Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 2

Chapter 2: F-rank Human Shield （2）

Crack.

“Kuaaack!”

A chilling sound rang out.

The moment his ankle twisted following his arm, Kim Chun-sik instinctively knew that his unfortunate life was over.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

Growl, bark!

Right in front of him.

He saw a Nol charging at him like lightning.

As he stared into the bloodshot eyes of the starving Nol, memories of the past flashed through Kim Chun-sik’s mind.

30 years old this year.

Kim Chun-sik grew up in an unremarkable, unfortunate environment. His father was a trashy alcoholic and abuser, and his mother, hating such a father, abandoned Kim Chun-sik and ran away when he was young. Then one day, his father died in a sudden accident, and his maternal grandmother was all that Kim Chun-sik had to rely on in this world. He was the owner of a common environment that could be found even before the world changed like this, with no connection to a fantastical background, and so Kim Chun-sik grew older.

During that time.

Kim Chun-sik lived a life far removed from Hunters.

The turning point in the life of Kim Chun-sik, who had been living a relatively diligent life, was when his grandmother collapsed with a rare disease.

“You should expect at least 300 million won for the treatment.”

The doctor’s words were like a bolt from the blue.

Kim Chun-sik’s life changed.

Kim Chun-sik, who didn’t even have a decent education, had no way to raise that much money, and in the end, he needed to find a job that would allow him to earn money not by doing ordinary work, but by risking his life. That’s how he became a Hunter. He knew he had no talent when he took the Acquired Talent Test at the age of 20, but still, being a Hunter is a profession with a twist.

F-rank.

At that time, you don’t earn much, but if you build up experience and acquire skills, you get paid beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

The problem is that the process is very dangerous.

But Kim Chun-sik was not in a position to be picky.

He had to do anything for his only family, and Kim Chun-sik started working as a Hunter just six months ago.

And today.

He joined a party that offered double the daily wage than other places, and ended up in this situation.

‘I should have been suspicious.’

Actually, it was a little strange.

His employer.

That is, the Mage who just ran away looked incompetent at first glance. His fair face made one wonder if he ever saw the sun, and he consistently showed ignorance of the ‘Other World’. Originally, it was a situation where he should have given up, but he made a stupid decision due to the double daily wage and the fact that it was an F-rank area.

It’s just F-rank.

He believed that there would be no major variables, as the Mage’s magic would be enough to deal with the Nols.

And that belief.

Kwaaang!

Hwarrrr!

The moment he saw the Fire Arrow explode on the ground, it shattered like broken glass.

‘Damn it.’

His vision returned.

Rage surged within him.

How incompetent could one be to make the mistake of using magic and hitting the ground? Even worse, the Mage ran away without even trying to fix it. Kim Chun-sik confirmed that fact and immediately tried to escape himself, but the Nol, having already smelled the blood, didn’t give him any time to spare.

It’s over.

Kim Chun-sik smelled death.

Perhaps, his colleague who also served as a human shield had already run away.

‘Hoping for help would be futile.’

It’s a natural choice.

Didn’t he himself realize that the moment the Mage ran away, there was no chance of winning this battle with just two F-rank human shields?

He would have run away too.

But he didn’t want to die. If he died, how would his grandmother, who was already sick, live? Kim Chun-sik struggled. He tried to find a way to survive by bouncing off the Nol with his Round Shield and swinging his sword, but the Nol was not an easy opponent to be defeated by the attacks of a weakling with no skills. The opponent, which was just a monster to the Hunters who were born with great abilities, looked like the Devil of Hell to Kim Chun-sik.

Eventually.

“Ugh, uaaack!”

Thud!

He fell while trying to dodge an attack.

At the same time, two Nols lunged at him.

Kim Chun-sik squeezed his eyes shut.

He’s dead.

The moment he was convinced of that.

“Duck!”

A voice pierced his eardrums.

It was definitely the voice of his human shield colleague, whom he thought had surely run away.

Kang San has a principle in life.

If you’ve made a decision.

Carry it out without a moment’s hesitation, completely eliminating the possibility of variables.

The moment he decided to save Kim Chun-sik, Kang San grasped the surrounding situation and made the most appropriate decision.

‘There are a total of four Nols.’

It’s a disadvantage.

If it were a one-on-one, he could easily subdue them, but the problem is that Kim Chun-sik could die at any moment. It would be suicidal to rush in and help Kim Chun-sik. Believing that Kim Chun-sik would hold out for a while, dealing with the two Nols standing in front of him was the priority.

Tadaadak.

Kyaack!

Two Nols charged at him simultaneously.

At their attempt to attack from both sides, Kang San pulled out a scroll from his pocket and tore it without a moment’s hesitation.

Rip━

Hwaack!

A bright light flared up.

The Sharpness magic, which amplifies the sharpness of a sword, permeated his sword.

‘Damn it, this is worth a million won.’

Magic scroll.

It’s an expensive item.

Even low-grade scrolls are not cheap, but Kang San always carried 2-3 of them just in case.

An unfortunate life filled with repeated misfortunes since childhood.

Having experienced so many misfortunes, Kang San was indifferent to preparing for unexpected situations. So even this situation wasn’t the worst for Kang San. How could there not have been accidents like this during the hundreds of raids he’s been on? Rather, he felt that even this current crisis was just another one of the misfortunes that happened to him.

