Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 894

“You’ll never understand, even if you die!” Veins bulged on his neck.

The barely stanched bleeding burst open again with his outburst, and blood streamed down his face. His front was already soaked crimson.

He was teetering on the edge of madness.

Everything had crumbled.

Their expedition had been shattered before they even reached their destination, and their plan to kill Kang Jin-ho was long since a distant memory.

With less than half their forces remaining, they stood no chance against Kang Jin-ho.

One sword.

It had only taken one sword.

One sword was all it took for half of those who charged at Kang Jin-ho to fall, and for the rest to cower in fear on the ground.

The word ‘monster’ felt inadequate now.

How could they even begin to describe that man?

Nakada Yuuji knew it instinctively.

They were all going to die.

Every single one of those who had embarked on this expedition would perish, leaving no survivors to return to the islands.

It wasn’t just a defeat; it was a slaughter. There were defeats where forces were preserved, but Kang Jin-ho had no intention of allowing that.

Thousands would die in this sea.

Thinking about that fact, Nakada Yuuji felt a burning pain in his chest.

“For the country?”

A low, mocking laugh echoed.

Kang Jin-ho’s derision pierced Nakada Yuuji’s ears like a physical blow.

“What good does your death do for your country here?”

“There’s one concept I can’t understand about people. It’s called sacrifice.”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“Sacrifice is a grand word. A sacred word. But somewhere along the line, humans started to see sacrifice itself as something great. They think it’s amazing to give up their lives for something.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly approached Nakada Yuuji. Then, he crouched down in front of him, who was sitting on the ground, and made eye contact.

“Is that really true?”

“Isn’t sacrifice meaningful because you achieve or protect something even while enduring your own harm?”

“I know what to call a sacrifice that achieves nothing. A dog’s death. Isn’t that right?”

Nakada Yuuji’s body trembled.

He could accept being defeated by Kang Jin-ho. But now, Kang Jin-ho was denying and insulting everything he stood for. Even if death was inevitable, he didn’t want to die being mocked like this.

“For the country?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“That’s something those who defend can say. Not those who invade.”

Nakada Yuuji’s eyes wavered.

“You wouldn’t understand even if I explained.”

“I….”

Just as he was about to shout, Kang Jin-ho’s cold eyes locked onto Nakada Yuuji. His body froze like a mouse caught in a snake’s gaze.

“You see.”

“I’m not very good at making someone understand with words. Especially if they’re foreigners who don’t even speak the same language. But…”

The corners of Kang Jin-ho’s lips curled up.

“There is a way to make them understand. If I can’t make them understand, I can make them realize it themselves. How insignificant their will is, how insignificant the cause they’re fighting for is. Do you understand what I mean?”

He couldn’t understand.

But he felt like he understood.

He couldn’t quite grasp what Kang Jin-ho meant by these words, but he knew all too well what would happen if he resisted.

“In the end, it’s just a dog’s death.”

Kang Jin-ho reached out and grabbed Nakada Yuuji by the hair.

He couldn’t understand.

Nakada Yuuji couldn’t understand why this man was doing this. Why was he suddenly having this conversation with him?

Kang Jin-ho had won.

How he treated the defeated was ultimately the victor’s choice. Those who fought and lost were nothing more than spoils of war to the victor.

Protecting the honor of the defeated?

Bushido [the code of the samurai]?

The world doesn’t create laws and principles to protect what is obvious. If something is talked about in the world, it’s because it won’t be protected if left alone.

Chivalry was created to control the overly violent and unruly knights. The same goes for Bushido.

The honor of the defeated?

There was no such thing. The defeated were just the defeated.

The defeated had to endure whatever the victor offered. That was the law of the game.

But now, Kang Jin-ho was doing something incomprehensible. Why was he, the victor, saying these things to Nakada Yuuji, the defeated?

He could just kill him and be done with it. And laugh at him.

“If you die like this, you’ll just die a dog’s death.”

“I, I…”

“And that was decided from the beginning.”

Nakada Yuuji’s eyes filled with confusion.

