Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 168

—————

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 168】

168. Pandemonium (3)

The news of Aeon’s attack reached the doctors in the operating room.
“Ah, Miss… what do we do about this?”
Multiple CCTV monitors mounted on one wall of the operating room displayed battles unfolding throughout the hospital in real time.
Takamine Ryoko stared silently at the CCTV screens. The medical staff in the operating room were all consumed by panic. She alone maintained her composure.
“Miss!”
“Please wait a moment. I’m thinking.”
The barrier erected outside the hospital. And the strange technique the intruders used to breach it.
It was different from Hunters. Takamine Ryoko suspected they might be mages.
If that were the case, only a limited number of organizations could command so many mages.
Aeon.
That organization composed solely of mages.
“Miss! This is no time to remain calm!”
The doctor from before raised his voice again. The outburst shattered Takamine Ryoko’s concentration.
“They attacked the hospital despite Heukcheon protecting it—these lunatics! What could they possibly want? Surely it’s Kwon Han-ul right here!”
Takamine Hospital was a specialized facility for treating Hunters using relics. As such, it possessed numerous valuable artifacts.
Thieves attempted to infiltrate the hospital constantly because of this. But they had never faced an invasion of this scale before.
“They’ll definitely make their way to this operating room! If we stay gathered here, we’re finished! We have to escape!”
“Y-yes, that’s right! Would those who attacked Heukcheon spare us?”
“I don’t want to die like this! Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday!”
Takamine Ryoko glanced around at the doctors huddled in the medical room. They were all gripped by terror.
“If we flee, what happens to Kwon Han-ul?”
Artificially inducing bone metamorphosis is never easy.
One must continuously monitor the patient’s condition and inject necessary medications in real time. Even the slightest delay or mistake doesn’t just prevent the metamorphosis—it endangers the patient’s life.
“We’re about to die. Why does that man matter?”
“We have to survive first! Isn’t that obvious!”
“Miss, you understand how great a loss it would be to Japan’s medical community if everyone here perished!”
Takamine Ryoko barely suppressed a laugh.
She understood their fear for their lives, but invoking Japan’s medical community was absurd.
“I understand your feelings.”
Takamine Ryoko addressed the medical staff.
“You’re frightened and terrified. Anyone would be. Your lives are at stake, after all.”
The doctors’ faces brightened. They seemed to think they were finally getting through to her.
“But I cannot permit it.”
Yet in the next moment, Takamine Ryoko spoke with unwavering resolve.
“I won’t spout some idealistic nonsense about how a doctor shouldn’t abandon their patients. Tell me—what benefits have you all received because of this procedure?”
The hospital had provided maximum convenience, and there was much they’d gained from the Kwon Family as well.
Remarkably, the Kwon Family hadn’t merely sought out each medical staff member individually—they’d demonstrated such extraordinary sincerity that it was almost overwhelming.
“If you’ve already enjoyed everything there is to enjoy, then you should be prepared to give back accordingly. Whether you live or die, you must remain here.”
The medical staff exchanged glances with one another. One of them suddenly shouted.
“Shut up! I’m getting out of here!”
“You think we’re going to follow orders like that!”
The medical staff scattered in different directions, hastily gathering their belongings.
Watching them, Takamine Ryoko exhaled a heavy sigh.
“You’re all thinking too short-sightedly. Do you really believe Heukcheon will simply let you escape?”
At those words, everyone froze.
“It is Heukcheon’s way to pursue and annihilate even distant bloodline relatives to the ends of the earth. How much more so when it comes to direct descendants… and a pure bloodline at that. Do you truly think they’ll leave you unscathed for standing idle while that death occurred?”
The medical staff turned to face Takamine Ryoko, their expressions hardening.
Caught in panic, they hadn’t stopped to consider who their patient truly was.
“You should count yourselves fortunate if only you face their wrath. Your families may not escape unscathed either.”
The medical staff’s eyes began to tremble visibly.
At that moment, a deafening crash erupted from the entrance to the Medical Room.
The door shuddered violently with a sound that threatened to burst eardrums. The medical staff screamed in unison.
“Ahhhhh! Th-they’re here! They’ve come!”
“S-save us! Someone save us!”
Takamine Ryoko turned her gaze to the CCTV monitor outside the entrance.
Naked men were pounding relentlessly at the door. They were mages from Aeon.
“Everyone, be quiet!”
Takamine Ryoko raised her voice. The medical staff jumped in alarm at the tremendous volume that filled the entire Medical Room, turning to stare at her.
“This entire Medical Room is surrounded by artifacts. Once the door closes, the artifacts activate automatically, preventing anyone from entering.”
Only then did the medical staff realize that while the door was shaking, it remained unbroken.
“Do you understand now? The safest place in this hospital is right here. If you leave now, you’ll be discovered by them and lose your lives. The best course of action we can take is to remain here, continue Kwon Han-ul’s procedure, and wait for Heukcheon’s victory.”
The trembling in the medical staff’s eyes gradually subsided. It was a sign they were regaining their composure.
“If you understand, move quickly!”
“Y-yes!”
The medical staff hurried back to their stations. They checked Kwon Han-ul’s condition and prepared the medicinal materials they would need next.
Takamine Ryoko exhaled in relief and turned her attention back to the CCTV monitor.
There was, in fact, something she hadn’t told the medical staff.
The artifacts protecting this Medical Room were far from absolute.
“It won’t hold for long…”
These artifacts had been prepared solely to buy time until rescue arrived in an emergency. Given the caliber of the intruders, there was a significant risk they would breach it soon.
“But I cannot abandon Kwon Han-ul either…”
Takamine Ryoko could still vividly recall that day.
After her parents’ sudden death, she had been losing control of the hospital piece by piece through the hospital director’s schemes.
To make matters worse, she had found herself in mortal danger from a villain employed by Pandemonium, hired by the hospital director.
Had it not been for the Kwon Family’s unwavering loyalty to their predecessor, had Kwon Han-ul not been present in that moment, Takamine Ryoko would not have been among the living by now.
“…Ah.”
The intruder’s attack cracked the entrance door. Takamine Ryoko barely suppressed the sigh threatening to escape her lips.
If the medical staff noticed this damage, everything would fall apart.
“Please….”
It was then that Takamine Ryoko whispered her fervent prayer.
Black rings materialized above the intruders’ heads. In the next instant, their bodies crumpled as though crushed by a compactor.
Half a dozen intruders were annihilated in a heartbeat. A single woman appeared in their place.
-Can you hear my voice?
The woman spoke while looking at the CCTV camera.
-I apologize for the delay. I will secure this location from now on, so please focus on the procedure inside.
Joo Ha-yeon spoke, magical energy surging in both her palms.

