The Regressed Blood Knight’s Strategy

Chapter 176

Ray hadn’t even considered using mana.

That was a power from a game—

Not something from reality.

And yet, he could apparently use mana now.

He was stunned.

Why hadn’t he thought of this earlier?

No, even when he had tried to recall mana before, no energy had manifested in his body.

That’s why he hadn’t used it.

“You lack desperation,” Kane remarked.

Ray, irritated, shot back, “Damn it, even here you’re showing off the gap in talent.”

Still, Ray kept trying to summon mana.

“Keep trying while you listen. Our destination is SG Games’ central hub,” Kane said.

At that hub, there had to be the energy responsible for destabilizing the world’s balance.

They had to find it—and destroy it.

That seemed like the solution to escape from this future.

“Is SG Games’ data center located at its headquarters?” Ray asked.

SG Games was based in Pangyo.

“The data center is elsewhere,” Kane replied.

“Where?”

“Seocho.”

“Seocho? That’s a danger zone.”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“The data center exploded once. Since then, more demonic beasts appeared there, and they’ve been raking in money ever since.”

“Looks like we’ll have to head to Seocho,” Ray said, determined.

“It worked!” Ray exclaimed suddenly.

At that moment, Ray successfully manifested mana.

The timing was perfect.

“Let’s head out immediately.”

Whoosh!

Kane launched himself off the ground and disappeared in an instant.

Ray focused mana into his feet and tried to propel himself too—

“Whoa!”

—but he couldn’t glide smoothly like Kane.

“That talented jerk. He’s already adapted to it?”

Using mana in this body was different from Ray’s game body.

The current body, Min Kyungsoo, was his original.

But the mana came from memories of being Ray.

So, of course, it wasn’t smooth.

Kane, or rather Han Chanyul, adapting to it instantly was extraordinary.

“Hey, wait up!” Ray called out, but Kane was already gone.

Seocho, being a danger zone, was under strict military surveillance.

All the soldiers guarding it had mana of their own.

Yet Kane had no trouble slipping past them.

Whoosh!

The sound of wind echoed faintly.

One soldier, startled by the sudden gust, looked around.

“Did something just pass by?”

“There’s nothing there,” another replied.

“Must’ve been my imagination,” the first muttered, returning to his post.

Time passed.

Another gust blew past them—this time stronger.

It felt like something had moved above their heads.

But…

"What was that?"

"This time, I felt it too."

"Right? I wasn’t imagining it, was I?"

"Could it be a ghost?"

"Maybe my energy’s off balance?"

"Shift change is coming up soon, so let’s just hang in there."

No matter how hard they looked, neither a person nor a demon beast appeared.

They chalked it up to drowsiness and resumed their watch.

“Is this the place? It’s eerie.”

“Huff, huff!”

Ray was gasping for air, barely catching up to Kane.

If Kane hadn’t practically cleared the way, Ray would have been left behind long ago.

“Let’s head inside.”

“W-wait!” Ray grabbed Kane’s arm.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Don’t you think you’re being a bit much? Huff, huff.”

Kane tilted his head, puzzled.

Seeing that expression, Ray clenched his fist.

“You’ve been here resting, but I just arrived!”

“Fine. Let’s rest for two minutes before going in.”

“I knew you were intense, but not to this level.”

“Regulate your breathing, and you’ll recover quickly.”

“It’s not like I don’t know that!”

“You must not want to get back to reality very badly.”

Ray wanted to punch Kane. Was he deliberately trying to get under his skin?

As Ray ground his teeth in frustration, Kane suddenly raised a finger to his lips.

“Shh!”

“I sense movement.”

They concealed their presence and pressed tightly against the back of the building.

A shadow appeared.

“It’s a demon beast.”

“It seems like it’s guarding this area, right?”

“There must be something here worth protecting.”

They were certain the source of energy drawing demon beasts out of the gates was inside.

“Let’s move in.”

Kane and Ray slipped into the dilapidated building.

“There’s another one! The security is even stricter than it was in our time.”

Previously, human hunters had been assigned to guard areas like this. Now, demon beasts were patrolling in shifts.

“We should head toward the area with the heaviest security,” Kane suggested.

“Do we need to? I know this place like the back of my hand.”

“Oh, I forgot you were the owner here.”

“Well, technically, my brother is the owner, but I know the layout better.”

Following Ray’s lead, they navigated deeper into the facility without any trouble. It was as if it were his home.

They expertly avoided the demon beasts and passed through the core sections.

“This part requires a password key,” Ray noted.

He brought his eye close to the authentication scanner.

Then—

[Identity confirmed.]

A mechanical sound echoed as the door opened.

"See that?" Ray said smugly.

"So, you\'re part of the \'royal family,\' huh?" Kane remarked.

Thanks to Ray, they had made it into the very core of the center with ease.

The moment they stepped inside, an overwhelming surge of energy enveloped them.

“There’s something massive here. What on earth were you people doing?” Kane asked.

“My brother said something about an awakening project, but I don’t know the details,” Ray replied.

“And you were part of it?”

“They insisted one member of the ‘royal family’ had to participate, so I was forced into it.”

“That colossal energy source… we need to see where it’s coming from to understand.”

Mana ripples shimmered in the air.

But it wasn’t just any mana—it was demonic mana.

As the two of them approached the source of the energy—

BEEEEEEP—

An alarm blared.

[Intruders detected!]

[Eliminate the intruders!]

Out of nowhere, figures emerged.

They were human, or at least they seemed to be.

Whether they were conscious or not was unclear. Their eyes were rolled back, lifeless.

Kane unsheathed his blood-red sword and cut down those blocking their way.

Slash!

Heads fell cleanly, the sword strokes precise and merciless.

