Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 216

Thud.

Lee Hyun-joo’s strength gave way, and she collapsed to the ground.

She didn’t know what it was, but the thought that she was alive washed over her. Lee Hyun-joo burst into tears and curled up into a ball.

Click!

Cho Kyu-min lit Kang Jin-ho’s cigarette.

“Hoo.”

Kang Jin-ho took a deep drag of the cigarette and slowly exhaled.

“Ah, that was scary.”

“I know. I didn’t mean to, but I got a little worked up.”

Cho Kyu-min laughed, echoing Kang Jin-ho’s words.

He was trying to act calm, but Cho Kyu-min was also desperate. His legs were shaking so badly that he could barely stand.

He had forced his unmoving legs to move, thinking that if things continued like this, even a minor accident could turn into a major one.

He wasn’t sure how Kang Jin-ho, who was acting differently than usual, would react to his words. In the worst-case scenario, he could also end up as a pulp under Kang Jin-ho’s hands, but if he didn’t step up at a time like this, he wouldn’t deserve to be Kang Jin-ho’s right-hand man.

And fortunately, Kang Jin-ho didn’t attack him.

‘This is like a bomb…’

It feels like I’ve become a beast tamer.

Of course, that beast is more intelligent than me.

Kang Jin-ho took a few more drags of his cigarette and looked down at Lee Hyun-joo, who was sobbing below.

He seemed like he was about to say something, but Cho Kyu-min was one step faster.

“Is she going to be okay?”

Cho Kyu-min frowned as he looked at the sprawled-out Lee Sung-hwi.

“Well, he has learned martial arts. He’ll recover faster than you think.”

“…If he were a normal person, he would be dead.”

“He’s not a normal person.”

“Does learning that martial art also improve recovery?”

“Yes.”

“Can I learn it too?”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his cheek.

Until now, he hadn’t taught martial arts to those around him, thinking that there was no good reason to get involved in this world, but now it seemed like a problem he needed to think about.

Cho Kyu-min was already too deeply involved.

It would be difficult for him to reach the realm of ascension [a high level of martial arts mastery] due to his age, but it wouldn’t be bad for self-defense.

“It seems like you can learn from me later.”

“I’ll think about it again.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled softly at Cho Kyu-min’s serious expression.

It wasn’t the twisted smile from a moment ago, but a pure, joyful laugh.

But from Lee Hyun-joo’s perspective, it was even more terrifying.

Right in front of her, Lee Sung-hwi was writhing like a bug, and the fact that the person who was joking and laughing as if he had forgotten everything that had happened was not normal.

Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked at Lee Hyun-joo.

“Is there anything else you want to try?”

“Huh?”

“If there’s anyone else you want to bring, bring them. I don’t like doing things in multiple steps. Or, you can just come with me to that place called the ‘Headquarters.’ That seems like the easiest way?”

Her head shook violently from side to side.

Logically, she knew that no matter how strong Kang Jin-ho was, he couldn’t take on the many members of the Headquarters at once, but her instincts were screaming that she should never take this crazy man to the Headquarters.

“N-no. That’s enough now.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Then it’s time to settle the score.”

“…Settle the score?”

“How do you plan to repay me for messing with me as you pleased?”

Lee Hyun-joo’s face went blank.

Repay?

As repayment, Lee Sung-hwi was now half-dead, and he was saying that more was needed?

Just how harsh was this guy’s calculation?

“H-how should I do it?”

“Well…”

Kang Jin-ho seemed to ponder for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Bring me all the information about that ‘Outsider’ guy. By the time the cafe closes tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll think about the rest slowly.”

Kang Jin-ho finished speaking and turned his body.

Cho Kyu-min also followed Kang Jin-ho towards the car. The two of them got into the car, started the engine, and began to leave the place.

Lee Hyun-joo stared at the receding car with a dumbfounded expression.

He didn’t even say that he wouldn’t let her go if she ran away. It was as if he knew that Lee Hyun-joo wouldn’t be able to do that.

“…How did things end up like this?”

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand it.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho, with a cigarette in his mouth, stared out the car window with a slightly dazed look. A sense of emptiness washed over him. At the same time, self-loathing tormented him.

He hadn’t intended to go this far.

But strangely, anger had surged up. So much that he couldn’t control himself.

‘Demonic Art, huh…’

The foundation that dominated Kang Jin-ho’s body was the Asura Qi [a powerful, dark energy]. Asura Qi was a demonic art. Among them, it was the most dominant demonic art.

Kang Jin-ho had never seriously thought about the harm of demonic arts, but after hearing about the Outsider and experiencing a sudden change in emotions this time… he realized that it was not a problem he could just ignore.

‘If I only had Asura Qi, would I have become a demon by now?’

The Kang Jin-ho of the past did not learn demonic arts from the beginning.

It was only natural. Kang Jin-ho had gained fame outside and entered the Demonic Cult.

Even before Kang Jin-ho entered the Demonic Cult, he was already a public enemy of the martial world and was making a name for himself as a demon.

He was recruited into the Demonic Cult, obtained the Crimson Flame Qi, and only after becoming the cult leader did he obtain the Asura Qi. Because of this, an unexpected problem began to occur.

The Asura Qi is powerful.

It is the purest and strongest demonic art, the unique martial art of the Demonic Cult leader.

