Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1065. Responding (5)

“Yes, my liege!”

“Any problems to report?”

“The demonic cultivation has been successfully transferred to the elders, my liege! The foundational cultivation method is currently being taught to the cult members, and they have been keeping up with the lessons admirably well. Some gaps between the members have manifested due to the differences in dispositions and talent levels, but!

“Even if we use the strength of the weakest member as our measuring standard, there is no doubt that everyone has gotten stronger now.”

“Hmm.” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “What about people’s tempers, though? Any problems in that regard?”

“There have been some incidents, but nothing we can’t handle, my liege. Rather than external issues, we’re facing internal unrest. Some members have begun fighting each other within the dorms, and some have dared to oppose the elders in insignificant matters, too.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in curiosity. “I see. How are we solving such issues?”

“They all became obedient after getting beaten up like dogs, my liege.”

“...?”

Not just Kang Jin-Ho, but everyone’s stupefied gaze landed on Chang Min.

However, Chang Min tilted his head, his expression conveying his genuine confusion. “Mm? Is there a problem?”

“I-it’s nothing,” said Wiggins. “But, uh... I can’t imagine a physical beating producing the desired effect. The unruly ones might calm down from the pain, but wouldn’t it worsen their animosity in the long run?”

“It's fine,” said Chang Min dismissively. “The cult's history going back a thousand years plus proves that a good beating is the cure for any fool daring to lose their sanity on us. Many demonic cultivators in the past went berserk or displayed signs of madness, but a thorough beating has always cured them right up!”

“...!” Wiggins’ eyes subtly quaked just then. His gaze left Chang Min and locked on Kang Jin-Ho next.

“Kuh-hum!” Kang Jin-Ho fake-coughed while avoiding that pointed gaze. Although he’d love to defend himself by saying he wasn’t like that...

Wiggins muttered, “Is that why...?”

...How could Kang Jin-Ho do that when his recent conduct had already proven his guilt?

Just look at how Wiggins was staring back at his lord!

That stupefied expression clearly said, “I was wondering why you always resorted to beating people up when you didn’t like something, but there was a reason for that, now wasn’t there, my lord?!”

Thankfully, Bang Jin-Hun came to the rescue by addressing Chang Min and taking everyone’s attention away.

“Huh? Are you saying you can fix someone by beating the living sh*t out of them?”

Chang Min coolly nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“Does that mean cult members’ fits of insanity are nothing to be worried about?”

“Indeed.”

“Then, uh, how long do you beat someone up for?”

“Until they feel better, obviously.”

“...!” Bang Jin-Hun faltered, his expression stiffening, after a hint of dread washed over him. Maybe that was why? He ended up asking a question that could have been skipped for Kang Jin-Ho's benefit. “What if they don't feel... better?”

Chang Min obliviously replied, “Then, we beat them up till they are on the brink of death.”

“...What if that still doesn’t fix them?”

“Then, they die.”

“...”

Bang Jin-Hun’s cheeks twitched noticeably. Chang Min saw that reaction and coolly shrugged. “Wouldn’t you say you’d be getting what you want either way? Either their bout of madness gets cured, and they return to normal, or they end up in a state where they can’t go crazy anymore.”

Everyone slowly nodded in agreement. After all, a dead man couldn’t go berserk, now could he?!

Bang Jin-Hun gulped his saliva, then cautiously asked, “How can your cult sustain itself if people keep getting killed that way?”

Chang Min tutted. “Don’t worry about that. We have enough members.”

That was when Bang Jin-Hun finally ran out of things to say. He could only shake his head before giving Kang Jin-Ho a pointed side-eye glare.

‘And here I was, thinking this dude must be the only weird demonic cultivator around. As it turns out, though, it was the demon cult's tradition instead!’

“...Director Bang, please stop looking at me like that,” Kang Jin-Ho groaned deeply.

“Of course, sir. Whatever you say.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression cramped up as he glanced at Chang Min next. “Refrain from killing anyone.”

“Understood, my liege! We are already being extra mindful since this is not China. Incidentally, a cult member was going berserk yesterday. Had this happened back in China, that fool would've been beaten up mercilessly like a dog and hung upside down from the eaves. He should count himself lucky that we're now living in South Korea.

“After all, we had to consider our new living environment and only beat him up like a dog this time!”

“...Good work,” said Kang Jin-Ho. This sense of disharmony rapidly washed over him.

Even though everyone in the room was staring in shock and disbelief at Chang Min, Kang Jin-Ho knew the punishment meted out was as by-the-book as it could get by the demon cult’s standards. Heck, he could even say it was excessively humane compared to how things were done back in ancient Zhongyuan!

