Chapter 60
Cha Dong-seok was a D-rank martial-type Awakened who had been dispatched from Neo Seoul to a mana stone mine.
His mission was to patrol the area around the mine, identify threats, and eliminate them.
“Damn it!”
His goggles were clouded with dust, making it hard to see.
It was because of the sand that blew constantly.
Cha Dong-seok took off his goggles and roughly wiped them with his sleeve, grumbling.
“Can’t something be done about this damn sand? I have to clean my goggles every ten minutes.”
“The whole world’s turned into sand—what do you expect anyone to do? It’s not like we can shovel it all away. Just deal with it, boss. Heh.”
One of his subordinates snickered.
“Fuck! If I could, I’d shovel it all out myself. Problem is, I can’t.”
“If that were possible, you wouldn’t be human—you’d be a god. Even gods couldn’t do that.”
“They’re probably all dead too. If gods existed, would the world have ended up like this?”
Cha Dong-seok put his goggles back on and looked up at the sky.
He’d heard that long ago, the sky had been blue.
Now it was nothing but a dull yellow.
Come to think of it, he had never once seen a blue sky.
That was why he couldn’t really believe those stories.
“I wish I could see a blue sky at least once before I die.”
“Heh! Think that’s possible? Better wake up from that dream early.”
“You bastard! Can’t I even dream?”
Smack!
Cha Dong-seok smacked the back of his subordinate’s head.
Even so, the man just kept grinning.
The subordinate spoke again.
“Shouldn’t we head back soon? Looks like the sun’s about to set.”
“Alright. Turn the wheel.”
“Yes, sir!”
Just as the subordinate was about to turn the wheel—
Something strange caught Cha Dong-seok’s eye.
“Wait! Stop.”
“What is it?”
“Over there… aren’t those people?”
“Huh? What are you talking about? In the middle of the desert—…shit! There are.”
The subordinate’s eyes widened.
On top of a distant sand dune, figures were walking toward them.
They were too far away to make out faces, but it was clear they were human.
“Scavengers?”
“There aren’t any scavengers operating around here.”
“Still, we can’t be sure. Get ready to fight anytime, and drive over there.”
“Yes!”
There were five people in the buggy, including Cha Dong-seok.
They prepared themselves for combat and drove at high speed.
Before long, they encountered the unknown group.
Two men and one woman, along with a Bactrian camel—the kind commonly used by scavengers.
Dust had piled thickly on their heads and shoulders.
Cha Dong-seok stopped the buggy in front of them and shouted,
“This is a mana stone mine managed by Neo Seoul. Stop and identify yourselves.”
“A mana stone mine? Then we’ve come to the right place.”
The woman looked delighted as she turned to him.
Blonde hair, blue eyes—she was strikingly beautiful.
The men in the buggy all focused their gaze on her.
Though it could have been uncomfortable, she showed no reaction and calmly introduced herself.
“My name is Mandy Sistein, a supervisor affiliated with Neo Seoul. I was dispatched south with Pathfinder Team 7 to investigate magical beast ecology.”
“A supervisor of Pathfinder Team 7?”
Cha Dong-seok’s eyes wavered.
The Pathfinder teams were elite combat units.
Compared to them—who merely patrolled the mine—their strength was on an entirely different level.
If she truly was a supervisor from a Pathfinder team, she was undoubtedly his superior.
“Can you prove your identity?”
“If you contact Neo Seoul, you’ll get confirmation right away.”
“Hmm.”
At that moment, the man riding the Bactrian camel spoke.
“I’ll vouch for her identity.”
“And who are you?”
“I’m mechanic Kim Sang-sik, who was dispatched with the Pathfinder team. Here is my access card.”
Kim Sang-sik carried an access card.
Unlike Mandy, he frequently entered key facilities, so he always kept it on him.
Cha Dong-seok checked the card.
It’s genuine.
The access card couldn’t be forged or stolen.
It responded to the biometric signals of its owner, allowing access to major facilities.
Cha Dong-seok then turned his gaze to the last man.
“And you?”
“He’s with me. I’ll vouch for him.”
Mandy stepped forward and guaranteed Zeon’s identity.
Zeon pushed back the hood he had been wearing and looked at Cha Dong-seok.
“I’m Zeon. I’m from the slums.”
“The slums?”
For a moment, a look of contempt flashed across Cha Dong-seok’s face.
He reacted instinctively to the word “slums.”
In Neo Seoul, those from the slums were treated like criminals.
Especially if they were Awakened—it made people even more wary.
Not everyone, but many were affiliated with criminal organizations.
Moreover, they weren’t officially registered as Awakened in Neo Seoul, making their identities uncertain.
At the center of many crimes were Awakened from the slums.
Because of that, their reputation was poor.
Kim Sang-sik spoke up.
“He’s not a dangerous person. I’ll vouch for him as well.”
“Hmm… Understood. Still, once you enter the mana stone mine, you’ll need to be quarantined. I ask for your understanding.”
“Understood.”
Kim Sang-sik nodded.
Cha Dong-seok pointed to the back seats of the buggy.
“All three of you, get in. We’re heading to the mana stone mine.”
“Finally, we get to ride.”
“We’re saved.”
A look of relief spread across Mandy and Kim Sang-sik’s faces.
They had been walking for nearly half a month.
They had taken turns riding the Bactrian camel to conserve energy, but that didn’t make things any less painful.
