Chapter 66

Zeon stepped out of his house.

Even though he had to walk down eighteen floors, it wasn’t a problem for him at all.

Just as he had seen from above, the streets were now crowded with people.

It was as if the city, silent during the day, had awakened at night.

Streets that had been empty before were now filled with stalls, forming a bustling market.

Some sold food, others sold meat from unidentified magical beasts.

There were even vendors selling high-tech items rarely seen in the slums—clearly smuggled out of Neo Seoul.

In dark alleys, people openly traded what looked like drugs.

Zeon took in the entire scene.

Nothing had changed since eight years ago.

The only thing that had changed was Zeon himself.

When he left the slums, he had been young and powerless. Now, he possessed the strength to protect himself—that was the biggest difference.

People in the slums glanced at him.

They felt a sense of unease from the completely different aura he gave off.

Instinctively, they recognized that he was not one of them and became wary.

Zeon noticed their gazes but paid them no mind.

He had received the same looks in other colonies as well.

He was an outsider.

No matter where he went, he was never truly welcomed.

It was a little disappointing that even his hometown didn’t welcome him, but it didn’t bother him much.

After walking for a while, a delicious smell reached him from somewhere.

It was something he had never encountered in the desert or other colonies.

Following the scent, Zeon arrived at a place where people had set up stalls and were selling food.

He sat down at one of them.

The reason he chose that particular stall was simple—

it smelled the best.

An old man was grilling meat with his back turned.

Sensing a customer, the old man turned around.

His deeply wrinkled face, long beard, and cracked glasses made it impossible to guess his age.

The old man spoke to Zeon.

“Here to eat?”

“……”

Instead of answering, Zeon stared intently at him.

For some reason, the old man’s face felt familiar.

After a moment, Zeon remembered who he was.

“Could it be… old man Clexi?”

“You know me?”

The old man frowned slightly as he looked at Zeon.

Very few people in this area knew his real name, yet a stranger had just called him by it.

Naturally, he became wary.

“Who the hell are you, knowing my name?”

“I thought it was strange you disappeared from the magic stone mines. Turns out you were here running a stall.”

“You still haven’t told me your name.”

Behind his glasses, Clexi’s eyes sharpened.

They were far too sharp for someone who merely sold food at a shabby stall.

Zeon smiled.

“You look the same, but it seems your memory has gotten worse. Don’t you recognize me?”

“Now that I look at you… your face does seem familiar.”

Clexi furrowed his brow deeply as he searched his memory.

After a long moment, he finally remembered.

“The magic stone mines… now that you mention it, you’re that kid from back then.”

“So you do remember.”

“You stood out too much. A brat carrying a magic stone, then disappearing after just one day in the mines… I thought you were dead. But you’re alive. What happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“How have you been all this time?”

Clexi’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Zeon smirked.

“I got by, one way or another.”

“I said how did you get by?”

“Does that really matter? What matters is that I’m alive and we’ve met again.”

“Hah! You’ve become quite sly. You used to be so innocent.”

“I paid a high tuition for my lessons. Learned a lot because of it.”

“Fine. If you don’t want to talk, don’t. Like I care.”

Clexi made a sulky expression, but Zeon remained unfazed.

He knew very well how cunning and dangerous the old man was.

This was someone who had survived the harsh magic stone mines his entire life.

Underestimating a man who had dealt with rough miners and Awakeners alike would be a grave mistake.

“I’m hungry. Give me something to eat.”

“Got money?”

“Enough to pay for a meal.”

“Is that so?”

Clexi plated the meat he had been grilling and handed it over.

Zeon picked up his chopsticks.

“Thank you for the meal.”

It was his first proper food since arriving in Neo Seoul.

He placed a piece of the unidentified meat into his mouth.

It melted instantly.

Whatever seasoning had been used, the flavor exploded across his palate.

Zeon believed that food was one of the clearest indicators of civilization.

Where civilization advanced, food advanced with it. In underdeveloped places, food remained primitive.

Most of the colonies he had visited were stuck at a medieval level of development.

They were too busy surviving the threat of magical beasts to even think about progress.

In that sense, Neo Seoul was special.

Even in the slums, one could eat something this delicious.

Zeon slowly savored each bite.

Clexi watched Zeon eat for a moment, then pulled out a bottle of alcohol.

“Want a drink too?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Why?”

“It just doesn’t suit my taste.”

“Heh! You’ve grown tall, but your palate’s still that of a child. A grown man should at least be able to handle a drink.”

“I’m fine. If that’s the standard, I’ll pass on being an adult.”

“You’ve gotten quite sly. Just what kind of life have you lived?”

Clexi examined Zeon from head to toe as if dissecting him. But just by looking, he couldn’t figure anything out.

