[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapter 185: Treasure Hunt (4)
It was as if a bomb had gone off.
Mohammad Chamkani was utterly shocked, and Bobo's eyes widened to the point of bulging.
âH-Hey! Watch your mouth. This guyâs ranked 56th in the world, you knowâŠâ
âAs expected from a descendant of Hyukcheon.â
Bobo stepped forward, his muscles twitching in fury.
âCocky bastards. Reeking of confidence and arrogance. Just like the damned Hyukcheon bloodline.â
âH-Hey, BoboâŠâ
Chamkani tried to stop him, but seeing the murderous look on Boboâs face, he had no choice but to back off.
âGeneral, please step aside. From this point on, this is between me and this kid.â
Bobo took another step forward. He was much larger in stature, glaring down at Kwon Hanul as he growled in a low voice.
âYoung dragon of Hyukcheon⊠can you stand by the words you've just spoken?â
âWhat a useless question.â
Kwon Hanul was now speaking informally, meeting Boboâs provocation with amused contempt.
âIâve never said anything I couldnât take responsibility for.â
A grin spread across Boboâs face, his white teeth gleaming.
âThatâs the kind of answer I like.â
Immediately after, Boboâs fist drove into Kwon Hanulâs abdomen.
Just before Bobo swung, Kwon Hanul had already read his movements.
The subtle killing intent, the shift in Boboâs muscles revealed through Shura Bloodline, and the instincts of the Black Dragonâs Bloodline made it all possible.
âThis is such a bother.â
He found himself thinking thatâand was honestly surprised by it.
He was facing a double-number world ranker. Undeniably one of the top elitesâno one could afford to underestimate such a figure.
Yet, Hanul genuinely found the idea of fighting Bobo troublesome.
âShould I not have downplayed what happened with Odin?â
If heâd just told them the truthâthat heâd taken Odin down soloâmaybe he couldâve avoided this whole confrontation.
âNo, that wouldnât have worked either.â
No one would believe a rookie fresh off the Sky Arena had soloed a Pandemonium representative. More likely, it wouldâve stirred up even more suspicion.
âThis was an unavoidable fight either way.â
The moment he accepted that conclusion, Boboâs fist connected with his stomach.
That instant, the power of Superhuman Bloodline awakened.
<Diamond Aura protects your body!>
Crackâ
The sound of something twisting. But it wasnât Hanulâs bonesâit was Boboâs hand.
ââŠGhk.â
Bobo let out a groan and yanked his hand back. His fingers werenât straighteningâclearly, the impact had been severe.
His face twisted in disbelief.
Naturally. The one who struck usually isnât the one in pain.
âMy bodyâs a bit⊠tougher than most.â
Hanul moved, this time lightly tapping Bobo in the abdomen.
<Power âStrength to Uproot Mountains, Spirit to Overwhelm the Worldâ fills your body with unparalleled might!>
Boboâs stomach rippled unnaturally. It didnât seem too serious at first⊠until his shoulders slumped and one knee hit the ground.
He clutched his stomach, shivering, drenched in cold sweat. The pain caught up with him all at once.
âI told youâŠâ
Hanul looked down at Bobo.
âIâve never said anything I couldnât back up.â
There was no response. Bobo was in too much pain to even think straight.
âGeneral.â
Hanul turned to Mohammad Chamkani, who flinched in fear.
âIâll let that pathetic little threat slideâjust this once.â
Chamkani nodded rapidly, pale-faced.
Hanul turned toward the door.
âKwon⊠Hanul!â
A roar of fury rang out.
Bobo had risen, his bloodshot eyes blazing red from the pain heâd endured.
âWhere do you think you're going?! Weâre not done yet!â
He raised both arms. Metal plates formed mid-air, wrapping around his forearms.
Gauntlets of steel covered his arms, five grotesque hook blades sprouting from them.
Hanul saw the transformation and nodded in recognition.
âSo thatâs why they call you Hook Hand.â
Bobo charged like an animal, rebounding with each step.
âTry blocking this!â
A crimson aura flared around the clawed gauntlets. This wasnât just energyâit distorted the very air.
This wasnât something he could afford to take lightly.
<Black Dragonâs Bloodline awakens.>
<The dragonâs instincts take hold.>
Heat spread through Hanulâs body. His mind blazed like fire.
Instinct drove him forward.
Rather than dodge, Hanul sprinted directly at him. Boboâs face contorted in fury.
âYou arrogant littleâ!â
He slashed. A sharp trail was etched into the air.
The hooks, imbued with aura, aimed to rip Hanul apart.
But in that split second, Hanul lowered his body and twisted at the waist. With a sweeping leg, he kicked Boboâs shin.
Boboâs body tipped violentlyâthen crashed to the ground.
