Descent of the Demon Master

"If that's what you were thinking of, wouldn't it be better to implement a voice recognition translation service into the app?" Chang Min asked.

Cheon Tae-Hun frowned slightly. "That will cost too much money, sir. And lengthen the development time, too."

"No need for us to sweat about developing it when plenty of such services are already available. For one, many large search portals and IT service providers already offer automated translation services, don't they?"

"That's what I'm saying, sir. But I don't see a reason to include a specific service functionality in our app that constantly maintains an online connection to a third party. We can simply access the service when needed."

"Don't you think it'll be necessary if we wish to simplify things? After all, this app's purpose is to make life easier for everyone, no? It might be worth considering if we can reduce the number of taps."

"Mm… Yes, you're right. I haven't thought about that."

"Rather than those free services offered to the public, let's look for full-blooded versions offered to paying customers and corporations. If we can identify the service provider that's a right fit for us and negotiate the suitable end-user fees with them, I think it's worth adding the service to our app."

Cheon Tae-Hun nodded. "Yes… You're right, sir."

Lee Hyeon-Su was sweating buckets while acting as an interpreter between the two men. And working hands-on like this really helped him see the urgent need for this translation service.

Even though they were all living under the same sky, the region Lee Hyeon-Su occupied must be located on another continent to Cheon Tae-Hun and Chang Min's.

This situation was a handy reminder that, depending on how well a person acclimatized to the changing times, the number of things they could do would either go up or down.

As for Kang Jin-Ho…

'Two hundred thirty-six, two hundred thirty-seven…'

...He was currently occupying himself with counting the patterns on the ceiling. What could he do when he had no idea what they were talking about? And couldn't help out even if he listened?

Even though most of this discussion was in Korean, Kang Jin-Ho felt like he was dropped into a third-world country. No, wait. That wasn't right!

At least in places like the middle of Africa, Kang Jin-Ho could resort to making wild hand gestures and facial expressions to somehow communicate with other parties. But not in this situation!

He had no idea, so what else could he do other than idly count the patterns on the ceiling and pass the time?

Chang Min rubbed his chin. "We might need a dedicated department to handle this app. We can solve the development question by hiring an external developer, but what about the servers? We can't let outsiders have access to them. The department I'm thinking of will be in charge of these servers."

Cheon Tae-Hun nodded in agreement. "I agree, sir."

"Is anyone in the Martial Assembly knowledgeable in such things?"

"Unfortunately, no. It's safe to assume we have no one like that."

"Hmm… That means we'll have to bring outsiders into the Assembly HQ. However, I'm not happy with that idea…"

Lee Hyeon-Su finished translating Chang Min's words, then quickly interjected with his own opinion. "Actually… I have an idea for that."

Chang Min glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su. "Mm? Do you perhaps know a programmer or two?"

"No. But I think we don't need to get too hung up about having those servers inside the Assembly grounds. Keep the servers in another location, but let our people manage them. A couple of managers from our side should suffice, and we can hire civilian employees to work for them."

Chang Min contemplatively nodded. "That sounds like a workable idea, but… Won't there be security issues?"

"Well… We might not have anyone with related skill sets in our midst, but some of the people who are originally from our neck of the woods must be working in the IT sector. Let's have them sit in managerial positions, then select a handful of the Assembly members to serve as security guards. That should deal with the problem."

"I see. That sounds like a good idea."

Kang Jin-Ho grew even more lonely as he listened. He thought Lee Hyeon-Su was in the same boat as him, but… But even that dude began yapping in an alien language!

What on Earth was about having servers outside the HQ… No, before all that, what were these things called servers in the first place?

'Yup. I feel lonely.'

It felt like Kang Jin-Ho was all alone in this world full of other human beings. He grew even more melancholic when the loneliness he felt during his time in Zhongyuan seemed to be repeating itself.

Meanwhile, Cheon Tae-Hun stared at Chang Min in pure admiration. "I had no idea you'd be this well-versed, sir. I'm thoroughly impressed."

Chang Min coolly shook his head. "It's not to the point of being impressive, young man. I merely tried to keep up with things that we should know about. That's all."

"Still, you have your age to consider…"

"I might be old, but that doesn't mean I'm old-fashioned, young man. Doesn't matter how old you are, failing to acclimatize to the changing times and doggedly clinging to the old ways makes you an outdated old fart."

"Yes, sir! You're definitely correct! I'm even more impressed!" Cheon Tae-Hun's eyes sparkled brightly as he stared at Chang Min.

