Chapter 210 - Bloodline is Everything

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 210: Preparation Period (2)

“Wow, it’s nothing but ice as far as the eye can see.”

The vehicle was specially designed for snowy terrain, equipped with caterpillar tracks instead of wheels.

Kwon Hanul sat inside, looking out the window.

Beyond the glass, a vast, unbroken field of white ice stretched endlessly into the distance.

“They say that, back in the day, much of the Earth's glaciers melted due to rising global temperatures.”

Joo Hayun, sitting across from him, poured tea as she spoke.

“But now, with ice-element monsters having settled in Antarctica and continuously releasing cold energy, it’s reverted to its former state.”

“So that’s the backstory, huh.”

Hanul took the cup she offered, savoring its warmth for a moment.

“But Hayun, was it really necessary to use a facility all the way out here? I heard the Hyukcheon clan also has secret sites for isolated training.”

“Yes, that’s true. I was originally going to reserve one of those facilities, but…”

She continued pouring tea into her own cup as she explained.

“The Chairman gave orders to use this place instead.”

“…The Chairman did?”

That was a directive whose intent was impossible to read.

“Yes. He said it was to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.”

“Unforeseen circumstances…”

Hanul’s expression suddenly hardened. A certain face flashed through his mind.

“Would this have anything to do with the Vice Chairman?”

Hunters are at their most vulnerable when absorbing elixirs. That’s precisely why Hanul had sought out a secure location for it.

If he were to use a Hyukcheon facility, there was no telling what tricks Kwon Hyuk might pull.

“I’m not sure. He didn’t go into details…” Joo Hayun answered vaguely. Hanul let it drop and took another sip of tea.

“Whatever his reasons, the place we’re going is said to be far safer than any Hyukcheon facility.”

“It’s that secure?”

“Yes. It was custom-built for high-ranking Hunters by Dolphin Corp—one of the world’s leading construction companies for Hunter infrastructure.”

“It sounds like a well-known location… Wouldn’t that make it a target?”

Hanul sounded concerned, but Joo Hayun shook her head.

“One could say that it’s famous because it’s so safe.”

There was a certain logic to that.

Besides, this was a location personally recommended by Kwon Seonwoo. That alone put Hanul at ease.

“Can’t wait to check it out.”

With that, he raised the teacup to his lips again.

* * *

Two hours later, the vehicle carrying Kwon Hanul arrived at the facility.

“Welcome!”

As soon as he stepped out, a middle-aged man greeted him warmly.

“I’m Devon Weeps, President of Dolphin Corp!”

Hanul was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected someone of that rank to come out personally.

Shaking the man’s extended hand, Hanul responded, “To be greeted personally by the President… I’m honored.”

“Haha! How could I send just some underling when a scion of Hyukcheon is visiting—no, not just any scion, but the one who will lead Hyukcheon into the future? Of course I had to greet you myself!”

Devon Weeps gripped Hanul’s hand firmly, his eagerness to forge a connection practically radiating off him.

“Let’s head inside. It’s cold out here, and I’ll explain more once we’re in.”

With that, Devon led Hanul and Joo Hayun into the facility.

“This shelter, developed by Dolphin Corp, was originally conceived as a survival zone in case of emergencies. It’s designed to be impervious to external attacks and can sustain life internally for at least thirty years using only its built-in resources.”

“That’s impressive.”

“Thank you. The structure consists of one ground floor and six underground levels—seven total. The sixth basement level is the training chamber; the rest are for facility operations.”

It was far larger than Hanul had expected.

“That’s enormous. Am I the only one using it right now?”

“Eh? Oh—haha!”

Devon suddenly burst into laughter.

“Ah, I’m sorry. It was such a surprising question… Our facility is designed to accommodate exactly one person.”

“...Just one?”

“Yes, though there is staff on hand to manage and maintain the place.”

Hanul looked puzzled.

“Can you operate such a massive facility for just one person?”

“Well, the cost is astronomical… Oh—wait, from your reaction, it seems you weren’t told.”

“Told what?”

“Originally, someone else had booked this place. But the Chairman of Hyukcheon paid triple the rate to secure it for you.”

That left Hanul stunned.

There was no way a facility like this came cheap—let alone at three times the standard rate?

“The Chairman really spares no expense. No wonder the Hyukcheon name commands such respect.”

Devon beamed with satisfaction—he’d just made a massive sale.

“Now then, let me show you to the first basement floor.”

Devon’s tour and explanations continued at length.

“Basement 3 is the storage level. All materials and supplies are housed there. Basement 5 is the wastewater processing facility. All waste is purified and recycled here.”

Eventually, they arrived at the sealed chamber on Basement 6.

“This is the heart of the facility. Once the door shuts, it can only be opened from inside. Even if the entire structure is destroyed, this level will survive. It’s also stocked with ten years’ worth of supplies.”

Fittingly, Devon gave an especially detailed explanation here.

Once the tour was over, Hanul headed to his personal room on Basement 1.

He planned to rest for the day and enter the training chamber the following morning.

His luggage had already been neatly unpacked by the staff.

“Guess I’ll wash up first.”

Hanul had just started to unbutton his shirt when—

“Lord Hanul, may I come in?”

He heard Joo Hayun’s voice accompanied by a knock. He opened the door to greet her.

