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302 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
302 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Chapter 256: Bloodline Treasure"
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slug: "ch-256"
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novel: "Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100"
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number: 256
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views: 0
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likes: 0
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wordCount: 1088
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createdAt: "2026-04-13"
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---
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As soon as Callie led Max out of the hut, a deep silence settled over the small wooden room.
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Only Klaus and the Old Saintess remained, the weight of what had just happened still lingering in the air.
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Klaus let out a long breath, running a hand through his hair.
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"That was nerve-wracking."
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His usual composure was nowhere to be found.
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Instead, his hands still trembled slightly, a lingering effect of the suppression that had forced them to their knees.
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Even after Max had withdrawn his bloodline pressure, the feeling hadn't left.
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"Even after he withdrew the suppression, I could still 'feel' it."
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His voice was low, almost a whisper.
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"My instincts kept screaming at me, telling me to submit… That wasn't just powerful—it was 'unnatural'."
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He turned toward the Old Saintess, expecting to find her usual composed wisdom.
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But—
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She was staring into space, her expression dark, distant.
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A look he had rarely—if ever—seen from her.
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Klaus's frown deepened.
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"What's wrong?"
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The Old Saintess remained silent.
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Seconds passed.
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Then—
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Finally, she spoke.
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"Nothing…"
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But her voice was hollow, detached.
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And Klaus knew—it was a lie.
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Another pause.
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Then—
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She muttered, almost to herself—
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"His bloodline… it reminded me of something."
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Klaus's eyes narrowed.
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"Of what?"
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A deep exhale.
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As if she was debating whether to even speak it aloud.
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Then—
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Her next words sent a chill down his spine.
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"Of the 'forbidden bloodline treasure' I brought back to the Lower Domain."
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Klaus's breath hitched.
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His eyes widened in shock.
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"'That' thing?"
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His voice was barely above a whisper.
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A relic they were never supposed to touch.
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The Old Saintess nodded, her expression grave.
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"I am wondering… if Max's bloodline originated from that treasure."
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Klaus's reaction was immediate.
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"No. That's impossible."
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His voice was firm, rejecting the idea outright.
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But beneath that certainty, there was something else.
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Something uneasy.
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Something afraid.
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"Millions—'billions'—of people have tried to claim that bloodline over countless years."
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His words carried the weight of history.
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"Every single one of them turned to 'bones' the moment they attempted to absorb it."
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A pause.
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His voice lowered, his hands clenching.
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"Not a single soul has ever survived its awakening since the days of the 'Black Dragon Palace.'"
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And then—
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A whisper of something close to fear crept in.
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"That bloodline in the 'sealed box' wasn't a blessing… it was a 'disaster.' A 'curse.'"
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His gaze darkened.
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"You were the only one who ever believed it could be harnessed."
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The Old Saintess remained silent.
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Her fingers tightened around the armrest of her chair.
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Memories surfaced.
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Memories of what that box contained.
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If Max had truly inherited 'that' bloodline…
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Then what exactly had he become?
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The Old Saintess finally spoke, her voice quiet but heavy.
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"You do remember that the 'box' was stolen by one of our previous guild leaders, don't you?"
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Klaus nodded, his expression tense.
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"Yeah, I remember. What about it?"
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The Old Saintess met his gaze.
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And in her eyes—
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There was a truth far more terrifying than anything Klaus had imagined.
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A faint smile tugged at the Old Saintess's lips, but her expression remained indecipherable.
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"Well, it wasn't stolen because I failed to protect it."
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Klaus's brows furrowed slightly.
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A strange feeling crept up his spine.
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"What are you trying to say?"
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Something about her tone—
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Something about this entire conversation—
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Didn't feel right.
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The Old Saintess leaned back, her fingers lightly tapping the armrest, as if lost in thought.
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Then, she said it.
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"I 'allowed' it to be stolen."
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Silence.
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The weight of those words hung in the air like a suffocating mist.
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Klaus stiffened.
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His frown deepened, his mind running through a thousand possibilities.
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"What?"
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His voice came out low. Controlled.
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Like a man piecing together a conspiracy in real time.
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The Old Saintess continued, her tone measured.
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"For millennia, not a single person—not even a 'Saintess'—was able to claim the bloodline within that box."
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A pause.
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"It was untouchable. Even when we attempted every possible method, 'everyone' failed. No one was chosen."
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She met Klaus's gaze, her voice carrying the weight of centuries.
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"So, after countless meetings and deliberations, we reached a conclusion—"
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A beat.
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Then—
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"We don't choose the bloodline.
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The bloodline chooses us."
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Klaus's expression darkened.
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The implications of those words settled like a storm in the room.
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If that bloodline had chosen Max…
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Then he wasn't just strong.
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He wasn't just unusual.
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He was something beyond what they had ever prepared for.
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The Old Saintess's voice carried the weight of old regrets.
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"When I came to the 'Lower Domain'," she continued, "I brought the 'bloodline treasure' with me. My hope was that one of the great geniuses of our guild—someone worthy—would earn its recognition."
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She exhaled softly.
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"But I was 'naïve'."
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Her tone shifted, turning solemn—almost bitter.
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"You saw it with your own eyes, Klaus. You saw what happened to those who tried to absorb that bloodline."
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Klaus's jaw tightened, memories clawing their way back to the surface.
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He remembered.
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How could he ever forget?
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It had been a time of desperation.
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The Black Lotus Guild, once an untouchable shadow force, was losing ground.
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The leadership had seen only one solution—
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Unlock the power of the 'bloodline treasure'.
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One by one, countless prodigies stepped forward.
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The most gifted elders, the brightest warriors, the strongest assassins.
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All of them—eager, determined, fearless.
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All of them—reduced to charred remains within seconds.
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Klaus had stood among the spectators, a young warrior at the time, barely scratching the surface of true power.
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He had seen their bodies ignite, their skin peeling away, their souls vanishing as if they had never existed.
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Even the strongest among them, the ones who had touched the peak of power—
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They burned.
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Nothing left behind but blackened bones and the stench of death.
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He was also given the chance to absorb the bloodline.
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But unlike many he refused politely when he saw the deaths it brought.
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And then—
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The theft.
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It happened years later, but the moment was seared into history.
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The entire guild had been thrown into chaos.
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Word spread like wildfire throughout Dark Heaven—
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The 'bloodline treasure' had been stolen.
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And along with it—
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The Guild Leader had vanished.
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It hadn't taken a genius to piece together the truth.
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But now—hearing it from the Old Saintess herself—
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Klaus finally understood.
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This had never been a failure of security.
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This had never been an act of betrayal.
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She had let it happen.
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And now—
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That same forbidden bloodline had surfaced inside Max.
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And he—he alone had survived. |