Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 516

The sensation of energy plunging from his baihui [the crown point of the head] to his dantian [the energy center below the navel] was unlike anything Lee Myung-hwan had ever experienced. Kang Jin-ho had demonstrated it on his own body before, but there was a world of difference between moving the energy himself and having someone else do it for him.

The process of the energy surging into his body, rising to his baihui, and then continuously plunging down in a steady flow brought a strange, exhilarating sensation to Lee Myung-hwan.

He was a martial artist, and using qi [internal energy] was a part of his daily life.

However, what he had mainly practiced until now was how to release qi. How often would someone who had only ever focused on releasing minutely gathered true qi at once ever experience the sensation of such a large amount of energy directly surging into their dantian?

“Huuu.”

Lee Myung-hwan took a deep breath, savoring the strange sensation he felt throughout his body. It was as if he was determined not to miss this feeling. After repeating the process several times, Lee Myung-hwan’s eyes snapped open.

“…Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

Kang Jin-ho stood before him with an indifferent expression.

“Did you…?”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho firmly shook his head at the question of whether he had helped him with the process.

“You did it on your own.”

“Ah…”

Joy filled Lee Myung-hwan’s face.

‘Finally.’

How much had he struggled to master this absurd martial art? Something he couldn’t even grasp the edge of no matter how hard he tried had progressed smoothly once he got the hang of it.

“Did you master it?”

“If you can do it again next time.”

“Then shall we try again right now?”

“There’s no need to rush.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly shook his head.

“You learn it with your head, but you need to engrave it into your body. It can only be considered complete when your body can naturally circulate the energy on its own. There’s no point in experiencing it a couple more times now. It would be much better to repeat the process of understanding it from scratch a couple of times.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Lee Myung-hwan nodded absentmindedly.

He was completely out of it, thinking that he had finally broken through this process. He was overjoyed, but at the same time, he was desperate not to lose this feeling.

“Hasty meals are bound to cause indigestion.”

It was the perfect advice for Lee Myung-hwan. The moment he heard Kang Jin-ho’s words, his mind went cold.

In martial arts, there is no greater enemy than haste. He already knew that taking the steps properly, even if it seemed slow, was the fastest way.

“Huuu.”

Lee Myung-hwan slowly exhaled.

After a few deep breaths, his excited mind seemed to calm down a bit.

‘What about the others?’

Generally, circulating energy was something that was done in a secluded place. A martial artist circulating energy was extremely vulnerable to external attacks. That was why it was important to secure one’s own space.

However, in modern times, there was no such thing as one’s own space. Unlike the past, when houses were separated from each other, houses were now densely packed and vulnerable to external stimuli.

Moreover, they were in a situation where they had to be more careful than usual, so most of the members were gathered in the auditorium and training grounds to attempt to circulate energy.

His eyes fell on those who were sitting in a lotus position.

‘Come to think of it, it’s an incredible sight.’

This was the General Assembly [a martial arts organization].

And until recently, one of the General Assembly’s biggest tasks was to capture and execute those who had mastered demonic arts. Those who had mastered demonic arts were, without exception, so devoid of humanity that they committed terrible acts.

They lacked even the basic reason to not affect the outside world, so when they caused trouble, things escalated quickly.

In the past, the media was not as developed, so even if a major incident occurred, it could be quickly covered up… but in a world where reporters swarm like flies when something happens, and even ordinary people point their phone cameras, it was not easy to conceal incidents.

In the end, the only thing they could do was to prevent it in advance, and that prevention was the extermination of demons.

Yet, at such a General Assembly, young martial artists were collectively struggling to master demonic arts.

Even though he thought it was natural, he was still surprised.

The person who was the cause of all of this was now looking around at those who were circulating energy next to him.

‘If it weren’t for that person, this would never have happened.’

To them, Kang Jin-ho was a truly mysterious person.

Everyone knew that Kang Jin-ho was a demon. What he used was the demonic arts that they had so shunned. However, Kang Jin-ho had mastered demonic arts to such an absurd level and yet maintained his humanity.

The preconceived notions they had about demonic arts were completely shattered.

With someone showing the effectiveness of demonic arts right before their eyes, there was no need to cling to the knowledge they had until now. Moreover, if the person himself was offering to teach demonic arts, who would refuse?

However….

At this point, one concern began to arise.

In a way, their mastering of demonic arts was a very experimental endeavor. No one thought it would be successful, of course. However, Lee Myung-hwan, who had grabbed onto the lifeline to success, couldn’t help but think about what would happen after everyone was able to master demonic arts.

His concern eventually turned into words.

“Um… Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

“Hmm?”

“There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“What is it?”

Kang Jin-ho asked calmly. Lee Myung-hwan pondered how to express the complex thoughts in his head more gently.

“About us mastering this de… no, this martial art.”

“Hmm.”

