Chapter 66

Chapter 66

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 66

Zeon left his house.

He had to walk down a whopping eighteen floors, but it was no problem for Zeon.

The streets were bustling with people, just as he had seen from home.

The city, which seemed to be asleep during the day, seemed to awaken as night fell.

On streets where there was not a single ant in sight, stalls were laid out and a market opened.

Some sold food, while others sold meat of unknown origin.

Among them were those selling advanced products hard to find in the slums. It was clear that everything was pilfered from Neo Seoul.

In the dim alleys, there were also those trading what appeared to be drugs. Zeon took in all of these sights.

Nothing had changed from eight years ago.

The only thing that seemed to have changed was Zeon himself.

When Zeon left the slums, he was young and powerless. But now, the biggest difference was that he had the power to protect himself.

The people in the slums glanced at Zeon.

They felt a sense of alienation from Zeon’s aura, which was completely different from theirs.

Instinctively, they recognized that Zeon belonged to a different class and were cautious of him.

Zeon noticed those people’s stares, but he didn’t care.

He had received similar looks wherever he went.

Zeon was an outsider.

He was not welcome wherever he went.

It was a little disappointing not to be welcomed even in his hometown slums, but it wasn’t enough to bother him greatly.

As he walked for a while, a delicious smell wafted from somewhere.

It was a scent he had never smelled in the desert or in any other colony.

Zeon walked towards the source of the smell.

At the place he arrived, people had laid out stalls, selling food.

Zeon took a seat at one of the stalls.

The reason he chose that stall among the many was simple.

It was because the most delicious smell was coming from there.

An old man was grilling meat with his back turned.

The old man turned around, perhaps sensing a customer had arrived.

His face was impressive with deep wrinkles, a beard, and a pair of glasses with cracks on one side, making it impossible to guess his age.

The old man spoke to Zeon.

“Here for a meal?”

“...”

Zeon didn’t answer, but stared intently at the old man.

Somewhere, the old man’s face seemed familiar to him.

After a moment, Zeon remembered the old man’s identity.

“Are you perhaps... old man Klexi?”

“You know me?”

The old man frowned slightly, looking at Zeon.

Hardly anyone on this street knew his real name. So it was unexpected for a stranger to call him by it for the first time today.

Naturally, he had to be cautious.

“Who the hell are you to know my name?”

“I thought it was strange since you were missing in the Mana Stone Mine, but it looks like you were doing business here.”

“I haven’t told you my name yet.”

Behind his glasses, old man Klexi’s eyes sharpened.

His gaze was so sharp that it was hard to believe he was just an old man selling food on a shabby stall.

Zeon chuckled and said.

“Your appearance seems the same, but it looks like your memory has deteriorated. Don’t you recognize me?”

“Come to think of it, your face does look familiar.”

Old man Klexi furrowed his brow as he searched through his memories.

After a while of effort, Klexi finally managed to remember Zeon.

“Mana Stone Mine? Now that I think about it, you’re that kid from back then.”

“I guess you still remember.”

“You were quite remarkable. Weren’t you the kid with a Mana Stone, who disappeared after just one day in the mine? I thought you were done for. So, you’ve been alive all this time. What happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m asking how you’ve been all this time.”

Klexi’s eyes were glimmering with curiosity.

Zeon smirked and replied.

“I managed somehow.”

“I’m asking how you managed.”

“Why does that matter? What’s important is that I’ve managed to survive and meet you again, old man.”

“Huh! You’ve become quite sly. You were naive back then.”

“I’ve paid a lot of tuition fees. Thanks to that, I’ve learned a lot.”

“That robe looks quite nice. Where did you get it?”

“I just happened to come across it.”

“Happened to?”

“Yes!”

“Do you expect me to believe that?”

“Didn’t I say? I have quite good luck.”

“Hmm!”

“I should be going now. Thank you for the meal. How much is it?”

“Never mind. Since we haven’t met in a long time, I’ll give it to you for free today.”

“That’s fine with me. Is this enough?”

Zeon took out money from his pocket and placed it on the table.

For a moment, an expression of disbelief crossed old man Klexi’s face.

The amount Zeon put down was exactly ten Sols.

It was the same amount Zeon had given to old man Klexi in the Mana Stone Mine.

Having put down ten Sols, Zeon stood up without hesitation.

“You?”

“I’ve settled the score exactly, so there won’t be any complaints later.”

Zeon left with a smile.

Old man Klexi stared blankly at Zeon’s back as he walked away.

It felt like he was hit on the head with a sledgehammer.

It had been a long time since he felt that way.

“So, you haven’t forgotten that day? You’re tougher than I thought.”

A smile crept onto his lips.

Old man Klexi stepped away from the stall and spoke.

“I think it’s time to call it a day. Fold up the stall.”

“Yes!”

The burly merchants who were selling next to him immediately approached.

They folded up old man Klexi’s stall and followed behind him. As they did, people on the street made way for them.

Old man Klexi said quietly.

“Keep an eye on that guy.”

“Is he worth it?”

“He is.”

The wrinkles on old man Klexi’s face grew deeper.

But this time, it was a smile.

“He’s the one who disappeared after going into the Mana Stone Mine. Everyone thought he was dead. But he came back alive. That alone is enough to make him worth it.”

The Mana Stone Mine was like a maze.

If you took the wrong path, you’d lose your sense of direction and starve to death.

Even in such cases, the bodies would be found.

But Zeon’s body was never found. It was puzzling at first, but it was soon forgotten.

At that time, Zeon was just an insignificant boy, and he wasn’t idle enough to care about the death of such a boy.

But now, the situation had changed.

The boy whom everyone thought was dead had returned safely. And it had been a whole eight years.

Old man Klexi was incredibly curious about what had happened in those eight years. However, he knew it was impossible to find out.

Events that occurred outside Neo Seoul and Mana Stone Mine were beyond his ability to know.

He couldn’t discern what happened in the desert. But he had a knack for finding out what happened in the slums as if reading his own palm.

“He has definitely Awakened. Find out everything about his skills, why he returned to Neo Seoul, leave nothing out.”

“Yes, understood.”

The merchant disappeared along with his response.

Old man Klexi looked at his palm.

In his hand lay the ten Sols that Zeon had left behind.

“Heh! A fascinating fellow has rolled into town.”

* * *

Zeon murmured to himself.

“He’s not an ordinary old man after all”

The covert glances felt the moment he sat at old man Klexi’s stall.

It seemed like the entire market was paying attention to Zeon.

It was clear that they were followers of old man Klexi.

Most of them were ordinary people, but some definitely gave off a special vibe.

Zeon knew that only Awakened individuals could give off such vibes.

Having Awakeneds under his command meant that old man Klexi was quite the large figure.

Zeon couldn’t fathom why such a figure would be selling food at the market.

Interesting things were happening right from the first day he entered Neo Seoul.

“How intriguing!”

[Translator – Peptobismol]