Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 112

Chapter 112: Showcase （7）

The test was over.

Kang San collapsed with a tattered appearance, then chugged down a potion, recovering from his wounds.

“We are truly sorry. We should have responded quickly, but we couldn’t because of the sudden variables.”

“It’s fine.”

The examiners approached.

They, who had defeated the Death Knights, arrived late at the scene, but by then, the testers had already taken care of the situation. Kang San didn’t unnecessarily blame the examiners. In the first place, the Trials originated from him, so he felt sorry for creating such a situation. After the examiners checked their condition and withdrew, Nam Tae-ju approached this time.

“Thanks to you, we finished the test well. Honestly, if it weren’t for Kang San-nim, I would have given up during the battle.”

“I just did what I had to do.”

“No. I’m also someone who’s been through a lot as a Hunter, but I’ve never seen a Tanker like Kang San-nim. Since the test is over, I can say this, but seeing you offer your body whether the monsters bite or not, I wondered if you were even human. No, as a fellow human, do you not feel things like fear or pain?”

“……Well.”

Kang San smiled awkwardly.

After defeating the Vampire.

Kang San took care of Im Chan-yeong and escaped the basement.

The battle was still raging outside, and the team members’ eyes widened when they saw Kang San covered in blood.

They had clearly thought that it was a problem that Kang San and Im Chan-yeong couldn’t solve on their own, but they had somehow managed to slaughter them all and escape. From that moment on, they truly acknowledged Kang San. Strangely enough, none of the team members thought they had escaped thanks to Im Chan-yeong’s performance. His appearance alone showed it, and they could be sure from the way he had acted from the beginning until now. They couldn’t believe it was the skill of Im Chan-yeong, who was dragged out with a lost look on his face.

And lastly.

“Glory Aura.”

A halo shone from Kang San’s body.

With the dramatic effect of increasing the team members’ stats, they were able to muster their strength and deal with the last monster.

It was entirely Kang San’s achievement.

After praising Kang San for a while, Nam Tae-ju spotted Im Chan-yeong as he turned to leave.

“I really don’t understand. Why did you do that at the beginning?”

At the beginning of the test.

Im Chan-yeong had clearly referred to Kang San as a weak link.

All eyes were on Im Chan-yeong at Nam Tae-ju’s remark, but Im Chan-yeong only blushed and couldn’t answer.

More precisely, he couldn’t answer.

Im Chan-yeong also.

‘……That’s right. I don’t know what’s going on either.’

He couldn’t understand this situation at all.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

This incident.

Who was the most surprised?

The people who took the test together?

Or the people watching from outside, or perhaps the examiners?

None of them.

As someone who remembered Kang San’s past, Im Chan-yeong couldn’t help but be more shocked than anyone else by the current outcome.

‘……He definitely took the Vampire’s attack for me.’

The last scene.

It was still vivid.

He was lost in thought as he watched Kang San defeat the Vampire one-on-one, but the Vampire, whose head had been blown off, chose to unleash a final blow, burning its life force before it died. His heart sank. With the black energy that enveloped him, he thought that he might die while taking the test. But at the same time, goosebumps rose all over his body when he heard the message that he was sharing the pain.

Kang San collapsed.

He watched Kang San fall face-first to the ground and groan in pain, unable to figure out how to react.

‘Why?’

It was the question that dominated his mind.

It’s just a test.

Im Chan-yeong had already failed nine times, and it was a better judgment to look forward to the next test rather than risk his life to pass this one. But Kang San seemed to be different. To save him, who had ignored and looked down on him, he willingly offered his own body. Come to think of it, it was the same when he took the weapon thrown by the Vampire, and from beginning to end, Kang San perfectly fulfilled his role as a Tanker.

Shame washed over him.

As Nam Tae-ju pointed out, the fact that he had belittled such a person came back as an unbearable shame.

He glanced at Kang San.

He wanted to say thank you.

He wanted to tell him that he was alive thanks to him, and he wanted to talk to Kang San about this and that like other people.

But he couldn’t.

At the moment when Kang San was fighting the Vampire, Im Chan-yeong didn’t do anything because he thought he might be in danger. He couldn’t think rationally at that time. A strong desire for survival paralyzed Im Chan-yeong’s reason, not judging what was right or wrong. He seemed to have hoped that if Kang San died like this, the examiners would appear and save him.

He bit his lip.

He was annoyed.

Feeling miserable, he didn’t want to be here anymore.

‘This is really awful.’

He moved his feet.

Anyway, the test was over.

The results were scheduled to be announced in an hour, but Im Chan-yeong was planning to meet his manager and anticipate the results.

‘Even though I showed a frozen look in the middle, I proved my overwhelming firepower when I swept away the monsters at the end. Shouldn’t that be enough to pass? Since this difficulty level was particularly difficult, there might be additional bonus points.’

He held onto hope.

Since he had brought the result of a successful raid, he could at least spin the hope circuit.

He came outside.

Suddenly, Im Chan-yeong felt a surge of emotion.

“……What is this? Was everyone waiting for me?”

A huge crowd.

There was only one reason for them to be here.

It must be to watch him, once called Korea’s best talent, take the test.

