Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 68

Chapter 68: F-rank Instructor-nim （3）

Lee Su-chan back then was different from now.

He wasn’t a C-rank, but an E-rank, and it wasn’t a well-equipped party, but a group of ragtag individuals who had just met.

“Aah━!”

Lee Su-chan’s scream echoed.

During the battle, he was hit by a poison dart fired by a Goblin.

The problem was that there were still many enemies to deal with.

Lee Su-chan, who had collapsed on the floor and was trembling, saw a Goblin charging at him, intending to kill him.

Kieek!

‘Am I going to die like this?’

His mind went blank.

Others were not in a position to care for him.

At that moment, unable to even close his eyes due to the paralysis, Lee Su-chan saw it clearly.

Tang━!

Kang San.

He blocked the Goblin.

He was an F-rank human shield hired just to fill the numbers, but he, whom Lee Su-chan hadn’t expected anything from, was tangled up with the Goblin. It was a truly pathetic battle. When the Goblin’s teeth dug into his forearm, Kang San gritted his teeth and struck the Goblin’s head with his weapon. Thud, thud, the sound of the blows being driven down was so crude that it gave him goosebumps.

In the end, he defeated the Goblin.

Kang San staggered over and fed Lee Su-chan something.

‘Antidote?’

He was sure.

As the liquid flowed into his mouth, he felt his stiff body loosen up.

“……How did you get this?”

It was an implied question.

How did he know that the Goblin used a paralyzing poison among its many poisons, and how did he prepare the antidote that precisely countered it? His wavering eyes looked at Kang San. Kang San, taking care of Lee Su-chan, spoke calmly.

“Your face turning blue is the paralyzing effect of the ‘Blue Flower Petal’ used by Goblins. I’m quite thorough in my preparations, so I happened to have an antidote that could neutralize it. Ah, by the way, you’ll have to pay for this separately. I don’t earn much, so I can’t afford the cost of the antidote myself.”

“……Wouldn’t you be losing money if I didn’t pay you?”

Kang San’s daily wage.

The price of the antidote.

There wasn’t much difference.

Lee Su-chan blurted out words he wouldn’t normally say.

He was curious about the way Kang San was acting, and he wanted to ask him for some reason.

Kang San looked at Lee Su-chan and smiled.

“Even so. You have to be alive for me to be alive, right?”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Lee Su-chan said.

“He was a very unique person. Most F-rank human shields give up on their future as Hunters and mostly live day by day. But Kang San, that person was different. He was perfectly prepared for any variables that might arise, and when others were preoccupied with the enemy in front of them, he accurately understood the essence of protecting the Mage. In fact, it was just a matter of who died first, but if I had died, that party would have been in real danger.”

That was why.

The thought occurred to him that Kang San, who was clinging to a single ‘Light Magic’, might be able to do it.

“But you know what? That day, after the situation was over, we had time to talk separately. At that time, I sincerely advised him not to do this job anymore. I had checked his profile when I hired him as a human shield, and I knew that Kang San was a bottom-feeder who hadn’t been promoted for years after being assigned F-rank. Maybe I said that out of gratitude for saving my life. This is a world where even talented people can die anytime and anywhere, so I told him not to waste his energy on meaningless tasks. What could you possibly do in the future? I said that no matter how hard he struggled, nothing would change, so it would be better for him to join the military and handle firearms, which would be a way to create a better future than now.”

He smiled bitterly.

He thought it was necessary advice at the time.

Someone had to say it, and he thought that even if he didn’t have the right to do so because his life was saved, he had to be brave.

It’s reality.

In reality, countless F-ranks like Kang San die like moths drawn to a flame, don’t they?

“But now I see that I made a really big mistake. The person I thought had no future has become a D-rank Hunter after three years. Not only did he pass the test faster than me, but he’s even teaching me, who has developed with Cheonsang’s backing. Isn’t it funny? I thought I had grown rapidly since I was rated E-rank in my acquired Awakening and I’m even being called a promising talent after joining Project B team. But my position has been switched with someone who was an F-rank human shield.”

“……”

“Team Leader. No, Hyung. You know what I mean, Hyung. This is definitely not a coincidence.”

Min Yeong-gi’s eyes wavered.

Just a passing connection.

If it was Kang San who talked about variables even in the fragments of his memory, his way of thinking, which derives results from a single Light Magic, must be sincere. He must have taken care of the minor details, which is why he achieved the overwhelming result of 40 minutes.

Because he experienced the past.

Lee Su-chan accepted reality.

To Min Yeong-gi, who still couldn’t accept the absurdity, Lee Su-chan spoke sincerely.

“So, stop being so proud. Even if the opponent is a former F-rank human shield, even if he’s a D-rank, one level below us. The fact that we can’t catch up to the result of 40 minutes doesn’t change.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Min Yeong-gi returned to his seat.

He seemed to have sorted out his thoughts, and as soon as he faced Kang San, he bowed his head.

“……I apologize. If my judgment was correct, I should have given a logical answer to support it, but I momentarily thought that the instructor’s claim was unconditionally wrong. From now on, I will try to accurately judge the meaning of the teaching, rather than responding emotionally.”

“It’s alright.”

Kang San didn’t mind.

