Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 332

It’s not easy to make out anything in the dark.

Most people’s idea of darkness isn’t true darkness. Those who live in cities that are ablaze with lights even after the sun sets don’t really know what darkness is.

In true darkness, where not a single ray of light penetrates, the eyes lose their function and can’t make out anything.

Choi Yeon-ha momentarily wondered if she had gone blind. No matter how hard she strained her eyes to see, there was nothing to see.

It was only after quite some time that blurry shapes began to appear in her vision.

Thud.

And from that blurry shape, something fell onto Choi Yeon-ha’s face.

‘What’s this?’

She thought it was water.

But what had fallen on her face was too viscous to be water. And her sense of smell, heightened by the loss of sight, was sending out warning signals.

A familiar yet unfamiliar scent.

‘Blood?’

The liquid that had fallen near her eyes reeked of blood.

Only then did Choi Yeon-ha realize the situation and open her mouth.

Blood was flowing down.

Blood flowing meant someone was injured, and when the tunnel collapsed, the only people there were her and Kang Jin-ho.

“K, Kang Jin-ho!”

She called out urgently.

But that was just in her mind; her choked throat couldn’t produce a proper sound. Only a hoarse, raspy voice came out weakly.

“Are you okay?”

Her mind snapped back to attention.

Fortunately, she had clearly survived this accident. And judging by the blood that had fallen, Kang Jin-ho was definitely injured.

‘How much time has passed?’

Choi Yeon-ha struggled to clear her increasingly hazy mind. She couldn’t see anything, and her whole body was in excruciating pain. And she had seen the tunnel collapsing with her own eyes.

Putting all of that together, it was obvious what situation she was in.

Choi Yeon-ha reached out her hand. Even moving her hand slightly made her body scream in pain, but she focused intently, making sure her fingertips didn’t move roughly as she groped above her in the darkness.

“Ugh…”

Just as she felt something warm in her hand, a low groan was heard.

“Kang Jin-ho!”

Kang Jin-ho was on top of her. Judging by the lack of weight, he seemed to be propped up on his arms and legs, hovering above her.

“Kang Jin-ho!”

“…Quiet.”

Kang Jin-ho replied in a voice that was half-cracked.

A low, weak voice.

A voice that sounded like it was in great pain just to hear it.

“Don’t shout. My head is pounding.”

Choi Yeon-ha nodded without replying. She couldn’t be sure if Kang Jin-ho could see her movements in the darkness, but right now, she was desperate to follow his instructions.

‘I’m scared.’

As the confusion subsided, fear washed over her.

Her reason began to grasp the reality. The pitch-black darkness meant they were completely trapped inside the tunnel. The fact that they hadn’t died instantly when the tunnel collapsed was something to be grateful for, but…

‘Can we be rescued?’

The worst-case scenario, a situation worse than instant death, crossed her mind. They could slowly starve to death or die of dehydration.

The darkness blurred.

Without even realizing that tears were flowing from her eyes, Choi Yeon-ha reached out and touched Kang Jin-ho’s face.

“Blood, there’s blood…”

“It’s nothing serious.”

“You’re bleeding.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head without replying. Choi Yeon-ha, feeling his movements with her fingertips, gritted her teeth.

‘I need to pull myself together.’

If crying, screaming, and cursing would improve the situation, she would have done it ten or a hundred times over. But it wouldn’t change anything.

She couldn’t control her emotions, and tears kept flowing, but she couldn’t show it. Anxiety was contagious.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“Are you really okay? You’re not badly hurt, are you?”

Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly.

‘She’s an interesting woman.’

If a normal woman were in this situation, she would probably be in a panic and lose her mind. But as soon as she regained consciousness, she was worried about him.

He had thought she wasn’t ordinary, but he didn’t know she had such a steel-like mentality.

‘She probably thinks I can’t see her.’

But Kang Jin-ho could clearly see the tears welling up in her eyes. She was scared and in so much pain, but she was desperately trying not to show it.

She was a woman with a stronger heart than he had thought.

‘Anyway…’

Kang Jin-ho slowly checked his body.

He had been conscious until the tunnel collapsed, but he seemed to have lost consciousness for a while.

‘Not good.’

It seemed like one of his legs had been completely crushed. He couldn’t feel it clearly. And his left arm, which was supporting his upper body, also felt like it was broken.

Even though he had trained in martial arts, it was no easy feat to withstand the weight and pressure exerted when the tunnel collapsed.

If he hadn’t released all his energy, he would have been squashed like a dried squid by now.

‘I made space.’

He had pushed away the collapsing rocks and sand and created a support in an instant to prevent the full force of the pressure from hitting them, but he had no choice but to bear about half of the weight with his body. His arm had broken and his flesh had torn from the pressure.

