Descent of the Demon Master

though he was wielding it for only a brief moment.
Compared to him, Kang Jin-Ho had enough abilities to attain all the power and wealth any person could ever dream of if that was what he wanted.
Even now, his wealth had entered the territory most people alive couldn ’t even come close to.

Despite all this, Kang Jin-Ho hadn ’t become lost in his power.

’I don ’t think I can do that… ’

Jo Gyu-Min couldn ’t imagine himself doing that.
He shook his head, then asked another question, “In that case, I ’m guessing Miss Eun-Yeong will make her return pretty soon?”

– I ’m sorry?

“Mm? But, didn ’t you say this isn ’t a big matter? After the agencies issue their press releases, she needs to get back on the road as quickly and flashily as possible to reduce any unnecessary chatter, Mister Jin-Ho.
Even now, I have been deploying an army of paid posters to spread around the footage of you everywhere, you know!”

– I have no idea what any of that means.
However, Eun-Yeong will need a little more time.

“…May I remind you that you said it ’s not a big deal only a minute ago, Mister Jin-Ho.”

– Yes.
Not a big deal for that man.
It ’s not the same for Eun-Yeong, obviously.

’What kind of double standard is this sh*t?! ’

’

Jo Gyu-Min was wrong.
This young man, he—he was dangerous in a different sense!

He might have staved off the seduction of power, but he was still pretty much a bloody stalker to his own family! Jo Gyu-Min was abruptly reminded of that fact he had briefly forgotten.
He asked the next question in a trembling voice, “I-I see.
In that case…
What will happen to Miss Eun-Yeong now?”

– Our father has decided, so for now, she ’ll have to work in his cafe for the next few days.

Kang Jin-Ho ’s voice was dripping with disappointment as he said those words.
Considering how he usually never expressed his emotions, he had to be really, really, disappointed by being unable to punish his own little sister.

“Ah, I see.” Jo Gyu-Min sighed.
What a relief this was.
It sounded like Kang Yu-Hwan ably stopped Kang Jin-Ho ’s wicked scheme in its tracks.
“Then, what will you be doing, Mister Jin-Ho?”

– Me?

“Yes, you.”

– I ’m currently at a parcel delivery service warehouse.

“…I ’m sorry?” Jo Gyu-Min asked back in a daze.

***

Kang Jin-Ho stood tall and asked, “That means I can start my shift later tonight?”

“Sure thing,” said the manager of the warehouse in a rather rude manner.
“I can tell you got a pretty robust physique there, fella.
However, don ’t run off in the middle of work and make a mockery of yourself, you hear me? Geez, kids nowadays just don ’t have any sense of responsibility.
If they don ’t think they can keep working here, they should just be upfront about it.
Why run away without saying anything? Who ’s gonna take over and clean up their mess then?!”

Park Yu-Min standing next to Kang Jin-Ho felt sweat drops trickle down his forehead.

’Dear manager, you ’re worrying about the wrong thing, sir.
Rather than worrying about this friend running away, it ’ll be more productive to worry about the destruction of the planet Earth first… ’

Kang Jin-Ho remained expressionless as he replied, “That won ’t happen, sir.”

“Hah.
That ’s what they all say in the beginning.” A mocking grin formed on the manager ’s face.
“You better not be here to ’broaden your horizon ’ or some crap like that, kid.
Looks like you come from a pretty good family.
Kids like that don ’t last long in this place.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in slight confusion.
“Sir, in cases like this, aren ’t you supposed to encourage me and say I should work hard?”

The manager smirked meaningfully.
“You ’ll find out once you start, kid.
So, I will see you later tonight.
There ’s nothing for you to do now, after all.”

“I see…” Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then turned around to exit the manager ’s office.

Park Yu-Min followed his friend outside, then asked a question when they hit the pavement, “Why are you working part-time all of a sudden?”

Kang Jin-Ho replied in his usual flat voice, “I was told to.”

“By whom?”

“My father.”

’

“Hmm…” Park Yu-Min let out an unconvinced groan.

They said that the hardships of youth were invaluable.
Park Yu-Min could sort of understand the intention behind Kang Yu-Hwan sending his son off to a tough working environment, but…

’Father, your son Jin-Ho isn ’t a human in a normal sense… ’

Logs resting on the ground would be obstacles to ordinary people, but they would be toys to an elephant.
Telling Kang Jin-Ho to do physical labor was like a duck taking to water.

’Then again, it makes sense that he has no idea about it. ’

Park Yu-Min knew the truth, but Kang Yu-Hwan probably didn ’t.
The whole family most likely had no idea.
Wasn ’t it always the darkest under the lamp, for instance?

’I guess this is the birth of the world ’s strongest part-timer, then? ’

Park Yu-Min suddenly became interested in seeing what kind of an expression that rude manager would make after clapping his eyes on Kang Jin-Ho ’s—work ethic.

***

Later that evening…

“Oh, so you came, eh?” The manager cackled while glancing at Kang Jin-Ho.
“I guess you have some guts since you ’re a man and all, eh? Seeing how you didn ’t run away and still showed up here.
I hope you can maintain your spirit and not run away until the end of your shift, though!”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded.
“That ’s my plan, sir.”

“Talk is cheap, kid.” The manager dismissively shook his head.

Usually, most parcel delivery service warehouses like this would hire so-called day laborers.
There weren ’t many workers with perseverance these days, so most employees would only stick around for a few hours at the shortest, up to a few months at the longest, before they would move on to greener pastures.

And then, there was the problem of weirdos as well.
The word had gotten around that this job was tough, prompting weirdos to show up to test their mettle as men.
The number of these dumbasses wanting to take up on this ’challenge ’ was far too high for the manager ’s liking.
And Kang Jin-Ho came across as one of those weirdos.

It was pretty simple to tell apart those dead-serious about this work and those who just came here to play.
People with experience in this kind of work wore different attire from those unfamiliar with it.

Kang Jin-Ho showed up in a pair of jeans and sneakers, so the manager could already tell.
At first, this young man would put on some airs, saying it wasn’t as tough as he thought.
In three, maybe four hours, though? His complexion would surely become deathly pale from the pain and cramps akin to his spine snapping in half.

No matter how fit a person was, muscles honed through actual physical labor and those sculpted in a fitness center served two different purposes, after all!

’Heh.
Enjoy your time here, kid. ’

The manager cackled evilly after assigning Kang Jin-Ho the hardest job in the warehouse.
Out of the trio of jobs available here—sorting, loading, and unloading—he chose to throw the young man in the deep end of unloading cargo from the delivery trucks.

However, his wish had to remain just that, a wish.
Once the shift began, workers went to their assigned posts to unload the cargo from the trucks arriving at the warehouse and place them on the moving conveyor belts.

“W-what the hell is up with that kid?!”

“M-mm?” The manager heard a panicked voice coming from somewhere behind him and urgently turned around to look.
That was when his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his jaw slowly fell to the floor.
“W-what the hell is that kid doing?!”

The manager freaked out and hurriedly ran toward the conveyor belt.