Chapter 168
It wasn’t a mistake.
It was real.
[ Skill information is being updated. ]
[ The Harmony effect of New Blood is activated. ]
[ The Refinement effect of New Blood is activated. ]
[ The Qualification effect of New Blood is activated. ]
[ You have acquired the Giant’s Bloodline. ]
[ Due to acquiring the Giant’s Bloodline, some of your stat information has changed. ]
[ Strength and Stamina stats are now changed to Might. ]
[ The newly adjusted Might stat takes the value of the higher of your previous Strength or Stamina stats. ]
[ You have successfully obtained the Might stat for the first time. ]
[ For achieving a great accomplishment, the system rewards you with 10 bonus stats. ]
Suho’s eyes widened at the notifications.
‘Might?’
It was a stat he had never seen before.
Giants were a race that had become somewhat common from the mid-point of the Great Cataclysm onward.
And although he had seen powers associated with them, he had never heard of a stat called Might.
Suho immediately checked the information on the Might stat.
[ Might ]
– Grade: S
# The Giant’s innate power, which only those of pure Giant blood can possess.
# One point of Might possesses the power of both one point of Strength and one point of Stamina.
Suho’s eyes grew wide again as he looked at the information.
Did a single point of Might hold the power of both one point of Strength and one point of Stamina?
Then, could it be?
Suho checked his status screen immediately.
[ Ahn Suho ]
– Lv: 117
– Class: Crusader
– Traits: <New Blood><Hercules Candidate>
– Might (O): 39
– Mana (O): 28
– Perception (O): 28
– Bonus Stats: 10
It was real.
As stated in the system notification, Strength and Stamina were gone and had been replaced by Might.
Moreover, the newly created Might stat had inherited the highest value among his previous stats, which was the Strength stat.
Suho swallowed dryly.
Then, he invested one of his 10 bonus stats he had just obtained into Might.
[ The Might stat has increased by 1. ]
“……!!”
The Might stat had gone up.
At the same time, Suho’s eyes grew even wider than before.
“Insane.”
Was this actually happening?
Suho was genuinely shocked.
After all, now with a single stat point investment, he could gain the power equivalent to two stat points.
‘Even the stat color is orange… So, just how much efficiency am I going to achieve now?’
Everyone was different, but for Suho, stats were a more valuable asset than skills or items.
Ultimately, it was the physical stats accumulated over time that truly shined in the later stages, not skills or items.
And now, Suho had gained a stat that was beyond reason.
A stat with twice the efficiency for each investment!
This wasn’t the first time he had seen unique stats.
But most of those stats were theme-specific, tailored to a certain class or trait.
For instance, their function varied, but the effect was always equivalent to the investment.
But Might was the first stat Suho had seen where investing a single point gave double the effect.
His lips curled up so widely that it felt like they might tear.
Suho continued on to check the information on the Giant’s Bloodline.
[ Giant’s Bloodline ]
– Grade: S+
# The pure Giant bloodline that only the primordial Giants inherited.
# Lv.1 – Giant’s Power: Might (S)
# Lv.2 – [ ??? ]
: Locked.
└ Unlock Conditions
① Reach level 200.
② Unknown.
# Lv.3……
‘Primordial Giant?’
That’s exactly what was written in the skill information.
However, Suho had never heard of something called a “primordial giant.”
‘I thought I had seen more kinds of Giants than any other Hunter……’
But even he had never come across the term “primordial giant.”
It was bewildering.
Yet it was also intriguing.
Knowing that something existed beyond his knowledge meant there was still unknown power in the world.
‘And most of that power tends to be formidable.’
Just like other bloodline abilities, the Level 2 power of this one required at least level 200.
No other conditions were visible.
But he wasn’t worried.
Just as before, he trusted that a quest would activate when the time was right.
‘Looks like I can focus on leveling up for a while.’
Suho grinned.
What he had gained from the first singularity was more than he had anticipated.
Suho raised his head and looked at the twisted form of the dead Goliath.
Although he had killed a pure-blooded giant, there was no notification of leveling up or any other system message.
It was understandable.
The creature was not an official monster but more like a kind of summon created by a player.
So, out of curiosity, he tried absorbing it with the Phantom Spear, but it didn’t work either.
‘After all, this isn’t even an official Gate.’
Still, he thought he could take the blood.
Suho used Blood Drain on the blood-dripping Goliath.
[ True Blood Drain is activated. ]
Shaaak!
The giant’s blood was drawn into his raised palm as if draining water from a basin.
No new abilities were copied.
After all, Suho had now gained the Giant’s bloodline himself.
Soon, the Blood Orb was filled.
The Goliath, now completely drained of blood, turned as pale as a sheet, and Suho, having finished draining, prepared to leave.
With a faint smile, Suho began walking toward the exit portal.
***
With the death of the Goliath, the door to the Shadow Realm finally opened.