“What’s the matter?”

“The Chairman just contacted us.”

The mention of the Chairman made Hanul tense.

“He asked that you call him before you enter the training chamber.”

“…Understood.”

After bowing, Joo Hayun stepped away. Hanul closed the door and fell into deep thought.

There was no fixed deadline, so he technically had time to delay the call.

But he couldn’t just ignore a request from Kwon Seonwoo, either.

“…Might as well get it over with now.”

Once he had composed himself, Hanul dialed the Chairman’s number.

After several rings, the call finally connected.

“It’s me.”

The voice on the other end was terse and cold. Hanul took a deep breath.

—“You’re calling earlier than I expected.”

“It didn’t seem right to delay the Chairman’s request.”

—“I didn’t give any orders.”

Kwon Seonwoo replied bluntly.

“Still, thank you for securing this facility.”

Hanul expressed his gratitude first. Given the inflated cost, it was only proper.

—“Forget it.”

“But paying triple the price—”

—“What’s so impressive about a bit of pocket change?”

Hanul clicked his tongue in disbelief. Calling that kind of money pocket change?

“If I may ask, what was the reason you wanted me to call?”

There was a short pause.

Just as Hanul began to wonder if he should repeat the question—

—“Is it true that your body contains other bloodlines?”

* * *

“……”

For a moment, his mind went completely blank.

He had no idea how to respond to that question.

“How did you…?”

—”So it’s true, then.”

“…Did you hear it from Granduncle?”

—”Myung-woo? Don’t tell me he knew and deliberately kept it from me?”

Kwon Seonwoo’s tone turned sharp with displeasure. Realizing something had gone wrong, Kwon Hanul hurried to explain.

“He only found out during the recent incident with the Mei Clan’s ‘Notes’! He didn’t know before that!”

—”Is that so?”

Seonwoo’s voice softened somewhat. Hanul let out a quiet sigh of relief.

—”So aside from the Black Dragon bloodline, you carry others as well? So those fools were telling the truth after all…”

Kwon Seonwoo muttered as if he still couldn’t quite believe it.

—”Now it makes sense. Why your growth has been so fast. Why even top-class fighters kept losing to you.”

A heavy silence followed.

Eventually, Hanul spoke.

“How did you find out?”

—”I was investigating something else recently and happened to come across it.”

“Investigating something else?”

Hanul asked, but Seonwoo had no intention of answering that question just yet.

—”Before that, let me ask you something else. Why did you keep it a secret until now?”

“I thought it was dangerous.”

—”Dangerous? Well, when you first arrived at Hyukcheon, you were seen as someone to be wary of. Keeping it hidden was probably the smart move. But if you’d just told me back then…”

His voice trailed off.

—”So you didn’t even trust me, huh.”

Hanul remained silent.

—”It’s my failure, then.”

“That’s not true.”

—”Enough. Don’t bother with empty words.”

A long sigh came through the phone.

—”Do you plan on keeping that secret going forward as well?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

—”It’s your choice, so I won’t interfere. But I’d recommend you reveal it.”

“Why is that?”

—”It’ll make things easier.”

A look of confusion crossed Hanul’s face.

“What do you mean, easier?”

—”You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Sorry?”

Today of all days, Kwon Seonwoo was speaking in riddles.

—”Anyway, my time’s up. I have other matters to attend to.”

“Right… understood.”

—”Remember what I said. I suggest you at least consider making your bloodlines public.”

With that, Seonwoo ended the call abruptly.

Hanul stared at the phone, dumbfounded.

“What the hell is he planning…?”

* * *

Two days later, Kwon Hanul entered the secluded chamber.

After thoroughly cleansing himself and putting on fresh clothes, he made his way to the chamber.

“Well then, Hayun, I’ll be going.”

“I hope you come back safely.”

Joo Hayun saw him off one last time as he stepped into the isolation chamber.

“So this is the place, huh.”

The chamber was spacious, complete with amenities like a refrigerator and restroom.

It was practically perfect—except for one thing. There was no TV or internet access. Any connection to the outside world had been entirely cut off.

“Let’s see here.”

Hanul opened his dimensional storage and took out the elixirs.

The Heaven’s Secret Elixir he’d obtained from the Mei Clan.

Soma, the gift from the Babel Clan.

And finally, the Immortal Peach from the Blaga Clan.

Each of them could raise one of his stats to SS rank. That meant he now had the opportunity to raise three different stats to the highest tier.

But Hanul wasn’t content with just that.

“I don’t know when I’ll ever get SS-grade elixirs again.”

Even within the Hyukcheon clan, elixirs of this level were nearly impossible to obtain. For all he knew, these three might be the only ones he’d ever have in his entire life.

That meant he had to make the most of this opportunity.

“Hoo…”

Taking a deep breath, Hanul invoked the power of his bloodline ability, Healthy Bloodline.

Using this, he aimed to draw out the maximum potential of the elixirs.

If successful, it would raise all of his stats to SS rank—not just three.

“I hope this works.”

It was a bold gamble. Even Hanul couldn’t be sure he’d succeed.

He might just end up with three boosted stats, as originally intended.

“Alright, let’s give it a try.”

Hanul began consuming the elixirs, one by one.

And immediately afterward— his body began to change.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]