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

The remaining relic hunters were utterly terrified by Ethan's display of power. Their leader had already fled, and without him, their morale crumbled.

They had no intention of continuing the fight.

Ryan, who usually hung back during battles, surprised everyone by charging forward this time.

The hunters scattered, trying to escape in different directions.

Leeroy and Ryan each intercepted one, while Ethan swung the mutant's corpse like a gruesome flail, smashing it into another hunter.

The impact shattered bones, leaving the man writhing in agony.

Two more hunters bolted in opposite directions.

Ethan targeted one, he kicked off the ground, moving so fast it felt like he teleported.

The hunter's eyes widened in panic. "Wait! Please spare me, I'll pay you, just let me go!"

"Spare you?" Ethan growled. "Did you spare those children when you took them?"

Without waiting for a response, Ethan swung his hand in a brutal slap.

The hunter, a earth-based innate ability user, summoned a wall of dirt to block the attack.

Boom!

The wall disintegrated under Ethan's strike, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

But Ethan wasn't fazed. His senses allowed him to track the hunter even through the obscuring dust.

The earth user, realizing his defense had failed, turned and ran.

Ethan hesitated for a moment, then decided to let him go, turning instead to chase the other fleeing hunter.

As it turned out, the earth user's escape route led him straight toward Mr. Kane, who was already returning with another captive in hand.

The two collided, and within minutes, the earth user was subdued.

By the time Ethan returned to the camp, he was dragging a headless corpse—another victim of his now-signature slap attack.

At some point, Ethan had developed a preference for this brutal, almost mocking method of combat.

What had once been a low-damage, high-insult move had become devastating in his hands.

Unless someone had a skull of steel, one slap from Ethan was all it took.

"Ryan, burn them," Leeroy said as Ethan approached.

He took the corpse from Ethan and tossed it onto the growing pile of bodies.

Ryan nodded, flicking a runic parchment toward the pile.

Whoosh!

Flames erupted, consuming the bodies in an instant.

The stench of burning flesh filled the air, making Evelyn grimace and cover her mouth.

Ryan waved his hand again, sending several more runic parchments into the ground around the fire.

A transparent barrier formed, containing the smoke and smell.

"Mr. Kane," Ethan said, approaching the older man and gesturing to the captive at his feet.

Mr. Kane had been studying Ethan intently. When Ethan spoke, he replied calmly, "These people are grave robbers. I wasn't planning to get involved, but when they passed through my hometown, they kidnapped two of my relatives"

"I had no choice but to step in."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Ethan, I know you're with the Ninth Division. I've left that life behind, and I'd prefer to keep it that way. Let's just say we never met, alright?"

"I'll take these children back. As for the Ninth Division… if you can get out, do it. Trust me."

Before Ethan could respond, Mr. Kane bent down and picked up the two children, who had been put to sleep by Evelyn's calming spell.

"Mr. Kane…" Ethan had so many questions, but the older man cut him off.

"You're heading to the Silverwood family, aren't you?"

Ethan nodded.

"Once I return these children, I'll be heading there too. We'll likely cross paths again."

With that, Mr. Kane crouched slightly, then sprang into the air, disappearing into the distance with astonishing speed.

He shot into the air like a cannonball, pausing briefly mid-flight before changing direction and soaring eastward.

Ethan and the others exchanged bewildered glances.

They quickly began cleaning up the camp, which was now a chaotic mess.

From the relic hunters' backpacks, they scavenged some food—canned meals, compressed biscuits, and nutrient packs.

Anything useful went into their own bags.

Ethan tore open a can of canned ham and devoured it in a few bites. He'd been craving something flavorful for days, and the salty meat hit the spot.

As he finished the can, he noticed Leeroy standing near the blasted-open cave entrance, sniffing the air with a tense expression.

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked, walking over.

Leeroy shook his head. "There's something big down there."

"Something big?" Ethan frowned, confused.

Leeroy glanced back at the cages that had held the children and muttered, "No wonder they needed a boy and a girl. They were paying the toll."

Ethan stared at him, baffled by his cryptic words.

"Ryan, can you seal this place up? Otherwise, we're going to have a problem," Leeroy called out.

Ryan, who had been rummaging through the hunters' supplies, hurried over with a sausage dangling from his mouth.

He peered into the cave, then his eyes widened.

"Run!" he shouted, grabbing Ethan and Leeroy and yelling at Evelyn to follow.

Ethan, Leeroy, and Evelyn were caught off guard, but Ryan didn't wait for them to react.

He slapped two speed charms onto his legs, then sprinted to Evelyn, hoisting her onto his back before taking off.

Ethan and Leeroy hesitated for a split second before bolting after him.

Roar!

A deafening screech erupted from the cave, sending a wave of terror through Ethan.

He reached out to grab Leeroy, but his hand closed on empty air, tearing off a piece of Leeroy's sleeve instead.

Leeroy didn't even look back, disappearing into the trees at breakneck speed.

Damn it! Ethan cursed internally.

He activated his Travel Form, his body shifting as a translucent, deer-like lower half emerged.

With a powerful leap, he shot forward, narrowly avoiding the massive shadow that burst from the cave just seconds later.

The creature's blood-red eyes locked onto Ethan for a brief moment before it turned and soared toward the mountain peak, vanishing into the clouds.

By then, Ethan and the others were already far away.

Ryan was still running full tilt, with Leeroy close behind.

Ethan caught up to Ryan and grabbed his arm.

"Stop! It's gone!" Ethan shouted.

He'd been monitoring the cave with his senses and had seen the creature emerge.

The moment its gaze met his, Ethan felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind, nearly knocking him off his feet. Thankfully, the creature hadn't pursued them, otherwise, Ethan was certain they'd have been in serious trouble.

Ryan skidded to a stop, sweat rolling down his face despite the cold November air. Steam rose from his body as he panted heavily.

Leeroy caught up, equally out of breath.

"Ryan… what the hell was that thing?" Leeroy gasped.

"I'm not sure," Ryan replied between breaths. "But based on its aura, it's probably…"