Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1877

It’s an unfamiliar sensation.

To put it into a metaphor, it’s like touching an unknown object with the tip of my finger. No matter how wide I open my eyes, nothing is touching me, but I can clearly feel the sensation of something unknown at my fingertip.

Of course, this is just a metaphor.

The place being touched isn’t my fingertip, but my heart.

It’s very unfamiliar, but I think I know what this feeling is.

Yes, this is like a clue.

A clue that I thought would never exist again, leading him to a higher place.

‘Now, after all this time…’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled softly.

He thought that overcoming a wall or surpassing his own limits was a distant prospect for him now. He believed that he should move forward like a tortoise through continuous practice, not by leaping over things…

The situation, which seemed to be a standstill, was reversed, and ripples began to form in his otherwise tranquil world.

Why?

Probably…

“It must be because of them.”

Kang Jin-ho realized that he hadn’t actually experienced many transcendent beings who had broken through their limits.

He had faced them as enemies a few times, but even that was a very small number.

And while he had faced enemies, this was the first time he had witnessed someone breaking through their limits and observed the changes that came with it.

Impressive things happened one after another, and not just in ways that Kang Jin-ho knew, but in various ways.

It would be stranger if he didn’t feel anything after seeing that.

Even if his mind didn’t understand, his body did. Even if his body didn’t grasp it, his martial arts knew what to do and were moving on their own.

A strange sensation, as if the fluids inside his body were gently swaying.

Feeling that sensation, Kang Jin-ho quietly observed his inner self.

‘How strange.’

As a martial artist, the first thing to master is controlling one’s own body.

Murtial arts ultimately gain meaning when one interacts with oneself and others. Among them, the first thing to master is oneself.

Therefore, a martial artist seeking to ascend begins by controlling their own body. Someone like Kang Jin-ho, if he so desired, could move his body in micrometer units, and even make simple transformations.

Originally, even involuntary muscles that could not be controlled by will could be brought under control, so it could be said that his body would never betray his will.

But now.

His body was clearly escaping his control.

‘This is also unfamiliar.’

That clearly meant he was moving away from perfection.

Normally, that would be a very unsettling thing, but not for Kang Jin-ho now.

There is a limit to expanding a building while maintaining it. To build a taller and stronger building, the building itself must be torn down and rebuilt.

That was what was happening in Kang Jin-ho’s body now.

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho let out a low groan.

Normally, he would be happy. Grasping a clue that could make him stronger for any reason was an encouraging thing.

But now, he couldn’t just feel simple joy from that fact.

Tearing down.

In other words, it meant that he had to accept a certain decline in his current martial prowess.

If he could endure it and it was certain that he would become stronger, there would be no reason to hesitate. But even if he went through this series of processes, it was uncertain whether Kang Jin-ho would be able to break through another wall.

Perhaps he might remain in this state forever, even weaker than he was now.

Clench.

Kang Jin-ho slightly clenched and unclenched his fist.

In fact, even at this moment, he felt an impulse. If he wanted to, he could stop the changes happening in his body and maintain his current state.

It wasn’t a bad thing.

Courageous people criticize those who choose stability over change, but it’s a matter of choice, not a matter of good and evil. Perhaps a baseless challenge is a product of irresponsibility.

‘It’s difficult.’

It was difficult to accept a decline in his martial prowess when he didn’t know when the Azure Horse would move. It wasn’t the time to take a risk without a guaranteed reward.

But choosing the other option wasn’t easy either.

Maintaining his current martial prowess might make calculations easier, but it wouldn’t solve the most fundamental problem.

‘Can I win?’

Against the Black King’s realm?

Against that Azure Horse?

With his current strength?

“Hoo…”

A deep sigh escaped from Kang Jin-ho’s mouth.

Whether he could defeat the Azure Horse was uncertain. A match wasn’t simply decided by who was stronger. But the answer to whether they could face the Black King’s realm was too easy.

‘It’s impossible.’

Everyone had tried their best, but it was still not enough. Even if they somehow managed to grab onto a less than 10% chance and lead it to victory, by then, the number of people standing on their own two feet would be countable on one’s fingers.

In the end, they had no choice but to strengthen their forces.

Lee Hyun-soo was doing his best, but that wasn’t a fundamental solution. Realistically, the only force that could be strengthened in the current council was one.

‘It’s just me.’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

There was a time when he believed that he was leading his life proactively. But recently, he felt that the choices he could make were half-determined, and that his 고민 [worry] was just to avoid regretting those choices.

‘Will I wither away safely, or will I gamble and prepare to die miserably while aiming for a comeback?’

The choice was obvious, wasn’t it?

