Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 62

Chapter 62: A Nail that Sticks Out （4）

A short while ago.

The test was in full swing.

Green Spiders were swarming before their eyes.

Dealing with them wasn’t difficult, but along with the green venom they spewed, hundreds of baby spiders flew towards them. Yeon Woo-bin’s mind quickly assessed the situation. He knew that if he used powerful magic to deal with the babies, he would run out of mana in no time.

Fire Arrow.

Fwoosh.

Boom!

1st Circle.

He chose the fire magic that could be cast the fastest and was most effective against the babies.

Fwoosh!

The babies burned up in an instant.

Fire Arrow couldn’t defeat the adult Green Spiders, but the babies, which burrowed into armor and inflicted continuous damage, were no problem at all. It was one of the solutions he came up with after reviewing past battles. Appropriate magic for the situation, efficient mana distribution to avoid excessive over-facing.

That wasn’t all.

After attacking with 1st Circle magic and judging that the Green Spiders were grouped together, he immediately cast a higher-level spell.

Salamander’s Breath.”

Whoosh-

Fwoosh!

The Salamander’s form unleashed a powerful flame.

Kang San had herded the monsters to one side in time for this, and with just one spell, he inflicted the most efficient damage. The heat from the crackling flames could be felt. Instead of immediately casting the next spell, Yeon Woo-bin took a deep breath and drank a mana potion.

‘The situation is calm now. Still, I need to manage my mana in advance for the future.’

Exhaustion.

It was the result of not taking proper breaks.

Instead of overexerting himself to deal with the enemies in front of him, Yeon Woo-bin wiped them out with a powerful spell and then secured time to catch his breath. His party was still fighting amongst the enemies. But since it wasn’t a dangerous situation, he believed they would hold out. It was about stamina distribution. Distinguishing between when to pour everything out and when not to, Yeon Woo-bin prevented himself from collapsing from exhaustion in advance.

Kang San’s party.

The firepower was entirely Yeon Woo-bin’s responsibility.

Yeon Woo-bin’s stamina management was an essential element that everyone agreed on.

Thanks to that, they gained speed.

Despite taking appropriate breaks and moving forward, their speed was overwhelmingly faster compared to other parties that had momentarily lost their rear dealers. Kang San kept checking the time in between. He emphasized that the situation was relaxed to prevent the party members from getting impatient.

How far had they traveled?

Variables kept occurring.

While casting a spell, a stalactite fell from above, targeting Yeon Woo-bin.

However.

“Watch out!”

Thud!

Jeong Chan-woo quickly blocked it.

Yeon Woo-bin wasn’t the only one prepared for variables.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

What was Jeong Chan-woo’s role?

It was to defensively respond to all variables in the rear.

As the stalactite swayed as if about to fall, Jeong Chan-woo, who was observing the surroundings, moved quickly before it even fell.

“Watch out!”

Thud!

He blocked it with ease.

When he raised his shield, the stalactite bounced off, and Yeon Woo-bin didn’t even stop casting, as if he knew he would be protected. It was mutual trust. Especially since everyone had shown exceptional skills in the ant nest, there was a belief that their colleagues would perfectly fulfill their roles.

‘What’s the situation?’

Jeong Chan-woo kept looking around.

He had heard Kang San’s teachings until his ears were raw.

Above, below, everywhere.

No matter what variable occurred, develop the sensitivity to react one step ahead.

Kang San, who had been a human shield and could do nothing if his party members died, emphasized the importance of colleagues. Jeong Chan-woo was the same now. He followed his mentor’s direction. Thanks to this, the rear’s stability was secured, and just like Jeong Chan-woo, Jo Han-byeol responded to sudden variables in the ‘offensive aspect’.

Deudeudeudeu.

Screech!

Suddenly, a Green Spider burst out of the ground.

It was a split second.

It took about 3 seconds for the ground to shake and for it to reveal itself, but as soon as it screamed, an arrow pierced its head.

Thwack!

‘Focused Shot.’

It was a quick reaction.

Jo Han-byeol’s attacks always prioritized threats to the rear, so he was able to immediately respond to the Green Spider’s surprise appearance. The baby spiders that burst out as the Green Spider’s head exploded were not a problem. Jeong Chan-woo took them head-on, and Jo Han-byeol’s continuous fire tore the babies apart.

Their breaths were synchronized.

Thanks to this, they didn’t have to slow down.

While Kang San and Yeon Woo-bin focused on attack and defense, Jeong Chan-woo and Jo Han-byeol adequately filled in the gaps. Of course, this was only possible with a tanker who could block numerous enemies and a mage with powerful firepower to wipe them all out, but the two’s supplementary roles were like smooth lubricants.

That combination.

Made a meaningful difference.

In situations where casting had to be interrupted due to attacks, they could continue casting without interruption.

In situations where they had to be mindful of the rear while blocking enemies at the front, they could focus solely on the front.

Every situation.

Repeated battles.

The difference of 2-3 seconds kept accumulating.

It piled up and became 10 seconds, 1 minute, and 10 minutes.

Rumble!

Screech!

“It’s the Black Spider Queen.”

“Finally, the boss monster.”

They finally encountered the boss.

The C-rank Black Spider Queen.

It was definitely a threatening opponent, but the monster couldn’t hold out for long and eventually collapsed.

Thud.

Rumble.

It was a truly overwhelming result, achieved in exactly 40 minutes after the test began.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The official’s words.

