Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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【Bloodline is a Thug Chapter 13】

Chapter 13: Bloodline is Intriguing (4)

Kwon Ji-seok’s expression was hollow and vacant.
It was painfully obvious he struggled to accept the current situation. Yet I had no intention of showing him mercy.
I planned to thoroughly crush his pride and inflict humiliation upon him.
“Ah, and there’s still the matter of a debt between us that needs settling, isn’t there?”
“A debt…?”
“You should apologize to me for all your past wrongs.”
Life gradually returned to Kwon Ji-seok’s eyes. No—that wasn’t vitality. It was rage.
“You, you you! You! Do you really think you’ll walk away unscathed after pulling this kind of stunt on me?”
“That’s something I’ll worry about myself, so don’t concern yourself with it.”
I replied coldly.
“Go ahead and apologize. You’re already on your knees anyway—saves you the effort. How convenient.”
“You, you damn bastard!”
Kwon Ji-seok spewed rage. At that moment, Joo Ha-yeon spoke up.
“Kwon Ji-seok, if the Chairman learns that you’ve broken your promise, he will issue a severe reprimand.”
“W-why is Grandfather being brought up here!”
“I merely speak so that you might consider your position wisely.”
Kwon Ji-seok trembled on his knees, his five fingers clawing at the floor.
“I, I am… I, Kwon Ji-seok am….”
Kwon Ji-seok forced his mouth to move, but his words crumbled and scattered into the air, incomplete.
Yet my face showed no trace of boredom.
Quite the opposite.
Kwon Ji-seok, who had so thoroughly despised me as the son of a traitor, now knelt before me. His head bowed. He apologized.
Something swelled within my chest—an emotion I’d never experienced before. But I recognized it immediately.
Victory.
I had seized victory with my own hands, subjugated my enemy, and claimed the spoils.
The exhilaration of this moment intoxicated me.
“I, I apologize to Kwon Han-ul for a-all the wrongs I have c-committed….”
The final words were on the verge of completion.
“If I may speak boldly to Kwon Han-ul!”
One of Kwon Ji-seok’s attendants cried out.
“Kwon Ji-seok is a blood relative of the main family and a direct descendant of Kwon Seon-woo, the family head! Such humiliation cannot be tolerated!”
The attendant’s face burned with indignation.
It was clear he wasn’t simply trying to score points for Kwon Ji-seok—he was genuinely enraged on behalf of his master.
It seemed that despite his vile temperament, Kwon Ji-seok at least had the fortune of loyal followers.
But to Kwon Han-ul, his aide’s interference was merely a nuisance.
“By that logic, I’m also a direct bloodline of the main family and the family head’s lineage.”
Kwon Han-ul’s rebuttal left his aide speechless.
Though I endured mockery for being the child of a traitor or tainted by common blood, by pure lineage alone, a mere Branch Family member like this aide had no standing to talk back to me.
Yet the aide did not back down easily.
“Kwon Ji-seok is the second son of the current Vice Chairman, Kwon Hyuk….”
“It seems you’re not reading the room.”
Kwon Han-ul’s voice turned sharp.
“A Branch Family lackey has no place here. Shut your mouth and get out.”
At Kwon Han-ul’s words, the aide’s face went pale. He clamped his mouth shut and didn’t dare speak again.
It was a far different reaction from the Branch Family members I’d seen before. It was as if they genuinely feared Kwon Han-ul.
Kwon Han-ul glanced at the other relatives. They all scrambled to avert their eyes.
“Heh.”
Kwon Han-ul let out a short laugh.
What I gained from my victory over Kwon Ji-seok was far more than just crafting materials.
Authority.
Authority I could never have obtained even with true Black Dragon Blood had been forged. The Branch Family members’ attitudes were proof of that.
Kwon Han-ul’s gaze turned back to Kwon Ji-seok. He was staring at his aides with a pitiful expression.
“I can’t hear a word. What exactly are you doing?”
“Th-that is….”
“I’m having trouble hearing. Speak louder.”
“I, I Kwon Ji-seok, to, to Kwon Han-ul, for all the things I’ve d-done until now… I, I apologize….”
Kwon Ji-seok shouted with his eyes squeezed shut.
“…I apologize!”
The thrill of victory surged through my entire body.
At that exhilaration, the corners of Kwon Han-ul’s mouth curved upward.

