Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!
Chapter 391 - 391: The Royal Clans [II]

Ethan was furious.

Dot, why did she have to shout that? He'd spent time carefully building that intimidating presence—and in just one careless second, the little girl had shattered it like glass.

Grumbling under his breath, Ethan picked up the fiery red crystal lying on the ground.

[Ding… System Notification: Obtained item [Blazefire Lion Core] x1. Consumption permanently enhances human form strength.]

The sudden alert made his heart skip a beat. Permanently increases strength? In human form? His eyes lit up. Holy crap… This thing's a treasure!

Without hesitation, he straightened up and popped the crystal into his mouth. Crunch… crunch… It was hard like rock candy, though completely flavorless. But seconds later, a warm current surged through his chest and spread into his heart. Thump… thump… His heartbeat grew stronger, faster—like it was digesting the raw energy.

Ethan's eyes narrowed, a grin curling at the corners of his mouth. "Heh heh… Don't you dare run."

The remaining Blazefire Lions froze. Their bodies tensed. They stared at Ethan in disbelief—as if they'd just witnessed something unimaginable.

A human… ate the demon core?

They understood exactly what those cores were. Demon cores and beast crystals were sacred to them, powerful and volatile. Even among Beastfolk, only the highest-ranked warriors could absorb them—and only after refining the energy through meditation and technique. Yet this human had swallowed it whole. No preparation. No pain. No explosion. Just… crunch.

And now, he looked ready for seconds.

Boom!

Before they could even process what had happened, Ethan launched forward and drove his fist into the forehead of the closest lion.

Splatter— The massive creature's skull shattered. Blood and brain matter sprayed out as its body collapsed with a thud.

Ethan didn't wait. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the Twilight War Spear and began tearing into the lion's body. Flesh and bone flew as he carved through it with surgical precision. Within seconds, he was drenched in blood, emerging from the gore-soaked corpse like a demon reborn. Rain poured down from the sky, washing away the crimson stains, but the earth beneath him had already turned red.

"So… it was in the chest," he muttered, yanking out another core and tossing it into his mouth. Crunch, crunch…

The sound echoed eerily through the rain, chilling the remaining lions to the bone.

"A-Aow…" One of the larger Blazefire Lions suddenly snapped out of its daze, its massive form shrinking as it spun and ran without looking back.

"I said… don't run!"

With a quick pivot, Ethan hurled the Twilight War Spear like a javelin.

Whoosh— The weapon sliced through the rain and air, ripping through the sky itself. In a heartbeat, it caught up to the fleeing lion and pierced its back with a sickening thud.

"Aow!" the beast cried out as it was pinned to the ground, its body twitching in its final moments. Even in death, its eyes were filled with unrelenting terror.

The rest of the Blazefire Lions stood paralyzed, their powerful legs trembling beneath them.

"S-Split up and run! Go!" one of them suddenly roared—in human language. But before he could say anything more, a fist met his jaw. His head snapped back, and his hulking body soared through the air.

Boom! He crashed into the ground—but his shout had done its job. The remaining lions broke formation, scattering in all directions in a desperate bid for survival. The most up‑to‑date version is on NovelFire.

"Damn loudmouth," Ethan muttered. Thump! He stomped off the soft earth, launching himself forward like a cannonball, chasing after the fleeing lions.

In the distance, several Greatfang Tigers who had been trapped earlier had since returned to their human forms. One of them looked to the man standing silently in front of them.

"Brother… what should we do?" he asked anxiously.

Another voice came from behind, shaking. "Should we… run too?"

The others clearly wanted to bolt—but the man in front didn't move. He kept his eyes fixed on Ethan and the chaos unfolding around him.

"If you want to die, go ahead and run," he said coolly.

The others paused. His words struck like thunder. They suddenly realized something—they hadn't been targeted. Ethan was circling them, yes, but he hadn't launched a single attack in their direction. He wasn't ignoring them—he was intentionally avoiding them.

Why?

If he wanted demon cores to devour, they had them too. Were they… not even worth hunting?

"Do you remember what he said at the beginning?" the man asked quietly, his eyes reflecting the storm above.

Boom! Another lion fell, its skull crushed under Ethan's fist. With that, the last of the slowest Blazefire Lions had been dealt with. Ethan stopped moving. The air was still. The rest of the lions had escaped—or so they hoped.

Using the momentum of his last strike, Ethan spun mid-air and landed right in front of the group of Greatfang Tigers.

"Let them go. I'll be your… mount." The man stepped forward, his voice steady and solemn.

"Brother?!" the others cried in shock.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Beastfolk sacrificing themselves for others?"

"But you see…" he said, looking them over, "there are six of you. One of you might not be enough for all of us to ride."

The man didn't flinch. "Five people can fit. As for… him…" He gestured toward Inugoro. "If you're not afraid of your clan being wiped out, he can be counted as one."

Inugoro's mouth opened, then shut again. He said nothing. The threat wasn't subtle. If the Underworld Hound Tribe ever dared ride the Greatfang Tigers as mounts, it would provoke a war they wouldn't survive.

Ethan looked at him with a crooked smile. "You're a clever one."

The man didn't respond.

"Promise me," Ethan said suddenly, eyes narrowing. "Once your people are safe, I get to sign a master-servant contract with you."

The silence that followed was immediate and tense.

"Brother, no!"

"Don't do it! I'd rather self-destruct my demon core than watch you become a human's servant!" The others were frantic, voices rising in protest.

But Ethan raised his hand.

"Tree Form… Activate."

Behind him, a colossal phantom tree materialized, its ancient branches spreading wide. The sight alone made the tigers snap to attention, preparing for battle.

But instead of attacking, Ethan whispered: "Healing Touch… Rejuvenation… Lifebloom."

Soft green light blanketed the tigers. Their wounds began to close. Bruises faded. Deep gashes sealed and scabbed over.

"You may leave," Ethan said gently. "You have a good brother."

He turned and called into the distance, "Dot, come here. Shall we ride the big tiger?"

"Yay, yay!" Dot squealed, climbing down from Nora and running into his arms. Ethan scooped her up with a smile, then turned to face the man again.

He raised his hand. A light bloomed from his palm.

At the mention of a contract earlier, Ethan had recalled the Ethereal contract system—something he'd drafted himself. He had taken a chance and summoned it here… and it worked.

He felt more at ease with his own system than trusting the laws of this strange land.

"Sign it," Ethan said, his voice calm but commanding.

A faint magic circle formed between them. It shimmered with light and floated just above the ground.

"Divine… Divine Contract!" Inugoro gasped. He staggered back, legs trembling. The Greatfang Tiger man also looked shaken. Behind him, his kin watched with wide eyes.

Who exactly is this human…?

Ethan's eyes glinted. So this 'Divine Contract' is a rare thing in this world, huh? It seemed the visual effects from his Ethereal system were more impressive than he'd thought.

Without hesitation, the tiger warrior stepped forward. He pricked his fingertip and pressed it to his brow. A single drop of blood emerged. At the same time, Ethan's Soul Sense surged forward, enveloping the blood, drawing it onto the magic circle.

Buzz…

The circle vibrated with a low hum. A mysterious pressure blanketed the field. Then—whoosh—a beam of light shot upward, piercing through the clouds and lighting up the darkened sky.

"Contract established…" a soft, ethereal voice echoed in everyone's ears.

[Ding… System Notification: Contract signed. If the other party violates the agreement, they will be annihilated by the system. The player can destroy the contract at any time.]

Ethan's brows lifted. That's new. Never happened like this in Ethereal.