Chapter 160

[Translator - Helga ]

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Chapter 160: The Past (2)

That damned old man.

Kwon Hanul cursed inwardly. Then Kwon Seonwoo spoke to him.

"What's wrong? You look unsure of yourself. I'm not asking you to lay a hand on me—just to endure. Are you saying you can't even do that?"

He added with a resigned tone, "I won’t use mana or any skills. I’ll also restrict my physical abilities to match yours exactly."

The moment he said that, Hanul’s brow twitched.

"You’re free to go all out. Don’t hold back your strength. I don’t care if you destroy this ship. Are these terms acceptable?"

Even before the words had finished leaving his mouth, Hanul's presence surged forward like a storm.

"Getting snippy just because I’m going easy on you? What an arrogant brat."

But contrary to his words, a smirk tugged at the corners of Seonwoo’s lips.

"Yes, that’s the Hyukcheon I know."

"You’ll be hurt if you're not careful."

"You little punk. Come at me, then."

Seonwoo flicked his fingers. Hanul charged forward without hesitation.

Hanul saw the world differently than others.

The bloodlines he possessed each granted unique abilities:

The Shura Bloodline gifted him with talent in martial arts.

The Genius Bloodline expanded his cognitive capacity.

The Black Dragon Bloodline endowed him with the instincts of a dragon.

With these three bloodlines combined, Hanul had developed a nearly prophetic ability to read and predict an opponent's movements.

Seonwoo had declared that he wouldn’t use mana or skills, and would match Hanul's physical prowess exactly.

That meant he intended to fight using technique alone.

And that meant… Hanul couldn’t possibly lose.

"You better not get mad after I land a hit."

"You talk too much."

Hanul lunged straight at Seonwoo and threw a punch at his face without hesitation.

It was a sudden strike, but Seonwoo deflected it with the back of his hand. That, however, had been Hanul’s aim all along.

As fist and hand clashed, Seonwoo’s vision was momentarily obscured. Hanul seized the moment and launched a kick toward his abdomen.

But just before impact, Seonwoo brought his palm down, knocking the kick off course. The foot veered past Seonwoo's midsection, aimed instead below it—guided by the same hand that had deflected Hanul’s punch.

"Is that all you've got?"

"Of course not."

Hanul kicked off the ground and raised his leg high.

Determined to break through Seonwoo’s defense, he slammed his heel downward. In that moment, Seonwoo caught the descending heel with his palm.

The strike slipped aside and smashed into the ground next to Seonwoo.

Hanul stared at his heel buried in the floor, stunned.

"Pathetic."

Hanul gritted his teeth and unleashed a flurry of attacks.

Yet Seonwoo fended off every blow with just one hand.

‘This is insane.’

Hanul was shocked. He was being completely overwhelmed in terms of technique. He couldn’t even match one of Seonwoo’s hands with both of his own.

"What’s the matter?"

Seonwoo spoke. Despite the prolonged fight, he was standing in the exact same spot, completely unshaken.

"Already tired?"

In contrast, Hanul was gasping for breath. He had just unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.

"…How are you blocking everything?"

Hanul possessed multiple bloodlines that allowed him to read his opponents almost as if he could see the future.

Yet none of it worked on Seonwoo.

"A simple answer."

Seonwoo replied nonchalantly.

"You're just not as skilled as I am."

Hanul let out a hollow laugh.

It was unbelievable—but at the same time, it made sense.

Kwon Seonwoo was considered the strongest in East Asia—possibly even the world.

It was only natural that there would be this kind of gap between them.

"If you’re frustrated, why not use mana and skills?"

"I don’t want to."

"And why not?"

"Because it would hurt my pride."

At Hanul’s honest reply, Seonwoo burst into hearty laughter.

"Such confidence. But that means you’ll lose to me just like this."

"Even so, Chairman, I doubt you could—"

In that instant, Seonwoo launched off the ground. In a flash, he closed the distance and slammed his elbow into Hanul’s solar plexus.

It was an unexpected attack. Hanul had let his guard down and didn’t have time to react.

The elbow struck cleanly, sending Hanul flying backward.

It was a textbook-perfect blow.

"Hmph."

But Seonwoo didn’t look entirely satisfied. Something felt off.

As expected, Hanul rose back to his feet almost immediately.

"Heh."

Seonwoo looked almost amused.

"I thought that would finish you off… Didn’t expect you to ride the blow like that."

Hanul hadn’t endured the hit head-on. He instinctively knew he couldn’t.

So instead, he threw his body backward—to let the force flow through him and lessen the damage.

"One hit."

Hanul rubbed his solar plexus.

"I endured one hit."

‘So now… tell me about my father.’

Seonwoo accepted the unspoken demand.

"Have you ever heard how the next head of Hyukcheon is chosen?"

Hanul shook his head. He’d never heard such information before.

"To become the head, one must prove their worth. Whether they’re from the main line or a branch family doesn’t matter. As long as they prove themselves, anyone can claim the position."

