------------------
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
------------------
Chapter 83: A Dangerous Exchange (3)
José del Pablo.
The strongest member of the Pablo Family, rulers of the Mexican region.
A pillar upholding the South American Cartel Alliance.
The Prince of South America.
The report had no shortage of grand titles for him.
“José! How could you speak so rudely to a guest!”
“Heh, Uncle, don’t act so refined all of a sudden. Isn’t it tradition in the Pablo Family to first ask about the guest’s parents before anything else?”
Beyond the titles, the report was filled with endless warnings about how dangerous José del Pablo was.
And understandably so. His infamy remained mostly in South America, but the deeds he committed were nothing short of shocking.
“Uncle! Expel Hyukcheon immediately and erase this whole incident!”
“Silence! That matter is already settled! Don’t speak another word about it!”
As he read through the report, Kwon Hanul found himself curious about the man. Was he really as formidable as the document claimed?
Then he saw José del Pablo for himself.
“Uncle! Are you not afraid of the Godfather’s wrath?!”
“The Godfather? You fool! The Godfather is nothing more than the Alliance's administrator! He’s not the leader!”
“That’s just what you believe!”
What he witnessed far exceeded what the report described.
A monster? That word didn’t even come close.
Just standing across from him, Kwon Hanul could feel it.
<“The Black Dragon's Bloodline stirs.”>
Normally unresponsive unless triggered by extreme battle intent, the Black Dragon’s Bloodline awakened the moment it faced José del Pablo.
<Synchronization Rate: 31% → 33%>
Even the synchronization rate was rising.
It was a clear indication: in his current state, Kwon Hanul couldn’t defeat this man.
His body instinctively recognized José del Pablo as a grave threat.
“Hey, you!” José del Pablo shouted at Kwon Hanul. “I don’t know what Hyukcheon wants with some backwater dungeon, but you’d better walk away while you can!”
“Kwon Hanul.”
“What?”
“It’s Kwon Hanul. You didn’t seem to know, so I thought I’d let you know.”
“Kwon Hanul? The one who killed Frederance?”
A glint flickered in José’s eyes.
“The one who wasn’t even ranked among the world’s top contenders, yet took down a Pandemonium villain?”
He walked toward Kwon Hanul, closing the distance.
“Pandemonium, world rankers—I've killed a few of those before. They’ve got fancy names but don’t amount to much. Still, someone like you shouldn’t have been able to…”
José stopped walking.
“Let’s test it.”
At that moment, José’s killing intent exploded.
<True Black Dragon’s Bloodline Synchronization: 33% → 35%>
<True Shura’s Bloodline Synchronization: 25% → 27%>
<True Superhuman’s Bloodline Synchronization: 15% → 17%>
His bloodlines were responding in kind, surging higher.
“José! That’s enough! He’s from Hyukcheon!”
“Uncle, there’s no need to state the obvious. Have you forgotten already?”
José narrowed his eyes.
“When I killed those world rankers and Pandemonium bastards, their guilds and organizations all screamed revenge… and then? What happened next? Forgotten that too?”
Not even Ricardo Pablo’s warning could stop José del Pablo.
Then—
A blade was suddenly at José’s throat. Mei Hong had appeared beside him without a sound.
“And who are you supposed to be?”
“Doesn’t matter. But if you lay a hand on our captain, I’ll slice you open.”
“You think you can stop me with that dull blade?”
“On my own? Probably not.”
Mei Hong glanced to the side. José followed her gaze.
Kwon Hudon was crouched, ready to spring forward, his arms and legs covered in black-scaled armor.
“Tch.”
José let out a mocking snort.
“You people must be out of your minds. You think you can take me with this sorry lot?”
“I’m here too.”
“Who now?!”
José turned and looked toward the voice.
Standing behind Kwon Hanul was Joo Hayun.
His expression stiffened. She wasn’t someone he could easily dismiss.
“...And what the hell are you supposed to be?”
“You don’t know me?”
“Why the hell would I know someone like you?”
He raised his voice—but Kwon Hanul could tell.
Through the power of the Genius Bloodline, he could sense José’s mind.
The moment Joo Hayun stepped forward, José del Pablo had grown tense.
“This just keeps getting more interesting.”
Still, the tension didn’t last. His bloodlust flared up once again.
“Yeah, screw waiting. Let’s settle this right now.”
“José, that’s enough.”
“Uncle, with all due respect, just be quiet. I’ll take care of this…”
Just then—
A ringtone cut through the air. José held up his hand.
“One moment. I need to take this.”
He pulled out his phone.
“What? Again? Another one killed? Who now? Orihel?!”
He hung up with a frustrated grunt.
“Uncle. Orihel’s dead.”
Ricardo Pablo’s face turned grave.
“What are you talking about? That bastard had plenty of hunters with him!”
“Don’t ask me. I just found out.”
Whatever hostilities remained between the two were momentarily shelved.
“Damn it, I’m too busy for this.”
José pulled back his murderous aura. Pointing a finger at Kwon Hanul, he said, “Something urgent’s come up, so I’m leaving for now… but I suggest you give up on that dungeon.”
