Descent of the Demon Master

“What’s this?”

“Isn’t this a smartphone?”

“Wow, isn't this the latest model?”

Zhu Gang was greeted by the sight of a lengthy procession of people upon his arrival at the Martial Assembly HQ. Calling it a procession was a little incorrect, though. After all, it wasn’t only one queue, but dozens of them!

This scene was reminiscent of an airport security checkpoint, with people in dozens of queues impatiently waiting for their turn. In front of these queues were employees of the Martial Assembly sitting behind desks busy distributing boxes of new smartphones.

“Huh? Are they just giving away these phones for free?”

“Holy cow.”

Zhu Gang could see the people in front were busy writing something on a form. It seemed one had to record their personal details first in order to receive their new phone.

“Oh, hey. Wait, dude.” Zhu Gang called out to his fellow demonic cultivator who had received his phone already. “Are they just giving away the phone?”

“Really? It's not like we gotta pay monthly installments?”

“Nope. I got it for free. I only had to write my name down.”

Zhu Gang blinked his eyes in confusion. “Huh. Then what’s that slip of paper in your hand?”

“Oh, this? It’s the number for the phone, apparently. They say I can use it now.”

“Huh…” Zhu Gang chuckled hollowly as he recalled something.

-Our demon emperor is wealthy.

That was a pretty popular saying among the demon cult members. As it turned out, Kang Jin-Ho really was wealthy. Of course, he couldn't be as wealthy as those billionaires often talked about by the masses, but…

‘...No, hang on. Maybe he is as wealthy as them?’

Zhu Gang hurriedly shook his head. In any case! There was no doubt that the demon emperor was wealthy, even if no one here could tell by how much. And this Martial Assembly seemed to be loaded, as well.

This organization was in another league altogether compared to the demon cult that couldn’t even pay the elders their monthly stipends on time despite boasting almost ten thousand believers.

For proof, take a gander at how the Assembly was oh-so-casually handing out expensive smartphones for free!

‘These phones must cost at least three thousand yuans or more.’

In Korean Won, wouldn’t that be over five hundred thousand?

Obviously, the Assembly's bean counters weren't insane, so they wouldn't have bought a whole truckload of top-of-the-line smartphones. So Zhu Gang's estimation should be more or less on the money. Even so, the fact remained the same. The money spent here was still enormous, to say the least.

The demon cult had more than quite a few believers, so to distribute smartphones to all those people was just… How was Zhu Gang supposed to accept this situation?

Even as he mulled his response, his queue continued to move forward. At a fair knock, too. Before too long, Zhu Gang found himself standing in the front of the queue.

“Please fill this form out,” said the Assembly employee.

Zhu Gang could see a piece of paper with neatly-arranged columns and rows for him to record his personal details. He looked at the employee. "Why am I writing my details on this thing?”

“We need to know which member can be contacted with which phone number.”

“Oh…”

Zhu Gang was still confused. Why would the Assembly want to know that? Although his questions hadn't been resolved, Zhu Gang chose to brush them aside.

They were giving him a nice phone for free, so what if they wanted to keep track of him? That much shouldn't even bother him.

Zhu Gang quickly filled out the form, then received his new smartphone.

The employee explained what was what. “Here is your phone number. Even if you lose this, you can still check the number through your phone. The phone's user manual is inside the box, so please read it to learn more about setting the phone's unlock pattern and how to check your number.”

“Oh, uh… Thanks.” Zhu Gang nodded while listening to the employee’s fluent Chinese.

While walking away, Zhu Gang looked at the phone’s box from various angles.

‘Why are we getting these phones, though?’

Unlike how he appeared on the surface, the demon emperor was famous for his charitable nature. However, that charitable nature was not about simply showering gifts to his people for no reason.

As far as Zhu Gang could tell, the demon emperor’s generosity was tied to the ironclad rule of giving the rightful compensation to those who worked hard and tried their absolute best.

That's why Zhu Gang couldn't help but think that this situation was rather unexpected.

That was when one of his fellow demonic cultivators raised his voice. “Hey, isn't this for… That thing?”

Zhu Gang glanced at him. “What thing?”

“I heard the Koreans were learning stuff through online videos or something.”

“Learn what?”

“What do you mean, what? It’s obviously the cultivation method.”

“Huh? They are learning cultivation method through… video?”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard.”

“Heol…?” Zhu Gang was left stupefied. What kind of a crazy idea was that now? Learning martial arts through online videos? Where would anyone come up with nonsense like that? “Are they crazy? Seriously?”

“I see nothing wrong with that, though?”

“What? Of course it’s wrong! If you learn via video…” Zhu Gang suddenly clamped his mouth shut.

He initially thought this was a hair-brained idea. The rejection he felt was immediate and even visceral, after all. However, when he thought about it some more…

There was no reason why it couldn't be done.

‘Well, there's the danger of learning it incorrectly or inadvertently missing some parts, but…’

Wasn't the demon emperor 'educating' the demon cult elders for that very possibility?

