Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 70

Chapter 70: The Tenth Trial （1）

Everyday life is different for everyone.

For some, everyday life is waking up in the morning and having a cup of coffee, while for others, it’s stretching only after the sun has risen high in the sky. For Kim Myeong-min, who runs the Ranger unit, the “emergency signal” blaring felt like everyday life.

“What’s the situation?”

『I’ll send you the file as well, but it’s a C-rank isolation incident. The golden time is about 3 hours from now. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be an immediately dangerous situation, but if it goes beyond that, we can’t guarantee the safety of the rescue targets.』

“Got it. I’ll check it out and deploy.”

Click.

He hung up the phone.

Checking the file, an isolation incident had occurred in a C-rank hunting ground, as reported by the situation officer.

The hunting ground was Moon’s Hill, inhabited by Werewolves. In fact, it was a difficulty level that wouldn’t be a problem at all for the ranks of the rescue targets. As always, there was a high probability that a variable had occurred, or perhaps complacency had invited trouble. Currently, all of Kim Myeong-min’s team members were on standby. They could be deployed within 30 minutes, but suddenly Kang San’s existence came to mind.

‘I need to confirm Kang San’s position now.’

The last mission.

Kang San had shown his abilities.

At first, Yoon Ji-tae, who had been negative, acknowledged Kang San as a person, but even so, the prevailing opinion was that he was still unfit to be a Ranger. Rangers are people who constantly risk their lives. Even with colleagues they completely trust, their lives are in danger, so they couldn’t leave an ambiguous existence like Kang San alone forever. Either fully accept him, or, as much as it’s regrettable, completely exclude him from the team. A decision as the team leader was needed.

Coincidentally, the team member who had entered seclusion training had also returned.

It was a golden opportunity not only to show Kang San the team’s power but also to introduce Kang San to all the team members.

In that sense.

『Kang San』

Kim Myeong-min found the number and pressed the call button.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Thud.

He hung up the phone.

From the moment he ended the call with Kim Myeong-min, no, from the moment he answered the phone with trembling hands, Kang San’s heart had been pounding like crazy.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

“…Fuck.”

He was being told to join the mission.

As always, Kim Myeong-min didn’t force him, and Kang San wanted to refuse this mission more than anything. But he couldn’t. From the moment he accepted the trial of Azmoon’s Apostle, Kang San lost the choice to live as he pleased.

『The tenth hardship and trial have been assigned.』

『Due to the karma of an evil person, you must enter a deadly place from now on. There will be no more moderate risks, and disasters you cannot handle may push you into the abyss of death. If you overcome all these dangers and rescue the targets without a single casualty, you can live as ‘Azmoon’s Apostle’ and retain everything you’ve gained so far.』

『Reward: All Stats +10, Fragment of Memory』

“Ugh.”

He buried his face in the ground.

Nausea welled up, making it hard for him to regain his composure.

He knew it himself.

That he couldn’t refuse.

That he couldn’t turn back.

Dizziness made his head spin, but Kang San gritted his teeth and lifted his head.

‘I don’t have time for this. Kim Myeong-min told me to meet at the rendezvous point within an hour. Even if I take a taxi right now, I won’t have much time to prepare. I need to get there as soon as possible to be fully prepared.’

There was no time to delay.

Time spent dwelling on emotions was a luxury, and to increase his chances of survival, he had to utilize every minute and second efficiently. The golden time wasn’t just for the rescue targets. It was the same for Kang San. He called a taxi and quickly arrived in Seoul, heading straight to the scroll shop.

“I’ll take this, that, and that one too. Give me everything.”

“…Everything?”

“Yes, everything.”

The owner’s eyes widened.

Ignoring him, Kang San spent all the money he had recently saved to buy scrolls.

Things were tight financially after he paid for Kim Chun-sik’s grandmother’s hospital bills, but now wasn’t the time to worry about such things. This was a life-or-death situation. A few pennies wouldn’t matter if he died.

Kim Myeong-min had said.

That it was only a C-rank.

That it wouldn’t be difficult, as they were mobilizing the entire team.

Logically, his judgment wasn’t wrong, but Kang San knew it wouldn’t go as smoothly as he said.

Luca Bellino, walking towards him with firm steps.

That look in her eyes, as if she loathed him.

As the tenth trial explained, it was entering a deadly place.

He had made thorough preparations by purchasing all the scrolls, but Kang San’s heart wouldn’t calm down as he stepped out of the shop.

Thump-thump,

thump-thump.

Only then did he realize.

His unhappy life.

The reason he had struggled and persevered until the very end wasn’t because he was particularly great or had strong willpower.

It was simply.

Because he wanted to live.

Kang San gritted his teeth at the harsh reality.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At that moment.

Yoon Ji-tae, a member of the Rangers, asked.

“……That rookie from back then is joining too?”

“I just heard from the team leader. He said he’ll arrive within an hour.”

“Sigh.”

Yoon Ji-tae rubbed his face.

Despite the warning he gave at their last meeting, the rookie was clueless and responded to Kim Myeong-min’s call.

“I really don’t know what kind of guy he is. It’s not like being a Ranger brings any special wealth or glory, but he said he’d come even after I told him all that. I don’t understand anymore. The team leader who called the rookie or the rookie who accepted it. I don’t understand either of them.”

Their conversation.

A sturdy man who was listening nearby reacted.

“That rookie. Was he that bad to warrant such a reaction?”

The man was the main Tanker.

His name was Ju Seok-hun.

He hadn’t participated in the last mission under the guise of seclusion training.

Yoon Ji-tae looked up at Ju Seok-hun and said.