The problem was that Kang Jin-ho had already reached a certain level before learning the Asura Qi.

On the other hand, in this life, he learned the Asura Qi from the beginning. Of course, he used the martial arts he had learned before as a base, but growing up with the Asura Qi was a new experience for him.

Was this sudden change in emotions he was experiencing due to his body being in sync with the Asura Qi?

Or…

‘I need to watch it a little more.’

This was a problem that didn’t occur when he learned it based on the Crimson Flame Qi.

No, he couldn’t be sure of that either.

Before and after joining the Demonic Cult, Kang Jin-ho didn’t need to suppress his emotions. If there was someone he had to kill, he killed them, and if he had to fight, he fought.

Thanks to that, he made many enemies, but after sending all those enemies to hell, he naturally rose to the position of cult leader.

So, perhaps even in his previous life, he wasn’t impulsive?

He was confused.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head at Cho Kyu-min’s question. It wasn’t important right now. Even if these impulses came often, if it only happened once in a while, it might just be the process of his body adapting to the demonic art that he didn’t use often.

For now.

For now.

Lee Hyun-joo stared at the cafe with trembling eyes.

In her hands, she held a pile of information about the Outsider that Kang Jin-ho had ordered yesterday.

‘Is this going to be okay?’

Meeting Kang Jin-ho alone was too scary. But not keeping Kang Jin-ho’s word was even scarier.

She hadn’t told the Headquarters anything. If she opened her mouth carelessly, and a full-scale war broke out between Kang Jin-ho and the Headquarters, the Yeongnam Association [a rival organization] would take advantage of it. The Yeongnam Association, with their eyes bloodshot, wanting to devour the Headquarters, would never miss that opportunity.

‘Really?’

Lee Hyun-joo questioned herself.

Was that really the reason?

Was it because she was afraid that the Yeongnam Association would take advantage of it that she didn’t tell the Headquarters?

She chuckled.

That couldn’t be it.

There were countless ways. The reason she hadn’t told the Headquarters wasn’t that, but because she was worried that her grandfather, the chairman, would be furious and rush to Kang Jin-ho if he found out about this.

She believed in her grandfather.

She was certain that there was no martial artist in Korea who could surpass her grandfather. But she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that was welling up in her heart.

Could he win?

Could her grandfather really beat Kang Jin-ho?

Even if he could win, could he capture him without any damage?

If he couldn’t, he would be torn to shreds by the countless jackals who were aiming for her grandfather’s position, without even having to go to the Yeongnam Association.

She had to stop that from happening. Even if she had to face Kang Jin-ho alone. Knowing that, she hadn’t contacted her grandfather about Lee Sung-hwi, who was currently hospitalized.

“I have to do it.”

As she was making up her mind, Kang Jin-ho walked out of the cafe, which was still lit up.

Just seeing Kang Jin-ho’s figure made her heart feel like it was going to stop.

She clutched her wildly beating heart.

It felt like cold sweat was running down her back. The thought of having to face that psycho alone made her want to turn around and run away right now.

She bit her lip tightly.

Running away wouldn’t be difficult. But the aftermath would be more difficult than anything she had ever experienced. She forced her trembling hand up. Kang Jin-ho noticed her hand and walked towards her.

Seeing Kang Jin-ho approaching with a blank face was like torture. She forced a smile and greeted Kang Jin-ho.

Once she gave up on trying to calm her wildly beating heart, she felt a little more at ease. Once she admitted that she was afraid of that man, she began to see the next step.

Kang Jin-ho approached her, his face expressionless, and slowly opened his mouth.

“Were you waiting?”

“…Huh?”

“Let’s go over there. There’s a 24-hour cafe, so we can talk there.”

“Huh? Ah… Yes, yes!”

Lee Hyun-joo couldn’t hide her flustered expression.

‘What is this guy?’

Where was the man who had glared at her as if he was going to kill her yesterday? Here was Kang Jin-ho, speaking softly as if he was on a blind date.

For a moment, she even doubted whether the Kang Jin-ho she had seen yesterday was a hallucination.

“Let’s go.”

“…Yes.”

Lee Hyun-joo couldn’t hide the complicated look on her face as she watched Kang Jin-ho’s back as he walked ahead.

‘A split personality.’

If she had to explain it, that’s how she would explain it. Before being dragged into the underground parking lot, Kang Jin-ho had been like that.

But how could he pretend to be so normal as if nothing had happened yesterday?

Only then did Lee Hyun-joo think she could understand the strange anger Kang Jin-ho had shown yesterday.

She could imagine how exhausting it must be to hide such a personality and live so normally. For someone living that kind of life, having people who force him to reveal his true self enter his daily life must be incredibly stressful.

‘What am I thinking?’

Even after going through that, she was thinking from Kang Jin-ho’s perspective. This was something that couldn’t happen unless she was crazy.

‘Let’s give it a try.’

She hardened her face with a venomous look and followed Kang Jin-ho with a determined step. But Kang Jin-ho, whether he knew of her change or not, just kept walking ahead.

The two of them entered the cafe and took a seat in a secluded corner.

Kang Jin-ho with a blank face.

And Lee Hyun-joo, who had hardened her face to the utmost, stared at each other silently.

Kang Jin-ho’s mouth slowly opened.

“What would you like to drink?”

“…Huh?”

Lee Hyun-joo’s icy expression crumbled in an instant.