Chapter 110

Chapter 110

The Ice Queen was the last hope and guardian of the different races secretly operating within Neo Seoul.

Because she existed, the different races could stubbornly maintain their presence in Neo Seoul despite harsh persecution.

For that reason, the loyalty the different races held toward her was almost blind.

Borin was no different.

She had become the captain of the Blue Fallen Leaf Special Operations Unit because of the Ice Queen, Cerian Oliana.

She had accepted the dangerous position of special operations captain because she wanted to be of help to her in any way she could.

While leading the Blue Fallen Leaf Special Operations Unit, she had faced countless dangers and met countless people, but no one had ever given her as chilling a feeling as Zeon, who stood before her now.

Zeon was smiling.

That seemingly gentle smile felt as threatening as a blade.

Borin felt as though she were standing naked and alone before the sharpest sword in the world.

Zeon asked with a smile,

“I understand why you tried to take Levin. His ability is certainly valuable enough. But why were you trying to take that murderer? What value could he possibly have?”

“......”

Borin pressed her lips tightly together.

Although she had failed her mission, she still could not recklessly leak secrets.

At Borin’s reaction, Zeon put on a sorrowful expression.

“Borin! Let’s make this easy. Please don’t make me do something bad. If you do, you’ll become very unfortunate.”

“Ghk!”

At that moment, Borin’s face twisted.

That was because, through the instinct unique to elves, she felt that Zeon’s words were true.

She did not know what the “bad thing” Zeon spoke of was, but if he took action, it was certain that something very unpleasant would happen to her and the Blue Fallen Leaf Special Operations Unit.

“Whew!”

Zeon sighed.

After looking at Borin for a moment, he turned toward the other elves.

“It seems you still haven’t decided, so I think I should help you a little.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“I happen to have many interesting things. Among them is an insect called the Firehorn Beetle. It’s a rather funny little creature. It gnaws on the bones of living beings. If your bones are gnawed away, you should obviously die, shouldn’t you? But this creature injects a paralyzing fluid from its mouth to keep the living being alive. This paralyzing fluid has a hallucinogenic effect. So anyone attacked by this creature enjoys the greatest pleasure until all their bones are eaten away, and then dies.”

“Don’t lie. There’s no way such a grotesque life-form exists in this world.”

“Are you serious? As far as I know, this creature also came over from Kurayan.”

“That’s......”

Borin’s eyes trembled.

She saw Zeon slip a hand into his chest.

She could not tell whether Zeon truly had a Firehorn Beetle on him. But she had once heard the legend of the Firehorn Beetle from Cerian, the Ice Queen.

However, because it had been fragmented information, it took time for her to recall it.

‘If he really has a Firehorn Beetle?’

Just imagining it made a chill run down her spine.

In the end, Borin surrendered.

“Fine. I’ll speak. That man is the by-product of a certain experiment.”

“A by-product?”

“Yes! Exactly as I said, a by-product. Something like dregs. Because of that, his personality was destroyed, and only his instinct for slaughter remained.”

“What kind of experiment?”

“That is what we were trying to find out by taking him.”

“Hmm!”

“There have long been many secret rumors about the central district where City Hall is located. Because of that, the Ice Queen was concerned as well.”

“So the place that conducted the experiment is the central district?”

“That is what we suspect. That is why we were trying to take the murderer, to learn the details.”

“Hmm!”

Zeon furrowed his brow.

If Borin’s words were true, then the northern district’s movements made sense.

Although all of them belonged to Neo Seoul, the central district and the other four districts each had separate rulers.

Their territories were strictly managed, making it difficult for other forces to intervene.

Intervention by another force meant war, so they had no choice but to be cautious.

“I told you everything I know. So let us go now.”

“Fine. But I have one condition. Never approach Levin again.”

“That is......”

“If you don’t make this promise, I can’t let you go.”

“All right......”

At that moment, Briel cut in.

“Swear on Cerian’s name.”

At her sudden intervention, Borin looked flustered.

Swearing on the name of Cerian, the leader of the different races, was no different from staking her honor.

If Borin broke this oath, Cerian’s name would also be dragged through the mud.

It was something only an elf would know.

Borin looked at Briel.

“You are...... an elf, aren’t you? Then why are you taking the side of humans?”

“I’m not taking the side of humans. I’m taking Zeon’s side.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“It’s different!”

“Hmm!”

“What are you going to do?”

Briel asked curtly.

After wearing a troubled expression for a moment, Borin sighed and answered,

“I have no choice. I swear on the name of Lady Cerian Oliana, the Ice Queen and ruler of the northern district. Neither I nor the northern district will approach Levin first.”

“Hmph!”

Briel crossed her arms and snorted.

She looked exactly like a child seeking praise from Zeon.

Zeon smiled and said,

“Well done.”

“Yes!”

At that moment, Borin asked Briel,

“Judging by your appearance, you seem close to pure-blooded. Which clan’s bloodline do you descend from?”

“You wouldn’t know even if I told you.”

“What?”

“So just stop caring.”

