Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 660

The Korean Martial Arts Association was stabilizing at a rapid pace. It was a bit strange to think about. It had been over half a century since the association was formed, but major incidents like the recent one with Lee Jung-gul were rare.

Subjugating the Yeongnam Association was a significant event that deserved a large page in the association’s history, yet before that matter could even be fully resolved, another unprecedented incident had occurred.

Normally, any organization would struggle to cope with the aftermath of such events, but the association was recovering at an unusually fast rate.

Watching those who were training as if nothing had happened, one might even wonder if such an incident had ever occurred.

Lee Myung-hwan slightly raised his head to look at the upper part of the building.

Although the association’s building wasn’t tall, looking up at the top was uncomfortable.

The chairman’s office and those of several key figures were located on the top floor. Thinking about who might be looking down from those windows made it impossible to lift his head.

‘It’s only natural that things are settling down quickly.’

When chaos arises, the problem usually lies with people. People need to have their feet firmly on the ground to live. But when an organization is in turmoil, people suffer from the anxiety that the ground beneath their feet might be shaking.

It’s like how people feel anxious when an earthquake strikes.

Perhaps people don’t want a rational and sensible organization. What they want is a clear organization, one where their position and direction are clearly visible.

In that regard, the series of measures taken by the association after subduing Lee Jung-gul were certainly effective.

‘More than anything…’

Lee Myung-hwan smiled wryly.

The fact that Kang Jin-ho had ascended to the position of chairman was significant.

In truth, Kang Jin-ho had been as good as the chairman all along. Everyone in the association knew it. However, the fact that Kang Jin-ho was actually taking the chairman’s seat was slightly different.

Those who knew to some extent what Kang Jin-ho did wondered why he didn’t hold an official position in the association. At the same time, they were anxious.

The current association was more than half built by Kang Jin-ho. And the association that was built relied on Kang Jin-ho for most of its work. The anxiety that Kang Jin-ho might one day let go and leave.

The more people knew Kang Jin-ho, the more they suffered from this subtle anxiety.

Even Lee Myung-hwan himself felt that anxiety, so how much more would others feel?

Kang Jin-ho’s ascension to the chairman’s position was welcome news to those who felt that anxiety. It was as if the subtly unstable ground had become solid.

The misaligned gears were falling into place. It was something that should have happened a long time ago. People felt a sense of stability there. No matter what happened in the future, and no matter how big the side effects of the past were, there was a belief that the association would be maintained and developed without any major problems as long as Kang Jin-ho was there.

‘It’s funny, though.’

Although he didn’t say it out loud, Lee Myung-hwan found this phenomenon a bit absurd.

What was it about Kang Jin-ho that made them trust him so much?

Each person would give their own reasons, but in the end, what they believed in was one thing.

Kang Jin-ho’s power.

Just the fact that he was strong.

That’s why martial artists are such interesting beings.

For ordinary people, someone being strong is just a characteristic that person possesses. If someone said they trusted a business run by someone because that person was strong, everyone would point fingers and call them crazy.

But in the martial arts world, it works.

It’s an abnormal way of thinking. It’s something that should never happen logically.

But it was something that had frequently happened in the martial arts world since the past. The one who led the martial world was not someone with a good head, nor someone with good relationships… but simply the strongest.

And the martial artists showed infinite trust and respect to that strong person.

‘It’s a perfect recipe for disaster.’

That old-fashioned thing was happening in the 21st century.

Looking at the situation, it was incredibly primitive, but… it was because of the unique nature of martial artists.

Because martial artists admired the strong?

No.

Even though he was thinking this now, if someone asked Lee Myung-hwan if he trusted Kang Jin-ho as the chairman, Lee Myung-hwan would naturally say yes.

Why?

‘Those who aren’t martial artists wouldn’t understand.’

Those who haven’t learned martial arts themselves focus on the ‘strength’ of the strong. They look at the result. But martial artists focus not on the strength of the strong, but on the process they went through to achieve that strength.

No matter how good the martial art one learns, it’s impossible to become strong without one’s own effort. The strong had already proven everything in the process of learning martial arts.

The tenacity to not give up.

The brain to understand and internalize martial arts.

The decisiveness to determine and push forward with the martial art that suits oneself.

And the ability to cope with the crises that come up from moment to moment.

And even the ability to apply martial arts.

It’s not the martial art that’s strong, but the person. Because the person is strong, the martial art is also strong. So how can one not trust them?

Looking at it from that perspective, Kang Jin-ho was an overwhelming leader, one that had never existed in the association before. What he said would become law without needing a reason, and it would inspire trust.

Yes, trust.

If it weren’t for that trust, Lee Myung-hwan wouldn’t have been able to hold on any longer.

Lee Myung-hwan quietly brought his hands in front of his face.

‘It’s scary.’

That was his honest feeling.

Learning martial arts meant gaining the power to destroy people. But Lee Myung-hwan had never once thought that power was scary.

But after experiencing this incident, Lee Myung-hwan realized for the first time what kind of power he possessed.

