Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 190

Chapter 190: The Foretold Great Disaster （5）

Beyond the cellphone.

Kang San’s voice was transmitted to the studio Kim Min-yeong, the reporter, had prepared.

Although he wasn’t showing his face this time, the broadcast was set up so that his voice could be heard on the radio as well.

『Citizens. This is Kang San.』

It wasn’t a clear voice.

People screaming in pain, medical staff hurriedly transporting patients.

Noise interfered with the broadcast, but neither the speaker nor the listeners cared.

It’s a chaotic world.

The suffering of daily life was accepted as natural.

『Right now, not only in South Korea, but globally, disaster has struck. While each country is striving to resolve the issue, the South Korean government, instead of actively responding, is prioritizing its own safety, centered around the Blue House. But it’s difficult to criticize them, to condemn their actions as wrong, when our very homes are burning before our eyes. What matters to us now is not the future of this country, but simply surviving.』

The way President Jang Beom-seok had maintained the government all this time.

He held safety hostage.

People mechanically voted for Jang Beom-seok, believing that South Korea would be in danger without his regime.

『On behalf of the South Korean government, I promise you this. Run away. Hide. Even if you face a situation so desperate that you want to give up on life, cling on tenaciously, and then cling on some more. Even if you wait endlessly, the government may not help you. But I will go. Until the disasters that have befallen South Korea are all resolved, I will not stop, and I will help you.』

Jang Beom-seok was always wary of heroes.

White Knight Lee Han-seong.

Hero of Kitakyushu Kang San.

The reason he tried to bring them into the Guardians by any means was that the existence of heroes could replace the role that President Jang Beom-seok’s regime had maintained. If that were the case, there would be no reason for Jang Beom-seok to exist. If the heroes who support South Korea could do what the government should do.

Kang San knew that, and that’s why he crossed the forbidden line.

『Believe in me. I will never give up on you.』

Thud.

That’s how the broadcast ended.

Less than 10% of the current population was listening to the live broadcast.

Not everyone was in a situation where they could afford to listen to the broadcast, but Kang San’s message had a tremendous ripple effect.

By word of mouth.

In an instant, Kang San’s message began to spread throughout South Korea.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Pohang was a truly unfortunate city.

How long had it been since the S-rank Outbreak was resolved? They were desperately responding to the Links occurring everywhere.

“Block them━!”

“They must not break through!”

Tatatatatatang━!

Fortunately, amidst the misfortune.

Soldiers experienced in disaster situations remained.

They installed barricades to block the monsters’ approach and fired machine guns like crazy, preventing the enemies from getting closer. Hunters living in Pohang were also quickly summoned. As they had already worked together once, they showed a more systematic and stable response to the disaster than other regions.

A little distance from the Link occurrence area.

People were crowded in a church.

At the center, Priest Oh Man-seok, who had led the people during the S-rank Outbreak, shouted in a powerful voice.

“Everyone. I fully understand your fear. Even during the S-rank Outbreak, demons sprang from the abyss of h*ll, killing and attacking innocent people. But you must not give up on life. Back then, and even now, we have Kang San-nim, who never gives up, with the sole intention of saving people.”

“Ah, Kang San-nim.”

“Kang San-nim.”

The past incident.

It brought a significant change to Priest Oh Man-seok’s heart.

He, who had believed in the Sun God Church and waited for the moment of the Rapture, accepted Kang San’s existence in his heart.

Kang San was special.

He was a savior who burned himself to save people, and with him, there was hope that this world might not perish and that they could survive. That’s why the current Sun God Church was only called that in name, and those who believed in Kang San, led by Priest Oh Man-seok, remained. In fact, there were more believers than before. The people of Pohang had received direct help from Kang San, so they truly revered him as a god.

Outside the church.

There were many people there too.

Through the wide-open door, people were arriving one after another.

They followed their past experiences.

Because Kang San had saved them, they believed that they could be guaranteed safety in this Sun God Church that believed in Kang San.

