Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 140

Chapter 140: Nightmare （5）

Kang San slumped to the floor.

Staring at the fading corpse of the evil spirit, he struggled to calm his ragged breath as if he were hyperventilating.

“Hoo, hoo.”

Guardian’s Will.

A fraudulent skill that saves lives from the brink of death, but it doesn’t completely resolve mental damage. The Blood Demon’s nightmare was still vivid. The man called Seo Mun-ho had not simply lived as a murderer but also displayed the appearance of an ordinary head of household devoted to his family.

A sense of dissonance arose.

Seo Mun-ho, who committed murder.

Seo Mun-ho, who looked at his family with loving eyes.

The two clearly had the same appearance, but from their eyes to their atmosphere, they were completely different, to the point where it was hard to believe they were the same person.

‘If I were in Seo Mun-ho’s situation, could I have lived an ordinary life without following the Blood Demon?’

No.

It would have been the same.

Peng Mujeong massacred innocent people and killed his family while Seo Mun-ho watched with wide eyes. The image of his screaming wife and daughter hanging from an old tree. And even the child in his wife’s womb. This was the karma that the righteous Murim had to bear. From the moment Peng Mujeong committed the act and Moyeongcheon, the leader of the Murim Alliance, stood by and watched, the evil intent to burn down the righteous Murim had no choice but to sprout.

I understood.

Seo Mun-ho’s life.

Seo Mun-ho’s motives.

The desperate efforts Kang San had experienced so far stemmed from Seo Mun-ho’s obsession with taking revenge on the Murim.

But.

‘That doesn’t mean my past life was right.’

Seo Mun-ho killed people.

If the targets had been limited to those he sought revenge against, except for the old-fashioned people, it could have been described as justifiable homicide. The problem was that Seo Mun-ho didn’t discriminate. In order to learn everything from the Blood Demon, he went to a fire-field farmers’ village and slaughtered them all. Only then did I understand Seo Mun-ho’s fluctuating emotions. Even though he faced the pure hearts of the children who did not reject outsiders, he knew that if he killed them, he would be no different from the villains like Peng Mujeong.

He stepped into the forbidden realm.

By killing everyone indiscriminately, regardless of age or gender, Seo Mun-ho plunged himself into the abyss of evil.

There was no room for excuses.

No matter what Seo Mun-ho’s story was, he had now become a villain like Peng Mujeong to someone.

Somewhere in the world, malice towards Seo Mun-ho would sprout, and that was the karma he had to bear.

‘The problem is that that karma has been given to me in this life.’

He swallowed his disgust.

He calmed his wavering emotions.

This life and the past life are different.

That one truth, the unchanging truth that he always repeated, became the support that allowed him to live as ‘me’ in this life.

“……Sigh.”

His breathing calmed down.

Now is the time to face reality.

Kang San immediately checked the reward for the trial.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Twenty-fifth Trial.

As befitting the terrifying difficulty of dealing with an S-rank, the reward for this trial was special.

『4-Star（★★★★） Skill』

『Impregnable』

1. When the skill is used, skills corresponding to ‘ranged attacks’ centered on the caster cannot exceed a certain area. They must target the caster with a 20% reduction in damage. （Cooldown: 1 hour）

2. Basic defense increased by 10%

3. Damage reduction increased by 10%

『4-Star（★★★★） Skill』

『Undying Will』

1. Can be used when health is above 50%, temporarily （5 minutes） reduces damage taken by 90%. However, when the duration ends, health drops to 10% or less with certainty. （Cooldown: 24 hours）

2. When health drops below 10%, the Undying effect is activated, increasing basic defense by 50% and health regeneration by 100%.

『5-Star（★★★★★） Skill』

『Mindset』

1. Stats increase dramatically when special conditions are met.

Three skills.

It was a jackpot.

Most ordinary Hunters don’t even get one 4-star skill in their lifetime, but he got skills as good as Sanctuary, which he already had. In particular, Impregnable and Undying Will seemed to be a kind of combination skill. If he used both skills at the same time when dealing with multiple monsters, Kang San would become an insurmountable wall, just like the meaning of the word Impregnable. It was said that the ability of a skill increases dramatically as the level increases, and each of the 4-star skills was special.

However.

‘Mindset, what is this skill?’

The explanation was simple.

It was the only 5-star skill for Kang San, but neither the explanation of the special conditions nor how much the stats increased was clearly stated. However, he didn’t think it was a disappointing reward. Many skills have been revealed to the world so far, and the rating assigned by the system always had a reason. He thought Mindset also fell into that category.

Next, he checked the evil spirit’s special reward.

『Special Skill』

『Memory Playback』

1. Reads the target’s memories when special conditions are met.

2. ?????

According to what has been revealed to the world, it was said that you get a special reward when you defeat an S-rank monster.

It was something like the skills or weapons used by S-rank monsters, but the evil spirit’s special reward didn’t seem to be anything special. To replay memories. It was hard to understand with just this explanation. Besides, since the second effect was locked, like Mindset, it seemed that this skill would need to be checked later.

Lastly, the stats.

『Kang San』

━Strength: 351

━Agility: 328

━Divine Power: 182

━Reaction Speed: 185

━Toughness: 202

━Mental Strength: 190

It was a tremendous increase.

When Kang San first set foot in Japan, his basic stats averaged around 100 in the mid-range. However, through the continuous trials, his ‘all stats’ increased, and by defeating the S-rank evil spirit, he gained tremendous additional stat rewards. As a result, he faced the shocking result of an average stat increase of about 200.

A-rank stats are above 500.

Kang San had finally secured stats befitting a B-rank, but considering the auxiliary effects of the skills, it could be said that his stats were comparable to an A-rank. In many ways, it was a turning point for Kang San. When he accepted the trials in succession, he thought he might die like this, but fortunately, the rewards of Azmoon’s trials were as certain as the difficulty of the trials he endured.

