Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 110

Chapter 110: Showcase （5）

It was a dense killing intent.

Goosebumps rose on his skin from the killing intent pouring down from all directions, to the point where he couldn’t even tell where to dodge.

‘I can’t avoid it.’

Right behind him.

There was Im Chan-yeong.

Even if he had a bad history with him, to clear the trial, he had to send him back without a scratch. Therefore, there was no hesitation. Kang San faced the intricately intertwined killing intent and dug into the only gap revealed.

Whoosh.

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of teeth gnashing viciously could be heard from all directions.

It was a close call.

After dodging the attack, he reacted to the killing intent that was coming in one after another.

‘Right side.’

Kyaaaak!

A Hellhound lunged.

Just before the monster put strength in its hind legs and leaped, Kang San blocked the space it was about to charge into and raised his shield.

Thud━

The damage was reduced.

The attack, which failed to secure enough jumping distance, lost its power, and Kang San’s senses caught the killing intent trying to bite off his life one after another. It was a situation that would drive an ordinary human crazy. The densely packed killing intent rushed in all at once, making it difficult to even judge which one to prioritize, but Kang San didn’t miss the flow at all.

The past six months.

To be precise, 900 days.

Kang San lived in a different time.

At first, there was a clear goal called stats, but there was no real benefit in the repetitive pattern.

Eventually.

He had to gain senses.

He had to gain experience.

That time, that effort melted into Kang San’s body.

Kang San’s eyes, which were moving without shaking, accurately judged the pattern in which the killing intent intertwined.

Whoosh━

He dodged the attack.

He moved one step ahead and reacted one step faster.

If necessary, he activated Iron Man and gave up his body, and if he judged that he would be pushed back due to the excessive number, he used Trial’s Shield without hesitation. Dozens of monsters. Surging waves. The sight of a single human blocking them was marvelous. In reality, only about 1-2 minutes had passed, but Im Chan-yeong, who was terrified by the fierce battle unfolding before his eyes, finally revealed his presence.

“Inferno.”

Kwaang!

Hwarururururuk.

Flames raged madly.

As flames erupted as if a flamethrower had been fired, the undead and Hellhounds screamed and backed away hesitantly.

“……Just keep holding on like that.”

Im Chan-yeong also realized the reality.

This situation.

It was completely different from a normal test.

If it was this dangerous, the examiners would usually appear, but there was no helping hand from anywhere. Then there are two hypotheses. Either they judged this as a crisis within the test, or some variable occurred that prevented them from helping. Either way, he had to solve this problem. Realizing that he could be in danger if he was just blankly lost in thought, Im Chan-yeong exploded his talent.

“Memorize, Inferno.”

Hwaruk.

Hwarururururuk!

He cast magic in succession.

The sight of him shining red eyes and spewing explosive flames was impressive.

A narrow space.

It was a huge advantage for a Mage.

Although there was a disadvantage that there was no room to escape, if he could somehow endure in front, the area-of-effect magic could engulf the entire space. Honestly, Im Chan-yeong was truly surprised right now. The Kang San that existed in his memory was enough to deny reality just by the appearance he showed at the beginning of the test. But now. The situation of blocking the madly rushing monsters completely changed his perception of Kang San.

An F-rank human shield.

And the Kang San in front of him.

The two were completely different beings.

He was still feeling it.

As soon as Im Chan-yeong came to his senses and cast magic, Kang San secured space in a timely manner.

Pap.

Keongkeongkeong!

He lured the monsters.

He deliberately sucked in the enemies and opened the way for them to be exposed to the flames all at once.

“Inferno.”

Hwaruk.

Hwarururururuk!

The boiling flames swept through the monsters.

Goosebumps rose.

It was unbelievable that he was showing the same breathing as before, even though he was in a situation where he was dealing with dozens of monsters alone. What in the world had happened to Kang San? What kind of life had this man lived that he could catch up to him from his insignificant F-rank life? Just now, Kang San’s leg was bitten. To be precise, he showed the sight of crushing the Hellhound’s head at the same time as he gave up his leg.

