Chapter 62
Three days had passed since Zeon entered the Magic Stone Mine city.
During that time, he hadn’t done much.
Just wandering the streets or sitting in alleys watching people pass by.
To anyone, it looked like the daily life of an unemployed drifter with nothing to do.
It was the complete opposite of the bustling, fast-moving atmosphere of the mining city.
At first, some people looked at Zeon with displeasure. But since they knew Cha Dong-seok’s subordinates had been completely crushed by him, no one dared to pick a fight.
At least Neo Seoul had some rules—but in the Magic Stone Mine, even that didn’t apply.
It was a place where the strong could trample the weak and take everything, and it would be accepted.
Zeon was recognized as one of the strong.
No one knew the full extent of his power, but it was clear he was stronger than Cha Dong-seok.
At the very least, a D-rank or higher combat-type Awakened.
D-rank might not sound like much, but even across all of Neo Seoul, there weren’t a thousand of them—a rare and valuable force.
Considering that most Awakened dispatched to the mining city were E-rank or F-rank, it showed just how valuable they were.
Thanks to that, Zeon was able to live comfortably.
“Did you rest well?”
On the third day, Mandy came to find him.
Perhaps because she had rested well and eaten properly, her face was full of vitality.
“Thanks to you… You look well too.”
“Thanks to you as well.”
“Since you came to find me, I suppose it’s time to leave.”
“Exactly. There’s an armored bus heading to Neo Seoul in thirty minutes. We’re taking that bus.”
“Carrying magic stones?”
“Yes! The magic stones have all been gathered and are being sent to Neo Seoul.”
Magic stones were the most important resource for Neo Seoul.
All of the city’s facilities ran on energy extracted from them.
Because of that, a steady supply was essential.
The place that played the biggest role in supplying them was this mining city. Once enough magic stones were gathered—mined at the risk of the miners’ lives—they were loaded onto armored buses and sent to Neo Seoul.
Today happened to be the day they were being shipped out.
Zeon nodded.
“That’s good timing.”
“If we’d missed it, we would’ve had to wait at least a week. We’re lucky.”
Mandy couldn’t hide her excitement.
While Zeon considered even the mining city part of civilization, Mandy did not.
To someone accustomed to life in Neo Seoul, the mine was nothing more than a remote countryside backwater.
She wanted to return to Neo Seoul as soon as possible and enjoy the benefits of civilization.
“Here, take this.”
She held something out to Zeon.
“What is it?”
“A temporary pass.”
“A pass? So I can enter Neo Seoul?”
“Yes. It’s temporary, but it allows entry. Only for one month. After that, you’ll need to obtain official citizenship or find another way.”
“Well, that’s more than enough.”
Zeon took the pass and examined it closely.
It was made of an unknown metal, with magic engraved into it.
It was something Eloi had forced the chief administrator of the mine to hand over.
Something impossible for someone polite like Mandy—but not difficult for someone like Eloi, who was practically a lawless outlaw.
After regaining his strength, Eloi had caused a huge scene, and the overwhelmed administrator had handed over the temporary pass.
“Let’s head to the bus,” Mandy said with a smile.
“Let’s.”
Zeon stood up and followed her.
The two walked side by side toward an open lot.
A large armored bus was waiting there.
It was covered in layers of plating to protect against monster attacks, giving it a patchwork, ragged appearance.
It wasn’t stylish, but it was necessary for survival.
On top of the bus were railings and mounted gun positions, with five Awakened stationed there.
They were there to defend against attacks from monsters and scavengers.
At the rear of the bus were crates filled with magic stones, and at the front were miners returning to Neo Seoul.
The miners’ faces were filled with excitement at the thought of returning after so long.
“Over here!”
As Zeon and Mandy boarded, Kim Sang-sik, who had already taken a seat, waved at them.
Like Mandy, his complexion had improved greatly.
He gestured to two empty seats.
“You can sit here.”
“Thank you.”
“We will.”
They thanked him and sat down.
Zeon took the window seat, and Mandy sat beside him in the aisle.
Once they boarded, the armored bus slowly began to move.
The massive gate of the mining city opened, and at last, the bus rolled out into the desert.
The moment they passed through the gate, the air itself changed.
Hotter, heavier air rushed inside.
Without even an air conditioner, the interior of the bus quickly became stifling.
Still, not a single person complained.
Just being able to travel in the armored bus was enough.
That was the kind of era it was.
Things that were once taken for granted could now only be enjoyed by those with power and money.
For people in the slums, air conditioning was something out of imagination.
Zeon leaned his head against the window and looked outside.
At that moment, Mandy spoke to him.
“Do you have a place to stay?”
“I have a house I used to live in.”
“If you’ve been gone that long, someone else might be living there.”
In the slums, there was no such thing as an empty house.
The moment someone left, another person would take it.
No matter how much you claimed it was yours, it didn’t matter.
There were no landowners, no deeds.
Most buildings were crudely constructed, and as the population grew, they were expanded recklessly, ignoring safety—like an anthill.
Even then, there was never enough housing.
Zeon smiled.
“It’s fine. I’ll just take it back.”
“Why not just move into Neo Seoul instead? You could stay for a month and figure something out.”
“I’ll think about it slowly.”
“Okay!”
Mandy looked at Zeon’s profile.
‘Maybe because he lived in the desert for so long, he doesn’t like crowded places.’
Somehow, she felt like she could understand him.
Mandy gave up trying to persuade him and leaned back into her seat.
