Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 783

‘Busy, huh.’

There was a lot to do. Normally, having a lot to do might have been a bit annoying, but Kang Jin-ho had been wandering aimlessly around the Assembly for so long that this busyness felt almost welcome.

A plan began to form in Kang Jin-ho’s mind.

There were three main things Kang Jin-ho needed to do to strengthen the Assembly right now.

The first was to teach the demonic arts to the demons.

The second was to create new martial arts for the Assembly.

And the third was to revisit his own martial arts and find a path forward.

None of them were easy tasks.

However, it was clear which task should take priority. Teaching the demonic arts to the demons.

This was not something to be taken lightly either.

He could start teaching them powerful demonic arts right now. But he couldn’t ignore the side effects. Although they were called demons, they were completely different from the demons of the Demonic Cult that Kang Jin-ho knew in the past.

They hadn’t learned proper basic martial arts, nor had they been able to accept pure demonic energy. They had only learned scraps of what was called demonic arts, so there were too many impurities.

That’s why he had Ju Gang check the exact state of their bodies. Demonic arts that were too advanced for their level would be poisonous, while demonic arts that were too weak would take too long to raise their level.

A proper middle ground was needed.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind?”

Lee Hyun-soo placed a cup of coffee in front of Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho nodded, looking at the steaming cup of coffee.

“It’s not an easy problem.”

“Is that so?”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled and sat across from Kang Jin-ho.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s not that it’s funny, but I’m a little amazed.”

“Amazed?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo made a slightly awkward expression.

“On one hand, it’s not so much amazing as it is… different, I guess? That’s the feeling I get.”

“What is?”

“When I see you from across the way, from this side, up close, and from afar, you seem like a different person each time.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

He didn’t understand what he meant.

“When I was fighting you in the Yeongnam Assembly, I felt… I don’t know… hopeless.”

“You sure made me suffer for someone who felt hopeless.”

“That was the result of desperately racking my brain.”

“Bringing that up now means you want to rehash those bad feelings, right?”

“……Please spare me.”

Lee Hyun-soo joked and continued.

“It was like you were someone who couldn’t be cut by a sword. You had no weaknesses. It felt like no matter what I tried, you always had a countermeasure ready.”

‘I didn’t have any countermeasures though….’

That’s a little awkward.

“No, well, it wasn’t like that.”

“I know it wasn’t. It just felt that way. If you were the same as you were back then, I wouldn’t have had a chance.”

‘Is this guy…?’

Kang Jin-ho’s head turned to the side.

Recently, Kang Jin-ho felt like everyone around him had become very harsh towards him.

“Anyway, that’s how it felt when I looked at you. But now, when I watch you, I get this feeling. Ah, this person also worries, this person also has concerns.”

“Because I’m a person.”

“Right. Everyone is like that, I guess. But you seemed a little different from that….”

Lee Hyun-soo grinned.

“I’m glad you’re the same as us. You have a human side.”

It was hard to tell if it was a compliment or an insult.

Lee Hyun-soo took out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to Kang Jin-ho. Kang Jin-ho took the cigarette Lee Hyun-soo offered and put it in his mouth.

Click.

The cigarette lit, and acrid smoke rose into the air.

“Since we’re the same, can’t we discuss things? I know I haven’t been as reliable as I used to be lately, but I can at least be someone you can talk to.”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho said firmly.

“I’ve never not trusted you. I’ve always had faith in you.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled gently.

Even if it was just words, it was nice to hear.

“If we were to rank it?”

Kang Jin-ho frowned and began to ponder without answering. The longer he pondered, the more awkward Lee Hyun-soo became.

“……Let’s just stop thinking about it there.”

“What does the ranking matter? What’s important is that I trust you.”

Lee Hyun-soo was desperately trying to salvage the situation.

“So, what are you worried about right now…?”

It wasn’t something to hide. And with Lee Hyun-soo’s mind, he might be able to help with the decision.

“I’m worried about what kind of demonic arts to teach.”

“How many demonic arts do you have?”

“About thirty that I know? Maybe more?”

It was something to worry about.

“Can’t you just release them all and let them choose freely?”

“It’ll be hell.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

That was something someone who didn’t know what demonic arts were could say. But Kang Jin-ho, who knew the dangers of demonic arts well, couldn’t choose that option.

“It’s not that I don’t trust them. It’s that I don’t trust the demonic arts. I know too well what happens when demonic arts go wrong.”

It was common in the past.

When the Demonic Cult’s demonic arts were released into the Central Plains, there was always bloodshed. Demonic arts were extremely delicate martial arts. If someone with a low understanding of demonic arts rashly learned them, they would inevitably become a rampaging demon.

Like that heretic.

The demonic arts that the heretic had learned were of the lowest quality, but it couldn’t be denied that demonic arts themselves carried such risks.

Anyone could fall into a demonic trance if they weren’t like Kang Jin-ho.

‘No, I’m not an exception either.’

Perhaps the things Kang Jin-ho was experiencing now were also side effects of demonic arts. Logically, there was no other way to explain the split between him and Cheonma, the Demonic Lord.

“So, in the end, you have to decide, right?”

