Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Countdown （1）

A TV came into view.

The announcer, with a serious yet swift tone, explained the current situation.

『Breaking news. An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 has occurred on the east coast. The government has determined that this is a naturally occurring earthquake, not an abnormal phenomenon caused by monsters. An emergency evacuation order has been issued for several areas where there is a risk of a tsunami.』

Static.

Crackle.

The screen changed.

The same channel, the same announcer.

However, unlike before, the announcer’s face looked somewhat grave.

『An Outbreak has occurred in Pohang. The level of the Outbreak is currently being assessed, and it has been confirmed that the entrance to a dungeon, which had been hidden until now, has opened due to the earthquake. We urge citizens residing in Pohang or those nearby to evacuate quickly. We repeat, an Outbreak has occurred in Pohang…….』

Static.

Crackle.

『This is devastating news. The dungeon has been confirmed to be S-rank. Currently, undead controlled by the Dark Lord are rapidly spreading from Pohang as their epicenter. Due to the failure of the initial response, Hunters who died at the hands of the undead have turned into undead themselves and are attacking humans. The government has closed off Pohang’s borders and has issued a statement requesting that individuals refrain from any movement. An S-rank Outbreak is an unprecedented disaster, threatening the very safety of our nation. We ask the public to follow the government’s instructions and under no circumstances, absolutely no circumstances, cross the borders of Pohang.』

Static.

Crackle.

『……Moments ago, we received news that White Knight Lee Han-seong has died. The Dark Lord has already turned countless Hunters into undead, and this has reached a level that Korea’s forces cannot possibly handle. Citizens, Korea is facing an unprecedented crisis. But do not lose hope. The United Nations has promised support, and reinforcements will arrive if we can just hold on. Fight. Resist. Even if the people who were family, friends, and colleagues until recently have become undead and threaten your lives, do not turn away from reality and resist. We must endure. We must endure somehow, so that this nation, Korea, can survive.』

It was a desperate voice.

A desperate cry.

And when it reappeared.

『…………Approximately 10 million casualties. In the end, the Dark Lord was defeated, but Korea suffered irreparable damage. The government intends to record this incident, known as the 17 Days of Disaster, in history and learn from this experience to prevent it from ever happening again. Citizens, do not forget this incident. And train and prepare yourselves so that this never happens again. Humans are weak, and the government cannot perfectly prepare for every disaster. In the end, the only way to survive a disaster is for you, the citizens, to protect yourselves.』

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Flash.

Kang San opened his eyes.

With the scenery returned to normal, he gasped for breath like a person who had just surfaced from underwater.

“Huff, huff.”

A series of scenes.

The pattern was different.

Unlike the previous method of asking him to resolve the trial before him, this time it showed him a part of the future that would unfold.

And.

『You must not disclose anything about the trial to anyone, nor should you attempt to find and resolve the cause in advance. The wheel of fate must turn in its predetermined form. If you defy the mandate of Heaven , the disaster will transform into an unpredictable form, and all rewards obtained from the trial will be revoked.』

It was a perplexing situation.

One year later.

It said an Outbreak would occur in Korea. An Outbreak was similar to a Link, where monsters from a dungeon emerged into the real world, but the level of danger was completely different. As Kang San had experienced before, a Link was a phenomenon where monsters crossed over into the real world. Therefore, by eliminating those monsters and severing the Link’s pathway, it was possible to resolve the situation and prevent further monsters from crossing over.

Dungeons were different.

Monsters that settled into this world without warning would overflow like a dam bursting, flooding the area. Due to their density, it was said that even with a rapid response, at least thousands of people would die in an area affected by an ‘Outbreak’.

But if the scale was S-rank…

It went without saying.

Especially if the announcer’s report was about a future event, even Lee Han-seong, who had easily overpowered the Werewolf Lord, would be swept away by the trial and meet his demise.

‘How am I supposed to stop this?’

Kang San felt suffocated.

He was only D-rank.

Even with a year of preparation time, there was a limit to what he could do in a situation where he couldn’t disclose the trial to anyone. The sky seemed distant. He had believed that a bright future awaited him if he endured, persevered, and overcame the trials, but just like the tenth trial, a crisis that was beyond his individual efforts had arrived.

“……This is fucking bullshit.”

Cursing was…

The only rebellion Kang San could muster.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Even if it was daunting…

He couldn’t give up.

He had no intention of giving up.

Kang San returned home and checked the past Outbreak incidents.

“There has never been an S-rank Outbreak anywhere in the world.”

It was hopeless from the start.

There had been cases where S-rank monsters appeared through Links, but no matter how much he searched, there were no previous instances of an S-rank Outbreak.

There were only three instances of A-rank, a lower level.

Even those were described as the opening of the abyss of hell.

Since dungeons involved a sudden overflow of teeming monsters, even an A-rank Outbreak would inevitably have immense destructive power. Tens of thousands of people died in each of the three A-rank Outbreaks. This was a clear indicator of how dangerous the situation was.

