Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 107

Chapter 107: Showcase （2）

He still remembered it vividly.

It was a whopping five years ago when he met the 13-year-old kid, whom he had mentioned even in his conversation with Lee Su-chan.

It was the same back then.

Upon discovering Kang San, who was brought along as a supposed party member, the boy’s youthful face contorted in disgust.

“No way, why do I have to raid with these losers?”

“Chan-yeong, watch your mouth!”

The boy’s name.

It was Im Chan-yeong.

A person who appeared to be a management official whispered in a low voice, looking around.

“This is a stage to prove your abilities. If you, with these F-rank human shields, can conquer an E-rank dungeon, it’ll prove what an amazing innate talent you were born with. So, please be careful with your words. Got it?”

“Yes, yes.”

Im Chan-yeong looked extremely displeased.

As a result of confirming his innate talent, he was assessed as a C-rank without any effort.

His talent was truly different.

Thus, the raid began, and Kang San and the human shields diligently carried out their roles despite Im Chan-yeong’s verbal abuse.

“Block the front!”

“You damn losers. You have eyes, don’t you?”

“No, these bastards have no talent and they’re even holding back? Can you even get paid today like that? Do it properly, properly!”

Throughout the hunt.

Im Chan-yeong continued his verbal abuse.

At first, the manager who was filming Im Chan-yeong’s promotional video eventually sighed and stopped filming. He knew he was arrogant. At the mere age of 13, he was assessed as a C-rank and received tremendous attention, with various management agencies fighting to recruit him. In the end, Daeyang succeeded in recruiting him with a contract fee of 5 billion won, and Im Chan-yeong’s pride only grew.

It was the result of that.

Im Chan-yeong thought it was okay.

Because he was different from the losers who were stuck at F-rank.

The raid ended.

Seeing Kang San preparing to leave, Im Chan-yeong approached and sneered.

“Hey, mister.”

“……What is it?”

“If you don’t have talent, just give up. No, a person who wasn’t even born with innate talent, an F-rank at that, what are you trying to achieve by struggling so desperately? If it were me, I would have found a different job long ago. This Hunter job is something that only naturally talented people like me can do. So.”

Thud.

He threw something.

Looking closely, it was a few bills.

“Take this and buy yourself something delicious. And don’t ever show your face around here again.”

That incident.

It was an unforgettable memory for Kang San.

That’s why it was even more unexpected.

Now, a whopping five years later.

Kang San encountered Im Chan-yeong, who was still a C-rank, at the B-rank test site.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Im Chan-yeong.

As Kang San remembered, his debut was truly spectacular.

Assessed as a C-rank at the mere age of 13.

Daeyang, which at the time spared no expense in investing in the Korean management scene, bet 10 billion won on Im Chan-yeong, saying it was for the future of Daeyang. People thought the amount was not excessive at all. If he was assessed as a C-rank with innate talent, it was practically guaranteed that he would become an A-rank, and considering his age of 13, there was a possibility he would grow even further.

His name appeared in the media numerous times.

At one point, Im Chan-yeong was even called the future of Korea, with his daily life being broadcasted in real-time.

It was a fleeting glory.

Im Chan-yeong’s current situation was a little different.

‘……This time, I have to pass the test no matter what.’

The past five years.

Im Chan-yeong was under Daeyang’s management.

Since he was a C-rank from the start, the dominant expectation was that he would be promoted to B-rank within three years at the latest.

He grew smoothly like that, and exactly three years later, he took the B-rank test. Contrary to expectations that he might pass it right away, he failed spectacularly. At that time, it wasn’t considered a big deal. Even if he failed once, he was still in his mid-teens, and there was confidence that he would pass the test soon.

But two failures.

Three failures, four failures.

As the disappointing results piled up, from the fifth failure onwards, the evaluation changed.

“He seems to be a bust, doesn’t he?”

Someone said that.

Now, they looked at him with suspicion.

Im Chan-yeong had a talent for magic, and his magical power was so great that he was assessed as a C-rank from the start.

However, his actual ability and power in utilizing magic were significantly lacking to reach B-rank, and with his stagnant progress, there were whispers that his “peak” might be low. Even within Daeyang, there was skepticism. Of course, the fact that he was recruited at 13 and was still in his late teens was fortunate, but even so, they couldn’t help but feel disappointed since they had invested a whopping 10 billion won in him.

Is that why?

Im Chan-yeong also gradually realized the reality.

Although he couldn’t act as arrogant as before, he still dreamed of a rosy future.

‘If I just pass the B-rank test. The evaluation of me will change again. There aren’t many B-ranks in their late teens in Korea.’

He strengthened his resolve.

It was already his tenth test.

He thought he would succeed this time.

But the moment he saw Kang San, he failed to manage his expression.

“Fuck, what the hell? Why are you here?”

He remembered the face.

The F-rank human shield he had met before.

The problem was that the insignificant existence in Im Chan-yeong’s memory appeared as a supposed B-rank test team member.

‘How did this happen?’

He couldn’t understand it at all.

He was definitely an F-rank back then.

Even if he had grown rapidly since then, he couldn’t believe his skills had improved enough to take the B-rank test already. He couldn’t trust Kang San’s skills at all. Although passing the promotion test is determined regardless of the success or failure of the raid, if there’s a hole in the team like Kang San, he himself might not be able to demonstrate his full abilities either. Im Chan-yeong, who was already sensitive due to repeated failures, couldn’t help but dislike a variable like Kang San.

Especially this test.

He was sure of success.

Because he truly believed he could pass, Im Chan-yeong hurriedly went to the examiner and protested.

“Please change my team members.”

