Chapter 120

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 120: Name (4)

“Superhuman Bloodline?”

Kwon Hanul responded as if he didn’t understand what she meant.

Outwardly, he appeared calm, but internally, he was anything but.

The fact that he possessed multiple bloodlines was a secret that absolutely couldn’t be exposed. And now that very secret had been brought up by Joo Hayun—of course he was rattled.

‘Did Gael Garcia reveal it?’

It was the most plausible assumption.

But Hanul immediately dismissed the thought.

To Kwon Hanul, Gael Garcia was a lifesaver—a benefactor. There was no way he would betray him.

Of course, you can never truly know what’s in someone’s heart.

Even so, from a practical standpoint, there was nothing Gael Garcia could gain by revealing that secret to Joo Hayun.

‘Then what the hell is going on?’

As he was considering various possibilities, Joo Hayun spoke again.

“Lord Kwon Hanul, please… trust me and tell me the truth.”

Hanul hesitated.

He had spent a long time with Joo Hayun. He had received more advice and help from her than he could count.

But in the end, Joo Hayun wasn’t on his team.

She belonged elsewhere, and ultimately, she answered only to the Chairman.

Revealing his secret to an outsider like her was far too risky.

“I’m not even sure why you’re asking this. How could I, someone with the Black Dragon Bloodline, have the Superhuman Bloodline?”

“I saw it with my own eyes the day you fought Maria Sanchez.”

Hanul’s body flinched.

“What exactly… did you see?”

“I saw you, Lord Kwon Hanul…”

Joo Hayun paused briefly before continuing.

“...overpowering Maria Sanchez with raw strength.”

“You must be mistaken…”

Hanul didn’t look startled or flustered. He just wore a mildly troubled expression.

“Me? Overpower Maria Sanchez? Come on…”

Hanul was convinced Joo Hayun was mistaken—or lying.

During the fight with Maria Sanchez, Hanul had specifically ordered Marcos Sanchez to act.

If Joo Hayun showed signs of regaining her senses, he was to get her out of there immediately.

He had made thorough preparations—so he was confident.

“You must have misseen something.”

Joo Hayun had seen it. But it wasn’t with a clear mind.

She had most likely witnessed it in a state of confusion, likely due to the shock from Maria Sanchez’s attack.

That meant he could play it off.

“Miss Hayun, are you sure you saw it correctly?”

Joo Hayun stared silently at Hanul, as if trying to read his thoughts.

But no matter how hard one stared, the truth couldn’t be seen. In the end, she sighed and shook her head.

“Forgive me. That was a strange question.”

As she withdrew her suspicion, Hanul was finally able to relax.

But still—something didn’t sit right.

A person can only have one bloodline. That was an industry truth—almost a law of nature.

So why had Joo Hayun asked him so specifically whether he had the Superhuman Bloodline?

If she had simply asked how he managed to overpower Maria Sanchez, or whether her eyes had deceived her—that would have made sense.

“Miss Hayun… Is something going on?”

When Hanul asked, Joo Hayun looked briefly taken aback.

“…What I’m about to tell you is top secret. It came from Hyukcheon’s intelligence bureau—hard-earned intel.”

Even though they were alone, Joo Hayun lowered her voice. That’s how sensitive the information was.

“When I met with the Chief of Staff earlier, I heard a number of things. Among them, one strange piece of news stood out.”

“Strange how?”

“Have you heard of Aeon?”

Hanul searched his memory.

“Isn’t that the mage organization? They’re notorious.”

Mages themselves were already rare beings.

But Aeon was relatively well-known—mostly because of all the incidents they had caused.

“That’s right. Then do you know why Aeon exists?”

“That… I don’t.”

Hanul trailed off.

Now that he thought about it, while he’d heard plenty about Aeon and their atrocities, he’d never heard their actual purpose.

“Aeon has a single goal: to uncover the secrets of the Dungeons.”

Ever since Dungeons began appearing on Earth, humanity had advanced by utilizing the relics found within them.

But one mystery remained unsolved.

Why did Dungeons appear on Earth?

And what exactly were the extinct civilizations that exist within them?

“Recently, Aeon has resumed activity. According to Hyukcheon's intelligence, they’re searching for someone.”

Joo Hayun paused again.

“Someone who possesses multiple bloodlines.”

At those words, Hanul’s eyes widened.

“Is… is that even possible?”

“It’s not,” Joo Hayun replied firmly. “But it’s also a fact that Aeon is searching for such individuals. And they know more about Dungeons than any other group on Earth.”

It was impossible, yet Aeon was actively looking. That meant they had a reason.

“Yes. Aeon is full of lunatics who will do anything to unravel the Dungeon’s secrets. It doesn’t matter who stands in their way—be it Hyukcheon or anyone else.”