Decided from the beginning?

“I’ll make you understand.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly rose from his spot.

Then, he raised his head and looked to one side.

“The game is over.”

Nakada Yuuji blankly stared at Kang Jin-ho’s actions.

What was he doing?

“Come out.”

To whom?

Nakada Yuuji’s one remaining eye followed Kang Jin-ho’s gaze. But there was no one where Kang Jin-ho was looking. Who was this man talking to?

“Ah…”

That was when it happened.

It was distorting.

The darkness was distorting.

Ripple.

A quiet ripple formed in the deep shadows. Then, from within that ripple, a pitch-black human figure revealed itself.

Nakada Yuuji’s eyes widened as if they would tear apart at the sight of the black figure.

‘A ninja?’

A master of ninjutsu [the art of stealth and espionage].

A master so skilled that he could completely deceive Nakada Yuuji’s senses. No, it wasn’t just that. None of those who were with him had noticed that someone was hiding here.

To be able to evade everyone’s senses here meant… conversely, that the person was stronger than anyone here.

Such a strong person was on board, and Nakada Yuuji hadn’t known of their existence.

“The leader…”

Nakada Yuuji gritted his teeth.

A cunning and insidious man like a snake. If such a person had infiltrated without his knowledge, his role was obvious.

If he had been worried about Nakada Yuuji’s failure, he would never have sent such a person. He would have sent someone to assist or help Nakada Yuuji, not an assassin.

The meaning of that fact was very clear.

‘A dog’s death.’

It was the moment when Kang Jin-ho’s words made sense. Kang Jin-ho probably knew from the beginning. That there was someone hiding around Nakada Yuuji.

And he probably guessed his purpose as well.

If that person was there to eliminate Nakada Yuuji at the last moment, then Nakada Yuuji had no place in this war. Whether he succeeded or failed, he would die in the end.

He would die having only done good for others, regardless of his own will. If that wasn’t a dog’s death, what was it?

Nakada Yuuji shouted without realizing it.

“Is it the leader! Did he send you?”

The shadow did not answer.

Nakada Yuuji was no longer his concern. The shadow’s gaze was fixed solely on Kang Jin-ho.

But even without an answer, Nakada Yuuji already had the answer.

Thinking about it, it was a strange thing.

The most powerful force on this ship was the one sent by the leader. Three elite units of Shin’nichika [a fictional organization] were on board. But after Kang Jin-ho boarded the ship, they had not appeared, as if they had planned it.

In this urgent situation, it was impossible to search the ship and find them. Moreover, if they had decided to hide, it was impossible for Nakada Yuuji to find them.

He was so focused on gathering his forces to face Kang Jin-ho that he had overlooked that fact. But now, everything was clear.

From the beginning, they had no intention of following Nakada Yuuji’s orders. There was someone else who would give them orders.

The shadow.

Kazeichi quietly opened his mouth.

“Impressive.”

His gaze never left Kang Jin-ho for a moment.

“He’s stronger than I expected.”

Kang Jin-ho and Kazeichi’s eyes met.

‘Those aren’t human eyes.’

He couldn’t feel anything.

Since boarding this ship, Kang Jin-ho had killed over a hundred people.

The word ‘murderer’ was meaningless. Kang Jin-ho cut off people’s heads as if he were cutting bamboo. There was no sense of discomfort in his movements when dealing with humans.

That was a demon.

Kazeichi had lived for many years being called a demon by his enemies, but standing in front of Kang Jin-ho, he could feel how human he was.

‘His coldness might be on par with the leader’s.’

But the feeling was different.

If the leader’s coldness came from a heart of iron that would do anything for his goals, Kang Jin-ho’s coldness felt like it was ingrained in his very being.

What kind of life did a human have to live to become like that?

Deep.

The darkness emanating from Kang Jin-ho was deeper than anything he had ever experienced. Kazeichi, who also lived in the darkness, could feel that fact to his core.

But….

“It doesn’t seem like you like to talk much, so let’s get to the point.”

Darkness descended.

