Chapter 25

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 25: The Gathering of Bloodlines (2)

As soon as Kwon Hanul opened his eyes, he sprang up and urgently scanned his surroundings.

Familiar scenery came into view—it was his own mansion.

“You're awake.”

A voice came from beside him. It was Joo Hayun, sitting in a chair next to the bed.

“What happened… Ugh!”

A sharp pain shot through the nape of his neck.

Suddenly, everything came rushing back—the team match selection, the brutal fight against Kwon Myung-woo, and his defeat.

“…I lost.”

It was indeed a performance befitting the strongest fighter of Hyukcheon. Hanul had been defeated before he could even draw out his true strength.

“You were truly impressive. Everyone was in awe when they saw you go toe-to-toe with Kwon Myung-woo.”

“That was only because he went easy on me.”

“Even considering that, it’s no small feat. Kwon Myung-woo’s fighting spirit and sheer force aren’t things that just anyone can withstand.”

Despite Hayun’s words, Hanul found little comfort in them.

A deep sense of emptiness washed over him, and he collapsed back onto the bed.

Then, something more important came to mind. He sat up again and asked, “What happened with the representative selection?”

“Thanks to Kwon Myung-woo’s strong endorsement, you were the first to secure a spot as a representative.”

“He supported me?”

He was honestly taken aback.

Ever since joining the Hyukcheon group, everyone had been an enemy. He never expected anyone from the bloodline to back him.

Along with surprise, suspicion crept in. Was it purely for Hyukcheon’s victory? Or did Myung-woo have some ulterior motive?

“He seems to have taken quite a liking to you. He kept asking me multiple times if you were already part of a team.”

“Why would he ask that?”

“It seems he’s planning to recruit you.”

Hanul was familiar with Myung-woo’s team.

The Hyukcheon Squad.

It was the only team within the Hyukcheon group permitted to bear the name "Hyukcheon", a testament to its unparalleled strength and prestige.

Every hunter who knew of Hyukcheon’s power longed to join.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to decline.”

Hanul wasn’t particularly interested in Myung-woo’s proposal.

“I plan to form my own team.”

His goal was to reach the pinnacle of Hyukcheon.

To do that, he needed to build his own team and establish its reputation.

In other words, he wasn’t looking to join the strongest team.

He was going to create the strongest team.

“Who were the other two representatives selected?”

“One is Kwon Jiseok.”

“He’s busy forming his own team. He joined as a representative?”

“That’s probably why he volunteered.”

Hanul found it strange for a moment but soon understood what Hayun meant.

“Losing that bet against me must have caused trouble for his team’s formation.”

Kwon Seonwoo judged people by their value.

Jiseok, having lost to Hanul twice, had likely seen his worth plummet. The support he was originally set to receive was probably revoked.

“And the third representative?”

“Kwon Hudon.”

The name was unfamiliar.

“He’s Kwon Mi’s youngest son.”

The commander of the team had recommended her own child?

“Is that allowed?”

“There were complaints, but he was selected with majority approval.”

“If he received that much support… he must be quite skilled.”

“As the youngest son of Kwon Mi and her spouse, his abilities are undeniable. But it’s also highly likely Kwon Mi pulled some strings.”

Hayun smirked.

“Given his background, there’s no way he would’ve gotten that many votes otherwise.”

“His background?”

“He was originally classified as Inferior Black Dragon Blood but was later reclassified as Pure Black Dragon Blood.”

That didn’t make sense. Hanul had never heard of such a thing.

“Can Black Dragon Blood even change like that?”

“No, not once in Hyukcheon’s history. Kwon Hudon is the only case. It was a huge controversy at the time.”

According to Hayun, all branch family bloodlines had come to question Kwon Mi about it, and even the chairman himself had inquired.

“Kwon Mi claimed her son’s talent influenced his bloodline. Not many people believed her, though.”

It was too suspicious to be taken at face value.

“The team match lineup has also been decided. Here’s the list.”

Hayun handed Hanul a sheet of paper detailing the tournament rules and the representatives from each family.

Hanul focused on the match order.

Vanguard: Kwon Hudon

Midfielder: Kwon Hanul

Captain: Kwon Jiseok

After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Hayun.

“In team matches, the most critical position is the vanguard, right?”

“Yes. They open the match, and their performance sets the team’s momentum.”

“And the captain holds the highest position?”

“Yes, as the team leader, the most skilled person takes that role.”

“Then what about the midfielder…?”

“That’s where the weakest fighter is placed. Their impact on the match is minimal compared to the other two.”

Hanul looked at the list again.

“I don’t agree with being the midfielder.”

“Neither do I.”

Hanul got up from the bed, rolling his neck. Though some pain remained, his recovery was remarkable, thanks to the Healthy Bloodline.

