Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 43

Time flew by like an arrow.

Winter passed, and a new year dawned.

Kang Jin-ho became a senior in high school.

“Hey, Kang Jin-ho!”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head at the sound of his name being called.

“Let’s go to a karaoke!”

“Is that your wish?”

“Not really?”

“Then forget it.”

Han Se-yeon grabbed Kang Jin-ho’s arm.

“Let’s go.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I said let’s go!”

Kang Jin-ho kept refusing, but in the end, he couldn’t overcome Han Se-yeon’s stubbornness and was dragged along helplessly.

“What’s with the karaoke, karaoke again.”

“The mock exam is over! We need to celebrate!”

“Ugh…”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked at Park Yu-min.

“Park Yu-min, let’s go together.”

Park Yu-min smiled awkwardly.

“No, I have a tournament today.”

“Oh, really?”

After moving out of the orphanage, Park Yu-min started attending game tournaments.

He had been persuaded by the head of the gaming team who had been trying to recruit him, and he eventually started down the path of a professional gamer.

“Should I give you a ride?”

“No, I’m getting a pickup. The team leader is coming.”

“You’re a big deal.”

Han Se-yeon scolded Kang Jin-ho.

“Don’t you know he made it to the round of 16? Yu-min is really good! He’s nothing like you.”

“Are you interested in games too?”

“I’m not good at playing, but I like watching. Yu-min is so popular these days. Do you know how hard it is to get through the preliminaries and make it to the round of 16?” Kang Jin-ho smiled.

“Okay.”

Even after moving out of the orphanage, Seongsim Orphanage continued to be under the constant management of the Jae-kyung Group. They received more than enough support without needing any from the government, and Park Yu-min was able to have time for himself.

Thanks to that, he began to pursue his dream, which he had only dreamed of before.

“If you made it to the round of 16, that tournament must not be a big deal.”

“Hey! Do you know how prestigious the KGI tournament is? Yu-min is so good! He could beat you with just a mouse!”

Park Yu-min waved his hand.

“No, Jin-ho is good. He’s really good.”

“See? And he’s so humble.”

“No, I’m saying he’s really good!”

“The more I see Yu-min, the more I think he’s a good guy.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“You two should date.”

“Hey!”

Han Se-yeon grabbed Kang Jin-ho’s head and started dragging him away.

Kang Jin-ho, still being dragged, said to Park Yu-min.

“If you lose, you’re dead?”

“I’ll try my best.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled and shouted.

“I need to get my bike! Let go of me!”

Kang Jin-ho grumbled as he walked.

“Jin-ho, why do you look so gloomy when we’re going out to have fun?” At Jung In-gyu’s words, Kang Jin-ho glared at him.

“No, I mean…”

“If class is over, you should go home early and rest, what is this…”

Han Se-yeon shouted at Kang Jin-ho.

“Hey, are you going to keep ruining the mood?” Lee Tae-ho chuckled to himself.

“Leave him alone. That guy is upset because he can’t watch TV.”

“Huh?”

“He always watches Yu-min’s tournaments. He doesn’t show it, but he secretly watches them all.”

“Really?”

Han Se-yeon looked at Kang Jin-ho as if surprised.

“Are you two dating?”

“…I’ll take that as a challenge.”

Han Se-yeon shook her head.

“Oh my, what are these dark men doing? You two, have a beautiful love.”

At this point, he should have shown some reaction, but Kang Jin-ho turned his head without answering.

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho stared at one spot, then slowly started walking.

“Where are you going?”

“Just a moment.”

Kang Jin-ho walked into a dark alleyway visible between the buildings.

“Huh?”

Jung In-gyu exclaimed.

Inside the alley, an unusual sight was unfolding.

A man was lying on the ground, and three men were surrounding a woman.

“P-Please help me!”

The woman cried desperately.

Jung In-gyu swallowed. It was a situation where he had to help.

However, the men surrounding the woman didn’t look very friendly.

Their sturdy physiques were one thing, but their overall vibe was dark.

They had the kind of presence that made people naturally avoid them.

“What are you looking at, you bastards?”

“Aren’t you going to get lost?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the man lying on the ground.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be seriously injured.

“Please help me!”

As the woman cried out, the man in front of her grabbed her by the hair.

“Agh!”

“Hey, you started the fight, why are you acting like the victim?”

Kang Jin-ho watched the scene quietly, then turned his body.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

Han Se-yeon grabbed Kang Jin-ho’s arm.

“Hey! How can you just leave?”

“Why?”

“Are you really the Kang Jin-ho I know?” Kang Jin-ho said as if it was nothing.

“It’s nothing.”

“What do you mean it’s nothing! That woman is in trouble right now.”

“She probably brought it on herself.”

“What?”

“There’s no couple who would just walk into this dark alley. They probably got into a fight or something. It looks like the man was being cocky and got beaten up.”

“Even so, how can you just leave! What if that woman gets abused?”

“Didn’t she bring it on herself?”

“Hey, are you crazy?”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

He didn’t like the idea that he had to help just because she was a woman, without knowing who was at fault first.

What if the scene was reversed? If there was one man and three women surrounding him, would they say he should be saved?

“They’ll figure it out. Or call the police.”

“Hey, Kang Jin-ho. I didn’t think you were like this. You’re heartless?”

“I don’t have the kind of nosiness to go out of my way for someone I don’t even know.” It had been like that since the Murim [a fictional martial arts world].

