[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapter 3: A Strange Bloodline (2)
The coming-of-age ceremony was being held in an opera hall located on the upper floors of Blackpolis.
It was enormous—so large that Hanul wondered if it was really necessary. Not only was the stage vast, but the seating spanned five floors.
The first floor had rows of seats arranged like a movie theater, while the upper floors were divided into private viewing sections.
“All the people gathered here belong to the Hyukcheon branch families,” Joo Hayun explained.
According to her, the branch families lived across the world, working at Hyukcheon Group’s various regional offices.
It was their duty to assist the Hyukcheon Group. After all, the company’s greatest strength came from its bloodline.
But something felt off.
As Hanul scanned the room, a question arose.
“There are so many empty seats… Why are people sitting upstairs instead?”
More than half of the first-floor seats were unoccupied, yet people were still choosing to sit on the upper levels.
“They’re ranked by status.”
“Ranked?”
“The first floor is for branch family members who possess Miscellaneous Black Dragon Blood. The upper levels are for those with Inferior Black Dragon Blood. Even among those with Inferior Black Dragon Blood, individuals with higher potential are seated higher.”
“That seems a bit excessive just for seating arrangements.”
“In Hyukcheon, one’s status is determined by their Black Dragon Blood. Naturally, treatment varies accordingly.”
Hanul couldn’t help but chuckle dryly.
It was clear—he was never going to get used to this family.
“Please take a seat here.”
The two of them sat in the back row of the first floor.
And then—
“Hayun!”
The opera hall echoed with the loud call of a young man.
A man tried to throw his arms around Joo Hayun from behind—only for her to immediately spring to her feet, making him miss entirely.
“Hayun! It’s been so long since I’ve had any physical contact. Don’t be so cold!”
“Lord Kwon Jiseok, it has been a while. Have you been well?”
“Of course! Well, aside from having too much free time, that is. Hahaha!”
His voice was loud enough to draw everyone’s attention.
“But wait… Who the hell is this?”
The young man—Kwon Jiseok—turned his gaze to Hanul. His previously relaxed expression twisted into something far more hostile.
“Who the hell is this bastard? Why’s he sitting next to Hayun? Huh?”
His tone remained casual, but the sharp intensity behind his words was unmistakable. The muscles in his face twitched as if he was moments away from lashing out.
“You must have already heard from the Chairman. This is Lord Hanul.”
Jiseok’s eyes widened.
“This guy… He’s that traitor’s son?”
His already-loud voice boomed even louder, filling the opera hall. Now, every single person in the room had heard.
“A traitor? Wait, does he mean Kwon Cheon? Is this Kwon Cheon’s child?”
“No way… He ran away from the family, and this is what he’s been doing? He had a kid?”
“To think he not only betrayed the family but also tainted our bloodline by mixing it with an outsider… How disgraceful!”
Hanul couldn’t remember the last time he’d been the center of so much attention. Not that it was the kind of attention he wanted.
Criticism poured in from all directions, but he didn’t so much as blink.
He had expected this. More importantly, one of his greatest talents was the ability to let unpleasant words go in one ear and out the other.
“Who is he?” Hanul asked.
“Lord Kwon Jiseok. He is Lord Kwon Hyuk’s second son, three years older than you.”
So that brooding man had a son this obnoxious? Bloodlines really were unpredictable.
“But why is this guy even here?” Jiseok asked.
“Lord Hanul is waiting for his turn in the coming-of-age ceremony.”
“His turn? Wait—are you telling me he’s reached this age and still hasn’t awakened his Black Dragon Blood? Hah! What a joke!”
Jiseok’s lips curled into a smirk. His expression reeked of condescension.
“Hayun, forget about that pathetic loser and come talk to me instead. I’m forming a new team soon, and I’d love for you to join.”
“I only follow the Chairman’s orders.”
“Aw, don’t be like that.”
Jiseok completely ignored Hanul, keeping his attention solely on Joo Hayun.
Hanul found it almost amusing—how even in a place as prestigious as Hyukcheon, there could be people as insufferable as this.
“I’m Hanul,” he said. “Nice to meet you.”
Even if he disliked the guy, etiquette was etiquette. Like it or not, they were still cousins.
But Jiseok clearly didn’t see it that way.
“Look at this arrogant bastard.”
“What do you mean?”
