Chapter 96

Chapter 96

The man stepped into the elevator.

The elevator, which moved by magic, carried him silently to the fiftieth floor, the highest floor of City Hall.

From what he had heard in passing, it had been made by combining science with a magic called Grease, but he did not know the detailed principles behind it, nor did he care.

Every device in Neo Seoul operated in this way.

By properly harmonizing magic and science, they drew out maximum efficiency.

It was an unavoidable choice in an age where resources were scarce.

Since most of the land had turned into sand, obtaining concrete was difficult, and even acquiring stone was no easy task.

Most of the materials that currently formed Neo Seoul were remnants left behind after Seoul’s destruction a hundred years ago.

Buildings were raised with old materials, and Awakened like Enchanters reinforced their structures. Then Awakened who used magic created all kinds of convenient facilities.

The City Hall built in that way became the heart of Neo Seoul.

The elevator carried the man to the fiftieth floor, the top floor of City Hall, in an instant.

The man who got off on the fiftieth floor removed the hat he had pulled low over his head. Then the face of a man who looked to be in his early to mid-forties was revealed.

A cold face without the slightest expression, and unfocused eyes.

The man possessed a unique atmosphere and appearance that no one could forget after seeing him once.

After removing his hat, the man carefully knocked on the door and said,

“It is me, Lee Jung-ho.”

“Come in.”

A moment later, the door opened along with a deep, dignified voice from inside.

When Lee Jung-ho entered, a vast space appeared.

There were full-length windows that showed a clear view of Neo Seoul, a large desk placed in the center, and bookshelves decorating the walls, all filled with books.

But what stood out more than anything else was the man standing before the full-length window.

A middle-aged man looked down over Neo Seoul with his hands clasped behind his back.

A relaxed air could be felt from behind the man in the suit.

Lee Jung-ho bowed his head to the man and said,

“I have returned after completing the mission.”

“You have worked hard.”

The middle-aged man turned around.

Then the middle-aged man’s face was revealed.

His distinct features, blue eyes, neatly combed-back hair, and stylish beard on his chin and around his nose were striking.

The man’s name was Jin Geum-ho.

He was the mayor of Neo Seoul.

Jin Geum-ho asked,

“Was it difficult?”

“The conditions happened to align perfectly, so it was not especially difficult.”

“That is fortunate.”

“Here are the Queen Ghost Dragonfly’s wings and the Rainbow Pendant.”

Lee Jung-ho took out two items from his subspace and handed them to Jin Geum-ho.

Jin Geum-ho did not even glance at the Rainbow Pendant and looked only at the Queen Ghost Dragonfly’s wings.

The Queen Ghost Dragonfly’s wings floated in the air on their own, like dandelion seeds.

“Seeing that they defy gravity, they are certainly genuine.”

A faint smile appeared on Jin Geum-ho’s lips.

“I am glad I did not disappoint you.”

“You have never once disappointed me until now. That is why I can entrust any task to you with confidence.”

“Thank you.”

“Were there any other problems?”

“The second raid team entered sooner than expected, but even if we had encountered them, there would not have been any real issue.”

“That would be true.”

Jin Geum-ho nodded.

He knew that Lee Jung-ho’s confidence was not excessive at all.

Jin Geum-ho had an execution unit called Numbers.

They were killing machines who staked their lives only on Jin Geum-ho’s orders.

Lee Jung-ho was one of them.

He was a martial-type Awakened, and among them, a swordsman who wielded a blade.

His grade was Grade A.

For an ordinary Awakened, that alone would have been enough to be fully satisfied.

But he was different.

He desperately wanted to become Grade S.

However, he could not become Grade S through ordinary means.

So he had blinded himself.

It was to obtain a Skill called Mind’s Eye.

He believed that the harmony between Mind’s Eye and swordsmanship would guide him to a higher grade.

But he had still not reached Grade S.

He was somewhere between Grade A and Grade S.

To reach a definite Grade S, he needed another opportunity. But Lee Jung-ho himself did not know exactly what that opportunity was.

Jin Geum-ho said,

“You have worked hard, so rest well.”

“No. If there is a new mission, please give it to me.”

“There will be nothing for you to do for the time being.”

“Understood. Please call me again whenever you need me.”

“I will.”

Lee Jung-ho left, and Jin Geum-ho remained alone.

Looking down over Neo Seoul, Jin Geum-ho murmured,

“Heavenly Punishment. Its first step begins like this.”

***

“Haa! Haa!”

“Damn it!”

When Zeon returned to the Hell Mole’s boss room, the first thing he saw was the Awakened sprawled across the floor.

Both the Inazuma Raid Team and Jack’s Raid Team were lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

While Zeon had been dealing with the Ghost Dragonflies, they had attacked the Hell Mole Boss, and in the end, they had managed to take it down.

However, the price they paid was by no means light.

Both the Inazuma Raid Team and Jack’s Raid Team had wounded members. But compared to the Awakened from the slums, they were better off.

Most of the slum Awakened had either died or been injured.

Even so, the expressions of the survivors were not dark. In any case, they had defeated the Hell Mole Boss.

The survivors would receive the shares of the dead as well.

That was the privilege enjoyed by the survivors of a raid team.

Koji, who had been breathing roughly, spotted Zeon.

“Where did you go? I did not see you.”

“I ran out of mana, so I withdrew for a while.”

At Zeon’s answer, Koji frowned.

Zeon’s contribution had been significant in taking down the Hell Mole Boss.

If he had not cast Fire Rain, they would still have been wasting their strength dealing with the Ghost Dragonfly larvae.

Since he had unleashed a Skill powerful enough to burn away the endless swarm of Ghost Dragonfly larvae in one blow, it made sense that all his mana had been depleted.

