[Translator - Helga ]

    [Proofreader - Starfall ]

    Chapter 11: Curious About Bloodline (2)

    "You damn bastard."

    Kwon Jiseok hung up the phone irritably. Still seething with anger, he swept everything off his desk in a fit of rage.

    "Do you have any idea how badly I need that inner core?! And after swallowing it whole, all you have to say is, ''I can''t give it to you''?"

    His anger refused to subside. He needed another kind of stimulus to shake off this foul mood.

    Kwon Jiseok dialed another number. After a short ring, someone answered.

    "Yeah, it''s me. How''s the progress on the items I asked for? You''ve already secured half of them? Which ones?"

    The voice on the other end began listing materials.

    “Orgerite, Troite, Heaven Blue...”

    All of them were rare and expensive resources needed for crafting high-end equipment.

    "Good. Keep up the work."

    Ending the call, a satisfied smirk spread across Kwon Jiseok’s face.

    "Chanseong hyung, you might be stronger than me... but when it comes to gear, that won’t be the case for long."

    * * *

    Three months had passed since Kwon Hanul became part of the Hyukcheon Clan.

    Though his days had been filled with nothing but training and lessons, not once did he find them tedious.

    If anything, it was the opposite. He had never spent such fulfilling days in his life before.

    Thanks to this, his stats were rising at an astonishing pace.

    Awakener: Kwon Hanul

    Titles: MAster of Dragon Sage Armory, Master of Wishstone

    Strength (C) 42.25

    Agility (C) 41.55

    Endurance (C) 43.24

    Magic Power (C) 44.52

    Perception (C) 40.91

    Mental Strength (C) 42.18

    Typically, members of the Hyukcheon Bloodline can raise all their abilities to B-rank using the Wishstone.

    The time required for this ranges from a minimum of one year to a maximum of two.

    Yet, in just three months, Kwon Hanul was already on the verge of reaching B-rank.

    It was thanks to his title, Healthy Bloodline, and the power of the Wishstone. The speed of his progress was almost absurd.

    And it wasn’t just his stats.

    He had already mastered Level 3 of the introductory form of Black Dragon Ascension Art.

    Everything was progressing smoothly.

    Except for one thing.

    His Black Dragon Blood Synchronization Rate had been stuck at 9% and showed no signs of increasing.

    At 10%, he would unlock his first Authority. Naturally, this filled him with anticipation, making his current stagnation all the more frustrating.

    Did he need a different training method?

    As he was contemplating his options, something unexpected happened.

    "Sir Kwon Hanul, you’ll need to cancel all your plans for today."

    It was during breakfast when Joo Hayun suddenly made the announcement.

    "Is something wrong?"

    Confused, Kwon Hanul looked at her.

    "You need to visit the workshop for equipment crafting."

    After finishing his meal, Kwon Hanul boarded a private jet.

    The Hyukcheon Group’s workshop was enormous—so large that it wasn’t even located within the Hyukcheon Family’s territory.

    Instead, it was situated in Jagang Province, right next to Pyongan Province, where the family resided.

    That’s why he had to take a private jet to get there.

    "Typically, once bloodline members reach C-rank in all their abilities, the Hyukcheon Family provides them with custom-made equipment."

    All the materials and costs were fully covered.

    "If it''s made by the Hyukcheon Workshop, the quality must be incredible."

    "At minimum, it will be Unique-grade C-rank equipment."

    Both equipment and skills are classified by grade and quality.

    Even if two items have the same quality, their grade determines their performance.

    And Unique-grade items?

    Just one of them appearing in the hunter world was enough to cause an uproar.

    Yet the Hyukcheon Family wasn’t acquiring them from dungeons—they were crafting them.

    How could anyone not be impressed?

    "That’s amazing."

    "Actually, within the Hyukcheon Group, this is considered low-tier gear."

    "Low-tier?"

    "The equipment you''re about to receive is just starter gear. Depending on your achievements, you''ll later be able to craft or receive higher-grade equipment."

    Calling Unique-grade gear "starter equipment" left Kwon Hanul speechless.

    "Have you ever commissioned equipment crafting during your time as a hunter?"

    "No. I never managed to obtain materials valuable enough to justify it."

    Hunters usually commission equipment crafting when they acquire high-quality materials from monsters.

    But as a third-rate hunter, Kwon Hanul had never once been in possession of anything worth crafting.

    "That’s why I’m really looking forward to this."

    Not only would this be his first set of custom-made equipment, but it would also be his first Unique-grade gear.

    Until now, he had struggled with nothing but Uncommon-grade equipment.

    Unique-grade items had been so far out of reach, they were nothing more than a dream.

    Yet here he was, about to receive them effortlessly.

    "You won’t be disappointed. The Hyukcheon Workshop is one of the best in the world. I’m sure you’ll love it."

    Joo Hayun’s confidence was rare, which only heightened Kwon Hanul’s anticipation.

    "...By the way, are you really not going to tell me anything about my father?"

    At the sudden question, Joo Hayun looked troubled.

    She lowered her head before replying, "I’m sorry. It was a direct order from the Chairman..."

    A few months ago, after his phone call with Kwon Jiseok, Kwon Hanul had asked Joo Hayun about his father, Kwon Cheon.

    But all she ever said was that she couldn''t answer.

    "Besides, I don’t know much. Lord Kwon Cheon left before I joined the Hyukcheon Group..."

