Chapter 58
Mandy had always thought of herself as an ordinary human.
That made sense, since as a child she looked no different from others.
Even back then, people said she was pretty, but she still never strayed beyond the bounds of what one would call human.
It was only after her secondary sexual characteristics developed that Mandy realized she was a half-elf.
After that point, elven traits began to appear.
One of them was her ears.
They weren’t completely pointed like an elf’s, but they weren’t blunt like a human’s either.
They looked like a perfect blend of the two.
Afterward, Mandy began to question her own identity. And eventually, she learned the truth.
Her mother had been raped by an elf… and that was how she came to exist.
Thinking of herself as a seed of misfortune, Mandy became withdrawn and increasingly introverted.
She grew extremely sensitive to the gazes of others, and day by day, it ate away at her.
To protect her, Eloi was created.
Another personality had formed.
Eloi’s nature was the exact opposite of Mandy’s.
She was as wild and violent as a demonic beast.
If she considered someone an enemy, she would lunge without hesitation and tear at their throat.
Because of Eloi’s destructive tendencies, many problems arose.
As things spiraled toward the worst, Mandy—who had been hidden beneath the surface until now—began to emerge again.
She stepped forward to calm Eloi, and as a result, became far more active than before.
Mandy made an agreement with Eloi.
In Neo Seoul, Mandy’s personality would usually be in control, while Eloi would take over when there was no need to care about others’ eyes.
Right now, Eloi judged that it was her turn.
At some point, a spear had appeared in her hand.
It wasn’t an ordinary spear.
It was an item unearthed from a dungeon.
A weapon of immense power that could be automatically summoned to its owner.
Its blade split into nine branches, resembling a nine-tailed fox.
That was why the spear was called “Mad Gumiho.”
Mad Gumiho was a weapon passed down as a legend even in Kurayan.
Perhaps it was fate that such a weapon had come into Eloi’s hands.
After all, she carried elven blood, even if only half.
Wooooong!
Mad Gumiho trembled in Eloi’s hand.
Sensing her fighting spirit, the weapon responded.
Eloi grinned.
“How do you want this to go? Want to be torn to pieces and fed to the beasts? Or will you obediently listen to me?”
“And if I don’t listen, I become beast food?”
“Hoho! Why even ask something so obvious? Ah, there is a third option.”
“What is it?”
“Kill that bastard over there, and you and I become… close. Then maybe everyone ends up happy.”
The “bastard” she referred to was Kim Sang-sik, who was riding a Bactrian camel.
Realizing that, Kim Sang-sik’s face turned deathly pale.
“W-why would you kill me? I didn’t do anything!”
“You learned Mandy’s secret.”
“I won’t tell anyone. I swear I’ll keep it a secret.”
“Yeah, right! Who would believe that? It’s cleaner to just kill you and shut your mouth.”
“Please, spare me!”
Kim Sang-sik climbed down from the camel and dropped to his knees.
Running away wasn’t even an option.
Even if he tried, he’d be caught in no time—begging was the better choice.
Tears and snot streaming down his face, he looked at Eloi.
Eloi scoffed.
“Tch, what’s with a grown man bawling like that… disgusting.”
Her gaze shifted back to Zeon.
“So? What’ll it be? Choose. It’s your call.”
“None of those options appeal to me. I’d rather speak with Mandy. Please call her.”
“That won’t work. She’s too soft.”
“Still, I’d like to meet her. How can I?”
“Simple! Beat me. If I get smashed, she’ll come out. Though that won’t happen.”
“That’s simple enough. Fortunately.”
“You think you can beat me?”
“I’m curious—are you really that confident just because of that spear?”
“…What?”
“Honestly, aside from being a half-elf, you don’t seem that special. Your confidence feels a bit excessive.”
At Zeon’s lightly mocking tone, Eloi’s expression hardened.
Gripping Mad Gumiho, she spat,
“Fuck! I tried talking nicely, and now you’re getting cocky without knowing your place. Guess you need a beating to learn.”
“Agreed.”
“Hah! I’ll tear that mouth of yours apart, you bastard!”
Eloi’s anger exploded.
She swung Mad Gumiho.
In that instant, phantom spears made of mana appeared in midair.
It was one of her skills—Rain Spear.
The power of Rain Spear, unleashed through Mad Gumiho, was immense.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!
The sand struck by Rain Spear exploded repeatedly like a volcanic eruption.
Columns of sand shot into the air and scattered in all directions, completely overturning the area.
But nowhere could Zeon be seen.
Eloi’s eyes sharpened as she searched for him.
She soon found him.
Zeon had already moved twenty meters to the left.
There wasn’t a single wound on him from the spear.
“Tricks…”
Like the wind, Eloi charged at Zeon.
Mad Gumiho extended, thrusting straight at him.
Just before it could pierce him, Zeon swung his gauntleted fist.
CLANG!
With a metallic crash, Mad Gumiho was knocked aside.
“…What?”
Eloi was startled.
As expected of an item unearthed from a dungeon, Mad Gumiho possessed tremendous piercing power.