‘Let’s do this, you bastards.’

His senses sharpened.

The moment the Nol, which had reached close proximity, swung its arms, Kang San raised his shield towards the attack he saw in his vision.

Kang!

Keeiiiik!

An unpleasant sound pierced his ears.

However, Kang San, with an unwavering gaze, tilted the direction of his shield slightly to guide the Nol’s center of gravity in the direction he desired. A situation he had trained for countless times. In order to survive repeated misfortunes, solid fundamentals were an essential element. That’s why Kang San honed various skills such as footwork, shield techniques, and swordsmanship. Even though he was an F-rank human shield without a single skill, Kang San was confident that his skills were not so poor as to be rated as F-rank.

Slice!

Whimper!

Kang San’s counterattack.

The sword that cut through the wind instantly slashed the Nol’s chest.

Blood splattered.

Such cutting power would be impossible with an ordinary sword, but with the Sharpness magic applied, Kang San exhibited power beyond F-rank.

At the same time.

Tap.

A step forward.

Pushing into the Nol’s chest, Kang San plunged his sword into the exposed heart.

Thud!

Gurgle.

The Nol foamed at the mouth.

However, the monster’s tenacious life force didn’t extinguish immediately. The Nol, as if hugging Kang San, swung its claws. Kang San had no choice but to drop his sword, and two long wounds appeared on his forearm in the nick of time.

Plop.

Drops of blood obstructed his vision.

Kang San frowned slightly and kicked the sword stuck in the Nol’s chest.

Thwack!

‘One down.’

It’s too early to be relieved.

One opponent remains.

Without a sword, Kang San threw himself to the ground for the time being.

Crack!

The Nol’s teeth snapped shut.

The Nol, which had bitten the air hard enough to break its teeth, followed Kang San with bloodshot eyes.

Kang!

Clang!

Kang San backed away, blocking the Nol’s attacks with his Round Shield. Every time an attack landed, his body shook as if it would break, but Kang San gritted his teeth and swallowed the disgusting blood that rose up. It was definitely too much to handle two Nols at the same time. It was a moment where he realized his limits once again, but from the moment he accepted the Apostle’s mission, he knew that this battle wouldn’t be easy.

Luca Bellino said.

Hardships and trials are always given at a level where you have to risk your life at your current level.

If you interpret that the other way around, it means.

‘If I risk my life, I can win.’

Clang!

He blocked the attack.

Kang San endured it once, then stabbed the Nol’s wound with the dagger he had somehow pulled out.

Thud!

Yelp!

The Nol he was currently fighting.

That was the one Kang San had injured earlier.

At the attack that violently stabbed the wound, the Nol went berserk and tried to bite Kang San’s face.

Kang San blocked its face.

He desperately blocked its face with his trembling hands, while his right hand ruthlessly ripped at the wound.

His face flushed red.

In the power struggle with the Nol, Kang San’s face felt like it would explode at any moment.

The Nol’s stench was terrible, and he felt dizzy from the repeated fierce struggle.

However.

Thud!

In the end, Kang San was the victor.

The moment the Nol lost its balance due to excessive bleeding, Kang San mercilessly stabbed its most vulnerable spot, its eyes.

Thud! Thud!

It was over.

Having dealt with both of them, Kang San’s legs finally gave out.

“Huff, huff.”

He was out of breath.

He wanted to collapse right away.

But the battle wasn’t over yet.

He had dealt with the two that were his responsibility, but from the beginning, there were a total of four Nols in this area.

Two Nols remained.

The moment he confirmed that Kim Chun-sik was in danger, Kang San gritted his teeth and got up, pulling out the sword stuck in the Nol’s heart.

Fwip!

“Duck!”

Kang San shouted hoarsely.

As his eyes met with Kim Chun-sik, who was trembling with fear, Kang San threw the sword with all his might.

The sword imbued with Sharpness.

It.

Thud!

Penetrated the Nol’s head.

Thump!

Kang San collapsed.

His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, feeling like his lungs would burst at any moment.

“Huff, huff.”

His body trembled.

He felt completely drained.

He thought it was an impossible mission, but Kang San had succeeded in dealing with all four of them.

He handled two on his own.

One was dealt with by a surprise throwing attack, and the remaining one was barely defeated by joining forces with Kim Chun-sik.

The last one was really tough.

He was exhausted, and Kim Chun-sik, who could barely move, wasn’t much help. So he had to risk his life to defeat the opponent. He couldn’t understand why he had to risk his life for a stranger he didn’t even know the name of, but Kang San didn’t hesitate after making his decision. The bold choice eventually created an opportunity to cut off the opponent’s lifeline, and Kang San ended this grueling fight by twisting his dagger into the Nol’s neck.

His head spun.

He seemed to be exhausted.

Lying flat on the ground, barely calming his body down, Kang San received a message from the ‘system’ he had been waiting for.

『You have passed the first hardship and trial.』

『The promised reward will be given.』

『By perfectly overcoming the hardship and trial, an additional reward will be given.』

‘……An additional reward?’

An unexpected achievement.

His mind wasn’t clear yet, but Kang San checked the reward first.