Chapter 85

Neo Seoul was situated within towering defensive walls.

These walls, built a hundred years ago, were made from rare stone that was nearly impossible to obtain in the present age.

Massive rocks had been carved into rectangular shapes, fitted together without a single gap to form a great fortress wall, and then reinforced using special methods.

Because of this, most magical beasts didn’t even dare to attempt breaking through.

Thanks to these walls, the people inside Neo Seoul could focus on research and their livelihoods without worrying about attacks.

With the scientific legacy from before the Great Cataclysm combined with the magical abilities of awakened individuals, Neo Seoul developed at a terrifying pace.

Though limited to Neo Seoul, a new world surpassing the old civilization had been built.

At the center stood City Hall, acting as the control tower of Neo Seoul, rising over fifty floors.

Fifty floors might not sound impressive at first—but in an era where construction materials were scarce, it represented an enormous investment.

In truth, even if materials had been abundant, they likely wouldn’t have built it any taller. If it were too high, it might attract the attention of flying-type magical beasts.

Though invisible to the human eye, countless flying beasts were gliding high above the skies.

They avoided approaching due to the anti-magic field surrounding Neo Seoul—but if the building grew taller, their curiosity might draw them closer.

In the current world, only a tiny portion of Earth was accessible to humanity.

Even though great progress had been made since the Great Cataclysm, people still had to be wary of magical beasts.

A small-framed man stood by the window, gazing at City Hall.

“Damn… it’s magnificent.”

The building, a fusion of magic and science, possessed an overwhelming presence that dwarfed all other structures in Neo Seoul.

Just looking at it from afar made one’s heart swell.

“I need to get that magnificent building into my hands soon. What is that old man doing, not dying already?”

Clicking his tongue, the man turned around.

Now his face was clearly visible.

Deep wrinkles etched across his face and the white beard around his mouth and chin told of a life filled with hardship.

The old man wore a hat embroidered with golden thread in elaborate patterns.

It was a traditional hat from his father’s homeland, worn in the days before the world fell apart.

The hat was his identity.

Though he had never once set foot in that homeland, he had never forgotten the origin of his bloodline.

He always wore it, and it had now become his symbol.

The old man’s name was Shao Lun.

He was the ruler of southern Neo Seoul.

Behind him stood a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.

His tall, lean build and cold, carved-from-ice demeanor were striking.

Shao Lun spoke gently to him.

“So, what was it you said earlier? My memory isn’t what it used to be—I can’t remember things after hearing them just once.”

“We’ve lost contact with the alligators.”

“Have you identified the cause?”

“It seems there’s been a disturbance in the slum’s ecosystem.”

“Is that so?”

The old man raised his white eyebrows.

It was rare for him to show this much interest.

After all, he had already achieved most of what he desired.

It was a shame he hadn’t claimed that magnificent City Hall—but the one sitting on that throne was a monster not easily dealt with.

To seize that building might mean everything he had built in Neo Seoul collapsing entirely.

He had no desire to take that risk.

He wanted it, but couldn’t bring himself to challenge for it.

Since he couldn’t aim for what he desired most, his life had become dull.

And yet, for the first time in a while, his expression showed intrigue.

“Where exactly did this disturbance occur?”

“In Sinchon.”

“Sinchon? That place…”

“It’s controlled by someone named Goran.”

“Ah, Goran. I heard he had close ties with the alligators.”

“That’s correct.”

“And?”

“He and the alligators are presumed dead.”

“Presumed?”

“Their deaths haven’t been confirmed. But since they can’t be found anywhere, it’s assumed they’re dead.”

The young man’s reasoning was entirely sound.

Shao Lun asked,

“Have you found out who did it?”

“We’re about to investigate.”

“Good. I trust you’ll handle it well.”

“While I’m at it, I plan to open a new route.”

“You, personally?”

Shao Lun looked slightly surprised.

The young man’s name was Tajik.

One of Shao Lun’s most trusted subordinates.

“Very well. I’ll entrust everything to you.”

“I won’t betray your trust.”

“Go.”

At Shao Lun’s gesture, Tajik bowed and left.

Left alone, Shao Lun turned his gaze back toward City Hall.

“So… what kind of small fry is stirring the waters this time?”

Watching the slums might prove entertaining again.

＊＊＊

Zeon wrinkled his nose.

A horrible chemical stench filled the house.

“Hm-hm-hm~!”

On one side, Brielle hummed cheerfully as she stoked the fire beneath a pot.

Inside the small pot she had bought from the Goblin Market, an unidentifiable liquid bubbled vigorously.

She was mixing various ingredients she had purchased, combining them with her own secret formula and boiling them down.

As the unknown materials simmered, a foul odor spread through the air.

The smell was so terrible that even Zeon—who rarely showed discomfort—frowned.

But Brielle’s eyes sparkled with excitement instead.

She spent nearly half a day watching the pot, carefully adjusting the heat.

The liquid inside had mostly reduced, leaving only a small amount.

At that moment, Brielle placed both hands on the pot and began muttering something.

A brilliant light burst from her hands.

It was her ability—alchemy—being activated.

