Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 568

Developing (1)

“Damn it, I really have no motivation.”

Kong Young-gil kicked a random stone on the ground.

Throwing debris around the training grounds where others were training was extremely dangerous, but there was no one here to scold Kong Young-gil for his actions.

Because there was no one training in the first place.

It wasn’t that this kind of atmosphere was completely new.

After the war, Lee Joong-gul felt the need to rebuild the shattered Korean martial arts world. In the process, what Lee Joong-gul focused on the most was breaking down the rigidity of the Korean martial arts world, represented by one-person inheritance and non-transmission to outsiders.

Borrowing the methods of schools established under state leadership at the time, he gathered numerous factions of the martial arts world to interact with each other and conduct joint training.

Thanks to this, they were able to develop into the system they have now.

However, no matter how much they trained together, they all had their own secret techniques, and they were reluctant to train the truly important core techniques in front of others.

Therefore, the joint training grounds were always considered a place for physical training or basic skill practice, but…

‘It wasn’t this bad.’

Kong Young-gil looked at his colleagues, sprawled out like dogs in the scorching May sun.

Seeing their lack of motivation made him sigh, but he couldn’t really blame them. Kong Young-gil felt the same.

“Haa…”

Kong Young-gil sighed and looked up at the sky. The scorching sunlight felt even more irritating today.

He turned his head and looked down, taking in the buildings of the General Assembly at a glance. Among them, the central building particularly caught Kong Young-gil’s eye.

In the main auditorium on the first basement floor, young martial artists in a different situation were gathered. Those who were chosen by Kang Jin-ho. Those who passed the test he failed.

“Damn it.”

A curse word involuntarily slipped out of Kong Young-gil’s mouth.

‘What was the problem?’

Among them was his friend, Lee Myung-hwan.

Yes, he admitted it.

Lee Myung-hwan was a prodigy.

Although they were friends, he had always thought that Lee Myung-hwan would become a very important figure in the Korean martial arts world. Objectively speaking, it was clear that Lee Myung-hwan was better than Kong Young-gil.

But the current situation was different. In the past, he thought he was behind Lee Myung-hwan, but he didn’t think the gap was that big. He thought it was a difference that could be overturned at any time.

However, that small difference had now drastically changed their situations.

Kong Young-gil looked at the auditorium with irritated eyes.

Lee Myung-hwan was probably learning the demonic arts that Kang Jin-ho had passed down there.

And Lee Myung-hwan, who had completed the demonic arts, would become someone Kong Young-gil could no longer catch up to. They had already experienced how strong Kang Jin-ho’s demonic arts were.

No matter how strong your martial arts are, it ultimately depends on the person who learns them?

That’s probably true.

At first, Kong Young-gil thought so too.

Although he failed the test, he believed that the gap wouldn’t widen drastically. Although he was a little demotivated, there was a time when he was burning with the desire to show Kang Jin-ho that his choice was wrong.

Yes, until recently.

Kong Young-gil’s thoughts were completely shattered a few days ago.

He had accidentally encountered a group learning demonic arts in the cafeteria. And among them was his friend, Lee Myung-hwan.

What happened?

‘Nothing happened.’

Yes, nothing happened.

If they had gotten into a fight and been thoroughly defeated, Kong Young-gil wouldn’t be feeling like this now. But what they experienced was not such an extreme case.

No, maybe it was even more extreme.

When Kong Young-gil’s group encountered Lee Myung-hwan and the others in the cafeteria, they couldn’t even speak to them.

On the surface, nothing had changed.

The person he saw was clearly his friend, Lee Myung-hwan. His face looked tired, and he seemed a bit sharper than usual, but he was definitely the Lee Myung-hwan he knew.

But Kong Young-gil couldn’t approach Lee Myung-hwan.

The atmosphere he exuded was completely different from before. The old Lee Myung-hwan was a reasonable person, but he was basically a gentle person.

But the Lee Myung-hwan he saw this time was, how should he put it?

‘He was like a serial killer.’

That’s how it felt.

It was impossible to pinpoint the common atmosphere of serial killers, so his words might not be accurate, but Kong Young-gil definitely felt that way. He felt like the moment he opened his mouth to speak, Lee Myung-hwan would devour him.

That overwhelming presence.

Only about ten people had entered the cafeteria with hundreds of people, ate their meals in a corner, and left, but the remaining hundreds couldn’t even open their mouths and had to eat their meals with their faces buried in their trays.

Even though nothing had happened.

At that moment, Kong Young-gil felt it. No, everyone felt it.

That they had changed.

‘I knew it, didn’t I?’

That Kang Jin-ho was teaching them. Demonic arts, no less.

It would be stranger if there were no changes. Therefore, Kong Young-gil also understood that they would develop in a different way from them someday. He also accepted that they would eventually surpass them.

But that was a matter for the future.

How could such a difference have already occurred after only a short time of training? If they had exchanged blows and admitted defeat, it wouldn’t have been so miserable. Kong Young-gil, and the other young martial artists, had no choice but to admit defeat without even fighting them.

Just over ten people had overwhelmed the others with their mere presence.

And what was even more humiliating was that those ten or so people hadn’t really threatened them. They had only silenced the others with the demonic energy and killing intent that naturally emanated from them.

That overwhelming difference.

