Descent of the Demon Master

“You’re not sure if you’re doing the right thing?”

Kang Jin-Ho briefly nodded at Jo Gyu-Min’s question. “Yes.”

“Well, that’s rather cryptic, isn’t it?” Jo Gyu-Min grew rather bemused as he studied this shameless man before his eyes.

‘What could he be dissatisfied about, I wonder?’

For him to say he wasn’t sure about his actions…

Anyone else saying this would have spurred Jo Gyu-Min on to rack his brain together with that person. However, when Kang Jin-Ho said the same thing, it all kind of felt surreal to Jo Gyu-Min.

‘How are other ordinary people supposed to feel when this dude says something like this?'

Obviously, the barometer of success differed from individual to individual. A person outwardly leading a successful life would, more often than not, have a ton of worries eating them up, for instance. One only had to look at the scions of wealthy dynasties or the top-tier celebrities making seemingly out-of-character 'extreme' choices to figure out something was up.

However, Kang Jin-Ho was different from them. Kang Jin-Ho's success wasn't handed to him on a silver platter, but he had to fight hard for it. As far as Jo Gyu-Min knew, no one besides Kang Jin-Ho had managed to succeed so much in such a short time.

‘How should I respond here?’

Jo Gyu-Min rubbed his chin. Should he say, Yes, your observation is correct? Mister Jin-Ho, you gotta put in more effort than this?

Eventually, a lengthy groan escaped from Jo Gyu-Min’s mouth. “...Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Yes?”

“I'd appreciate it if you give me more details. What exactly has been bothering you?”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. Precisely describing his problem wasn't as easy as it sounded. If doing so was possible, he would've found suitable solutions by now. He wouldn't have a reason to seek Jo Gyu-Min's advice.

“It’s… not easy,” Kang Jin-Ho muttered in uncertainty.

Jo Gyu-Min tried to change his approach. “In that case, how about this?”

“Mm?”

“Which problems have been bothering you the most lately?”

That question had narrowed the field down somewhat.

“Lately, you say…?” Kang Jin-Ho pondered a little bit, then nodded slightly. “It goes kinda like this.”

“Okay?”

“There are principles and rules we should observe,” said Kang Jin-Ho, his expression growing somber. “But sticking to those principles is not easy at all. I end up doing things I shouldn’t have, and it’s getting harder to tell what lines I must not cross.”

Jo Gyu-Min nodded silently.

“That's the crux of my troubles. I keep wondering, am I even on the right track?”

“Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Yes?”

Jo Gyu-Min sat back on the cafe's lounge-style couch. “I think you're troubled by something unnecessary.”

“I’m sorry?” Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes after failing to disguise his flabbergast.

He still hadn't said anything concrete and couldn't even be sure if Jo Gyu-Min understood all the vague things he had uttered. So, to hear such an… impactful response like that?

“...You say it’s unnecessary?”

“Well, yes.” Jo Gyu-Min chuckled slightly. “You can’t really call that being troubled. Everyone experiences that, after all. No, let me revise that. Those who reach the top experience the same thing as you.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply to indicate he didn’t understand.

Jo Gyu-Min decided to explain further. “Okay, let me give you a simple example.”

“Okay?”

“Let's say you're running a company. You just hired new employees. But they never attended any reputable universities, don't have any qualifications, and you see nothing notable on their resumes. They need to work forty hours a week, so how much do you think will be the appropriate wages for them?”

“Mm… It'll depend on what jobs they will do.”

“Now, think about what roles you'd assign them, then calculate their annual salary.”

Kang Jin-Ho slightly nodded. “I’ve done that.”

“It's not important how much it is. Now, do you believe the wages you've thought of are well justified?”

“Yes, I do.”

“What if the new employee happens to be your sister, Miss Eun-Yeong?”

“...I’m sorry?”

“Do you think the number in your mind is appropriate for your sister if she works for your company?”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow, unable to answer right away.

The wages he had in mind would be at the higher end of the scale in the industry. No, it’d be unheard of if the conditions were what Jo Gyu-Min said. However, if it was Kang Eun-Yeong receiving those wages?

‘...That’s not gonna be enough.’

His heart said she needed to get paid more.

“That’s how it is, Mister Jin-Ho. Miss Eun-Yeong has zero office work-related skills. Her career so far would not be of any help to her in that kind of work environment. So, the wage you initially calculated should be perfect for her. Even then, you probably thought it’s too little for her.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“What you're experiencing is the reverse of that,” said Jo Gyu-Min, his attitude getting a little graver. “We naturally evaluate people and treat them accordingly. However, I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but... You also add 'corrections' to your evaluations.

