Descent of the Demon Master

Park Yu-Min smirked before answering his friend.

"We kept fighting, just like that."

"...Eh?"

"I'm saying, we kept fighting and arguing."

Kang Jin-Ho was instantly deflated. He was expecting some grand solutions, but the actual reply didn't even qualify as an answer!

"What kind of a solution is that?" Kang Jin-Ho asked in dismay.

"Yeah, that's what I think."

"But, that isn't even a solution, so why…"

"Listen, Jin-Ho. This is important," Park Yu-Min quickly explained further after noticing Kang Jin-Ho's disappointment. "We fight for simple reasons. Our pride got trampled on, and we don't want to admit that the other party is right."

One could attach all sorts of excuses and reasons to a fight between people.

However, as far as Park Yu-Min could tell, most fights boiled down to those two reasons. Even if the fights were repackaged with some nice-sounding pretexts, the core of various disagreements remained pretty much the same.

"With five strong-willed people arguing with each other, finding one conclusion everyone can agree on is never going to be easy. Everyone has their own reasons, after all. But the thing is, nothing will improve if everyone shuts up to avoid conflict, and we will end up with some half-baked nonsense.

"That's why we fight and argue. Again and again. And then… Before we know it, there's a solution, an answer, staring right in our faces."

Kang Jin-Ho deeply furrowed his brow. "What about people's sentiments, then? Wouldn't doing that create bad blood? Isn't preserving team unity important?"

"Unity? Yeah, that is important. But what you're talking about doesn't sound like unity, Jin-Ho. Isn't that more like… You know, taking the easy way out?"

"Easy way out…?" Kang Jin-Ho quietly muttered those three words. Taking the easy way out, was it…?

"Well, because no one wants to get too emotional, that's why. Losing cool might escalate things, so people try to avoid friction and back off when they think it's appropriate. And then, they mouth some vague agreements and whatnot to get it over with. I think that's wrong."

Park Yu-Min sounded determined just then. Unwavering. Which was something he lacked in the past.

Just as Kang Jin-Ho had changed over time, so did Park Yu-Min.

One couldn't really say that having a career in esports was now widely accepted and supported in society. That didn't stop the world of pro gaming from being a fiercely competitive environment where people constantly struggled for victory.

In that world, either you won or lost. Didn't matter who was fighting or how they fought, each encounter always produced a tangible result. It seemed plying his trade in that world had taught Park Yu-Min how to be more assertive.

"You know why? That's because we didn't become pro gamers to have fun with other gamers. Wait, let me rephrase that. I didn't become a pro gamer to have fun with my teammates. I'm doing this to win, Jin-Ho."

Kang Jin-Ho silently nodded. He agreed with Park Yu-Min's mindset.

"To do that, all my actions and thought processes must focus on this one thing. And that is, 'What do I need to do to win now and keep winning in the future?' Think about it for a minute, and the answer should be obvious.

"Things might get easier if we just choose to back off before people's feelings get hurt. But that will lead to our team falling behind as our competitors grow stronger and better. I cannot let that happen, Jin-Ho."

"Yes, you're correct," said Kang Jin-Ho.

What a strange feeling this was. In the past, it was usually Kang Jin-Ho saying all these things. And Park Yu-Min's role was to nod along and agree.

Nowadays, though, the roles seemed to have reversed somewhat, with Park Yu-Min playing the advisor far more often than Kang Jin-Ho. When looking at their behaviors and attitudes of late, Park Yu-Min came across as much more driven and unwavering than Kang Jin-Ho, too!

'It seems that I've been too arrogant.'

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly had a small epiphany just then.

He was so full of sage advice and confidence back in the early days of his return to the modern era precisely because… He had not fully acclimatized to the modern surroundings yet.

The modern era was as complicated as an era could possibly get.

Unlike in the past, human relationships were not as clear and straightforward. Before doing or saying something, one had to consciously or subconsciously consider many things first. Things like, "What kind of ripples will my actions cause in society? My relationships? And to my bank balance?"

With complications came intricate connections tying seemingly everything and everyone in the world together. What made things worse for Kang Jin-Ho was that, in his first life, he was far removed from the complicated workings of modern society.

No wonder he was so uncomplicated and straightforward back then! Kang Jin-Ho didn't consider or worry about anything, after all. He only had to think about what was the best and most correct answer. That was it. And that allowed him to speak with such arrogance.

Now that he had a chance to reflect on his actions, Kang Jin-Ho realized how simple-minded and even cringe-inducing his so-called solutions had been. He thought his face was burning from all the shame.

