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Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Those Left Behind (6)

Chapter 37: Those Left Behind (6)

“……Huh?”

Kang San blinked.

Before going to bed, he had indulged in a brief, sweet dream of his items selling for over five hundred.

Realistically, he knew it was unlikely, but human nature couldn’t help but cling to a sliver of hope.

But this was…

『Worn but Sharp Longsword』

『Winning Bid: 15,000,000 Won』

『Orc Leather Armor』

『Winning Bid: 2,000,000 Won』

It didn’t make sense.

It was unbelievable.

They were just E-rank items. How could they have possibly sold for a price exceeding even D-rank items?

“……What is this.”

Kang San searched for post-auction reviews.

People’s evaluations were like this:

━E-rank weapon for fifteen million, LOL.

━What a waste of money.

━The result of trying to outbid each other. Whether it’s the winner or the losers, this is a loss for both sides.

Most of the comments were mocking the overpayment.

But there were also some insightful posts.

━This is just a matter of perspective. For ordinary people, spending fifteen million on an E-rank weapon might be reckless extravagance, but for the wealthy, it’s different. Newly Awakened Hunters don’t have the stats to handle D-rank or higher weapons. So naturally, they have to choose weapons based on E-rank standards. The longsword that was just auctioned off is only E-rank in name. Its special effect alone makes it comparable to most D-rank weapons. It has a bleeding effect, for crying out loud! Considering the fixed damage and recovery reduction, it’ll have an effect equivalent to at least 10 attack power. Can you really think of it as just an E-rank weapon then?

━Like the comment above, it’s expensive, but it’s not an unreasonable winning bid. Items with special effects are usually classified outside the standard price range for their rank. More than anything, there was a bidding war.

It was somewhat bewildering.

It wasn’t that Kang San didn’t understand the significance of special effects, but even then, he hadn’t imagined that they would break the implicitly established price framework. For example, that an E-rank item couldn’t surpass the price of a D-rank item.

This confirmed it.

‘The Trial rewards are indeed substantial.’

The Blood Demon’s techniques.

This was an enormous privilege.

From now on, he would be different from others. At least in the realm of items, he had secured the possibility of getting ahead.

He was happy.

This stroke of luck in his unfortunate life.

This hope granted to his miserable existence.

It gave Kang San more than enough motivation to keep striving forward.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

About half a month later.

Kang San devoted himself to crafting.

The seventeen million won he earned from the auction, plus the approximately ten million won he already had.

He combined those funds to purchase a D-rank armor and sword, and immediately began working on them using the Blood Demon’s techniques.

However, he encountered a hurdle from the start.

‘I can’t see the striking points clearly.’

When he successfully crafted the sword before.

Kang San had used the Blood Demon Art and identified the points where the red energy gathered, accurately targeting those spots.

This time was different.

The red energy was rampaging erratically, and the significant resistance made it impossible to apply his strength properly. At first, he thought it was simply a matter of concentration. He believed that with the crafting skill and the newly acquired ‘Mental Strength Stat,’ he needed to concentrate more. But as he repeated the process, he realized that wasn’t the issue.

‘With my current skill level, I can’t properly work on D-rank items yet.’

It was a mistake.

Having successfully crafted F-rank items, his plan to profit by enhancing higher-ranked items had failed.

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

The Blood Demon had crafted the sword at the old man’s request. He had created a sword far superior to the one Kang San had made, yet he repeatedly tasted the bitterness of failure. Years passed in this way. Only after dedicating a long time did he finally create a true demonic sword. It was impossible for Kang San, who had barely dipped his toes in the water, to produce a satisfactory result.

Skill level.

Understanding of the Blood Demon Art.

And even blacksmithing techniques.

It was a matter requiring a combination of abilities.

Since he couldn’t stop the work he had already started, Kang San struggled for half a month, producing half-baked results.

『Masterfully Crafted Chain Mail』

『D-rank』

『Defense +21』

『Sharp and Sturdy Longsword』

『D-rank』

『Attack +19』

『Special Effect: Bleeding』

『Sturdy Round Shield』

『D-rank』

『Defense +20』

There were no dramatic changes.

The Chain Mail and Round Shield initially had defense stats of 19 and 18, respectively, and they increased by 2 points each. The longsword’s effect was impressive, at least. He had purchased the same type of longsword that he had broken before, and not only did its attack power increase by 4, but it also gained the bleeding effect again. It seemed that the killing intent imbued by the Blood Demon Art had a greater effect on weapons.

It was a good result.

However, he couldn’t be satisfied.

‘From now on, I should try working on higher-ranked items when I’m sufficiently skilled. I don’t have unlimited financial resources, so there’s no need to waste money with my inadequate skills. For now, let’s be content with this.’

He finished his work.

It was a sufficient setup for his upcoming raid.

As he left the blacksmith’s workshop, Yu Jeong-yeong said, promising their next meeting.

“Next time, I will definitely show you satisfactory results.”

Eyes sparkling with vitality.

It was a pleasant sight.

He planned to meet him periodically to teach him the techniques, but Kang San didn’t intend to completely entrust the crafting aspect to Yu Jeong-yeong alone. For his own development as well. Hadn’t he included a clause in the contract about learning blacksmithing from Yu Jeong-yeong? Even if he provided the initial techniques, Kang San knew that if Yu Jeong-yeong unilaterally progressed ahead, the balance of their client-craftsman relationship would eventually crumble.

He left the blacksmith’s workshop.

Now.

It was time to live as a Hunter again.

The reason he had opened up the new possibility of Yu Jeong-yeong was because he knew he couldn’t devote all his time to the blacksmith’s workshop. Azmoon would continue to impose life-threatening Trials. Getting stronger wasn’t a choice, but a necessity for survival.

But then.

