Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1032: Getting a Job (2)

“Think before making your next move,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

His voice was not loud. But it still sounded like a thunderclap to the ears of all the moaning and whimpering Demon Flames.

“The situation might not be in your favor, but will it change for the better if you freak out and attack me blindly?”

“Urhk…”

“You're supposed to focus your strength, not blindly unleash it everywhere. A predator doesn't make any noise when it's hunting prey. It holds its breath and patiently waits for a chance to unleash its sure-kill attack. Blindly charging at an opponent clearly stronger than you is the same as asking others to kill you.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan slammed his forehead into the dirt below.

Kang Jin-Ho was right. But the Demon Flames were too exhausted to properly digest this teaching right now.

“Hoping to get better at something because you blindly did your best is nothing more than an inane babble. You think a Go master lifting weights from morning till evening as a way of doing his best will help him? What matters in this case is the direction of your efforts. Don't ever think that doing your absolute best is enough. Always think about how your best should be applied, too.”

Kang Jin-Ho scanned the downed Demon Flames, then nodded slightly.

“We’ll end today’s training here. Let’s resume tomorrow.”

“Thank… Thank you… for your hard… work…”

“Thank you… sir…”

Words of gratitude still leaked out among the pained groans and whimpers. Kang Jin-Ho silently studied the still-downed Demon Flames before turning around to leave.

‘At least we cleared one hurdle.’

Humans could be rather… inconvenient creatures.

No matter how dedicated a person was, it was impossible for them to live like a machine and repeat the same exact routine every single day. Even if a clear goal existed, and the person did their best every day to get to said goal… Eventually, they would become less committed. Lazier.

The problem with this development was that most people usually weren't consciously aware of it. By the time they woke up and realized what happened, the situation would already be in a dire state.

Ironically, the more people received rewards for their efforts, and the more they reminded themselves of all the hard work they had done to get this far, the less enthusiastic they would become. Their passion would gradually cool down.

Since they had been working hard to get this far, wouldn't it be fine to take a small break? Also, it was physically impossible to keep giving one's absolute best at all times, so one should take regular breaks here and there.

Those were all sound advice.

However, humans didn’t end things there. The break would only grow longer and longer as time went on. And the idea of getting some rest would take on a new meaning. It’d become something more than just a mere break.

That was why it was necessary to whip people into shape every once in a while.

Squeeze…

Kang Jin-Ho clenched his fists.

‘They are doing better than expected.’

He could still feel the aftershock of all the impacts. Less than a month ago, Kang Jin-Ho hitting them with this level of force would’ve turned the Demon Flames into bruised and bleeding wrecks. But now? Their bodies were withstanding blows of this level.

It could only mean the demonic qi had properly ingrained into their bodies to become a protective layer.

A deep grin etched on Kang Jin-Ho’s lips. With this rate of growth, these people should catch up to the ancient Demon Flames pretty soon. That should also improve Kang Jin-Ho’s scope of activity greatly, too.

Once that happened, he could…

Kang Jin-Ho continued to descend the mountainside while thinking about this and that. However, he sensed the presence of people and looked up to discover two familiar faces standing a little distance away from him.

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked his eyebrow.

The two people were, of course, Lee Hyeon-Su and Lee Hyeon-Ju. However, their complexions were as pale as they could get. Maybe they got scared after watching Kang Jin-Ho mercilessly pummel the Demon Flames?

“What’s the matter?”

“Uhm, well. Sir…” Lee Hyeon-Su faltered and stammered ungainly. “The, uh, thing is…”

When Lee Hyeon-Su failed to say anything coherent, Lee Hyeon-Ju resorted to elbowing him in the side. He wiped the cold sweat streaming down his forehead, then smiled awkwardly.

“Sir! Isn’t the weather really nice today?”

“…?”

“A-anyway, it looks like we need to report something to you. We received a, uh, nice proposal, you see?”

“A nice proposal?” Kang Jin-Ho’s cocked eyebrow rose even higher in suspicion.

***

Clack…

Kang Jin-Ho put the coffee cup down and tilted his head this way and that. “A new employees training program, you say?”

Lee Hyeon-Su quietly muttered, “...Yes, sir.”

“New… employees, eh?”

“Yes, sir…”

Kang Jin-Ho’s head continued to tilt from one side to the other in uncertainty. And this sight left Lee Hyeon-Su’s heart cracking and folding from one side to the other.

“Hmm. Did we hire new employees?”

“No, sir.”

“Then, why the need for the training program?”

