READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 29
Chapter 29
It wasn’t a mistake.
Suho quickly checked the information on “New Blood.”
[ New Blood ]
# A new type of bloodline.
# The foundation of evolution is to absorb and combine the existing.
# Accepts all bloodline effects indiscriminately as one’s own.
# Bestows ‘Harmony (S)’, ‘Refinement (S)’, and ‘Qualification (S)’ on retained bloodline skills.
Suho’s eyes widened as he read through the details of New Blood.
It was a trait he had never encountered before.
And beyond that…
‘With this, it’s a top-tier trait even among S-class…!’
Unlike skills, traits did not have explicit rankings.
However, the Association rated them based on the inherent skills or effects, and the New Blood that Suho had acquired had an S-class effect… and it wasn’t just one; it was a rare trait with as many as three of them.
Suho examined the effects possessed by New Blood one by one.
[ Harmony ]
– Rank: S
# Prevents conflicts between bloodline skills, preserving the effects of both sides as they are.
[ Refinement ]
– Rank: S
# Removes negative effects of bloodline skills.
[ Qualification ]
– Rank: S
# Grants the original qualifications held by the bloodline skills.
Reading the descriptions, Suho couldn’t help but smile.
‘With options like this, of course the seal on Vampire Blood would be broken…!’
Suho proceeded to review the information on the unsealed Vampire Blood.
[ Vampire Blood ]
– Rank: S+
# The pure lineage of the original vampires, the “Royal Vampir.”
# Lv.1 – Royal Blood: Original Vampir (S)
# Lv.2 – [ ??? ]
: Locked.
└ Unlock Conditions
① Reach level 100.
② Unknown.
# Lv.3……
Suho’s eyes grew wide as he read the details.
That was because the information differed somewhat from what he knew of Vampire Blood.
‘Royal Vampir?’
The Vampire Blood trait that Blood Emperor had obtained was graded at A+.
However, the Vampire Blood that Suho had acquired was rated S+.
Even more, the Blood Emperor’s didn’t include the term “Royal” or “Original,” but Suho’s did—likely due to the effect of the New Blood trait.
Suho examined the special options of Vampire Blood, which, like Dragon Blood, could be unlocked step-by-step, starting with the effects of Royal Blood at stage one: “Original Vampir.”
[ Original Vampir ]
– Rank: S
# The first vampires were called Originals.
# They are the most noble and pure among vampires, with blood that could even be called royal.
# Inherits the powers of the Original Vampires.
# Not restricted by the limitations of darkness.
# Not affected by garlic, silver, crosses, or sunlight.
Floods of information poured in.
Seeing it all, Suho was a bit surprised.
‘Is it really this strong?’
It was worth the surprise.
As far as he remembered, Blood Emperor’s Vampir skill didn’t contain this information.
‘And unlike me, Blood Emperor became a Half-Blood player, with his very race altered. Yet, my skill options are richer.’
He gave a small, incredulous laugh.
He had assumed that simply monopolizing existing S-class skills would be enough after returning, but he never imagined things would unfold in this way.
‘As time goes on, the odds are high that I won’t be able to handle things as originally planned.’
But it didn’t matter.
Even in this instance, while events had deviated from his plan, the outcome was far better than expected.
Finally, Suho checked his status window.
[ Ahn Suho ]
– Lv : 51
– Class : Healer
– Trait : New Blood
– Strength (R) : 13
– Stamina (R) : 13
– Mana (R) : 13
– Perception : 78
– Bonus Stats : 17
A new item called “Trait” had been added to the status window.
Next to it, the name New Blood was boldly inscribed.
Suho allocated all of his bonus stats to Perception, then closed the window.
‘Now, shall we get going?’
He had captured the Cursed Prince and acquired the trait he was after.
There was no longer any reason to stay here.
Suho stepped out of the gate.
***
“So, you just let him go?”
“…Yes, sir.”
The Korean Hunter Association building.
Jung Chulmin was getting a reprimand from the Vice President.
The reason?
Naturally, it was for failing to bring Suho back.
As Jung Chulmin muttered meekly, Vice President Park Gyuman frowned.
“Team Leader Jung.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I didn’t ask you to do something difficult. How could you not even handle that?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“No, sorry doesn’t solve anything. The President has already cleared his schedule to meet that young man. So, one way or another, bring him in. Understood?”
“…Yes, understood.”
“Alright, then, I’ll count on you, Team Leader Jung.”
The vice president hadn’t raised his voice, but his words were essentially a tantrum.
Perhaps that was why?
Leaving the Vice President’s office, Jung Chulmin felt a strong sense of disillusionment.
‘Maybe I should just quit and join a private guild…’
The feelings of frustration that crept in at times like this were no joke.
But then he shook his head.
Why had he joined the Association?
He had joined the Korean Hunter Association to serve the public.
So, he decided to bear with it once more and steeled himself.
At that moment, someone spoke to him in a familiar tone.
“Hey, if it isn’t Team Leader Jung?”
The person who addressed him so casually.
Looking up, he saw someone he disliked almost as much as the Vice President.
It was the Head of the Special Department, “Pi Sungyeol.”