This was because Hyukcheon’s bloodline was that of the Black Dragon.

Purebloods emerged in both direct and collateral lines. There was no need to insist on the main family alone.

"Even if none of the direct line proves worthy, the current head must not interfere. The position cannot be given to someone undeserving."

The strong claim everything.

This was a core belief known to all in the Hyukcheon clan—and direct descendants were no exception.

"Do you know the best way to prove worth? Competition."

It wasn’t an unfamiliar idea. It was the same belief Seonwoo always preached—that value must be proven.

"From the moment they’re born, direct descendants of Hyukcheon must compete. They must prove they’re superior to their siblings. Even when compared to the branch families, they must show they are the greatest."

Then—

Seonwoo looked directly at Hanul.

"What do you think happens to direct descendants who lose in that competition?"

"They die?"

"Those who lose… lose their lives."

It was a chilling statement.

In other words, family was pitted against family, and only the survivor could become the clan head.

"I rose to this position through that very competition. My father—he loved women far too much. I had to fight against more than a dozen siblings."

"Did you fight Granduncle Kwon Myung-woo too?"

"Myung-woo submitted to me from the beginning. He declared himself my retainer, saying he would give his life to see me become the clan head."

It was hard to believe.

That someone as proud as Kwon Myung-woo would submit so easily.

"But the others weren’t like that. They didn’t want to miss their chance. So Myung-woo and I… we killed our brothers with our own hands."

Of the dozens of siblings, only two remained.

It wasn’t hard to imagine just how much blood was on Seonwoo’s hands.

"And so I became the clan head. Then came the time for me to think about my successor."

Seonwoo looked up at the distant sky.

"My father… Yes, he was a womanizer. But his intent was to produce as many children as possible to force them into competition—and forge a worthy successor. I, however, thought differently."

He believed that he didn’t need that many children to produce the perfect heir.

"I had only three. Kwon Hyuk, Kwon Cheon, and Kwon Mi. Mi was born late, so I had to wait to assess her qualifications. But your uncle and your father were different."

Kwon Hyuk was already grown.

Kwon Cheon was younger, but still an adult.

Seonwoo wanted to assess their worth.

"Hyuk met my expectations. He was everything I hoped for. But your father… Kwon Cheon, was not."

Kwon Cheon had great talent—even among purebloods, he stood out.

But he had a fatal flaw.

"He was too soft. He had no ambition to become the head. He was content simply supporting his older brother."

"Like Grandpa… and Uncle Myung-woo?"

"No. That’s not it."

Seonwoo immediately denied it.

"Myung-woo had ambition. He realized early on that he could never surpass me, and sought another way to rise to the top. That’s why he became my retainer."

But Kwon Cheon wasn’t like that. He had no ambition, no desire.

"He simply didn’t care. That’s why he supported his brother."

There was anger in Seonwoo’s voice.

"No desire to be the head? For someone born into Hyukcheon to say such a thing?"

From Seonwoo’s perspective, it was utterly unacceptable.

"Fine. If he didn’t want to be the head, I could accept that. But he should have at least served as a stepping stone."

At the word "stepping stone," Hanul’s face hardened.

"I dragged your father out. At the very least, he could have pushed Hyuk further—served as a tool to stimulate him. But he couldn’t even do that."

"So then…"

Hanul finally spoke, his throat dry.

"Did you sentence my father to death?"

"Yes."

Seonwoo answered without hesitation.

"He escaped, so the execution was never carried out."

A long silence followed.

Hanul and Seonwoo stared at each other, saying nothing.

"The story’s over."

Seonwoo spread his arms.

"So what now? Will you avenge your father here and now?"

Having suppressed all his mana, Seonwoo was completely unguarded.

If Hanul wanted to, he could kill him right then and there.

"No."

But Hanul lowered his fists.

"Do you take me for a fool? If I attacked you here, the entire Hyukcheon Group would turn against me."

The outcome was already clear. What kind of choice was that?

"If I handed over the clan head position to you right now—" Seonwoo added, "You could kill me without making an enemy of Hyukcheon. So what will you do?"

He asked again, "Will you kill me to avenge your father?"

Hanul studied Seonwoo’s face.

He wondered if this was all just a test.

But when he saw the heavy darkness in Seonwoo’s eyes, that doubt vanished.

Seonwoo wasn’t testing him. He was asking—genuinely.

"I won’t."

Hanul answered sincerely.

"Is that truly how you feel?"

"Yes. It is."

Hanul scratched his head.

"Honestly… I don’t feel much of anything."

He had never even seen his father’s face. He felt no attachment to him. Why would he seek revenge?

"I’m not going to risk everything for a man I don’t even remember."

Hanul said it without hesitation.

"…Words have power."

Seonwoo spoke again.

"What you say may one day come back to stab you like a knife."

He turned and began walking toward the cabin.

"That’s why you should always be careful with your words."

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]