Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 153

Chapter 153: The Truth Behind the Surface （3）

When he first received the Trials.

Back then, Kang San was on the borderline of life and death.

Just handling a single Nol or a single Orc was a life-or-death struggle, and he lived as if walking on thin ice due to the constant stream of unreasonable Trials. Then came the tenth Trial. The moment he faced a Trial that he could never overcome with his own strength, he truly felt that Azmoon was trying to kill him.

Now, things were different.

Right after recognizing the existence of the S-rank Outbreak.

Ever since Kang San despaired over the unmanageable disaster, Trials overflowing with rewards had been bestowed upon him as if to raise him to that level. Was what happened in Kitakyushu a coincidence or fate? Judging from the process of leaving for Japan, it was clearly a coincidence, but looking back, it felt like fate.

The rewards for achieving tremendous growth.

An S-rank evil spirit that handles mental powers.

He risked his life, and every moment was a choice, but Kang San’s situation wasn’t a hopeless one where his chances of winning were 0%.

‘The twenty-seventh Trial is the same. Now that I need to grow before the S-rank Outbreak breaks out, the twenty-sixth Trial has been postponed, and I’ve been given another Trial where I can grow quickly. Come to think of it, it’s strange. If karma is the justification for carrying over the sins of a past life to the present life, then why do I need rewards? Even if only Trials were forced upon me, I wouldn’t be able to refuse them.’

The existence of rewards.

At first, he thought of it as a carrot and stick approach.

An endless cycle where a carrot is presented to make one endure the Trials because they might give up on life early if there’s no carrot. But thinking deeply about it, it was a contradiction in itself. From the moment he gained rewards through Trials, Kang San got a chance to turn his unfortunate life around.

From an F-rank human shield to B-rank.

From a nobody to a hero admired by people.

It was a blessing.

An undeserved happiness.

If it was truly intended to be a punishment for the karma of his past life, then this kind of happiness shouldn’t have been allowed.

‘I can’t blindly trust Azmoon anymore. Im Chan-yeong’s case proved that resolving karma isn’t simply about doing good deeds, and there might be something I don’t know about in this series of situations that’s trying to raise me before the S-rank Outbreak breaks out. I have to accept the Trials, but I need to keep that in mind.’

In the end.

There was no other way.

The Trials were given, and Kang San, stuck in the swamp, had no choice but to be swayed by the will of a transcendental being.

‘Pull yourself together. Whatever happens to me in the future, I must never waver.’

“Hoo━.”

He took a deep breath.

The time spent lost in thought was fleeting.

And just in time.

『Situation occurring, situation occurring, Ranger team on standby, proceed to location.』

A new situation was assigned.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

This mission.

It was a rescue operation, as always.

Eight out of ten missions that Rangers were dispatched to were mostly rescuing people in danger during raids. In fact, it was only natural if you thought about it for a moment. The number of Link incidents occurring in reality was small, and there were standby troops like the military. Cases where Rangers were dispatched were usually limited to when incidents occurred nearby, so missions were mostly focused on rescue operations.

Hundreds, thousands of raids conducted every day.

Not everyone fought safely and knowingly, so at least 10% of them always resulted in accidents.

Right before the operation.

Kang San said.

“The operation area this time is the habitat of Giant Orcs. They’re basically C-rank monsters, but there are also B-rank Orcs depending on their position. And the number is roughly around 300. They’ve formed a camp and built a defensive position, so rather than rushing in, we’ll take a detour and find the survivors first. Fortunately, the survivors are outside the camp, so the objective of this operation is to rescue them first, send them back, and then clear out the camp.”

“……How do you know all that?”

Jessica’s eyes widened.

She had also checked the report, but it wasn’t explained in as much detail as Kang San had mentioned.

Kang San smiled.

“Just like in Japan, it’s thanks to my ability.”

It was information from the Trial.

