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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter 76 – Eruption of Power(3)
“...Cough.”
Frederance forcibly pulled his body out of the wall he’d been slammed into.
“Cough, cough.”
Blood continued to spill from his mouth—bright red, fresh blood, not the dark kind that comes after death. It was proof of severe internal injuries.
“So you're still alive?”
At the sound of the voice, Frederance lifted his head. A short distance away stood Kwon Hanul.
“...”
Questions surged to the tip of his tongue.
How had Hanul neutralized the poison? How had he destroyed the personal defense gear?
But Frederance didn’t ask a single one.
He already knew there was no point in asking.
“...That’s how monsters are.”
Frederance spoke with difficulty.
“They pull off things no one else can even imagine, like it’s nothing. They succeed at the impossible like it's routine.”
He recalled the many monsters he'd met in Pandemonium—Maria Sanchez, and countless others.
“...I wanted to be one of them too.”
But the talents granted to him were mediocre at best.
His superhuman bloodline was weak, and even the one skill he showed potential in—Poison Skill—had clear limits.
No matter what he tried, he couldn’t grow stronger. So, as a last resort, he’d chosen rebirth through transcendence.
“And yet... to have all my plans ruined by a monster that doesn’t even feel like a real monster.”
Frederance chuckled, his shoulders shaking. Then, he violently coughed up more blood.
“I wanted to at least take you down with me... but even that’s out of reach.”
Suddenly, a message appeared in front of Kwon Hanul.
<‘Mark Griffin’ wants to transfer a skill to you.>
<Do you accept?>
“It’s... my dimensional storage skill... My belongings... they’re inside... take them.”
Kwon Hanul stared at Frederance, shocked. Frederance spoke weakly.
“Pandemonium’s rules... the victor... takes everything from the defeated...”
Frederance’s head drooped slowly—and never lifted again.
* * *
Kwon Hudon silently watched as Kwon Hanul fought.
“Hanul is really something…”
Watching him go toe-to-toe with one of Pandemonium’s villains left him speechless with admiration.
“Hey, boss. Who are you looking at?”
A chilling voice interrupted his thoughts. Kwon Hudon turned his gaze.
“Looking away when I’m right in front of you? You out of your mind? Then again, if you were in your right mind, you wouldn’t be trying to stop me…”
Rockbreaker trailed off, wincing in pain.
He was pretending to be fine, but clearly wasn’t.
One arm had all its joints broken, his body was riddled with slash wounds, and his ribcage was shattered—damaging his internal organs as well.
“Hurts a lot, doesn’t it?” Hudon said.
“Hah! I never imagined you had it in you to mock someone, boss.”
“How about we stop this now?”
At those unexpected words, Rockbreaker’s eyes widened.
“Our real enemy was Frederance. You only followed orders because of that latent poison inside you, right?”
Rockbreaker fell silent. He couldn’t exactly argue with that.
“If you come with us to the Hyukcheon Group, we might find a cure for that poison. Then there’s no reason for us to fight.”
“Hah. Guess tomorrow the sun’s rising in the west. Never thought I’d hear something so persuasive from a dimwit like you.”
Rockbreaker scoffed.
“But you’re forgetting one thing. Let’s say I do go back to the Hyukcheon Group—do you really think they’ll let me live?”
Of course not. The Hyukcheon Group never forgives betrayal. And Kwon Mi—Kwon Hudon’s mother—would make sure he died, no matter what.
“And that punk, Kwon Hanul—after taking that beating from a rookie like him, you think I can just let it go?”
Rockbreaker ground his teeth.
“I can’t stomach it—especially him! That bastard, I’m killing with my own hands!”
“Then I guess I’ve got no choice,” Hudon replied.
“But since we go way back, I’ll give you a chance, boss. If you run right now, I won’t chase you.”
Rockbreaker offered magnanimously. But Hudon immediately shook his head.
“I can’t do that.”
“What?”
“Hanul trusted me to take care of you. I can’t betray that trust.”
Rockbreaker looked dumbfounded for a moment. Then his face twisted in rage.
“...I really must look pathetic. Even a damn cripple like you thinks I’m weak.”
A murderous aura erupted from Rockbreaker.
“Forget a clean death—I’ll tear you to shreds!”
The killing intent was overwhelming, but Kwon Hudon remained completely calm.
He didn’t understand it himself. The old him would've been shaking with fear.
“...Ah.”
Then he realized why.
What scared him more than Rockbreaker was the thought of failing Hanul’s trust.
I will bring him down.
Hudon steadied himself and activated his Dragon Warrior Aura. That’s when it happened.
