Descent of the Demon Master

“What should we do?!” Choi Seon-Hui asked while trembling in fear.

Unfortunately, Jo Mi-Hye was just as helpless as her. What could anyone do while dangling precariously from the ceiling? Nothing, that was what.

If the circumstances had been more... ordinary, Jo Mi-Hye could've pretended to be unperturbed. She would've said, people should come and rescue us soon, so let's just sit tight and wait. Moving around might make things worse.

Jo Mi-Hye was mature enough to do that. But now? She couldn't pretend she was calm.

'What… What should I do?'

Do-Yeon's complexion, with her head leaning at an alarming angle, was getting paler by the minute. Something was obviously wrong with her, but the girls here didn't know what to do.

'Please, someone… Anyone… Help us...!'

Anyone would be fine. As long as they could come quickly, and...!

“Will he come? Will Jin-Ho oppa come for us?” Choi Seon-Hui suddenly asked.

Jo Mi-Hye silently bit her lower lip. Where did Choi Seon-Hui think they were for Kang Jin-Ho to suddenly waltz in here? Even if Kang Jin-Ho was seemingly capable of performing every miracle under the sun, reaching the girls' ride at this height was still impossible. Humans were not birds, and Kang Jin-Ho couldn't fly up here even if he wanted to. In that case, how could he even get up here?

“...He'll be here.”

However, Jo Mi-Hye still ended up saying that in spite of what she thought. She even flinched in surprise after the fact, too. It felt like her mouth had a life of its own.

“...Oppa will come for us. Do-Yeon is sick, after all. So... He'll definitely come,” Jo Mi-Hye muttered.

That wasn't merely her wishful thinking. It was more like... a baseless confidence. Of course, Jo Mi-Hye knew how nonsensical that assertion was, but this strong hunch didn't want to let her go. Kang Jin-Ho must be searching for the best way to rescue the girls even as they sat here. And...

'And, it can't be helped if we still die at the end...'

Jo Mi-Hye chewed on her lips. She thought that no matter who was here to help, surely they wouldn't be able to come up with a better solution than Kang Jin-Ho. That was how much she trusted Kang Jin-Ho. A sign of her absolute faith in him.

Choi Seon-Hui cautiously asked, “Really? Will Jin-Ho oppa come for us?”

“Yeah.” Jo Mi-Hye nodded.

“...How can you be so sure?”

“Don't be an idiot, okay?” Jo Mi-Hye suddenly raised her voice. “He hasn’t called us back!”

“...”

“Do you think Jin-Ho oppa is the type of a guy who will abandon us after that phone call? If he can't come, he would have called on the phone again, telling us everything will be fine to keep us calm! But he hasn't done that. That can only mean he's still looking for a way to help us! That's why... That's why we need to wait.”

Even as she spoke, Jo Mi-Hye sensed anxiety rapidly spreading in her heart.

'Maybe I did something I shouldn't have?'

She suddenly realized something after saying all those things to Choi Seon-Hui. Kang Jin-Ho was coming for them. He'd do anything in his power to get here.

Unfortunately, Jo Mi-Hye knew this place wasn't reachable by ordinary means. What if Kang Jin-Ho resorted to unreasonable and dangerous methods to...

“...Eh?! W-what?! Mi-Hye, look over there!”

“Ng?” Jo Mi-Hye reflexively turned to look and noticed the shock turning Cho Seon-Hui's face pale white. That complexion was so pale that Jo Mi-Hye momentarily wondered if it was possible for a human face to lose color in the blink of an eye.

“Look, Mi-Hye! Over there!” Choi Seon-Hui was animatedly pointing outside the ride. She even looked halfway crazed at that point!

Jo Mi-Hye hurriedly sobered up and turned her head to look... And her complexion also became deathly pale next. “Oppaaaaaa?!”

That... That was crazy. Utterly insane!

Jo Mi-Hye's eyes locked on the figure of Kang Jin-Ho nimbly clambering below the railing to approach the suspended ride.

“Oh, no! What is he doing! Oh my gosh, what... What should we do?!”

“Oppa?! Oppaaaa!”

Shock, fright, and flabbergast made a mess of the girls' emotions, and they didn't know what to make out of this scene.

“What if he falls?!” Choi Seon-Hui gasped out in fright.

“Don't say that! Don't jinx it, you idiot!”

“I, I was just...”

Girls began tearing up in fright and worry. And a guilty conscience was rapidly filling up Jo Mi-Hye's heart, too.

'I shouldn't have called oppa on the phone!'