The video lectures covered the meat of the lessons while the elders provided aftersales service… Zhu Gang couldn't see why this idea would not work.

“...Should I say this is one hell of a shocking idea?”

Or was it more like everyone involved in this scheme had lost their minds?

At least Zhu Gang was sure of one thing. Not even the major factions in China could have dreamed of an idea as radical as this. That didn’t mean such a thing was only possible in South Korea, though.

Without someone like the demon emperor seizing power and shaking up this organization to the core, Zhu Gang was pretty sure an idea like this would have never seen the light of day for at least another hundred years!

“I might not know much about our demon emperor, but at least I can still say his drive is something else.”

“You think so, too?” Zhu Gang nodded at his fellow cult member’s astute observation, then peered closely at his new mobile device. “Well, in that case, let me check this bad boy out and…”

That was when someone suddenly interrupted him. “Oii!”

Zhu Gang turned his head at that rude-sounding call and spotted a familiar face staring at him. “Hmm? Zhang Dajing?”

Indeed, it was Zhang Dajing, who had been accompanying the cult since China.

“What’s up?” Zhu Gang asked curiously.

“Assembly Master is looking for you, Zhu Gang.”

“Assembly Master? You mean, our demon emperor?”

“Yeah. Follow me.” Zhang Dajing beckoned, prompting Zhu Gang to nod and do as told. Although he wasn’t sure why the demon emperor would look for him…

‘Well, I should obey him regardless of what, right?'

***

Zhang Dajing bowed slightly. “Everyone, I’ve brought him.”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded. “Good. Welcome, Zhu Gang.”

While greeting back, Zhu Gang grew intensely nervous. Inside this conference room were Kang Jin-Ho, Lee Hyeon-Su, and Elder Chang Min. Three hardest-to-deal-with people in Zhu Gang's perspective had gathered in one spot, in other words!

No wonder he became deeply nervous!

“Take a seat,” said Lee Hyeon-Su while pointing at an empty chair.

Zhu Gang cautiously walked over to the chair and sat down in silence.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Zhu Gang. “How have you been?”

“Ah, oh… I'm doing okay, my liege.”

“Good to hear that,” Kang Jin-Ho smiled airily.

That was when this slightly strange feeling washed over Zhu Gang.

‘My liege seems to have mellowed even more, but…’

It wasn’t as if Zhu Gang wanted to suggest that Kang Jin-Ho had been oppressing everyone. Other than that one time in the underground area in China when he displayed his might, Kang Jin-Ho didn’t try to restrict or manipulate the cult members.

Even so, it'd always be difficult to get over such a memorable first impression.

The intense pressure Zhu Gang felt in the past whenever he was in Kang Jin-Ho’s presence seemed to have softened a lot. What struck him as even more bizarre, though, was the authority and dignity of the demon emperor. They had not been affected at all.

As a matter of fact, Zhu Gang could safely say the crushing pressure had transformed into more dignity and authority that prompted others to voluntarily offer their respect.

‘What the hell am I even thinking about here?’

How dare he think of such things when he had only been in Kang Jin-Ho’s presence a handful of times? Zhu Gang sneakily shook his head to get rid of all these distracting thoughts.

“Let’s get straight to the point. I summoned you here to confirm several things,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Understood, my liege! Please ask away. I shall do my best to satisfy your curiosity,” Zhu Gang roared his reply as a new source of pressure began bearing down on him.

That source was none other than Chang Min, currently sitting next to Kang Jin-Ho and glaring daggers at Zhu Gang! That glare, with figurative sparks flying out of it, silently threatened Zhu Gang with the promise of his flesh ripping off his bones if he made a mistake or acted impolitely in front of the demon emperor.

Zhu Gang couldn’t help but shrink back in his seat.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the older man next to him. “...Chang Min.”

“Yes, my liege!”

“Can you leave?”

“…”

“Who’s going to reply properly when you’re glaring at them? Either leave or keep your head down. Choose between the two, okay?”

“This servant was being foolish, my liege. I beg your forgiveness.” Chang Min bowed his head low.

This scene helped Zhu Gang gain a renewed appreciation of Kang Jin-Ho’s authority.

To the demon cult believers, Chang Min was no different from a cult leader. If only Chang Min himself hadn't professed that he lacked the qualifications and would never dare to lead the cult, people would've begged him to become the leader.

...Actually, when the suggestion was first made, didn't Chang Min become incredibly furious and say he'd never do something so sacrilegious?

Even if he wasn't the cult leader, everyone in the cult still viewed him as one. But now, an elder as beloved as him was bowing his head in obedience at Kang Jin-Ho's casual-sounding command!

Cult members would've been greatly displeased by this scene. Even if Kang Jin-Ho possessed all the qualifications, authority, and power of the demon emperor, Chang Min's sacrifices toward the cult and his individual achievement should not be discounted, either!

