Descent of the Demon Master

The Korean Martial Assembly was understandably bustling in a festive mood.

The atmosphere just before everyone set off to war could only be described as gloomy. Tense. However, now that a new sun had risen after their successful return…

The excited air gushing out of the pores of every person was heating up the interior of the Assembly HQ!

In a way, this development should not come as a surprise. They had defeated Japan, after all!

Wasn't Japan one of the two pillars of power in East Asia? Even if it couldn't match China's superior might, no one in their right mind would disparage or belittle Japan. Its misfortune was being a geographical neighbor to China. If it had been in the vicinity of… Say, next to the United Kingdom, then Japan could have been the unstoppable thug of Europe!

Japan's influence in the martial world was much stronger than the one exercised in the surface world. Only China, the European Union, or the USA possessed enough might to fight Japan off. The others didn't have a hope in hell of winning.

Despite the close geographical proximity, the gap between Japan and Korea was similar to that of an elephant and an ant.

However, despite this clear gap in strength… The Korean Martial Assembly still managed to achieve a total victory!

"That's enough. Get a grip, you idiots," Yi Myeong-Hwan grunted unhappily at his fellow Demon Flames. "We haven't done anything, so why all this fuss?"

Yi Myeong-Hwan hadn't said anything wrong here. The ones who actually participated in the war were Kang Jin-Ho and other directors. The Demon Flames and others couldn't do anything else besides preventing the Japanese in the water from taking over their boats!

Unfortunately for him, though… That was not how human minds operated.

"What did that f*cker just say?!"

"Let him be, let him be. That f*cker's been suffering from the I'm-the-boss complex lately. I mean, look at all the symptoms! Look at how he's busy strutting around!"

"...We gotta fix him up one of these days, man."

"Agreed. Everyone is chomping at the bits for that day to come."

Yi Myeong-Hwan grew depressed by their reactions and pouted unhappily.

'You… You inhuman bastards!'

These bastards dumped all the annoying sundry chores on Yi Myeong-Hwan's shoulders, so how dare they treat him so unfairly like this!

Then again, he couldn't blame anyone else for this situation. It was his fault for taking on this role for this group of rock-for-brains, after all!

Yi Myeong-Hwan tried to defend himself one more time. "Hey, come on! I'm only telling you the truth."

"Truth, my ass! Stop saying we haven't done anything, okay! Didn't we shove those Jap bastards into the sea!"

"Huh? You think that's worth celebrating about?"

"What the hell? Keep a lid on your ego, man."

Yi Myeong-Hwan's attempt at preserving his dignity was met with a round of jeers and mockery.

"Listen, Myeong-Hwan. We wouldn't even dream of doing the same thing a couple of years ago, okay? The Japs could've cut off all their limbs before the fight, and we'd still be blown away by their snorts back then." ℞

"…"

Now that Yi Myeong-Hwan heard that… That assertion sounded about right.

Something like the Koreans being able to take advantage of the higher ground against the Japanese warriors would have been unimaginable a few years ago.

Didn't Lee Jung-Geol reach out to a Japanese gumi for assistance in quelling the unrest within the Martial Assembly and suppressing the Yeongnam Group? Not the entire Japanese martial society, but just one organization hailing from a small corner of Japan was still more than enough to bet the future of the Martial Assembly.

That was how insurmountable the chasm of strength was between South Korea and Japan. Being next to each other didn't mean two nations boasted similar levels of martial prowess.

The funny thing was that South Korea's level of martial prowess was considered pretty good by global standards. Unfortunately, both of its closest neighbors happened to be peerless powerhouses, leading to the current shrimp-between-whales situation.

If Korea's location was on the other side of Japan or somewhere south of China, its situation could have been vastly different… At least, for the Korean martial society, that was.

The Korean martial society would have been united a long, long time ago if it hadn't been subjected to the intense monitoring of China and Japan, although the border between the North and South might have remained unaffected.

However, the worst location possible actually gave the Koreans some breathing room. The Chinese and Japanese were busy keeping a wary eye on each other, after all!

That was the situation, and now, the Koreans managed to achieve a resounding victory against those scary Japanese. In that case, how could they not strut around with pride?

"Besides, man… Don't tell me you didn't feel it, Myeong-Hwan?"

Yi Myeong-Hwan frowned slightly. "Feel what?"

"Those bastards must've been the best of the best among the Japanese warriors, right? I mean, didn't you see the looks on their faces? Those bastards were nothing to laugh about."

"Well, yeah. They must've been. You wouldn't normally pick some random nobodies when you're about to invade another country."

"So… Didn't you think you could take on them?"

Yi Myeong-Hwan clamped his mouth shut.

Could he take on the Japanese warriors? The answer to that question wasn't as straightforward as he thought.

