Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Private First Class Kim Chun-sik （3）

Now, in this situation.

There was no time to judge clearly.

The Nols had reached right in front of him, and their sharp teeth in their wide-open mouths, barking, caught his attention.

One thing was for sure.

‘This is strange.’

His senses expanded.

As if goosebumps were rising all over his body, the senses of his whole body came alive, and the speed of the Nols, which he had struggled to keep up with until just now, began to appear clearly in his eyes. He didn’t know what Awakening was. However, as the system explained, it seemed clear that his ‘physical abilities’ had improved due to some trigger.

Bang━!

A gunshot rang out.

For now, rather than understanding the situation, it was more important to survive the devils in front of him.

Kyaaak.

Tatatatatang!

He fired his gun like crazy.

The gun, set to burst fire, spewed flames, and Sergeant Park, hiding in the distance, also accurately hit the approaching Nols. But it was impossible to completely block them with just a gun. He succeeded in taking down two or three, but two Nols that had reached close range swung their huge claws.

Hook.

He dodged.

At the same time as he realized that his body had become lighter.

Crack.

Kegeung.

He hit the Nol’s jaw with the butt of his rifle.

As the Nol was pushed back by the intense impact, Kim Chun-sik quickly used his bayonet fighting skills to stab the Nol’s heart. Phew phew phew, dark red blood splattered on his face. Without even having time to wipe it off, he rolled on the ground from another Nol’s attack.

“Ugh.”

Hook.

Hwaak━

The attack grazed him.

Kim Chun-sik sprang up like a spring, blocking the attack of the Nol that had rushed in front of him with both hands.

Kwak.

“Kkeueeuu.”

He glared.

It was strange.

His strength was clearly inferior to the Nol’s, but now, he wasn’t as tired as he thought he would be, only out of breath. The margin of strength turned the situation around. Kim Chun-sik pulled the Nol, who was trying to push in recklessly, closer, and took out the pistol he was carrying on his waist. Then, he immediately aimed the muzzle at the Nol’s temple.

Bang━!

Thud.

Both of them.

He dealt with them in an instant.

Kim Chun-sik caught his breath and looked ahead.

Keung keung keung.

There were still many enemies.

There were at least dozens of them at a glance, and he picked up the gun he had dropped on the ground and changed the magazine.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Hope revived.

He didn’t know why his physical abilities had improved, but what was important to Kim Chun-sik now was that he had the strength to withstand the enemy’s attacks. From then on, a fierce hand-to-hand fight ensued. He fired his gun like crazy, then mixed with the Nols, and his arms and legs were cut and torn by the overwhelming numbers. It was familiar. He had countless experiences of being injured while living as a human shield, so every time his body was torn by the enemy, Kim Chun-sik twisted his dagger into the opponent’s neck.

Puck.

Kkeureureuk.

“You sons of bitches.”

He raised his head.

His face was covered in blood.

He instinctively knew.

That in the end, he would inevitably collapse.

The suddenly improved ability did not grant him the miracle of dealing with all dozens of Nols.

But until the end.

He had no intention of giving up.

Just as he was tenaciously stabbing a dagger into a Nol’s heart.

“Covering fire!”

“Sweep them all away!”

Bang━

Tatatatatatatang!

People in military uniforms arrived at the scene.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kim Chun-sik bowed his head.

He, who had bandages wrapped around him as if he had received treatment, could not dare look up at the man in front of him.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

Right next to him.

Sergeant Park was also there.

The man in front of them was the 2nd Company Commander, and after taking control of the situation, he expressed tremendous anger at the accident caused by the soldiers.

“I clearly gave you an order. To advance towards Sangwangsimni, not north, and to subdue any monsters you might encounter. But you deserted without permission and almost lost your lives in a place that wasn’t the operation area. If you had died, whose responsibility would it have been? Would they have simply ignored it as if some idiot bastards had committed suicide, or would I, your commander, have taken all the blame? You fucking bastards. Explain to me now. What were you thinking, doing such an absurd thing?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Is that all?”

“……I will accept punishment for the parts I did wrong.”

“This bastard.”

The 2nd Company Commander’s face turned red at Kim Chun-sik’s answer.

He wanted to hear any excuse, but Kim Chun-sik’s attitude of keeping his mouth shut made him furious.

The situation became serious.

Sergeant Park, who had been listening, could no longer stand by.

“It’s all my fault.”

“What are you talking about?”

He made eye contact with Kim Chun-sik.

It was a look that said there was no need to make excuses, but Sergeant Park shook his head and signaled him not to step forward.

“My family was in danger. So I dragged Private Kim Chun-sik and deserted without permission. Private Kim Chun-sik had no choice but to follow the order of his senior. If you want to hold someone responsible, I will take it all.”

“……So it’s that kind of heartwarming scenario. These bastards are ridiculous.”

Family?

It wasn’t an excuse.

As a commander, as a soldier, the 2nd Company Commander couldn’t calm his anger.

“There’s no one here who doesn’t have a story. Someone else’s family might have been in danger besides you, and there might have been cases where they were actually injured or died. I understand. You can’t help but go crazy when your family is in danger, but if you desert without permission, who will fill your place? People could die because of your absence. And if we consider each individual’s personal problems one by one, the military as a group will not function properly. You have now put the rest of us in danger by being selfish. Do you understand!?”

“……I’m sorry.”

“Being sorry is not enough. I will make an example of you from now on, and I will clearly show the other soldiers what happens to those who disrupt military discipline.”

This situation.

He didn’t think it was harsh.

