Descent of the Demon Master

There was a child here. A young child.

The Master silently stared at this young child. This boy held a small wooden sword in one hand and a staff in the other.

-You're being unreasonable, boy.

-That is not achievable by human means.

Someone tried to take away the wooden sword and staff from the boy. However, he vehemently resisted by swinging around his tiny hands. When he did that, fewer and fewer faceless people tried to take the boy's weapons away.

Eventually, only one figure remained, and it addressed the boy.

-It will get difficult for you.

-The path you will walk on is undoubtedly harsh and unforgiving.

-There is an easier path. In that case, why do you persist with this difficult path?

The boy raised his head and smiled brightly. His smile, so pure and innocent…

"Why? Because it looks cool!"

The Master's eyes stung. Light was flooding in from somewhere. He reflexively raised his hand to shield his eyes.

His consciousness was slowly but surely returning to him.

The first thing he felt was a dull pain. It felt like every joint in his body was misaligned and creaking.

'That is horrifying…'

Rather than the joy of still being alive, the pained screams coming from various parts of his body invaded his consciousness far more urgently.

"You're awake," said a familiar voice coming from the bedside. It belonged to Wiggins.

The Master calmly replied, "...I'm not sure if waking up is a blessing or not."

"It's not as bad as you make it out to be, Master. You only briefly lost consciousness, after all."

"If that is true… Then, why does it feel like my body is about to break down into pieces?" The Master grunted, then slowly pushed his upper torso up while rubbing his eyes. R

The surroundings seemed somewhat familiar.

'Am I back in the hotel suite?'

It seemed he was in the suite his entourage had booked. The Master was grateful for not waking up in some hospital room or worse, inside the Assembly HQ. Advertising his pathetic side everywhere would've been too humiliating for him to handle, after all!

'For sure, it's such a shame to lose Wiggins to the Assembly. Considering how good he is at his job…'

The Master silently glanced at Wiggins sitting near the bed.

"You should take care, Master. Your body hasn't healed fully yet."

"Didn't you say I lost my consciousness only briefly? It sounds like you're changing your story already."

"That's what I've been told about demonic qi, unfortunately. Apparently, once it burrows into a person's body, demonic qi doesn't leave any outward wounds but causes significant internal injuries. Getting a thorough medical examination will not reveal anything, but the victim's life force will still continue to weaken until they die."

The Master cocked an eyebrow. "...Does that mean I'm dying as we speak?"

"I don't think that's the case, Master. I'm simply informing you of how demonic qi works. Besides, my lord isn't the type to patiently wait for someone to die that slowly."

If Kang Jin-Ho wanted someone dead, he'd have already cracked their skull open!

Wiggins held back the last part of his explanation. He figured there was no need to bring it up.

The Master wasn't a moron, so he should know that the only reason he was still breathing like this was thanks to Kang Jin-Ho's mercy. Of course, obnoxiously pointing out stuff like that was uncalled for in this situation.

The Master pensively muttered, "I see. So, this means I was beaten, then?"

"That's a bit of a surprise," Wiggins grinned brightly. "Don't tell me you were hoping for a famous win."

"No one can predict the future, Wiggins," The Master replied while pushing away the blanket. He staggered a little while getting off the bed, then gingerly headed to the nearest couch. "You can never truly predict what will happen during a fierce battle."

"Mm…!"

"Even if the odds of victory is a thousand to one, or even a million to one… Who can be sure that Lady Luck won't sing for you today? At this very moment? Miracles happen often enough in this world, Wiggins. And there is no guarantee that another miracle won't happen here."

Wiggins silently nodded away. That argument might sound far-fetched, but was it really when it came out of the Master's mouth?

"Resigning yourself to defeat just because you fall behind in terms of strength is a wrong attitude for a martial artist, Wiggins. In other words, even if you're about to fight an opponent you'd lose nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, you must still never let your guard down. Only then are you qualified to be called a true martial artist."

Wiggins was genuinely impressed just then.

