Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 843

Crack, crack.

The crisp sound of breaking branches echoed. The sound of something breaking can sometimes relieve stress.

No, the act of ‘breaking’ itself sometimes makes people feel at ease.

That’s why recently, new services like ‘stress rooms’ have emerged, where people wear protective gear and smash things.

Perhaps this service would be perfect for Lee Myung-hwan, who has been under a lot of stress lately.

However, Lee Myung-hwan didn’t find any stress relief in that sound. Rather, his stress was rapidly increasing.

Because that sound was coming from his own body.

“Ughhh!”

Crack, crack.

Lee Myung-hwan’s eyes were bloodshot.

He saw a huge wall in his vision. No, it wasn’t a wall. It was just that something flat occupied his entire field of vision, making it feel like a wall.

What he was seeing was, to be precise, a person, or more precisely, a human called Bator.

‘…Is he even human?’

That was a question worth considering.

If having two arms and two legs makes someone human, then Superman would be human too. No matter how you looked at it, this guy didn’t seem human. He was far beyond the standards of what could be considered human.

It wasn’t just about his body.

Look at him now.

Bator’s hand, as big as a pot lid, was pressing down on Lee Myung-hwan. With just a simple motion, like pressing down on trash in a garbage bag, he was causing so much pain.

The sense of crisis was extreme.

What if he couldn’t withstand this force?

Lee Myung-hwan would literally be folded backward.

Even if a martial artist had great recovery abilities, there was no way he could recover from having his back folded.

Even if he were to piece together his shattered spine, he wouldn’t be able to repair the damaged nerves.

So, he had to endure. He had to endure, but…

“Ughhhhhhh!”

“Don’t just scream, put some strength into it, strength.”

Bator frowned.

“Why are kids these days so weak?”

Along with the sense of crisis, a feeling of injustice surged up.

Who was Lee Myung-hwan?

He was the leading figure among the young martial artists in the current Assembly. He was the leader of the Flame Demon, which had become the strongest martial force in the Assembly.

Of course, until recently, his skills were barely at the middle level of the Flame Demon. But not anymore. Thanks to consistent training and various experiences, Lee Myung-hwan could now confidently call himself one of the top members of the Flame Demon.

Being in the top tier of the Flame Demon meant being in the top tier of the Assembly.

And yet, what?

Weak?

He had never felt so wronged!

“Stop daydreaming!”

Squeeze!

“Guh!”

Ah, this isn’t good.

Lee Myung-hwan’s body was bending backward like a shrimp.

There was a cracking sound coming from his waist. He hadn’t even had a chance to use his waist properly yet!

“Ughhhhhhh!”

“I said, don’t just scream, use your strength!”

He was furious.

Anger rose within him.

He wanted to crush that calm voice.

Blood rushed to his head, and his body trembled. At the same time, something hot surged from his stomach and spread throughout his body.

“Aaaaaaah!”

“Oh?”

Bator grinned, feeling Lee Myung-hwan’s strength pushing back his hand.

‘It’s working after all.’

Kang Jin-ho’s order to Bator was very simple. Push them to their limits. When people are pushed to their limits, they exert strength beyond their normal capabilities.

If a child is trapped under a car, a mother will lift the car.

People unconsciously only exert as much force as their bodies can handle. But when their survival is at stake or when they are in a truly urgent situation, they can exert several times their normal strength.

The same goes for martial arts.

Whether it’s demonic or orthodox, all martial arts ultimately move to protect the user’s body. If the user’s body is in danger, it will naturally produce more power than usual.

By repeating this process, the energy naturally swells and becomes more refined.

‘It’s a ridiculously crude method.’

Knowing it doesn’t mean you can use it. There are prerequisites for this kind of training. You have to experience and endure countless crises where your body might be completely destroyed or you might die.

It’s difficult to walk that fine line, but the trainee’s mind is unlikely to remain intact after going through that process.

Look at him now.

“Aaaaaaaah! You bastard! Aaaaaaaah!”

‘He’s gone crazy.’

Well, he has a reason to go crazy.

Bator clicked his tongue and slightly increased the pressure on his hand.

“Guhhh!”

Lee Myung-hwan, unable to withstand the force, collapsed.

Bator released his hand after pressing down on Lee Myung-hwan’s body just enough to not cause any damage.

Thud.

Lee Myung-hwan fell to the ground, convulsing.

“Hmm.”

Bator looked at Lee Myung-hwan and slightly curled up the corners of his mouth.

‘The more I see him, the more I realize he’s got incredible grit.’

Today was a bit excessive. He hadn’t originally planned to go this far, but Lee Myung-hwan endured so well that he slightly overdid it.

When someone endures, don’t you want to test how far they can go?

‘Grit aside…’

Bator clenched and unclenched his fist. His palm felt a little stiff.

The demonic energy that Lee Myung-hwan released when he pushed back his hand was causing a strange sensation in his hand. A dull ache, you could say?

