Descent of the Demon Master

tedly.

Kang Jin-Ho wondered if this nearly two-centuries-old primitive man had really understood him.
But then, Chang Min walked over to the corner of his hut and took something out.

That was when Kang Jin-Ho's eyes opened wide.
“Ng?”

Wasn't that the latest iPhone? Chang Min switched on the latest state-of-the-art smartphone, then expertly saved Kang Jin-Ho's contact number.

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly realized Chang Min's model was newer than his.

“…Huh. That's the glossy black model…” Jo Gyu-Min muttered, sounding like he was also flabbergasted.
Wasn't Chang Min supposed to be a primitive man lost to time?

‘N-no, hang on a minute.
There's a lamp with its light turned on in this hut! In that case, why didn't he just live inside a shipping container or something?!’

‘Really? The latest smartphone, while looking like a hobo?! What nonsense is this?’

Chang Min seemed to have noticed the stupefaction in his two guests.
However, he brushed that aside with a smooth smirk.
“My liege, I've finished saving your number on my contacts.
Would you like my number as well?”

“M-mm, yes…” Kang Jin-Ho presented his phone while still looking a bit dazed.
Chang Min didn't mind that and expertly saved his number on his liege’s phone.

“Hmmmm…” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded, feeling somewhat weirded out.
Why did it…
feel like he got scammed?

“I'll bring everyone together as quickly as possible and contact you, my liege.”

“M-mm.” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded.
He was beating around the bush, hoping to find some kind of a task that might take a long time to complete.
However, he was now getting a feeling that things might progress far too smoothly for his liking!

Chang Min respectfully asked, “My liege, what should I do in the meantime?”

Kang Jin-Ho mulled his answer for a moment.
“Do you know about the Martial Union?”

“Yes, my liege.
It's the organization ruling over the world.”

It sounded like Chang Min was more knowledgeable about the world than Kang Jin-Ho.
And when Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow and silently stared, Chang Min smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.
“My liege, staying alone in the wilderness means there aren't many things I can do to pass the time other than…
You know.”

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho nodded again.

Even those eccentric experts of Zhongyuan who locked themselves up in some uninhabited mountains for a spot of secluded cultivation sometimes sneaked to nearby villages to buy things like news gazettes to keep themselves entertained.
In that case, what Chang Min said shouldn't come as a surprise, but…

'Mm? Can he even connect to the Internet from here? When he's so far from civilization?'

Kang Jin-Ho's puzzled gaze drifted toward the corner of the hut.
He finally noticed a white electrical wire seemingly shooting out from the floor and flinched nastily.
Could it be…? Could an internet line be installed here as well? Just which installation company would be insane enough to do that?!

Chang Min chuckled and explained the situation, “I've installed it myself, my liege.”

“A-ah, I see.” Kang Jin-Ho replied, choosing to give up on understanding this absurdity.
He felt quite stumped by the fact that the demon cult's oldest living descendant was an early adopter when it came to modern technology.
However, he should just chalk this situation up to the case of different strokes for different folks and move on.

'…Why didn't you put on more sensible clothes, then?' 

Kang Jin-Ho groaned softly before addressing Chang Min, “Please investigate the Martial Union for me.
Especially its upper echelons.
Find out who they are.”

“Understood, oh my liege.
Your will is my command.” Chang Min politely bowed.

However, his graceful manner of conduct felt rather odd now.
Kang Jin-Ho sighed again, then exited the hut.
“Well, then.”

Just as Kang Jin-Ho and Jo Gyu-Min started their descent, Chang Min hurriedly stopped them.
“Oh, Lord Demon Emperor!”

As Kang Jin-Ho wasn't a fan of drawn-out farewells, he ended up frowning quite deeply as he looked back.
“Speak.”

“W-where are you going, my liege?”

Kang Jin-Ho replied in a flat voice.
“Back to Korea.”

“N-no, my liege.
That's not what I'm asking…”

“…Hmm?”

“Weren't you planning to descend this mountain, my liege?”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes.
“That's right, I was.”

“Then, uh, why are you going that way, my liege?” Chang Min stared in confusion.

“Hmmmm?” Kang Jin-Ho stared back in even deeper confusion.

Chang Min pulled out his phone again and began tapping on its screen before presenting what he had found to Kang Jin-Ho.
“My liege, heading this way will get you to a public road much faster.”

“Hmmmmmm?” Kang Jin-Ho's eyes widened.

Chang Min's phone was showing a map with a red dot in the middle.
That seemed like their current position.
The original route Kang Jin-Ho wanted to take showed several lengthy contour lines extending far and wide, while the direction Chang Min pointed out showed much-shorter lines, even though the terrain seemed steeper.

“…Oh.” Kang Jin-Ho muttered in a daze.
“There's a road going through there now? I was only thinking about the past and…
I seem to have overlooked the possibility of roads being built in that area.”

Jo Gyu-Min's cheeks began to twitch uncontrollably.
Three days! They had to traverse this harsh wilderness for three days straight! Yet, what the hell was up with that shorter route?!

With an awkward expression, Chang Min cautiously addressed Kang Jin-Ho, “Oh, Lord Demon Emperor…
The era has changed, my liege.
Perhaps it's a good idea to utilize the modern amenities a bit more…?”

Getting earnest advice regarding modern technology from a man born in the Qing era left Kang Jin-Ho feeling sorrowful.
If only Chang Min was wearing modern clothes or something! To think that an old man wearing torn rags would advise Kang Jin-Ho to use modern amenities!

Without even realizing it, Kang Jin-Ho quietly held his head.

“My liege? What's the matter?”

“N-no, it's nothing, sir…” Kang Jin-Ho faltered, realizing that the 21st demon cult was not the same as the one in the ancient past.
“W-well, then…”

Kang Jin-Ho bade Chang Min goodbye in a daze, then started walking in the opposite direction.

Chang Min loudly cried out, “We shall see each other again, my liege! All hail the Demon Emperor! Millennium's glory be yours! We, the ten thousand demons, exalt your majesty!”

Kang Jin-Ho lightly waved his hand as his reply, then began his rapid descent of the mountain.

Chang Min watched them leave before slowly shaking his head.
“My liege's martial prowess is unparalleled, but… Mm, he seems to be a bit lacking in the resourcefulness department, doesn't he? How worrisome…”

Chang Min decided that he would swiftly find a capable individual to shore up the young Kang Jin-Ho's lacking intelligence.
His drive was set ablaze once more at this new task.

If Kang Jin-Ho heard that, he would have discarded the concept of respecting the elders and gone straight into elder abuse instead.
However, even with his powerful abilities, his hearing couldn't overcome the distance and listen to Chang Min's quiet little mumbling.

While walking away, Kang Jin-Ho took one last look behind him.
He could see Chang Min and the demon cult's former land in the distance.
Even as his steps continued to take him down the steep mountainside, he still engraved the scene into his mind, knowing he wouldn't have a reason to return to this land of reminiscence again.

“Can't you even read a map, Mister Jin-Ho?! It's only a map, you know!” Unfortunately, his steps were also accompanied by Jo Gyu-Min's nagging.

For the first time since his return to the modern era, Kang Jin-Ho had to clamp his mouth shut not of his own volition, but because of someone else's scolding.

“…”