“Just a moment ago, Kang San-nim conveyed his intention to save us through a broadcast. Do not give up on life. The S-rank Outbreak that occurred in Pohang was a desperate moment that, according to experts, should have resulted in at least ten thousand deaths. But in reality, not even a thousand, no, not even a hundred people died. Just like the moment when Kang San-nim took on everything and saved us, we just need to believe and wait.”

He raised his voice, his veins bulging in his neck.

Faith welled up within him.

History tells us that religion always blossomed in desperate situations.

“And……?!”

『Your unwavering faith awakens a new ability.』

His eyes widened.

Suddenly speechless, Priest Oh Man-seok checked the situation before him.

『Heal』

『Prayer』

『Bless』

『Guidance』

They were the Priest’s skills.

Through the Third Awakening, Priest Oh Man-seok, who was just an ordinary person, gained abilities as a Hunter.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

“What?”

“……Th, this, what is this?”

“Priest-nim! I have a skill!”

Ordinary believers.

The same thing was happening to them simultaneously.

Priest Oh Man-seok felt a thrill run through him from head to toe.

This was a clear message.

“Everyone. Kang San-nim has responded to our earnest wishes. He has given us weapons in our own hands, opening the way for us to navigate this harsh world. Let’s go out. Let’s go out and help people and fight against the monsters!”

The atmosphere was stirred.

Hundreds?

No, it exceeded a thousand.

In this unprecedented situation of simultaneous Awakening, Priest Oh Man-seok took the lead.

“From now on, we will save ourselves!”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Meanwhile, in Daejeon.

The situation there was the same.

Yang Jae-hyeong, a famous Daejeon ranker and A-rank Hunter, was engaged in a fierce battle against the monsters rampaging everywhere due to the Links.

Whoosh━

Crack!

His axe struck down powerfully.

A head burst open in an instant.

Famous for using two hand axes, he dashed forward, smashing the limbs of the monsters that filled his vision. Every time a thudding, violent sound rang out, a monster’s life was inevitably cut short. But no matter how many he killed, no matter how much his face was drenched in blood, the number of monsters showed no signs of decreasing.

“……D*mn it. How the h*ll are we supposed to stop this?”

Five Links.

Moreover, five B-rank Links had occurred, and it wasn’t easy to stop them with the forces stationed in Daejeon.

The difference in power between Seoul and the provinces was significant.

Those who could be called talented individuals headed to Seoul, where the infrastructure was in place, and that’s why Yang Jae-hyeong enjoyed tremendous fame in Daejeon for being an A-rank Hunter. He couldn’t run away. The reason he stayed in Daejeon was his love for his hometown, and he knew that if even he ran away, it would be the end.

He fought tenaciously.

Forcing his heavy muscles to move, he somehow managed to drive his axe into a monster’s head.

Thud━

‘Kang San-nim said. If we endure and endure, he will definitely save us.’

News he heard by chance.

He took it to heart.

He had always admired Kang San, and he wanted to join the Guardian Guild if he could.

But since he couldn’t leave Daejeon, he gave up on that idea and embraced the hope in the single fact that Kang San had promised.

He believed.

That Kang San would save them.

Just like he saved Pohang during the S-rank Outbreak, he would protect Daejeon too.

That’s when it happened.

『Your unwavering faith awakens a new ability.』

“?!”

Awakening.

It was a sudden message.

It wasn’t a skill or anything like that.

The power that exploded from his toes meant that his stats had increased.

Kyaak━!

Whoosh.

He dodged the monster’s attack.

It seemed slower than before.

He didn’t know what was going on.

But one thing was certain.

“Die, you bastards!”

Thud━!

He had gained the power to fight back.

With a crazed look on his face, Yang Jae-hyeong charged into the space teeming with monsters.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Immediately after the broadcast.

Kang San’s strategy was simple.

He decided to leave Guardian Guild members behind to secure the safety of the Hunter Emergency Center and select the best of the best to move.

