Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 837

“So, it starts today.”

Lee Myung-hwan steeled his resolve.

Mara Blood Flame Energy.

It was the martial art that Kang Jin-ho had given them to learn. Bator and Kang Jin-ho would teach them in earnest, but they had to master the basics themselves.

‘It was brutal.’

While learning the Mara Blood Flame Energy, Lee Myung-hwan realized that the demonic arts he had learned so far were just scratching the surface.

Demonic arts are dangerous.

Demonic arts unleash immense power at the cost of destroying the user’s personality.

He had thought so before.

But that wasn’t it.

What he had learned so far was just basic training. The moment he started learning the Mara Blood Flame Energy, he knew it for sure. Just doing the basic breathing exercises made his murderous intent boil uncontrollably and his chest throb.

‘I have to endure this.’

It was a terrible thing.

But it was also exciting.

He could achieve that much with just the basics. Then how much power would this Mara Blood Flame Energy give him?

There are no free gains in the world.

Conversely, to gain something, you have to pay a price. Considering the immense power that the Mara Blood Flame Energy would give him, he was willing to pay any price.

Considering how much being strong, and becoming stronger, had broadened his world, he could endure any cost.

Murderous intent, impulses, and pain.

It was full of things that were hard to endure, but Lee Myung-hwan was confident he could endure it.

Until just a moment ago.

“You’ve been practicing, right?”

It seemed like that person had misspoken a little.

Judging by his expression and aura, it should have been something like, ‘I told you to practice, and if you didn’t, I’ll personally separate your bones and flesh and throw them to the dogs,’ but what came out was too mild.

Of course, just because the words sounded mild didn’t mean that anyone here couldn’t understand the underlying meaning. If they didn’t have that much sense, they would have been beaten to death long ago.

‘Why is he like that?’

The person standing in front of them was Bator.

Bator.

Everyone in the General Assembly acknowledged Bator.

His strength, his posture.

He had reached a supreme level that they could not even dare to approach, yet he never rested and always aimed higher, and he was always serious about martial arts.

No matter what they looked at, they couldn’t help but respect him as a martial artist.

At first, some people shunned him because he wasn’t Korean and was part of the Hongwang faction, but now most of the General Assembly genuinely respected Bator.

Even those who still didn’t like him couldn’t deny that he was a great martial artist.

That great martial artist was now…

‘A panda?’

His eyes were swollen and black.

That wasn’t all. There was no need to look closely. Clothes were meant to cover the human body, but it was impossible to completely cover Bator’s huge physique.

His exposed upper body was covered in red bruises.

‘Threatening.’

It was not easy to feel threatened by someone who had been beaten to a pulp. But Bator was managing to do that difficult thing.

He had been beaten. He was angry because he had been beaten. That anger might be directed at me.

This miraculous three-stage logic made everyone shrink back.

Moreover, Bator’s expression, which perfectly harmonized resentment, anger, and frustration, was further reinforcing this logic.

The demonic flames were holding their breath and bowing their heads.

‘At this point, isn’t the saying that demons are rough a lie?’

They were all so good at controlling their anger!

They were so docile!

It was like a problem dog that had met a master-level animal trainer. Everyone was lowering their tails and trying their best not to get on his bad side.

Lee Myung-hwan was realizing that people were truly relative.

To Lee Myung-hwan and the other demonic flames, Bator was like the Grim Reaper. But that Grim Reaper had just been thoroughly beaten by someone.

There was no need to think about who that someone was.

“Haaah.”

Behind Bator, a man was half-sprawled on a chair, yawning.

It was a sight that didn’t fit this terrifying scene at all, but no one felt awkward.

This was happening because they were the same kind of human. There was no need for a lion that was taking a nap to wake up just because a rabbit and a mouse were fighting in front of it.

‘The balance is a mess.’

Even Bator was someone they couldn’t even think of challenging. In the past, when they lived peacefully in the General Assembly, the balance wasn’t like this.

Lee Jung-geol and Bang Jin-hoon, who were considered the best in the General Assembly, were definitely stronger than them. But if this many people attacked at once, they could be turned into a bloody mess in a few seconds.

They were strong, but they were still human. The difference was about the same as a professional fighter and an ordinary person? If they used that advantage, they could take on several people, but it was impossible to take on dozens.

But with the appearance of Kang Jin-ho, that balance was broken.

‘I can’t win.’

Could the people here take on Bator even if they risked their lives?

He wouldn’t even get a scratch?

This was a balance-breaking game. The mid-boss couldn’t be raided, and there was a final boss who beat that mid-boss like a dog. How were they supposed to play this game?

“Did you practice or not!”

Whether Kang Jin-ho was yawning in the back or not, Bator glared.

“We practiced!”

“We did as you told us!”

Bator nodded very slowly.

‘That bastard, I don’t like him.’

The translation had been bothering him since earlier.

