Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 466

As soon as he respawned, Kang Jin-ho’s champion rushed back to his lane, and the moment he spotted an enemy, he jumped in and started hitting them without hesitation.

“……”

The chat window began to erupt.

– Man! What a man!

— Dude! That’s what a man does!

– A hero doesn’t care about the small stuff.

— LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL I’m dying here LOLOLOLOL

– I thought I was watching an AOS [Arena of Strategy] game, but it turned out to be a fighting game LOLOLOLOLOL

— Bronze 5 class LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Chaos and pandemonium descended upon the chat room.

However, it was a successful broadcast in that everyone was enjoying it. That is, if you didn’t consider Park Yu-min’s crumbling mental state.

“J, Jin-ho! What are you doing?”

He had already died several times, so there was no way he could win against an enemy champion who had grown stronger.

On top of that, the enemy jungler, having figured out Kang Jin-ho’s habits, was waiting in advance and ganged up on Kang Jin-ho as soon as he returned, taking him down cleanly.

Park Yu-min took his hand off the mouse and grabbed the back of his neck.

‘My, my blood pressure!’

He could now fully understand what the older folks meant when they said their neck was stiff. It wasn’t just an expression. When your blood pressure really rises, the back of your neck really does get stiff.

“I could have taken him.”

No, you couldn’t! You’re super weak right now!

Watching the scroll speed up, Park Yu-min unconsciously raised his voice.

“Jin-ho, you weren’t like this when you played Galaxy, were you?”

“Huh?”

“Back then, you analyzed the power and knew when to retreat. People used to call you a fox because you were so good at playing it safe!”

“Was I?”

“Yes, you were!”

The chat room started buzzing.

– Who is that guy? If Park Yu-min says he was good at Galaxy, he must have been really good?

– Park Yu-min is usually so mild-mannered, but he’s known to become a different person when talking about Galaxy, ignoring everyone else. They even called him a two-faced person.

– He even said to his team seniors that he didn’t know how good he was. If he’s saying that, he must have been really good.

– He’s not a pro, though. If that face was a pro, there’s no way we wouldn’t know him.

– Then the league wouldn’t have failed. He would have had a million female fans. He would have recreated Gwangalli [a famous beach in Busan known for large crowds during events].

– So, he’s an amateur. Was there an amateur who was that good?

– I know one.

But that chat window didn’t register in Park Yu-min’s eyes.

“But why are you like this in this game? Anyone can see that you’re going to lose.”

Kang Jin-ho put down his mouse.

Then, he turned his head and looked at Park Yu-min.

The moment their eyes met, Park Yu-min flinched.

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes were burning.

“Yu-min.”

“Y, yeah……”

“Listen carefully.”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice was utterly serious.

“When you go to war, you have to assess the forces. And you have to strategize. You can’t be reckless, and you have to be cold.”

“War… You mean Galaxy?”

“Yes. But!”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice echoed loudly through the PC room.

“The forces can retreat, but I can’t! Even if I die, I will fight. Even if I die, if I don’t show my back until the very end, that is my victory!”

— That’s awesome! That’s epic!

— He’s a true psycho.

— Mental illness is not a crime. It can be treated.

— I’m dying LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL That’s a legendary quote LOLOLOLOLOLOL

– Add it to the Top Lane Gospel. Chapter 3, Verse 1: A top laner never shows his back.

— If you’re going to use that face like that, give it to me, you bastard LOLOLOLOLOLOL

It was the moment Park Yu-min’s broadcast hit its highest viewership ever.

*Chik.*

With difficulty, Park Yu-min opened a can and gulped down the cola.

“Ahhh.”

His throat stung, but the coolness welcomed him.

‘I need a cider, but cola isn’t bad either.’

Right now, anything carbonated would do. He felt like he would throw up if he didn’t have something carbonated.

Park Yu-min, who had teamed up with Kang Jin-ho, suffered the humiliation of a five-game losing streak for the first time in his life. It was something that was impossible for Park Yu-min, who would grab onto the hem of his pants with his hellish competitive spirit to win no matter what, but…

‘Even if there are ten heroes, they can’t stop one troll.’

It was a truth he had just realized.

And that troll was now drinking cola in front of him with a relaxed face.

“Huu.”

Kang Jin-ho, having gulped down his cola, took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

“The smoking room here is nice. It even has chairs.”

“It’s a cafe-style place.”

“Oh. I see.”

His mental state was shattered, but Kang Jin-ho seemed fine. He needed to learn that kind of mental fortitude… Although, it was Kang Jin-ho who had shattered his mental state in the first place.

Kang Jin-ho was the same as ever, even after losing five games in a row in that extremely stressful game…

*Crush!*

Kang Jin-ho crushed the empty can with his fist and threw it into the trash can.

‘He’s pissed.’

Mental fortitude, my ass. He’s the same as always.

That’s right, he was the guy who got so pissed off after losing a couple of Galaxy games that he played more than a pro gamer. There’s no way he wouldn’t have a competitive spirit.

“Jin-ho, you should have retreated a bit.”