Even so, a lingering unease remained, like food stuck between his teeth.

Koji forced his gaze away and said,

“First, recover the Mana Stone from the boss, and do something about these stone coffins. We need to rescue the people trapped inside.”

As soon as his order fell, Shu Han stepped forward with a dagger.

With practiced skill, he cut open the Hell Mole Boss’s belly and found the Mana Stone.

“This should be a sufficient reward.”

An unusual energy flowed from the Mana Stone taken from the Hell Mole Boss.

If they were lucky, a Skill might emerge from it.

If that happened, its value would skyrocket.

Jack broke open a stone coffin and shouted,

“Guildmaster!”

He shook him, but old man Clexi did not easily regain consciousness. However, his breathing was stable, so it did not seem as if anything would happen to him soon.

Koji said to Jack,

“Our deal has ended successfully, so as promised, we will take the Mana Stone. Any objections?”

“None.”

“Then leave first.”

At Koji’s words, Jack somehow glanced at Zeon.

Jack’s Raid Team avoided Zeon’s gaze and carried the rescued people on their backs.

Zeon silently watched them.

Before he knew it, a cold smile had appeared on his lips.

“As expected, there isn’t a single bastard worth trusting.”

At his sneer, Jack flinched. But he did not argue or lose his temper.

That was because he had a guilty conscience.

Originally, the dungeon had been discovered by Clexi’s subordinates.

Clexi, who had discovered by chance a dungeon ruled by Hell Moles, personally came to clear it and ended up going missing.

Yu Se-hee dispatched rescue teams to save Clexi, but all of them failed.

The person who approached her then was Tajik.

He said he would support her with the Inazuma Raid Team, and in exchange, he demanded that Zeon be made to join no matter what.

Yu Se-hee had no choice.

Old man Clexi was the only blood relative she had left.

She was not yet ready to let him go.

Jack’s Raid Team and the slum Awakened left the dungeon, carrying Clexi and the others.

Zeon stood still and silently watched the scene.

Koji asked Zeon,

“Are you surprised?”

“Not particularly.”

“You must have a stronger heart than you look.”

“I hear that often.”

“That is not necessarily a good thing.”

“It is not necessarily a bad thing either.”

“You never lose a single word.”

“That is because I have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I have seen several people lose their tongues after speaking like that.”

“Is that so? How frightening.”

Zeon exaggeratedly trembled.

At that, Koji’s gaze grew even more murderous.

He recalled Tajik’s request before coming here.

—Test him. If he is useful, we can use him in place of the Crocodiles.

—What if he falls short of expectations?

—In that case, well......

Instead of giving a clear answer, Tajik had smiled faintly.

Koji knew very well what that smile meant.

Zeon looked around.

Before he knew it, the Inazuma Raid Team had surrounded him.

Yuri, Bai Lun, Shu Han, and Comaine glared at Zeon with weapons in hand.

But Zeon did not pay them any attention and looked only at Koji.

“Is this what that man Tajik wants?”

“He is not someone you may carelessly speak of.”

“Is he that impressive?”

“At the very least, he is not someone who should be spoken of by your mouth.”

“I’m becoming more and more curious about who he really is. But you won’t tell me easily, will you?”

“You should worry about preserving your life rather than satisfying your curiosity.”

Koji did not hide his hostility toward Zeon.

SHING!

He drew his katana.

The katana, sharpened to a blue gleam, pointed at Zeon.

“Prove it. Prove that you are useful. That is the only way to save your life.”

“Well, I will struggle as hard as I can. That is what I do best.”

Zeon answered with a smile.

That sight grated on Koji’s nerves.

“Begin!”

“Yes, captain.”

Yuri, the Windmancer, answered and swung her fan.

Bai Lun charged in while swinging his axe, and Comaine used Blink to move behind Zeon.

Shu Han stepped back and observed Zeon.

‘I will dig through every last thing about you.’

The blade of wind Yuri released and Bai Lun’s axe aimed for Zeon’s throat at the same time. Koji’s katana was added on top of that.

It seemed only a matter of time before Zeon’s breath was cut off.

But contrary to Shu Han’s expectations, Zeon neither lost his breath nor was he driven onto the defensive.

WHOOSH!

That was because an enormous wall of fire protected his entire body.

“Urgh!”

“Hah! Hot!”

Bai Lun retreated from the tremendous heat, and Yuri, the Windmancer, was startled.

Zeon lightly waved his hand toward them.

Fire Rain.

The Skill that had annihilated the Ghost Dragonfly larvae unfolded once more.

“Hmph! Not a chance.”

At that moment, Koji stepped forward and swung his katana.

SLASH!

The rain of fire pouring down on the Inazuma Raid Team was all cut apart by his katana.

A red energy flowed over his katana.

He had used Aura Sword.

Zeon swung his hand again.

Fire Rain filled the dungeon once more.

This time, Yuri stepped forward.

“Not a chance. Tornado Shield.”

The wind became a tornado, and the tornado formed a massive wall, trapping the rain of fire Zeon had created.

The fire caught inside the tornado barrier vanished in an instant.

Koji said with a bitter smile,

“You are a magic-type, fire-element Awakened, aren’t you? But as you can see, your Skills no longer work on us.”

“It seems so.”

He could use stronger Skills, but Zeon did not bother making excuses.

There was no reason to.

‘They’re all out.’

He sensed that Jack and the other Awakened had all left the dungeon.

Now, only Inazuma and he remained in this dungeon.

The red aura blazing from Koji’s sword surged even more intensely.

“The games end here. I will cut off your breath now.”

“I was about to stop playing around too. Five against five should be roughly even, shouldn’t it?”

“What?”

At that instant, the sand around Zeon moved.

Srrrk!

“Sand Soldier.”

Five soldiers rose from within the sand.