Chapter 23
Chapter 23
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: 전생혈마-23화
-----------------------------------------------------------------
```html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: 6. The Man Who Prepares for Misfortune (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Is this what it feels like to be abandoned by the heavens?
From the moment he heard Kang San's words, Jeong Chan-woo couldn't control his trembling body, a far cry from his usual self.
"A-An ant nest?"
A name anyone in the hunter business had heard at least once.
The infamy of the ant nest was something no hunter could ignore.
Monsters like the black ants they were currently hunting weren't particularly strong in ant form, but things changed once you entered their domain—the ant nest. Outside, you'd only encounter worker ants, but inside the nest, D-rank soldier ants appeared. If it were just dealing with monsters one rank higher, Jeong Chan-woo wouldn't have despaired so completely.
'We're done for.'
Why was the ant nest classified as a C-rank zone?
The boss monster, the queen ant, was indeed C-rank, but her constant laying of eggs left her with virtually no combat ability. Yet it was still rated C-rank because the sheer number of ants born from those eggs was beyond imagination. Outside, you might run into just a fraction of them, so it wasn't too dangerous, but inside their lair, you'd have to face hundreds or thousands charging at you with everything they had.
And this was underground.
You couldn't just run away if you wanted to, and fighting ants in their home territory made them far more formidable.
Its notoriety stemmed from this deadly combination.
It had originally been classified as a D-rank hunting ground, but after countless deaths, the ant nest had been upgraded to C-rank.
"H-How the hell did this happen? The scouting report didn't say anything about an ant nest here!"
Jeong Chan-woo cried out in desperation.
Kang San was the only one he could blame.
"I don't know either. The report clearly stated this spot was at least five kilometers from the nearest ant nest, and solid ant nests like this almost never collapse in the first place."
He couldn't tell the truth.
The scouting report had probably been accurate.
The black ant habitat they'd chosen was rated E-rank precisely because it was somewhat removed from the nest, populated only by worker ants foraging for food. Jeong Chan-woo's management agency had verified that meticulously and deemed it manageable with his abilities.
Yet variables had arisen anyway.
And there was only one culprit.
It was the fact that Kang San was in this party.
The nonexistent ant nest appearing and the solid ground crumbling were results of Azmun's trials.
Jeong Chan-woo's face grew visibly pale, his body shuddering.
Kang San approached the man, who was breathing raggedly as if suffocating, and gripped his shoulder firmly.
"Chan-woo."
"......"
"Get a grip, Jeong Chan-woo!"
Jeong Chan-woo jumped in shock.
Kang San spoke in a firm tone to his lifeless eyes.
"In all thirty raids you've cleared so far, you've never faced a hunting ground ranked higher than you. That's why you're shaking like this, so unlike yourself. But I've safely completed hundreds of raids in crises like this. So if you can't trust yourself, trust me and fight. Got it?"
Jeong Chan-woo nodded.
Kang San's intensity made it feel like he had no choice.
"Look around. See the four passages?"
"......Yeah."
"I'll take the three in front. You just handle the small one in the back. Can you do it?"
"I'll try."
"Good."
Life slowly returned to Jeong Chan-woo's eyes.
As he'd explained, the ant nest they'd fallen into had four passages: three ahead and one behind. Soldier ants would soon swarm through them. To survive, they had to block those passages somehow.
"Han-byeol, Woo-bin."
"Y-Yes?"
"Handle the ants coming from the small passage first. I'll buy us time."
"Got it."
Tension was etched on their faces.
Yeon Woo-bin looked especially rough, but at least Jo Han-byeol was holding it together.
That was a relief.
Having at least one reliable comrade.
Kang San took a deep breath and positioned himself in front of the three large openings.
'What a goddamn life.'
The trials were both a blessing and a curse.
Repeatedly facing life-threatening ordeals had made the scent of death almost fragrant.
Yet the funny thing was that Azmun's trials always came with hope.
Trials demanding he stake his life at his current level.
Conversely, ones he could endure if he staked his life—facts that became Kang San's pillar in any situation.
'Let's overcome it. Like always.'
This had become his everyday reality.
Just as he'd lived twenty-five years preparing for misfortune, now he had to grow accustomed to preparing for and conquering trials.
And then.
Tat-tat-tat!
Kyaaak!
"They're coming!"
The ants surged in.
A buff effect.
But not a hopeful one.
Instead of just the defense boost of 35%, it informed him he had to face 35 of them.
Kwang!
Thud!
He blocked a soldier ant's charge head-on with his shield. The impact shook his body violently, but he didn't get flung back. That was the result of training. His strength was only 32, inferior to the ants, but his toughness let him hold.
"Hup."
Whoosh!
He ducked immediately.
The next soldier ant swung its serrated foreleg, slicing off a few strands of his hair by a hair's breadth.
A chilling moment.
In that split second, Kang San's eyes locked onto the enemy without flinching. After 300 days of grueling evasion drills, his senses had sharpened exponentially. It was an instinct beyond mere stats. Stepping forward, he slashed the soldier ant with his Blood Demon Art-empowered sword.
Crack!
The soldier ant's carapace shattered.
Blood Demon Art, 2 stars.
With its passive boosting attack by 20%, Kang San inflicted meaningful damage beyond rank differences.
But.
'Not enough.'
Kang San's expression twisted.
Even targeting a weak spot, the ant remained intact, underscoring their disadvantage. Time for a new strategy. Blood Demon Sword Art, First Form could finish it, but the 5-minute cooldown held him back.
