Chapter 58 - Bloodline is Everything

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 58: The Iron Ones (2)

Knowledge and experience that had remained disjointed now merge into one.

A refreshing sensation spreads, like a hole being drilled into his head and filled with ice-cold water.

He could feel the new skill embedding itself into his body.

It was different from when he acquired Black Dragon Ascension Art. Back then, the knowledge had been unfamiliar, forcefully injected into his mind.

But this skill was different. It was the result of Kwon Hanul’s relentless pondering, effort, and research.

A sharp sensation of a large chunk of mana being drained is followed by a violent gust.

Winds created by the Authority of Monarch always swirled around Kwon Hanul.

But this time, it was different. The wind surged upward—toward the direction No Ho Min had fled.

<“Heavenly Sky Path” has been created.>

When he had seen No Ho Min’s skill, Shura Bloodline had given Kwon Hanul the answer.

If controlling the flow of wind was too difficult, then just let it run wild.

And thus, it was completed—a path of wind that allowed him to fly through the sky.

Kwon Hanul handed his smartphone to Joo Hayun. Then he turned to Gu Eon.

“You must keep your promise.”

He stepped onto the path of wind. In that instant, a fierce gale erupted. It was so strong, it was nearly impossible to keep his eyes open.

When the windstorm subsided, Kwon Hanul was gone.

* * *

‘What the hell did I just see?’

Right after Kwon Hanul vanished, Gu Eon replayed the scene over and over in his mind.

It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t awe-inspiring. He simply flew away.

But it was terrifyingly fast. For a brief moment, he had reached speeds close to S-rank agility.

—Can you hand the phone to Gu Eon?

From the smartphone in Joo Hayun’s hand, the chairman’s voice emerged.

Gu Eon respectfully accepted the phone with both hands.

“Yes, Chairman.”

—What do you think is going to happen?

For a moment, the mysterious skill Kwon Hanul had used flashed in Gu Eon’s mind.

But his answer remained the same.

“No question about it. He won’t catch No Ho Min. He’ll lose him.”

Gu Eon spoke in a detached tone. In his mind, Kwon Hanul’s failure was already decided.

—Is that your intuition?

“There’s no need to rely on intuition. No Ho Min’s a scumbag blinded by greed who killed his comrades. But his skills? I have to admit they’re the real deal.”

There’s no point in listing excuses. No Ho Min had S-rank agility.

Between A-rank and S-rank was a gap that could never be bridged. Kwon Hanul had no chance of catching him.

—But that criminal isn’t in top condition either.

“Yes, he’s got his innards slashed up and took several iron spears to the thigh. Not to mention other wounds. At most, he’s operating at 60% of his usual strength.”

—And even so, you think Kwon Hanul won’t catch him?

“Yes.”

Gu Eon’s voice remained firm with confidence.

—Is that so. But this time, I find it hard to trust your judgment.

Gu Eon’s eyes wavered, clearly shaken by the chairman’s words.

—That cocky bastard... Kwon Hanul tends to do things that defy expectations.

Kwon Seonwoo spoke in a calm, deliberate tone.

—Tell me, Gu Eon. Care to make a bet? On whether that bastard Kwon Hanul can catch the criminal or not?

Without a second thought, Gu Eon replied resolutely, “He won’t catch him. Not a chance.”

* * *

“Heheh! What a stroke of luck!”

Sliding through the air, No Ho Min let out a triumphant shout.

“Thought I’d be stuck as a slave for the Iron Corps forever, but I actually got the chance to escape.”

If nothing else, speed was his pride. Among peers, juniors, seniors—no one could catch him.

“What should I do once I get away? First, I need to get my gear back... No, wait. Forget that. First, strawberries. I’ll order a whole box, wash them in cold water, and gorge myself.”

A blissful smile spread across his face just imagining it.

“Then I’ll take revenge on the bastards who ratted me out. Break their fingers one by one... Damn it.”

His words trailed off as he spat a curse.

“Even in this condition, I only made it this far? This is embarrassing.”

About three minutes had passed.

The camp he’d fled from had long vanished beyond the horizon. Nothing surrounded him now.

Despite moving at breakneck speed, No Ho Min felt he wasn’t fast enough.

“Screw the plan. First, I need to recover...”

Just then, a faint sound of wind reached his ears.

No Ho Min maintained speed and glanced back.

“What... is that?”

Someone was flying toward him.

No—was that flying? It looked more like they were being pulled or pushed forward by something.

And then, No Ho Min found the right comparison.

“A... current?”

It felt like they were riding a rushing current. With each blink, the distance shrank alarmingly.