Even if Kang Jin-Ho was the cult leader, he should not be allowed to casually look down on Chang Min like this. However…

‘...What can we do about it when the man himself has no complaints?’

Zhu Gang couldn’t sense any sorrow or resentment in the way Chang Min bowed his head.

It might be a funny thing to say, but Chang Min probably enjoyed getting chewed out by the demon emperor more than anyone else in this world! Wasn't it like... He was genuinely happy about having someone to order him around?

Whatever it was, this couldn’t be normal.

Kang Jin-Ho stared at Zhu Gang. “I’m sure you might have heard the rumors, but…”

“Sir?” Zhu Gang sobered up.

“I’m hoping to change the training method to something a little more efficient.”

“Oh, uh… You mean the video lectures, my liege?”

“So you heard about it. Yes, that's exactly it.” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded away. “We're already doing it with the Korean Martial Assembly. Although minor issues have cropped up here and there, none of them have been deal-breakers. Things should settle down soon enough if we continue to refine the process and gradually weed out the bugs.”

“O-of course.”

“What I'm concerned with is that the cult believers are not the same as the regular Assembly members. So, I wanted to hear the opinion of a demonic cultivator. To see if they think this idea is viable.”

“P-please hold on for a sec, sir…” Zhu Gang hurriedly waved his hands. However, even before he could speak his mind, a fiery rebuke landed on him first.

“You insolent fool! How dare you use such casual language in front of our demon emperor! Do I have to rip out your tongue for you to understand your mistake?! Oh, my liege! Please punish this lacking servant for failing to properly educate your followers! Allow me to slam my head into the floor until I die to repent for this…”

“Stop… Just… Please, stop… Okay?” Kang Jin-Ho muttered in distress.

Even Zhu Gang could tell that Kang Jin-Ho was in pain right now!

‘Huh. This relationship wasn’t as one-sided as I thought.’

Although Kang Jin-Ho was the one in charge, he was clearly in distress while Chang Min was having a whale of a time. The more Zhu Gang observed this relationship, the weirder it became in his view!

“B-but, my liege!”

“Chang Min!”

“Yes, my liege!”

“Five minutes! Just keep quiet for five minutes.”

“M-mm…!”

“Even if you want to say something, hold it in for five minutes. Only then will this conversation go somewhere! We will only waste more time if you keep butting in like this.”

“I will engrave your command to my soul, my liege!”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned loudly at that energetic reply, then glanced at Zhu Gang. “Okay, so… What were you trying to say just now?”

Zhu Gang quickly reorganized his thoughts and raised his voice. “My liege.I don’t even know how things are done with the Martial Assembly members.”

“Mm…”

“All I know is what I heard in passing, sir. I can only give you my honest opinion after learning more about what’s what first.”

“Mm, yeah. You have a point.”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head and glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su.

That silent signal prompted Lee Hyeon-Su to pull out his phone and explain the situation to Zhu Gang.

After listening to the summary and briefly watching one of the video lectures, Zhu Gang nodded away in understanding.

“That’s how it’s done,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Mm! For sure, this is…”

...Very efficient. And effective, too. However, Zhu Gang wasn't sure if this could be called a massive progress. It felt like they had earned something but also lost something else in return.

Even so, the pros seemed to overwhelmingly outweigh the cons.

The first one of those pros was being able to simultaneously train all those people densely packing the huge central athletics field outside. That alone easily blew away all the cons, and then some!

Zhu Gang nodded weightily. “For sure, this looks like a wonderful scheme, sir!”

“Any problems to worry about?”

“Yes, my liege. I can see plenty of problems.”

“Ng?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in confusion. “It's wonderful, but still has plenty of problems?”

“Yes, sir! This scheme is indeed wonderful, but implementing it right away will be difficult in its current state. First of all, the issue that stands out immediately is the website's language. It's exclusively in Korean, sir. How can we navigate it, in that case?”

“…”

“That’s not all, sir. What is our plan in case this gets leaked outside?”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “Outsiders won’t be able to master it.”

“But… isn't that a problem in its own right? In the past, criminals of the surface world somehow got their hands on some shabby remnants of demonic cultivation methods that had slipped out of the cult's safekeeping and created a lot of chaos, sir.

“Some of them even fell into the state of Qi deviation and became crazed murderers. As a result, the demon cult's public image went down the toilet.”

“...Oh.”

“A demonic art that can't be mastered properly is even more dangerous, my liege. The question of security must be addressed first, I think.”

“You think so?"

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head and stared at Lee Hyeon-Su again. Lee Hyeon-Su contemplatively nodded as if he could read what was in Kang Jin-Ho's mind.

“Okay. Call Cheon Tae-Hun. Tell him to join us,” said Kang Jin-Ho. Then, he smirked smoothly. “Also, tell him he has a new member joining his team.”

“…?”

This was the moment when Cheon Tae-Hun's video lecture education department acquired its first-ever team member.