Chapter 101
Zeon recognized them at a glance.
‘Jang Yongbeom’s party.’
They were the group that had saved him eight years ago when he was attacked by a Sand Wall in the middle of the desert.
If not for their help, Zeon wouldn’t be alive today.
Unlike Zeon, who remembered them instantly, Jang Yongbeom’s party didn’t recognize him.
Giselle glared at Aiden.
“Why did you even insist on stopping by the casino and cause all this mess?”
“Who knew we’d get cleaned out like this?”
“You said you were confident.”
“I was confident. I just didn’t expect that big idiot to bet everything in one go.”
Aiden shot a glare at Mountain, who was grinning foolishly in the back.
The root of this entire situation was Mountain.
They had entrusted him with a large sum of money, and he had bet it all in a single round.
Of course, the dealer won, and Mountain lost everything.
Jang Yongbeom only found out afterward—but by then, they were already completely broke.
Jang Yongbeom spoke.
“Whose idea was it to trust Mountain with the money?”
“I’m sorry. I thought it would be the safest option…”
Aiden couldn’t lift his head.
He felt too ashamed to face Jang Yongbeom.
“Well, nothing we can do. We’ll just have to work.”
“I was wondering why we were getting to rest for a few days. You oversized idiot—you handle all the work.”
Giselle kicked Mountain in the backside, but he only kept smiling foolishly.
Laughing and chatting, Jang Yongbeom’s party passed by Zeon.
“…Hm?”
Suddenly, Jang Yongbeom turned around.
Giselle looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“The man who just passed by.”
“That handsome guy?”
“What about him?”
“Doesn’t he look familiar?”
“Huh? Not at all. If I’d seen someone that handsome, I wouldn’t forget.”
“No… I’ve definitely seen him somewhere.”
Jang Yongbeom stroked his chin, trying to recall.
But no matter how much he thought about it, nothing came to mind.
Zeon had already disappeared into the crowd.
Still, the lingering feeling he left behind kept Jang Yongbeom rooted in place.
‘Sharp memory. To still remember someone you only brushed past once…’
Though Jang Yongbeom muttered quietly, Zeon heard it clearly.
‘Eight years ago or now… that man hasn’t changed. He still looks strong.’
The only difference was that before, he had been overwhelmingly oppressive—untouchable.
Now, that feeling was gone.
Perhaps it was because Zeon had grown incomparably stronger since then.
Zeon booked a room at the front desk.
His room was on the fifteenth floor.
He absentmindedly started toward the stairs, then remembered—this was Neo Seoul.
All high-rise buildings in Neo Seoul naturally had elevators.
Something rare in the slums was abundant here.
The elevator quickly and comfortably carried him to the fifteenth floor.
Thanks to it, he reached his room without expending any effort.
The hotel room was very small—far smaller than Zeon’s home in the slums.
Still, it had everything one would need.
It was filled with various electrical devices and conveniences Zeon had never seen before.
“What is this…?”
Zeon pressed the handle of a kettle.
Instantly, the water began to boil, and steam rose.
Even that alone was shocking to him.
People living in Neo Seoul probably didn’t realize what a blessing it was to enjoy civilization so effortlessly.
“…Hah.”
Zeon sat on the bed and looked out over Neo Seoul.
A dazzling and imposing cityscape stretched before him.
Even at night, the streets and buildings shone brightly with brilliant lights.
“This really is a completely different world from the slums.”
It was far more glamorous and impressive than he had imagined.
No wonder that whenever someone awakened in the slums, they desperately tried to enter Neo Seoul.
Once someone got used to this kind of comfortable life, they’d never want to go back.
Zeon lay down on the bed and tried to sleep, but perhaps because of the excitement of entering Neo Seoul, he couldn’t fall asleep easily.
“…Hah. Maybe I should check out the casino.”
In the end, he gave up on sleeping.
Mander had warned him not to go to casinos, saying they could ruin a person’s life.
But since he was already in Neo Seoul, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to visit at least once.
Zeon stepped outside and took the elevator.
As soon as he opened the door to the basement level one casino, the atmosphere changed completely.
The air was thick with heat and a madness that numbed reason.
“Yes!”
“Damn it! Just a little more!”
“One more round!”
“Wahaha!”
The frenzied shouts made Zeon frown unconsciously.
There wasn’t a single person who looked sane.
Most people had bloodshot eyes, completely absorbed in the gambling unfolding right before them.
It felt like they’d explode like volcanoes if someone even brushed against them.
“Waaah!”
“Ahhh!”
When the dealer revealed the cards, joy and despair clashed.
The winners smiled as if they had gained the entire world,
while the losers looked as though they had lost their parents.
Maintaining composure here was nearly impossible.
After civilization was rebuilt and people’s lives somewhat stabilized, casinos had appeared in cities.
Even so, older casinos had limits.
Betting amounts, types of gambling, and restrictions on entry.
Even if only in form, there had been some regulation.
But Neo Seoul’s casino had none of that.
Unlimited bets.
Anyone could enter, and anything could become a gamble.
In fact, on a ring set up in one corner of the casino, fighters were brutally battling each other.
Right now, awakened individuals were fighting, but sometimes even ordinary people dueled there.
