Chapter 105

Chapter 105

“Ugh! This damned blazing sun.”

Briel grumbled.

She had covered her face with her pointed hat, but the sunlight reflected from the ground struck her face without mercy.

It had been a long time since she had come outside, and today of all days, the sun was shining even hotter.

Everything was heated.

The slum buildings, the roads, even the air shimmered as if they would melt at any moment.

The slum residents, who never came outside during the day, had come out into the shaded alleys to escape the heat.

They kept fanning themselves with their hands to cool down.

Briel looked at them for a moment, then soon moved on.

Her destination was the Goblin Market.

She had gone there so often while Zeon was away that it now felt as comfortable as home.

“Hm-hm!”

Briel walked while humming.

She was in a good mood.

That was because she had succeeded in an experiment last night.

It was not the Mana Amplification Potion she had wanted, but she had created a potion comparable to it.

It was not the potion she had intended.

It was something she had stumbled upon by chance while making the Mana Amplification Potion.

Although it was a by-product of coincidence, its performance was not bad.

No, it was too good.

That was why Briel was headed to the Goblin Market.

Since she was bringing a good result with her, her steps could not help being light.

But soon, voices that ruined her mood reached her ears.

“Hey, kid.”

“Pointed hat. Come here for a second.”

Briel’s expression twisted at once.

‘Hah! Again.’

This was that kind of neighborhood.

When a girl walked alone through the street, a sinister voice would inevitably call out.

The owners of the voices were punks who looked to be in their twenties.

They hid in the shade of an alley and beckoned for Briel to come over.

There was no easier target than a woman walking alone, especially a young girl.

The punks’ intentions were obvious to anyone.

Briel sighed and walked toward them.

The punks thought Briel was coming because she was frightened, and laughed.

“Heh-heh-heh!”

“Let’s see you take off that hat.”

One of the punks lifted Briel’s hat.

At her pale but pretty appearance, the punk whistled.

“Whew!”

“She’s pretty cute. This won’t be boring.”

At that moment, Briel spoke in an icy voice.

“You’d better take your filthy hand off me.”

The punks looked dumbfounded.

“What? Who do you think you’re ordering around, you little bitch?”

“Fuck! Looks like you need a beating to come to your senses.”

They raised their fists to use violence.

At that moment, Briel’s eyes gleamed ominously.

“Air Binding!”

No sooner had her words ended than the air around them heavily constricted the punks.

“Ghk!”

“Kuek!”

Under the powerful pressure, the punks froze, unable to move.

At that moment, their throats tightened as if ropes had wrapped around their necks.

The punks’ faces turned deathly pale, and their tongues stuck out.

Briel watched them with an emotionless expression.

Although she had been captured by hunters and drifted all the way here, she was still an elf.

A High Elf, far nobler than ordinary elves.

Magic that human Awakened could only barely manage to cast was something she could cast as if it were nothing.

As she gradually recovered from the aftereffects of the drugs, she was regaining her old magical ability.

She had become capable of casting magic of this level as easily as breathing.

The punks collapsed on the ground and writhed in pain.

“Ghk!”

“W-we were wrong...... spare us......”

Even at their pleas, Briel’s expression did not change.

In the slums, death was part of everyday life.

Even if they died, no one would care.

Briel pronounced their death sentence.

“Vermin! Just die.”

“Whoa, whoa! Calm down.”

At that moment, a voice came from behind her.

When she turned around, she saw a boy with a buzz cut, flashy earrings, and striking piercings looking at her.

Briel recognized the boy at a glance.

“Levin!”

“Long time no see, Briel!”

“You’re not taking their side, are you?”

“As if! There’s no way I’d take the side of trash like them. I’m just saying there’s no need for you to get those punks’ blood on your hands.”

“Why?”

“They committed crimes in another district and ran here. If we capture them, there’s a bounty. It’d be better to hand them over and collect it.”

“Really?”

Levin did not miss the way Briel’s eyes sparkled.

He smiled faintly and said,

“The bounty isn’t much. Only five hundred sols. Still, it’s free money.”

“Will you handle them for me, Levin?”

“Gladly!”

At Levin’s answer, Briel released her magic.

THUD!

The punks collapsed onto the ground and gasped for breath.

Since they had been driven to the brink of death, there was no strength left in their arms or legs.

Naturally, they did not dare run away.

When Levin gestured, the boys at the entrance of the alley dragged the punks away.

Briel asked,

“Are they Levin’s subordinates?”

“Friends!”

“Ah!”

“Where are you going in the middle of the day, Briel?”

“The Goblin Market!”

“That works out. I’m going to the Goblin Market too.”

“Why is Levin going?”

“There’s someone I need to find.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know either. It isn’t certain.”

“I see.”

Briel nodded.

She knew Levin’s circumstances too.

She also knew who Levin was looking for.

He was still tracking the murderer.

“Did you find a clue?”

“It looks like some of the things he uses came from the Goblin Market. So I’m going to sit there for now and watch.”

“Are you qualified to enter?”

“That’s why I want to go with you. Is that okay?”

