Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 193

Chapter 193: A New Phase （1）

Three terms.

Living as the president for that long meant a considerable amount of time in modern society.

There’s an old saying that even mountains and rivers change in ten years, but in modern times, the world changes so rapidly that people say the cycle is five years. Amidst this, President Jang Beom-seok was an unchanging presence. Rather than wiping away the blood trickling down his forehead, his face flushed, and an unbearable sense of humiliation washed over him.

“How dare you……!”

Normally, he would have endured it.

The countless eyes staring at him, cell phones that might be recording somewhere.

As President Jang Beom-seok, who had to bet his life on approval ratings, he always maintained a certain level of composure in public.

Now it was different.

Kang San’s existence.

People’s criticism.

His patience had reached its limit.

Looking at his bodyguard, he shouted.

“Seize the bastard who threw the stone right now!”

“…….”

The response he received was hesitation.

Public sentiment was enraged.

The bodyguards knew that if they responded aggressively now, when people were showing strong animosity towards President Jang Beom-seok, there would be even greater backlash. The bodyguards looked troubled. In fact, at times like these, he desperately missed Chief Secretary Kim Mu-hyeok. He always controlled President Jang Beom-seok and managed his reputation well enough to achieve the great feat of three consecutive terms.

His absence was fatal.

President Jang Beom-seok felt like he was losing his mind as the insignificant bodyguards disobeyed his orders.

“What the h*ll are you doing! Are my words not clear enough?!”

Snatch

“P, President-nim!”

He snatched the bodyguard’s weapon.

It was physically impossible, but the bodyguard couldn’t dare to stop him forcefully.

Click

He aimed at the bodyguard.

President Jang Beom-seok said with a ferocious face.

“I am the President of this country. If you dare to make my forehead bleed, that would be a clear act of rebellion. I’ll give you exactly 30 seconds. If you don’t bring the bastard who threw the stone at my forehead within that time…….”

Clack

He loaded the gun.

His eyes, gleaming with murderous intent, didn’t lie.

“I’ll deal with you for insubordination as well.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kang San’s Movements.

Incheon was the starting point.

Immediately after resolving the biggest problem, the S-rank monster, Kang San quickly descended and prioritized resolving the critical situations.

Fortunately, no more S-rank monsters appeared.

The maximum was around A-rank.

When Kang San arrived, it was a level that could be resolved within an hour, and since there were so many places that needed help, rather than a complete resolution, he would only organize it to an appropriate level and immediately move on to the next area. Thanks to this, he was able to arrive at Daejeon, the central point, faster than expected. In Daejeon, two additional A-rank Links had occurred, but with a single spell from Yeon Woo-bin, the swarming monsters were swept away at once.

“Salamander’s Breath.”

Hwarurururururuk.

Kwaang━!

Only 30 minutes.

That was the time it took for the situation to be resolved.

Thanks to the active support of the troops in Daejeon as soon as Kang San arrived, it was resolved faster than expected.

“Thank you, Kang San-nim.”

“You’re welcome. Is everyone alright?”

“We’re alright thanks to you. We believed that Kang San-nim would surely save us.”

One man.

The man who led the Daejeon forces showed a moved expression.

Checking the religion window at the familiar name, the opponent’s name was accurately recorded.

『Believer』

━Im Jae-hyeong

A-rank Hunter.

Even he, who had great influence in the local community, had accepted the Kang San Religion in his heart without Kang San knowing. It was a perplexing yet familiar situation for Kang San. The situation of people he had never met approaching him, talking about the Kang San Religion, had occurred numerous times while resolving issues in countless regions. In reality, they had endured thanks to Kang San’s buff. If it weren’t for the buff, some regions might have collapsed.

“For now, the biggest problem has been resolved, but just because the Link passage has disappeared doesn’t mean the issue is over. Please be prepared for the remaining monsters scattered around and any unforeseen circumstances.”

“Amen━.”

“Huh?”

“I won’t forget this grace.”

Blushing with embarrassment, Kang San moved on.

He briefly called Kim Min-yeong.

Since he had rushed to Daejeon breathlessly, he needed to grasp the situation to some extent.

Click━

“Reporter-nim. What’s the situation in other areas?”

『It’s better than expected. Thanks to that mysterious buff of yours, Kang San-nim, the unfavorable situations are being resolved to some extent. In fact, the S-rank monsters that appeared in Seoul and Incheon were the biggest problem, and for other regions, it’s just a matter of time. It’s judged that they can resolve it on their own. Of course, it would be resolved faster if Kang San-nim helped.』

Large-scale Link.

It was truly a great disaster.

Reporter Kim Min-yeong, who had been in despair when she first heard the news, now spoke with a slightly excited voice.

『Actually, Korea is the only country in the world that is resolving the situation this quickly. Even the superpower, the United States, as well as the European Union and other countries, are currently struggling, but only Korea has a hopeful situation. I don’t know how the buff is applied nationwide, but it was crucial that people in each region secured the power to fight back directly in a situation where you couldn’t physically help everyone. Actually, the media around the world is showing tremendous interest in Kang San-nim’s movements.』

“…I understand for now. Please let me know if there are any new updates.”

The existence of the buff.

Even Kang San couldn’t explain it.

For now, resolving the situation was the priority, and after ending the call with Kim Min-yeong, he was about to move.

That’s when it happened.

『Wait a minute━! Breaking news just arrived!』

It was an urgent voice.

A voice mixed with irritation and bewilderment rang loudly from the other side of the phone.

