Chapter 116
Color returned to Brielle’s face.
When she turned around, Zeon and Levin were already there.
“Zeon! Levin!”
“Come here.”
At Zeon’s gesture, Brielle quickly ran and hid behind him.
Levin asked,
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah! Levin, you feel different somehow.”
“Do I?”
“Definitely!”
At Brielle’s confident reply, Levin simply smiled without saying anything.
He wanted to keep chatting like this, but the atmosphere around Lee Jiryung was far from normal.
Damn it…
Levin clenched his teeth.
In the past, he wouldn’t have been able to sense the strength of the man before them.
But after reaching C-rank, his perception had changed—he could now see things he couldn’t before.
One of those was the ability to judge other Awakeners.
To Levin’s eyes, Lee Jiryung was a monster.
Since they both used lightning-type attack skills, it was even clearer.
Lee Jiryung’s mana was far more violent and ferocious than his own.
Naturally, the power of his skills would be on an entirely different level.
Even if they were the same rank, Levin knew he wouldn’t stand a chance.
That realization made him feel miserable.
Forcing himself to remain calm, Levin said to Brielle,
“Let’s step back for now.”
“Okay!”
Lee Jiryung didn’t even glance at the two of them.
His gaze was fixed entirely on Zeon.
“So you’re Zeon?”
“Yes.”
“You know who I am, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I thought so. We finally meet.”
Lee Jiryung grinned.
The sight of his white teeth, combined with that grin, was chilling—filled with madness.
In contrast, Zeon’s expression remained calm.
Lee Jiryung.
A magic-type Awakener—specifically lightning—renowned for having one of the most destructive powers.
And the older brother of the man Zeon had killed eight years ago.
That man had tried to steal Zeon’s magic core, only to lose his life instead.
He had been the one at fault, yet it was Zeon who had to flee.
Because Lee Jiryung had sought revenge for his brother.
That was why Zeon had left the slums and fled to the magic stone mines, spending eight long years in the desert.
Zeon asked,
“Did you come to avenge your brother?”
“Someone did try to stir me up. Told me you were in Neo Seoul.”
“I see.”
“So I came to see for myself. If you were nothing special, I was planning to rip your head off… but…”
“But?”
“You’re quite different from what I expected. You’re strong.”
A white flash flickered across Lee Jiryung’s eyes.
Lightning crackled within them.
Zeon looked at his eyes with mild curiosity.
As far as he knew, Lee Jiryung had been B-rank.
But now, he seemed stronger than that.
Did he rank up? Well, eight years isn’t a short time.
Zeon himself had risen from the lowest rank, F, to where he was now.
Though his growth had been abnormally fast, thanks to his helper Deioden and his overpowered class as a Sand Mage.
Crackle!
Lightning surged across Lee Jiryung’s entire body.
Unlike Levin’s, it was pure, pristine white lightning.
Yet Zeon showed no fear as he spoke calmly.
“If we fight here, this entire area will be destroyed. Let’s move outside.”
“Oh? So you’re that type?”
“…Pardon?”
“The type who worries about collateral damage?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m that kind.”
“Then what—hypocrisy?”
“More like I don’t want the area in front of my house getting wrecked.”
“In a place like this? What attachment could you possibly have to a slum?”
“Still, it’s where I live.”
“You’re a strange one.”
“I hear that a lot.”
At Zeon’s indifferent response, Lee Jiryung’s gaze grew colder.
No one had ever spoken to him so casually—without the slightest tension.
Lee Jiryung began walking.
“Follow me. If you try to run, I’ll destroy your house along with everything else.”
“That won’t happen.”
Zeon replied calmly and followed behind him.
At that moment, Brielle called out,
“Zeon!”
“Go back home with Levin.”
“But…”
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay…”
After giving her a reassuring smile, Zeon turned his gaze toward Lee Jiryung.
By then, Lee Jiryung had already left the slums and entered the desert.
He walked steadily across the sand.
Only when Neo Seoul was no longer visible did he stop.
Turning around, he faced Zeon.
“This should be far enough.”
“We came farther than I expected.”
“If we fight near Neo Seoul, the old men will take notice.”
“The old men?”
“You know them—people like Jin Geumho and Xiao Lun.”
“The rulers of Neo Seoul, you mean.”
“Exactly. Fighting near the city would inevitably attract their attention. You wouldn’t want that either.”
“Sounds like you’re afraid of them.”
“Not afraid—just annoyed. Old men love to meddle in everything.”
His tone carried clear disdain toward those in power.
The rulers of Neo Seoul wanted control over everything.
Because of that, the powerful figures of Neo Seoul were always on high alert, closely monitoring the movements of young Awakeners.
Lee Jiryung disliked that reality.
He was young—and strong.
Right now, the rulers of Neo Seoul were stronger than him, but he was confident that with time, he would surpass them.
The problem was influence.
Compared to those who had already fully seized control of Neo Seoul’s infrastructure, his faction still lacked weight.
