Descent of the Demon Master

Receiving help from someone was never a bad thing.

Especially for Bang Jin-Hun, as the act of receiving help held a very particular meaning for him.

Obviously, Bang Jin-Hun had a childhood like everyone else. Back when he was too young to do anything by himself, many people helped him out countless times.

He relied on his parents and received guidance from his master, too.

However, after growing old enough to start making decisions regarding his life, Bang Jin-Hun tried his hardest to stand on his own two feet.

When he looked back on his life now, some sheen had been taken off it, but… Bang Jin-Hun’s efforts had definitely bore fruits. There was no denying that. Objectively speaking, his life was a success story.

He started from the bottom and fought his way to the top of the Martial Assembly. Even before Kang Jin-Ho made his disruptive entrance, Bang Jin-Hun succeeded in creating a faction of his own that rivaled Lee Jung-Geol.

The fight might not have gone in Bang Jin-Hun’s favor without Kang Jin-Ho’s intervention. Even if Lee Jung-Geol defeated him in the end, though, no one in their sane minds would want to mock or look down on Bang Jin-Hun, the man who crawled up from the dirt to reach the heavens!

In spite of his achievements, however, Bang Jin-Hun had been mired in regret for a while now.

Yes, he had achieved many things all by himself. However, if he had someone to help or lead him from the front… Maybe, just maybe, he could have achieved so much more.

In that sense, Kang Jin-Ho offering his help was undoubtedly a massive opportunity for Bang Jin-Hun. Since he had never received help or guidance from someone far more excellent than him during crucial assignments in the past, Bang Jin-Hun couldn't help but get genuinely excited.

The concept of all rivers flowing to the ocean!

Even if a musician had been playing only piano for his entire life, as long as he had attained absolute mastery of the piano, his understanding of how other instruments worked should be quite outstanding as well. Especially more so if this pianist was not a soloist but a part of a larger ensemble!

Kang Jin-Ho confessed that once upon a time, he cultivated orthodox martial arts. That was good news, but Bang Jin-Hun still wouldn't have rejected Kang Jin-Ho's help even if the latter had cultivated demonic arts his entire life.

Kang Jin-Ho had been battling orthodox faction martial artists his entire life. In other words, he spent his lifetime researching ways to efficiently crush orthodox martial arts. In that case, his understanding of orthodox martial arts should surpass that of grandmasters.

Knowing this, how could Bang Jin-Hun reject the offer?

With Kang Jin-Ho's help, Bang Jin-Hun could create one of the greatest martial arts, the likes of which the Martial Assembly… No, South Korea had not seen before!

‘At least, that’s what I believed, but this…!’

Bang Jin-Hun's cheeks twitched ominously. Kang Jin-Ho was standing next to him while making an awkward expression.

“...Assembly Master, why am I supposed to take another step forward from this position?”

“So you can crack open the head of your enemy.”

“But won't my waist be exposed to enemy attacks?”

“Sure. However, even if you lose a couple of ribs, wouldn't it be worth the trouble as long as you get to crack open the enemy's head?”

“Wha? Is there a guarantee that I’ll only lose a couple of ribs? What if the enemy is swinging a sword? Won’t my torso get severed in half?”

“Can't you just crack open the head faster? Like, before the sword lands?”

“…!”

Bang Jin-Hun’s coarse beard began trembling along with his skin.

‘This f*cker, he’s… Totally insane!’

Bang Jin-Hun knew his thoughts were sacrilegious. Even so, he couldn’t help himself this time.

He always placed great importance on genuine politeness coming from one's heart, not some superficial nonsense purely performed for a show. That was why Bang Jin-Hun tried his hardest to remain polite to Kang Jin-Ho after relinquishing the Assembly Master position and demoting himself to a directorial role.

Bang Jin-Hun didn’t do that because of the difference in rank. No, he genuinely acknowledged and respected Kang Jin-Ho as the new Assembly Master who’d lead the Korean Martial Assembly to a brighter future. That was why he was willing to bow his head. But…

But, wasn’t this waaaay too much?!

“What the hell?! Assembly Master, what’s the matter with you! What’s the point if we all die?!”

“No, we won’t all die. You’ll get injured less if you hit the other side faster.”

“Isn’t there another way? One where you don’t get injured?!”

“Huh? You expect to get an enemy's pound of flesh without sacrificing some of your own? That is an absurd and inefficient mindset.”

“What the fu…” Bang Jin-Hun was about to curse but managed to clamp his mouth shut just in time. And then… His head faltered. Looking at Kang Jin-Ho's adamant attitude told everything Bang Jin-Hun needed to know.

Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t merely bluffing here. No, this insane bastard really did believe the crap coming out of his mouth. Worse still, he actually practiced what he preached, too!

When Bang Jin-Hun realized this, a question suddenly popped up in his head.

‘Hold on. How… did this insane guy manage to survive until now?’

Indeed, Kang Jin-Ho should have died a long time ago!

‘What the hell, dude? If you have any morals, you should’ve kicked the bucket already!’

A man surviving so many dangerous warzones with such a mindset should be seen as truly miraculous, no? Indeed, the logical result should've been death. Or, at the very least, a missing arm or a leg!

Bang Jin-Hun was this close to vomiting a mouthful of blood right now.

This was how Kang Jin-Ho’s life had played out so far. If someone swung a sword at his head?

The usual response from ‘normal’ people with functioning brains would be one of two things—either block or dodge. The choice would largely depend on the individual beliefs and inclinations.

However, Kang Jin-Ho's philosophy on such events was remarkably out-of-the-box.

“You deliberately take one extra step forward and bait the enemy. You use that against them and tear their heads off!”

‘What kinda bullsh*t logic is that?!’

If that kind of bullsh*t worked for real, people would've achieved anything they wanted! Absolutely every freaking thing! But people couldn't do that, and that was why they resorted to defending or dodging!

Bang Jin-Hun suddenly thought that Kang Jin-Ho wasn't a demonic cultivator because he had mastered demonic arts.

It was too late to figure out if Kang Jin-Ho had always been this way or if the deep mastery of demonic arts had completely corrupted his brain. However, one thing was for sure!

Even if Kang Jin-Ho gave up on demonic arts today and started cultivating orthodox martial arts, his crazy method of fighting would not change much, if at all!

‘Still, I can overlook that.’

Bang Jin-Hun shouldn’t be dismayed by how Kang Jin-Ho operated. He couldn’t do anything about that particular situation, after all!

However, something else did its best to dismay Bang Jin-Hun right now, and that was how Kang Jin-Ho’s crazy method kept sneaking into the martial art they were trying to create!

“Assembly Master?”

“Mm?”

“...Please remember that I’m trying to create the definitive martial art for the Martial Assembly.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “I haven’t forgotten, though?”

“This is my personal opinion, but… If we do what you say and keep heading down this direction, the day we complete this martial art will also be the day the Martial Assembly changes its name to the Demon Assembly or Bloodthirsty Assembly.”

“…!” Kang Jin-Ho awkwardly coughed after he saw the burning light sizzling away within Bang Jin-Hun’s eyes. “Surely, it can’t be that bad?”

“Yes, it is that bad!” Bang Jin-Hun finally lost it and began spitting flames. “I thought your understanding of the orthodox martial arts would be high, but what is going on here?! Isn’t this a demonic art with orthodox martial arts as its base?!”

Kang Jin-Ho pouted in clear dissatisfaction. “But the base is totally different…?”

“Does it matter if you hit someone with a sword or an ax?! It's the same difference, isn't it!”

“But, it’s different…”

Bang Jin-Hun's frustration was threatening to boil his innards alive right now. But he still forcibly suppressed this burning rage to the best of his abilities.

He would've yelled at the top of his lungs to vent his steam, but… Didn't he already do that a few times by now? Whatever the case might be, Bang Jin-Hun knew he must remain calm.

“Assembly Master, I'm trying to create an orthodox martial art here.”

“Yes, I know. But what is the orthodox martial art?”

“I’m sorry?”

Kang Jin-Ho's pout deepened to reflect his growing dissatisfaction. “Just what are the criteria for this orthodox martial art you're thinking of? Shouldn't all types of martial arts that look textbook-like and rely on stable qi circulation be called 'orthodox'? At least that's what I think.”

“...Holy cow. We’ve already reached this stage?” Bang Jin-Hun grimaced like a man in pain and sneakily backed away from Kang Jin-Ho.

If he unwisely tried to argue back, he might spend the whole night debating what truly qualified as ‘orthodox’ martial arts with Kang Jin-Ho!

“I, I don't know much about stuff like that, Assembly Master. However, I still firmly believe this isn't the direction the Martial Assembly should pursue.”

“Really? Then, tell me what is the direction the Martial Assembly wishes to pursue.”

“Well, that is…” Bang Jin-Hun was about to say something, only to hurriedly clamp his mouth shut.

The direction, was it? How was Bang Jin-Hun supposed to verbalize it?

Obviously, he knew in his mind the direction of the martial art he wanted to create. But that was not something he could explain verbally. After all, it was as vague as trying to catch floating clouds.

