[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 214: Interference (1)

Hyukcheon’s Workshop.

The forges, which usually roared day and night, and the constant clanging of metal—had been silent for two days straight.

Ever since Kwon Hyuk seized control of the main house, he had dispatched Hunters to the workshop and brought all production to a halt.

“Uuuugh…”

In the now-dark workshop, Master Craftsman Park Tae-sik stood with his arms crossed, his face twisted in frustration.

“I’ve got a mountain of things to make, but when the hell are those damn bastards planning to leave?”

He grumbled in irritation. A fellow artisan next to him whispered urgently—

“Master! Please watch your language! You know how sharp Hunters’ hearing is! If you badmouth them and they catch it, who knows what they’ll do!”

“Watch my language? Hell, if I hold it in any longer, I’ll die of stress before those cursed bastards get around to killing me!”

“Please, for our sake—just be careful…”

The artisan pleaded earnestly.

Park Tae-sik could get away with a few things thanks to his status and skills, but the other craftsmen weren’t so lucky.

Though everyone here was a top-tier artisan of Hyukcheon, their positions weren’t exactly secure.

“Tch.”

Knowing this all too well, Park Tae-sik swallowed his anger.

He wasn’t afraid of dying—but if others got caught in the crossfire, he wouldn’t forgive himself.

“…Is this the start of a new era?” he muttered to himself.

His old friend Kwon Seonwoo hadn’t contacted him, and Kwon Hyuk’s forces had occupied all of Hyukcheon’s key facilities.

If the ownership of Hyukcheon truly changed hands, then Park Tae-sik had no intention of staying.

After all, he hadn't continued working the forge all these years because of the name Hyukcheon, but because of his personal bond with Kwon Seonwoo.

“I’ve got no desire to make anything under that bastard Kwon Hyuk’s name.”

He scratched his head—and then suddenly snapped, “Where the hell is that punk Kwon Hanul and what’s he doing?!”

And that was when it happened.

A colossal surge of mana crushed down upon the entire workshop.

Even the artisans—who typically lacked sensitivity to aura—could feel it vividly. Their skin crawled, their bodies trembled.

“M-Master…?”

Without a word, Park Tae-sik rushed outside.

Oddly, the Hunters who normally barked at him to go back inside didn’t say a thing.

Every single one of them was staring at the sky.

Park Tae-sik instinctively looked up—and froze.

“…What in the world is that?”

A spiraling storm, wreathed in clouds, was hurtling toward them.

Where it passed, black clouds gathered and lightning raged.

There were many long-distance travel skills—but none that warped the surrounding environment like this.

The storm ripped through the sky and landed just in front of the workshop.

Moist winds scattered in every direction.

“Huuu…”

As the storm dissipated, four figures appeared.

And when Park Tae-sik laid eyes on one of them, his eyes widened in disbelief.

“Master, it’s been a month.”

Kwon Hanul greeted him with a bright smile.

“Kwon Hanul…?”

Artisans weren’t fighters like Hunters, so they were less attuned to aura.

But to create equipment tailored for Hunters, they still had a knack for reading people.

Park Tae-sik, being a master craftsman, was especially sharp in this regard.

So he could tell—

“In such a short time… how have you become this strong?”

The Hanul standing before him after a month had changed drastically.

He had always been strong—but back then, there were clear flaws.

Now, not only had those weaknesses vanished, but his entire skill level had risen significantly.

“Ate healthy and got plenty of sleep, that’s all,” Hanul said with a grin. Park Tae-sik’s lips twitched at the joke.

“I’m here to pick up the gear I requested. Is it ready?”

“What kind of artisan do you take me for? Of course it’s done—ages ago!”

“That’s what I like to hear. I’ll check it out in a bit.”

Hanul turned. The Hunters standing around were clearly on edge, hostility in their eyes.

“Thank you for waiting.”

“…No need for thanks,” one of the Hunters replied, sweat running down his pale face. “We just didn’t dare touch you… That’s all.”

Nearly twenty Hunters stood nearby—but none of them dared approach Hanul.

“Then how about stepping aside? I think that would be best for everyone.”

“I’m afraid we can’t. The Vice Chairman ordered us to protect the workshop.”

The Hunter drew his weapon—and the others followed.

“F-fighting the Dark Shade Unit? Seriously?”

“We just got here, and it’s already a battle…”

“This won’t be easy.”

The Dark Shade Unit also raised their weapons, eyeing the Black Mark Unit in turn.

There was no avoiding the fight. Hanul clicked his tongue.

“If it’s come to this, then…”

His face suddenly shifted. He squinted, as if something didn’t make sense.

