Chapter 77

Chapter 77

THUD, THUD!

Zeon opened his eyes at the sound of someone pounding on the door early in the morning.

Zeon put on his robe and walked to the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, brother!”

He had thought Goran’s gang had come, but unexpectedly, Levin’s voice came from outside.

When Zeon opened the door, Levin was standing there.

Levin stared intently at Zeon and said,

“You’re still safe?”

“What brings you here?”

“I heard the rumor that you got into trouble with one of Goran’s subordinates, so I came.”

“To help me?”

“To tell you something.”

“What?”

“May I come in?”

When Zeon stepped aside, Levin naturally entered.

“This place really is the best. It feels like a hideout.”

“What about your revenge?”

“I released the kids to search for him, but it hasn’t been easy. After killing my family, he hid himself away completely.”

“Is that so?”

“That son of a bitch must have smelled something.”

Levin’s voice sank low.

After that day, he had wandered the streets searching for the murderer.

His friends had stepped forward to help him, and his eyes and ears were spread all over the streets of the slums. Even so, the murderer had not appeared.

As if it were a lie, he had stopped killing and vanished.

“I’ll still find him no matter what. A dog can stop eating shit before a bastard like that can stop killing and live quietly forever.”

“I suppose so. Anyway, what did you come all the way here this morning to tell me?”

“It’s about Goran.”

“What about Goran?”

“You do not know anything about him, brother.”

“So what is it?”

“I mean Goran’s ability.”

“Do you know something?”

“I don’t know the details either. But I’ve heard things.”

Only then did Zeon look interested.

“What did you hear?”

“When Goran became the ruler of Shinchon, there were especially many explosions.”

“Explosions?”

“I don’t know much, but they say several buildings nearly collapsed because of them.”

It had already been twenty years since Goran seized control of Shinchon.

Exactly how he had taken over Shinchon was not known. That was because most of the people who had been at the scene had died.

But that legend was still engraved in people’s minds as fear.

“I do not know exactly what kind of ability it is, but it’s definitely related to explosions. So be careful.”

“Thank you. That will help a lot.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help you, brother.”

Levin did not want to make an enemy of Goran.

Although he had awakened a special ability, he was still nothing more than a brat.

His grade was low, and he could not use his ability to its full extent either.

Moreover, he had an obligation to avenge his family.

Until he took revenge, he could not do anything else.

Zeon smiled faintly.

“That much is enough.”

“I truly hope you survive.”

“I hope you avenge your family too.”

“Yes! Let’s both hang in there. I’ll go now.”

Levin left Zeon’s house quietly, as if afraid someone might see him.

Left alone, Zeon murmured,

“An ability related to explosions......”

When people thought of Awakened, they commonly assumed there were only four systems: magic types, martial types, shamanic types, and those who fused with machinery. But occasionally, like Zeon or Levin, people awakened to other systems.

Perhaps Goran was one of those people.

“I am curious.”

In any case, he would find out once they clashed directly.

He did not want to make a fuss preparing for it already.

Zeon ate a simple meal, then boiled water.

What he took out of his subspace was a plant leaf.

It was not just any plant leaf, but the leaf of a plant-type monster.

The creature had taken the form of a cactus and lured in other monsters passing nearby to devour them.

Strangely, leaves had grown all over its body, and when the leaves were brewed, the taste was incredible.

At first, Zeon had approached the creature without knowing anything and had nearly been eaten. After great hardship, he had barely defeated it and saved his life.

After studying the dead monster, he realized that brewing its leaves as tea had excellent effects. So he plucked all the leaves and carried them in his subspace.

Zeon poured boiling water into a cup and brewed the monster’s leaf. Then the rich fragrance of tea filled the room.

Zeon picked up the cup and walked to the window.

He looked down at the street while sipping the tea.

Tea made from the monster’s leaves had the effect of calming the body and mind while increasing mana.

Whenever he had time, Zeon brewed and drank tea from the monster’s leaves.

Now he only regretted that there were not many leaves left.

That was when a man standing in the middle of the intersection entered Zeon’s sight.

He was a bald man with a physique like a gorilla.

The bald man was looking directly at Zeon and smiling.

Zeon instinctively realized that the bald man had come looking for him.

The bald man aimed his fist at the place where Zeon was.

The man’s fist was unusual. It was made of metal.

‘Machine?’

That was when it happened.

BOOM!

An explosion burst from the man’s fist, which was aimed at Zeon’s house. Immediately afterward, the entire building shook as if it had been bombed.

RUMBLE!

Zeon frowned and looked at the man.

“That’s a shock wave.”

What the man had fired with his mechanical prosthetic arm was a shock wave, Shock Wave.

Zeon did not know whether Shock Wave was the man’s own Skill or the power of the mechanical prosthetic arm, but it was clear that the attack had been aimed at him.

The only thing the man did not know was that Zeon’s house had a barrier around it.

The barrier created by the Watching Eye perfectly protected Zeon’s house from external impact.

BOOM!

The man fired Shock Wave once more. But his attack was blocked by the Watching Eye again.

The result would probably be the same even if he attacked several more times.

