Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1049: Too Vague (4)

‘I don’t get a single thing being said here.’

It seemed this situation was tailor-made for the saying, “Can hear the words but can’t understand jacksh*t.”

What a bizarre situation this was, though. The instructors currently teaching Bae Jae-Min were all Jaegyeong’s office workers. And wasn’t Bae Jae-Min also an office worker himself? Albeit for the Martial Assembly?

Office workers were teaching other office workers about office work. In that case, how could an office worker with several years of experience under his belt… fail to understand a single thing uttered by the instructors? Wasn't that too strange?

Bae Jae-Min had a pretty good idea of where this strange feeling came from, though!

“Why! Why can't you understand this?! Whyyyy!”

“…”

Did he say his name was Deputy Yang Jin-Chan? The instructor suddenly stopped teaching the trainees and began tearing his hair out instead!

“Why?! Why! Listen, everyone!” Yang Jin-Chan roared like an angry lion. “Yes, I get that you didn't know about this. It's impossible to know everything, after all! Even if it's stuff related to your work, you might not have known about it! Yes, I get all that, but this! This!”

Yang Jin-Chan angrily pounded the computer screen.

“I'm not asking you to perform a miracle here, now am I?! Even a computer literacy 2nd-grade student can do this, you know! Everyone, how the hell have you been doing your jobs until now without knowing something this simple?!”

Everyone nodded weightily in silent agreement, their expressions all saying, Yes, sir, you’re so right. We don’t know how, either.

The truth was, Bae Jae-Min had not been consciously aware of the truth, until…

“You really don’t know this part?”

“Wait, how can you not know this?”

“What the freaking hell?! Really?”

Those were the rough round-up of the instructors' reactions. And anyone with a modicum of sense should've realized by now that something was terribly wrong from those visceral reactions!

‘Have we been this bad all along?'

Of course, Bae Jae-Min and his colleagues knew they were not as good as regular office workers. It was just that none of them knew by how much.

That much was understandable, though. After all, how competent one was could only be measured by having a yardstick to compare oneself to.

Until now, the Martial Assembly’s administrative department workers never got a chance to compare themselves to office workers of the surface world. Whether that was a good thing or not was a separate discussion, of course.

The only yardstick these staff members could use to measure their performance was their predecessors from the same departments. And in those comparisons, the Assembly's administrative staff seemed adequately skilled for their tasks.

No wonder Bae Jae-Min and Co. mistakenly believed they were more or less doing an okay job until now!

Unfortunately, Bae Jae-Min was paying dearly for such a mindset.

‘This is… Hell!’

His mind and ego were crumbling.

Since Bae Jae-Min was a martial artist, he also experienced numerous torture-like training sessions before.

Even though he had to abandon the path of martial arts, that wasn't due to his lack of effort or passion. No, it was down to his crappy talent. In fact, he could proudly say his willpower was well above average.

Considering the hellish training martial artists must endure… Bae Jae-Min’s pride should not be mistaken for arrogance. Even so…!

This issue wasn't about how good his willpower was!

Yang Jin-Chan cried out in despair. “Even the greenest of green rookies know this stuff! No, wait! Never mind rookies, university students… No! Even high school kids can do this, you know!?”

Bae Jae-Min’s jaw fell.

‘Huh. The world has progressed so much, eh?’

Science apparently waited for no man, so… Should he say as expected, then?

Although Bae Jae-Min’s mind was cracking apart piece by piece, he didn’t dare show it on the surface. That was because…

‘...Won’t he keel over and die at this rate?’

While Bae Jae-Min thought his mind was about to break down, Yang Jin-Chan seemed to be breaking down physically right now! All those bulging veins on the instructor's forehead, neck, and other exposed areas on his body were making Bae Jae-Min slightly worried about blood rupturing from there!

At the start of the lessons, the instructor's complexion was as pale as a man who had never experienced sunlight before in his entire life. But now? His face was so red that he must've knocked three bottles of soju back during the break between lessons!

The teacher looked more frustrated than the students and was about to blow his top in anger and insanity, so any student with even a hint of morals would never dare to whine.

“But, why… Why…!” Yang Jin-Chan repeatedly muttered ‘why’ while dry-rubbing his face. “F-for now… Please review what you’ve learned so far. I’ll be stepping outside for a minute.”

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Although it sounded like he wanted to take a quick break, Yang Jin-Chan's expression screamed, “You know what? This class can’t continue at this rate. So, I’m gonna hold a meeting with my colleagues and come up with a solution!”

“Yes, don't worry, and take your time."

