Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 104
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
【Bloodline is a Thug Chapter 104】
104. Underground Arena (1)
The next day, the group dispersed to their respective arenas.
Kwon Han-ul followed a staff member from Mystery City down to the Underground Arena.
True to its status as the most important location in Mystery City, the path to the Underground Arena was shrouded in secrecy.
One had to descend deep through a hidden Elevator tucked away in a remote corner of Mystery City.
“Wow….”
Upon arriving at the Underground Arena, Kwon Han-ul couldn’t help but marvel.
The Underground Arena was nearly twice as large as the Colosseum built outside the city.
After being guided to the waiting room, Kwon Han-ul fell into contemplation.
He needed to decide the order in which to participate in the matches.
“Consecutive wins. Win ten in a row or face no more challengers, and victory is mine.”
The format of the Underground Arena was remarkably simple.
Not a tournament, but a consecutive win system.
The victor continues to face challengers. Win ten consecutive matches or exhaust all challengers, and you claim victory.
However, any life-threatening injuries sustained in the process are the participant’s own responsibility.
“Simple, but troublesome.”
No matter how strong one is, consecutive battles can inflict wounds and lead to defeat.
Conversely, even someone of lesser skill could seize the moment when a stronger opponent weakens and claim victory.
“By logic, I should observe first before deciding.”
Yet Kwon Han-ul chose without hesitation to participate first.
There was no grand reason. He simply wanted to finish as quickly as possible and watch his teammates’ matches.
Though Joo Ha-yeon had warned him repeatedly about the dangers of the Underground Arena, Kwon Han-ul was confident he would not lose.
【You have chosen to participate first.】
【The match will begin in 10 minutes. Please enter the arena.】
An announcement echoed through the waiting room’s speaker.
Kwon Han-ul donned the mask he’d received from Kwon Myung-woo and left the waiting room.
He traversed a long Corridor and ascended into the arena.
The Underground Arena, too, was constructed in the style of the Colosseum.
Spectator seating rose in layers around the central arena floor.
“You look rather frail.”
The moment I stepped into the arena, an unfamiliar voice reached my ears.
I could see my opponent standing some distance away.
He was a man roughly three times my size.
“What’s with that mask?”
“You’re wearing one too, aren’t you?”
Kwon Han-ul pointed at the man. A mask covered his face as well.
“I had my reasons for wearing it.”
“So do I.”
“This guy’s really something else.”
The one who was really something else was Kwon Han-ul.
“Enough talk. Let’s shake hands as a sign of fighting fair and square.”
The man extended his hand. His forearm appeared roughly three times thicker than Kwon Han-ul’s.
Kwon Han-ul grasped it without hesitation.
That was when it happened.
“Don’t misunderstand.”
The man clamped down on Kwon Han-ul’s hand with tremendous grip strength, crushing it.
“I don’t need tricks like this to kill you. I grabbed you because chasing you around was a pain.”
In that instant, the man’s fist smashed into Kwon Han-ul’s face.
* * *
“Hehehehe.”
While Kwon Han-ul sat in the waiting room.
In the spectator stands, Kwon Myung-woo and Joo Ha-yeon sat side by side.
Both of them wore masks just like Kwon Han-ul did.
It wasn’t just Kwon Han-ul and his team whose identities needed to remain hidden.
Kwon Myung-woo had long ago created a false identity and operated in Mystery City to keep his own identity concealed.
Kwon Myung-woo wasn’t particularly unique in this regard. Many visitors to Mystery City used aliases to hide their tracks.
“Hehehehe.”
Kwon Myung-woo’s face radiated such delight that his smile never faded.
“Are you enjoying yourself that much?”
Unable to bear it any longer, Joo Ha-yeon spoke up. Her tone was remarkably curt.
There was a reason for it.
“You bet I am. My pockets are about to get nice and heavy.”
Mystery City exists purely for entertainment. Gambling is inseparable from entertainment. The Underground Arena was no exception.
Just moments ago, Kwon Myung-woo had placed a substantial sum of money betting on Kwon Han-ul’s victory.
“Surely you didn’t bring Kwon Han-ul here just for this?”
“What do you take me for? It’s purely for that guy’s training.”
Kwon Myung-woo’s expression turned serious.
“Han-ul’s skills are too exceptional—that’s the problem. Does it make sense that someone who hasn’t reached enlightenment can react to my strikes?”
“It doesn’t.”
Kwon Myung-woo is a master of such renown that there’s hardly a person in the world who doesn’t know his name.
