Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 37

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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 37】

Chapter 37: Bloodline Travels Together (2)

Two days after returning from the Mei Family Compound, Kwon Ji-seok received a phone call.
“What? Sacred Marrow Water?”
Kwon Ji-seok cried out in disbelief. The caller’s request was absolutely unreasonable.
“Hey! How am I supposed to get that? And why should I even bother getting it for you in the first place!”
To Kwon Ji-seok’s protest, the caller—Kwon Han-ul—clicked his tongue and spoke.
-Why are you suddenly backing out now?
“What the hell, you bastard.”
-You promised to grant me one request as payment for losing our bet.
At those words, Kwon Ji-seok flinched. It was a terrible memory, and so much time had passed that he’d genuinely forgotten about it.
-You’re not pretending to have forgotten just because you don’t want to do it, are you?
“What kind of person do you take me for! I’m Kwon Ji-seok—I wouldn’t pull something so petty!”
-Then get me the Sacred Marrow Water.
At that demand, Kwon Ji-seok broke into a cold sweat.
No matter what, obtaining Sacred Marrow Water was like plucking a star from the sky—in other words, impossible.
The price was astronomical, but even finding it on the market was a challenge.
That’s how rare and precious Sacred Marrow Water was.
“Can’t you ask for something else?”
-No, I can’t.
“It’s not that I don’t want to get it for you. It’s just that it’s genuinely difficult to obtain…”
-As expected.
As expected? What did that mean?
-I was just asking to be sure. So you really can’t get it.
“What? Are you mocking me right now? You really want to die—”
-Then I’ll hang up now.
Click.
The call disconnected. Kwon Ji-seok trembled violently, gripping his phone.
“That bastard really is asking for it!”

* * *

Kwon Han-ul ended the call and stepped out of the restroom.
The reason I’d taken the call in the restroom was simple—this wasn’t my mansion.
It wasn’t even a building. It was an airplane, specifically Chairman Kwon Seon-woo’s private jet.
A place that embodied every conceivable luxury, so a phone call was hardly an issue.
Kwon Han-ul made his way toward the living area.
I could see Kwon Seon-woo seated in a spacious chair and Joo Ha-yeon brewing tea beside him.
Joo Ha-yeon set down a steaming teacup before Kwon Seon-woo and spoke.
“I’ve changed the tea leaves. I hope they suit your taste.”
“Tea brewed by your hands is always exquisite. I’ll enjoy it thoroughly.”
Kwon Seon-woo’s voice was remarkably gentle. Joo Ha-yeon smiled with evident happiness.
Watching the two of them, I felt conflicted. They seemed more like grandfather and granddaughter than blood relatives like myself.
“Won’t you have a cup as well, Kwon Han-ul?”
Joo Ha-yeon gestured toward me. I accepted the teacup and sat across from Kwon Seon-woo.
After a sip, rich aromas bloomed across my palate. Kwon Seon-woo’s praise had been no exaggeration.
I sipped the tea while gauging Kwon Seon-woo’s expression. Once he set down his cup, I posed my question.
“Do you truly need a porter, or is there another reason you’re bringing me along?”
At my question, Kwon Seon-woo’s eyes lifted sharply. Beneath his thick, dark brows, his gaze gleamed with intensity.
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“No, I have no complaints, but…”
“Then hold your tongue and ask no more pointless questions.”
I’d thought recent events had brought us slightly closer, but his demeanor remained as sharp as ever.
Just then, Joo Ha-yeon interjected smoothly.
“It’s quite unusual for the Chairman to personally bring someone along.”
“The luggage will be considerable this time.”
“Couldn’t you simply order one of your subordinates to handle it?”
Kwon Seon-woo gave Joo Ha-yeon a sidelong glance. She feigned ignorance and shifted her gaze toward me.
Ah.
From that expression, understanding dawned.
Joo Ha-yeon hadn’t raised that point carelessly. She was clearly hinting at something.
‘There’s definitely some hidden agenda at play here…’
But Kwon Seon-woo was so guarded that I couldn’t discern his true intentions.
In truth, even if I were to serve as a genuine porter, I’d lose nothing.
The Delos Auction House is the world’s largest auction venue. A mere visit would be invaluable experience.
‘Of course, that’s not my real objective.’
The Delos Auction House draws people from other families. Contact with them could grant me access to new bloodlines.
‘To reach the pinnacle of Heukcheon, I must possess sufficient strength and earn their recognition.’
To be acknowledged as a member of the Heukcheon bloodline, I must operate on a global stage.
To achieve that, I need to raise at least three stats to S-rank.
‘I’ve heard that certain bloodlines exist that can dramatically elevate stats like strength or mana.’
Acquiring such a bloodline would drastically shorten the time needed to achieve my goals.
I was lost in thought when it happened.
“We’ve arrived.”
Kwon Seon-woo murmured. At his words, Kwon Han-ul gazed out the window.
In the middle of the darkened sea.
An island blazed with brilliant lights.

