Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 517

Lee Myung-hwan turned his head away.

He couldn’t bear to look at that face. Seeing that face brought back memories of that day, the day countless people fell like lumps of flesh under Kang Jin-ho’s sword.

Behind that ordinary-looking face,

a cruel demon was hidden.

‘I don’t know if it’s because of the demonic arts or if it’s his true nature.’

Lee Myung-hwan shook his head.

Around that time, one by one, people began to open their eyes.

“Ah, damn it. Another failure!”

“I, I think I got it! I did!”

“Got what! Are you trying to scam us, you punk?”

“I’m serious!”

Kang Jin-ho frowned slightly.

“Quiet.”

As soon as Kang Jin-ho spoke, the training hall was filled with silence again.

“Where did you learn to make such a ruckus when others are cultivating?”

“…Sorry.”

“It’s good to express your emotions, but at least don’t cause trouble for others.”

It was a very common-sense statement, but many found it strange to hear those words coming from this man’s mouth.

After all, Kang Jin-ho and common sense didn’t seem to go together.

“There’s no need to be happy if you succeed, and no need to be disappointed if you fail. You all know that the fastest person when you first started learning martial arts isn’t the strongest now.”

The people who had opened their eyes all nodded.

Muhak [Martial arts training] was like an endless, grueling marathon. Starting a little faster or slower didn’t matter. In the end, the competition was decided by who crossed the final finish line.

“Keep practicing steadily. Then there will be results.”

With those words, Kang Jin-ho leisurely left the training hall.

The eyes of those watching his back were filled with firm determination.

Kang Jin-ho went outside and got into his car. He had already said his goodbyes before visiting the training hall, so there was no need to say them again. Standing in front of the car door, Kang Jin-ho quietly looked back at the General Assembly.

‘It feels a little strange.’

To be precise, he wasn’t a person who belonged to the General Assembly. Kang Jin-ho’s position was that of an outsider, standing on the boundary between the inside and the outside, with one foot stepping to the side.

Yet, strangely, he felt a subtle sense of belonging here.

He had devoted himself to the Demonic Cult for decades. And in the end, he had even risen to the position of cult leader. But even then, Kang Jin-ho had never felt a sense of belonging to the Demonic Cult.

One reason was that his second life felt like a dream, lacking a sense of reality, but there was nothing in the Demonic Cult that he could pour his affection into.

From the beginning, he and the Demonic Cult were hostile to each other, and in the end, he had subdued and destroyed all those hostile forces. He had also seized the position of cult leader by force.

The relationship between the General Assembly and him was similar at the start. And it wasn’t much different that he had subdued the General Assembly by force.

So, what element was it that made this feeling so different?

‘I can’t tell.’

In the end, feelings and emotions are subjective. No one can accurately analyze the reason.

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at the General Assembly and then turned his head.

One thing was certain: if the General Assembly were to collapse, he wouldn’t be as calm as he was when he heard that the Demonic Cult had collapsed. He couldn’t accurately measure what this place meant to him, but that was the truth.

‘So, I have to cut it out.’

He couldn’t watch a place connected to him rot away. Feeling several gazes fixed on his back as he got into the car, Kang Jin-ho smiled slightly.

Now, reveal yourselves.

You have to reveal that side of you.

Otherwise, this place will soon be completely dyed in his colors. If you want to stop me before that happens, you have to move.

‘Though I don’t know if you can stop me.’

Kang Jin-ho started the engine and stepped on the accelerator. His car moved aggressively and sped out of the General Assembly.

Driving down the national highway, Kang Jin-ho put his hand on his forehead.

‘I’m busy.’

To be precise, he wasn’t busy, but rather, he was mentally exhausted. He felt that the work he had been handling recently had slightly exceeded his limits. If it were a fight against a powerful enemy, he wouldn’t mind, but this was not that kind of situation.

And Kang Jin-ho was someone who had never had to pay attention to so many things at once in his entire life. That fact was making things difficult for Kang Jin-ho.

‘I have to change.’

This world wasn’t like the Jianghu [The martial arts world], where everything could be solved with just strength. If he wanted to get what he wanted in this world, he had to know more and clash more fiercely.

Nothing was gained by sitting still. It was an obvious fact, but sometimes that fact was making Kang Jin-ho feel burdened.

The problem with the General Assembly.

The problem with the Foundation.

And even the problems overseas.

All those things were pressing down on him at the same time.

‘It’s not that I’m busy.’

Kang Jin-ho leaned back in his seat.

‘I’m tired.’

His body was still in top condition, but he felt mentally exhausted. He thought that when he got home, he should rest for a while without thinking about anything.

As if sensing Kang Jin-ho’s mood, his phone suddenly started ringing.

“Yes, this is Kang Jin-ho.”

[What are you doing?]

“Do you usually ask what someone is doing right after calling them?”

[Oh? This guy, you’re being prickly? Did something bad happen? Or are you tired?]

It was a ghost.

He was talking to a ghost right now.

How could she react like that after he had only said one sentence?

[Why aren’t you saying anything?]

“No, it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”

Kang Jin-ho vowed to be careful with his words in front of this woman.

[Hmm, something’s weird? Are you meeting a woman?]

“No……”

[I know you’re not, so don’t get excited.]

The seriousness he had felt until now vanished in an instant. He didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. But he felt a slight surge of energy in his body, which had been feeling sluggish.

