Chapter 224
Zeon’s group and Jang Yongbeom’s party left the fierce battlefield where they had fought the orcs and headed toward Neo Seoul.
The orcs who had gathered under Orca’s banner had completely scattered, leaving not even a trace behind.
Thanks to that, Zeon’s group and Jang Yongbeom’s party were able to travel comfortably for several days without any particular threats.
As the sun set, Zeon spoke.
“Let’s rest here for today.”
“Sounds good.”
Jang Yongbeom nodded readily.
Zeon was the guide of this group.
He determined the direction and decided when to stop and rest.
Jang Yongbeom followed Zeon’s decisions without question.
Because he knew it was the easiest way.
In this desert, there was no guide better than Zeon.
No navigator could match him.
If Zeon said it was safe to rest somewhere, they would never be attacked by magical beasts.
After a simple meal, they sat separately.
They were traveling together, but that didn’t mean they fully trusted each other.
They all knew well that nothing was more foolish than completely trusting someone in the desert.
Because of that, even though they acted separately, no one felt slighted.
“Whew…”
Eloi sat on a sand dune and let out a sigh.
Her gaze fell to her wrist.
Hidden carefully so others couldn’t see, a red insignia was visible.
Five red stripes that signified the martial class.
Proof that she was a B-rank Awakener.
It was a high enough rank to take pride in—but she couldn’t be satisfied with just this.
“To protect Mandy, I need to become stronger than this.”
It was obvious, but she and Mandy were one.
Eloi was a personality created to protect Mandy’s incomplete mind.
Once they entered Neo Seoul, Mandy’s personality would take over again.
Everything in Neo Seoul required extreme composure.
It was too much for the straightforward Eloi to handle.
That was why she willingly yielded control of the body to Mandy.
Mandy acted as the primary personality, but that didn’t mean Eloi disappeared.
She watched everything from behind.
She simply didn’t step forward.
For Mandy’s sake—and her own—she needed to become stronger.
But her growth had reached its limit.
Not all Awakeners grew the same way.
Some awakened at low ranks but rose quickly to high ranks.
Others started at high ranks but never grew any further.
Effort alone didn’t guarantee becoming a high-rank Awakener.
Each Awakener had a different “capacity.”
Those with large capacity became S-rank—
People like Lee Jiryung or Jang Yongbeom.
Those with small capacity would stagnate at E-rank or F-rank no matter how hard they tried.
Fortunately, Eloi’s innate capacity wasn’t small.
But B-rank was her limit.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break past it.
“How do I break through this wall?”
It was too vague—she didn’t even know where to begin.
It felt like being trapped in fog, unable to see even an inch ahead.
At that moment, a voice like a guiding light spoke.
“Do you want to break through that wall?”
“Huh?”
Startled, Eloi quickly turned around.
Standing quietly behind her was Zeon.
He had approached without making a sound.
If he had been an enemy, she would already be dead.
She knew he was strong, but she couldn’t even begin to guess his limits.
Not only was he powerful as a sand mage, but even his martial ability surpassed hers.
She had never seen an Awakener like him.
Eloi gave a bitter smile and replied.
“If I could break through just because I wanted to, wouldn’t that be nice? But you know that’s impossible—just like I do.”
“I’m asking about your resolve.”
“If it’s possible, of course I want to break through. What, can you help me grow like Levin?”
“I can’t do it with my own power. Levin was born with the talent to reach S-rank. But you…”
“I know! At best, B-rank is my limit. Maybe I could reach A-rank if I’m lucky, but I can’t see the path at all.”
Eloi admitted her limits honestly.
Strangely, it made her feel a little relieved.
Zeon then held out a small stone to her.
“What’s this?”
“A mana stone from the Orc Great Chieftain.”
“This?”
Eloi’s eyes trembled.
Mana stones could also come from magical beasts.
Naturally, they contained far greater quantity and quality of mana than those mined from ore.
But she had never seen one this vivid and glowing red.
“It likely contains some kind of skill.”
“A skill?”
“More precisely, it’s better to say it contains a seed—or a trigger—that can awaken a skill.”
“That’s even possible?”
Eloi looked stunned.
“It is. I obtained one of my skills that way.”
“My god…”
Eloi instinctively covered her mouth with both hands.
Otherwise, she felt like she might scream in excitement.
Unlike mana stones mined from veins, some that came from magical beasts occasionally retained the creature’s energy.
Because of that, there were cases where Awakeners absorbed such energy and gained skills.
Naturally, the higher the rank of the beast, the higher the chance the mana stone would contain a powerful skill.
But that probability was extremely low.
It was rare for an Awakener to obtain a truly valuable skill this way.
There was no guarantee this stone contained a good skill.
She might gain something powerful—
Or something completely useless.
If she gained a skill incompatible with her, it could even damage her existing abilities.
Zeon spoke calmly.
“The choice is yours. What will you do?”
“…I’ll absorb the mana stone.”
