Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Step Up （1）

Cheonsang’s manager.

Shin Jeong-geun thought.

‘No, is he doing this on purpose because he hates me?’

He, who was in charge of Jeong Chan-woo, had recently suffered a considerable ordeal due to an absurd request based on personal connections.

But how much time had passed since then? Jeong Chan-woo was once again excitedly chattering about something that caused him a headache.

“So, you’re saying you’re going to try to raid a C-rank ant den with a party where everyone is E-rank except for a D-rank Mage?”

“That’s right! It’s a revenge match. If we succeed in the raid this time, we’ve decided to try for a group promotion test together.”

“Sigh, please.”

He squeezed his eyes shut.

Do those silver spoon kids know?

Whether Jeong Chan-woo went out and died or not, Shin Jeong-geun wouldn’t be emotionally sad at all, but the problem was that there were subordinates who would have to bear the responsibility. That’s why he had to stop him. If Jeong Chan-woo got hurt or died during the ant den raid, Shin Jeong-geun would lose his precious job.

Shin Jeong-geun said.

“This is truly an unreasonable and reckless challenge. You know very well, don’t you? To raid a C-rank, no matter how bad it is, the party must be composed of at least D-ranks, or include a C-rank, to even have a chance of success. But how on earth are you going to succeed in raiding the ant den with that kind of power? Have you forgotten what happened last time? You barely survived then, and you could have died if things had gone wrong.”

“I know, I do.”

“You know, and you’re still doing this? I sincerely beg you. This won’t work. And please distance yourself from that Kang San person now. Cheonsang has prepared a perfect training program for Chan-woo’s growth, but aren’t you wasting time hanging out with those kinds of people?”

He crossed the line.

He usually wouldn’t speak so harshly, but he couldn’t help but use strong words because he thought Jeong Chan-woo was really in danger.

Jeong Chan-woo’s expression hardened slightly.

“I understand what you’re worried about. But don’t judge someone you don’t even know so carelessly. Kang San-hyung doesn’t deserve that kind of evaluation. I think you’re saying that because my father is a high-ranking executive at Cheonsang, but I’ll write a pledge not to shift the responsibility if I get into trouble because of this.”

He got up from his seat.

He understood.

He knew that Shin Jeong-geun was trying to protect him excessively because of his father, but Jeong Chan-woo thought that at least people who worked in management shouldn’t be like that. Just like the failed recruitment last time, Kang San was objectively not someone to be ignored. Jeong Chan-woo wasn’t sticking around because he was stupid and ignorant of the world; he judged that his connection with Kang San was worth it.

Jeong Chan-woo left.

Shin Jeong-geun sighed deeply.

Since he didn’t know Jeong Chan-woo’s true intentions, he could only think of it as a reckless whim.

‘At this rate, I’ll be the only one to take the blame…’

There was no other way.

After much deliberation, Shin Jeong-geun made a phone call to someone.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Click.

He hung up the phone.

A man who looked to be in his late 50s clicked his tongue with a displeased expression.

“Tsk, that fool.”

His name.

Jeong Man-seop.

He was Jeong Chan-woo’s father and a high-ranking executive at Cheonsang. He was displeased by Shin Jeong-geun’s report.

“What’s going on?”

The woman sitting across from him.

She was Jeong Man-seop’s second child.

Jeong Man-seop had three children.

Except for the youngest, Jeong Chan-woo, the eldest son and the second child were handling administrative work in management, saying they would inherit their father’s business. Both were smart and quick-witted, so the prevailing opinion within Cheonsang was that they were talented individuals who could sufficiently take over executive positions, inheriting their father’s influence.

Jeong Man-seop said.

“Who on earth did this guy take after? There’s no one in our family who’s ever been so eager to become a Hunter, but Chan-woo has been like that since he was young. He’s so stubborn that he won’t be satisfied until he does what he wants.”

Really.

He was a sore spot.

Unlike the first and second child who did well on their own, Jeong Chan-woo had been stubborn about becoming a Hunter since he was young. If he had been born with innate talent, Jeong Man-seop wouldn’t have objected. But he had no innate talent, and even in his post-awakening, he barely received an E-rank. As someone who met countless talented individuals, Jeong Man-seop knew better than anyone that it was extremely difficult to start as an E-rank and succeed as a Hunter.

But what could he do?

His youngest child, the apple of his wife’s eye, insisted on living as a Hunter.

So he spared no expense in supporting him.

In case he died suddenly somewhere, Cheonsang provided a perfect training program to help Jeong Chan-woo’s growth. They checked if there were any problems with the quality of the party challenging the raids, and what support methods could improve Jeong Chan-woo’s abilities. If he had just listened, he would have worried less, but the report he received from the manager in charge this time made him dizzy.

The second child.

Jeong Hye-mi said.

“Dad, should I meet him once?”

“Forget it. If he doesn’t even listen to his father, do you think he’ll listen to his older sister? It’s better this way. He’s still young and full of energy, so he thinks the world revolves around him, but he needs to experience hitting a wall of reality to stop being stubborn.”

He was worried.

However, if a truly dangerous situation arose, the artifact he had recently gifted him would save Jeong Chan-woo’s life at least once. He had even bought it at a high price because of the previous ant den incident.

“Phew.”

He sighed.

Life was smooth sailing, but he felt like he was aging ten years because of his children.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Jeong Man-seop wasn’t the only one making a fuss over his children.

The secretary, who had received Yeon Gyu-seong’s orders, was raising his voice diligently in front of the party that was about to start their raid.

“As the Director has emphasized countless times, the most important thing in this raid is safety first, safety second, and safety third. You must return safely without any problems.”

This raid.

Finding a hunting ground wasn’t difficult.