It was the first time Hanul had ever heard Joo Hayun speak with such harsh language. That’s how deranged she believed Aeon to be.

“That’s why I asked you—just in case. But it seems I was wrong.”

A faint smile crossed Joo Hayun’s face.

Hanul found himself letting out a bitter chuckle. Watching her genuinely relieved expression stirred his conscience.

“I’ve caused you trouble at this late hour.”

As soon as the conversation ended, Joo Hayun left the room.

After she was gone, Kwon Hanul sat alone in his chair, deep in thought.

“Aeon is targeting me.”

Strictly speaking, Aeon wasn’t targeting him specifically.

They were after someone who possessed multiple bloodlines.

“If they’ve resumed activity recently… then something’s definitely going on.”

He had left no traces. So did they have some kind of detection technology?

“I need to be careful.”

Aeon had caused so much havoc yet still remained untouched—because they were that powerful.

If someone like Joo Hayun was this concerned, taking precautions was only logical.

As he continued thinking, Hanul suddenly checked the time.

“Ah.”

It was time for his meeting with Kwon Myung-woo.

* * *

“You brat! How can you be later than me?!”

When Hanul arrived at the training hall, Kwon Myung-woo was already there—and furious.

“I’m sorry. I ended up talking with Miss Hayun for longer than expected.”

“With Hayun? Then I’ll let it slide.”

At the mention of Joo Hayun, Myung-woo calmed down immediately.

“Anyway, have a seat.”

Hanul and Myung-woo sat across from each other in the training hall.

“Ahem.”

Myung-woo cleared his throat. Then, in a serious tone, he said, “Do you know why I called you here?”

“You said you’d show me the path, didn’t you, Granduncle?”

Hanul answered right away, causing Myung-woo to frown.

“You punk, can’t you see I’m trying to set the mood? You’re supposed to say no at times like this.”

“Should I try again?”

“Forget it. Hmph… I was trying to be dramatic.”

Myung-woo clicked his tongue in frustration.

“I’ve decided to pass down a technique to you.”

That made Hanul tilt his head.

He had said he’d show him the path—but a technique?

“It’s a culmination of everything I’ve learned in my lifetime. It’s still incomplete, but I can say with pride that it’s worthy of standing anywhere in the world.”

Only then did Hanul’s heart begin to race.

Hyukcheon’s Strongest Fist

As far as Hanul knew, only Kwon Seonwoo was stronger than Kwon Myung-woo.

Someone just one step below the strongest in the Hyukcheon family—a true master—was offering to teach him a technique forged from his entire life’s experience.

“But first, you’ll have to pass my test.”

Myung-woo took out a book and placed it before Hanul.

“Watch closely.”

From Myung-woo’s body, Dragon Combat Aura began to flare. In an instant, black aura filled the training hall.

A massive surge of Dragon Combat Aura was instantly drawn into Kwon Myung-woo’s body.

At that very moment, the book exploded.

Black flames engulfed the book before vanishing. A faint burnt smell spread in all directions.

“Take it,” Kwon Myung-woo said, handing over the book. “Figure out what I just did to it.”

Strangely enough, despite the explosion, the book was completely intact.

To uncover its secrets, Kwon Hanul began flipping through the pages.

He was about halfway through when he noticed something odd.

A single page.

There was a clean, round hole right in the center of it.

Despite using an enormous amount of Dragon Combat Aura, there was only one hole—just on that page.

“…How did you do this? This isn’t just precision—it’s surgical.”

Out of hundreds of pages, only one had a hole in it, and it was flawless.

Hanul had never seen a technique this precise.

“That all you’ve got?”

Kwon Myung-woo's voice was flat—he wasn’t satisfied with the answer.

“If that’s all you saw, you’re not worthy of inheriting this technique.”

His tone was colder than Hanul had ever heard it.

Hanul examined the paper again. Then it hit him—something else was off.

It was too clean.

If it had been burned with aura, there would be scorch marks. But the hole looked like it had been cut out with a blade.

It couldn’t have been pre-cut. Myung-woo wasn’t the type to pull cheap tricks, and there definitely was a burnt smell…

“…Ha.”

At that moment, Hanul realized the secret behind the page—and just how much of a monster the old man standing before him, the legendary “Hyukcheon’s Strongest Fist”, truly was.

“You created an explosion by colliding Dragon Combat Aura and used the force to remove just one page from the book… with perfect accuracy.”

A smile appeared on Kwon Myung-woo’s lips.

“Correct. It’s a technique called Ink Flame,” Myung-woo said, raising his index finger.

A black flame ignited atop it.