“Since I know that person or I’m friends with them… Or maybe I have a good feeling about that person, so I must do this much for them… That’s what you’ve been subconsciously thinking until now. But then, you’ve reached the top and must deal with a situation you didn’t expect. And that is… Deciding the fate of the people you don’t know.”

Jo Gyu-Min picked up the coffee cup to quench his thirst.

“Looks like I spoke too fast.”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Please keep going.”

Jo Gyu-Min put the coffee cup down and stared at Kang Jin-Ho. “Mister Jin-Ho, have you ever seen a well-respected entrepreneur before?”

“Sorry?”

“You know, a businessman or woman who is respected by others.”

Kang Jin-Ho combed through his memories. A respected businessman…? Respected… “...Like Chairman Hwang?”

“...Let’s exclude him. Chairman Hwang is a bit of a special case, after all. Also, he’s not as well-liked as you think, Mister Jin-Ho. His business rivals might greatly respect him, but he’s infamous among his employees for wringing them dry, you see?”

Jo Gyu-Min smiled uncomfortably. Badmouthing the person he worked for was making him a bit squirmy.

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “Except Chairman Hwang, I can't think of anyone else.”

As far as he could tell, it didn't seem like other businesspeople in the Korean peninsula met Jo Gyu-Min's criteria of being respected by society. A few names did pop up in his mind, but they were either deceased or from other countries.

Jo Gyu-Min asked again. “Why do you think that is?”

“...Not sure?"

Jo Gyu-Min leaned back against the couch. “Why can’t the top businessmen or women get the respect they seemingly deserve? Why are all the successful folks subjected to insults and disrespect?”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Is this something I must think about, too?”

“Well, it won’t hurt by doing so.”

Kang Jin-Ho pondered the answer for a bit before replying, “Only a certain type of people succeeds, that’s why.”

“You’re half-right, Mister Jin-Ho. In my opinion, of course. For sure, those with no heart and ice running in their veins who only pursue their own benefits enjoy higher odds of success than those who don’t. However, I don’t think that’s the whole story.”

“Then, what?”

Jo Gyu-Min smiled bitterly. "Those successful folks who are seen as Capitalism's monsters parasitizing off the blood, sweat, and tears of ordinary people are usually not as bad as you think. Quite often, they are excellent parents at home and good friends to their acquaintances. Even so, they still get called out for their lack of humanity. Why? Because they have already gone through the stage you are currently in, Mister Jin-Ho."

“...The stage I’m in?”

“Yes. I’m talking about… seeing people as mere statistics.”

“Ah…!” Kang Jin-Ho’s jaw fell slightly.

He always couldn't help but get the feeling that Jo Gyu-Min was truly a mysterious man. Even though Kang Jin-Ho couldn't understand the issue troubling him, Jo Gyu-Min didn't need a lot of clues to figure everything out.

Maybe that was why Kang Jin-Ho sought out Jo Gyu-Min whenever he had something to discuss?

At this point in Kang Jin-Ho's journey through life, he could safely say Lee Hyeon-Su and Wiggins knew more about his work. Even Vator should have a pretty good idea of Kang Jin-Ho's life by now. Jo Gyu-Min might know much about the martial world, but he still understood Kang Jin-Ho better than anyone. And Kang Jin-Ho found this situation strangely amusing.

“Remember the example I gave you earlier? This and that are basically the same thing. Evaluating someone through their resume and evaluating that person based on your relationship with them are two separate issues. Excluding things like regionalism and blood ties can be seen as fair and reasonable. But that can create just-as-bad problems later.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently nodded. He thought he could finally understand where Jo Gyu-Min was going with this.

“It's much easier to be more considerate and look after each person's needs when you only have a few people to lead. When you first joined the Martial Assembly, you probably only needed to worry about a handful of people, yes? Those handful of people would've managed everyone else, after all.”

It was as Jo Gyu-Min said. When Kang Jin-Ho first 'joined' the Martial Assembly's ranks, he only had to take care of Bang Jin-Hun. He didn't really care about anyone else. The number of people he did care about gradually increased, but it still didn't pose much of an issue until recently.

“But then, before you've realized it, you're now facing a situation where you need to take responsibility. You now have to decide the fate of people you've never met before and never even knew existed. All the while basing your judgment entirely on resumes and personal bio.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s head began nodding all on its own.

