"Haven't the Saintess already told you that my bloodline can suppress yours?"
His tone wasn't mocking or arrogant.
Just curious.
Because sothing wasn't adding up.
The Old Saintess sighed, exhaling slowly as if forcing herself to remain composed.
Her expression was a strange mix of emotions—shock, confusion, and sothing else… sothing almost resembling fear.
Then, she spoke.
"You don't understand, kid."
Her voice remained calm, but the gravity behind it was unmistakable.
"The ability to suppress others with the sa bloodline isn't unheard of."
"'But it only works when the one suppressing is stronger than the one being suppressed.'"
Max's eyes narrowed slightly.
That… made sense.
If two people shared the sa lineage, then naturally, the one with greater power should be able to exert dominance over the other.
It was a fundantal rule of bloodline suppression.
But then—
The Old Saintess locked eyes with him.
Her dark, solemn gaze bore into him like an immovable truth.
"And what you just did? It 'broke' that rule."
The room fell into silence.
Max's brows furrowed.
"You, who are barely an ant compared to in strength, not only suppressed my bloodline… but 'forced to kneel.'"
The words hit like a hamr to the chest.
He hadn't considered it before.
To him, suppression had seed natural—the logical result of his bloodline being superior.
But now?
Now he was being told that such a thing should have been impossible.
The Old Saintess continued, her voice laced with disbelief.
"That should be 'impossible.'"
A pause.
Then, in a lower, almost uncertain voice—
"Even soone with the Progenitor Bloodline, if they were stronger than , could barely suppress ."
"But they 'would not' be able to make kneel 'unless' their power was overwhelmingly greater."
She inhaled, her fingers tightening slightly on the armrest of her chair.
"And yet… you did it. With ease."
Max was stunned.
The pieces weren't fitting together.
He had assud that his bloodline was simply superior, that it was natural for him to have a greater effect on those who shared a weaker version of it.
But no.
There were rules.
Rules that dictated how bloodlines interacted.
Rules that he had just shattered.
His gaze lowered to his hands.
His fingers flexed slightly.
'What exactly was this bloodline?'
The one he obtained in an F-rank dungeon.
Sothing that had seed so insignificant at the ti.
And yet—
It had just proven itself to be sothing beyond comprehension.
Klaus let out a slow exhale, his lips curling into a wry smile.
"Any questions you have about your bloodline… can be answered inside the 'Inheritance Tower'."
He paused for a mont, then added,
"But let tell you this, Max—you are 'probably' the only individual in existence with a bloodline so potent that it could make 'every single person' in our guild submit to you."
Max remained expressionless, his face an unreadable mask.
But inside?
He was thinking.
Hard.
Powerful enough to make an entire guild kneel?
To so, that would be the ultimate gift. A chance to build an empire, to command absolute loyalty, to bend an organization to their will.
But that wasn't his goal.
He had never cared about ruling.
Never wanted to build a power structure.
His path had always been about one thing—strength.
Becoming strong enough to protect what mattered.
To reunite with his family.
And yet—
The thought lingered.
'Though… having a power I could trust blindly isn't a bad thing.'
A weapon like that could be… useful.
The Old Saintess leaned back slightly in her chair, her gaze sharp and steady.
"Go and enter the 'Inheritance Tower'," she ordered.
Her tone wasn't forceful.
But it left no room for refusal.
"Let's see what floor your bloodline allows you to reach."
Max remained silent.
But his curiosity was piqued.
The Inheritance Tower—
A structure that had stood for centuries, housing the legacy of their bloodline.
A test.
A gauge.
To asure what he truly was.
The Old Saintess continued, her voice taking on a more deliberate tone.
"The tower has a total of 'seven floors'. Each bloodline determines how far one can ascend."
A pause.
Then—
"Only those with the 'Progenitor Bloodline' can step into the 'sixth floor'."
Max's eyes flickered slightly.
Progenitor Bloodline.
That was supposed to be the pinnacle of their lineage.
And yet—he had suppressed even that.
The Old Saintess pressed on.
"The 'Saintess' of each generation—like myself and Little Callie—can only enter the 'fifth floor'."
A brief silence settled in the room.
Then—
"As for the rest of the guild?"
Her lips curled slightly.
"Their bloodline dictates their limit, allowing them to access floors 'one to four' at most."
Then, her gaze locked onto him.
There was sothing hungry in her eyes now.
Not greed.
Not malice.
Curiosity.
The kind that ca when a relic of the past stood before sothing beyond their understanding.
"I'm eager to see just 'how far' your bloodline will take you."
Max exhaled.
He wasn't soone who easily entertained expectations.
But now—even he wanted to know.
There was only one way to find out.
He would enter.
At that mont, the Old Saintess called out softly—
"Little Callie."
The door to the hut creaked open.
A familiar figure stepped inside.
Callie stood there—composed, unreadable, as always.
Her sharp eyes flickered toward Max—just for a brief mont—before she returned her attention to the Old Saintess.
The elder's voice remained gentle, yet commanding.
"Take Max to the 'Inheritance Tower'."
A pause.
Then—
"Let him enter and see for himself."
Callie bowed slightly in acknowledgnt.
"Yes, Master."
No hesitation. No unnecessary words.
She turned, her movents precise, and motioned for Max to follow.
Max stood still for a fraction of a second.
Then, he stepped forward.
His mind was already turning over the possibilities.
'Seven floors…'
'The Progenitor Bloodline reaches the sixth…'
'Then what lies beyond that?'
He didn't believe in coincidences.
If there were seven floors—but even the most powerful bloodline bearers could only step onto the sixth—
Then what was waiting on the seventh?
Sothing sealed? Forgotten? Forbidden?
Or sothing that no one had ever reached?
His expression remained calm, but inside—
Inside, his curiosity burned.
Without another word, he followed Callie out of the hut, stepping once again into the looming shadow of the great 'Inheritance Tower'.
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