Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: 17. Countdown (2)
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Kang San had faced two crises recently.
The first was Dean Yeon Gyu-seong's test.
Yeon Gyu-seong had made every preparation to stop his son, and the hobgoblin's "rank transcendence" variable created an overwhelming situation. That was when Burning Time activated. For Kang San, with guaranteed rewards and the safety net of trials, he risked his life to maximize his gains.
The second was the tenth trial.
It was a moment of utter despair.
The werewolf lord revealed its overwhelming presence, leaving Kang San with no choice but to stake his life on buying time. Purely in terms of danger, the latter was far graver. A situation where death could come at any instant—yet Burning Time did not trigger then.
What on earth?
What was the difference between the two?
Was Burning Time just a one-off event?
Kang San didn't think so.
It was just a hypothesis, but he came up with a plausible basis.
'Burning Time activated during Dean Yeon Gyu-seong's test, so the basic premise is a life-threatening crisis. The reason it didn't trigger in the tenth trial must be the difference in how much the Blood Demon Art had manifested.'
The two situations.
There was one other differing condition.
During Dean Yeon Gyu-seong's test, Kang San had intentionally built up Blood Demon Art stacks to find a way out of the dire situation. The same went for the tenth trial. He had stimulated his feral instincts to explosively boost his abilities then too. The problem was the number of monsters processed that way.
When facing low-rank monsters.
And when facing the werewolf.
The number slain by Kang San's hand differed.
In Dean Yeon Gyu-seong's test, he had killed over twenty. His hypothesis was that the surging feral instincts had stimulated something within, forming 'Burning Time.' If true, the tenth trial—where survival was all he could manage—had fallen just short of the conditions.
Therefore.
To test it, he came to the stat training center.
The staff member asked,
"...Uh. You're D-Rank, but you booked the C-Rank chaotic battle course?"
"That's correct."
Kang San's current rank was D-Rank.
Booking C-Rank was normally impossible.
But for this, he had Kim Myung-min prepare a document.
"This is a certificate from the Ranger team proving my abilities. It states I can handle C-Rank training, so please check and process it."
"Ah."
The staff blinked.
The document was genuine.
Showing surprise, they asked again,
"Difficulty on hard, and how long for the duration?"
This too.
Was just a hypothesis.
Kang San, who needed time, prayed it would hit the mark.
"Six months, please."
Half a year.
Kang San invested half of it here at the stat training center.
Trials had patterns.
When Kang San tried something, the difficulty spiked dramatically.
Last time at the stat training center, it had ramped up the challenge by warping time.
Just like now.
An enormous reward.
Kang San only had one 3-star skill, Shield of Trials, and this added +30 to a stat on top. But what relieved him more was the time warp. 180 days outside became 1800 days inside. Six months stretched to nearly five years.
Dizzying.
Most would lose their minds over such endless time, but Kang San felt relief.
This was an S-Rank outbreak. With everything on the line for one failure, no preparation was too much.
But then.
An unexpected turn.
Securing time via the training center.
A cheat key he could exploit intentionally.
As if denying that benefit, the god's message suddenly tightened its grip on his lifeline.
"Urk."
His body grew heavy.
Gravity crushed him.
And not just that.
Rumble.
Roooar.
The boundaries around him vanished.
Darkness spread in all directions.
And from beyond it.
Grrrrowl.
Something emerged, red eyes gleaming.
Flicker.
Flicker, flicker.
The lights illuminated the space.
From the dimming and brightening area beyond, a familiar monster appeared.
Grrrrowl.
A werewolf.
C-Rank monster.
Drooling thick saliva, it slowly advanced on Kang San.
Grip.
Kang San clutched his shield tight.
'This isn't good.'
Increased gravity.
Even breathing was hard.
He had beaten a werewolf in the tenth trial, but in this state, he couldn't perform at full capacity. Plus, one message detail nagged: monsters sharing experience to take him down. He didn't yet know what that meant exactly.
His thoughts were brief.
No time to ponder or react—the werewolf was already upon him.
Kyaaak!
Thud thud thud.
"Hup."
Bam!
He blocked with his shield.
Kang San seemed pushed back, then braced with his rear foot to hold.
'Right side.'
Whoosh.
Swoosh!
Sharp claws grazed past his nose.
Having fought werewolves multiple times, he knew their attack patterns as a bipedal beast. The werewolf slashed relentlessly with claws, closing distance before suddenly biting at his shoulder.
That too.
Was anticipated.
Swish.
