Descent of the Demon Master

“Let's get started,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Y-yeah.” Park Yu-Min nodded, then quickly rubbed his face several times. 'Keep your composure, Park Yu-Min!'

His friend came all this way for him, didn't he? Imagine how stressful the preparation for the pro tests would be. A bit of tension and nervousness could help, but too much of either would be detrimental instead.

Besides, Park Yu-Min was already a pro gamer, albeit with a different game. The pressure weighing down on his shoulders was so much worse compared to amateurs with nothing to lose. The stress had gotten to the level where he now had to carry a bottle of antacids around at all times.

Kang Jin-Ho must've known all this and came here to help Park Yu-Min unwind, at least by a little bit. That had to be it.

That... had to be...

“...Hey, Jin-Ho?”

“Yeah?” Kang Jin-Ho replied while his eyes remained glued to the screen.

“Don't you need to go home soon? If you start now, you'll probably spend half the night here, right? In that case... Well, I was just curious about when you'd leave for home, you see?”

“Yu-Min, listen...”

“Yeah?”

“...I don't have anything good going on in my home.”

Park Yu-Min silently wiped the corners of his eyes while listening to Kang Jin-Ho's hollow-sounding voice.

Kang Jin-Ho's expression could only be described as 'cramped' as he tried to reassure his friend. “That's why you don't have to worry about me.”

“I... I see.” Park Yu-Min slowly nodded. This was when he decided to fix Kang Jin-Ho's relationship with his parents no matter what it took! But then, he remembered something and grimaced a little. “Uhm... What should we do about this?”

“What's wrong?”

“Well, I... was live streaming my matches until now, you see?”

“Live streaming?”

“Yeah. It's, uh... Live streaming online what you're doing. While I'm playing, I let others watch me, and we also chat about random things and stuff…”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes after recalling something, then stared at Park Yu-Min. “Oh, so you're a streamer now?”

A bright grin suddenly formed on Park Yu-Min's face. However, that smile didn't come from a positive place.

He had already experienced countless times that explaining the products of modern civilization to Kang Jin-Ho using only a handful of words was practically impossible. What could anyone expect from a dude who couldn't even install apps on his phone without outside help?

'Seriously, Jin-Ho can sometimes act like an old man for some reason...'

Park Yu-Min and Kang Jin-Ho were twenty-somethings who had graduated from high school at the same time, so why was he so... illiterate in all things modern?

Park Yu-Min briefly shook his head. “Well, live streaming is when…”

“No, I know what it is.”

“...Eh?”

“I said, I know what streaming is.”

“Huh? But how?” Park Yu-Min stared at his friend in sheer amazement.

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled at Park Yu-Min's response. “What's the matter? Is it so surprising that I know what live streaming is?”

“N-no, well... You've never been interested in these kinda things, right? That's why.”

“Don't worry about it. I just somehow learned about it recently.” Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders and coolly deflected the questioning stare of his friend.

This knowledge was related to his first life, after all. He could still remember those days even after all these years.

Kang Jin-Ho threw away his first life with his own two hands. In that life, he had been paralyzed from the waist down and was confined to a wheelchair for over a decade. There wasn't a whole lot a person in that state could do other than things involving the internet. Although his upper body could still move, his hands couldn't perform precise movements. Which meant playing computer games was out of the question.

That left him with little choice but to spend meaningless, empty hours watching the streams or videos online.

'...Not a good memory to remember, then.'

Kang Jin-Ho was angry at himself, not the situation he was in. If the current him had become paralyzed, he'd not give up on this life so easily. Sure, the crippling loneliness born from losing his family and having zero friends to turn to could have been difficult to bear, but... But, at the end of the day, those things were nothing but excuses.

After all, Kang Jin-Ho witnessed folks surviving even worse trials and tribulations than him during his second life, didn't he? Seeing their struggles left him with no choice but to reflect on himself.

This new life was like a bonus for him. That was why he should be even more grateful for this opportunity. And he felt that way during the initial period after his return to the modern era. But what about now? Wasn't he taking this new life for granted?

'Right. Be more... passionate about my life.' Kang Jin-Ho reaffirmed his resolution, then glanced at Park Yu-Min. “So, you said you're streaming right now?”

“Yeah. You see the webcam over here? This is filming my face as we speak,” said Park Yu-Min, then showed Kang Jin-Ho the stream and chat windows and interface.

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Mm? You've got quite a few viewers, Yu-Min. Even though you're basically an amateur... I didn't know this game was so popular.”

“Yeah, well... This game is hot right now, and don't forget that I used to be a pro gamer, too. Fans from back then are with me again, watching me get better at this game.”

“Mm... Still, do you need to stream while practicing, though?”

Park Yu-Min nodded. “Practicing alone can get mentally tiring, you see. Knowing someone's watching me kinda energizes me, I think.”

“Mm... I understand,” Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. Of course, he couldn't understand it, but what else could he say when Park Yu-Min was happy with this arrangement?

Park Yu-Min smirked. “I think the chat can see you, too. Wanna say hi?”