“He has exceptional reaction speed, dynamic vision, and even innate talent. So he doesn’t need to block others’ attacks.”
Why block at all?
Dodging or counterattacking would suffice.
“That’s why his proficiency with the Calling Technique is so low. He doesn’t use it. The problem is that to advance to the Ascending Form, he must forcibly elevate his mastery of the Calling Technique.”
“Is that why you chose this place?”
“Exactly. For a skill to truly become second nature, mere repetition won’t suffice. You must use it in actual combat.”
That’s why Kwon Myung-woo had come to the Underground Arena.
Here, he could gain extensive real combat experience in a short period.
“And earn some pocket money on the side.”
Kwon Myung-woo flashed a sly smile. Joo Ha-yeon shot him a sideways glance.
“Who is this!”
Just then, someone approached the two of them. It was a middle-aged man with a well-groomed beard.
“I never expected the Black Owl to visit!”
Black Owl. That was the alias Kwon Myung-woo used as a false identity.
The man extended his hand for a handshake. Kwon Myung-woo grasped it and spoke.
“Mark Goldpixie. You’re still around? What about the company?”
“I took a vacation. With the Underground Arena opening, I couldn’t very well be stuck at the office pushing papers.”
The two exchanged words with bright smiles.
“Are you sponsoring another participant in the Underground Arena this time?”
“That’s right.”
“Last time, the participant you sponsored won the championship. Are you still not satisfied?”
Kwon Myung-woo’s false identity as the Black Owl was quite well-known within Mystery City.
And for good reason—the hunters he’d sponsored had won the Underground Arena championship multiple times.
They were all his teammates, members of the Heukcheon Team.
“I’m in the same boat.”
“Hahahaha, I see. Did you find someone decent this time?”
At Kwon Myung-woo’s words, Mark Goldpixie’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“…Yes, I did. You can have high expectations.”
“Hahahaha! That’s what I like to hear. I’m looking forward to it.”
After the handshake, Mark Goldpixie left.
Once he disappeared, Joo Ha-yeon asked Kwon Myung-woo.
“Mark Goldpixie… Is he someone I know?”
“Yes. He’s the patriarch of the Goldpixie Family, one of the founding families of Mystery City.”
Kwon Myung-woo spoke as if he couldn’t care less.
“He reacted so sensitively to a simple joke. The Goldpixie Family hasn’t produced an Underground Arena champion in years, so that friend must be quite frustrated.”
Kwon Myung-woo clicked his tongue.
“If he loses this time, he’ll be even more upset.”
Just then, Kwon Han-ul stepped into the arena.
Kwon Myung-woo leaned back in his chair and spoke.
“Well then, let’s sit back and enjoy the show.”
Suddenly, the opponent extended his hand to Kwon Han-ul for a handshake. Kwon Han-ul grasped it without suspicion.
The next moment, the opponent slapped Kwon Han-ul across the face.
“…What?”
Kwon Myung-woo’s eyes widened.
* * *
“What a pain in the ass.”
Mark Goldpixie climbed to the top level of the Underground Arena with a furious expression.
As a founding member of Mystery City, Mark Goldpixie had a separate VVIP room assigned to him, unlike the other spectators.
“Oh my, what’s wrong?”
As he entered, Maria Sanchez greeted him.
“Don’t worry about it. I just heard some irritating nonsense.”
Mark Goldpixie huffed and pulled a bottle of whisky from the refrigerator. He drank straight from the bottle without pouring it into a glass.
After wiping his mouth with a satisfied grunt, he asked Maria Sanchez.
“Can I trust the guy participating in this match?”
“Even for you, Mark, it hurts my feelings when you doubt the bloodline of the Sanchez Family.”
At Maria Sanchez’s warning, Mark Goldpixie broke into a cold sweat.
In his excitement, he had forgotten. The woman before him was a villain whom the entire world shook its head at.
“…My apologies. It’s just that the Underground Arena is so crucial—I had to ask, regardless of the other matches.”
“Don’t worry. His skills are certain.”
Confidence filled Maria Sanchez’s voice.
“You might know him as Marcos Sanchez.”
“…You don’t mean the Destroyer, do you?”
Maria Sanchez nodded. Mark Goldpixie involuntarily hiccupped.
The Destroyer, Marcos Sanchez.
A villain from Pandemonium who had once reduced an entire Russian city to rubble.
