Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 780

“……What brings you here?” Kang Jin-ho’s cheeks twitched at the sight of Bang Jin-hoon’s disheveled appearance. “What are you doing?” “You can see, can’t you? I’m doing research.” ‘Well, I can see that you’re doing research, but…’ “What is all this?” “As you can see, they are martial arts manuals.” “Oh, um…” Old books were scattered all over the room. The smell of dust and ink emanating from the books stung the nose. “Bamboo slips?” “It seems some people treated them like antiques, preserving them as they were. It would be better to transcribe them and send them out. Tsk.” Even bamboo slips with characters recorded on them were visible. At this point, it was almost like a museum. “So, you’re looking at these now?” “Yes. I was going to transfer them to a word processor, but it’s… well, it’s not easy.” “Why?” Bang Jin-hoon looked at Kang Jin-ho for a moment and then asked, “Cult Leader.” “Huh?” “You’re good at Chinese, right?” “To some extent.” “Then can you type in Chinese?” ‘I can’t. I can’t do that. That’s something only Chinese people can do.’ “Typing each character and converting it to Chinese characters, I’m having an existential crisis wondering if I’m creating a new martial art or just doing translation grunt work. I decided to just look at them with my eyes. It doesn’t seem like transferring them to a computer would make much of a difference.” Of course, Kang Jin-ho understood Bang Jin-hoon’s position. Even if he had done the same work, it wouldn’t have been any different. The problem wasn’t that. “……Then why are you dressed like that?” Kang Jin-ho’s gaze was fixed on Bang Jin-hoon’s clothes. Unlike usual, Bang Jin-hoon was dressed in a hanbok [traditional Korean clothing]. The problem was that Bang Jin-hoon’s physique was so imposing and his expression was so fierce that he looked like a mountain bandit. “I have this strange compulsion to dress the part…” Kang Jin-ho shook his head with an astonished look. ‘This guy isn’t normal either.’ Kang Jin-ho didn’t know if strange people were gathering around him, or if he was only picking out strange people to gather. What’s the point of wondering? The result is the same. He had only stopped by to see how things were going before getting properly involved, but just looking at the situation here, it didn’t seem like anything was going right. “Is it going well?” “……I’m dying.” Bang Jin-hoon clutched his head. It looked like a pose of contemplation, but he looked more like a mountain bandit who had missed his prey. “I’m making it because I have to, but it’s not going well. I think I took it too lightly.” Of course. Creating a martial art is no ordinary task. If it were easy, everyone would create their own martial arts, and no one would bother getting beaten by their masters and having their martial arts extorted by their sects. Even those who have mastered their sect’s martial arts cannot create martial arts that surpass their sect’s level. The Shaolin Temple has continued its history for a thousand years, but in those thousand years, not a single person has claimed, ‘I have created a martial art superior to that of the Great Master Bodhidharma.’ In fact, it is true that no martial art beyond the Yijin Jing [a classic Shaolin martial arts manual] has emerged. “But why did you come?” “To help.” “……Excuse me?” “To help.” Bang Jin-hoon looked Kang Jin-ho up and down with a look of utter disbelief. ‘Don’t say it with your eyes.’ With just that look, Bang Jin-hoon was conveying, ‘Did this guy eat something wrong? What nonsense is he spouting?’ “Cult Leader.” “Ugh…” “I am very grateful for your intention. I was already about to have my head explode, but hearing that you’ll help gives me some strength. However, this is not something you can help with.” Bang Jin-hoon said with a serious face. “The martial arts you pursue and the martial arts I pursue… no, the martial arts the Assembly pursues are different. Of course, I’m not denying your martial arts. It’s just that the direction is different. If I had intended to borrow your power in the first place, I would have just asked for a suitable demonic art. But this cannot be a demonic art. It must be the Assembly’s martial art. So, while I appreciate the offer, this is something I have to do alone.” Kang Jin-ho replied calmly. “I’m not going to make it with demonic arts?” Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes went blank again. “You’re a demon?” “That’s right.” “But you’re going to create a righteous art?” “That’s right.” Twitch. Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes twitched repeatedly. “This is like a pastry chef making soybean paste! Our specialties are different!” “All streams flow to the sea.” “And it’s not like I’ve only mastered demonic arts. Rather, the base martial arts are infinitely close to righteous arts.” “Is that true?” “Do I have a reason to lie?” “It’s hard to believe. It’s like someone who started cooking with a baking license suddenly taking over the kitchen of a Michelin three-star Korean restaurant…” ‘This guy likes to eat. I learned something new.’ “Well, it does seem impossible, but it also seems possible… I can’t say it’s not true when there’s someone like that in front of me…” Bang Jin-hoon seemed confused, muttering to himself for a while. Kang Jin-ho quietly waited for Bang Jin-hoon to sort out his thoughts. “Is it still okay?” However, he didn’t seem to have reached a definite conclusion. “There’s one thing that’s certain.” “What is it?” “You can’t do it alone.” Bang Jin-hoon pressed his lips together. He probably knew it by now. This task was beyond Bang Jin-hoon’s capabilities. There are things that can be done with effort and perseverance, and there are things that cannot be solved with effort and perseverance. This task clearly belonged to the latter. “I wanted to give them a sense of pride.” Bang Jin-hoon’s eyes became serious. “Because we’re being swept away.” Kang Jin-ho seemed to understand what Bang Jin-hoon was saying. “When I first met you while opposing the former Cult Leader Lee Jung-geol, I didn’t think things would escalate this far. But in the end, it has turned out like this. I know we need to become stronger and work harder. But if the only way to become stronger is to accept a different path than what we’ve done so far… isn’t that too sad?” Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded. He wasn’t the type to feel a sense of belonging to a group. But there were many people like that in the world. If this were happening to Kang Jin-ho’s family or friends instead of the Assembly, Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t have been able to remain calm either. “It’s not like I have any complaints about Bator or Wiggins. I don’t have any complaints about you teaching the kids demonic arts either. It’s clearly a good opportunity, and it’s something the Assembly should welcome. But… it’s a bit unsettling if that’s all there is.” Bang Jin-hoon raised his head and looked directly at Kang Jin-ho. “So, I wanted to give it to the kids. A way to become strong without having to learn demonic arts or accept foreign martial arts. Was I too naive?” “No.” Kang Jin-ho shook his head. “That’s great. It’s a thought you should definitely have.” When it came to affection for the Assembly, Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t dare to open their mouths in front of Bang Jin-hoon. It was the words of someone who cherished the Assembly the most. Whatever the direction, it was a statement that had to be acknowledged. “If you help, can we do it?” “Can we create our own unique martial art that is distinctly ours, not just another martial art?” Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Bang Jin-hoon. ‘They’re all the same.’ Bator was trying to become stronger even by learning demonic arts, Wiggins was considering a new combat method based on his prosthetic arm, and Bang Jin-hoon was desperately searching for a way to become stronger. They seemed relaxed, but none of them were. Everyone knew that in order to survive, they had to work hard and become stronger. “It’s not something I can be certain about.” “……Is that so?” “But at least we can definitely reach a level that’s better than now.” “That’s vague.” “That’s how it is.” Bang Jin-hoon chuckled. “That’s good enough. If there are any shortcomings, we can fill them.” “You can’t be full on the first bite. If we improve little by little, then at some point when we look back, we’ll have gone far. If there are any shortcomings, I’ll work hard to fill them. So please help me, Cult Leader.” Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer. “Cult Leader?” He wasn’t thinking about something else. He wasn’t dissatisfied with Bang Jin-hoon’s words either. Kang Jin-ho’s gaze was fixed somewhere slightly beyond Bang Jin-hoon, and his eyes were looking at something other than Bang Jin-hoon. Bang Jin-hoon closed his mouth tightly. Then, he tensed his whole body and carefully retreated, even being cautious of the slightest movement of the air. ‘Is he having an epiphany here?’ It was absurd. He was also jealous. But admiration came first. Even this man, who seemed to be charging forward without limits, had a wall. And now, this man was overcoming that wall. He should never interrupt this moment. Bang Jin-hoon gathered his energy and scanned his surroundings. After confirming that no one was approaching, Bang Jin-hoon stood in front of the door leading into the room. So that no one could enter. Kang Jin-ho, who had been staring blankly at something for a long time, slowly opened his mouth. “If there are any shortcomings, we can fill them.” Bang Jin-hoon quietly watched the scene. “If we move forward little by little, we’ll eventually reach where we want to be.” Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth. ‘It’s not about regaining. It’s about moving forward.’ He could never surpass the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign. The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign’s martial arts were complete. If he followed in the footsteps of the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign, the highest level he could reach would be the place where the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign had reached in the past, and nothing more. That alone was great and amazing. But… ‘It’s not about following, it’s about moving forward.’ For a thousand years, no martial art surpassing the Yijin Jing had emerged from the Shaolin Temple. While other sects created new martial arts and shook the world, only Shaolin, which had the highest average level, ultimately failed to surpass Bodhidharma. Why? ‘Because they were following.’ That huge shadow. They thought they could never surpass it by taking a new path, and they just followed the path laid by their predecessors. Kang Jin-ho was the same. Even though he thought he was different from the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign, he had never once thought that he should be different from him in terms of martial arts. For him, the end of martial arts was the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign, and his only martial arts goal was to regain his martial prowess. ‘I deserve to be laughed at.’ He seemed to understand why Cheokcheon had said that Kang Jin-ho could never be Kang Jin-ho. And he admitted it. He was right. In order for him to break free from Cheokcheon and be Kang Jin-ho, he had to take a different path than him. A path that might be a little more difficult, but a path that could lead him a little higher. “Cult Leader?” Kang Jin-ho turned to look at Bang Jin-hoon, who was asking with a questioning voice, and smiled brightly. “It might take longer than I thought…” “……Yes?” “Something more amazing than I thought might come out.” Bang Jin-hoon tilted his head, completely clueless. ‘A new path, a new martial art, a new life.’ Moving forward. Even if it was a slow step. If he moved forward and kept moving forward… someday, he would reach it. Somewhere where he could be proud as Kang Jin-ho. Someday.