“That’s right.”

“What about the martial arts you gave to the Flame Demons?”

“That’s definitely stable. However.” Kang Jin-ho shrugged and continued.

“Because it’s overly stable, its power is also lacking. I was planning to give them new demonic arts once they had built a certain foundation.”

“So, the Flame Demons will also learn something new.”

“They’ll be the instructors.”

“Hmm.”

Lee Hyun-soo pursed his lips as if he was troubled.

“In the end, the problem you’re facing is one thing. Whether to lower the power and pursue stability, or to go for strength even if it comes with some risk.”

“That’s right.”

Lee Hyun-soo had accurately pinpointed Kang Jin-ho’s concerns.

“Isn’t the conclusion already obvious?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve seen you worry about similar problems countless times, but I’ve never seen you choose stability even once.”

Kang Jin-ho was speechless.

Lee Hyun-soo was seeing through Kang Jin-ho’s inner thoughts more accurately than Kang Jin-ho himself.

“In the end, the conclusion is obvious. After much deliberation, you’ll say, ‘It’s time for adventure, not stability,’ and then push all the risk management down to us. You’ll say it can’t be helped.”

‘Was that so?’

Listening to him made me feel a little sorry….

“Normally, in this kind of situation, I’d say that a person should have a conscience… but yeah, I’ve given up. I know now how futile it is to expect that from you. I’ll just suffer. Ugh, I have nowhere to complain.”

‘Isn’t he going a bit too far?’

Kang Jin-ho’s face hardened slightly.

“Well, it’s my job to clean up after you, so don’t worry. It’s not like it’s been a day or two, and it’s not like I’d make a fuss just because one more thing is added. So, trust Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Trust?”

Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

“……Sir?”

“You’re telling me to trust you?”

Kang Jin-ho’s smile deepened.

Lee Hyun-soo’s words were not wrong.

Although it started as a joke, Lee Hyun-soo’s words contained the core of the issue. There was no need to worry. If it were the Kang Jin-ho of the past, he would have had to worry. If he chose demonic arts that were too much for their abilities and things got out of hand, Kang Jin-ho would have to bear all the consequences.

If there were only a few, it wouldn’t be a problem, but if so many demons suffered from side effects, it would be a huge disaster.

But what about now?

‘I don’t have to bear it all.’

The Assembly was no longer something he had to protect. They were growing stronger on their own. They were now capable of sharing Kang Jin-ho’s burden. If the Assembly could distribute the risk?

There was no reason to hesitate.

One demonic art came to Kang Jin-ho’s mind.

It was incredibly powerful, but also incredibly dangerous.

That was why he had only taught it to his direct subordinates. The demonic art that had turned the Flame Demons into true flames of the demonic path in the past.

‘The Demonic Blood Flame Energy.’

A demonic art that had not been passed down.

It was a demonic art that Kang Jin-ho had created by piecing together the Demonic Cult’s demonic arts to teach to the Flame Demons. Even Kang Jin-ho had not seen its end, and he could not be sure how much risk it carried.

But its power was guaranteed.

Through the Demonic Blood Flame Energy, Kang Jin-ho had raised the Flame Demons, and together they had unified the Central Plains.

‘It might be excessive.’

This was definitely a dangerous choice.

Many had died. Out of over a thousand Flame Demons, only three hundred had survived to reach their peak.

Logically, it was something he shouldn’t do.

But Kang Jin-ho had something to rely on.

He could reduce the risk through his previous experience.

And there were many who could control them. Then it was a fight worth trying.

“Yeah, I should trust them.”

“•♦… ‘Yes?’”

Anxiety began to creep into Lee Hyun-soo’s face.

He had only joked to lighten the mood because Kang Jin-ho seemed to be lost in thought for a long time, but his reaction was unusual.

“Sir, no, it was a joke……”

“You’re telling me to trust you, so I should trust you. I can’t handle it alone… yeah, I should trust you.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled brightly.

“And if I’m going to trust you, I should trust you properly. Let’s take a gamble, a do-or-die gamble. If Chief Lee helps, it’ll definitely be a win.”

“……The odds are a separate issue, though?”

“Heaven helps those who help themselves.”

Kang Jin-ho made up his mind.

“Paper and pen.”

“••••••Yes?”

“Paper and pen. I’ll write down the incantations, so please translate them.”

Lee Hyun-soo grabbed his head. He felt like he had done something ridiculous, but looking at Kang Jin-ho’s expression, it was too late to turn back. Now, he had no choice but to go all the way.

Lee Hyun-soo, with his shoulders slumped, went to get paper and pen. But Kang Jin-ho’s gaze did not follow Lee Hyun-soo. His gaze was fixed on the table.

Was it enough?

Was it enough to teach the Demonic Blood Flame Energy?

No.

It could never be enough.

‘I’m not chasing. I’m creating.’

This was where it started.

If he only stayed with the Demonic Blood Flame Energy he had created in the past, he would still only be chasing after the Demonic Lord Cheonma. He had to create. A martial art that was the Demonic Blood Flame Energy, but not the Demonic Blood Flame Energy.

A new martial art that surpassed the past and headed towards the future.

Starting now.