Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 177

Chapter 177: The Rapidly Changing Tide （6）

Silence fell for a moment.

After a short pause, Lee Han-seong showed a bewildered reaction.

“……Well. I haven’t thought about it deeply, but I think reincarnation could exist. But why are you asking?”

There was nothing strange.

It was a typical reaction someone might have if they didn’t react strongly to past lives.

Kang San continued speaking.

“I just suddenly had this thought. In this world, there are people like Lee Han-seong-nim who awaken innate talents. But what determines their characteristics? If it’s because they are physically superior and it’s an extension of that, there are countless examples to refute that, like women under 150cm tall being born with Warrior characteristics. Perhaps there was a reason why they had to be given such talents. Maybe if you go back through past lives, the strongest talent a person possessed is reflected in their current life.”

“That’s a more interesting thought than I expected.”

“Well, I’m just saying it for fun. But what I’m actually curious about is something else. The Dilemma incident, which Lee Han-seong-nim must clearly remember. I want to ask you about that.”

“…….”

He lost his words.

The Dilemma incident.

It was very famous.

It was Lee Han-seong’s first controversy when he was just starting to gain fame, an incident that remains unexplained to this day.

“There was a time when Lee Han-seong-nim was active as a Ranger. One day, an incident broke out, and the three incidents that occurred simultaneously, interestingly, had different characteristics. The incident that broke out in Apgujeong was a C-rank Link where people called powerful figures were in danger, so the government immediately ordered you to go to Apgujeong. And the second was Eunpyeong-gu, where Lee Han-seong-nim was active. Although it was one rank lower than the Apgujeong Link incident, it happened in a crowded shopping mall, so mass casualties were expected. At that time, due to a large-scale rescue operation, a significant number of Rangers were away, so the decision of the team Lee Han-seong-nim belonged to was quite important.”

If they had obeyed the government’s orders.

They would have gone to Apgujeong.

And as White Knight Lee Han-seong, he naturally had to choose the second option, saving many people.

But.

The result was different.

“Lee Han-seong-nim chose neither the first nor the second option. It was a fire incident where no monsters appeared, but he ignored the nearby Link and headed to the third incident site in the same Eunpyeong-gu district. People were waiting to be rescued in the blazing apartment building, and the scene of him rushing into the flames and rescuing them was broadcast live. The number of survivors he rescued was eleven. Yes. Ten times more people died in Apgujeong, and thirty times more in Eunpyeong-gu, but Lee Han-seong-nim chose the third option to save just eleven people. Why? For what reason did you make a decision that doesn’t make sense?”

Silence fell again.

Lee Han-seong, who had paused like when asked about his past life, suddenly showed a cold gaze.

“What is your intention in asking me that?”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The Dilemma incident.

The reason why that incident became controversial was because of the suspicion of a netizen.

━No matter how I think about it, this incident is strange. The Lee Han-seong we know is the one who would have best resolved the shopping mall Link incident, but he went to the fire incident further away. There was no reason, no justification for the distance. So I thought about it carefully, and I wonder if it was because a famous influencer was broadcasting in that apartment, asking him to be rescued. At that time, there were tens of millions of viewers worldwide, and people were clamoring for him to rescue the influencer. In fact, Lee Han-seong’s reputation skyrocketed after the rescue.

It was a suspicion.

That he had abandoned power and people for fame, choosing to save the most famous person.

Of course, the suspicion did not spread further.

As Lee Han-seong continued to act as a hero, people roughly buried the suspicion of that time and were enthusiastic about the hero Lee Han-seong. What did the past matter? After all, the incident at that time was also about saving people.

It was Lee Han-seong’s only blemish.

Kang San had now brought up that blemish, and Lee Han-seong reacted coldly.

“To be honest, I’m not feeling very good right now. I even told you the information that the government secretly ordered me to keep, because I wanted to help you, Kang San-nim. But past lives, the Dilemma incident… What is the reason for saying things that needlessly provoke me? It’s as if I have to be a bad person.”

“I’m just curious. Why did you make that choice back then?”

“At that time, I judged it to be the right thing to do. Soldiers were already dispatched to Apgujeong and the shopping mall, but at the time, I heard that the fire incident had spread so much that even firefighters couldn’t enter. I hoped they wouldn’t lose hope.”

It was not an adequate explanation.

It was certain.

Past memories, the Dilemma incident.

Even just looking at these two clear examples, Lee Han-seong was not a person who did good deeds sincerely.

Fame.

Because he wanted people to acknowledge and admire him, he willingly risked his life in situations where he could highlight himself the most. Kang San thought that this S-rank Outbreak might be an extension of that. In a situation where all the spotlight was stolen by him, Lee Han-seong blocked the Dark Lord’s final attack with his body. That dramatic staging was worthy of praise, but he had blocked Kang San’s attempt to move first with his hand.

It was strange.

Two would be better than one.

The hand that had stopped Kang San was suspected of having some intention behind it.

Kang San said.

“Well, I don’t understand that choice.”

Suddenly.

Lee Han-seong smirked.

With a subtly changed atmosphere, he met Kang San’s gaze.

“I really don’t understand. You and I, in the end, are in the same situation, with our necks in the grip of President Jang Beom-seok, aren’t we? Rather than trying to dig into who ‘I’ am, I think it’s a wiser choice to accept the offer and escape the clutches of the government for now.”