Of course, that was only in comparison to giants like Jin Geumho and Xiao Lun.
In reality, he had built a force that couldn’t be ignored.
The Pegasus Assault Team.
A group of three hundred Awakeners.
Though called an assault team, it functioned more like a guild.
An assault team was a purely combat-based group of Awakeners, while a guild also included various support personnel.
Because of that, guilds were usually much larger and more expansive.
Flash!
White lightning erupted from Lee Jiryung’s entire body.
He released it outward.
The intense electricity scorched the surrounding sand black.
Wrapped in lightning, Lee Jiryung spoke,
“Try to survive—and prove you’re worth something.”
At that instant, a massive bolt of lightning shot toward Zeon.
A single strand was thicker than a man’s torso.
It was one of Lee Jiryung’s skills—Lightning Spear.
Anyone struck by it would explode like fireworks, meeting a gruesome death.
At that moment, Zeon lightly swung his fist, unleashing Fire Missile.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dozens of fire missiles collided with the Lightning Spear and exploded.
A dazzling clash of fire and lightning painted the sky.
Within that storm, the two moved.
Lee Jiryung continuously unleashed lightning-based skills.
“Take this too!”
Blades of lightning rained down toward Zeon.
It was Lightning Blade, one of his primary skills.
In response, Zeon used his most favored skill—Fire Rain.
Flaming projectiles and lightning blades collided and exploded.
Boom!
Sparks scattered in all directions, and arcs of electricity ricocheted outward.
The sand burned and burst apart.
It was a clash between lightning and fire—the two most destructive types of magic.
The desert churned.
Columns of exploding sand shot high into the sky, and a rain of sand followed.
Amid the falling sand, the two continued exchanging skills.
Then suddenly, Lee Jiryung spoke.
“You’re not a fire-type user.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Your fire spells—they’re not alive. You’re just outputting something pre-programmed.”
“……”
“I’m right, aren’t I? Those aren’t your innate skills—you’re using something like an item.”
Lee Jiryung’s senses were frighteningly sharp.
Watching him, Zeon thought,
So he’s not just empty talk.
Until now, no one had realized that Zeon’s fire skills came from an item.
The fact that Lee Jiryung saw through it showed just how exceptional he was.
Before Zeon had even awakened, Lee Jiryung had fought countless battles in dungeons and hunted magical beasts.
That experience had honed his instincts to an extreme degree.
He didn’t miss even the slightest irregularity others would overlook.
Not all high-ranking Awakeners were truly strong.
The truly strong were those who had tempered their skills through life-and-death battles.
Even if their rank was low for now, they would eventually rise.
Lee Jiryung was one of those.
A rare, genuine powerhouse in this era.
He spoke again.
“What are you afraid of, hiding your real skills like that?”
“It’s not fear. It’s just a hassle.”
“So you’re that confident? Then show me.”
“If you insist…”
Zeon’s eyes—and his entire aura—changed.
Now it begins.
Lee Jiryung felt his shoulders tremble with excitement.
It was the first time he had felt this level of tension fighting another Awakener.
Crackle!
The lightning surrounding his body began expanding outward.
Ten meters… twenty… thirty…
A thirty-meter radius formed around him, filled with falling lightning.
A domain completely under his control—
Lightning Field.
Maintaining it consumed an enormous amount of mana, but Lee Jiryung had more than enough to handle it.
Before long, Zeon was standing within the Lightning Field.
Even as violent arcs of lightning flashed around him, his expression didn’t change.
Then—
A particularly massive bolt of lightning struck down directly onto Zeon.
He was hit head-on, unable to dodge.
A normal Awakener would have died instantly.
But Lee Jiryung knew Zeon wasn’t ordinary.
And he was right.
Zeon stood there completely unharmed.
Around him was a wall of blackened sand.
At the last moment, he had raised a sand barrier to block the attack.
Lee Jiryung’s eyes widened.
“You made a wall out of sand? Don’t tell me—you’re a Sand… Mage?”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible… such an ability shouldn’t—”
“But it does.”
Sand surged around Zeon like a living thing.
A swirling sandstorm rotated around him, as if it had a will of its own.
Lee Jiryung’s face stiffened.
“So it’s real… a true Sand Mage.”
Goosebumps spread across his body.
He had once thought such a thing might exist—but only as a possibility.
This was the first time he had ever seen one.
Lee Jiryung extended his hand.
“Join me. Together, we’ll rule Neo Seoul. If you and I combine our strength, no one will be able to stand against us.”
He made no attempt to hide his ambition.
From the moment he awakened, he had dreamed of becoming the ruler of Neo Seoul.
He believed his abilities would get him there quickly.
But reality had been harsh.
The current rulers were stronger—and commanded vast forces.
With his current power, he couldn’t even crack their defenses.
But with Zeon—
With a Sand Mage who could freely control sand—
It might be possible.
“Take my hand, Zeon!”
“I’ll pass. I’m not in the habit of holding hands with men…”
The Sand Mage rejected the ambitious man’s offer.