Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 2114

[Even so…]

Kang Jin-ho, visible on the TV screen, calmly shared his thoughts.

[The reason why, despite that fear, I try to step out into the world… is because, ultimately, humans cannot live alone.]

Choi Yeon-ha, who had been blankly watching Kang Jin-ho, wiped her eyes. A strange stinging sensation pricked at them.

‘Jin-ho…’

Those words were Kang Jin-ho speaking for all martial artists, and at the same time, they were his own feelings being released to the world. It was just like him.

A person who had once refused to fit into the world, trapped in his own space, had met many people and eventually stepped out into the world himself.

‘So, I couldn’t leave him alone.’

Choi Yeon-ha understood. She knew why Kang Jin-ho opposed the Black King, why he acknowledged the Black King’s direction as valid but ultimately disagreed with it.

She, who wasn’t a martial artist, understood the reason that even those who followed the Black King didn’t grasp.

‘Because he was like that too.’

To Kang Jin-ho, the Black King’s words were no different from advocating a return to the past. To build walls to avoid getting hurt, and to find a false sense of comfort within them.

For Kang Jin-ho, who had broken down that wall and stepped out into the world, the Black King’s way was something he could never accept. And he must have wanted to convey to his followers that the wall was something that would eventually crumble.

That’s why Choi Yeon-ha felt a painful empathy with what Kang Jin-ho was saying.

[What we want to enjoy is not something grand.]

A small smile graced Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

[Just… to walk down the street without worry, not having to fear being recognized, to sit in a cafe in the morning and have a cup of coffee like everyone else, just those small, ordinary things.]

Kang Jin-ho sighed softly and continued.

[Of course, the reason why we couldn’t enjoy those things is not your fault. It’s something we gave up ourselves. That’s why we are now paying the price for losing what we shouldn’t have lost.]

His calm voice resonated throughout the world.

[And we know very well that the price is not light. That’s why we are asking for your understanding. What we want is not a privilege. We are not asking you to share your rights. We would just be grateful if you could understand that we are trying to approach you with unbiased eyes.]

Kang Jin-ho bowed his head towards the screen.

‘Jin-ho…’

It was the first time Choi Yeon-ha had seen Kang Jin-ho speak with such humility.

That’s why Choi Yeon-ha’s heart ached. She knew that the reason Kang Jin-ho was bowing his head in front of everyone was not for her sake.

Murtial artists should be able to enjoy more.

It wasn’t because they were great or strong. It was simply to live as human beings.

But conversely, Kang Jin-ho was giving up a part of his own life for their lives. That fact made Choi Yeon-ha sigh.

“…This won’t do.”

Even if the pity was unavoidable, even if she couldn’t praise his choice as right.

This was the path Kang Jin-ho had chosen himself.

So, Choi Yeon-ha had to properly observe the path Kang Jin-ho was trying to take. Not with pity, not with sympathy, but with her own clear eyes.

Only then could she walk alongside him.

“I ask for your understanding.”

Kang Jin-ho bowed his head once more and then raised it. A short sigh escaped his lips.

Originally, he had a little more to say… but as the situation had changed, he would have to adjust his approach slightly.

“That’s all…”

He turned his gaze away from the camera and looked at the reporters gathered in front of him.

“I’d like to take questions from the reporters gathered here.”

He wasn’t sure if the profession of a reporter could truly represent the people, but if he genuinely wanted to connect with them, it wouldn’t be right to simply deliver his message and leave.

As expected, as soon as he finished speaking, reporters raised their hands from all over. But the reaction wasn’t as intense as he had anticipated.

And Kang Jin-ho, realizing that the restrained reaction wasn’t due to a lack of interest in the topic, but because those gathered here were still afraid of him, gave a bitter smile.

No matter how sincerely he tried to approach them, people still felt a distance from martial artists. It was a natural reaction, but that naturalness made his heart ache.

“You there.”

“I’m Choi Hak-sun from Daily View. That… the organization head? The guild leader…”

“Let’s just call me Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yes, Mr. Kang Jin-ho. I’ve heard what you said. However, the role of the organization you’re establishing seems a bit vague. Is that organization the one that will be responsible for the arrest and punishment of those called martial artists?”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“The arrest part has been decided, but the punishment is separate.”

“Can I ask again what that means?”

“Even martial artists are members of the nation. And all citizens are subject to the judicial system of each country. We are only cooperating with the police because there are limits to how far ordinary police can track and arrest martial artists. The punishment of the arrested martial artists will be left to the judicial system of each country.”

Kang Jin-ho added a clarification.

“Of course, if the country delegates the punishment to us, we have no intention of refusing. Basically, the punishment system for martial artists is more severe than the general judicial punishment.”

The reporter nodded and sat down.

“You there.”

“I’m Will Stanley from BNC.”