Having his surroundings completely enveloped in relationships had placed some strict restrictions on Kang Jin-Ho's antics.

The memories of Park Yu-Min yelling, "You can never understand me!" after Kang Jin-Ho offered him so-called advice viciously stabbed into Kang Jin-Ho's mind.

'Huh. What did I say to Yu-Min back then?'

Park Yu-Min's reaction seemed in line with a teenager's behavior. But didn't Kang Jin-Ho say something like, 'Nothing will change if you remain still?'

'Wow. I really was brainless back then, wasn't I?'

To think he'd spew such cliched nonsense with a straight face! And Park Yu-Min was kind enough to patiently listen to his friend's cringe remarks, too!

Here was Kang Jin-Ho, racking his brain over something small and seemingly insignificant in the overall scheme of things. So, what made him think it was okay to trivialize other people's much heavier worries and concerns?

The wise old "they" said being a moron made you braver. That seemed about right in Kang Jin-Ho's case!

"Listen, Jin-Ho…?"

"Mm?" Kang Jin-Ho snapped out of his thoughts at Park Yu-Min's worried voice.

"It's like… Your thoughts have gotten messier and more complicated these days."

"Yup, totally agree," Ju Yeong-Gi suddenly butted in.

Since his friends said it, Kang Jin-Ho's worries seemed to have gotten bad enough to be visible on the surface now.

Kang Jin-Ho grimaced slightly at this realization. "You think so?"

"You weren't like this before, you know? Jin-Ho, you were like… Mm… It's kinda weird to put it this way, but here it goes. You were a totally clueless simpleton back then."

Wasn't this an insult? It definitely sounded like one!

"A… simpleton?" Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes.

"Please don't take it the wrong way, okay? I'm not saying it as an insult, you know? You had this tendency to say some ignorant-sounding stuff that accurately sussed out the core of the problem. In a way, it's kinda like you had a knack for finding the simplest yet the most accurate answer."

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly shifted his gaze and stared openly at Ju Yeong-Gi.

The person Park Yu-Min described sounded eerily like Ju Yeong-Gi… At least, to Kang Jin-Ho's ears, that was!

"Uhm, that's a bit… different," said Park Yu-Min while sheepishly scratching his head. He was tempted to explain why this and that were not the same, but doing that in Ju Yeong-Gi's presence was not something a friend should do!

At least, that was what Park Yu-Min's expression seemed to imply.

Ju Yeong-Gi unhappily tutted. "...Don't say it, you brat."

"Don't worry, I won't," Park Yu-Min chuckled cheerily. But his expression quickly reverted back to being serious. "I'm not gonna tell you to go back to your old self, Jin-Ho. The past you might have been more entertaining to hang out with, but the current you must be a product of you genuinely wanting to change. Am I right?"

"Mm…"

"That is why… You gotta remember this one thing, okay?"

Kang Jin-Ho curiously asked back. "What is it?"

"The important thing is... Knowing what you want to do. For instance… Why do I still try to offer thorough feedback even if I must bicker with my teammates? And why do my teammates ultimately come around to my point of view? I… No, you must figure that out."

Park Yu-Min quickly sucked in a deep breath before resuming his speech.

"The way I see it… Jin-Ho, you're stuck in this situation because you still haven't figured out your goal."

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. "My goal?"

"Yeah, your goal."

"What do you mean? I already have one, though?"

"Sure. But don't people all have different goals?"

"…!"

Kang Jin-Ho's expression resembled a man who got punched in the face just now. Then again, what Park Yu-Min said did slam into Kang Jin-Ho's gut like a runaway freight train, so perhaps that expression was appropriate after all!

A goal? Of course Kang Jin-Ho had a goal. And it was as clear as day.

However, was it also the same goal as the Assembly's?

'What is Lee Hyeon-Su's goal?'

What about Vator? Wiggins? Chang Min? And Bang Jin-Hun? Also, what about the regular Assembly members working for Kang Jin-Ho and the other executives?

Kang Jin-Ho had never considered this point before. He believed his goal was naturally everyone else's, too. After all, that was how it had been since his second life!

Back when he was the demon cult's undisputed leader, he set the goals for the whole cult. No one questioned that arrangement. Only Azure Demon was brave enough to shake his head in disapproval back then.

That meant Kang Jin-Ho ended up dealing exclusively with Azure Demon. He discussed with… No, more correctly, the two men bickered and argued until reaching a consensus, of sorts, and setting a common goal. And not a single cult believer dared to question this process and simply did as they were told.

However, things were different now.

