Infinite Returns : The More I Give, The Stronger I Become-Chapter 57: Bloodline

Chapter 57 — Bloodline

"Take this."

Ethan held out a coin, his coin, etched with faint, shifting runes.

"You’ll be able to contact me through it."

Jack accepted the coin without hesitation. The moment his fingers touched the cold metal, a weight settled in his chest. A presence. He couldn’t explain it—but he instinctively knew: he would never be able to disobey this being. Not truly.

Not yet... but once he became king, the pact would bind.

Still, Jack didn’t linger on that thought. His mind was elsewhere.

’I will finally be king’ he thought, a hungry gleam in his eyes.

"If you’re done," Ethan said, tone dismissive, "then go. You have the tool. Use it. Take your crown."

Jack rose to his feet and bowed deeply, reverently.

"Thank you, Honorable One. I will not disobey."

Then—he was gone.

Silence returned to the cave.

Ethan sat alone, fingers steepled, eyes distant. If everything played out as intended, he would soon have an entire kingdom under his shadow.

And with that... the legend of The Merchant Beneath the World would only grow.

"I need power," he murmured to himself. "And a way to maintain this presence. A place where clients can always reach me."

"Suggestions, dear system?"

[You could create a personal realm, tethered to your coin. Anyone in possession of those coins could access it. You’d be aware of all who enter—and hold absolute authority within.]

Ethan’s eyes lit up. "A realm, huh? I like that."

"But wait... how many points would that cost?"

[For a small, functional realm: 100 trillion.]

He winced. "And I have?"

[15 trillion.]

"Tch."

He clicked his tongue in frustration.

Still far too short.

"Well... I gained a fortune from all these deals. And a potential kingdom. But none of it will matter if I can’t protect what I build."

He stood up and vanished with Erase Step, phasing back toward the city and eventually, his inn.

There was still more to do.

...

Back in his room, Ethan activated a Space Time Barrier, cloaking the entire space in silence and isolation.

He sat cross-legged on the floor, exhaling slowly.

Time to design my bloodline.

He didn’t want something complicated. No flashy bloodline with a dozen random traits.

He wanted one thing: power. Clean, simple, absolute.

He now had two ’identities’—and his second talent paired perfectly with his dual nature as a giver and taker. It cloaked him from unwanted gazes, made him invisible to the curious and the cursed alike.

But avoidance would only go so far.

Eventually, there would be battles he couldn’t walk away from.

Time to prepare.

"I want a combat bloodline," Ethan muttered. "One skill. A skill that will evolve with me. Not flashy. Not complex. Just effective."

"As a taker... I’ll eventually absorb talents and techniques from others. I want a skill that can fuse those stolen techniques into my own. Something that grows with each battle."

He paused.

"A sword technique, maybe?"

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"...Why not? My family... is a swordsman family. All men have been known as great swordsmen. So, let’s fall in line for once."

He closed his eyes.

"A single strike. A strike that devours every sword technique it touches. A living blade that evolves with every duel."

"System. Create the bloodline. Pour in every point I have."

[Understood. Please wait, Host.]

Seconds passed.

Then—

[Bloodline Created: Sable Inherit.]

[Sable Inherit: A blade born of shadow, shaped by the legacies of fallen swords. It remembers all—it forgets nothing.]

[Skill: One Strike — A sword technique that absorbs and adapts. Defeat other sword-based skills to strengthen and refine the strike. Each victory adds to its perfection.]

A blade materialized in front of him.

Long, sleek, and completely black—its edge shimmered with faint white runes that pulsed like a heartbeat.

Ethan reached out.

The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, something clicked inside him.

Wholeness.

Completion.

As if the blade had always been waiting for him.

He rose and took a stance—sloppy, full of openings, more instinct than form. But the moment he moved—

Fshhhh!

The blade corrected him. Guided his body. The slash grew cleaner, tighter.

A faint crack split the stone beneath his feet.

Ethan smiled.

"...Well then, guess it’s time to train."

He looked down at the blade.

"We’ll be great friends, you and I."

The sword pulsed softly in response.

Grinning, Ethan slipped out of the room, bound for the training grounds. He would drill the strike into his soul until it became perfect—until he could use it in any situation, instinctively.

⸻

Meanwhile—far above—on the 50th floor of the Tower.

A massive sky stretched endlessly, pierced by clouds of flame and light. Upon a flying dragon stood a man—his white hair flowing, his presence now overwhelming.

Lucas.

His aura was no longer what it once was. He stood tall, bathed in quiet power. Nearing the threshold of S-Rank.

And with this final floor... he would reach it.

He would return home.

He would find his brother.

A glowing screen hovered before him.

{You have reached the 50th floor. The Great Divider.}

{To pass, you must face a weaker incarnation of a god-level being.}

{Your foe: Agni, God of Fire.}

{He will be the same rank as you—but he retains the skills of a god.}

{Defeat him, and you’ll enter the realm where the eyes of gods forever watch. Take one step closer to divinity.}

{When you are ready... will it.}

Lucas narrowed his eyes.

He turned to his dragon.

"How confident are you against Agni?"

The dragon—Veldra—snorted. "I’m a Stage 1 god. If he’s scaled to your current rank, it’ll be easy."

But the tower heard.

And it answered.

{Veldra’s power will now be limited to A-Rank.}

Lucas stared at the system message. Then slowly turned to his dragon, lips twitching.

"...You just had to open your mouth, huh?"

Veldra let out a sheepish chuckle. "I was only answering your question..."

Lucas groaned inwardly.

—End of Chapter 57—