Their whole bodies ached.
All they wanted now was to get into the mana stone mine and rest properly.
The two quickly climbed into the buggy.
Unlike them, Zeon didn’t get in right away. Instead, he approached the Bactrian camel.
“You’ve worked hard. Now go live freely.”
He removed the saddle from its back and spoke softly.
The camel quietly closed its eyes and leaned its face against Zeon’s.
It looked almost as if they were communicating.
In truth, they had spent quite a long time together.
But now that Zeon was entering Neo Seoul, it was only right to part ways.
“Take care.”
At his words, the camel let out a loud cry and ran off into the desert.
Zeon watched it for a moment before finally boarding the buggy.
One year traveling with Deioden, and seven years wandering alone.
It had been a full eight years since he last rode in a vehicle.
Perhaps that was why it felt strange.
“We’re moving out.”
At Cha Dong-seok’s command, the buggy started moving.
Zeon closed his eyes and felt the vibration of the vehicle.
Mandy and Kim Sang-sik looked at him with complicated expressions.
We really made it this close to Neo Seoul safely…
Does that even make sense?
The half-month they had spent with Zeon felt like a dream.
They had faced countless dangers along the way.
Sometimes they encountered massive magical beasts, other times they nearly got swallowed by quicksand.
Yet every time, Zeon seemed to sense the danger in advance and avoided it by the narrowest margin.
Walking through the desert had been exhausting, but not once had their lives truly been in danger.
They both knew how absurd that was.
Surviving like this was nothing short of a miracle.
And Zeon was the one who had made that miracle happen.
It was only natural for them to look at him with awe.
Whether he noticed their gazes or not, Zeon leaned slightly out the window and looked ahead.
In the distance, a rocky mountain rose from the desert.
The mana stone mine.
Seeing it again after eight years stirred something within him.
To think I’d return here…
Back when he left, he never imagined he would come back.
At the time, just keeping up with Deioden had been overwhelming enough.
The massive gate opened, revealing the interior of the mining city.
Even after eight years, the place looked the same.
Almost nothing had changed.
Cha Dong-seok got out of the buggy and spoke to Mandy and Kim Sang-sik.
“I’ll take you to your accommodations.”
“What about him?”
Mandy pointed at Zeon.
“There’s a separate place for those from the slums.”
“He’s with us.”
“I’m sorry. Those are the rules of the mana stone mine.”
Cha Dong-seok was firm.
Mandy was about to protest, but Zeon spoke first.
“I’m fine. Go and get some rest.”
“But…”
“You don’t need to worry about me. As you know, I can sleep anywhere.”
“…Alright.”
Since Zeon insisted, Mandy had no choice.
She and Kim Sang-sik followed Cha Dong-seok toward their lodgings.
One of the Awakened approached Zeon.
“You. Come with me.”
His tone, attitude, and gaze were all sharp.
“Sure.”
Zeon smiled and followed him.
The man didn’t say a single word the entire way.
Though it could have been uncomfortable, Zeon showed no change in expression.
The place he was taken to was a shabby lodging deep within the mining city.
Creak—
As the door opened, several people inside came into view.
All of them were Cha Dong-seok’s subordinates.
Thud!
As the door shut, the Awakened who had brought him spoke.
“You said you’re from the slums?”
“So what if I am?”
“How did someone from the slums end up with them? What’s your purpose in coming to the mana stone mine?”
“Purpose?”
“You’re not connected to scavengers, are you?”
He treated Zeon like a criminal.
The other Awakened surrounded him, creating a tense atmosphere.
But Zeon didn’t show the slightest sign of intimidation.
“I have nothing to do with scavengers.”
“Then why did you come here?”
“Did you get permission to do this?”
“What?”
“Even if I’m from the slums, I’m still part of a supervisor’s group. Are you sure you can handle the consequences?”
“What the hell are you saying? You think that woman will protect you? If we toss you into the underground tunnels of this mine, no one will ever find you. So you’d better start talking while we’re being nice. Actually… show me your rank insignia.”
A wrist insignia was the most reliable way to identify an Awakened’s class and rank.
Which was exactly why it was something that should never be demanded.
These men were breaking that taboo.
That alone showed how little they thought of Zeon.
One of them roughly grabbed Zeon’s wrist.
“What’s this? You’re wearing gauntlets? Take them off.”
He tried to forcibly remove Zeon’s gauntlet.
Something he would never dare do to an equal.
The others didn’t stop him—they simply watched.
Because Zeon was from the slums, they looked down on him.
“Haha!”
At the absurd situation, Zeon laughed.
The man gripping his wrist frowned even more.
“What’s so funny, you bastard? You think I’m a joke?”
“Yes. You do look like one.”
“You son of a—”
CRACK!
A chilling sound of bone breaking echoed.
The man stopped mid-curse and looked down at his arm.
The arm that had tried to remove Zeon’s gauntlet hung limp, completely broken.
Zeon had snapped it in an instant.
Realizing what had happened, the man screamed.
“Aaagh!”
“Didn’t anyone teach you not to pry into someone’s rank insignia? Breaking your wrist is the usual consequence. That’s disappointing.”
At Zeon’s words, the air in the room turned cold.
“You bastard…”
“You’ve lost your mind.”
The other Awakened drew their weapons.
Zeon looked at them and smiled.
“Looks like none of you were taught properly.”