[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
Chapter 251
“You arrogant...”
Provoked by Eloy’s taunt, the Awakened swung a punch at her.
The mechanical arm itself was a fearsome weapon, but Eloy, unfazed, rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the Awakened’s fist.
Tightening her grip, she braced her legs against his side and neck for support and applied pressure.
Crrrrunch!
“Argh!”
The mechanized Awakened’s arm was ripped from its shoulder.
The metal frame tore apart like paper, and the severed wires dangled loosely. Oil gushed from the exposed joint like blood from a wound.
Eloy waved the dismembered mechanical arm and spoke.
“What’s this? You can feel pain even in your mechanical parts?”
“You damn b—!”
“Are you a parrot? Is that the only thing you can say?”
“I’ll kill you.”
The mechanized Awakened, now missing an arm, charged at Eloy like a raging bull.
“Hmph!”
Eloy scoffed.
In the past, she might have found such an attack a bit threatening.
Despite being a half-elf and a martial art awakened, the physical attacks of a mechanized Awakened were nothing to scoff at.
But now, she was no longer the same as before.
Thanks to Zeon’s help, her rank had risen, and this kind of charge was no longer a threat.
Eloy extended her hand and grabbed the Awakened by the head.
Thunk!
“Urgh!”
Despite the overwhelming size difference, the Awakened’s charge was stopped in its tracks.
A look of disbelief crossed his face.
In combat, the most important factor was size.
If the size difference was significant, a lighter opponent could be overpowered with sheer strength.
It was no accident that heavyweights often dominated lighter fighters.
The Awakened believed that he could compensate for any difference in rank with his size, but at this moment, that belief was being shattered.
By a slender woman, no less.
No matter how much he struggled, Eloy’s arm didn’t budge an inch.
A twisted smile appeared on her lips.
“What’s wrong? Did you think that by decking yourself out in machinery, you could easily crush someone like me? Too bad for you, I’m a bit heavier than I look.”
Eloy’s weight was currently ten times heavier than normal.
Mass Increase.
It was a skill she had gained after consuming the Magic Stone of the Orc Chieftain.
Her body was now much heavier than the mechanized Awakened made of metal.
“Grrr!”
As the mechanized Awakened’s face twisted in agony, Eloy struck his chest with her palm.
Bang!
An immense force struck the Awakened’s chest.
His body, made of special metal, crumpled like scrap, and the engine that powered his mana was shattered.
“Ugh!”
The Awakened’s massive body collapsed.
Eloy casually pushed his head aside as he fell.
Thud!
With a dull crash, the Awakened hit the floor.
Eloy didn’t spare him a glance and turned her gaze to the other two Awakened.
“What are you waiting for? Not going to fight?”
“Damn it!”
“Who the hell are you?”
The Awakened hesitated, glancing at each other nervously.
In that instant, Eloy leapt forward.
Crack!
Her knee slammed into the face of the Awakened on the left.
With her weight increased tenfold, his face was completely caved in.
Without losing momentum, Eloy spun midair and struck the other Awakened’s temple with her elbow.
Boom!
“Certainly.”
Kim Moo-young called over the maitre d' and ordered four steaks.
The maitre d', like Kim Moo-young, was a pure human.
Brielle, full of curiosity, remarked.
“There are no mechanized Awakened here?”
“Haha! As I mentioned, this is a restaurant for pure humans. If mechanized Awakened were serving, it would make the human customers uncomfortable. That’s why all the staff here are pure humans.”
“I like that.”
“I’m glad to hear it, Miss Brielle.”
“Huh? You know my name?”
“Of course. You’re always by Zeon’s side, after all. It would be strange not to know.”
“Oh, I see. Hehe!”
Brielle giggled, finding it amusing and a little delightful that she was recognized.
Kim Moo-young was a master of hospitality.
He smoothly led the conversation and kept the atmosphere light and engaging.
After some time, he finally broached the main topic.
“So, what brings the three of you to the Western District? I doubt there’s much here that would interest you.”
“We’re looking for someone.”
“Someone?”
“Yes, a man named Levin...”
“Ah, Levin? I’ve heard the name before. But why would you be looking for him here, in the Western District?”
Kim Moo-young asked, his expression genuinely puzzled.
It seemed like he truly didn’t know anything.
“Levin came to the Western District looking for someone.”
“Ah, so you’re starting with the hotels.”
“Do you know if Levin has stayed here?”
“I’ll ask the maitre d' to check. But as far as I recall, he hasn’t. I would’ve remembered if a pure human stayed here.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Since most of our guests are mechanized Awakened, any pure human guest would stand out.”
“I see.”
Zeon nodded, finding the explanation reasonable.
A short while later, the maitre d' returned with the guest registry.
Levin’s name wasn’t on it.
“As I thought, he hasn’t stayed here. I’ll contact other hotels to check if he’s stayed with them.”
“Thank you. But I am curious—why are you being so kind to us?”
“Haha! One of you is a Sand Mage, another is a City Hall Supervisor, and then we have a lovely young lady with you. There are plenty of reasons to be kind.”
Kim Moo-young smiled warmly as he spoke.
Zeon stared at him intently.
‘He’s obsessed with being a pure human.’
From the beginning, Kim Moo-young had repeatedly emphasized the words ‘pure human.’
In a district dominated by mechanized Awakened, he seemed excessively focused on the fact that he was human. And yet, he didn’t seem to realize this about himself.
It was clear that Kim Moo-young took great pride in being a pure human, and that pride showed in his every word.
Zeon posed a question.
“How did you come to be the owner of this hotel?”
“You’re asking how a pure human rose to such a position? Is that it?”
“That’s right.”
“I have a personal connection with Kim Hyun-soo, the King of the West.”
“You both have the same surname, ‘Kim.’ Are you related?”
“Haha! ‘Kim’ is the most common surname among Koreans. We’re not related at all.”
“So how did you get acquainted?”
“My mother was a healer. She treated Kim Hyun-soo when he was injured. That’s how we got connected, and he’s been looking out for me ever since.”
“A healer? But can healers’ magic work on mechanized Awakened?”
Zeon raised an eyebrow in confusion.
When a mechanized Awakened is damaged, it’s called a ‘malfunction,’ not an injury.
Their broken parts are replaced with functioning ones, so they don’t typically need healers.
Healers were already rare, but in the Western District, they were almost unheard of.
Instead of answering directly, Kim Moo-young lifted his wine glass.
The deep red liquid swirled inside the glass.
Kim Moo-young gazed into the blood-like wine with deep, cold eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“That was back when blood still flowed through his veins, before he had discarded his human body entirely.”
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]