Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Special Training （1）

Was it around 100 days?

The stats that had been rising intermittently stopped increasing.

For Kang San, it was the moment he forgot the original purpose of “Burning Time,” but even so, he didn’t think the situation he faced was meaningless. Come to think of it, Kang San had grown so rapidly recently that he didn’t have the time to build a solid foundation. When he came to his senses, he had no choice but to focus on survival because of the next trial, and the next, the trials that kept coming repeatedly.

Therefore.

He thought positively.

He had already surpassed the C-rank stats, which were the primary goal, and the remaining time was a golden opportunity to solidify his foundation.

Swish.

He drew his sword.

He could feel the Werewolves approaching.

Their footsteps, the faint smell of blood, there was information he could figure out without having to visually locate the monsters. Extrasensory perception didn’t just detect “killing intent.” It was a realm of senses that dealt with intangible things, and Kang San had learned how to use it more proficiently.

Three.

No, four, five.

The numbers kept increasing.

The Werewolves hadn’t yet located Kang San, so he needed to reduce their numbers first.

Thud.

He kicked off the ground.

Werewolves are sensitive to hearing and smell.

Kang San activated his extrasensory perception, spreading his killing intent like a tidal wave.

It temporarily confused the Werewolves’ hearing and smell, and by the time they found Kang San, it was already too late. A sharply gleaming sword decapitated a Werewolf. It was the power of the Blood Demon Sword Technique, First Style: Blade Kill, and by taking it down in one swift move, Kang San heard the voice, “Attack Power increased by 4%.”

It was intentional.

The cooldown for the Blood Demon Sword Technique was 5 minutes.

Then, he needed to actively utilize it early on to secure the Blood Demon Art’s attack power and compensate for the lack of cooldown time.

Kyaaak!

Krrrrrrr!

The Werewolves charged.

Facing their fierce eyes, Kang San’s sword once again tore through the air.

“Blood Demon Sword Technique, Third Style: Explosive Kill.”

Thud.

Papapapapat!

It was a massacre.

The moment the red blazing aura tore the Werewolves apart, blood splattered as if a chain explosion was occurring, and the Werewolves screamed. Explosive Kill demonstrated its power as its name suggested. Powerful splash damage. With the destructive explosive power accompanied by blood, Kang San consecutively gained the effect of increased attack power.

He was skilled.

And fast.

In the countless hunts he had repeated, even if they were of the same rank, the Werewolves were no match for Kang San.

‘It’s different from when I first entered.’

He was certain.

His surface stats were C-rank, but he now possessed something beyond that.

No longer.

Flash.

Thwack━!

The eleventh trial didn’t feel like a trial.

Beep.

『Day 900』

The last day dawned.

After dealing with the last batch of Werewolves, Kang San heard the voice he had been waiting for.

『You have passed the eleventh trial and tribulation.』

『The promised reward will be given.』

He had passed the trial.

Kang San invested all the stats promised as a reward into Strength.

He judged that he would need to use strength a lot on the front lines, so he needed to reduce the gap as much as possible.

『Kang San』

━ Strength: 151

━ Agility: 118

━ Divine Power: 52

━ Reaction Speed: 55

━ Endurance: 58

━ Mental Strength: 60

It was a change that truly made him marvel.

When he first entered the Stat Training Center, he was only at a D-rank level, but now his basic stats had exceeded 100, the minimum for C-rank. It was true that he was still lacking. Considering the S-rank Outbreak, Kang San still had a long way to go, but it was clear that this was not an achievement that could be obtained in just six months in the outside world.

The minimum for B-rank was 300.

It was far, but it didn’t feel impossible.

And skills.

Along with the reward for the trial, Kang San checked for new changes.

First.

『3-Star（★★★） Skill』

『Aura of Glory』

1. Increases the stats, attack power, and defense of beings recognized as ‘allies’ by 10%, centered around oneself.

2. When the Aura of Glory explodes, all stats are temporarily increased by 30%, but the passive increase effect disappears for a day. （Cooldown: 24 hours）

It was an unbelievable ability.