Jo Mi-Hye called Kang Jin-Ho because she was scared, frustrated, and wanted to find someone to lean on. However, knowing what Kang Jin-Ho was like, she shouldn't have done that. Even though she suspected that Kang Jin-Ho might try to reach them no matter what, right after receiving that phone call...!

“...That oppa, he's... really... Seriously...!” Choi Seon-Hui stuttered as if she was too dazed to string a coherent sentence.

Kang Jin-Ho had to be crazy. Without that explanation, he wouldn't have pulled such an insane stunt! Even a moron could tell what might happen after falling from that height, so why did Kang Jin-Ho choose to do this! Didn't he have a concept of fear?

As if the girls' shock and fluster were none of his business, Kang Jin-Ho continued to approach the ride at a steady pace.

“...! Kkyaaaaaahk!”

The girls screamed loudly enough to almost rock the ride when Kang Jin-Ho's hand slipped off the rail, and his figure briefly wobbled. However, he quickly regained his balance and resumed his approach as if nothing had happened.

“...Am I dreaming right now? Can you pinch me?”

“Obviously this is no dream! If you dreamed something like this, you'd instantly know you're asleep, 'cause it's just too unreal!”

“You think so, too?”

While the girls muttered to each other, Kang Jin-Ho's figure got obscured by the hot-air balloon above and disappeared from their view. Then, the ride seemed to shake softly for a bit before Kang Jin-Ho slid down the side to reappear before the girls.

Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

“Oppaaaaa!”

The girls all knew they shouldn't move. If their weights suddenly shifted to one side, the ride's balance would be destroyed and might lead to a terrible result. They all understood that. However, humans were incapable of remaining rational and objective all the time.

When the girls saw Kang Jin-Ho's face through the window, their knees went weak, and tears began flooding out of their eyes. Kang Jin-Ho smiled gently at them and got closer to the gondola. However, his expression suddenly grew stiff, then he violently jerked his body back.

“Ah?” Jo Mi-Hye gasped loudly. She had no clue what was happening, but one thing was for sure: Kang Jin-Ho seemed incredibly furious. “Oppa...?”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head back toward the girls. His rage-filled expression was already gone by then, replaced by a gentle smile. Kang Jin-Ho undid the safety bar, opened the door and stepped inside the gondola.

“Oppaaaaa!”

The girls rushed toward him. Kang Jin-Ho didn't say anything and embraced them tightly. He tried to comfort the girls crying and sobbing madly by patting them on their backs. “Everything will be alright now.”

“Ng...”

“Don't worry about a thing, okay? I'll help you girls get down from here very soon. Besides that... How is Do-Yeon?”

“Ah!” The girls realized now wasn't the time to hold on to Kang Jin-Ho and hurriedly released him. He quickly approached Do-Yeon, currently half-unconscious while sitting on the floor, and placed his hand on the girl's forehead.

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho sighed in relief after injecting a little bit of his qi inside the girl. “It's nothing to be concerned about. She's just frightened, that's all. You can relax now.”

“Oh, no! Oppa, your back!” Jo Mi-Hye's eyes opened wide in alarm. She spotted a crimson splotch spreading on Kang Jin-Ho's back.

Kang Jin-Ho dismissively shook his head. “That's nothing. Don't worry about me.”

“B-but...”

“I'm telling you, I'm fine. Have I ever lied to you once?”

“N-no. You never lied…” Jo Mi-Hye shook her head. She wanted to examine Kang Jin-Ho's back more closely, but that had to wait. For the time being, she knew she absolutely had to follow every one of Kang Jin-Ho's commands.

“First of all...” Kang Jin-Ho scanned his surroundings before furrowing his brow.

'I need to choose.'

Picking all four girls up and jumping out of here... would be the last resort. Perhaps the worst of all the available options. Kang Jin-Ho was confident of protecting his body from the fall, but negating the impact of the landing before it reached the girls? He wasn't sure if he could do that. And securing the girls to his body and going back by climbing down the railing was no longer an option as well. Even though he did entertain that idea not too long ago...

Throb...!

The pain coming from his back reminded Kang Jin-Ho of the situation he now found himself in.

'Someone is targeting me!'

Whoever it was, this bastard obviously wouldn't let Kang Jin-Ho go just because he was trying to save these girls. In fact, he would indiscriminately attack just to get to him. The thick, intense killing intent pricking his skin even now was all the proof he needed to know this.

“For now...”

As it turned out, however... It seemed Kang Jin-Ho didn't need to ponder too deeply.

CLUNK!

