Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 629

“Another glass.”

“……”

Jang Da-jing’s face began to pale.

‘How much is he going to drink?’

Wine bottles were piling up in front of Bator. And I mean bottles, not glasses.

As soon as the plane took off, Bator had asked for wine as if it were the most natural thing in the world. This wasn’t even a real first-class cabin, just a converted cargo hold, so there shouldn’t be any such thing.

But their service was far beyond Jang Da-jing’s expectations. They didn’t just bring wine; they brought a wine list.

And Bator dealt with the flight attendants with a bold order: ‘Something reasonably tasty. The stronger, the better, of course.’

‘If you’re going to drink it all, don’t order like that.’

That kind of order only made sense when choosing something from the available wines. It wasn’t an order for someone who was going to say, ‘Bring me all the remaining wine.’

“B, Bator-nim.”

“Hmm?”

Bator slowly swirled the wine in his glass and turned to Jang Da-jing.

“Maybe you should drink a little less…”

“Ah, I know.”

Bator grinned.

“You’re saying I shouldn’t let my guard down because we’re going into enemy territory. Don’t worry. I’m pacing myself.”

‘Is that so?’

If it were a normal person, they would have been completely out of it even if those bottles were just miniature, finger-sized versions. But he’s chugging them all down and… well, his face hasn’t even changed color.

Still, isn’t this a bit much?

Should he stop the guy who’s already emptied twenty bottles of wine less than an hour after takeoff, just because he doesn’t get drunk? Or should he just let it go? It was a real dilemma.

Jang Da-jing turned his head, looking for salvation. His eyes landed on Kang Jin-ho’s seat, of course.

‘He’s all settled in.’

Kang Jin-ho was lying down, completely reclined, as if he were used to flying, even covering himself with a blanket. Anyone would think he was a seasoned traveler with a mountain of frequent flyer miles.

As far as Jang Da-jing knew, Kang Jin-ho had only been on a plane once before. And yet, such adaptability. He was the kind of person who could be dropped in the middle of the desert and survive by eating camels.

Jang Da-jing couldn’t understand either of them.

He knew they were strong. But strength was relative, wasn’t it? No matter how strong they were, they couldn’t guarantee their safety in China.

Of course, even in China, there wouldn’t be many warriors who could match them, but numbers always win, as has been proven time and time again. If it got out that they had entered China, the Hong King faction would swarm them like a pack of dogs, and then their lives would be far from guaranteed.

This was a situation where they should be as serious as special forces infiltrating enemy territory.

But what was with this nonchalance?

Bator was like an old man cracking open a beer on a bus trip, and Kang Jin-ho was like a soldier on leave.

‘We’re not going on a sightseeing trip…’

The saying came to mind: if a two-eyed person goes to a village of three-eyed people, they’ll be treated like a cripple. Kang Jin-ho and Bator were so calm that Jang Da-jing felt strangely out of place for being so anxious.

“How about it, Master? Want a drink?”

“I’m fine.”

Kang Jin-ho lightly waved his hand, declining Bator’s offer.

“You don’t enjoy alcohol, it seems.”

“Not particularly.”

In the past, Kang Jin-ho had drunk quite a bit.

But now, his body’s purification abilities were so great that he didn’t get drunk even if he downed gallons of hard liquor. The reason he enjoyed drinking was simply for the atmosphere, but now that there was no one to miss while drinking, there was no need to drink.

“I don’t get drunk anyway.”

“You don’t drink to get drunk. You drink to enjoy the aroma and taste. The atmosphere is nice too.”

“……Sometimes I feel like your words and actions don’t really match.”

Jang Da-jing nodded without realizing it.

‘I agree, I agree.’

Bator, who seemed like a complete brute on the outside, was actually quite a sensitive man.

He was considerate of others and had a surprisingly good grasp of common sense.

“It’s not good to judge people by their appearance.”

“Maybe you should clear away the wine bottles before saying that.”

“Think of my body. If you convert it to the Master’s body, I’ve only emptied about one bottle. This is common sense.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

Common sense, huh…

Well, if you looked at it that way, it was common sense.

“By the way, do they serve in-flight meals?”

A flight attendant smiled brightly and nodded.

“They are prepared.”

“I eat quite a lot, is that okay?”

“Of course.”

“Hmm, they’re well-prepared. That Lee Hyun-soo guy is more useful than I thought.”

In reality, it was Jo Gyu-min, not Lee Hyun-soo, who had prepared everything, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t bother to correct him. From Bator’s perspective, Jo Gyu-min and Lee Hyun-soo were probably of no interest.

“By the way, Master.”

“Hmm?”

“Isn’t it time you told me?”

“Told you what?”

“Why we’re going to China.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“I have someone to meet.”

“Someone to meet…”

Bator turned his head with a dissatisfied look. He couldn’t openly express his displeasure because it was his master’s business, but it was clear he didn’t like it.

Just when things seemed to be settling down…

*Slight movement.*

Jang Da-jing looked at Bator with a strange expression. Bator, who had turned his body, was visibly fidgeting.

‘He’s having a hard time holding it in.’

To think there was someone who expressed their thoughts so clearly with their whole body. It was kind of amusing.

