Chapter 291

Chapter 291

“Where is this?”

“Who am I?”

Aaron and Dominic looked around with dazed expressions.

All they could see was scorching hot sand.

Only half a day ago, they had been in the slums.

Though the slums could not compare to Neo Seoul, they were still a place where people could live.

Only after being thrown into this empty desert did that fact become painfully clear.

They had been captivated by Zeon’s words that he would help them grow, and when they came to their senses, they were already in the middle of the desert.

“I definitely remember being caught up in a sandstorm......”

“Me too......”

Awoooo!

At that moment, a wolf’s howl sounded from far away.

The two men’s expressions changed instantly.

“What was that?”

“Don’t tell me it’s a mon......ster?”

With chills running down their spines, the two hurriedly patted down their bodies.

Fortunately, the items they had struggled to buy at the Dokkaebi Market were still there.

Aaron drew his sword, and Dominic gripped his staff with both hands.

The hands gripping their weapons were trembling uncontrollably.

“Ugh!”

“Fuck! I feel like I’m going to piss myself.”

Awoooo!

Even then, the howling kept drawing closer. Their trembling grew worse.

Then, beyond the sand dune, the owner of the howl appeared.

Large, round ears. Pitch-black eyes and mottled patterns covering its body.

It was a monster that looked similar to a dog, but had far larger teeth.

“What kind of monster is that?”

“It looks like a stray dog......”

The moment the two felt slightly relieved by its appearance, which seemed weaker than they had expected, it happened.

Dozens of monsters that looked exactly the same appeared behind the stray-dog-like monster.

“Gasp!”

“Fuck! It’s a whole pack?”

Roooar!

At that moment, the stray-dog-like monsters charged at the two.

They were monsters called Lycaons because they resembled African wild dogs.

Their Grade was F.

They were among the weakest monsters.

They were monsters that a Grade E Awakened could handle well enough as long as they kept their wits about them. But to Aaron and Dominic, who were half out of their minds, they looked more terrifying than Cerberus.

When a Lycaon charged, Aaron instinctively swung his sword.

“Hyaaah!”

Yelp!

The leading Lycaon was wounded by his blade and collapsed. But there were still many Lycaons left.

Even though one of their own had died, the Lycaons charged without fear.

“Aaaah!”

With only the will to survive, Aaron swung his sword like mad.

Dominic, who was a Mage, watched the scene blankly.

The sight of his friend fighting monsters in a bloody battle somehow felt unreal.

Then Aaron’s voice awakened his mind.

“Fuck! You attack too. I can’t block them all by myself.”

“Huh?”

“You son of a bitch! Get it together.”

“Uh! O-Okay.”

Only then did Dominic flusteredly raise his staff.

It was a staff he had bought by spending all the money he had saved.

Although it was workshop-made, its mana conductivity was decent, and it had an additional option that increased Skill activation speed.

Dominic struck the ground with his staff and shouted,

“Shock Wave!”

CRACK—!

In that instant, a shock wave burst out and swept over the Lycaon pack.

Yelp!

Kraaah!

The Lycaons attacking Aaron screamed under the shock wave and were thrown backward.

“Nice!”

Aaron drove his sword into the necks of the Lycaons that were floundering from the heavy impact.

Dominic gripped his staff tightly and breathed hard.

“Huff! Hah!”

Just using one Skill seemed to have drained nearly half his mana. That was because he had shoved in far too much mana without thinking.

If he had been an experienced Awakened, he would have adjusted his mana properly, but because this was his first battle, he was too overwhelmed to control it.

Dominic looked at his staff.

‘So this is Magic. The power of an Awakened......’

At the tremendous exhilaration he felt for the first time in his life, he could not speak.

Seeing the Lycaons fall finally made it feel real that he had Awakened.

Then Aaron’s voice rang out again.

“Fuck! Are you going to lose your mind after using one Skill?”

“Huh?”

“More monsters are coming.”

“Again?”

Dominic came to his senses and looked ahead. Then he saw another Lycaon pack rushing toward them.

Roooar!

Bark, bark!

Dozens of Lycaons were running toward the two again, as if something were chasing them.

Aaron pointed his sword at the Lycaon pack and said,

“Stay sharp. I don’t think this is going to end with just that.”

“You mean more are going to come?”

“That’s what my gut says. So you control your mana properly when you use your Skills too. If you screw up and exhaust all your mana, you might die because you can’t use any Skills.”

“O-Okay!”

Dominic answered through gritted teeth.

He could not rely on Aaron forever.

He was a proper Mage too.

Dominic steeled his resolve and prepared to unfold a Skill.

---

“Looks like they’ve finally gotten themselves together a little.”

“Those bastards nearly scared the liver out of me......”

Zeon and Levin were talking atop a sand dune.

From where they stood, they could clearly look down at Aaron and Dominic’s battle.

The one who had brought Aaron and Dominic here was Zeon.

The two did not know this, but this place was quite far from Neo Seoul.

For an ordinary Awakened, it would be a distance that took several days to walk, but for Zeon and Levin, it was no problem.

The reason Zeon had brought them here was simple.

