Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1135. Getting Some Rest (5)

“We won.”

Kang Jin-Ho muttered in satisfaction while staring at the computer monitor. The word ‘Victory’ appearing in it left behind such a strong impression on him.

Winning and losing were all a part of playing competitive video games. Even so, emerging victorious still felt great, now didn't it!

However, unlike Kang Jin-Ho, who was grinning contentedly, Park Yu-Min looked like a nervous wreck!

His face was flushed with worry, while cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

“H-hey, Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at his friend. “What’s up?”

“These three... Will they be alright?”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow before glancing behind him.

“Urggggh...”

“Euuuuh...”

“Ouch, ouch...”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. “You dare make noises now?”

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

The area instantly became quiet.

Behind Kang Jin-Ho were three men, with their heads planted on the PC Room’s floor in the classic ‘Wonsan bombing raid’ pose.[1]

As far as punishments went, this wasn't anything special. Other than the fact that the trio had to have one of their legs in the air, that was!

“Jin-Ho, how about, y-you know, cutting them some slack?” Park Yu-Min stammered ungainly. “They’ve been doing that throughout the match, you know?”

Kang Jin-Ho disinterestedly replied, “They’ll be fine.”

“Sure, but look at the PC Room proprietor! He’s about to lose his mind, too!”

“That’ll be fine, too. I’ll compensate him generously.”

“B-besides, these three didn’t do anything serious, right?”

“You think so?” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded as if he respected Park Yu-Min’s opinion, then addressed the trio. “Hey, you three.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Sir, yessir! Assembly Master!”

“Yes, my dear lord! God in heaven!”

The last response was a bit strange, but at least they all replied right away, so that was something.

Kang Jin-Ho casually asked, “You think you’ve done nothing wrong?”

“No, sir!”

“We deserve death for our crime, sir!”

“We’ll remain in this pose till tomorrow morning, sir! And we’ll go home with our heads planted on the ground like this!”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Park Yu-Min next. “Well, you heard them.”

“...”

Park Yu-Min’s flushed-red face paled instantly.

How could Kang Jin-Ho force these men into the classic Wonsan bombing raid pose for one solid hour just because they swore at him during an online match?

Then again, this trio also didn’t seem ordinary, now did they?

‘How are they maintaining that pose for so long?’

As far as Park Yu-Min knew, lasting ten minutes in that pose was already a minor miracle. Yet these three burly men seemed to have no problem staying like that for one hour straight!

Kang Jin-Ho pointed at the computer. “How about another match?”

Park Yu-Min hurriedly shook his head. “H-hey, dude. Let's stop. It's getting too uncomfortable for me.”

“I’m telling you, it's fine.”

“No, it’s not fine for me. I’m getting too uncomfortable here! I can’t concentrate when things are like this.”

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly while nodding, obviously not pleased. “You three, stand up.”

The three men shot up to their feet, causing Park Yu-Min to flinch a little. That wasn’t surprising, though, considering what the three looked like.

Yi Myeong-Hwan at least resembled a normal human being, more or less, but Gong Yeong-Gil next to him was a giant that even Vator had acknowledged. Most average adults couldn’t even look him in the eyes because of how tall he was!

Kang Jin-Ho tutted after noticing the fright in Park Yu-Min’s face. “Look at the floor.”

“Yessir!” Gong Yeong-Gil hurriedly lowered his head while making the face of a sad and cuddly bear.

Kang Jin-Ho groaned softly at the sight of these three. Meanwhile, the trio sneakily exchanged glances with each other.

“I’m going for a smoke break, so you three, reflect on yourselves.”

“Understood, sir!”

“We’ll properly reflect on ourselves, sir!”

“My apologies, Assembly Master!”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted again, then coolly got up from his chair. As he headed to the dedicated smoking area, Park Yu-Min and Ju Yeong-Gil followed him.

Once the three of them disappeared into the smoking area, Gong Yeong-Gil's expression instantly morphed into that of a monster, and he began gnashing his teeth at Yi Myeong-Hwan.

“You! We’re gonna have a long and serious chat after this, got that!”

“...”

