Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 939

There is a child.

A small child.

He quietly stared at the child.

In one of the child’s hands was a small wooden sword, and in the other hand, a staff.

—That’s impossible.

—It’s not something a human can do.

Someone tried to take the wooden sword and staff from the child’s hands. But the child fiercely resisted, waving his tiny hands. Those who tried to take the weapons from the child’s hands disappeared one by one.

The last remaining figure asked the child.

—It will be difficult.

—The path you must take is too arduous.

—There are easier paths. But why do you insist on taking the difficult one?

The child raised his head.

And then, he smiled with an incredibly pure face.

“Because it looks cool.”

His eyes stung.

Light poured in. He unconsciously raised his hand to shield his eyes.

Consciousness slowly returned.

The first thing he felt was stiffness. It felt like every joint in his body was misaligned.

‘Terrible.’

The screams of his body penetrated his consciousness more clearly than the joy of still being alive.

“Are you awake?”

It was a familiar voice.

“…I don’t know if waking up is a good thing or a bad thing.”

“It’s not that bad. You just lost consciousness for a moment.”

“For just a moment… it feels like my body has been shattered.”

The Master rubbed his eyes a couple of times and sat up.

A little familiarity.

‘Is this a hotel?’

It seemed to be the hotel room he had been staying in.

It was a relief that he didn’t wake up in a hospital or at the General Assembly. Showing such a disheveled appearance to everyone would have been quite embarrassing.

‘Certainly, seeing how they handle things, it’s a waste.’

The Master’s gaze followed Wiggins.

“Please be careful. Your body is not fully recovered yet.”

“You said I only lost consciousness for a moment, but now you’re saying something different.”

“That’s how demonic energy works. When demonic energy penetrates the body, it leaves internal damage rather than external wounds. Even if you get checked at a hospital, there won’t be any abnormalities, but your energy will weaken, and you’ll eventually die.”

“…Are you saying I’m dying now?”

“Is that likely? Demonic energy just has that nature. The Lord isn’t the type to kill someone so leisurely.”

If he had wanted to kill him, he would have smashed his head in on the spot.

Wiggins swallowed these words. There was no need to say them.

The Master probably knew that he had survived thanks to Kang Jin-ho’s mercy. But pointing that out was not a good idea.

“I see. So, I lost then.”

“That’s not exactly news, is it?”

Wiggins smiled faintly.

“You didn’t expect to win either, did you, Master?”

“You don’t know anything.”

The Master threw back the blanket. He got out of bed, staggering slightly, and slowly walked towards the sofa.

“A match is something that no one can predict.”

“A one in a thousand chance of winning. Or even a one in a billion chance. That tiny probability might just happen today, at this very moment. Miracles happen often in this world. Who’s to say that this isn’t the moment for a miracle?”

Wiggins nodded silently.

It sounded like a stretch, but it wasn’t.

“It’s not right for a martial artist to assume defeat just because they are at a disadvantage. Conversely, a martial artist should never let their guard down, even when facing an opponent they can beat nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of a thousand.”

Wiggins was genuinely impressed.

It was an obvious statement.

There were countless people who could say such things. But those who could put what they knew into action were rare, even if you searched the entire world.

“So, you thought you would win?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“…Huh?”

The Master chuckled.

“At first, I thought there was a slight chance. I thought he was an opponent I could beat once out of a hundred times. If it’s one out of a hundred, maybe I could do something with sheer willpower… something like that?”

“Willpower?”

The Master smiled at Wiggins’ bewildered question.

“People want to be capricious sometimes.”

“I thought you, Master, were the one person who wouldn’t be like that.”

“Am I not human?”

That was true.

But what should he say?

To Wiggins, the Master was a little different from other people.

He couldn’t decide whether to accept the Master’s current statement with the joy of seeing a new side of him, or with the disappointment of seeing an unwanted side.

The answer was not within him, but within the Master.

There was not a hint of doubt on the Master’s face. Looking at his refreshed face, Wiggins felt ashamed for trying to find doubt in the Master’s actions.

“You seem to be taking the defeat very calmly.”

“Does it look like that?”

“Yes. To the point where I think I should learn from you.”

“You still don’t have an eye for people.”

“…Huh?”

Wiggins poured coffee and placed it in front of the Master.

The Master reached out, picked up the coffee, and slowly savored the aroma. There was nothing like the smell of coffee to clear a hazy mind.

“Calmly?”

The Master smiled faintly.

“I’m burning up inside right now.”

“If you can accept defeat calmly, you wouldn’t be a martial artist. Listen, Wiggins.”

“Yes, Master.”