It was a lightning-fast operation.

Quickly clearing the surroundings and resolving the issues.

He divided the team into two.

Saito Shusuke and Misaki Akemi’s team.

And Kang San and Yeon Woo-bin’s team.

He judged that two teams composed of S-rank power would be able to handle any situation they encountered.

The first place Kang San headed to was Bucheon.

Since Seoul had a lot of defense forces, he decided to resolve the situation with support from Saito Shusuke’s team. But areas outside of Seoul were different. As they were in an environment where they couldn’t expect any support, he took on the role of solving problems in the provinces, starting with Bucheon and gradually moving down.

He arrived at the scene.

As expected, at the sight of monsters rampaging everywhere, Yeon Woo-bin immediately invoked his magical power.

Whoosh.

It was different from before.

He wasn’t nervous at all even when he saw the monsters, and he trusted Kang San even when a monster attacked him during casting.

Thud.

Kang San blew its head off.

Yeon Woo-bin’s eyes flashed at the result that lived up to his trust.

“Fire Rain.”

Whoosh.

Papapapapapapak!

A rain of fire poured down from the sky.

The monsters screamed as the flames spread rapidly, and a blaze erupted across his vision with just a single spell. It was an incredible destructive power. The magic itself belonged to the 6th Circle, but Yeon Woo-bin proved that he had entered the S-rank.

Yeon Woo-bin’s growth.

It was surprising news for Kang San.

But it wasn’t unexpected.

‘If what Kim Mu-hyeok said is true, then innate talent comes from past lives. Yeon Woo-bin’s Awakening is only natural.’

The surprising part was.

Yeon Woo-bin’s past life wasn’t from Murim.

Kang San had met Murim reincarnations so far, but as Yeon Woo-bin explained, he learned that there were also reincarnations from completely different worlds, like elves. He put aside the complex thoughts related to this. It was a problem that would never end if he started to delve into it, so at some point, he decided to focus on the situation at hand.

“Blood Demon Sword Technique, Third Style: Explosive Kill━!”

Kwang!

Kwaaarrrrrrrrumble.

He opened a path.

With Yeon Woo-bin’s support, he slaughtered the monsters he encountered one by one.

The situation was reversed.

The people who had been in despair just a moment ago gained hope after witnessing their performance.

“Follow Kang San-nim!”

“Attack!”

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The soldiers and Hunters working in Bucheon.

They charged forward.

The situation of killing and being killed no longer had a sense of defeat, and they expressed a strong conviction that they could win this grueling fight. The situation was quickly resolved. Although four Links, including an A-rank Link, had occurred in Bucheon, the number of monsters decreased noticeably in less than 30 minutes after Kang San and Yeon Woo-bin joined the fight.

Finally.

Thud━!

He finished off the last monster.

The Link, which was fading away, no longer spewed out monsters.

“Is everyone alright?”

Kang San checked on the people.

Although the battle wasn’t burdensome for Kang San at all, the people of Bucheon were in a terrible and miserable state.

At Kang San’s question.

Suddenly, several people prostrated themselves.

“Ah━.”

“Thank you, Kang San-nim!”

“You really saved us!”

“Ah, no, please get up!”

Kang San looked flustered.

Even though he said he would save them through the broadcast, he didn’t expect this kind of reaction.

But there was something Kang San didn’t know.

“The rumors were true after all. All over South Korea, they’re saying that Savior Kang San-nim will solve all these problems. That’s why we believed. From the moment the system enhanced our abilities in response to our faith, we were convinced that it wasn’t just simple faith, but a real miracle!”

“You said the system enhanced your abilities?”

“……You didn’t know?”

It was the first time he’d heard of it.

Pohang, Daejeon.

What happened there wasn’t just a one-time incident.

It was a phenomenon spreading like wildfire.

In the face of a miracle that defied common sense, South Korea was currently in an uproar in the name of Kang San.