Back then, any demonic cultivator who lost their mind and attacked their fellow cult members got all of their limbs broken before being confined inside a dark cave for a month or so. Doing so almost always reformed the bastard into a kinder, more well-adjusted human being...

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

Kang Jin-Ho hurriedly shook his head.

He must not forget that this was South Korea in the 21st century. He must separate himself from the ways of the ancient demon cult.

After regaining his wits, Wiggins confusedly asked Kang Jin-Ho. “But, uh, my lord?”

“Mm? What is it?”

“Aren't the Demon Flames and many other Assembly martial artists mastering demonic cultivation methods, too?”

“Yes, they are.”

“They don’t seem to go berserk like the cult members, so why this discrepancy? Is it because the cultivation methods are not the same?”

“No, that's not it,” Kang Jin-Ho unhesitantly shook his head. “The cult members' madness is due to their prior familiarity with demonic cultivation. More correctly, because they have mastered the shabby remnants of one. That is why the effects and side effects are noticeably different between the two camps.”

“I see...!”

That explanation helped Wiggins understand so many more things.

‘That means the speed of mastering the demonic cultivation and the resulting strength for the cult members can increase even higher!’

For now, the Demon Flames were much stronger than the demon cult members. However, give them some time, and it could become impossible to predict who'd come out on top. Because the paths they used to reach their destinations were not the same.

The Demon Flames originally started off mastering orthodox cultivation methods, while the cult members relied on demonic cultivation from the very beginning, regardless of how shabby it might have been.

Even so...

‘...It also means the risk for the cult members is much higher, too.’

Even though they were still stuck in the foundation stage, some cult members had already begun displaying symptoms of madness. That sounded like a serious problem to Wiggins’ ears.

“Elder Chang Min?”

“Mm?” Chang Min glanced back at Wiggins.

The Englishman grew somber. “How far along are you in teaching the demon cult members?”

“Mm? We’re almost done.”

“...I beg your pardon?”

“We’ve finished imparting the sutras. We’re assisting the members who are currently in the stage of deepening their comprehension. Pretty soon, things will get chaotic around here. Once the members’ comprehension deepens enough, we will have a flood of crazies going wild everywhere.”

Wiggins’ frown deepened. “What about the other elders?”

“Them? With how old they are, and how much deeper their comprehension levels are, it's safe to assume that the odds of them going crazy are quite low. That's why we're focusing most of our attention on helping the elders master the provided demonic cultivation first. I don't have enough stamina to beat all those cult members up by myself, you see?”

“...?” Wiggins grimaced. His thoughts were thrown into a messy jumble. Something about what Chang Min said sounded strange yet oddly... logical?

Wiggins faltered and tried to ask another question. “T-then, the teachings are...”

That was when Kang Jin-Ho raised his hand a little and cut Wiggins off. “Wiggins, don't try to understand this process as if you're mastering orthodox cultivation methods. The teaching and mastering process of demonic cultivation is several times faster than a comparable orthodox cultivation method. And yes, the demon cult members are strong. Stronger than what you're thinking of right now.”

“Oh...” Wiggins slowly nodded in understanding. “In that case, shouldn't we quickly think of countermeasures? If the strengthened cult members create havoc in large groups, I fear that the cult elders won't be strong enough to regain control of the situation.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled. “No, it’ll be fine.”

“...My lord?”

“Elders are also getting stronger just like the rest of the cult members, you see? Especially... Mm!” Kang Jin-Ho scanned Chang Min from top to bottom, then nodded in approval. “I see that you've been devoting yourself to cultivation, Chang Min.”

“This is all thanks to your grace, my liege!” Chang Min excitedly cried out. “We’d never even dream of living in such opulence and happiness had you not mercifully provided us with the improved demonic cultivation techniques! Everyone in the cult sings exaltation of your divine grace, my liege! And they will continue to sacrifice their lives to repay this debt to you! My liege! This grace you've shown us...!”

“That’s enough!”

“Yes, my liege!”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned and facepalmed again. He shouldn’t have let Chang Min talk since the latter didn’t know when to stop. Unless someone put a brake on him, Chang Min would continue to regale everyone here for three days straight on how grateful he was!

“Any other issues?”

“My liege, there is one more topic I’d like to bring to your attention...”

“Alright, let’s hear it.”

“We lack demonic cultivation methods.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow ever so slightly.

Chang Min didn’t expand on what he meant. Wasting time explaining things Kang Jin-Ho already knew was another form of blasphemy and disrespect, after all.

