Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: The Eldest Brother's Challenge
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The eldest son of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, the man closest to the position of clan leader.
He was a man in his late twenties, dressed in a navy single-breasted coat.
And like his father, Shin Sung-il, he exuded a cold aura.
"What brings you here, brother?"
Shin Yu-hyun was slightly surprised by the unexpected visit but didn't show it on his face.
"I came to talk to you."
"Talk?"
Shin Yu-hyun tilted his head and echoed the word.
At that, Shin Cheol-min dismissed all the attendants from the room, saying he wanted to speak privately.
Seeing this, Shin Yu-hyun had a rough idea.
Of what his brother wanted to discuss.
"Are you really gunning for the clan leader position?"
Rumble...
An immense pressure and killing intent poured out from Shin Cheol-min.
The aura of a 5th-rank advanced superhuman pressing down on his entire body.
His gaze alone seemed capable of killing Shin Yu-hyun.
But Shin Yu-hyun didn't flinch in the slightest. He'd already withstood the aura of his father, Shin Sung-il, who had reached the master realm.
And above all...
'Compared to Getia, this is child's play.'
Shin Yu-hyun inwardly let out a scoff but urgently opened his mouth as if in distress.
"Stop it."
"Stop? Shin Yu-hyun, do I look like a joke to you?"
At Shin Yu-hyun's informal tone, Shin Cheol-min frowned and intensified his aura even further.
With a sigh, Shin Yu-hyun said to him,
"I'm not talking to you, brother."
"What?"
In that instant, Shin Cheol-min eased his aura.
He belatedly realized what Shin Yu-hyun meant.
The sticky aura of death emanating from behind him.
"If you're thinking of harming my master, don't expect to leave here alive."
A chilling voice, cold enough to freeze his bones to the marrow, came from behind.
'When did she...?'
Shin Cheol-min turned around in shock. There stood Shuv, her face icy in her demonic form.
Her sharp tail was poised to pierce the nape of his neck at any moment.
If Shin Yu-hyun hadn't told her to stop, Shin Cheol-min's throat would have been run through.
"Shuv."
"......"
At Shin Yu-hyun calling her again as if reining her in, Shuv made a reluctant face and withdrew her tail from his neck.
"So you're Shuv. Not human after all, I see."
Shin Cheol-min clicked his tongue as he looked at her.
He had realized that Shuv in her demonic form was Shin Yu-hyun's summon.
The fact that Shin Yu-hyun was a necromancer had already spread to the raid party that returned to the clan.
Superhumans even visited the Black Tortoise Hall just to get a look at his summons.
"If you try harming my master even once more, you'd better be prepared."
Shuv smiled sweetly, her voice completely different from moments ago.
But her tail was still coated in a blade of glowing red mana.
Ready to strike at any foolish move.
"Why are you so loyal to Shin Yu-hyun?"
"Once a master, always a master."
"Pity."
Confirming Shuv's unwavering attitude, Shin Cheol-min looked disappointed.
He was a man with a great appetite for talent.
Even if she wasn't human, a powerhouse like her was worth recruiting. And she was a stunning beauty to boot.
But Shuv bowed to no one but the Immortal King.
Her response just now made that clear.
"Shin Yu-hyun, are you really after the clan leader seat?"
Shin Cheol-min asked once more.
"Yes."
Shin Yu-hyun nodded without hesitation.
"So you are aiming for it. No intention of backing down...?"
"No."
Shin Yu-hyun had multiple plans in place to become the clan leader, and he was executing them step by step.
Becoming a 4th-rank superhuman and growing stronger was part of that plan.
Ultimately, even the clan leader position was just a stepping stone.
He intended to unite the world to stand against those Getia bastards.
"Even with her around, it won't be easy."
Shin Cheol-min glanced at Shuv.
She was certainly a powerhouse as Shin Yu-hyun's summon, but there was only one of her.
In contrast, Shin Cheol-min led the largest faction within the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.
The man closest to becoming the next clan leader.
Shin Yu-ra was keeping him in check, but she was just a bit short.
His forces included the Azure Dragon Sword Division and various affiliated halls.
Not just the Azure Dragon Sword Division, but also halls housing archers capable of long-range attacks and mages—he already controlled them.
In a way, the Azure Dragon Hall was like the future Black Tortoise Hall that Shin Yu-hyun envisioned.
With talents of all kinds already thriving there.
"We'll see about that. I can't give up without trying, can I?"
Shin Yu-hyun smiled.
Shin Cheol-min frowned in response.
"I won't let anyone take what I've built."
Shin Cheol-min had poured immense effort into creating his current power base.
But if he failed to become clan leader, he could lose it all.
The hall leaders had to hand over everything they'd built to the clan leader.
"Don't worry. Even if I become clan leader, I won't take your forces."
"What?"
Shin Cheol-min looked at him in bewilderment.
Once the succession struggle ended, each sword hall would fall under the next clan leader.
And he was saying he wouldn't accept that?
"No need for your forces in the first place. I just need one thing."
