Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Zeon stared intently at the steak.

Just as Goran had said, it was clearly made from real beef.

The juices and fragrance slowly seeping from it held a deep flavor that could not be felt from cultured meat or monster meat.

Saliva naturally gathered in Zeon’s mouth.

Goran sliced the steak and said,

“I told you, don’t hold back. This is really delicious.”

He put a large piece of meat into his mouth and chewed.

Meat juices ran down along the corner of his mouth.

Goran wiped the juices with his finger, then sucked them off.

In an instant, an entire piece of steak disappeared into his stomach.

Goran pointed at the steak placed before Zeon.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I don’t particularly feel like it.”

“Tch! When you’re young, you should eat anything well.”

“I have a small appetite.”

“Looks like you’re not hungry yet. Then how about women?”

SNAP!

Goran snapped his fingers once more, and a door on one side opened.

Beyond the door, more than ten women in revealing outfits were waiting. A middle-aged woman dressed flamboyantly led them out.

Zeon recognized the middle-aged woman’s identity at once.

Ava.

She was the lover of Eaton, whom Zeon had driven to the brink of death, and the godmother of the brothels.

Ava smiled alluringly and said,

“We meet again, young master!”

“I wonder if your boyfriend is all right. I beat him a little harshly.”

“You don’t need to worry. He’ll shake off that much and get back up in no time.”

“That’s a relief.”

“You really are such a kind-hearted young master.”

Ava smiled with her eyes.

Zeon thought Ava was far from ordinary.

It was not easy to smile while standing in front of someone who had nearly killed one’s lover.

Ava pointed to the prostitutes on either side and said,

“Well then, is there a girl you like? I picked only the aces among the girls I keep......”

The prostitutes smiled brightly.

They were women famous for their beauty even among the prostitutes Ava managed. The scent of the perfume they had sprayed on themselves stimulated Zeon’s sense of smell.

Zeon looked over them one by one.

To appeal to Zeon, the prostitutes made sensual expressions or gestures that emphasized their breasts.

But not a single one of them reached Zeon’s heart.

Zeon said,

“I don’t think they’re my type.”

“That’s because you don’t know women yet. Even if they don’t appeal to you now, once you hold them in your arms and roll around with them, you’ll think differently.”

When Ava gestured with her chin, the prostitutes surrounded Zeon.

One prostitute sat on Zeon’s knee, while another slipped her hand into Zeon’s chest and caressed him.

It was a temptation difficult for any man to refuse.

Goran looked at Zeon, surrounded by prostitutes, and said,

“All you need to do is say one word. Then all those women are yours.”

“What word do you want me to say?”

“That you’ll follow me.”

“So, in other words......”

“That’s right! I’m making you a recruitment offer right now. So I hope you don’t refuse. I’m not used to being refused.”

His words were gentle, but his eyes were not.

A terrifying gaze could be felt beyond his sunglasses.

Zeon asked with an interested expression,

“What if I refuse anyway?”

“You’ll pay a price. And that price will be harsh.”

“Do you usually threaten the people you’re trying to recruit like this?”

“It depends on the target.”

Eaton, whom he had sent to Zeon, had returned seriously injured.

Eaton was one of his most trusted close aides, along with Dolkan, Taeo, and Ava.

Zeon had subdued that Eaton without much effort.

According to Eaton and Ava, Zeon’s grade was estimated to be at least Grade B, not Grade C.

In the slums, Awakened above Grade B were extremely rare.

A Grade B Awakened was someone who would be treated like nobility even inside Neo Seoul.

If he could recruit a Grade B Awakened, he could forget private feelings or grudges as much as necessary.

Zeon said,

“I don’t know what to do with myself, being evaluated so highly. Before I answer, let me ask one thing. You’re the one who leaked information about the magic power generator to the Crocodiles, aren’t you?”

“It was business. There were no personal feelings, so don’t misunderstand.”

“As expected.”

“I’ll tell you in advance. I don’t want the Goblin Market to learn about this. So you’ll have to think carefully before answering.”

Goran smiled, showing his white teeth.

The smile felt even more chilling against the contrast of his dark skin.

There was no way Zeon could fail to understand what Goran meant.

This place was Goran’s backyard.

Everyone in the arena was under Goran’s influence. With one order from Goran, the people in the arena, and all of Shinchon, would become Zeon’s enemies and attack him.

Being the ruler of Shinchon was not an empty title.

Zeon said,

“So I never had a choice from the beginning.”

“If you want to keep living in Shinchon, come under me. I won’t work you that harshly.”

“What about the Crocodiles?”

“You just need to hand over the magic power generator. Then there won’t be any problem.”

“Come on. What kind of solution is that? In the end, I’m the only one taking a loss.”

“That’s how the world is. The weak must accept every unreasonable condition. If you feel wronged, then become stronger than me.”

“Is that really all it takes?”

“Are you confident?”

Goran slightly lowered his sunglasses and looked at Zeon.

“Things in the world aren’t always resolved with confidence alone.”

“You talk as if you have a lot of experience with that.”

“Not a small amount.”

“Haa!”

At Zeon’s habit of catching onto every word, Goran let out a sigh. Irritation appeared on his face.

“Then the negotiation has broken down.”

“A negotiation only exists when both sides have something to concede. Who would accept a negotiation where only one side suffers a loss?”

“You’re right! I was demanding too much sacrifice from you. But what can I do? That’s the law of this world. The ruler has everything. I am the ruler of Shinchon. Everything in Shinchon is mine. Nothing in this place can escape my grasp. That includes you.”

