Descent of the Demon Master

Announcement:

Lectures regarding the Martial Assembly’s new standard cultivation technique will start tomorrow.

Anyone affiliated with the Assembly is eligible to participate.

The lectures will not follow traditional methods but will be delivered as prerecorded videos.

Confirm the contents of the announcement, as well as the lecture start time, in the link below.

Copies of the secret manual and additional learning tools are available on the HQ main building's first floor.

Choi Man-Sik narrowed his eyes like that cartoon character from the famous internet meme while staring at his phone’s screen.

‘So, it really is a text message…’

What an amazing development this was. Choi Man-Sik had been a part of the Martial Assembly since he was a little kid, but never before did he receive public announcements in the form of a text message like this.

Yes, texts and DMs were often used to communicate when moving as a small unit or to receive minor orders from the top. However, Choi Man-Sik couldn’t remember seeing an announcement being made this way.

He couldn’t help but get weirded out by this unprecedented event.

‘Hah. So, things are changing for real, then.’

The Martial Assembly had been going through a rapid and pronounced transformation lately. Anyone who had been calling themselves a member of the Assembly would know. However, that change mostly affected how one trained. The other changes were hardly noticeable.

The most visible changes would have to be… All the demon cult elders unlucky enough to get caught in Kang Jin-Ho's crosshairs flying in the air, and the Demon Flames unlucky enough to get caught in Vator's… big mitts showing everyone the miraculous feat of running with their backs and heads instead of their feet. About that much?

Also, there was a small matter of many new buildings popping up nonstop in the middle of the mountain.

However, none of those events involved Choi Man-Sik and his peers. After all, he was just a random martial artist and not a Chinese demonic cultivator. Vator or Kang Jin-Ho had no reason to personally get involved in Choi Man-Sik’s business.

While stewing in this amazed yet weirded-out feeling, Choi Man-Sik tapped on the link and accessed the webpage. And his brow furrowed almost immediately.

‘Huh. Setting up an electronic announcement system…? And distributing tablet PCs, too?’

Although Choi Man-Sik had already heard about these things, this news still made him do a double take. To think he’d see the day when the Assembly would distribute tablet PCs and the members would receive announcements electronically…!

“I have no idea what’s what anymore.”

The Martial Assembly was perhaps that one place most ill-suited to such developments.

This organization was old-fashioned. So much so that some elders didn't even want to use phones! As far as sticking to old ways of doing things was concerned, Choi Man-Sik was convinced no one could top the Martial Assembly.

Imagine how bad things must be for the members to say that, despite how they all dressed in modern attire to blend in, this organization was still more old-school than the famous Cheonghak-dong Village, the last remaining traditional village in Korea!

“Besides all that, though… Is this really okay?”

Changes were supposed to be good. Still, Choi Man-Sik had to wonder if these changes were a bit too much. Teaching a brand-new martial art through online lectures? That didn't sound sensible or logical to him.

“Why do we have to do everything in extremes, I wonder?”

It was either old-fashioned or off the walls. Why did Choi Man-Sik get the feeling that the Martial Assembly stopped having the middle ground for a while now?

“Gee, whiz…”

It must've been weird for those trying to get this thing off the ground since that was the story for the people meant to receive it, like Choi Man-Sik.

He glanced at the clock and noticed that the announced starting time for the lecture was almost here. He frowned and began scanning his vicinity.

‘Huh. Where am I supposed to watch this, though?’

Since nothing like this had happened before, Choi Man-Sik felt lost. Confused. He knew that online lectures could be watched practically anywhere, but that didn't mean he could do so in the middle of a busy street, now did it?

Currently, he was perched on a wooden bench next to the large training hall. It felt kind of awkward to sit here and watch the lecture.

‘Right. I should head to the auditorium or a training hall.’

He might feel like he was participating in proper training in those places. After making up his mind, Choi Man-Sik quickly headed to the auditorium. After arriving there, he quickly realized many others had the same idea as him.

The auditorium had already turned into an ocean of human bodies.

‘Is there even enough space for me in there?’

Thankfully, Choi Man-Sik quickly found an unoccupied seating by the corner. He slipped past the crowd and settled down on the seat, then eavesdropped on the voices of his fellow martial artists coming from all directions.

“Just what are the higher-ups thinking?”

“You think I’d know that?”

“It’s great that we’re about to learn a new martial art, but why does it have to be this way…?”

“Oh, yeah. Isn't this the first time the Assembly is trying to impart a martial art to a large group of people?”

“Mm? Yeah, you’re right.”

“Don’t you think doing things this way is more effective? It’s not like you can cram this many people into a classroom or something, right?”

“Huh. I guess so.”

It sounded as if anticipation and nervousness were cautiously dancing around each other. Which was Choi Man-Sik's current state of mind, too.

“Hang on. Do I need to log in first? And will the lectures be live streaming all the time?”

“Nah. I heard only today will be live since it's the first day and all. The other lectures will be prerecorded videos.”