However, he soon turned his head to stare at Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su next. And when his expression rapidly cooled to resemble hard, unforgiving stone…

Kang Jin-Ho felt yet another bout of sorrow rush into his heart.

'Don't use your expression to say those things! Just don't!'

It was as if Cheon Tae-Hun's face was saying, 'Aigoo, you useless old farts!'

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head, then glanced at Chang Min. "Okay. Does that mean I can leave the new department to you?"

"My liege, I'm afraid this is one task I cannot take on."

"Mm? How come?"

"I have far too many souls to look after, my liege. Yes, I'm dying to bring to life the grand ambition you dream of, but the management of the cult believers is a full-time responsibility that I simply cannot tear myself away from."

"Hmm…" Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow.

"And it should be the same situation for the other two as well. Wiggins and Vator cannot leave their posts, either."

Lee Hyeon-Su quickly chimed in. "And it doesn't make sense for them to personally step up to handle this task, Assembly Master. We only have four directors in the Assembly. Please treat the directors accordingly. You were the one who gave them these roles, after all."

"...Only up to the directors, my liege."

"…!"

Lee Hyeon-Su was sneakily planning to improve the treatment he received, but his attempt collided against the defensive wall called Chang Min and got deflected away.

Kang Jin-Ho stared at Lee Hyeon-Su busy smacking his lips and asked again. "In that case, who do you think is the best candidate to take over this role?"

"Well…" Lee Hyeon-Su frowned, unable to answer.

When a brief bout of silence descended into the office, Cheon Tae-Hun cautiously raised his voice. "Everyone, I might have a solution."

"Mm?"

Cheon Tae-Hun tensed up slightly when everyone's attention focused on him. However, he wasn't as nervous as before, allowing him to speak more confidently.

"Currently, the Martial Assembly doesn't have what you'd call a middle layer."

"Well, yeah."

That was something everyone here had been thinking about lately.

The Martial Assembly was currently split into two obvious layers. Although the folks around Kang Jin-Ho had taken over the directorial positions… Everyone else didn't hold any positions of note.

To complicate matters even further, the Assembly's brain trust focused most of its nurturing efforts on the younger-generation martial artists. And these youngsters were also usually the ones mobilized during past events.

"We know that, but there isn't much we can do about it right now, so…" Lee Hyeon-Su muttered, a troubled look forming on his face.

The older experts that should've filled the Assembly's workforce got purged recently. The result of getting rid of factions belonging to Lee Jung-Geol and Kim Seok-Il—basically, two groups that have dominated the Assembly and the Yeongnam Group—was the creation of a bizarrely shaped pyramid structure.

"I'm not saying we should call on the elders again. No, my idea is… We should ask for help from those experts who are currently living outside the Assembly's control."

"Hmm…" Lee Hyeon-Su slowly nodded.

It was possible to command the younger, immature martial artists to train in the Assembly's grounds. Failing that, they could still be ordered to at least pop in the Assembly HQ every once in a while. However, what about those older experts?

Once they reached a certain age threshold, these experts would try to distance themselves from the Assembly in order to train themselves or nurture their disciples.

At least it was possible to order a twenty-five-year-old martial artist around. But the same couldn't be done to an expert at, say, forty-five years of age.

Lee Hyeon-Su rubbed his chin. "There can't be that many of them, though…"

Cheon Tae-Hun spoke confidently. "Yes. Even so, that small number will make a huge difference."

"That's true." Lee Hyeon-Su nodded, thinking that Cheon Tae-Hun had a good point.

"Also… If that's still not enough to shore up our workforce, we need to seriously consider hiring outsiders," said Cheon Tae-Hun.

"Mm…!"

"For that purpose, I believe we need to think about exploring the possibility of hiring the former Assembly members who gave up on the paths of martial arts and joined the surface world, sir. After all, we've already discussed hiring such people in the IT sector, haven't we?"

Cheon Tae-Hun's voice was getting more passionate as he addressed his audience.

"Other sectors must have people like that as well. If they are available, we must consider utilizing them."

"Right…" Lee Hyeon-Su nodded, then looked at Kang Jin-Ho. "If we do this, I think it could also calm the former members who had to give up the martial paths, sir. They had to leave because they thought it was impossible to keep up with their peers. This idea could give them the impression that the Assembly is trying to take care of their survival till the end."

Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes. "Ng? Did you say something?"

"...We're still in the middle of a meeting, Assembly Master."

"Oh. Uh, yeah. Sure." Kang Jin-Ho sobered up quickly. He realized his mind had wandered off when the discussion centered around the stuff that had little to do with him. "Sure. Let's pursue this avenue, then. Whatever helps."

