Chapter 93

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 93: War (1)

“…W-We’re not just going to sit back and take this!”

Ashley shouted at Kwon Mi.

“Do you even know who’s backing Mr. Jose del Pablo? The Godfather himself! One word from him, and every single cartel in South America will rise up!”

Even a cornered rat will bite the cat.

Ashley clenched her teeth and yelled.

“Our cartel might not be as powerful as Hyukcheon, but we can kill everyone here—including you! So don’t forget tha—kyaaah!”

Kwon Mi reached out and seized Ashley by the throat.

“Just because it comes out of your mouth doesn’t mean it’s worth saying. You said if the South American cartels move, even if the Hyukcheon Group survives, everyone here—including me—will die?”

But a rat is still just a rat. It can't defeat a cat.

And Kwon Mi wasn’t just any cat—she was a tiger.

“So that’s why you were barking so confidently. You thought you were safe in your own yard. After a provocation like that, how could I possibly let it slide?”

Kwon Mi pulled out her smartphone and made a call.

“Secretary Kim. It’s me. Relay my orders to the team on the ship.”

Her voice was steady, unwavering.

“Destroy every major base belonging to the South American cartels. Immediately.”

After giving the order, she hung up.

Ashley, her face blank with shock, screamed out.

“D-Don’t bluff! Y-You barely brought more than a dozen Hunters! There’s no way you can fight the entire alliance with just that many people—!”

“Who do you think we are?”

Kwon Mi looked at her with amused disdain.

“You really thought you could measure Hyukcheon by your pitiful standards?”

The moment her words ended, a ringtone blared.

Ashley slowly pulled out her phone.

—“M-Miss Ashley!”

A scream tore through the speaker.

—“W-We’re under attack! Someone just showed up and they’re destroying everything—our people, the buildings—!”

Ashley, her expression hollow, asked in a daze, “…How many of them are there?”

There was a loud explosion. Then, the voice returned.

—“Just one!”

The call ended abruptly.

Moments later, another call came in.

—“Ashley! Thank God you picked up!”

This time, it was a different voice.

—“We’re under sudden attack! Our entire unit’s been wiped out! Get out of there while you still can—block them! I said block—just one guy, why can’t you—AGHHH!”

Another call dropped.

Ashley stared up at Kwon Mi in a daze, completely overwhelmed.

Ashley screamed and bolted out of the hotel.

Kwon Mi didn’t bother chasing her. It was as if she knew there was no need.

“I owe you an apology.”

Kwon Mi turned to Kwon Hanul.

He couldn’t hide his surprise—Kwon Mi was apologizing to him?

“This was your mission. I shouldn’t have taken over like that.”

“Well… it is what it is.”

Hanul brushed it off casually.

Though to be honest, he thought this whole "war" might have been a bit overkill.

Then again, Hyukcheon was never known for subtlety, so he let it go.

“In that case, Auntie, please leave Jose del Pablo to me.”

“…That guy?”

A rare look of concern flickered across Kwon Mi’s face.

“Are you sure? Jose del Pablo is… extremely dangerous.”

Hanul was taken aback again.

She was genuinely worried about him. He never thought he’d see the day.

“I still want to take him on.”

Even so, he had no intention of backing down.

“You were right. This was my mission to begin with. I need to be the one to end it.”

Jose del Pablo was the one behind all of this. It had to be Hanul who took him down.

Besides, there was another person he couldn’t stop thinking about:

GG.

The man with a grudge against the Pablo Family—there was no way GG would let this opportunity slip.

If Jose del Pablo was involved, GG would be nearby.

And if he was just a stranger, maybe Hanul could’ve ignored it. But GG had once saved his teammate’s life. He couldn’t just turn a blind eye.

“…Alright,” Kwon Mi sighed, still worried. “But if you're going, you must defeat him.”

* * *

After calling Ashley, Jose del Pablo immediately headed for the meeting point.

The kidnapper had summoned him to a coastal village.

It had once been a thriving port town but had since fallen into decline after losing its shipping functions.

Jose made his way to an old warehouse—massive and open, used for storing cargo.

“There’s no one here?”

The place was empty.

“Did I get the wrong location?”

He double-checked the message several times.

No mistake. This was the place.

“What’s that bastard trying to pull now…”

He had no choice but to wait inside.

He dragged over an abandoned chair and sat down.

Hours passed. Then night fell. Still, no one showed up.

Eventually, the sun rose again.

And finally, after who knows how long, someone appeared at the warehouse entrance.

“There you are.”