“We’re really sorry…”

Yang Jin-Chan trudged outside the class, his shoulders slumped dejectedly. After the door closed shut behind him, the chatter between the learners grew in volume.

“...Is it that weird for us to suck this much?”

“Of course it is. Otherwise, why would that fella lose his mind like that?”

“Geez. I couldn’t understand a single thing.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“How did we do our job until now, though? I mean, Chief Lee always said our reports were fine, didn’t he?”

“But, uh, he never once said that, though?”

“…!”

“…!”

That revelation drove the last few nails into the proverbial coffin.

Now that these people thought about it… Whenever they submitted their reports to Lee Hyeon-Su, he'd always disinterestedly tell them to leave the documents somewhere. Or, dazedly nod away without saying anything.

“...Ah. So, that was the reason for Chief Lee’s hysteria.”

“And we didn’t know until now.”

Bae Jae-Min, like most of his colleagues in this room, was left utterly speechless by this realization.

He used to wonder why Lee Hyeon-Su always displayed symptoms of hysteria. After receiving the honest evaluation of professionals, though? Now he understood why Lee Hyeon-Su had been so high-strung all this time.

“Is that how crappy our administrative skills are?”

“Hey, man. I tried to look at this situation from Chief Lee’s shoes, and…”

“Yeah?”

“Even I'd kill myself out of frustration if I was forced to work off your rubbish reports."

“...Stop choosing violence, will ya?”

Bae Jae-Min stared at his computer screen while listening to his colleagues. His expression was rather cramped, however.

‘Does that mean… I couldn't even compile a half-decent report until now? Even with a word processor?'

That was when he finally recognized how utterly useless he was. And he also understood what Hwang Jeong-Hu meant about Bae Jae-Min and others not being motivated enough to improve their crappy skills.

‘Yup, I was…’

Bae Jae-Min didn’t even bother to find out how rubbish his skills were. Because he thought there would be no point.

His thoughts were informed by two factors. One, Bae Jae-Min didn’t willingly choose a job in the Assembly’s administrative office.

Getting a job there was the last-ditch method for the failed martial artists to cling to the Martial Assembly and stay in the martial world. Perhaps unsurprisingly, no one was motivated enough to do a stellar job.

As for the second factor…

Thunk!

The classroom door suddenly opened, and a familiar figure stepped inside.

“Uhh?!”

Someone gasped out in surprise. That was because Kang Jin-Ho had entered the classroom!

“Everyone, attention!” Kang Jin-Ho scanned everyone in the room after reaching the instructor’s lectern. “I thought I should tell you this before leaving.”

“Yes, sir!”

Although no one here could guess what Kang Jin-Ho wanted to say to them, they still replied like well-disciplined soldiers.

“I’ve already warned you about those with low grades having a personal talk with me and Chief Lee Hyeon-Su…”

“…!”

“But it seems I did not explain what will happen if you get good grades. The person finishing the program at the top of the class will be promoted to the chief of the department we're about to establish.”

The eyes of the learners grew wide.

“Chief of the department, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded. “That’s right.”

“W-wait, sir. But, uh…?”

It was against etiquette to question their boss making a crucial announcement. Even if these people weren't familiar with societal norms and etiquette, they at least possessed some common sense and discernment. Even then, this announcement was shocking enough to momentarily paralyze their wits.

‘Huh? The chief of a whole department?!’

The most senior-ranked person among the learners was around the level of a section chief in a regular company. This meant that if this person got the promotion, they'd be moving up one rung in the Assembly's career ladder.

“S-sir? Is that even allowed?”

Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“B-but, uhm… I mean, shouldn’t a chief of a whole department be…”

...Someone with some work and life experience under their belt?

If everyone was learning something new together, there was a good chance that younger people would adapt quicker than the older generation, eventually overtaking the latter group altogether.

In that case, someone young with little to no work experience could become the chief of this newly established department.

‘Huh. Maybe this deal is the same as a bounced check?’

‘It’s normal for the person making such a promise to change his tune later…’

Kang Jin-Ho noticed the reactions of his audience and chuckled slightly. Bae Jae-Min wondered if his boss had experienced similar responses in other classes before showing up here.

“I've already heard the evaluation of everyone here from the instructors,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“…?”

“Regardless of what your rank is, you've all been evaluated as incompetent.”

That stabbed into the hearts of the learners like a cold dagger.

“If you flip that around, it means none of you have ever been capable of doing a good job. Which means it doesn't matter who becomes the chief. So, let's choose based on your abilities. If you prove yourself worthy, you will be promoted regardless of age and work experience. Having said that, well… Mm…!”

Kang Jin-Ho began scratching his cheek as if something was troubling him.