“You think I should?”

Park Yu-Min said nothing and brought up the chatroom window on his monitor, instead.

—Who's that? His friend?

—He's hot.

—I thought he's gonna game nonstop since the tests are around the corner? But his friend shows up to ruin his plan? LMAO

—WTF? Is this the wrong channel? Did I wander into someone else's stream? What is up with that dude's face?

—What's his name?

—Now that is a guest feature.

The stream chat window rapidly scrolled up, followed by star balloons seemingly popping up nonstop on the screen next. [1]

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “What's up with all these star balloons?”

“Eh? You even know what star balloons are?”

“...Why? Am I supposed to not know?” Kang Jin-Ho tutted slightly.

Park Yu-Min chuckled hollowly. “No, it's just that you keep surprising me, that's all.”

—Oii, look at that. The few girls in the chat are going crazy. Look at all that dono coming in!

—Geez. This channel used to be a sacred altar of gaming, but it's been ruined, man. F

—Heh. It's about time Park Yu gets popular with the ladies, amirite? Let's be honest here, this chat is too much of a sausage party.

—No girls are necessary for a game stream, tho.

—Look at the concurrent viewer number climbing. Now that's word of mouth.

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “What are they talking about?”

“...They are saying you're good-looking, Jin-Ho.”

“Eh?”

Park Yu-Min grew depressed as he scanned the rapidly-updating stream chat window.

'A f*cked-up world where people still judge a game streamer by their looks...!'

In all honesty, Park Yu-Min wasn't an ugly duckling that people might avoid on the streets. Actually, some people in the chat even commented during his streams that he was somewhat 'cute', too. While focused on playing games, that was. However, he had no choice but to turn into a misshapen squid when the screen's real estate was taken up by Kang Jin-Ho's devastatingly handsome mug.

Most top actors in the Korean entertainment industry couldn't hold a candle to Kang Jin-Ho, so what hope did Park Yu-Min have?

“What's all this?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow and leaned closer to Park Yu-Min's monitor.

“...Can you step back for a bit?” Park Yu-Min furrowed his brow.

“Why?”

“Just. Step back, okay?”

“...?”

“Let's... get back to our game, okay?” Park Yu-Min's depression intensified as he accessed the game window. He searched for Kang Jin-Ho's ID, then ran a duo queue.

'I wonder... Will anyone want to play us?'

Park Yu-Min couldn't even begin to guess what kind of opponents they would be matched against due to the extreme differences in MMR. [2]

The previous gaming sessions with Kang Jin-Ho were always regular matches, so finding opponents weren't all that difficult, but... Park Yu-Min needed to practice for the upcoming tests, so he had no choice but to play ranked matches today.

'...Let's look at the positives.'

No matter how accomplished a pro was, they would inadvertently harm their team if their condition on the match day was less than optimal. Park Yu-Min knew he'd run into similar situations after debuting as a pro in this game. So, he should think of today as a practice for those situations.

...All the while doing his best to avoid thinking about whether or not this kind of practice would be helpful toward passing the upcoming test, that was!

Park Yu-Min sneakily glanced at the chat window, and it was...

—Bronze? luuuuuuuul

—I swear, this must be the wrong channel. Is this a lobby of trash? What is up with that sh*t-colored rank?

—Never in my life have I ever seen a challenger-rank playing a duo match with a bronze. Isn't this like against TOS? Shouldn't we report this to the admin?

—Can a challenger carry a bronze V? This has to be a challenge of the century, folks!

—I heard about how they are gonna ban duo matches when ranks are off by two or higher from next season. Which means... Guys, we might be looking at the last-ever match of this type! POG Let's go!

“Hah... Hahahah...” Park Yu-Min weakly chuckled as color rapidly drained from his complexion. This was fine. All great. The chat seemed to be enjoying it, so... Days like today could certainly add spice to an otherwise business-as-usual streaming, no...?

A loud 'boom' echoed from the headphone speakers to signal that the matchmaking had ended. Park Yu-Min confirmed that the screen now displayed the champion select screen, then cautiously asked his friend. “Uhm... Jin-Ho? Where are you planning to head first?”

“The top lane.”

Yup, that sounds about right. Indeed, you gotta go through the top, eh. Yup...

How fortunate it was that Park Yu-Min and Kang Jin-Ho were sent to the lanes they wanted from the selection screen. After landing in the mid lane, Park Yu-Min's eyes began burning fiercely.

'I'll have to carry him!'

Although a massive piece of poo had occupied the top lane, Kang Jin-Ho's Bronze V rank meant the team's MMR should be in the toilet, too! As a result, the opponent team's MMR was shockingly bad, as well. In such a match-up situation, Park Yu-Min felt he could eke out a victory... As long as Kang Jin-Ho did the bare minimum and didn't drag the team down, that was!

While swearing inwardly that he'd not lose, Park Yu-Min quickly purchased items and entered his lane. But, just as he began planning how to win this match, chilling sound effects suddenly slammed into his hearing next.

