Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 175

Chapter 175: The Rapidly Changing Tide （4）

Before Kang San announced the establishment of his guild.

Community sites in South Korea had already achieved national unity with the topic of Kang San.

━ I truly acknowledged Kang San through this incident. Honestly, I was still unsure even after the Kitakyushu incident, you know? Even if Kang San happened to be there, it didn’t make sense that Kang San, who was evaluated as a B-rank at the time, solved a problem that even the Japanese government had given up on. But after seeing him withstand the Dark Lord, I had to admit my ignorance.

━ Isn’t it crazy? Kang San didn’t just face the Dark Lord alone, he also held back the undead until Pohang City formed a defensive line.

It was pure admiration.

As time passed, the more they investigated the incident.

People couldn’t help but be amazed by Kang San’s performance in filling the gap until support arrived.

Everyone acknowledged it.

If Kang San had failed in the initial response, the Dark Lord would have surely swept through South Korea with countless undead. But the point that people admired wasn’t just his skill. Of course, his skill alone was enough to be shocked, but another fact caught people’s attention.

━ The names of the people who stepped up to help Kang San this time are really impressive.

━ As a group, there’s Cheonsang, Daeyang, Flare, and so on, and Major Kim Chun-sik, famous for his special forces, and a large number of Rangers active in Seoul went down there. But you know what’s interesting? It’s a rumor, but even though the government suggested solving Seoul’s problem first, the people mentioned above refused the government’s order, saying they would save Kang San.

━ Isn’t the Japanese government’s move shocking too? Even if they are allies, it’s the first time they’ve responded so immediately after an incident occurred. Moreover, they even brought two S-rank Hunters with them.

Just one individual.

To save Kang San, a force capable of crushing most small countries was mobilized.

One netizen said.

━ I think this incident simply proves what kind of person Kang San-nim is. If you look at the people who willingly went down to Pohang, they are people who have a connection with Kang San-nim or have been helped by him. In the flood of information pouring in, we were unable to judge what kind of person Kang San-nim was for a moment, but the sincerity of those who experienced him firsthand is no different from telling us the answer. A person worth risking your life for. That kind of existence is Kang San-nim.

Public opinion was in an uproar.

One side criticized the government, while the other raised Kang San’s value.

It was around that time.

When positive attention was focused, Kang San dropped the bombshell that he would establish a guild.

The result was obvious.

Explosion of interest.

People expressed their desire to join the ‘Guardian Guild’ one after another.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kang San said he would receive emails.

He wanted to check their resumes and their determination, and thanks to that, Kim Min-yeong’s inbox was filled with an endless stream of emails. Kang San checked them one by one. Even if a large number was good, he intended to filter them as much as possible. It was because the situational problems that the Guardian Guild would have to face in the future would not be easy to handle, just to accept them with simple interest.

“…There are too many.”

『D-rank』

『C-rank』

『A-rank』

『B-rank』

『F-rank』

.

.

It was truly endless.

Kang San could only classify them by rank, and he checked whether they were suitable to be accepted, starting from the highest rank. Even with that criteria, there were many people to check. There were more than five A-rank Hunters, and there were more B-rank Hunters than expected, so even if the standard was set to B-rank or higher, there was no problem in forming a guild.

But among them.

There was a familiar name.

『S-rank』

『Saito Shusuke』

“…Huh?”

It was perplexing.

Even though Saito Shusuke showed blind faith in him, he never thought he would express his intention to join the guild. Saito Shusuke’s resume was truly dazzling. With the sincere desire to join Kang San’s guild, he sent an application filled with earnest determination.

The problem was his nationality.

Kang San immediately contacted Saito Shusuke.

“Are you serious about joining the Guardian Guild?”

『Of course. I’m not the kind of person to send such an application as a joke.』

“…But I understand it’s not an easy matter according to international law.”

S-rank Hunter.

They are a measure of a nation’s power.

A nation’s power is evaluated based on how many S-rank Hunters it possesses, and the United States, known as the strongest nation, has more than ten S-rank Hunters that have been revealed. That’s why the transfer of an S-rank Hunter was a very sensitive issue. Worried that national talent could be lost through various methods such as naturalization, each country has set a standard in international law that allows for some degree of government intervention in the recruitment of S-rank Hunters. Of course, there’s no way to stop it if the individual strongly desires it, but at least it wasn’t possible to define a situation where the government interferes as illegal.

That’s why.

In response to Kang San’s concern, Saito Shusuke said.

『You don’t have to worry about that. What I want is not naturalization, but simply to belong to Kang San-nim’s guild. I have already discussed this sufficiently with Congressman Ito Kentaro. The Japanese government is also willing to make an exception only for Kang San-nim.』

“If that’s the case…”

『So, am I accepted? Can I belong to the same guild as Kang San-nim?』

“I wouldn’t reject an S-rank, so I guess so.”

Beyond the phone.

A deafening cheer could be heard.

He didn’t intend to evaluate the criteria for guild members solely based on skill.

He had confirmed that Saito Shusuke had not been bad in terms of personality, so there was no reason to reject him. It was a truly bewildering situation. Kang San intended to create a force to oppose the government centered around himself, but he didn’t expect a big shot like an S-rank to be caught from the beginning.

The problem wasn’t just that.

He checked the next name.

『S-rank』

『Misaki Akemi』

“?!”

With the appearance of another S-rank, Kang San gasped.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kang San didn’t know Misaki Akemi’s contact information.