“You dare not kneel before a direct descendant of the main family? Are you asking to die?”
Kwon Ji-seok’s voice sharpened. Hanul simply responded as if he had no idea what the other wanted.
“If we’re talking about direct lineage, then I’m one too.”
“What? What the hell did this brat just say? Listen up. I’m a pureblood. You and I are on completely different levels.”
“My Black Dragon Bloodline hasn’t even been determined yet.”
“Wow, you really are a dumbass. Your bastard of a father ran off with some lowly woman. You were born from that lowly woman, so what else would you be?”
The sheer audacity of his words was almost admirable.
Despite having the immense backing of being a direct descendant of Hyukcheon, he could still speak so crudely.
“You’re obviously just going to be classified as Mixed Black Dragon Blood and demoted to a branch family. Do you get it now? Now shut up. I have things to discuss with Hayun.”
Kwon Ji-seok brazenly sat beside Joo Hayun and started talking loudly.
“Do you know how amazing the team I’m forming is? I personally asked my father to handpick only the most talented people! He’s even promised full support!”
“Yes. That sounds impressive.”
“If you join, I can surpass my brother in no time! What do you say, Hayun? You’ll help me out, right?”
“I only serve the Chairman.”
Joo Hayun responded curtly, her face full of disinterest.
“Oh, come on. If you just join me, I’ll do anything you ask.”
“I refuse.”
“You’re not seriously thinking about joining my brother, are you? That’s the one thing I won’t allow!”
“I received an offer, but I have no intention of accepting it. I only serve the Chairman.”
At her repeated rejection, Kwon Ji-seok’s expression darkened little by little. Then, all of a sudden, he snapped at Hanul.
“What are you still doing here? Get lost already. You’re interrupting my conversation with Hayun!”
It seemed he had chosen Hanul as his punching bag.
Not that it mattered—Hanul had already been getting irritated with Ji-seok’s attitude.
What would hit his sore spot the most?
The answer came quickly.
“Can I ask you something?”
“What? Just hurry up and leave!”
“I’ve heard a lot about the children of Vice Chairman Kwon Hyuk. He’s quite famous.”
Among Kwon Hyuk’s children, the eldest son and youngest daughter were already well-known hunters.
The eldest, in particular, had slain a colossal monster ranked at a 10-star danger level—an undeniable powerhouse.
“But I’ve never once heard anything about the second son. Why is that?”
It was certainly not something to say to the person in question.
But since Kwon Ji-seok was the one who started it, Hanul had no qualms about saying it outright.
Ji-seok’s reaction was priceless. His face turned bright red, and his knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists.
“You… You son of a bitch…!”
Just before Ji-seok’s rage could explode, Joo Hayun intervened.
“Mr. Kwon Ji-seok, the coming-of-age ceremony is about to begin. The Chairman is watching. If you make a scene here, you’ll face serious consequences.”
Her words had an immediate effect. Ji-seok swallowed his anger.
“…You little shit… We’ll settle this later.”
His eyes burned with resentment as he glared at Hanul.
At that moment, a young man who appeared to be the ceremony’s host stepped onto the stage.
“We will now begin the coming-of-age ceremony.”
As soon as the host spoke, a boy quickly ascended the stage.
“Place your hand on the statue.”
Following the host’s instructions, the boy placed his hand on the dragon statue. A red line spread from his palm.
The statue’s eyes glowed red, and sighs of disappointment erupted throughout the hall. The boy slumped his shoulders as he stepped down.
“See that? Same Mixed grade as you. Just proof that he’s a nobody.”
Still fuming from earlier, Kwon Ji-seok scoffed at Hanul.
But his words had no impact. Why would a loser’s mockery matter?
“Next, please step forward.”
A girl stepped onto the stage and placed her hand on the statue.
The dragon’s eyes glowed yellow this time.
Two individuals let out sharp laughter.
“Getting excited over just an Inferior Black Dragon Blood? That’s why branch family brats are pathetic. Not that you’re any different.”
“If you’re going to talk to yourself, do it somewhere no one can hear you.”
“What did you just say, you little shit?”
“Mr Kwon Ji-seok, the Chairman is watching.”
At Joo Hayun’s warning, Ji-seok shut his mouth.
Many more people took the stage after that.
The Mixed grade was overwhelmingly common, followed by the Inferior grade.
