Descent of the Demon Master

“Your side is wide open,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

Humans were humans because they could listen and understand each other.

As for animals that couldn't understand human language, they were destined to be controlled through force. Although the world had moved on and frowned upon the practice of abusing animals, such customs were still prevalent in many parts of the world.

In that sense, Vator was striding the boundary between man and animal right now.

Using a calm voice to point out the problems was a valid way to speak to another human being. This situation could be called a good learning experience if the other party was willing to listen, accept they had a problem, and do their best to fix it.

Unfortunately for Vator, though… Kang Jin-Ho was a bit of an impatient type.

Cruuuunch…!

Even before Vator could give his feedback on the "problem", Kang Jin-Ho's fist dug deep into the big man's side. This punch was so fierce that all of Vator's ribs must've broken in one go!

Vator’s face distorted hideously from the pain.

“Screaming won’t fix your problem,” said Kang Jin-Ho. And then…

BOOM!

Kang Jin-Ho kicked Vator in the gut. The big man’s figure floated up in the air like a balloon!

“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin while peering closely at Vator, who was clutching his gut as he fell back to Earth. “...There is zero harmony in his qi.”

Kang Jin-Ho could clearly see that the demonic qi flowing inside Vator was resolutely refusing to blend with the already-existing qi in the big man’s meridians.

However, Vator's mind was in too much disarray to listen to Kang Jin-Ho right now.

“Krrrrk!”

Vator landed on the ground with a loud thud, then gritted his teeth loudly.

Despite the threatening growl, though, Kang Jin-Ho nonchalantly walked up to Vator. And Vator responded by howling like a beast and pouncing on Kang Jin-Ho.

Pat!

Kang Jin-Ho dismissively flicked his hand to deflect Vator's punch, then landed three consecutive strikes on Vator's wide-open upper torso.

After his neck, chest, and gut were accurately struck, Vator soundlessly crumbled to the ground.

Kang Jin-Ho quietly muttered, “Demonic arts are all about controlling yourself.”

Rather than losing one's rational mind and going berserk, it was far better to not master the demonic arts in the first place. Why? Because Kang Jin-Ho didn't want to clean up the mess afterward!

“Kkuh-hu-huk…”

As Vator knelt on one knee and growled, Kang Jin-Ho placed his hand on the big man’s head.

‘It’s like my lord is trying to bless him.’

That was the impression Wiggins got. It was like watching a giant from mythical tales recognizing his master and kneeling to pay his respect. Of course, this scene had nothing to do with loyalty or faith toward the master... As it was the product of submission through merciless fist!

Then again, reality was often more cruel than fantasy.

Pshuoowooh…

Along with the sounds of air leaking, Kang Jin-Ho sucked out the demonic qi filling up Vator's head. However, there was no discernible change in Vator's behavior. He was still glaring at Kang Jin-Ho with bloodshot eyes.

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Maybe I haven’t extracted all the demonic qi?”

That was when Kang Jin-Ho suddenly raised his fist again.

“N-no, wait! Listen, Master! I…!”

Poooow!

Those who got punched while trying to say something would know the truth. It hurt a lot when punched in the face with your mouth closed. However, if your mouth was open when punched in the face… Now that would hurt like a motherf*cker!

Vator collapsed into a heap while screaming in silence.

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head again. “Huh? Looks like demonic qi still doesn't want to come out of your head?”

“M-Master, wait! I’m awake… Aaaaaahk?! Aaaahk!”

And then… It devolved into a beatdown.

‘Yup, that’s on purpose.’

‘He’s deliberately doing that, isn’t he?’

The bystanders grimaced as they watched Kang Jin-Ho open a can of whoopass on Vator. It was as if Kang Jin-Ho had been searching for a pretext like this, and now, he was going all out!

Vator desperately cried some words out, but Kang Jin-Ho acted like he couldn’t hear anything. So good was Kang Jin-Ho’s acting that the bystanders briefly wondered if his hearing got damaged as his cultivation realm improved.

‘I better stop testing my luck, then…’

‘That dude wasn’t thuggish like this, so what the hell…?’

‘That’s why you shouldn’t have been so cheeky.’

All the audience members had to turn their heads away.

The Martial Assembly was a sect with its power focused on the singular point, which happened to be Kang Jin-Ho. He wielded all the power in the organization, and his subordinates could only hope to ‘carefully’ offer their opinion every now and then.

However, when Vator and Wiggins joined the organization, the communication channels opened up unexpectedly.

