Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 127

Chapter 127: People Who Have Lost Hope （6）

This situation.

Jessica could hardly contain her overwhelming emotions at the fact that she had met Eileen alive.

“I, I thought you were dead. Thank you. Thank you so much for enduring this well.”

It’s been a whopping three years.

Relying on the faint hope of the artifact, she searched for Eileen every day, but she knew that reality wasn’t easy. In the first place, the probability of surviving the ‘large-scale Link’ incident was slim, and even if she had survived, it wouldn’t have been strange at all if she had died in the three years since.

The people staying in Kitakyushu.

Those who were in similar situations to Jessica left the hopeless city one by one as time went on.

Resigned.

Or in despair.

In one way or another, facing the harsh reality, they thought they could no longer live in this city. If even one person had returned alive from the Red Zone, the embers of hope would have spread like wildfire, but unfortunately, for the past three years, there had been no news of survivors through conventional means. Only the survivors who possessed Teleport Scrolls in the early stages were able to escape the hell of the Red Zone.

Their will was broken.

Just when they thought that even the artifact might no longer be a sign of hope, they achieved the miracle of meeting Eileen alive like this.

She hugged her tightly.

Her tear-stained face cried openly, not caring about the gazes of others.

“I’m the one who’s grateful. The fact that you came looking for me means that you haven’t given up on me for the past three years.”

Holding each other.

The two did not know when to let go.

Both Jessica and Eileen realized that each other’s faces were thinner and more haggard than they remembered, but they couldn’t bring themselves to talk about it. They both vaguely knew. Their time had surely been tough, and they wanted to fully enjoy the joy of reunion rather than share the pain right now.

They cried for a long time.

As her emotions subsided a little, Eileen cautiously asked,

“…But who are those people?”

Four East Asian men.

They were people not in Eileen’s memory.

Jessica was startled.

Only then did she remember the situation of her companions.

“They are people who helped me save you, people I’m truly grateful for. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to come this far.”

“Wait a minute.”

Eileen got up from her seat.

She saw Kang San treating his wounds.

Knowing the risks he had taken, she walked over to him.

“I think we should treat those people first.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Eileen briefly exchanged names.

Thanks to the translation artifact, she learned that his name was Kang San and immediately used healing magic.

“Heal.”

Hwaak━

A sacred light shone.

Seeing the wounds heal as it gently seeped in, Jessica, who had approached, looked surprised.

“Since when have you been able to use skills?”

“About a year after being isolated? I don’t know how that was possible. I just suddenly developed skills.”

The Eileen that Jessica remembered was an ordinary person.

She was not congenitally awakened, and she was even deemed ineligible in the post-awakening test when she turned 20.

She lived the life of an ordinary person, and when she traveled to Japan, she entered the country for the purpose of travel, not for a grand purpose like a ‘Raid’. The fact that she had succeeded in awakening after their reunion was an unusual situation, but there was no need to question it further.

The treatment was finished.

Perhaps due to the considerable power of Heal, Kang San’s external wounds healed quickly.

Eileen said,

“Thank you very much. Thanks to you, I and the villagers are safe.”

“You’re welcome. Let’s organize the situation and leave immediately. Fortunately, the Teleport Scroll that Jessica-nim possesses can handle dozens of people, so you can escape this place with the villagers.”

Kang San also

possessed several Teleport Scrolls as a backup.

However, since it was possible without using them, he intended to use Jessica’s Teleport Scroll.

A hopeful situation.

Rather than rejoicing, Eileen asked cautiously,

“Did the Japanese government send any additional rescue teams?”

“As far as I remember, no. We acted on Jessica-nim’s request and have nothing to do with the Japanese government.”

“Ah…”

“Is there a problem?”

“No. It’s just that, besides us, there are other survivors around here. Of course, I don’t know exactly where they are staying or how many people there are, but I confirmed that they were definitely alive six months ago. Those people, their chances of being rescued are very slim, right?”

She wasn’t asking for rescue.

Knowing it was impossible, she asked about the existence of any additional rescue teams.

Why?

The moment he heard her question, Kang San’s heart sank.

The ominous feeling he had been trying to ignore might have been telling him that Eileen’s rescue was not the end of the ordeal.

Sure enough.

『The sixteenth hardship and trial have been assigned.』

『Due to the karma of the wicked, you must now find the survivor village nearby and safely return them to Kitakyushu. You can check the location of the village at once through the tracking function, but if you fail to rescue them within 2 hours, all the rewards you have received so far will be retrieved, and the karma will become even stronger.』

『Reward: All Stats +10, Teleport Scroll x1』

The fourth trial.

The trial was not over yet.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

His heart pounded.

He felt a chill.

The fourth trial felt like being pushed to his death from a cliff, given Kang San’s current state.

‘This trial is too dangerous.’

The first one, too.

The second and the third as well.

There was no trial that wasn’t dangerous.

However, unlike back then when he had saved his trump card skills, Sanctuary and Glory Aura’s active effect, Kang San had used up the cooldown of all his important skills. He needed 24 hours of cooldown to use the skills again. If he encountered a force similar to the one he faced while saving Eileen’s village, he was absolutely not confident that he could block more than three A-rank monsters right now. He would probably have to risk his life even if he encountered only two.