* * *

Kwon Cheon.
The moment the young man heard that name, he couldn’t help but shudder.
Who was Kwon Cheon?
The notorious second son of the Kwon Family patriarch, and a monster among monsters who had cleared a Gold-rank Dungeon single-handedly.
Several years had passed since clearing that Gold-rank Dungeon, so he must be far stronger now than he was then.
-I must commend you for finding this place… but you’re far too arrogant. Coming here alone.
-Ah, it wasn’t actually me who found it. My informants did, so there’s no need to praise me.
The young man couldn’t help but be caught off guard.
-What?
-It wasn’t something I did. It’s embarrassing to receive praise for it.
It was a fair point, but hardly the right thing to say at a moment like this.
The words rose to the tip of his tongue, but the young man swallowed them back.
-Excuse me. Teacher.
Teacher?
The unfamiliar form of address left the young man bewildered.
-Do you know who you kidnapped? A man named Bae Chul-soo, the heir of the Cheongsong Bae Family, a cooperative house of the Kwon Family.
-I know. To be precise, I found out after kidnapping him.
-Then why didn’t you return him immediately?
There was no particularly grand reason.
The young man had faith in Aeon’s mages. While their combat abilities were lacking, they excelled at concealing traces and deception.
But the young man couldn’t reveal that fact. Kwon Cheon’s atmosphere was far too ominous.
-Actually, Chul-soo hyung has his own problems for being the heir of a family and getting kidnapped like this.
-Hey! Is that something you should be saying right now!
The kidnapped man, Bae Chul-soo, protested, but Kwon Cheon answered by clicking his tongue instead.
-But knowing that, you still didn’t return him. What were you thinking? Or did our Kwon Family seem that laughable to you?
I found myself stepping backward without realizing it, overwhelmed by the murderous intent radiating from Kwon Cheon.
-You’ve committed a crime, so you must pay the price.
Kwon Cheon clenched his fist. The young man summoned his mana in response.
-A price? You’re the one who should pay for interfering with my experiment.
Immediately after, martial arts and magic collided.

* * *

The battle ended in Kwon Cheon’s victory.
Though the fight seemed evenly matched at first, Kwon Cheon overwhelmed his opponent from the midpoint onward.
-Ah, I let him slip away.
But just as I was about to deliver the finishing blow, the young man used an artifact I’d never seen before and escaped. Kwon Cheon stared at the spot where the young man had vanished and sighed.
-Father’s going to scold me. He told me to bring back the mastermind behind this.
Kwon Cheon approached Bae Chul-soo with a series of heavy sighs, tearing apart all the iron chains binding him.
-Ugh, ugh… I can finally breathe.
-Isn’t it too early to say you can breathe?
-What nonsense are you spouting now?
-The head of the Cheongsong Bae Family was furious when he learned your brother had been kidnapped. He said he won’t go easy on you when you return.
The man called Bae Chul-soo’s face turned pale. It seemed his father terrified him that much.
-How did you end up getting kidnapped in the first place?
-I’m not entirely sure myself. From what those bastards were saying, something about me being nearby and a vessel generating bloodline or whatever.
-A vessel?
Bae Chul-soo pointed his finger toward somewhere.
There, a young girl was huddled in the corner, trembling.
-Who are you?
Kwon Cheon approached the girl and asked. She only trembled, refusing to open her mouth.
Kwon Cheon began examining the girl carefully. Then he opened a subspace and retrieved a blanket and a thermos bottle.
After draping the blanket over the girl’s shoulders, he poured the contents into the thermos cap and handed it to her.
As a fragrant aroma wafted up, the girl began to show interest.
-It’s mint tea. My mother told me that when you’re struggling, drinking tea brings comfort.
The girl carefully accepted the tea and began sipping it.
-Why do you carry tea in your subspace?
-Shh, you be quiet and think about how you’re going to be scolded by the family head.
Kwon Cheon waited until the girl finished her tea.
-Would you like another cup?
The girl shook her head. She was noticeably more composed than before.
Kwon Cheon knelt down and leveled his gaze with the girl’s, then asked.
-What’s your name?
The girl hesitated before finally opening her mouth.
-I…
-Who?
-Lee Da-hae…
-She was Korean, just like me.
Kwon Cheon extended his hand toward the girl and spoke.
-Let’s go. I’ll take you home.

—————

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

—————