Thanks to the detailed information about the operation area and the location of the survivors, just like in Japan, Kang San was able to brief the team in detail before going in. Of course, knowing the information didn’t solve every problem. Actually carrying out the operation was another matter, so Jessica’s ability shone as they entered the operation area.

“Hide.”

Swish.

She melted into space.

Jessica moved first and grasped the surroundings, allowing them to detect the enemies before they were noticed.

“Ten Giant Orcs ahead.”

“Take them out quickly and move in.”

Thud.

Jessica struck first.

As Jessica dug into space and plunged her dagger into the Giant Orc’s forehead, Kang San and Nakamura Genji immediately followed, blocking the enemies. From then on, it was a continuous battle. They moved along the shortest route, eliminating any obstructing monsters, and were able to locate the survivors within 30 minutes of deployment.

The operation didn’t end there.

“Screech!”

“Screech, humans. Screech, attack!”

The Orc horde.

Having discovered the corpses of their brethren, they swarmed in relentlessly.

Kang San didn’t panic.

He formed a defensive line with Jeong Chan-woo and calmly dealt with the Orcs.

Witnessing this series of events, Jessica couldn’t help but feel impressed.

‘……I felt it in Japan too, but this is a really good party.’

Firstly.

The defensive line was solid.

Not only were Kang San and Jeong Chan-woo excellent Tankers, but they were also people who would throw themselves into danger for their teammates at any moment. It was the same just now. Jessica already knew about Kang San’s skills, but Jeong Chan-woo quickly blocked the Orc that tried to attack from the rear. Seeing him throw himself in front of the spears that the Orcs were throwing with all their might, Jessica thought that she could trust these two.

Secondly.

The backline’s skills were also impressive.

Jo Han-byeol switched between offense and defense depending on the situation, firing arrows, and whenever Yeon Woo-bin’s presence exploded, he swept away the enemies at once. His destructive power was definitely at the top level even among B-ranks. At first, she thought that Kang San’s party wasn’t balanced, but now she understood why they could carry out raids with just four members.

Even without a scout like herself.

Kang San dealt with the variables.

Even without a Dealer like Nakamura Genji or a Priest like Eileen.

Kang San contributed to the attack, used his own recovery skills, and somehow endured.

With a new force joining such a situation, the party’s power could only increase further.

‘The problem is…….’

Nakamura Genji.

The highest-ranked member was the party’s only oddity.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kuaaaak!

It was dangerous.

Even with axes raining down from all directions, Nakamura Genji didn’t back down but instead dug into the exposed space.

“One Sword Style, One Strike.”

Flash.

Pwack!

He tore the Orcs apart in an instant.

Blood splattered along the sharply drawn lines, and he freely positioned himself, slaughtering the enemies indiscriminately. Kang San had actually given him freedom. Instead of being bound by a formation, he was allowed to fight freely, moving between the front and back lines depending on the situation. Kang San judged that he had the skills to do so.

His presence swelled.

Nakamura Genji moved more actively than even Yeon Woo-bin, the main Dealer, rapidly reducing the number of enemies.

At this moment.

He thought.

‘I can’t live a peaceful life anymore.’

Nakamura Genji.

He had lost his direction in life.

When he was with the Yain-dae, he lived to become stronger, and when he left the Yain-dae, he lived with the purpose of finding his family.

Not anymore.

Now that he had left, he couldn’t return to the Yain-dae, and with Kang San’s help, he had confirmed the deaths of his family. He no longer had a purpose. When his powerful A-rank abilities lost their value, it was the existence of ‘Kang San’ that filled the huge void that had formed in Nakamura Genji’s heart. He, and the people of Kitakyushu. They had received an immense favor from Kang San. As he decided to live his life repaying that favor, Nakamura Genji perceived the battle before him in a different way than before.

Kang San is a man who lives on the edge of death.

In order to protect him, who always puts himself in danger, Nakamura Genji needed to become much stronger than before.

The result was.

His current form.