Even though the Japanese warriors were swimming in water, none of them looked like weak pushovers. Never. However, if someone asked Yi Myeong-Hwan whether or not he stood a chance against them in a one-on-one fight, then his answer would be… Maybe.

What if they fought on dry land?

'Huh. I can't tell.'

Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn't predict the outcome. Humans and their strength levels were ever-changing, after all.

Those Japanese warriors jumped into the water in fear of Assembly Master. Would people like that be able to utilize all of their skill sets in that situation? No, not very likely.

Even if this unique situation was excluded, Yi Myeong-Hwan still could say, with some confidence, that he'd win against the ones he encountered on the ocean.

'Huh. I think I can take at least one? Maybe more?'

If Yi Myeong-Hwan was embellishing it a bit, maybe two or three Japanese elite warriors? Being able to think this way would have been unimaginable a couple of years ago, that was for sure!

"Listen, Myeong-Hwan. We know we haven't done anything super-cool, okay? But here's the thing. Jap samurais were like creatures of fantasy to us not too long ago, right? Like, unicorns and pegasus and sh*t."

Yi Myeong-Hwan stared weirdly at his comrade. "...Huh? Even though we fought off the Crimson King?"

"Bruh, you call that fighting? You think a fly buzzing around a lion's face can be classified as a fight?"

"Well, uh… I guess you have a point."

Even though he replied affirmatively, Yi Myeong-Hwan still couldn't quite wrap his head around it. He might have experienced facing off against the Crimson King and holding that terrifying Chinese cultivator back, but that experience didn't allow him to appreciate how much stronger he had become.

If the Japanese warriors were like unicorns, then the Crimson King would be… A fire-spitting dragon?

'Even then, it's not quite good enough.'

If Yi Myeong-Hwan had been fighting a dragon, he could have dodged the creature's claw swipe or something and attempted to climb up its massive body before leaving a dent on its scale. However, he wouldn't even be able to leave a scratch on the Crimson King's body!

'Well… He's right, I guess?'

In the past, none of the martial artists here could even dream of defeating Japanese warriors. But now? It felt like the Japanese no longer seemed like an insurmountable mountain, albeit only after a few favorable conditions were added to the equation first.

"Now you get it, Myeong-Hwan?"

"...Huh. Yeah. I guess I couldn't see it until now."

"It's fine, dude. I mean, we're practically surrounded by monster-like people, after all."

"Right, right…!"

This was all Kang Jin-Ho's fault. Being in the presence of a man like him all the time had numbed Yi Myeong-Hwan to the point of not finding most things impressive anymore. With Kang Jin-Ho around… At least ten Japanese warriors needed to show up first to make it feel like something worthwhile was happening!

Yi Myeong-Hwan glanced around his vicinity. "How's everyone else feeling, though?"

"...Things are even crazier with them, dude."

"Really? I guess that makes sense."

At least the Demon Flames enjoyed several opportunities to confirm how much stronger they had gotten by getting deployed in battles. However, the other Assembly martial artists had not, and this battle against the Japanese had been their first real-world verification.

The battle for them must've been a lot fiercer. However, they still emerged victorious in the end.

'...And they must be insanely proud of what they have accomplished.'

They were probably as proud as Yi Myeong-Hwan was when he got to attack Lee Jung-Geol's forces back then!

Yi Myeong-Hwan's uncertainty over his strength's improvement was blown wide away during that night's event. Considering nothing was more ecstatic to a martial artist than getting confirmation of how much stronger they had gotten, it wouldn't be surprising to see the other groups throwing massive celebratory parties right about now.

Yi Myeong-Hwan chuckled helplessly. "...What about the demon cult, then?"

"Things are the craziest over there."

"Makes sense," Yi Myeon-Hwan wryly shook his head.

If he was being honest, even someone of meager strength like Yi Myeong-Hwan thought the standard of the demon cult's martial prowess utterly pathetic.

So pathetic that Yi Myeong-Hwan knew his old self, the one before receiving Kang Jin-Ho's demonic cultivation method, was still stronger than the cult believers!

With his current strength, Yi Myeong-Hwan was reasonably confident that he could take on dozens of cult believers all by himself.

People like that had fought and won against stronger opponents, so their elation must be through the proverbial roof.

Yi Myeong-Hwan's friend grunted unhappily. "Dude, watching those f*ckers strutting around like they own the place was giving me indigestion."

Yi Myeong-Hwan tutted loudly. "Don't say that in the open, okay?"

"Huh? You siding with them?"

Yi Myeong-Hwan shook his head. "No, I'm siding with anyone. It's just that I don't want to get beaten up like a dog later."

"Huh??"

A bitter smirk floated up on Yi Myeong-Hwan's face. "Let's be real, okay? We didn't get this strong because of our innate talent or something. All we did was just master the stuff our Assembly Master tossed at us. Didn't we?"

"Well, yeah."