The overwhelming difference he witnessed with his own eyes completely broke Kong Young-gil’s will.

And it wasn’t just him.

Looking at his colleagues, who were killing time with dead fish eyes, made him sigh. But there was no reason to look down on them. They were probably looking at Kong Young-gil with the same eyes.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

It was a question that had been on his mind for days.

Where did it all go wrong? There were plenty of simple answers.

That he didn’t catch Kang Jin-ho’s eye.

That was the beginning of everything.

But…

‘Do I have to accept all of this just because of that one thing?’

That was too harsh.

He had also dedicated his life to martial arts. While others lived their lives easily, he had never wavered and had devoted his life to becoming stronger. And was this the price he had to pay?

He knew that the world was mostly determined by talent, and that a single choice could even destroy that talent… but to say that was the only reason, wasn’t his remaining life too pitiful?

“Damn it.”

Only curses came out.

‘What the hell am I doing?’

It wasn’t like this before Kang Jin-ho appeared. Back then, they might have been weak, but they had a sense of camaraderie, moving forward together, and a sense of competition, wanting to develop through competition.

But what was left now?

Kong Young-gil turned around. Everyone was just killing time with eyes that seemed to have given up on something. In one corner, there were still those who hadn’t given up, continuing their awkward training, but their movements didn’t have much power.

At this rate, everyone here would eventually become a failure.

Kong Young-gil’s face hardened.

This wasn’t right. This couldn’t continue.

He had to find a way…

“Attention.”

At that moment, a sharp voice pierced his ears.

Kong Young-gil was startled and turned his head. Even though it was an open training ground, he hadn’t noticed the presence of a stranger until they spoke… It was a moment when he realized how out of it he was.

‘Lee Hyun-soo?’

It was Lee Hyun-soo who had appeared out of nowhere and called them.

Lee Hyun-soo, with a cigarette in his mouth, shook the A4 paper in his hand with a slightly languid face.

“There’s a list here. Check your name and gather at the designated location. You have one hour.”

“…What is it?”

“Does it matter if you know?”

Lee Hyun-soo, as if he didn’t want to waste time, stuck the A4 paper on a tree next to him and turned to go down the mountain. Since the training ground wasn’t just here, he would have to go around to other places.

‘What is he trying to do again?’

Even though he thought he was starting another pointless thing, Kong Young-gil found himself walking towards the A4 paper that Lee Hyun-soo had posted. Those who had been sprawled out were also getting up one by one and heading towards the paper.

“Huh?”

Kong Young-gil’s eyes widened slightly.

His name, clearly written, came into his view.

“…What are they trying to make us do?”

Kong Young-gil looked around with a mix of anxiety and dissatisfaction. Those who were filling the space also had similar looks in their eyes.

‘Why are only these kinds of guys gathered here?’

Kong Young-gil frowned slightly.

His shoulder kept bumping into others, which was uncomfortable.

The spacing between the chairs didn’t seem that narrow, but the shoulders of the guys gathered here were abnormally wide. Guys who were already big tended to get even bigger when they learned martial arts. As a result, there were quite a few people among the martial artists who were abnormally large from the perspective of ordinary people.

‘It seems like they’ve only gathered those kinds of guys?’

What could they possibly do by gathering only these kinds of people?

Were they going to make an American football team?

That wouldn’t be bad.

If they made a decent American football team and sent them to the NFL, they would make a fortune. If the American martial arts world would allow it, that is.

Since there was nothing to do after calling them, he was thinking all sorts of things. Just as Kong Young-gil was about to burst out in frustration, the door opened and Lee Hyun-soo came in.

A quick pace and a face full of annoyance.

Those two things now felt like Lee Hyun-soo’s trademarks.

“Is everyone here?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you answering? Is everyone here?”

“Yes.”

A slightly subdued voice came out. For them, Lee Hyun-soo was a very uncomfortable presence. Those who were from the Yeongnam Association in the past knew how scary he was, so they couldn’t act carelessly, and those who were from the General Assembly had heard countless times how awful he was, so they had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.

Moreover, there were rumors that Lee Hyun-soo had recently secured his position as Kang Jin-ho’s right-hand man, which made it even more so.

Lee Hyun-soo, who counted the number of people gathered inside one by one with his hand, nodded and shouted out the door.

“You can come in! We’re ready!”

‘Ready?’

Kong Young-gil looked at the door with slightly questioning eyes.

And then, his mouth slowly began to open.

‘What, what is that?’

Descent of The Demon Master [EN]

Descent of The Demon Master [EN]

Descent of the Demonic Master, 마존현세강림기
Status: Ongoing Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] In "Descent of the Demon Master," Gang Jinho's life has been a series of tragic twists. In his first life, a devastating accident claimed his family and left him disabled, leading him to end his own life. Reincarnated into a medieval world, he rose to prominence as the feared Red Demonic Master, only to be betrayed by his closest ally. Now, in his third life, Jinho finds himself back in the modern world, determined to live an ordinary existence. However, his past experiences have left him ill-suited for normalcy. As remnants of his former life resurface and new threats emerge, Jinho must confront the question: Can a man shaped by such extraordinary pasts ever truly find peace in a mundane life? Dive into this gripping tale that weaves action, fantasy, and the complexities of reincarnation.

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