“Has it been agreed upon?”

“What do you mean?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head as if he didn’t understand Lee Myung-hwan’s words.

“No, I mean, I know that the Assembly Head has approved it… but I was wondering if the other directors are aware of this…”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t seem particularly interested. It was as if it didn’t matter either way. However, Lee Myung-hwan knew that this was not such a simple matter.

“Even if the Assembly Head and the Deputy Head know, if the directors don’t know about this, there will definitely be a problem. Their way of thinking about demonic arts is different from ours. There will definitely be people within the General Assembly who will not tolerate the emergence of demons.”

“Go on.”

Lee Myung-hwan swallowed hard.

“I don’t know how this will sound to Mr. Kang Jin-ho, but basically, there are many people who are resistant to the idea of mastering demonic arts. No, there are many people who are resistant to demonic arts themselves. It’s not just that they don’t want to learn it themselves. Even we would have resisted if we had been told to master demonic arts without going through the stage of saying we would do anything to become stronger. Even though we are young and not very resistant to new things, the older people…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded quietly.

“Moreover, we haven’t seen the harm of demonic arts with our own eyes, but in the past, those who mastered demonic arts often killed people in groups or clashed with the martial artists of the General Assembly, causing casualties. Those people were eliminated one by one, and a relatively peaceful world came about, but if they find out that demons are emerging from the General Assembly…”

Lee Myung-hwan trailed off.

He had said everything he needed to say. Kang Jin-ho would have understood his words well enough.

However, unlike his serious mind, Kang Jin-ho replied as if it were nothing.

“Maybe so.”

“This is not a matter you should think of so simply…”

“What’s the problem?”

“Huh?”

“So, what do you think the problem is?”

Lee Myung-hwan closed his mouth and mulled over Kang Jin-ho’s words.

Problem? A problem?

“The opposition from the existing board of directors…”

“That’s not something to worry about.”

“Why is that?”

“Aren’t they worried that you will become demons who have lost their reason and run wild?”

“…I suppose so.”

“If you prove that’s not the case, what’s the problem?”

Lee Myung-hwan bit his lip slightly.

Of course, that was true.

If it was proven that the demonic arts that Kang Jin-ho had taught were different from the demonic arts they had known until now, there would be no problem.

‘But the problem is that it’s not that easy to prove!’

Even if they didn’t show any abnormalities right now, there would be people who would say that they didn’t know what would happen later. Even if they were given the secret manuals and told to check, there would be those who would say that there was some trickery hidden somewhere that couldn’t be found.

Because they wouldn’t want to believe it.

People are afraid of change. People have difficulty accepting even new martial arts that are of the same system, so there was no way they would readily accept demonic arts.

“And that’s not a big deal either.”

“Huh?”

“In the end, change happens. When change happens, two types of people emerge. Those who accept change and those who reject it.”

Lee Myung-hwan nodded.

“No matter what method you use, conflict is bound to happen. And in the end, the right side will absorb the opposite side. You just have to prove that you were right.”

“But… there will definitely be problems in the process.”

“There is no solution that doesn’t cause problems.”

“Even solutions that seem perfectly clean on the surface leave scars inside. That’s what change is like. There is no change that is beneficial and comfortable for everyone. It’s just a matter of whether you endure the discomfort or resist it.”

“To be honest, Bang Jin-hoon’s control is not as good as Lee Joong-geol’s. He has a lot of support from the younger generation, but on the other hand, he doesn’t have any support from the elders or directors. Perhaps they will use this as an excuse to try to oust Assembly Head Bang.”

“Maybe so.”

“Shouldn’t we stop that?”

“Why?”

“…Huh?”

“Why should we stop that?”

Lee Myung-hwan was confused.

Did Kang Jin-ho not think of Bang Jin-hoon as his own person? Or did he think that it didn’t matter who the Assembly Head was as long as he could control the Assembly?

Or maybe….

Lee Myung-hwan glanced up at Kang Jin-ho, and his body trembled.

Kang Jin-ho had a very eerie look on his face.

At first glance, he seemed expressionless, but it was a face that seemed to be seething with cold murderous intent. It was a face that could only be seen on Kang Jin-ho.

“What do you think you should do when a wound festers?”

“…A wound?”

Lee Myung-hwan answered without thinking properly.

“You have to treat it.”

“You have to cut it out.”

“The dangerous thing isn’t the wound festering. It’s not knowing where the wound is. If you don’t know where it’s festering, you can’t even cut it out.”

‘This person, could it be?’

Was he going to find them?

The festering parts within the General Assembly? By using them?

Perhaps Kang Jin-ho’s teaching of demonic arts to them was not just for the sake of strengthening their power.

This person might be looking at something much further away.

That distant place that he couldn’t see.

“We just have to wait. Then they’ll become noticeable. The places that are festering and swollen.”

A cruel smile formed on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.