<The Black Dragon Bloodline awakens.>
<Your Black Dragon Bloodline is being enhanced.>
<Synchronization Rate: 44% → 50%>
<Synchronization has reached 50%!>
<You have acquired the third authority: ‘Dragon’s Eye’.>
<The Black Dragon Bloodline reacts to your body.>
<Authority ‘Blackscale Armor’ is being enhanced.>
Black scales surged from his feet, wrapping around Hudon’s body like a second skin.
“Is that all your trick can do, boss?” Rockbreaker mocked.
But the smirk vanished a moment later.
Kwon Hanul had a unique constitution that allowed him to mass-produce Blackscale Armor—and even move it like muscles to enhance agility.
But this… this wasn’t just armor.
The Blackscale Armor formed a massive egg around Hudon. From it, limbs and a head emerged.
A giant figure made of black scales slowly lifted its head.
“Boss, what the hell did you just do…”
No answer came—only the giant’s gaze locked onto Rockbreaker.
Suddenly, Rockbreaker remembered something he’d heard in the past.
“…The Hyukcheon bloodline produces only monsters.”
As the words left his mouth, he gathered his strength.
“Don’t talk crap!”
Rockbreaker leapt forward, cursing.
His right arm was useless thanks to Hanul. His body ached with every movement after taking a direct hit from Fist of Authority.
But it didn’t matter.
He gathered everything he had into one punch and struck the giant.
An enormous explosion swallowed it whole.
The shockwave sent Rockbreaker flying back, but he quickly righted himself.
Earlier, he held back because he wasn’t supposed to kill Hudon. But now, he had no reason to restrain himself.
“Boss! You should’ve listened to my advice!”
It was an attack powerful enough to obliterate both the armor and Hudon himself.
Or so he thought.
The giant emerged from the explosion, unscathed.
“…What?”
Well—not entirely unscathed. A part of its torso had been blown off—but it regenerated instantly.
“This... This is insane!”
The giant raised its fist, cloaked in Dragon Warrior Ki, like a burning iron mace.
“W-wait!”
Rockbreaker raised both hands in panic. But the giant’s fist came crashing down.
* * *
Kwon Hanul stared silently at the message floating in front of him.
<Greed’s Treasure Jar>
-Grade: Legendary (SS+)
-Description: A storage crafted by demons to mimic human greed. Can hold up to 300 kg of items.
A Legendary-grade dimensional storage skill.
His old one, Goblin’s Secret Vault, was only Unique-grade and capped at 50 kg.
In comparison, Greed’s Treasure Jar could hold up to 300 kg—an absurd difference.
“Should I accept this?”
Dimensional storage skills were rare, expensive, and highly coveted.
Even his old Unique-grade skill was traded like a Legendary on the market.
So this one… would be worth even more.
But something felt off. It was a gift from an enemy.
Just as he hesitated—
<Original user has died.>
<‘Greed’s Treasure Jar’ will vanish in 5 seconds.>
“Accept!”
Hanul shouted instantly.
<You have accepted the skill transfer.>
<You have acquired ‘Greed’s Treasure Jar’.>
<All items from ‘Goblin’s Secret Vault’ have been transferred.>
Inside were also the items previously owned by Frederance.
Hanul figured he’d sort through it later—now wasn’t the time.
He turned to check on the others.
Kwon Hudon was resting beside the broken-down Rockbreaker.
Looking further, he spotted Mei Hong waving, surrounded by teammates clutching their wounds.
Apparently, someone had tried to ambush them during the chaos but had failed and been countered.
“Everyone’s okay.”
Then he remembered—
“What about Hayun?”
* * *
“It’s over now,” Maria Sanchez said, rising from the railing. She dusted her pants with both hands.
“Well, I’ll be heading off now.”
“You’re leaving without a fight?”
“I’m a professional. The guy paying me is dead—no point sticking around.”
She looked toward the mansion and added, “Still, it wasn’t a total loss. Now I know what kind of person Hyukcheon’s rising star really is.”
Her eyes narrowed lazily as she spoke. Joo Hayun replied, “Don’t even think about it.”
“Haha, caught me. I was debating whether I could kill you here.”
Maria chuckled.
“Let me give you a little advice.”
“I don’t need it.”
“Watch out for the Bloodflame Sword.”
Hayun’s expression froze. That was no nickname to take lightly.
Bloodflame Sword Mei Xiao.
She was a master who had once surpassed her own teacher, the greatest swordmaster of his time. Now she led the last remnants of the Mei clan—and she was undoubtedly sharpening her blade for revenge against the Hyukcheon Group and Kwon Hanul.
“...Don’t tell me she's on the move?”
“I don’t know the details. Just... been hearing a lot of strange rumors.”
“Rumors?”
“Come on. You know I can’t spill everything between us.”
Maria flashed a playful grin.
“Well then, next time—for real—we settle this.”
With that, Maria Sanchez vanished into the shadows.
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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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