He was happy.

The fact that they were still paying attention to him.

The fact that he had shown his ability to pass the test in front of them.

And seeing that among them was Team Leader Gu Jun-ho, who was recognized as an elite at Daeyang, Im Chan-yeong walked forward with a confident gait. He also waved his hand. He showed the people who would have been waiting for him that he had proudly passed the test.

But.

“…….”

“…….”

No one responded.

Some frowned.

Only then did he realize.

‘Could it be that it wasn’t me?’

The way people were looking at him.

As they looked beyond him, Im Chan-yeong realized the truth.

One person who hasn’t come out yet.

They were all waiting for Kang San.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

A little while ago.

The atmosphere outside was serious.

It wasn’t because it was dangerous after defeating the Vampire, but because everyone sensed that this was a bigger deal than they had thought.

Next to Jeong Hye-mi.

Team Leader Gu Jun-ho, who was watching the screen side by side, said with his eyes fixed on the screen.

“Right now, this situation. What do you think?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

Jeong Hye-mi frowned.

She wasn’t on good terms with Gu Jun-ho.

They had clashed on every occasion, but Gu Jun-ho didn’t hesitate to use any means necessary to achieve his desired goals.

Gu Jun-ho looked at Jeong Hye-mi.

“Why, you ask? Kang San is showing an unbelievable performance right now. A man who was only D-rank until recently not only blocked dozens of C-rank monsters alone, but also defeated a Vampire by himself a while ago. And it was a Vampire suspected to have the highest B-rank stats. I can say with certainty that his potential is immeasurable. He definitely wasn’t like this when he was dealing with the Werewolf Lord, but Kang San has achieved B-rank skills in just six months.”

What he was saying.

Jeong Hye-mi couldn’t quite understand.

She had also witnessed Kang San’s greatness firsthand, but she couldn’t understand why he was telling her this.

“Furthermore, we’ve seen how dedicated Kang San is. A Tanker who doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice his own life when his colleagues are in danger. He’s truly the ideal everyone desires, and in this harsh Hunter world, he’s recognized as an invaluable talent. This result. It will definitely cause a huge stir.”

“So, is that why we’re having this conversation?”

“Yes.”

Gu Jun-ho’s eyes.

They were filled with longing.

Completely captivated by Kang San, the bottom line he had set for himself completely crumbled.

“Both you and I, Team Leader Jeong Hye-mi, completely underestimated Kang San. If we had anticipated his current potential, either of us would have made more aggressive moves. This is a kind of declaration of war. I’m truly smitten with Kang San, so I’ll stake my position on recruiting him no matter what. Whatever Cheonsang has prepared, Daeyang will unconditionally prepare more.”

He turned his gaze.

Just then, he saw Im Chan-yeong coming out.

“So you should prepare with all your might. I have a feeling that whoever wins this competition will hold the title of the best for a while.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Im Chan-yeong went out first.

Kang San checked the reward.

『4-Star（★★★★） Skill』

『Sanctuary』

1. When using Sanctuary, the enemy’s stats are reduced by 20% within a certain area. （Cooldown 24 hours）

2. If the enemy possesses the Darkness attribute, the effect is doubled.

3. Within the space where Sanctuary is used, the effects of all skills based on Divine Power are doubled.

It was a 4-star skill.

The effect was tremendous.

The stats reduced by Sanctuary’s debuff were 20%.

If an enemy had 300 stats, 60 stats would be reduced, and in the case of the Vampire he had just faced, an additional 60 reduction would be applied. The miracle of 300 dropping to 180. It was truly a tremendous effect.

Moreover, the third ability.

If the effects of skills based on Divine Power were doubled, it meant that among the skills Kang San possessed, Healing Aura and Guardian’s Will would receive buffs. Currently, Guardian’s Will increased defense and health regeneration by 2% for each enemy faced, but in the space of Sanctuary, it jumped to 4%.

High risk, high return.

As the Trials became more dangerous, the rewards that came back were also great.

Above all, as they had to prepare for the S-rank Outbreak, Sanctuary could be said to be a truly necessary skill.

‘But the Vampire’s last attack. What was that all about?’

The last.

The Vampire’s grudge was in an unusual form.

It was the life of a human being, and Kang San had never heard of monsters using this form of attack anywhere before. Come to think of it, there were more than a few strange things. The fact that it showed stronger stats than a typical Vampire, the fact that it came out first instead of waiting for intruders in the Vampire Castle, and the fact that it seemed to be intentionally targeting Im Chan-yeong. Unresolved questions lingered, but Kang San couldn’t give a clear answer to any of them.

In the end.

It was the only answer that it was a result of Azmoon’s Trial.

Kang San had no way of finding the unknown answer.

He got up from his seat for now.

Since he had recovered to some extent, Kang San was also thinking of waiting for the results outside.

And now.

Pop.

Papapapapat.

“Kang San-nim!”

“Kang San-nim, can we talk to you for a moment!”

“Kang San-nim, congratulations on your B-rank promotion!”

Flashes exploding from all directions.

People rushing in like crazy.

It was as planned.

It was time for Kang San to actively enjoy the results of this showcase, which he had intentionally created.