Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 337

Adventure (5)

“……Has there been any contact from the police?”

“Not yet.”

Baek Hyun-jung looked like a person who had lost her soul.

Kang Eun-young, who always used to be so lively and tease them, had pupils that were unfocused, like someone suffering from depression. The only one who seemed to be holding it together was Kang Yu-hwan, but even his voice was strained.

Park Yu-min and Joo Young-gi felt as if they were the ones who had committed a crime.

“He’ll be okay.”

Park Yu-min spoke with a confident tone.

Kang Yu-hwan forced a smile and nodded.

“Yeah. I also believe that nothing serious has happened.”

Everyone there knew how hollow those words were. The fact that there had been no contact for three days meant that something serious had definitely happened.

“Is there still no word from Jae-kyung either?”

“Yes. They said they’re still searching.”

“I see.”

Kang Yu-hwan couldn’t hide his bitter expression.

“Jin-ho, you know…”

“Hmm?”

“He’s never caused any trouble before.”

“That’s right.”

Kang Yu-hwan nodded. Although he was his son, Kang Jin-ho had really grown up to be a good person. He was a son he was proud of, no matter who he was compared to.

“But actually, Jin-ho’s personality isn’t that great, you know?”

“Huh?”

As Kang Yu-hwan was about to say something, he noticed Joo Young-gi nodding with a serious face, agreeing with him.

Seeing Joo Young-gi muttering, ‘His personality is the worst,’ made him wonder what kind of life his son had been living when he wasn’t around.

“W-what are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“It might be hard to understand, but the fact that Jin-ho has been quiet until now is actually more strange.”

“Huh?”

“…I think it’s about time he caused some trouble. So don’t worry too much. It’s possible that he’s not the one who got into an accident, but the one causing it.”

‘Is this guy trying to comfort me right now?’

“What are you talking about?”

Park Yu-min opened his mouth with a bewildered expression.

“…I found out about this yesterday.”

“Yeah.”

“Not only Jin-ho, but Choi Yeon-ha is also missing.”

“Choi, Choi Yeon-ha?”

“What?”

The reaction came not from Kang Yu-hwan, but from Baek Hyun-jung and Kang Eun-young.

“Oppa, is that true?”

“You can find out if you check.”

“Ah, right.”

Kang Eun-young looked at Park Yu-min with wide eyes and said,

“Are they together right now?”

“Well, it’s a bit…”

Park Yu-min scratched his head and answered.

“I thought I saw a familiar car parked in front of the store, and it turned out to be Choi Yeon-ha’s car. Her manager came looking for her, making a fuss about her disappearance.”

“Wow.”

Kang Eun-young ruffled her hair in confusion.

“T-then what? Could it be?”

“Uh, well…”

Park Yu-min smiled awkwardly and said,

“I don’t think it’s likely, but maybe they’re eloping. So, I thought you wouldn’t have to worry too much.”

“…E-eloping?”

“They might be in Boracay or Cebu by now.”

“Huh?”

The atmosphere quickly turned into chaos.

Park Yu-min grinned and said,

“So, don’t worry too much. The probability of Jin-ho causing an accident is higher than him being in one.”

Kang Jin-ho’s family couldn’t say anything and just stared at Park Yu-min with dumbfounded eyes.

“Hey.”

Joo Young-gi looked at Park Yu-min with a dissatisfied expression. He glanced back to make sure Kang Jin-ho’s family, who had come to see them off, had gone inside, and then spoke in an annoyed tone.

“You thoughtless bastard, what if something really happened after you said that?”

“Then I’ll apologize then.”

“Man, that’s…”

“Instead of just waiting and worrying about something that might not even happen, it’s better to think that maybe it could be something else, even if it’s unlikely. It’ll be a little easier that way.”

“…What if something bad really happened?”

“What bad thing?”

A fierce glint appeared in Park Yu-min’s eyes.

Seeing that look, Joo Young-gi closed his mouth.

‘Crazy bastard.’

Ever since he realized that Kang Jin-ho might have been in an accident, Park Yu-min had been suffering from anger management issues. His gaze was so fierce that even Joo Young-gi couldn’t talk to him properly.

“That won’t happen.”

“Even if something like that happened, it would just take time to resolve. There’s no way Jin-ho won’t come back. So, in the meantime, we should at least try to make his parents feel at ease. That’s what we, as his friends, should do.”

“Okay. I got it, you bastard.”

If Kang Jin-ho could just come back safe and sound, then what he said was right. And Park Yu-min didn’t even consider the possibility that Kang Jin-ho might not return.

“But it’s true that he disappeared with Choi Yeon-ha, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t what you said also a possibility?”

“Kang Jin-ho going on a trip with a woman without contacting anyone?”

“…Dude, if it’s not true, just say it’s not true. Why are you being so fierce?”

“Just stop it.”

“Alright.”

They were both on edge. Joo Young-gi sighed softly.

‘You don’t know how much you miss someone until they’re gone.’

It felt like everything was falling apart just because Kang Jin-ho was missing from their lives.

* * *

“This is crazy.”

There are things that get more messed up the more you think about them. Jo Gyu-min was in exactly that situation right now.

Just explaining the purpose of this to the explosives experts and asking for their opinions was incredibly difficult. Jo Gyu-min’s request to make the entire tunnel shake while minimizing the impact on the central area made the experts react as if they were saying, ‘What is this crazy bastard talking about?’