“…I’ll need an interpreter.”

There was no interpreter prepared, but fortunately, other reporters translated on the spot.

“Is the scope of the organization you mentioned worldwide?”

“We plan to start by setting it up in the countries that have agreed. Currently, the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, and Europe and Southeast Asia are actively seeking to establish the organization.”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“Of course, this organization is not mandatory, so it will not be established in countries that want to solve the problem of martial artists on their own. However, in this case, there is a high probability that countries without the organization will become extraterritorial for those who commit crimes in other countries, so international cooperation at an appropriate level seems necessary.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m Jeong Jae-sang from the Korea Daily. Mr. Kang Jin-ho, then in Korea…”

Several other questions were asked, and Kang Jin-ho answered each one to the best of his knowledge.

And after a few questions, the question Kang Jin-ho had been waiting for finally came.

“I’m Tony Bringham from LA Insider.”

The blue-eyed middle-aged man who stood up from his seat quietly looked at Kang Jin-ho and began to speak.

“I don’t know if this is a difficult question to ask in this place, but I think it’s necessary to confirm, so I’ll ask.”

“Please do.”

“Mr. Kang Jin-ho, rights are meaningful when they are accompanied by obligations.”

Kang Jin-ho stared intently at the reporter who had stood up.

“The rights that those who live in the world today enjoy are what they have gained through numerous struggles, and also what they have obtained by fulfilling their own obligations. But in my opinion, those you call martial artists don’t seem to have contributed much to the development of this world.”

Kang Jin-ho silently nodded. It wasn’t an inaccurate statement.

“Of course, I have no intention of denying the basic rights that are given to people. But the proposition that freedom and rights are obtained based on sacrifice cannot be denied either.

From that point of view, isn’t it also true that the natural rights that martial artists are trying to obtain now are infringing on the rights of ordinary people?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded once more.

The right to walk in a safe place exists for everyone. No matter how well-trained a tiger is, the reason why it cannot be released on the street is because the existence of the tiger infringes on their safety.

“I fully understand what Mr. Kang Jin-ho is trying to argue. But if we look at the results, the martial artists are making a forceful claim that they want to enjoy what people have been enjoying so far, instead of doing internal control among themselves. Do you really think this will be accepted?”

Kang Jin-ho took a deep breath.

The question now accurately pinpointed the limits of the current situation he had been contemplating.

No matter how they approached with gentle faces, no matter how much they pleaded not to cause harm, those words would not resonate with those who had been living a peaceful life without martial artists.

That’s because the existence of martial artists is a potential threat to people. There are many people who are afraid of even a well-trained large dog, which is a social issue, so how could they not be afraid of martial artists?

“I have also thought deeply about that part.”

Kang Jin-ho raised his head. In that instant, Kang Jin-ho’s eyes met with Lee Hyun-soo’s, who was watching him from the very back. Lee Hyun-soo, who had been staring intently at Kang Jin-ho, slowly nodded his head.

As if telling him not to hesitate.

“What is needed for us to be incorporated into society?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at everyone in front of him. And then at the camera… no, at everyone who would be watching him beyond the camera.

“In conclusion, I thought there was no need for that.”

The reporters began to murmur at those words.

It was because it was the opposite of the attitude Kang Jin-ho had shown so far.

“The reason is simple. In fact, this is not because we have nothing to offer. The fundamental problem is that we are different from each other. More precisely, it’s because we think we are different from each other.”

What they were demanding now was a standard. And a standard is something that exists to compare things that are different from the beginning. If they started from that premise, Kang Jin-ho and the martial artists would not be able to overcome this situation no matter what they did.

Because different things will always be different.

“The answer to that question is simple. We just need to not be different from each other.”

Kang Jin-ho took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

This was what he had been trying to do from the beginning. At that time, he didn’t fully understand what he was doing, but now he did. This was something he could know because he was a returnee [someone who has returned from another world or time].

He had lived a life that was not as a martial artist, and he had lived as a martial artist. And he had lived a life where he chose to be a martial artist himself. Those three lives were guiding Kang Jin-ho. They were showing him what he had to do.

“The important thing is that everyone becomes fundamentally the same. Even if we can’t be perfectly the same, we need to understand each other’s positions and have the opportunity to become similar to each other. That’s why I…”

Kang Jin-ho looked straight at the camera and spoke.

“I will publicly release all the martial arts in the Korean Martial Arts Association under my direct control, and I will give everyone who has not learned martial arts the opportunity to learn martial arts. Furthermore, I will help those who have not learned martial arts to learn martial arts, focusing on the organizations established in each country.”

Kang Jin-ho, having said everything he had been holding in, smiled as if he finally felt relieved.

“If everyone becomes a martial artist, the wall will become meaningless.”

The press conference hall was filled with silence.