"But those folks started life as demonic cultivators, right? So, they should be more familiar with demonic cultivation than us. Isn't it obvious they will become stronger than us sooner or later?"

"…!"

"Remember what we were like half a year ago. Can you tell for sure how much stronger those cult believers will become in half a year? Nope, no one can. Besides, here's the thing. Even if those people become half as strong as we are… With their numbers, you think we can fight them off?"

"...Holy sh*t. Now that you mention it, that's legit terrifying."

The demon cult believers weren't that strong, but they had numbers on their side. Even if they weren't humans but ants, Yi Myeong-Hwan or any of the Demon Flames would never dare fight against them all! So, for such a large number of people to become stronger simultaneously?

That was verging on the level of a genuinely scary horror movie!

Yi Myeong-Hwan shuddered. "That's why don't say stuff like that in front of those people, okay? If you don't wanna get beaten half to death later."

"Come on… This is Korea, you know? Are you saying we gotta watch our manners in front of some losers from China?"

"I can always repeat what you said to our Assembly Master."

"...Nah, man. It's cool. I wasn't thinking straight just now. Who cares about one's nationality in the global age, anyway? Am I right?"

Yi Myeong-Hwan grinned wryly at that. "By the way, do you know where is our Assembly Master right now?"

"I think he's in a meeting with the executives."

"Really?" Yi Myeong-Hwan nodded, then looked up at the top floor of the Assembly HQ's main building.

'I wonder, how far will we go?'

In such a short time, the Korean Martial Assembly had improved to the point of waging a successful battle against the Japanese forces. But this improvement in strength would obviously not end there. Even Yi Myeong-Hwan could see that the possibilities for the Assembly were practically endless.

The time to reap the benefits of their investment was fast approaching.

'Meaning, I better pull my socks up even more.'

Yi Myeong-Hwan didn't want to get left behind, after all! He stood still and respectfully looked up at the HQ building.

Kang Jin-Ho… The Korean Martial Assembly's Assembly Mater was transforming seemingly everything about this place. Soon, no one in this organization would dare deny or denigrate Kang Jin-Ho's authority and achievements.

Kang Jin-Ho was leading everyone to a place even loftier than they could imagine. And they would surely keep soaring higher and higher!

***

"Okay, so…" Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't help but stare at Kang Jin-Ho in slight disappointment.

As for Kang Jin-Ho, he was sagging like a strand of limp seaweed on the conference room's couch.

Lee Hyeon-Su sighed deeply. "...Are you saying you were trying to convince your family until now?"

"...Lee Hyeon-Su?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I finally figured out what I can do for a living if I stop doing all this."

"Mm? Like running a pizzeria, sir?"

"No," Kang Jin-Ho weakly shook his head. "I'll become a writer."

"…"

"I had no idea I could be so creative in cooking up all sorts of stories."

Lee Hyeon-Su silently held his head.

'Gimme a break. Seriously!'

Lee Hyeon-Su just couldn't get used to Kang Jin-Ho and his antics. How was it possible that a man who jumped into the midst of the Japanese warriors and slaughtered them like a crazy demon was the same person as this hapless young man who got interrogated by his family for staying out all night?

"Assembly Master… You're not a teenager anymore, so can't your family give you a break on stuff like this? If I'm being honest, there aren't any men in your age group getting nagged on by their families for things like this, sir."

Kang Jin-Ho tutted quietly. "...Oh, really? Why don't you tell that to my family, then?"

"I'll have to decline the offer, sir." Lee Hyeon-Su urgently shook his head.

A person's perceived worth depended on how others treated them. As an example…

A stray dog wouldn't be evaluated as much as a pet dog spoiled rotten by Kang Jin-Ho's family, even if these dogs were actually the same creature. This principle also applied to humans.

Kang Jin-Ho's family were all "normal" folks with no cultivation. However, simply for being Kang Jin-Ho's family members, Lee Hyeon-Su now viewed them as top-level targets to be very wary of! If he could help it, Lee Hyeon-Su genuinely did not want to get involved with them. Even if it meant his death!

"Hahaha…!" Wiggins chuckled elegantly before urging everyone along. "Well, then. With our small talk out of the way, shall we begin our meeting in earnest?"

Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then pushed himself off the couch. "Agreed. Let's begin."

"Yes, my lord."

After taking the seat of honor, Kang Jin-Ho scanned the faces of everyone attending this meeting, then glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su next. "Lee Hyeon-Su."

"Yes, sir!" Lee Hyeon-Su shot up to his feet, then began his briefing on the battle. He kept it as short as possible, then finished his report by saying, "Our overall losses were minimal, sir."

"I see. What about the injured?"

"About twenty people were injured and are currently receiving medical attention, sir. None of the injuries are life-threatening, and… And everyone should get back on their feet and resume cultivating sooner or later."

"Then… Any loss of life?"

"After additional investigation… About ten members from our side didn't make it last night, sir."

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow.