Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: 16. Fragments of Memory (3)
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This memory...
For Kang San, it was bewildering.
The Blood Demon he had experienced so far had been a clear villain.
He had once thought there might be some special backstory to the Blood Demon, but watching him kill Namgung Baek and his daughter had shattered even that faint hope. It was cowardly and cruel. Luring Namgung Baek in by exploiting his love for his daughter, then slaughtering them both—it rendered any potential sob story meaningless.
He had killed people.
Even if there was a special reason, murder was murder. And the people the Blood Demon had killed numbered enough to form mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Among them were countless innocents. What kind of justification could possibly defend a life like that? Namgung Baek, stepping into danger alone knowing it meant certain death for the sake of his one and only daughter—that image was clear proof that the Blood Demon was the kind of person who could never be forgiven.
Which made it all the more...
Impossible to understand.
The Blood Demon's decision to help Baek Hyeon was a complete contradiction to everything he had shown so far.
'Why on earth...'
His head felt numb.
A pursuit squad hot on his trail.
Exhausted to the point where collapsing at any moment wouldn't have been surprising, the Blood Demon headed for the Geumho Merchant Group as if walking a tightrope. And once again, he unleashed a massacre. He made no distinction between the innocent and the guilty. His sword thirsted for murder, cutting down anyone in his path indiscriminately. After torturing the merchant leader, he uncovered a shocking truth. Among the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools representing the orthodox martial world, the Wudang Sect had orchestrated the annihilation of the Baek family clan. But even knowing that, the situation before his eyes didn't change.
Dozens died.
Bodies piled up like mountains, blood flowing like rivers.
The pursuit squad, who had sworn to avenge Namgung Baek, had harbored just and righteous intentions—but in the end, they died just the same.
When asked who the villain was...
The answer was unequivocally the Blood Demon.
But his final act of advising the boy was a blatant contradiction, leaving Kang San even more confused by the sequence of events. Humans aren't one-dimensional. A villain to one person might be an angel to their family. Clearly, the Blood Demon had his own story too.
The problem was...
Why show it all to him specifically?
Kang San had accepted his present misfortunes as karmic retribution from his past life.
If he had just shown repeated villainy, he could have cleansed his karma without a shred of doubt. But these kinds of memories made his breath catch in his throat. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't grasp what the god Azmun truly wanted from him.
He swallowed his nausea.
He didn't know.
He truly didn't know.
This time, he had avenged someone else, but the brutality he displayed in the process had piled up countless evil deeds.
A villain.
That was the truth he needed to remember, beyond any karma to be cleansed.
Kang San squeezed his eyes shut, reaffirming his resolve.
In the meantime, the doctor had come and gone.
Alone in the hospital room.
The moment the doctor left, a figure burst in as if he'd been waiting.
It was none other than...
"You're awake!"
Kim Chun-sik.
He learned too late.
A desperate crisis.
The soldier who had drawn the monsters' attention turned out to be Kim Chun-sik.
Normally, he would have asked why he'd done something so reckless, but the conversation that followed explained it fully.
".........May I ask why you covered my hospital bills?"
His voice was cautious.
Kang San and Kim Chun-sik.
They had only met during the arrow sponge mission.
No matter how he thought about it, Kim Chun-sik couldn't have known about his grandmother, yet he'd paid over 100 million won without hesitation. At first, Kang San had wanted to keep it secret, so he hadn't mentioned it. But seeing him collapsed in the hospital bed like this, Kim Chun-sik felt he had to repay the favor to his benefactor properly.
Kang San hesitated.
He didn't have a good answer.
If there had been no trials, he wouldn't have dreamed of such a reckless decision to save Kim Chun-sik, let alone cover the bills.
Was it because it was right after experiencing his past life?
This time, he couldn't even spit out his usual blunt words.
"I don't know."
"Does that mean there was no reason?"
".........More precisely, I can't explain it properly. Maybe I just hoped that acting like that would make me seem like a good person. You seem to have expected something grand, so I'm sorry to disappoint you."
"No. If anything, it feels just like you, Mr. Kang San."
"Pardon?"
Kim Chun-sik smiled.
"Some people say that if there's an ulterior motive behind good intentions, it taints the goodness. That's wrong. No matter the reason, your choice saved my life, and my grandmother can keep watching her grandson live on. How could I be disappointed? I'm just filled with gratitude. Without you, I wouldn't be facing you with a smiling face like this."
".........I see."
"Yes. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I should have come sooner to express it, but since you didn't seem to want it, I waited until now."
It was a strange feeling.
His past self...
Had been seen as a villain by most.
Yet the person reflected in Kim Chun-sik's eyes right now wasn't someone deserving of condemnation.