Not a single person had Pure Black Dragon Blood.
“Now, we will conclude the ceremony… Oh? There’s still one more participant? Understood.”
The host scanned the crowd before settling his gaze on Hanul.
“Hanul, please step onto the platform.”
“What are you waiting for? Get up there already.”
Ji-seok smirked and jeered loudly.
It was obvious—he wanted to watch Hanul’s result just so he could ridicule him.
Hanul rose from his seat and walked toward the dragon statue.
As he stepped onto the platform, he felt the weight of countless eyes upon him.
At the same time, whispers spread throughout the hall.
“The traitor’s son, born after fleeing Hyuk Cheon… His blood must be filthy.”
“At best, he’ll awaken as Mixed grade. Once he’s demoted to the branch family, we’ll deal with him then.”
“Of course. We can’t just let someone like that roam free.”
The harsh murmurs followed him all the way to the statue. But Hanul didn’t even blink.
Just before placing his hand on the statue, he glanced around the room.
From the first floor to the fifth, countless eyes brimming with hostility locked onto him.
‘What a shitty world.’
He had told himself he expected this. But deep down, it still stung.
‘Even outside, people insulted me for my background. And now it’s the same here?’
Throughout his life, the word “orphan” had clung to him like a label.
People would whisper, saying he had no parents to teach him manners, or that his upbringing explained why he was the way he was.
Now, even within Hyukcheon, his origins were being scrutinized and scorned.
If he awakened a lower-ranked Black Dragon Blood, their contempt would only grow.
‘This damn family.’
Then, his gaze met someone else’s.
Sitting in the only royal seat in the opera hall was the Chairman.
Their eyes locked.
Reclining in his chair, the Chairman looked down at Hanul.
With that arrogant posture, he didn’t seem like a corporate leader—he looked like an emperor.
Placing his hand on the statue, he thought to himself, ‘Well, nothing unexpected’.
<You have made contact with the Dragon's Ascension Statue.>
<The awakening of your potential is beginning.>
<A special attribute, "Bloodline," has been added.>
A series of system messages appeared before his eyes. At the same time, the dragon's eyes emitted a crimson glow.
Red—signifying the Mixed rank. It was an expected result, yet the bitterness in his mouth was undeniable.
Accepting the outcome, he moved to lift his hand and step down from the platform.
“...What the?”
His hand wouldn’t budge. It was as if it had been glued to the statue.
Frowning, Hanwool turned to the announcer.
“My hand won’t come off. Is this supposed to—?”
At that moment, something surged into his body through his palm.
Electricity? No, lightning.
His entire body convulsed as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
Then, the dragon’s eyes flared with a blinding white light.
The radiance was so intense that everyone in the opera hall instinctively shut their eyes.
“What the hell is that?”
“The statue is glowing white? I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“Pure Black Dragon Blood? No, Pure is supposed to glow blue, not white!”
“What on earth is happening…?”
A phenomenon unprecedented in the history of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony sent the Hyukcheon bloodline into a state of panic.
“Hah.”
A low chuckle echoed through the hall.
The family head, seated in the Royal Box, had risen from his chair, laughing.
“Haha… Hahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!”
The bloodline members gasped in unison.
The ever-stoic, silent family head was laughing aloud?
It was as shocking as the light erupting from the statue itself.
“I never imagined I’d live to see such a glorious day!”
The family head’s voice rang out, shaking the entire opera hall.
“Look upon him! True! That light is proof—he possesses the True Black Dragon Blood!”
Not Mixed.
Not Inferior.
Not even Pure.
But True Black Dragon Blood.
Most of the bloodline members stared blankly, struggling to comprehend.
But a select few understood immediately.
“The True Black Dragon Blood—the very same bloodline possessed only by our Hyukcheon Clan’s founder, the First Patriarch, Kwon Hyunmoon!”
The hall erupted into chaos.
Yet, the most shocked person in the entire room was none other than Hanul himself.
He stood frozen, staring into empty space as if in a daze.
Because in his vision, he could see it.
<Special Attribute – Bloodline>
1. Black Dragon Blood
Rank: SSS+
Purity: True
2. Health Dragon Blood
Rank: S+
Purity: True
3. ???
Rank: ???
Purity: ???
Not only True Black Dragon Blood—but two additional bloodlines displayed in his status window.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]