“I’m going to raise an objection.”

“Right now, Kwon Mi is in the conference room drafting the team match strategy with the other two representatives.”

“Perfect.”

Without hesitation, Hanul stepped out. The conference room wasn’t far.

He swung the door open and stepped inside.

Kwon Mi, Kwon Jiseok, and a young man he didn’t recognize all turned to stare at him in surprise.

“You! How dare you barge in like this?”

“I have something to ask.”

Hanul strode forward and thrust the paper in front of Kwon Mi. The woman’s eyebrows shot up.

“Why am I the midfielder?”

“That’s obvious! It’s because you’re the weakest of the three!”

“I don’t see it that way.”

At that, Jiseok’s face flushed red.

“What the hell are you saying? Are you implying you’re stronger than me?” Jiseok shot up from his seat, yelling. “Do I look that easy to you? You won a bet against me twice and now think you’re my equal? If we fight for real, you don’t stand a chance!”

“If you don’t believe me, how about another wager?”

“What?”

“I bet that I’ll win.”

Jiseok’s expression grew more menacing.

“Hey, you! Say something! You’re a representative too!”

Jiseok turned to the young man next to him. The man flinched.

Hanul also turned to look at him.

The young man, Kwon Hudon, had a small build and sculpted features—so handsome that even Jiseok and Kwon Chan-seong paled in comparison.

“Uh… umm…”

Hudon hesitated, glancing between Hanul and Jiseok.

“Uh, my mom said… I-I have to be the vanguard. So, I’ll be the vanguard.”

His words were stuttered and awkward—completely unfitting for his looks.

“Tch, forget it. What did I expect from you? Fine, you think you’re stronger than us? Let’s step outside and settle this.”

“There’s no need for that.”

A new voice interrupted.

Everyone turned their eyes upward.

Someone was lying across the beams supporting the conference room’s ceiling.

“…Uncle Kwon Myung-woo?”

“…Granduncle Kwon Myung-woo?”

Myung-woo leapt down, landing without a sound.

Kwon Mi was startled.

“What were you doing up there?”

“I saw this kid running over, so I thought I’d secretly follow him. Pretty good, huh?”

Myung-woo laughed heartily, then walked over to Hanul and slung an arm around his shoulder.

“You brat! You’re okay! Do you know how worried I was?”

“What’s there to worry about? It didn’t even hurt that much.”

"What? Hahaha! You're still as arrogant as ever!"

Kwon Myung-woo burst into laughter.

"By the way, I heard from above that this arrogant brat is now a mid-rank? Is that true?"

"Yes, that's correct. It was decided based on individual skill and position within the group..."

"Skill, group position, blah blah. That's all just noise to me."

Kwon Myung-woo waved his hand dismissively, as if swatting away a fly. Then, he turned to Kwon Hanul and asked abruptly, "Kid, what position do you want?"

Without hesitation, Kwon Hanul answered immediately.

"I want to be the vanguard."

The vanguard opens the team battle and draws the most attention. More than anything, securing the first victory is crucial.

Kwon Hanul preferred being the vanguard over the commander.

"Khahaha! That's the spirit! A member of the Hyukcheon Clan should never fear standing at the front! In that case, let this kid take the vanguard position."

Kwon Mi bit her lip. She didn’t seem willing to accept Kwon Myung-woo’s decision so easily.

"Uncle! No matter what, this is my jurisdiction!"

"Is that so?"

"The lineup will remain as planned!"

"Mi, you seem to be misunderstanding something. Your father put you in charge, but that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want."

"I've never done that!"

"Putting your own son in as the representative wasn’t enough, now you want him to be the vanguard too…?"

Kwon Myung-woo's laughter disappeared. His gaze turned cold as he looked down at Kwon Mi.

"The reason your father put you in charge was for the benefit of the group. You should seriously consider how far he will tolerate your recklessness."

Kwon Mi's face turned pale.

"H-Hudon being the representative was… w-well, everyone agreed to it…"

"You think I brought this up for no reason? The chairman already knows everything."

Kwon Mi closed her mouth. That was her silent way of conceding.

Patting her shoulder, Kwon Myung-woo spoke.

"Don’t worry. My judgment is always spot on. You won’t regret listening to me. Hahaha!"

At that moment, Kwon Jiseok, who had been silent, finally spoke up.

"Granduncle, what about the rest of the positions?"

"Why are you asking me? You should be asking your aunt."

Kwon Myung-woo looked puzzled. But Kwon Jiseok didn’t even spare Kwon Mi a glance.

At this moment, the person in the strongest position wasn't Kwon Mi—it was Kwon Myung-woo.

"Well, Jiseok, you should be fine as the commander. As long as you don’t get nervous, that is."

"Nervous? That won’t happen this time!"