What an obvious thing to say that was. Countless people would proudly yap about stuff like that. However, you could scour the entire world and still not find many who were willing to take what they knew and put it into practice.

Wiggins curiously asked, "Then, did you think you stood a chance of victory?"

"Of course not."

"...I beg your pardon?"

The Master smirked helplessly. "At first? Yes, I thought there was a faint possibility. I saw Kang Jin-Ho as an opponent I could win against in one out of a hundred fights. Since those were my odds… I figured that maybe, if I could concentrate hard enough, something might happen. That was the feeling I got."

"Concentrate… hard enough?" Wiggins dazedly asked back.

The Master suddenly cackled. "A man can sometimes want to act on his whims, Wiggins."

"Well, yes. That is true for other people, but it's surprising to hear that coming from you, Master."

"What do you mean? Am I not human like everyone else?"

Wiggins chuckled hollowly. Again, the Master was right about that.

Even so, how should he put this? In Wiggins' view, the Master of the Round Table was a little different from other people.

For now, Wiggins wasn't sure how to digest what the Master told him just now. Should he be happy about witnessing a new facet of the Master? Or be disappointed by witnessing an unwelcome side of a man he respected?

However, he soon found his answer. It was not hidden inside him but with the Master. More specifically, the Master's face. There wasn't a single trace of doubt in his expression.

After seeing how refreshed the Master looked, Wiggins couldn't help but feel guilty about trying to find signs of doubt or uncertainty in the Master's behavior.

"Master, you seem to have gotten over your defeat rather quickly."

The Master chuckled. "Do I look that way?"

"Yes. So much so that I'm beginning to think I should learn from your example."

"Hmm. Wiggins? You still don't have an eye for reading people, it seems."

"...I don't follow?"

While tilting his head, Wiggins placed a cup of coffee before the Master.

After reaching out and elegantly picking up the cup, the Master leisurely savored the aroma. Nothing was better than the delectable aroma of fresh coffee to blow away the cobwebs!

"So, you think I'm at ease, do you?" The Master casually asked, a bright smile on his face. "That's not true. My heart is burning up right now."

"…"

"No martial artist can calmly accept their defeat, Wiggins. Listen."

"Yes, I'm listening."

"How many times do you think I've tasted defeat in my life?"

"…?"

Wiggins wasn't sure, but the number of defeats couldn't have been that high. After all, the Master was one of the strongest martial artists in Europe.

"Of course I've lost several times. Several times, indeed. However, that number is still too low for me to get used to the idea of losing. And now? I'm trying to process this still-unfamiliar anger of mine."

The Master grinned brightly again.

"But that's what makes me so happy, Wiggins. This event helped me confirm that I still retained the necessary passion. If I had felt nothing after the defeat, I would've been deeply disappointed in myself."

"Master…" Wiggins quietly spoke while sitting opposite the Master. "I'd like to ask you something if you don't mind."

The Master slowly nodded. "No, I don't mind. Go ahead."

Wiggins briefly sucked in a deep breath before staring straight at the Master. "Why did you do this?"

"…"

That question seemed so random. Without any context. However, the Master still fully understood the crux of Wiggins' question.

"Not sure myself, Wiggins. Why did I do that?"

Of course, understanding the question didn't mean he knew the answer.

"Mm, I do not know."

Unfortunately, the Master's reply coming out after a brief contemplation failed to satisfy Wiggins' curiosity.

"There can be many answers to your question, Wiggins. But none of them can serve as the perfect answer you might be looking for."

"…"

The Master sat forward. "Look here, Wiggins."

"Yes?"

"It seems you and I both have forgotten about it."

"Master? What did we forget?"

"We forgot that I'm a human being, too."

"…" Wiggins clamped his mouth shut again. That was because that sentence accurately stabbed Wiggins' heart.

"This is what humans are like, now isn't it? No one can perfectly explain their decisions. Isn't that why we have dedicated people studying human behaviors to figure out why we do certain things? However, even after centuries of efforts from various great scholars, we still haven't gotten close to figuring out what compels humans to make certain decisions."