『It’s a big deal! I heard President Jang Beom-seok caused trouble!?』

✦✦✦✦✦✦

## English Translation:

In front of the camera.

President Jang Beom-seok took his place.

With the live broadcast underway, he opened his mouth with a somewhat hardened expression.

『My fellow citizens. Right now, the Republic of Korea is engulfed in immense chaos. Due to the countless, simultaneous Link incidents occurring, those who have lost control are posing a significant threat to the safety of this nation. This cannot continue. As the President, I have determined that it is necessary to secure strong control and resolve this chaos step by step. Therefore, I hereby declare a Mandatory Conscription Order effective immediately.』

The First Cataclysm.

Immediately after humanity encountered the shocking existence of monsters, countries around the world, including South Korea, revised their laws.

The worst-case scenario.

They strengthened the authority to forcibly mobilize troops.

It was a power that could never be abused, but if used for the first and only time, it would exert an influence stronger than anything else.

『I am well aware of the rumors circulating. There are rumors spreading that the President is holed up in the Blue House, only concerned about his own safety, but look at me now. These are wounds I sustained while personally rushing into the battlefield to save people. The enraged public, unable to discern the truth, even threw stones at me. The nation must never be governed by personal emotions. If something like this happens again, or if there are individuals who disobey the conscription order…』

The objective was clear.

Those who followed Kang San.

And Kang San himself.

He intended to confine everyone, within a broad scope, under the control of the nation.

『I will define it as rebellion and punish them severely.』

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The series of events.

Kang San also grasped the unfolding situation.

According to Kim Min-yeong’s separate investigation, the incident was triggered by a stone thrown by someone.

『We understand that President Jang Beom-seok lost his composure immediately after being hit by a stone. He ordered the culprit to be found and arrested on the spot, and when people tried to intervene, he used force to drag them away. As you know, the situation is generally improving, but if troops are mobilized and redeployed around the government, it will inevitably create a void. This is absolutely not in the national interest.』

As Kim Min-yeong said.

It was not for the national interest, but for personal power.

If President Jang Beom-seok truly cared for the nation, he would have recognized the current atmosphere of recovery.

But reality didn’t matter to him.

If the chaos subsided like this, the President’s position would weaken, and he wanted to secure the government’s actual military power in preparation for that time. So that no one could forcibly remove him from the presidency. With the strong backing of Chief Secretary Kim Mu-hyeok gone, he was running wild to protect his position.

‘In a situation like this, internal enemies are more fatal.’

The forces behind Kim Mu-hyeok.

This was the result they had created.

By placing someone unqualified in the presidency, they caused a major problem in a situation that truly required leadership.

He had to return to Seoul.

Rather than prioritizing the resolution of issues in other regions, he had to prevent President Jang Beom-seok from consolidating his power. It was a devastating situation. Internal strife was more fatal than anything else. It wasn’t the reality Kang San desired, but he couldn’t simply stand by and watch Jang Beom-seok’s actions.

It was then.

He received a phone call from someone.

Click.

『It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo of the Capital Defense Command.』

“…This is Kang San.”

It was their first time speaking directly.

To be precise, there had been several exchanges through Kim Chun-sik, but this was the first time they were directly in contact.

『I heard the news from Reporter Kim Min-yeong. That you, Kang San-nim, are in a difficult situation because of what President Jang Beom-seok has done. Kang San-nim, you do what you intended to do. I will somehow resolve the issues here.』

“What do you mean?”

『To be honest, the current government was created due to everyone’s negligence. Military officials like myself and those in power, while recognizing that there was definitely a problem with President Jang Beom-seok, rationalized that it might be okay for the sake of the fragile peace. But now that a real problem has arisen, we have realized how complacent we were. We should have moved in the right direction from the beginning. We should have fought against what was wrong, even if it meant facing disadvantages, from the very start.』

The Mandatory Conscription Order.

Naturally, the military was included in its scope.

Currently, the troops under Lee Cheol-woo’s command were actively resolving the situation in the capital, and if they didn’t assemble according to President Jang Beom-seok’s orders, they would be labeled as rebels. That’s why he made his decision. It took a great deal of resolve to grasp the situation through Reporter Kim Min-yeong and contact Kang San like this.

『Ironically, I actually think this situation is fortunate. Because there is someone like Kang San-nim in South Korea, and because there is still a chance to rectify our mistakes. So, please trust me. If you trust and wait…』

A firm voice.

Why?

Even without seeing his face, the image of a man overflowing with pride as a soldier naturally came to mind.

『I, we, will definitely resolve this issue.』

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Click.

Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo hung up the phone.

As always, he needed nicotine whenever he made a big decision, but he didn’t want to stain his clothes with the foul smell right now.

He straightened his uniform.

As he stepped outside, he saw the officers who followed him.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

Briskly.

They started walking.

Led by Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo, the officers followed in perfect order, and soon they arrived at the assembly point designated by President Jang Beom-seok. There were only a few troops visible. Even though the conscription order had been declared, and a considerable amount of time had passed, only this meager number of troops had responded to the President’s command.

He stopped walking.

He took the megaphone from his subordinate and raised his voice.

Towards the other side.

“President Jang Beom-seok, listen! I, Lee Cheol-woo, and the Capital Defense Command, refuse to comply with the conscription order. If you deem this as rebellion…”

So that the leader of this nation could hear.

“Kill me here, and enforce your unjust will!”

Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo’s eyes shone with determination.