They had purchased the right to raid by paying a fair price as Kang San insisted, but Yeon Gyu-seong’s influence had been involved in the selection of the hunting ground. After thorough verification of whether the price was appropriate and whether there were any problems with the hunting ground, they had sent a thick strategy guide for the ant den raid a few days ago. As if that wasn’t enough, the secretary had even come to visit right before the raid.

“Here’s a set of high-grade potions. Please take them regularly to manage your stamina, and in a really urgent situation, you can take this top-grade potion. As you know, top-grade potions are expensive items worth 100 million won each, but keep in mind that safety is more important. And this is an antidote. I heard that there are occasionally ants that use poison. It’s a kind of paralyzing poison, so this antidote should be enough to solve it, and this is…”

The explanation was long.

The party listened calmly.

Even if it was bothersome and troublesome, they knew it was a favor.

However.

When the explanation was over, Kang San said.

“I’ll gratefully use what you’ve given us. But if you plan to continue supporting us in the future, from now on, we’ll only accept support for consumables like potions.”

“Is there a special reason?”

“If we receive help with every problem, we’ll lose our self-reliance. Even in the selection of a hunting ground, how dangerous is that hunting ground, what monsters are there, and what direction should we take to attack those monsters? If we can’t judge those things for ourselves, we’ll inevitably face a crisis someday. Because in a series of choices, we won’t be able to survive forever under the protection of our father’s influence.”

“…I understand if that’s the reason.”

The secretary nodded.

He was also a Hunter.

Knowing the importance of experience, he intended to tell Yeon Gyu-seong about this as soon as he returned.

Kang San’s statement.

It was an issue that had already been discussed within the party.

In reality, when Kang San was struggling as an F-rank human shield, he honed his abilities through numerous experiences, even though his own abilities were lacking. Thanks to that, now that he had gained a new opportunity, he believed it would create explosive synergy. If he had faced the trials without any experience, Kang San would not have survived the first trial and would have died.

For that reason, he wanted experience.

No matter how well Kang San performed, he knew that he couldn’t improve the quality of the party by spoon-feeding them.

The secretary withdrew.

Preparations were complete.

Yeon Woo-bin, Jo Han-byeol, Jeong Chan-woo.

Looking at the party, Kang San said.

“Let’s go in.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The starting point was different from last time.

As soon as they entered, it was a tunnel.

It was a fairly wide space, but the holes that were pierced in the front brought back the nightmare from the past.

“Get ready.”

“Yes.”

Everyone got into formation.

Judging that they were all ready, Kang San took something out, placed it at the entrance of the ant den, and set it on fire.

Flare.

Sizzle.

Acrid smoke rose.

It was a kind of stimulant.

The smoke contained properties that ants hated, so Kang San intended to use this to provoke them. It was different from Golden Honey. Golden Honey was also used to attract ants, but the stimulant targeted soldier ants rather than ordinary ants trying to collect Golden Honey.

It was intentional.

To deal with the Queen Ant, they eventually had to annihilate them, so he intended to reduce the number of soldier ants first.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

“They’re coming.”

The walls shook.

And then.

D-rank soldier ants emerged from the holes in all directions.

Kreeek!

‘Trial’s Shield.’

Whoosh━

Kang San started.

Kang San drew the aggro, and the soldier ants that rushed in swung their huge front legs.

Crack!

For a moment.

He let out a chuckle.

He had been shocked when he faced them just a while ago, but he thought the soldier ants’ attacks were more manageable than he had expected. A dramatic increase in stats. The Kang San of that time and the Kang San of now were different. While Kang San was taking the attacks at the front, Yeon Woo-bin calmly prepared his magic and spread his mana.

“Fire Wave.”

Flare.

Whoosh.

Flames spread everywhere.

Blocking the limited space with flames, he dealt a powerful blow to the ants, who were weak to fire.

And at the same time.

‘Focused Shot.’

Whizz.

Thwack━!

Jo Han-byeol’s arrow struck.

If Yeon Woo-bin’s role was to block several passages and aim for as many enemies as possible with splash damage, Jo Han-byeol was tasked with accurately eliminating one ant at a time. He didn’t target just anyone either. Excluding the enemies that were facing Kang San right in front, the ants that were sticking out and seemed like they would come back around were pierced through the head by a single arrow that cut through the wind.

The beginning was smooth.

But the ant den’s notoriety wasn’t easily earned.

Even if they easily dealt with dozens of them, the ant den was a place where people eventually died because they couldn’t handle hundreds of them.

Kyaak.

Kreeek!

They kept pouring in.

Even though the corpses of the ants piled up and up, they kept pouring in, baring their ferocious teeth. Naturally, even Kang San couldn’t cover all areas. Because of the ants rushing in from the holes pierced all around, Kang San had to entrust some areas to Jeong Chan-woo.

It was dangerous.

Jeong Chan-woo was E-rank.

The soldier ants were D-rank.

Even if only one or two of them attached themselves, Jeong Chan-woo would inevitably struggle against the soldier ants.

Hook.

Stab!

He plunged his sword into the soldier ant’s head.

Hearing the voice saying that his attack power had increased due to the Blood Demon Art, Kang San glanced to check Jeong Chan-woo’s condition.

‘How’s Chan-woo doing?’

This raid.

Jeong Chan-woo’s role was very important.

If he collapsed, Kang San would acknowledge that it was impossible to raid the ant den with the current party and retreat.

But.

“Woo-bin! I can still hold on, so use your magic calmly!”

Right in front of Yeon Woo-bin.

Jeong Chan-woo was perfectly fulfilling his role.

Training with Kang San.

Jeong Chan-woo had entered a period of change in his own way.