Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 831

“Have you arrived, Master?”

“Welcome, Lord.”

“My Lord, it has been too long! Please forgive me for not seeking you out sooner!”

“Have you come, Guild Leader?”

Greetings poured out as soon as Kang Jin-ho entered the conference room.

Kang Jin-ho smiled, accepting the unique greetings.

“It feels like it’s been a very long time since I’ve seen you all.”

As Kang Jin-ho headed to the head of the table, Lee Hyun-soo bowed to each person sitting inside.

Inside the conference room were Bator and Wiggins, along with Jang Min and Bang Jin-hoon. Elena and Zhang Dazheng were also seated at the back, seemingly for translation purposes.

Kang Jin-ho sat on the sofa, feeling a slight sense of comfort.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this.’

For a while, this seat had been quite burdensome. To be precise, it wasn’t the seat itself, but the position that was burdensome.

The fact that his light decisions could change the fate of many people had weighed on him.

But now?

‘It’s lighter.’

His mind was clear. It seemed the influence of the inner demon had been greater than he thought. Even the air felt different on his face.

“Ah, by the way……”

Lee Hyun-soo pointed to one end.

“Guild Leader, you can feel free to smoke from now on. We’ve installed two air purifiers.”

“……Huh?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Ah, no…….”

Ah, so that was it.

Technology is good these days. Even the air quality has changed.

“Aren’t you putting one in my office?”

“It’s probably being installed right now.”

“Heh, you’ve got to give it to them for their sense.”

Bang Jin-hoon joked.

He and Lee Hyun-soo still felt awkward around each other. They had once been at each other’s throats.

The relationship between Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo wasn’t much different, but Kang Jin-ho held the reins. If Kang Jin-ho decided not to make an issue of it, no one could bring it up.

However, the relationship between Bang Jin-hoon and Lee Hyun-soo was different from that of Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo. Moreover, their positions in their respective factions were not that different.

So, they had to be careful around each other.

They were people who would never have mixed if it weren’t for Kang Jin-ho.

“But your expression looks much better?”

“Hmm, does it?”

“Before, you looked like you were about to die, then you brightened up… now you seem to have found a balance. Don’t be so extreme. It’s tiring for the subordinates.”

Kang Jin-ho gave a wry smile.

Bang Jin-hoon would sometimes throw such direct jabs.

But what he said was true. If the boss always looked grim, the subordinates would naturally shrink back. Even if they knew it had nothing to do with them, they would still be cautious.

Kang Jin-ho lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Ah, no. Well, it’s not something you should take so seriously!”

Bang Jin-hoon was flustered.

He hadn’t expected his joke to be taken so seriously.

“There was a bit of a problem.”

“Problem?”

Bang Jin-hoon quickly tried to change the subject.

“Is it something personal?”

“I was possessed by an inner demon.”

“……Whoa.”

Bang Jin-hoon’s mouth hung open.

Inner demon (心魔). [A psychological or spiritual obstacle that hinders one’s progress, often associated with martial arts practice.]

Those who practice martial arts would have heard the term at least once.

But it was like…

‘Like a Kirin or a dragon. Something that seems to exist but doesn’t in reality.’ [Kirin is a mythical creature in East Asian cultures, often depicted as a dragon-like creature with scales and antlers.]

A legendary tale.

If anyone else had said this, Bang Jin-hoon would have flipped them the bird without hesitation. But since it was Kang Jin-ho who said it, he had no choice but to believe it.

“Inner demons really exist?”

Bator answered instead.

“They do.”

Zhang Dazheng, who was next to Bator, quickly translated.

“Inner demons exist. But very few have experienced them. In fact, it’s strange to classify inner demons separately. A wall is an inner demon. To encounter a wall that can be called an inner demon….”

Bator looked at Bang Jin-hoon for a moment, then scratched his head.

“I don’t think you need to worry about it.”

“Hey, that’s a bit harsh.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Even if it’s the truth, there are things people can’t help but hope for. Like you desperately wishing for hair to grow on your head.”

Bator, after hearing the translation, stared blankly at Bang Jin-hoon. Then he burst into laughter.

“That’s right! Indeed! A person can’t give up.”

Bator, who was laughing heartily, looked at Bang Jin-hoon with a strange gaze.

“I like you. How about a drink after this meeting?”

“No thanks. I’m too scared of being dragged away and beaten up.”

“I’m a gentle person, you know.”

“Yeah, right.”

Bator looked very wronged.

In fact, among those present, he was the most gentlemanly.

Lee Hyun-soo was a cruel and violent person, and Bang Jin-hoon was the type to push forward regardless of whether people died for his goals. And what could be said about that elder of the Demonic Cult….

‘This guy is the real problem.’

Wiggins, who looked like a kind middle-aged man on the outside, was the darkest on the inside. Among them, the only ones who could smile while contemplating whether to kill or spare someone were Wiggins and Lee Hyun-soo.

‘No, is there one more?’

Bator shook his head as he looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“Come to think of it, I’m in a pretty amazing place.”

The guy who planned a coup within the Korean General Assembly seemed like the most virtuous one.

“A gentleman does not go to dark places.”

“Who’s the gentleman here?”

