Chapter 1013. Sorting Out (3)
Splash, pitter-patter...
Water from the shower nozzle soaked Kang Jin-Ho's body. He wryly smiled while looking at all the blood being washed off his skin.
‘At least this is convenient.’
One of the positives about returning to the modern era was being able to enjoy the fruits of scientific advancements as much as he could ever want.
Martial artists could more or less use their own physical strength to perform the work reserved for the likes of modern heavy machinery. However, the same couldn't be said about modern infrastructure and various systems meant to make life easier. Such things couldn't really be replaced with human muscles.
For instance, even a simple bath in Zhongyuan required a lot of hands-on work.
Kang Jin-Ho winced a little when water seeped into still-open wounds. The resulting pain was enough to send numbing shudders throughout his body, even all the way down to his toes.
He was familiar with pain, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed getting hurt. Even Kang Jin-Ho would like to avoid it if he could.
He carefully touched the hole in his chest. This wound was deep enough to almost reach his heart, but... It had already started healing by itself. Outwardly, the wound seemed grievous enough to horrify any unwary onlookers, but new flesh was already filling it up from within.
‘It’s a miracle that I’m still alive.’
Every time something like this happened, Kang Jin-Ho was freshly reminded of how... not human he was. Any ordinary person would’ve died ten times over from a wound like this, yet here he was, nonchalantly taking a shower to wash off the grime!
‘Isn’t this ironic?’
Kang Jin-Ho had undoubtedly gotten stronger. Comparing his old self back when he first joined the Martial Assembly to his current self was an act of an idiot. If he was on the level of a worm back then, Kang Jin-Ho of now was a... Maybe not a dragon, but an Imoogi, perhaps.[1]
However, the frequency of getting grievously injured had gone up instead.
Getting stronger implied Kang Jin-Ho's ability to eliminate threats to his person should have improved, too. But the opposite was happening, and he was getting injured even more.
His current injuries, or the ones he got while fighting the Crimson King, were grave enough to have killed him.
“Hmm...”
Kang Jin-Ho turned the shower off, dusted water off his hair, then dried himself with a large towel. Blood seeped out from his cut and ruptured wounds, but he didn’t mind it. Such fleshy wounds should perfectly heal up in a week or so, anyway.
As long as he was alive, any and all wounds should fully heal given enough time.
‘However... What about next time?’
Would Kang Jin-Ho survive another round of getting grievously injured?
His survival wasn’t due to luck. No, he continued to survive all those fierce, dangerous battles until now because he was a powerful warrior.
However, misfortune was part and parcel of a battlefield. It could happen at any time during a fight.
Even if Kang Jin-Ho's survival wasn't down to luck, there was no guarantee of misfortune suddenly coming to visit him one day. And just one moment of bad luck could cost him everything.
In other words...
‘It wouldn't surprise me if I die in the next battle.'
Death was potentially around every corner in a war. Kang Jin-Ho always thought of that as the obvious and unavoidable truth.
In a war, a man was expected to take lives. As such, those who choose to fight must be ready to lose their own lives in return. That was the ironclad rule everyone must adhere to.
Those who didn’t want to risk their neck in a war lacked the qualifications to participate.
That was what Kang Jin-Ho believed, yet... He was mulling over an unknown emotion right now, something he had never experienced or felt before until today.
When he was Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor, Kang Jin-Ho didn't avoid fighting but actively sought it out. Not once did he fear the prospect of entering a war. Actually, fighting enemies hell-bent on killing him made him feel more alive than anything in this whole wide world.
Enemies stood before him. That was enough of a reason to fight. That was how things were like back then, after all.
But now? Kang Jin-Ho had an epiphany on why, as Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor, he used to enjoy roaming the battlefields so much back then... And why the current him could never go back to being that version of himself!
‘Back then, I had nothing to lose.’
Indeed, Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor had no one. He didn’t have a home to go back to. No one he wanted to protect. No one he shared his heart with.
Even if he died in a battle, he’d have no regrets or lingering attachments. To Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor, there was no difference between battlefields and non-battlefields.
After all, his supposed home back then, the demon cult, couldn’t give him the kind of peace he had been searching for.
