Chapter 100

Chapter 100

Zeon was a powerhouse of the desert.

In the desert, Zeon had nothing to fear.

Neither the monsters roaming over the sand nor the unknown beasts dwelling underground could instill fear in him.

But the megacity he was experiencing for the first time gave Zeon a vague sense of fear.

The enormous wall surrounding Neo Seoul had once been a wall of despair to Zeon, something he could never cross.

He had known that a new world existed beyond that wall. But he had never been granted the qualification to pass through that enormous gate.

That was why Neo Seoul had felt like a mirage.

The fact that he was now inside Neo Seoul did not feel real.

It felt like the hazy state just before waking from a dream. But Zeon soon collected himself.

“I’ve become sentimental too.”

Zeon smiled faintly and began walking.

Seen up close, Neo Seoul was enormous.

It was far larger and more splendid than he had vaguely imagined from the outside.

The streets stretched out straight like a Go board, and tall buildings stood packed densely into every block.

Large and small vehicles moved along the streets, while signs of every kind and dazzling electronic billboards cluttered his vision.

It was an environment where someone entering for the first time would easily lose their destination and wander. However, Zeon walked without hesitation.

That was because he had learned Neo Seoul’s geography through Mandy and Kim Sang-sik.

Neo Seoul was broadly divided into five districts.

The Central District, where City Hall was located, and the four districts to the east, west, south, and north.

The Central District, where City Hall stood, was the true heart of Neo Seoul.

All roads in Neo Seoul led to that Central District, and conversely, they spread out like a spiderweb from the Central District into each district.

There were no fixed boundary lines between the districts.

People simply recognized places tacitly, as the North District or the South District.

The place Zeon was heading toward was the border area between the Central District and the East District.

This area, crowded with apartment buildings, was mostly inhabited by commoners.

Apartments had been the optimal form of housing for commoners in the past, and they remained so now.

That was because they were the structure most suited to packing the greatest number of commoners into limited land.

At a glance, they did not seem very different from the buildings in the slums, but in terms of convenience, security, and comfort, they were incomparably superior.

“This is the place.”

Zeon headed toward one of the tall apartment buildings.

“Stop right there.”

But before he could even pass through the main entrance, someone blocked his path.

It was a Guard protecting the apartment building.

The Guard was armed with a personal firearm.

It was not very useful against monsters or Awakened, but it was enough to intimidate ordinary people.

Guards like this were stationed at every apartment building and public place.

They strictly managed those entering and leaving.

The Guard looked Zeon up and down before speaking.

“You’re a face I’ve never seen before. What business do you have here?”

“I came to meet someone.”

“Who?”

“Mandy Sistine. She lives in this apartment building.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No.”

“Then you cannot enter.”

“Could you contact her?”

At Zeon’s words, the Guard frowned and answered.

“Unless someone from inside contacts us directly, no one can be allowed in.”

“I’m an acquaintance of hers. If you contact her, she’ll definitely tell you to let me in.”

“Hmph! There are no exceptions.”

The Guard snorted.

It was obvious at a glance that he was looking down on Zeon.

In an apartment building, the Guards held considerable authority.

That was because no one could enter unless the Guards responsible for security permitted it.

Zeon looked troubled.

He had not expected to run into difficulty from the entrance of the apartment building.

He could subdue the Guard and go in if he wanted to, but that would draw attention.

“Tch!”

Just as Zeon clicked his tongue and looked around, it happened.

BOOM!

Suddenly, flames shot up with an explosion not far from the apartment building.

In that instant, the Guard’s expression changed completely.

“Damn it! Again?”

“What do you mean? Again?”

“You don’t know? It’s a district war.”

The Guard snapped at Zeon’s question.

“A district war? You mean the districts fight each other?”

“Damn it! Are you asking because you really don’t know? It happens every day here.”

“Hmm!”

Zeon’s eyes sank deeply.

To be honest, Neo Seoul, as seen from the slums, had seemed extremely peaceful.

It had seemed as if no disputes could exist here.

But this too was a place where people lived.

Just like the slums, disputes between humans were happening here as well.

The only places where disputes were permitted were the four districts to the east, west, south, and north.

No force or individual was allowed to cause trouble in the Central District, where City Hall was located.

If a problem broke out in the Central District, the Awakened directly under City Hall were immediately dispatched to suppress it.

If the problem was deemed serious, the Execution Unit directly under the mayor moved.

The moment the Execution Unit moved, a storm of blood swept through Neo Seoul.

No matter how powerful the rulers of each district were, they could not ignore the Execution Unit.

The Execution Unit was made up of Awakened of at least Grade A to Grade S, and each of them possessed tremendous traits.

Because of that, even the rulers of each district felt uneasy about the Execution Unit.

BOOM!

Another enormous explosion occurred.

The flames soaring high into the sky dyed Neo Seoul’s sky red.

But this explosion had happened much closer than the last one.

The Guard stared toward the explosion with tense eyes.

“Damn it! At this rate, this place might get dragged into the fight too.”

Although Guards existed to block external threats, they had no ability to stop a battle between Awakened.

At that moment, another explosion erupted.

BANG!

“Kraaagh!”