It could tear through most weapons and armor like paper. Yet something as unremarkable as a pair of gauntlets had blocked it.
“So that’s also an item you got from a dungeon.”
“It’s something a friend made for me.”
“Bullshit! A mere human made something like that?”
“You’re half human yourself—don’t you think you’re looking down on them too much?”
Zeon smirked.
It was understandable that Eloi would be shocked.
The gauntlets he was wearing had been made by Keily, whom he had met in the past.
A masterpiece from the rare enchanter Keily, fused with the eye of a Red Dragon, had evolved into the Blazing Gauntlets.
They were now completely different from when Keily had first created them.
Their power was in no way inferior to Mad Gumiho.
“Dieee!”
Eloi snapped.
Swinging her spear wildly, she pulled something from her clothes and scattered it around Zeon.
It was a kind of trap.
A tool created in Neo Seoul to hunt magical beasts.
Naturally, it wasn’t anything ordinary.
If a living being containing mana entered the area, it would be dragged in by a terrifying suction force and bound.
Once caught, even the strongest magical beast wouldn’t be able to move for a moment.
Eloi scattered over a dozen such traps.
With that, all of Zeon’s escape routes were blocked.
Now she attacked freely.
But every one of her strikes was blocked by Zeon’s gauntlets.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew with every metallic collision.
Eloi pressed forward with relentless attacks, while Zeon stepped back and defended.
It was easier to charge forward than to retreat—and attacks carried more force that way.
Naturally, the one advancing should have had the advantage.
Eloi thought so as well.
But the situation was completely reversed.
Zeon slid backward as if pulled by invisible strings, and even at Eloi’s speed, it was difficult to catch up.
What irritated her even more was that Zeon hadn’t used a single skill yet—he was simply observing her every move.
As if gauging her true ability.
“You bastard…!”
Eloi raged and swung Mad Gumiho.
Each swing unleashed powerful skills toward Zeon.
BOOM!
The sand exploded, and slicing winds whipped through the air.
Zeon’s hair fluttered wildly, but behind it, his eyes remained completely steady.
Mad Gumiho split into nine.
Not illusions—there were truly nine spears.
With a gesture from Eloi, all nine rose high into the air.
An intense light burst forth from the mana linking them together.
“Die! Nine Spear Strike!”
Eloi’s strongest skill unfolded.
Zeon’s vision filled with blinding light.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Interesting.”
It had been a long time since he’d faced an opponent who bared their fangs at him like this.
Ever since his battle with Leviathan far to the south, most magical beasts avoided him altogether.
Because of that, he had rarely had a proper fight.
Facing someone attacking him with full force like this—it was actually quite enjoyable.
Zeon infused mana into the Blazing Gauntlets and threw a punch.
FWOOOSH!
Flames erupted from the gauntlets.
The crimson fire spun like a tornado and collided with Nine Spear Strike.
BOOOOM!
“Ugh!”
A strained groan escaped Eloi’s lips.
Her face had turned pale from the shock.
Not only had she failed to bring Zeon down—she had been struck by the recoil.
The nine spears were flung away in all directions.
Through the gap, Zeon came rushing toward her.
The red-hot gauntlets stood out vividly.
For a moment, the glowing red gem on the back of his hand looked like the eye of a massive beast.
In an instant, Zeon closed the distance and threw a powerful punch.
BANG!
“Ghk!”
Eloi was sent flying backward with a scream.
She had barely managed to block with her crossed arms—had her reaction been even slightly slower, her ribcage would have been completely crushed.
Her arms felt like they were about to break.
But Zeon’s assault wasn’t over.
CRACK!
His knee slammed into her face.
This time, she couldn’t even scream.
Her nose broke, and her vision blurred.
Still, Eloi somehow tried to regain her senses and counterattack.
But Zeon didn’t allow it.
BANG!
His fist struck her abdomen.
Eloi vomited everything in her stomach and rolled across the ground.
“Fuck!”
Eloi reached out her hand.
Mad Gumiho was summoned back into her grasp.
But she couldn’t swing it.
Zeon had already pinned her down, pressing his knee into her chest while gripping her wrist with an iron hold.
Eloi gritted her teeth and tried to shake him off, but it was useless.
Holding her down, Zeon spoke.
“Call Mandy.”
“Fuck you!”
BANG!
His fist smashed into her face.
Her cheekbone cracked, and blood splattered.
“I said call Mandy.”
“Ghh!”
“If you don’t want to die…”
Eloi glared at him with venom-filled eyes.
But the moment she met Zeon’s gaze, she instinctively swallowed.
What kind of eyes…?
Dry, black eyes devoid of emotion.
They felt less like a human’s—and more like a beast’s.
“I’ll say it one last time. Either die as Eloi… or bring out Mandy.”
“Damn… it!”
At those words, Eloi’s expression changed in an instant.
The defiance vanished completely, replaced by a face filled with fear.
It was Mandy.
“Sob…”
Tears streamed down Mandy’s face.
Seeing her, Zeon smiled.
“Now we can finally have a conversation.”