He confirmed her contact information through the application and arranged a meeting with her.

A private space.

Kang San asked first.

“Are you really thinking of joining the Guardian Guild?”

The Cold-blooded Witch.

Actually, it was also unexpected that Misaki Akemi joined the support force.

Unlike her sharp gaze and fiercely swinging whip during battle, she spoke with a somewhat shy face.

“…Of course.”

“May I ask why?”

She glanced at Kang San.

Her image was completely different from during the battle.

After hesitating for a moment, she carefully opened her mouth.

“Because you’re cool.”

“Excuse me?”

“The Kitakyushu incident. It was so impressive that I looked into it. Kang San-nim, at that time, was just a foreigner who came to hunt, but when you happened to find people in danger, you started rescuing them without hesitation. As you saved one by one, you eventually entered the Red Zone and even dealt with the evil spirit. Ah, especially Saito Shusuke. That idiot, oh my. When I heard the story that you solved the mental magic with a bold decision when he was bewitched, ah━it was so attractive.”

Something was strange.

Her speech gradually became faster, and she delved deeply into the story of that time.

“Do you know how many people Kang San-nim saved at that time? 11,082 people. That many people were saved thanks to Kang San-nim, and this is a great achievement that has no precedent. But I’m curious, Kang San-nim, you usually spent about 30 minutes each time you successfully rescued someone, right? Is there a special reason for that? And…”

Exact figures were mentioned.

Only then did he realize.

Misaki Akemi.

Despite having nothing to do with Kitakyushu, she was a complete otaku who had fallen deeply into that incident.

11,082 survivors.

The exact time spent on the rescue.

Such specific figures were things that could not be known at all without closely examining Kang San’s actions.

Eventually.

Misaki Akemi’s recruitment was decided.

First of all, there was no malice in her intention to join the guild, and Kang San asked a common question to the applicants who were being considered. He asked if they were okay with the fact that there might be risks that could only be handled with goodwill due to the nature of the Guardian Guild. When he asked, she readily replied that it was very good.

It was a result that exceeded expectations.

When he decided to establish the guild, he hoped for a force that could not be ignored.

But following Saito Shusuke, even Misaki Akemi.

And including Kang San himself, there were as many as three S-rank Hunters in a single guild.

This was.

Comparable to national power.

South Korea also only has three S-rank Hunters, and the Guardian Guild had the same number of S-ranks.

The establishment of the Guardian Guild.

South Korea began to stir at Kang San’s move.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At that time.

Major Kim Chun-sik met with Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo, the commander of the Capital Defense Command and the founder of the Special Forces.

“I, I want to be discharged.”

“Why?”

The atmosphere was cold.

At the mention of discharge, Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo’s complex gaze turned to Kim Chun-sik.

“When you first proposed the establishment of the Special Forces. Commander, you told me about the importance of the military. You said that you wanted to create a force like the Special Forces within the military to actively acquire the power to save more people. But what order did you give me during this Outbreak? A disaster was imminent in Pohang, but you ordered me to stay in Gangnam because it was a government order. This completely contradicts the values I have held so far. I don’t think I can take your orders as a soldier anymore.”

“Are you thinking of joining the Guardian Guild?”

“That’s the general plan.”

“Ha━.”

He sighed.

It was a complicated issue for Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo as well.

He also knew what was important, but a soldier belonging to the government could not refuse the country’s orders.

Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo said.

“It’s not that I don’t understand your intentions. That order was neither for the country nor for the people. It was solely for the president. When I heard the report that an S-rank Outbreak had occurred in Pohang, you have no idea how uncomfortable I felt. But Major Kim Chun-sik. No, Chun-sik.”

“…”

“Can’t you stay in the military? Since you made such great achievements, there are many people who feel proud of being soldiers. In fact, the rate of voluntary enlistment in the military has exploded, and we believe that if we continue like this for a few years, we can grow into a sufficient counterforce against the Hunter Management Bureau. But if you leave. The military will stagnate again. It will stagnate and rot, becoming a being that follows the government’s orders like a puppet.”

Kim Chun-sik met his gaze.

Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo.

He wasn’t a bad person.

He had pride as a soldier, but this time, his position as a soldier held him back.

Kim Chun-sik said.

“I believe that the military should not blindly follow the government’s orders, but should judge what is right for this country and firmly hold its ground. I can accept your order and remain as a soldier. But before that, I want to ask you something. If the same situation occurs again. If we can save tens of thousands of citizens by disobeying orders when the government orders us to protect one powerful person. What would you do then?”

Kim Chun-sik knew it himself.

The existence of the military was absolutely necessary.

So he wanted to hold on here as much as possible, but he couldn’t go against the will of his superiors with his own will alone.

He stood at a crossroads.

At that very moment, Kang San had established a guild.

There was no better opportunity than this.

Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo pondered for a long time.

This incident.

There was tremendous pressure due to Kim Chun-sik’s independent actions.

From the Minister of National Defense, and from the Blue House.

They threatened to fire him immediately, but Lee Cheol-woo protected Kim Chun-sik to the end.

So that Kim Chun-sik would be safe.

So that the only hope of the soldiers would not be extinguished.

Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo, as if he had made up his mind, said.

“At that time, I will make a judgment that is not ashamed under the heavens.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Why was it?

Lieutenant General Lee Cheol-woo’s epaulets seemed to weigh heavily on his shoulders.

“I will be your shield. Would that be enough for you to remain as a soldier?”