* * *

Delos Auction House.
Renowned as the world’s largest and most prestigious auction house, it was always held only upon the sea.
Yet despite this common thread, the location changed with each event.
Sometimes in the Atlantic Ocean, or perhaps in the middle of the Pacific.
This was possible because the Delos Auction House was built upon an artifact.
【Whale in a Well】
Thanks to this artifact—capable of navigation and even deep-sea diving—the Delos Auction House remained unbound by location.
As a result, since its inaugural auction, the Delos Auction House had never suffered external intrusion, not even from thieves.
The helicopter descended smoothly onto the island.
The group was greeted by a middle-aged woman dressed impeccably in a formal gown.
“I greet the master of Heukcheon.”
The middle-aged woman bowed so deeply she knelt.
The attendants accompanying her did likewise.
It was as though they were welcoming a master, not a guest.
‘Impressive.’
Each of the attendants the middle-aged woman had brought was exceptionally skilled.
They were on par with Mei Ryo, the captain of the third unit of Mei Family I’d fought before.
“Madam, it’s been a while. Though I must say, your attendants seem less formidable than they used to be.”
“You wound me with such words. These are the elite hunters who guard the auction house, after all.”
“I’ve inadvertently damaged your reputation.”
They conversed without pretense, clearly old acquaintances.
“Then allow me to show you the way.”
The middle-aged woman led the group deeper into the island.
After descending the elevator and walking down a long corridor, a spacious suite room awaited at the end—as grand as any luxury hotel.
“Please enjoy your time in comfort.”
Madam closed the door and left. Once she was gone, Kwon Han-ul turned to Kwon Seon-woo with a question.
“When shall we descend to the auction house?”
“Descend? What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Isn’t that why we came—to participate in the auction?”
Kwon Seon-woo’s eyes grew half-lidded. He looked as though he wanted to call me a provincial fool.
“Ha-yeon, activate it.”
“Understood.”
Joo Ha-yeon headed toward the wall of the Suite Room.
Oddly enough, this wall was barren—no furniture adorned it whatsoever.
Joo Ha-yeon manipulated a button affixed to the wall. The desolate barrier transformed, becoming transparent.
“What?”
Through the now-transparent glass, the outside landscape came into view.
A colossal cavity revealed itself. Along the cylindrical walls, rectangular glass windows were positioned at intervals, adhering like scales.
At the base of the cavity lay only a vast stage. Upon it, a man clutched a microphone, bellowing with tremendous force.
“Now then, our next item! A rare magical beast—a unicorn—painstakingly captured by America’s T-Bone Guild!”
The stage floor parted, and an enormous cage ascended.
Within the cage, a scarred unicorn exhaled ragged breaths.
“As you all know, unicorns possess formidable spiritual essence. Every part—fur, blood, sinew, liver, gallbladder, heart—all are invaluably useful.”
The man droned on relentlessly.
“We shall commence the auction at five million dollars!”
Numbers began cascading across the countless glass windows lining the cavity.
“Five point one million! Five point four million! Five point seven million! Five point seven million going! Any higher? Ah, six million! Six million!”
It was then that Kwon Han-ul finally understood.
Each glass window visible before him represented a participant in the auction.
Kwon Han-ul had always imagined auctions as crowded venues where countless people gathered, shouting fervently.
But the Delos Auction House was nothing of the sort. It operated on a system where participants remained in luxurious private rooms while bidding.
“Now do you understand?”
A voice that seemed to mock him as a provincial fool.
Fine. You’ve made your point.
“Shall we rest for a moment?”
Despite having come all this way, Kwon Seon-woo refrained from participating in the auction. He simply sat and observed.
Kwon Han-ul settled beside him, watching the items displayed on the auction floor.
Monsters he’d never glimpsed before, artifacts of staggering power.
It was a precious opportunity to broaden his horizons, yet a sense of disappointment lingered.
‘I thought I’d be able to see other families.’
With such a closed structure, there was no way to encounter other participants.
‘It must be a measure to conceal their identities.’
Those gathered at this auction house were all either of high standing or renowned masters.
The precaution was likely taken to prevent unnecessary offense.
‘But it’s unfortunate for me.’
How could I acquire bloodlines this way?
As Kwon Han-ul smacked his lips in frustration, a new item ascended the stage.
“Now then, our next item is… Unbelievable! That this item would ever reach the Delos Auction House! If you miss this opportunity, you’ll regret it deeply!”
An auction house attendant brought forth a glass vessel of elegant design.
Within the vessel, a golden liquid shimmered and swayed.
The auctioneer pointed toward the vessel and cried out.
“It is none other than Holy Water!”

