Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 135

Chapter 135: Mystery of the Red Zone （7）

When he fell into the nightmare.

Saito Shusuke witnessed hell.

“Ah, Aaagh!”

“Save me!”

“Please, save me!”

Was he 9 years old then?

At the time, there was a heinous criminal group in Japan, devils in human form, who attacked the village where Saito Shusuke was staying. It was a one-sided massacre. Men were stabbed to death on the spot, women were dragged by their hair and disappeared into secluded places. Watching them, who had given up being human in a chaotic world where monsters appeared, Saito Shusuke vowed to eradicate evil.

He was young then.

He had no power to resist, so he just hid in a small gap under a building and trembled.

But now it was different.

“…”

Looking down.

There was a spear in his hand.

He should be a 9-year-old child, but his long legs and strong forearms proved that he had the power to resist.

The question of why did not follow.

Rather than feeling alienated by the current situation, he felt happy that he could take revenge on those guys back then.

“Stop, you bastards.”

Pat.

He kicked the ground.

As soon as the devil who found him turned his head, he smashed his head.

Peog━!

It was the beginning of revenge.

Remembering the past, a year after that incident, the criminal group was caught by the Japanese police and eventually ended up behind bars. And when he heard the news that they had committed suicide in prison, he wasn’t happy at all. He should have vowed terrible pain to those devils. He should have given them the death of beheading himself.

Whirrrrrr.

Crack!

He went on a rampage.

As the stage for revenge was set, he expressed the instincts he had suppressed as a human being.

Killed.

Killed.

Killed again.

Corpses were scattered all over the place, and it was stained with blood so that it was impossible to tell whether it was a human or a monster. Even in the midst of that, he rolled his eyes like crazy. Whether there are more devils left. Completely consumed by the voice in his head telling him to kill the devil, he greedily craved blood and death like a hungry ghost.

『It’s over there. There, the leader of those devils exists.』

He moved.

He ran.

He parted the bushes and ran like crazy somewhere.

And he found it.

The figure of a devil holding a shield.

As he recalled the devil killing people, Saito Shusuke threw himself without hesitation.

“Die━!”

Clang━!

Kwa-rururururung.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Clang, Bang━!

Kwa-kwa-kwang!

Attacks exploded in succession.

Kang San, who did not know who the opponent was, realized at once that he was a monster that he could not handle with just a few exchanges.

‘S-rank Hunter.’

He was sure.

He didn’t know why an S-rank Hunter was here, but he was completely turned upside down by the monster’s attack that was pushing him. Currently, Kang San’s average stats exceeded 200 due to consecutive trials. Now he has grown to a level comparable to a B-rank Hunter, but the problem is that the monster in front of him is an existence that cannot be evaluated by ‘numbers’.

Stats are unknown.

A distant realm that can only be occupied by acknowledging ‘certain contributions’, such as defeating ten A-rank Hunters at the same time or subjugating S-rank monsters. He was pushed back helplessly. In a situation where he was being pushed back in a mess every time an attack exploded, Kang San had to unleash the power he could use.

“Sanctuary, Glory Aura.”

Hwaak━

『Glory Aura effect temporarily increases all stats by 30%.』

『The effect of the Sanctuary reduces the enemy’s stats by 20% in a certain area, and doubles the effect of skills based on Divine Power.』

Two skills.

The cooldown was over.

Originally, he was going to use it to solve the ordeal, but in order to save his life, he took out the most powerful card.

“One Point.”

Whirrrrrr.

The spear moved flexibly.

And in an instant, he blocked it with a shield against an attack that penetrated the space.

Clang━!

Tung.

His body floated.

Despite raising his stats, he couldn’t withstand the attack and was pushed back.

His expression distorted.

Saito Shusuke immediately dug into the space and spun the back of the spear in a dazzling way to hit his face.

Pak━!

Thud!

He rolled on the floor.

There was no time to groan in pain, no time to shake his head and come to his senses.

He frantically threw himself at the intensely rushing killing intent, and wherever Kang San moved, the spear was stuck. Goosebumps all over his body. He thought he had definitely gotten a lot stronger, but in front of the S-rank monster, he showed a insignificant presence as if it were nothing.

‘…If this continues, I will die.’

Grit.

He clenched his teeth.

He racked his brains.

He had to find a way, but he couldn’t think of a way because of the existence that filled his vision once again.

S-rank.

It was a monster that could not be approached for now.

In the face of that overwhelming force, Kang San had no choice but to accept death.

At that moment.

『The power of prayer blesses you.』

『Stats increase by 10%.』

‘?!’

It was an unfamiliar voice.

With the sudden increase in stats, he came to his senses and blocked the attack.

Clang!

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!

Being pushed back didn’t change.

But.

『The power of prayer blesses you.』

『Stats increase by 20%.』

『The power of prayer blesses you.』

『Stats increase by 30%.』

The voice was heard repeatedly.

This situation.

He didn’t know how it was going.

However, every time the gap narrowed with the unknown power, he could see the attack Saito Shusuke was attempting. As he acquired the ‘minimum stats’ to keep up with the murderous movements, he kept up with it and blocked the attack rather than being pushed back helplessly. Even so. It didn’t mean he could defeat his opponent. He barely saved his life, and the premise of winning in the first place was not established.

‘I have to find a way.’

He rolled his eyes busily.

Why?

Just in time, he saw a strange energy surrounding Saito Shusuke.

When it wrapped around his body, Kang San fell into a nightmare, which meant that the opponent had suffered the same way. Is there a way to get rid of that? He didn’t have the skills to solve his mental problems, but would it be impossible for him to shake off the nightmare by directly contacting him?