“That’s when you start seeing people as mere numbers and some lines on paper. Once you reach this point, you can no longer continue relying on your old methods. You now have to use nothing but some documents to evaluate a stranger’s capabilities and think about what’s appropriate for them.”

Jo Gyu-Min stopped there briefly to shrug his shoulders.

“And that is not as easy as it sounds.”

“Yes, you’re right,” said Kang Jin-Ho with a deep sigh.

‘It’s a lot more complicated than it seems.’

Vator strongly suggested that they should pass down Iron Blood Demon Monarch Art to the younger-generation martial artists under his guidance. From Vator's perspective, that suggestion probably made perfect sense. And Kang Jin-Ho also admitted that Vator's suggestion was worthy of serious consideration.

Even so, he couldn’t readily make this choice.

Was it really okay to turn a whole group of people into demonic cultivators? People Kang Jin-Ho hadn’t even talked to once and didn’t even know what they looked like? When his decision could distort and even destroy their lives forever?

If Vator heard what troubled Kang Jin-Ho, the big man would’ve laughed his head off. He’d say it was not Kang Jin-Ho’s responsibility as the younger-generation martial artists would be the ones making this choice. He’d also rebuke Kang Jin-Ho for worrying about something unnecessary.

However, Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t view this matter that lightly.

“Mister Gyu-Min… What do you think is the right way to handle this situation?”

“Mm, I’m not sure,” Jo Gyu-Min shook his head. “This matter isn’t something I can give you a straightforward answer, you see.”

“…”

Jo Gyu-Min chuckled slightly. “This dilemma is something a leader must go through at least once in their life, Mister Jin-Ho. You will eventually find the answer that's right for you. Either you will become a leader who discards his old method and only pursues efficiency while treating people like statistics. Or, you could become a man who looks after every single one of his people at the cost of efficiency.

“Alternatively, you could choose another method. Having said all that, though… I don't think that's what matters right now.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “I’m sorry?”

Jo Gyu-Min leaned forward and peered closely at Kang Jin-Ho’s face. “Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Y-yes?”

“Be honest with me. You haven't taken a single day off after you wrapped up your business in China, now have you?”

“…” Kang Jin-Ho was rendered speechless by that question.

“Various reasons exist for successful people suddenly crashing and burning, Mister Jin-Ho. However, one commonality can still be found in all those reasons. And that is… Their failure to control their stress levels.”

Flinch!

It felt like Jo Gyu-Min had ribbed Kang Jin-Ho in the side, causing him to flinch uncomfortably. Unfortunately, Jo Gyu-Min was not a merciful man. He wasn't kind enough to let Kang Jin-Ho off the hook so easily.

“Especially those folks who keep tasting success over and over again… They tend to think they have developed tolerance to stress, that they will be okay even if they are placed under much more stress than other people. They tell themselves they are still fine, that they can still take so much more.”

Why did it feel like Kang Jin-Ho was sitting on a cushion of pins and needles? How could anyone speak so accurately of Kang Jin-Ho's thoughts without monitoring him 24/7 through CCTV cameras or something?

Jo Gyu-Min chuckled. “I'm sure those aren't exaggerating. They probably have developed enough tolerance and can actually endure stress up to a certain level.”

“Y-yes, of course.”

“It's not 'of course', Mister Jin-Ho. It'll be too late by the time you start thinking it's getting too much to handle for you. That's when you'd have reached a precarious breaking point. Once you're there, your stress won't easily go away even if you take a lengthy break. The correct way to handle stress is to manage it regularly. If you don't do that, your judgment will start to deteriorate until you can no longer think straight. Do you get it now, Mister Jin-Ho? You are at that precarious breaking point!”

Jo Gyu-Min suddenly shot up to his feet.

“Get some rest, okay? Forget about everything else and take care of yourself first. You can start worrying about stuff after you do that. I will call Lee Hyeon-Su… No, Hyeon-Su hyung myself.”

“You want me to take a break?” Kang Jin-Ho dazedly stared at Jo Gyu-Min.

“Yes. That’s what you need right now.”

“O-okay. That’s fine. I can do that, but…”

“Is there a problem?”

“Yes. What am I supposed to do while taking a break?”

“…”

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression was as serious as it could get. In other words, he wasn’t joking!

Jo Gyu-Min reflexively wiped away the sweat from his heart pooling near his eyes. To think he’d find a fool who had forgotten how to get some rest!

A fool… just like himself!