-eyed person goes there, the two-eyed person is treated as strange. In this world full of ignorant and clueless martial artists, Lee Hyun-soo is bound to be the odd one out.

“…I’ll tell him anyway.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho looked back at where Bang Jin-hoon was.

“Are you worried?”

Kang Jin-ho hummed without answering.

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you go give him some advice?”

“If it were as easy as saying it, I would have done it already.”

‘Extending’ and ‘surpassing’ are completely different concepts.

Even if Kang Jin-ho were to give Bang Jin-hoon guidance now, it wouldn’t be much different from extending his path.

What Bang Jin-hoon needs now is not to extend his knowledge, but to surpass the limits of the knowledge he already has. That’s not something someone can advise him on from the sidelines.

You can teach someone how to run, but you can’t teach them how to breathe. That’s an area that only they can handle.

“He’ll do well.”

“…Your expression and words are very different.”

“He’ll do well.”

Lee Hyun-soo spoke to Kang Jin-ho, who was about to turn away after glancing at Bang Jin-hoon.

“But, Guild Leader.”

“What?”

“Can I ask you one thing?”

“Go ahead.”

Lee Hyun-soo paused slightly before continuing.

“Although Director Bang is trying now, Bator, Elder Jang Min, and even Master Wiggins have all reached enlightenment.”

“That’s right.”

“Then what is our current power level? Even if Director Bang doesn’t break through, can we at least hold our own against the Black King’s faction?”

“That’s how it will be.”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-soo tilted his head, puzzled by the slightly off-kilter answer.

“If Director Bang succeeds, that is.”

Lee Hyun-soo, realizing that the answer wasn’t off-kilter, asked in a slightly trembling voice.

“What if he fails?”

“What happens if he fails?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“Nothing much will change.”

“We’ll just have to struggle a bit more. Like always.”

Like always….

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

It would be better to hear that they absolutely can’t win or that it’s like throwing an egg at a rock. Saying they have to struggle like always was a harsher statement than anything else in the Guild.

“Director Bang has to do it then.”

“That’s right.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed softly.

Even if Bang Jin-hoon doesn’t break through, he won’t give up. No matter how absolute the difference in power is, how could he give up on something that could determine everyone’s lives?

However, if Bang Jin-hoon can pull it off, it would feel like a bit of a burden lifted.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yes?”

“The Director Bang I know is someone who always gets things done when he needs to.”

Trust was evident in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes as he looked at the conference room.

Chun Tae-hoon’s eyes twitched.

“Um… Master.”

“What?”

“…What are you doing right now?”

“Can’t you see? I’m pondering.”

“Like that?”

Chun Tae-hoon looked at Bang Jin-hoon lying on the floor.

‘Pondering, he says?’

If it’s possible to ponder in this position, then there’s no need for study rooms in the world. You could just lie down on the street and study. Why would you pay a lot of money to find a place to study?

Currently, access to this place is restricted for everyone, including Chun Tae-hoon.

Originally, Chun Tae-hoon wasn’t supposed to be allowed in either, but since Bang Jin-hoon had been alone for so long, Bang Jin-hoon allowed him to enter.

But looking at this scene, it’s like….

“Um… Master.”

“What?”

“I’m not sure if I should even be saying this….”

“What?”

Chun Tae-hoon opened his mouth with a troubled voice.

“Um… is it possible that you’re just relaxing because other people aren’t allowed in here?”

“Enough, you brat. Give me the snacks you brought.”

“Please eat a meal, a meal!”

“If I eat, my stomach will be too heavy.”

Chun Tae-hoon sighed deeply and took out the snacks from his bag, handing them to Bang Jin-hoon.

“Hey, this brat only brought the kind of snacks old people eat? Don’t you have any strawberry flavor? Strawberry flavor?”

“Does strawberry flavor even suit your face, Master! You look like you could tear a bear apart with your bare hands!”

“What does that have to do with my taste, you punk!”

Bang Jin-hoon tore open the snack bag, grabbed a handful of snacks, and shoved them into his mouth.

“I was about to starve to death.”

Chun Tae-hoon covered his face.

‘Is this really okay?’

Is this really okay?

He has eyes and ears, so he knows very well how much terrible pain Jang Min and Bator went through to break through their barriers. Moreover, there are rumors that even Wiggins’s atmosphere completely changed after he broke through.

But his master doesn’t care about the atmosphere or anything, and seems to have become even more immature.

“Masteeeeer!”

“Ah, shut up, you punk!”

Bang Jin-hoon waved his hand and frowned.

