Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 183

Chapter 183: The Secret of the Past Life Revealed （6）

It was different from usual.

The Luca Bellino that Kang San remembered would never say something like this.

Even when driven to the brink, even when faced with a trial that was impossible by common sense, it was Luca Bellino who coldly stated it was the settling of karma. That’s why Kang San couldn’t readily accept it. Even back then, when she demanded he stop the S-rank Outbreak, she made the absurd claim that she would spare his life if he gave up the trial.

He distrusted her.

It was natural for Kang San to ask back.

“Why? Why can’t I go out there?”

“I understand. I may not seem that trustworthy.”

Swish.

She looked out the window.

Her eyes, unlike before, showed complex emotions.

“Firstly, it’s because of a change in my heart. The reason you must heed my warning is that you, and ordinary people, don’t yet know the truth of this world. Some say the System is God’s providence, and that the disasters will eventually end. It’s actually funny. It’s people who arbitrarily named it the System, and the idea that the disasters will end is nothing more than wishful thinking. They believe that, as if it were a story in a novel, if they defeat the boss monster in the end, all of this will disappear like a mirage.”

Their eyes met.

Beyond her deep, deep eyes, he saw immeasurable time.

“Who do you truly think your enemy is? Monsters? Or something else? What I can tell you clearly is that the truth revealed to the world so far is just the tip of the iceberg. If you reveal yourself and act like a nail that sticks out, I guarantee you’ll soon be hit with an unbearable shock. So don’t act recklessly. Even though you know it’s a dangerous place, even though it’s not an extension of the trial. There’s no need for you to stick your neck out, is there?”

“That’s the problem.”

“What?”

“Because I don’t know anything, I’m struggling to find out. To me, you are the least trustworthy. Considering what you’ve done to me so far, do you think I can believe the words you suddenly offer as advice for my sake? If you were the you I know, it would be more fitting for you to say that the dangers that will come because of this are also trials and karma.”

Twenty-eight trials repeated.

Kang San was pushed to the brink each time.

Advice given out of concern for someone is naturally perceived differently depending on who that person is.

However.

“You’re different.”

“……Yes?”

“I know what I’ve forced you to do. But every time, you chose to bear everything yourself. You were a pitiful and unfortunate fool who didn’t even know how to be comfortable, despite being born with a destiny to be unhappy. That’s why I’m giving you a chance. So that you can prepare a little more for the disaster that will eventually come. So that the current you doesn’t have to jump into the fire.”

That’s when it happened.

『The special condition for Memory Playback has been met.』

『Playing back the memories of target ‘Luca Bellino’.』

The world twisted.

Luca Bellino’s alluring face disappeared, and a world of ink black engulfed Kang San, pressing in from all sides.

Rumble, rumble.

The sky was ink black.

Except for the occasional flashes of lightning, not a single ray of sunlight was allowed, a place where it seemed no human could exist. Yet, there was a human there. Existing alone and solitary. Against a horde of monsters as black as the sky, the human didn’t retreat an inch.

Whoosh━

Crack.

She swung a giant greatsword.

The monster’s head was shattered by the powerful impact, but the human had to immediately block the next attack.

Kyaaaak!

Crack, crack.

Ferocious teeth lunged from all directions.

The human.

Luca Bellino’s face was contorted.

It was a battle repeated countless times, but even she couldn’t get used to being surrounded by monsters. She didn’t back down. She deflected the attacks with her body, and with a lightning-fast swing of her sword, she sliced several monsters in half at once. It seemed she once had long, flowing hair, but now the ends of her hair didn’t even reach her shoulders, as it had been cut short because it interfered with battle.

Slash.

Slash.

And slash again.

Every time she swung the greatsword, the flesh of living creatures was dragged along.

There was no disgust.

It was something she had experienced countless times, and she had even seriously considered whether it would be okay to use them as food. Of course, she eventually gave up. Not because she couldn’t abandon her human dignity, but because she realized that the flesh of monsters was poisonous, after suffering for days.

Magical power exploded from her body.

As if refusing to be pushed back by the raging tide, she slaughtered the enemies indiscriminately with an overwhelming presence.

“Haa━.”

Her breath was ragged.

She didn’t know how many times she had repeated the battle.

At first, she hadn’t intended to fight, but had only been looking around for something to eat.

But it was always like this.

『Die, human.』

Flap━

Far away.

A giant dragon flapped its wings.

Luca Bellino gritted her teeth at the hot flames spewing from its gaping maw.

『Fire Breath.』

Flare.

Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwaaaang!

Flames engulfed the surroundings.

Luca Bellino pushed through them.

With the bright light emanating from her body, she cut through the flames and flew forward, finally severing the Red Dragon’s head. But from then on, her body wasn’t normal. The monsters poured in endlessly as if they were infinite, but as time went on, Luca Bellino’s stamina was gradually chipped away.

Then.

Thwack━!

Her arm was torn off.

She didn’t let out a single moan.

She wielded the greatsword with her remaining arm and dealt with the monsters, but the monsters rushing in from all sides bit off her legs as well.

Thud.

She collapsed.

Luca Bellino pulled out a dagger and frantically stabbed it into the monster’s head.

It was over.

There was no hope left.

As she was being torn apart by the monsters, she suddenly looked up at the ink black sky.

And then.

“……I’m tired.”

Plunge.

She stabbed the dagger into her own throat.