Jose stood up, stretching his stiffened body.

“Where’s my uncle?”

The kidnapper said nothing.

Jose clicked his tongue internally. Of course—it was never going to be that easy.

“You. Who the hell are you?”

“Do you know why I brought you here?”

Jose frowned.

“What’re you babbling about?”

“You really don’t remember what this place is, do you?”

“Why the hell would I remember some dump like this?”

The kidnapper pulled down his hood.

Jose’s eyes twitched.

“…Rabbit ears?”

Two fuzzy rabbit ears poked out from the man’s head—clearly not normal.

The absurd sight made Jose burst into laughter.

“Pfft—Hahaha! What kind of lunatic… seriously, what kind of nutjob wears that crap—”

He suddenly stopped laughing.

A buried memory from deep within his mind stirred.

“…Beast Bloodline?”

Jose narrowed his eyes.

“You’re from the Garcian clan, aren’t you? Then this warehouse must be…”

“Yes.”

The kidnapper—GG—growled.

“This is the warehouse where you locked up the Garcian clan after you captured them.”

“Ah…”

Jose pointed a finger at the man, realization dawning.

“I remember now. You were that idiot.”

He let out another mocking laugh.

“The one dumb enough to give up his family’s location—just because I tricked you!”

“I never thought you’d actually show your face in front of me.”

Jose del Pablo said with a bizarre sense of cheer.

“That day, I captured everyone else. You were the only one who slipped through my fingers. I always wondered where you ended up…”

He looked GG up and down.

“So why now? Why come back?”

“You really have to ask?”

The sound of gritted teeth filled the air. GG’s voice was ice-cold.

“I came to take back the Garcian clan you stole.”

“…What? Take them back? Pfft—hahaha!”

Jose doubled over laughing.

“You mean the same clan you sold out and abandoned to save your own skin? And now you’re here to rescue them?”

He laughed so hard he wiped tears from his eyes.

“So much effort. I guess I should let you meet them, huh?”

He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a necklace.

It looked like a pale ivory bear charm—hand-carved, almost milky in color.

“Here. Say hi.”

GG’s face contorted in disgust. What the hell kind of twisted joke was this?

“Take a good look. Guess what it’s made of?”

Jose played with the necklace, smirking.

“A unicorn horn.”

“Unicorn? Don’t be ridiculous. Unicorn horns aren’t that—”

GG fell silent. His eyes locked onto the charm, unblinking.

“…No way.”

“You figured it out fast. Yeah. This isn't just any unicorn horn.”

GG’s body started to tremble. Blood dripped from his clenched fists.

“This was crafted from the horn of a unicorn born from your very own Garcian bloodline.”

* * *

Sacred Beast Bloodline Conversion

A bloodline capable of imitating the abilities of other creatures.

That’s not entirely wrong—but it’s not quite accurate, either.

Sacred Beast Bloodline Conversion doesn’t just imitate abilities.

It transforms the user’s body into that of another living being, granting them that creature’s abilities.

“I can’t tell you how lucky I was to find your Garcian family back then.”

The purer the bloodline, the more accurate the transformation.

“I was preparing a gift to win over the Godfather. I wanted to make an art piece using rare monster byproducts... but I was short on materials.”

The duration of the transformation depends on the user’s stamina.

But there is one way to make the transformation permanent.

“Let’s see… unicorn horn, salamander heart… what else was I missing? Oh, right—the eye of a Hwawikjo.”

Death.

If one dies while transformed, their body remains permanently altered.

“The low-purity mutts weren’t worth anything, but the hot-blooded ones turned out pretty decent.”

A cry rang out.

A sound filled with rage and sorrow, like a wild beast in pain.

“Wanna see the others too? Come to my room. I kept the ones I couldn’t use as gifts for the Godfather.”

GG kicked off the ground and charged forward. Thanks to the rabbit's leg strength, he closed the distance in a flash.

His fist smashed into Jose del Pablo’s face. But it was GG who grimaced in pain.

“Looks like you’re pretty mad.”

Jose del Pablo smirked.

“Too bad. This level of skill isn’t nearly enough.”

Jose del Pablo moved. GG quickly transformed into another creature.

“Ogre!”

GG’s skin turned a sickly bluish-green in an instant. Jose del Pablo’s punch landed straight into his body.

GG was sent flying. He bounced off the ground and was flung into a wall.

“Gah!”

One hit.

Just one blow, and his insides were turned upside down. GG coughed up blood in agony.

“You were the strongest among the Garcian family. Your blood was the purest too.”