One of his legs seemed to have been crushed under a collapsing rock.

Kang Jin-ho, having calmly assessed the situation, bit his lip.

‘I was careless.’

He had been incredibly foolish.

‘Being strong isn’t everything.’ He had been arrogant.

Even though he knew there were many who were targeting him, he thought he could handle them even if they all came at once. Kang Jin-ho had thought that was confidence, not arrogance.

But he had overlooked the fact that he didn’t always have to use martial arts to deal with a strong opponent. The result of thinking that he could handle any kind of attack was this.

A groan escaped his lips.

“A, are you okay?”

Seeing Choi Yeon-ha looking at him with a worried expression, he couldn’t help but sigh.

‘I’ve caused her trouble.’

He had needlessly dragged Choi Yeon-ha into this. If she hadn’t been heading home with him, she wouldn’t have been in this situation. The thought of putting her in this state filled him with guilt.

And then, seeing Choi Yeon-ha worrying about him, a pang of emotion hit him.

“Just hold on a little longer. The rescue team will be here soon.”

‘Rescue team…’

Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly.

The tunnel he had seen before entering was a passage through a mountain peak. Since such a place had collapsed, it would take at least two weeks just to dig their way here.

Once soil has collapsed, it becomes unstable, and if they dig too quickly, a secondary collapse could occur. Then, both the rescue team and they would be finished.

‘The bigger problem is whether people know we’re here.’

It was dawn, and there was no one around. The only ones who knew they had headed this way were the Yeongnam Association, and he couldn’t imagine they would report Kang Jin-ho’s danger out of humanitarian concern.

Realistically, hoping for rescue was like a dream.

Moreover, the most critical problem was that there was no water here.

When buildings collapsed, those who were trapped inside and later rescued survived by drinking rainwater or water that had leaked from broken pipes.

Humans couldn’t survive for more than three days without water.

Kang Jin-ho could survive for a month, not just three days, but Choi Yeon-ha would have a hard time surviving for three days.

It meant that they couldn’t afford to wait for rescue.

‘I have to get out of here on my own, somehow.’

If he couldn’t, Kang Jin-ho would have to watch Choi Yeon-ha die of dehydration right below him. It was an excessively harsh punishment for a single moment of carelessness.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, but…”

“Yes?”

Choi Yeon-ha raised her hand and covered her face. She was doing her best to suppress the sobs that were uncontrollably escaping her.

“If it’s not too much, please say something. I’m so scared right now…”

“Ah!”

Kang Jin-ho bit his lip slightly.

She must be scared.

Even Kang Jin-ho himself felt hopeless in this situation, so how much more would she feel?

Being trapped in the darkness after a tunnel collapse was a situation that could easily drive a normal person to madness.

“There’s nothing to worry about too much.”

Kang Jin-ho tried to make his voice as gentle as possible.

“We’ll get out of here soon.”

“Re…really?”

“Yes.”

He wasn’t sure yet, but there was no need to say it with certainty. The words that they would get out soon were true, whether they got out with their bodies or just their souls.

“So, for now, just rest.”

“…I’ve been sleeping until now.”

“Even so.”

Kang Jin-ho said in a firm voice.

“People use energy when they’re awake. Talking makes you lose moisture. So, for now, just take a nap.”

“I don’t think I can fall asleep…”

“Relax and close your eyes.”

“…Yes.”

Her trembling eyes closed. Kang Jin-ho clenched his fist as he watched Choi Yeon-ha close her eyes.

‘It’s my fault.’

It was his fault that she was trapped here. It was a responsibility he couldn’t avoid in any way. So, Kang Jin-ho had a duty to get her out of here safely, no matter what.

By any means necessary.

“I can’t fall asleep.”

“Just stay still.”

“…Hey, Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s lips moved.

After hesitating several times, Choi Yeon-ha opened her mouth with difficulty.

“Can…can we survive?”

He could feel how much she had struggled to ask this question.

Kang Jin-ho nodded, even though he knew she couldn’t see him.

“We can survive.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho added a postscript that he would never normally add.

“Trust me.”

Choi Yeon-ha opened her eyes.

Could she see Kang Jin-ho’s face in her eyes as she stared blankly above?

She wouldn’t be able to see him. But Choi Yeon-ha stared intently above as if she could see his face, then quietly closed her eyes again.

“I will trust you.”

Kang Jin-ho reached out and pressed her pressure point without replying.

After confirming that Choi Yeon-ha was falling asleep, Kang Jin-ho’s eyes began to glow red.

‘We will survive.’

He would survive no matter what. And when they got out of here…

They would regret it.

They would clearly realize what it meant to have touched him. A red aura began to slowly emanate from Kang Jin-ho’s body, filled with rage.

In the pitch-black darkness.