Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1969

“Master.”

There was a profound resonance in that voice.

However, it seemed that the resonance didn’t reach the Master. The Master gazed at Wiggins with a subtle smile on his face.

“I think I said it before, wisdom isn’t a product of knowledge.”

“The reason is simple. All knowledge must ultimately be interpreted through a person’s subjectivity to have meaning. But isn’t a person’s subjectivity prone to wavering?”

“Master…”

“You were an excellent student, Wiggins. There were many times when you showed a level of coldness that even surprised me. But in the end, you’ve aged too. I can see that you can’t push away that subjectivity.”

Wiggins couldn’t say anything. He just silently listened to the Master, like a prisoner waiting for execution with a rope around his neck.

“The result is already out there. You probably already know it. Once a dam collapses, there’s no way to repair it. Repairs are done before it collapses. Isn’t that right?”

The Master shook his head.

“The dam that was holding back the world has collapsed. Now they’ll come pouring in. Humans are conquerors by nature. It means they can’t leave any place untouched by their feet. That’s why humans climb the peaks of high mountains where oxygen is scarce, and send probes into the deep sea where not a single ray of light reaches. They even go out into space.”

“Do you think these people will leave the world of the Murim [martial arts world] alone? A brief coexistence might be possible. But in the end, human greed won’t tolerate the unknown world. For whatever reason, by whatever chance, the world of the Murim will eventually collapse.”

It was a truism.

A truism so perfect that it didn’t even inspire a desire to refute it.

That truism was now pressing down on Wiggins like a giant mountain.

“Are you saying there’s no way?”

“Look here, Wiggins.”

The Master sighed.

“You might think I’m enjoying this situation. But that’s a big misunderstanding. I, too, have dedicated my life to protecting the order of this world. Of course, looking back, there were many things that went wrong, and I made fatal mistakes.”

“I don’t think the Master’s intentions were wrong. I know that sincerity better than anyone.”

Even if the methods and direction were wrong.

“Thank you.”

The Master sighed softly and spoke.

“I’m also sorry. This event has rendered even everything I’ve done meaningless. But what can I do? There’s no way to put spilled water back into the container.”

“If we deal with the Black King…”

“Do you think people will forget the existence of the Murim because of that?”

“You, who are suffering from the direct threat of a powerful enemy, can’t help but focus on the Black King, but compared to what the Black King has done, the Black King’s existence is nothing more than a speck of dust. The important thing is that everyone in the world knows about the existence of the Murim. And…”

The Master moistened his lips with water as if his throat was dry and continued to speak.

“The Murim people also know that fact.”

Although it was an unkind explanation, Wiggins understood the meaning of those words.

The people of the world have learned about the existence of the Murim. And the Murim people now know that others are aware of their existence.

In other words…

The limit that had been restricting the Murim has been lifted.

Perhaps the most powerful restriction of all.

“The reason laws are created… is not to punish humans. It’s to force them. Think about how humans would act in a world without laws.”

“The most powerful law has disappeared from the current Murim world. Murim people must not reveal their existence to ordinary humans. They must not mingle with ordinary people.”

“It will continue then.”

“That’s right.”

The Master nodded.

“Whether they’ve consciously avoided it, or endured it out of fear of retaliation and punishment, those who have refrained from using force against ordinary people or taking advantage of them will no longer try to hold back.”

“But the General Assembly…”

“Since when have you been a member of the General Assembly? Have you forgotten that Murim people live outside this small country?”

When Wiggins hesitated to answer, the Master clicked his tongue.

“It’s a meaningless conversation. A conversation with a predetermined answer has no value. No matter what I say, you’ll twist it in a direction that will produce the best possible outcome. That’s what you call subjectivity.”

“But Master.”

Wiggins bit his lip.

“Then are you saying we should just wait for the end to come? Are you saying that even struggling is meaningless?”

“I never said that.”

The Master’s eyes stared at Wiggins.

“But believing in a false result is different from facing reality. Even if it’s to create the result you want, you have to look at reality straight, don’t you?”

Wiggins silently looked at the ceiling.

Looking at his slumped shoulders and trembling chin, the Master felt a pang of pity.

‘It must be tough.’

It was too much for an ordinary person to handle.

No, it was something that even someone like Wiggins couldn’t do anything about. It wouldn’t be easy to even withstand the pressure of the incoming waves, let alone come up with a solution.

But it couldn’t be helped.

This was something Wiggins had chosen.

‘It’s ironic.’

Originally, the Murim factions of each country should have shared this pressure. In Europe, the Master would have had to rack his brain to solve this problem, and in Japan, each faction would have been shouting in protest.

In China, the war between the Changwang and Hongwang factions would have stopped, and the United States would have moved the special forces they had been training to take the lead in doing something.