“Kuh!”

In the end, Bator couldn’t hold it in and turned his body back abruptly.

“Master, let me say one thing for your sake.”

“…What?”

Bator’s face was serious. So serious that even Kang Jin-ho flinched.

“Of course, I understand your position. It’s a very important matter.”

What on earth was ‘that’? A sense of unease began to creep into Kang Jin-ho’s face.

“No, I think there’s some misunderstanding…”

“Of course, the act of procreation is important for humans!”

“P, procreation?”

Kang Jin-ho’s mouth dropped open.

Of all the words, why that one?

“And the partner for that act of procreation is also important! The fact that past monarchs carefully chose their spouses is also part of that! But Master! Now is not the time to indulge in women. Especially to lie to me and go meet a woman…”

“No… there’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hands.

“I’m not going for that procreation… damn it.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had never been at a loss for words like this in his life, ended up cursing.

“I’m not going to meet a spouse.”

“The destination and your words all point to the same thing.”

“Of course, I’m stopping by on the way, but…”

Kang Jin-ho rubbed his forehead. He wondered if he was breaking out in a cold sweat.

“The main purpose isn’t that.”

“Then?”

“I’m going to meet the people who are probably waiting for me with bated breath.”

“With bated breath…”

Bator’s face hardened as if he had realized something.

“Did you gather them?”

“Not by choice, but yes.”

“But Master…”

Bator hesitated for a moment.

“I don’t intend to disparage demonic arts. It’s not my place to say, having lost to you. But all the demons except for you are trash.”

“In what way?”

“In many ways.”

There was no need for a detailed explanation. It was obvious if you thought about it.

The demonic arts, having lost their essence, had degenerated into third-rate martial arts. Moreover, learning demonic arts meant risking the loss of one’s humanity… no, it was something you could only do if you were prepared for the obvious outcome.

So, what kind of beings would learn such martial arts?

Those who had been pushed to the very edge. If they could have learned any other martial art, they would never have learned demonic arts.

“If they are degraded because of demonic arts, they can be reformed. But if they learned demonic arts because they were degraded, they cannot be reformed. Humans never change.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

He wasn’t wrong. Changing a person required a tremendous amount of effort and time. It wasn’t just one or two people, and reforming that many demons was impossible even for Kang Jin-ho.

But Kang Jin-ho’s reaction was calm.

“I suppose so.”

“Are you still going to bring them in?”

“There’s no need to reform them.”

“Hmm?”

Bator flinched. Kang Jin-ho’s voice sounded a little cold.

“I am not a savior to them. I am merely someone who will take what they owe me. If they don’t meet my expectations, I will simply discard them. And their personalities don’t really matter. As long as they have hands and feet, that’s all that matters.”

“……You’re cruel.”

At times like this, he was reminded of who Kang Jin-ho really was.

‘I forget sometimes.’

It couldn’t be helped. The gap between the everyday Kang Jin-ho and the martial artist Kang Jin-ho was too vast.

‘This man is a demon king.’

It wasn’t just a symbolic term. Kang Jin-ho was the most fitting being in this world to be called a demon king. He was the progenitor of the now-defunct demonic arts and the key to their revival.

“Master, may I ask you one thing?”

“Of course.”

“You are a returnee, aren’t you?”

“That’s what you call it.”

“Then, how would you compare the current you to the past you?”

“Compare…”

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked down at his hands. It was a question he hadn’t thought about deeply.

“At this rate, ten years.”

“Ten years?”

“If I continue to grow stronger at this rate, it will take ten years to fully regain my past self.”

Bator’s face paled.

‘Ten years?’

It was a sense of reality that couldn’t be grasped with vague comparisons like ‘half as strong’ or ‘many times stronger.’ Kang Jin-ho was growing stronger at an incredible rate even at this moment.

And at this rate, ten years?

“……Was he really a demon king?”

“Perhaps those who know the history of the past might have heard my name.”

“Most of the martial arts history has been lost. The stories about the Demonic Cult are just passed down as legends. Like the Heavenly Demon.”

“Is that so?”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

“Usually, it’s called the Heavenly Beginning and Demonic End.”

“Heavenly Beginning and Demonic End?”

“It starts with the Heavenly Demon and ends with the Demonic Demon. That’s why it’s called the Heavenly Beginning and Demonic End. The Demonic Cult continued to exist later, but in the end, no one ever rose to the position of cult leader.”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head and quietly looked out the window.

‘Was that so?’

It was a story he hadn’t heard even after meeting the descendants of the Demonic Cult. He knew that the Demonic Cult had declined, but he didn’t know that they hadn’t even produced an honorary leader after him.

Looking at it the other way, that was probably why they had fallen so far. The once powerful and mighty Demonic Cult.

He and the Azure Demon were half of the Demonic Cult’s power.

So, it was only natural that they would fall apart after losing both of them at the same time.

“Then it will start again.”

“Again?”

Kang Jin-ho muttered as if to himself.

“What ended with me will begin with me. Everything will return to its place.”

Bator shuddered at the strangely eerie feeling.

‘Perhaps I’ve taken on an absurd human as my master.’

It was a fact that was both unsettling and incredibly amusing to Bator.