Chapter 80

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Episode 80 – Conditional (3)

"You’re saying we can enter the Vault?"

Returning from his meeting with the Chairman, Kwon Hanul broke the news about the Vault to the others.

"R-Really?!"

"H-Hanul... is that true?"

Their reactions were intense.

"I can’t believe it... Me, a member of the Mei family, stepping foot into the Hyukcheon Vault."

Mei Hong collapsed into her chair, stunned.

But curiosity quickly took over, and she turned to Kwon Hanul with an eager expression.

"They say only legendary treasures are kept in the Vault. Is that true?"

"It’s more than just a rumor."

“Kyaaahhh!”

Mei Hong let out a high-pitched squeal of excitement.

"Thanks to you, Lord Kwon Hanul, I get to experience something like this!"

Someone tugged at his sleeve. Turning, Kwon Hanul found Kwon Hudon looking at him with teary eyes.

"H-Hanul... T-Thank you. I never imagined I’d be allowed into the Vault..."

The Hyukcheon Vault was rarely accessible.

Only those deemed worthy of receiving support from the Hyukcheon lineage were granted entry.

For blood relatives of Hyukcheon, being granted access was a tremendous honor.

"You both might want to calm down a little."

At that moment, Joo Hayun set down her teacup and spoke.

Her calm yet cool tone left Mei Hong and Kwon Hudon speechless.

"I understand your excitement, but first, you need to decide what to retrieve from the Vault and how you plan to move through it."

The Vault spans 30 underground floors—a vast labyrinth. It would take more than 30 days to see it all.

But the time allowed for exploration? Just one hour.

Because of strict security, the Vault only opens on designated dates, and even then, for a mere hour.

Without a plan, you risk wasting your time or coming out with something useless.

"I’ve already decided. I’m going to get an elixir that boosts my stats."

To Mei Hong’s comment, Joo Hayun offered a different perspective.

"Elixirs are great, but there are also rare weapons stored in the Vault."

"I’m good on weapons. This sword is more than enough."

Mei Hong held up her father’s keepsake.

"Plus, I recently had it enhanced."

She slightly drew the blade. A dark crimson aura rippled along the gleaming white steel.

The moment they saw that energy, Kwon Hanul and Kwon Hudon couldn’t help but grimace.

There was a reason for that reaction—that sword was imbued with the soul of Rockbreaker.

Ghostblade

A forbidden technique of the Shura Bloodline that enslaves the souls of those you kill.

After being struck down by Kwon Hudon, Rockbreaker had been on the brink of death. Mei Hong finished him off, forging the Ghostblade.

As disgraceful as Rockbreaker had been, he was still a world-ranked hunter.

A sword forged from such a soul was bound to be terrifyingly powerful.

"Ghostblades consume a ton of mana. So I want to raise my mana stat to S-rank."

"A smart choice. What about you, Kwon Hudon?"

"I’m after a skill."

"A skill?"

"Yeah. My mom told me that back when she entered the Vault in her youth, she saw a skill based on using armor for both offense and defense."

It sounded like the perfect skill for Kwon Hudon, who specialized in using Blackscale Armor.

And if it was stored in the Vault, it had to be powerful.

"What about you, Lord Kwon Hanul?"

The question shifted to Kwon Hanul. He paused for a moment before responding.

"A seal... More specifically, I need an artifact that can unlock locks."

"Locks?"

Joo Hayun tilted her head, surprised.

"Yes."

What Kwon Hanul needed right now was an elixir to boost his stats.

But the Healthy Bloodline had shown him a different possibility.

He might be able to increase his stats just by acquiring more bloodlines.

Choosing an elixir now would be short-sighted.

"You know how, during dungeon raids, we often pass up locked doors or treasure chests?"

That’s why most hunters, whether through gear or personnel, always made sure they had a way to unlock things.

Kwon Hanul also wanted to fill that gap now.

There was another reason, too.

He had a mysterious chest obtained from the Iron Fang Guild’s vault.

It required killing a thousand people to open—a brutal condition he hadn’t dared touch.

But maybe now, with the right artifact, he could try.

"Hmm... I can think of a few possible artifacts. I’ll explain them in detail later."

"Thanks."

And so, their plans were set.

"I’ll schedule the Vault visit."

* * *

One month later, the Vault was finally opened.

After undergoing multiple rounds of strict security, the trio boarded the elevator to descend.

They kept descending... until finally, they arrived at the entrance to the Vault.

"Hello! I’m Kwon Sujin, head of Vault security!"

A cheerful young woman greeted them.

"Lord Kwon Hanul, this is your second visit! The other two are first-timers, right?"

Hanul gave a wry smile.

He remembered how talkative Sujin had been during his first visit.

"Coming back so soon? That’s rare! You really are true-blooded Hyukcheon!"

Her eyes sparkled.

"I mean, you did defeat Ferderance! I still can’t believe it—and I’m the one saying it! You’re not even world-ranked yet, and you beat one of Pandemonium’s top villains!"

Sujin pumped her fists, practically trembling with excitement. And Hanul was the one who actually did it.

"You know, everyone in the Hyukcheon Group is talking about that right now!"

Of course they were.

Lately, everywhere Hanul went, people reacted with shock and awe.

"I just got lucky."

"Luck?! Do you know who Ferderance is?! He’s in the top five for poison skills in all of Pandemonium! You call that luck?!"

Sujin fired off words like a machine gun. At this rate, she’d be asking questions all day.

Thankfully, Hanul’s fears were unfounded.