Even when murderous intent rained down from all directions, Nakamura Genji didn’t flinch, as if he were a murderer.

Flash.

Papapapak.

He slashed the enemy.

He slashed, and slashed, and slashed again.

This was training.

It was discipline to become stronger, and he believed that the moments when he faced a crisis that felt like his head would be blown off were opportunities to become stronger.

Nakamura Genji, drenched in blood, fighting like a madman.

Exhilaration bloomed from his toes.

He continued to fight without stopping.

At his appearance, like a madman.

“……I don’t know why he’s like that. He seemed more composed when he was a civil servant.”

It was Jessica, clicking her tongue with a bewildered look on her face.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At that time.

Kim Myeong-min’s team was also carrying out a mission.

The mission was to sweep the area where the Link occurred, and after a fierce battle that lasted for several hours, they were able to resolve the situation. Now in a somewhat relaxed situation, Yoon Ji-tae suddenly spoke as if he had remembered something.

“By the way, I wonder if Kang San-nim is alright? Of course, I acknowledge Kang San-nim’s skills, but dealing with incidents as a team is not an easy task. Recently, the newly established Ranger team, despite being a force composed of B-ranks, failed to resolve a B-rank isolation incident and was completely destroyed.”

“…Certainly, resolving it on their own would be a different matter. The team’s power would also have a big influence.”

Kim Myeong-min also showed a worried reaction.

Kang San’s skills?

There’s no one in Korea who wouldn’t acknowledge them.

Especially due to the recent Im Chan-yeong incident, there was even talk that his rank should be raised, perhaps not to S-rank, but at least to A-rank. In reality, Kang San, who was taking the E-rank test, had a higher rank than Kim Myeong-min, who was in charge of the examination at the time. Worrying about such a person might seem like unnecessary concern, but for Kim Myeong-min, who had been working as a Ranger for years, it couldn’t be taken lightly.

“Kang San-nim is too self-sacrificing. If his teammates are in danger, he might be put in danger as well.”

Kang San’s teammates.

He didn’t know their skills.

Looking at things like the results of the rank test, they were around B-rank to C-rank level.

Moreover, since there were also Hunters from other countries whose abilities hadn’t been properly verified, he couldn’t help but feel worried. This was due to a lack of information. Unlike Kang San, who had revealed himself through the B-rank test, Japan incident, and S-rank test, Kang San’s party hadn’t had the chance. The Ranger’s mission was unpredictable, and he couldn’t help but worry about Kang San, who was carrying out his first mission.

Variables are like natural disasters.

Working with a team that wasn’t fully experienced was enough reason to put Kang San at risk.

Gu Yeon-su said.

“If you’re so worried, how about joining them? We decided to move separately because it seemed like there would be too many people, but Kang San-nim is also one of us.”

“I agree.”

Opinions gathered.

Kim Myeong-min also nodded.

“Let’s decide after we finish the mission.”

The mission wasn’t over yet.

After thoroughly clearing out the remaining monsters, Kim Myeong-min visited the Command Headquarters to check the situation.

But.

“Kang San-nim’s team is still carrying out their mission.”

“Still?”

He heard that it was 4 hours ago.

That they were deployed on the mission.

That meant they had been carrying out the mission from then until now, which was a problem that couldn’t be taken lightly. The mission Kang San was in charge of was C~B rank level. If they were struggling for 4 hours on such a mission, it was clear that something had gone wrong.

Worry came first.

He urgently asked about the current situation.

“What’s the situation now? Did a variable occur? What’s going on that they haven’t returned after 4 hours?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

The employee’s expression contorted.

Kang San’s team?

They were the talk of the Command Headquarters right now.

The employee said.

“Kang San-nim’s team completed their first mission 3 hours ago and has already been deployed on their fourth mission. I just received a report that they’re almost done with their fourth mission. If you wait, you’ll be able to see them soon.”

“What the….”

An unexpected answer.

Kim Myeong-min was momentarily speechless.