It was an expected reaction, so he asked back.

“So, do you agree that Light Magic was wrong?”

“Yes. If there is a time limit, I think we shouldn’t have given the Mages a clear way to protect themselves or given them excessive roles to respond to variables. The Mage who was injured in the fall suffered more fatal damage in the fall than the other Mages because he had to hurry due to the time constraint and used Light Magic and various other support magics at the same time. I agree with that.”

“That’s right. But that doesn’t mean that the decision to use Light was unconditionally wrong. Magic can be used for various purposes, and a Mage who plays a supporting role in both offense and defense can be quite efficient. However, as we can see from this failure, a more cautious approach is needed, considering the Mage’s physical weakness.”

“I understand.”

The controversy was settled.

The video was skipped.

Kang San pointed out the minor details.

The party members’ formation, the switch between offense and defense.

These were understandable areas, but their opinions clashed once again during the fall incident.

Min Yeong-gi said.

“Honestly, I don’t quite understand this situation. A fall is a sudden disaster. The instructor’s party responded quickly with Gravity, but you can’t respond to every variable like that. Whether the ground collapses, something falls from the sky, or a monster you didn’t expect suddenly appears. It’s impossible to respond perfectly to everything, isn’t it? I think this response is at the level of prophecy.”

“I agree that you can’t respond to every variable. But there are variables that you have to anticipate.”

Everyone listened attentively.

It was a discussion in the purest sense, not a denial of each other’s opinions.

“Whether we go on a raid or take a test, there is information we can check. This test was conducted in a confined terrain like a cave, and variables such as stalactites falling from the ceiling and the ground collapsing are within the range that can be sufficiently anticipated geographically. This is also true when dealing with spiders. When a D-rank Black Spider appears, you need to anticipate the appearance of a similar species, the Green Spider, and properly distribute your mana. Moreover, since it’s a time attack, the Mage will be burdened excessively, so thorough preparation is even more necessary. That’s the kind of preparation I mean. My party had Gravity and Jump, which are like prophetic responses, because we experienced something like this before, but it’s necessary to make minimal preparations even with information that can be grasped immediately. Above all, the most fatal mistake is that there’s no need for three people to be at the front in a narrow terrain. By excessively blocking a space that can be sufficiently covered by two people, the Mages tend to be dangerously exposed, relying on one Mage who plays a supporting role.”

“Then you mean that the formation needs to be adjusted?”

“That also seems like a good judgment. If the Sub-Tanker had taken a position to respond to variables, they could have shown a move to protect the Mages when they fell. Of course, that doesn’t mean they could have completely prevented the fall. However, it would have been much easier to either block the monsters that might be below by falling together or to bring the Mages back up.”

It became a conversation.

When Kang San pointed out the situation, Min Yeong-gi expressed his thoughts.

Kang San explained why it became a problem, and Min Yeong-gi accepted it after sufficient discussion.

The prejudice disappeared.

Kang San’s ability.

Kang San’s existence was accepted as it was.

Not only Lee Su-chan’s story, but Kang San’s logic always had sufficient grounds.

A 55-minute test.

Time had already passed for over an hour, but the heated discussion showed no signs of ending.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

A series of situations.

Jeong Hye-mi looked on with a strange expression.

The situation, which seemed like it would end in disaster at first, flowed in an ideal direction as they had a serious conversation with each other.

‘Kang San, what kind of person are you?’

From F-rank.

His beginnings were humble.

But in the last few months, he has shown tremendous growth, and he has not only reached D-rank but also shown excellent performance in actual combat. Listening to the logical explanation, she seemed to understand. The 40-minute record in the C-rank test was not a coincidence, and Kang San always judged the situation logically and prepared for variables.

Minor details.

The accumulated time of 1 or 2 seconds saved in that way resulted in a difference of 15 minutes from Project B team.

She liked it.

She felt her body heating up.

As a manager, she wanted to recruit Kang San no matter what.

‘Even if I can’t recruit him. Offering Kang San the position of instructor was an excellent decision.’

Look at the situation in front of you.

Project B team.

They were accepting Kang San’s experience.

Even just their growth made the connection with Kang San worth the investment.

Of course.

She will somehow hold on to this thread of connection.

Jeong Hye-mi was lost in thought about how to persuade Kang San before the six months of the contract expired.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The first lecture was over.

Min Yeong-gi bowed his head first.

“……Thank you for your hard work. And I’m sorry for the beginning.”

“No. In fact, I know it’s not easy to accept. My rank is low, and I don’t have a clear career. But thank you for listening to the end.”

“I’m grateful that you understand. And I look forward to your guidance next time.”

A two-hour lecture.

During that time, which could be considered short in reality, Min Yeong-gi and Project B team sincerely accepted it.

Minor details.

They saw the difference.

Kang San didn’t respond to variables by chance, but the accumulated details gave him the room to respond.

Lee Su-chan approached.

He didn’t specifically mention the past.

He was also embarrassed about advising Kang San, but Kang San smiled at Lee Su-chan who was approaching.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“……Do you remember me?”

“Of course. I don’t easily forget my former colleagues.”

Beyond memory.

Kang San recalled the last moment with Lee Su-chan, who had left a deep impression.