“Could you tell me the reason?”

“That person. Just a few years ago, he was an F-rank human shield. I don’t know how he’s taking the B-rank test, but if we proceed with the test with a team member whose skills are significantly lacking, it’s only a disadvantage for us. Whether you make him take the next test or something, I think it would be good to exclude him for now.”

“That’s impossible. Team members are not determined by individual choice.”

“No, but still, this is a bit much, isn’t it?”

“If you don’t like the current members, there’s also the option of taking the next test.”

“Ah, shit━.”

He felt dizzy.

They said no.

After arguing for a while, Im Chan-yeong looked at Kang San, who was watching the situation from afar.

“This is bullshit, really.”

This test.

Im Chan-yeong felt like God was messing with him.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Right before the test.

A meeting time was given.

The team leader was a male Warrior named Nam Tae-ju, who calmly explained the situation.

“According to the information the examiner gave us beforehand, this test location is Vampire Castle. It’s a hunting ground where B-rank Vampires exist as hosts, and due to the numerous monsters that obey the Vampire’s commands, it’s a place where we can expect unexpected variables. We need to move more cautiously than ever. If we rush, there’s a high probability that we’ll be wiped out in an instant.”

“There’s no need to be so cautious. We’re already done for.”

“Huh? What do you…”

It was Im Chan-yeong.

Nam Tae-ju looked at him with a puzzled expression at his sudden interruption.

Im Chan-yeong said.

“I personally know that person who’s the Tanker, and he’s not skilled enough to withstand Vampire Castle. Just don’t waste your energy and take it easy. As you know, in a team raid, the Tanker’s ability is more important than anything else. If we rely on a Tanker like that, we’ll definitely get hurt badly.”

“Your words are a bit harsh. He’s still our teammate.”

“Teammate, my ass. This is why Korea’s promotion system is a problem. Can’t they evaluate the promotion test solely based on individual capabilities? I don’t understand why they have to use this method where team members affect the evaluation.”

It was a malicious accusation.

Even if Kang San heard it, Im Chan-yeong didn’t bother to hide his feelings.

In his memory.

Kang San was truly insignificant.

He was someone whose life was threatened even against F-rank monsters, so he couldn’t accept the concept of relying on Kang San and enduring in a B-rank test. For Im Chan-yeong, it was a common-sense judgment. He thought that even if Kang San, who was an F-rank, had improved, there was a limit, while he, who had been called a genius for all these years, couldn’t even surpass B-rank.

This series of events.

Kang San didn’t react.

Actually, it was amusing.

It felt like a world of difference.

The fact that someone he once had to look up to was now taking the same test as him.

‘So much has changed.’

Just one year.

Kang San had reached a different position.

In fact, he thought that even if he were Im Chan-yeong, he would inevitably explode with a sense of inferiority upon encountering an F-rank human shield.

He didn’t bother to disrupt the situation.

Whatever his relationship with Im Chan-yeong, Kang San intended to prove himself and pass the test no matter what.

Nam Tae-ju said.

“I don’t know what kind of relationship you two have, but let’s try our best until the end.”

He wrapped up the situation.

The strategy was simple.

To advance steadily with the Tanker in the lead.

Nam Tae-ju alternately looked at Kang San, who remained silent, and Im Chan-yeong, who kept grumbling even after the situation was settled.

‘……This is going to be a tough test.’

If Im Chan-yeong’s reaction was anything to go by.

The Tanker named Kang San’s skills wouldn’t be good.

And with the Mage’s attitude like that, it was definitely hard to expect good teamwork.

It was the worst.

Nam Tae-ju and the other team members thought so.

But suddenly, Nam Tae-ju felt that Kang San’s name was familiar.

‘Where have I heard it?’

Recently.

Kang San’s name had been mentioned here and there.

So it was a name he had in mind, but he didn’t think the person taking the test right now was the same person.

The Kang San people were talking about was a D-rank.

He couldn’t believe that the person who appeared in the B-rank test was the same Kang San.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The time came.

As they were about to enter the hunting ground, Im Chan-yeong approached and asked.

“How did you do it? It doesn’t make sense that you’re taking the B-rank test.”

“Conversely, why are you here?”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you say you were born different? Then shouldn’t you be aiming for A-rank by now, not B-rank?”

“……This bastard, really.”

Im Chan-yeong’s face turned red.

It was his Achilles’ heel.

The reason he reacted aggressively when he met Kang San was partly because he didn’t find Kang San trustworthy, but it was largely because he met someone he thought was “born different” on the same “level.” Im Chan-yeong couldn’t properly refute. He couldn’t bring up his past failures, so he just fumed and eventually turned around.

Just then, the time came.

Following the examiner’s guidance, the testers entered the hunting ground.

Whoosh━

Space distorted.

A pungent smell stimulated his nostrils.

The first sight that caught his eye was a purple sky and a blackened ground as if something had been burned.

And in the distance, a black castle that appeared to be their destination.

That’s when it happened.

『The twelfth Trial and Tribulation has been given.』

『The villain’s karma has increased the difficulty of the test. Unexpected variables will occur in Vampire Castle, and during this process, the Mage ‘Im Chan-yeong’ must return to reality safely without getting hurt. If Im Chan-yeong gets hurt or dies, all the rewards received so far will be revoked, and the karma will become even stronger.』

『Reward: One 4-star（★★★★） skill.』

A new tribulation.

At the conditions presented by the tribulation, Kang San raised his shield with a calm face.

It was better this way.

Whether the tribulation was given or not.

Kang San, from the beginning.

‘I will definitely pass.’

In this test, he intended to perfectly fulfill his role.