“I don't know if letting you know this now will help or hinder you, but… But you will hear about it eventually, anyway. Not just those who get good grades this time, but even the regular office workers will see an adjustment to their salaries to bring them up to a more realistic level. Maybe it's because I haven't properly understood the situation, but as it turned out, you guys weren't getting paid enough until now.”

“…”

“And the wages for senior ranks will go up accordingly, too. So… I encourage all of you to work harder to make the improved salaries and the new job on offer yours.”

Everyone wordlessly nodded. Although their reactions were best described as lukewarm, Kang Jin-Ho still smiled and walked outside as if it was good enough for him.

The crowd’s noise level went up again once Kang Jin-Ho left and the door closed behind him.

“You think that was real?”

“You dumbass! How dare you question the Assembly Master?! Have you ever seen him lie to us before?”

“No, he never once lied. When you think about it, our Assembly Master fulfilled all of his promises.”

“That’s right. Besides, the Assembly Master has no reason to lie to us, anyway.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that, too.”

Not only Bae Jae-Min, but everyone else here was not convinced by the situation. But their faith in Kang Jin-Ho was absolute.

Kang Jin-Ho had always made good on his promises. And the Martial Assembly was transforming at an unbelievable rate even as they sat here proving how incompetent they were.

Bae Jae-Min stared at the closed doorway, the one Kang Jin-Ho used to leave, and bit down hard on his lip.

‘This… is the second factor.’

Did the others really view the Assembly's administrative posts as jobs for the dregs? The drop-outs? Technically speaking, not really.

The administrative workers of the Assembly were never evaluated. Since its inception, the executives surrounding Lee Jung-Geol always viewed the administrative staff of the organization as their personal assistants or secretaries. So, the question of administrative skills or the lack thereof didn't even enter their minds in the first place.

Like how having no expectations led to no disappointments, people didn’t expect anything from the administrative staff, so no one bothered to evaluate them.

That meant working hard didn’t lead to any discernible changes. Having higher skills didn’t lead to promotion. Stagnation was the inevitable result.

Everyone expected this status quo to change for the better once Lee Hyeon-Su joined the organization. Unfortunately, he was far too busy dealing with his own workload to pay much attention to the Assembly’s administrative staff.

The only person to prove her qualifications, thereby securing a high-ranking post for herself, was Lee Hyeon-Ju and nobody else. Unlike her, though, none of these office workers enjoyed opportunities to speak to the Assembly Master in private. Naturally, they never had the chance to prove their skills.

Working hard changed nothing for these people. In that case, who would be foolish enough to go the extra mile?

But now, here was Kang Jin-Ho, dangling a juicy carrot before their eyes. He promised to change things for those who worked hard, so it was now up to these people to put in that extra effort.

His intentions were plain to see, but…

“Huh. The chief of a department, eh…” Bae Jae-Min muttered, the corners of his lips curling up all on their own.

Everyone here knew that Kang Jin-Ho was not a stingy type when it came to money. Since he said he'd raise the wages to a more realistic level, the pay package for this new chief role should be higher than what everyone was thinking of right now.

Who didn't want to get paid more? No one, that's who!

Bae Jae-Min sneakily scanned his surroundings. The people around him pretended to be not interested, but a subtle hint of fervor could be felt emanating from all of them.

‘Hah. These idiots. They want to go for it, eh? Then again…’

Since the instructors were bitterly disappointed by everyone's crappy administrative skills… Didn't that mean everyone here was setting off from the same starting point? Didn't that also mean the result was still up in the air, and the winner would be determined by who worked the hardest among them?

A fair fight like this was a rare thing, indeed!

‘In that case, should I give it a shot, too?’

Bae Jae-Min settled down in his seat, his expression growing somber, more determined.

Thunk…!

“Everyone, I have… Eh? What happened here?” Yang Jin-Chan entered without a knock, only to flinch in surprise at the transformed atmosphere inside the classroom. “Kuh-hmm… R-right. Everyone, I'd like to announce that today's lesson will end here. The instructors have determined that we need to comprehensively overhaul the education program from the ground up. So, you're all dismissed for the day. Please come back tomorrow morning.”

“But, Mister Instructor, sir?”

“Y-yes?”

“I still don't understand this part here, so I was wondering if you could explain it to me a bit more.”

“…”

Why did it feel like Yang Jin-Chan had heard that line before somewhere? And heard it plenty of times, too?

“...Uhm, what part are you talking about?”

Yang Jin-Chan eventually learned that humans would often make the same mistake over and over again. Unfortunately, he only got to learn this valuable lesson after the class ended three hours later than scheduled.