Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Eaton summoned the Awakened.

Most of them were Grade E, forces of little use in actual combat. But they were enough to keep up appearances.

As long as the powerful existence known as Zeon was present, no other Awakened were needed. Still, they had to accompany him in order to display their strength to the White Bear Caravan.

The number of Awakened summoned that way was twenty.

With Eaton, Zeon, and Briel added in, there were twenty-three of them.

They left the slums and headed toward the White Bear Caravan. But they were not the only ones heading toward the White Bear Caravan.

“It’s the Dongdaemun bastards.”

“Oh? You’re right.”

Those who discovered the group heading toward the White Bear Caravan in the distance began murmuring.

A large number of men clad in gleaming heavy armor were walking with a flag bearing a cross at the front.

There was only one group in Neo Seoul that used the cross as its symbol.

It was Dongdaemun, whose leader was Johan.

Eaton’s eyes gleamed.

“Did Johan come too?”

“I do not see Johan. Ah! I see Brickston.”

At his subordinate’s answer, the corners of Eaton’s eyes trembled.

“Brickston? That berserker is there?”

“The man holding that huge hammer is definitely Brickston.”

“Fuck! Has Johan gone insane? Sending that rabid dog to a place like this.”

Eaton looked horrified.

At Eaton’s reaction, Zeon looked at Brickston.

A gigantic build that surpassed ordinary people, heavy armor to match, and an enormous hammer that looked as if it could smash the head of any ordinary monster in an instant.

He was so imposing that merely looking at him made one’s knees go weak.

The man’s name was Brickston.

There was a reason he was called a berserker.

When he rampaged with that enormous hammer in his hands, there was no one who could stop him.

He was Johan’s fanatic.

If Johan ordered it, he was ready to leap into hell.

But he was so simple and ignorant that he was not suited to carrying out complicated orders.

Then Zeon’s eyes caught sight of a woman walking beside Brickston.

The woman walking across the sand in a nun’s habit was someone Zeon knew well.

‘Kim Jae-kyung!’

She was Johan’s confidante and a woman with the power to brainwash.

The fact that she had come in person meant this was no ordinary matter.

At that moment, Kim Jae-kyung seemed to recognize Zeon as well, and her expression startled.

It was only natural for her to be surprised, since she had almost been defeated by Zeon once before.

She exchanged a few words with Brickston.

Soon after, Brickston glared at Zeon.

The gaze he fixed on Zeon was filled with an eerie madness.

Brickston led his subordinates and approached Zeon’s group.

Finally, after arriving in front of Zeon, Brickston opened his mouth.

“Are you Zeon?”

“And you must be Brickston?”

“That’s right. I am Brickston, Lord Johan’s right arm.”

Brickston answered while pounding his own chest.

Zeon smiled faintly and asked,

“I doubt you came all the way here just to leisurely exchange greetings. What do you want?”

“I came to give you a warning.”

“A warning?”

“That’s right. Our Dongdaemun will monopolize the trade with the White Bear Caravan. Neither you nor Shinchon will get any chance, so you’d better turn back now.”

“Did the White Bear Caravan say they would give Dongdaemun a monopoly?”

“Hmph! Whether they like it or not, that’s how it will be. We’ll make sure it happens.”

“If it really turns out that way, I’ll withdraw cleanly.”

“Do you promise?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll trust your promise and withdraw for now. You’d better keep that promise. Otherwise, I’ll smash your head to pieces with this hammer.”

As if to show off his strength, Brickston swung the hammer resting on his shoulder through the air, then turned away.

“That arrogant bastard.”

Only after Brickston left did Eaton burst out in anger.

At Eaton’s belated reaction, Briel smiled faintly.

‘This uncle is more of a coward than he looks.’

It was not incomprehensible.

Any Awakened, not just Eaton, would inevitably shrink before Brickston’s overwhelming presence.

Zeon was the strange one for remaining calm. Eaton was not the strange one.

