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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter: 08
The Heavenly Sword House was bustling from the early morning.
It was all because Cheon Woo-jin—who had long been recovering in the detached annex—was going out for the first time.
Due to his Heavenly Curse, he had earned the nickname "Fragile Young Master" and was practically confined indoors, rarely ever stepping beyond the main estate.
But now, not only was he stepping outside the main house, he was even planning to go beyond the clan's territorial domain.
The news spread swiftly throughout the Heavenly Sword House.
Most people didn’t care much about Woo-jin, so they brushed it off casually. But there were exceptions.
“Cheon Woo-jin’s leaving the estate?”
Cheon Ji-hoo, a direct descendant of the clan, hastily set aside his puzzle cube with a surprised expression.
The puzzle cube in his hands had all its sides perfectly aligned.
He tossed it onto the desk with a flick and stood up.
“That guy couldn’t even leave the annex because of the Heavenly Curse—what wind is blowing him out of the house now?”
A tall woman in a perfectly tailored suit, with a sword strapped to her waist, bowed slightly and answered.
“The exact reason hasn’t been disclosed yet, but it’s confirmed that he’s leaving the estate.”
“Huh? The hell is this?”
Cheon Ji-hoo, with curly brown hair and a Hawaiian shirt, hardly looked like someone from the prestigious Heavenly Sword House.
Yet he was born with an A-rank Awakened Constitution—Venus Body.
Venus Body bestowed superior physical abilities and exceptional intellect. Those who had it could absorb knowledge several times faster than ordinary people. It was one of the most elite constitutions.
With that gift, Ji-hoo was considered one of the top minds within the Heavenly Sword House.
He pressed a finger to his temple in thought, then asked again, “So, what do you think, Chief Sung?”
If there was one thing Ji-hoo despised, it was stupidity.
Which is why those who worked under him had to be razor-sharp to survive.
Sung Hyun-ah remained silent for a moment.
She knew full well that failing to give a satisfactory answer could cost her the position of squad leader at any time.
After a pause, she spoke cautiously, “My guess is that he’s going to participate in the Jeongseon auction.”
“Your reasoning?”
At Ji-hoo’s prompt, Hyun-ah took a deep breath and continued, “Aside from that, there’s little to gain from leaving the clan’s grounds. Most importantly, there’s been word that Dragon Blood will be featured at the upcoming auction.”
Dragon Blood was a rare material-type item with a low drop rate from dragon-type monster dungeons.
It was a critical component in making top-tier potions—nearly impossible to come by.
If Dragon Blood could be used to treat Cheon Woo-jin’s Heavenly Curse, it might reactivate his sealed Awakening abilities.
After listening, Ji-hoo slowly shook his head.
“Leaving the estate just for Dragon Blood? If that were the case, the clan would’ve acquired it already and cured him themselves. That guy’s blood—stacked with multiple S-rank abilities—is rarer than Dragon Blood itself.”
Ji-hoo tapped his finger on the desk as he thought.
Then he lifted his head and asked Hyun-ah another question, “What about the Yacha side—any movement?”
“Nothing noticeable. Honestly, the only person in the clan who even pays attention to Cheon Woo-jin’s movements is the Master.”
Big Cube, the faction Ji-hoo founded, had been rapidly growing its influence within the Heavenly Sword House.
Thanks to his stellar intellect, Ji-hoo had chosen to approach the clan elders first, rather than the family head, who was more difficult to reach.
On the other hand, his twin sister Cheon Eun-ha, leader of the rival faction, Yacha, had been focusing on expanding through aggressive M&A, absorbing small- and mid-sized clans to grow her own.
As a result, she didn’t pay much attention to internal clan affairs.
But Ji-hoo’s real concern wasn’t Eun-ha.
“Cheon Oh-hyuk…”
Among the A-rank Hunters, Cheon Oh-hyuk was the most covered by the media—and Ji-hoo saw him as his true rival.
To keep him in check, Ji-hoo had once proposed an alliance with Eun-ha, but she’d turned him down.
