Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: 11. Step Up (5)
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Rumble...
It was an overwhelming sight.
Staring at the monsters surging forward like a cascading waterfall, Kang San raised his shield at the forefront.
'Shield of Trials.'
Grrrr.
Kieeeek!
The ants spewed red glints from their eyes.
The Shield of Trials drew all aggro with a single skill activation, and its target, Kang San, was instantly swept up in the black wave.
Bam!
Clang, clang, clang!
They crashed against him from all sides.
As he raised his shield to block a strike aimed at his head, attacks from both flanks wrapped around his body, emanating red energy. Kang San reacted in a flash. Whoosh—the left attack swung past on the wind, and he immediately deflected the right one with his blade.
Kaang!
There was no time to catch his breath.
Even as he blocked the relentless assaults, the view ahead was still crawling with black clusters.
'Dummy.'
Poof.
He summoned a clone.
Positioned right behind him.
It was a stopgap to prevent them from fully encircling him, even as he held the front.
The dummy perfectly replicated Kang San's form. Though it only had 50% of his abilities, it instantly blocked the ants. It was like a form of A.I. If given a specific command, it would follow it, but otherwise, it made the most optimal judgments based on Kang San's thought patterns for the situation at hand.
In the meantime.
Bam, bam!
Krrrrch.
Kang San was still struggling.
Unable to counterattack effectively, all he could do was desperately block the onslaught.
A quick glance.
'Chan-woo's holding for now...'
The rear situation.
Not bad.
Jeong Chan-woo, with his improved skills, was holding off the ants despite the strain, while Jo Han-byeol supported him by firing arrows nonstop. During the time they bought, Yeon Woo-bin was preparing something. The mana swirling around him indicated they were executing the "one plan" they'd agreed on before entering the ant nest.
They needed more time.
Kang San checked the front.
The red energies tangled like threads, making it hard to spot even a single clear path with the naked eye.
Even so.
Thud.
He kicked off the ground.
Charging straight into the fray.
Killing intent rained down from all directions, warning him not to, but Kang San dodged what he could and took the rest head-on. The Blood Demon's teachings weren't omnipotent. It might be his own lack of skill, but from the start, the vanguard's role meant accepting he couldn't emerge unscathed.
Crunch!
A massive foreleg tore flesh from him.
An attack he'd thought he'd dodged struck late, slamming his leg with bone-crushing force.
"Ngh."
Over a hundred enemies.
Without Guardian's Will dramatically boosting his defense, the accumulating hits would have been enough to threaten his life. His body was soaked in blood. Dizziness set in. Only one or two minutes had passed, yet he felt he'd reached his limit, unable to hold out any longer. It wasn't just fatigue from the previous battle. No matter how hard he fought, it proved he was still merely an E-Rank hunter.
Kyaak!
Thwack!
He was flung backward.
As he could no longer hold and was pushed back.
Flash.
Light emanated from his body.
With his stamina instantly restored, he immediately blocked the charging soldier ants that seemed intent on finishing him.
Boom!
It was exactly as planned.
What they needed now was time, and he'd deliberately shouldered excessive risk to keep the rear safe. Because Kang San had the cheat skill known as Guardian's Will. No matter how deadly the situation, he believed it would grant him the power to endure. Kang San quickly regained his composure. Against over a hundred ants, with defense doubled and stacking effects, he gained enough temporary defense to withstand this absurd onslaught.
'Hold.'
Grind.
He gritted his teeth.
Even drenched in his own blood, he showed his resolve not to yield an inch to those behind him.
In reality, it was a brief moment.
As Kang San struggled desperately, Yeon Woo-bin finally finished his preparation.
"Now!"
His eyes bulged wide.
The instant Yeon Woo-bin's mana exploded, Kang San pulled something from his inventory and hurled it with all his might.
The plan was straightforward.
The moment they confronted the queen ant, Yeon Woo-bin began preparing his most powerful spell.
Mana Eye.
Enrage.
And Salamander's Breath.
That alone would have allowed him to cast faster, but instead of ending with one spell, he added another. Gust of Wind, a 3-circle spell. Yeon Woo-bin showed terrifying focus. The moment he finished preparing the spells, he signaled Jo Han-byeol and Kang San.
"Now!"
It was the promised play.
Kang San pulled something from his inventory without hesitation and threw it into the ant-infested space.
Flash!
It was a small glass vial.
Inside was a liquid called "Red Tears."
A highly flammable substance that spread ferocious flames upon exposure to sufficient heat. Flames fueled by Red Tears didn't extinguish easily. Kang San's party had prepared perfectly from the start. A single arrow shattered the vial floating in midair.
Shatter!
It happened simultaneously.
As the crimson liquid scattered on the wind, Yeon Woo-bin's spell activated.
"Salamander's Breath, Gust of Wind."
Roar.
Fwoosh!
Whoooosh!
The salamander form spewed fierce flames.
The blaze spread like a dragon's breath, propelled by the Gust of Wind in all directions.
Chain reaction.
As Red Tears ignited, flames rapidly spread before the ants could react.
