Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 46

Chapter 46: The Presence or Absence of Just One Person （9）

Kang San and Yeon Gyu-seong.

They couldn’t be considered to have a good relationship.

From Kang San’s perspective, Yeon Gyu-seong was just Yeon Woo-bin’s father and the one who had caused this whole mess with an unnecessary trial.

Kang San asked somewhat curtly,

“So, did he pass the test?”

“Yes. He passed perfectly, leaving no room for argument. I’ve just come from accepting Woo-bin’s decision.”

“That’s good news for me. A mage of that caliber is truly a rare talent.”

Yeon Woo-bin’s final magic.

The Berserk triggered by the awakening of Magic Eye proved that Yeon Woo-bin had not only innate talent but also limitless potential. In fact, Kang San had to have Yeon Woo-bin on his team no matter what. Yeon Woo-bin also desperately desired a connection with Kang San, but the world recognized explosive firepower like Yeon Woo-bin’s more than it did outstanding tankers.

It was only natural.

Powerful firepower that could wipe out enemies was bound to be recognized as more valuable than simply defending.

It was symbiosis.

A need for each other.

For Kang San, who would live as a tanker, and for Yeon Woo-bin, who would live as a mage.

They seemed like necessary puzzle pieces to each other.

Yeon Gyu-seong spoke,

“I apologize for the excessive nature of the test. As a father, when my son said he wanted to do something dangerous, I wanted to stop him, even if it meant using a harsh whip. To be honest, until a few days ago, I thought my son’s determination was just a whim. I thought it was fake courage, just talk, because he hadn’t experienced a truly dangerous situation. But while conducting the test this time, I realized that wasn’t the case. Woo-bin was truly willing to risk his life for this, and his talent as a Hunter is also extraordinary. So, there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”

“……A request?”

“I’d like to entrust Woo-bin to you.”

He bowed his head.

It was bewildering.

He had already accepted Yeon Woo-bin as a teammate, but someone like Yeon Gyu-seong was willingly bowing his head and making a request.

“I’m still very worried about Woo-bin. Though it’s a reality I have to accept, I won’t oppose it anymore. However, Woo-bin needs a strong pillar of support like you, Kang San-nim, by his side. This isn’t just an empty request. If there’s anything you need for working with Woo-bin in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact me. And if, during a raid, or if you get injured personally, Kang San-nim, please be sure to visit the Hunter Emergency Center. I’ll provide you with the VVIP treatment program free of charge.”

There was no reason to refuse.

VVIP treatment.

His resentment towards Yeon Gyu-seong completely melted away at his sincerity and his willingness to bow his head.

Kang San smiled awkwardly.

“Alright. It’s up to Mr. Woo-bin to decide, but at least I won’t be the one to reject him.”

“Thank you!”

The intense test.

It was finally the moment to draw a close to it.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

A few days later.

The group gathered again.

Since they had risked their lives together, Jeong Chan-woo spoke warmly as soon as they met.

“Kang San-nim. How about we drop the formalities? We’ll be seeing each other a lot in the future, we can’t keep using honorifics forever.”

“I agree.”

“Yes, me too.”

Everyone agreed.

With all eyes on him, Kang San accepted calmly.

“Let’s do that.”

“Ooh.”

“I’ll call you Kang San-hyung-nim!”

Kang San was the oldest, followed by Jo Han-byeol, Jeong Chan-woo, and then Yeon Woo-bin.

With Kang San as their hyung-nim, the group naturally established a hierarchy, and since their ages were similar, they quickly became comfortable with each other. It wasn’t a bad picture. At least they had confirmed that they weren’t the kind of people who would irresponsibly abandon their teammates in dangerous situations, so they could let down their walls more easily.

Kang San said,

“Now that we’ve formed a party, we’ll be gathering like this often to go on raids. Not only that, I’m also thinking of registering at a training center to fine-tune our formations and other details. Of course, just because we’re a fixed party doesn’t mean we’ll be doing everything together, but it’s still reassuring to know that we have teammates we can rely on, right? If anyone has difficulty managing their schedule, please let me know in advance.”

“Sounds good.”

“I’m always free.”

“Then let’s try conquering a D-rank hunting ground today. We’ll share the cost of purchasing the hunting ground equally, and the distribution will be the same. Okay?”

Jo Han-byeol and Jeong Chan-woo nodded.

Kang San wanted to go hunting since they were all meeting.

But Yeon Woo-bin, who couldn’t readily answer, hesitated and caught Kang San’s eye.

“What? Do you have something to say?”

“Uh, actually…….”

Before the meeting.

Yeon Woo-bin had met with his father.

Reporting before going out was a daily routine for the father and son, and when he mentioned meeting Kang San, his father had packed a lot of things for him.

“I think you should check this out.”

He took something out.

It was a stack of documents.

Kang San took it and checked it, with Jeong Chan-woo and Jo Han-byeol peering over his shoulder.

“Whoa.”

“What is this?”

『D-rank Hunting Ground: Underground Cave』

『E-rank Hunting Ground: Goblin Camp』

『D-rank Hunting Ground: Lizardman’s Swamp』

=Lizardmen are E-rank monsters, but those living in the swamp, their habitat, can be classified up to C-rank depending on their hierarchy. In particular, due to the characteristics of the swamp, it is very difficult to attack Lizardmen………… We will provide the necessary materials for the strategy. And if you feel that the raid force is insufficient, we can also hire mercenaries suitable for the hunting ground.

Various hunting grounds.

Not only the raid permissions for those hunting grounds, but also detailed information on what monsters inhabited them and strategies related to them were written down. That wasn’t the only surprising thing. Yeon Woo-bin handed over a box with an embarrassed look, and when they carefully checked inside, exclamations burst out.

