Chapter 153

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 153

“Zeon has returned.”

At the report from his subordinate, Johan looked up.

Behind his glasses, his small eyes showed no emotion.

“When?”

“About two hours ago.”

“After fifteen days?”

“Yes.”

“So he caused such a stir and then disappeared for fifteen days?”

Johan frowned.

The Dongdaemun faction suffered the most from the White Bear Caravan incident.RêAd lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

Brixton, Kim Jae-kyung, and the berserkers they sent were all dead.

Not a single one survived; they were completely annihilated.

The loss was colossal.

When Johan first heard the report, he had laughed in disbelief.

It was hard to accept and believe.

He initially thought his subordinate was lying, but the report was true.

His trusted subordinates had all lost their lives. One-third of Dongdaemun’s power had vanished in an instant.

The only consolation was that most factions that sent troops to the fortress suffered near-total losses.

The issue was Zeon.

Through a few survivors, word spread that Zeon had killed Balrog. His true awakened ability was also revealed.

‘A Sand Mage.’

He hadn’t imagined such an awakened ability could exist.

In a world where most of the land had turned to sand, the utility of a sand mage was limitless.

Even a C-rank sand mage would be highly valued, but Zeon was estimated to be at least A-rank.

And that was a conservative estimate.

Judging by his victory over Balrog, he was certainly S-rank.

The emergence of an S-rank Sand Mage had put all the power holders in Neo Seoul on alert.

A secret scramble to recruit Zeon was underway.

However, since Zeon had been absent for fifteen days, the scramble had not come to the surface.

Now that Zeon had returned, factions from all districts would begin their recruitment efforts in earnest.

“This is troublesome.”

The problem was that Dongdaemun couldn’t participate in the scramble for Zeon.

They were already enemies with Zeon, so extending a recruitment offer would be futile.

It would only make them look foolish.

But they couldn’t just leave Zeon alone either.

If left unchecked, Zeon would undoubtedly become a threat to Dongdaemun. Even if Zeon didn’t intend it, circumstances would lead that way.

They had to eliminate Zeon before that happened.

“Do I have to act myself?”

Johan’s thoughts deepened.

* * *

Zeon hung his robe on the wall.

His home, unchanged since he left, felt comforting.

Though Brielle and Levin had taken good care of it, it was mainly protected by the Watching Eye.

Many had come to recruit Zeon while he was away. Some even tried to break in by force. But all their attempts failed.

No one could enter without Zeon’s permission.

As soon as he entered the house, Brielle handed him a bottle of red liquid.

“You must be tired. Drink this and rest.”

“What is this?”

“I made it. It’s great for recovering from fatigue.”

Zeon eyed the red liquid suspiciously. It looked like blood, which made him hesitant.

“Just drink it! It’s really good.”

“Alright.”

Unable to resist Brielle’s insistence, Zeon drank the red liquid.

The moment he drank it, Zeon was surprised.

He felt a surge of energy throughout his body.

Brielle looked at him with shining eyes.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“Yeah!”

“Hehe! It’s a success.”

“You made this?”

“Yes! I was trying to make a mana recovery potion, but this came out. It restores vitality instead of mana.”

“That’s incredible! For a non-item, this is highly effective.”

“Yay!”

Brielle jumped with joy at Zeon’s praise.

Without sand, Zeon’s power would be halved.

Knowing this, Jin Geum-ho was undoubtedly trying to bring Zeon to Neo Seoul.

“I need to be well-prepared.”

If he only loses a little, that would be fortunate.

In the moment of carelessness, he could lose his life or end up with a leash around his neck.

“No time to rest, huh? Ha.”

Zeon sighed when the door opened.

“Oh, I’m back, hyung.”

Levin walked in.

“You were out all night?”

“Yes.”

Levin nodded as if it were obvious.

“You’re working hard. Any progress?”

“Not yet.”

Levin shook his head.

He was still tracking the serial killer. But the killer had completely disappeared after that night.

He had covered his tracks perfectly.

He hadn’t committed any more murders either.

It was clear he was hiding somewhere, healing his wounds.

The problem was they had no idea where he was hiding.

“Once he heals and resurfaces, he’ll likely kill again...”

Levin sighed.

He had already lost his family, but he didn’t want more victims.

“Well, next time I encounter him, I won’t let him escape.”

Zeon smiled as he watched Levin’s determination.

Levin had grown a lot.

While tracking the killer, he had naturally made contact with many people, building a network of connections.

These connections formed the basis of Levin’s own information network.

Though not comparable to an organization like Argos’ Eye, it was still impressive that he had built his own network.

Zeon put on his robe and said,

“I’m going to get some food. Want to come?”

“I’ll join you.”

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Levin followed Zeon out.

The streets were still quiet, as it was early.

They headed towards the street where old man Klexi’s stall was.

Slurp!

Klexi’s stall already had a customer.

A large man with short hair was eating with his head down.

Even from behind, Zeon recognized him instantly.

Zeon sat next to the man and spoke.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

“You’ve arrived.”

The man turned to look at Zeon.

He had a large scar across his right cheek and striking golden eyes.

His name was Lee Ji-ryeong.

The leader of the Pegasus Raiders and the brother of the man Zeon had killed.

“The food here is good. I didn’t expect to find such a place in the slums.”

“The old man’s skills are impressive. We’ll have the same, please.”

Zeon ordered food from Klexi.

“Got it. Ahem!”

Klexi cleared his throat and started cooking.

Zeon spoke to Lee Ji-ryeong.

“You didn’t come all the way here just for slum food. You’re here to see me, right?”

“You’ve made quite the scene.”

“You mean Balrog?”

“Yes. Revealing your awakened ability like that was a foolish move.”

“Was it?”

“Now, those who covet your power will flock to you like vultures. Can you handle it?”

“It was something that had to be revealed eventually. I’ll manage.”

“You sound confident.”

“So, did you come to give me advice?”

“No, I came to make a proposal.”

“A... proposal?”

“Yes! A proposal. Let’s conquer a dungeon together.”

[Translator – Peptobismol]