Chapter 14: Blood Demon Art （2）
There are rules of conduct to follow when a Link phenomenon occurs.
1. Civilians should immediately evacuate to a safe place.
2. Unless you are a Hunter of a higher rank than the Link’s rank, prioritize your own safety.
Number 1.
Due to frequent Link phenomena, shelters have been established for civilians around the world. Surrounded by sturdy barriers, shelters are safe zones that most monsters cannot easily target. Therefore, as soon as a disaster warning message is sent via text, most civilians head to shelters. The scene Kang San witnessed, where people were fleeing in droves, was because the shelter installed in his village was in that direction.
And number 2.
This rule was actually for Hunters who didn’t know their place.
An E-rank Link.
Although monsters of D-rank or higher usually don’t appear according to the assigned rank, it doesn’t mean that an E-rank Hunter is safe from the dangers of a Link of the same rank. First, rank assignment isn’t perfect. As the rank is determined by the temporarily generated mana wave, there is a slim but existing chance that a higher-ranked monster might appear. Also, it’s impossible to predict how many monsters will appear through the Link. Even if they are of the same rank, it’s naturally dangerous to face dozens of E-rank monsters.
Therefore, Kang San was in a position where he shouldn’t intervene.
An ordinary Hunter.
They have no obligation to help people.
The government expects help from high-ranking Hunters, but not many are willing to make sacrifices without rewards.
“Argh!”
Thwack!
A middle-aged man who couldn’t escape in time screamed at the Lizardman’s attack. His limbs were torn off by the Lizardman’s sharp claws, and he fell to the ground, only to be chewed up. Such scenes weren’t limited to just one or two places. The disaster of the Link, which occurred without warning, turned a village that had been peaceful just moments ago into a living h*ll. Even though he had only moved a little towards the starting point of the disaster, Kang San’s ears were ringing from the piercing screams.
‘The numbers are overwhelming.’
Roughly dozens.
The number of rampaging monsters was high.
In a situation like this, if he acted like a Hunter, the probability of Kang San dying a meaningless death with his current abilities was high.
However.
Kang San couldn’t back down.
Something surged in his chest.
He wanted to deny with all his might that the Blood Demon, who had created a similar scene, was his past life.
‘Let’s do it. The government troops will arrive in 5 minutes anyway. It would be impossible to handle them all with my current strength, but it might be possible to distract them and hold out for about 5 minutes.’
He clenched his teeth.
Excluding any calculating thoughts, Kang San surrendered to his emotions.
‘Trial’s Shield.’
Whoosh!
Growl.
In an instant, the Lizardmen’s gazes turned towards Kang San.
Trial’s Shield is an extreme aggro skill that forces all monsters within a certain range to attack the user. Its effect was tremendous. Even a Lizardman who had been about to tear apart the body of a human it had just killed suppressed its appetite and rushed towards Kang San due to the effect of Trial’s Shield. It was a spectacle. The sight of dozens of Lizardmen charging at once was enough to make one’s legs tremble just by watching.
“……D*mn it, did I make a mistake?”
It was too late to regret.
Kang San held up his shield and blocked the attack of the first Lizardman to reach him.
Screech!
Thwack!
There was no impact transmitted through the shield.
In fact, it was a natural result.
A 20% increase in defense due to the Trial’s Shield effect.
And.
『Guardian’s Will has been activated.』
『The number of enemies faced is 82, so defense and health regeneration are increased by 82% each.』
The effect of Guardian’s Will.
It was incredibly amazing.
Even if the opponent was a higher-ranked monster, a 102% increase in defense demonstrated a level of defense that transcended ranks. Kang San immediately attempted a counterattack. Since there was no fatigue or shock from defending, he didn’t miss the momentarily exposed weak point.
Slash!
Keeek!
The Lizardman screamed.
Kang San relentlessly pushed forward without giving his opponent a break, and after exchanging a few blows, he defeated the Lizardman.
『The effect of Blood Demon Art has been activated.』
『Attack power is temporarily increased by 2%.』
Gulp, gulp.
The sword vibrated.
The sword, which had absorbed the Lizardman’s blood, emitted a murderous aura as if baring sharp teeth. The reason why his attack power increased by 2% was because he had killed two Lizardmen. A martial art that grows stronger the more you k*ll. The reason why the Blood Demon was able to slaughter the righteous faction despite being outnumbered was because of this power.
Screech!
Crack!
Lizardmen rushed in from all directions.
The hopeful moment was short-lived.
Surrounded by dozens of Lizardmen, Kang San felt suffocated. If he blocked an attack coming from the right, his left side and lower body were in danger, and when he hurriedly took a step back, there was a Lizardman attacking from behind. Numerous wounds appeared on his body in a short time. He felt dizzy from the Lizardmen’s unique paralyzing poison, but Kang San bit his lip and endured it with sheer willpower.
‘I’m different.’
He repeated inwardly.
Blood Demon.
A devil-like human.
He wanted to prove that he was different from that guy through a life-or-death tightrope walk.
“I’m different, you bastards!”
Pshh!
A Lizardman’s head flew off.
However, as if the fact that one had died wasn’t noticeable, countless Lizardmen immediately pounced on Kang San.
An endless battle.
5 minutes.
It was a much longer time than he had thought.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Immediately after the E-rank Link phenomenon occurred, the situation was reported to the military unit in charge of Seongdong-gu, Seoul.
“An E-rank Link has occurred near the M Hotel in Wangsimni. After checking the nearby CCTV cameras, it appears that the monsters that appeared through the Link are Lizardmen, and their number seems to be around a hundred.”
“Why are you making such a fuss over an E-rank?”
The battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Capital Defense Force.
Major Choi Seong-jae expressed his displeasure.