At Goran’s arrogant words, Zeon smiled faintly and said,

“I am not anyone’s object or possession.”

“If you’re in my territory, you’re mine.”

“There must be something wrong with your head. I’m actually curious how someone can end up in that kind of mental state.”

“You’d better watch your mouth. My patience isn’t that strong.”

“You should watch your mouth too. Don’t bother someone who returned home for the first time in a long while and is resting.”

Zeon pushed away the prostitutes surrounding him and stood.

Goran glared at Zeon.

“Sit down!”

“The negotiation is over.”

“I’m not finished speaking. Sit down!”

“I’m finished.”

“Can you handle what happens after this?”

“As much as needed.”

“Maybe because you’re young, you have no fear.”

“At least I’m not hiding tightly inside a protective shield like someone else.”

At Zeon’s sneer, Goran’s face twisted.

He had not actually deployed a protective shield, but he was wearing an item that deployed one if he was attacked.

It was the ring on his finger.

It was an item from a dungeon that he had obtained with great difficulty.

Once a day, it activated automatically if he received a surprise attack.

Goran called this ring the Ring of Protection.

If not for the Ring of Protection, he would never have kept Zeon close.

He did not know whether Zeon had noticed the existence of the Ring of Protection before saying that, but it was enough to strike a nerve with Goran.

“Heh-heh!”

Goran laughed.

He no longer tried to persuade Zeon.

He wanted Zeon, but not badly enough to damage his pride this much.

Goran rose from his seat and spoke while looking down from a height two heads taller than Zeon.

“I invited you as a guest today, so I’ll let you leave.”

“Thank you. Then......”

Zeon slightly lowered his head and walked down the stairs.

Watching Zeon’s back as he grew farther away, Dolkan spoke.

“Are you really letting him go?”

“As if......”

Goran smiled, showing his white teeth.

Zeon had almost reached the arena below the stairs.

The inside of the arena was now cleanly empty, as if the fight had ended.

At that moment, Goran shouted,

“From now on, there will be a new match.”

“Waaaaah!”

A tremendous cheer erupted.

The faces of the people who had already been waiting for a new fight flushed red with excitement.

Goran pointed at Zeon with his finger.

“The opponent is Zeon. I’ll give ten thousand sol to anyone who defeats Zeon.”

“Waaaaah!”

The arena gates opened, and people poured out.

Most of them were ordinary people who had been captured after failing to repay their debts to Goran.

In their hands were cold weapons like axes and swords.

At Goran’s declaration that he would give ten thousand sol, they lost their reason.

With ten thousand sol, they could repay all their debts and escape this hellish place.

“Hah!”

Zeon let out a sigh and looked up at Goran.

Goran was looking down at Zeon and smiling.

“They’re ordinary people with no abilities. Let’s see if you can use your strength against ordinary people.”

“Hah! Really......”

Zeon sighed once more.

He had acted politely because he wanted to live quietly if possible, but it seemed the other party had seen that as him being an easy mark.

“Fuck! Die!”

“Ten thousand sol is mine!”

“Hand over my money!”

The ordinary people dragged into the arena swung their weapons at Zeon.

Their voices and eyes were full of desperation.

To them, Zeon was like a lottery ticket that had disappeared long ago.

If they caught him, he would allow them to escape this hellish reality.

The cheers of the audience were added on top of that.

“Waaaaah!”

“Fight!”

Their cheers paralyzed even the last remaining reason of those holding weapons.

SWISH!

Swords, axes, and other weapons flew toward Zeon’s neck and chest.

To them, they were attacks made with all their strength, but in Zeon’s eyes, they looked far too slow.

Zeon moved.

BABABABAK!

With the sound of heavy strikes, everyone who had charged at Zeon was sent flying backward.

The weapons they swung did not leave so much as a hair-thin wound on Zeon’s body.

Zeon looked up at Goran and said,

“I told you it’s useless.”

“No. They have already fulfilled their duty splendidly.”

Goran grinned.

Sensing something strange in his attitude, Zeon looked at the people collapsed on the ground.

One of them was glowing red.

“Damn it!”

Without thinking any further, Zeon threw himself backward.

BOOOM!

At that instant, the body of the person glowing red exploded.

It happened before Zeon could fully escape the blast radius. In the end, Zeon was also swept up in the explosion and slammed into the arena wall.

There was no way Zeon, an Awakened, would lose his life to something of this level.

Zeon dusted himself off and rose from his seat.

His gaze had sunk coldly.

He had experienced countless things until now, but he had never once seen a person explode like a bomb.

It was a phenomenon that could never occur naturally.

Not unless someone had artificially manipulated it.

Zeon’s gaze turned toward Goran.

“Planting a bomb inside a human body. You really aren’t sane, mister.”

“You’re surprised by only that much?”

Goran smiled, showing his white teeth.

He shouted loudly enough for everyone in the arena to hear.

“One hundred thousand sol. I’ll give one hundred thousand sol to anyone who wounds Zeon’s body.”

“One hundred...... thousand sol?”

“Insane!”

Madness appeared on the spectators’ faces.

The enormous sum of one hundred thousand sol had paralyzed their reason.

Even though they had seen what had happened to the people who had rushed at Zeon right before their eyes.

“He’s mine! No one touch him.”

“Fuck! I’ll kill him.”

The spectators turned into enemies and charged at Zeon.

Zeon looked at them with deeply sunken eyes.

“You’re crossing the line hard.”