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

Ethan tore across the battlefield toward the crimson pillar of light. The blood-soaked barrier loomed ahead, yet no soldier of the Blood Clan moved to stop him. Whether they didn't take him seriously or hadn't been ordered to attack, he couldn't tell. In a blink, he reached the edge of the barrier, the shimmering membrane of scarlet energy rippling within arm's reach.

A prickle of unease made him glance upward. His eyes locked on the void where the ancient monster sat in meditation. The creature was staring directly at him. Ethan bared his teeth in a grin, and with a flicker of intent, the Twilight War Spear materialized in his hand.

He compressed a Shred ability and swung at the array. Three crescent-shaped arcs of light shot forth, carving through the membrane and streaking toward the blood-red portal. He braced himself for interception—but none came. The old monster didn't lift a finger. It just watched him, face unreadable.

Yet there was no thunderous impact either. The crescents weakened as they flew, thinning like mist, until they dissolved into nothing. Striking the array was like striking cotton. So that was how the others' attacks had been swallowed. His effort had been useless.

The ancient thing glanced at him, lips twitching in faint disdain, before closing its eyes as if dismissing him entirely.

"Hey, kid, trying to scrub the sky with feathers over there?" boomed a mocking voice. The Infernal Hound sat some distance away, front legs propped like a massive wolfhound. Its monstrous face twisted into an almost human smirk.

Ethan felt his forehead tighten with embarrassment. He said nothing, instead triggering his Bear and Panther forms at once, and after a beat, adding the Owl as well.

'Laugh it up, mutt. If the old bastard won't send his army, then I'll just give him something he won't laugh off.'

He poured everything he had into the Twilight War Spear. Shred, Lacerate, Heavy Strike, Cleave, Rend, Sunburn, Moonfire—every skill, one after the other, compressed and forced into the weapon. Veins bulged across his arms, his grip shook, and the spear itself quivered in his hands, glowing faintly as if alive.

Ethan stepped forward, pivoted, and drew the weapon in a sweeping arc low to his waist. It was Uncle Jed's Rear-Guard Lance technique.

The old monster's eyes snapped open. Alarm flickered across its face as it surged upright, hurling itself toward him. But it was too late.

A murky yellow beam erupted from the Twilight War Spear's tip, tearing through the barrier and streaking toward the portal sustained by the three City Lord tokens.

"You dare!" the monster bellowed. In a blink it was in the beam's path, but too late to draw on the array's strength. Its gray robes whipped in the sudden gale as it gathered wind and soul power into its fists.

The beam struck.

Pfft…

There was no earth-shaking detonation, only the faint sound of something puncturing a bladder. Then the blood array blazed, flaring so bright it hurt to look. Countless wind blades shrieked outward. Ethan glimpsed the horrific spectacle of tens of thousands of Blood Clan soldiers shredded in an instant before his vision drowned in white.

He held back from entering the storm. Who knew what corruption hid within? What if stepping inside turned him into one of them?

"Cough… you little bastard!" came a ragged voice from within. Ethan's heart leapt. The old monster was hurt. His attack had landed at the level of a Voidbreaker.

Even so, he knew luck had carried him. He wasn't delusional enough to believe he could stand toe-to-toe with such a being.

"Run, kid!" the Infernal Hound barked.

Ethan didn't need the warning. Pressure rolled toward him, crushing and suffocating.

Bang!

Too fast. Before he could dodge, a figure burst from the blood array. He willed the spear into two massive claws covering his hands, layered Iron Hide over his body, and braced. The monster's fists collided with his.

Agony ripped through his chest. 'It's over,' he thought. 'I can't take this—'

Then, from deep inside, a five-colored light burst outward. The monster's strike was deflected for the briefest moment, just enough for Ethan to rocket backward a hundred miles in an instant.

Whoosh. Boom!

A torrent of flame roared past him, slamming into the monster. The Infernal Hound had joined the fray. For a moment Ethan thought it might pin the creature down, but the ancient figure slipped free, retreating back toward the array.

"Damn it, too early," the hound muttered, landing with a disappointed thud.

Ethan ignored it, focusing inward. His Soul Sense revealed a faint, five-colored glow fading from his bones.

'The Quintessence Bone… it saved me.'

The realization chilled him. Without it, he'd already be dead. Against a Voidbreaker, his true strength was still far too meager.

But the fight wasn't over. The monster returned to hover above the blood pool. Below, the Serpent-Turtle howled in agony, the portal's glow thickening by the second.

"Kid, stop him! The portal's nearly stable!" the Infernal Hound shouted. It remained squatting far off, clearly unwilling to risk itself further. The beast was more spectator than ally.

Ethan clenched his jaw. Charging another combined strike was out of the question; the monster wouldn't give him the chance. He pulled up the Ethereal skill panel, scanning through his arsenal until his eyes caught the overwhelming skills tied to the Twilight War Spear.

"Senior," he called to the hound, "care to lend a hand?"

"Got any snacks?" came the immediate reply, the beast's priorities clear.

Ethan gave a helpless smile. "I might have something you've never tasted. But with your appetite… I doubt I have enough to satisfy you."

Before the words left his mouth, the giant hound blurred into motion. Its body shrank mid-leap, condensing until it was no larger than a wolfhound, though the oppressive aura clung to it like smoke.

"Let me try it. If it's good, I'll help you with anything."

Ethan had only been bluffing, but the sight sparked an idea. Light flashed in his hand, and he produced something small and warm.

The hound's eyes gleamed. It snatched the object and tossed it into its mouth.

"Nom, nom, nom… This flavor… this is divine! What is this?" it said, speaking now in a perfect human voice, eyes glittering with delight.

Ethan grinned. "It's called… a hot dog."