At that very moment, he received a text message from a familiar name.

『Yeon Woo-bin』

『Are you available for a call right now?』

A name he had almost forgotten.

The connection from the ant nest suddenly made its presence known.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

How has Yeon Woo-bin been doing all this time?

It was a cold war, to say the least.

Whenever Yeon Woo-bin visited, his father, Yeon Gyu-seong, would speak coldly, as if he knew what his son was about to say.

“No.”

“But…”

“I told you clearly. From the moment you were brought to the hospital in a terrible state, there would be no chance of you going near monsters again. Why don’t you listen? Other people’s children gladly accept it if their safety is guaranteed, but why do you insist on taking such a difficult path?”

The starting point of the problem was Yeon Woo-bin.

The problem became serious when Yeon Woo-bin was caught by the bodyguards his father had assigned to him while trying to sneak into the monster training ground.

Yeon Woo-bin said.

“What if the bodyguards can’t protect me?”

“That won’t happen.”

“It did happen. It happened, that’s why Mom, that’s why Mom died!”

“You bastard!”

Suddenly.

Yeon Gyu-seong jumped to his feet.

Mom was a forbidden word.

Yeon Woo-bin, with Yeon Gyu-seong’s face flushed red, retorted as if he wouldn’t back down.

“Dad. Han-byeol-hyung said that the talent I have is a blessing. It’s a great talent just to awaken as a Hunter, and I got a D-rank from the start. Some people want to become stronger but can’t, don’t you think it’s a waste of talent for me to do nothing? So please allow me. I’ll be as careful as possible not to be in danger….”

“You don’t know anything!”

Yeon Gyu-seong cut him off.

D-rank talent?

He knew how great that was.

There was no way the director of the Hunter Emergency Center could be ignorant enough not to recognize a Hunter’s talent.

“Do you know what kind of people are brought into our hospital every day? Low-ranked Hunters? Ordinary people? No. Unless there’s a big problem like a Link incident, the people who get hurt the most are Hunters like you who think they’re strong. If only you were weak. You wouldn’t go looking for dangerous places to fight monsters, but you think you’re something and end up getting hurt. Woo-bin-ah. Please, can’t you listen to your father? You know I’m saying this for your own good.”

“…I don’t know. In a world like this, no one can guarantee anyone’s safety.”

Both were stubborn.

Like father, like son.

Yeon Woo-bin, who was usually gentle, showed a stubborn side like Yeon Gyu-seong when it came to things he believed were right.

If he’s saying this much.

He’s not going to give up.

He was clearly going to keep looking for opportunities to go outside, as he had been caught several times trying to leave after the last incident. That’s why Yeon Woo-bin chose a head-on confrontation with his father. It wasn’t easy to evade the bodyguards’ surveillance and go out, so he tried to persuade his father somehow.

Eventually.

“…Sigh. You really.”

Yeon Gyu-seong grabbed his head.

His moving lips hesitated several times before he looked at Yeon Woo-bin and spoke in a determined voice.

“However, there’s a condition.”

“I’ll do anything.”

“Really?”

Yeon Gyu-seong knows his son well.

He’s stubborn, but he accepts the results.

“The condition is simple. If you pass the test I propose, I’ll allow you to live as a Hunter.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

They moved to a different location.

It was the monster training ground.

Yeon Gyu-seong spoke, facing Yeon Woo-bin and the unfamiliar men.

“I’ve set the training difficulty to D-rank. If you’re truly skilled enough for that rank, you’ll overcome this training situation without any problems. The mercenaries who will form a party with you are two D-ranks and two E-ranks. As you can see from their evaluation reports, I haven’t played any cheap tricks in selecting them. How about it? If you give up now, we can pretend this never happened. I’m warning you, even if you get hurt this time, I won’t help you at all.”

“I’ll do it.”

“……That stubbornness, I wonder who he takes after.”

Yeon Gyu-seong frowned.

He felt frustrated by his son’s firm expression, but he didn’t think the decision was bad.

“Then I’ll give you 30 minutes to prepare.”

He turned around.

This test.

If Yeon Woo-bin passed as promised, he intended to accept his son’s request.

To maintain his authority as a father, he had no intention of going back on his word.

However.

“Are the preparations ready?”

“They’re fully complete, sir.”

His secretary replied in a quiet voice.

What he said to Yeon Woo-bin.

It was a trap of sorts.

He had selected mercenaries suitable for a D-rank test, but that didn’t mean the test would be easy.

A variable that Yeon Woo-bin’s party couldn’t handle.

A life-threatening problem would definitely arise.

He had given the mercenaries instructions beforehand.

He told them that this mission was highly dangerous, and that they would be provided with immediate treatment and sufficient hazard pay. So they should fight with all their might. If the mercenaries fought seriously, Yeon Woo-bin fought with all his strength, and they still crumbled, Yeon Woo-bin’s fragile nature would despair at the immense wall of reality.

Yeon Woo-bin preparing for the test.

Yeon Gyu-seong’s gaze at him was filled with sadness.

‘I’m sorry. But this is for your own good.’

Today.

He was prepared to shed blood for his only son.


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(🇰🇷)Blood Demon of the Past Life

🇰🇷)Blood Demon of the Past Life

Status: Ongoing Author: Released: 2024 Native Language: Korean
Kang San is the unluckiest man alive. Orphaned at a young age by monsters, betrayed by his relatives, and cursed with a talentless F-rank Hunter rating, misfortune seems to follow him everywhere. But everything changes when a mysterious messenger reveals a shocking truth: Kang San is the reincarnation of the Blood Demon, a legendary murderer whose karma now plagues his life. Offered a chance to atone through trials and tribulations, Kang San is granted Azmoon's blessing, a system that bestows powerful skills and stat boosts upon completing dangerous quests.

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