Kim Chun-sik and Sergeant Park fully understood the 2nd Company Commander’s judgment, and they knew that they couldn’t avoid disciplinary action from the moment they decided to desert. However, they only thought about priorities. They were just ordinary people, and it was difficult for them to think rationally and follow the rules when their families might die at any moment.

“Follow me.”

The 2nd Company Commander started walking.

As they were about to follow him, Kim Chun-sik suddenly saw a familiar face in the distance.

It was Kim Min-yeong.

But.

The face of the man accompanying her was also very familiar.

‘Battalion Commander?’

He was sure.

The Battalion Commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Capital Defense Force.

Major Choi Seong-jae was walking with Kim Min-yeong.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

A little while ago.

Kim Min-yeong arrived at the scene for coverage.

As she grasped the situation, she could see at a glance what the problem was.

‘The shelter’s blind spot. The problem that the vulnerable people were complaining about.’

Shelter.

The defense system built to prepare for monster attacks could not secure a large number due to budget and manpower issues. Of course, this didn’t mean that there was one every hour’s distance. In Wangsimni alone, there were shelters within a 15-minute distance as the population was large, but the problem was the imbalance of shelters.

The powerful.

They usually lived near Gangnam.

At that boundary, dividing south and north based on the Han River, the number of shelters was drastically different.

There was a saying that there was a shelter almost every 5 minutes in Gangnam, and the government prioritized the safety of Gangnam to an excessive degree. They claimed it was a measure proportional to the population. However, in Yangcheon-gu, which actually had a considerable population, the shelters were 30 minutes away, showing a vulnerable aspect.

It was a social issue.

Even in this global disaster situation, voices emerged, questioning whether the lives of the wealthy were more important.

‘If they had reduced the number of shelters in Gangnam and balanced it out, incidents like this, where people get isolated while fleeing to shelters, would have been significantly reduced. Besides, the rich in Gangnam form their own shelters. If I weave this well, I can create a social issue. I heard it smelled like a scoop, and I came to the right place.’

She smiled.

Kim Min-yeong moved busily.

She intended to secure as many testimonies as possible and publish a provocative article.

However, while listening to the stories of various people, Kim Min-yeong heard a story that stimulated her curiosity.

“If it weren’t for him, we would have lost our lives.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“That, that soldier! We were hiding under the debris of a building to avoid the monsters, and he must have thought we were going to be discovered because he suddenly appeared and attacked the monsters. He fought all those monsters alone……. He was truly amazing. Shouldn’t we give a commendation to someone like that?”

The people she interviewed.

They all commonly mentioned one soldier.

If the civilians’ location had been discovered, a massacre could have occurred, but a brave soldier bought time until reinforcements arrived. It was something that happened often in this chaotic world. It was something that could be used as a spice in an article, but the identity of the soldier completely captivated her.

“His name? I heard it was Private Kim Chun-sik.”

Kim Chun-sik.

Kim Min-yeong’s eyes widened at the sudden name.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kim Min-yeong went to see the Battalion Commander.

Thanks to her reputation as a reporter, he readily agreed to meet, and as soon as she met Major Choi Seong-jae, she cut to the chase.

“How do you plan to deal with the soldier who deserted this time?”

“What else can we do? We have to punish him according to military law.”

Major Choi Seong-jae showed a displeased expression.

To him, this situation felt like a reporter was questioning the internal affairs of the military.

“Desertion is absolutely unacceptable for a soldier. And above all, I don’t really like the ‘stupid hero mentality.’ Helping someone with your abilities is a voluntary choice, but if the reinforcements hadn’t arrived in time, those soldiers would have died horribly on the spot. It would have been a meaningless sacrifice. I don’t want my soldiers to die like that. To prevent such a thing from happening again, we need to punish them properly and raise awareness.”

“I understand. But in this situation, is there no room for a different interpretation?”

“What do you mean…….”

The man in front of her.

Kim Min-yeong had thoroughly researched Major Choi Seong-jae.

For someone who dislikes the stupid hero mentality, he was a man who had lived through countless sacrifices as a soldier. He had risen to the position of Battalion Commander by earning merits in the process, but because he was not a graduate of the military academy but a regular officer, he had difficulty getting promoted. A sense of responsibility as a soldier, goodwill. Possessing these while also wanting to climb higher, Major Choi Seong-jae was a man who couldn’t be defined by just one thing.

Therefore.

“If you look closely at this incident, it’s not just a simple desertion case. Sergeant Park’s family was in danger, and the fundamental problem was the imbalance of shelters. When a problem arose that the public was expressing frustration about, Private Kim Chun-sik risked his life to save civilians. Isn’t it a story that the public would go crazy for? If this situation wasn’t desertion but someone’s order. How do you think the public would react to a commander who fulfilled his duty as a soldier to save people?”

“……They would be thrilled.”

“That’s right. They would be thrilled. Everyone would applaud. You can take that credit. If we package this situation well, we can conclude it not as a desertion incident but as a heroic act of a soldier.”

The reason why Kim Min-yeong could become a star reporter.

It wasn’t because she pursued malicious acts of tearing someone down and sucking up views.

Star reporter.

Alternatively, Hero Maker.

She believed that this world needed heroes.

She believed that someone’s goodwill deserved to be rewarded in this chaotic world where people were dying every day.

So she investigated the Wangsimni incident.

And now.

Kim Chun-sik’s courage deserved to be praised.

For whatever reason, the choice to risk his life in that situation was something that ordinary people could never make. He was an amazing person. While interviewing the victims, she deeply felt that Kim Chun-sik’s decision was not easy at all.

“Ahem.”

Major Choi Seong-jae groaned.

He was caught between his principles as a soldier and his personal greed, and then he opened his mouth in a subtle voice.

“What do I have to do from now on?”