And in that darkness, something began to light up.

Dozens of lights.

It didn’t take long to realize that those lights were the glint of human eyes.

“We will kill him no matter what. That man will be the biggest obstacle to Shin’nichika and the Great Japanese Empire.”

The moment those words ended, the lights, or rather, the glints of eyes, began to close in on Kang Jin-ho.

And instead of facing them, Kang Jin-ho kicked Nakada Yuuji away.

“Translate.”

Nakada Yuuji looked back at Kang Jin-ho with a bewildered expression. At Kang Jin-ho’s gaze, who was staring at him, Nakada Yuuji stammered and translated Kazeichi’s words.

“How well he speaks.”

This guy, that guy… they sure do say embarrassing things.

Listening to their words, it was as if Kang Jin-ho was defending Korea against Japan’s invasion.

‘How ridiculous.’

He had no intention of doing anything so grand.

He had only come here because he was annoyed that those guys were stepping on Korean soil.

That was it.

That was the only reason Kang Jin-ho treated them differently. Everything else remained the same.

Yes.

Nothing had changed.

That’s why he was annoyed.

By the guys who were saying grand things, and by those who were giving strange meanings to this meaningless fight.

“Let’s see.”

Black mana began to pour out of Kang Jin-ho’s body. The mana that poured out of his body covered him like black flames.

Kang Jin-ho, who had become a form that could only be described as a demon, opened his mouth with his eyes dyed red.

“Let’s see if you can be so grand even in the moment of your death.”

Like a demon spreading its wings in the darkness, Kang Jin-ho’s mana stretched out towards the sky.

Kooong!

Kuuuuung!

The sound of the ship shaking pierced his ears. He could feel an unbearable tremor throughout his body.

‘What’s going on?’

Nobuo was in a state of confusion.

From a little while ago, there had been a noise that sounded like the ship was about to capsize.

‘Are we being attacked?’

But that was impossible.

Attacking a passenger ship was tantamount to starting a war. No matter how reckless they were, they couldn’t start a war.

But that was what was happening.

How could he explain this shaking and impact? It could be because there was something wrong with the ship. Of course, he doubted that something wrong with the ship would cause such an impact, but

Nobuo didn’t know much about ships, and he couldn’t say for sure that it wasn’t possible.

But how could he explain these screams?

The people on board were all warriors. Even if the ship was split in half and everyone fell into the sea, they wouldn’t make such a fuss.

In the end, all of these circumstances meant only one thing.

‘An attack.’

Someone had attacked this ship. No matter how he thought about it, there was no more rational conclusion.

But who?

That was a stupid question.

There was only one group that would target this ship.

The General Assembly [a fictional organization].

It was clear that they had come.

‘Those crazy bastards.’

It was absurd.

Of course, it was Nobuo himself who had sent the news that Japan was invading them. But even Nobuo hadn’t expected this situation.

At best, he thought he had given them a chance to prepare.

To be honest, was it even possible to finish preparations and intercept them in the middle of the sea as soon as they heard that someone was attacking them?

Absolutely impossible.

Especially for large organizations, speed was bound to be slower. A large organization would naturally have more reporting systems.

No matter how efficient it was, its response would be slower than that of a small group.

But what was this?

Even if they had moved the moment his message was delivered, this level of speed was impossible. It even made him think that they might have known about this situation before Nobuo sent the message.

‘No, that makes sense.’

Logically, that was the right answer.

Nobuo’s message to them was close to a whim. From the opposite perspective, it was something that wasn’t even worth checking. If Nobuo had received such a message as a member of the General Assembly, would he have even reported it to his superiors?

Even if a report had been made, it would be the same.

There was no way that the higher-ups would take that simple message seriously and check it out.

Check it out, you say?

There were countless routes for ships traveling from Japan to Korea. Even if you consider the possibility of not following a fixed route, it meant that you would have to search the entire sea.

Just ordering and checking that was a huge task. And to order such a thing based on a message that came out of nowhere?

That was absolutely impossible.

Not for the General Assembly he knew.

