Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

Ethan narrowed his eyes, listening in silence before snapping, "What the hell are you doing? You're only figuring this out now?" His voice was sharp with disbelief. Were these people seriously this clueless?

"The ship is missing a vital key," the Blood King admitted, his earlier arrogance gone. There was a weight in his tone now, something bordering on defeat. "Without it, the vessel cannot be fully activated."

Ethan leaned forward. "So if you're stuck here, what happens with those so-called pseudo-Blood Clan? Do they erupt all at once?"

"The primary host within this vessel is nearly mature," Osloak answered, his voice low. "When that happens, the pseudo-Blood Clan will appear in greater numbers. But a full outbreak is unlikely. This world's population is too small to sustain such a spread. Their true danger isn't in brute strength, but in their infectivity. The moment a strong person falls to them, they become the spearhead of the Blood Clan's forces. You've already seen examples of this."

Osloak paused, then added grimly, "One such twisted man already exists here. He seized a Blood Clan secret art and uses women as vessels, gaining strength by consuming the brain fluid of children. He's become something monstrous. Luckily, the region is sparsely populated. Were it otherwise, no one would have survived by now. Even so, he's grown into an invincible force within these lands. If you measured him by your strength levels, he would stand at the Voidbreaker rank—and not at its beginning, but its late stage. His power places him in the league of a Blood King."

Ethan nearly lost control of the ship's interface at those words. "What did you just say? Someone from the Windspirit Faction is at Voidbreaker rank?" The news rattled him. He had already heard rumors of twelve Saint-rank experts and thought that was overwhelming enough. He had even suspected those twelve weren't the faction's strongest card, but never once imagined they might harbor a Voidbreaker—and not just early stage, but late. He'd expected, at best, an old Saint-rank elder nearing the peak. What Osloak revealed was an entire realm beyond his worst-case guess.

"Not fully human," Osloak corrected coldly. "Half-Blood Clan. Decades ago, he stumbled upon a secret art, left behind by an ancient Blood Clan entity sealed away nine thousand years ago. When the Hidden Territory trial began, this ship projected itself into that realm, and through sheer chance, passed the art on to him. But he was weak. For thousands of years, he failed to master it. He sealed himself away, again and again, to stave off death. This last time, however, he emerged a year before you arrived. He sought out that ancient monster… and was devoured by the twisted one instead."

The Blood King's voice grew darker. "That twisted creature absorbed everything the old one had hoarded—centuries of rare elixirs and essence. He went into deep seclusion to refine it all. When a sky-splitting lightning tribulation struck, he awoke in a haze and captured the youth who had triggered it. He snuffed out that boy's tribulation and took him north, along with everyone else he could seize."

Ethan listened, his mind racing. The old person spoken of—he knew that was Eamon. He'd fought the man once on the first level of the Hidden Territory. The thought that Eamon had survived catastrophe after catastrophe, only to be devoured like prey, left him cold. And Morzan… what in the world was that old man doing? Hadn't he seen this coming, or had he let it unfold on purpose?

…

"Achoo! Damn it, who's cursing me?" Morzan sneezed loudly in the Orange Tavern back in Ethereal, cursing under his breath. His free hand was busy, however, clasping a young woman's fingers while he leaned close with a grin.

If Ethan had been there, he would have exploded in fury. While Ethan bled and fought for survival in another world, Morzan was lounging in bars, spending Ethan's money on women and drink, living like a shameless old rake. He had even been running around in Ethan's avatar, lifting coin from his chain of shops without hesitation.

The Mad Engineer—NoPaperOnTheBigOne, was the one paying for it. Every day he struggled with missing funds, books that wouldn't balance, records that seemed to vanish without a trace. He was on the verge of tearing his hair out, never suspecting Morzan's hand in it. With his mastery, the old man wiped away transaction logs like they had never existed.

If Ethan ever found out, he would roar, "Can't you rob someone else?" To which Morzan would shrug and answer, "Without your avatar's permissions, I couldn't have done it. You left the door open. Is that my fault?"

…

Meanwhile, Leo was suffering his own kind of torment. Every time he logged in, he was dragged to the bar by Ethan's so-called "brother." Leo knew better. This wasn't some errand boy but a hidden master. Celia and Victor had told him the same, encouraging him to keep close, since Ethan himself had promised the benefits would be great. And Leo trusted Ethan's word.

But reality was brutal. The Ethereal system was days away from a massive upgrade, the Fortress Wars were looming, and as Renegade's lead Shield Tank, Leo wanted nothing more than to train and prepare. Instead, he was wasting every session drinking, carousing, and keeping company with women. At first, it was fun. By the second day, he was drowning in boredom and frustration.

The 'master' never did anything beyond drinking and teasing. No training. No teaching. Just endless indulgence. Leo, young and hot-blooded, was surrounded by beauty he couldn't touch, wound up to breaking every night. When he logged out, he could hardly think straight, burning off his pent-up energy alone, praying every night in front of Ethan's empty tent:

"Boss, come back soon… if you don't, my body won't hold out."

…

Far from all this, Lyla drove north with Lars, her mother, and the unconscious Ambrose. They left Ashwick behind, bound for the Ashhorn Mountains. She didn't know Liam was following them in secret. And Liam, in turn, had no idea that high above the shifting clouds, someone else watched him closely, accompanied by a beast that moved in silence.