At the same time, an extremely blurry memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.
A dimly lit room.
A baby wrapped in gentle light.
And a pale-faced woman standing beside the bed.
It was Lina.
Her hands rested upon the infant’s chest. Her eyes were filled with obvious reluctance and fear. Behind her stood a tall figure completely shrouded in darkness.
"Only by sealing his aura will those things never find him."
A hoarse voice, impossible to distinguish as male or female, echoed through the memory.
Lina lowered her head and gently kissed the baby’s forehead.
"Asher...Forgive Mommy. Until you possess the strength to protect yourself, you absolutely cannot let anyone know... what you’ve inherited..."
The memory shattered abruptly.
Asher’s eyes snapped open.
Boom!
The power compressed within the room erupted into a visible shockwave, exploding outward from his body. Tables, chairs, wardrobes, and everything scattered across the floor were sent flying, while the cracks in the walls rapidly widened.
Irene immediately used her Threads of Life to anchor both herself and the bed frame, barely preventing herself from being blown away.
Several seconds later, everything gradually calmed down.
Asher still stood where he was.
The countless wounds covering his body had rapidly healed under the influence of the bloodline’s power. Only a small portion of the black markings remained hidden beneath his chest, while his body itself seemed to have undergone a complete reconstruction. His height, muscles, and skeletal frame had all visibly changed.
The previously slender body that had resulted from years of caring for his mother had become tall and well-built. Clearly defined yet not exaggerated muscles now covered his arms and abdomen, while his already handsome face had completely lost its final trace of sickliness after the bloodline awakened.
Irene stared blankly at him.
Compared to just a few minutes earlier, the Asher before her looked like an entirely different person.
If the old Asher had merely been a good-looking youth whose long years in the Lower District had left him somewhat gloomy, then the current Asher now carried an indescribable aura of pressure. Even standing there quietly, he naturally drew everyone’s attention to himself.
The system panel slowly unfolded.
[The first layer of the unknown seal has been partially broken.]
[Gatebreaker Bloodline successfully activated.]
[Current awakening progress: 1%.]
[Host’s physical attributes have been enhanced.]
[Physical Strength: E+]
[Mental Strength: F+]
[Vitality: D]
[Recovery Ability: D]
[Bloodline Passive Acquired: Hyper Regeneration.]
[Hyper Regeneration: As long as the host does not suffer a fatal injury, the host may consume life force to rapidly recover from wounds.]
[Notice: This ability will continue evolving as the bloodline awakening progresses.]
Asher lowered his head and looked at his hands.
He could clearly feel an entirely different kind of power flowing through his body.
Although the system panel showed his Physical Strength as only E+, his vitality and recovery abilities far surpassed those of hunters at the same rank. His true combat ability clearly could not be judged solely by his official rank.
Asher walked toward the training longsword resting in the corner.
It was an unsharpened sword forged from ordinary alloy. The original owner had used it for a long period while preparing for the Aegis Academy entrance examination, but because of his frail body, he had never been able to display much strength.
Asher grasped the hilt.
Then slowly tightened his fingers.
Crack!
The alloy hilt visibly deformed under his grip before five deep finger marks were permanently pressed into the metal.
Seeing this, the shock in Irene’s eyes deepened once more.
"Your physical strength has at least reached the peak of E-rank."
"Not enough."
Asher released the sword.
"There shouldn’t be any shortage of E-rank hunters among those taking the Aegis Academy entrance examination every year."
"That’s true."
Irene finally recovered from her astonishment.
"Most candidates who receive Special Recommendation Badges have already awakened in advance. Among them, the strongest have even reached D-rank before entering the academy."
"But you’ve only just awakened."
She glanced at the dent in the wall that Asher had left with a single palm strike.
"With seven days of training, you may still be able to pass the practical examination."
Asher nodded lightly.
He felt no sense of pride despite the improvement in his body.
The true strength of the Gatebreaker Bloodline clearly did not lie in its current state, but in its almost limitless future growth potential. As for his present strength, let alone taking revenge against Cassian Valdris, he probably could not even defeat the most ordinary guard of the Valdris Family.
"That seal just now..." Irene hesitated. "Was it left behind by Teacher Lina?"
"It probably was."
Asher did not mention the memory he had seen.
Who was the mysterious figure standing behind Lina?
What exactly were the "things" she had mentioned?
Where did the Gatebreaker Bloodline truly originate?
At present, there were simply too few clues. Rather than making Irene worry alongside him, it would be better to investigate everything personally after he had become strong enough.
However, one thing had already become certain.
The secret Lina had hidden was far greater than what the original owner’s memories had revealed.
She was perhaps far more than an ordinary C-rank support hunter.
At that moment, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the room.
Immediately afterward, the furious voice of the dormitory supervisor rang out from the corridor.
...
50 Power stones for a bonus Chapter let’s goooo!