    "In that case, I guess it can’t be helped."

    "You?"

    The man, Kwon Jiseok, pointed at Kwon Hanul with a sneer.

    "What the hell are you doing here?"

    "What? You came here for your initial equipment? Pfft, hahaha!"

    Kwon Jiseok burst into laughter.

    "What’s so funny?"

    "You’re just relying on the group’s support for your equipment, aren’t you?"

    "Of course. Why wouldn’t I?"

    "No additional materials?"

    "And if I don’t have any?"

    Kwon Jiseok smirked. Kwon Hanul felt irritation creeping up.

    "You wouldn’t understand, but in the Heukcheon main house, when a descendant receives their initial equipment, it’s customary for their parents to provide additional materials. That way, the equipment can be made even stronger."

    For purebloods, who were closely tied to the main house, the amount and quality of additional materials were even greater.

    "But you? A so-called direct descendant of the main house, making do with nothing but the group’s standard support? It’s laughable, isn’t it?"

    Kwon Jiseok couldn’t stop laughing.

    "This is why lowborns are hopeless. Your father left you nothing, so you have nothing."

    Kwon Hanul clenched his fists without even realizing it.

    Normally, he would have ignored such mockery, but this time, rage welled up inside him.

    Perhaps it was because he had only just begun to feel curiosity about his father.

    "Enough wasting my time with you... Master Park Tae-sik?"

    Kwon Jiseok snapped his fingers. The men behind him stepped forward, placing several metal cases in a neat row.

    Park Tae-sik frowned.

    "What’s all this?"

    "Materials. Use them to craft my equipment."

    Park Tae-sik opened the cases one by one, inspecting the contents. With each case he examined, his eyes widened in surprise.

    "These are all rare metals infused with monster blood... Expensive and difficult to acquire. How did you get them?"

    "That’s corporate secrecy. Anyway, what I want is—"

    "Hey, boys, the customer has placed an order. Listen carefully and take care of it."

    Park Tae-sik turned to leave.

    Kwon Jiseok, flustered, called out.

    "Where are you going? I came here to have you craft my equipment!"

    "I don’t deal with rookies."

    "R-rookie? You’re calling me a rookie?"

    Kwon Jiseok looked completely stunned. Park Tae-sik smirked.

    "A kid without a single achievement to his name is a rookie. You think you’re a pro?"

    "Watch your words! I don’t have achievements because the Chairman hasn’t allowed me to form a team yet!"

    "Which is exactly why you’re a rookie. Now get lost. I have no business with you."

    Kwon Jiseok’s face twisted in disbelief. Then, Park Tae-sik chuckled and said, "Alright. How about this? If you pass my test, I’ll craft your equipment."

    "Really?"

    "But if you fail, you leave without another word. Got it?"

    Without a moment’s hesitation, Kwon Jiseok nodded.

    Park Tae-sik grinned and beckoned him over.

    "Alright, come this way... Hmm, actually—"

    Then, he turned to Kwon Hanul.

    "What about you? Want to give it a try?"

    * * *

    Park Tae-sik led Kwon Hanul and Kwon Jiseok to a storage room within the workshop.

    "The test is simple. You just need to find materials sourced from a Dragon-type monster inside this storage."

    Kwon Hanul and Kwon Jiseok immediately scanned their surroundings.

    Given the sheer scale of the workshop, the storage room was larger than an average logistics warehouse.

    How were they supposed to find Dragon-type materials in a place like this?

    On top of that, neither of them had any knowledge of monster materials.

    Even if they stared at the items long enough, they had no way of determining which ones came from a Dragon-type monster.

    "Alright, let''s see what you can do."

    Park Tae-sik unfolded a collapsible chair, sat down, crossed his arms, and quickly dozed off.

    "This crazy old man... How the hell are we supposed to find Dragon-type monster materials in here?"

    Kwon Jiseok gritted his teeth in frustration. While he fumed, Kwon Hanul walked around the storage, inspecting the materials.

    Horns, bones, teeth, hides, tendons—

    There was a mountain of different materials, but they were all cut up, making it impossible to distinguish their origins.

    [True Black Dragon Bloodline] detects the power of a dragon.

    ...He hadn''t expected that.

    Kwon Hanul''s eyes widened as he lifted a piece of hide. A strange energy clung to his fingertips.

    [True Black Dragon Bloodline] detects the power of a dragon.

    It wasn’t just his imagination—the same message popped up again.

    ''Can it really be this easy?''

    He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.

    This meant he could pass Park Tae-sik’s test—the test set by the greatest craftsman of all time.

    That alone was enough to be satisfied. But it wasn’t enough.

    Judging by how Kwon Jiseok was struggling, it was clear that only the True Black Dragon Bloodline could sense a dragon’s power.

    This was the perfect opportunity.

    After all, Kwon Jiseok had a lot to repay him for.

    "Hey."

    "Huh?"

    "Searching randomly like this is boring. Let’s make a bet."

    Kwon Jiseok frowned.

    "What kind of bullshit is that?"

    "If you pass this test, I''ll give you the Core."

    Kwon Jiseok''s eyes widened.

    "But if I pass, you kneel before me."

    Kwon Hanul met his gaze directly.

    "Kneel and formally apologize for every insult you''ve ever thrown at me."

    [Translator - Helga ]

    [Proofreader - Starfall ]