Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 149

Chapter 149: Controversy （5）

A series of situations.

Gwak Un-chan, a martial artist from the Hebei Peng family, grimaced.

‘Tsk, poor guy.’

Crackle.

Crackle, crackle, crackle.

Flames rose in various parts of the village.

A village that was once filled with dreams and hope during the day has now fallen into the abyss of hell. Seo Mun-ho pleaded on the ground. Thinking that he might have offended Peng Mujeong by his mistake, he bowed his head even as he witnessed the deaths of the villagers.

It was truly regrettable.

Seo Mun-ho did nothing wrong.

After thorough investigation, it was known that he was a good person who had never committed a crime.

But what meaning would that have?

Peng Mujeong, called the future of the Hebei Peng family, had chosen them.

‘…People don’t know what kind of person Peng Mujeong is at all. The one who will soon inherit the Hebei Peng family, a promising young talent called the greatest talent in Murim since his youth. If I offend such a person, my family might be massacred like these villagers. I didn’t see what I saw, and I didn’t hear what I heard.’

He turned away from reality.

Inside and outside the noble family.

Peng Mujeong’s reputation was completely different.

If he was a talent suitable for the righteous Murim, even if he was belligerent outside the noble family, many people inside the noble family considered Peng Mujeong a demon. The image of Peng Mujeong flogging a servant until his clothes were stained red when he accidentally dropped a bowl was vivid. The faint, pained groans emanating from the hidden chamber, invisible to the outside world, made it impossible to refuse Peng Mujeong’s orders.

Swoosh.

He turned his gaze.

It was the place where Seo Mun-ho’s wife was dragged away.

Gwak Un-chan touched his lower body and showed a regretful reaction.

‘It would have been fun if it was that way.’

But well, it was fine.

Although Peng Mujeong was a cruel and ruthless person, the reason why many people in the family followed him was clear.

The reward was certain.

To those who stepped into the mud with him.

To those who willingly stained their hands with blood with him.

Peng Mujeong accepted them into his fold and bestowed upon them wealth and glory that they would never enjoy in their lifetime.

Once this mission was over, he would receive a considerable reward.

“Hehe.”

Thinking about that time, Gwak Un-chan couldn’t help but laugh, forgetting about Seo Mun-ho and everything else.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Whoosh━

Memories flooded in.

Ryu Seung-ryeol and the others shouted at Kang San, who retreated in the middle of attacking Im Chan-yeong.

“Now’s the time!”

“Attack!”

Hook.

Kwaang━!

He instinctively raised his shield to block.

It was a chaotic exchange with no time to think, but Kang San couldn’t escape from Im Chan-yeong’s memories, even as he was continuously pushed back. To be precise, it wasn’t Im Chan-yeong’s memory, but his past life. The problem was that in a moment that existed in Seo Munho’s memory, Im Chan-yeong was present as one of the martial artists looking down on him.

It was a bad fate.

There was a reason for the repeated encounters with Im Chan-yeong.

‘If Im Chan-yeong’s past life was a martial artist following Peng Mujeong, this is not a simple matter.’

Come to think of it.

Even after experiencing his own past life, Kang San hadn’t thought that others also had ‘past lives.’ Of course, there would be past lives. However, he had never heard of anyone in the world being aware of their past lives, so he kept Seo Munho’s memories to himself and didn’t reveal them to the outside world. And now, faced with Gwak Un-chan’s past life, Kang San came up with a hypothesis.

Peng Mujeong, Moyeongcheon.

Their later lives, the ones Seo Munho gritted his teeth and sought revenge against, might exist in the same era as him.

Stagger.

Kwaang━!

A gap appeared in his defense as he lost himself in thought.

Blood splattered from Ryu Seung-ryeol’s relentless attack, but Kang San only reacted mechanically, unable to escape from the ‘prison of thought.’ If the hypothesis was true. What should he do? Just experiencing Im Chan-yeong’s past life made his murderous intent boil. The thought that Peng Mujeong and Moyeongcheon’s later lives might be alive somewhere in the world made Seo Munho’s thoughts, not Kang San’s, surface.

Honestly, he didn’t understand.

Luca Bellino said.

He was clearly in the process of clearing the karma of his past life.

But if his enemies from his past life existed in the same era, what meaning should he give to that?

“Powerful Strike━!”

Kwaang━!

He rolled on the floor.

Kang San looked up in a daze after the powerful attack following the joint attack.

And then suddenly.

He looked up at the sky.

Where only fluffy clouds should exist, Luca Bellino was there, an alien presence.

She moved her lips.

The shape of her mouth.

It was clearly sucked into his vision.

It was definitely.

“You, can, just, kill, them.”

It was something that should never be said in this situation.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Thump-thump.

His heart pounded.

His blood boiled.

Luca Bellino, who had been forcing the karma of his past life upon him, had now lifted the restriction on killing.

As soon as the thought that it was okay surfaced, an uncontrollable murderous intent took over Kang San’s mind.

‘It would have been fun if it were that way.’

Im Chan-yeong, collapsed on the floor.

Gwak Un-chan’s face overlapped with his.

The man who had touched his lower body and looked at a building was not much different from Peng Mujeong to Seo Munho.

He was a villain.

He was a target of revenge.

Amidst his mind being completely consumed by murderous intent, a familiar voice rang out.

『You have met the special conditions of Mindset.』

『Killer’s Mindset increases your stats by 100%.』

“You damn bastard!”

Papapat.

Just then.

He saw Ryu Seung-ryeol charging at him.

Led by him, four A-rank Hunters launched themselves simultaneously, and in Kang San’s vision, intertwined with murderous intent, he saw how he should react. It was Seo Munho’s instinct. And the 100% increased stats made movements possible that were previously impossible.