Getting involved in other people’s affairs meant taking on a huge risk. Kang Jin-ho didn’t want to risk himself for someone he didn’t even know. Even if it wasn’t a high level of risk.

“Hey, forget it. I’ll take care of it.” Han Se-yeon stepped forward.

“Can you please let that woman go?”

“What’s this?”

One of the men surrounding the woman looked Han Se-yeon up and down.

“Hey, miss. Just go, it’s annoying. Okay? Go.”

“I said let her go!”

“This is getting out of hand.” The man strode towards Han Se-yeon.

Kang Jin-ho took a step forward, placing himself in front of Han Se-yeon.

“Hey, are you going or not?”

“It’s a different story when you mess with our people.”

“Different?”

Kang Jin-ho ignored Han Se-yeon and opened his mouth.

“Go.”

“Or you’ll see something nasty.” The man chuckled.

“Is this guy for real?”

The man threw a punch at Kang Jin-ho.

“Kyaaak!”

Han Se-yeon screamed at the sight.

Kang Jin-ho frowned at the sharp sound piercing his ears.

‘This is scarier.’

Kang Jin-ho’s hand lightly struck the back of the man’s neck.

Thud!

With a light thud, the man collapsed to the ground.

“Huh?”

The long-haired man who had been watching the scene opened his mouth slightly.

“Hey, try touching that guy.”

“Got it.”

The man in jeans, who had received the order from the long-haired man, rushed at Kang Jin-ho.

But he fell to the ground with the same momentum he had charged with.

Kang Jin-ho’s hand had struck the man’s neck.

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

Fighting with people who hadn’t even learned martial arts was something he didn’t like.

From the start, they had different weapons.

It was like a person with a gun fighting a person with bare hands from a distance.

Nevertheless, the reason Kang Jin-ho had come here and jumped into the fight was because there was something he wanted to confirm.

“You’re not an ordinary guy.”

The long-haired man slowly approached Kang Jin-ho.

“You hit him so lightly, but he didn’t just lose consciousness. If it was purely done with strength.”

The man’s words meant a lot.

“You’ve learned martial arts.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes lit up.

It existed.

There were definitely people who had learned martial arts even in modern times.

It was a question.

Why was it that the martial arts that had been so widespread in the past were not visible in this era?

There could be many reasons. The most certain was that the development speed of martial arts could not keep up with the development speed of modern weapons.

Unlike martial arts, which required decades of training to become a master, guns were weapons that even ordinary people could use to commit massacres.

Modern guns had a power that could not be blocked unless one had deeply trained in martial arts.

So, who would try to learn martial arts?

That’s how martial arts might have naturally disappeared.

But in that case, one problem remained.

Even if the center of martial arts had shifted to modern weapons, would those who learned martial arts have completely disappeared?

Shaolin had become a tourist attraction, and Wudang had become a Taoist temple.

Why weren’t those who were guarding those places learning martial arts?

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t solve his question. But now his question was being solved.

He could feel internal energy from the long-haired man’s body. It was also a martial art that showed signs of systematic training.

It was clear that he had received proper training, not just picking up some secret manual and learning it.

“There were some here too.”

“What do you mean? Did you think you were the only one who had learned martial arts?”

“No, I’m just glad because it’s not.” A smile bloomed on Kang Jin-ho’s lips. What was not being fulfilled in modern times was his thirst for martial arts.

Kang Jin-ho had intentionally avoided training.

Even if he got stronger, there was nowhere to use it, and even if he reached a new level, there was no one to compare it with.

In such a place, learning more martial arts than necessary was meaningless.

But there were people in modern times who could recognize his martial arts.

“Who did you learn from?”

“You’re asking too much.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand.

“Go.”

“…What?”

“Go and bring your master. You can’t handle me.”

“What are you talking about, you crazy bastard?”

Kang Jin-ho quietly stared at the long-haired man.

The long-haired man’s body flinched.

You see as much as you know.

Those who had not learned martial arts could not recognize the energy that Kang Jin-ho was showing. They might feel a creepy or ominous feeling, but nothing more than that.

But those who had learned martial arts trained to refine their senses.

They could feel a faint killing intent and discern movements with their energy. That’s why they were so sensitive to their senses.

That’s why they could tell.

How dangerous Kang Jin-ho was.

How terrifying the monster sleeping inside Kang Jin-ho was.

“You…”

The long-haired man hesitated and stepped back.

“Go. I’ll just let you go.”

The long-haired man felt humiliated, but he couldn’t resist.

Just facing Kang Jin-ho made it hard to breathe.

‘Where the hell did he come from?’

Even his master didn’t give off this kind of feeling.

No, he had met quite a few people who had learned martial arts, but none of them gave off the same feeling as the young man in front of him.

Ominous.

If other energies gave off a clear and refreshing feeling, Kang Jin-ho’s body gave off an ominous and deep fear that felt like it shouldn’t be touched.

“Uh…”

Kang Jin-ho glanced behind him. His friends were trembling in response to the energy he had emitted.

It was such a dense energy that it affected even ordinary people who were not sensitive to energy.

Kang Jin-ho released his energy.

“Ah…”

Exclamations of unknown liberation popped out from everywhere.

“Go.”

“…”

“Take these guys with you too.”

“Okay.”

The long-haired man bit his lip and picked up his companions who had fallen to the ground. Then he turned to look at Kang Jin-ho.

“We’ll meet again.” Kang Jin-ho smiled brightly.

“I’ll be waiting.”