Just like how a thousand people would view something differently, they would also have different goals.

How could any productive conversation take place when everyone was working toward different goals?

It felt like a bucket of cold water was poured on top of Kang Jin-Ho to sober him right up.

He quietly muttered, "...So, that's where it all began."

Park Yu-Min grinned. "Looks like you figured something out?"

"Mm… Maybe." Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then shot up to his feet. "Sorry, but I gotta go now."

"Huh? Already? We only had one round, though?" Ju Yeong-Gi whined and pouted unhappily.

However, Kang Jin-Ho smiled refreshingly to brush aside the complaint. "My bad. I'll pay for our drinks next time. See you later."

"Uh… Sure."

Ju Yeong-Gi furrowed his brow while watching Kang Jin-Ho hurriedly rush outside the bar. "Huh. Why is he in such a rush, I wonder?"

Park Yu-Min casually shrugged. "Well, he's got a lot on his plate, you know?"

"Even though we don't know what he does for a living?"

Park Yu-Min grinned brightly at his friend. "What's the matter? Aren't I enough for you?"

"Come on, man. Let's be real here, okay? Don't you feel the same, too?"

"About what?"

Ju Yeong-Gi wordlessly gulped down the beer, then put the empty mug down while groaning loudly. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. I get that Jin-Ho is busy as heck. Since he's a smart and capable fella, lots of people must be relying on him, and he probably has a ton of stuff to take care of. I get all that, okay? But…"

Ju Yeong-Gi's voice trailed off just then.

"Thanks to having a superhuman as a friend, it's getting tougher these days to hang out with my friends and share some booze. I kinda miss the old days…"

Park Yu-Min slowly nodded. "Mm…"

"Back when we were running the pizzeria together, we'd usually hang out after work and get piss-drunk, and it was also fun working together during the day, but now… I'm telling you, that brat's gotten way too busy for my liking! But… I'm waaay too old to whine like a little brat and ask Jin-Ho to hang out with us more."

Park Yu-Min chuckled again. "I can hang out with you."

"You're even worse, you dumbass! You're even busier than Jin-Ho is! You don't even have enough free time for yourself, so how can you hang out with anyone in the first place?!

"Hah, I can always look at your mug online, you know? I'm talking about those videos of you in matches and stuff. Did you know that looking at my friend's mug on screen kinda makes me feel like a loon sometimes?"

"B-But, at least you have a girlfriend, right?"

"...My dear friend?"

"Y-yeah?"

"That is exactly why I need my friends, man. Please save me."

"…!" Park Yu-Min clamped his mouth shut. The sight of Ju Yeong-Gi sobbing away, his shoulders pitifully quivering, prompted Park Yu-Min to make his mind up on something important.

'Yup, let's… not rush with the whole romance thing.'

Although he was too busy to date someone right now, Park Yu-Min still swore to take his time even if he found more leeway in his schedule in the future.

'Jin-Ho must be really busy.'

Park Yu-Min had realized something for a while now.

He had a hunch that Kang Jin-Ho was involved in matters of grave importance that none of his friends could even imagine. However, that hunch evolved somewhat lately to say that maybe, Kang Jin-Ho's work might be even grander in scope than Park Yu-Min previously estimated.

That seemed the only plausible explanation for Kang Jin-Ho racking his brain like this.

Wasn't Kang Jin-Ho capable of resolving most matters with his abilities alone? So, for someone like him to rack his brain this much? The weight of all the responsibilities of his work must be indescribable.

'Right. I should try to stay in touch as often as I can.'

That was why it was wrong to let Kang Jin-Ho be. Friends should call each other and talk as often as humanly possible. That's what friends did, after all.

Even if one couldn't offer any realistic assistance, hearing a friend's voice on the phone could still be a powerful pillar of support to someone going through a tough time.

Park Yu-Min reflected on himself for using the pretext of his busy schedule to not stay in touch with his friends.

"Hey, Yeong-Gi?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you find three, maybe four days off soon?"

"Mm? Why do you ask? Well… I guess I can, as long as I arrange some stuff first."

"Great. Then, let's do that next time we hang out."

"...Okay. But why?"

"Remember when we talked about going on an overseas vacation with just us three? Jin-Ho kinda looks worn out, so… I figured now might be a good time for that trip. I'll have about a week off after the current season ends, you see?"

"An overseas… vacation? Ah, wait! You mean that trip to Japan?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Of course I'm down with it! Let's do it!"

These two good friends genuinely cared about Kang Jin-Ho's welfare. However, they had no idea that the result of this innocent discussion would not match with what they had in mind!