Jose del Pablo dusted off his hands.

“The Godfather’s birthday is coming up. Talk about perfect timing.”

“...How did they die?”

GG forced the words out.

“The people of the Garcian family... how did they die?”

“How the hell would I know?”

Jose del Pablo frowned.

“I left that to the organization. I’m sure they died just fine.”

A laugh echoed.

It wasn’t Jose del Pablo.

GG was laughing, blood trailing from his lips.

“So they all died like dogs, huh…”

GG pushed himself to his feet, glaring at Jose del Pablo.

“Mammon.”

Jose del Pablo tilted his head.

“Mammon? What kind of monster is that…?”

In that moment, mana exploded from GG’s body.

It wasn’t normal mana. It was twisted—terrifying just to witness.

The mana wrapped around him—and then, the sounds began.

Crack.

Bones twisted, one after another. With each noise, GG’s body changed.

His spine stretched. Limbs thickened. His mouth elongated. Hair sprouted all over.

A beast.

A monstrous beast stood on two legs, eyes locked onto Jose del Pablo.

“A demon…?”

Before he could finish, Jose del Pablo’s body was launched through the air.

A blow to his gut sent him flying.

“Urgh!”

Jose del Pablo quickly regained his stance.

“You bastard… hiding something like this?”

This time, a punch came down from above. It smashed him into the ground.

“……#%$#%#!”

The beast roared—an inhuman howl—as it relentlessly stomped Jose del Pablo.

Each stomp cracked and shattered the floor.

Suddenly, the beast stopped moving. As it lifted its foot, Jose del Pablo’s crushed body was visible, embedded deep into the ground.

The beast grabbed him and yanked him out—gripping him by the head.

“...Heh.”

Jose del Pablo managed to speak.

“Not bad. You’d make an excellent material.”

He reached out, placing his palm on the beast’s chest.

In that instant, an invisible force slammed the beast away. Blood trickled from its mouth.

“%#$%$#.”

But the beast quickly shrugged off the pain—and charged again.

“Sturdy, aren’t you?”

Jose del Pablo smirked, raising one finger. The beast suddenly floated into the air.

It flailed its limbs, but continued to rise.

“Die.”

Jose del Pablo flicked his finger downward. The beast slammed into the ground.

The shock was enough to shake the earth. The beast struggled to rise.

It barely lifted its head—Jose del Pablo was nowhere in sight.

“You should look up.”

GG raised his gaze.

Jose del Pablo was descending, a jagged blade in each hand.

As he fell, he brought the blades down.

The jagged edges tore into the beast’s flesh.

At that moment, a burst of aura detonated, collapsing the entire warehouse.

“Tch.”

Amid the ruins of the destroyed warehouse, Jose del Pablo spat.

“All this trouble over a worthless brat.”

He looked down. GG had reverted to human form and lay unconscious.

Barely conscious, about to pass out.

“Where’s your uncle?”

GG couldn’t answer. Jose del Pablo slapped him across the face.

“Still out of it, huh?”

He slapped him repeatedly. GG’s head swung with each blow.

“Where is Ricardo Pablo?!”

Just then, a ringtone rang out. Annoyed, Jose del Pablo grabbed his phone.

“Who the hell is calling me at a time like—”

—B-Boss! It’s an emergency!

A panicked voice shouted from the other end.

—It’s Hyukcheon Hyukcheon’s gone crazy!

“What are you talking about?”

—Hyukcheon’s attacking us!

For a moment, the world seemed to stop.

“What the hell do you mean…?”

—They’re killing all our guys! You have to come now!

“Ashley… what the hell did that bitch do…”

Veins bulged on Jose del Pablo’s forehead.

“Good. I’ve had enough of that arrogant attitude. I’ll ask the Godfather to wipe them all out…”

Even upon hearing the name Hyukcheon, he showed no fear—only battle-lust.

But the voice on the phone screamed back:

—No! You can’t!

“Who do you think you are to question me?”

—It’s not just our family—every single family in the alliance is being attacked by Hyukcheon!

It felt like a hammer had struck the back of his head. Jose del Pablo’s brows narrowed until they nearly met.

“What kind of nonsense is that?! How many hunters did Hyukcheon even bring?! You’re telling me all our families are being attacked?!”

Ashley had already done her homework.

There were barely over ten combatants among Hyukcheon’s people in South America.

So how could they be launching a full-scale assault?

—Those lunatics split up!

If it wasn’t already absurd, the subordinate made it worse.

—They sent one fighter to each family—to cause absolute chaos!

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]