The succession battle was fierce, with each contender keeping the other in check.
And now, unexpectedly, Cheon Woo-jin—whom no one had been paying attention to—was making a move.
Ji-hoo intended to use this as a chance to shake up the balance.
Tap, tap, tap.
Drumming his fingers on the desk, Ji-hoo turned to Hyun-ah again.
“Leak the info discreetly to Yacha. Say Cheon Woo-jin’s showing signs of overcoming his Heavenly Curse, and he’s attending the Jeongseon auction to complete his recovery.”
Hyun-ah’s eyes widened.
“You’re deploying a misinformation strategy?”
Ji-hoo smirked and nodded.
“Exactly. The real one we need to watch isn’t Eun-ha—it’s Oh-hyuk. He acts like a saint on the outside, but he’s as dark-hearted as they come. If he catches wind of this, he’ll definitely respond.”
Hyun-ah nodded in understanding.
“Understood, Master.”
After she left the office, Ji-hoo picked up the completed puzzle cube and balanced it on his fingertip.
It began spinning, seemingly on its own.
Without extraordinary balance and delicate mana control, such a feat would be impossible.
As the cube spun endlessly in place, Ji-hoo chuckled with amusement.
“Let’s see how big a ripple this little stone I tossed can make.”
* * *
Cheon Woo-jin was riding in a luxury sedan driven by Chief Kim, heading north on the expressway from Sejong, where the main house of the Heavenly Sword House was located, toward Gangwon Province.
It had been nearly eight years since he’d last set foot outside—ever since being afflicted by the Heavenly Curse before he overcame it.
After Awakening at age twelve and being diagnosed with HMC Syndrome, he had spent nearly all his time isolated in the detached annex. No wonder the outside world now felt strangely new.
‘I guess it feels even stranger since it’s been twenty years since I died as Seo Woo-jin.’
The cityscape hadn’t changed all that much, but the power structure among the prestigious Hunter families had transformed drastically.
Twenty years ago, the Hunter Association held the most sway over the Hunter world.
It had been founded by the Seven Heroes, the legendary figures who sealed the Millennium Gate. Although they had averted the Great Catastrophe, dungeons continued to appear afterward, and a proper organization was needed to manage them.
Initially, the association oversaw the management of Hunters. But they lacked the manpower to handle everything alone.
Eventually, the Association delegated some of its roles to Hunter Guilds and began allocating development rights to them.
As a result, Guilds grew rapidly by turning dungeon exploitation into a business model. This gave rise to problems—such as illegal dungeon development and the seizing of permit rights.
When the Seoul Big Wave struck, many Guilds that had focused solely on expansion were unable to respond to the monsters and were wiped out.
Though the disaster was averted thanks to the Sword Saint’s efforts, Seoul itself was lost. Afterward, the Association overhauled its system and created a Guild Federation to prepare for large-scale monster waves.
The Federation was centered around the Seven Great Guilds, formed by the Seven Heroes, to bring order to the chaotic Hunter world.
To lead the Federation, one of the Seven Heroes—the Beggar King—was chosen as the first High Lord. After successfully defending against the Mt. Seorak Wave, known as the Second Great War, he even became President of the Hunter Association.
Cheon Woo-jin had once belonged to Hyeonwoldan Corps, a covert unit founded by the Beggar King.
Under the Beggar King's leadership, the Hunter world saw some stability—until a massive, unidentified terror incident struck. The resulting blame forced the Beggar King to step down as Association President.
He was succeeded by another of the Seven Heroes—the Immortal King.
Unlike the Beggar King, who prioritized order, the Immortal King aggressively pursued dungeon conquests, expanding efforts to tackle labyrinths, which were dungeons of a higher tier.
Conquering labyrinths required not just Guardians but also knights and high-level mages. Since Guilds alone lacked the manpower, the Immortal King brought in Clans, which were bloodline-based factions active in regional strongholds.
These Clans, often inheriting their powers by lineage, boasted many knights, elite mages, and healers.