The problem was…

‘The condition of this trial is to prevent more than ten thousand deaths. This is absolutely impossible with individual effort.’

The more he investigated, the more hopeless it felt.

If Kang San were an S-rank Hunter, he could at least formulate a plan to prepare.

No, even then, the chances of success would be slim.

Hadn’t even S-rank Lee Han-seong been defeated?

Of course, the Dark Lord was a monster that could summon the undead, and its destructive power increased if it wasn’t suppressed early on. As the term “17 Days of Disaster” suggested, it meant that the Dark Lord had 17 days to build up its power. It was highly likely that Lee Han-seong was defeated due to the ‘undead’ possessed by that monster. The reason why S-rank was truly terrifying was because they usually manifested divine powers.

Whatever the case…

It was a burdensome situation.

Even Kang San, who had always experienced unfortunate situations, couldn’t figure out how to prepare for this.

‘The trial specified that the wheel of fate must turn in its predetermined form. This means that my plan to reveal the existence of the dungeon and thoroughly investigate the entire Pohang area to prevent the Outbreak is not permitted by fate. Then, the predetermined scope is that the Outbreak must occur exactly one year later. I can only prepare by identifying the location of the dungeon without disclosing it.’

It was an impossible task.

Could a mere D-rank Hunter buy enough time until the government could respond immediately after the Outbreak?

No matter how many times he replayed the scenario, there was no answer.

He couldn’t bring his colleagues either.

Think about it.

The condition of not disclosing the trial would also include his colleagues. How could he ask them to join him on the day of the Outbreak without giving a reason? A raid? Or some other plausible reason? Whatever it was, there was no way to force their sacrifice without lying. Kang San didn’t want that. If they accepted it and volunteered, it would be one thing, but this was like pushing them into a death trap.

In the end…

He had to prepare alone.

He had to respond alone.

The moment the monsters overflowed, Kang San would be alone against that wave of despair.

‘……With no clear plan right now, there’s only one thing I can do.’

Become as strong as possible.

Kang San decided to focus on the immediate goal.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kang San packed his belongings.

He contacted Jo Han-byeol as he headed somewhere.

“Han-byeol, I don’t think raids will be possible for a while.”

『Huh? What happened?』

Before being discharged…

He had originally promised to do raids with Jo Han-byeol and the others.

Even then, after the shocking experience with the ‘Werewolf Lord’, Kang San had resolved to become stronger quickly by pursuing his existing plan alongside raids. But the situation had changed. If he had aimed for gradual development within the realm of common sense, now that he had glimpsed the future, he couldn’t climb one step at a time.

He needed a breakthrough.

He had to shatter common sense.

He didn’t know if the plan in his head was feasible or not, but for now, he had to do something.

“There’s something I want to experiment with personally. I can’t say for sure how long it will take, but one thing is certain: when we meet again, I’ll be much stronger than I am now. So tell the others. Tell them to do their best to improve themselves. If they don’t put in their best effort while I’m gone, the gap between us will be wider than they think.”

『……Okay, I’ll let them know.』

Click.

He hung up the phone.

It was a bit harsh, but the meaning of the gap was that if they stagnated, they wouldn’t be able to work together.

It was only natural.

Kang San had to become strong enough to prepare for an S-rank Outbreak from now on. If his companions remained at D-rank, they wouldn’t be able to join him. Simple raids would be possible, but in situations where true cooperation was needed, Jo Han-byeol and the others wouldn’t be able to exist as Kang San’s colleagues.

He then contacted Jeong Hye-mi.

He told her that lectures would be difficult for a while.

With the promise that he would make it up to her as soon as he returned, Jeong Hye-mi responded positively.

And he started walking.

His plan for the future…

It actually stemmed from a single question.

Burning time.

What exactly was that?

Due to a sudden anomaly, Kang San had experienced an abnormal increase in his stats.

At first, he thought it was simply a reward for facing a strong opponent.

But if that was the case, then when he faced the A-rank Werewolf Lord, the burning time should have occurred again. The problem was that it hadn’t happened even once since then. As time passed, he concluded that it was simply a one-time reward, but now he needed any straw to grasp at.

A Hunter’s abilities were determined by their stats.

Just as ranks were determined by the level of stats, ultimately, stats had to be increased to become stronger.

In other words…

Burning time was essential for rapid development.

He had already formulated several hypotheses about the conditions for burning time, but Kang San’s thoughts didn’t end there.

‘I need enough time. Even if I achieve results through a year of effort, realistically, there’s a limit to how much I can strengthen as a D-rank. Burning time might bring about an unbelievable miracle, but I need to try various approaches.’

For that challenge…

He headed somewhere.

Kang San had experienced it before, just like burning time.

The experience of time, which was equally bestowed upon all humans, becoming distorted.

The place he arrived at…

『Stat Training Center』

Kang San once again visited the mecca of training.