“Huh.”

Inside the box.

There were top-quality potions.

Health potions, mana potions, potions related to buffs, antidotes, and more.

Yeon Woo-bin scratched the back of his head.

“……My dad said he’ll provide hunting ground permissions and information instead of going on raids himself. Is that okay? And he said he’ll provide new consumables for every hunt as well.”

Only then did they realize.

Being with Yeon Woo-bin.

It wasn’t just about being accompanied by an excellent mage, but also about receiving the blessings of a golden spoon.

Kang San nodded vigorously.

“Of course it’s okay.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

While Kang San was going through various events, big and small.

The world, as always, was in chaos.

A small Link incident occurred in Wangsimni, and soldiers, who had a duty to stop them, were quickly dispatched.

“Kill them!”

Bang.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Firearms spewed out fierce light.

The Orcs that appeared from beyond the Gate were instantly turned into swiss cheese, and some soldiers, under cover fire, pushed into the space swarming with monsters. The biggest problem with Links was that they led to urban warfare. If it were an open space, they could concentrate their firepower and wipe them all out, but in a space surrounded by concrete buildings like this, they had to directly confront the monsters and distinguish them from survivors.

Among them.

Kim Chun-sik was also there.

Kim Chun-sik was following his senior when he suddenly spotted an Orc popping out.

“Enemy ahead!”

Rat-tat-tat-tat.

It was a quick reaction.

The Orc’s body convulsed under the barrage of bullets, and when his senior hit it between the eyes with an aimed shot, it collapsed on the spot.

Thump━!

“Nice, Chun-sik.”

“This is nothing.”

Kim Chun-sik smiled.

He had already been promoted to Private First Class and had experienced several battles, big and small, with his senior, whom he called Sergeant Park. He was used to it. And more than anything, Kim Chun-sik was originally a Hunter. Compared to those who were completely civilian, he had experience as a human shield, so a world filled with blood and death wasn’t unfamiliar to him.

The situation was quickly resolved.

It was a small-scale Link from the beginning, and the soldiers could only breathe a sigh of relief after confirming that the monsters had been completely eradicated.

“Ha, that was tough.”

“Good work, Sergeant Park-nim.”

“Yeah.”

Kim Chun-sik offered his canteen first.

Sergeant Park smiled and accepted it.

At first, he found it burdensome to have an older subordinate, but Kim Chun-sik was so diligent and by-the-book that he had grown to like him.

It was when they had rested for a while.

He saw an officer approaching from afar.

It was the company commander of the 2nd Company, to which Kim Chun-sik belonged. He spotted Kim Chun-sik and beckoned him over.

“Kim Chun-sik.”

“Private First Class Kim Chun-sik.”

“This person here wants to meet you.”

He saw the group belatedly.

A woman he had never seen before.

She offered her business card first.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Min-yeong, a reporter.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kim Chun-sik frowned.

“So, you’re asking me to help you find out who the Wangsimni Tanker was?”

“That’s right. To be honest, an E-rank Link isn’t a big deal, but I was very impressed by the ability that tanker showed back then. Judging from how he struggled against the Lizardmen, he’s clearly not a high rank, yet he has an aggro skill that can instantly draw the attention of all the monsters. Do you have any clues or anything?”

Actually, during the incident.

Kim Min-yeong had looked for Kim Chun-sik.

Their meeting fell through as he returned to the base, but she finally managed to meet him in person through the company commander.

“I heard that you interviewed him back then, but you said you couldn’t reveal any clues that could identify him to protect his privacy. I understand. If someone who did a good deed wants to protect his identity, there’s no need to go around talking about it. However, I think Private First Class Kim Chun-sik feels the same way I do, which is why I came to see you. If you think about it, someone who desperately wants to remain anonymous wouldn’t have given an interview like that. The way he spoke, as if he couldn’t wait to brag, was very similar to the essence of a reporter who wants to spread the word about good deeds.”

“No. No matter how you put it, what can’t be done can’t be done.”

“Hmm.”

Kim Min-yeong had a strange expression on her face.

The Wangsimni Tanker.

She had started digging out of curiosity, but she hadn’t found any clues so far.

She had a rather unreasonable tenacity.

It had wasted her time on many occasions, but in the end, it was that tenacity that had made her a star reporter.

Why?

Kim Chun-sik’s interview.

It had strangely piqued her curiosity.

“I understand you’re not someone who would be forced to talk. Then how about this?”

Swish.

“……What is this?”

She handed him something.

It was a small document.

Kim Min-yeong smiled as she met his gaze.

“It’s a small gift. If you like my goodwill, I’d appreciate it if you could show me the same kindness.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kim Min-yeong left.

After sending her away, Kim Chun-sik scoffed, recalling her words, as if it were absurd.

“No way I’d say anything. If he wanted fame, he would have revealed his identity himself.”

Kang San.

His benefactor.

He had never actually asked Kang San to reveal his identity, and he had no intention of stepping forward first.

He turned around.

Despite his intention to reject Kim Min-yeong’s offer, he was curious about what she had prepared.

A gift?

No gift would change his mind.

It was just curiosity.

He opened the envelope and saw Kim Min-yeong’s message.

『You said you were looking for this person so desperately? There’s no better gift for Private First Class Kim Chun-sik, right?』

Swish.

Behind the message.

There was a single document.

It was a bill.

Someone had spent a large sum of money, and it was a record of that.

Suddenly, his heart started pounding.

His shaking eyes passed over the large numbers and landed on a name, and Kim Chun-sik froze on the spot.

Motionless.

“……Is this for real?”

He blinked several times.

His breathing was ragged, and he read the document again.

But the letters he saw didn’t change.

『Payer: Kang San』

An unexpected name existed in an unexpected place.