“Huh. Did you sign up already?”

“Yeah. A long time ago. Wait, don't tell me you haven't done it yet?”

“H-hey, what the… I can’t access the link!”

Choi Man-Sik noticed that chaos was rapidly spreading among the people here.

‘I guess I shouldn’t make fun of the higher-ups, then.’

The grunts were just as guilty for failing to keep up with the times. Then again, what would a bunch of muscleheads holing themselves up in a nameless mountain range to train martial arts know about modern tech?

Those with a modicum of knowledge hurriedly dashed around to help the others log in to the website.

“What the hell! I told you to sign up and create a profile first, didn’t I?! Are you deaf!”

“Huh? But I can’t even register my password, so how can I create a profile or whatever?”

“Can’t you see this? Don’t you know what special characters are?! Or do you wanna go to a special school instead?!”

As the clock ticked toward the deadline, shouts and yells grew louder in decibels.

‘Huh. Huhuhuh… Yup, talk about an unholy mess.’

Choi Man-Sik observed this chaotic scene as a content expression floated up on his face. But then…!

BANG!

The exit to the auditorium was slammed open, and a familiar face rushed inside.

A martial artist near the doorway frowned. “What the hell! Be careful when you’re opening… Huh? Chief Lee?”

“What is the matter with you all?!” Lee Hyeon-Su yelled while scanning the crowd, his face flustered and panicky. “Why hasn’t everyone logged in yet?”

“Sir, we’re still trying.”

“What?! You f*cking idiots! Why haven't you all logged in already when we sent out the notice a long f*cking time ago?! Not even half has logged in yet!”

“We’re trying our best, sir.”

“Dammit! DM the idiots who are not here! And tell them to log in right now! Why are these morons so out of touch!”

A dude who still lived like it was the 80s only one day ago was busy berating the others for doing the same. If anyone who knew the real Lee Hyeon-Su saw this scene, they would have loudly tutted away and mocked him for it. Thankfully, though, none of them were present in this place.

Lee Hyeon-Su loudly yelled, “Hurry up and message them! We’ll delay the stream for twenty minutes.”

“Yes, sir!”

Without saying anything else, Lee Hyeon-Su rushed outside the auditorium.

“That dude is always busy, isn’t he?”

“Makes sense, wouldn’t you say?”

“Well, yeah. I guess so.”

Time continued to tick by, and after a while, the number of users logging in increased to meet the threshold. Once that happened, Choi Man-Sik’s phone received a new message.

[The live stream will begin.]

Everyone put the stream on full screen and began glaring intently at their phone.

“Hey, isn’t our phone screen too small for this?”

“Isn’t that why the higher-ups are planning to distribute tablets?”

“Hah. I'm guessing the smart bastards are at home to use their PCs to log in instead. I’m telling you, having a rubbish head will only make your poor body tired.”

“Hey, hey! It’s starting!”

“Keep it down, alright! Shut up!”

Choi Man-Sik also grew tense as his gaze locked on the phone's screen. For now, all he could see was the 'standby' message on a blank screen and not much else.

But then, the image on the screen changed to reveal the face of a rather familiar man standing sheepishly in front of the camera, looking rather lost and awkward.

“F-fuu-huuph!”

“Kek!”

“Hehehehe!”

Barely-contained laughter and cackles burst out from here and there after people noticed Bang Jin-Hun’s awkwardness on screen.

Yes, that was Bang Jin-Hun, one of the Martial Assembly's directors and a former Assembly Master! He was someone who'd not lose out to anyone in terms of sheer presence and charisma, yet he was now acting like an embarrassed, awkward kid on his face day at the kindergarten!

Bang Jin-Hun awkwardly scanned his surroundings while asking the person somewhere off-camera.

[Hey, man. When are we starting this thing?]

[Master! I told you we've already started!]

[Eh? We have? Does that mean we’re live? And people can see me?]

[Yes! We are live! And everyone can see you!]

[Eh?]

Bang Jin-Hun's flustered face was clearly visible to everyone. More laughter broke out from the crowd.

“Wow. This is more entertaining than most streams.”

“I’m telling you, this will revolutionize the world of training. Look at how informative and entertaining this is!”

Bang Jin-Hun would’ve blown his top if he were here to listen to these ‘kind’ evaluations. Fortunately, the viewers’ voices could not travel through the phone screen to reach the hard-working content creators.

[Uh-hmmm! Good to see you. O-oh, wait, uh… Welcome, welcome, everyone. My name is Bang Jin-Hun, a director of the Martial Assembly. And I, uh… So, mm…]

Bang Jin-Hun could be seen turning his head to address his disciple, Cheon Tae-Hun, off-screen.

[Hey, man. Am I supposed to introduce myself?]

[Nooo! How many times have I told you no introductions are necessary! Just begin the lecture! Please!]

[What the… Hey, you. Did you just shout at me, you brat?]