Suho exited through the portal and was immediately met by Martin Park.
He greeted Suho with a smile.
“In the end, you killed my Goliath.”
“I had to.”
“Haha, that almost sounds like you’re saying if you set out to kill something, you’ll absolutely succeed.”
“Well… It might take some time, but I don’t think it’s impossible.”
To Martin Park, Suho’s answer didn’t come off as mere bravado.
During Suho’s time in the Shadow Realm, Martin had done some research on him and had come to understand just how remarkable Suho was in this country.
Nodding, Martin Park asked.
“I see. So, is our business concluded?”
“My first objective is complete.”
“First objective?”
“Yes, would I really visit a valuable person like you with only one purpose?”
It was true.
Considering who Martin Park was, Suho wouldn’t have come with just a single agenda.
Martin Park was someone he wanted by his side, someone he hoped to gain help from for a long time.
Perhaps that was why Martin Park chuckled as he looked at Suho with an amused expression.
“Haha, my word… You’re quite shameless.”
“A civil servant’s nature, wouldn’t you say?”
“Alright, let’s go with that. So, what’s the next objective?”
“I’d like to commission a painting from you.”
“A painting?”
“Yes.”
Martin Park narrowed his eyes at the mention of a painting commission.
“You’re one of my fans, aren’t you? I’ve never painted something on request. I only paint what I want to paint.”
“I know. But I believe nothing is truly permanent or absolute in this world.”
“Brazen. But that’s part of your charm. Alright then, let’s hear it. What kind of painting would you commission from me?”
“A painting of the moon.”
“The moon?”
“Yes, there’s something I want to acquire that can only be obtained on a night with a full moon.”
“A full moon… You can’t wait just one month for it?”
“There are a few things I want to acquire. A few full moons won’t be enough, and waiting that long each time would take forever.”
“Haha, how ridiculous. Commissioning me for such a trivial reason.”
What Suho sought from Martin Park was none other than a painting of a full moon.
Only when a full moon rose could he enter Seogopyeong.
‘I can’t wait for the full moon every month, nor can I wander around searching for Gates under a full moon.’
Time was precious.
And with a legendary magician before him who could even create giants, why take a roundabout approach?
Martin Park looked up at the sky.
A night sky heavy with clouds.
Though nature had cleared up enough to make the moon and stars visible, one couldn’t see the moon hidden behind clouds.
With a smirk, he asked.
“Alright, let’s say I paint a moon for you. How will you pay?”
“I’ll give you whatever you ask.”
“Do you know how much I’ll ask for?”
“You’re not in need of money, are you?”
“Khuhuhu, true. But if it’s for black, that ink pouch from earlier would be enough. Why not show me what else you have?”
Martin didn’t think Suho would make an offer empty-handed.
And, as he expected, Suho hadn’t come unprepared.
Suho spoke.
“Then how about red this time?”
“Red?”
“I have pure Giant’s blood. Red extracted from the blood of a Giant would be an unparalleled color, wouldn’t it?”
Martin Park smiled again.
There was no argument against it.
“By any chance, is that Giant blood from the Goliath you killed?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Efficiently recycled.”
“I just did what you couldn’t, sir.”
“Goodness, you’ve got a way with words.”
Suho pulled out an empty vial and filled it with the Goliath’s blood from the Blood Orb.
There was no risk of mixing the blood.
The Blood Orb had an exceptional storage ability, allowing the owner to choose to store extracted blood separately or mix it.
Martin took the vial and sniffed it.
“The scent of blood and magic is potent.”
“This isn’t ordinary Giant blood. It’s pure.”
“And how are you so sure?”
“Well, I gained a related skill because of it. It’s clearly marked. Pure Giant’s blood. So, if you took it to the materials market, it’d fetch an astronomical price.”
“It does say that in the item info. Haha, this is quite a treat. I came looking for black and ended up with two precious colors.”
“So, is the deal settled?”
“Yes, if it’s just a simple full moon painting, I can make you as many as you need. So, how many do you need?”
“Let’s start with ten, if possible.”
“To start?”
“I might need more. Or I might not use them all. If there are extras, I’ll return them to you.”
It was true.
He didn’t know how many skills he could acquire from Seogopyeong.
Martin Park shook his head at Suho’s words.
“There’s no need to return a painting once it’s sold. Alright, let’s begin.”
“Do you need anything for the work?”
“Not really. It’s not a complex painting, just a simple full moon. But from what you’re telling me, I suppose I’d have to send you into the Shadow Realm whenever you need the painting. So maybe I should stay with you for a while.”
“Would you like to stay at my house? It’s in Seoul, and I can provide full privacy.”
“Do you live alone?”
“I have a roommate, but I can ask them to leave.”
“As long as it’s not a hassle. I’ll need someone to help me out anyway.”
“Understood. I’ll take you in my car.”
“Lead the way.”
Suho drove Martin Park back toward Seoul.