Chapter 159

Chapter 159

Zeon did not return to the slums right away and instead walked through Neo Seoul.

He had entered Neo Seoul before, but at that time, his purpose had been to gather information in order to deal with Tajik, so he had not had the leisure to look around properly.

Zeon slowly walked down the street.

Nominally, the city was divided into City Hall and the four districts of east, west, south, and north, but there were no clear boundary lines, so one could go anywhere.

Thanks to that, Zeon was able to freely look around Neo Seoul.

Neo Seoul was a different world from the slums.

If the slums remained somewhere between the modern and contemporary eras, Neo Seoul had clearly surpassed the civilization of the current age.

“It really is incredible. To create a civilization like this in only a hundred years.”

Jin Geum-ho was a man worthy of respect.

If not for him, creating a city like this would have been impossible.

Because Jin Geum-ho had rebuilt Neo Seoul, as many as twenty million people had been able to escape the threat of monsters.

Zeon looked around at the miracle created by one man’s obsession and will with an expression of admiration.

It was then.

“Huh?”

“It’s Zeon.”

At the sudden sound of children’s voices, Zeon turned his head and looked.

The moment he saw the children’s faces, a furrow formed between his brows.

Twin sisters with identical faces, as if stamped from the same mold.

They were Eun Su-jin and Eun Su-young.

“Why are you two here?”

“That’s what we want to ask.”

“Why are you here? Why aren’t you in the slums?”

They strode toward Zeon.

Since he sensed no hostility from them, Zeon answered calmly.

“The mayor summoned me.”

“What? Then is Zeon joining City Hall too?”

“Are you joining the Numbers? Then we’ll be family.”

“That won’t happen.”

“Why?”

Zeon gave a faint laugh and answered,

“This place is too clean.”

“What does that mean?”

“There’s no sand.”

“Ah! Zeon is a Sandmancer.”

He had given a trivial reason, but unexpectedly, the two of them accepted it immediately.

They were the two who had already invaded Zeon’s mind and learned that he was a Sandmancer.

Because they knew that an environment without sand was the worst for a Sandmancer, they accepted it without protest.

At that moment, another voice rang out.

“I wondered where everyone disappeared to in the middle of things, and here you were.”

An old man leaning on a cane approached the three.

It was Elder Go, another member of the Numbers.

When Elder Go saw Zeon’s face, a complicated expression crossed his features.

Because they had faced the Balrog together, he knew very well how remarkable Zeon’s ability was.

“What brings you here?”

“He said the mayor called him.”

“The mayor?”

Elder Go looked at Zeon with a puzzled expression.

As a member of the Numbers, he knew Jin Geum-ho better than most.

Jin Geum-ho was not a person who carelessly let others into the Mayor’s office.

He only granted an audience when there was sufficient value and business.

“Did he offer to recruit you?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“We merely exchanged a few small words.”

“Mm!”

Even more wrinkles appeared on Elder Go’s already wrinkled face.

‘The mayor called him in just to exchange meaningless small talk? Not even a dog would believe that.’

There must have been some secret conversation between them.

But he could not press further.

Jin Geum-ho gave individual missions even to the Numbers.

No one knew what missions the others were carrying out.

The twin sisters carried out the same missions as Elder Go because he traveled with them as their guardian as well, but he had no way of knowing the circumstances of the other Numbers.

In the same way, Jin Geum-ho must have made some proposal to Zeon.

Whether Zeon had accepted that proposal or not was another matter.

“Since we have met like this, why not have a meal together? I have received help from you, so I would like to treat you at a good restaurant.”

“Very well. I have nowhere else to go anyway.”

“Then come with me.”

Elder Go spoke with a smile.

The twin sisters clung to Zeon’s side and chattered noisily.

“When did Zeon awaken?”

“What grade are you?”

“How long are you going to stay in the slums?”

“Do you have friends?”

“Do you have a place to stay?”

Their nonstop barrage of questions made Zeon feel as though his ears might bleed.

Elder Go spoke with a benevolent expression.

“They are rather noisy, are they not? Please understand. They only do this to people they like.”

“It is a little annoying.”

“Please understand. I have lived like this for years.”

“Yes!”

Zeon gave a faint laugh.

Until not long ago, they had been wary of one another, yet now they were suddenly chatting like friends. The fact itself was simply amusing.

The twin sisters saw that.

“Oh, he smiled!”

“So Zeon knows how to smile.”

“He’s handsome.”

“Really handsome.”

Their voices made Zeon feel as though his soul was leaving his body.

Even so, he thought this was not a bad reunion.

In any case, it was better than fighting one another.

The place Elder Go brought him to was a rather splendid restaurant on the top floor of a thirty-story high-rise building.

There were already many customers inside the restaurant.

All the customers were dressed elegantly.

Among them, a few Awakened wearing heavy armor could also be seen. They spoke among themselves without caring about other people’s gazes.

Since this was a world where Awakened held absolute superiority, no one would criticize them for not being properly dressed.

“We will sit over there.”

Elder Go led Zeon to an empty window seat. Then someone who appeared to be the manager hurried over.

“Sir, that seat has already been reserved.”

“Cancel that reservation.”

“That is......”

“Will you still not cancel it after seeing this?”

Elder Go discreetly showed his identification to the hesitant manager.

The manager’s face turned pale when he saw the identification.

That was because Elder Go’s identification bore the mayor’s official seal, indicating that he was a high-ranking official of City Hall.

An identification bearing the mayor’s official seal was no different from a free pass in Neo Seoul. Anyone who possessed such an identification could use any facility without restriction.