A moment later, the light faded from her hands, and inside the pot remained about a dozen small pills.

“It’s done!”

Brielle cheered.

Zeon looked at the pills with curiosity.

“That relieves withdrawal symptoms?”

“One lasts about ten days…”

“So ten would last around a hundred days?”

“After that, I’ll need to find better ingredients and make more.”

The longer a drug is taken, the more resistance the body builds.

The stronger the drug, the stronger the resistance.

For now, this was enough to suppress the withdrawal—but later, she would need to create something even stronger.

Even so, Brielle was satisfied.

A hundred days was enough time to find another solution.

She immediately took one pill.

Almost instantly, color returned to her face.

The drug she had struggled to make worked right away.

As soon as it took effect, her eyes lost focus.

“Ugh… damn…”

Even her speech became slurred.

The effect was so strong that her body reacted as if she were intoxicated.

After quite some time, Brielle regained her senses.

Her eyes were still unfocused, but her mind had cleared.

Realizing this herself, she pulled her pointed hat low to hide her face.

At that moment, a powerful surge of mana radiated from her entire body.

It was a temporary effect from her visibly increased mana.

Zeon noticed it immediately.

“Can alchemy increase mana too?”

“To a certain extent. But creating a dramatic change with just one or two doses is impossible at my level.”

Brielle had awakened as an alchemist.

But during her growth phase, she had been captured by humans and forced to make drugs, which had stunted her development.

To become a proper alchemist, she needed time.

And if she grew properly, she could eventually create elixirs that drastically increased mana.

Of course, before that, she had to completely restore her damaged body.

It wouldn’t be easy.

But it didn’t seem impossible either.

She had already overcome one major obstacle—so eventually, she could overcome the others too.

“Hehe! Just wait. The moment I become S-rank, I’ll destroy Neo Seoul.”

Brielle laughed, hands planted on her hips.

She looked exactly like a drunk spouting nonsense.

Zeon flicked her forehead.

Flick!

“Impossible, kid.”

“Ugh!”

Brielle clutched her reddening forehead and groaned.

“How dare you flick a noble High Elf.”

“You’re still just a drug-addicted kid.”

“Just wait! When I reach S-rank, I won’t let you off.”

“I’m telling you, S-rank won’t be enough.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Brielle shouted.

Like humans, elves awakened and received rank marks on their wrists.

Seven lines defined ranks from F to S.

She too had awakened and gained a mark.

Two lines shone on her wrist.

She was an E-rank awakener.

For now, she was low-ranked—but with experience and by breaking through her limits, she would grow.

She believed that once she reached S-rank, she might be able to break the High Elf’s pact.

And when that happened, she would use her alchemist abilities to destroy this human city.

Zeon smirked at the young High Elf.

Maybe because she was still young, her sense of self was overly inflated.

Alchemy wasn’t suited for direct combat.

Sure, it could create dangerous substances—but not enough to destroy Neo Seoul.

More importantly, S-rank wasn’t the absolute peak.

He had seen that clearly with Deioden.

There were those whose strength couldn’t be measured by rank alone.

As long as such individuals existed in Neo Seoul, Brielle’s ambition had almost no chance of becoming reality.

Zeon suddenly looked out toward the city.

In the distance, the towering City Hall building stood tall.

I should go there at least once…

He had already obtained access through Mandy, but he still didn’t feel inclined to visit yet.

Then—

“Whoa! I’ve got it!”

Brielle suddenly exploded with excitement.

She jumped up and down like a madwoman, cheering.

Zeon frowned.

Ignoring him, Brielle began moving busily.

“Yeah, this might work. The teeth of an armored ant, the tentacle of a sandworm, and then…”

She quickly took out all kinds of materials she had bought from the Goblin Market and spread them across the table.

Then she laid out various tools.

The room became a complete mess in an instant.

Zeon clicked his tongue.

“Tch… I shouldn’t have picked up a crazy elf…”

If it weren’t for that High Elf pact, he would’ve thrown her out immediately.

That was the only thing stopping him.

Brielle’s madness filled the entire house.

The overwhelming intensity made even breathing feel difficult.

Shaking his head, Zeon stepped outside.

He went up to the rooftop of the building.

Even though he lived on the eighteenth floor, this was his first time going up there.

Fortunately, no one else was using the rooftop.

Zeon sat on the railing and looked out over Neo Seoul.

The City Hall building in the distance stood out vividly.

To him, it resembled something he had only heard about in stories—a lighthouse.

A structure that guided ships across the sea.

But he wasn’t sure if that massive lighthouse was truly guiding this era in the right direction.

Zeon had traveled far more places than Deioden.

There was no one in the current world who had seen more than him.

Naturally, he had experienced many colonies and many people.

But none of them had developed as much as Neo Seoul.

Most colonies were barely focused on protecting their people from magical beast attacks.

They lacked both the will and the capability to lead the world in the right direction.

The only place with that potential was Neo Seoul.

And the one leading Neo Seoul—

was Mayor Jin Geumho.

As if Jin Geumho were standing before him, Zeon muttered,

“What kind of world are you trying to create?”