Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Eli’s residence existed in the deepest underground level of the North District.

It was the exact opposite of the rulers of each district, including Serian, who preferred high places.

Someone was kneeling on one knee before Eli.

It was Mariel, the captain of the Thorn Tree Attack Force.

Eli asked with a grave expression,

“So it is called the Spirit King’s Crown?”

“Yes! I clearly heard them mutter that.”

“The Spirit King, the Spirit King......”

Eli’s expression turned serious.

The Thorn Tree Attack Force had gone to the White Bear Caravan together with the Blue Fallen Leaf Special Operations Unit led by Borin.

On the surface, they had gone to assist the Blue Fallen Leaf Special Operations Unit, but in truth, their mission was to gather information and pass it on to Eli.

Eli was the second-in-command of the North District.

In Serian’s place, she was the one who practically operated the North District.

But no matter how well she managed it, the glory ultimately returned to Serian.

After that continued for a hundred years, she came to feel a deep inferiority toward Serian.

That inferiority complex made her even gloomier, and drove her to burrow underground instead of remaining aboveground.

“How did Borin react?”

“It was the first time I had seen her look that serious. And she said this: ‘Perhaps the true Spirit King may be sealed inside the crown.’”

“The true Spirit King may be sealed inside it? The Spirit King......”

They would be grateful even if only a low-ranking spirit appeared, but if they could truly summon the Spirit King, it could change not only Neo Seoul but the entire world.

A gleam of greed appeared on Eli’s face.

“They said they would auction off the Spirit King’s Crown?”

“That is correct.”

“If Serian obtains the Spirit King’s Crown, I will never be able to surpass her.”

Even now, the gap in their power was great.

No matter how much power Eli had built up in the shadows, she could not narrow the difference in the rank they had been born with.

Serian possessed the dignity and power of a queen in the truest sense.

Eli was also an outstanding Awakened, but she fell short of Serian.

That was why she still remained the second-in-command.

Mariel asked cautiously,

“What will you do?”

“We must obtain the Spirit King’s Crown before Serian does.”

“Then?”

“Leak the information to the Scavengers. Tell them that a treasure capable of changing the world is in the caravan. They will definitely move. We will use that opening to seize the Spirit King’s Crown.”

“Understood.”

Mariel answered with a hardened expression.

---

After leaving the White Bear Caravan, Zeon, Levin, and Briel came to Old Man Klexi’s stall.

“Please give us food.”

“Ah! I’m hungry.”

Levin and Briel made a fuss about being hungry even before sitting down.

“Did the caravan not even feed you?”

“You knew we went there?”

“You went so noisily. How could I not know?”

At Zeon’s question, Old Man Klexi grinned and answered.

As he cooked, Old Man Klexi asked,

“So, how were the items the White Bear Caravan put up for auction?”

“They all looked useful.”

“From what I hear, they were more than just useful.”

“I did not personally win any of them.”

“Well, the true value of an item can only be known by its user.”

“Still, a few items looked as though they could be used very effectively.”

“Is that so? Then their movements are no coincidence either.”

Old Man Klexi suddenly frowned.

Zeon looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Their movements?”

“The Scavengers. We detected abnormal activity from them.”

“Abnormal activity?”

“Their movements suddenly became busy. As if they had received orders from someone.”

Old Man Klexi furrowed his brow deeply.

Ever since the White Bear Caravan entered, rapid movements had been detected throughout all of Neo Seoul.

Old Man Klexi did not welcome such changes.

When people grew old, they tended to become stability-oriented.

That was because the enterprising spirit and dynamism of youth disappeared.

Old Man Klexi was the same.

He was not exactly pleased with Neo Seoul or the slums, but that did not mean he wanted them to change so drastically in a short period of time that it felt like heaven and earth had been overturned.

Zeon asked,

“You said it seemed as if they had received orders from someone?”

“They are moving in perfect order. Originally, Scavengers are the type to run wild however they please, but this time there is no sign of that at all.”

“So you believe someone is controlling them.”

“There is no other explanation. The problem is that we cannot tell who is giving orders to the Scavengers.”

“Even with the Eyes of Argos, you could not find out?”

“The Eyes of Argos show their true power only within the slums. Even we cannot perfectly grasp the situation inside Neo Seoul.”

Old Man Klexi honestly admitted his limits.

There was a reason Neo Seoul and the slums were divided.

That high wall did not simply divide status. It also cut off information.

In a way, they had to be seen as separate worlds.

Thak!

“It’s ready.”

Old Man Klexi had finished the food in the meantime and placed it before them.

It was a rice bowl topped with meat.

“It looks delicious.”

“Thank you for the food.”

Levin and Briel hurriedly picked up their spoons.

Zeon also belatedly picked up his chopsticks and began eating.

Old Man Klexi watched the three of them with a smile on his lips.

‘Seeing those brats often has made me attached to them.’

When he first saw Zeon again, he had thought of him only as a suspicious fellow.

He did not know what Zeon had gone through over those eight years, but he had returned to Neo Seoul as a cunning old serpent. So Klexi tried to dig into Zeon’s background, but he found nothing.

Because of that, he had been wary. But after continuing to meet him, he had grown attached.

The same was true for Briel and Levin.

After seeing them often, they felt like real grandchildren.

Of course, he had a real granddaughter elsewhere.

A short while later, the three of them finished their meal and walked home.

When they entered a sparsely populated street, Briel opened her mouth.

“Zeon!”

“Yeah?”

“You know, that thing.”

“What? The Spirit King’s Crown?”

“Yeah!”

“What about it?”

“Do you think the Spirit King is really sealed inside?”

“Who knows? Why?”

“I just have a bad feeling about it......”

Briel trailed off.

Her complexion had already darkened.

“You had a bad feeling?”

“Yeah!”

“What kind of feeling was it?”

“The moment I saw it, I got goosebumps. To the point where I could not breathe......”

“I see.”

Zeon nodded.

Briel was a High Elf.

Although her senses had dulled greatly from being soaked in drugs, they were still far superior to those of ordinary elves.

If even she had felt chills, there had to be a fitting reason for it.

Levin said cautiously,

“Are you not being too sensitive?”

“You are the dull one.”

“Me?”

“Yes! Idiot!”

“Damn it! I cannot believe an elf called me stupid.”

Levin grumbled.

Even so, he did not look offended.

That kind of conversation was their daily life.

Zeon watched them bicker and sank into thought.

‘If even Briel felt chills, then I was not mistaken.’

Zeon had felt something similar to Briel.

It had truly been a long time since he had felt a sensation like that.

Zeon looked in the direction where the White Bear Caravan’s fortress stood.

The sky, entirely stained by the red sunset, came into view.

The fortress standing tall beneath the blood-red sky felt especially bleak.

---

The desert sand, which had been heated during the day until it seemed ready to cook every living thing, cooled sharply at night as though it would freeze everything.

Because the temperature difference between day and night reached dozens of degrees, anyone who entered the desert without any preparation would either freeze to death or roast to death.

That was why those who entered the desert had to prepare thoroughly.

The same was true of those who had now left Neo Seoul.

However, their preparations were excessive.

They wore camouflage clothing indistinguishable from the desert sand and were heavily armed with all kinds of weapons.

There was no way people hiding their faces with masks or coverings could be normal.

They were Scavengers.

The Scavengers moved stealthily, concealing their presence completely.

Their destination was the fortress of the White Bear Caravan.

The eyes visible through their masks were filled with desire.

‘The Spirit King’s Crown.’

‘Fuck! This is the perfect chance to change my fate.’

‘If I get that, I can live in luxury for the rest of my life.’

Treasure blinded people.

The item called the Spirit King’s Crown was a treasure worth that much.

Information that the Spirit King’s Crown was inside the White Bear Caravan spread rapidly among the Scavengers.

It did not matter who started the rumor or where the information came from.

What mattered was that if they obtained the item called the Spirit King’s Crown, they could change their fate.

The Scavengers who obtained the information moved immediately.

They knew that the longer they hesitated, the farther the opportunity would slip away.

In the distance, the fortress standing tall in the middle of the desert came into view.

They could see the Awakened standing guard on top of the fortress.

Although no one had given them any specific order, a few of the Scavengers stepped forward.

All of them possessed long-range sniping skills.

“Hehehe!”

“Let’s begin.”

Some held anti-materiel sniper rifles, while others drew bows.

They fired their guns and bows at the Awakened standing guard all at once.

The Scavengers had no doubt that the guards would fall. But in the next moment, something happened that defied their expectations.

JJEONG!

A blue barrier formed in front of the Awakened and deflected the bullets and arrows.

The Scavengers recognized the identity of the blue membrane.

“It is a Barrier.”

“Fuck! No wonder the watch seemed sloppy.”

The Scavengers looked at one another.

Originally, they should have withdrawn at this point.

Attacking enemies who were already on alert would only increase their own losses. But Scavengers were not such rational beings.

“They cannot maintain a Barrier indefinitely. It will disappear soon.”

“If we launch an all-out attack, a Barrier like that will break quickly. Attack!”

A few stepped forward and stirred them up, and the rest of the Scavengers fell for it.

“Attack!”

“Charge!”

The Scavengers rushed forward like wild dogs, each trying to get ahead of the others.

More than several hundred Scavengers revealed themselves.

“It’s an attack.”

“The Scavengers are coming!”

The White Bear Caravan’s Awakened, whose lives had been saved thanks to the Barrier activating, shouted.

“Everyone, prepare for battle.”

“Prepare for battle!”

Inside the fortress, the Awakened were fully prepared to face the Scavengers.

Alexandro and Damian watched the scene.

“They attacked immediately, just as you said.”

“The nature of Scavengers is similar everywhere. I knew they would move the moment they obtained the information.”

“Even so, I did not expect them to launch such a lightning-fast attack. It means there is someone behind them manipulating them.”

“That is likely.”

“It will be a long night.”

“Yes! It will be a hard night. I am sorry, Leader, for dragging you into something like this.”

“Do not say useless things. Thanks to you, Akutsk was able to survive. Even if you dragged us into something worse than this, we would not resent you.”

“Then I will burn it all brightly, so no one regrets it.”

“That is something to look forward to.”

At that moment, the swarm of Scavengers reached the fortress entrance.

Damian gave the order.

“Kill them all.”