‘Gee whiz. Talk about stuffing your face…’
Lee Hyeon-Su wordlessly took in the sight of Kang Jin-Ho enjoying a meal. Something about this scene seemed so bizarre to his eyes.
Even though Kang Jin-Ho's demeanor was relaxed, and his movement couldn't be described as 'stuffing his face', various food items on the trays were still disappearing at a considerable speed. It was like watching magic at work.
‘Do you have to eat like a superhuman, too?’
Most of Kang Jin-Ho's actions broke common sense, but the way he handled his food still forced Lee Hyeon-Su to question everything he knew!
With how things were, it wouldn't be surprising to learn that Kang Jin-Ho levitated while sleeping and did things differently from everyone else... while in the toilet!
Clack!
Kang Jin-Ho put his utensils down after figuratively picking the third food tray clean.
Lee Hyeon-Su suspiciously asked, “...Would you like another tray, sir?”
“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin before shaking his head. “No, this is enough. Overeating is not good for a martial artist, after all.”
That was when Lee Hyeon-Su nearly blurted out, Sir, you’ve already consumed enough food, you know?! Didn’t you dump piles, nay, towers of food on your trays before gulping them down? But now, you’re worried about overeating?
Rather than words, though, a wry chuckle broke out of Lee Hyeon-Su’s mouth instead.
‘Well, I guess it makes sense…’
It wasn't as if Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't understand this situation. After all, Kang Jin-Ho hadn't touched any food for the last five days. No matter how strong he was as a martial artist, that time span should be enough to make anyone go mad with hunger!
“Assembly Master, did you train in eating super-efficiently or something?”
“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.
“I mean, you were so quiet but also seriously quick, you know?”
“Training, you say…?” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled while pouring water into his cup. Without saying anything else, he gulped the refreshing water down.
If what he went through could be called training, so be it. Although, that training wasn't something he had volunteered for, but was forced upon him by his mother!
When Kang Jin-Ho brushed aside the food training question with a chuckle, Lee Hyeon-Su decided to change the topic to something he had been dying to talk about. Unfortunately, his plan had to be delayed somewhat.
Slam!
The cafeteria’s door was shoved open hard enough to nearly fly off its hinges. Actually, that wasn’t right. One of the hinges did come loose!
Lee Hyeon-Su’s eyes widened at this sight.
“Master!” Vator’s loud roar-like call echoed deafeningly inside the cafeteria. Such was the decibel of his voice that cutlery and cooking utensils hanging on the walls clattered against each other. Even the dining tables began trembling from the soundwaves.
Not just Lee Hyeon-Su but even Kang Jin-Ho had to hurriedly cover their ears.
“Master! Are you unhurt?!”
Vator urgently sprinted toward Kang Jin-Ho as if he spotted a friend who had been captured by pirates earlier.
The floor rumbled and shook every time the big man took a step, and Lee Hyeon-Su began to fear the floor tiles might start cracking any sec...
‘...Eh? What the hell? The tiles are cracking for real?!'
The Martial Assembly HQ building was too ancient to withstand the power of the excited Vator. Actually, that wasn't right. Every building in the world was too frail to handle him!
Even Kang Jin-Ho seemed to have shed some cold sweat, judging from how he sneakily wiped his forehead!
“I, I’m fine, Vator.”
“Master! Shouldn’t you discuss such things with me first! Why didn’t you say anything before secluding yourself to create some random martial art?!”
Kang Jin-Ho grew stupefied just then.
‘Ah. So I was supposed to get your permission first, then?’
Wasn’t this strange? Even though Kang Jin-Ho was nominally Vator’s master, the contents of this rebuke sounded like something a master would say to his servants.
“Your body! How are you feeling?”
Despite the strangeness of the situation, Kang Jin-Ho still chuckled away.
Even though Vator sounded rather miffed right now, his eyes couldn't betray his real intentions. He seemed genuinely worried. So much so that Kang Jin-Ho briefly wondered who taught a rough-around-the-edges Mongol giant like Vator to care about other people!
“If something like that could harm me, I would have already died a long time ago,” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled dismissively.
Vator grunted unhappily. “Those who place excessive trust in their ruddy health will get a rude awakening one day, master! Remember, there is no predetermined order to who croaks first!”
Verbal abuse disguised as well-wishing remarks freely flowed out of Vator’s large mouth.
Kang Jin-Ho's smile faded ever so slightly just then. “...Yes, there is no order, but at the very least, I won't die before you.”
“You can't be sure of that, master!” Vator raised his voice to start nagging again, but someone suddenly swooped in first to lend some timely assistance.
“Sir Vator is right, my lord. No one can say that for sure. Who knows? I might live longer than you,” said Wiggins as he entered the cafeteria.
Kang Jin-Ho ruefully shook his head. “That jab hurts more than it should, you know that?”
Wiggins smiled brightly while sitting on Kang Jin-Ho’s opposite side. “You look better than I expected, my lord.”
“Hmm?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head and looked across the cafeteria table.