‘His skills are improving rapidly.’

It had only been a few days since he started training them. Yet, their skills were noticeably improving. Kang Jin-ho’s training method was quite excellent, but the fact that these guys were enduring this harsh training was also beyond ordinary.

‘It’s definitely interesting.’

Teaching people is more fun than he thought. Especially when the students’ skills are rapidly improving, it’s natural for the teacher to feel a sense of pride.

“Well, then…”

Bator kicked Lee Myung-hwan aside and grinned.

“Who’s next?”

It seemed that the students weren’t as happy as Bator.

“Mana is ultimately no different from Qi.”

Wiggins said with a slight smile.

“Ultimately, language is just a definition. The object ‘water’ is called ‘mul’ in Korean, ‘water’ in English, and ‘水’ in Chinese. But its essence doesn’t change. Only the way it’s used is different.”

One of the people sitting at the desk raised their hand.

“Then, can we think of mana and Qi as completely the same?”

“That’s right.”

“But they’re different, aren’t they?”

“Good question.”

Wiggins slightly pushed up his glasses. He was quite pleased that this question had been asked.

“Are the orthodox Qi and demonic Qi that you were gathering the same?”

“They’re different.”

“That’s where we start. Why are they different? They both originate from the same external energy, so why do they show differences? It’s simple. It’s because the way they are gathered is different, and the way they are accumulated is different. If the same thing is handled differently, its nature will also change.”

“Ah…”

“It’s a simple problem.”

Wiggins continued his explanation.

“The world changes depending on how you handle the same thing. You have been handling Qi all this time. So, you have an advantage. While others take ages just to feel Qi, you already know what Qi is and what mana is.”

“Yes.”

“Moreover, you don’t need to learn how to handle Qi. It’s true that you started late, but it’s incomparable to when those who know nothing start. You will become proficient very quickly.”

A sense of excitement could be felt from the students filling the classroom.

‘Good.’

It was a feeling full of passion.

In the past, Wiggins had taken on a few disciples or taught many people like this, but he had never seen students as passionate as these.

They didn’t have the desperation to learn magic.

But these people were different.

They had tried to learn martial arts with passion, but that path wasn’t right for them. However, they hadn’t given up on their desire to become stronger and had endured until now.

Who wouldn’t be happy to be offered a way to become stronger?

“Basically, the transmission of magic is done in a master-apprentice style. But I can’t teach each of you in that way. This is also my first time trying this method, so there will be trial and error. But if I try and you try, everyone will be able to achieve the desired results. I promise you.”

Everyone nodded.

Wiggins’ words had power.

Considering what he had shown so far, there was no reason not to believe those words.

“And…”

Wiggins gestured to the side with his chin.

“He doesn’t have much ability, but he started learning before you, so if you have trouble asking me, it wouldn’t be bad to ask him.”

Lee Hyun-soo, who was standing awkwardly at the front of the classroom, turned his head. When everyone’s attention focused on him, Lee Hyun-soo smiled and said in ‘Korean’.

“I’ll kill anyone who comes to me.”

It was a very gentle tone. Lee Hyun-soo, who looked like a kind senior comforting his frozen juniors with his tone and gestures, continued in an even warmer tone.

“Do I look like I have free time? Studying is something you do alone. If you don’t know something, look it up in a dictionary, you bastards. If you bother me for no reason, I’ll kill you all. Seriously.”

“…Yes.”

Wiggins tilted his head. The atmosphere was strange.

“What did he say?”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled and said,

“I said I’ll do my best to help, so come to me anytime.”

“…Really?”

“Yes!”

Wiggins narrowed his eyes, looking at Lee Hyun-soo, who was answering confidently.

He looked at him several times with a slightly uneasy face, but Lee Hyun-soo had an extremely confident expression.

“From now on, speak in English during class.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Hmm…”

He had a hunch, but no proof.

Wiggins clicked his tongue and turned his head.

“Anyway, from now on, you will be learning something new. No matter how hard the teacher tries, it’s meaningless if the students don’t try. You all know that, right?”

“Yes!”

Wiggins chuckled, seeing the students’ sparkling eyes.

‘This feels like being a professor?’

Wiggins, thinking that this job might be more fun than he thought, stepped forward slightly.

“Then, let’s start by learning how to drain mana. To the skilled assistant.”

“…Forward.”

Lee Hyun-soo, who had become Wiggins’ guinea pig, stepped forward with a distorted face.

‘I have so much to do, why am I being used for this!’

His dissatisfaction was immense, but he couldn’t dare to voice it. Since Kang Jin-ho had gone crazy, the Assembly had become a bit more violent. Especially Wiggins, who seemed to have fully realized the power of a cane.

He would swing his staff around whenever he was bored.

“Now, let’s begin. I guarantee that one of you will surely become a leader of the Assembly in the future.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up at Wiggins’ bluff.

‘He seems to be cut out to be a con artist…’

Except for Lee Hyun-soo.