"What's that?"
"You."
Shin Yu-hyun gazed at Shin Cheol-min with fervent eyes.
Who were the top talents in the clan?
No need to ask—the direct descendants.
Shin Cheol-min right in front of him had broken through to 6th rank in his previous life, and the forces he led rivaled a large guild.
If he could bring a man like that to his side?
'Having brother on my side would be a huge boost.'
Shin Yu-hyun already planned to utilize every member and resource of the clan.
Shin Cheol-min was no exception, nor were Shin Yu-ra of the White Tiger Hall or Shin Ji-ah of the armory.
If he could win over his siblings, he could take control of each hall's forces without a fight.
"Interesting. Planning to use me as a figurehead?"
"You, a figurehead?"
Shin Yu-hyun burst out laughing at that.
"If anyone dares look down on you for not becoming clan leader, there's only one kind they could be: blockheads with heads just for show."
Shin Cheol-min not becoming clan leader wouldn't erase his strength, talent, or forces.
On the contrary.
"Your power and influence will only grow stronger. And if I become clan leader, I might even lend you a hand."
"......"
Shin Cheol-min seemed momentarily stunned by Shin Yu-hyun's smiling words.
The direct descendants were rivals fighting over the clan leader seat.
Their relationships were never good.
Unless it was a special case, those who lost the competition were exiled from the clan.
In the worst cases, bitter feuds ended in death.
Yet here was Shin Yu-hyun saying not only would he keep him but also help him if he became leader?
"I can't figure out what you're thinking."
Shin Cheol-min shook his head.
"Simple. It's all for the clan. And I think it'd be nice to have a relationship like Father and Uncle."
Sin Yu-hyun made an excuse for the clan. Shin Cheol-min was the type who valued the clan's power and honor above all.
"Those two are a special case. Uncle gave up the competition and allied with Father from the start."
"Why not follow the winner after competing?"
"So you're not backing down."
"Yes. I'm aiming for the top."
"Then if I become clan leader, you'll follow me?"
"Of course."
Shin Yu-hyun nodded.
Rules had to apply equally.
"Just leave the Vermilion Bird Hall out of it."
"The Vermilion Bird Hall?"
"Yes."
Sin Yu-hyun said firmly.
The position of Vermilion Bird Hall leader was currently vacant.
Its previous leader, Shin Cheol-jin, had died.
But a new one would be appointed soon.
"I hear Father plans to give it to Cheol-ho."
"Yes, though Vice Hall Leader Lee Joo-hyuk will handle the actual operations."
Shin Cheol-ho, the youngest of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, was exceptionally talented for his age, but his youth meant a lack of experience.
Lee Joo-hyuk would assist him for now, but if that continued, Shin Cheol-min or Shin Yu-ra might exploit the gap.
That was Shin Yu-hyun's point.
"I'd like the Vermilion Bird Hall to develop its own independent forces. Of course, with your agreement."
The Four Directions Guardian Sword Halls were better off growing separately.
Each had its own specialties, so balanced growth required equal expansion.
"Understood."
Shin Cheol-min pondered briefly before nodding in agreement.
He shared the same view as Shin Yu-hyun.
"Everything for the clan."
The clan leader succession struggle was ultimately an internal competition.
If it fractured the halls' forces, the clan's overall power would weaken. As a direct descendant, he couldn't allow that.
Above all, the clan's strength and honor came first.
"Let's say the winner of the succession takes the loyalty."
"I'll have to work hard to win your trust, brother."
"Hmph, you talk a good game."
Shin Cheol-min remarked with an incredulous look.
But whatever the reason, winning the competition was all that mattered.
Now, though, he couldn't ignore Shin Yu-hyun anymore.
Just a few months ago, the third brother had been dismissed by the clan for lacking mana talent.
Honestly, Shin Cheol-min had paid him no mind.
He wasn't a threat, and he was too busy with his own path to leadership.
Then suddenly, he awakened his energy and skyrocketed in power?
The current Shin Yu-hyun brimmed with limitless potential.
His summons alone made him a formidable force as a necromancer.
If Shin Yu-hyun joined his side, it would be a massive advantage.
"Earning my trust won't be easy. If you think you can, give it a shot."
"Yes."
Shin Yu-hyun smiled and nodded at his words.
His usually stoic eldest brother's face seemed a bit softer.
And as Shin Cheol-min turned to leave, he added one last thing.
"Eat properly. Mother's worried."
With that, he exited the office.
It was a curt remark, but it felt like his own way of showing care.
'This is thanks to my newfound strength.'
But it also left a bittersweet taste.
The reason Shin Cheol-min was giving him another look was purely because of that power.
Without it, he wouldn't have bothered.
'I must never forget.'
The superhuman world was one of the survival of the fittest.
The Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan was no exception.
Without strength, you couldn't endure.
"Hoo."
Shin Yu-hyun let out a long breath and leaned back in his office chair.
Then Shuv quietly approached his side.
A sweet fragrance tickled his nose, and her hot breath lingered by his ear.