The manager knew very well what would happen if he refused.

“From now on, that seat belongs to you.”

“Set the food to the highest grade. I have come to treat an honored guest.”

“Of course.”

“Mm!”

Elder Go sat down with a satisfied smile.

He seemed like the most easygoing old man in the world, but he too was one of the powerful figures at the peak of Neo Seoul, and he knew how to use and enjoy the authority he possessed.

Elder Go said to Zeon,

“The veal steak here is truly extraordinary. Once you taste it, you will keep coming back.”

“Is it real veal?”

“Of course. It is on a different level from cultured meat.”

“Where in Neo Seoul do they raise cattle? The land is so narrow.”

“What is remarkable about humans is that they find a way under any circumstances. So do not worry about it and simply enjoy the food.”

Everyone who came here for the first time thought the same thing as Zeon.

After the world turned to sand, animals that ate large amounts of grass, such as cattle, had also faced extinction.

Since grass itself no longer grew, there was no way to raise them.

Even a city like Neo Seoul was not suited to raising cattle. Yet it seemed they had found a way to raise them somehow.

‘This world really is strange. To think they’re raising real cattle.’

He could not even guess where in this splendid city there was space to raise cattle.

“It’s really delicious here.”

“Once you taste it, you’ll want to eat it again.”

“I’m already drooling.”

“I want to eat quickly.”

The twin sisters banged on the table and chattered. Even so, the people merely glanced at them and said nothing.

They had instinctively realized that this group held quite a high status even within Neo Seoul.

A moment later, the veal steak Elder Go had ordered arrived.

The veal steak served on a white plate looked so appetizing that it made saliva gather in his mouth just by looking at it.

Elder Go asked Zeon,

“Would you like a glass of wine as well?”

“They have wine too?”

“Not only wine. If there is any liquor you wish to drink, say so. Anything is possible here.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I do not drink.”

“Then I will have a glass by myself.”

Elder Go ordered the manager to bring out a glass of wine.

Once the wine arrived, the meal began.

Slice, slice.

Only the sound of meat being cut rang out around their table.

At the taste of veal steak for the first time, Zeon’s eyes widened.

That was because the flavor exceeded his expectations.

It was on an entirely different level from cultured meat raised in a factory.

The tender texture and the juices inside made him think that this must be what heaven felt like.

“How is it? Good, is it not?”

“It is delicious.”

Zeon answered honestly.

Elder Go smiled in satisfaction and drank his wine.

“If you live in Neo Seoul, you can eat food like this every day.”

“It would be burdensome to eat this every day. Coming occasionally should be enough.”

Zeon indirectly refused Elder Go’s proposal.

Food that was too delicious made people arrogant.

If he became accustomed to food like this, he would never be able to return to an ordinary life again.

That was not what Zeon wanted.

The veal steak he was eating now was delicious, but Zeon preferred the food Old Man Kleksi made for him.

In any case, Zeon decided to enjoy this moment.

He slowly chewed the meat little by little and savored the taste.

The juices filling his mouth delighted his tongue.

Even the twin sisters stopped chattering for this moment and focused on the food.

Thanks to that, peace came for the first time in a while.

“Mm! The aroma is good.”

Elder Go enjoyed the scent of the wine as he sipped it little by little.

The four of them had been focused on their meal for some time when it happened.

“What? You’re saying there’s no seat for us?”

“You want to die? You canceled our reservation without permission?”

Suddenly, a commotion broke out near the entrance.

Two Awakened could be seen causing a disturbance.

Apparently, they were the people who had reserved the seat where Zeon and the others were now sitting.

The manager was sweating profusely as he tried to persuade them, but it was no use.

“Move! I’m going to see the faces of the bastards who dared take our seat and grind them to pieces.”

“What a bunch of beggar-like trash......”

The Awakened approached the table where Zeon and the others sat, radiating a vicious air.

The manager no longer dared to stop them and merely stamped his feet in distress.

In the meantime, the Awakened reached the table.

They seemed to be fairly high-ranking Awakened, and each of them was covered in high-quality items.

“Was it you? The vermin who stole our seat?”

“An old man, one brat, and two little kids. What the hell are you bastards?”

Elder Go looked up at them and said,

“I apologize for taking your seat. I will compensate you sufficiently, so withdraw quietly for now.”

“What the hell is this crazy old man saying?”

“Do you know who we are, talking that shit?”

The Awakened shouted, their eyes glaring.

“Who might you be?”

“Fuck! We belong to the Dark Brotherhood.”

“The Dark Brotherhood? Was there such a place?”

Elder Go tilted his head.

The ones who gave him the answer were the twin sisters.

“They’re an organization that nested in the border area between West District and South District.”

“Illegal gambling dens and brothels are their main sources of income.”

At that moment, a deep smile appeared on Elder Go’s lips.

“Then I need not feel sorry.”

“What?”

“They were a place we were going to sweep away anyway, so do not feel wronged just because you are dying a few days early.”

“Fuck! What is this crazy old man saying......?”

Unable to listen any longer, one of the Awakened tried to strike Elder Go with his huge fist. But he could not accomplish what he wanted.

Snap!

The moment Elder Go snapped his fingers, their upper bodies vanished as if erased with an eraser.

He had trapped only their upper bodies inside a barrier.

That was their end.

Seeing fountains of blood erupt from the lower bodies that had lost their upper halves, the customers screamed.

“Kyaaak!”

“It’s murder!”

Ignoring the commotion, Elder Go said,

“We will finish the meal later. Today, I should clean up this place called the Dark Brotherhood.”

It was the moment the Dark Brotherhood received its death sentence.