Meanwhile, Zeon continued eating the meat with clear enjoyment.

He ate with such relish that even Clexi, who had cooked it, felt tempted himself.

“When did you come back to the slums?”

“This afternoon.”

“You got a place to stay?”

“Luckily, my old house was still there.”

“Really? That’s strange. Empty houses aren’t supposed to exist here.”

“Guess I’m just lucky.”

“Share some of that luck with me.”

“Why? Something bad happen?”

“You don’t need something bad to want luck. At my age, you just start hoping for it. To live longer, to earn more money.”

“You’ve lived this long and still want more?”

At Zeon’s question, Clexi burst into laughter, revealing the few teeth he had left.

“My boy! The longer you live, the more you want to keep living. If I could, I’d even make a deal with a dragon for immortality.”

“Dragons can grant immortality?”

“Who knows? Maybe drinking their blood lets you live forever. That’s probably why those people beyond the wall are so obsessed.”

Clexi’s gaze drifted toward the distant barrier.

The wall separating Neo Seoul and the slums.

That single wall divided citizens from the destitute.

Those inside enjoyed every benefit of civilization, while those outside struggled to survive, exposed to constant danger.

All of it came down to that one barrier.

Some even called it the Wall of Despair.

A wall ordinary people could never cross, no matter how hard they tried.

Only a chosen few could pass it, and even then, only by a slim chance.

Zeon asked,

“They want dragon blood too?”

“Do you think it’s just them? Heh!”

“Tch.”

Zeon clicked his tongue.

Dragons were living creatures too.

The idea that the blood of a mere living being could grant immortality sounded absurd to him.

Suddenly, Clexi’s eyes gleamed.

“That robe of yours looks quite valuable. Where did you get it?”

“Just picked it up by chance.”

“By chance?”

“Yes.”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

“Didn’t I say? I’ve got pretty good luck.”

“Hm.”

“I should get going. Thanks for the meal. How much?”

“Forget it. It’s been a while since we met—today’s on the house.”

“I’ll pass on that. This should be enough, right?”

Zeon pulled out some money and placed it on the table.

At that moment, Clexi’s expression turned strange.

The amount Zeon had placed down was exactly ten sol.

The same amount Clexi had once taken from Zeon at the magic stone mines.

Without hesitation, Zeon stood up.

“You…”

“We’ve settled things properly now, so no complaints later.”

With a smile, Zeon left.

Clexi stared blankly at his departing figure.

It felt as if he had been struck on the head with a hammer.

He hadn’t felt something like this in a long time.

“So he didn’t forget what happened that day… more vindictive than I thought.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Clexi stepped away from his stall.

“That’s enough business for today. Pack it up.”

“Yes, sir!”

Large men who had been running nearby stalls approached him.

They cleared his stall and followed behind him.

As they moved, people on the street quickly stepped aside.

Clexi spoke quietly,

“Put him under surveillance.”

“Is he worth that much?”

“Worth…”

The wrinkles on Clexi’s face deepened as he smiled.

“He disappeared the day he entered the magic stone mines. Everyone thought he died. But he came back alive. That alone makes him valuable.”

The magic stone mines were like a labyrinth.

If you lost your way, you wandered until you starved to death.

Even then, bodies were usually found.

But Zeon’s body had never been discovered.

Clexi had found it strange at the time but soon forgot about it.

Back then, Zeon had been just an insignificant boy, not worth remembering.

But things were different now.

That boy, presumed dead, had returned alive—after eight long years.

Clexi was intensely curious about what had happened during that time.

But he knew better than anyone that finding out would be nearly impossible.

Anything that happened outside Neo Seoul and beyond the mines was beyond his reach.

The desert held no answers he could uncover.

But within the slums, he could read everything like lines on his palm.

“He’s definitely awakened. Find out what his skill is, and why he came back to Neo Seoul. Don’t miss a single detail.”

“Understood.”

The merchant disappeared after replying.

Clexi looked down at his palm.

In it lay the ten sol Zeon had left behind.

“Well now… what an interesting one we’ve got.”

＊＊＊

Zeon muttered to himself,

“Just as I thought… he’s no ordinary old man.”

The moment he sat at Clexi’s stall, he had felt hidden gazes.

It was as if the entire market had been watching him.

They were clearly people under Clexi’s command.

Most were ordinary, but a few gave off a distinct presence.

Zeon knew that only Awakeners carried such an aura.

The fact that Clexi had Awakeners under him meant he was no small figure.

Why someone like that was running a food stall in the market, Zeon couldn’t tell.

Still, from the very first day in Neo Seoul, things were already getting interesting.

“Not bad.”