* * *

“Thanks to you, I got to see something truly spectacular.”
Park Tae-sik spoke while driving a small truck, with Kwon Han-ul in the passenger seat.
“Kwon Ji-seok’s got a notoriously foul temperament, doesn’t he? But watching him completely unable to land a single blow against you was quite the sight.”
Park Tae-sik laughed loudly. He was truly a man who smiled often.
“Plus, I managed to get my hands on some rare materials. This is going to feel like proper smithing work for once.”
Currently, Kwon Han-ul was heading toward Park Tae-sik’s personal workshop.
Being a secretive place, Park Tae-sik permitted only Kwon Han-ul to enter.
There, I planned to discuss in detail what kind of equipment to craft using the materials obtained from Kwon Ji-seok.
The reason for traveling by small truck was to transport all the materials I’d acquired from Kwon Ji-seok.
“You possess genuine True Black Dragon Blood, yet you’ve got remarkable drive and audacity. Like father, like son indeed.”
At those words, Kwon Han-ul immediately turned to look at Park Tae-sik.
“…Do you know something about my father?”
“Kwon Cheon? I’ve seen his face a few times.”
At that, Kwon Han-ul felt his heart race.
“What kind of person was my father?”
“Why don’t you ask Ha-yeon about that?”
“The Chairman issued strict orders to keep it confidential, so she wouldn’t give me an answer.”
“Confidential? Even to his own son? That Kwon Seon-woo has a petty side to him.”
Calling the Chairman of Heukcheon—a man before whom even heads of state bow—by his name alone.
The two seemed far more intimate than I’d realized.
“I don’t know much myself. The Kwon Family never reveals internal matters to outsiders. Even I, working at the Heukcheon Workshop, am no exception.”
Kwon Han-ul couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
“What kind of person was my father?”
“A genius among geniuses.”
Park Tae-sik spoke without the slightest hesitation.
“I’ve met countless Hunters as a craftsman, but I’d never encountered anyone like Kwon Cheon. I’d wager he was the greatest talent the Heukcheon Group ever produced.”
It was the highest praise imaginable. Even though it wasn’t about me, I felt my shoulders straighten with pride.
“There’s only been one time I’ve crafted equipment for someone who hadn’t even made their debut yet, and that was Kwon Cheon. He didn’t pass the trials like you did, but his skill was exceptional enough to warrant it.”
“He must have been remarkable.”
“Remarkable indeed. Didn’t that man even hold his debut match in a Platinum-tier Dungeon?”
Kwon Han-ul nodded.
“But at the same time, that very genius might be why he was cast out.”
And in the next moment, I felt the blood drain from my entire body.
“…Cast out?”
“Have you ever heard the name Kwon Cheon spoken by anyone else?”
Never.
Other members of the Kwon bloodline made their names known, at least once or twice. But not Kwon Cheon.
“Kwon Cheon held his debut match, then disappeared before he could properly establish himself. Everyone says he ran away because he didn’t want to bear the family name, but I’m not so sure… The Kwon Cheon I knew had tremendous pride in the Heukcheon Group.”
Such a man wouldn’t abandon his family.
Unless he was cast out.
“It’s merely speculation on my part. But there’s no harm in being cautious, especially when you’re in such a troublesome situation.”
Though Park Tae-sik worked as a craftsman, his extensive experience allowed him to accurately assess Kwon Han-ul’s predicament.
We arrived at Park Tae-sik’s workshop during our conversation.
Kwon Han-ul and Park Tae-sik unloaded all the materials that had been placed in the truck.
“This is my personal workshop.”
When Park Tae-sik switched on the lights, the interior became clearly visible. Though smaller in scale than the workshop I’d seen earlier, it contained far more inventory.
Completed and partially-finished equipment lay scattered throughout. Sharp blades and flawless finishing work—these were clearly no ordinary pieces.
It was unmistakably the personal workshop of Park Tae-sik, a master craftsman.
“That fool Kwon Ji-seok may be lacking in many ways, but he has a knack for acquiring materials. I wonder where he managed to procure these treasures.”
Park Tae-sik gazed at the iron boxes containing the materials with evident delight. As a true craftsman, his fingers itched at the sight of such fine materials.
“The quality is exceptional, but the quantity is staggering. With this, I could craft anything you desire.”
“I’m grateful for your assistance.”
“Before we discuss what to create, let me first take your measurements, shall we?”
Park Tae-sik moved a measuring tape across Kwon Han-ul’s frame from various angles.
After finishing, he fell into deep contemplation.
“Hmm… It’s identical. Absolutely identical.”
“What is, sir?”
Park Tae-sik didn’t answer, instead heading into the storage area of his personal workshop. After a loud commotion, he emerged carrying a display stand.
Hanging from the stand was a suit of black armor.
The moment I laid eyes on it, I was struck as though by lightning.
The armor’s exterior resembled a dragon—angular and sharp at the forearms and shoulders, yet flowing with smooth curves elsewhere.
While the appearance was remarkable, what truly shocked me was the immense magical power latent within the armor.
“Impressive, isn’t it?”
I could only nod numbly.
“It not only provides protection but also reinforces the hands and feet to maximize the destructive power of martial techniques.”
Park Tae-sik’s pride knew no bounds.
“Moreover, the core material is extraordinary, granting diverse functions and even allowing the use of abilities from the monster that provided the original materials.”
At that level, this was undoubtedly Legendary-grade, not merely Unique.
“Among all the items I’ve crafted, this ranks within my top ten creations. The core material alone is exceptional, and it consumed considerable time.”
A masterpiece that the world’s greatest craftsman ranked among his finest works.
Its value was beyond question.
“The problem is that this remains incomplete.”
“Why didn’t you finish it, sir?”
“There are two reasons. First, the original client is already dead. There’s no need to complete it—no one to use it, no one to provide materials.”
“Couldn’t you give it to someone else?”
“That’s the primary issue. Since it’s custom-made, only the original client can wear it. Anyone else would find it ill-fitting and unusable.”
Custom craftsmanship is meticulously tailored to the client, maximizing equipment performance.
The drawback is that no one else can use it.
“Then why are you showing me this?”
“What if you were to complete this armor using the materials you’ve obtained?”
“You just said it yourself. Only the person who custom-ordered it can wear it because the size doesn’t match anyone else….”
“Do you know who ordered this armor? Your father, Kwon Cheon.”
I felt my body shudder involuntarily.
“Whether it’s coincidence or the power of genetics, I’m not sure, but you have the exact same build as your father. In other words, you can wear this armor.”
It seemed that was why Park Tae-sik had fallen into contemplation while taking measurements earlier.
“And conveniently, I have materials I obtained from that bastard Kwon Ji-seok this time….”
Park Tae-sik asked Kwon Han-ul again.
“What do you think? Are you interested in completing this armor?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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