"Hmm… how many times have I heard that before?"

Kwon Myung-woo gave him a skeptical look. Kwon Jiseok clenched his jaw but couldn't refute it.

"Well, it seems like the discussion is over. I’ll be taking my leave."

Kwon Myung-woo turned and left the conference room. Kwon Hanul quickly followed after him.

"Executive Director Kwon Myung-woo!"

Kwon Myung-woo spun around, irritated.

"Hey! You rude brat!"

Kwon Hanul hesitated for a moment, wondering if he had used the wrong title and was about to apologize.

But what came out of Kwon Myung-woo’s mouth was entirely unexpected.

"Executive Director? That sounds so stiff! Call me Granduncle!"

Kwon Hanul was caught off guard. He had never experienced such a casual attitude before.

"Granduncle, thank you for your help."

"I thought you were just an arrogant brat, but you actually know how to be polite!"

"I won’t forget what you’ve done for me."

Kwon Myung-woo grinned in satisfaction. Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "Ahem. By the way, kid, have you considered joining my team?"

His face radiated confidence, as if he had no doubt the offer would be accepted.

But Kwon Hanul immediately responded.

"No."

"Yeah, that’s a good— Wait, what? No?"

"I'm planning to form my own team."

"W-what?"

"Then, I’ll take my leave now."

Kwon Hanul turned to walk away. Kwon Myung-woo followed after him, flustered.

"Hey, hey! Don’t be like that. Just think about it one more time, huh? This kind of opportunity doesn’t come often!"

"I'm not interested."

"Come on, kid! Huh? Huuuh?"

* * *

Kwon Myung-woo kept pestering him, while Kwon Hanul continued to shut him down.

A few days later, a large aircraft departed from the Hyukcheon Clan’s headquarters.

Onboard were numerous members of the Hyukcheon Bloodline—including Kwon Hanul.

'This is my first time going overseas.'

He had been too busy trying to survive. Forget traveling abroad—he hadn’t even been able to dream of domestic trips.

And now, his first trip was overseas. Life really was unpredictable.

'Though technically, this isn’t a vacation.'

Kwon Hanul was heading out for a team battle against the Mei Family.

No matter how the battle ended, tensions would be high afterward. There wouldn’t be any time for sightseeing.

'Hayun isn’t here, and for once, I’m alone.'

A slight feeling of loneliness.

Maybe it was because he had always relied on Joo Hayun’s support. Her absence felt more noticeable than expected.

But there was no time to get sentimental.

"Hey, are you really not interested in joining?"

From the seat next to him, Kwon Myung-woo was persistently trying to recruit him again.

"Kid, I hate to brag, but our Hyukcheon Squad is the best of the best! If you join, everyone will fear you! Are you really going to pass that up?"

"As I said, I'm forming my own team."

"You don’t realize what a huge opportunity this is… Fine! I’ll be generous. There just so happens to be an open captain position. I’ll give it to you. How about it?"

"No."

For the entire duration of the flight, Kwon Hanul and Kwon Myung-woo bickered.

Kwon Mi watched them with an irritated expression. As long as Kwon Myung-woo was around, she couldn’t act as freely as she wanted.

"Granduncle, may I ask you something?"

At that moment, Kwon Jiseok cut in. Kwon Myung-woo tilted his head.

"What is it?"

"I'd like to hear your thoughts on the upcoming team battle."

Kwon Myung-woo clicked his tongue.

"Advice? What advice? No need to worry about those bastards! Just beat the crap out of them!"

Just like that, the prestigious Mei Family, rulers of China, were reduced to "those bastards."

"Though I’ll admit… their weapon skills are something else."

Everyone’s eyes focused on him.

Kwon Jiseok, Kwon Hudon, and Kwon Hanul all listened carefully.

They all knew about the Mei Family—but only in theory. None of them had actually faced them in battle before.

"The Mei Family’s entire bloodline is proficient with every type of weapon. They can switch from swords to spears, from spears to bows, seamlessly."

In battle, distance is everything.

Knowing the enemy's attack range—and your own—determines the flow of combat.

But what if the enemy could switch weapons at will?

Your sense of distance would be completely thrown off.

"That’s the power of their 'Shura Bloodline.' Even if they only master one weapon, they can wield a thousand as if they were their own. But their real problem lies elsewhere."

Kwon Myung-woo’s expression turned serious.

"When Shura Bloodline is applied directly to a weapon, it mutates. Its performance increases, and it gains unique abilities. The Mei Family calls it being 'infused with Shura.'"

At that moment, an announcement played over the intercom.

—We are now entering Mei Family airspace. We will be arriving shortly.

And simultaneously, a message appeared.

<Shura has begun to take root within you.>

<‘True Shura Bloodline’ has awakened.>

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]