At the time, all of Russia’s hunters had gathered to stop him, but they all became pulp under Marcos Sanchez’s hands.
“Since the Sanchez Family name can’t be revealed, he can’t use his skills or powers freely… but he’s not the type to lose in a place like this.”
Just then, Marcos Sanchez stepped into the arena.
He exchanged a few words with his opponent before suddenly offering his hand for a handshake. Seeing this, Maria Sanchez sighed.
“Sigh, that bastard… I’ve told him countless times to stop toying with his enemies before killing them, yet he still does it.”
The opponent, oblivious, grasped that hand. Marcos Sanchez, as if he’d been waiting for it, struck the opponent’s head with tremendous force.
“After this is over, I’ll give him a stern warning…”
Immediately after, Marcos Sanchez shot skyward.
After staring blankly for a long moment, Maria Sanchez found herself uttering a word without thinking.
“…What?”
* * *
Crack.
The moment my fist flew forward, a sharp pain shot through my wrist.
I stared down at my hand in a daze.
My wrist was bent and shattered.
“I’ve been watching what you’re doing. You’re quite the underhanded bastard.”
As I shifted my gaze forward, my opponent came into view.
I hadn’t gone all out, but I’d still put considerable force behind that punch. Yet he stood unscathed.
For Marcos Sanchez, it was utterly incomprehensible.
Though I couldn’t use skills, I possessed S-rank stats and two superhuman bloodline abilities: Guardian Aura and Overwhelming Strength.
Guardian Aura is an ability that protects the body, while Overwhelming Strength amplifies both muscle power and physical endurance.
When these two abilities combined, my fist became more destructive than any ordinary bomb.
Yet he took that blow and remained… completely unharmed?
No, it was worse than that. My own fist was shattered.
“And Guardian Aura? What is a bloodline member of the Sanchez Family doing here?”
“You… how did you…”
“How did I know?”
Kwon Han-ul’s gaze drifted toward empty space.
【’Vajra Aura’ protects the user from ‘Guardian Aura’!】
The message that appeared the moment his fist struck me.
This was why Marcos Sanchez’s fist had shattered in return.
Vajra Aura was a superior evolution of Guardian Aura.
When they collided, Vajra Aura didn’t merely overpower Guardian Aura—it obliterated it completely.
“You don’t need to know that much.”
Kwon Han-ul cracked his neck side to side. The sound of joints popping echoed.
“This is getting annoying.”
Anger laced my voice.
Anyone would be furious at being struck without warning, but this was different.
【’Superhuman Blood’ grows angry!】
Perhaps because I’d been hit by an inferior bloodline member, the superhuman blood within me began to awaken.
No—it wasn’t merely awakening.
【True Superhuman Blood Assimilation Rate: 17% → 30%】
The assimilation rate surged violently.
My entire body burned with heat. My muscles writhed beneath my skin.
Simultaneously, rage boiled up from deep within my chest.
【’Tyrant Star’ and ‘Vajra Aura’ grow stronger!】
【Strength and Agility stats are elevated to S-rank!】
【A new ability is unlocked!】
Countless messages flooded my vision, yet not a single one registered in my awareness.
All my senses converged on the man before me.
“You… bastard…”
Marcos Sanchez felt a chill run down his spine. His instincts screamed at him to distance himself from Kwon Han-ul.
In that instant, Kwon Han-ul reversed the grip and seized Marcos Sanchez’s hand with an iron clasp.
“W-wait, I can’t let go!”
Marcos Sanchez cried out urgently and thrashed his hand, desperate to break free.
But the hand locked in Kwon Han-ul’s grip remained utterly immobile.
Then Kwon Han-ul moved. Twisting his waist, he drove his fist directly into Marcos Sanchez’s abdomen.
【’Diamond Qi’ shatters ‘Guardian Qi’!】
【’Tyrant Star’ amplifies physical strength!】
A member of the Sanchez Family without Guardian Qi was defenseless—nothing more than a fragile mortal.
And now, amplified by Tyrant Star, S-rank physical strength unleashed its true power.
“Gaaahhh!”
Marcos Sanchez’s body rocketed upward, soaring high enough to nearly touch the ceiling.
Only after a considerable moment did he crash back to the ground.
For an instant, silence blanketed the arena. But it was fleeting—the crowd erupted in fervent admiration for the technique Kwon Han-ul had displayed.
“Nothing special about that bastard.”
As I dismissed the thought irritably, I suddenly remembered something.
“Right, I need to practice the formal stance.”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————