Tap.

He took a step.

Without any special movement.

He deflected the fiercely incoming attacks.

Just by slightly turning his head and moving his body, the attacks of the four were rendered useless, cutting through the air.

“…What is this!”

Ryu Seung-ryeol’s eyes widened.

He met Kang San’s gaze.

The moment he faced the empty eyes, different from before, he realized that something was wrong.

“Blood Demon Sword Technique, First Style: Blade Kill.”

Kwaang━!

Ryu Seung-ryeol was flung back.

Kang San immediately followed.

Other enemies attempted ranged attacks, but they were helplessly pushed back by the indiscriminate attacks targeting Ryu Seung-ryeol. At first, Ryu Seung-ryeol couldn’t accept this situation. Even when he received the order from Drake’s Master to humiliate Kang San, even when he repeatedly watched Kang San’s B-rank test video. He never imagined he would face such a situation against Kang San, just one person.

‘With such potential… the choice to accept Im Chan-yeong and reject Kang San was a mistake.’

Hook.

He closed in.

Breaking through the Priest’s defense, Kang San’s sword finally cut Ryu Seung-ryeol.

Flash.

“Kuaaaak!”

Blood splattered.

Ryu Seung-ryeol collapsed.

Unlike Jo Dong-jae, the scene of the leader-like Ryu Seung-ryeol collapsing was shocking.

Silence fell.

Unlike the others who were momentarily frozen, only Im Chan-yeong shouted in a terrified voice.

“Stop him! Stop that bastard!”

Kang San moved.

He approached Im Chan-yeong.

The magic he desperately used exploded, but it didn’t affect Kang San’s stats, which exceeded A-rank. The distance between him and Im Chan-yeong closed helplessly. Seeing Im Chan-yeong collapse, thinking it was over, Kang San raised his sword.

And.

Stab.

He thrust the sword in as it was.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The final blow.

His instincts told him.

To kill him.

That the villain who massacred a village and killed his family deserved to die.

Kang San suppressed his murderous intent.

Even as he thrust his sword in according to his instincts, he showed mercy so that it wouldn’t be fatal.

“…Kuhuk.”

Im Chan-yeong collapsed.

Not only was he unable to participate in the battle any longer, but Kang San had also destroyed his Circles, the most important thing for magic-type Hunters. As far as Kang San knew, once the Circles were destroyed, magic could never be used again. Kang San had stabbed Im Chan-yeong’s Circles with his sword in front of everyone, destroying something that might be more important than his life.

People’s gazes?

He didn’t care about that.

In a world where deaths during tests were common, there was no way to punish him for being cruel.

That was when it happened.

『You have cleared a part of your past life’s karma.』

『A part of Blood Demon Seo Munho’s ability resides in you.』

『Blood Demon Art rises to 5-Star.』

『You have acquired Blood Demon Sword Technique, Fourth Style: Lure Kill.』

Messages flooded in.

It was a perplexing situation.

Even though Luca Bellino had allowed it, it was the first time Kang San had shown such cruelty, not for the sake of others, but for his own sake. It was definitely a sin. In the karma that Kang San had known so far, actions like this shouldn’t have been allowed, but instead of a penalty, he received what could be considered rewards.

What the hell.

What was going on?

He looked up at the sky, searching for Luca Bellino, but she had already disappeared.

『The effect of Undying Will has ended. Your health has dropped below 10%, and the effect of immortality increases your base defense by 50% and health regeneration by 100%.』

『Guardian’s Will has been activated.』

『Your health is fully restored, and your defense is temporarily tripled.』

Undying Will.

It was a great skill with a definite penalty of health reduction, but with Guardian’s Will, only the buff effect remained. The effect of Glory Aura also ended immediately. However, with the stat increase from Eileen’s prayer and a whopping 100% stat increase from Mindset, Kang San became even stronger than before.

“…Damn it.”

“What should we do now?”

He turned his gaze.

He saw the hesitant Drake Guild members.

They, who had set out to punish Kang San, had lost their will with the fall of three members, including Ryu Seung-ryeol.

The cameras were still rolling.

Having accepted this situation, Kang San needed to come to a clear conclusion.

“What to do, you say.”

Stagger.

He took a step.

His movements were unsteady, but Kang San’s eyes flickered with strong determination.

“We need to put a definitive end to this.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

This test.

Jeong Mun-cheol had a plan of his own.

‘There is no content in Korea as stimulating and certain as anti-Japanese sentiment. If Kang San fails to prove his skills in the S-rank test, it will strengthen my hypothesis that he is connected to Japanese politics. Perfect. By removing the mask of Kang San, who has maintained a good image so far, I will gain recognition as a journalist.’

It sounded plausible.

Moreover, Drake’s determination was also great.

Putting forward Im Chan-yeong and Project A team meant that they were also betting their name on this test.

He believed.

That the desired result would be achieved.

He brought more than 10 cameras so as not to miss a single scene.

But now.

“No…”

When Jo Dong-jae collapsed?

He scoffed.

He had boasted that he would definitely show them, but in the end, he only proved why Project A team lost to Kang San’s Project B team. But as soon as Ryu Seung-ryeol collapsed, the seriousness of the situation slowly dawned on him. And seeing Im Chan-yeong’s Circles being destroyed, he realized that Kang San wasn’t as soft as he thought.

Regret flooded him belatedly.

If this was the result, he shouldn’t have made things so big.

“…This is unexpected.”

People were scattered on the stage.

Kang San stood alone.

Seeing Kang San’s tired and irritated expression, the referee shouted.

“As all testers are deemed incapacitated, Kang San-nim has won this match!”

Kang San’s victory.

Jeong Mun-cheol wanted to turn off the cameras that were capturing the scene in front of him right away.