Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 120

Chapter 120: Preparation （3）

This situation.

Jo Han-byeol and Yeon Woo-bin were equally surprised.

They had entrusted their lightly worn armor, bows, and staves for enhancement. While the bow was understandable, even the staff, which wasn’t a steel weapon, had been successfully enhanced. Honestly, Kang San had no way to explain it. The explanation his Dongsaengs wanted would be within the realm of common sense, but what happened to Kang San a few days ago was completely beyond common sense.

‘As the memories of my past life seeped into my body, the ability required for enhancement increased dramatically.’

The ability to handle mana.

The ability to handle steel.

When approached abstractly, it was a level 2 out of 10 ability, but with just one experience, it felt like it had risen to at least 5.

His muscles automatically adjusted the strength and speed of the hammer strikes, hitting the desired location precisely without a 0.1cm error. The mana that bloomed at the moment of impact seeped back into the item due to the Blood Demon Art. He felt ecstatic. Kang San rode the momentum and worked on the staff as well. He could increase its stats simply by infusing it with mana, instead of refining the steel.

Of course, the increase in stats was bound to be lower.

However, the fact that he had accomplished something beyond the realm of a simple blacksmith was a significant achievement in itself.

“Hyung?”

Jeong Chan-woo urged him again.

All eyes were on him.

Kang San, who had been contemplating how to explain it, eventually accepted that it was an unexplainable realm.

His own situation of gaining abilities from his past life was an area of absurdity that he couldn’t openly discuss with anyone.

Kang San said.

“…It just worked?”

“Huh?”

“Whoa.”

“The answer now feels like, ‘I’m just naturally talented,’ doesn’t it?”

Everyone looked dumbfounded.

At Kang San’s uncharacteristic response, Jeong Chan-woo added,

“Hyung-nim, I respect you.”

The Dongsaengs’ reactions.

Kang San just smiled.

And his Dongsaengs also didn’t question their Hyung’s favor any further.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Departure was two days later.

They decided to meet after finishing their individual preparations.

Returning home, Kang San checked the skill he had acquired.

『Fire Resistance』

1. Reduces damage by 50% against fire attribute attacks.

A skill not categorized by stars.

It was similar to Extrasensory Perception.

He couldn’t confirm its level based on the system’s standards, but even for a single attribute, a 50% damage reduction was a truly tremendous effect. This allowed him to demand Yeon Woo-bin to use fire magic more aggressively. Since magic doesn’t distinguish between friend and foe, one must be careful not to harm allies when using it. However, if he could reduce damage with fire resistance, even if Kang San blocked enemies in a dangerous position, the damage from magic would be less.

Next, the items.

Kang San received 1 billion won from Flare and spent 800 million of it to purchase new items.

He then attempted enhancement and succeeded.

『Iron Fortress』

『B-rank』

『Defense: 70』

『Special Effect: Steel Will』

━Increases the base defense of the wearer by 5%.

『Shield with Craftsman’s Obsession』

『B-rank』

『Defense: 58』

『Sword Imbued with Killing Intent』

『B-rank』

『Attack Power: 77』

『Special Effect: Bleeding, Killing Intent』

━Reduces the health regeneration of enemies afflicted with Bleeding.

━Increases base attack power by 5% against living beings.

Three items.

They were armor, a shield, and a sword, respectively. He had spent 800 million won, so he initially purchased items at the highest level of C-rank and the beginning level of B-rank. They achieved a dramatic increase in stats through Kang San’s skills. In fact, he realized that his skills had surpassed Yoo Jeong-yeong through this enhancement. This meant that the justification for trading with Yoo Jeong-yeong had weakened, but Kang San had no intention of breaking their current relationship. Yoo Jeong-yeong had shown loyalty by offering a 50% share first, so the current relationship where he was at the forefront and earning money wasn’t bad.

However.

While he would continue to learn the details from Yoo Jeong-yeong, he intended to enhance his own items himself from now on.

He also listed his existing items on the market.

『Chainmail Crafted by a Master Craftsman』

『D-rank』

『Defense+21』

『Sharp and Sturdy Longsword』

『D-rank』

『Attack Power+19』

『Special Effect: Bleeding』

『Sturdy Round Shield』

『D-rank』

『Defense+20』

The auction lasted only about an hour, but the three items were sold in an instant.

Honestly, he thought it would be a profit even if he just recovered the principal he had paid, considering the significantly lower stats compared to the items he currently possessed. However, the total sales price exceeded 100 million won. Although the stats themselves were above average for D-rank, the longsword with the Bleeding effect had sparked fierce competition. Since Bleeding was a special effect that was highly valued, the longsword accounted for a significant portion of the 100 million won.

Among them.

One buyer left a comment:

━Thank you for the good item. I’ll remember your ID.

“ID…”

Checking now, Kang San’s ID was a meaningless combination of English letters.

Since he might continue selling in the future, Kang San changed it to a more memorable ID.

“Karma, registration complete.”

There was no particular meaning.

The past days of bearing the consequences of his actions.

Kang San finished settling the 100 million won and closed the market.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At that time.

Jeong Chan-woo also logged into the market.

It was simply out of curiosity.

“How much would it be worth with this effect right now?”

The sword enhanced by Kang San.

When his father bought it, he had to offer a whopping 250 million won to win the auction for the C-rank sword. But now, its stats had increased dramatically compared to then. He was personally curious about how much he could get for it.

He couldn’t put it up for auction.

The moment he registered it, it would be irreversible. So, he posted a question on the free bulletin board in the market.

『…What’s the market price for a sword with these stats?』

He waited briefly.

A B-rank sword.