As labyrinth conquest became central under the Immortal King’s new policies, Clans absorbed smaller Guilds and rapidly expanded.
Thus were born today’s Noble Hunter Houses.
The Five Great Noble Houses include:
Heavenly Sword House– Mastery of the sword
Gucheon Arcane Clan– Supreme in magic
Kwangseong Kim Clan– Healers
Geumgang Seo Clan– Enhancers
Byeokryeok Kang Clan– Masters of lightning arts
These days, they wield even more influence in the Hunter world than the Association or the Seven Great Guilds.
Cheon Woo-jin was now headed to Jeongseon in Gangwon Province, the territory of the Gucheon Arcane Clan, whose influence rivaled that of the Heavenly Sword House.
But the two houses had long been at odds.
While the Gucheon Arcane Clan dominated the entire Gangwon region with their prowess in magic, the Heavenly Sword House exerted nationwide influence centered around Gyeryong Mountain.
There had even been territorial disputes over dungeon ownership in the Gangwon border regions, leaving their relationship quite strained.
That’s why Chief Kim had reacted with unease when Woo-jin said he wanted to go to Jeongseon.
‘Still, the fact that they allowed this means the Sword Saint must’ve intervened.’
This, too, was likely part of the clan leader’s trials.
Before long, Woo-jin entered Jeongseon using a free pass, then made his way to a hotel.
Though this was Gucheon Arcane territory, no one dared touch a direct descendant of the Heavenly Sword House—the pinnacle of the Hunter world.
Upon arriving at the suite of a top-tier hotel, Woo-jin gazed out the window.
Jeongseon looked different from how he remembered.
‘Back then, it was an infamous Black Market slum.’
Jeongseon had once been a hub for illegal Hunters trafficking stolen goods.
But the Gucheon Arcane Clan had swept the Black Market clean and built an auction house and arena in its place.
They’d coordinated with the Association, and their brutal “cleansing” was unstoppable.
After all, the Black Market had been a den of criminals, and there was no one to protest when Gucheon’s battle mages stormed in.
That was the power a Noble Hunter House commanded.
Just then, Chief Kim entered the suite, dragging a suitcase.
“Young Master, these are the items you requested.”
He placed the suitcase in front of Woo-jin.
“Thanks, Uncle. You must be tired from driving—go get some rest.”
Bowing in response, Chief Kim quietly retreated into the adjoining room.
Once alone, Woo-jin opened the suitcase to check its contents.
Inside were firearms, knives, and other weapons.
Normally, weapons were not allowed in neutral zones, but the Heavenly Sword House held extra-legal status, allowing exceptions.
Had he been able to, he would’ve stored them in his inventory—but non-dungeon or non-crafted items couldn’t be stored that way.
He gathered the weapons and waited in silence.
As night fell and darkness took over, Woo-jin made his move.
Ssssss—
Even without fully utilizing his inner power, Woo-jin had once hidden his presence from the Sword Saint himself.
Now, using Ghost Shadow Steps, he vanished like a phantom—no one could detect a trace, not even Chief Kim in the next room.
Slipping out of the hotel, Woo-jin stole a parked motorcycle and rode off.
His destination: the site of an old military base far from Jeongseon’s auction house.
Part of the former base had been secretly converted by the Hyeonwoldan Corps into a safehouse and vault.
Brrrrrrrr!
Arriving at the deserted site, Woo-jin got off the bike and stepped into what remained of the barracks.
Creeeaak—
The rusted door groaned ominously.
He wandered through the long-abandoned warehouse, searching for the hidden entrance.
Something caught on his foot.
Thunk!
He opened a hidden hatch in the floor and climbed inside.
There was nothing inside but debris—nothing left of value.
Approaching a wall in the underground space, Woo-jin tapped it a few times before heading over to a nearby fire hydrant.
He gripped the internal lever and turned it sideways.
Creeeaaaaak—
The rusted handle slowly turned, and the opposite wall began to shift.
Rumble!
After more than twenty years, the secret vault was finally revealed.
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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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