But now, there are no more people to share that pressure.

Paradoxically, as the General Assembly destroyed and reorganized all of them, the General Assembly came to represent the position of the Murim itself.

The Round Table, with the Knights’ hands and feet cut off and Wiggins in the Master’s position, no longer has a position beyond being a rubber stamp. They would just be waiting for the next order from the General Assembly.

The Hongwang faction, which handed over the initiative to the General Assembly in exchange for destroying the Changwang faction, was the same. Hongwang no longer had the courage to handle such a task alone without Kang Jin-ho.

Japan had lost all of its Murim people, and the United States, realizing their limitations within the Murim world, was keeping a low profile.

‘In the end, it’s only the General Assembly.’

How much greater the meaning of the word ‘Director of the General Assembly’ had become compared to just a few years ago.

It was a world where the title of Director of the General Assembly had more power than the position of Master of the Round Table. So, the pressure Wiggins was under must have been unimaginable.

The Master quietly watched Wiggins and then closed his eyes.

At one time, he had favored him, and at another time, he had trusted him. At one time, he had been so angry that he wanted to kill him.

But now, seeing Wiggins like this, he wanted to let go of everything. All that remained was…

“Wiggins.”

“…Yes, Master.”

“Let me give you a piece of advice.”

At the Master’s words, Wiggins looked at the Master with a serious gaze.

“Don’t try to solve it.”

“It might sound irresponsible, but no matter how much you struggle, nothing will change. This is something that ordinary people like us can’t do anything about. You know that too, don’t you?”

“But…”

“History proves it. In the moment when the world changes, people like us who have lived believing in the knowledge of the past are useless. It’s the king who leads the world, not the strategist.”

Wiggins nodded.

He knew it too.

He was someone who could not become a king. He had once dreamed of it, but after seeing people like Kang Jin-ho and the Black King, he realized it.

It wasn’t something that could be achieved through effort and research. The life one had lived had to be different.

“What you need to do is to ease the burden on the Chairman.”

“…Are you saying to just leave it to him?”

“That’s not an appropriate expression. It’s about trusting him.”

“Trust…”

The Master shook his head.

“There’s no such thing as the best answer that can satisfy everyone. That’s something you can only get in a dream. But those who lead the world find a ray of light even in despair.”

The Master smiled.

“Weren’t you also drawn to that light when you chose the Chairman?”

“That could be a false light. It could even be a trap that leads to deeper despair. But what can we do? Wasn’t that what we were prepared for? Or? Are you going to regret your choice now?”

“That will not happen.”

Wiggins said with a resolute look.

“If the Lord pushes this world into a fire pit, I will laugh in that hellfire.”

“You’ve changed a lot, a lot…”

In the past, Wiggins’s eyes were full of spirit.

But now, there was a passion in Wiggins’s eyes that hadn’t been there before.

Kang Jin-ho had changed Wiggins, whom he couldn’t change.

“Then don’t waver.”

“I don’t know what answer he will come up with, but you guys have to trust and follow him. Isn’t that what’s important?”

Wiggins chuckled.

“You’re asking me to do the easiest thing, but also the hardest thing.”

“Isn’t that how things are in the world?”

“I understand.”

Wiggins tapped his head.

“It’s funny. Nothing has been resolved, but I feel like my head is clearer.”

The Master laughed softly.

“That’s why sometimes you need to chat. Come visit anytime if you need someone to chat with.”

“…Master.”

“Are you going to say something obvious again?”

Before Wiggins could open his mouth, the Master cut him off.

“The more things are like this, the more you need principles. What breaks out of necessity is not a principle.”

“I like it here. If I were outside, I would be more worried than you are now. I might have a hole in my stomach.”

Wiggins sighed softly.

“There are things you can see when you’re one step away. Me being here will be helpful to you too.”

Wiggins nodded silently.

“Then I’ll get you a coffee machine.”

“…To that extent?”

“It’ll be fine. It might be the last luxury in the world.”

“You’re making it impossible to refuse. I’ll gratefully accept it.”

It was too cheap for a consultation fee, but the Master smiled as if he was satisfied.

“But Master.”

“What is it?”

“Do you think the Lord is currently agonizing over coming up with a solution?”

“…You really don’t know anything.”

“Yes?”

The Master’s eyes lowered.

Wiggins had been a subordinate, but he had never led. That’s why he wouldn’t know.

“The conclusion is already out.”

“He’s just organizing things now.”

“What…”

Wiggins closed his mouth.

As he spoke, he understood. He understood what that organization meant.

“Be his strength.”

“…I understand.”

The Master’s gaze turned to the empty space beyond Wiggins.

‘It must be lonely.’

That was…

A very lonely and desolate fight.