Then.

‘What if I go back with a Teleport Scroll and bring a rescue team?’

That was difficult too.

The reason Kang San was constantly forced to march was because of the seemingly intentionally limited time.

He was given only 2 hours.

Even if he omitted the return trip time with a Teleport Scroll, it would take at least 2 hours just to travel back the way he came. It was a situation where consideration itself was impossible. In the end, it meant that he had to somehow overcome this absurd sixteenth trial with only the remaining power here.

He looked at his younger brothers.

They were all resting with tired expressions, having used up all their important skills just like him.

Especially Yeon Woo-bin’s ‘Spirit Summoning’ also required a 24-hour cooldown, so it was impossible to display overwhelming firepower like in the previous battle. It was frustrating in many ways. He had no idea how to handle this situation right now.

‘Are you really trying to kill me?’

Azmoon.

Luca Bellino.

He didn’t know why these unknown beings were pushing him to the edge.

At first, he thought it was simply karma, but the act of pushing him, who was unrelated to his past life, into a dangerous situation in his current life felt almost malicious. He took a breath. Suddenly, the faces of the people who saw him off before he left came to mind. Yeon Woo-bin’s father, Jo Han-byeol’s parents, and even Jeong Chan-woo’s older sister, Jeong Hye-mi.

He truly wished for the safety of their families.

He knew that the reason they allowed him to go to Japan was because they trusted him.

‘If I face a danger I can’t handle, I must be the only one who dies. I can’t force my younger brothers to make further sacrifices because of the danger that stems from me.’

He suddenly felt calm.

As his mind cleared, his confused emotions settled down.

He couldn’t avoid the trial anyway.

Then, from now on, he needed to act.

He approached his younger brothers.

He told them a story different from his plan, as they naturally thought they would return together.

“You guys go back first.”

“Huh? What do you mean…”

“We should go back together. It’s dangerous for you to be alone, hyung.”

They immediately objected.

It was an expected reaction.

Kang San came up with a plausible story that would convince his younger brothers, regardless of the truth.

“Of course, I’ll follow you soon. The problem is, if Eileen-nim is right, there are survivors around here, but if we return like this, the chances of finding them become slim. You know, even though I can pinpoint the location of the survivors with my special skill, we’re not sure if we can find our way back once we leave this place. So, request a rescue team as soon as you get back. I’ll just figure out the location of the village, return immediately with a Teleport Scroll, join the rescue team, and act as a guide.”

“We can do that together, hyung.”

“No. We can’t exert our full power right now. If we intend to avoid combat, it’s much safer to move alone. I can protect myself, and if it’s really dangerous, I can just escape with a Teleport Scroll.”

He mixed 90% truth with 10% lies.

Except for Kang San saying he would check the village and go back, it was a realistically valid story.

The Red Zone.

The biggest problem was that the location could not be specified.

In the early days, the Japanese rescue team entered with ‘Teleport Scrolls’ but chose to return after losing most of their members upon encountering only monsters, not survivors. That’s how much of an advantage it was to be able to find the way. And it wasn’t easy to disagree with Kang San’s judgment, which made it possible.

As always.

The younger brothers trusted Kang San.

If Kang San said it, they thought it was really possible.

Jo Han-byeol said cautiously,

“…Never, never push yourself too hard.”

People who were once strangers.

Seeing them looking at him with worried eyes, Kang San realized that he had become attached to them.

Kang San smiled faintly.

“Okay, I will.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At that time.

Nakamura Genji received a phone call with an angry face.

“So, when the hell are those damn politicians in the National Assembly going to make a decision? This is not a tourist destination. It’s not a place where outsiders can easily drop by like a hunting ground course. Beyond the walls, I can’t even imagine how many Japanese citizens are suffering. As soon as possible, a large-scale subjugation… Those damn bastards. So, when are you going to give me a definite answer! Fuck you, you sons of bitches. Do you think the reason I stayed here as a civil servant is because I want to give you the answers you want?”

Bang━

He threw the phone down.

His stomach churned.

Three years ago.

Just as Jessica, an outsider, settled in Kitakyushu, Nakamura Genji, a promising Hunter in Japan, chose to work as a civil servant. At that time, he thought it was the most appropriate decision. He had to know the internal situation to some extent to be able to save people in the most ideal way.

“…Damn it.”

He grimaced.

He was thirsty.

He gulped down bottled water, unable to control his emotions.

‘Yes, it’s just one month. If they don’t make a decision by then, I’ll kill them all and then kill myself.’

He swallowed his anger.

He couldn’t act on his emotions.

He had to compromise, and because he had something to gain, he suppressed his temper and lived as Nakamura Genji, the civil servant.

He saw a person running towards him from afar.

Nakamura Genji put on a mask.

He didn’t want to react emotionally, so he wore a mask with an indifferent expression.

People grumbled about his unkindness, but they just brushed it off, saying that it wasn’t the first time a civil servant was unkind.

It was the same now.

Just as much as the role assigned to him.

Just enough not to expend emotions.

That’s how he tried to respond.

But.

“Su, survivors! Su, survivors have returned from the Red Zone!”

“What?”

Unexpected words.

A crack appeared on the indifferent mask he was wearing.