He slammed the door behind him and disappeared.
“That foolish boy…”
Ricardo Pablo let out a deep sigh.
“I apologize. Truly.”
“Think nothing of it. I came here already well-informed about the Pablo Family’s internal situation.”
At those words, Ricardo’s expression darkened.
The fact that their inner conflict was now known to outsiders spoke volumes.
“If it’s alright, I’d like to take a look at the dungeon now.”
Ricardo’s eyes widened.
“No offense, but… even after seeing my nephew go berserk like that, you still want to enter the dungeon?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Kwon Hanul’s face showed genuine confusion.
“Would anyone be afraid just because a stray dog barked?”
Ricardo froze for a moment.
“Oh, and you may want to keep a tighter leash on your nephew.”
Kwon Hanul said calmly.
“I might let this slide—but other members from Hyukcheon won’t.”
* * *
José del Pablo rushed to the scene.
“Damn it.”
And upon seeing it, all he could do was curse.
A dark alleyway in the city.
Bodies of cartel soldiers were charred black and strewn everywhere.
Orihel, the city guard captain, had suffered even worse. His body was mutilated beyond recognition.
José asked one of his men, “Witnesses?”
“N-No, sir.”
Without warning, José punched him. The man’s jaw snapped, teeth scattering to the ground.
“You piece of shit! Who the hell’s messing with our family?!”
That made five.
Five deaths, and still no clue as to the perpetrator.
“Where the hell did this bastard crawl out from?”
Orihel hadn’t been some small fry.
Even among the Pablo Family—no, the entire South American cartel—few matched his skill.
He was made captain for a reason.
And yet… he’d been slaughtered. That could only mean the difference in power was immense.
“Scour the area. I don’t care how small—find something to trace the bastard!” José shouted, his voice trembling with fury. The men scattered in a panic.
Grinding his teeth, José exited the alley and stepped onto the main road—when a car pulled up in front of him.
The back door opened. A woman leaned out.
“Hey there, handsome. Need a ride?”
José let out a laugh.
“What a cheesy line.”
Still, he got into the car.
“What happened with the dungeon?” the woman asked.
José clicked his tongue.
“Uncle decided to hand it over to Hyukcheon.”
“Oh no… the Godfather had high hopes for that dungeon.”
“Tell him not to worry. I’ll put a stop to it.”
“Will he listen just because I say so…?”
“Quit pretending. We both know you can handle it.”
At his words, the woman—Ashley—smiled slyly.
“In fact, since it’s already in Hyukcheon’s hands… why not use that to our advantage?”
“What do you mean?”
Ashley leaned in and whispered something.
The longer she whispered, the more José’s expression shifted—shock, then grim resolve.
“…You want me to betray Uncle?”
“We can’t leave the Pablo Family in a fractured state forever, can we? With Hyukcheon, we can simplify things.”
“And what if they retaliate?”
José had heard plenty about Hyukcheon’s infamy.
He wasn’t scared, but it still left a bad taste.
“All the blame will fall on Ricardo Pablo.”
Ashley added with a playful tone, “Besides, what’s there to fear when the Godfather’s got our back?”
José grinned, flashing his teeth.
“As if I’d be scared…”
But before he could finish the sentence, an image came to mind—Kwon Hanul’s face.
“…”
Why?
The man was clearly weaker.
And yet, José couldn’t shake him from his thoughts.
Those eyes.
Eyes like a black ocean—unfathomably deep.
“José?”
Ashley called again.
He finally spoke, “With the Godfather behind us, what’s there to be afraid of?”
* * *
Kwon Hanul left the mansion and boarded the car prepared by Ricardo Pablo, heading toward the dungeon.
He had no intention of entering today. The plan was to meet the guide, get an overview, and start drafting a strategy.
“We’re here.”
The driver announced.
In the middle of the desert, dotted with cacti, a dungeon gate shimmered in the air.
“So this is an S-rank dungeon…”
If regular dungeons carried a faint magical scent like wildflowers, this one reeked of magic—like someone had dumped an entire bottle of perfume.
“Incredible.”
“Woooow…”
Mei Hong and Kwon Hudon were visibly amazed.
Joo Hayun, however, didn’t react at all.
“Hayun, you don’t seem surprised.”
“I’ve seen a lot of these.”
A cool, experienced demeanor.
Suddenly, someone approached.
“You’re from Hyukcheon, correct?”
A man in a robe addressed Kwon Hanul.
He nodded.
“That’s right.”
“I’ll be your guide for this dungeon.”
The man bowed.
“You may call me GG.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kwon Hanul. And this is…”
Just as he was about to introduce the others, Kwon Hanul flinched.
From GG… there was a faint scent of blood.
“…Mei Hong, Kwon Hudon, and Joo Hayun.”
An assassin? Possibly.
But he didn’t sense any hostility.
“Let’s get along.”
Kwon Hanul offered a handshake.
“Of course.”
GG clasped his hand.
And then—a message appeared.
<“???” detects the presence of Sacred Beast’s Bloodline.>
------------------
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
------------------