Ray, meanwhile, conjured a spear with his mana and dispatched the enemies with swift, calculated strikes.

More figures poured in, attacking like moths to a flame.

But their strength was no match for the two intruders.

Eventually, they cut down every last opponent and reached the room where the energy source was located.

Clunk!

As soon as they entered, the door locked behind them.

The room was pitch dark.

A grating, metallic voice echoed through the space.

“Unexpected guests have arrived here. I never imagined there would be anyone in Korea capable of breaking through such tight security and reaching the energy source.”

Suddenly, the lights flickered on.

A middle-aged man in a robe revealed his face.

“Father?” Ray’s eyes widened in shock.

It was Min Hyungbae, the head of SG Group.

To Ray, this man was his father.

The sudden appearance of his long-lost family member left Ray bewildered.

Min Hyungbae was equally surprised.

When he saw Ray, a look of disbelief crossed his face.

“You were supposed to be dead.”

“As you can see, I’m very much alive! What are you talking about?”

“All those connected to the War of gods server when it went out of control perished!”

Kane, standing beside Ray, interjected.

“So, the War of Gods VR device was essentially a catalyst for forced awakenings.”

If a subject failed to awaken, they were disposed of.

The next candidate would then be chosen, and the experiments would continue.

Kane and Ray had both been experimental subjects.

“Did you achieve what you wanted with all this?” Kane asked coldly.

“You were a test subject too?” Min Hyungbae inquired.

“As you can see, I survived.”

Min Hyungbae’s eyes gleamed with intrigue. Hearing that a discarded subject was still alive piqued his curiosity.

“What’s your name?”

“Han Chanyul.”

“He’s Test Subject 68890,” Ray’s older brother replied.

“Check the data,” Min Hyungbae ordered.

Ray’s brother brought up a holographic display.

“This is… outside the range!” his brother exclaimed in a shocked voice.

The numbers displayed were unprecedented—something they had never encountered before.

Up to this point, the strongest product of their experiments was an S-rank hunter.

But this was beyond that rank.

It was an extraordinary result, the culmination of sacrificing countless test subjects.

“Check Kyungsoo’s data as well,” Min Hyungbae demanded.

“Ky-Kyungsoo’s data is also outside the range!”

Min Hyungbae burst into manic laughter.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

Forced human awakening had long been a global challenge.

And now, South Korea had achieved it for the first time.

“I don’t know how you both survived, but welcome back, my inventions,” Min Hyungbae declared, his tone dripping with the madness of a deranged scientist.

Kane leaned toward Ray and muttered grimly, “Your so-called father is playing a very dangerous game.”

“I can’t believe he even experimented on his own son,” Ray muttered, his voice trembling with disbelief.

Kane placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Pull yourself together. This might be our future, but it could also be a fabricated world. Don’t let yourself get lost here. Until we’ve passed all the trials, nothing is certain.”

Ray nodded, his thoughts conflicted. He wished for a future different from this grim reality, yet part of him wondered if it was all just a dream.

The gods were capricious beings—omnipotent entities that toyed with humans on a whim. With that in mind, Ray focused solely on overcoming the trials.

“Kane, I’m going to destroy that energy source. If it goes wrong, it could take all our lives with it,” Ray declared.

“You don’t need to spell out what I already know,” Kane retorted.

“These are your real family members. Changing the future might change their fate.”

“And they might also be illusions,” Ray countered.

“No one knows for sure,” Kane admitted.

“Enough. Let’s destroy the energy and get through this trial.”

Ray wasn’t about to immerse himself in sentimentality. To him, this trial was just another obstacle to overcome—nothing more.

Kane gave a curt nod, agreeing with Ray’s determination.

Min Hyungbae’s face twisted into a scowl as he realized what they were planning.

“You’d better not try anything foolish,” he warned.

But before he could stop them, a group of powerful individuals stepped forward to block Kane and Ray.

These weren’t just ordinary guards—they were elite hunters, handpicked and awakened by Min Hyungbae himself. They were S-rank fighters, renowned even on the global stage.

With a flash, Kane and Ray launched themselves forward.

“Stop them!” Min Hyungbae bellowed.

Min Hyungbae watched the scene unfold, his eyes trembling with both fear and exhilaration.

The hunters guarding him were the epitome of strength, the pinnacle of his experiments—S-rank elites respected worldwide.

Yet, against Kane and Ray, they were utterly outmatched.

“Our experiment is a success!” Min Hyungbae exclaimed, his voice filled with ecstatic disbelief.

“If we continue this research, Father, the world will kneel before us,” Ray’s older brother added, his excitement evident.

The two shared a moment of unrestrained joy.

Seeing Kane and Ray’s overwhelming power was proof enough—the experiment had exceeded expectations, creating beings beyond imagination.

“This place is done. We’ll move to the secondary research facility,” Min Hyungbae decided with a triumphant grin.

“I will escort you.”

With those words, the Min family fled, abandoning the research facility.

The hunters, mindlessly obedient to the Min family’s orders, fought with reckless abandon, as if they were nothing more than killing machines.

But in the end, they all fell to Kane and Ray’s hands.

“Should we go after them?” Ray asked.

“We only need to destroy this,” Kane replied, his focus unshaken.

Slowly, he pressed his sword into the energy source.

Crack!

A deep fissure spread across the chamber, causing the massive flow of mana to intensify.

“Ugh,” Ray groaned, bracing himself against the shockwaves.

“Shield yourself with mana,” Kane commanded.

With a determined motion, he drove the rest of the blade deep into the core.

Boom!

An enormous explosion of mana erupted.

The entire research facility was engulfed in the blast, the surrounding area reduced to rubble and chaos.