He couldn’t blame the General Assembly for this. If Nobuo was in Japan and his acquaintance sent him a message that Korea was invading Japan, what would Nobuo do?

Report it?

Yes, he might.

But the moment he made the report, it was obvious what would happen. The report wouldn’t even reach the higher-ups and would be cut off by his superiors. He would probably just be told to get his head straight.

Nobuo himself didn’t think that his message would be a major turning point. He just hoped that they would pay a little attention, at least strengthen the coastal defenses.

But they didn’t make that choice.

They had directly attacked the ship before it even reached Korea.

It was a terrifying level of action and a terrifying level of decisiveness. Even if they had understood the contents of Nobuo’s message in advance and prepared for it, it still didn’t make sense.

There was no organization anywhere in the world that could make such an absurd decision.

“Hehehe…”

Nobuo laughed in a daze.

That was fine.

It wasn’t entirely what he had intended, but they had at least realized that Japan was invading, and they had taken measures against it. That was all that mattered.

His role was now over.

Nobuo ran a trembling hand over his face. A deep sigh, as if his soul was leaving his body, escaped his lips.

At the same time, the strength drained from his body.

‘Am I going to die?’

It wasn’t strange.

The torture he had endured was extremely cruel. It was at a level that thoroughly destroyed the human body. Nakada Yuuji probably didn’t intend to kill him.

He could feel his desire to torment him for a long time.

He probably thought that Nobuo could endure this much.

What he hadn’t calculated was that Nobuo no longer had the will to live.

He had already abandoned his entire life anyway.

If he returned to Japan, he would be a traitor and die after being brutally tortured. And it wouldn’t be any different if he went to Korea.

All he would receive there was the contempt of being a half-Japanese. Moreover, he would have to live a completely different and isolated life. How could he endure that?

‘If only I had some martial arts left.’

Nobuo lowered his head and looked at his stomach.

A small hole was pierced in his lower abdomen. The moment Nakata Yuuji sensed his resistance, he cleanly destroyed his dantian [a key energy center in traditional Chinese medicine, often associated with martial arts]. Now, he would never be able to practice martial arts again.

He had lost his martial arts, his country, and his life.

What reason was there to cling to life so pathetically?

If what he had tried to do at the end had been accomplished, then that was enough. Now, there was no other path left for Nobuo.

“Heh heh heh.”

Nobuo chuckled softly.

He felt like a martyr.

It was blasphemous for Nobuo to utter the names of those who had given up everything for their country, but that was how he felt at this moment.

‘Did they not regret it?’

The thought wouldn’t leave his mind.

Even as they were tortured to death in cold prisons, did they not regret their actions?

It was unbelievably admirable.

Some independence activists were said to have scolded the judge in court even after being tortured in prison. How could they do such a thing that hastened their own deaths?

Nobuo was filled with regret.

He didn’t regret it. But he did regret it. He was proud. But he was foolish.

A multitude of emotions he couldn’t control were now rushing at Nobuo. His mind was a mess.

The last emotion that dominated Nobuo was just one.

Emptiness.

Neither the satisfaction of achieving something nor the regret of doing something foolish remained. After a series of intense emotions swept over him, all that was left was emptiness.

Could things have been a little different? Could things have been a little different?

If he had acted a little more wisely, perhaps he too could have….

‘How ridiculous.’

What did it matter now? He was going to die anyway.

They wouldn’t care about Nobuo.

Just because there was an informant, they wouldn’t try to find that informant. They would simply base their actions on the information. Only after everything was settled would they try to find Nobuo.

But by then, Nobuo would already be dead.

Even if Korea won, he would die here. They wouldn’t bother to search this ship thoroughly to find him and take him away.

And if Japan won, he would obviously die.

Either way, there was nothing left for him. He could just die, taking solace in the fact that he had given those damn Japanese bastards a good kick in the teeth.

Die….

Nobuo’s vision blurred.

He thought so in his head, but until now, he hadn’t really felt it. He couldn’t let go of the lingering hope that there might be a way to survive.

But as he accepted everything, tears kept flowing.