“I thought you'd emerge from your office while looking half-dead, my lord. That's what creating martial arts usually does to people, after all. Since that's not the case… Perhaps you compromised at an appropriate moment?”
Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “As it turned out, this whole creation thing doesn’t work out the way you want.”
“I’m sure that’s the case. Especially when we consider your personality, my lord. Still…” Wiggins leaned in closer and quietly asked the one question burning a hole in his heart. “...Did you achieve a favorable result, my lord?”
Kang Jin-Ho silently nodded.
Wiggins also nodded back. “I see. I’m genuinely looking forward to finding out what you have created, my lord! Is it a new cultivation method? Or… a new martial philosophy, perhaps?”
“I'm not sure how to explain it properly, but…” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled.
Unfortunately, the opportunity to explain further had to be delayed somewhat.
“My liiiiiiiiiege!”
Kang Jin-Ho squeezed his eyes shut at the loud yell coming from outside the cafeteria’s doorway.
‘Gee whiz. Is all this hullabaloo really necessary?’
Casual onlookers might assume Kang Jin-Ho had just returned from a warzone at this rate!
A second later, Chang Min broke through the already-broken doorway and rushed inside the cafeteria while scattering his tears in the air. After discovering Kang Jin-Ho, Chang Min urgently kowtowed on the floor and opened the floodgates of tears for real.
“My liege! My liege!!! Sob, sniffle! This servant was overcome by grief when we heard the news of how you examined one of the cult's younger members, and his poor state shocked you into secluding yourself to create a new demonic art! We would've wept in joy if you had simply imparted us with already-existing demonic arts. But, but…! Even at the expense of harming your noble health, you still wish to shower us with your benevolence!”
Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply. “H-how about you get up first and talk…?”
“My liege! My lieeeege! This lowly servant can’t possibly repay this heavenly favor you’ve graced us with! Even if all the Demon Soldiers of the cult die a hundred times over, this grace can never be repaid! Such grace is as deep and vast as an ocean, and as tall as the… Uhh, what else was there again…?”
Kang Jin-Ho slowly facepalmed just then. Lee Hyeon-Su leaned in closer and tried to offer some words of comfort. “I’m sure you’ll get used to it soon enough, sir.”
“...Right. A man who hasn't changed for 180 years wouldn't suddenly change his ways now.” Kang Jin-Ho groaned in frustration after reality hit him in the face again. “Okay, I get it, so take a seat first.”
Chang Min remained kowtowing. “How dare a lowly servant like me…”
“Please. I beg of you.”
“T-then, I shall obey, my liege.”
Once Chang Min joined the rest and found an empty chair nearby to settle down, Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly scanned his audience members. For some reason, he felt stifled.
Wiggins gently chuckled and got the conversation going as if he had seen through Kang Jin-Ho’s mind. “My lord, I believe now is a good time to inform us what you have acquired during your seclusion.”
“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin.
Lee Hyeon-Su changed his spot next to Wiggins. It seemed he was thinking of translating what Kang Jin-Ho said in English. Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then began speaking in Chinese.
“To say I've acquired something... It's not as straightforward as that. To borrow what Wiggins said, I haven't created a martial art. Maybe I should say I've acquired a martial philosophy?”
“A martial philosophy…” Wiggins nodded in satisfaction. That was indeed good news.
Creating a new martial art that could be passed down to others would have greatly enhanced the Martial Assembly's combat power. However, it wouldn't have helped Kang Jin-Ho to become stronger.
But now, since he had acquired a new martial philosophy that could transcend his current realm, didn't that mean Kang Jin-Ho would inevitably become even stronger than ever before?
‘Still… How did he do that so quickly?'
Wiggins couldn't help but feel a little hollow inside. The way he saw it, Kang Jin-Ho was undoubtedly an incredible man. However, in some aspects, he could be… a little goofy and slow-witted, too. Still, when it came to the matters of martial arts, Kang Jin-Ho's potential seemed to know no bounds.
Establishing a new martial philosophy in around five days? If someone from the Round Table heard that, the only reaction coming from them would be 'sneer' for making an unfunny joke.
However, this man before Wiggins' eyes had managed to pull off that feat.
“My lord, how will you apply it, though?”
Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin. “For now, I’ve reconstructed Mara Blood Flame Qi.”
“M-M-Mara Blood Flame Qi!” Chang Min cried out, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. “Were you planning to pass down that demonic art to the cult members, my liege?”
“Mm? Why? Am I not allowed?”
“N-no, but…!” Chang Min faltered, his hands trembling unsteadily.
Others in the cafeteria were puzzled by Chang Min's shock. Then again, anyone who wasn't a demonic cultivator… No, anyone who wasn't as well-versed as Chang Min on the demon cult's history wouldn't have heard about this particular martial art before.
“M-my liege, you wish to… pass down something that priceless…?”
“Priceless?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. What was Chang Min talking about? What was so priceless about that cultivation method?
“Isn't Mara Blood Flame Qi an exclusive method only passed down to the true subordinates who have sworn their allegiances to you? I-in that case, how can such priceless treasure be made available to the common cult believers…!”