“It's not easy to give you a full description, sir. However, I can still tell you that this direction is definitely not it.”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “How come?”

“Because this is not the direction the Martial Assembly has been pursuing all this time.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently stared at Bang Jin-Hun before sighing loudly. “It seems I must tell you this first before it’s too late. So…”

“...I’m listening, sir.”

“Sure, people place a big emphasis on protecting their tradition. Their customs. However, your ancestors never wanted that.”

Bang Jin-Hun blinked his eyes in confusion. “They… never wanted that? Why do you say that?”

“Think about it for a second,” Kang Jin-Ho sighed again. “You create because you want something better than what you already have. Am I right? People who chase after the past can never evolve or make progress. Creators are usually people who have discarded their attachments to the past. Things like new schools of thought, sects, and ways of living… can only come from those who have severed themselves from the past.”

Bang Jin-Hun began shuddering. That was because he… He understood what Kang Jin-Ho was telling him.

“The creators of the martial arts you’re using as your ingredients would’ve been wishing for something better than what came before them, Director Bang. They were people who tried to create something revolutionary and different from the stuff of the past. However, those who were supposed to inherit this mindset took the old martial arts as their textbooks and taught the next generation to simply follow. And that’s where things went wrong.”

The teachers taught their pupils to follow. However, the creators of things that formed the basis of these teachings asked others to surpass them. Who was right between the two?

Kang Jin-Ho continued to explain. “Our era has already given us the answer. A Shaolin warrior monk can’t win against a Muay Thai boxer. A Muay Thai boxer will get caught by a jujitsu master and get choked out of life on the floor. And a jujitsu master will crumble like a sandcastle when confronted by a top MMA fighter.”

Bang Jin-Hun tried to argue back. “That’s because they are not cultivators utilizing qi.”

“Did they lose because they weren't cultivators? Or did cultivation mask their weaknesses? Which one do you think it is?”

“…” Bang Jin-Hun couldn’t reply. He could only grimace in silence.

Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged his shoulders. “Of course, circumstances will be different for everybody. Shaolin developed martial arts to fully utilize the internal qi, while modern combat sports are still evolving for the sake of winning without relying on cultivation. That does not mean martial arts of the past are perfect, that they are complete.”

“You are… correct, sir.”

Bang Jin-Hun had no choice but to agree with Kang Jin-Ho. As it turned out, the direction of progress for martial arts had already been suggested by outside factors. While the martial society was focusing on upholding the values of the past, the rest of the world compared the already-revealed combat arts and began finding ways to improve them.

Bang Jin-Hun shook his head. “However, sir! We can’t accept that way of thinking, just like that! Martial arts and cultivation aren’t like combat sports where competitors put on gloves and can’t hit each other in the balls!”

“So, it’s tradition, then?”

Bang Jin-Hun’s lips twitched when Kang Jin-Ho ‘asked’ that.

Analyzing the past was important when creating something new. Bang Jin-Hun agreed with that point. But what he couldn't readily accept was the fact that they also required something that was 'clearly' different, too.

“Is this the matter of utility in real battles?”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “This is what I think. Martial arts are no longer 'just' martial arts. Not anymore. In the past, becoming a master martial artist was the goal, but it's a means to an end now. After all… What does it matter as long as we become stronger? Am I right?”

Bang Jin-Hun shook his head again, still unable to accept it. However, he recognized that this avenue was worth thinking about. “Assembly Master, you have a talent for making people really confused. You know that?”

“Do I?”

Bang Jin-Hun sighed before roughly scratching his head. “Right now, we… can’t. I need time to think and get used to it, sir. I’ll take the rest of the day off and think about it until my head explodes. And then… Let’s talk afterward.”

“That’s fine with me,” said Kang Jin-Ho before getting up to leave.

He coolly turned around and headed to the office’s exit, but Bang Jin-Hun wasn’t ready to let him escape like that. Especially when Kang Jin-Ho was feeling all refreshed and the like!

“However! I'm not saying you're totally right about this, sir! I still think there's a huuuuge difference between pursuing utility in battles and blindly charging at your enemies like a madman!”

“…”

“Most normal folks wouldn't call that useful or practical. No, they would just call it insa… Kuh-hum. I'm sure you can tell what I'm talking about.”

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly gripped the doorknob really hard. The poor metal doorknob crumpled like a toy made out of paper.

Bang Jin-Hun awkwardly smiled after witnessing that scene. “Well, uh… Now that I've thought about it some more, I guess your method is also kinda practical, in a way?”

As usual, the protection of the law was far away while the threat of violence was right next door.