It’s over now.

With no more trials being given, Kang San took out the last remaining Teleport Scroll from his pocket.

And then.

‘Let’s go back.’

Rip━

He tore the scroll.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At that time.

Kitakyushu was still in a prayer frenzy.

People gathered in groups of three or five and prayed, led by Eileen, and it even felt sacred.

One day, two days, three days, four days.

Time passed, but Kang San did not return.

Just as anxiety began to sprout in people’s hearts, Congressman Shimizu Hiroshi appeared in the square.

“Everyone. I am here to tell you a harsh truth. The Hero of Kitakyushu, who has rescued countless survivors, is dead. The survivors who never return prove it, and the belief that Mr. Kang San will return is unfortunately nothing more than a wish that cannot be fulfilled.”

“Watch your mouth!”

“The hero is not dead!”

People protested.

On the sensitive issue of Kang San’s death, they did not welcome Shimizu Hiroshi.

It was expected.

Even though he knew people would object, Shimizu Hiroshi had a reason to step forward.

“I am a politician. From the moment the people have to bear this heavy burden, I have a duty to step forward, face the problem, and solve it, even if it is an uncomfortable truth. Do you really think Mr. Kang San is alive? During the first subjugation, the evil spirit drove the S-rank Hunter to death, and even Saito Shusuke barely escaped with his life. I don’t know what special abilities Mr. Kang San has, but his choice to deal with the S-rank evil spirit must be accepted as the embodiment of a hero who excludes reality. If, by any chance, he was killed by the evil spirit, what should we do? Should we just wait here for the problem to be solved by prayer alone? No. We have to solve the problems we face. For the sake of the survivors who may be out there, we cannot stay like this.”

He showed his boiling emotions.

At the sight of him shouting with a red face, people could no longer protest.

He wasn’t wrong.

The reason why the people gathered here clasped their hands earnestly was because there was a coward’s heart hoping that the hero would solve the difficulties that they could not handle. They were just too ashamed to say it out loud.

The atmosphere was set.

Shimizu Hiroshi sneered inwardly.

‘If I solve this problem, I can take the achievements that Kang San has made. And I will become the next Prime Minister with the full support of the people.’

Dead men tell no tales.

It was fortunate.

That Kang San did not come back alive.

“Just now, I received a call from the Italian government. They have carefully reviewed the situation and said they would dispatch Priest from Italy! No matter how strong an S-rank evil spirit is, a dark-attributed monster cannot handle Priest. I, Shimizu Hiroshi, will solve Kitakyushu’s nightmare! I will bring you the peace of this place, the problem that has not been solved for the past three years.”

“Gasp.”

“Priest from Italy?”

“Then can we really get rid of the evil spirit?”

It was an attractive story.

Now that the anxiety that Kang San was dead was creeping up, Shimizu Hiroshi became a suitable alternative.

Perfect.

Shimizu Hiroshi thought so.

Just then.

“Look, look over there.”

“It’s a teleport signal.”

Right behind.

Until a person appeared, surrounded by white light.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Thud.

Someone stepped forward.

The moment the person wrapped in light raised his head, the people gathered in Kitakyushu Square cheered tremendously.

“Mr. Kang San? It’s Mr. Kang San!”

“The Hero of Kitakyushu is back!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa━!”

“Kang San! Kang San!”

The square was turned upside down.

As if they had encountered a real god, people expressed their sincere feelings towards Kang San with excited faces. It was a bewildering situation for Kang San. Kang San had rescued countless survivors, but he had no idea what was happening in Kitakyushu because of his actions.

It was then.

Breaking through the crowd, Jo Han-byeol’s group approached.

“Hyung!”

“What is this, really!”

Their expressions were filled with worry.

Especially Yeon Woo-bin, who said with a tearful face,

“Did you think we would be grateful for your sacrifice if you sent us back alone and handled everything yourself? This time, it was really too much. If you couldn’t handle it alone, why didn’t you tell us honestly and try to persuade us? If something had gone wrong, we would have regretted the choice to go back obediently for the rest of our lives.”

“……I’m sorry about that.”

“What the hell happened in there?”

It was chaotic.

Yeon Woo-bin, who poured out his emotions, and Jeong Chan-woo, who immediately clung to him and asked about what had happened.

He didn’t feel bad.

It meant that there were people who cared about him like this.

That wasn’t all.

Jessica and Eileen approached.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“We are alive thanks to Mr. Kang San. And everyone here, they are the people who have been helped by Mr. Kang San.”

Beyond the two.

He saw a lot of people.

He couldn’t organize his thoughts, he didn’t know what to say.

In the eyes of the people who only looked at him, he felt a special emotion that Kang San had never experienced in his life.

The joy of reunion ended there.

People had a lot of questions they wanted to ask Kang San, but Shimizu Hiroshi suddenly stepped forward and cut them off.

“Mr. Kang San. Did you run away from the evil spirit?”

Kang San’s survival.

He might not have dealt with the evil spirit.

To be precise, it had to be that way.

He had barely managed to get the help of Priest, and if Kang San had dealt with the evil spirit alone, the situation would have become very difficult for Shimizu Hiroshi. Unlike Ito Kentaro, he ignored the prayers in the square. He criticized the people’s faith and tried to reverse his image by solving all the problems later.

He believed.

That he hadn’t solved it yet.

Common sense dictated that it was the normal outcome.

Kang San said.

“No. The evil spirit is gone now.”

“No way…….”

Shimizu Hiroshi’s eyes wavered.

As if to answer that anxiety,

“Yes, I killed the evil spirit.”

He revealed the shocking truth.