“I am.”

Wiggins chuckled.

“If we’re going by that logic, I’m the cleanest one here.”

“The traitor speaks well.”

“Hey! We’re in the same boat!”

Wiggins, who rarely got worked up, was now flustered. He and Bator had both left their respective organizations, so why was he the only one called a traitor?

“I was a guest there. So, my situation is different.”

“I also withdrew.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Ugh.”

Wiggins sighed, looking frustrated.

At that moment, Lee Hyun-soo interjected.

“Just give up, everyone.”

“What?”

“It’s pointless to argue about who’s better here. From the outside, we’re all the same kind.”

“The same kind! We’re clearly different.”

“I don’t think so.”

Lee Hyun-soo glanced at Kang Jin-ho and said.

“Think about how this place would look from the outside.”

“From the outside, we’d look like a chaotic group of Korean martial artists….”

“Huh?”

Bator finally seemed to realize the gravity of the situation and turned to look at Kang Jin-ho.

Lee Hyun-soo spoke calmly.

“An organization swallowed by a resurrected ancient demon… no, a legendary devil. And a gathering of those who betrayed their own to serve that devil, wouldn’t that be how it looks?”

“……That sounds like something I’ve heard before.”

“It’s a typical demon lord’s castle from manga.”

“Right?”

A demon lord’s castle.

Bang Jin-hoon let out a hollow laugh.

“I really want to deny it, but strangely, I can’t.”

There might be many martial artists in this world, but Kang Jin-ho was the only one who fit the name of a demon lord. Moreover, the setting of a legendary demon lord being resurrected in modern times was quite fitting.

“That demon lord quickly swallowed up a divided group….”

“And lured martial artists from China and Europe to become his subordinates.”

“He’s even trying to revive the forces he had before.”

“……Typical, isn’t it?”

“The axis of evil.”

Everyone looked at Kang Jin-ho with strange eyes.

Kang Jin-ho, who had become a demon lord moving to destroy the world without having committed any sins, cleared his throat.

“Hmm, let’s stop with the jokes.”

“It’s not a joke.”

“It’s true that others might think that way. Our image is going to be a mess. Shouldn’t we do some international advertising or something?”

Come to think of it, that was probably true.

Even if other places didn’t, China and Europe would definitely think that way.

‘So that’s why he was so agitated.’

He had wondered why Hong Wang, who didn’t seem to have any major issues with him, was so hostile. It wasn’t new for the righteous and demonic sects to be at odds, but their relationship had changed from the past.

But after hearing this today, he understood why Hong Wang was so fixated on Kang Jin-ho.

“Wait a minute.”

Bator said, looking flustered.

“Then, is Hong Wang the hero?”

The room was filled with shock.

“Whoa……”

“That’s a bit….”

Wiggins and Lee Hyun-soo were disgusted. Just by looking at their appearances, the other side looked more like the villains. Just look at that anachronistic fashion. It was perfect for a villain in a Hollywood movie.

“So….”

Everyone was thinking various things, but only one person, Jang Min, was completely unaffected.

He had been a member of the Demonic Cult from the start, and he would continue to be one. He didn’t care about the external image at all. If their status rose to the level of a demon lord’s army, he would dance naked with joy.

“Have you overcome your inner demon?”

“Hmm, I think so.”

Jang Min jumped up and prostrated himself on the spot.

“My Lord! I congratulate you on your great achievement!”

Bator’s face hardened. At the same time, his knees twitched.

“Really?”

* * *

Seeing Kang Jin-ho nod calmly, Bator shook his head in disbelief.

“He gets possessed by an inner demon on his own, and then gets out of it on his own. Inner demons aren’t usually something that can be resolved so quickly.”

He tried not to be surprised by the things Kang Jin-ho did, but this was something he couldn’t help but be surprised by.

“Are you sure about the inner demon?”

“I think so.”

“……How can you be so sure about something you haven’t experienced?”

“I’ve experienced it before.”

‘I know because I’ve done it’ came out. Bator, who had never experienced an inner demon in his life, shrank back. What could he say to an experienced person?

“So, you really overcame it.”

When Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer, Bator shook his head.

Bang Jin-hoon and Lee Hyun-soo, and even Wiggins, had faces that showed they didn’t understand how significant this was. Only Jang Min and Bator could guess how much Kang Jin-ho had achieved.

‘He’s getting ridiculously strong.’

Overcoming an inner demon doesn’t mean the completion of martial arts. But from now on, the more he trains, the more his skills will improve. It was like drilling a tunnel through a mountain that had been blocking the way and paving a road.

He would go as fast as he stepped on the accelerator.

‘Then how strong is he going to get?’

It was only recently that Kang Jin-ho had reached a stalemate with Hong Wang.

To be precise, it was closer to being unilaterally pushed back than a stalemate. But in any case, Kang Jin-ho had fought and survived against Hong Wang. He had even managed to counterattack and push him back.

And he’s getting stronger from here?

From here?

“……The demon lord is a demon lord.”

What if you had such a person as an enemy?

‘It’s terrifying.’

Bator was now experiencing the anxiety that Hong Wang and Chaikechang felt for the first time.