Chapter 121

Chapter 121

In the dead of night, a group approached the fortress built by the White Bear Caravan.

There were fifty of them in all.

Every one of them was Awakened.

All of them had covered their faces with masks or veils.

It was the bare minimum measure to keep them from knowing one another’s faces or identities.

They were all Awakened from the slums, a raiding party hastily assembled that day to rob the White Bear Caravan.

The one leading the attack force was Lee Beom-ho.

He was a Grade D magic-type Awakened.

The moment he obtained information that a Caravan had entered Neo Seoul for the first time in decades, he made plans to plunder it.

‘I don’t know where Akutsk is, but they’re bound to be carrying all kinds of rare goods.’

The subspace backpacks he had managed to obtain from the Goblin Market numbered ten in total.

Each backpack had been enchanted with subspace the size of a small room.

They were items difficult to obtain even with money. And he had not had the money to buy them anyway.

In the end, he had borrowed them from a merchant in the Goblin Market on the condition that the stolen goods would be divided afterward.

He did not think he could plunder every item the White Bear Caravan possessed. But if he could fill even some of the subspace backpacks, the deal would bring more than enough profit.

It was a gamble with his life on the line. But it was worth attempting.

‘If I pull off this one score, I can get into Neo Seoul. I’ll live like a king in Neo Seoul too.’

Every Awakened participating in the raiding party, including Lee Beom-ho, thought the same thing.

A small fortress came into view.

The fortress, made by stacking cargo wagons in layers, looked extremely solid. But they were not greatly worried.

They trusted the items they had prepared.

Lee Beom-ho shouted.

“Use the Explosion Scrolls.”

“Okay!”

The Awakened attached the Explosion Scrolls to the outer wall of the fortress.

A moment later, the Explosion Scrolls glowed red-hot and detonated.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—!

A tremendous explosion erupted.

Lee Beom-ho and the Awakened expected a large hole to be blasted through the fortress wall, in other words, through the cargo wagons.

The core of this plan was to enter through the breach, plunder the goods in an instant, and escape.

But things in the world did not always go according to plan.

“Fuck! Why is that still intact?”

“Were the Explosion Scrolls defective or what?”

The Awakened stared wide-eyed at the place where the explosion had occurred.

Despite such a powerful blast, the fortress wall remained intact.

There was not even a single scorch mark left by the flames.

“What the hell is it made of?”

“Is that what matters? Fuck! I think we’re screwed.”

No sooner had one Awakened finished speaking than the Awakened of the White Bear Caravan rushed out from inside the fortress.

“Raiders.”

“Catch them and kill them.”

They attacked the raiding party without the slightest hesitation.

The situation had become far different from his plan, and Lee Beom-ho could not hide his momentary confusion. But he soon regained his composure.

“Fuck! Since it’s come to this, kill them all and take everything.”

“Waaaah!”

There was no turning back now.

Even if they returned empty-handed without obtaining any spoils, they would die.

“Chaah!”

Lee Beom-ho used his Skill, Magic Missile.

Whizz—!

Five Magic Missiles flew toward the Awakened of the White Bear Caravan.

The other raiders also unleashed their main Skills with all their might.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—!

“Aaagh!”

“Guh!”

Explosions and screams erupted everywhere.

But most of those dying were the raiders.

The Awakened of the White Bear Caravan were all elites.

They had fought through countless threats and monster attacks on their way here.

To people like them, the low-grade Awakened of the slums did not pose any real threat.

The Caravan Master, Alexandro, watched the raiders fighting his Awakened with a baffled expression.

He had expected that something like this might happen.

He had experienced similar incidents in other Colonies as well.

But he had never imagined they would attack on the very first day.

“Kill them all and let Neo Seoul know that the White Bear Caravan is not to be taken lightly.”

“Do not leave a single one alive.”

“You’re all dead, you sons of bitches! Do you think this is the first or second time we’ve dealt with something like this?”

“No one takes the White Bear Caravan’s goods for free. These are our lifeline.”

The Awakened of the White Bear Caravan rampaged like monsters mad with blood.

The goods loaded on the cargo wagons were things the people of Akutsk had gathered with every last ounce of their strength.

The survival of Akutsk Colony and the people living there depended on the outcome of the Caravan’s trade journey.

Naturally, their resolve could not be the same as that of the raiders.

“Aaagh!”

“Kek!”

The raiders screamed and collapsed.

When more than half of them died in an instant, the raiders faltered.

“Fuck! They’re this strong?”

“We’re all going to be wiped out at this rate.”

One or two deserters began appearing among the raiders.

They broke away from the group and tried to flee toward Neo Seoul. But the Awakened of the White Bear Caravan had no intention of letting even one of them go.

“You filthy Scavenger bastards!”

“Die!”

They chased the raiders down with savage persistence and killed them.

“How can this be? They’re this strong?”

With the situation turning out this way, even Lee Beom-ho, who had organized the raiding party, had no choice but to falter.

He had expected the Awakened to be strong, since they were part of a Caravan that crossed the desert. But he had never expected such an overwhelming difference.

That had been the cause of his failure.

“Fuck!”

In the end, Lee Beom-ho chose to flee. But someone blocked his path.

Unlike the other Awakened, it was a strikingly slender, beautiful boy.

