Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 48

The sun was setting, painting the sky with a red glow.

Only Kang Jin-ho and Park Yu-min remained at the school. The other students had finished their classes and gone to academies or study rooms.

Kang Jin-ho was almost done organizing his things in the classroom, and Park Yu-min was keeping him company.

“Jin-ho, you’re going to college, right?”

“Why else would I be doing all this if I wasn’t?”

“Really?”

“Aren’t you going?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just… difficult for me to go.”

“Why?”

“There’s the issue of tuition fees.”

“You should have received financial aid, right?”

“Actually, with my grades, I can’t get into a good university anyway. It’ll be tough just to get into a university in Seoul. And I can’t go to a university far away. What about my current responsibilities, and who will look after the orphanage?”

“There are childcare teachers.”

“Yeah, but I still feel like I should be there.”

“Hmm…”

“Well, what’s more important to you right now than college is winning, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You did well to get to the final four.”

“Thanks.”

Kang Jin-ho’s face suddenly contorted.

“Do you want to die?”

Park Yu-min flinched.

“Why?”

“You can’t lose to anyone else. If you do, it means I’m worse than that person.”

“Does it work like that?”

“Win the next tournament.”

“It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“I’m not saying it’s easy. Just win. If you’ve started, you have to see it through to the end. It’s not a long-lasting career. Now is the time to work hard.”

“I know.”

Park Yu-min smiled and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“What are you talking about, out of the blue?”

“For the orphanage and for everything in the past.”

“Don’t say cheesy things.”

“And more than all of that…”

“…”

“Thank you for being my friend.”

Kang Jin-ho clicked his tongue.

It was a ticklish feeling, a feeling that was hard to listen to.

“You’re saying all sorts of nonsense.”

“No, really, that’s what I’m most grateful for. I don’t have any friends other than you.”

“In-gyu and Tae-ho would be upset if they heard that.”

“They’re friends, but they wouldn’t even talk to me if it weren’t for you, would they?”

“That’s true. Especially Jung In-gyu.”

“Right.”

Kang Jin-ho and Park Yu-min smiled at each other. Kang Jin-ho looked at Park Yu-min’s legs.

It wasn’t something he could fix.

If he could have fixed it, he would have done it already.

Was that why?

Why was Kang Jin-ho being kind to Park Yu-min?

Was it because he reminded him of his past self? Did he want to comfort his past self by helping him?

He couldn’t deny that there was some truth to that. If Park Yu-min’s legs had been fine, Kang Jin-ho might not have paid him any attention.

But that wasn’t the whole story.

Kang Jin-ho just liked Park Yu-min.

For whatever reason, that was an unchanging fact.

That’s what friends are like.

It’s not about finding reasons; it’s enough to be comfortable when you’re together.

“By the way, you said final four, right?”

“Why are you asking when you know?”

“I wonder if that’s enough.”

“Enough for what?”

Park Yu-min looked at Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“No, I’ll tell you when it’s certain.”

“You’re so bland.”

At that moment, the door burst open.

Han Se-yeon frowned.

“Ugh, can’t you get rid of that soap smell!”

“Tsk.”

Unlike Kang Jin-ho, who just clicked his tongue, Park Yu-min reacted seriously.

“M-my bad. I didn’t know you had a wife!”

“Who’s the wife, you idiot!”

Park Yu-min was terrified by the flying chair and dodged to the side.

“Don’t do this! My body is my fortune!”

Han Se-yeon glared at Park Yu-min with a flushed face, then called out to Kang Jin-ho.

“You, come out here for a second.”

“Why?”

“Just come out!”

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Park Yu-min.

Park Yu-min waved his hand as if to tell him to go.

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho followed Han Se-yeon outside.

Han Se-yeon, who had come down to the schoolyard, stared at Kang Jin-ho for a moment before opening her mouth.

“Hey!”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have that much to do?”

“…”

“No, if you were going to wait until I finished studying, you should have come out quickly. Why were you in there having a lovey-dovey moment with Park Yu-min!”

“Leave out the lovey-dovey part.”

“Did I say anything wrong?”

“You waited?”

“Yeah.”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“You seem to have something to say, so say it.”

Han Se-yeon just stared at Kang Jin-ho with a speechless face, now that the stage was set.

“H-have a good exam!”

“You waited just to say that?”

“Yeah.”

“You could have said it tomorrow. We’ll be at school tomorrow too.”

“We’re leaving soon. It would be okay if we were in the same class, but we’re not, so what if I don’t see you?”

‘If you don’t see me, you don’t see me. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again, and what’s going to happen if we don’t see each other for a day?’

“…Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho returned the greeting to Han Se-yeon.

“You do well too.”

“Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yeah?”

“You have to do well.”

“I know.”

“No, you really have to do well! You can’t do poorly and go somewhere weird. If you apply to a university below Jae-kyung University, my mom will beat me to death.”

“What are you talking about?”

Kang Jin-ho was bewildered, not understanding what Han Se-yeon was saying.

“Anyway, you have to do well!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll do well. If you’re done, I’m going.”

Han Se-yeon watched Kang Jin-ho go back to the classroom and kicked the ground in frustration.

“Did he come from the Joseon era [Korean dynasty from 1392-1897]? How can a guy be so clueless?”

