Chapter 75: The Tenth Trial （6）
When was the most despairing moment in Kang San’s life?
When he failed?
No.
He had become so accustomed to the countless, repeated failures that, at some point, he stopped feeling despair. It was an everyday occurrence. To him, who had lived an unfortunate life, failure was an expected outcome, a reality he had to accept. If he had wallowed in despair every time he failed, he would have suffocated and wouldn’t have been able to live.
However,
There were times he couldn’t bear it.
When he had to accept the outcome of failure without even being able to attempt it in the first place.
Kang San could never forget that moment.
“…”
He was dumbfounded.
On the day of the exam, for which he had prepared himself while suffering nosebleeds, the door wouldn’t open no matter how hard he pushed.
He tried smashing the door with a chair and screamed for help until his throat was raw, but the tightly shut door wouldn’t budge. At first, he didn’t understand why. But when the door finally opened, Kang San witnessed the truth.
It was a bicycle.
A bicycle, not even his, had been carelessly left overturned in front of the door, blocking it.
A middle-aged man said with an embarrassed face,
“I’m sorry about that. I’ll be careful next time.”
The truth was devastatingly absurd.
The man who lived on the first floor had left his bicycle in the basement because there was no other suitable place.
It had fallen over and blocked the door. Looking at the man laughing it off as if it were nothing, Kang San felt a surge of murderous intent for the first time in his life. A million thoughts ran through his head. Was his life destined to be filled with nothing but failures? Was he meant to live a life where no matter how much he tried, there would be no reward? Was trying to change his life such a great ambition that it could be ruined by such a ridiculous incident?
Suddenly,
A thought crossed his mind.
If his life had no future, wouldn’t he feel better if he killed the man who had caused this situation?
Don’t humans have a tendency to drag someone down with them if they can’t climb up themselves?
“…F*ck.”
He covered his face with both hands.
As expected, it wasn’t the case.
He couldn’t k*ll someone over something like this.
Even if the other person’s actions had led to a bad outcome, it couldn’t justify m*rder.
That’s how he was.
No matter how unhappy he was, he didn’t want to express his anger towards others and the world; he wanted to find the responsibility within himself.
And above all,
‘I want to live.’
Just like everyone else.
He wanted to live an ordinary, everyday life, not a miserable life in prison for committing m*rder.
So he had to suppress his murderous intent.
Because he knew the price.
To live within the bounds of common sense.
That was all.
That was the only reason he didn’t go astray.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
A criminal once said,
That on the day he heard his teacher’s verbal abuse, a devil began to grow within his heart.
People are influenced by their environment, but not everyone goes astray in the same way under the same circumstances.
That was Kang San.
Despite having a past that could be used as an excuse by most criminals, Kang San grew up upright, forming his own values. A life different from others. He hated the idea of committing crimes, ending up in prison, unable to reveal his identity properly because of shame. He had ignored the devil’s voice that sometimes roared within him, urging him to take that path.
Everyone lived like that.
Not everyone was a saint, but not crossing the line was the basic requirement for being a member of society.
Kang San’s past life was different.
He crossed the line and became a murderer.
Kang San in his current life was different.
He kept to the line and never committed a wrong that would make him ashamed under the heavens, despite all the misfortunes.
Therefore,
He couldn’t die here.
The life he had endured wasn’t meant to end like this.
He desperately wanted to survive.
He wanted to settle the d*mn trials of his past life and live a life where he could enjoy the leisure of everyday life, just like everyone else.
‘I will never die.’
At that moment,
His heart stopped pounding.
His blood ran cold, and he began to analyze the situation before him rationally.
Kyaak━!
Thud.
He blocked the Werewolf that lunged at him.
Even in that moment, his eyes darted around.
He grasped the surrounding situation.
‘Roughly twenty to thirty Werewolves are in sight. We’ve dealt with some, but with the Lord present, our current strength isn’t enough. Ultimately, what we need is time until the rescue team arrives. We have to hold on somehow.’
Whoosh.
He dodged an attack.
Kang San kicked off the ground.
In the chaotic situation, Kang San decided to finish off the Werewolves that were sprawled on the ground.
Puck!
『Blood Demon Art effect activated.』
『Attack power temporarily increased by 15%.』
He had dealt with five monsters so far.
All of them were on the brink of death when he finished them off, but Kang San started to actively sever their last breath. Fortunately, there were plenty of suitable targets. The Werewolves, still dazed from Yoon Ji-tae’s magic, were helpless against Kang San’s attacks.
It was intentional.
He deliberately stimulated his Primal Instinct .
He knew that if he couldn’t boost the power of the Blood Demon Art in the meantime, he wouldn’t be able to survive this absurd situation.
Kyaaaak.
C*ack.
It was a close call.
As his Primal Instinct grew stronger, the solid line that was turning darker headed for his head. Kang San took a breath and slightly turned his head. As a D-rank, he had to choose evasion as much as possible. The moment he pushed the opponent back with his shield, the attacks of the sub-dealers rained down. With a glance, he saw Yoon Ji-tae’s magic power surging explosively.
Crackle━
He infiltrated the space.
He knew it was dangerous.
But if Yoon Ji-tae’s attacks couldn’t land effectively, the party’s chances of winning would plummet.
Kyaak.
Kraaaak!
The enemies gathered.
With no room to dodge, Kang San raised his shield.
“Iron Man.”
Thump.
Kwaang━!
He was pushed back.
It was a shock that felt like it would make him v*mit everything inside him.