“You caused all this trouble, and now you’re just going to leave?”

“Move, you little bastard.”

Lee Beom-ho shouted and fired Magic Missiles.

Five Magic Missiles flew toward Damian at terrifying speed. But just before the Magic Missiles struck, someone stepped in between them.

It was Alexandro, the Caravan Master of the White Bear Caravan.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud—!

The Magic Missiles struck his whole body instead of Damian. But not even the smallest wound appeared on him.

“Impossible!”

Lee Beom-ho’s eyes widened in shock.

At that moment, Alexandro stretched out his large hand and seized Lee Beom-ho’s head.

“What do you mean, impossible?”

CRUNCH—!

Lee Beom-ho’s head burst like a watermelon.

After killing Lee Beom-ho in an instant, Alexandro shook off his hand and looked at Damian.

“Are you all right?”

“I could have handled him myself.”

“How many times have I told you? You are the core of our Caravan, so please take care of yourself.”

“Ha ha! That does not mean you have to protect me like a child.”

“We could not have come this far without you. Damian! Please recognize how remarkable and precious you are.”

“I will.”

Damian smiled brightly.

---

The attack on the White Bear Caravan the previous night quickly became known throughout the slums.

“A raiding party led by Lee Beom-ho, a Grade D Awakened, was wiped out?”

“They didn’t steal a single item? Insane!”

“The White Bear Caravan’s forces must be stronger than we thought.”

Whenever two or more people gathered, they talked about what had happened the day before.

Lee Beom-ho was not a particularly great Awakened, but he was not weak enough to be helplessly defeated either. If he had been, he never would have been able to lead a raiding party in the first place.

The rumor that Lee Beom-ho and his raiding party had been wiped out without even putting up a proper fight was more than enough to shock people.

There had been quite a few others organizing raiding parties besides Lee Beom-ho. But the moment news spread that the raiding party he led had been annihilated in an instant, they all disbanded.

After making a show of force, the White Bear Caravan did not come out of the fortress they had built outside Neo Seoul.

It was as if they were telling anyone who had business with them to come personally.

Indeed, news began to spread from various places that people were moving to formally visit the White Bear Caravan.

Zeon thought it was only natural.

The one holding the goods was the White Bear Caravan.

They also held the supply rights.

Then naturally, those who needed the goods had to go to them and request a trade.

That was the way of the world, and the White Bear Caravan clearly understood the power and influence they possessed.

With demand everywhere, there was no need for them to make the effort to move and arrange meetings.

People would come to them even if they stayed still, so all they had to do was wait.

The problem was that one of the people trying to go there of her own accord was Briel.

“Let’s go to the Caravan!”

She suddenly came to Zeon and blurted it out.

Zeon blinked.

“Why?”

“Aren’t you curious what kind of goods they brought? Aren’t you curious, Zeon?”

“Not particularly.”

“Come on, let’s go together. There aren’t any more items I can get from the Goblin Market.”

Obtaining the materials needed for alchemy was never easy.

She had to secure items when the opportunity came.

She did not know whether the White Bear Caravan had the items she needed, but there would be no loss in visiting once.

The problem was that Briel alone could not enter the White Bear Caravan.

The White Bear Caravan did not allow visits from individuals.

If they did, every bit of riffraff would certainly try to enter. That was why they had placed strict limits on who was qualified to visit.

Only someone who was at least the head of an organization could enter the White Bear Caravan.

That was why Briel was begging Zeon.

Eaton, the ruler of Shinchon, was under Zeon’s influence.

That was more than enough qualification to enter the White Bear Caravan.

Briel looked up at Zeon and pleaded.

“Please? Let’s go.”

“Hah! Fine, let’s go.”

“Really? Yes!”

When Zeon reluctantly gave permission, Briel bounced around in delight.

Zeon put on his robe.

He was going because Briel was pestering him, but he, too, was curious about the White Bear Caravan.

Just by looking at the goods they had brought, he could infer the environment of Akutsk Colony and the distribution of monsters there.

Before going to the White Bear Caravan, he first stopped by Eaton.

Naturally, Eaton found Zeon’s visit uncomfortable.

He asked with a sour expression.

“You want to visit the White Bear Caravan?”

“Yes.”

“Right now?”

“Yes.”

Zeon answered with a smile.

Eaton thought he wanted to punch Zeon in the face. But if he did, his own head would undoubtedly fly off at once.

He, too, coveted the goods the White Bear Caravan had brought. So he had been waiting for the right time to visit.

But Zeon had struck first.

Naturally, he had made no preparations to visit.

As he hesitated, Zeon smiled and said,

“Would that be difficult?”

At that moment, Eaton felt his life was in danger.

He could not be deceived by that gentle tone.

The other man was a wolf wearing sheep’s skin—no, a monster.

If Eaton let his guard down after being fooled by his appearance, he would be eaten in an instant.

Eaton rose from his seat and said,

“Of course it is possible. In fact, we were planning to go to the White Bear Caravan as well.”

“Right now?”

“Yes! Right now.”

“That is good. I was worried I might be imposing.”

“What nonsense are you saying? Shinchon is this peaceful because of you, Lord Zeon. Of course I should accommodate you.”

Eaton smiled as he spoke.

But his true thoughts were different.

‘Your very existence is an imposition, you son of a bitch!’