It was marked as 3-star, but even among 3-star skills, this was an ability with stats that could rival higher ranks and effects. He was impressed in many ways. The effect of increasing allies’ stats by 10% was a passive without any conditions, but it also had the special feature of being able to turn the tables with a 30% increase depending on the situation.

Whether it was Trial’s Shield.

Or Aura of Glory.

They exceeded the typical standards.

It felt like the efforts of 900 days were rewarded all at once.

『Growth-type Skill』

『Guardian’s Will』

1. Defense and health regeneration increase by +2% per enemy faced.

2. When health falls below 10%, health is fully restored and defense is tripled. （Cooldown: 1 week）

3. Guardian’s Will grows when Divine Power reaches fifty. （52/100）

Guardian’s Will had also grown.

The third condition was reaching 50 Divine Power, which increased the increase rate from 1% to 2%. The defense that temporarily increased when health dropped also went from double to triple. Kang San hit the jackpot consecutively.

Think about it.

If he triggered the effect of Guardian’s Will and activated Aura of Glory, he could temporarily demonstrate stats beyond B-rank. That meant that if he faced the A-rank Werewolf Lord right now, he was confident he could handle it to some extent even alone. For Kang San, since there were weapons that couldn’t be evaluated solely by stats, skills that gave temporary ‘buffs’ like this were truly welcome.

The S-rank Outbreak.

Realistically, it was impossible to achieve S-rank stats by then.

The only way was to become as strong as possible and ultimately reduce the enormous gap with skills like these.

It was over now.

There was no reason to stay in the training center any longer.

He knew that the changes in the trials wouldn’t allow for luck, and he couldn’t grow with the same methods.

‘Six months from now.’

From now on, whether it worked or not.

Kang San would carry out the plan he had been devising outside.

The outside air he breathed in after a long time was refreshing.

Without the luxury of indulging in sentimentality, Kang San immediately headed somewhere as soon as he left the Stat Training Center.

Information Guild Dark Moon.

It was a group that handled information about South Korea, or even beyond.

Kang San visited their Seoul branch, and as he descended underground, he heard a husky voice from beyond the barred space, reminiscent of an old pawnshop.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m looking for a specific place.”

Slide.

He handed over the documents.

The long, unending time.

While battling Werewolves every day, he had been searching for any identifiable locations whenever he had the chance.

“The location is Pohang City, North Gyeongsang Province. It should be at least 30 minutes away from the borders of other areas, and the terrain should be rough, a place hikers don’t frequent. At least ten abnormal phenomena in the past three years. The more incidents and accidents involving changes in terrain, the better. Most importantly, despite such phenomena, it should be insignificant enough that the Hunter Management Bureau wouldn’t show any real interest. I’ve already compiled a list of suspected locations, so you can prioritize checking these.”

“Those are demanding conditions. The price?”

“I’ll give you 100 million won.”

“Alright. I’ll contact you soon.”

“Yes.”

100 million won.

It was a hefty sum for the current Kang San.

However, that much compensation was necessary for Dark Moon to truly take action, and with Kang San’s current skills, he was confident he could earn 100 million won quickly. He left after entrusting them with the request. Knowing that the S-rank Outbreak would occur, pinpointing its location was the most crucial issue.

Of course, the situation remained challenging.

Even if he identified the location, there was nothing Kang San could do alone, but as always, trials couldn’t be avoided.

“I’ve taken care of the urgent matters for now.”

He took out his phone.

It had been a while since he used modern devices.

Kang San sent text messages to Jo Han-byeol and Jeong Hye-mi.

He needed to schedule a meeting with Jo Han-byeol and his group, and he had an obligation to fulfill his promise of lectures to Jeong Hye-mi.

Come to think of it, he had caused her trouble.