Every time Bator shouted in a heavy voice, Jang Da-jing would lower his voice along with him. It looked as if Jang Da-jing was the one scolding them.

‘That, Chink bastard. Acting all high and mighty just because he’s a translator. I should take him somewhere and break his neck….’

“Lee Myung-hwan.”

“Yes!”

The moment he heard Bator’s voice, Lee Myung-hwan’s mind paused. Then, he quickly switched to soldier mode.

Seeing Lee Myung-hwan standing ramrod straight, Bator’s eyes widened. The way his big eyes gleamed was terrifying in itself.

“Were you thinking about something else?”

“No, sir!”

“Am I wrong?”

“No, sir!”

“Then you were thinking about something else.”

“No, sir!”

First, it was ‘No, sir.’

Whether it was logical or made sense, it didn’t matter now. At times like this, it was important to show a proactive attitude. If he couldn’t give a perfect answer, he had to at least show that he was trying hard to answer.

“You’re spacing out!”

Look at his vocabulary.

It was amazing how it was translated like that from Chinese. Maybe that Jang Da-jing was a great translator after all.

“Listen well, you brats!”

Bator’s voice echoed through the hall.

“You’re weak!”

Bator was stating the obvious.

“Weak! Too weak! You’re useless! But we have to use you! So you have to get stronger! Fortunately, the Lord has bestowed grace upon you! You all know that, right?”

“Yes!”

A loud answer rang out.

“But no matter how great a sword is, if the user can’t wield it, it’s no better than a kitchen knife. I’ll make sure you can master it properly.”

Bator grinned and said,

“There’s no better way to improve than real combat.”

“Be grateful, you brats. I! I, who am so busy, will personally spar with each of you. In the process, you will naturally master it.”

Lee Myung-hwan’s eyes widened.

Why did that sound like, ‘I’m going to release the stress I’ve built up from getting beaten on you guys’?

No, right?

Bator-nim?

At that moment, Bator stepped slightly to the side. Then, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth while still sitting on the chair.

“I think there’s a need to be a little more urgent.”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice was calm. But compared to his calm tone, what he was saying was extremely violent.

“Time is not unlimited. If time is limited, you have to divide it up and use it. You have to develop your martial power and teach others at the same time.”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“Then you have to get stronger quickly. You have to be willing to accept some side effects.”

It didn’t sound like just a little bit?

“That’s what he said!”

Bator shouted loudly.

“Let’s start! There’s no need to waste time! Lee Myung-hwan!”

Why!

Why is it always me!

Why!

Lee Myung-hwan realized anew. While he had gained some confidence while working in China, this position was always a losing one.

The good things came later, and the bad things came first.

And today was a day when the bad things came first.

“Lee Myung-hwan!”

When Bator shouted again, Lee Myung-hwan walked forward like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

“Um… Bator-nim.”

“What?”

“Is there no other way?”

“Are you dissatisfied with the teaching method?”

“…No. It’s not that I’m dissatisfied, but I don’t understand. I haven’t even properly mastered the Mara Blood Flame Energy, so what will change if we suddenly start sparring?”

It just sounds like I’m going to get beaten up?

It was Kang Jin-ho who answered that question.

“Do you know the saying that troubled times create heroes?”

But that answer didn’t convince Lee Myung-hwan.

‘What is he talking about?’

Lee Myung-hwan tilted his head. He had to answer, though.

“Yes, I know it.”

“Do you think that saying is true?”

“…To some extent.”

“Usually, the saying that troubled times create heroes means that heroes appear in a chaotic world. But I think it’s a little different. In two ways.”

Everyone focused on Kang Jin-ho.

“Let’s take Korea as an example. There would be few people who would disagree that Admiral Yi Sun-sin was the greatest general in Korean history. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.”

“But was Admiral Yi Sun-sin the most capable general in the history of Korea?”

Lee Myung-hwan was lost in thought.

It was hard to understand what he was trying to ask.

“The answer is ‘we don’t know.’”

Kang Jin-ho helped them understand.

“Because it’s hard to compare. Even if there was a general greater than Admiral Yi Sun-sin, if he lived in a time of peace, there would be no way to prove his ability.”

“Ah…”

“Admiral Yi Sun-sin would have also retired as an ordinary general if he had been born in modern times.”

No, it might have been difficult. He was someone who didn’t know how to suck up to his superiors. He might have failed the promotion exam early on and opened a chicken restaurant by now.

Turtle Ship Chicken or something.

Admiral Yi Sun-sin as a chicken restaurant owner, just thinking about it made him depressed.

“Troubled times create a stage where people with the qualities to become heroes can become heroes. It’s not like the heavens send down people who will become heroes in every troubled time. Those people always exist. But they just live ordinary lives.”

Everyone nodded.

It made sense.

“The important thing is the second meaning.”

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

“Troubled times may not create heroes, but they do train them.”