With that, Briel firmly shut her mouth.

At her stubborn attitude, Borin felt that asking further would be useless.

It happened then.

“Look at this.”

Zeon’s sudden voice broke her train of thought.

“What is it?”

“He ran away.”

“What?”

“The murderer. He ran away.”

The place Zeon pointed to was where the murderer had been. But now, no one was there.

The murderer had regained consciousness at some point and fled.

“That’s impossible. I definitely confirmed that he had suffered fatal wounds.”

“Tsk! Levin will be sad when he wakes up.”

Although he said that, Zeon did not look the least bit regretful.

Levin had to be the one to decide the murderer’s fate.

Levin probably would not have wanted the murderer dragged away to the northern district either. If that happened, his revenge itself would have become distant.

Zeon slung Levin over his back and left with Briel.

Briel asked Zeon in a low voice,

“Were you really going to use the Firehorn Beetle?”

“There’s no way I’d have something like that.”

“Then it was a bluff?”

“Yes!”

“Really?”

“I told you.”

“Wow! You fraud! Even I was fooled.”

Briel shook her head.

Borin watched Zeon’s back as he receded and murmured,

‘A terrifying monster was hiding in the slums.’

＊＊＊

Zeon brought Levin back to his house.

Levin regained consciousness the next day.

Perhaps because of the aftereffects of what the elves had done to him, Levin remained dazed all day.

Zeon and Briel deliberately did not speak to him or provoke him.

They gave him time to sort things out alone.

Zeon sat by the window and looked out at the street, while Briel focused on her experiment in one corner.

BANG!

A flask containing an unidentified liquid exploded.

“Ugh! Another failure.”

“Are you okay?”

At that moment, Levin spoke warmly to the tearful Briel.

“Are you finally back to your senses?”

“Yes! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine! I’m used to it.”

“Briel, you’re brave. You’re not afraid of failure.”

“If I was, the humans hit me.”

“Ah! Sorry.”

“Why are you sorry? You’re not the one who hit me.”

“Just......”

“Levin really is kind.”

At that moment, Levin smiled bitterly.

That was because he was not a kind person at all.

If he had been kind, he would have listened to his mother. If he had done that, he would have been with his family on the day the incident happened.

Because he had not, he had survived alone.

Levin looked at Zeon, who was sitting by the window.

“What about that son of a bitch?”

“Son of a bitch?”

“I decided to call that murderer bastard that.”

“He ran away.”

“That’s good. I was worried about what I’d do if those women had taken him.”

Levin smiled brightly.

Leaving his revenge in someone else’s hands was not his style.

He had to carry out his revenge himself.

Levin remembered the murderer’s face, gaze, scent, and everything else.

No matter what form he changed into, no matter what identity he lived under, Levin was confident he would find him.

Of course, he had to recover to perfect condition before then.

Levin asked Zeon,

“Will the northern district keep coveting me?”

“You don’t have to worry. The northern district won’t be able to touch you.”

“What?”

Zeon told the puzzled Levin what had happened the previous day.

He told him how Briel had made Borin swear on Cerian’s name.

After hearing the whole story, Levin thanked Briel.

“Thank you, Briel.”

“Hmph! That much was nothing.”

Briel lifted her nose proudly.

“But you should be careful of the other districts.”

“Will that elf named Borin leak the information?”

“There must have been more than one person who saw your fight yesterday. Rumors will spread through their mouths.”

Levin was a new type of Awakened that had never existed before.

Apart from his combat power, his usefulness was immeasurable.

First of all, the ability called Ghost Transformation itself was fraudulent.

If he set his mind to it, he could infiltrate anywhere and nullify all countermeasures.

It was an ability optimized for intelligence gathering and assassination.

Any organization would have no choice but to covet it.

“Hmm!”

Levin let out a low groan.

Only then did he fully realize his situation.

He asked Zeon for advice.

“What should I do?”

“Either raise your grade so no one can touch you carelessly, or hide so no one can find you. You have to choose one of the two.”

“I don’t want to hide anymore.”

“Then raise your grade.”

“How?”

“Fight as much as possible and expand your talent beyond its limits.”

“Hyung! Please. Help me.”

“......”

“You can do it, can’t you? Right?”

“It is possible.”

“Please. Make me strong. In return, I’ll offer you my loyalty.”

Levin knelt before Zeon.

“Do you know how frightening those words are?”

“Hyung! I’m not a child. I know the weight words carry. Even if it weren’t for this, I wanted to stay with you.”

Levin knew.

Although Zeon looked ordinary on the outside, in truth, he was a terrifying Awakened.

He had eliminated Goran, the ruler of Sinchon, in one stroke, and had even repelled the northern district’s special operations unit with ease.

His estimated grade was Grade B.

And that was at the very minimum.

‘Maybe he’s Grade A. Or even higher......’

Levin needed an umbrella to protect him from the downpour of the world.

A large, broad umbrella.

The man he thought of as that enormous umbrella answered,

“If you’re going to stay too, the house will be cramped. I’ll have to buy the apartment next door and expand.”