“I know without you rushing me. I’m mostly done organizing things now.”

“Yes?”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled as he looked at the mountain of manuals.

“I took a bit of a detour because of what the Guild Leader said. Damn it, I should have just done it my way.”

“What did the Guild Leader say?”

“To be precise, it’s because of what the Guild Leader and that Wiggins guy said. That I need to create a martial art that will lead me to a higher place.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Bang Jin-hoon shook his head.

“If you look at them one by one, they’re not wrong. The problem is that the two got mixed up. The Guild Leader told me to create a martial art to break through the wall, and Wiggins told me to start with what martial art I need.”

“So?”

“But I don’t need any martial art.”

What kind of nonsense is that?

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled as he saw Chun Tae-hoon’s face, which showed that he didn’t understand at all.

“I’m just someone who should live a simple life. The reason I became a director wasn’t because I wanted to live well, but because I was just holding a position so you guys wouldn’t lose face to the people from outside. And the reason I created the basic skills was because there weren’t any proper martial arts for you guys to learn.”

“…That’s true.”

“I’ve realized something new. I’m not a person who’s suited to be a martial artist.”

“Is that even something you can say? Master, you’re the most martial artist-like martial artist I know. Ignorant, strong, and reckless.”

“Is that so, you punk?”

Chun Tae-hoon flinched as Bang Jin-hoon glared at him.

“That’s the condition of a gangster, not a martial artist.”

“A gangster and a martial artist, they’re pretty much the same.”

“There’s a difference.”

“Yes?”

Bang Jin-hoon said briefly.

“Ambition.”

“What you’re saying isn’t wrong either. A martial artist without ambition is no different from a thug. But I’m a person without ambition.”

Chun Tae-hoon was about to immediately refute him, but stopped and closed his mouth.

“Do you understand?”

“Rather than understanding… I understand what you’re saying.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled and crunched on the snacks.

“I only recently realized it. That I’m not a guy who’s suited to be a martial artist. When I faced the same double-layered wall, I built up my power and recruited disciples to create a counterforce. But the Guild Leader just went alone and killed them all.”

“When the enemy seems strong, I create martial arts to train the kids, but the Guild Leader just trains himself and wipes them all out.”

“That’s because it’s the Guild Leader….”

“Ah, of course, that’s right. Only that guy can do that. But the problem isn’t whether you can do it, but how you deal with it. In my head, there’s no concept of me getting stronger to solve something.”

Chun Tae-hoon nodded without realizing it.

Certainly, Bang Jin-hoon is fundamentally different from the other directors. Chun Tae-hoon had been feeling this subtly, but now that he heard Bang Jin-hoon’s words, it became clear.

“So, as a result, telling me to find a direction for a martial art that will raise myself is the wrong advice. I’m someone who has no intention of rising.”

Chun Tae-hoon’s face hardened.

“Then… is it all wrong?”

“What?”

“…Is it not going to work?”

“What are you talking about, you punk?”

“No, you said….”

Bang Jin-hoon’s face crumpled.

“It’s the direction that’s wrong, you punk! The direction!”

“…Then what are you going to do?”

“I’ll do what I’ve been doing. This doesn’t mean that I have to create a martial art, learn it, and get stronger. It means that in the process of creating it, I have to increase my understanding and break through my shell.”

“That’s right.”

“Then it doesn’t have to be a martial art for me.”

“Ah!”

Chun Tae-hoon nodded as if he finally understood.

“Then? Could it be?”

“That’s right.”

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes gleamed.

“If I created the basic skills, I have to create the advancement skills too. I’m going to create a proper martial art for the skilled members of the Guild to learn. If this succeeds, there will be people who get stronger besides me.”

Bang Jin-hoon threw the last remaining snack into his mouth and wiped the crumbs from his lips.

“I’ve replenished my calories, now I have to start.”

“Will you be okay? That might be even more difficult than creating a martial art for yourself.”

“It’s better to climb a difficult mountain than to hold onto something that doesn’t even have a direction. Stop talking and let’s start. Go bring all the manuals related to my internal energy cultivation!”

“Yes, Master!”

Bang Jin-hoon coughed softly as he watched Chun Tae-hoon rush towards the pile of manuals.

‘I’ve got the framework now.’

Knowing what to do is half the battle. And as Wiggins said, and as Kang Jin-ho said, the answer was within him.

Creating the Guild’s advancement cultivation method was a long-cherished wish and task for him.

“I’m not Bang Jin-hoon. I’m Director Bang of the Guild.”

Therefore!

He will definitely create it.

The best martial art that will raise not him, but the Guild.