“It is!”

Briel nodded without thinking further.

The Goblin Market did not open its doors to just anyone.

Only those whose identities had been strictly verified were given entry rights.

Naturally, Briel had that qualification.

If Briel vouched for him, Levin could also enter the Goblin Market.

As they walked together, Levin asked as if something had suddenly occurred to him.

“What about Zeon hyung?”

“He’s resting at home.”

After returning from Neo Seoul, Zeon had shut himself inside the house without going anywhere.

“Looks like he went somewhere? I didn’t see him for a few days.”

“Yes! He said he went away because he had work.”

“I see.”

Levin did not ask any further.

As they walked while talking about this and that, they soon arrived at the Goblin Market.

Thanks to Briel, Levin was able to enter the Goblin Market safely.

Briel said to Levin,

“I guess we part here. I have to go this way.”

“Thanks for getting me in. Take care of your business and get home safely.”

“Yes!”

“Then I’ll see you next time.”

Levin waved and disappeared among the people.

Briel watched his back for a moment, then turned away.

The place she headed to was Yu Se-hee’s residence.

Yu Se-hee greeted Briel with a smile.

“It’s been a while.”

“It hasn’t been that long. Why make such a fuss?”

Briel grumbled and sat down.

“What about Zeon?”

“He’s resting at home.”

“Did he say when he’d stop by the Goblin Market?”

“No.”

“I see.”

She owed Zeon a great debt.

Although it had been because of Tajik’s pressure, she had still blocked information and pushed Zeon into the Dungeon.

She had done it to save old man Clexi, but it had been a shameful act unbefitting the Guild Head of the Goblin Market.

Because of that, she felt indebted to Zeon.

Yu Se-hee changed the subject.

“So what brings you to my room? If you need something, you can buy it from the merchants.”

“I came to sell something this time.”

“Hm?”

“I made something.”

Briel took two bottles filled with blue liquid out from inside her sleeve.

“What is this?”

“A Detoxification Potion!”

“A potion?”

Yu Se-hee’s eyes widened.

Ordinarily, potion was a word that referred to medicine in liquid form.

However, in the current age, potions held a special meaning.

That was because they were the crystallization of modern alchemy created by magic-type Awakened.

Some potions cured diseases, while others restored mana.

Thanks to them, miracles that would have been unimaginable in the past became possible. But only an extremely small number of Awakened knew how to make potions, and even they were strictly controlled by Neo Seoul.

They had been designated outright as strategic materials, and their import and export were thoroughly managed.

Various potions were released to the overlords of Neo Seoul according to interests and transactions.

Potions that removed various status abnormalities were one of the useful tools for securing the loyalty of subordinates.

Because of that, obtaining potions on the market was not easy.

Obtaining potions in the slums was even harder.

The Goblin Market handled potions too, but most were cheap ones with poor efficacy.

Truly good potions were hard to find even in the Goblin Market.

Yu Se-hee forced herself to hide her excitement and asked,

“How effective is it?”

“It can neutralize poison from monsters up to Grade D.”

“That’s...... a little weak.”

“Do you really think so?”

Briel stared straight at Yu Se-hee.

Yu Se-hee did not miss the contempt in her eyes.

‘This little brat......’

Something surged up inside her.

That was because she felt ashamed that a child had seen through what she was really thinking.

Most of the monsters hunted by Awakened in the slums were Grade D or lower.

Hunting monsters above that was too dangerous, and compared to the risk, there was not much to gain.

Among monsters Grade D and below, quite a few possessed poison.

If they were not detoxified in time, they could quickly bring Awakened to death.

In short, if the Detoxification Potion Briel had brought truly had that level of effect, it could become the finest item in the slums.

“Whew! You know it has to be verified first, right?”

“That’s why I brought two bottles. Test them, and once the effect is verified, I’ll sign the contract then.”

“Understood. I’ll test them as fairly as possible.”

“If they pass the test, I’ll sign the contract under Zeon’s name.”

“Not under your name?”

Yu Se-hee looked surprised.

She could not understand why such an incredible result would be placed under Zeon’s name instead of Briel’s own.

“Yes! I’ll do it under Zeon’s name.”

“Then the profit that could come to you will go to Zeon. Are you okay with that?”

“That’s why I’m doing it.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to repay Zeon, even if only a little.”

“......”

“If not for him, I’d still be in the Crocodile Den making drugs. I hate all humans, but he is the exception.”

She had made a Soul Covenant in order to survive.

Unintentionally, she had become bound by the thread of the covenant.

She had fallen into a position where she had no choice but to obey whatever Zeon demanded.

Even if he demanded her body, she could not refuse.

And yet Zeon had demanded nothing from Briel.

If anything, she was grateful that he left her alone so she could act freely.

“If you owe a debt, you have to repay it. That is our way.”

“You won’t regret it?”

“Never!”

“You’re needlessly serious for a brat...... Fine! I’ll verify the effect, and if it’s certain, we’ll produce it exclusively on our side. You’ll hand over the recipe, right?”

“If the conditions are right......”

“Deal?”

“Deal!”