Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 421

Choi Yeon-ha was speechless.

‘This is a first for me.’

She had been through many incidents with Kang Jin-ho, but this was the first time she had seen him this angry.

What was this feeling?

‘It’s terrifying…’

It was different from the monster they had faced earlier.

The monster had evoked a sense of unease, a feeling of unpredictability and instability. His mind seemed fractured.

But Kang Jin-ho was different.

Just looking at him sent a chill down her spine; an indescribable fear pressed down on her.

Choi Yeon-ha could now understand the monster’s words a little better.

She could see what he meant when he said Kang Jin-ho judged people by his own standards, treating those inside and outside his circle completely differently.

He had never shown her this side of himself. If an ordinary person were to discover that the person they laughed and joked with had such a dark side, they would be utterly shocked.

How could she describe it?

It was like finding out that the toy gun you had been playing with was actually a real gun, loaded with live ammunition.

That was probably it.

And she would never be able to treat that gun as casually as before.

“Ah…”

Choi Yeon-ha gasped, realizing she was unconsciously backing away from Kang Jin-ho.

Thud.

At that low sound, Kang Jin-ho stopped.

Choi Yeon-ha looked at him with trembling eyes. She was scared, afraid she would see the same look in his eyes as the monster when he turned his head.

The brief moment it took for Kang Jin-ho to turn his head felt like an eternity.

Whether he knew her feelings or not, Kang Jin-ho slowly turned his head.

Then, Choi Yeon-ha couldn’t help but gasp again.

It wasn’t different.

Though his eyes were sharper, they were the same as the Kang Jin-ho she knew. The strange fear that had gripped her heart a moment ago had vanished.

Kang Jin-ho, who seemed to sigh softly, walked over and placed his hand on Choi Yeon-ha’s head.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

At the gentle touch of his hand stroking her hair, Choi Yeon-ha felt her legs buckle.

Why was that?

It could be the relief that everything was okay, or perhaps it was just a silly reaction from tensing up too much. But Choi Yeon-ha knew the real reason.

Even in the midst of his anger, this stoic man had come back to worry about her and stroke her hair.

‘It’s not different.’

It wasn’t because he was showing her a warm side. It was because even though she had just seen a side of him she had never seen before, she was still certain that Kang Jin-ho was still Kang Jin-ho.

Feeling a sense of relief wash over her, Choi Yeon-ha wiped away the tears welling up in her eyes and spoke warmly.

“You’re late, you incompetent man!”

“I almost died.”

Kang Jin-ho’s body seemed to sway slightly.

Not satisfied with just cursing at him, Choi Yeon-ha kicked Kang Jin-ho’s legs a few times and then sat down on the spot.

“Ha, geez… I’m going to get wrinkles.”

“…Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but the kid almost had a fit! What’s with that crazy guy?”

“Well, I don’t know either…”

“Well, a crazy guy is a crazy guy, what else could he be?”

Kang Jin-ho sighed softly as he watched Choi Yeon-ha, who was sitting on the floor and constantly cursing.

This woman was truly unpredictable.

“Can you get up?”

“I can get up… It’s just hard.”

Choi Yeon-ha subtly hinted that she would have difficulty walking without support, but Kang Jin-ho was utterly cold.

“Take Min-ji and go outside.”

“Just us?”

“Yes.”

“What am I supposed to do with a guy like you?”

“It’s dangerous, so go outside. I’ll take care of the rest and then go.”

Choi Yeon-ha closed her mouth and nodded.

His tone was no different from usual, but there was an undeniable weight to Kang Jin-ho now. When the image she had seen a moment ago overlapped with his current appearance, Choi Yeon-ha couldn’t do anything but nod.

Her honest feeling was that she was afraid that if she provoked Kang Jin-ho any further, she would see that side of him again.

“I’ll take her out.”

“Thank you.”

“…But I’ll definitely get this debt back.”

“Yes.”

“You promised!”

“Yes.”

When Kang Jin-ho nodded, Choi Yeon-ha smiled as if satisfied and helped Oh Min-ji, who was already sitting next to her, to her feet.

“Min-ji, let’s get up. This heartless man wants us to go out quickly. If you stay next to a miserable person, you’ll get struck by lightning for no reason. Let’s go.”

Choi Yeon-ha, who had helped the bewildered Oh Min-ji to her feet, glared at Kang Jin-ho once and then walked towards the entrance. Kang Jin-ho, who had followed her to the hallway and watched her walk away, hardened his face.

“Come out.”

His atmosphere changed in an instant.

“Come out, right now.”

A terrible rage emanated from Kang Jin-ho. His face was so cruel that a weak-hearted person would be worried that their heart would stop just from looking at him. The monster revealed himself as if he was emerging from the shadows.

His arm was bent at an unnatural angle, but the monster had a rather relaxed expression.