“Damn it! Push a little more!”
“Kill him! If you don’t, I will!”
“Yaaah!”
Spectators screamed wildly as they watched the bloody fight.
Thud! Thwack!
“Urgh!”
A fighter’s face twisted as he took a punch, blood splattering everywhere.
The sight only drove the audience into greater frenzy.
‘F-rank martial-type awakened, I suppose.’
Zeon instantly assessed their level.
The world of awakened individuals was like a pyramid.
At the very bottom were F-rank,
then E-rank, D-rank, and so on stacked above.
As the rank increased, the numbers decreased rapidly,
with top-tier 5th-rank awakened being extremely rare.
In Neo Seoul, one needed to be at least D-rank to receive proper treatment.
E-rank was somewhat better, but F-rank individuals were treated terribly.
Among them, martial-type awakened weren’t even considered proper awakened at all.
That was why many ended up here—bleeding and fighting in casino rings.
If they won, the casino rewarded them generously.
“More! More!”
“Kill him, you bastard!”
“Waaah!”
As the winner was practically decided, the crowd grew even more frenzied.
Zeon silently watched the scene.
Martial-type awakened were, quite literally, those who had awakened physical talent.
That was why their fights were so brutal.
They clashed directly with their bodies, gauging each other’s strength, then fought with everything they had.
There was no room to think about what came after.
They poured everything into a single fight.
Thud! Thwack!
Even the fists of the one striking were splattered with blood.
Flesh tore apart, bones were exposed—yet they kept hitting, again and again.
Only after completely crushing their opponent did they finally release the breath they had been holding.
“Haaak! Haaak!”
It felt like their hearts would burst.
Their entire bodies, having unleashed energy in a short time, radiated intense heat as steam rose from them.
“The winner is Kim Junseok!”
The referee raised the victor’s arm.
In that instant, joy and despair crossed paths.
Those who had bet on Kim Junseok cheered,
while those who had bet on the loser groaned.
Kim Junseok, the winner, received a large reward.
But people quickly lost interest in him.
As soon as he left the ring, new fighters climbed up—and the crowd began placing bets on them instead.
Zeon watched the entire sequence from beginning to end.
He could understand why people became so obsessed.
But he had no desire to jump into that gambling pit himself.
Clicking his tongue, Zeon looked elsewhere.
“Waaah! It hit!”
“Jackpot!”
At that moment, people burst into cheers.
A jackpot had hit on a slot machine.
The winner was a woman in a robe.
Her face was hidden under a pulled-down hood, but she was jumping in place, unable to contain her joy.
“I knew it! Finally, it hit! Haah! Damn, I feel like I’m about to cry.”
She pretended to wipe away tears.
The people around her congratulated her.
But not a single one of them was sincere.
All they were thinking about was how to get something from her,
or how to get close enough to take advantage of her winnings.
Of course, the woman knew this well.
She gave only polite thanks and kept her distance.
Hearing that a jackpot had been hit, the manager hurried over.
He told her to wait a moment while they prepared her payout.
She nodded, then walked toward the bar where Zeon was sitting, her expression still bright.
“Hey, bartender. One Angel Duster, please.”
“Congratulations, miss!”
At the bartender’s words, the woman smiled like a victor.
“Ha! Give a round to everyone sitting at the bar.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The bartender busily prepared cocktails and handed them out.
Zeon received one as well and thanked her.
“I’ll enjoy this.”
“You’ve got a face I haven’t seen before. Not one that seems like it belongs here.”
“Is there a specific kind of face meant for this place?”
“Of course. Look around. Look at their faces—how strong their desires are. They don’t care about others’ misfortune. People like that are numb to their own misfortune too. Even knowing gambling leads to ruin, they dive into it.”
“You speak as if you’re different.”
“I am different from them.”
“In what way?”
“That’s…”
The woman trailed off and bit her lip.
Though her face was hidden by the hood, the shape of her lips alone made it clear she was uncomfortable.
Zeon apologized.
“My apologies. I spoke out of turn.”
“No… you’re not entirely wrong. For whatever reason, I’m here too, blowing off steam.”
“Seems like you’ve been through something difficult.”
“It was tough. I had to go all out for the first time in a while.”
“I see.”
Zeon nodded and looked at her.
His eyes gleamed sharply.
‘Ghost dragonfly scent.’
When ghost dragonflies die, they release a unique pheromone.
The higher their rank, the subtler and more distinct the scent becomes.
Most people didn’t know this.
But Zeon could distinguish the pheromones of ghost dragonflies.
The scent coming from the woman—it belonged to a ghost dragonfly.
And not just any, but a very powerful one that had died.
‘Like a queen ghost dragonfly.’
The woman raised her glass.
“My name is Claire.”
“Zeon.”
“Nice meeting you. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
With that, the woman—Claire—stood up.
In an instant, she disappeared into the crowd.
For a moment, Zeon considered following her, but then stopped.
He had already confirmed the presence of the queen ghost dragonfly’s pheromone on her.
Something impossible for others—but Zeon had a way to track that scent.
“Claire…”
Zeon lightly shook his head and set down his glass.
He hadn’t taken a single sip of the drink she bought.