‘Demonic Art.’

The Demonic Art he had learned didn’t distinguish between friend and foe.

The moment he pushed the Demonic Art to its limit, his brain felt empty, as if he had no thoughts. And that empty space was filled with hatred and malice.

Overwhelming hostility towards everyone in sight.

What would happen if he continued to learn the Demonic Art like this?

Lee Myung-hwan slightly turned his gaze.

He could feel people whispering as they looked at him from afar.

It was understandable.

After the end of Lee Jung-gul’s rebellion, that old-fashioned and childishly named incident, the one who gained the greatest fame was neither Kang Jin-ho nor Lee Hyun-soo. People’s attention was focused on the demonic flames who, with only a few people, had turned the many Lee Jung-gul’s faction into lifelong dental patients.

No matter how much they controlled the surroundings, they couldn’t cover everyone’s eyes. Besides, didn’t others clean up the scene they had swept through?

At first, the topic was how terrible those who fought against them had become. But soon, the topic shifted to how strong they were, and later, many unlikely witnesses appeared and spread rumors.

Of course, the rumors were so exaggerated that it was absurd for those involved to hear them, but the fact that there were no witnesses had the opposite effect, and the rumors became the accepted truth.

Thanks to that, the evaluation of Kang Jin-ho’s inner circle, including Lee Myung-hwan, was not far from ‘heartless and cruel demons.’

‘And that evaluation is almost entirely correct.’

If such an evaluation were given to the current Lee Myung-hwan, it would be extremely unfair. But Lee Myung-hwan, who had pushed the Demonic Art to its limit, had become a person who fit that evaluation perfectly.

Lee Myung-hwan still remembered.

The feeling he had when he pushed the Demonic Art to its limit and climbed the mountain.

That sense of liberation, and that impulse.

The boiling bloodlust that made him want to kill everything in sight.

‘Is it going to be okay?’

He was aware that he was breaking down. Although no one was saying it, it seemed that those who were learning the Demonic Art were all thinking similar things.

Since that day, the number of people who had visibly fallen into a slump had increased.

The fact that humans cannot control their own emotions was a burden that was hard for those who had not experienced it to imagine.

How could they continue to learn the Demonic Art when they might become a monster who only knew how to kill?

What supported him through this terrible burden was his trust in Kang Jin-ho. His one word that he would prevent them from becoming monsters was what was sustaining them.

‘It’s almost like a religion.’

Lee Myung-hwan smiled mockingly.

There was no evidence, no proof. It was just one word. Yet they regarded that one word as gospel and showed infinite trust. How was this different from religion?

Those who were learning the Demonic Art were all renewing their faith in Kang Jin-ho day by day. And one by one, they were becoming zealous believers. He was even worried that later, someone might burst into tears of emotion if Kang Jin-ho said just one word.

Lee Myung-hwan sighed lowly.

He knew.

This was a path they had chosen themselves. If they wanted to get out, they could just abandon the Demonic Art now. And then they could live a normal life as normal people.

It was not something a martial artist should do to complain when they didn’t even have the courage to do that.

However…

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

Lee Myung-hwan was slightly surprised by the voice behind him and turned his head. There was still someone left who would talk to him…

“What are you… no, what kind of guy are you?”

Was that a padded jacket?

No, it wasn’t?

Lee Myung-hwan looked at the person standing behind him. The already large man was standing there wearing a padded jacket-like outfit that was bulging out, making him look incredibly menacing.

He could understand why the people of the past were afraid of the barbarians and called them demons.

The reason why Lee Myung-hwan didn’t immediately freak out and distance himself was not because he was confident in dealing with this barbarian, but because the barbarian’s face was familiar.

“What kind of guy am I? You little…”

“…What the hell are you wearing?”

“…It’s lead clothing.”

“Lead clothing?”

Gong Young-gil.

Lee Myung-hwan frowned as he looked at Gong Young-gil standing in front of him.

‘Lead?’

Come to think of it… that wasn’t a padded jacket. There were a lot of pockets all over the sturdy clothes, and something was filling those pockets.

“Is that all lead?”

“Yeah.”

“You wear that around?”

“Yeah.”

Gong Young-gil sighed lowly.

“No, why would you do that?”

It had been a while since he had seen his friend, but his curiosity was greater than his joy. Why on earth was he doing such a bizarre thing?

“It’s training.”

“Wearing that around? Is that effective?”

“I don’t know if it’s effective. But what can I do when they tell me to wear it? They said they’d roll up anyone who takes it off even once while they’re gone and kick them like a soccer ball.”

Lee Myung-hwan’s face twisted strangely.

“Did Bator say that?”

“Yeah.”

Gong Young-gil nodded with a gloomy face.

“…You’re having a hard time too.”

“Damn it.”

Looking at Gong Young-gil sighing lowly, Lee Myung-hwan thought that perhaps Kang Jin-ho was a very good teacher.

At least there was no risk of being humiliated.

“Anyway, is everything okay with you guys?”

Lee Myung-hwan tilted his head at Gong Young-gil’s words.