As if he had already forgotten Brickston’s warning, Zeon moved on calmly.

When he finally arrived at the fortress built by the White Bear Caravan, Zeon let out an exclamation of admiration.

“So there was a way to use cargo wagons like this. They must have put a lot of thought into it.”

“It definitely looks useful when camping out in the desert. Most monsters wouldn’t even be able to approach, right?”

Briel agreed with Zeon’s thoughts.

Eaton gave his own opinion.

“I do not think these are ordinary vehicles. They seem to have been reinforced with very special materials.”

“I suppose so.”

Ordinary vehicles could never cross the desert.

The vehicle bodies had surely been reinforced or strengthened with special materials. Otherwise, there was no way to explain how not even a scratch had appeared on the surface.

Then it happened.

“Where have you come from?”

An Awakened guarding the entrance to the fortress approached Zeon’s group.

When Zeon glanced at Eaton, Eaton stepped forward.

“I am Eaton from Shinchon. We have come to trade with your Caravan.”

“Lord Eaton of Shinchon? Confirmed. You may enter.”

It seemed the White Bear Caravan had already grasped Neo Seoul’s power structure.

Thanks to that, Zeon and Briel were able to enter the fortress comfortably with Eaton at the front.

The inside of the fortress was far wider than it had looked from outside.

That was only natural, since it was a fortress made from as many as fifty large vehicles. It was wide and tall enough that even if a small building from the slums were placed inside whole, there would still be room left over.

Then one of the White Bear Caravan’s Awakened approached Eaton’s group.

“Are you Lord Eaton’s party?”

“That is correct.”

“I am Sergei of the White Bear Caravan. I will guide you.”

“Ah, yes!”

Eaton tilted his head.

He wondered whether they really needed someone to guide them. Since they had entered the Caravan, they could simply choose the goods and buy them.

As if reading Eaton’s thoughts, Sergei smiled and said,

“All of the goods we brought were secured by the Awakened of Akutsk at the risk of their lives. We have monster corpses, and we also have items from Dungeons. For convenience, we have divided all the goods into five grades and arranged them accordingly.”

“How are the grades divided?”

“Monster corpses and unusual materials are Grade D and are placed on the first floor. Unusual materials excavated from Dungeons are Grade C and displayed on the second floor. On the third floor are Mana Stones extracted from Dungeon Bosses, as well as items made in Akutsk Colony and other Colonies. On the fourth floor are items unearthed from Dungeons, and finally, the goods on the fifth floor are......”

“Why did you stop speaking?”

“I apologize, but the goods on the fifth floor cannot be disclosed because they are reserved for a later auction.”

“An auction? Just what kind of goods are they?”

Eaton pressed him, but Sergei did not answer.

Sergei led the group to the vehicle on the first floor.

“Wow!”

As soon as they entered the vehicle, Briel let out an exclamation.

It was not because of the goods displayed on the first floor.

She was amazed by the vehicle itself.

When Zeon looked at her, Briel whispered secretly,

“There are multi-layered magic circles drawn on the vehicle.”

“Multi-layered magic circles?”

“Yes! They are made by overlapping several magic circles, and they’re extremely precise.”

“Can you tell what purpose the magic circles serve?”

“That’s impossible at my current level.”

Briel looked dejected.

She did not know whose work it was, but the magic circles spread across the fifty vehicles were so advanced that she could not grasp them at all.

They had clearly been drawn by a magic-type Awakened far superior to Briel.

“It’s fine! The multi-layered magic circles aren’t what matters anyway.”

“But still......”

“Focus only on whether there are items you need. You might not be able to buy them even if you have the money.”

“That’s right!”

Only then did Briel come to her senses.

The people from Dongdaemun had already entered. She did not know how many more people would enter after this.

If competition began, an auction might start from the first-floor goods.

“I’ll have to keep my head clear.”

Briel slapped both her cheeks with her palms and strengthened her resolve.

Zeon smiled faintly and looked up at the fifth floor.