Even though minions hadn't been let loose, the sounds similar to skills being used and hits being landed were coming from...

“...Jin-Ho?!”

—First Blood!

“A-already?!” Park Yu-Min freaked out and quickly turned his head toward Kang Jin-Ho's monitor. However... “Heol? You're still alive?”

Park Yu-Min naturally assumed the worst for his friend but was proven wrong. After defeating the opposing champion daring to invade his lane, Kang Jin-Ho's champion could be seen confidently strutting around.

—A Bronze V actually hunted a Diamond down! luuuuuuul

—That's gotta be an alt, though? A Bronze V can't win against a Diamond, right? Time to report to the admin~!

—Too bad we couldn't see it, though. Park Yu-Min failed to show us that in time. LULW Big brain move, there.

—This is going great, guys.

—Oppa! You're so good at games, too!

Park Yu-Min blinked his eyes at the sudden influx of star balloons. He hadn't seen too many of those while playing solo, so this sight was somewhat...

'...Huh. Isn't this going weirdly well?'

Park Yu-Min glanced at the rapidly-updating chat window and smirked softly. It felt like the tension slowing him down was now a thing of the past.

'I guess I was worried for nothing.'

Even though his friend came here to support him by playing games together, Park Yu-Min was unhappy about Kang Jin-Ho's presence? He should've welcomed his friend with open arms, but how dare he feel that way...! Park Yu-Min knew he needed to reflect on himself.

'That's right. Let's just focus on having fun. That should've been my priority. If I'm not enjoying the game, how can I improve myself?'

Park Yu-Min suddenly gained an epiphany on what should've been an obvious truth. A warm smile formed on his face as he securely gripped his trusty mouse. For some reason, he thought that today's match might unfold in his team's favor.

That was when the chat window suddenly scrolled fast again.

—Top! Top! Toooop!

—Yu-Min-ah! The top lane! The top!

—Your bronze is at it again on the top lane!

“Heol?!” Park Yu-Min gasped in shock and hurriedly clicked on the minimap. The screen now displayed the top lane where Kang Jin-Ho's champion was engaged in mortal combat with another enemy champion.

—The top laner syndrome is strong with this one, I see. Still, pretty awesome.

—That is a manly fight. Can't back down from a man's fight.

—When your syndrome is that bad, time to speak to a shrink.

—That dude looked normal, but who knew his true nature was that of a wackjob? Look at him go again. luuuuuul F

To access the premium content, go to [ pawread dot com ].

—At this rate, CS won't mean anything anymore. It's now a dogfight to see who will win first. [3]

This was the moment of Park Yu-Min's stream, often criticized for being too boring due to how silent he was during gaming, elevating in status to become a must-watch.

[Enemy has been defeated.]

“...Again?” Park Yu-Min blinked his eyes. 'Should I be surprised or not about this...? I don't know what to think...'

A Bronze V rank hunting down a Diamond rank certainly sounded improbable, but it didn't seem all that weird considering Kang Jin-Ho's physical specs. One should remember that Kang Jin-Ho was good enough to win gaming tournaments in Galaxy Craft had he chosen to go pro.

Even if the game's genre and gameplay mechanics were different, Kang Jin-Ho being stuck in the Bronze rank was still super weird, considering his superior sense and physical attributes.

'In that case, why is he still Bronze?'

Could it be because Kang Jin-Ho simply hadn't played all that many matches? The hiccups from the last time he was here could be due to his... 'poor' condition that day.

Park Yu-Min decided to pay closer attention to Kang Jin-Ho's gameplay style and see what was going on. However, before he could do that, his lane should be...

[Your ally is dead.]

“Eh?” Park Yu-Min raised his head slightly and saw Kang Jin-Ho's stiff face staring daggers into his monitor. “...Jin-Ho? What happened?”

“The enemy jungler has shown up.”

“...”

“It seems two versus one is still too much for me. However, now I understand.”

“I-I see. Good for you, then...”

Well, Kang Jin-Ho got two solo kills already, so the enemy jungler knocking him out just once shouldn't be much of a problem. At least, that was what Park Yu-Min chose to believe.

However, he soon learned that his assumptions were fatally flawed.

[Your ally is dead.]

[Your ally is dead.]

[Your ally is dead.]

“...Jin-Ho?! Jin-Ho!!!”

“...”

“Why are you doing this, Jin-Ho?!”

“I...! I can win next time!” Kang Jin-Ho declared as his complexion turned ashen.

As for Park Yu-Min, his cheeks twitched ominously nonstop.

'Just... Just what the hell is going on up there?!'

Park Yu-Min sneakily backed his champion out, then changed the camera to show the top lane. And then, he carefully observed Kang Jin-Ho's play style.

1. A 'star balloon' is a donation feature launched by South Korea's AfreecaTV in November 2007 on its online live streaming platform. Apparently, it was the first of its kind in the world. It's still being used to this day. ☜

2. ‘MMR’ is League of Legends' Matchmaking Rating. ☜

3. ‘CS’ is an abbreviation of ‘creep score’ in League of Legends. ☜