“If I can’t win in my own way, it’s not a win even if I win.”

“……Okay.”

Yeah, a person should live with conviction. You’re good with that, Jin-ho.

‘It’s not like I’m going pro anyway, so what does it matter if I lose a few computer games?’

We just won’t play together anymore.

Kang Jin-ho took a deep drag of his cigarette and asked, exhaling the smoke.

“So, are you getting ready okay?”

“Yeah, it’s going well.”

It was going really well until you came. Still, you coming here made me a lot of money. I probably made more today than I have with all my broadcasts combined.

“Can you get back to where you were before?” Park Yu-min hesitated to answer.

‘Back to where I was before.’

If he was talking about his career as a pro gamer, there was only one answer.

“No.”

Park Yu-min shook his head firmly.

That was impossible.

“You should say it’s possible.”

“If it’s not, it’s not.”

Park Yu-min smiled bitterly.

Kang Jin-ho went to the military after seeing him win. But Park Yu-min’s real prime started then. He won every tournament he entered. There was a time when he was fearless.

But that time didn’t last long.

He comforted himself by saying it was because the league collapsed, but he knew that wasn’t the case. Staying at the top was harder than getting there. His prime was glorious, but he also fully experienced the feeling of being pushed out.

“It might sound like bragging if I say it myself.”

“It is bragging.”

“Yeah, it is. But I think I was really at the top of my game back when I was a pro gamer. No one was more flashy than me in terms of short-term impact. I was the best in the world.”

“You were something else.”

“Yeah, I was. But I can’t get to that level with this game.”

“The style is different, and it’s a team game… More than anything, there are tons of people who are better than me now. And my physical skills have dulled a bit.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Park Yu-min, as if pondering.

“You might think I lack some spirit, but…”

“I was about to say that.”

Park Yu-min quietly shook his head.

“Jin-ho.”

“You know what I realized after reaching the top and falling from it?”

“I don’t know…”

“The top is a place only one person can reach. But if everyone in the world aims for the top, everyone except one person is bound to be a loser.”

“Hmm…”

“I don’t play games to be the best. I play because I enjoy playing them, because it’s fun.

Of course, I’m not saying I’ll slack off. I have a competitive spirit too. I have to do my best. But I don’t think I need to be disappointed if I don’t become the best.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded silently.

He wasn’t wrong. It was just a different way of thinking.

“If I do my best where I am and enjoy the situation, the results will follow. And even if the results aren’t what I want, I can be satisfied. I’ve realized as I’ve gotten a little older that being the best isn’t the same as being the happiest. I’m ten times happier now than when I was at the top, sacrificing everything to play games and win.”

“Hmm.”

“Back then, you weren’t around, and all I could do was play games. I don’t want to live like that again.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I understand what you mean.”

When he thought about it, there wasn’t much difference.

Kang Jin-ho struggled to be the best in the midfield. It started as a will to survive, but even after his survival was completely guaranteed, he didn’t stop. He wanted to become stronger and stronger, to have everything in the world at his feet.

And the result?

A desire for an ordinary life.

If being the best guaranteed the greatest happiness, he would have lived a more intense life in this life as well. But Kang Jin-ho also knew that wasn’t the case.

That’s why he tried to become ordinary.

Family, friends. He realized how precious things that were so obvious to others were.

‘He’s definitely better than me.’

Park Yu-min already knew what Kang Jin-ho had only realized after dying.

“But you’re not just saying all this as a preemptive excuse in case you fail the test, are you?”

“Did you catch on?”

“I’ll kill you.”

“I have to pass the test. I really have to. I can’t fail. The guys are starting to give me the side-eye, saying I’m just eating and playing without doing anything.”

“The guys?”

“Yeah. They say if I keep burning through my assets like this, I won’t be able to get married, and that they’re worried sick because of me…”

“……Kids these days are scary.”

“I know, right?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

Park Yu-min and he were both getting pushed around in different ways.

“Yu-min.”

“Yeah.”

“Do your best.”

“You’re being so formal.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled, seeing Park Yu-min’s awkwardness.

‘How different would my life have been if this guy hadn’t been around?’

Park Yu-min seemed to think of Kang Jin-ho as his benefactor, but Kang Jin-ho thought differently. Even if he hadn’t pulled Park Yu-min along, Park Yu-min would have gotten here anyway.

He was someone who didn’t waver and knew exactly what he had to do. Kang Jin-ho just made it a little easier for him to get here.

But Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t have made it here without Park Yu-min. He would have gone in a slightly different direction, and if he had, he wouldn’t have met the people he knows now.

“I’ll come by often.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been a bit busy lately, so I haven’t been able to come by often. I’ll come by more often from now on.”

Park Yu-min made a very awkward expression and then stammered.

“Umm… Jin-ho.”

“Yeah?”

“I have to take the test now, and…”

“It’s… fun to play games together, but I need to practice instead of playing around…”

“So… um.”

“……I’ll go.”

“Okay. See you.”

Kang Jin-ho walked out of the PC cafe, receiving a vigorous wave goodbye from Park Yu-min.