“Whew.”

The monster chuckled slightly.

“You seem very angry. The great one who has taken control of the Korean martial arts world is angry, so I…”

Thwack!

The monster was thrown backward before he could finish his sentence.

“Ugh…”

The monster, whose nose was broken and all his front teeth were knocked out in one blow, clutched his face and twisted his body. Even his brain, filled with demonic energy, couldn’t completely block out this terrible pain.

“Eee ik!”

The anger came as the momentary pain subsided.

Kang Jin-ho! Kang Jin-ho!

That hateful Kang Jin-ho was right in front of him.

The monster roared as if he was howling.

“Kang Jin-hooooooooo!”

But Kang Jin-ho was still approaching him slowly with a blank expression.

“You must be curious.”

“Why I did this, haha ha ha.”

The monster shouted.

“I…”

But he soon realized that his thoughts were wrong.

Kang Jin-ho, who had come right in front of him, grabbed his mouth as he was about to speak.

No matter how skilled he was, he couldn’t speak while his face was being held with pressure that felt like his teeth would break at any moment.

A crunching sound could be heard in his ear.

There was no fear of death. If he was afraid of dying, he wouldn’t have shown himself in front of Kang Jin-ho in the first place. Anyone who had watched Kang Jin-ho even a little would know what it meant to appear in front of him and touch the people around him.

But…

Crack, crunch.

The sound of his facial bones being dislocated as they couldn’t withstand the pressure was coming from inside, not outside. The sound that was being transmitted to his eardrums was coming from inside his face.

No matter how hard he tried to calm himself, it was impossible to maintain his composure in the face of this bizarre situation.

Snap.

Whether his molars had broken or been pulled out, he felt a terrible pain in his mouth and blood began to flow backward.

“Ugh… ugh…”

But all the monster could do was groan. Occasionally, he would gather his strength and kick Kang Jin-ho’s leg, but Kang Jin-ho’s leg was like steel. His foot, which he had kicked with all his might, only hurt more.

What was gripping the monster now was not fear or dread.

It was bewilderment.

He had imagined and re-imagined the scene of encountering Kang Jin-ho countless times. But in none of the situations he had predicted had he ever been in so much pain without even being able to open his mouth properly.

Because he should be curious.

If he was a human!

Then, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth quietly.

“Who you are…”

“And why you did this…”

The corners of Kang Jin-ho’s mouth began to twist.

“Why should I be curious about that?” Kang Jin-ho whispered quietly.

“Does it change anything if I know? Either way, I’m going to kill you in the most miserable way possible. Does knowing who you are and why you did this change my actions?”

They were soft.

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

He had felt it before, but the humans of this era were incomparably more rational and reasonable than the humans of the Central Plains [a reference to a historical region in China]. But they were just as soft.

Did he need a reason to kill someone who had attacked him?

What would change if he knew the reason?

In the end, all that remained was the fact that he had been attacked and…

Kang Jin-ho grabbed the monster’s face and slammed it into the floor.

Boom!

A huge explosion and vibration that seemed to shake the entire building swept around them.

“Ugh…”

An unbearable groan escaped from the monster’s mouth, who had smashed his head into the floor.

“You said something interesting.”

Kang Jin-ho laughed quietly.

As if he couldn’t help it because he was so happy.

“I can’t help but agree with you on one thing. Humans tend to think very highly of themselves until they experience pain directly. If you want to see a person’s true colors, you just need to see how they react to pain. Right?”

The monster’s body trembled as if he had malaria.

Unfortunately, he understood well enough what Kang Jin-ho was saying. He meant that he would return to him exactly what he had done to threaten Choi Yeon-ha a moment ago.

“However, there will be a difference in method. Where I was, there were only idiots who realized that it was better to talk early after their arms were cut off. So, I had no choice but to use a more immediate method.”

Kang Jin-ho grabbed the monster by the collar, who had made a hole in the concrete floor with his head, and lifted him up.

“How does it look?”

The monster’s closed eyes opened.

What was he asking?

What was this crazy bastard asking him?

“I’m asking you how my expression looks.”

The monster’s body began to tremble slightly.

He couldn’t stand it.

He had become addicted to violence and pleasure due to the demonic energy, but he couldn’t withstand Kang Jin-ho’s face in front of him.

Kang Jin-ho’s face wasn’t terrible or eerie.

On the contrary, he looked too happy.

Like a child who had gotten the toy he had wanted so badly.

Kang Jin-ho whispered softly.

“Actually… ordinary humans are too weak. They die from shock if you touch them even a little. It’s quite stressful to have to worry about the other person’s well-being while you’re trying to torment them. In that sense…”

Kang Jin-ho laughed with joy.

“This is going to be a really good encounter.”

The monster’s pants began to get wet.