He took off his mask.

At Kang San’s statement, which he was certain of, Lee Han-seong realized that there was no need to hide himself any longer.

“The Dilemma incident? You can think whatever you want about why that happened. The order President Jang Beom-seok gave me is real, and I’m still willing to take risks and take your side. I think the reputation I’ve built as the Hero of Kitakyushu can make me a rival to the government. So I’ll make one last offer. How about considering the benefits and accepting my offer, rather than focusing on what kind of person I am?”

“I refuse.”

There was no hesitation.

At the immediate answer, Lee Han-seong, who let out a deep sigh, twisted his lips severely.

“Then there’s no choice. I have no choice but to carry out the government’s orders.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

After Lee Han-seong left.

Kang San looked at the spot where he had been.

‘White Knight Lee Han-seong was a hypocrite.’

It became clear.

From the moment he started sneering, it seemed that Lee Han-seong had decided that he no longer needed to be polite to Kang San.

It was a different kind of hypocrisy from Kang San’s.

If Kang San had committed hypocrisy by being pushed into doing good deeds, Lee Han-seong had hidden his dirty intentions to highlight himself. The fact that he had run to save an influencer, not the powerful or the many, was Lee Han-seong’s truth. Just as Moyeongcheon had done as the Murim Alliance Leader, he had built up his image of goodness step by step.

‘I don’t know if Lee Han-seong remembers his past life. But it’s clear that it had an impact.’

Past life’s hypocrisy.

This life’s hypocrisy.

He didn’t think it was a coincidence.

The fact that Lee Han-seong awakened an innate talent clearly stemmed from his past life, and his powerful past life had led him to become S-rank. When his thoughts reached that point, Kang San felt his heart pounding. His mouth went dry, and bad thoughts tangled in his head.

Looking back at their past life relationship.

Moyeongcheon was one of the people who had ruined Seo Mun-ho’s life as the Blood Demon, someone he had to take revenge on.

Could that really be irrelevant to this life?

Kang San had come to understand Seo Mun-ho’s feelings through experiencing his past life, and Lee Han-seong had embraced the power of his past life to become the White Knight he was now. Even if you exclude the uncertainty of whether he remembered or not, his very existence irritated Kang San. The powers he had gained from Seo Mun-ho fueled his hostility towards Lee Han-seong.

It didn’t make sense.

Was Azmoon’s trial really about clearing the karma of his past life?

To say that repeated trials were the only solution, there were many things he couldn’t understand, from Lee Han-seong’s existence to Luca Bellino.

‘……Let’s calmly organize the situation. What I need to do now is build a force to resist President Jang Beom-seok, who has defined me as an enemy, and prevent Lee Han-seong’s future moves.’

There was a problem.

The opponent was the president of a country.

If the situation escalated, the end would be a realm that an individual could hardly reach.

Even so.

He made up his mind.

Even if the end of this path was to remove the president from his position, he would not just stand by and be defeated.

He would solve the problems in front of him one by one.

Even if the trials didn’t give him the answers, he wouldn’t just be swept away by the situation.

Kang San picked up his phone.

Click.

“Saito Shusuke-nim. Are you available for a brief call?”

The opponent was a new member of the Guardian Guild.

If Lee Han-seong were to set a target, he was the most likely candidate.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

It was a rational thought process.

If President Jang Beom-seok disapproved of the establishment of the Guardian Guild, who would Lee Han-seong attack to get the most effective results?

The answer was obvious.

Saito Shusuke.

Misaki Akemi.

If S-rank Hunters were attacked by Lee Han-seong for ‘revenge’, people who wanted to join the Guardian Guild would inevitably be afraid. Of course, Lee Han-seong might not have told the truth straight out. Still, if there was a possibility, he judged that it was necessary to prepare in advance.

A deserted empty lot.

Saito Shusuke deliberately revealed himself.

He had received a call from Kang San to prepare for any eventuality, but he had no intention of hiding himself.

‘That damn bastard dared to threaten Kang San-nim?’

Anger surged.

His sky.

Saito Shusuke revered Kang San.

The very fact that he had been threatened made his blood boil, and he was willing to throw himself out as bait.

He waited.

He didn’t hide.

For Lee Han-seong to appear.

For him to give him that warning himself.

If he tried any funny business, he was going to smash his head with his spear.

“……When is this bastard going to show up?”

Even after a day passed.

Even after two days passed.

The bait wasn’t taken.

It could be a lie.

Saito Shusuke, for some reason, had a bad feeling.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

A man came outside.

He took a moment to catch his breath with a cigarette in his mouth, when someone appeared from beyond the shadows where darkness had fallen.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re the hope of the Korean military.”

The man.

Kim Chun-sik turned his gaze.

As the darkness lifted, Lee Han-seong’s face was revealed.

“And a person who considers Kang San his benefactor and would do anything for him. People think of Colonel Kim Chun-sik that way. Is that right?”

Thud.

He threw his cigarette.

Kim Chun-sik’s face contorted.

“What is it?”

Lee Han-seong knew.

That Kang San suspected him.

He didn’t know how he knew, but he must have seen through his true nature, which was hidden beyond the truth that no one knew.

So he was going to do his best to carry out President Jang Beom-seok’s orders.

Shing.

Lee Han-seong drew his sword.

“Because of that Kang San, you’re going to die here.”