Now, the subordinates could argue the rights and wrongs in Kang Jin-Ho's presence. They could even point out that Kang Jin-Ho was in the wrong, too!

Those two men could nonchalantly bring up a topic that Lee Hyeon-Su of the past would've beaten around the bush three hundred and fifty times before even thinking about raising it.

Obviously, this development was good for the sake of the organization’s future and continued improvement. But now…

POW!

Just as Vator tried to stand up, Kang Jin-Ho kicked the big man in the face. Vator collapsed on the ground again, this time with a large footprint embedded into his forehead. Some steam was even rising up from the imprint, too!

‘Yup, I better keep my mouth shut.’

‘Who knew my lord was a tyrant? A dictator?’

‘He's doing this on purpose, right? To remind us?'

Vator, a man who formed one of the pillars of the Kang Jin-Ho resistance faction, was getting soundly beaten up. With the precedent set, who would want to stand up to Kang Jin-Ho now?

‘I knew something was up when the Assembly Master wanted to spar for some reason and brought us out here.’

‘Was the excuse of sparring even necessary? He could’ve just said Vator got on his nerves, you know? What kind of sparring is this?’

Obviously, the peanut gallery had a lot they wanted to get off their chest. However, no one was brave enough to say those out loud. The finally-cracked-open communication channel… was shut down once more.

While making a refreshed face, Kang Jin-Ho sneakily pushed against Vator's side. “So? Have you come to your senses now?”

“...Yes, Master. I have,” Vator replied, his attitude considerably more polite now.

Kang Jin-Ho smiled "gently" as he studied Vator.

‘Well, this is what everyone is like.'

Vator’s personality wasn’t really "headstrong."

The demon cult of the past was littered with crazies everywhere you looked. Not ‘crazy’ like Vator with a short fuse or unyielding will, no, but literal crazies! That was the demon cult in a nutshell.

One of those crazies running loose in Gangho would've been enough to cause unbridled panic. As such, the demon cult kept a tight leash on all of its crazies to ensure none of them would slip outside. If that happened, who knew what might happen!

Compared to those crazies, Vator didn't even qualify to be called insane. However, even those crazies became docile and obediently toed the line after getting a thorough beating.

Kang Jin-Ho gently smiled and patted Vator on the shoulder. “You will lose your mind once the demonic qi fills up your skull. That's why you need to be more careful, okay?”

“...Yes, Master.”

Vator had regained his mind a long time ago. However, he didn’t see the point of arguing that with Kang Jin-Ho. Doing so would only invite more beating, after all!

‘Dammit!’

The truth was, though… Vator wasn’t aggrieved by the fact that he got beaten up by Kang Jin-Ho.

The martial world was ten times more violent than the surface world. Getting beaten up was more like a daily occurrence in this place.

What made Vator miserable was that he got one-sidedly beaten up without being able to do anything.

“...Master?”

“Mm?”

“What did you do to become this strong?”

“Becoming this strong, is it…?” Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head. “It's not like I've suddenly become stronger.”

“...What? You haven’t?”

“Yes. It’s just that I’ve become more efficient, that’s all. In the past, my qi management couldn’t keep up, and I couldn’t do what I wanted. But now, I can. That’s the difference.”

Vator tilted his head this way and that. He couldn’t understand what Kang Jin-Ho was even saying.

“Allow me to explain…” said Wiggins as he walked up to the duo. He began interpreting what Kang Jin-Ho said for everyone's benefit. “In terms of a car, this situation is like… The engine's power output hasn't changed, but you can now accelerate much faster and take the corners at a much higher speed after your car went through a myriad of adjustments and refinements.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Yes, something like that.”

“Even so, my lord? That is still insufficient to explain a gap as incredible as this.”

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho frowned, wondering how to explain himself better. “This explanation might sound a bit crude, but… It’s like this, okay? I’ve driven a Formula One car before.”

“Of course. You’ve reached the absolute pinnacle in the past.”

“A driver would usually never try to reach their car's advertised top speed. As a matter of fact, most people don't know how fast their car can actually travel.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“They also never get the chance to go around a corner as fast as they can or try out various driving techniques. It’s scary to travel that fast, after all.”

Wiggins slowly nodded as he listened.

‘I think I understand where my lord is going with this.’

Most people would think of driving past 200 km/h as an act of daredevil.

How many would get a chance to floor the accelerator on a straight road until their vehicle was traveling over fifty-five meters per second? Some might get the courage to test it out, but none would think of maintaining that speed while going around corners.

