Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 92

Chapter 92: Countdown （7）

It was a perplexing question.

Even though it was an attractive offer for Jeong Chan-woo, he didn’t expect her to ask back in this way.

‘Is this a test?’

He couldn’t figure out her intention.

If she was genuinely curious about his shortcomings, he would honestly tell her, but Yoo Soo-yeong interpreted it differently.

‘Perhaps she’s trying to gauge her own worth. Instead of trying to find fault, it’s better to be honest about what I observed.’

“…Well, I didn’t find any shortcomings in Jeong Chan-woo-nim’s play. You covered the space at the right time, and you even secured space by calculating the skill cooldown. I’m making this offer because I believe that if you join us, we can definitely create tremendous synergy.”

“Is that so?”

Jeong Chan-woo’s reaction was calm.

Her prediction was wrong.

Jeong Chan-woo genuinely wanted Yoo Soo-yeong to point out his shortcomings.

At least, that’s what Kang San would have done.

“When dealing with the Red Troll group at the end, I felt that my defense method wasn’t very efficient. Trolls are monsters with low intelligence, so you can fight them in the desired location if you can manipulate the space. There was a narrow terrain in the last battle, and the rear Dealers were preparing for a ranged attack. If I had the ability to handle the three Trolls in the rear at once, I would have created an ideal situation by inducing their direction and quickly eliminating them. I’ll consider this as my lack of ability.”

The explanation didn’t end there.

As if following a tail, Jeong Chan-woo continued to speak.

“During the raid, there were several instances where I miscalculated the skill cooldown, resulting in a 2-3 second discrepancy in timing. It didn’t cause any problems because we were able to clear the C-rank hunting ground without any issues, but the subtle discrepancies in coordination could lead to problems later on. The variable of it being the first hunt doesn’t apply. The person who taught me tanking said that excuses are meaningless if you die due to a variable.”

“…Ah.”

Yoo Soo-yeong’s mind went blank.

She couldn’t understand.

It was excessive.

If he was preparing and regretting everything to this extent, there wouldn’t be any flawless play in the world.

Perhaps that’s why.

She asked back without realizing it.

“Is it necessary to go that far?”

Yoo Soo-yeong’s reaction.

Jeong Chan-woo understood.

Because he had been like that before.

However, having experienced Kang San, Jeong Chan-woo lived by a different standard now.

“Yes, it is necessary. And based on that answer, I believe we can’t be together. Because I know how lacking I am, I can’t be with a party that doesn’t recognize my shortcomings.”

Beyond the phone.

She could hear Manager Shin Jeong-geun’s annoyed voice.

『Why are you doing this? You should know how to accept an offer moderately. You’ve refused again, haven’t you? It’s not easy to find a new raid party with internal personnel anymore.』

“Then please find one from outside.”

『But….』

Click.

He hung up the phone.

Shin Jeong-geun was always dissatisfied with what Jeong Chan-woo did.

Recently, Jeong Chan-woo’s reputation had improved significantly through various raids, and as his manager, Shin Jeong-geun had tried to connect him with raid parties to fulfill his duties. However, Jeong Chan-woo refused every time. And for the absurd reason that they didn’t recognize his shortcomings. It was frustrating for Shin Jeong-geun, but he didn’t want to force Jeong Chan-woo into something he didn’t want to do.

Jeong Chan-woo thought.

He genuinely believed he was lacking.

‘Anyone who has experienced Kang San-hyungnim would have the same reaction. I’m perfectly normal.’

He returned home.

Jeong Chan-woo habitually played the video he had watched hundreds of times before.

『Pull the Tanker back first!』

『But you won’t be able to handle it…』

『Just do it! Fuck, we’re all going to die!』

The isolation incident.

It was the video of Kang San dealing with the Werewolf Lord, which he had managed to obtain through Cheonsang’s connections, even though it was in the possession of the Hunter Management Bureau.

In the video.

Kang San did the unthinkable.

The absurdity of a D-rank Hunter facing an A-rank Werewolf Lord, which he shouldn’t be able to handle, the absurdity of rushing into danger when a defensive response seemed like the only solution, everything Kang San showed in the video was unconventional. That’s why he was even more drawn to it. Watching this video every day made his own play seem inadequate, and he was never satisfied with himself, even when others praised him.

Today’s raid.

How would Kang San have evaluated it?

He might have pointed out even more points than the parts he himself thought were lacking.

His ideal .

He wanted to be like Kang San.

At home, they always told him to just inherit the family business, but unlike his older brother and sister, Jeong Chan-woo had a dream.

Like Kang San.

He wanted to save people.

Like Kang San.

He wanted people to trust him.

It was a naive dream of a young adult entering society, but as he experienced the changing reputation of others through recent raids, he became more certain. During dozens of raids, he received offers to join parties without exception. This was the right path. That’s why he didn’t want to be separated from Kang San even more.

He was anxious.

Didn’t Kang San warn him?

If the gap widens, they might not be able to be together.

‘That absolutely cannot happen.’

Jeong Chan-woo played the video.

This time, it was the video of today’s raid.

A video he watched countless times.

An imagination he repeated countless times.

It was the same way as Kang San.

He had long forgotten about the fence of Cheonsang.

Exactly two months after Kang San entered the training center, Jeong Chan-woo had also been through a difficult time in his own way.

At that time.

Jeong Chan-woo wasn’t the only one with a fire under his feet.

At a premium training center in Seoul.

In a place where even money couldn’t grant access, Yeon Woo-bin manifested magic towards the approaching monsters.

“Inferno.”

“Wind Blade.”

A flood of flames.

And a fierce wind swirling at the same time.

The blazing flames swept over the monsters.