'At least not all 35 are soldier ants.'
Roughly ten.
More worker ants filled his view than soldier ants.
And he faced no more than five at once. The underground nest cramped the space, and human-sized soldier ants jammed it full.
That's when Kang San's movements shifted.
He parried soldier ant attacks minimally, then struck with full force at gaps, decapitating worker ants.
Slash!
'One down.'
The surprise hit during rest reset his Blood Demon Art stacks to zero. Priority: build them to compensate attack power. Ten kills meant 20% buff plus heightened senses. That should suffice against soldier ants.
The optimal choice.
Kang San gritted his teeth, countering the wave of ants.
Thud!
Krunch!
Chaotic exchanges ensued amid the tangle.
He bashed a soldier ant's face with his shield; it clamped massive jaws on it. Shield immobilized by brute force. Dodging another's follow-up, Kang San unleashed Blood Demon Sword Art, First Form, severing the biting ant's head. This time, it felt like a clean cut. The tough carapace split, green fluid spraying like a fountain.
Plop.
Thud!
He seized the opening.
Bursting in, his thrust mangled the soldier ant's brain, stacking another Blood Demon Art boost.
Total 4%.
Stacks accumulating.
Kang San's movements were artistic.
Unbelievable for an E-rank hunter, yet the reality wasn't hopeful.
No follow-up support.
Holding alone inevitably created gaps.
Krunch!
A soldier ant's strike hit his abdomen.
Impossible to tank unscathed solo. He took it deliberately on instinct, Iron Body mitigating damage. But that was it. Wounds accumulated from relentless assaults. Abdomen bruised purple, serrated claws drawing blood. When soldier ants bit the shield, its D-rank bite force turned his face red as he wrestled desperately.
He retched.
Strain bringing up bile.
Thud!
Crack!
Yet Kang San clung tenaciously.
Gritting through the strain, he kept ants from breaching his zone.
One hope.
Party clears the small passage fast and backs him up.
But reality dashed it.
"Aaaagh!"
Jeong Chan-woo's scream.
He'd crumbled to the ants.
Krunch!
Soldier ant fangs sank into Jeong Chan-woo's shoulder.
His steel-plated armor crumpled instantly, agony ripping through as if his shoulder would tear off. He screamed.
"Aaaagh! Aaaaagh!"
It hurt like hell.
Those thirty past raids?
Meaningless now.
Always facing manageable foes under tight management, he lacked confidence to endure this. Mind fracturing from pain. If Jo Han-byeol's arrow hadn't pierced the soldier ant's head by a hair, he'd be dead.
"Ugh......"
Jeong Chan-woo's mentality shattered.
Terror in his eyes as he stared at the ants.
Just five.
Only two D-rank soldier ants, yet he collapsed before Kang San facing thirty-five.
Body frozen.
The hit had stunned him badly.
Then.
Flash.
"......?!"
Light emanated from Jeong Chan-woo's body.
Startled, he looked—haze rising from Kang San, healing his wounds.
Like a glowing halo.
Kang San shouted.
"Snap out of it! Wanna die like this?!"
Jeong Chan-woo's pupils shook.
Kang San using a heal skill shocked him, but Kang San looked far worse.
Blood pooling at his feet.
Thirty-five ants swarming behind.
In hell's midst, life hanging by thread, yet he healed Jeong Chan-woo instead.
Rage welled.
And guilt.
He'd boasted confidence pre-raid, yet showed this pathetic side in combat.
"Raaaaagh!"
Jeong Chan-woo roared, charging.
If death inevitable.
Go down swinging at full power.
Veins bulging in his neck, he thrashed wildly.
Terror released, he shone even against D-rank soldier ants.
The crisis peaked.
And that sight.
'......Ah.'
Rippled deeply in one person's heart.
Falling into the ant nest.
Yeon Woo-bin couldn't regain his senses.
Fragmented memories surfaced.
Trauma from comrades dying around him revived; he curled up, eyes squeezed shut.
"This isn't real, not real......"
Chanting like a mantra.
Body quaking like a leaf, lips blue.
Why him?
This raid to overcome trauma with courage had become his worst nightmare.
'Why does this always happen to me?'
Hands over ears.
Desperate to escape reality.
How much time passed?
He ignored the chaos around him, refusing to face it.
Then.
Grab!
Slap!
"You crazy bastard?!"
Yanked up, head snapped sideways.
Stinging cheek.
Mind cleared instantly.
Glancing over, Jo Han-byeol spat fury unlike his usual self.
"Can't you see that? They're risking their lives buying time for us to attack. But you're just squatting there—what about them? Crazy fuck. Die alone if you wanna die. Don't get innocent people killed over your trauma."
Machine-gun words.
Anger laced with desperation.
Hoping Yeon Woo-bin would snap to and cast.
But it didn't land.
If a slap and yelling fixed it, the trauma would've been gone long ago.
"Kang San kept his promise. Even as the ground collapsed, he dove to save you. Now it's your turn."
'......He protected me?'
Yeon Woo-bin's face hardened.
Kang San.
The name spread through his chest.
Memory clicked.
In the chaotic collapse, something had grabbed him, taking the fall instead.
Fragment piecing.
Melding with Kang San's face, it formed a clear recollection.
'Ah.'
Ripples in Yeon Woo-bin's eyes.
At his gaze's end.
Kang San faced the underground demons alone.
```