“Oh, Director Pi.”
“I heard that you’re having quite the headache over that Ahn Suho kid, huh?”
Pi Sungyeol.
Since the establishment of the Korean Hunter Association, he had held the position of Head of the Special Department longer than anyone else, and unlike the President or Vice President, he was an “Awakened Player.”
From a glance, he might have seemed better than the President or Vice President, who were not involved in this industry…
‘But they say the devil you know is worse than the devil you don’t, and that man is a problem precisely because he knows too much.’
And so, Pi Sungyeol was another person that Jung Chulmin disliked for different reasons.
But dislikes were dislikes, and work was work.
Jung Chulmin forced an awkward smile.
“Haha. Well, yes…”
In any case, was the Special Department’s information network unusually fast, or did word just travel quickly in this building?
How had the news spread so soon?
When Jung Chulmin forced a smile, Pi Sungyeol spoke in a suggestive tone.
“How about it? Want a little help?”
“You mean, you’d help me, Director Pi?”
“Come on, what’s so hard about bringing in one person? Just slap some charges on him and call him in for questioning. If it turns out to be a misunderstanding, we can just clear it up later.”
As Pi Sungyeol spoke, his tone grew more animated, as if he were giving a junior some practical advice.
“If you want to set up the scenario a bit more elegantly, you could release him under the guise of the President’s intervention during questioning. I hear that kid’s interested in joining the Association, isn’t he?”
Disgusting.
How could anyone even think that way?
Trying to hold back his revulsion, Jung Chulmin forced a smile and gave a noncommittal response.
“Haha, you have quite the sense of humor. But, that kind of approach… if something goes wrong with a talented kid like that…”
“Wrong?”
At that moment, Pi Sungyeol’s expression hardened slightly, but then he raised one corner of his mouth and spoke.
“Team Leader Jung, every time I see you, I can’t help but think you’re a good guy. Why should a public servant be intimidated by some mere hunter?”
“Haha…”
“I’m not kidding. You know that we have the authority to investigate and prosecute players, right? There’s a reason why prosecutors used to be feared. So, Team Leader Jung, try to think a bit more flexibly. Why act so rigidly as a team leader at the Association?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good. Instead of following the manual strictly, try to think creatively, like me. Anyway, let me know if you need help. I’ll be there whenever you ask, Team Leader Jung. Take care.”
After patting Jung Chulmin’s shoulder a couple of times, Pi Sungyeol returned to the Vice President’s office.
Jung Chulmin stared at the closed office door for a while, then brushed off the shoulder Pi Sungyeol had touched and walked away.
***
Dawn had arrived.
Suho stopped by his old studio apartment to pick up his personal belongings and headed to Kaiser Cheongdam.
It wasn’t hard to enter the apartment.
He had the Ultimate Unrestricted Key.
Jo Jin-hwi, who had been busy with work, appeared again only in the morning.
“Good morning, Mr. Suho.”
“You’re up?”
“Yes. I’d love to sleep more, but there’s a lot to do at the office.”
“Reporters have a lot on their plate; I understand. Although, with all the material I’ve given you, there shouldn’t be any shortage of stories. You must really be swamped.”
At that, Jo Jin-hwi chuckled.
“There were a few projects I was handling even before you proposed the partnership. And even though I’m your partner, Mr. Suho, I can’t just ride on your coattails forever, can I?”
Suho chuckled in response.
Yes.
That was the kind of person Jo Jin-hwi was.
Even with all the advantages he was born into, he never grew complacent, always taking responsibility for his work.
Someone who was born on third base but didn’t mistake it for a home run.
Suho nodded and spoke.
“Exactly. That’s why I like you, Reporter Jo.”
“Oh, a sudden confession… By the way, what’s your schedule today? I’ll need to head out soon.”
“Today is the day. The one I told you about before.”
“The day…? Ah, you’re going to Nexus?”
“Yes. And by the way, I reached level 50 last night and gained a new trait.”
“Pfft! What?!”
At that, Jo Jin-hwi, who had been sipping water absent-mindedly, spat it out.
Wiping his mouth quickly, he exclaimed.
“Wait, how long has it been since you came out of the Tower of Trials, and you’re already level 50? Weren’t you level 40 when you came out?”
“Technically, I’m now level 51. Anyway, that’s where I’m at.”
“Unbelievable… So you’re really joining Nexus today?”
“That’s the plan, to carry out the work I mentioned before.”
“That’s amazing…”
It was as he had said.
As he had told Jo Jin-hwi, Suho planned to meet with Nexus officials today and join the Nexus Guild.
He hadn’t abandoned his goal of joining the Korean Hunter Association.
This was all part of the preparation process to enter the Association.
Jo Jin-hwi remarked.
“Then you’ll need to dress smartly for today. How about coming over here? I’ll lend you some clothes and a watch.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine. I’m not lacking resources, and if appearances were all it took, I wouldn’t be going there.”
“Haha, you’re right about that. By the way, would you like a car? Considering all the eyes on you, it’d be better than taking public transport or a taxi, wouldn’t it?”
“Oh, you’re right. I’d appreciate that.”
And so, the two of them prepared for the day together.