The world twisted.

He returned to the original world, and Luca Bellino was still sitting on the table in a seductive pose.

‘What is this.’

He felt a sense of dissonance.

Just now.

Kang San experienced Luca Bellino’s memories.

Because she had revealed herself as God’s agent, he had thought that Luca Bellino was not a human but a transcendental being. But what was the meaning of the memory he had just seen? He felt the same fatigue and obsession in her face as she fought the monsters, and she was just like other humans, losing her arms and legs when they were torn off.

She was human.

She was the same as him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Luca Bellino’s reaction.

It was strange.

She seemed to know nothing.

If she were truly a transcendental being, she should have known that Kang San had just peeked into her life through ‘Memory Playback’. But her reaction was as if she didn’t even know there had been such a gap.

‘Was this the meaning of the word agent?’

The main body was Azmoon.

The thought arose that Luca Bellino was merely chosen by Azmoon, who called himself the God of Trials and Tribulations, and that she might be just a human like Kang San. She followed Azmoon’s orders. The memory he had just seen proved that she also had her own story to reach her current state.

The ink black world.

Where was that place?

Why was Luca Bellino, who was powerful enough to defeat an S-rank Red Dragon, fighting alone?

He couldn’t ask her about it.

Kang San instinctively felt that this might be a sensitive topic for her.

Kang San spoke.

“……I’m surprised. I still don’t fully understand the advice you’re giving me. The problem is that ultimately, we don’t have enough grounds to trust each other. If you had done something for me in the past, I might have considered your advice carefully and changed my mind. But not in our current relationship. I have to reach the truth, and I have to listen to what Kim Mu-hyeok has to say, even if it means taking risks. I’ll ask one last time. Is there a clear reason why I should heed your advice?”

There was no answer.

She closed her mouth.

Seeing Luca Bellino just staring at him, Kang San turned around without hesitation.

“I guess that’s the extent of our relationship. From now on, I’ll handle my own affairs.”

Before departure.

Kang San reassessed his situation.

Were his skills off cooldown? Did he have enough scrolls and potions for emergencies?

He prepared for any contingency.

Even if Kim Mu-hyeok were to lure him into a trap, he had no intention of showing a betrayed expression and calling him a cowardly traitor. This was a risk he was taking. He recognized it himself, and despite Luca Bellino’s warning, he willingly accepted the meeting with Kim Mu-hyeok because he judged it was worth the risk.

Kim Mu-hyeok’s backer.

There was something there.

Luca Bellino’s warning made him even more certain.

The place he arrived at was an abandoned factory near Seoul.

Since it was a meeting that shouldn’t be exposed to the outside world, he agreed to meet in a deserted place.

‘……This is the perfect place for an ambush.’

He moved forward.

Creak, he opened the iron door and entered a vast space where a desk and two chairs were placed.

In the seat opposite him.

Kim Mu-hyeok, already seated, adjusted his glasses with a cold expression.

“It’s been a while.”

It was funny.

That face.

That line.

He had seen it in Lee Han-seong’s memories.

Come to think of it, Kim Mu-hyeok had also been hiding his true identity.

Aside from the fact that he had a backer, people knew Kim Mu-hyeok as a chief secretary from an ordinary background.

The truth was different.

Although he wasn’t strong enough to defeat Lee Han-seong alone, the way he wielded his sword with a domineering aura proved that he was a hidden expert. And that was the reason he came to this place. Because that swordsmanship was very similar to the one used by a certain family in ‘Hebei’. In the past life Kang San had experienced, he had definitely experienced something similar.

He sat down opposite Kim Mu-hyeok.

He didn’t bother with formalities.

“Get to the point. Why did you want to meet me?”

“You’re quite impatient.”

He expanded his senses.

Even as they conversed, he didn’t let his guard down.

“I’ve heard enough through Lee Han-seong. That rat-like bastard blabbered on and on about things he shouldn’t have. Well, it’s fine. I think someone like Kang San-nim is entitled to know that much truth. To be honest, Jang Beom-seok is indeed a puppet we chose. We needed a fool who would move according to our will if we dangled a carrot in front of him.”

“Does that mean there’s a backer?”

“That’s right. You’re quick on the uptake.”

He laughed.

Kim Mu-hyeok didn’t bother hiding the truth.

“Foolish people think he achieved the great feat of three consecutive terms by appeasing those in power, but there’s no way something as simple as that could sway the fickle public, is there? To continue this conversation, I must reveal the existence of the backer.”

His words.

The mystery of South Korea was solved.

How could Jang Beom-seok, a politician with a weak support base, succeed in three consecutive terms, and why did he appoint Kim Mu-hyeok, who was only in his 20s, as his chief secretary? Jang Beom-seok would have had no choice but to accept Kim Mu-hyeok.

Because Kim Mu-hyeok.

He was the link to the backer.

On the surface, it seemed like Jang Beom-seok was in control of everything, but in reality, Kim Mu-hyeok made him move that way.

His vigilance grew.

He knew that revealing a truth like this always came with danger.

“Do you know what the most important thing was for that backer when they first formed their power?”

His ears were open.

His senses were alert to the surroundings.

But then.

“It was to find someone who, just like us, had a past life.”

Flinch.

For a moment, his thought process stopped.

His shaking eyes met Kim Mu-hyeok’s gaze.

“Kang San-nim. What was your past life?”