Patronizingly explaining like an expert when the demon emperor didn’t ask for it in the first place was indeed being disrespectful. Although, exalting the demon emperor’s grace till the end of time was definitely an act of love and respect!

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho slowly rubbed his chin. “Actually, I was already doing something about that. I’ll give you two more demonic cultivation methods soon.”

“My liege! Your merciful heart soars toward the heavens above!”

Not all demonic cultivation methods were of equal “quality,” as it were. If they had been the same, why would there be a need to maintain and inherit so many disparate cultivation methods?

Just like the orthodox cultivation methods, demonic cultivation also came in various flavors to suit the dispositions of different cultivators. Finding the most suitable cultivation method would ensure the rapid rate of progress for the cultivator as well as greater improvement in their strength.

‘Since the cult members are finished with the foundational cultivation methods, the next step is to deepen one’s comprehension...’

The problem was that this step also required Kang Jin-Ho to be a bit hands-on, just like the previous step.

‘Well, it's something only I can do, anyway.'

In that case, it should be better to get on it as soon as possible.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded after figuring out what to do next. “Alright. We’ll discuss this issue at another date, Chang Min. Once the realm of cult members rises to a good-enough level, they should be able to master higher-tier demonic cultivation methods without me needing to revise anything.”

“Understood, my liege! We’ll diligently fulfill our duties!”

“Mm!” Kang Jin-Ho nodded again in approval, then glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su next. “Your turn.”

“Yes, sir,” Lee Hyeon-Su dryly swallowed his saliva. “I don’t have anything particular to report.”

“...?”

“I’ve been working my butt off like crazy, sir. Not enough free time to do anything else, really.”

“Is that sarcasm?”

“That wasn’t my intention,” Lee Hyeon-Su smiled awkwardly. “I’ll only have something to report about depending on the result of the training program, sir. Regarding that... Rather than a report, I have something to ask you instead.”

“What is it?”

“How are our people doing in the program, sir?”

When Kang Jin-Ho heard that cautious-sounding question, a meaningful grin rapidly spread on his face. “They are coping pretty well, actually.”

“That’s good to hear, sir.”

“It’s just that I’m not sure how effective the program will be. So, I was thinking...”

“Sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho slyly asked, “How about you join the program yourself?”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s eyes widened. “Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“H-hold on, sir! If I’m absent, the Assembly will not function properly, and...”

“Don’t worry, I’ll sub for you.”

“Y-you will...?” Lee Hyeon-Su faltered, then clamped his mouth shut. His thoughts were in disarray, and he couldn't figure out what to say here.

If he said, “Sir, you are not qualified,” the directors would start hurling abusive words in Lee Hyeon-Su's face for disrespecting the Assembly Master. Heck, Chang Min might even pounce on him while swinging a sharp knife around or something, too!

However, Lee Hyeon-Su was too worried to say, “Yes, sir, I trust you!”

‘What will really happen?’

Lee Hyeon-Su knew better than most people that only two individuals in the entire Martial Assembly could do his job. One of them was Wiggins, while the other was Kang Jin-Ho.

Wiggins might not be fully familiar with the ins and outs of the Assembly, but he had already assisted Lee Hyeon-Su on several occasions before. In that case, he could potentially take over the job for a short period. As for Kang Jin-Ho...

‘...Nope, I can’t be sure.’

He got this vague feeling that... Maybe Kang Jin-Ho could do this job. The Assembly Master was a near-omnipotent man who genuinely seemed like a jack-of-all-trades if he set his mind to it, after all! Besides, his authority to make decisions was so much greater than Lee Hyeon-Su’s, to begin with.

Considering those points, Kang Jin-Ho could potentially sub for Lee Hyeon-Su, but...

‘Dang it. I still can’t make up my mind!’

Just how good Kang Jin-Ho could be in office work? What a mystery that was. Since he was overflowing with talent, Kang Jin-Ho should be able to get used to dealing with paperwork pretty easily, but how long would that take...?

“What’s your answer?” Kang Jin-Ho slyly asked again.

Lee Hyeon-Su racked his brain for an answer before eventually realizing something.

‘Why... am I worried?’

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

Lee Hyeon-Su was scared of things going haywire because that would make everyone criticize and nag him to death. However, Kang Jin-Ho taking over the work and messing everything up should not negatively affect Lee Hyeon-Su.

After quickly finishing his mental arithmetic, Lee Hyeon-Su smiled contentedly and nodded. “I will do it, sir!”

The fish had taken the bait.