Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 89
—————
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 89】
Chapter 89: Embers (1)
“Cut the bullshit.”
The harsh words tumbled out before I could stop them. Even I was startled by my own outburst.
-Whoa, calm down. I wasn’t saying anything strange.
“You said you’d kill Kwon Han-ul, and now you’re acting like what?”
-Kill? Don’t use such vicious language. I simply said I’d send him on a little trip, that’s all.
I clenched my fists.
The sheer audacity, the brazen shamelessness of it all. Just listening to him made my blood boil.
-But here’s what’s surprising. You, who hated Cheon-i so much, getting angry for his sake?
“Shut up.”
-It’s a bit sad, really. You used to act so cold, saying you’d do anything for your son, and now look at you.
“What are you trying to say?”
-You’re so prickly. I just wanted to have a nice, intimate conversation with my sister after all this time.
This is what he calls a conversation?
I swallowed my anger. If I lost my temper here, I’d only get tangled up with Kwon Hyuk again.
-So I’ll take it that you have no intention of joining me. Well, if you change your mind…
Click.
I hung up without waiting to hear another word.
“Insufferable bastard.”
My irritation faded quickly, replaced by a troubled expression.
Kwon Hyuk never made meaningless moves.
“What is he scheming?”
My worry deepened.
* * *
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
Before entering the Dungeon, Joo Ha-yeon spoke.
“It will take a while, so feel free to head back and rest first.”
“How could we do that?”
“Kwon Han-ul may be fine, but these two should be somewhere comfortable.”
Joo Ha-yeon said, looking at Mei Hong and Kwon Hu-don.
The exhaustion from the battle seemed severe—the two of them still hadn’t regained their senses.
“I’m entrusting these two to you while I’m gone.”
“Don’t worry.”
Suddenly, Kwon Han-ul asked Joo Ha-yeon a question.
“But how exactly do you fix a Dungeon to Earth?”
Normally, a Dungeon disappears when its Core is destroyed or its Boss is killed.
However, some clans would fix Dungeons in place and use them to their advantage.
What Joo Ha-yeon was about to do now was exactly that.
“You manipulate the Dungeon Core.”
“But how do you do that?”
“As I mentioned before, it’s a technique.”
Joo Ha-yeon said firmly.
The method of fixing a Dungeon was not shared with anyone.
This technique was the very secret that allowed major clans and Guilds to flourish.
“I’m part of Heukcheon too.”
“Secrets spread faster the more people know about them.”
Since he couldn’t argue with that logic, Kwon Han-ul pressed no further.
“Then I’ll really be going now.”
Just as Joo Ha-yeon was about to enter the Gate, a small unit came rushing from the distance.
Kwon Han-ul and Joo Ha-yeon looked at the unit with puzzled expressions.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure…”
The unit was escorting a medium-sized vehicle. Kwon Han-ul stared at the car with a bewildered look.
The car stopped in front of them. Soon, the door opened and someone stepped out.
Messy reggae hair contrasted sharply with his neatly dressed attire.
“What? Why are you out here?”
It was Jose Dil Pablo.
“I heard you went into the Dungeon. Did you find it too difficult and come back out halfway?”
That wasn’t the case, but Kwon Han-ul chose not to answer.
“Good timing. I wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Where’s the guide who went into the Dungeon with you?”
At the murderous tone in his voice, Kwon Han-ul instinctively realized something.
GG’s whereabouts had definitely been exposed.
“Why are you asking me that?”
Kwon Han-ul countered. Jose Dil Pablo scrunched his face as he spoke.
“We have a witness who saw that bastard near the scene where an executive was murdered.”
Kwon Han-ul clicked his tongue inwardly. A long tail gets caught eventually—I’ve been exposed.
“Tell me. Where is that guy?”
“I don’t know either. He said he had something to do and suddenly disappeared.”
“Is that really true?”
“It is.”
I wasn’t lying. GG had never told me where he was going.
GG’s purpose, his identity—I knew plenty, but I had no intention of sharing it.
“Listen here, you worm of Heukcheon.”
Jose Dil Pablo stepped closer and thrust his face forward.
“I’m in a terrible mood right now. Because every single one of those kids who got slaughtered by that bastard was one of my subordinates. If you’re lying to me while knowing the truth…”
Killing intent radiated from Jose Dil Pablo’s entire body.
It was quiet but overwhelmingly dense and sinister. My whole body ached as if venom were clinging to my skin.
“You’d better be prepared.”
I remained silent for a moment. Jose Dil Pablo let out a low chuckle.
“Look at this guy getting scared. Not that I’d actually do anything to you…”
“Now that I think about it, that’s pretty funny.”
I spoke up suddenly.
“Funny?”
“Why are you asking me about the guide your family provided?”
Jose Dil Pablo narrowed his brow.
“That guy isn’t part of our family. He’s just a free hunter like any other. And you were the one with him.”
“Either way, the employer is the Pablo Family. You’ve worked with him far longer than I have, so why are you pressing me about this?”
Kwon Han-ul pushed Jose Dil Pablo’s head back with a finger.
“Don’t come crying to me when you’ve mismanaged things on your end.”
“…Mismanaged?”
“Yeah, what else would you call this? Or did you just blurt it out without thinking?”
Jose Dil Pablo’s face hardened at Kwon Han-ul’s crude language.
“…Don’t strut around relying solely on the Heukcheon name. This isn’t Korea. If you keep acting like that, you could end up dead without anyone knowing.”