Jo Ik-Su, the other person in the trio, also glared at Yi Myeong-Hwan like a serial killer. “Imma cut off all your fingers, got that! And I'm gonna flush all your fingers down the toilet, you son of a b*tch!”

Yi Myeong-Hwan grew timid from their intimidating auras. “C-come on, guys. How could I have known that it was our Assembly Master?”

“Say what?”

“What was that, you piece of sh*t?!”

Yi Myeong-Hwan squeezed his eyes shut as sorrow washed over him.

‘I’m not a bloody fortune teller! How the hell could I have known!’

If he knew the teammate playing like a weirdo was Kang Jin-Ho, he obviously wouldn’t have said anything, never mind hurled nonstop insults, in the chat.

‘No, wait. I might have, actually.’

It wouldn't matter what Kang Jin-Ho did in the game, Yi Myeong-Hwan would've typed words of exaltation and praise till his fingertips wore out! He probably would have run out of praises existing in the world before long, too!

However, that was all ‘what if’ now. After all, he had no idea!

The manly sweat from his heart began pooling near Yi Myeong-Hwan’s eyes.

‘How can the heavens be so cruel to me!’

Millions of people played video games every day, so why! Why did Yi Myeong-Hwan have to get matched up with Kang Jin-Ho, of all people! This had to be a deliberate attempt by the heavens above to have a laugh at his expense. It had to be!

Gong Yeong-Gil growled menacingly. “I should've known when you started trolling in the chat. What the f*ck, you dumb sh*t! What were you thinking, insulting another dude's family!”

“...”

“I should’ve ripped that tongue out of your mouth when I had the chance!”

From the perspectives of Gong Yeong-Gil and Jo Ik-Su, they couldn't help but view this situation as deeply unfair. They weren't even playing the same game as Yi Myeong-Hwan, after all! No, the only thing they were guilty of was playing right next to this foul-mouthed bastard!

But thanks to that, they were now entangled in this mess, too!

Yi Myeong-Hwan worriedly asked, “Y-you think the Assembly Master will kill me?”

Gong Yeong-Gil tutted. “Of course not. He wouldn’t do that.”

“O-oh! You think so, too?”

“Yeah. But Chief Lee Hyeon-Su will definitely skin you alive.”

“...!”

“Imagine what might happen once Chief Lee or Sir Vator hears about you insulting the Assembly Master while playing some video games. They'll probably tear your limbs apart and hang them out to dry on the HQ's rooftop or something!”

Yi Myeong-Hwan’s complexion grew even paler than before. Both Lee Hyeon-Su and Vator were fully capable of doing that. Especially Lee Hyeon-Su! That madman might come after Yi Myeong-Hwan with a sharp butcher’s knife for real!

“W-what should I do?”

Gong Yeong-Gil shouted, “What do you mean, what? Get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness like there’s no tomorrow, you dumbass! Kiss the dirt and grovel until the floor wears out, okay!”

Jo Ik-Su slapped his forehead. “F*ck me... It's this so-called friend’s fault, so why do I have to go through this sh*t, too?!”

“Dang it, man! We’re also dead meat. Argh...! Bloody hell,” Gong groaned loudly while rubbing his face.

The Martial Assembly had begun restricting its members from leaving its grounds or staying overnight outside. Especially those mastering demonic cultivation; they had already been ordered to move to the dorms on the HQ grounds.

What about people’s dissatisfaction, though? Of course they were dissatisfied. Overwhelmingly so.

However, one had to voice their dissatisfaction publicly first in order to show how opposed one was to these orders. Without doing that, dissatisfaction would always remain as that, dissatisfaction.

And as everyone knew, the Martial Assembly had this unfortunate tendency to cleanly ignore the dissatisfaction of its members.

That was why the trio came to this PC Room to enjoy one last day of freedom and have some fun before the so-called guideline came into effect, but this...!

Jo Ik-Su yelled unhappily. “That’s why I told you we should go to a local PC Room, you dipsh*t!”

Yi Myeong-Hwan sighed weakly. “...But those PC Rooms aren’t as nice as the ones in the big city, though. You know, bad services and stuff.”

“Argh! You stupid bastard...”

