Chapter 344

Chapter 344

The atmosphere around Jetoya, who had spent nearly a month in the desert, was distinctly different from before.

His appearance had not changed much, but his eyes and aura now gave off the air of a seasoned warrior.

It was not merely his outward appearance that seemed convincing.

In truth, Jetoya’s inner self had become far firmer than before.

Levin and Briel had very kindly taught Jetoya, step by step, what hell was.

Starting with Grade F monsters and steadily moving up to packs of Grade E monsters, they had driven Jetoya into hell.

Levin and Briel gave Jetoya, Aaron, and Dominic only the bare minimum time to rest before driving more monsters at them.

Having gained countless experiences while following Zeon, Levin and Briel had developed a keen eye for accurately grasping another person’s capacity. Thanks to that, they could give Jetoya and the others trials harsh enough without killing them.

As a result, the ones who nearly died were Jetoya, Aaron, and Dominic. But it was also true that hardship made people grow.

They grew steadily by as much as the hardship they endured.

Among them, Jetoya’s growth was so great it could be called dramatic.

His Grade had not risen, but he had established his own method of fighting.

Jetoya’s combat sense was far superior to Aaron and Dominic’s.

Born and raised underground, Jetoya had unusually sharp senses, and he also possessed the ability to cling to walls or ceilings like a lizard.

Through battles with monsters, Jetoya learned how to use those abilities of his and apply them in combat.

He did so by clinging to the massive bodies of monsters instead of walls and moving across them.

That kind of sense was something Aaron and Dominic could never imitate.

Above all, Jetoya had a desire to become strong.

Because he had suffered so many unreasonable things from having no power in an already wretched environment, he wanted to become stronger more than anyone.

That was why, even in situations where he was about to breathe his last, he never gave up and fought fiercely.

As he fought endlessly like that, Jetoya had, before anyone realized it, established his own combat style.

When Levin and Briel first realized that fact, the absurdity they felt could not be expressed in words.

“So you can fight that way too.”

“He’s a genius. A real genius!”

Levin and Briel acknowledged Jetoya.

Compared to Jetoya, Aaron and Dominic’s talent was painfully ordinary. They grew only a little after being put through the wringer until they nearly died, but Jetoya grew rapidly in proportion to the experience he gained.

The result was how he looked now.

Jetoya had grown so much that even Zeon could feel it.

Zeon looked at Levin and said,

“You put him through the wringer well.”

“I poured in every bit of know-how I learned from you, hyung.”

“No wonder......”

“A martial artist of the same Grade probably won’t be a match for Jetoya.”

“Really?”

“Yes! If they fight underground, which is that guy’s home ground, he might even be able to take down someone a Grade above him.”

“You worked hard.”

“Thanks to him, I reflected on myself a lot too. I think I’d been living too complacently just because my Grade went up. So I’m going to push myself again.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes!”

Outstanding talent had a way of making those around it tense.

Just as seeing Jetoya’s talent had awakened Levin.

At that moment, Jetoya bowed deeply to Zeon and said,

“Thank you. For helping me grow.”

“Don’t thank me. Thank Levin and Briel. They’re the ones who did all the hard work.”

“I already thanked hyung and Briel.”

“Well done.”

“Hehe!”

Jetoya blushed awkwardly.

Zeon looked at Jetoya for a moment, then carefully spoke.

“I’m sorry to say this, but you’ll have to return to the Crocodile Den right away.”

“Did something happen?”

“Dongdaemun has noticed Remura’s existence.”

“What? How......?”

“I don’t know the exact reason either, but Dongdaemun is looking for Remura, calling her a Saintess. Right now, people from Dongdaemun are spread throughout the slums and all of Neo Seoul. And just a moment ago, someone from Dongdaemun entered the Crocodile Den.”

“Already? Damn it!”

A desperate expression appeared on Jetoya’s face.

Levin said,

“Then shouldn’t we hurry to the Crocodile Den?”

“I can’t go in.”

“What? Why not?”

“Dongdaemun will be watching my movements. If I enter the Crocodile Den and the Dark Saint loses contact, they’ll certainly think I did it. If that happens......”

“A war will break out between Shinchon and Dongdaemun.”

“That’s why I can’t enter the Crocodile Den. You’ll have to go in without me.”

At Zeon’s words, Levin and Briel’s faces stiffened.

They felt burdened by the fact that they had to resolve this incident without him.

If it had not been for Jetoya, they would not have wanted to get involved in this matter at all.

During the past month of putting Jetoya through brutal training, Levin had reflected on many things.

He had come to his senses now, but in the past, he had wandered for a long time because he thought there was no hope in life in the slums.

Of course, he had eventually pulled himself together, but the period he had spent lost had not been short.

The environment where Jetoya had been born and raised was incomparably worse than Levin’s.

He had been born in a dark underground where not a single ray of sunlight entered. With not even electricity, the use of electrical devices had been nothing but a dream, and he had to live with filth and sewage close enough to give him a headache from the smell alone.

Even in such a wretched environment, Jetoya had never once gone crooked.

The only thing in Jetoya’s mind was the desire to somehow improve the underground environment and let the underground residents live like human beings.

Though he was younger than Levin, he was far more mature and showed the qualities of a leader. Watching Jetoya, Levin could look back on just how complacently he had been living.

‘To think I let myself go like that just because I finished my revenge.’

The more he looked back, the more he could only sigh at his own foolish behavior.

Now it was time to tighten himself again.

“I’ll take responsibility and help with Jetoya’s matter.”

“It’ll be quite dangerous. That woman called the Dark Saint is the same Grade as you, but she’s spent a long time handling work in the shadows. You should assume she’s that clever and that cruel.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Levin did not boast.

That made him feel even more reliable.

Zeon looked at Briel.

“Briel!”

“Say it!”

“Take everything you can. We don’t know what you’ll need.”

“Can I take Gaia too?”

“If there’s room in your subspace, take her.”

“I expanded it recently. It’s not as large as yours, Zeon, but it’s enough for Gaia to rest comfortably.”

“Then that’s fine.”

“Hehe! That’s great.”

Briel hugged Gaia and laughed.

Finally, Zeon looked at Jetoya.

“Jetoya!”

“Yes, Lord Zeon.”

“As you heard, Dongdaemun has caught the scent. If Remura falls into Dongdaemun’s hands, hell will unfold not only on the surface, but underground as well.”

At Zeon’s words, Jetoya’s face stiffened.

Remura was still young.

She did not yet have a proper concept of good and evil. But her mother, Heather, was different.

Her eyes were full of desire.

No one knew what result her greed might bring.

“I’ll find Remura and persuade her.”

“Whatever choice you make, I’ll leave it to you. You’re the one who knows the Crocodile Den and her best.”

“Thank you. For trusting me.”

Jetoya sincerely felt grateful to Zeon.

If not for Zeon, he would not have Awakened, nor would he have been able to become stronger in such a systematic way.

Most of all, thanks to Zeon’s support with the magic power generator and other things, the lives of the villagers Jetoya led had improved a little.

What mattered was that, even after helping Jetoya that much, Zeon did not ask for anything in return.

Jetoya knew well how difficult it was to help others without expecting any price.

Jetoya vowed that he would definitely repay Zeon’s grace.

The day they returned home, Jetoya, Briel, and Levin immediately entered the underground sewer.

---

After sending the kids off, Zeon came outside alone.

He felt a gaze watching him from somewhere.

Just as he had expected, Dongdaemun had assigned someone to monitor him.

It was certain that one of the Dark Saints was watching him while using a concealment Skill.

‘How is it that not a single thing deviates from my expectations?’

Zeon smiled faintly and began walking.

Because of the watcher, he could not go underground, but that did not mean he could do nothing.

There were things he could do from here as well.

Under covert surveillance, the place Zeon went to was Eaton’s office.

“Ah! Welcome, Lord Zeon!”

The moment Eaton saw Zeon, he immediately rose from his seat and bowed at a ninety-degree angle.

Thanks to Zeon, he had become the ruler of Shinchon, and his life had been saved several times.

Even when Shinchon had been half-occupied by Dongdaemun, Zeon had saved him.

Because of that, Eaton’s loyalty toward Zeon had risen incomparably higher than before.

“Have you been well?”

“I have been well thanks to you, Lord Zeon. But what brings you here?”

“There’s something I’d like to ask of you, Lord Eaton.”

“Whatever it is, just give the order and I’ll do my best. Men who would throw away their lives for your command, Lord Zeon, are lined up waiting.”

Eaton answered urgently.

Zeon smiled as he looked at Eaton.

“It’s not something so grand that anyone needs to throw away their life.”

“Then?”

“I need you to spread a rumor.”

“What kind of rumor?”

Eaton’s eyes shone.

“That the Saintess Dongdaemun is looking for is actually an Awakened, and a remarkable Healer.”

“Is that true?”

“Whether it’s true or not isn’t important. What matters is that many people come to know it that way. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”

“Ah, yes! Of course. If the Saintess is actually an Awakened, then any faction can recruit her, can’t they?”

“That’s right.”

“Everyone will search for the Healer with their eyes blazing.”

“They probably will.”

“Heh heh! You really are remarkable. To think you’d interfere with Dongdaemun’s event with a mere false rumor.”

Eaton raised his thumb.

He thought Zeon was spreading a false rumor to interfere with Dongdaemun’s event.

He had no idea that the Saintess was truly a Healer.

Once the rumor spread that the Saintess was actually a Healer, not only Dongdaemun but many factions would move to find her.

Because whichever faction found and recruited her first would be the one to claim her.

Even if Dongdaemun later demanded they hand over the Healer because she was the Saintess, that faction simply had to hold out.

A war between factions could break out.

There could be many casualties.

That was why Zeon, too, had initially tried to hide Remura’s existence.

Because he did not want Neo Seoul to fall into chaos due to a war between Dongdaemun and the other factions.

But his thoughts had changed.

No matter how much he thought about it, the chaos could not be prevented.

Dongdaemun was a group of fanatics.

They would do anything to complete Johan’s order.

Whether they found Remura or not, a clash with other factions could not be avoided.

In the end, Neo Seoul’s chaos was a predetermined event.

If so, rather than delaying the chaos, it might be better to bring it forward.

By deliberately venting the steam before the power condensed and exploded, he would weaken the explosive force.

That was why he intended to spread the rumor about the Healer.

To make the other factions move in earnest as well.

Perhaps every faction except the West District, where mechanized Awakened were the main force, would move to find Remura.

If that happened, Dongdaemun would not be able to keep sustained attention on the Crocodile Den.

Zeon said,

“You know, right? It needs to be subtle enough that no one can trace the source of the rumor.”

“Of course. Isn’t that our specialty?”

Eaton bared his teeth and smiled.

After that day, a rumor with no known source spread secretly through Neo Seoul.

―A high-grade Healer has Awakened. Dongdaemun’s fanatics are searching for the Healer to monopolize her.