He couldn’t die a glorious death.

There was no such thing as a glorious death. Death was just death. Nobuo wasn’t great enough to be dignified in the face of his own death.

Look.

The world was shaking.

Thump, thump, the sound of huge explosions echoed.

At the same time, the floor shook as if it had encountered a huge storm.

The darkness, where not a single ray of light entered, met the light that seeped in from somewhere, mixing haphazardly. If this was the sight of someone facing death… wasn’t it quite magnificent?

In a dazzling illusion of light, Nobuo saw a face.

A man buried in the pouring light was quietly looking down at him.

‘A grim reaper? Or an angel?’

It must be one of the two.

What was certain was that this being was not human. The moment he saw the figure, Nobuo was certain.

He was a bit different from the grim reaper or angel he imagined, but this person definitely had the ‘otherness’ they should have. Just by his appearance alone, he was so clearly not human.

Should he be glad that he died without pain?

Nobuo chuckled.

Yes, he was dead.

Then he should ask now. Whether he would go to hell or heaven.

From a Korean perspective, he might be someone who had dedicated himself to his country. Perhaps he would be praised, or perhaps he would be remembered forever.

If he was lucky.

But from a human perspective, wasn’t he a sinner who committed another act of slaughter to prevent slaughter?

What judgment would they make?

The angel’s lips slowly opened.

But the angel’s language could not be interpreted in Nobuo’s ears. A language he had never heard before. Nobuo realized anew that angels and humans could not understand each other.

The angel turned his head and muttered something.

And at that moment.

Familiar words reached Nobuo’s ears.

Something like a human face suddenly popped out next to the angel, and an annoyed voice flowed out.

“What’s with this guy? Why is he out of it?”

‘Korean?’

What was going on?

Why was that person speaking in Korean?

Because he was Korean?

Then that person was a translator….

“Hey, you! Snap out of it! Are you that Nobuo or whatever?”

“Huh?”

Nobuo lifted his head sharply.

‘What? Is this reality?’

Then what was this person?

This monster who seemed to be three times the size of a normal person?

“Tsk tsk, he was tortured pretty badly. Get up, man. We’re going outside.”

The monster. No, Bator clicked his tongue and reached out his hand. Then, he lifted Nobuo’s body like a toy and went outside.

Even in the midst of all this, Nobuo, who was still not fully aware of the situation, was seriously contemplating whether it wouldn’t be better to die than to be carried like a princess.

Nobuo, who had come up to the deck, widened his eyes.

‘What is this situation?’

His face hurt from opening his eyes so wide. He felt terrible pain, but he couldn’t close his eyes again.

The sight before his eyes was that shocking.

“Ah…”

Just as he was about to say something, Bator spoke first.

“I’ll go down, so take good care of this guy.”

“Don’t worry and go.”

“The master said to save him no matter what.”

“I have ears too.”

“What?”

“My English is short…”

Bator blinked once.

Bator’s appearance, with his brow slightly narrowed as he blinked, made anyone who watched him feel humble, even without anything else.

“G-go ahead.”

“Hmm.”

Bator turned his body and jumped off the deck.

Bang Jin-hoon, who was watching the scene, shook his head.

“How can I live with that fear?”

Even though Bang Jin-hoon was a director, he couldn’t match Bator. As a Korean, he couldn’t ignore that man’s age.

And even if their ages were reversed, Bator had a body that was so unbelievable that it made people ignore his age.

Even if Bator was weaker than Bang Jin-hoon, Bang Jin-hoon wouldn’t have picked a fight with Bator. Just looking at that body made people’s knees buckle.

‘A bear would be cuter.’

Bator was more ferocious than a grizzly bear that was said to be 3m tall when standing. Bator’s muscles were scarier than a grizzly’s claws or teeth.

Anyone who had seen Bator in person would agree with that statement.

Even in the midst of all this, Nobuo was still out of it.

‘What the hell is going on right now?’

Even though he was seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t understand it.

It was inevitable.

