Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 62
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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 62】
Chapter 62: I Know Everything
Late at night.
Kim Chul-soo sat in the Underground Market, eating his dinner.
Tonight’s menu was a large bowl of instant ramen.
It was a meal so meager he could never have imagined eating it under normal circumstances. Yet his face was brimming with anticipation.
“This is quite the delicacy, isn’t it?”
In the organization he belonged to, everything from daily habits to diet was strictly controlled.
Since nutrition took absolute priority over taste, all ingredients were premium quality, but the flavor left much to be desired.
That’s why he always indulged in stimulating food whenever he went out on assignments like this.
“Three minutes are up.”
Color flushed into Kim Chul-soo’s face. He was just about to pick up the wooden chopsticks and grab the lid resting on the cup ramen.
Footsteps echoed from the entrance. That stride and weight belonged to the Guild Master of Iron Fang.
Considering his dignity as a member of Heukcheon, he couldn’t be caught eating cup ramen. Kim Chul-soo sighed and hid the ramen.
“It’ll taste worse if it gets cold….”
His complaint was short-lived. The moment Iron Fang’s Guild Master entered, Kim Chul-soo had already returned to his usual demeanor.
“You’ve arrived faster than expected. I trust you’ve handled the matter I requested properly….”
Kim Chul-soo’s voice cut off abruptly.
The person who had entered the basement was not just Iron Fang’s Guild Master alone.
Kwon Han-ul was with him.
“…It seems an unwelcome guest has arrived with you.”
Saying so, Kim Chul-soo glared at Iron Fang’s Guild Master.
The Guild Master spoke without a trace of fear, pointing at Kim Chul-soo.
“It’s that man.”
“Thank you for showing me. Please head back upstairs for now.”
“But Kwon Han-ul… it might be dangerous.”
“It’s fine. I’ll call you if something goes wrong.”
The Guild Master looked worried, glancing back and forth between Kwon Han-ul and Kim Chul-soo several times before finally leaving.
“Kim Chul-soo, agent of Heukcheon’s Intelligence Division.”
Kwon Han-ul tossed a USB drive in front of Kim Chul-soo.
“You were told to give this to me. Is that correct?”
“I gave a warning, but that fool ended up confessing everything.”
“Just answer the question.”
Kim Chul-soo bowed respectfully and spoke.
“Greetings to the Heukcheon Bloodline. What you’ve stated is correct.”
“Who sent you? What’s your objective? And are you truly part of the Intelligence Division?”
“As someone loyal to Heukcheon, I should obey Kwon Han-ul’s orders… but I must ask your forgiveness this time, as I cannot.”
“You’re refusing to speak?”
“I apologize.”
His politeness carried an unmistakable wall. Kwon Han-ul spoke as mana surged around him.
“I’ll extract the information by any means necessary.”
“Then I’ll escape by any means necessary.”
Kim Chul-soo drew a short staff from his bosom. As he swung it through the air, a blade thin and elongated as an awl materialized.
Like a fencer, he raised his feet high in alternating strides and drew the hilt up to chest height, pointing it at Kwon Han-ul.
“So you’re actually going to try.”
“How could someone like me possibly succeed?”
Yet despite his words, killing intent crystallized at the blade’s tip.
“I merely seek to create an opening for escape.”
Shadows began to writhe beneath Kim Chul-soo’s feet. Suddenly their range expanded, rippling like water.
Witnessing this peculiar skill, Kwon Han-ul grasped Kim Chul-soo’s true identity.
“You’re not from the Intelligence Division—you belong to the Assassination Unit.”
He’d never seen one directly, but Joo Ha-yeon had spoken of them.
The Assassination Unit, professionally cultivated by the Heukcheon Group, mastered a unique skill involving shadow manipulation.
“I’m honored you recognized me.”
“I’ve heard the Assassination Unit is skilled enough to kill opponents several ranks above them.”
“There’s some exaggeration, but it’s not entirely false.”
Kim Chul-soo raised his blade slightly as he spoke.
“Would you care to experience it firsthand?”