"Oh! It’s almost time to open the Vault. I’ll save my questions for next time."

She led them forward.

They soon reached a towering door—so large even a giant could walk through.

"I’ll now deactivate the Vault’s security. Regardless of whether you’re inside, it will automatically shut in one hour. Please keep an eye on the time."

She added, "Also, spatial inventory use is prohibited inside. A barrier has been placed to prevent it."

And with that, the massive door opened.

Inside, another elevator awaited.

"Now, where to?"

The three split up, heading to their target floors.

Kwon Hanul headed to the 20th floor.

"Enjoy your time~!" Sujin said as she closed the elevator.

Though it was his second visit, everything still amazed Hanul.

"Let’s see... what Hayun mentioned should be..."

He scanned the shelves of artifacts—until something made him stop.

"This is it."

He picked up a marble the size of a pinky nail.

Open Sesame

Grade: Legendary (A+)

Description: A relic crafted by an ancient artisan. Crush it and sprinkle it on any lock you want to open.

Effect: Opens any locked object. Single-use only.

Hanul examined it but then put it back.

Perfect functionality—but the single-use aspect was disappointing.

"There was another one..."

He searched again and found a key covered in rust.

"This is the one."

He picked it up and checked its details.

Jack-of-All-Key

Grade: Legendary (S-)

Description: A mysterious key said to open everything except the unopenable. Requires mana infusion with each use.

Effect:

Unlocks any locked item—even without a keyhole.

Unlimited use, but mana must be recharged manually.

Clearly worth its S- rating.

But if it was that good, why had it remained unused in the Vault?

"Right... they say charging it is a nightmare."

You had to manually channel mana through a maze-like circuit. And it changed layout every use.

You couldn’t even pre-charge it—after a certain time, the circuit reset itself.

That’s why Hayun hadn’t recommended it.

Genius Bloodline analyzes the internal structure.

Automatically infusing mana...

Jack-of-All-Key is fully charged. You may now use its functions.

With Genius Bloodline, Hanul could always use the key.

He smiled in satisfaction and stowed it away.

He wanted to try opening the mysterious box immediately.

But spatial storage was blocked here, so he’d have to wait.

"All done?"

When he returned to the elevator, Sujin greeted him.

Hanul shook his head.

"I’d like to visit the 30th floor as well."

"The 30th? Sure."

Sujin activated the elevator. There was still time left.

"30 minutes remaining~."

Hanul entered the 30th floor and headed toward the most secluded area.

A message popped up.

True Black Dragon Bloodline detected.

Secret vault of ‘Kwon Hyunmoon’ discovered.

Proceed with verification?

A faint smile touched Hanul’s lips.

Kwon Hyunmoon.

Founder of the Hyukcheon lineage.

Traces of his legacy were hidden throughout Hyukcheon.

"I didn’t have the qualifications last time."

Hanul’s current assimilation rate: 30%.

It was unclear if that would be enough, but he had to try.

"I’ll begin the verification."

Another message appeared.

Assimilation rate too low. Vault cannot be opened.

Hanul clicked his tongue. As expected, 30% wasn’t enough.

He considered using the Jack-of-All-Key—but shook his head.

The key could only unlock physical locks—not bypass trials or qualifications.

If it could, it’d be called Master-Key, not Jack-of-All-Key.

Just as he turned to leave...

Test subject’s assimilation rate has met a specific threshold.

User ‘Kwon Hyunmoon’ initiates First Legacy Transfer.

Something appeared before him. The moment he saw it, Hanul’s face filled with shock.

"This is..."

* * *

"Time’s up~!"

Their hour was up. The three returned to the surface.

"Thanks for using the Vault! I hope you make more great achievements and come back again~!"

Sujin waved like a restaurant owner bidding farewell.

"Uwaaaaah!"

"Woooaaah!"

Mei Hong and Kwon Hudon shouted as soon as they stepped outside.

"It was incredible! Just looking around was overwhelming!"

"I know, right? Everything in there was insane."

As first-timers, they couldn’t calm down.

"So, what did you get, Lord Kwon Hudon?"

"Me?"

Hudon smiled and pulled out a Memory Page.

Skill: Overlord’s Immortal Supreme Legend

Grade: Legendary (SS-)

Description: A combat art created by a lunatic who called himself the Absolute One. The creator's mental stability is questionable, but the skill’s power is undeniable.

"..."

"..."

Silence.

Hanul and Mei Hong stared at Hudon with worried looks.

Hudon scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"I-It’ll be fine! It’s SS- grade!"

Well, as long as it was powerful, Hanul decided not to worry.

"I picked this."

Mei Hong opened a small wooden box. A refreshing scent filled the air.

Great Rejuvenation Pill

Grade: Legendary (SS)

Description: An elixir crafted from an unknown secret method. Grants immense power upon consumption.

"What about you, Lord Kwon Hanul?"

Mei Hong looked at him. Hanul showed them the Jack-of-All-Key.

They examined it curiously.

"This is the one Hayun unni mentioned, right?"

"I heard it’s hard to use. You sure it’s okay?"

Hanul reassured them with a nod.

Meanwhile, his mind drifted back to the message that had just appeared:

Dragon-Carving Sky Talk

Grade: Unmeasurable

Description: One of the ultimate techniques attainable after mastering all three forms of Black Dragon Ascension Art.

Speak with the heavens. Carve dragons. When the art is unleashed, one may witness a dragon ascending into the sky.

He had just acquired something almost too powerful to comprehend.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]