He felt trust.

A Tanker who throws himself rather than his colleagues.

Isn’t it the dream of Mages to travel with such a person?

Hope revived.

It seemed like he could endure.

He believed that if he endured and endured, he could solve this absurd problem.

But at that moment.

Sswaeeeek━

Puck!

Something flew in, tearing through space.

The moment Im Chan-yeong discovered that something, Kang San’s body, which had already jumped, was pierced through.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

For a split second.

Kang San saw it.

A powerful blow piercing through the air.

As soon as he judged that it couldn’t be blocked by ordinary methods, Kang San threw himself without hesitation.

Puck!

Kwadang!

“Ka, Kang San-nim!”

He rolled on the floor.

Im Chan-yeong, who had been looking down on Kang San, changed his title and showed a pale face.

“Kkeueuk.”

Kang San grimaced.

He blocked the vital point from being pierced by the shield, but it was a threatening attack that ripped off a large chunk of flesh from his side. Kang San activated Healing Aura. Even while doing so, he held up his shield and looked beyond the swarming monsters.

There.

There was something.

The being that had just thrown the spear was also something that existed beyond the darkness.

Unlike Kang San, Im Chan-yeong, who couldn’t grasp the situation, looked at Kang San with a tearful face.

“……Why, why me?”

He couldn’t understand.

In fact, if it was a test this dangerous, it would be right to give up protecting his colleague and take care of himself.

People’s criticism?

Life comes first, doesn’t it?

If he had been in Kang San’s shoes, he would have given up on himself, whom he had a bad memory of due to past bad blood, long ago. He would have left him here and gone outside to figure out how to survive. But Kang San didn’t do that. Whether this was a longing for the test, or whether it was fulfilling his duty as a human being. Whatever the reason, if it wasn’t for Kang San’s sacrifice, his head would have been smashed by that spear.

Kang San didn’t even look at Im Chan-yeong.

As if Im Chan-yeong’s safety was a matter of course, Kang San spoke irritably.

“Don’t talk nonsense and focus on what’s in front of you. It’s going to get more dangerous soon.”

There was no time for sentimentality.

Whatever Im Chan-yeong thought, it wasn’t that important to Kang San.

He had saved him as part of the trial, but he had no intention of forming a good relationship with him now.

However.

He faced reality.

He had to save Im Chan-yeong.

And there was an unknown monster in front of him.

And Kang San knew that the series of events was being broadcast outside.

‘I ended up in a life-threatening showcase.’

Grit.

He clenched his teeth.

An S-rank Outbreak?

It would be a greater danger than this.

If he thought of death at this level, Kang San was practically no different from a terminally ill patient facing death.

It was then.

Thump, thump.

Beyond the darkness.

The something that Kang San was watching moved its feet.

As the darkness lifted, a face that was so white it was pale bared its ferocious teeth.

『You’re struggling, human.』

A Vampire.

That monster appeared before Kang San’s eyes.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At that time.

Outside was in an uproar as well.

When the Vampire’s attack hit Kang San, Jeong Hye-mi’s face also turned pale.

“……!”

She was too surprised.

No matter how much it was a Tanker’s duty, she didn’t expect him to throw himself to protect Im Chan-yeong.

Reporter Kim Min-yeong’s article was true.

Just like the article that Kang San had been secretly taking heroic actions, Kang San didn’t hesitate to choose sacrifice at an important moment. He was such a foolish person. In Jeong Hye-mi’s brief experience, she thought he was someone who took good care of his own rice bowl, but now he seemed like an unbelievable idiot.

She couldn’t just stay like this.

Aside from Cheonsang’s recruitment, she didn’t want to see someone like Kang San being sacrificed in the test.

She hurried her steps.

It was to urge the examiners, but there was someone who had arrived there first and was raising their voice.

“No, does that make any sense? You’re saying there’s a problem with the Gate?”

Daeyang’s team leader.

It was Gu Jun-ho.

Seeing Kang San’s sacrifice, Gu Jun-ho made a different judgment from Jeong Hye-mi.