The soldiers who had filled this ship were nowhere to be seen. Looking at the corner, people were jumping off the ship.

Why?

The reason was very simple.

They must have thought it was dangerous to be on the ship, so they were jumping into the sea. Surely, those people weren’t jumping into the sea in the middle of the night because they wanted to enjoy a group swim.

But that didn’t solve the question.

There was an essential element missing from this prediction. No matter where he looked, there were no warriors from the alliance threatening the soldiers on the ship.

The ship, which had been crowded with people, had turned into a ghost ship. All that could be seen was….

‘Corpses.’

Nobuo’s face hardened.

Corpses were scattered on the deck. And there was too much blood pooled up, more than could have come from the corpses. It felt as if someone had deliberately poured red water onto the ship.

It wasn’t just the deck that was soaked in blood.

Everywhere he looked was red.

Question and understanding came at the same time.

The question of what kind of event could have created such a scene, and at the same time, the understanding that such an event must have happened for people to be so terrified that they were escaping the ship.

Nobuo turned his head slightly and looked down. Because he was standing at the edge of the deck, he could see the sea very well.

‘What’s that?’

Another strange thing was happening on the sea. The warriors who had jumped into the sea were swimming desperately, like a pod of dolphins, and rushing towards another ship next to them.

And on that ship, a group of warriors were blocking and killing those who were climbing onto the ship.

‘Is that… red?’

The sea was dyed red.

He had seen a documentary about whaling before. He was shocked to see the sea completely dyed red when whales were herded into a corner and slaughtered with spears.

That was exactly what the scene was like now.

The sea was red.

It wasn’t as vivid a red as he had seen in the video because it was hidden by the darkness, but the sight of the white foam appearing as a clear crimson was horrific.

What the hell was going on?

Nobuo couldn’t understand this situation at all. If he hadn’t seen what had happened from the beginning, no one in the world would be able to guess what had happened.

And there was something else he couldn’t understand.

The last thing that caught Nobuo’s attention was a man standing in the center of the deck.

The moment he saw his back, Nobuo’s whole body went cold.

Not human.

That was the first thought that came to Nobuo’s mind the moment he saw his back.

He had the same thought when he first saw Bator, but this was on a different level. At that time, Nobuo was in a state of confusion. If Nobuo had been in his right mind, he would have been surprised, but he wouldn’t have thought of the other person as non-human.

But that was….

That was not it.

Even though he was seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it.

Look.

At that ominous aura.

Something black was emanating from the man’s body in front of him. That black energy swirled around the man’s body like a burning flame.

The black and ominous energy that started from the man’s feet spread out to the left and right from his shoulders, burning like the wings of a demon.

His mouth wouldn’t open.

Nobuo was completely overwhelmed by the sight before him. He couldn’t take his eyes off it, and he couldn’t resist it.

Just because they had a human form didn’t mean they were all human. That was definitely something non-human. The black flames that were burning looked like a mass of vengeful spirits to Nobuo.

A person who wore death.

Yes, that was the right way to describe it.

“Ah… uh…”

“Hmm?”

Thump.

At that moment, Bang Jin-hoon pressed down on Nobuo’s shoulder. Nobuo was startled back to his senses by the touch.

“Ah… ah…”

Bang Jin-hoon, who had massaged Nobuo’s neck a couple of times, sighed.

‘Well, it’s not a sight that you can understand just by looking at it.’

And it wasn’t a sight that one could get used to. It wasn’t the first time Bang Jin-hoon had seen this sight, but even now, his heart was pounding like crazy. Just looking at that sight made his heart feel like it was about to burst.

And with it came fear.

He was certain that Kang Jin-ho would never harm him. He had that much reason. But his instincts kept pushing him back.

They were screaming at him to get away from that dangerous thing right now.

‘It’s harmful.’

If he continued to act with that man, his lifespan would be greatly reduced. Bang Jin-hoon sighed and patted Nobuo on the back.

“H-how did this happen?”

“Are you Nobuo?”

“…Yes.”

Bang Jin-hoon, who was convinced that he had found the right person after seeing his fluent Korean, pointed his finger at Kang Jin-ho.