“How many defeats do you think I’ve had in my life?”

There would have been very few.

The Master was, at least in Europe, one of the greatest martial artists.

“I’ve had a few. Yes, I’ve had a few. But those few defeats didn’t make me used to defeat. I’m still facing unfamiliar anger right now.”

The Master smiled faintly.

“That’s why I’m enjoying it. It’s reassuring to know that I still have this passion left in me. If I didn’t feel anything after losing, I would have been disappointed.”

“Master.”

Wiggins sat across from the Master.

“There’s something I want to ask you.”

The Master nodded at his quiet voice.

“Anything.”

Wiggins took a small breath and opened his mouth.

“Why did you do it?”

It was a question that was hard to grasp.

But the Master completely understood Wiggins’ question.

“Well. Why did I do it?”

But just because he understood the question didn’t mean the answer would come right away.

“I don’t know.”

The answer that came after a short period of contemplation did not satisfy Wiggins.

“There are many reasons I could give. But I don’t think any of them would be a perfect answer.”

“Listen, Wiggins.”

“Yes, Master.”

“It seems like both you and I have forgotten something.”

“What is it?”

“That I’m human.”

Wiggins closed his mouth.

Those words clearly struck him.

“That’s what humans are like. No one can perfectly explain a person’s choices. Isn’t there a field of study that analyzes why people act the way they do? Even after hundreds of years of effort by the world’s scholars, human choices and thoughts have not been fully revealed.”

“Yes.”

“But we think we know.”

The Master chuckled.

“The truth is, we don’t know. We don’t know what others are doing or why they make certain choices. We don’t even know why we do the things we do. That’s what humans are.”

Wiggins sighed.

“I just wanted to know why you did it.”

“I want to know too.”

The Master leaned back on the sofa.

In the end, his confrontation with Kang Jin-ho was quite rash. It was an action that a Master of the Round Table should never have taken.

But the Master, while perfectly understanding all of that, chose to confront Kang Jin-ho.

There were countless reasons.

Competitiveness, gains and losses, and…

‘Jealousy.’

He doesn’t feel jealousy towards the rising young sun.

The Master is already living in a different world to feel jealousy towards such people. If a young sun were to rise, he would look at the scene with a satisfied smile.

But Kang Jin-ho is different.

He is not young. The Master was once a sun that shone brilliantly in the sky, just like Kang Jin-ho. If that were the case, the Master would not have felt jealousy towards Kang Jin-ho.

But now, the Master is falling. But Kang Jin-ho still shines brilliantly in the sky.

That’s why he feels jealous.

But even that jealousy could not perfectly explain his actions.

‘Maybe I was looking for it.’

An escape route to change the situation he was in now.

“So…”

Wiggins asked quietly.

“Do you feel a little better?”

A faint smile formed on the Master’s lips.

‘That’s why I can’t hate him.’

Wiggins didn’t know why the Master did it. He probably wouldn’t be able to understand it either. But the question clearly hit the core.

“Asking someone who just got beaten up if they feel better, you’re a bit much.”

“I’ve learned this while living.”

“Hmm?”

“Sometimes, a perfect defeat is more refreshing than a clumsy victory.”

“Ha…”

The Master looked at Wiggins with a dumbfounded expression, then chuckled.

“Yes, maybe that’s true. Maybe… yes. Maybe that could be it.”

The Master’s fingers tapped his knee. Wiggins waited quietly while the Master sorted out his thoughts.

“Okay, then.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s talk about what you really wanted to talk about.”

The Master shrugged.

“You didn’t wait until now just to exchange pleasantries. What is it you want to talk about?”

“Master, I…”

“Listen, Wiggins.”

Wiggins raised his head slightly. The Master looked at his face and opened his mouth.

“You know me too well. And I know you too well. So, let’s not waste time with unnecessary talk. Aren’t we both busy?”

“…Yes, Master.”

Wiggins sighed softly and opened his mouth.

“There’s only one thing I want to ask. What are you planning to do now?”

“What am I planning to do…”

It was a vague question.

But within that vagueness was the core.

This question meant, what would he do with Korea if he returned to England?

“What if I give a negative answer?”

“Master.”

Wiggins quietly looked at the Master.

“As you said, I know you too well. I know that you acting as an individual and you acting as the Round Table are completely different.”

“Hmm.”

“If you were to move the Round Table, you would mobilize all the forces you could.”

“That’s right.”

“Even if you were to die here, it wouldn’t be much different. I…”

Wiggins looked at the Master with sharp eyes.

“I would rather face the Round Table without you.”

The air suddenly froze.