Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Spotlight （2）

Hero Maker.

Although Kim Min-yeong had dealt with countless people, even to her, Kang San was a truly unique individual.

Failure.

F-rank human shield.

He, who had clearly been following the path of a failed Hunter, showed a completely different side to himself starting from the promotion test. Not only did he risk his life to save a complete stranger, but he also paid their hospital bills and, when a Link incident occurred, saved people without revealing his identity. Moreover, he showed a dramatic rise to D-rank in a short period of time, and six months ago, he held his ground against an A-rank Werewolf Lord.

A hero.

His series of unconventional actions could not be explained by anything other than intentions like goodwill.

That’s why she was cautious.

Kim Chun-sik had said that Kang San didn’t want to reveal himself.

Even though reporters were in a profession that pursued the right to know, Kim Min-yeong wanted to respect Kang San’s intentions.

Now it was different.

Kang San had revealed himself.

Judging from the contents of his interview with the reporter, it was determined that, unlike before, he wanted to be ‘revealed’.

Kim Min-yeong contacted Kim Chun-sik.

“…This is the current situation. I think it’s okay to release the article I’ve prepared. What do you think?”

This matter.

She asked for Kim Chun-sik’s permission.

In fact, it wasn’t necessary since it wasn’t about Kim Chun-sik himself, but Kim Min-yeong judged it necessary for the sake of her relationship with him. Kim Chun-sik was also someone Kim Min-yeong was keeping an eye on. Silence lingered on the other end of the phone. The situation was confusing for Kim Chun-sik as well, but from the beginning, there was a right answer to this matter.

『I understand what you mean. If Kang San-nim gave that kind of interview to a reporter, it means he doesn’t intend to hide himself anymore. Yes, you can do as you please. I also presumed Kang San-nim’s intentions, but I don’t think there’s any reason to stop you in this situation. And more than anything.』

His voice was slightly strained.

Even without seeing him, Kim Min-yeong knew that Kim Chun-sik on the other end of the phone was quite angry.

『Please emphasize how bad the guys who led this article are. I’ll do anything, interviews or whatever, if necessary.』

“I understand.”

That was enough.

Kim Min-yeong, with a slight smile, ended the call and looked at the densely filled computer screen.

The preparations were already complete.

Now, all that’s left to do is…

Click.

To reveal the article she had prepared to the world with a single button.

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Kim Min-yeong was a so-called named reporter.

As soon as she uploaded the article, the number of views skyrocketed.

『Kang San, who is he?』

It was a fundamental question.

Kim Min-yeong knew well that, just as she had been, people were now curious about the person named Kang San.

『F-rank human shield, failing grades. It’s undeniable that these are all facts about Kang San’s life. But that doesn’t mean he’s still at the same level as he was in the past. One year ago from now. An E-rank Link incident broke out near the M Hotel in Wangsimni. That incident, which could have led to numerous casualties as disasters always do, was averted from the worst-case scenario when a passing Hunter risked his life to stop it. At that time, the hero of the incident did not reveal his identity and disappeared without accepting the government’s compensation. Now, the people reading this article will instinctively know. That the Hunter from that time is Kang San.』

Wangsimni Tanker.

He was famous for a while.

It was common for Hunters with exceptional abilities to step up, but it was uncommon for low-rank Hunters to risk their lives.

『Kang San is that kind of person. He risked his life against dozens of Lizardmen and saved countless people through his sacrifice, yet he’s the type of person who doesn’t reveal that he did so. Sergeant Kim Chun-sik, currently serving in the Special Forces of the Capital Defense Command, is also someone who survived thanks to Kang San’s goodwill. Even then, it was a dangerous situation that required risking his life, but Sergeant Kim Chun-sik said that Kang San jumped into the danger zone without a moment’s hesitation. As a reporter, knowing what kind of person Kang San is, I can’t help but suspect the motives behind the article that criticizes him. I’m not saying that Kang San denies his past as an F-rank human shield and a failure. He had such times, but he has since developed and has lived a righteous life, more dedicated to others than anyone else. But what is the intention behind denying and criticizing Kang San’s existence?』

It was blatant.

She openly targeted the article that was targeting him.

『And six months ago. While the Ranger team was conducting a rescue operation, a variable occurred where an A-rank Werewolf Lord appeared. At that time, despite being a D-rank, Kang San held his ground against the Werewolf Lord and sent everyone who was at the scene back safely without a single casualty. I ask the reporter in question: Was there even a minimal effort to check what kind of life the person has lived behind the scenes of writing an article that criticizes an innocent person? If there had been, that article would never have been published. The Kang San I’ve confirmed is a person who should never be belittled, and regardless of his personality, he’s also the most rapidly growing promising talent recently. I swear on my life as a reporter that there is not a single lie in this article.』

The article that was published like that.

Naturally, it caused an uproar.

━No way, a D-rank Hunter held his ground against an A-rank Werewolf Lord?

━The Wangsimni Tanker incident. That’s super famous. It was clear that it wasn’t a Hunter above C-rank, but he risked his life to save people and fought dozens of Lizardmen alone, and there was a frenzy to find him.

