Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1881

“So, like…”

Chun Tae-hoon frowned, staring at the mountain of secret manuals.

‘This is neither modern nor old-fashioned…’

Making the secret manuals viewable on a monitor through Word and images could be considered a development using the benefits of modern civilization.

But printing them out and distributing them one by one? That was neither progress nor anything else.

“Hey, you bastards! You can just look at it on a monitor or phone screen, why are you making a fuss about printing it out!”

Chun Tae-hoon, who had failed to find a suitable print shop and had mobilized all the printers in the General Assembly to print and copy, print and copy, gnashed his teeth.

However, the members of the General Assembly watching him were indifferent.

“No, it doesn’t feel the same if you look at it that way.”

“We’ve been looking at books our whole lives, how can we suddenly look at it on our phones?”

“It doesn’t have the same flavor.”

Chun Tae-hoon covered his face with one hand.

‘It’s even more annoying because I can’t say they’re wrong.’

It was a clear fact that the feeling of the same text differed depending on the medium. Even when reading a novel, the feeling changed depending on whether you read it as a physical book or an e-book. So, it was definitely a problem that the medium of the secret manual, which required several times more concentration and sensitivity, was changing.

If they had plenty of time, he would have told them to adapt on their own, but they didn’t have that luxury now.

In the end, he had no choice but to suffer.

“Alright, just take them all, you bastards.”

“Yes!”

At those words, the assembled members rushed forward and began to take the secret manuals piled in front of them.

“Geez, what’s with the condition…”

“The director went through hell to make these secret manuals, and you’ve made them look like practice notebooks? What’s with the punch holes? This isn’t like binding books at school.”

“Leave him be. That guy has always had no respect for the master. The director is a saint, a saint.”

Grind, grind.

Chun Tae-hoon gnashed his teeth.

‘I’ll kill them all, these bastards.’

Did they think this was easy?

Just binding a few thousand books was enough to break bones, but this wasn’t just any book; it was a secret manual. If there were typos or misprints in a regular book, you could just replace it with a new one or put a sticker on it, but a secret manual was something where the interpretation could go to heaven with just one wrong character.

Chun Tae-hoon had almost gone blind checking each and every one of those many books to prevent any possible mishaps. And yet, this was the only reaction he got.

“Give it back, you bastards! Don’t look at it! Don’t look at it!”

“Ah, you’re so petty.”

“Okay, okay. Thank you. Geez.”

“Hey, hey, hurry up and get out of here. He’s getting pissed again.”

Should he just burn it all?

Even as Chun Tae-hoon seriously pondered this, the secret manuals were quickly dwindling. Soon, everyone who had gathered had taken their manuals and began to skim through them lightly.

“Don’t look at it, you bastards!”

“No, you’re really being petty…”

“It’s not that, I’m saying don’t skim through it like that!”

Chun Tae-hoon’s voice became serious.

“Director Bang made these secret manuals with stability as the priority, but still, a secret manual is a secret manual. It’s not something to just flip through like a toy.”

At those words, the members all nodded.

Even if it was a martial art of ascension [a martial art that allows one to reach a higher level of power], it was bound to be dangerous.

“Settle down properly and examine it carefully. If you mess with it carelessly and cause a problem, the master will be furious.”

“Yes, we will keep that in mind!”

“Understood.”

Unlike their playful voices, the answers that came back were all loud and serious. They also knew how precious this was and could guess how much Bang Jin-hoon had suffered to create this martial art.

“Is there a commentary version?”

“There is.”

Chun Tae-hoon said firmly.

“But the commentary version will not be released right now. First, you need to try to understand the secret manual on your own. Then, it’s better to look at the commentary for the parts you still don’t understand.”

Chun Tae-hoon added slightly.

“That’s the way Director Bang thinks. He said that just because he’s the creator, he doesn’t think his answer is the only right one. It’s more important to find the right path that each of you thinks is right, rather than a predetermined one.”

“Is it perhaps because you don’t have the capacity to make a commentary version, so you’re just putting something together?”

“…Is that true?”

“Ah, no, you bastards!”

Of course, it was true that they didn’t have the capacity to make a commentary version.

However, it was also true that Bang Jin-hoon had instructed them to have them understand the secret manual on their own without commentary first.

“Where is the director now?”

“Why? Are you going to thank him?”

“…I think that’s the right thing to do.”

“Don’t do anything foolish, you bastards.”

Chun Tae-hoon said with a slight frown.

“He’s not the kind of person who likes such empty praise. If you want to express your gratitude, learn it as quickly as possible and prove that this martial art is not flawed. That’s what he’ll like the most.”

“Understood!”

The members looked at the secret manuals in their hands with determined eyes.

Among those gathered here, less than 20% would be able to properly learn this martial art and unleash its full power. More than half of them would not even be able to enter the realm of ascension martial arts under normal circumstances.

However, this martial art was none other than the martial art created by Bang Jin-hoon.

It was a truly universal martial art that had almost no cost or side effects when those who were not at the required level entered the realm of ascension martial arts.

Normally, sects would strictly check qualifications, considering the side effects of learning ascension martial arts without understanding, but the martial art created by Bang Jin-hoon had no such risks, so most members would be able to learn it without any burden.

Therefore, while it would be difficult to expect dramatic effects, they could expect an overall increase in the martial prowess of the members.

‘This is completely going against the General Assembly’s operating direction…’

The General Assembly was ultimately about selection and concentration.

It was a method of quickly selecting those who could keep up and focusing on nurturing them. However, Bang Jin-hoon’s method was closer to a method of not abandoning a single person who could not keep up and dragging them all along.

‘It’s really amazing.’