* * *

At the mention of the Holy Emperor’s Water, Kwon Han-ul’s body stirred involuntarily.
I never imagined I’d come across the very item needed to germinate the Golden Apple seed.
“As you all know, the Holy Emperor’s Water possesses the ability to break seals! No matter how powerful the seal, with the Holy Emperor’s Water alone—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Given its rarity, we’ll start the bidding at 10 million dollars!”
10 million dollars.
An astronomical sum exceeding 1 billion won. The opening bid was already steep, and the auction price began climbing skyward without restraint.
“11 million dollars! 12 million dollars! 12.5 million dollars! It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen such fierce bidding from the start! As I speak, we have 13 million dollars!”
Needless to say, I didn’t possess such wealth.
Kwon Han-ul had no choice but to watch the auction unfold silently.
“What are you thinking about?”
Kwon Seon-woo suddenly spoke up.
“I was envying how much money everyone has.”
“A bloodline of Heukcheon envying merely that sum of money?”
“The Heukcheon Group may have wealth, but I personally do not.”
Kwon Han-ul tapped his pants pocket as he spoke. At that gesture, Kwon Seon-woo let out a soft chuckle.
“Is that all?”
“I’m feeling the vastness of the world.”
The Delos Auction House conceals the identities of participants for their safety.
Providing individual rooms was likely for that same reason.
Yet Kwon Han-ul could sense it—the overwhelming presence of the other participants piercing through the walls and glass.
That presence was so formidable it felt as though I’d been cast naked into a maelstrom.
Even separated by walls, the intensity was this great; imagining what it would be like to face them directly made my body tremble.
“You’re sensing it properly. Everyone in this place is a master who operates on the world stage. Among them are experts even Heukcheon cannot disregard.”
The world is vast.
Heukcheon is undoubtedly powerful, but not supreme.
“The Kwon Family is the head of the Heukcheon Group. Do you know what the most important duty of a leader is?”
“To conquer Dungeons and bring back the spoils.”
At Kwon Han-ul’s answer, Kwon Seon-woo smiled.
The Heukcheon Group’s current position exists because of the relics brought back from Dungeons.
For instance, suppose there exists a relic that endlessly produces resources capable of replacing petroleum.
Whoever possesses that relic gains immense advantage.
The duty of Heukcheon’s bloodline is to outmaneuver competitors and claim that relic.
Through those relics, the Group prospers and sustains itself.
“If you form a team, you’ll have to compete against them. Can you endure that?”
Everyone gathered in this auction house was far stronger than Kwon Han-ul.
If we were to fight one-on-one, it would be I who perished.
When the day comes to face them in battle, will I be able to survive?
“Of course.”
Kwon Han-ul spoke without the slightest hesitation.
“We can win?”
“Not right now. But we won’t be fighting immediately either, will we?”
Kwon Han-ul possessed bloodline abilities. He carried multiple of those things that could make someone powerful with just one alone.
There was no reason to fear mere creatures like that.
“Ha, you’ve got some nerve.”
Kwon Seon-woo let out a hollow laugh.
“When I brought Chan-seong here, that boy deliberated for quite some time before answering that it was possible.”
Considering Kwon Chan-seong’s nature, he must have spoken after careful examination.
“When I asked Ji-seok, he answered while excited.”
Considering Kwon Ji-seok’s nature, it was clear he hadn’t thought deeply before responding.
“You’re the first one to bluff with such audacity. Just as Myung-woo said, you really are arrogant.”
Kwon Seon-woo let out a chuckling laugh.
“Fine. You pass.”
Pass?
‘Could bringing me here have been a test as well?’
This troublesome old man was truly something else. I was about to complain when—
“I suppose I should give you a modest gift as a reward.”
Kwon Seon-woo said something cryptic. At that very moment, the auctioneer’s voice rang out beyond the glass window.
“Alright! The bid has now reached 20 million dollars! Is that the final offer? Going once? Going twice? Then I shall close this auction—”
That was when Kwon Seon-woo pressed a button on the armrest of his chair and spoke.
“30 million dollars.”

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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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