There was something Han Se-yeon didn’t know. From the moment Kang Jin-ho was born, he had died once and then died again in the Central Plains [a region in ancient China] before returning here. He had never met a woman even once.

Kang Jin-ho was a solo commander who had lived two lives as a virgin.

For Kang Jin-ho, indirect expressions were meaningless.

Because Han Se-yeon didn’t know that, she was just wasting her time today.

On the day of the college entrance exam.

“Do well on your exam.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t be nervous! I packed a lunch that’s easy to digest. You need to eat well to do well on the exam.”

“Yes.”

“Oppa [older brother], you have to do well on the exam! Don’t write the answers in the wrong place!”

Baek Hyun-jung slapped Kang Eun-young on the back.

“Ouch!”

“How can you say that to your brother who’s going to take the college entrance exam! That’s bad luck!”

“I’m worried, I’m worried! Don’t you know what worry is?”

Kang Jin-ho received a noisy send-off and got on his bike.

His father had offered to drive him, but Kang Jin-ho said that going to school as usual was the best way to control his condition, so he gave up on seeing him off.

Kang Jin-ho’s exam site was at a school right next to Dongmyeong High School. Kang Jin-ho entered the exam site with a slightly excited feeling.

“Huu…”

He could feel that his breathing was a little faster because of the day.

‘Am I nervous?’

Kang Jin-ho calmed his breathing.

It was ridiculous to be nervous about something like this.

How could the Heavenly Demon Lord, who had never been nervous even on battlefields where people’s heads were flying, be nervous about solving problems written on a piece of paper?

Those who knew him in the Central Plains would laugh at this.

‘Let’s get a grip.’

After a few deep breaths, his body stabilized. Kang Jin-ho looked at the proctor entering the classroom with a cold gaze. After a brief explanation, the exam papers were finally handed to Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes.

He had accumulated enough knowledge during that time. And now it was time to use that knowledge.

Kang Jin-ho drew up the Asura Technique. The original name of the Asura Technique was the Nameless Art (武名功).

That was the name his master had given it when he passed it on.

“It has no name. Since it has no name, let’s call it the Nameless Art.”

It was a name that was made up casually. But it was a name that was easy to misunderstand, and when he answered ‘Nameless’ to those who asked about the origin of the martial art, they arbitrarily gave it the name Asura Technique.

As the name of the Heavenly Demon spread widely, the Asura Technique also rose in fame, and later, regardless of Kang Jin-ho’s intentions, it became a matter of course that the Heavenly Demon’s unique martial art was the Asura Technique.

Unlike the name Asura Technique, which was full of killing intent, the Nameless Art was quite gentle among martial arts. It was only the killing intent that Kang Jin-ho, who had lived in blood and slaughter, possessed that made the Nameless Art look overbearing.

The principle of the Nameless Art was simple. It enhanced human abilities.

While martial arts based on internal energy in the Central Plains focused on accumulating and utilizing energy, the Nameless Art that his master had taught him focused on using the internal energy gathered in the dantian [an area below the navel believed to be the center of vital energy] as an aid and maximizing the abilities of the whole body.

Thanks to this, Kang Jin-ho’s whole body became a killing machine, and he later built up a terrifying reputation.

The Nameless Art strengthens the whole body.

And the brain is definitely included in the whole body.

While operating the Nameless Art, his senses became abnormally sharp, and his brain worked several dozen times faster. The only drawback was that the duration was not long.

And the consumption of internal energy and stamina was severe.

That’s why there was a limit to using it when studying.

But today was different.

If it was just about solving problems, he could control the time as much as he wanted.

After confirming that the Asura Technique was working well, Kang Jin-ho quickly read through the questions. Solving them was for later. For now, it was enough to just check the questions once.

After looking at all the questions, Kang Jin-ho finally began to operate the Asura Technique. His overclocked brain made time flow slowly.

Kang Jin-ho solved the problems in an instant. He quickly wrote down the answers to the questions he knew, and skipped the questions he didn’t know without hesitation.

5 minutes.

Kang Jin-ho solved all but two problems in just 5 minutes.

The problem was that there was too much time left.

Kang Jin-ho slowly solved the remaining problems during the remaining time, and when there was still time left, he lay down and slept.

It was impossible to circulate his energy.

So he had to minimize the consumption of stamina and mental strength. Sleeping was perfect for that.

Kang Jin-ho finished all the subjects in that way.

The answer sheets for the last exam were collected. Kang Jin-ho lowered his hand that he had raised above his head.

It was over now.

“Huu…”

A sigh escaped him involuntarily.

The exam he had prepared for a year was over today. It was an exam that ended too quickly compared to the preparation process, so he felt a mix of relief and disappointment.

It had an even more special meaning for Kang Jin-ho.

The college entrance exam.

This meant the end of the life that Kang Jin-ho knew.

Originally, Kang Jin-ho would have been in a car accident a month ago, and then he would have been holed up in his room, refusing to go outside.

That was how his past life had progressed.

But not anymore.

He had safely passed the biggest turning point, and he had also completed the college entrance exam.

Now was the time when a new life that he had not known in the past would begin.

Kang Jin-ho followed the teacher’s instructions and left the classroom with his bag.

He rode his bike, which he had named Geumdong, slowly, unlike usual.

It was a strange feeling.

Kang Jin-ho looked at the sky, which was already getting dark.