He had received an advance payment and needed to fulfill the contract, but due to the variable of the trials, he had asked her for a temporary postponement. It was entirely Kang San’s fault. Even though he knew that, Kang San had no choice, and he intended to fulfill his obligations now.

But before he could even put his phone back in his pocket after sending the messages, as if she had been waiting, he received a reply from Jeong Hye-mi.

『Could I possibly meet you now?』

A little while ago.

A meeting regarding the “Project Team” was held at Cheonsang.

“In the early stages, the intention itself of creating a project team under the name of Cheonsang was good, but after a few years have passed, the management’s position is that the results are not commensurate with the funds being poured in. There are already many established Hunters in the world. It’s more economically efficient to spend even a little more on recruiting them than on training them from scratch. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re going to abruptly scrap the project teams. If we haphazardly conclude a project that has already begun, it would damage Cheonsang’s reputation, so we plan to maintain just one team.”

“……Does that mean… one of them will be disbanded?”

“Yes. Project Team A and Team B. We will put both on a fair evaluation platform and actively support the winning team.”

The logic was sound.

However.

Jeong Hye-mi, who was in charge of Team B, couldn’t accept the current situation.

“Isn’t this too disadvantageous for Team B? We started later, and if we’re evaluated solely on skill, it’s bound to be a one-sided competition. Couldn’t we do it in a slightly fairer way……?”

“Fair? You just admitted it yourself. It’s disadvantageous for Team B. That alone means there’s no reason to keep you.”

In a corner of the meeting room.

A man sneered.

It was Jeong Chan-hyeok, Jeong Hye-mi’s older brother and the person in charge of Project Team A.

Jeong Chan-hyeok said,

“This is a decision made after careful consideration by the management. If one team has to be eliminated, you shouldn’t expect fairness. If Project Team A is stronger than Team B, then regardless of whether you started later or whatever excuses you come up with, there’s no reason to support Team B over Team A, right? Hye-mi, no, Team Leader Jeong Hye-mi, if you want to turn the situation around, instead of appealing to emotions, please present a clear solution.”

The atmosphere became tense.

Her brother’s reaction.

She understood.

Their father always put the two siblings on a competitive stage and said that he would eventually concentrate his support on only one of them.

A relationship always placed in competition.

Suppressing her anger, Jeong Hye-mi said,

“Alright. I accept the opinion that one of the two teams has to be removed from the project.”

The meeting ended.

Jeong Hye-mi left the meeting room with a cold expression.

Jeong Chan-hyeok’s voice stopped her.

“Hye-mi.”

“Why?”

When she turned her head.

Jeong Chan-hyeok was leaning against the door, looking at her.

Her blunt and unaffectionate older brother always acted coldly, as if they weren’t related by blood, when they were in a competitive relationship.

“I acknowledge that you’ve done well at Cheonsang in your own way. But that doesn’t mean you should try to surpass your brother’s position. Just be a good younger sister. If you’re content with a suitable position where we can feel the bond of siblings, I’ll take care of my only sister as an older brother, won’t I? So, wrap this up well. Don’t leave any unnecessary noise behind.”

That was it.

Jeong Chan-hyeok turned away without waiting for a reply after saying what he wanted to say.

It was always like this.

Because he was the eldest son, he had to inherit everything.

Because he was the eldest son, he could never lose to Jeong Hye-mi, the second child.

He always said it like a habit.

The relationship between the two siblings, who initially bickered playfully, gradually changed more seriously as they got older.

Jeong Hye-mi didn’t want to lose either.

Withdrawal from the project team.

That meant complete defeat.

As long as the competitive stage was fair, Jeong Hye-mi intended to prepare her best until then.

She started walking.

That’s when it happened.

Her phone rang.

Irritated, she checked the screen and stopped in her tracks at the familiar name.

『Kang San』

Why was it?

Right now, that name felt incredibly welcome to her.