Yi Myeong-Hwan ignored his friends and sighed even louder, then shielded his face. “How am I supposed to deal with Chief Jo now...?”

Gong Yeong-Gil glared sharply at Yi Myeong-Hwan, veins bulging on his forehead. “Oii. Why are you worried about that now?”

“E-eh?”

“When we’re gonna beat your sorry ass ‘til kingdom come when we get out of here?”

“...!”

“You think we’ll let you return to the Assembly alive? No, sir, no! We’re gonna totally rip you apart!”

“...”

Yi Myeong-Hwan stared at the ceiling in sorrow. How did things end up this way? Just how!

Jo Ik-Su glanced at the smoking area before panicking slightly. “He’s coming!”

The doorway to the smoking area was yanked open, then Kang Jin-Ho exited from there. He leisurely returned to his seat, which was fine, but a new problem arose. And that was the fact that he was now facing the trio!

Kang Jin-Ho silently studied the trio before smirking softly. “Yi Myeong-Hwan?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Looks like you’ve been under a bit of stress lately.”

“...N-no, sir.”

“You want me to help you out with destressing?”

Cold sweat began flooding down from the top of his head. It was as if someone had installed a shower nozzle above his crown and turned it on!

“My apologies, sir!”

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't think of anything to say besides profusely apologizing.

Kang Jin-Ho dismissively waved his hand. “Apologies can solve some things. But some others can’t be resolved like that.”

For a moment there, Yi Myeong-Hwan thought he was back in his military service days. Didn't someone retort to him back then like this? That an apology wouldn't mean the draft would suddenly end there.

In this case, would apologizing lead to his Assembly life becoming easier? No!

“S-sir! I swear, I’ll never do it again!”

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho smirked while studying Yi Myeong-Hwan’s face.

It wasn’t as if he wanted to chew this poor guy out. His previous anger was long gone by now thanks to the shock and dismay of finding Yi Myeong-Hwan here.

“Did you come here to have some fun?” Kang Jin-Ho asked.

“...Yes, sir.”

“You should’ve heard the warning about not causing problems outside, though?”

“Y-yes, sir, we have. We’re all scheduled to move into the dorms by next week. S-so, we thought we might as well have some fun before that...”

“Oh, is that so? I didn’t know that the ‘not cause any trouble’ order only applies from next week, though?”

“N-no, sir!”

“So, why?”

“...I’m sorry?”

Kang Jin-Ho stared straight into Yi Myeong-Hwan’s eyes. “What were you thinking of doing if it wasn’t me but some other random person? Beat that person up?”

“...!”

Yi Myeong-Hwan’s shirt was completely soaked in sweat.

“Yi Myeong-Hwan.”

“Yes, sir!”

“I don't care about you unknowingly insulting me. People can make mistakes, after all. However...!” Kang Jin-Ho's expression grew colder as he spoke. “Causing trouble with powerless civilians is another matter altogether.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan found it harder to breathe now.

It wasn’t as if Kang Jin-Ho had unleashed his aura to suppress and crush Yi Myeong-Hwan here, yet the latter still felt like his heart was being squeezed to death.

Kang Jin-Ho calmly declared, “One more slip-up like this, and I won’t be as understanding anymore. Understand?”

Yi Myeong-Hwan urgently nodded. “I-it will never happen again, sir! I swear!”

“Good. You can leave now.”

“Y-yes, sir! Thank you, sir!”

The situation ended a lot more gently than everyone had expected.

If Lee Hyeon-Su heard about it, the whole Martial Assembly might get flipped on its head, and the three of them might have to hang around near the HQ’s front entrance in their briefs only. However, judging from how Kang Jin-Ho responded, it sounded like he had no plans to tell Lee Hyeon-Su what had happened here.

‘Yes! We made it!’

Just before the trio could celebrate inwardly, though...

Kang Jin-Ho called out to Yi Myeong-Hwan. “By the way, how did you get here?”

Yi Myeong-Hwan cautiously replied, “Oh, uh... We came in my car, sir.”

“All three of you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I see. Gimme the keys.”

“...I’m sorry?”

“I said, your keys. Car keys.”