At those words, the corners of Kwon Han-ul’s mouth curved upward.
“I won’t decline.”
Kim Chul-soo’s smile vanished. In that instant, the shadows scattered and completely engulfed the ceiling’s lights.
The basement flooded with darkness. In that moment, he drove his blade toward Kwon Han-ul’s heart.
“…?”
Yet he felt no resistance whatsoever. Moments later, when the shadows dissipated and the basement brightened again, Kim Chul-soo understood why.
Kwon Han-ul had retreated precisely the distance of the blade’s thrust.
“I expected more from an Assassination Unit member. Is that all the tricks you can manage?”
“…My apologies. Now I’ll show you my true capabilities.”
Kim Chul-soo thrust again. This time, not once but in rapid succession.
Kwon Han-ul didn’t evade—he deflected every thrust with his palms.
Suddenly Kim Chul-soo retreated. From the shadows where he’d stood, spikes erupted.
The shadow spikes sought to pierce Kwon Han-ul from an oblique angle.
But before the spikes fully materialized, they dissolved.
Kim Chul-soo stared at Kwon Han-ul’s feet in shock. In that brief moment, he’d stepped on the shadow and released an aura, destroying the skill itself.
“…You truly are of the Bloodline.”
Cold sweat trickled down Kim Chul-soo’s forehead.
An assassin could overcome a superior master only through numerical advantage in combat.
Create a sudden situation to exploit an opening, or act several steps ahead.
Yet Kwon Han-ul was preemptively shutting down every move Kim Chul-soo attempted.
As if he were reading Kim Chul-soo’s actions before they happened.
“I never thought the day would come when I’d lose a battle of wits.”
Kim Chul-soo’s killing intent intensified. He glared at Kwon Han-ul with piercing eyes as he spoke.
“If that’s how it is, I won’t hold back either. I’ll attack with the intent to kill.”
The killing intent that grew in real time proved that Kim Chul-soo’s words were no mere bluff.
Yet Kwon Han-ul responded with an indifferent tone.
“That’s a lie.”
“If you think I’m helpless because you’re part of the Heukcheon Bloodline, you’re sorely mistaken. I must escape this place and complete my mission….”
“You say you’ll attack with the intent to kill, yet your eyes keep drifting behind me.”
Kim Chul-soo’s face stiffened slightly.
“Your words speak of killing me, but looking at your muscle tension, it seems your true intention is to flee.”
In that moment, Kim Chul-soo felt a flicker of fear. It was as though his very thoughts had been laid bare.
“Your killing intent is genuine, but your true heart says otherwise. Now I understand why assassins are so terrifying.”
Kwon Han-ul raised his hand as he spoke.
“I’ll give you one last chance. Go ahead and try to escape.”
Kim Chul-soo’s eyes grew calm and collected. His killing intent vanished.
“Thank you for this final opportunity. I won’t refuse either.”
Kim Chul-soo’s shadow completely engulfed the basement floor.
Dozens of tentacles rose from the shadow, reaching out to ensnare Kwon Han-ul’s body.
Shade Grab
A binding skill that renders the target completely immobile for one minute once caught.
The instant he activated the skill, Kim Chul-soo bolted toward the door.
【Forming Heavenly Sky Flight Path.】
【Activating ‘Ghost Vanish’ as a secondary skill.】
Just before the tentacles could wrap around him, Kwon Han-ul’s body vanished.
Witnessing this, Kim Chul-soo could only gasp in shock. His body had slipped away without touching a single tentacle closing in from all directions.
No mortal could disappear in such a manner.
Then, the vanished Kwon Han-ul appeared directly before Kim Chul-soo’s face.
“…What?”
Kim Chul-soo quickly hurled his body forward, attempting to leap over Kwon Han-ul and escape.
But before he could, Kwon Han-ul seized Kim Chul-soo’s face with an iron grip.
【The Ring of Lust destabilizes the target’s mind.】
【Bloodline Servant dominates the target.】
Kwon Han-ul slowly released his hand. Kim Chul-soo dropped to his knees, his expression dazed.