‘Kang San is real. A Tanker who can truly risk his life will surely be worth it someday.’

Same situation.

Different thoughts.

Gu Jun-ho thought he was quite cold-hearted.

Considering that he was calculating how valuable Kang San was as a manager even while he was risking his life.

Anyway, the two team leaders agreed.

When Jeong Hye-mi joined, the examiner said with a troubled expression.

“We’re also trying to rescue the testers as quickly as possible, but the examiners who were waiting inside are currently being attacked by monsters, so it’s taking some time. And the Gate passage isn’t responding, so we can’t send in new personnel. I’m truly sorry. But it’s not that we’re not doing our best, so please wait a little longer.”

It was as Im Chan-yeong had expected.

A variable had occurred.

In a situation where they couldn’t receive help from anyone, those who had applied for the B-rank test had to solve the problem themselves.

“Oh dear.”

“Sigh.”

Gu Jun-ho and Jeong Hye-mi.

They sighed and looked at the screen as if they had promised.

The appearance of the Vampire.

The fact that they could only watch the current situation was a devastating feeling for them.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The Vampire’s eyes moved.

It passed Kang San and looked at Im Chan-yeong beyond him.

『Get out of the way. If you abandon that human, I’ll spare you in particular.』

“……What?”

Kang San frowned.

It was a remark he couldn’t understand.

No matter how intelligent a monster was, he didn’t expect it to make such a remark.

He felt Im Chan-yeong’s breath behind him.

At the sudden remark to give up his life, Im Chan-yeong was so scared that he gritted his teeth.

Kang San couldn’t allow it.

Im Chan-yeong’s death meant the collapse of everything he had built up.

Kang San reacted fiercely.

“Don’t bullshit. That won’t happen even if I die.”

『You foolish human.』

Swoosh.

The monsters opened the way.

Leaving the red glow behind, the Vampire slowly moved its feet.

And then.

『Alright, then I’ll kill you first.』

Paat━

It kicked off the ground.

By the time Kang San thought he had caught the movement, the Vampire had already reached him.

Kwaang━!

Puck.

He crashed into the wall.

The Vampire didn’t try to deal with Im Chan-yeong, but glanced at him and immediately followed Kang San. It intended to deal with Kang San first. Kang San, sensing the killing intent in the movement coming through the thick cloud of dust, raised his shield.

Kwaang━!

Kaang, kaang, kaang!

The sword struck down.

The Vampire, with its slender and white hands, struck down several times with unbelievable destructive power.

‘It’s not an ordinary B-rank.’

Top-tier among B-ranks.

It was a destructive power that Kang San couldn’t handle.

No matter how much he had raised his stats through secluded training, Kang San’s average stats hadn’t yet reached B-rank. Only when he applied buffs like Guardian’s Will and Glory Aura could he barely match the lowest level of B-rank. But facing a top-tier B-rank monster, Kang San couldn’t help but be pushed back by the continuous attacks.

Flash.

Slice━!

His forearm was cut.

He made eye contact with Im Chan-yeong.

Even in this situation, Im Chan-yeong couldn’t cast magic because he was afraid that the flames would splash on him.

It was pathetic.

Such a person was once the object of his inferiority complex.

Kwaang━!

Chwarurururuk.

He was pushed back.

Kang San, breathing heavily, looked at the Vampire slowly walking towards him.

“……Damn difficulty.”

After the tenth trial.

Azmoon’s trials didn’t go easy on him.

As if it would kill him right away if it could, it threw Kang San into an absurd difficulty level.

He caught his breath.

He wasn’t confident he could win.

But if he had to.

He had no intention of avoiding it.

Kang San gripped his sword and recalled a moment he had repeatedly practiced.

‘The only thing I could gain at that time was experience. But that didn’t have to be limited to my own experience.’

900 days.

The change in his repetitive daily life stemmed from a single question.

At that time.

Kang San had thought.

‘If I’m using the same Blood Demon Art as in my past life, can’t I learn by watching the Blood Demon Art used by my past self?’

Past life and present life.

For the first time, Kang San broke down the boundary between them.