Looking back, Choi Yeon-ha had always been that kind of person.

She did absurd things, but when you were with her, you strangely felt energized. Perhaps that was why Kang Jin-ho was meeting Choi Yeon-ha….

[Don’t just stand there blankly, ask me something, or at least ask how I’m doing! Where did the person who answered the phone go? This is why I’m dying of frustration! Seriously!]

…might have disliked her.

Yes, he disliked her. That’s right.

It felt like a slightly glorified memory was slapping him on the cheek, telling him to wake up.

“…Are you doing okay these days?”

[I’m doing terribly.]

Why did she tell him to ask?

What kind of woman was this?

He remembered Choi Yeon-ha’s habits that he had forgotten. Come to think of it, he had always been swayed by this woman whenever they met.

“Is it because filming is difficult?”

[Filming is filming, but how should I put it… I have too many things to worry about, so it’s annoying?]

“Huh?”

He thought he had been thinking something similar….

[That’s how it is. Things that I didn’t have to worry about in Korea, I have to worry about here.]

“For example?”

[The water doesn’t suit me, and the food doesn’t suit me either. But I have to manage my weight, so I can’t just not eat, and I’m trying to maintain my weight by forcing myself to eat snacks, but it’s so humid that I’m twice as annoyed.]

That just sounds like a problem caused by her bad personality….

[I can tolerate these things. The most annoying thing is that I have to pay several times more attention to filming. First of all, I have to speak my lines in Chinese, so while I’m trying to immerse myself in the emotions, I’m worried about whether my pronunciation is correct, and then there’s that thing, you know? Should I call it the costume?]

“Costume?”

What was wrong with the costume?

[If it were a modern drama or a Korean historical drama, I would know what the appropriate costume is, so I could adjust it, but this is a Chinese historical drama. So, I have no idea if the current outfit is correct, if my makeup is done properly, and what kind of status my character has in China, so it’s hard to get the intonation right… Ugh! Talking about it makes me even more annoyed! Ugh! I’m so angry! Aaaah!]

Kang Jin-ho quietly moved the phone away from his ear. Listening to Choi Yeon-ha screaming on the other end of the phone made him sigh deeply.

“If it’s that hard, wouldn’t it be better to quit?”

[Wow, listen to this guy.]

“Huh?”

[Kang Jin-ho, do you know what one thing I’m really relieved about when it comes to you?]

“…I don’t know.”

[It’s that even if a woman approaches you because of your face, she’ll be disgusted and run away after talking to you for just 10 minutes. How safe of a man you are.]

Is that… an insult?

No matter how he thought about it, it sounded like an insult.

[How can you only say things that women hate? I just want you to agree with me and clap for me. I’m not asking you to offer solutions.]

“…Why do I have to do that?”

[No. You don’t have to, Kang Jin-ho. Don’t ever do that, and stay the way you are now. At least until I go back.]

He couldn’t understand what she was saying.

While Kang Jin-ho was in confusion, a calm voice came from the other end.

[It’s true that there are too many things to worry about and it’s hard, but that’s why it’s more rewarding. I have to work hard. If I just half-heartedly do it and the video that comes out is bad, I’ll go crazy. ‘If I had paid a little more attention then, I would have gotten a much better result. What was I doing, being so lazy because I was a little tired?’ If I think like that, I can’t sleep that night.]

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t hide his guilty conscience.

[It’s not for someone else’s benefit, it’s for my own benefit, so I shouldn’t be whining. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. You get what you work for.]

“That’s right.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

“Yes, you’re right.”

This person was really strange.

She would help him like this, as if it were nothing, from time to time. As if she were watching over him.

“Choi Yeon-ha.”

[Yes.]

“Thank you.”

[Wh-what are you saying?]

A flustered voice burst out from the other end of the phone. Her voice momentarily became shrill.

Kang Jin-ho smiled lightly.

“I’m driving right now, so I don’t think I can talk for long. I’ll call you later.”

[If you were driving, you shouldn’t have answered the phone, you idiot! Hang up right now!]

“Okay.”

Hanging up the phone, Kang Jin-ho smiled and put the phone down.

She was someone who gave people strength in a strange way.

‘Should I visit her?’

Kang Jin-ho thought that it wouldn’t be bad to take some time to visit China, and he drove the car with a slightly more relaxed expression.

Kang Jin-ho parked the car in the garage and headed for the gate.

First, he should rest a little today… That was when it happened.

“Kang Jin-ho?”

A low voice came from behind Kang Jin-ho.

Without saying anything, Kang Jin-ho turned his body around. There, a man in a neat suit was looking at him.

Kang Jin-ho looked at him with calm eyes.

“Let me introduce myself. I am Jang Da-jing.”

“A Chinese?”

“Yes. Kang Jin-ho, I have come to deliver my master’s words to you.”

Jang Da-jing and Kang Jin-ho’s gazes intertwined in the air.

“Master?”

“Yes.”

Jang Da-jing said meaningfully.

“He is the one who will put an end to your turbulent life.”

A smile began to form on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

His complicated and confused mind felt clear in an instant.

Kang Jin-ho slowly opened his mouth.

“I don’t know who it is, but I have to tell them this.”

Jang Da-jing’s eyes were filled with question.

“Since you came all the way here to die, I should say thank you.”

Under the moonlight, Kang Jin-ho began to smile, revealing his teeth.

It was chilling.