━The person who saved Sergeant Kim Chun-sik, the star of the Korean military, was this Kang San?

━There’s a reason why reporter Kim Min-yeong wrote the article. To the Hero Maker, this person is a hero himself.

The boiling reactions.

To someone, it wasn’t a very pleasant situation.

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Cheonsang 3rd Team.

There, where Jeong Hye-mi was the team leader, they were currently pouring their efforts into recruiting Kang San.

“Kang San-nim isn’t someone who would be tempted by ordinary conditions. If we could have recruited him simply with good conditions, he would have made a deal with us or shown a positive response long ago. What kind of conditions would satisfy him?”

“Judging from his actions so far, Kang San-nim seems to be a very free-spirited individual. How about offering good conditions and eliminating the mandatory aspects of being affiliated with the management? I don’t think there’s any reason for him to refuse Cheonsang’s framework if it doesn’t interfere with his plans, whatever they may be.”

“That’s a good idea.”

The meeting continued.

Jeong Hye-mi, who had been given full authority by her father, prepared an unprecedentedly generous offer, even for a D-rank.

An offer that even an A-rank couldn’t refuse.

As the meeting progressed, an employee suddenly barged into the meeting room.

Burst.

“Team Leader! It’s a big problem!”

“What is it?”

“I think you need to check the article right now. Reporter Kim Min-yeong has made a very pointed report about Kang San.”

“…What?”

Jeong Hye-mi’s eyes widened.

She hurriedly checked the article.

She knew that a malicious article had been uploaded a while ago, and at Jeong Hye-mi’s request, Cheonsang was already preparing a rebuttal article. But Kim Min-yeong had uploaded her article even faster. That was a good thing for Kang San, but the problem was that the content of the article highlighted Kang San’s value too much.

━He’s a truly righteous person. He risked his life for a complete stranger and even donated hospital bills.

━But how could he go from being an F-rank human shield to a D-rank in just one year, and even withstand an A-rank Werewolf Lord?

━When he was promoted to D-rank, they took a C-rank level test as a group, and he was famous for being perfect. They even use the video from the test site as a textbook.

━There was a reason why Project B team won. The article from earlier said it was because of personal connections, but that’s complete bullshit.

People’s reactions.

They showed interest in Kang San.

That was the problem.

If Kang San’s value soared to unimaginable heights, it would naturally be difficult to recruit him.

They were complacent.

They thought they had time.

Even though the people who watched the Project team’s match had gathered information, they wouldn’t be able to show the same level of conviction as Cheonsang. Kang San had even rejected Cheonsang’s offer. She had thought that after experiencing several unfavorable offers, he might be interested in the very strong offer she had prepared.

But if his value was raised this much…

She didn’t know what kind of offers other managements would make.

Jeong Hye-mi realized that she had to meet Kang San first.

‘The most basic thing in negotiation is to secure the subject of the negotiation. From now on, it’s a race against time.’

She made a call.

But…

『The call cannot be connected…』

He didn’t answer the phone.

Even after several attempts, the answer was the same.

“Could he be too late?”

Just like Gu Jun-ho.

With a sense of foreboding, Jeong Hye-mi hurriedly moved.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At that time.

Kang San had intentionally turned off his phone.

‘Because of the article that was just published, there will definitely be people who are interested in me. What I need now is time. When more people start looking for me, and Cheonsang and Daeyang start to get impatient. From then on, I can take control of the situation.’

Kang San’s goal.

It wasn’t just to get good conditions.

He had to make his value widely known so that they would risk their lives for him in six months.

Like the LA Rescue Wave.

So that the situation would be completely reversed because of a single person.

‘Of course, at the current level, they wouldn’t be willing to make such a sacrifice. This is just a prelude. Once I’ve made myself known and grown sufficiently over the next six months, I should be able to get some help.’

The future was important.

How much more he could develop.

Depending on how much his value was recognized, it would be decided whether or not he could recreate the LA Rescue Wave.

The future was uncertain.

Kang San could only do his best for now.

‘Let’s wait and see for a few days.’

He cut himself off from the world.

For a few days, he intended to rethink his plan.

But there was a variable that even Kang San didn’t know about.

Kang San had revealed himself through the interview, but he didn’t know that it would lead to Jo Dong-jae targeting him and writing a malicious article. And he certainly didn’t know that the malicious article would lead to the birth of Kim Min-yeong’s article.

Kang San’s plan.

A few days later, he was planning to set up a stage to prove his worth, as planned.

But while Kang San had his phone turned off, an enormous amount of attention was being focused on him, unintended by him.

That wasn’t the only problem.

At a workshop in Seoul.

There, too, an unexpected variable occurred.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Chiiiiik━!

Puffy smoke rose.

As the red-hot steel regained its original color, a man with a bushy beard lifted the sword and held it up to the light.

It was brilliant.

The sparkling color was breathtaking just to look at.

“…Did it succeed?”

A cracked voice.

It had already been several months since he started his secluded training.

Yoo Jeong-yeong finally created a product that he was satisfied with.