Kang Jin-ho withdrew the energy that was protecting his body. And he also released the control he had over his body.

At the same time, the energies that had been stably maintained until now slowly began to surge more greatly.

A sense of alienation that made him feel like he was getting motion sickness.

But even in that alienation, Kang Jin-ho’s eyes were colder than ever, sinking deeper and deeper.

‘I’ve learned something.’

He had always tried to move forward. To survive, he had to become stronger, and to protect, he had to grit his teeth.

He had come this far, holding onto what he could never abandon and discarding everything else.

But after seeing the directors, he realized.

Moving forward was ultimately about walking the path. What truly supported him was not his unwavering will, his steely heart, or even his high martial prowess, but the path he had walked.

‘So let’s look back.’

Who he was.

What kind of person he was.

Perhaps…

The moment he realized that might be the moment when Kang Jin-ho truly surpassed himself.

Perhaps…

“I understand the reason, but…”

“So you’re on your fifth bottle of cola?”

Kang Jin-ho, realizing that Choi Yeon-ha was looking at him with eyes that said, ‘Has this guy completely lost it?’, coughed softly.

“No, well…”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his head.

“I just keep craving it because I was thinking about the old days.”

“…What principle makes that happen?”

“When I think about the old days… ah, I was really desperate for a bottle of cola back then, or I wanted to have a casual conversation with someone…”

“That’s all I can think about.”

Kang Jin-ho muttered awkwardly.

“I didn’t realize how desperate I was for it back then, but looking back, it feels a little strange.”

Choi Yeon-ha rubbed her eyes.

‘What is this?’

In conclusion…

Yes.

For example, it’s like someone who spent their school days without a single friend not realizing that it was strange until they became an adult and realized that their school days were miserable.

Now that Kang Jin-ho has friends, a lover, a family at home, and colleagues who are with him, he is realizing how terrible his past life was.

Perhaps that reaction is what’s happening now.

“…So the conclusion is that you’re meeting me, having conversations, and drinking cola like water?”

“…That wasn’t necessarily my intention.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho coughed awkwardly again and again.

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled as she looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“Oh, is that so?”

“You were lonely and sad. Okay, okay, come here. Your older sister will comfort you.”

“P-people are watching!”

“It’s okay. What does it matter? Now, even if we get caught together, it won’t even make the news.”

“No! They’re watching!”

“Let them watch!”

“Why, why are you doing this!”

Choi Yeon-ha rubbed her eyes again as she watched Kang Jin-ho recoil in horror.

‘That man is the boss of a violent organization that makes other people tremble.’

Of course, martial artists and gangsters are slightly different concepts, but to Choi Yeon-ha, there wasn’t much difference. Isn’t a person who makes a living by punching people in illegal places called a gangster?

But fortunately or unfortunately, the boss of the best gangster organization in Korea was not a herbivore, but almost a hayivore.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yes?”

“…Never mind.”

What was there to say?

He was always like that.

‘Well, that’s a good thing.’

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled and rested her chin on her hand, looking at Kang Jin-ho.

“Then, you don’t do things like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like hell training. In manga, they set their bodies on fire, jump into boiling oil, and stuff like that.”

“…What kind of manga are you reading?”

Even though Kang Jin-ho didn’t know much about manga, he knew that that manga wasn’t normal.

“All sorts of things?”

Kang Jin-ho sighed softly and scratched his head. This was a bit difficult to explain.

“When you go a little higher, physical training becomes almost meaningless.”

“Then what?”

“You could say it’s mental imagery, meditation and contemplation are the main focus.”

“Ah, I understand.”

“…You understand?”

How could you understand that?

Kang Jin-ho was surprised and looked at her, while Choi Yeon-ha made a sulky face.

“You’re looking down on me, aren’t you?”

“…Absolutely not.”

“I think you are?”

“I really am not.”

“Hmph.”

Choi Yeon-ha, who had been glaring at Kang Jin-ho with narrowed eyes, nodded as if she would let it go this time.

“It’s the same with acting. Great actors who have become so skilled that acting has become their life don’t bother practicing their movements or lines one by one.”

“Ah…”

“Instead, they try to become one with the character or understand the character better. Or they calculate things meticulously.”

“I think I understand.”

In the end, it meant that in any field, once you reach a certain level, you start to work in a different way than before.

“So…”

Choi Yeon-ha looked intently at Kang Jin-ho and said,

“Can you do it?”

“I have to.”

Kang Jin-ho raised his head and looked at the sky.

“Because there are things that you have to do even if they are difficult.”

Choi Yeon-ha nodded quietly.

“Anyway, do your best. I’ll cheer you on.”