A lump formed in his throat.
The confusion began to settle.
Just that one truth—that he was different from his past life—was enough to sort out some of the turmoil.
Kang San said,
"By the way, I heard you pushed yourself too hard to save me. Don't ever do that again. It's dangerous."
"Come on, that's not something you should say, Mr. Kang San. I had the military backing me, but you threw yourself into it all alone. And Kim Chun-sik, man of honor—thanks to you, I've gained a new life and resolved to live proudly under the heavens. If something like this happens again, I'll jump in a hundred times out of a hundred, no hesitation. Oh, and I got lucky this time—promoted straight to lieutenant. My salary's pretty good now, so I'll pay back my grandmother's hospital bills as soon as I save up. And if you ever need help with anything, just call me anytime. For your sake, Mr. Kang San, I'll drop everything and come running."
Kim Chun-sik grinned.
"With that in mind, can I get your number? Whether it's repaying a debt or helping out, I need your contact info, right?"
Suddenly, he felt relieved.
Right after facing those confusing memories, the first person he met was someone this warm.
Kang San smiled back at him.
"Sure, I'll give it to you."
There are moments in life when you feel like you've lived it well.
Kang San was feeling that right now.
After Kim Chun-sik left, people started showing up one after another.
Director Yeon Gyu-seong came with doctors to check his condition again, and Yeon Woo-bin, Jo Han-byeol, and Jeong Chan-woo's group fussed over whether he was okay. Bizarrely, people from Heavenly Firmament and Daeyang had sent representatives too. He didn't know where they'd heard the news, but they brought fruit baskets, probably just to make an appearance.
And among them...
Was Kim Myung-min.
".........Thank you so much. That's the first thing I wanted to say."
"No need. If it weren't for you, Team Leader, not just me—none of us would have survived."
"It would have been impossible without you buying us time first. And for a D-Rank like you to hold off an A-Rank Werewolf Lord? That's beyond unbelievable, Mr. Kang San."
This incident...
Still felt unreal.
The sudden emergence of an A-Rank variable, and a mere D-Rank like Kang San blocking it...
Kim Myung-min continued,
"The first time I saw you, watching you throw yourself in for your comrades, I thought I could trust my life to someone like that. Honestly, there was a lot of backlash against that decision at first. Bringing an E-Rank like you into ranger work, where variables can pop up anywhere anytime—it was called insane. To be frank, I couldn't make a rational call back then. We'd lost a teammate mid-mission, the main tanker went into secluded training from the shock, and I was sidelined to a desk job. What I needed wasn't a rank on paper, but someone reliable who could protect my people."
For that reason...
He couldn't stop the test.
He wanted to see with his own eyes how Kang San would handle a variable.
"I'm sorry again for not stopping the test then. And thank you sincerely. We survived because of you, and I'm truly glad you're part of the team. And..."
The Hunter Management Bureau.
If they confirmed his abilities there, they might offer a special position outside of ranger duties.
But he didn't want to say it now.
Kang San needed rest.
He didn't want to burden someone who had just woken up.
And above all...
The thought of losing Kang San wasn't something Kim Myung-min welcomed.
".........No need. I'll bring in the team members. They insisted on thanking you personally."
At his words...
The ranger team members entered the room.
Kang San and the team members.
Their relationship had been lukewarm.
Their first meeting hadn't been pleasant, but the team members who'd been saved showed no trace of their old attitudes.
"Thanks to you, we survived. Truly, thank you."
It was Goo Yeon-su.
He spoke with polite remorse, as if reflecting on the past.
And then...
"Honestly, when I first heard about you, Mr. Kang San, I was skeptical. The reviews were mixed. They said you had skills, but D-Rank? And Team Leader wouldn't recruit just anyone recklessly. But after experiencing it myself, I completely understand why he pushed through the opposition. How did you do it? Even I, a B-Rank, struggled against that Werewolf Lord, and a D-Rank like you held it off? I still can't believe it."
Joo Seok-hoon fussed excitedly, his massive frame belying his enthusiasm.
This incident...
The ranger team members acknowledged Kang San.
They had no choice.
Beyond mere skill, when the dangerous variable arose, Kang San made a bold decision transcending his limits. At its core was a spirit of sacrifice. Convinced that someone had to buy time for everyone to survive, he staked his life without a moment's hesitation.
How could anyone deny such a man?
Even those who had viewed him through colored glasses at first now felt nothing but gratitude toward him.
That was when...
Someone approached Kang San.
When Kang San looked over, the man blushed and bowed his head.
".........I'm sorry. Before anything else, I need to apologize first."
It was Yoon Ji-tae.
The series of events...
Had shattered the common sense of Yoon Ji-tae's world.