Thanks to blocking that attack, Yoon Ji-tae was able to clearly set the ‘coordinates’.
“Fire Cannon.”
Hwarururururuk.
Kwaang!
Kieeeeek!
The magic exploded.
The Werewolves screamed as flames engulfed the world, and Kang San tore a scroll enchanted with Protector magic, temporarily increasing his defense. He couldn’t retreat from the blazing space. Instead, he pushed forward, forcing the enemies to struggle in the flames.
That was when it happened.
“Above!”
It was Kim Myeong-min’s voice.
At the same time, he felt a murderous intent directed towards him. Kang San rolled on the ground without even checking.
Kwaang━!
It was the Lord.
The Lord’s ferocious attack passed over his head. Even though he was gasping for breath, Kang San didn’t take his eyes off the Lord. He couldn’t lose sight of it. When the murderous intent emanating from the Lord clearly formed a line, Kang San instinctively twisted his body in response.
Hook━!
“Keuk.”
It was certain.
The Lord was targeting him.
Kang San gritted his teeth and retreated, then reacted to the murderous intent again.
Hook.
Hoook, Hook━!
It was an attack that sent chills down his spine.
Just blocking it with his shield would be enough to break Kang San, and knowing that, he discarded the option of blocking with his shield from the start. He felt like he was walking on a tightrope. Unlike before, the Guardian’s Will wasn’t there. The safety net Luca Bellino had mentioned was gone, so from now on, a single mistake would lead to death.
It was frustrating.
He wanted to show the unknown being who had orchestrated this situation that it wouldn’t go according to his plan.
Pat.
Blood splattered on his face.
It was a Werewolf’s attack.
He hadn’t been able to completely dodge it while dealing with the Lord, and the Lord immediately reacted to the momentary lapse.
Tadatadak━!
He saw a vision of his limbs being torn apart by the murderous intent.
At the moment death approached,
Tak.
He moved forward instead.
Within the space entangled with murderous intent,
There was a single path to survival.
Kang San got so close that he could feel the Lord’s breath, and his eyes met the Lord’s as they passed each other.
And at that moment,
“Blind.”
Kraaak!
He tore the scroll.
The magic, which momentarily blinded the opponent, exploded, and as if on cue, something fell from the sky.
“Thunderbolt !”
Hook.
Kwarururururung.
It was Kim Myeong-min.
Kang San had seen Kim Myeong-min approaching while dealing with the Werewolves, and he deliberately exposed a weakness to induce the Lord’s movement. It was the opportunity created by that. The magic effect, which would only last for a second or two against an A-rank monster, was enough to create an opening for Kim Myeong-min to attack.
Kwakwakwang.
Kreeeeeek!
The Lord screamed.
It retreated hastily, struck by the attack that tore its limbs apart and the intense electric current.
Kang San didn’t rush in.
Buying time.
He didn’t deviate from his role, and neither did Kim Myeong-min.
Keeping his eyes fixed on the Lord’s next move, Kang San responded to the surrounding situation, which he checked with a glance.
“Trial’s Shield.”
“Keuk.”
Whoosh.
Kraaaaak!
Just then,
He saw his teammates collapsing under the fierce attacks.
Since the dealers were facing the Werewolves without a tanker, they had faced a crisis during the few minutes they focused on the Lord. Kang San immediately grasped the situation. The Werewolf that was about to bite into the fallen Gu Yeon-su’s neck turned its head at the last moment and lunged towards Kang San.
In the middle of the battlefield,
Kang San had the entire situation in the palm of his hand.
He had to be rational.
He knew from experience that if his judgment became clouded for a moment and he lost sight of the overall situation, the c*ack that appeared on one side would swallow everything. The Trial’s Shield was excessively effective. Seeing enemies rushing in from all directions, Kang San recalled the old man’s story about the Heavenly Net being activated.
That person,
How did he react back then?
How could a frail human survive amidst the tightly intertwined threads of murderous intent?
Grit.
He clenched his teeth.
He moved forward.
The path to survival existed everywhere.
It could be in front, it could be behind.
He knew that if he hesitated and didn’t move forward, it would threaten his life.
He moved boldly.
Even if it meant sticking his head into the enemy’s maw, he never ignored the warnings created by the murderous intent. In the process, his skin tore and was stained with blood. His breathing became ragged, and his heart sank countless times as the Lord suddenly appeared.
Even amidst all that,
“Blood Demon Sword Technique, Second Style: Pursuit K*ll .”
Whiriririk.
Thwack━!
He didn’t miss the opponent’s opening.
He cut the Lord’s forearm with an attack that slithered like a snake, preventing it from freely attacking.
Fear?
Pain?
He became numb to such things.
Completely immersed in the situation, Kang San focused only on this moment.
‘I will survive.’
His senses expanded.
As he defeated several high-rank monsters, his Primal Instinct seemed to be surging faster than usual.
He wasn’t worried about being consumed by murderous intent.
The same situation.
When someone else became a villain, he didn’t.
He believed in himself.
Unlike his past self who had fallen into the depths of despair, he wouldn’t be consumed by murderous intent.
Swish.
His body heated up.
Blood dripped from various wounds, but Kang San watched the enemies swarming around him with a clearer mind than ever. He kept track of Kim Myeong-min’s location, ensured the rear dealers were safe, and anticipated their attack timings. These thoughts filled his mind.
The time he had earned,
It wasn’t meaningless.
Swish.
“To hold out against the Lord… Are you really D-rank?”
Ju Seok-h*n approached him.
He, finally regaining his composure, was looking at Kang San with a shocked face.
