Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 15

—————

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 15】

Chapter 15: Bloodline Encounters (2)

“I am a True Bloodline.”
After much deliberation, Kwon Han-ul spoke. His words carried profound meaning.
“I know. That’s precisely why I need you. With the True Black Dragon Blood flowing through your veins, you’ll undoubtedly rise to a remarkable position within the Kwon Family.”
Kwon Chan-seong clenched his fists tightly.
“I have a goal. To achieve it, I must reach the pinnacle of the Kwon Family! If you, a True Bloodline, assist me, you’ll become an invaluable asset!”
“That’s precisely my point—doesn’t it seem odd for a True Bloodline to serve beneath a Pure Bloodline?”
The True Black Dragon Blood was a lineage known to be possessed only by Kwon Hyun-moon, the founding patriarch of the Kwon Family.
Kwon Han-ul, who possessed such a bloodline, could never serve beneath a Pure Bloodline.
“I agree with your point. A True Bloodline following a Pure Bloodline makes no sense.”
“Then why make such a proposal?”
“It seems you’re misunderstanding something. This isn’t about a True Bloodline serving beneath a Pure Bloodline. I’m asking you to follow Kwon Chan-seong the man.”
What kind of distinction was this supposed to be?
“How could bloodline alone compel someone to follow another? What matters is whether that person is worthy of your service!”
In other words, Kwon Chan-seong was saying this:
Follow not the Pure Bloodline Kwon Chan-seong, but the man Kwon Chan-seong.
And he was asserting that he possessed sufficient worth.
“Kwon Han-ul, become my right arm!”
Kwon Han-ul found himself momentarily taken aback by such unwavering confidence.
After a brief moment to collect himself, he turned to Joo Ha-yeon standing beside him.
“Is he always like this?”
“He is always like this.”
Joo Ha-yeon replied with evident exhaustion. It seemed she had suffered through Kwon Chan-seong’s reckless antics more than once.
“He’s eccentric, but his abilities are genuine. Kwon Chan-seong and his team currently receive the most support within the Heukcheon Group. That’s how exceptional they are.”
A man leading such a team was now attempting to scout Kwon Han-ul directly.
It was an offer that would make anyone’s shoulders swell with pride.
Yet the emotion Kwon Han-ul felt was entirely the opposite.
Displeasure.
Despite all the talk of human worth, it still appeared to be nothing more than a Pure Bloodline attempting to place a True Bloodline beneath him.
‘I’ve truly come far. This is something I couldn’t have dreamed of during my days as a third-rate Hunter.’
Back when Kwon Han-ul was a third-rate Hunter, he had to pound the pavement searching for any available opening.
And now that same person was receiving a recruitment offer from the finest team, yet found himself dissatisfied with it.
“I promise you! If you join our team, I’ll provide full support! With my backing added to your True Black Dragon Blood, you’ll become the strongest in the entire Heukcheon Group!”
As he spoke, Kwon Chan-seong glanced toward Joo Ha-yeon.
“This applies to you as well, Ha-yeon. If you would only join us, our team’s level would rise considerably!”
“I follow only the Chairman’s orders.”
“Even a moment would be fine.”
“My apologies.”
Kwon Chan-seong smacked his lips but gave up gracefully.
“Can’t be helped then. I’ll have to settle for just the mixed-blood. So what are you planning to do?”
Kwon Chan-seong turned to Kwon Han-ul and asked. Kwon Han-ul hadn’t yet made a decision.
Joining Kwon Chan-seong’s Team wouldn’t be a bad move.
It was certain that he would continue clashing with the pure-bloods going forward. The higher Kwon Han-ul’s authority rose, the more the pure-bloods’ authority would crumble.
But if he went under Kwon Chan-seong, he would gain a solid backing. It would guarantee stability.
Rationally speaking, he should accept this offer. The Kwon Han-ul from his third-rate Hunter days certainly would have.
But the current Kwon Han-ul—the one who had awakened the True Black Dragon Bloodline—felt no inclination to do so.
Reason and true desire.
They collided with each other.
“Accepting the offer wouldn’t be a bad choice, either,” Joo Ha-yeon said in a quiet voice.
Joo Ha-yeon spoke softly.
“Kwon Chan-seong would become a safe fence for you. Then you could establish yourself much more securely than now.”
Rationally speaking, it was the right choice.
“But Kwon Han-ul…”
“Entering inside a fence also means being trapped within it, doesn’t it? That’s what you were about to say?”
Joo Ha-yeon’s eyes widened as if asking how I’d guessed correctly.
“May I call you brother?”
“Of course! I would’ve been disappointed if you didn’t!”
“I’m truly grateful for your offer, brother, but I’m still lacking in many ways. I’m afraid of becoming a burden to you.”
“That’s something I can fix by training your insufficient skills.”
He really doesn’t understand a word.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and spoke directly to Kwon Chan-seong.
“I have no intention of joining your Team.”
Only this blunt statement would make him understand.