Just before Kang Jin-Ho could say something, the ride suddenly began buckling and sinking. The railing bent even further, causing the hot-air balloon-shaped ride to descend rapidly.

“Kyaaaaahk!” The girls screamed in panic.

Kang Jin-Ho pulled them closer. “It'll be alright.”

He held them closer and gently drove his qi into their pitifully-trembling bodies. When the warm energy spread within their bodies, the pale complexions of the girls quickly regained some vitality.

'This thing won't hold on for long.'

Kang Jin-Ho could instinctively tell that this ride was at its limit. Either this thing broke off the railing, or the railing itself tore off from the ceiling... Both scenarios led to the passengers falling to the ground. That was pretty much set in stone.

If Kang Jin-Ho could help it, waiting for the rescue team would be the best bet, but...

'That won't be possible, after all.'

Until a few moments ago, that would've been the best option indeed. But it was now the worst one available. Kang Jin-Ho steeled his resolve since he knew. They had to get out of this thing.

“Okay, everyone. Hold on for a second.” Kang Jin-Ho disconnected the safety belts around the girls' waists from the steel line on the side of the gondola, then joined them together before tying them all to his arm.

“J-Jin-Ho oppa?” Jo Mi-Hye cautiously called out to Kang Jin-Ho.

Kang Jin-Ho reassured her. “Although doing this might not be necessary, I'm still doing it just in case. So, don't be alarmed, okay?”

“N-ng...”

Kang Jin-Ho gently chuckled at the sudden thought popping up in his head. “Hang on. Don't you think Yu-Min will raise a huge fuss if he finds out what's going on here? Maybe he'll blame me for taking you all to an amusement park and getting you involved in this mess.”

“...I think Yu-Min oppa will cry instead, saying this happened only because he didn't come with us.”

“...You're right.” Kang Jin-Ho groaned softly. His friend sure could be an exhausting person to deal with.

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head, then turned his head slightly to look outside the gondola.

'...Where are you!'

Even now, someone was targeting him. Kang Jin-Ho was doing his best to maintain his usual demeanor in front of the girls, but... Inwardly, he was teetering on the edge of losing his reasoning from the burning rage.

He couldn't hold himself back when some bastard tried to kill him. However, the fact that the children were targeted too... That pissed him off even more!

Kang Jin-Ho would...! Never let that bastard escape!

He couldn't tell who it was. But he could definitely sense the demonic qi permeating the weapon stabbing his back. And it was low-grade and shoddy demonic qi, no less!

Kang Jin-Ho gritted his teeth. He was furious that some third-rate demonic cultivator with shoddy cultivation dared to target him, the Emperor of all demons! After safely evacuating the children from here, Kang Jin-Ho would chase after this bastard and make him regret this action for the rest of their miserable life! Kang Jin-Ho swore it!

“Fuu-woo...!” Kang Jin-Ho deeply sucked in a breath.

'Calm down...'

The opponent was a cultivator of third-rate demonic arts. That much was true. However, there was no denying that this individual was also intelligent.

If Kang Jin-Ho was attacked while moving under the railing, he would've easily deflected the incoming weapons. However, he couldn't do that while dangling on the ride itself. After all, he couldn't afford to rock the gondola while deflecting the attack and had to let the attack land on his back.

The wound itself wasn't deep, but it could very well be the first 'proper' attack to land on him after Kang Jin-Ho returned to the modern era. As such...

The perpetrator would soon be asked to pay the price for this transgression!

Kang Jin-Ho scanned the girls. “Everyone, stick close to me.”

“Okay...!”

“You too, Do-Yeon,” Kang Jin-Ho picked Hwang Do-Yeon up with one arm and hugged her closer to his chest, then brought other girls close to him as well. Since he wasn't the biggest guy in the world, trying to hug four girls at the same time wasn't easy, but he could more or less cover his base with the safety lines.

“Listen, everyone. No matter what happens, do not be scared or get shocked, okay?”

The girls wordlessly nodded.

“When I told you we'll all get out of here alive, I meant it. You all know that, don't you?”

“Ng, oppa.”

Anxiety and faith were getting tangled up in a dizzying mixture in the girls' heads.

“Alright. Then, we will...”

Just as Kang Jin-Ho tried to lay out his plan, his hearing caught the sounds of something flying toward them while making whooshing, buzzing noises. Those noises could've been only produced by something large spinning rapidly while tearing through the air!

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes and hurriedly looked outside the gondola... Just as the unknown object flying in from somewhere below sliced through the railing supporting the hot-air balloon-shaped ride.