“Let me say this again—you might end up with a completely useless skill. If that happens, all the skills you’ve built up until now could be ruined.”
“I know. Even so, I’ll absorb the mana stone.”
“Alright. If that’s your resolve…”
Zeon handed the mana stone to her.
Eloi clenched it tightly in her hand.
A heat like burning fire spread through her palm.
Even without being told, she felt like she instinctively knew how to absorb that heat.
She closed her eyes and began drawing in the energy contained within the mana stone.
“Ghk!”
A massive surge of energy rushed in like a tidal wave through the hand holding the stone.
The blazing heat tore through Eloi’s body, rampaging inside her.
She tried to control it somehow—but it was useless.
“Aaaagh!”
Eloi collapsed, screaming.
But her scream never reached Jang Yongbeom’s party.
Zeon had sealed the space with mana so that her voice couldn’t escape.
Wracked with agony as if her entire body were burning, Eloi rolled across the ground.
She wanted to let go of the mana stone—but it wouldn’t budge, as if it were magnetically attached.
Still gripping it, Eloi eventually lost consciousness.
Even after she passed out, the mana stone continued pouring immense energy into her body.
Zeon silently watched her.
He had gone through the same process himself to obtain a skill, so he knew exactly how much pain she was enduring.
Zeon had absorbed the mana stone of Hydra, the guardian of the Gold Dragon, and reached A-rank.
The skill he gained at that time was Super Regeneration.
Thanks to it, no matter how severe his injuries were, he would recover before long.
It was one of the reasons Zeon had been able to survive alone in the desert for eight years without anyone’s help.
Then—
A finger that had been completely still, as if she were dead, twitched.
“Looks like she got a skill.”
Moments later, Eloi took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
“Haa! I’m… not dead?”
“As you can see, you’re alive.”
“Damn! I really thought I was going to die.”
“You look pretty fine for someone who almost did.”
“Really?”
Eloi pushed herself up with her hands and stood.
Straightening her back, she closed her eyes and examined the flow of mana within her body.
It felt different than before.
‘This…?’
No one explained it to her, but she instinctively understood what kind of skill it was.
“…Mass Increase?”
It was the very skill that had been contained within Terratan, Orca’s battle axe.
Interestingly, instead of inheriting Orca’s own skill, she had inherited the ability embedded in his weapon.
This kind of case was unprecedented.
The question was whether Mass Increase would be compatible with Eloi’s original abilities.
Her answer was simple.
“…This is good.”
Just like Terratan, it allowed a tenfold increase in mass.
At that level, she could drastically amplify the power of her Mad Fox techniques.
The real concern was whether her body could withstand such insane mass amplification.
Fortunately, that problem was solved as well.
A sixth line was glowing on her wrist.
It was the mark of an A-rank Awakener.
Eloi muttered in disbelief.
“I broke through the wall… this easily?”
“It wasn’t easy. Your efforts until now are what made it possible. The Orc Great Chieftain’s skill was merely the trigger that ignited the gunpowder you had already accumulated.”
“Ah…”
“Anyway, congratulations on becoming A-rank.”
“Thank you! I’ll never forget this.”
“Everyone’s waiting. Let’s head back down.”
“Okay!”
Eloi nodded and followed Zeon.
***
Jang Yongbeom tilted his head slightly.
His gaze was fixed on Eloi.
‘Something about her feels different.’
She had stayed up on the sand dune for quite a while the previous night, and now her entire aura had changed.
Her eyes—and the energy emanating from her body—were no longer the same.
No one needed to tell him.
Something significant had happened to her.
‘Did her rank increase? Just like that?’
Perhaps because he had become S-rank, he could now sense the condition of other Awakeners.
He couldn’t see exact values, but he could roughly gauge their level.
‘What kind of trick did he use on her?’
Jang Yongbeom’s gaze shifted to Zeon.
Zeon was walking ahead, cutting through the sandstorm.
There was only one possible reason for Eloi’s change.
Jang Yongbeom was curious about what method Zeon had used to raise her rank.
“Tch… Seems like he’s still hiding a lot. I wonder how many cards he’s got left.”
“What are you talking about, boss?”
“Nothing.”
“Really?”
Giselle, walking beside him, tilted her head.
At that moment, Aiden shouted.
“Hey! It’s a mana stone mine!”
“What?”
“Over there!”
Aiden pointed toward a jagged stone mountain rising in the distance.
At the familiar sight, everyone cheered.
“It really is a mana stone mine!”
“We finally made it!”
“Ahh!”
Among them, Brielle and Levin in particular were overwhelmed with emotion.
They had set out to clear a dungeon alongside Lee Jiryung’s Pegasus Raid Team, only to be betrayed.
They fought against the Red Storm faction and the massive orc army.
Only after enduring countless hardships had they finally returned to the world of civilization.
Naturally, their emotions ran deep.
Zeon muttered to himself.
‘I’ll be seeing you soon… Lee Jiryung.’
He never forgot either grudges—
or debts.