“You concentrate a massive amount of Dragon Combat Aura into a single point to incinerate objects. That’s the simple explanation, but…”

He raised his other hand. The energy gathered and formed a manifestation of condensed aura.

He brought the ink flame to it. Instantly, a hole burned clean through it, releasing a trail of smoke.

“Even condensed aura can be pierced this way.”

Hanul’s jaw dropped.

Condensed Aura is a technique that exists on a higher plane than aura—only those who have reached the status of “Absolutes” can wield it, and it holds overwhelming destructive power.

And Myung-woo had just burned through it like it was nothing?

“The true strength of ink flame lies in its precision. You can target exactly what you want to destroy—without damaging anything else.”

Hanul had seen that firsthand in the book.

Out of all those pages, only one had been burned. Cleanly.

“Of course, learning ink flame doesn’t mean you can immediately pierce condensed aura. You’ll need consistent training.”

Myung-woo withdrew his energy. Both condensed aura and ink flame disappeared.

“But even knowing how to use it will be a huge asset to you.”

Not just because of its destructive power.

“You’ve already defeated opponents stronger than you. That’s impressive… but now the world’s strongest have their eyes on you. That’s the dangerous part.”

Myung-woo clicked his tongue.

“You might have to face someone even stronger than Maria Sanchez. Possibly someone who’s stepped into the true realm of mastery.”

He didn’t elaborate, but Hanul understood what Myung-woo meant by “realm.”

The domain of the Absolutes—those who had set foot beyond the limits of the known world.

“Those who’ve reached that realm are on a different level. Their magic forms its own protective defensive energy shield. Unless you’re in the same league, you can’t break through it.”

In short, no matter how hard you try, you can’t pierce their armor.

“But ink flame is different. It can even burn away magic itself. With it, you can land a meaningful blow.”

That was why Myung-woo intended to pass it down.

“I’ll teach you this skill. Listen carefully from now on.”

His expression turned solemn.

“ink flame consumes a vast amount of Dragon Combat Aura in an instant. The backlash is intense—you’ll need to endure it physically.”

Hanul straightened his posture.

A technique powerful enough to pierce condensed aura wouldn’t come easy. He needed to memorize every single word Myung-woo said—and follow the training exactly.

“To start, you’ll need a trait that strengthens your skeletal structure. SSS-rank Unique should suffice, but ideally, you want something Legendary-grade.”

Hanul blinked in disbelief.

“And it’d help to have a trait that reinforces your mana channels. Not essential, but it’ll make using the skill much easier.”

“Um… Granduncle?”

“A mental clarity trait would be good too. Doesn’t seem related, but focusing all your energy in one point consumes an immense amount of willpower—”

“Granduncle!”

Hanul finally raised his voice. Myung-woo looked at him with a tilt of the head.

“What is it?”

“You said you’d teach me ink flame, so why are we talking about traits?”

“Because you need them to activate it.”

“But you should be telling me how to learn it—”

At that, Myung-woo’s eyes went wide.

“Why would I bother with that? You’ve got a skill window, don’t you? Use it to learn it.”

Hanul went momentarily blank.

Oh, right. If you have a skill window, you can instantly learn any skill—as long as the skill itself is fully mastered by someone else and passed on to you.

“…You’ve mastered ink flame well enough to pass it down?”

“Obviously.”

“But earlier you said it wasn’t complete…”

“That just means you need to keep improving it.”

Myung-woo spoke like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Anyway, take the skill already.”

The moment he said it, a message popped up in front of Hanul.

[Offer: Would you like to learn the skill ‘Ink Flame’?]

Hanul accepted the prompt and acquired the skill.

“Now then, where were we? Right—after getting a mental clarity trait, the next thing you want is…”

It wasn’t quite what he’d expected—but Hanul listened closely to the rest of Myung-woo’s explanation.

* * *

After receiving ink flame, Hanul returned to his room.

“Man… Did I really just get this so easily?”

He stared at the ink flame skill in his window.

Then he remembered what Myung-woo had said:

You won’t be able to use it right away. You need to meet all the conditions I mentioned to activate it.

There were more than ten traits required to use ink flame properly.

Considering how hard it was to acquire traits, it was going to take a while before he could use the skill.

“To summarize Granduncle’s advice: I need a body and mind strong enough to endure ink flame…”

As he recalled Myung-woo’s words—

“…Wait, I already have all that.”

Superhuman Bloodline enhanced his physical body. Genius Bloodline boosted his mental capabilities.

“Wanna give it a shot?”

Hanul gathered up all the Dragon Demon Aura in his body and detonated it in a single burst.

Black flames erupted briefly in the air—then vanished.

Hanul smiled at the sight.

“Bloodline advantage, baby.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]