Fwoosh!
Kieeeek!
The ants screamed.
Dozens burned in an instant, and no matter how they thrashed, they couldn't extinguish the flames. That was the terror of magic. Why it was so highly valued against groups. The low-intelligence ants rolled into nearby kin, spreading the fire body to body. Kang San blocked their desperate charges head-on.
Boom boom boom!
"Urk."
A C-Rank ant nest.
Infamous among hunters for its numbers, but the queen herself wasn't that powerful as a single entity. The spreading flames reached her. Her exoskeleton, shrieking as if the world were tearing apart, couldn't withstand the intensified blaze from Red Tears.
And finally.
Thwack!
Jo Han-byeol's arrow pierced her head.
The ant nest, once an insurmountable ordeal.
Was finally conquered.
Once outside, Kang San immediately checked his stats.
Mental Strength had increased as a reward.
Mental Strength might seem like an abstract concept, but Kang San knew it was crucial now that he wielded the unknown power of the Blood Demon Art. Thinking back, when his Mental Strength stat wasn't properly built, he hadn't fully succumbed to the Blood Demon Art's savagery.
And then.
Blood Demon Sword Art, Second Form: Pursuit Kill (★★)
1. Only those who have mastered Blood Demon Art can use Blood Demon Sword Art.
2. Unleashes a strike that relentlessly pursues the enemy. Attack speed temporarily doubles, plus additional attack power equal to Blood Demon Art stacks. Targets that draw blood suffer unstaunchable bleeding for a duration. (Cooldown: 5 min)
Blood Demon Art and Blood Demon Sword Art.
Both had entered new realms.
Blood Demon Art's power had risen, and Blood Demon Sword Art gained its second form.
In terms of raw attack power, it wasn't a higher boost than the first form, Blade Kill, but the "relentless pursuit" aspect was incredibly impressive. This confirmed that Blood Demon Art didn't follow "system rules." Superficially, it said killing raised its power, but special situations had ignored those conditions and upgraded it anyway.
Finally.
A reward from the question mark.
It meant unlocking a skill beyond the system's expression—a new domain. Blood Demon Art was a technique from an entirely different world. Until now, he'd approached it abstractly, but Hyper Sense allowed freer handling of killing intent. All in all, bountiful rewards for Kang San.
As he checked his rewards.
Jeong Chan-woo made a huge fuss.
"We're insane. Even Heavenly Firmament's manager said we couldn't take an ant nest with our power, but we pulled it off perfectly? Hyung Kang San, Hyung Han-byeol, Woo-bin. We're set for life, please."
He was ecstatic.
And rightly so.
Having played a key role himself, his face was flushed with excitement.
Kang San said,
"This raid fulfills our party promotion conditions. Since Woo-bin's D-Rank now, we can all advance a rank via the C-Rank test. With our power, failure's impossible. What do you all think?"
"Easy peasy."
Jeong Chan-woo's response.
"I'm in."
"Whatever you say, hyung."
Jo Han-byeol and Yeon Woo-bin in turn.
Their trust had solidified.
Now, no matter what Kang San suggested—even if illogical—they'd follow without question.
Party promotion.
Not easy.
Party promotions were notoriously more grueling than individual ones.
But they didn't care.
Having conquered a C-Rank ant nest, they felt capable of anything.
"Then, two weeks from now. We'll regroup and take the test."
Kang San had given ample time for a reason.
Not just to reset skill cooldowns, but to test his new skills.
The next day.
He visited the training grounds alone.
Testing skills on practice monsters.
'Blood Demon Sword Art, Second Form: Pursuit Kill.'
Swish.
The sword curved like a serpent.
Tracing a bizarre path, it pursued the fleeing monster and pierced its vitals.
Stab!
Just as described.
Pursuit Kill chased the foe, even altering the trajectory of fixed objects beyond Kang San's control. The sword didn't actually bend like a snake. The red energy made it appear so, but it struck along the curve, making it feel real.
'Pretty useful.'
Perfect for ambushes.
In one-on-one, its suddenness would end lives instantly.
Next, Hyper Sense.
Before, he'd only sensed red energy when Blood Demon Art activated, but now he could summon it with will alone. Meaning, even without kills, he could sense and react to foes via Blood Demon Art. Qi control wasn't perfectly free yet. Hyper Sense just made it more convenient; mastery depended on proficiency.
That's why two weeks.
He knew he couldn't master the new powers instantly.
'Two weeks is short, but training alone versus not makes a difference.'
Days passed.
Kang San visited the training grounds daily.
Today was no different.
Drenched in sweat upon returning, he heard a voice from the TV while heading out after showering.
[Breaking news. A Korean blacksmith has succeeded in weapon enhancement for the first time. Items were long considered beyond human control, but this could change...]
He stopped dead.
The TV report.
He knew what it meant.
And right on cue, he checked his phone: a missed call and message.
[Kang San-ssi. Finally succeeded in weapon enhancement, but things got complicated.]
From the blacksmith he'd contracted with, Yu Jeong-young.
Chapter 56