* * *

Kwon Chan-seong’s mouth gradually closed. His eyes, slightly narrowed, fixed upon Kwon Han-ul.
Kwon Chan-seong’s gaze turned glacial.
Kwon Han-ul felt a bone-chilling sensation, as though an ice pick had been driven straight through his heart.
“Let me ask again. Are you truly determined to reject my proposal?”
“No matter how many times you ask, my answer will remain the same.”
A smile played at the corners of Kwon Chan-seong’s mouth, one that barely concealed its coldness.
“I’d nearly forgotten. You too carry the blood of Heukcheon. A pity, but it cannot be helped.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Understanding?”
Kwon Chan-seong repeated the word as though questioning what he’d just heard.
“Throughout my life, I have never once failed to obtain what I desired.”
“I am not an object.”
“Someday you will aid me. There is little difference in the end.”

Whether to call it childish or arrogant, I couldn’t decide.
‘No—it’s conviction.’
An unwavering belief that everything would unfold according to his will.
He had lived this way, and indeed, things had always turned out exactly as he expected.
Yet even so, Kwon Chan-seong’s attitude transcended the bounds of what Kwon Han-ul could comprehend.
“I should take my leave now. I cannot allow Eclipse’s corpse to rot indefinitely.”
Kwon Chan-seong turned toward the helicopter. His team members, who had descended with him, began preparing to move.
“Ah, that’s right.”
Suddenly, Kwon Chan-seong spun around.
“Since this is our first meeting, I failed to give you a proper gift.”
Kwon Chan-seong withdrew a ring from his pocket. The moment his team members saw it, they gasped in alarm.
“C-Captain! That—that’s the relic you extracted from Eclipse’s heart!”
“Surely you don’t intend to give that away… No, that’s impossible! Do you understand how dangerous that object is?!”
Ignoring his team’s protests, Kwon Chan-seong flicked the ring toward Kwon Han-ul.
“Take it well. It is a precious thing, after all.”
Kwon Han-ul caught the ring reflexively.
-Name: ???
-Quality: ???
-Description: ???
Strangely, the ring displayed no information whatsoever.
“Keeping it with you will surely prove beneficial someday.”
“I accept your gift gratefully.”
Though I offered formal thanks, I found this ring deeply suspicious.
The conversation had ended poorly—there was no way he would present a gift with good intentions.
I placed the ring in my pocket without wearing it.
That was when it happened.
The hand holding the ring tingled. Curious about what caused it, I opened my palm again.
My palm was clean. That’s when Kwon Han-ul found himself puzzled.