“Kek! That crazy woman...... Run!”

Urgent screams followed.

A short while later, the commotion died down as if it had never happened.

“Is it...... over?”

The Guard loosened the grip he had tightened around his gun and muttered.

His entire body was already drenched in sweat.

That was how tense he had been.

That was when it happened.

“Damn bastards. Look what they did.”

Someone came walking toward them with a grumbling voice.

The woman walking while wiping the blood from her hair and shoulders held a large spear in her hand.

When the woman touched the handle of the spear, the spearhead folded inward, turning it into a short baton.

After fastening the baton behind her waist, the woman wiped the blood from her body with her hands.

“This feels disgusting. I need to bathe first.”

Grumbling, she approached the apartment entrance where Zeon and the Guard stood.

A smile appeared on Zeon’s lips.

“It’s been a while.”

“Who? Huh! Why are you here?”

The woman’s eyes widened as she stared at Zeon.

Zeon approached her.

“Mandy! No, is it Eloy?”

“Wow! Shit. It really is you. I’m not seeing things.”

“So it’s Eloy. That fight just now was yours after all.”

“Ah! I had a clash with those elf bastards. More importantly, how did you get in here?”

“I came to meet you.”

“Really? Then let’s go inside first.”

Eloy took Zeon and headed toward the apartment entrance.

Gulp!

The Guard swallowed dryly at the sight.

That was because he had no idea what kind of trouble he would be in if Eloy learned that he had stopped Zeon.

At a glance, Eloy looked strong.

Her wild eyes, the force radiating from her entire body, and even the blood staining her from head to toe were far too intimidating for a mere Guard to handle.

At that moment, Zeon tapped the Guard’s shoulder.

“Relax. Nothing will happen.”

“Pardon? Yes, sir!”

“I can go in now, right?”

“Of course.”

The Guard answered loudly.

Zeon smiled and passed by him.

Eloy asked Zeon,

“Did something happen here?”

“No.”

“Hmph! Is that so?”

“More importantly, did you say you fought elves?”

“Yeah! Those things have been causing small problems lately.”

“Is the North District the problem?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know if the Ice Queen is letting it happen, or if bastards outside her control are running wild on their own, but it’s true that they’ve been causing a lot more trouble lately.”

When she mentioned elves, Eloy’s eyes glinted sharply.

Her hatred toward the elves remained unchanged.

Click!

“This is my home.”

She said as she opened the door.

Eloy’s home was about the same size as Zeon’s.

The interior had no common decorations and was simple.

Because only the necessary furniture and appliances were present, it felt bleak.

“It looks shabby, doesn’t it?”

In that instant, Eloy’s way of speaking changed.

A different personality from before had appeared. But Zeon was not surprised.

“Is it Mandy?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry for visiting so suddenly.”

“It’s all right. But what brings you all the way here?”

“I came to ask you a favor.”

At Zeon’s courteous words, Mandy looked intrigued.

That was because, from what she had understood of Zeon, he was not the kind of person who carelessly asked others for favors.

“What favor?”

“Please look into someone named Tajik for me.”

“Tajik? Is that a person’s name?”

“Yes.”

“Anything else?”

“For now, the name is all I know.”

“Mm!”

Mandy frowned.

More than twenty million people lived in Neo Seoul.

Finding someone named Tajik among them was nearly impossible.

Of course, that would be the case for an ordinary person.

Mandy was not an ordinary person.

She was recognized for her ability even in Neo Seoul and worked as a Supervisor.

If she wanted to, she could access the Central District database.

Of course, she would have to accept a certain amount of risk.

After organizing her thoughts for a moment, she answered carefully.

“All right. I’ll look into it.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“I owe you a debt too.”

If not for Zeon, she would not have survived in the desert.

It was actually more comfortable for her to repay that debt through this opportunity.

“How long will it take to find the information?”

“It won’t take very long. If he is an important or dangerous person, his information should be registered at City Hall.”

“Is that so?”

“I should be able to find out by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Stay here until then.”

“I can’t impose on you that much. Is there somewhere nearby I can stay?”

“There’s a fairly large hotel two blocks north. As long as you don’t go to the casino in the basement, it’s decent enough to stay there.”

“A casino? There’s something like that?”

“People with money to spare usually go there. Then they ruin themselves. So it’s best not to enter in the first place.”

“Understood. Then I’ll stay at the hotel, so contact me as soon as you find out.”

“Yes!”

Zeon gave Mandy a slight nod, then went outside.

He headed toward the hotel Mandy had told him about.

When he went two blocks north, a beautiful building made entirely of reinforced glass appeared.

It was the hotel Mandy had mentioned.

Zeon entered the hotel.

Many people were moving about in the hotel lobby.

Perhaps because there was a casino in the hotel basement, there were quite a lot of visitors.

Just as Zeon passed through the crowd and headed toward the front desk, it happened.

“Hm?”

A strange light appeared in Zeon’s eyes.

A group of Awakened walking toward him from directly ahead had caught his attention.

A middle-aged man carrying an enormous claymore on his back, a cynical-looking man following behind him, a blue-haired woman, and a giant with a tremendous physique.

Zeon recognized them at a glance.

‘The world sure is small.’