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly shook his head after realizing Kang Jin-Ho had zero enthusiasm for this topic. However, he could understand why this happened. Even Lee Hyeon-Su found it hard to catch up, so how much worse would it be for Kang Jin-Ho?

'What's important here is that we've finally gotten around to discussing this topic.'

Lee Hyeon-Su had no idea the discussion would snowball and reach this state, but he was glad it did. Now he knew the dissatisfaction festering among the younger-generation martial artists was worse than anticipated and that they needed respond urgently.

Lee Hyeon-Su looked at Cheon Tae-Hun next. "Where is Elder Bang Jin-Hun?"

"He's getting ready for the shoot, which will start tomorrow."

"...I see." Lee Hyeon-Su muttered, the corners of his lips twitching.

To think Bang Jin-Hun would be the star of a prerecorded video lecture! How could Lee Hyeon-Su not chuckle after imagining Bang Jin-Hun trying to teach martial arts in front of a camera?

'Well, there's my proof of how the world has changed.'

This was something Lee Hyeon-Su had never even thought of. Was this why the ever-wise old 'they' said the impact of youngsters was irreplaceable? Even though Lee Hyeon-Su could still call himself a young man, he never imagined doing something like starting an online course for martial arts.

"Will this be okay, Assembly Master? Are you happy with this?" Lee Hyeon-Su asked Kang Jin-Ho.

This method could certainly be called a necessary shock to the system to make the progress needed. However, if Lee Hyeon-Su was being honest… He was worried. Martial arts required a delicate, intricate touch. That was why almost all types of martial arts were passed down from one generation to the next in a master-apprentice relationship.

It was the standard practice to match the inclinations and traits of the disciples and pass the knowledge along. So, wouldn't unpredictable issues crop up when teaching so many people at once? However…

"About what?" Kang Jin-Ho asked back in a slightly sullen tone.

'Huh? Is he… pissed about something?'

But that couldn't be? Why?

Lee Hyeon-Su coughed to clear his throat. "Kuh-hum! I was talking about teaching martial arts through prerecorded videos, Assembly Master. I'm somewhat nervous about this idea, you see?"

"Why? I don't think it'll be a problem."

"But… If the disciples learn it incorrectly, or unexpected issues crop up, how are we supposed to take care of them?"

"I'm telling you, there won't be a huge difference," said Kang Jin-Ho while casually shrugging away. "Imagine gathering hundreds of folks in one spot and teaching them simultaneously. You can't take care of every single one, right? That'll be nearly impossible."

"Yes, that is true."

"The way I see it, the method of teaching isn't what we should be concerned about. No, it'd be our responses to those who get it wrong and stray from the path. No need to worry about those who only need a video lecture to get better. They will actually lessen our workload."

Cheon Tae-Hun quickly chimed in. "I also think that will be the case, sir. An even better advantage of a video lecture is that you can always rewind and watch again if some parts don't make sense to you. I mean… I'm sure plenty of disciples out there would never dare ask their masters for clarifications even if they don't understand the teachings."

"Indeed…!" Lee Hyeon-Su nodded. He had no choice but to acknowledge the truth now.

The master-apprentice relationship was a good way to teach someone, but this method was also very inefficient. And it demanded the formal etiquette between masters and disciples to be strictly upheld at all times.

The Martial Assembly was excessively 'frozen in time' when viewed from the modern-era mindset. This video lecture could become the trigger that finally undid the organization's paralysis.

Chang Min tilted his head. "Mm? So the broadcast will start tomorrow?"

"Yes, sir," Cheon Tae-Hun nodded.

"I see. But what about the video platform? Surely, we don't have access to a platform where a large number of people can log in at the same time? Are you going to upload videos and share them among the members?"

"For now, that is what we will do. As for those times when we have to live stream to urgently supplement the videos, well… We'll have to rely on the existing video-sharing platforms."

"Wouldn't there be the risk of exposure?"

"I'm sure it'll be doable by password-locking the videos and getting the cooperation from the platforms."

"Really? In that case…" Chang Min mulled over the existing video-sharing platforms, then smirked suspiciously.

"What about the lecture fees? Will you accept balloons for them?"

"…"

"…"

While Lee Hyeon-Su and Cheon Tae-Hun were left completely speechless, only Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in confusion. "Balloons? What's that?"[1]

Despite his confusion, however, no one tried to explain what 'balloons' meant in this situation.

...And that only worsened Kang Jin-Ho's loneliness.

1. South Korea's streaming platform, Afreeca TV, uses digital currency called star balloons that can be gifted to your favorite streamers. ☜