【Bloodline ‘???’ awakens due to external stimulation.】
【You have acquired the bloodline ‘Genius Blood’.】
It was truly an eccentric name. Bewilderment outweighed curiosity.
【Genius Blood interprets the curse.】
【Interpretation complete. This is a delayed-effect curse caused by automatic commands from an artifact.】
【Prolonged exposure results in mental derangement and brainwashing effects.】
Kwon Han-ul stared at the messages floating before his eyes and contemplated.
‘So it’s a curse from an artifact. This ring is casting the curse on its own.’
The curse’s nature: mental derangement and brainwashing.
‘Is this how he plans to use me with this curse?’
Kwon Chan-seong.
At first, I thought he was an exuberant man with something odd about him.
But the real Kwon Chan-seong was an entirely different man.
‘Completely different from his brother.’
Setting aside his complete concealment of his true nature, he would unhesitatingly attempt to brainwash someone—gradually, without their knowledge.
‘How am I supposed to break this curse?’
Since it was delayed-effect, nothing would happen immediately, but one could never be too careful.
That was when it happened.
【Genius Blood has analyzed the artifact’s structure.】
【Injecting the mana pattern necessary for ownership transfer of the artifact.】
Through Genius Blood, mana automatically flowed into the ring.
【You have become the owner of the artifact ‘Eclipse’s Eye’.】
【The curse in progress is being dispelled.】
【All current functions of the artifact are locked. A special procedure is required for complete unlocking.】
-Name: Eclipse’s Eye
-Quality: Legendary (SS+)
-Mana +30% / Mental Power +50%
-Skills
1. Brainwashing: Casts a brainwashing curse on anyone who makes contact with the ring, excluding the owner.
The longer the exposure, the more rapidly physical stamina is depleted in a short time—the faster the curse progresses.
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???
True to its Legendary status, the effects Eclipse’s Eye possessed were extraordinary.
I was so startled I nearly cried out.
‘Now this is mine.’
Kwon Chan-seong probably intended to retrieve the ring once my brainwashing was complete.
But now that Kwon Han-ul had become the ring’s owner, that plan had completely fallen apart.
I had no intention of returning the ring. After pulling such a petty stunt, wasn’t I entitled to at least this much compensation?
“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave.”
Only then did Kwon Chan-seong turn his body toward the helicopter. It was as he passed one of his team members, a young man.
As Kwon Chan-seong’s lips moved, the young man’s body went rigid.
Since I’d been carefully observing Kwon Chan-seong regarding the ring incident, I was fortunate enough to catch it.
What scheme was he cooking up now? That’s what I wondered.
The young man who had just heard a whisper from Kwon Chan-seong strode toward me with confident steps.
“Come on now, boss. This is way too shabby, isn’t it?”
One of Kwon Chan-seong’s team members stepped forward.
It was a young man with his hair dyed a bright blonde. The muscles visible between his forearms and sleeves looked hard as stone.
“Rookie, this isn’t your moment to step in.”
Kwon Chan-seong immediately tried to stop the young man. But the young man paid no attention.
“Our boss extends his hand first, and you swat it away? Then you’re just going to pocket the gift and leave? And I’m supposed to just stand here and watch?”
The young man appeared angry. Whether it was genuine or not, I couldn’t tell, but one thing was certain.
‘Both of them are quite the actors.’
I looked over the young man.
I didn’t sense the distinctive aura of the Black Dragon Bloodline. But I felt strength comparable to that of the Branch Family bloodline.
“My name is Lee Pil-seung. I wonder if the noble bloodline of Heukcheon has heard of me.”
Lee Pil-seung.
I’d heard that name ad nauseam back when I worked as a Hunter.
A major rookie, a Gift holder whom famous foreign guilds had tried to recruit with asking prices in the hundreds of billions.
I’d been curious which guild he’d join. But I never expected him to be in Kwon Chan-seong’s team, no less within the Heukcheon Group itself.
“I’ve heard of you. You’re a Gift holder, aren’t you?”
“You know your stuff. Someone like me should be a good match for you… How about it? Want to make a wager?”
Lee Pil-seung gripped the greatsword he’d been carrying on his back. He drove it forcefully into the ground as he spoke.
“Let’s fight over the relic our boss gave you. If I win, you give it to me. If I lose…”
Lee Pil-seung tapped his own wrist lightly.
“This relic isn’t quite as good as that ring, but it’s still a pretty fine artifact. I’ll stake this.”
I fell silent, thinking.
The brainwashing curse from the ring accelerates further when the bearer grows fatigued.
If I sustained a serious wound, the curse would progress in chunks.
That was surely why Kwon Chan-seong had set this young man in motion.
“If you’re thinking of invoking the name of Heukcheon, you can drop it. I don’t care about such things.”
What was I going to do about this?
I could have ignored it and moved on. But I couldn’t let Kwon Chan-seong’s cheap trick sit well with me.
After deliberation, I made my decision.
“Fine. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
I intended to crush this man and show Kwon Chan-seong something.
That I wasn’t someone to be trifled with. That he shouldn’t even think of pulling such stunts again.
At the same time, I was curious. Just how powerful was the top-tier Hunter I had only ever looked up to before?
What kind of gap existed between him and my current self?

* * *

“Ahahaha!”
Kwon Chan-seong burst into loud laughter.
“Our newcomer certainly has audacity. Challenging Jinseol to a duel just for my honor—that’s something else.”
Lee Pil-seung gave a short bow.
“Our younger brother, be careful. Our newcomer is still young and inexperienced, so he’s weak, but he’s got some skill. This time too, he managed to sever one of Eclipse’s tentacles as a minor contribution.”
Eclipse’s tentacle was massive enough to crush several low-rise buildings in a single motion.
Even standing still, it was that threatening. If it had been alive and rampaging, I couldn’t even imagine how catastrophic it would have been.
To possess the skill to sever something like that—it wasn’t without reason that I had challenged Kwon Han-ul to this duel.
“And you still intend to accept this wager?”
Kwon Han-ul answered immediately.
“Let’s give it a try.”
“Excellent! Then let’s move to a different location!”
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Kwon Chan-seong’s expression asked why.
“I need to check something.”
Kwon Han-ul opened his status window. He wanted to verify the Genius Bloodline he had just acquired.
【Special Category – Bloodline】
1. Black Dragon Blood
-Grade: SSS+
-Purity: True
-Grants the power of dragons.
2. Vitality Blood
-Grade: S+
-Purity: True
-Grants enhanced health.
3. Genius Blood
-Grade: S+
-Purity: True
-Grants heightened intellect.
4. ???
-Grade: ???
-Purity: ???
Kwon Han-ul stared at the status window with a dazed expression for a moment.
‘Why are these multiplying?’

—————

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

—————