ââŠWha?â
But he recovered fast. Slamming a hand into the floor, he bounced back up.
And as he rose, Hanulâs knee rocketed upward into his face like a bullet.
Crunch.
His nose shattered. Boboâs head snapped back.
âYou bastard!â
Bobo roared and reset his stance, ready to finally finish Hanul.
But again, Hanul ducked and spun, his leg carving a wide arc.
The kick landed cleanly on Boboâs chin and head.
The impact knocked him senseless. His body crumpled to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
âYou shouldâve backed off while you had the chance.â
Hanul retracted his leg and looked down at him.
âWouldâve saved us both the trouble.â
* * *
âWhen do you think Lord Kwon Hanul will be backâŠâ Joo Hayun muttered as she stared at the wall. She had never wished more for Hanulâs return.
Not because she was worried about his safetyâthere were few in the world capable of threatening him.
It was because of the group behind her.
âThree minutes left.â
âSo if heâs not back by then, we storm the place?â
âAre we really doing thisâŠ?â
âLeave breaking down the door to me.â
It was the quartet behind herâKwon So-ri, Mei Hong, Kwon Hudon, and Gael Garciaâwhispering conspiratorially.
They had made a pact: if Hanul didnât return within thirty minutes, they were going in.
SighâŠ
Joo Hayun sighed deeply. If only the Black Sharp Unit were here, she couldâve stopped them.
But Kwon So-ri, head of the Black Rice Unit, was among them. She couldnât stop So-ri alone.
âIf youâre gonna scheme, at least whisper.â
Another reason for her headache: they werenât even trying to hide their plan. Loud enough for the guards to hear.
âYouâd best stay put,â One of the guards finally snapped. âIf you cause trouble, weâll use force. Donât regret it later.â
He said it with bravado, but Joo Hayun only sighed again.
They werenât being recklessâthey simply didnât need to hide.
ââŠAnd that one wonât stop yapping,â Kwon So-ri muttered irritably. âBack in the day, weâd yank out his arms and legs before even starting a conversation.â
The hunter glared at her. But that didnât scare her in the slightest.
âWant me to gouge those eyes out?â
Just then, commotion erupted beyond the wall. The group turned toward it in confusion.
Thenâwith a deafening boomâthe door exploded.
Both doors were crushed and flung far off.
Everyone gaped at the blown-open entrance. Someone emerged from the wreckage.
âKwon Hanul?â
âHanul?!â
âCaptain?!â
None of them expected him to come out this way.
âSorry to keep you waiting. Things got a little noisy inside.â
Hanul stepped over the threshold. The guard moved to block him.
âH-How dare you cause such chaos at the Generalâs residenceâ!â
But he couldnât finish the sentence. Hanulâs killing intent crushed him.
In that moment, the hunter saw itâ
A massive dragon baring its fangs at him.
âOops. Sorry about that. Guess I lost control of my mana for a moment.â
Hanul retracted his aura, but it was too late. The guard had already wet his pants, half out of his mind.
Hanul walked past him toward his group.
âThank goodness youâre safe. What did Chamkani say?â
âHe told us to leave. Said Hyukcheon would bring disaster to the city.â
Kwon So-riâs eyes narrowed dangerously. Before she could explode, Hanul quickly addedâ
âSo I told him no.â
âHe gave up that easily?â
âI persuaded him. Thoroughly.â
Joo Hayun didnât ask for details. She could already guess.
âShall we head back, then?â
Hanul got into the car.
Thenâa ringtone.
Kwon So-ri pulled out her phone.
âYeah? What is it?â
The longer the call went, the more serious her expression became.
ââŠWait. Are you serious? Youâre not joking, right?â
She ended the call with a stony face.
Then turned to Hanul.
âUh⊠he is here.â
âHeâŠ?â
âUm⊠I mean⊠Director Kwon Myung-woo is in Parsak.â
ââŠMy great-uncle?!â
Hanul was stunned.
âI should go greet him immediately.â
âNo needâŠâ
âHuh?â
âHeâs already on his way here.â
Hanul furrowed his brow. What the hell?
Thenâ
An overwhelming surge of mana filled the sky.
Hanul and the others turned, startled.
In the distance, a group of people was flying through the airâno, leaping through the sky.
At first, they looked like mere dots.
In a blink, they were overhead.
Dozens dropped from the sky with heavy thuds.
The entire area tensed at the sight of these monstrous newcomers.
âWahahaha!â
A familiar laugh rang out.
A massive man pushed through the crowd.
Hanulâs eyes widened at the sight of his face.
âGreat-Uncle?!â
âHanul, you rascal! Itâs been too long!â
Kwon Myung-woo laughed heartily and pulled him into a hug.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]