The man’s Shock Wave could not pierce the Watching Eye. The man must have noticed that fact too.

Even so, he continued firing Shock Wave without concern.

RUMBLE!

The entire building shook as if there had been an earthquake.

Zeon looked dumbfounded.

He had realized what the man was aiming for.

“The bald man knows how to use his head.”

Zeon’s house was protected by the Watching Eye, but the other houses were not.

The homes above, below, and beside Zeon’s were thrown into chaos.

Walls collapsed, and cracks spread through pillars.

The people inside screamed in shock at the sudden attack.

If a few more Shock Waves were fired like this, the entire building containing Zeon’s house might collapse.

If the building itself collapsed, even Zeon’s house, protected by the Watching Eye, would not be able to hold out.

That was why the bald man had clearly changed his method of attack the moment he noticed there was a barrier around Zeon’s house.

“Tch! How annoying......”

Zeon opened the window.

His house was on the eighteenth floor. It was more than fifty meters above the ground.

For an ordinary person, just looking down from that height would make their head spin. But Zeon threw himself out without the slightest hesitation.

His body fell at terrifying speed.

Just before he touched the ground, Zeon’s speed rapidly slowed.

That was because sand particles too fine to see were supporting Zeon’s body.

But the bald man could not know that.

That was because he had disappeared before Zeon landed.

After safely reaching the ground, Zeon immediately tracked the bald man.

Tracking the bald man was not very difficult.

It was because he had left traces of himself everywhere, as if showing off.

Before long, Zeon found the bald man.

The bald man was standing in front of a building resembling the Colosseum.

He gestured with his chin, as if telling Zeon to follow him, then entered the building.

Zeon looked at the Colosseum for a moment.

It was his first time coming here, but Zeon knew exactly what the Colosseum was.

This was the arena operated by Goran, the ruler of Shinchon.

“As expected, he was Goran’s subordinate.”

He had thought so from the beginning.

Zeon entered the arena without the slightest hesitation.

“Waaaaah!”

“Kill him!”

The moment he entered the arena, tremendous heat and shouting greeted Zeon.

Countless people were shouting with their eyes blazing, and in the middle of the arena, two people were fighting with their lives on the line.

At a glance, they were ordinary people without any abilities.

One held a sickle, and the other held an axe as they swung at each other.

Their entire bodies were already stained with blood, and their faces were twisted in pain.

Even so, they were attacking each other madly.

The desperation that losing meant the end could be felt clearly.

Zeon knew very well what had driven them to the edge of the cliff like this.

Zeon’s gaze turned to the highest point of the arena.

There, the bald man was looking at him.

Zeon walked straight up to where the bald man was.

“You came.”

As soon as he reached the place where the bald man was, a low, heavy voice greeted him.

Zeon looked at the owner of the voice.

He was a huge Black man wearing a baseball cap and leather jacket.

Behind him stood the bald man who had lured Zeon here.

The Black man said to Zeon,

“We finally meet. Your name was......”

“Zeon!”

“Yes! Zeon. This is our first time meeting, isn’t it?”

“Probably.”

“It seems you know me.”

“Aren’t you Goran?”

“You know exactly.”

A satisfied smile appeared on the Black man’s lips.

He was Goran, the ruler of Shinchon.

Goran introduced the bald man standing behind him.

“This here is my friend, Dolkan.”

“You don’t need to introduce him separately. Thanks to him, my house almost collapsed.”

“But it didn’t?”

“Fortunately.”

“It must be quite sturdy.”

“You sound disappointed?”

“To be honest, I am. I told him to collapse it.”

Goran smiled, showing his white teeth.

Dolkan spoke as if making an excuse.

“There was a barrier around his house. I fired several Shock Waves, but it was fine.”

“Is that so? You’re quite capable, then. I like capable friends.”

Goran’s heated gaze could be felt even through his sunglasses.

Zeon smiled faintly.

“I’m glad to be recognized.”

“First, sit down.”

When Goran gestured with his chin, one of his subordinates brought out a chair.

Zeon did not refuse and sat down.

Goran pointed with his finger at the two men fighting in the arena.

“Can you see them?”

“Yes!”

“They’re people driven to the edge of a cliff. You can feel the fear and desperation they give off, can’t you?”

“I can.”

“I like the scent of the fear they release. It excites people.”

“That’s bad taste.”

“Bad taste? Maybe. But once you get used to it, you won’t be able to escape either.”

“I wonder. I’m not interested in that sort of thing.”

“You shouldn’t make promises. Human values change easily.”

Goran tapped his head with a finger and laughed.

Zeon looked at Goran in silence. At that, Goran shrugged and said,

“The atmosphere has grown stiff. Let’s eat first.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the people who had been waiting brought out food.

Soon, plausible-looking dishes were laid out on the table.

Goran picked up a fork and knife and said,

“It’s steak. Real steak made from actual cow, not cultured meat. It should be worth eating.”

Even then, when Zeon did not pick up the fork, Goran looked toward the wall of Neo Seoul visible beyond the window.

“The bastards in Neo Seoul eat things like this. If you follow me, you’ll be able to eat this every day too.”