What was even more depressing was that he couldn’t argue with that reaction at all.

All he could say was, ‘Please don’t ask why, just do it,’ and the top technicians in Korea reluctantly started giving their opinions with looks that said, ‘I’ve seen all kinds of crazy people.’

If Jo Gyu-min had acted alone, he wouldn’t have even received a single blueprint, but the name ‘Jae-kyung’ had the power to summon even the most reluctant people to the site.

So, the preparations were going smoothly, which was good. But as the preparations were nearing completion, a wave of anxiety began to wash over him.

‘Is this really the right thing to do?’

He knew very well that there was no other way.

There were two people below. And he had confirmed that the other person was most likely Choi Yeon-ha, not Kang Jin-ho. If Choi Yeon-ha was slowly dying while trapped, what choice would Kang Jin-ho make?

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

It was obvious that the seemingly cold-hearted busybody would do anything to save Choi Yeon-ha. He didn’t want to admit it, but Bang Jin-hoon understood Kang Jin-ho’s way of thinking very well. If Kang Jin-ho was alone, there would be no need to rush, but Jo Gyu-min instinctively understood that this was a matter of urgency.

‘Damn it, he should have at least pretended to be nice.’

If Kang Jin-ho was the type to leave someone dying in front of him because there was nothing he could do, there would be no rush. If Kang Jin-ho was alone, he could hold out for at least ten days, and they could dig a tunnel in a safe way. But Kang Jin-ho was not that kind of person.

That was why Jo Gyu-min had bet his life on Kang Jin-ho, but at times like this, that fact was so frustrating and annoying.

“Are the preparations finished?”

Even the sight of Bang Jin-hoon walking over with a swaggering gait was irritating.

“Not much left.”

“And we found something yesterday…”

“Yes?”

“We searched the tunnels leading to Kang Jin-ho’s house and the detour, just in case, and there were holes all over the place, just big enough for a child’s hand to fit through.”

“…Dynamite?”

“Those crazy bastards had prepared everything all over the place. No matter where he went, the result would have been the same.”

“Later.”

“Yes?”

“If you catch that Kim Seok-il or whatever his name is, make sure to show me his face. I feel like I won’t be able to die in peace if I don’t get to kick that bastard in the face.”

Bang Jin-hoon nodded.

“I promise.”

Just as Jo Gyu-min was about to say something, a person wearing a hard hat ran over and said,

“The preparations are complete.”

“…Okay.”

Jo Gyu-min felt his body tremble violently, as if he had a chill.

He was scared.

To be honest, he wanted to cancel everything right now and just dig a tunnel.

“Damn it.”

This kind of crazy act was not his style. No matter how much a person can’t just live doing what they want, this was really…

“Jo Gyu-min.”

“…Yes?”

“Even if things go wrong, it’s not your fault.”

“Trust Kang Jin-ho. Don’t trust your judgment.”

Jo Gyu-min nodded with a stiff face.

‘That’s right.’

The person he was trying to rescue was Kang Jin-ho. He wasn’t rescuing Kang Jin-ho, but just helping Kang Jin-ho get out.

Jo Gyu-min gritted his teeth and opened his mouth.

“Evacuate the people and start the explosion.”

Kang Jin-ho had his eyes closed.

A quiet space surrounded by darkness was, in a way, the perfect place for training. Not being able to move his body was a shame, but what he was doing right now didn’t require him to move his body.

All he had to do was observe himself and build up his inner strength.

And for the first time since returning to this world, Kang Jin-ho was able to carefully examine his body.

‘It’s different.’

It was a new realization, but Kang Jin-ho’s body and the body of the Heavenly Demon Lord were very different. The soul was the same, but the body was different. It wasn’t just a matter of height or longer arms. The locations of the meridians [energy channels in the body] were different, and the way the energy flowed was different.

He knew that there were slight differences between people, but those small differences were causing a huge change.

Kang Jin-ho slowly opened his eyes.

‘Is my inner strength about 80% recovered?’

It wasn’t enough. He needed more inner strength to push up the mountain of earth and sand. It was something that might have been impossible even if Kang Jin-ho was in his best condition.

But there was no other choice.

Choi Yeon-ha’s condition was not good. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but Choi Yeon-ha had been unconscious for quite a while.

Her breathing was very weak.

If he delayed any longer, Kang Jin-ho would be holding Choi Yeon-ha’s corpse, not Choi Yeon-ha.

That was something he could never allow.

So, what should he do?

Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes and listened carefully.

His extremely sensitive hearing and senses detected the surroundings. He could feel movement above the mountain of earth and sand. Someone was busily preparing something.

It had already been several days since he disappeared.

There was no way that Jo Gyu-min, whom he knew, wouldn’t have been able to figure out Kang Jin-ho’s location. At least for Kang Jin-ho, Jo Gyu-min was like the embodiment of competence.

So, he must have come up with a plan.

Not too late.

Kang Jin-ho, who had never entrusted his life to anyone else and had never needed anyone else’s help, was now armed with trust in a man named Jo Gyu-min.

And at that moment.

Kwarururung!

The whole world began to shake as if there was an earthquake.

‘It’s only once.’

If he failed, he would die.

Kang Jin-ho, who had erased the word ‘failure’ from his mind, pulled Choi Yeon-ha’s twitching body close and gathered all his inner strength.

A red aura burst out of Kang Jin-ho’s body and began to spread explosively.