"Yes, that is true."

"So, you shouldn't think that you know the answer," the Master cackled slightly loudly. "After all, the honest truth is that no one knows why we behave this way. Why we make these decisions. Even worse… People themselves don't understand why we are like this, making such choices."

Wiggins sighed grandly. "Master… I only wanted to know what made you do that."

"I'd also like to know," said the Master while leaning back against the couch.

Result-wise, there was no doubt that the Master's decision to fight Kang Jin-Ho was a reckless move. Such behavior should never have come from the man occupying the role of the Master of the Round Table.

Even though he perfectly understood that, the Master still chose to fight Kang Jin-Ho. He could think of many reasons for making this choice. Competitive streak, securing benefits, and also…

'...And jealousy, too.'

The Master didn't feel jealous of the newer, younger suns rising up. He lived in a far too different world to feel that kind of emotion from them, after all. If he saw a new young blood rising through the ranks, the Master would most likely watch this spectacle like a content grandfather.

However, Kang Jin-Ho was different. First of all, he wasn't a youngster.

Once upon a time, the Master was also a sun radiating so blindingly in the heavens, just like Kang Jin-Ho. In those days, the Master wouldn't have felt such a petty thing as jealousy at Kang Jin-Ho.

However, the Master was the setting sun now. On the other hand, Kang Jin-Ho was still high up in the heavens, still radiating brilliantly as ever. That was where his jealousy stemmed from.

However, this jealousy was still not quite enough to completely explain away the Master's behavior.

'Maybe I… I was searching for something.'

And that something could have been an escape path that might drastically alter the situation the Master was trapped in.

"So…" Wiggins cautiously asked, "Are you feeling better now, Master?"

A faint smirk etched on the Master's lips.

'This is why I can never hate you, Wiggins.'

Obviously, Wiggins had no idea what compelled the Master to behave this way. Maybe he wouldn't have been able to understand even if he knew. However, he still asked a question that accurately went to the core of the issue.

"Wiggins, how could you ask a victim of a beating that question? It seems you need to take a long, hard look at yourself," the Master playfully scolded Wiggins.

"Well, one of the things life has taught me is that…"

"Mm?"

"Sometimes, a complete and utter defeat will feel better than a messy victory."

"Hah…" The Master stared in dismay at Wiggins before chuckling helplessly. "Yes, that might be true. Maybe… Yes, indeed. That could be."

The Master began tapping his knee with his fingertips. Wiggins didn't say anything and silently waited for the Master to finish organizing his thoughts.

A short while later, the Master glanced at Wiggins and broke the silence. "Well, then."

"Yes?"

"Why don't we get to the main topic? The one you've been dying to talk to me about?"

"…"

The Master casually shrugged. "I'm sure you didn't wait for me to wake up just to confirm my well-being. So? What do you wish to tell me?"

"Master, I…"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Look here, Wiggins."

Wiggins subtly raised his head to look away.

However, the Master still locked his gaze on Wiggins' face. "You know me too well, Wiggins. And I know you just as well, too. So, let us not waste each other's time with unnecessary small talk. Aren't we both very busy men?"

"...If you insist," Wiggins sighed deeply. "I only wanted to ask one question, anyway. What will you do now, Master?"

"What will I do…?"

What a vague question that was. Even so, this vagueness still couldn't disguise the crux of the question. Wiggins was demanding to know what the Master would do about South Korea once he returned to Britain.

"What will you do if my replies are not in your favor?"

"Master…" Wiggins stared contemplatively at the Master. "As you've alluded to, yes, I know you too well. And I also know that your individual actions are completely unrelated to what the Round Table would decide to do."

"Hmm…!"

"If you were to mobilize the Round Table, I'm certain you'd deploy all the available combat personnel."

"Yes, I would."

"That story probably won't change much even if you had died in this place. If I'm being honest…" Wiggins muttered, his gaze getting sharper and sharper. "I'd prefer to handle the Round Table without you around to guide it."

The atmosphere in the room rapidly froze up.