“……It’s not that. He had a good personality, and his skills were unbelievably good for his rank. But you know, don’t you? The more that’s the case, the more he doesn’t belong here. We’ve seen too many cases where good people, because they’re good people, die. Moreover, the fact that the position he has to take on is a Tanker means that the possibility of him getting hurt before he has time to grow is very high.”

“I know that well. That’s why I went through all that hardship.”

All of them.

They had the same pain.

Because of the incident where they lost a team member, Kim Myeong-min had temporarily stepped down to a non-critical position, and Ju Seok-hun had also entered seclusion training, taking responsibility for his part. If his previous impression was of a friendly and easygoing person, now his face had become sharp as he lost weight.

That’s why he agreed.

Yoon Ji-tae’s reaction was, paradoxically, negative because he liked Kang San.

He knew well that Rangers weren’t given enough time for a rookie to grow.

Ju Seok-hun looked at Kim Myeong-min in the distance.

“……Still, if it’s an unavoidable encounter, I hope he’s a good person, like you said.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Exactly one hour later.

Kang San arrived.

He exchanged glances with those he knew, and briefly introduced himself to those he was meeting for the first time.

As it was last time, sufficient interaction was impossible before a mission.

Kim Myeong-min went straight to the point.

“The operation area this time is C-rank ‘Moon’s Hill’. It’s a place inhabited by C-rank monsters, Werewolves, but it’s classified as C-rank because their numbers aren’t large. The rescue targets requested rescue due to unexpected injuries and are reportedly taking shelter in a suitable location, so it’s not considered very dangerous. However, the situation can change at any time, so we plan to enter quickly. Any questions?”

Swish.

Kang San raised his hand.

Everyone looked surprised.

As Kim Myeong-min gave him a look that said he could speak, Kang San opened his mouth.

“What if, contrary to the information we have, the number of Werewolves is large?”

“That’s not a problem. With the current strength of the Ranger team, we can handle a variable like the number of individuals.”

Kim Myeong-min usually spoke respectfully to Kang San.

But right now, it was a briefing as the team leader, so the target audience wasn’t limited to just Kang San. Although the questioner was Kang San, he spoke as if conveying the answer to the question to others as well.

As Kim Myeong-min said.

In the end, it was only C-rank.

With the power of the party, which included three B-ranks, a variable like the number of individuals wasn’t a problem at all.

Nevertheless, Kang San’s questions continued.

“Still, what if there’s a variable that we can’t handle? Have there been any cases in Moon’s Hill that would make us judge the situation as dangerous? This operation might be more dangerous than we think. I’m not doubting the team’s strength, but if such a situation arises, there’s a need to have forces on standby for immediate deployment. And……”

“That’s enough.”

He cut him off.

Kim Myeong-min reacted coldly.

“There’s no such thing as perfect preparation for a Ranger mission. Because things happen suddenly and quickly, we always choose the best course of action. It doesn’t mean we’re being careless. We have to protect ourselves, so if a variable arises, we have to immediately find the best way to increase our chances of survival. However, excessive worry only leads to the deaths of the rescue targets.”

It was a dilemma.

The safety of the Rangers.

Of course, it was important, but if they were to prepare for every variable, they wouldn’t be able to rescue the rescue targets in the first place.

In that sense, he reacted firmly.

Even though Kim Myeong-min was favorably disposed towards Kang San, he couldn’t accept what sounded like whining before a mission.

Of course, the truth was different.

Kang San knew.

This mission.

That a variable they couldn’t handle would definitely occur.

But there was no way to convince people within the realm of common sense.

In this current situation where there was a golden time, all Kang San could do was make claims that weren’t backed up by persuasive evidence. In the end, he backed down. Kim Myeong-min wasn’t being careless at all, and since he had already made all the preparations before Kang San arrived, any ‘further’ excessiveness wasn’t accepted.

Kim Myeong-min said.

“We’ll enter the operation area in 3 minutes.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

It was a minor issue.

It could have ended as a trivial matter, but as soon as Kim Myeong-min finished speaking, Yoon Ji-tae approached and said.

“If you’re that scared, you should drop out now.”

“…….”

He looked at him without saying anything.

Under Kang San’s gaze, Yoon Ji-tae didn’t stop talking.

“Didn’t I clearly tell you last time how dangerous our job is? But if you’re going to be nervous, mentioning excessive variables, you shouldn’t have joined in the first place. You should have listened to my advice and accepted that this job isn’t something you can handle. Why on earth did you join this mission if you’re so worried?”

It was a difference in perspective.

Kang San had his own perspective, but from Yoon Ji-tae’s point of view, who didn’t know the truth, it was a situation that could understandably make him angry.

Kang San’s barrage of questions.

It was something that dampened the team’s morale.

The Rangers had accomplished countless missions centered around Kim Myeong-min so far, so it was natural for them to be annoyed by a rookie with less skill bringing up all sorts of variables. Didn’t they know that too? But since it was something that had to be done quickly, they knew from experience that a certain degree of choice and focus was necessary.

“……I was out of line. I apologize.”

“It’s not too late now. If you value your life even a little, go to the team leader right now and tell him you’re quitting.”

Yoon Ji-tae turned around abruptly.

Did he know?

That Kang San valued his life.

That he didn’t want to take unnecessary risks.

The reason he couldn’t turn back was a completely different kind of problem from the sense of mission the Rangers had.

‘I expected this. If I can’t prepare for the variables, I have no choice but to face them head-on.’

There was no other way.

Kang San gritted his teeth and followed Yoon Ji-tae as he walked ahead.