If such extreme differences in methods existed, there would be some conflict, but Kang Jin-ho, who preferred a small elite group, and Bang Jin-hoon, who emphasized the importance of overall education, were coexisting without any particular trouble.

No, they even respected and helped each other.

“The martial art you have received now is the final version, which has been reviewed by the Guild Leader from the first version created by the director to appropriately increase its practicality.”

“Oh…”

“So, don’t think you can just learn it carelessly, and learn it carefully with the mindset that if you slip up even once, you’re screwed! Got it?”

“Yes!”

When Kang Jin-ho’s name was mentioned, the eyes of those looking at the secret manuals became even more serious.

Watching that, Chun Tae-hoon quietly nodded.

‘I don’t need to say anything more.’

There were many things he wanted to say, but anything more would just be nagging.

There was no one among those who were part of the General Assembly who did not understand the current situation.

Anyone who was that indifferent would have already been weeded out or retired a long time ago.

It was understandable to lack talent or ability.

However, those who did not have the ambition to push themselves should not be here.

The members of the General Assembly also knew that something huge that they had never experienced before was about to happen.

And….

This secret manual would be a trump card that would protect them in that war and at the same time, strengthen the power of the General Assembly.

“Okay, now scatter! Time is precious!”

“Yes!”

“Thank you.”

The members quickly scattered in all directions.

While learning the martial art of ascension, even the slightest external stimulus could cause problems. Perhaps from this moment on, they would scatter to various places around the General Assembly and learn the martial art with all their might.

“Is this enough?”

“Hmm.”

Chun Tae-hoon scratched his chin at the question from his fellow disciples who had created the secret manual together.

“If we had a little more time, we could have tried a few more things…”

Things like the video lectures they had tried before would also be a great help. Even if the same commentary was given, text had advantages in terms of speed and accuracy, while videos were incomparable to text in terms of delivery.

But now, they didn’t have time to leisurely produce such things.

Moreover….

‘Right now, the master is not in a situation where he can do anything.’

“Just tidy things up. I’m going to go see the master.”

“Yes.”

Chun Tae-hoon, who had been watching the members scattering in all directions, nodded and began to move his feet.

“I’ve distributed them all.”

“Oh, okay.”

“For now, everyone will start learning on their own. I think there will be parts they don’t understand starting a few days from now.”

“I guess so?”

“Yes. I think you can start moving from then… but.”

Chun Tae-hoon frowned.

“No, that, the light, can’t you do something about it…”

Swish!

Chun Tae-hoon sharply tilted his head to the side. An ashtray flew past where his face had been.

“Stop it, you bastard! Do you think I like being like this?”

Bang Jin-hoon put down the secret manual he was holding and grabbed his head.

“It’s not like I’ve only been getting nagged here and there for a day or two. Ugh, it’s like being a zoo monkey…”

“Is that, is it going to be resolved?”

“The Guild Leader said so. He said to learn the martial art I made first…”

Come to think of it, the light seems to have weakened a bit compared to before.

“If the Guild Leader said so, it must be true. Then you can just learn it quickly.”

“…Hey, it’s not easy.”

“Huh?”

Chun Tae-hoon tilted his head as if to say, what was that supposed to mean?

“Not easy?”

“This… I didn’t know when I was making it, but now that I’m trying to learn it, there are parts that are getting in the way, so it’s not easy to learn.”

“…Is that some kind of nonsense about dying by your own sword? That martial art. You created it, master.”

“Does the creator always learn it well?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Bang Jin-hoon’s eyebrows twitched.

“Listen carefully.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s say I make a car. I’m well-versed in automotive engineering, so I design an amazing car and even make it myself.”

“Yes.”

“Then, would I be better at driving it than Schumacher [Michael Schumacher, a famous Formula One driver]?”

That… uh…

“Wow… I can’t argue with that.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Creating a martial art is the role of an engineer, and learning and using it is the role of a driver. Just because I created the martial art doesn’t mean I’m the best at learning and using it.”

“…I understand it even though I don’t understand it.”

“Tsk.”

Bang Jin-hoon tapped the secret manual with his hand.

“Don’t worry. It’s just that I keep seeing ways to improve it, so I’m getting a little flustered. I’ll probably be able to fully learn it in a few days.”

“Yes, master.”

Certainly.

As the light emanating from him weakened, Bang Jin-hoon’s energy was actually getting stronger. It was impossible to guess how much stronger he would become in a few days.

“You should learn it quickly too. Time might be shorter than you think.”

“Huh?”

Bang Jin-hoon said casually.

“The enemy always moves faster than expected. I think that if that Black King has any sense, he won’t try to give us more time.”

“Does that mean…”

“Yes.”

Bang Jin-hoon nodded heavily.

“The war will start soon. A war that will be incomparable to anything we’ve seen so far.”

Chun Tae-hoon, who couldn’t dare to argue with that heavy voice, nodded.

“Yes, master. I will prepare.”

“Okay.”

Chun Tae-hoon, who had turned his body, stopped in his tracks.

“Why? Is there something you want to ask?”

“No. No… It’s nothing.”

“You’re so bland, you little…”

Chun Tae-hoon, who had walked out with unhurried steps, quietly raised his head and looked at the sky.

The question he couldn’t bring himself to say was still lingering in his mind.

Then.

If they really win this war….

‘What are we supposed to do from then on, master?’

That was a question that even Bang Jin-hoon couldn’t answer. That’s why he couldn’t ask.

It was funny.

It was a great thing that there would be no more enemies. But that also meant that the General Assembly would no longer have a reason to exist.

“A martial artist without enemies…”

Chun Tae-hoon, who let out a soft sigh, shook his head and hurried his steps.

Now was not the time to think about such things.

At least not now.