At least 300 million won, and possibly even over 400 million won.

He waited with anticipation, and the notification sound that a comment had been posted on the bulletin board went crazy.

━Haste and Bleeding? This is a top-tier B-rank item, regardless of the attack power.

━I’ll buy it for 400 million won right now.

━The guy above is crazy. How can you buy this item for 400 million won? I’ll buy it for 500 million won.

━Hey, if you really have this item, I’ll offer 600 million won for a cool deal. You know, right? No matter how good a B-rank item is, stats at the beginning level don’t usually trade at this price. I’m offering this amount considering the special effects, so if you’re interested, please contact me immediately.

Not only the comments, but his personal message inbox was also overflowing.

Jeong Chan-woo’s jaw dropped at the prices people were offering.

“…Wow, damn. This is crazy.”

250 million won.

A miracle had happened, with it being valued at over 600 million won.

If he put it up for auction, he felt like he could get even more by utilizing the competitive spirit.

‘Why does Kang San Hyung-nim work so hard on raids? If he has this kind of ability, he could make a fortune.’

Kang San.

He was a type of person that was hard to understand.

Kang San’s skills were so great that they couldn’t be priced, but instead of using his skills to make money, he pursued growth like someone being chased. The same went for this trip to Japan. Hadn’t it been decided with everyone’s agreement because Kang San wanted to become stronger by any means necessary for the next six months?

It wasn’t normal.

Just like in Reporter Kim Min-yeong’s article, he could only be described as a hero.

‘He doesn’t cling to material values, and he generously shares such precious opportunities with the people around him. Moreover, if he’s someone who sacrifices himself for others, the word hero isn’t an exaggeration. I’m with this kind of person.’

He felt a thrill run through his body.

It was a coincidental encounter at first, but at some point, he became completely fascinated by Kang San.

He closed the market.

He had no intention of selling it in the first place.

That’s when it happened.

“Jeong Chan-woo.”

“Huh?”

Someone suddenly entered the room.

It was Jeong Hye-mi.

Jeong Hye-mi said with a serious expression,

“Do you have any new information about Kang San-nim? He said he’d decide on his future in six months, but we can still do some groundwork before then. And it would be good for you too if Kang San-nim joined Cheonsang. This Unni will fully support you and Kang San-nim.”

She wasn’t wrong.

His father was in Cheonsang, and his older sister was in Cheonsang.

Joining Cheonsang was the ideal scenario for Jeong Chan-woo, but the answer popped out without a second thought.

“I’m sorry, Nuna. I really want to tell you if there’s anything, but there’s nothing like that.”

His relationship with Kang San.

It was more important than blood ties.

He was 21 years old this year.

Jeong Chan-woo was gradually adapting to the cold social structure.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The sun set.

At a time when most people would be going to bed, repetitive sounds could be heard at a training ground in Seoul.

Beep.

Along with the signal.

The target popped up.

The moving target disappeared quickly, but Jo Han-byeol didn’t miss that fleeting moment.

Thwack━!

It hit the target accurately.

But without a moment to breathe, she quickly loaded another arrow at the continuously appearing targets.

Beep, beep.

Thwack, thwack━!

Beep, beep, beep.

Thwack, thwack, thwack━!

Repetitive training.

It was routine for Jo Han-byeol.

She hadn’t always trained so tenaciously from the beginning, but Jo Han-byeol’s life had changed after meeting Kang San. Originally, raids were conducted at a manageable level. F-rank for F-rank, D-rank for D-rank. They would identify the dangers beforehand and usually wouldn’t push themselves beyond their level.

However, raids with Kang San were always accompanied by danger.

A moment of carelessness, a single arrow.

As she repeatedly experienced situations where these things determined life and death, she realized how comfortably she had lived.

‘This is reality. Even though we have a socially established system, we live in a world where we can be exposed to dangers outside the system at any time. If we want to protect ourselves, we need to be prepared for variables.’

That’s why she visited the training ground every day.

Ordinary Hunters tried to become stronger by increasing a single stat or learning a stronger skill, but through raids with Kang San, she learned that the truly important part was experience. How to respond in chaotic battles, how to deal with fast enemies, the technical aspects ingrained in her body decided victory or defeat in a split second.

So she fired hundreds of arrows every day.

To avoid making mistakes when it mattered.

So that even in the most desperate situations, a single arrow fired from a collapsing posture could end the opponent’s life.

The past year.

There was a reason why Jo Han-byeol and her party’s skills had improved dramatically.

Jo Han-byeol, Jeong Chan-woo, and Yeon Woo-bin too.

They had innate talent, but they also put in tremendous effort while following the pioneer, Kang San.

Beep.

Thwack━!

The last arrow hit its mark.

The training was over.

She was about to take a breather when Jo Han-byeol felt someone approaching.

“Han-byeol.”

“What brings you here?”

It was her mother.

Her mother, who never visited the training ground, looked at Jo Han-byeol with a worried expression.

“Do you really have to go to Japan?”

“We’ve already talked about that. It’s settled.”

“Yes, that’s right. I had no choice but to agree because you insisted on going, but after using my connections to find out, the situation seems more serious than I thought. Do you know what they call Kitakyushu in Japanese politics?”

A few days ago.

She had accepted her son’s request then.

But worried, Jo Han-byeol’s mother asked around for favors. As a wealthy figure in South Korea, she had considerable connections and was introduced to someone involved in Japanese politics. The story she heard from them was shocking. Jo Han-byeol had explained it to some extent, but the actual situation there was even worse.

Her mother said,

“The land abandoned by the country. You’re about to enter a death zone.”