[N-no, that’s not… I was…]

[Listen here, you brat! How do you expect me to be a pro at something I’ve never tried before?! Obviously I will slip up here and there, no?!]

[B-but, master! I’ve explained what to do at least ten times, haven’t I!]

[So what! Can't you see that I'm nervous! I'm nervous, I tell you!]

[Master! We are on air! All this is being streamed live! Please, stop!]

[Ah, that’s right!]

Choi Man-Sik hurriedly covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.

‘What the hell is going on here?’

If he could, he’d dearly love to flood the chat window with ROFL emojis.

Bang Jin-Hun awkwardly resumed staring at the camera… to his side.

[Nooo! Master! The one in front! The camera in front of you!]

[...Oh.]

Choi Man-Sik had enough. He couldn’t take this anymore. Any more of this unintentional comedy routine from this duo, and he’d burst his gut laughing!

However, it seemed Bang Jin-Hun & Co. didn’t get the memo, judging from…

[Good to see you, everyone. My name is Bang Jin-Hun, a director of…]

[You already said that!]

[I know, you brat! Shut up!]

No one in the auditorium could decide whether this stream was a burst or a hit. At least one thing seemed certain at this point, and that was...

The reactions to the stream were explosive!

“Dayum. This stream rocks!”

“I better subscribe to his channel.”

“Don't you think this is waaay better than most variety shows?”

With how the first stream elicited such a positive reaction, it'd be safe to assume Bang Jin-Hun had the Popular Streamer of the Year award in the bag already!

[Kuh-hum! In any case!]

Bang Jin-Hun could be seen fake-coughing to clear his throat.

[I’m happy and grateful for this opportunity to speak to you. For some time, I’ve been thinking that our Martial Assembly required a unified martial art. That’s why I worked together with our Assembly Master to complete the Martial Assembly’s standard martial art.]

Bang Jin-Hun suddenly turned his head slightly and addressed Cheon Tae-Hun again.

[Hey, man. Don't you think calling it 'standard' kinda makes it sound super weak? Isn't there something better?]

[Why are you asking me that now, master?! Uwaahk!? Are you trying to drive me insane?! Seriously?!]

[Why are you getting angry at me for! There's nothing wrong with asking, right?!]

Bang Jin-Hun’s stiff-as-rock face turned back toward the camera in front.

‘Yup, he’s pissed.’

‘Oh, boy. He’s all riled up.’

Everyone watching had to agree that this stream was as chaotic as one could get. To make matters worse, the viewers could also hear Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly barging inside the broadcast room, grabbing Cheon Tae-Hun, and asking if the stream was going well. And Cheon Tae-Hun replied in a half-tearful voice.

Meanwhile, Bang Jin-Hun tried to soldier on.

[Calling our new martial art 'standard' might make you think it's weak, but I give you my word, it is definitely not. The martial art we're about to impart to you will become the Martial Assembly's foundation. However, depending on your mastery of it, you can become a top expert. That I assure you.]

Bang Jin-Hun sucked in a deep breath.

[I can’t guarantee that this martial art is better than what you’ve been mastering until now. However, I can definitely say this is a masterpiece the Assembly Master and I worked very hard to create. I hope that you all do your best to master it.]

The viewers could see that Bang Jin-Hun was progressively getting more relaxed as if he had regained his cool. That meant the viewers also grew a little more serious than before.

[You are the core of the Martial Assembly, everyone. This organization can only be strong when you're all doing well individually and as a group. We will do our utmost best to teach you, so we ask you to do your best to master this martial art. Let us all do our best!]

Bang Jin-Hun smartly bowed toward the camera. Even though he was inside the screen, the viewers were still compelled to applaud that speech.

Choi Man-Sik was no exception. He, too, reflexively started clapping away. Although, it wasn't because of his anticipation of the brand-new martial art Bang Jin-Hun mentioned.

No, Choi Man-Sik and others were impressed by Bang Jin-Hun bowing his head like that. Even though he used to be at the top of the Martial Assembly at one point, Bang Jin-Hun still remained sincere and easy-going.

‘Maybe, this… This will work out alright in the end?’

Choi Man-Sik was nervous about the idea of video lectures. But his nervousness was being steadily dispelled by Bang Jin-Hun’s attitude and approach. If the lectures were in the same vein, then watching videos to learn might not be such a bad idea.

Just as Choi Man-Sik’s thoughts reached that far…

Tan-tara-rara!!!

That was when a bunch of CGI confetti flew up on the screen along with a large 'balloon' that said…

[‘Stop Using Our Toilets, You Stinking Demon Cult Bastards!’ has gifted 500 balloons!]

Just like that, an eerie silence descended in the auditorium.

[Who! Who the f*ck gifted balloons just now?! Who?!?!]

Cheon Tae-Hun’s despairing yell containing his very soul rang sharply from the phone’s speakers.

‘Nope. I was wrong. This ain’t gonna work out.’

As for Choi Man-Sik… He swiftly lost all hope.