However, Kang Jin-Ho could do that. He had already traveled past the speed of 400 km/h before, so the idea of traveling at 200 km/h was nothing to be alarmed about.

That was why he could utilize various techniques with his current maximum output. Even if his horsepower remained the same, the overall flexibility and efficiency of his qi application had reached an even-higher realm.

At least, that was what Kang Jin-Ho was saying.

“My lord… I understand it now, but it's still hard to believe. How is it possible to widen the gap this much by doing so little?”

“Do you need a further explanation?” Kang Jin-Ho frowned. His expression was asking, ‘You don’t believe me even after witnessing the truth?’

Wiggins hurriedly shook his head. “No, my lord. I do not require further explanation. It’s just that I’m greatly stunned by this development.”

“It's simply a matter of proficiency. Give a rookie a hammer, and the best he can do is crack a pebble apart. Give the same hammer to an expert, and he will split a boulder in half.”

“Indeed, my lord.”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at his audience. “Raising your power output is important. However, using what you already have as effectively as possible is just as important. We should be striving toward achieving both goals.”

Wiggins nodded again.

Kang Jin-Ho wasn't talking about cultivation alone. He was also indicating the future direction of the Martial Assembly. Accepting new things and learning new martial arts were all crucial for the organization. However, efficiently utilizing what the organization already possessed was just as crucial. That was what Kang Jin-Ho was implying.

“Taking your foot off the accelerator just because you've mastered demonic arts is meaningless. You should learn how to properly utilize it, too.”

“Master…!” Vator suddenly interrupted Kang Jin-Ho. “I want to ask you something.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Do you think my approach has been wrong?”

“No,” Kang Jin-Ho firmly shook his head. “Your direction wasn't wrong. Neither was your approach.”

“Then… What?”

“It's simple. I've changed my mind.” Kang Jin-Ho smirked suspiciously. “Since we're in the modern era, I thought I needed to change from my old ways. So, I wanted to approach education with a modern mindset, but now I know better. What you all want from me are results. In that case… I should strive to give you the best result possible no matter what.”

Crack, crunch…!

Kang Jin-Ho's clenched fists issued the chilling noises of joints popping.

“...Even if the methods chosen can get a bit reckless and violent.”

The complexion of everyone here instantly paled.

“Uhm, excuse me…?” Lee Hyeon-Su cautiously raised his hand. “I, uh, I believe our democratic methods are already sufficient, sir.”

Everyone silently cheered Lee Hyeon-Su on. Who in their right mind would want to go through stuff like displays of tyranny and physical abuse disguised as education at this stage in their life?

Not to forget, most of the people present here were not young by any stretch of the imagination. Even if Kang Jin-Ho’s mental age was much older than everyone here… His physical body was that of a strapping young man in his early twenties!

“I disagree,” Kang Jin-Ho unceremoniously shot Lee Hyeon-Su down.

...And that was the end of that little rebellion.

“The story was the same in the past, too. I tried to educate my subordinates as humanely as possible and resorted to various tricks, but the total sum of all that hard work was worse than the experiences gained from two intense sparring sessions. So, it's easy enough to draw conclusions based on that experiment.”

“…!”

“Your head may forget, but your body will not. It’s about time I help you all understand that.”

That was when Vator suddenly raised his voice. “Master!”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at him. “Mm?”

“I…!” Vator shot up to his feet and stared at Kang Jin-Ho with eyes seemingly ready to bulge out of their sockets. “...I’m in full agreement with you!”

Everyone's gaze fixed on Vator's broad back just then. He glanced behind him at the rest of the future victims, and it was surprisingly easy to figure out what he was thinking at that moment from the look on his face.

‘I will not be the only one getting beaten up today!’

Pain and sorrow were supposed to be shared, and that would make them so much more bearable. Since Vator had been beaten up black-and-blue today, he didn't want to end things like this. So, he decided to share the pain and experience the camaraderie with everyone here!

“That’s what it means to be comrades,” said Vator with a smirk.

“Comrades, my foot!”

“Don’t drag us into your suicide attempt!”

Vator was bombarded by the barrage of insults in the blink of an eye, but he ably blocked his hearing and coldly turned his head away.

“Okay, so…” Kang Jin-Ho suddenly spoke up and silenced the clamoring crowd in an instant. “Who'd like to go next?”

When Wiggins saw that incredibly cheery look on Kang Jin-Ho’s face… The former Knight of the Round Table grimly squeezed his eyes shut.

The real Demon King had descended to the Martial Assembly, it seemed!