It was a gamble.

He knew the probability was slim, but there was no other option right now.

‘I have to do something.’

It was like clutching at straws.

He changed direction.

Kang San, who had only been running away, ran towards the opponent.

Then.

Whirr.

“Blood Rain.”

The spear multiplied into dozens.

The spear, spewing a sticky bloody color, opened its huge mouth as if to tear Kang San’s flesh apart.

He couldn’t stop.

Kang San didn’t slow down.

“Dummy, Trial’s Shield, Iron Armor.”

Kwa-kwa-kwak!

He blocked it with a dummy first.

He increased his defense with Trial’s Shield and Iron Armor.

Blood splattered from Kang San’s body at the tip of the spear that grazed his body.

Papa-papa-pat.

It was something he had expected.

He gave up his flesh.

And finally.

Tak.

‘…I did it!’

He grabbed Saito Shusuke’s forearm, which was shrouded in an unknown energy.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The world has changed.

As the energy that had possessed Saito Shusuke was transmitted to Kang San, Kang San also existed in the strange world he saw.

“……What is this.”

Saito Shusuke’s eyes widened.

A little while ago.

Kang San clearly looked like a devil.

The devil who tormented and slaughtered people has now suddenly turned into a human form.

This world.

Mental strength decided everything.

If Kang San’s mental strength had been weak, he would have been mind-controlled in the same way, but Kang San maintained his form even in Saito Shusuke’s nightmare. Rather, it destroyed the world and even Saito Shusuke’s appearance returned to its original form. The nightmare intensified for a moment. A strange energy seeped in from beyond the fog, and then demons reappeared around Kang San, recreating the scene of people dying.

“Aagh!”

“Save me!”

Emotions surged.

Saito Shusuke hurriedly tried to help the people, but Kang San reached out and stopped him.

“Do you think the way you see it now is real?”

“What nonsense!”

“What’s your name? And why are you here in this Red Zone?”

His eyes wavered.

What’s your name?

He didn’t remember.

He couldn’t remember why he came here either.

With his memories confusedly intertwined, Saito Shusuke stumbled back.

“That, that’s…”

A headache rushed in.

The strange energy intensified.

It tried to consume Saito Shusuke, but it failed to achieve what it wanted as it flowed into Kang San.

At that moment.

Saito Shusuke remembered a name.

“My name is Saito Shusuke. And…”

The man in front of him.

Only then did he recognize the other person.

“Kang San, I came to save you.”

Crash.

The nightmare shattered.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Spin.

The world has changed.

When he returned to the original world, Kang San collapsed.

Thud.

“Phew, phew.”

Dizziness rushed in.

He had exhausted his strength to the limit, so he just wanted to close his eyes and fall asleep.

“Are you alright?”

It was Saito Shusuke.

He, who had come to his senses, hurriedly handed Kang San a potion.

He didn’t even have the mind to say thank you.

Kang San snatched the potion and drank it frantically, and when his breathing was secured, he looked at Saito Shusuke.

“…Thank you.”

“No. I survived thanks to you. But are you really Kang San-nim?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then why on earth are you continuing this absurd rescue operation alone? Everyone outside is worried about your safety, Kang San-nim. After saving so many people, you continue to take risks, so the Japanese government has formed a rescue team to save you, Kang San-nim. Of course, it ended up being helped by being attacked by an evil spirit, but stop the rescue operation and return to Kitakyushu with me.”

His words.

He wanted to agree right away.

However, Kang San could not tell the truth.

“…I can’t do that.”

“It’s dangerous anymore. You have to go back now!”

“I have a special ability. I know there are survivors nearby, and if I go back like this, they might die within a few hours. That’s why I couldn’t go back. I thought I had to continue rescue operations as long as I could, so I couldn’t do that. And now there’s another reason.”

A little while ago.

Kang San, lying on the floor, witnessed a bewildering sight.

『The twenty-fifth hardship and trial have been changed.』

『Because of the evil deeds of the wicked, you must now deal with evil spirits. You can check the location of the evil spirit through the tracking function, but if you fail to deal with the evil spirit within a week, all the rewards you have received will be withdrawn and your karma will become stronger.』

『Reward: ???』

The original ordeal was the same as before.

It was about saving the survivors, but it suddenly changed to dealing with evil spirits.

Kang San said.

“The evil spirit of the Red Zone. I will deal with that monster and return.”

“That’s impossible. The opponent is an S-rank monster.”

“That’s why I have to step up even more. Saito Shusuke-nim, are you confident that you can deal with evil spirits? Can you fall into a nightmare and get out of it on your own? I can. If I can do something that no one has ever done before, shouldn’t I step up and solve it? And if I deal with the evil spirits, the fog of the Red Zone will no longer interfere with rescue operations.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll join you too. I will help Kang San-nim…”

“No.”

He cut him off.

He wants help.

The problem was that Kang San couldn’t do that for a reason.

“Didn’t you see the power of evil spirits? Rather, a too powerful companion can put me in even greater danger.”

S-rank evil spirit.

He may or may not be able to handle it.

In order to increase the odds of winning as much as possible, he had to rule out situations where force would intervene.

Kang San forced a smile.

“So go and wait. I’ll really go back once I’ve solved this.”

At that sight.

At Kang San’s smile, which showed hardship.

Saito Shusuke was speechless.

‘This person…’

At first he thought it was a false reputation.

At first, he didn’t think he was as great as people were saying.

And now.

‘He was a real hero.’

Saito Shusuke’s eyes wavered greatly at the indescribable emotion.