Descent of the Demon Master

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-Ho grinned softly at the figure of Bang Jin-Hun on his phone screen.

‘This is so weird.’

Seeing an acquaintance on a screen wasn't a novel experience for Kang Jin-Ho. After all, he had already seen his little sister on TV. And Choi Yeon-Ha's work could be seen on small and big screens, too. Not to forget, Park Yu-Min's face could also be seen now and then on various TV and online broadcasts.

For a person who wasn’t even a celebrity, the frequency of Kang Jin-Ho’s acquaintances showing up on TV screens seemed extremely high. That was why he shouldn’t have been mystified by someone he knew showing up on a livestream like this.

What did mystify him, though, was how this person had become as stiff as a block of wood!

“This… really doesn’t suit him,” Kang Jin-Ho muttered quietly.

“Yes, I totally agree,” said Lee Hyeon-Su as he entered the office. He wiped the sweat off his forehead while plopping down on an empty spot on the couch. “This is my second time seeing someone this terrible in front of a camera, sir.”

“Second time?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

Kang Jin-Ho gently put down his rising curiosity. He figured that asking for clarification could be a mistake. “So… Any problems with the stream?”

“I'm sure you can guess, sir,” Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled while glancing at Bang Jin-Hun's stiff mug on the phone screen. “Of course, there seem to be some issues with the lecturer, but that’s not something I can do anything about. And Cheon Tae-Hun is already doing an excellent job dealing with most problems, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin. “Still, there must be issues with trying to impart martial arts through live broadcasts.”

“We won't do that via live streaming, sir. Today is just a trial run. To see whether live streaming is viable or not. We've already started filming the lectures and have three episodes or so in the can. Although, we still have about… a hundred or so episodes to go.”

“A hundred? Will that will be the end?"

“No. That’s just the basics, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes subtly quaked just then. Basics? Filming one hundred episodes would only cover the basics?!

Lee Hyeon-Su could only smile wryly at Kang Jin-Ho’s reaction.

He recalled Bang Jin-Hun's face when he was told that a hundred or so episodes would only cover the lectures on the basics of the new martial art.

Not even the expression of a man who belatedly remembered the winning lottery ticket in the pocket of his pants inside the currently running washing machine would've been as devastated as Bang Jin-Hun's!

‘Yeah, even I think that number is a bit ludicrous…’

However, when Lee Hyeon-Su thought about it, that number didn’t seem so over the top anymore. That was because…

As an example, the online lectures the civil servant exam takers could watch to help them study often numbered well over the one-hundred-episode mark. However, that number was only for one subject of the exam. And the Korean civil servant exams covered multiple subjects.

Three years of intense studying decided whether one could pass the civil servant exams or not. But martial arts required a lifetime of training and cultivation. Even a moron should be able to see which of the two had more stuff to learn.

An average martial artist in a master-apprentice relationship required a minimum of five years of intense training every day to confidently say they had covered everything. That was how vast and profound martial arts could get.

“Sir. Even if we’re talking about one hundred one-hour-long episodes, ten hours of studying every day means you only have ten days’ worth of material,” said Lee Hyeon-Su.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded with a frown on his face. “...Well, yeah. You’re right about that.”

“Sir, can you estimate how long you would need to impart the contents of our martial art to another person?”

“Mm? I'd say… Around two to three months at the shortest?”

“There you go,” Lee Hyeon-Su animatedly nodded. “Two to three months mean you’re looking at sixty to ninety days. Assuming you train for ten hours a day… That will be six to nine thousand hours of training, sir.”

“Wow…” Kang Jin-Ho’s jaw nearly fell. When Lee Hyeon-Su explained it this way, it was easy to see how much time one actually needed to master something.

“Of course, we don't actually need that much time. After all, about eighty percent of the time is spent on moving our bodies and engraving the teachings deep into our souls. Even though that's the case, we still have to film at least five hundred to one thousand one-hour-long episodes.”

Lee Hyeon-Su suddenly began smirking.

“Even if this arrangement looks like a slog, it’s only in the beginning, sir. I honestly think Director Bang will have an easier time this way. After all, trying to teach this many people would mean they have to be split into many groups, and Director Bang would be forced to stay in the Assembly for at least one whole year.”

Kang Jin-Ho dazedly nodded before furrowing his brow. “By the way… Is this how the orthodox sects usually impart their martial arts?”

“I’m sorry?” Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head.

“I'm asking because this is a bit different from my own experience, you see?”

“Oh… Then, what was your experience like, sir?”

“They just tossed me a secret manual and told me to master it on my own.”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s cheeks twitched slightly. “When you say they, do you mean the folks in the demon cult?”

“Yeah.”

“Out of curiosity… Did several people die while training in the demon cult’s methods?”