“…I thought you looked familiar. Now I remember. You’re all from the Black Mark Unit, aren’t you?”

Once led by Kwon Chan-seong, Kwon Hyuk’s eldest son, the Black Mark Unit had once represented the strength of Hyukcheon.

But Hanul wasn’t surprised by who they were. What startled him was something else.

“I thought Kwon Jiseok was the current captain. Why don’t I see him?”

Kwon Jiseok—Kwon Hyuk’s second son, and younger brother to Kwon Chan-seong.

Back when Kwon Chan-seong attacked the Blaga family to kill Hanul, Hanul had defeated him and left him in a vegetative state.

After that, Hanul heard Kwon Jiseok had taken over as captain.

But now, he was nowhere to be seen.

“The former captain? He went missing a while ago.”

“Missing?”

“Yes. After being summoned by Lord Kwon Hyuk, he vanished. That’s when I took over the unit.”

The Hunter bowed.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Kwon Man-sik, 3rd captain of the Black Mark Unit.”

Hanul’s face darkened.

He barely registered the name. The news about Jiseok’s disappearance gave him a bad feeling.

“If Jiseok is missing… what about Kwon Chan-seong?”

“He disappeared before Jiseok did.”

“Kwon Chan-seong too…?”

“Anyway, how much longer are you going to keep asking questions?”

Kwon Man-sik’s killing intent flared. Hanul sighed.

“If you’re dead set on fighting, so be it…”

But if they were Black Mark members, there was another way.

Back when he defeated Kwon Chan-seong, Hanul had sealed the memories of the Black Mark soldiers—so no one would know he had won.

“But… I’ve just thought of a better option.”

Hanul activated the authority of his Vassal Bloodline.

He unlocked the sealed memories in every Black Mark soldier present.

Their faces went hazy—then twisted in horror.

“Wh… what?!”

They began to scream, dropping their weapons and collapsing.

“I-it’s Kwon Hanul!”

“Y-you’re the one who… did that to our captain!”

“Aaaaaah!”

They were completely overwhelmed.

“Even after all that… you still want to fight me?”

Hanul addressed them.

They looked up—rage in their eyes.

“We’ll never forgive you…”

“How dare you do that to our captain…”

“You ruined everything…!”

The killing intent was stronger than before. They all picked up their weapons again.

“…Huh?”

Hanul blinked. This wasn’t the outcome he expected.

“You really want to die, huh?”

Kwon Man-sik charged first—barehanded, like a true Hyukcheon scion.

His fist flew straight for Hanul’s face.

But Hanul’s hand vanished—

—and in the next moment, Kwon Man-sik’s face caved in, and he was launched into the distance.

The rest of the Black Mark soldiers froze mid-charge.

“W-what the hell?”

“How did he attack? I didn’t see anything.”

Even though they were strong enough to rival low-tier double-digit world rankers, none of them saw Hanul move.

“Ugh…”

Despite only taking one hit, Man-sik was completely incapacitated.

That was the level of disparity between them and Hanul.

“Don’t back down!”

“We have to avenge our captain!”

With renewed fury, they rushed him again.

Hanul sighed, muttering—

“I didn’t even kill him…”

He’d only left Kwon Chan-seong in a vegetative state. Chan-seong had tried to kill him first.

There was no reason for them to resent him this much.

“You’ve chosen punishment of your own accord.”

The dragon pearl appeared before Hanul.

But unlike the usual jade or white pearl, his was jet-black.

It emitted a deep, ominous light.

Activating Authority: Dragon Pearl

The dragon pearl’s power swept outward, pulling all the Black Mark soldiers into its domain.

Hanul drew a line toward the ground with his finger—

—and the soldiers were slammed into the earth.

Not just their heads—their entire bodies sank as if crushed by a giant weight.

“Guh!”

“Aghhh!”

They screamed in shock and pain.

They tried to push themselves up with both arms.

But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t rise—only sink further.

“Still not enough?”

Hanul made a grasping motion in the air.

All their mana disappeared.

“Wh-what?!”

The soldiers panicked.

With no mana left, they couldn’t resist the pressure at all.

They lay flat against the ground, groaning helplessly.

Hanul turned—behind him stood the Dark Shade Unit and the stunned artisans.

“What are you waiting for?” Hanul said. “Hurry up and bind them.”

The artisans scrambled into action. Hanul added—

“And don’t use ordinary restraints—use Hunter-grade bindings.”

Then he looked back at Park Tae-sik.

“Alright, Master. Let’s go see that gear.”

Park Tae-sik nodded blankly, still stunned.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]