“Damn it!”

No Ho Min pushed his speed even further. He didn’t know what that was, but it reeked of danger.

Then suddenly, the figure vanished.

“Huh?—Kgh!”

Before he could react, a blow struck his back. That someone had stomped on him from above, slamming him downward.

“Gah!”

With a short scream, No Ho Min plummeted. He crashed through the ground, buried deep below.

Not far from the impact site, someone landed lightly.

“Huff.”

Kwon Hanul exhaled.

“Barely caught up.”

He had pushed himself to the limit to catch No Ho Min. His mana was almost depleted, but it had worked.

<“Healthy Bloodline” detects fatigue!>

After a few breaths, his drained mana quickly began to replenish.

Kwon Hanul slowly approached to finish subduing No Ho Min.

“K-Kgh...!”

The impact must’ve been severe—No Ho Min still couldn’t gather his senses.

“Hey.”

At Kwon Hanul’s call, No Ho Min weakly lifted his head.

Kwon Hanul’s eyes turned pink. With the power of Vassal Bloodline, his gaze locked onto No Ho Min.

Vassal Bloodline was one of the reasons Kwon Hanul had confidently accepted Gu Eon’s challenge.

Unlike with the Blaga clan’s kin or Ruyn Aspadam, he couldn’t dominate No Ho Min.

Still, Kwon Hanul wasn’t disappointed. He’d anticipated this outcome.

‘As expected, it’s hard to dominate a regular person.’

After his battle with Ruyn Aspadam, Kwon Hanul had done further research into the Vassal Bloodline.

Strangely, he could easily dominate kin or familiars of the Blaga clan, but not ordinary people.

He could only dominate if his mana and mental power vastly overpowered the target’s. If the gap was small, domination became difficult.

In such cases, he needed to first weaken their mental strength through other means.

‘So how should I bring this one under control...’

Suddenly, No Ho Min twisted his body and, from a seated position, swung his left leg.

A bad premonition tugged at Kwon Hanul’s mind. He bent backward.

At that moment, an aura slash came flying at him.

The slash grazed the tip of Kwon Hanul’s nose, just barely missing him. It flew past and struck a distant mountain ridge head-on.

With a thunderous roar that shook the earth, one side of the mountain began to collapse.

“Son of a biiiitch!”

A curse rang out. Kwon Hanul straightened his back and looked forward.

No Ho Min was glaring at him, his eyes bloodshot with fury.

“As if I wasn’t already pissed off enough, now you’re stepping on me? And you're just some brat stuck at A-rank!”

“How’d you know? Is it that obvious I’m A-rank?”

“Of course it’s obvious! A novice might not recognize a master, but a master always sees through a novice!”

No Ho Min spat on the ground.

“Look at this cocky bastard. Acting all smug? Think I’m gonna let you off just ‘cause you’re part of the Black Dragon bloodline?”

A fierce wave of killing intent and magical energy erupted from No Ho Min. Nothing about him looked like someone who was injured.

“I’m gonna grind you down, piece by piece!”

Seeing him boiling with rage, one thought came to Kwon Hanul.

There’s only one way to crush someone this mad—completely overpower them.

“You’re gonna kill me? Funny, I’m supposed to bring you back alive. So…”

Instead of clenching his fists, he casually put his hands behind his back. No Ho Min scowled, as if to ask, What the hell is this guy doing?

“I won’t use my fists. I’ll deal with you using only my feet.”

Silence. Then No Ho Min’s face crumpled like crushed foil.

“You bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?!”

Kwon Hanul calmly awakened the power of his Black Dragon Blood.

‘The Dragon’s Eye has opened.

His eyes glowed with a violet hue.

* * *

“More than anything, No Ho Min isn’t just a fast hunter.”

Gu Eon continued speaking.

“He qualified as a Special-Rank Hunter just five years after joining the Hyukcheon Group. That kind of rapid advancement is incredibly rare.”

—I see.

“He has a natural combat sense. That’s why I chose to capture him alive rather than execute him.”

Being forcibly assigned to the Iron Corps—ironically, it’s proof of his exceptional skills.

The Iron Corps exists to ‘recycle’ talents too valuable to kill.

“I’ve heard much about the achievements of the True Bloodline. But Kwon Hanul hasn’t even been with the Hyukcheon family for a year. Can he really handle No Ho Min…?”

Laughter echoed from the smartphone.

—Ah, sorry. Someone else said something similar before.

Even as he apologized, the Chairman didn’t stop laughing.

—Well then, let’s see how this turns out.

* * *

“The Dragon’s Eye?”