“No.”

Lee Hyeon-Su was genuinely surprised when Kang Jin-Ho replied firmly. To think there were no casualties when such a barbaric method was relied on to pass down martial art techniques! Now that was a shocking reve…

“It's not several but a whole bunch of them,” said Kang Jin-Ho without much concern. “We should be talking about how pathetic the survival rate was back then.”

Now that made more sense.

Lee Hyeon-Su fake-coughed to clear his throat. “Kuh-hum! In any case. Martial arts, as you already know, need a delicate, diligent touch. One must always observe and explain in detail if they don’t want to see their disciples stray down the wrong path. But now, Director Bang is teaching more than one disciple. His explanations must be more detailed now, so please don’t be surprised if this process takes longer than expected.”

“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “Well, I’m sure that’ll be the case.”

“Some people will be resistant to his process, sir. Especially the original teachers of these martial artists… I'm pretty sure they will grit their teeth in anger when they learn about what's going on here.”

“Why would they?”

“They would most likely argue that this is straying from the so-called right path. That it's not proper education.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. He couldn’t understand why anyone would say that.

He might have been more understanding if no one had set precedents before. However, the idea of online video lectures was widespread in the surface world. Why would anyone decry this teaching method, in that case?

Lee Hyeon-Su saw the confused expression on Kang Jin-Ho's face and smiled wryly. “Sir… That's what our world is like. We prefer to keep things as familiar as possible. Young people and self-interest are usually the motivating factors behind the changing of an era. But training methods aren't related to self-interest, and the structure of the martial world means the younger generation has no voice.”

“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho slowly rubbed his chin. When he thought some more about it, Lee Hyeon-Su was right.

Young people might be the ones leading the world into the future, but the power controlling the world itself still belonged to the older generation. And this situation was much more pronounced in the martial world.

The movers and shakers of the surface world only enjoyed financial and political power. The era of using violence to get what one wanted was long over, after all.

However, in the martial world? Those in power had everything. Political power? Incredible wealth? And physical strength? Yes, they had it all! And on top of them, they also wielded the power to completely shut out the younger-generation martial artists, too.

People like that would obviously be unhappy with the changes reshaping their world.

‘Since time immemorial, the ones at the top are destined to get corrupted by the power they wield.’

This was true back in ancient Zhongyuan, too. Since Gangho was a land of untamed, unruly people, one might assume things were much more 'free' than the regions governed by the central government. But the reality was anything but.

Thanks to the smoldering enmity under the surface between the powerhouses, Gangho was ripe with various deadly machinations and underhanded schemes meant to secure one party's superiority over the others.

The top experts literally shed their blood, sweat, and tears to reach the pinnacle of society. Obviously, they would never relinquish their positions of power without a fight.

That was simply how human nature worked.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Then… Are you saying there will be some untoward movements?”

“Not yet, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Su, a bright grin etched on his face. “Even if foxes are drooling with greed, they would never willingly waltz inside a tiger’s den.”

“Dissatisfied and disgruntled… but won’t do anything about them? Is that it?”

“Yes. For now.”

“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho mulled over something, then chuckled slightly. “Nothing will change even if they resist.”

“I agree, sir.”

“You will get left behind if you don’t keep up with the changing times. If someone wishes to remain the same as before out of greed or whatever… We will just abandon them and move forward on our own.”

“Abandon them six feet under, sir?”

“Nah, I don't want to be that extreme. As long as they aren't hostile toward me, those people can do whatever they feel like. They can even quit the Assembly for all I care.”

“Will that be fine, though? Those people exercise considerable influence in our society. For instance, all the people they command are…”

“Don’t worry. They won’t follow those being left behind.” Kang Jin-Ho used his chin to point at his phone resting on the desk. Bang Jin-Hun could be seen explaining something as cold sweat caked his face.

Kang Jin-Ho continued to explain. “Those old folks could exercise absolute control over their disciples primarily because they have a stranglehold on the martial arts being passed down. But now… Disciples don’t need to force themselves into learning those martial arts.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s smirk hinted at how refreshed he was inwardly.

“We’ve made something even better, and you can have it for free. Why would anyone choose the old, outdated model?”

“I see…! As expected!” Lee Hyeon-Su nodded as many thoughts swirled in his head. He stared at the phone’s screen with renewed interest.

‘Director Bang must’ve thought of this as well.’

Bang Jin-Hun had been making vocal arguments for a unified martial art bearing the Martial Assembly's name for quite some time now. And he also insisted the Assembly take the lead in teaching this martial art.

There was a reason why Lee Jung-Geol had failed to completely unite the Assembly. The younger generation learned martial arts from their masters. Once their realms reached a certain threshold, they needed to move on to the