He deflected the attack.
Superhuman senses tracked the killing intent past his shoulder; he countered, targeting the jaw.
Flash—
Kreeeek!
The strike missed.
In his mind, it pierced the jaw, finishing the werewolf instantly. But the heightened gravity didn't let his body move as imagined. Their stat gap was already double. His attacks couldn't land properly. Barely scratched and bleeding, the werewolf raged harder, pressing him.
Clang!
Clang clang clang clang!
"Urgh."
Breath caught.
Not just the tough foe—air itself was scarce.
Penalties grabbing at every ankle.
Gravity had risen last time too, but this pressure was worse. And it seemed targeted only at 'Kang San.' Gravity ignored the werewolf and surroundings, solely nerfing his physical prowess.
The D-Rank vs. C-Rank gap to begin with.
Amplified by penalties, yet Kang San's gaze stayed fixed on the werewolf.
One step.
Two steps.
He retreated.
Allowing some attacks.
'Now.'
Flash.
Sword thrust.
Werewolf reacted.
But.
"Blood Demon Sword Art, Second Form: Pursuit Kill."
Whirrl.
Thud!
The blade traced a bizarre path.
Though dodged, it snaked like a serpent into the werewolf's nape.
Kyaaaaak!
Blood sprayed.
From there, it got easier.
Impaired by the wound, Kang San relentlessly targeted it, methodically cornering the beast. Rank wasn't absolute. One crack. The werewolf couldn't endure, heart pierced by his sword.
Stab.
Grrroowl.
Down.
Blood Demon Art effect triggered.
Attack power temporarily +3%.
Thud.
Werewolf collapsed.
No time to relax.
Kang San irritably shook blood from his blade, eyeing the darkened space.
"...Shouldn't have picked chaotic battle."
Chaotic battle.
One vs. many training.
As if reflecting that intent.
Grrk.
Grrrooowl.
From the darkness, multiple red eyes blazed with murder.
He always thought it, but Guardian's Will was a contradictory skill.
Usually, one vs. many meant disadvantage, but that's when it truly shone.
Six.
Disadvantageous.
Kang San took a defensive stance, dispersing the enemies' attacks first.
"Dummy."
He summoned a clone.
Ordered it to defend only; as planned, three werewolves latched onto the dummy.
That was his chance.
He had to fell the remaining three before it fell.
"Berserker."
50% stamina cost.
Attack and agility rose, the voice announced.
Kang San bore the risk of starting low on stamina, but immediately used Aura of Recovery to regain some. Linked skills. His gravity-sagged body pierced the oppressive weight, diving into the charging werewolves' midst.
Kyaaak!
Killing intents tangled.
Front, both sides.
Werewolves attacked from all angles.
He precisely navigated the chaotic fray, exploiting the gap right before him.
"Blood Demon Sword Art, First Form: Blade Kill."
Flash.
Thud!
Blood spurted from its chest.
One werewolf screeched horribly, retreating; Kang San ignored it for another. Killing outright was one way, but Blood Demon Sword Art inflicted bleed, so he disabled one with debuff before targeting the next.
Kyaaak! A werewolf bared fangs.
In the tangle, when opportunity showed, he offered his flesh willingly.
'Iron Body.'
Arm reinforced.
Boosted defense and HP regen.
Trusting that, he gave his arm, then jammed his sword into the biting werewolf's skull.
Thud!
Grrk.
Blood Demon Art effect triggered.
Attack power temporarily +6%.
Blood-soaked blade.
Attack power climbing.
Kang San didn't stop.
Couldn't.
Reason for the stat training center.
Reason for chaotic battle course.
Must down as many as possible before Blood Demon Art's momentum broke.
Even just three had bloodied him; now the dummy's three approached. Kill, kill again. Soon, no deep thoughts. Dodge visible attacks, stab openings. Repeated messages of rising Blood Demon Art attack power, but no breather for Kang San.
No separation of training and rest zones.
Monsters spawning anywhere, anytime.
True.
After felling all six, hot breath wafted from the dark, as if waiting.
Grrrowl.
Grrrooowl.
No end in sight.
Soon, he stopped counting.
Confront, kill.
Repeated slaughter deepened his feral instincts, the voice said. Rising attack made werewolves easier foes. Ironic. The more he killed. The more opponents. His D-Rank body reached beyond.
And exactly at twenty kills.
Blood Demon Art effect triggered.
Attack power temporarily +60%.
Burning Time applied.
The message he'd waited for arrived.