“You see, our administrative staff aren’t all that different from new employees, sir. They don’t have the basic knowledge or the skillset…”

Lee Hyeon-Ju had enough of Lee Hyeon-Su’s faltering and decided to butt in. “Sir, the scope of our work will increase explosively once we operate the Assembly as a company. We judged that managing our organization with our current method is unfeasible. The staff absolutely needs the training on handling administrative work, sir.”

“Hmm? Can’t we hire people for that?” Kang Jin-Ho asked Lee Hyeon-Ju. He couldn’t quite understand the need to go this far. “Once we finish the legalization process and establish ourselves as a legit company, we will need additional workers. I get that. But, wouldn’t it be simpler to let the people working here carry on dealing with the Assembly matters while we hire new staff to run the company side of things?”

“Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, sir. First of all, we have a delicate problem of many aspects of our operation needing to be hidden from the public.”

“Mm… That’s right.” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded away.

For sure, the Martial Assembly was involved in too many shady dealings. The ill-gotten funds from those questionable activities were currently being laundered as they sat here, but the amount was still too sizable to conceal easily from the Assembly's own staff.

The new staff obviously couldn't be trusted to handle those business interests.

“Then… Isn’t it fine to do this training program? What’s the problem?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked his eyebrow again and glanced at the two Lees in front of him.

“W-well, the thing is…” Lee Hyeon-Su frowned, his sweat gland working overtime to produce a copious amount of cold sweat.

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but chuckle wryly at this sight. This must be his first time seeing Lee Hyeon-Su get flustered so much. This dude didn't get as tense when confronting Kang Jin-Ho as the Yeongnam Group's second-in-command, so what could possibly…

“T-the thing is, Chairman Hwang… He…”

“Chairman Hwang? What did he do?”

“He wants you to participate in the new employee training program, sir.”

“…?” Kang Jin-Ho’s head began tilting from one side to the other. Again. “The new employee training program, you say?”

Lee Hyeon-Su sneakily wiped his tears away when history repeated itself mere minutes later.

***

After explaining the situation, Lee Hyeon-Su anxiously waited for Kang Jin-Ho's reaction. For some reason, he felt like a uni entrance exam repeater nervously waiting for his latest national exam results.

‘...Imma make you pay for this, Jo Gyu-Min!’

This situation’s potential outcome didn't really interest Lee Hyeon-Su at the moment. That was because being stuck in the situation itself horrified him to no end!

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly mouthed a cigarette and leisurely lit it before glancing at Lee Hyeon-Su. “So, this proposal came from Chairman Hwang, you say?”

“...Yes, sir.”

“Hah… Hahah.” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled in amusement.

Of course, he already knew that Hwang Jeong-Hu tried several times to usher Kang Jin-Ho into this sort of work in the past. Jo Gyu-Min lamented about dealing with such predicaments to Kang Jin-Ho before, after all.

Back then, Kang Jin-Ho found ways to worm himself out of those situations. But it seemed Hwang Jeong-Hu still hadn’t given up on this idea.

“...Well, it’s not a bad proposal, alright.” Kang Jin-Ho puffed away at his cigarette, his expression now unreadable.

‘Learning the ropes as a new employee, is it?’

Kang Jin-Ho felt a little strange while mulling that proposal.

In the past, he wouldn't have felt this way. One of the potential routes Kang Jin-Ho's life could have taken was being an office worker, after all. However, that was no longer the case. Kang Jin-Ho had already finalized the direction of his life.

He had given up living an ordinary life. The dream of going to a university like everyone else, then joining some corporation to put food on the table was already long gone from his mind.

But now, he was asked to go through a newbie training program?

A subtle chuckle leaked out of Kang Jin-Ho’s lips.

‘Well, life doesn’t often work out as you envisioned, anyway.’

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su, his expression still unreadable. “So, Chief Lee. What is your opinion on this matter?”

“...Sir. It’s true that we proposed this idea first.”

Technically speaking, it was not a proposal per se, but more like a desperate plea. But this situation didn’t really require correct terms to be used.

“Even so, I don’t think we have to say yes to this deal, sir.”

“And your reason is?”

“Assembly Master, you are…”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “Let’s leave my situation out of this discussion, shall we?”

“No, sir. That’s not what I was thinking of saying. Even if we don’t think about your pride as the Assembly Master, we shouldn’t agree to this proposal. The reason for it is simple. What you will acquire from the new employee training isn’t worth the time you must waste going through the program itself, sir.”

“Is that so? However, didn’t you say I need to know these things?”

