Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 32

“So, you’re really good at games?” Park Yu-min, who had just arrived at school, was bewildered by the crowd of kids surrounding him. It seemed like it was the first time in his life that so many people had gathered around him.

His younger siblings at the orphanage would follow him around like ducklings chasing their mother, but when had he ever received this kind of attention from his peers?

“Huh?”

“I heard your Galaxy rating is 2,100?”

“Yeah, around that.”

“Dude, 2,100 is practically pro-gamer level, isn’t it? I heard there are less than 100 people in the country with a rating over 2,100.”

“No, there are way more above me.”

“Still, you got a 2,100 rating just playing at home. Are you going to become a pro gamer?”

“No, what pro gamer?”

“Are you free after school?”

“Huh? Why?”

“Why do you think? I need to play a game with a 2,100! When else would I ever get to play with someone over 2,000? You’re free, right? I’ll pay for the PC room [internet cafe].”

“Ah, no, I…”

Park Yu-min looked at Jung In-gyu with a distressed expression.

The rumor had spread like wildfire through the class. This rapid spread of rumors was Jung In-gyu’s specialty.

Jung In-gyu grinned at Park Yu-min.

“What? I just said what was true.” Park Yu-min glared at Jung In-gyu, but couldn’t really argue.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t like he had spread a bad rumor. He had just gone around telling people that Park Yu-min was good at games.

And it was just that the kids were showing excessive interest in that fact.

“Let’s go play a game after school!”

“Hey, I called dibs first. It’s my turn today.”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been waiting since this morning.”

“When did you ever wait since morning?”

Park Yu-min sighed softly as he watched the kids around him bidding for his time.

It was chaotic and confusing. But it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. Just a little while ago, no one would even talk to him, but the situation had changed overnight. Park Yu-min’s eyes landed on Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho was slumped over his desk, as if it was none of his business.

Was it because Park Yu-min was good at games that the kids were gathering like this?

Maybe.

But what was certain was that if Kang Jin-ho hadn’t taken Park Yu-min to the PC room, no one would be talking to Park Yu-min right now.

Because Kang Jin-ho, the person who had been harmed by Park Yu-min, was acting like it was nothing, the other kids could talk to Park Yu-min without hesitation.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to ignore the presence of Kang Jin-ho, who had taken down Choi Young-soo and instantly become the school’s new power.

The fact that the rumor was spread by Jung In-gyu, who was close to Kang Jin-ho, also helped to reassure the kids.

“Hey, move it.”

“Ah, can’t you hear? Get out of the way!”

Just then, a loud voice was heard. The kids surrounding Park Yu-min moved to the sides.

Lee Min-shik and Go Hyun-seung, who could be considered Choi Young-soo’s crew, walked through the parted crowd.

Lee Min-shik stood in front of Park Yu-min and grinned.

“Hey.”

“Uh, yeah?”

Park Yu-min’s heart seemed to drop when he saw Lee Min-shik.

Lee Min-shik and Go Hyun-seung, who hadn’t been seen much since Choi Young-soo was hospitalized, had suddenly come to find him.

How much had Park Yu-min suffered at their hands?

Park Yu-min felt his heart pounding.

“I heard you’re good at games?”

Park Yu-min answered in a barely audible voice.

“I’m not really that good…”

“Can’t you answer properly? Do you want to die?”

“I’m just a little…”

Lee Min-shik smiled and put his arm around Park Yu-min’s shoulder.

“Really? Wanna go play a round after school?”

“No answer? You don’t want to?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to…”

Park Yu-min hesitated, stammering his reply.

From Park Yu-min’s perspective, he obviously wanted to refuse.

“Park Yu-min has grown up a lot, hasn’t he? You’ve gotten cocky since Young-soo isn’t around?”

“…No.”

“You’ve become lively after not being beaten for a few days? Come out here for a second.”

“Huh?”

“I said come out here, you punk!”

Park Yu-min got up from his seat weakly.

It had been over a year since he had been beaten and bullied by them.

After being bullied for over a year, it was too difficult for him to refuse their words now.

Park Yu-min lowered his head and tried to follow them out.

“Sit down.”

Just then, a low voice was heard. Kang Jin-ho had already raised his head and was looking back at Park Yu-min.

“Jin-ho.”

“Sit down.”

Park Yu-min quickly sat back down. Lee Min-shik and Go Hyun-seung were angry at Park Yu-min for suddenly sitting down, but they couldn’t ignore Kang Jin-ho’s presence.

They were also witnesses to Choi Young-soo collapsing and losing consciousness in an instant.

‘Hey, this isn’t what we expected?’

‘Ah, this is driving me crazy.’

Go Hyun-seung and Lee Min-shik whispered to each other in the meantime.

The reason they had confidently entered the classroom and pressured Park Yu-min was because they thought Kang Jin-ho, who had been suspended because of Park Yu-min’s lies, wouldn’t protect him.

But Kang Jin-ho had defied their expectations and was protecting Park Yu-min.

“You guys, get out.”

“And you guys, don’t hang around Park Yu-min. Don’t talk to him, don’t even make eye contact.”

“Hey, Kang Jin-ho.”

At the sudden call, Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Min-shik.

As soon as Kang Jin-ho looked at him, Lee Min-shik was at a loss for words.

It seemed like he had so much to say, but he couldn’t remember what it was.

“No, what I mean is…”

Go Hyun-seung stepped in instead.

“You got suspended because of this punk too. Why are you protecting him?”

“So?”

“No, you’re a victim too…” Kang Jin-ho said as if it was ridiculous.

“So, when Park Yu-min lied and I was harmed, what did you guys do?”