The ride was so rough that the vibrations from the ground were felt directly.
Even so, she felt fortunate just to be on board.
If things continued like this without incident, they would reach Neo Seoul by evening.
Mandy closed her eyes.
There was nothing else to do, so she decided to sleep.
Before long, she fell into a deep slumber.
She didn’t know how much time had passed.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Mandy suddenly opened her eyes at the faint but persistent vibration she felt from her back and hips.
‘What is this?’
It was too strong to be just the bus shaking.
At that moment, Zeon spoke as if he had been waiting.
“You’re awake. I was just about to wake you.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Look over there.”
Zeon pointed out the window.
Mandy widened her eyes and looked where he indicated. But all she could see was the distant horizon—nothing unusual.
Zeon said,
“Wait five minutes. You’ll see.”
“…What?”
Knowing Zeon wasn’t the type to say nonsense, Mandy patiently kept her gaze fixed outside.
Just as he said, five minutes later, she realized the source of the vibration.
“What is that…?”
Beyond the horizon, a massive cloud of dust was rising.
And it was rapidly closing in on the armored bus.
Zeon spoke calmly,
“Monsters. Looks like a pack of Flame Wolves.”
“Damn it!”
Mandy shot up from her seat.
If that dust cloud really was caused by a pack of Flame Wolves, then the armored bus was in serious danger.
Flame Wolves were the raiders of the desert.
They had the instincts of both wolves and hyenas.
Once they targeted prey, they pursued it relentlessly—clinging to it until death.
Most dangerous of all, they moved in packs.
Once they captured prey, they devoured it down to the bones, leaving nothing behind.
Because of this, even high-ranking Awakened hesitated to face them.
Mandy shouted,
“Flame Wolves! Everyone, prepare yourselves!”
At her cry, the Awakened lounging lazily on top of the bus jolted upright.
“Flame Wolves?!”
“Shit!”
“It’s real—they’re coming!”
The Awakened quickly spotted the pack.
In the distance, the Flame Wolves were charging forward like mad.
There were too many to count—easily thousands.
Even Mandy had never seen a pack this large.
The sheer frenzy of their charge made even the Awakened feel fear.
“This is insane…!”
“Full speed ahead!”
“Damn it!”
Sensing the danger, the driver slammed the accelerator.
The armored bus sped across the desert at tremendous speed.
But the distance between them and the wolves didn’t increase—instead, it rapidly shrank.
Zeon muttered,
“They’ll catch up soon.”
Once the Flame Wolves had marked the bus as prey, they would never give up.
Zeon knew their persistence well—he had faced them before.
“Damn it! I finally get to go home and now this?!”
“Ugh…!”
As the miners fell into panic, Mandy shouted again,
“If you want to live, grab your pickaxes! Smash anything that sticks its head in!”
But the miners couldn’t regain their composure.
At that moment, Mandy’s expression changed.
“Tsk! Useless bunch.”
Her other personality—Eloi—surfaced.
Glancing at Zeon, she said,
“Don’t say anything to Mandy. This is an emergency. If you don’t like it, you step in.”
“Did I say anything?”
“Tch. You’re annoying.”
Eloi pouted and pulled out the Mad Nine-Tailed Fox from her waist.
ROOOOAR!
At that moment, the deafening howl of the Flame Wolves rang out.
They were already close.
Flames flickered from their snouts and tails—that was how they got their name.
The wolves reaching the rear of the bus opened their jaws wide.
Streams of fire shot out.
“Block it!”
“Haah!”
The Awakened on the roof activated their skills, blocking the attacks.
But there were too many wolves—blocking everything was impossible.
Flames slammed into the armored bus.
BOOOOM!
With a massive explosion, the bus shook violently.
Only because it was covered in thick armor did it withstand the attack—an ordinary vehicle would have melted instantly.
“You bastards…!”
“Die!”
The Awakened unleashed their skills.
Yelp!
Grrrk!
Flame Wolves struck by the attacks collapsed with cries—but the moment one fell, another filled its place.
Just then, Eloi climbed onto the roof.
“You filthy beasts! I’ll kill every last one of you!”
Without hesitation, she swung the Mad Nine-Tailed Fox.
BOOOOM!
Dozens of Flame Wolves were killed in a single strike.
But there were so many that it barely made a difference.
“Damn it! What the hell has Neo Seoul been doing letting them gather like this?! Useless idiots!”
Even as she cursed Neo Seoul, Eloi fought like a madwoman.
But even she and the Awakened couldn’t stop all the wolves.
The Flame Wolves began clinging to the bus.
They shoved their heads through small openings, snapping at the people inside.
Several were dragged away before they could even react.
“AAARGH!”
“Help me!”
Their screams rang out—then vanished.
A wolf’s head lunged through the window near Zeon.
“Tsk.”
BANG!
Zeon clicked his tongue and casually threw a punch.
The wolf’s head exploded, unable to withstand the blow.
Zeon looked outside.
In the distance, watching everything, was a massive presence.
A beast as large as ten Flame Wolves combined—the alpha.
It radiated an entirely different level of power.
The intense heat it emitted made the surrounding air shimmer.
The wavering heat above its shoulders made it unmistakable.
Awoooooo!
The alpha released its aura.
The force rippled through space, shaking the bus itself.
“Ghk!”
“Ugh!”
The miners inside screamed and collapsed.
Blood streamed from their ruptured eardrums.
Watching this, Zeon frowned.
“You bastard… wrecking my ears.”