“Compared to the time you will waste… No, those things aren’t urgent enough, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Lee Hyeon-Ju next. She noticed the look in Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes, then steeled herself before stating her own opinion.

“Sir. I may come across as insolent by saying this, but… Knowledge is absolutely necessary.”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked softly at Lee Hyeon-Ju but didn’t say anything else. He was silently telling her to go on.

“Chief Lee’s assertion is correct, sir. Although training our own workers is crucial, it’ll be a net loss for us if we consider the time you must waste attending this program.”

Kang Jin-Ho still didn’t say anything and patiently waited for the rest of Lee Hyeon-Ju’s opinion.

She waited a little to build some anticipation, then nodded away. “However, that is only a short-term view.”

“I see. Then, what about the long-term view?”

“The Martial Assembly currently relies far too heavily on its directors. Our operation will grind to a halt if our small number of directors are absent from their post for combat or some other purposes.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded in agreement. He also had been aware of this issue for a while now.

“And you going out of your way to waste your valuable time training your personal troops is a part of the process to solve our fundamental issue. Of course, it’s just my opinion…”

“No, you’re right,” Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded. “So, continue.”

“Thank you. Things weren't this lopsided when my grandfather was still running the Martial Assembly. However, it now is. Alarmingly so. And the victims bearing the worst of it all are… Chief Lee and you, Assembly Master.”

“Mm…!”

“The problem with this arrangement is that both you and Chief Lee are supposed to be focusing on the long-term development of the Assembly, not the matters facing us today. Focusing on the matters piling up in front of your eyes will prevent you from doing something that really matters.”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su next. The latter sheepishly avoided meeting his boss’s gaze. He kind of felt embarrassed by his colleague speaking so highly of him when he was in the room.

“Although you wasting your time right now is unfortunate, if Chief Lee can earn a little more free time from this proposal… I believe we will earn so much more at the end of the day.”

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded in silence.

It was true that they had plenty of work to deal with. The Martial Assembly was currently going through one of the most crucial periods in its history, after all. And Kang Jin-Ho's presence was a necessity during this period of transition.

So, wasting his time on things like this didn't sound like a smart move. However…

‘...She has a point, too.’

The old Lee Hyeon-Su was capable enough to drive Kang Jin-Ho into a deadly trap. Excluding the fierce battle against the Crimson King, the biggest crisis to befall Kang Jin-Ho in the modern era had been engineered by Lee Hyeon-Su.

But someone that capable was… quickly going insane lately from dealing with the Martial Assembly’s mess. That was not something Kang Jin-Ho wanted to see. In that case, what should he do?

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes and glanced at Lee Hyeon-Ju. “So… If I do this, things will get less hectic for Chief Lee?”

“Yes, sir. For the time being, things will get harder since many administrative workers will no longer be available. However, once the training program ends, it will definitely become more bearable for him.”

“Hmmmmm…!” Kang Jin-Ho smiled weirdly, then stared at Lee Hyeon-Su, his expression poignant, to say the least. Cold sweat drops began trickling down Lee Hyeon-Su’s face.

“And participating in this program will aid you, as well. Sir, you are the one who will have to lead the Martial Assembly. Knowing the basics of business management and how the Assembly operates will prove to be a huge advantage for you.” Lee Hyeon-Ju bowed deeply. “And that is my opinion, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho leaned against the chair. “Chief Lee Hyeon-Su?”

“Yes, sir!”

“What do you think I should do?”

“…”

Kang Jin-Ho began grinning suspiciously while staring at Lee Hyeon-Su.

That mischievous grin caused Lee Hyeon-Su’s cheeks to twitch anxiously. “S-sir. In my opinion, you don’t have to…”

“But, I want to do it, though?”

“I’m sorry?”

New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely got up. “How can I say no when it’s going to help you, Chief Lee?”

“N-no, wait! Please don’t! I’m fine with how things are! I know you’re thinking of doing this so-called favor, then using me like a slave later on!”

“No, no. It’s fine. It’s fine, I say. Don’t worry about me, Chief Lee.”

“Please don’t do it, sir! I’m perfectly fine right now! I don’t mind it! Please stop!”

Kang Jin-Ho cleanly ignored Lee Hyeon-Su. “Department head Lee Hyeon-Ju? Let's do this.”

Lee Hyeon-Ju nodded solemnly. “Yes, sir!”

“Nooo! Please dooooon’t!”

And so, with Lee Hyeon-Su’s desperate and pitiful scream acting as the background music, it had been decided that Kang Jin-Ho would join Jaegyeong.