“No, we…”

Go Hyun-seung mumbled.

“If any of you had stepped up and said that wasn’t true, the situation might have been different. But was there anyone who did that?”

Although he was speaking to Lee Min-shik and Go Hyun-seung, it was as if he was speaking to all the kids in the class who were watching the situation.

“You all kept your mouths shut because it was annoying and you didn’t want to get involved, but when did you become so righteous that you’re trying to punish him on my behalf?”

Kang Jin-ho said quietly.

“Park Yu-min has a reason. And the matter between Park Yu-min and me is something we’ll handle ourselves. It’s not something for you to step in and solve, so mind your own business. And I’m warning you…” Kang Jin-ho paused, gathering the attention of the kids, and then warned them.

“Don’t hang around Park Yu-min. If I see you next time, I won’t just let it go with words like today.”

“Got it?”

“Ah, got it.”

Lee Min-shik and Go Hyun-seung glanced at Kang Jin-ho and quickly left the classroom.

The classroom soon became quiet.

Two things became clear from this incident.

The first was that Kang Jin-ho had no ill feelings towards Park Yu-min. No, far from having ill feelings, he was actually protecting Park Yu-min from being bullied.

And the other was that there was no one in the second grade of Dongmyung High School who could go against Kang Jin-ho now.

With Lee Min-shik and Go Hyun-seung, who had roamed the school freely with Choi Young-soo, backing down like that, it was as if Kang Jin-ho had taken over the school.

The kids who had been surrounding Park Yu-min were awkward and hesitant.

Kang Jin-ho looked at Park Yu-min with slightly tired eyes.

Park Yu-min looked at Kang Jin-ho with a serious, stiff expression.

“Jin-ho.”

When Park Yu-min spoke first, the kids looked at the two with intrigued faces.

“Why?”

“Did you stay up all night?”

Kang Jin-ho rubbed under his eyes.

After being crushed by Park Yu-min yesterday, Kang Jin-ho was once again burning with fighting spirit. As a result, he had stayed up all night playing games without even having time to meditate.

“It just happened.”

“…Don’t overdo it.”

“Shut up.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand and slumped back onto his desk.

Jung In-gyu chuckled and patted Kang Jin-ho’s back.

“Oh my, our Jin-ho. Are you that upset about losing?”

Kang Jin-ho raised his head and glared at Jung In-gyu with eyes that looked like they could devour him. His gaze was so fierce that if you saw it on a dark night, you might even wet your pants.

“No, I just…”

Jung In-gyu grinned and slowly backed away.

“I’ll win next time.”

“No, honestly, I don’t think that’s possible.”

“I’ll win.”

Jung In-gyu was blunt.

Honestly, Kang Jin-ho was also good. Perhaps there was almost no one in this school who was better than Kang Jin-ho.

But Park Yu-min was on a different level.

“Jin-ho.”

“What?”

“Park Yu-min is practically a pro.”

“Huh?”

“If you beat Park Yu-min, you’re basically a pro gamer.”

Does it work like that?

“Just give up.”

“I said I’ll win. I found a way.”

“What is it?”

Kang Jin-ho pointed at Jung In-gyu.

“I’ll learn it.”

“Huh?”

“If it’s for a goal, I’ll use any means necessary. I’ll learn from Park Yu-min to defeat Park Yu-min.”

Jung In-gyu said as if it was nothing.

“What if Park Yu-min teaches you wrong on purpose?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes, like sharp blades, were fixed on Park Yu-min.

Park Yu-min smiled awkwardly.

“Surely not…”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled and buried his head back on his desk.

“Hey, are you sleeping again?”

The door opened and Han Se-yeon came in.

Kang Jin-ho covered his ears at Han Se-yeon’s high-pitched voice that made his ears ring.

‘Why do the women of this era seem to have mastered sonic attacks as a basic skill?’ Han Se-yeon and Kang Eun-young… they all had voices that were too high. In the Central Plains [a region in China], it was hard to find women with high voices. There was a culture that emphasized not raising one’s voice as a way to highlight femininity.

They were too aggressive and fierce to adapt to modern women.

“You have a mock exam next week, do you have time to sleep now?”

“…It’s okay.”

“What’s okay? You’ll really become an idiot if you keep doing that?”

Jung In-gyu stopped Han Se-yeon.

“Leave him alone. He stayed up all night yesterday.”

“Studying?”

“No, playing games.”

Han Se-yeon looked at Kang Jin-ho with a pathetic expression.

“You’re wasting your passion in a completely different direction. You’re pathetic.”

Kang Jin-ho covered his head.

“Please, just let me rest for a moment.”

“High schoolers rest at home. Where do high schoolers rest at school?”

“Here.”

“That’s why you’re not succeeding.” Kang Jin-ho laughed in vain.

‘Living a normal life isn’t easy either.’ It had only been a little over a month since he had returned to the past.

In that time, he had made friends and was adapting to school life quite well.

Sometimes, all these situations felt awkward, but just the fact that it was a life where he didn’t have to be tense made Kang Jin-ho smile.

But problems always came without warning.

“Kang Jin-ho.”

The class president called Kang Jin-ho as the door opened.

“Why?”

“The teacher wants you in the faculty office.”

“Faculty office?”

“Yeah. The teacher wants you to come.”

“Which teacher?”

“The ‘Filth Rag’ [a derogatory nickname for the student guidance counselor].”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

Why would the student guidance counselor, Gong Ik-hyun, call for him?

Kang Jin-ho got up from his seat.

“I should go.”

He didn’t know why, but since a teacher was calling for him, he had to go.