“Huh. Mm…”
Was that how Mara Blood Flame Qi’s legends had been passed down through the generations?
Chang Min's assumption wasn't incorrect, though. Mara Blood Flame Qi was only mastered by the Demon Flames, after all. And the members of the Demon Flames swore to serve Kang Jin-Ho till their dying breaths. It didn't matter even if Kang Jin-Ho took various parts of existing demonic cultivation methods to create a Frankenstein monster that met his personal tastes.
However, did that make Mara Blood Flame Qi… priceless? The Demon Flames might be the only folks who got to master it in the past, but that wasn't because Kang Jin-Ho forbade others from cultivating it.
Back then, many other 'better' demonic cultivation methods could be found with relative ease. In that case, why would anyone go out of their way to master an unproven cultivation method that carried considerable risks?
Mara Blood Flame Qi did eventually prove its worth a while later, but others still evaluated it as a cultivation method that was too focused on achieving extreme strength at the cost of safety or stability. Naturally, people stayed away from it other than the Demon Flames.
But now…
Chang Min excitedly muttered, “That legendary cultivation method will be…!”
‘No, mister. That’s not legendary at all.’
Kang Jin-Ho groaned deep inside his heart. He might be proud of Mara Blood Flame Qi's power, but was it good enough to be called legendary? Even Kang Jin-Ho didn't think that was the case.
This situation was rapidly becoming too awkward for Kang Jin-Ho's liking!
“I-in any case…” Kang Jin-Ho sneakily turned his head away from Chang Min busy shedding tears like a deeply-moved man.
Wiggins continued his line of questioning. “Is the stability guaranteed, my lord? Risks always accompany mastering demonic arts, if I'm not mistaken?”
Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “I tried to prioritize that aspect but still can't say for certain. Side effects will still occur.”
In the end, Kang Jin-Ho was still Kang Jin-Ho. He could’ve pursued safety and stability at the cost of overall destructive power, but no. Even though that was his initial intention, the end result still came out this way.
The power went up, and the stability, well… It became a tiny bit better.
Thanks to Kang Jin-Ho's tendency to pursue extreme power and aggressiveness, it was simply impossible for him to create a stable and safe demonic cultivation method.
“However, I can guarantee the power,” Kang Jin-Ho smirked deeply.
Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't help but sigh at length. Because, he knew only too well what that smirk signified.
“Master!” Vator suddenly raised his voice.
“Mm?”
“Can it flip the world on its head?”
Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Flip the world?”
“Yes. I’m asking you if this new method can conquer the modern-era Zhongyuan. Can it help us fight against the hidden forces of the Crimson King’s faction? And the other Two Kings, too?”
Vator sounded quite serious just then. He couldn't ask this question to anyone else. Even he knew how ridiculous and flabbergasting this notion was. However, if it's Kang Jin-Ho…
If Vator asked the one and only Kang Jin-Ho…! Maybe Vator might hear the answer he had been wishing for.
Kang Jin-Ho casually replied, “What a strange thing to say that is. You say conquer?”
“…”
“Why conquer? When that land used to belong to me? I’m merely taking it back.”
Vator bared his fangs in a ferocious grin. Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t the type to utter lies and hollow promises.
“Very well! Let’s get started, master. I’ve been waiting for too long.”
An unexplainable fervor began whipping up within the cafeteria like a storm. Everyone in here instinctively realized something. That this here was the moment when everything began!
If the world was indeed flipped on its head in the future... If the current world order crumbled, and a new era where everything revolved around the Korean Martial Assembly began…! The historians would look back to this moment and say this was when everything began.
Kang Jin-Ho stopped wandering aimlessly and took his rightful place by the front of the pack. And now, everyone else only needed to follow his lead.
Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Chang Min. “Chang Min?”
“Yes, my liege!”
“Summon all the elders.”
Chang Min deeply bowed his head. “I shall obey!”
Kang Jin-Ho turned his attention to Vator next. “What’s the Demon Flames’ current state?”
“I've turned them into squishy marshmallows. Just like you asked.”
“Good. Gather them.”
Vator energetically nodded. “It shall be done!”
“Lee Hyeon-Su?”
Lee Hyeon-Su sat up straight. “Yes, sir!”
“Bring Bang Jin-Hun.”
“I shall bring him right away!”
Finally, Kang Jin-Ho locked eyes with Wiggins. “Is there something I can help you with, I wonder?”
“My lord, that should be the other way around. Please tell me what I must do for you. My role is to serve you, after all.”
The corners of Kang Jin-Ho's lips curled up. “Hmm. Actually, I've something interesting for you. Why don't we find out whether or not it suits you?”
Wiggins shuddered a little when he heard that.
Kang Jin-Ho stood up, then addressed everyone in a still, calm voice. “From this moment on… Things will get truly, mindlessly busy for all of us. Prepare yourselves and try to keep up.”
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Everyone responded in their own passionate way. Kang Jin-Ho silently took in their responses and grinned deeply.
‘Yes. Let’s get started.’
He was about to flip everything on its head. Absolutely… everything!
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