“You seem to be under a misunderstanding.”
Kwon Han-ul poked Jose Dil Pablo’s body repeatedly with his finger.
“Don’t rely on the Heukcheon name to act tough? The entire South American Cartel that your Pablo Family belongs to—combined—doesn’t even come close to Heukcheon’s reputation.”
Kwon Han-ul’s voice dropped lower.
“Now that you understand your place, get lost.”
Silence descended. It took a moment before Jose Dil Pablo burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
The laughter continued for a long time.
Suddenly, magical power erupted from Jose Dil Pablo’s body. The air was pushed outward, forming an explosive current.
The laughter abruptly cut off. Killing intent blazed from Jose Dil Pablo’s eyes.
“You bastard!”
Jose Dil Pablo reached toward Kwon Han-ul. The pressure alone was immense.
Kwon Han-ul made no defensive move. He had a reliable ally beside him.
“Stop.”
Joo Ha-yeon seized Jose Dil Pablo’s wrist.
“Jose Dil Pablo. Out of respect for your uncle, Ricardo Pablo, I’ll let this slide just this once. Stand down now.”
“What if I can’t?”
Joo Ha-yeon unleashed her magical power. In an instant, Jose Dil Pablo’s aura and momentum were completely suppressed.
Having seized control of the space in a heartbeat, Joo Ha-yeon spoke to Jose Dil Pablo.
“Shall I tear this arm off for you?”
The two stared each other down for a long moment. Finally, Jose Dil Pablo withdrew his hand.
“…It’s not polite to treat a guest this way.”
With that, Jose Dil Pablo climbed back into the vehicle.
He and his entourage retraced the path they had come.
* * *
“You’ve done well.”
As Jose Dil Pablo took his seat, the woman beside him spoke.
“How did it feel to face the Witch of Heukcheon directly?”
“She was competent.”
Jose Dil Pablo uttered the words curtly.
“Are you confident you can win?”
At Ashely’s question, Jose Dil Pablo fell into contemplation.
“You’re not confident?”
Jose Dil Pablo’s expression darkened. His pride had been wounded.
“You only know once you fight.”
“The Witch of Heukcheon is no pushover. She’s a formidable fighter who acts alongside the Chairman of Heukcheon.”
Jose Dil Pablo’s scowl deepened further.
“But why did you ask me to provoke them? You said not to touch Heukcheon carelessly.”
Jose Dil Pablo had come to this place because of GG.
But provoking Kwon Han-ul and Joo Ha-yeon had been at Ashely’s request.
She’d asked him to gauge Joo Ha-yeon’s strength.
“That’s true. But the situation has changed somewhat.”
“Changed?”
“The Paketa Family has sworn loyalty to the Godfather.”
At those words, Jose Dil Pablo’s eyes widened.
“That means… the Godfather has brought all the South American families under his command.”
It was the first time since the original drug lord that the South American Cartel had become unified.
Jose Dil Pablo’s expression became one of exultation. To live in such a glorious era.
“Not all of them.”
Then Ashely poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
“The Pablo Family still remains.”
Jose Dil Pablo’s face twisted in disgust.
That was right. While all the other families submitted to the Godfather, his uncle Ricardo Pablo alone refused to pledge loyalty.
“Since I’m on the Godfather’s side, it’s only a matter of time.”
“That may be true, but… do we really need to wait?”
“What do you mean?”
Ashely brought her lips close to Jose Dil Pablo’s ear.
“The Godfather and all the families are on your side. So why hesitate? You can simply force the issue with strength.”
Jose Dil Pablo’s face hardened. No matter what, striking down blood relatives was…
“Now that I think about it, you’re right.”
It wasn’t a problem.
“The Godfather is already prepared. He says it’s possible even tomorrow.”
Jose Dil Pablo wasn’t listening to Ashely’s words anymore.
His mind was already filled with thoughts of who Ricardo Pablo’s closest associates were, when their meetings took place, and such matters.
“So why did you tell me to provoke Heukcheon?”
Then, suddenly, it came to me.
“To steal their techniques.”
“Techniques?”
“Do you know how a massive corporation like the Heukcheon Group expanded its power?”
“Through strength?”
Ashely shook her head.
“Because of Dungeons.”
“Dungeons are created in South America too, though.”
“More precisely, they were able to utilize Dungeons by modifying them.”
Ashely gazed out the rear window of the car.
Though already distant, that location held the S-Rank Dungeon the Kwon Family had agreed to take.
“They possess that technology. The Godfather desires it.”
“The Godfather?”
“Yes. He has no intention of ending his life as a mere drug dealer. He wishes to expand our power further, to reach across the entire world.”
To expand their influence further, they needed the technology to harness Dungeons.
That’s why he ordered me to gauge Joo Ha-yeon’s strength.
A battle might break out, after all.
“They’re going to touch Heukcheon…?”
Hesitation flickered across Jose Dil Pablo’s face. Even for someone as aggressive as him, the thought of recklessly provoking Heukcheon terrified him.
“We have the Godfather, don’t we?”
But that hesitation vanished instantly at Ashely’s words.
“Think about it. When you killed that world-ranked hunter, what happened?”
The Guild that hunter belonged to issued a declaration of war.
It was a global Guild with considerable scale and numerous hunters.
“But what came of it?”
The moment the Godfather stepped forward, such talk disappeared entirely.
They lacked the courage to face the entire South American Cartel.
“Trust in the Godfather. He has already laid out all the plans.”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————