“Do you see him?”

“Yes?”

“That man is the head of our alliance.”

The head?

If he was the head… was he human?

“T-then Kang…”

“Yes, Kang Jin-ho. He is the head of our alliance.”

Nobuo’s eyes widened.

He had heard the name Kang Jin-ho countless times. The name of the person who was the most talked about in the Japanese martial arts world right now was Kang Jin-ho.

The head of the Korean Martial Arts Alliance.

A man who had instantly pacified the Korean Martial Arts Alliance, which was said to be a gathering of riffraff, and unified the Korean martial arts world.

And the man who had fought a fierce battle with the Red King and survived.

A man with too many modifiers attached to his name.

And the target of this expedition.

Numerous pieces of information about Kang Jin-ho swirled in his head. But Nobuo realized that all that information was meaningless.

Anyone who had seen that sight would agree.

How strong he was, how agile and dangerous he was.

It was meaningless to convey it in words. That man was someone who could not be judged unless you saw him with your own eyes and experienced him with your own body.

“Uh…”

“Why are you so surprised… no, this bastard… his dantian is pierced?”

Bang Jin-hoon frowned.

“Ah, shit. They told me to bring him back without any injuries. Wow, this… that man is definitely going to make a fuss…”

Bang Jin-hoon was horrified and looked around.

“It seems like you’re looking for me?”

“Ah, you’re here?”

Bang Jin-hoon said urgently as he saw Wiggins, who had appeared out of nowhere.

“This guy has a hole in his dantian. It doesn’t seem to be life-threatening, but if we leave it like this, he won’t be able to practice martial arts.”

“…Speak in English.”

Bang Jin-hoon scratched his head.

This was too difficult to say in English. He couldn’t express it at all with his limited English. Bang Jin-hoon pointed to Nobuo’s pierced lower abdomen and conveyed his intentions through all sorts of body language.

‘What am I doing right now?’

And in the midst of all this, Nobuo was feeling a little empty.

This ship was in a state that could be called hell. Countless people had died, and those who had survived were jumping into the vast sea to avoid death.

And a demon had descended on the ship.

But these men didn’t seem to feel any tension at all.

Was this okay?

“Hmm, the wound is deep. Is this the core of Eastern martial artists?”

Wiggins looked at Nobuo’s lower abdomen with interest and chuckled.

“It’s quite convenient to gather energy in the lower abdomen instead of the heart. This way, you can subdue them without killing them. If it were us, we would have a hole in our heart.”

“Can you fix it?”

“You seem to think of me as some kind of omnipotent box.”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I hadn’t seen that earlier. So, can you do it?”

“I think it’s possible. It will take time, but treating one person isn’t that difficult for me.”

“Ah…”

“However, it will take quite a bit of time and a lot of effort. I’m a really inefficient healer. I could kill a thousand people in the time it takes to heal one person’s scratch.”

“…Why are you saying such gruesome things so easily?”

“I’ll do some first aid for now. Then I’ll be able to fix it over time.”

Wiggins placed his hand on Nobuo’s lower abdomen. At the same time, a pure white light emanated from his hand.

“How long will it take?”

“About two hours?”

“Just for first aid?”

“That’s right.”

“…It would be faster to go to a hospital.”

Wiggins frowned.

“That’s why I said I was inefficient. This isn’t my specialty in the first place.”

“Yes, yes.”

Bang Jin-hoon turned his head, and Wiggins made eye contact with Nobuo and smiled lightly.

“You’re Nobuo, right?”

“…Huh? Ah, yes!”

“Make yourself comfortable. You’re a VIP that the master specifically told us to save. Until the master meets you, no one in the world can touch you. That includes us.”

He swallowed hard.

He had never once thought that he was such an important person.

“So, keep a close eye on the master… no, no.”

Wiggins said with a sullen expression.

“Shall we move the location? If you see the sight that’s about to unfold and then meet the master, you might piss your pants?”

Nobuo trembled at the threat that wasn’t a threat.