Looking at Kwon Hanul’s violet hued eyes, No Ho Min realized.

The Dragon’s Eye—a power that manifests when one’s synchronization with the Black Dragon Blood exceeds 50%.

Even within the Hyukcheon Clan, few have awakened it.

That’s how powerful it is.

“Don’t tell me… you’re taking me on because you think that’ll be enough?”

But as far as No Ho Min could tell, Kwon Hanul’s stats were all stuck at A-rank. His own agility was at S-rank.

Even if the Dragon’s Eye is powerful, it’s not enough to bridge the gap between S and A.

“I guess I’ll have to teach this Hyukcheon brat his place.”

Aura surged into No Ho Min’s leg. From heel to calf, blades of aura formed along his limb.

“Let’s start by tearing open your belly.”

No Ho Min charged at Kwon Hanul. His movements were strange, almost like gliding across ice.

It looked odd—but the speed was insane. He instantly hit top speed and launched a brutal kick.

At maximum speed and power, this kick had felled countless monsters. An A-rank wouldn’t even see it coming, let alone dodge it.

No Ho Min’s front kick drove straight toward Kwon Hanul. At that moment, Hanul lifted his knee.

With precise angle and timing, his shin deflected No Ho Min’s kick to the side.

“What…?”

Hanul swung the same knee down, striking No Ho Min’s supporting leg.

No Ho Min’s knee buckled, his head dropped, and Hanul drove his knee into Ho-min’s chin.

“Guhh!”

It was like being hit by a sledgehammer. Teeth flew from his mouth as No Ho Min staggered back.

“Ugh, gahh!”

His body and mind reeled. And in that moment, a question tore through No Ho Min’s mind.

‘How? How did an A-rank block my attack? Worse yet, did I just get hit by an A-rank?’

Rage and humiliation consumed him, numbing the pain.

“RAAAGH!”

With a scream, No Ho Min activated another skill.

Shadowless Kick.

A flurry of kicks so fast they’re invisible to the naked eye—his specialty, and his strongest technique.

Combined with S-rank agility, it was beyond mere invisibility. His leg seemed to split into several.

Each phantom leg aimed at Kwon Hanul.

Or tried to.

Just before they struck, Hanul tapped the air with his heel. No Ho Min’s body was blown back, and the phantom legs vanished.

No Ho Min wasn’t physically hurt—but he looked stunned.

‘H-How… how did he pinpoint Shadowless Kick’s weakness?’

Shadowless Kick centers on the knee. Hit it before the technique fully activates, and you can stop it.

But the skill’s speed makes that nearly impossible.

And yet, from the start, Hanul had been targeting his weaknesses—like he could read his mind.

“…Who the hell are you?”

“You done?”

“…What?”

Hanul didn’t seem interested in answering.

“If you’re out of moves, my turn.”

Wind began swirling around Hanul’s feet. No Ho Min braced himself.

‘No matter what, I’m faster. I can dodge everything!’

Hanul moved.

Or rather, by the time No Ho Min registered movement, Hanul was already in front of him. Startled, he jabbed his knee upward.

But Hanul’s kick struck first—right into his solar plexus.

“GAAH!”

The pain made his vision blur. No Ho Min barely stayed conscious.

Hanul charged again, pivoting his waist around his lead foot.

A spinning kick!

No Ho Min mirrored the motion. He’d be faster with the same move!

Then—Hanul’s speed exploded, like he had a motor in his joints.

“Wh-What the—urk!”

Hanul’s heel crashed into No Ho Min’s chin with a sickening crunch. His body flew backward.

No Ho Min landed face down, groaning.

“Ughh… uh, ugh…”

His jaw shattered, he couldn’t speak. Footsteps approached. Looking up, he saw Hanul standing over him.

Dread crawled up his spine. It felt like facing an unrelenting monster.

“P-Please…”

No Ho Min begged, voice trembling. Hanul silently raised his foot.

“U-Ugh… ah…”

The shadow of Hanul’s foot loomed over No Ho Min’s face. His eyes trembled in fear.

“Spare me!”

Hanul’s foot slammed down.

“Pathetic.”

Hanul withdrew his foot.

“You chickened out.”

No Ho Min’s head was unharmed. Instead, a clear footprint marked the ground next to him.

Hanul closed his Dragon’s Eye. No need to use his third eye. Its basic abilities alone were enough to defeat No Ho Min.

‘Is he out cold?’

Hanul peered at his face. Tears streaked his expression, dazed like he’d lost his mind.

“Looks like I won’t need to use the Vassal Bloodline.”

He scratched his cheek.

“Still… better activate my power, just in case.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]