D-rank Trolls showed considerable resistance to magic, but they screamed as their outer skin crackled and burned. However, it was too early to be relieved. The purpose of this training center was to stop the monsters. Yeon Woo-bin’s position on the wall was safe, but if the Trolls crossed the line drawn on the ground, it meant failure.

Therefore.

The situation wouldn’t end with just defeating a few monsters.

The endless wave of monsters tried to cross the line, stepping on the charred corpses of their fellow monsters.

Then.

“Continuous Fire .”

Papapap!

Behind Yeon Woo-bin.

Jo Han-byeol fired arrows.

He aimed at the monsters that popped out of the approaching Troll group or those that weren’t properly finished off. The timely arrows blocked the group approaching the line. His fingerprints had worn off and his skin was torn from continuous training, so his hands were wrapped in bandages, but Jo Han-byeol didn’t stop firing arrows with his bloodstained hands.

One shot.

Puck━!

One shot.

Puk━!

Trolls fell down.

Inexperienced archers often missed, but even in this situation, Jo Han-byeol didn’t lose his concentration.

Thanks to that, Yeon Woo-bin bought some time.

He raised his mana and manifested powerful fire magic.

“Salamander’s Breath.”

Hwaruk.

Hwarururururuk.

It was a suitable combination.

Like interlocking gears, their coordinated attacks prevented the Trolls from crossing the line, no matter how many of them surged forward. They managed their breathing appropriately. Whether there were dozens or hundreds of opponents, they knew very well the consequences of recklessly exhausting their stamina without calculating it.

Explosively pouring out, but.

Under control.

Their goal was clear.

Until the end of the 1-hour training session, not a single Troll crossed the line.

They were drenched in sweat.

Yeon Woo-bin checked the record with a towel over his head.

“…The distance from the line is 1m 80cm. Considering the initial distance, it’s safe to say we were almost breached.”

“But we did well, didn’t we? Just a few days ago, we were getting breached every time.”

“No, we didn’t do well.”

At Jo Han-byeol’s words.

Yeon Woo-bin shook his head.

“Both you and I were able to focus solely on attacking in a completely safe environment. Even though D-rank Trolls have considerable toughness, we should have been able to completely block them with my C-rank and your D-rank firepower. When Kang San-hyung comes, that’s when the moment to prove whether we are worthy of him will come. I absolutely don’t want to show a lacking side of myself.”

“That’s true.”

Both Jeong Chan-woo and them.

They instinctively knew.

The Werewolf Lord incident.

It was a sign that Kang San was entering a different realm.

And such a Kang San had even announced seclusion training, so what would happen if they couldn’t reach his level?

In the end, no matter how talented Yeon Woo-bin was, he wouldn’t be able to be with Kang San due to the difference in levels. They all hated that. Kang San was the most reliable Tanker they had ever experienced. There had been numerous crises, such as the ant nest and Director Yeon Gyu-seong’s test, but they believed that any problem could be solved with Kang San. That’s why they wanted to continue being together. While longing for Kang San to become stronger through sudden trials, the two had been devoted to training for the past two months due to Kang San’s departure.

Yeon Woo-bin said.

“Two Dealers, two Tankers. In a composition like this, the lacking part can only be firepower. With the assurance that Kang San-hyung will protect us no matter what, we have to create results beyond expectations with definite firepower. Let’s rest for just an hour and then start the afternoon training. The training center will be closing soon.”

“Again…?”

“Hyeong.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. Woo-bin-ah. I’m not just saying this, but you seem a bit obsessed these days.”

Jo Han-byeol laughed it off.

Even though he complained, he didn’t dislike this situation.

Every night.

He also did individual training.

Until his fingers blistered, until his fingerprints completely wore off.

When he recalled his conversation with Kang San, he had to shoot a thousand arrows a day to calm his anxious heart.

Sometimes his parents asked.

Why do you go that far?

At those times, Jo Han-byeol and Yeon Woo-bin couldn’t bring themselves to tell the truth.

Someday, a disaster that they definitely couldn’t handle would come.

Just like their family histories where they had lost someone, they felt like they could overcome any problem with Kang San by their side. The recent isolation incident was a good example. When the A-rank Werewolf Lord appeared, it should have been the B-rank Hunters who resolved it. Kim Myeong-min, Ju Seok-hun, and Yoon Ji-tae should have somehow solved the problem, but in the end, it was Kang San who shone the brightest when everyone’s lives were in danger.

Kang San was that kind of person.

When the ant nest collapsed.

During Director Yeon Gyu-seong’s test.

When they clearly thought he couldn’t handle it logically, he always showed a side that defied common sense.

That’s why.

That’s why they wanted to stay by his side.

They wanted to do their best in response to Kang San’s warning.

One month from now.

They decided to join up with Jeong Chan-woo and go on a separate raid.

Training individually like this was good, but they also needed to improve the synergy of the three of them.

It would be great if Kang San was surprised by their dramatically improved synergy when he returned.

“Let’s go again.”

Jo Han-byeol got up.

Following him, Yeon Woo-bin’s back no longer showed any fear towards monsters.

Every day, the timer sent the same signal.

Beep.

『Day50』

Beep.

『Day100』

Beep.

『Day200』

It was a repeating pattern.

His stats didn’t increase anymore, and neither did the Blood Demon Art.

Nevertheless, Kang San remained in the repeating situation.

A space where darkness had settled.

Swoosh.

Kang San moved.

He didn’t sense the presence of monsters yet, but his sharpened senses detected the presence of enemies one step ahead.

Beep.

『Day893』

One week left.

The eleventh trial, which had been so tiresome, was finally coming to an end.