“Tell me your name and organization.”
“…I am Park Chul-soo, belonging to the Assassination Unit of the Heukcheon Group.”
I hadn’t realized his real name and alias differed by only a single character in their surnames.
“Who ordered you to pass me information?”
“That’s….”
Park Chul-soo hesitated. Kwon Han-ul spoke in a sharp tone.
“Tell me.”
“…It was Chairman Kwon Seon-woo.”
Kwon Han-ul furrowed his brow and asked again.
“The family head? Are you certain?”
“Without a doubt.”
The data on the USB drive was clearly intended to make Kwon Han-ul despise Kwon Seon-woo.
And Kwon Seon-woo himself had ordered it to be handed over?
“What scheme is that bastard cooking up now?”
A headache was already forming.
* * *
“So, you delivered the data successfully?”
In a darkened room.
Kwon Seon-woo was on a call with someone.
-Yes, that’s correct.
“What was his reaction?”
-We haven’t received a report on that yet.
“I see. Good work.”
-Not at all. It’s only natural to follow your orders, Chairman.
A brief silence fell. When the call didn’t end, Kwon Seon-woo spoke first.
“It seems you have something you’d like to say.”
-May I speak freely?
“Go ahead.”
-Why did you hand over such data?
“Such data?”
-If Kwon Han-ul sees that data and comes to resent you, it will become a grave problem.
“It will indeed. He’s no ordinary man, after all.”
Kwon Seon-woo spoke in a calm voice.
“But it’s the truth, isn’t it?”
-It’s a fact, but not the truth. The death of Kwon Cheon….
“Enough. It was my judgment and my decision in the end.”
Kwon Seon-woo spun his chair around. Gazing out the window, he murmured.
“Whatever choice he makes, that will be his own heart. All I wish for is that the boy learns the truth about his father’s death and uses it as a driving force to grow faster.”
-Even if harm comes to you in that process?
“Yes.”
Kwon Seon-woo spoke with unwavering resolve.
-…If such a thing happens, I will protect you, Chairman.
“That’s reassuring indeed.”
-This is no jest.
“I know. That’s precisely why I trust and have faith in you.”
There was silence for a moment. Then came a deep sigh.
-I shall withdraw now.
The call cut off abruptly.
Kwon Seon-woo leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes. After a moment, he reached down and opened the bottom drawer of his desk, retrieving a single photograph.
Inside the photograph, a young man smiled brightly.
“There’s so much to be done. Time is slipping away.”
Kwon Seon-woo gazed at the photograph for a long while.
* * *
Kwon Han-ul issued orders to Park Chul-soo.
“Speak of this matter to no one. You have successfully completed your mission. Do you understand?”
“I shall bear it in mind.”
Park Chul-soo bowed his head and left the basement.
Left alone, Kwon Han-ul reviewed the USB data once more.
“No matter how I look at it, this is material designed to drive a wedge between me and the Chairman.”
I still couldn’t believe that Kwon Seon-woo had asked me to obtain it.
“What on earth is this?”
The more I thought about it, the more anger began to simmer within me.
Between Catalina Blaga and Kwon Cheon.
With mountains of matters demanding my attention, Kwon Seon-woo had now inserted himself as well.
“I’m absolutely sick of being dragged around like this.”
What had been my reason for setting the goal of standing at the apex of the Heukcheon Group?
It was to avoid being swept away by the strong, as I had been when I lived as a third-rate hunter.
“I don’t know what this is about, but… it won’t be easy.”
It was then that Kwon Han-ul muttered these words.
My smartphone rang, and I confirmed two messages.
One was from Park Tae-sik, the master craftsman.
[The weapon is complete. Come retrieve it.]
The gloves crafted from the fangs and hide of a Dragonhatchling had finally been completed.
It was joyous news, yet it paled in comparison to the second message.
The message from Joo Ha-yeon read:
[The Golden Apple has ripened.]
Kwon Han-ul clenched his fist without realizing it.
The item that would elevate me to an even higher realm had finally been prepared.
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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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