Jeong Hye-mi couldn’t readily accept them.

‘That’s impossible.’

40 minutes, they said.

Even Project B, which she had put her heart and soul into, took 55 minutes despite responding quickly to variables.

So, the words that a party of ragtag members, not even all D-rank, passed in just 40 minutes were something Jeong Hye-mi couldn’t accept logically. At first, she called Jeong Chan-woo to confirm. But no matter how many times she called, he didn’t answer, and conspiracy theories started to swell in her mind.

‘Could there be some kind of foul play in this result that I don’t know about?’

Think about it.

If Daeyang was the culprit.

Could they possibly be happy with the fact that only Project B passed out of the 6 teams that took the test this time?

Just like Jeong Hye-mi had heavily promoted, despite the high difficulty, Project B was the only team that passed through the filter. Then, what kind of trick would be needed to completely diminish Cheonsang’s achievements? It was a result like this. If there was a party that passed faster than Project B, Jeong Hye-mi wouldn’t be able to make excuses about the filter.

‘It’s definitely strange. According to what I heard from Min Yeong-gi, it was the kind of variable that was difficult to respond to without anticipating it. If an official bribed by Daeyang had told them in advance about the type of trap, the results would be completely different.’

She started walking.

As long as there was suspicion, she couldn’t back down like this.

She went back to the official.

Not the one who had told her the results, but the one who had sneered at her an hour ago.

She said to him.

“Could I possibly see the test video of the sixth party?”

“Why? Are you suspicious because they finished too quickly?”

The official sneered.

He knew immediately why Jeong Hye-mi was acting like this.

In fact, hadn’t he also been shocked when he checked the results a while ago?

The official said.

“I understand. Why you’re reacting like this. If it’s you, who protested because you couldn’t accept the test results, you must be very suspicious that there’s some foul play behind a result that surpasses Project B. But you see, if you watch the test video, you’ll understand the reason right away. How they managed to defeat the boss monster in 40 minutes, and why we unanimously declared them passed right after the test ended.”

The test video is only available to those who request it.

It can be disclosed at the official’s discretion.

If there had been any cheating, he would have refused, but the official found this situation rather amusing.

“See for yourself. How a party that’s been through the field responds to variables.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

She played the video.

It was impressive from the start.

As soon as the four-member party confirmed that their surroundings were pitch black, they lit up the area without any special conversation.

『Traveler’s Lantern』

Normally, she would have been impressed.

Although it was a minor point, this one scene alone showed that they had a certain level of teamwork. But seeing it through biased eyes, she wondered if they might not have needed a conversation because they had anticipated this situation in advance.

‘No. Let’s not jump to conclusions.’

It’s a party that includes her younger brother.

Even though Jeong Chan-woo was immature, he was definitely not the type to commit fraud that could cause legal problems.

The video continued.

Soon, Black Spiders appeared, and the battle began.

But.

‘……Is this the skill of an E-rank tanker?’

At the forefront.

Kang San’s presence swelled.

The party didn’t react much when the Black Spiders appeared, but Kang San alone stood in front of them as if it were natural. At first, she thought it was dangerous. Black Spiders are D-rank monsters. No matter how aspiring a tanker might be, it would be difficult to handle that many alone.

Contrary to her worries.

Kang San blocked them incredibly well.

And Yeon Woo-bin’s explosive magic seemed to show how they had cleared the ant nest.

‘Their skills are extraordinary. The tanker doesn’t seem overwhelmed at all despite facing multiple Black Spiders, and the mage’s firepower is overwhelming compared to others of the same rank.’

It was still early.

Jo Han-byeol and Jeong Chan-woo didn’t have many opportunities to step up, but just looking at Kang San and Yeon Woo-bin, it was clear that this wasn’t a party formed as a joke. However, she didn’t show any signs of admiration. If this was all there was to it, she wouldn’t consider it a skill worthy of surpassing Project B’s achievements.

Project B was also fast.

Until they encountered the variable.

They definitely showed good momentum at the beginning, but when the mages fell, they had to spend time rescuing them. And as they had to slow down their progress to deal with injuries and variables, they faced a rather disappointing result compared to the 55 minutes they had advertised.

So she wanted to confirm.

How the 40-minute result was achieved.

That’s when it happened.

The situation she had been waiting for occurred.

『Rumble.』

The ground collapsed.

It was aimed precisely at the mage, and it was such a surprise trap that it was disconcerting even though she knew about ‘the existence of the trap’. This was unavoidable. How could anyone react when the ground suddenly collapses while they’re focused on monsters?

In a split second.

『Gravity』

The mage’s shoes glowed.

He floated up, slowing down his fall, and the party didn’t seem too flustered by the situation. Their subsequent reaction was also absurd. In Project B, the warrior Min Yeong-gi had personally gone down to rescue the mage, but a situation unfolded that was unbelievable even to her eyes.

『Jump』

The mage soared into the sky.

Without anyone’s help, he landed back on the ground on his own.

It was a natural flow.

The ground collapsed, the mage fell, and the mage climbed back up to the ground.

It was a situation where someone could have died or been injured, but the mage’s reaction to the variable and the party’s reaction to it were calm. The battle resumed. As if nothing had happened, they used magic, and this unbelievable party didn’t treat the variable as a ‘variable’.

This series of events.

Jeong Hye-mi found herself impressed without realizing it.

“……What is this?”

This was truly.

A bewildering situation.