“Is it the first or second day that a Link has occurred? Quickly send one company to the vicinity of the M Hotel and contact the other Ranger teams nearby. We need to take initial action quickly to minimize casualties, don’t we?”
“Understood.”
The subordinate who received the order quickly ran out.
Link.
A disaster that has become commonplace in this changed world.
As Links occur dozens, even hundreds of times a day worldwide, Major Choi Seong-jae didn’t consider the occurrence of a Link to be a big deal. Ordinary people might think that those dozens or hundreds of times are someone else’s problem, but for him, who is in charge of the Capital Defense Force, it was natural for him to be accustomed to such incidents.
And wasn’t it an E-rank?
It was fortunate amidst the misfortune.
Occasionally, Links of A-rank or higher occur, and in those cases, no matter how quickly initial action is taken, there will inevitably be massive casualties. A-rank Hunters are valuable resources. There aren’t enough human resources in this world to respond immediately to Link phenomena that can occur anytime and anywhere.
Major Choi Seong-jae moved to the emergency response center.
It was to check the Link site through CCTV, and a soldier watching the screen said in a surprised voice.
“Major, look at this.”
“What is it?”
He lowered his head and looked at the screen.
And Major Choi Seong-jae’s eyes widened.
“What the h*ll is this guy?”
“I’m not sure. He appeared at the scene and drew all the Lizardmen’s aggro by himself.”
“This guy’s crazy.”
A human.
The CCTV showed the recklessness of that human.
Dozens of Lizardmen would be dangerous even for a decent D-rank Hunter.
But a person who didn’t seem to be of a higher rank than that, not only drew the Lizardmen’s aggro but also showed the audacity to endure it alone. It was impressive to watch. He wasn’t a high-ranking Hunter, and it was truly remarkable for a low-ranking Hunter to show such courage.
However.
“Captain Korea has arrived.”
Major Choi Seong-jae quickly lost interest.
He doesn’t particularly like the hero complex of powerless people.
The choice to block the Lizardmen alone could be considered noble, but it didn’t seem like he had the ability to do so.
He’s going to d*e a tragic death like that.
Major Choi Seong-jae had seen many such people in his life.
“He’s still amazing, though. Keep the CCTV footage, and tell them to get that person’s contact information after the battle is over so we can give him a Brave Citizen Award or something. In a harsh world like these days, what people like the most is a naive and foolish hero. I don’t know about his abilities, but his recklessness is impressive.”
He prayed inwardly.
Hoping that that foolish human would at least survive.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
His head was spinning.
Just a few minutes.
Although not much time had actually passed, Kang San felt as if it had been an eternity.
Crack!
“Ugh.”
A Lizardman’s forepaw attack grazed his shoulder. Kang San frowned at the blood spurting into the air, but he gritted his teeth and plunged his sword into the Lizardman’s eyeball. A chilling sensation instantly traveled up his arm and stimulated his brain. In a situation where he held the power of life and death over a living being, Kang San pushed his sword in with even greater force.
Growl.
The Lizardman foamed at the mouth.
The creature, which had been struggling desperately at first, lost focus in its eyes and went limp.
『The effect of Blood Demon Art has been activated.』
『Attack power is temporarily increased by 10%.』
10.
That was the number Kang San had eliminated.
At the cost of allowing his body to be wounded, Kang San had already defeated 10 Lizardmen. His mouth was parched. His dizzy head was in a state where it wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed at any moment.
That’s when it happened.
『The scent of blood stimulates your brain.』
『A part of the Blood Demon Art’s primal instinct awakens.』
Click.
It felt like something was being released from within.
It was the instinct of the Blood Demon Art.
The Blood Demon Art, which had absorbed blood by killing 10, exerted a new effect that wasn’t mentioned in the ‘Skill Information’.
Whoosh!
He dodged the Lizardman’s attack by a hair’s breadth. His heated body felt faster than before, and Kang San’s eyes shone sharply in the sudden situation. He saw the opponent’s weak point. His instincts strongly told him where to attack to finish off the opponent in one blow.
The strong scent of blood tickled his nostrils.
Kang San’s sword struck the Lizardman’s vital point.
Slash!
Pshh!
Blood spurted like a fountain.
Looking at the collapsing Lizardman, Kang San’s eyes wavered.
‘……What is this.’
Blood Demon Art.
It was different from ordinary skills.
A martial art that grows stronger the more blood it absorbs.
The heinous demonic art that gave birth to the Blood Demon thrilled Kang San even with just a fraction of its power. A martial art specialized for killing. It didn’t matter if the opponent was a monster. For living beings with blood flowing through their bodies and hearts that stop when they d*e, the effect of the Blood Demon Art was incredibly fatal.
He was thirsty.
He wanted to see more blood.
The primal instinct of the Blood Demon Art stimulated his brain even more, demanding Kang San to fight endlessly.
Thwack!
Slash!
From then on, he surrendered to his instincts.
Instead of thinking and judging sufficiently, he responded to the immediate situation with his instincts. If a chilling sensation aimed for his right side, he would immediately dodge, and if he swung his sword at the strong scent of blood, the Lizardman would invariably collapse, spraying blood. K*ll and k*ll again. He repeatedly heard the voice announcing the increased power of the Blood Demon Art. At first, he had risked his life to break free from his past life as the Blood Demon, but now he had forgotten about such motivations and was showing the appearance of a monster solely craving blood.
Thwack!
『The effect of Blood Demon Art has been activated.』
『Attack power is temporarily increased by 20%.』
20.
The power of the Blood Demon Art had grown stronger.
The moment his eyes were about to turn red, a bright light emanated from Kang San’s body.
『Guardian’s Will has been activated.』
『Health is fully restored, and defense is temporarily doubled.』
『The effect of the status ailment Madman disappears.』