“...!” Yi Myeong-Hwan helplessly blinked his eyes before taking out his precious car keys from his pocket. With his hands visibly trembling, he offered the keys to Kang Jin-Ho.

“Okay. You can go now,” Kang Jin-Ho smiled after receiving the keys, then pointed at the exit with his chin.

“O-of course, sir. T-then, have a nice...”

“Oh, and before you go. I’m saying this out of concern, but...”

“Y-yes, sir?”

“Don’t think about getting on a bus or calling for a taxi, got that?”

“...”

“Get back to the HQ on time. Don’t be late.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan reflexively looked at his watch. It said two in the morning. And he was supposed to return before six in the morning. So, to cover the distance of roughly a hundred kilometers in four hours...?

‘If we manage our stamina well, I think it’s doable?’

Unfortunately, Kang Jin-Ho wasn't finished.

“Oh, and we can’t risk people seeing you run, so use the backroads and deserted mountain paths, okay?”

Nope, that was totally impossible. Not even with a miracle!

The distance of a hundred kilometers was when traveling on Korea’s pristine network of national highways. However, to get to the Assembly HQ in four hours using nothing more than... mountain roads?

Kang Jin-Ho ‘innocently’ cocked his head. “What’s the matter?”

“I-it’s nothing, sir! We’ll get home on time!”

“And finally...”

“Yes, sir!”

“Add me to your friends list. And you better change your online name, too.”

“...Understood, sir.” Yi Myeong-Hwan lifelessly replied, his head faltering. When he began trudging toward the exit, Gong Yeong-Gil and Jo Ik-Su quickly bowed at Kang Jin-Ho and rushed toward Yi Myeong-Hwan to catch up.

Quite literally, too, since they grabbed Yi Myeong-Hwan’s shoulders from both sides!

“Let’s. Go. Together. My. Dear. Friend!”

“Since we’ll be taking the backroads, let’s have a productive time discussing a way forward, okay?”

“...”

Yi Myeong-Hwan trudged outside like a depressed cow being dragged into an abattoir. Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly at this sight.

‘He’s not a very lucky fella, is he?’

It seemed that way since he'd have to 'talk' to his friends after getting grilled like this by Kang Jin-Ho.

However, this was a serious problem that should not be overlooked. If it was not Kang Jin-Ho but someone else getting into an insult match with Yi Myeong-Hwan, that person wouldn’t have been able to defend themselves in case things devolved into fisticuffs.

‘I better bring this up during the next meeting.’

Folks who were no different from living weapons were walking around freely in normal society. What would have happened if Yi Myeong-Hwan got into an argument with someone, beat that person up to within an inch of their life without getting captured by CCTV cameras, and then returned to the Assembly HQ?

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow.

Such a thing must never happen. That was why he needed to find a way to monitor those who were allowed to roam around freely on the surface world.

Park Yu-Min worriedly asked, “Hey, Jin-Ho?”

“Yeah?”

“Just who were those people? They obviously knew you, so...”

“Mm...?” Kang Jin-Ho scratched his head. “Should I say they are subordinates from my workplace?”

“R-really?”

Ju Yeong-Gi chimed in just then. “Holy cow, dude! They sure had this impressive aura about them, didn’t they! I’ve never cowered before anyone in my life, but against those three? If I met them on the street, I’d be the one groveling on the floor in 0.1 seconds!”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled. “...Nah, not really. They are pretty naive and fairly nice people, actually.”

“Naive?! Nice?!”

“Yeah.”

“No, Jin-Ho. They are only like that when you’re around.”

“...”

It seemed that Kang Jin-Ho better think of a solution as soon as possible.

“Well, if they are not really naive and nice, I better make them.”

Crunch, crack!

Kang Jin-Ho cocked his head to the side a couple of times.

At the same time, while getting pummeled by his so-called friends in a deserted back alley, Yi Myeong-Hwan inexplicably felt this mysterious chill run down his spine.

1. Wonsan bombing raid pose (원산폭격) is indeed a classic South Korean military punishment where the soldier or soldiers must put their hands behind their back and, while standing up, they must bend forward and plant their forehead on the dirt. Some variations of this pose exist. You can google to check out what it looks like. ☜