Suddenly, his face stiffened slightly.

That was because he could feel a fairly powerful energy coming from the fifth floor.

It was such a powerful energy that it pierced through despite surely being sealed by magic circles or barriers.

That proved just how remarkable the item stored on the fifth floor was.

Even Zeon had never seen an item that emitted such powerful energy.

‘Just what kind of item did they bring for it to be like this?’

If two Awakened were of the same grade, the one with the better item naturally had the advantage.

The higher the grade, the larger that difference became.

It was not as if one had to possess a good item to win, but the fact that it allowed one to occupy a slightly more advantageous position did not change.

That was why the higher an Awakened’s grade, the more willing they were to risk their life to obtain a good item.

That was why Neo Seoul’s workshops were thriving.

Items made using each workshop’s secret techniques made Awakened much stronger.

Because of that, Awakened lined up on their own at famous workshops. But there were items even the workshops’ technology could not match.

They were items occasionally unearthed from Dungeons.

Items that sometimes became the very core of a Dungeon boasted terrifying power that even Neo Seoul’s technology could not catch up to.

Especially items excavated from high-risk Dungeons possessed even greater power.

But because intact items were extremely rarely excavated, it was said that very few people actually possessed them.

If the item on the fifth floor was truly one unearthed from a Dungeon, the competition would be no joke.

‘Maybe Neo Seoul will be turned upside down because of that item......’

Then it happened.

BANG!

An explosion suddenly erupted on the opposite side of the first floor.

Just as everyone looked over in confusion, it happened.

“That crazy bitch dared to use a brainwashing Skill.”

“Damn it!”

“We’ve been caught. Wreck them all.”

Suddenly, people became entangled and began fighting.

The Dongdaemun Awakened who had entered around the same time as Zeon’s group clashed with the Awakened of the White Bear Caravan.

Brickston, who had picked a fight with Zeon’s group, swung his enormous hammer and protected Kim Jae-kyung.

Kim Jae-kyung’s face was clearly filled with frustration.

Zeon immediately understood what had happened.

‘Looks like that woman tried to use her brainwashing Skill again and failed.’

Kim Jae-kyung had also used a brainwashing Skill on Zeon. Fortunately, Zeon’s mental barrier had been firm, so it had ended in failure, but if it had succeeded, it would have been rather dangerous.

A brainwashing Skill was not almighty.

It did not work on those with firm mental barriers or items that protected the mind.

It seemed this case was the same.

A blue-glowing necklace hung around the neck of the Awakened who had shouted. The necklace had likely protected the Awakened from the brainwashing Skill.

Thanks to that, Kim Jae-kyung’s attempt to use the brainwashing Skill was exposed, and the enraged White Bear Caravan Awakened attacked.

“How dare these fucking bastards attack us?”

Brickston protected Kim Jae-kyung and blocked the attacks of the White Bear Caravan Awakened with his entire body.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—!

His thick heavy armor protected Brickston perfectly even under a barrage of various Skills.

His heavy armor was also a specially crafted item and boasted strong defense against all kinds of physical attacks.

“Khh-hh! It doesn’t even tickle. Is this all? If that’s the case, it’d be better to just take everything by force.”

Brickston’s eyes flashed with madness.

The original plan had been for Kim Jae-kyung to brainwash the person in charge and make them hand over the goods to Dongdaemun at a bargain price.

But after fighting them directly, Brickston became confident that they could seize the goods by force.

Kim Jae-kyung said urgently,

“We have to get out of here.”

“Shut up. Who are you to give orders after failing? From now on, I’m in command.”

“You crazy bear bastard. Now is the time to get out and clean up the situation.”

“I don’t take orders from losers.”

Brickston and his subordinates rampaged even more wildly.

Just when it seemed no one would dare stop Brickston’s rampage, it happened.

“That’s far enough, fanatic!”

A man with a gigantic build that rivaled Brickston’s threw a punch.

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