The force motivating Kang Jin-Ho, AKA Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor, back then was his blind and all-conquering desire to survive no matter what, and the persistent longing to see his family for one last time.
What a sad, pitiful life filled with sorrow that was.
It was a life with nothing to show for it. A life where the only goal was to endlessly pursue the ultimate strength. And what a sad life that was. But living such a life allowed Crimson Demon to become a powerful being.
After all, he had nothing to lose. Nothing to fear.
However, what about Kang Jin-Ho of now? Would he still not regret anything if he died in a battle? Like the one against the Elder Knights, for instance?
Kang Jin-Ho could still vividly remember the moments of his second death coming to take him away.
He calmly accepted his demise back then. Other than the regret of not seeing his family for one last time, Kang Jin-Ho had no lingering attachments to that life. He didn't care about dying.
But now? He didn't feel confident of calmly greeting his death like that. To do that, Kang Jin-Ho simply had too many things to leave behind.
Comrades he wanted to work together with. A person he wanted to share his journeys with. And a family ready to welcome him home...
...And all those people who needed him, too!
Kang Jin-Ho's third life had gifted him with so many things. Even the ticklish, embarrassing emotion called 'happiness', which he thought he'd never feel, could be found aplenty in his current life.
Kang Jin-Ho threw his head back, then grabbed his clothes.
That last battle was different from the ones in the past. Was it because Kang Jin-Ho's mind didn't blank out from the berserk excitement like it usually did and maintained its rationale during the fight? Or was it because Kang Jin-Ho's mindset had changed compared to the past?
Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t sure, but... Something that would never dare intrude on his battles in the past actually had accompanied him during the last fight. And that something was an emotion called... concern.
It might not have reached the level of fear, but it was still enough to make him hesitate.
Even though Kang Jin-Ho knew he must stand tall and boldly fight, he couldn’t help but worry about what might happen if the battle unfolded unfavorably.
Maybe worrying about such things was the “right thing” for Kang Jin-Ho the Human Being to do. However, as a martial artist? It was clearly a step backward.
‘Does that mean I'm at a crossroads?'
He should ponder this. Try to come up with an answer. Should he walk on the path of Kang Jin-Ho the Human Being? Or Kang Jin-Ho the Martial Artist?
What an unending conundrum this was.
Kang Jin-Ho stared at his clothes, which now resembled dirty, torn rags, and sighed deeply.
‘I can’t wear this.’
If he went outside wearing this... Cops would come to arrest him in less than one hour! Unless the British police happened to be more easy-going than their Korean counterpart, that was.
“Hmm...”
Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes while inspecting the black business suit resting on the table. He was never a fan of putting on formal suits. The story was the same whether it was Korea or the UK. Then again, he was not familiar with these types of clothes, to begin with, so his hesitancy was more or less understandable.
He didn’t have a choice this time, though. It wasn’t as if Kang Jin-Ho could whine about not liking his new clothes, after all!
As he was almost finished putting on this unfamiliar formal suit, someone carefully knocked on the door.
“Come in,” said Kang Jin-Ho.
The door opened to allow Wiggins’ face to peek over the edge. He was smiling affably as usual.
Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “What is it?”
“My lord... The Master of the Round Table wishes to speak to you in person.”
“Haven’t we already entrusted him with this organization?”
“Well, yes. That's what I think as well, but...” Wiggins sheepishly scratched his head. “It seems the Master doesn't agree with us. He says it's meaningless unless you say it yourself. I know it's inconvenient, but...”
“Fine. Got it.”
“Thank you. Oh, and I’ve also summoned a doctor, so please, take some time out after the meeting with the Master to get a proper check-up, my lord.”
“Do I have to?”
“...My lord,” Wiggins sighed deeply. “Everyone knows your regenerative capability far exceeds most human beings. However, everyone also knows you’re still a human being. A human body needs to heal once it’s damaged.”
“Mm...”
“You might recover naturally with enough time, but a doctor can reduce the time required, my lord. As this doctor's medical know-how is even recognized by the Round Table, I strongly recommend that you get a proper check-up.” Wiggins lightly snapped his fingers. “This individual is no average doctor, you see?”
Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Fine. I get what you’re trying to say. Let’s do it, then.”
He didn't see a need to keep saying no when Wiggins was so adamant about it. After all, his unwillingness to see a doctor wasn't because he didn't like being prodded by medical equipment but more like it'd ultimately be a waste of his time.
If seeing a doctor could help, Kang Jin-Ho didn’t mind doing so.
“Then, this way, my lord.” Wiggins smartly nodded, then walked ahead to guide Kang Jin-Ho.
While smirking slightly, Kang Jin-Ho silently followed Wiggins.
***
The Master got the meeting going first.
“I’m not sure how to greet you now, Assembly Master. For me to say it’s good to see you again, we’ve already glanced at each other a few times, haven’t we? And a straightforward 'Hello, good day to you' seems rather unsuitable for this occasion as well.”
Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged. “I don’t think a formal greeting is necessary.”
“Mm, it seems we’re in agreement, then. Ah, hold on. I think I’ve stumbled upon a good greeting. You look great in your new clothes, Assembly Master. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“...” Kang Jin-Ho made a weird face while nodding away.
Why did he feel a bit sad after realizing people’s evaluation of him went up a bit for putting on a business suit he didn’t even like?
After groaning a little, Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “Your complexion doesn’t look so good.”
The Master could only grin wryly. Of course his complexion wouldn’t be good.
First of all, he was deprived of his mana during his imprisonment. That affected his overall health rather gravely.
The Master’s body was already at an advanced physical age. The only reason why he could move around like a much-younger man was solely due to mana’s assistance.
Unsurprisingly, cutting his mana supply off had accelerated his aging. Although the Master was gradually regaining his strength right now, it’d be nearly impossible for him to return to his old self.
...And then, there was the mental shock of witnessing the Round Table getting utterly crushed by Kang Jin-Ho to consider, too.
Predicting something wasn't enough to lessen the blow, after all. For instance, anyone could predict that their parents would one day pass on, but watching it happen would still make it feel like the whole world was crumbling around them.
‘Parents passing on, is it...’
The Master smiled wryly after his thoughts reached that far. Why did that expression feel so spot-on for this situation?
After all, that was how the Master viewed the Round Table, wasn’t it? As his aged, dying father? It might be antiquated, left behind by the changing era, and gradually growing frail, but...
The Round Table, once the paragon of strength, virtue, and invincibility in the Master’s eyes, was now a burden he must lug around.
However, just like how a child could never forsake their parents, the Master couldn’t abandon the Round Table. And that was why he was trying to hold this discussion with Kang Jin-Ho.
“Assembly Master Kang.”
“Mm?”
“Before we start...” The Master opened a wooden case resting on the table between them. Inside was a row of luxuriously packaged brown cigars. “Here. How about some of the finest quality tobacco on the market first?”
“Mm?”
“Let’s call it a bribe,” said the Master.
“I see. You have my thanks,” Kang Jin-Ho unhesitantly picked a cigar up despite knowing it was a bribe. However, he studied the cigar with somewhat withdrawn eyes afterward. “...I gotta ask first. How am I supposed to smoke this?”
“...Oh.”
After listening to the instructions to cut off the front and light it up, Kang Jin-Ho did exactly that while looking somewhat mystified by the process. He then snapped his fingers to produce a flicker of flame to light the cigar.
Although he didn’t quite manage to light the cigar like an experienced smoker, it was still enough for him to get the taste of it regardless.
This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.
Kang Jin-Ho sucked in a lungful of cigar smoke, then tilted his head in confusion. “Huh? Why does a cigar taste like chocolate?”
“...”
The Master found himself suddenly facing a serious conundrum just then. How was it even possible that Kang Jin-Ho in a battle differed so drastically from Kang Jin-Ho in a regular setting?
Unfortunately, that was the trick question no one in the Martial Assembly had managed to solve. And it’d also become one of the most difficult assignments the Master had taken on so far.
1. Imoogi, also spelled as Imugi, is a Korean version of “lesser” dragon. It is often portrayed as an evil snake-like creature that has failed to ascend to become a full-fledged dragon. ☜