This was the habitat of the Lycaon pack, an F-grade monster.

There was no monster more suitable than Lycaons for helping novice Awakened grow.

They were moderately threatening and moderately strong.

Just enough for Aaron and Dominic, who were still nothing more than greenhorns, to handle.

Zeon watched the two fight with sharp eyes, then said,

“It’s almost over.”

“Already?”

“Aaron is holding out better than I expected, and Dominic’s Skill has decent power. More than anything, their compatibility is good!”

“Those little bastards! As expected of my friends.”

Levin smiled in satisfaction.

“Stop smiling and start herding other Lycaon packs over.”

“Yes, sir!”

Levin used Ghost Transformation and flew up into the air.

After looking around from high in the sky, he soon discovered a pack of Lycaons.

“This time, I choose you.”

Levin flew toward the Lycaon pack.

The Lycaons were thrown into confusion when they saw Levin flying toward them, transparent like a ghost.

“This is going to sting a little.”

Levin smiled and unfolded Purple Lightning.

FLASH!

If he unleashed his full power, a pathetic Lycaon pack like this would be wiped out in an instant. So he adjusted the power. Just enough not to kill them.

Of course, that was only from Levin’s perspective.

Kyang!

Yelp!

The Lycaon pack, suddenly struck by electric current, was startled out of its wits and fled.

“Not that way. Please go this way.”

FLASH!

Levin lightly fired electric currents and herded the Lycaon pack toward Aaron and Dominic.

The Lycaon pack ran in the direction Levin intended and encountered Aaron and Dominic there. Then they vented the anger they had suffered from Levin on the two of them.

Roooar!

Bark, bark!

Aaron and Dominic’s eyes widened when another Lycaon pack appeared.

“Again?”

“Fuck! Let us catch our breath.”

But there was no way the Lycaon pack would listen to them.

Aaron blocked the Lycaons as they charged with their huge teeth bared, and in the meantime, Dominic fired Magic.

After having matched their movements a few times, the two’s timing now fit perfectly.

Aaron endured, and Dominic attacked.

It was the most standard method for a martial-type Awakened and a magic-type Awakened to coordinate.

The more Aaron swung his sword, the sharper his blade became.

At first, he had simply swung his sword blindly because he was too overwhelmed, but now he could occasionally mix in Skills.

Dominic was the same.

Now, unlike at the beginning, he no longer poured mana recklessly. He had learned to adjust it according to the situation.

Of course, that did not mean the two were comfortable.

Once they dealt with a charging Lycaon pack and had just enough time to catch their breath, another new pack would appear from somewhere and attack.

By this point, they too realized how the situation was unfolding.

“This is Hyung-nim and Levin’s doing, right?”

“What else would it be?”

“Shiiit! They say there’s not a single bastard in this world you can trust.”

“Quit whining and raise your sword. It’s about time they show up again.”

“Your mana?”

“It’s hanging by a thread, but I think I can handle about one more pack.”

“Then work your ass off.”

“Yeah, you too.”

THUD!

They bumped fists, then prepared for battle again.

---

“They’ve gotten pretty skilled now.”

“Even idiots would get used to it after being put through this much. Want another piece of jerky?”

“Yeah!”

At Zeon’s answer, Levin immediately took out another piece of jerky and handed it to him.

It was jerky bought from Old Man Kleksi’s shop.

It was far softer and tastier than jerky bought from other shops.

They had deliberately not asked what the jerky was made of.

‘Well, as long as it tastes good.’

Zeon chewed the jerky and looked at Aaron and Dominic.

Yelp!

With Aaron killing the last Lycaon, the fierce battle was coming to an end.

Seeing the two slump to the ground while breathing hard made him feel a little sorry for them. But that did not mean he intended to go easy on them.

At this level, they were gaining experience very comfortably.

Zeon had gained experience harshly under Deioden, and Levin had also grown strong thanks to Zeon.

Compared to the paths the two of them had walked, this was nothing more than children’s play.

“Let those two rest a little for now. Let’s look for other monsters.”

“Other than Lycaons?”

“Lycaons are no longer a threat to them. You can’t expect growth from an opponent that isn’t a threat.”

“Then what would be good?”

“Find something a little stronger than Lycaons.”

“F-grade monsters would still be best, right?”

“For now, F-grade is their limit.”

Not all F-grade monsters possessed the same level of strength.

Even within the same Grade, differences in strength were bound to exist.

Zeon was ordering Levin to find that kind of monster.

Levin nodded as if he understood and stood up.

“Got it.”

This was about helping none other than his own friends grow.

Levin intended to do his absolute best to herd monsters that matched his friends’ level.

THUD, THUD, THUD!

A short while later, another pack of monsters kicked up dust as they charged toward Aaron and Dominic, who had barely recovered their mana.

Thanks to their friend’s devoted care, Aaron and Dominic had to experience hell.

Later, only their screams could be heard.

“Fuck! Levin.”

“Why the hell are you doing this to us?”

At their screams, Levin smiled and murmured,

“This is all Hyung-nim’s earnest desire to keep you alive.”