Chapter 392

Chapter 392

Zeon walked the streets alone, his expression heavy.

His heart was restless. He needed some time to himself, so he had sent Levin back first.

Garion had once been an ordinary man. But under Johan’s manipulation, he awakened—after slaughtering his own family.

Had the brainwashing not been broken when Garion attacked Zeon, he would have never dreamed of this revenge.

The problem was, in seeking vengeance, Garion had taken too many lives and caused too much destruction.

As long as there was even the faintest connection to the cult in Dongdaemun, Garion would strike without hesitation.

In the process, countless innocents had died—many of whom had nothing to do with the cult, caught in the crossfire by pure misfortune.

At this rate, if left alone, Garion’s path of vengeance would only lead to more unnecessary deaths.

Zeon began to wonder—was it right to let him be?

If Zeon hadn’t killed Johan in the first place, Garion would never have run wild like this.

As powerful as Garion’s regeneration was, it would never have matched up to Johan. That fact alone had kept him silent while Johan lived.

“Difficult…”

Zeon gave a bitter smile.

He was reminded once more how tangled the threads of cause and effect in this world were—more complex than a spider’s web.

Zeon possessed a power great enough to shake the very foundation of fate.

Depending on how deeply he got involved, countless new outcomes could unfold.

And among those outcomes, there would be ones like Garion—people who lost control and ran wild.

But avoiding action out of fear that something might go wrong wasn’t Zeon’s way.

Ultimately, it was something he had to face.

‘Necromancer Pilgrim… the elf, Kalinan… and those influenced by Krasias’ lingering ego are starting to appear. Perhaps even the half-dragon Nigel was affected by Krasias. I don’t know what Krasias intended by leaving behind his remnant consciousness, but if I leave it be… another catastrophe may unfold.’

The world had already been destroyed once because of Krasias.

If left unchecked, who knew what he might trigger again?

The more he thought, the more tangled his mind became.

Hoo…

Zeon took a deep breath of the night air.

It was then—

“Are you Zeon?”

A voice rang out from a shadowy alley.

A man stepped forward, clad in armor made from demonic beast hide.

The unfamiliar style of his armor, the willow-leaf saber at his waist, the massive bow slung over his back—upon seeing these, Zeon instantly recognized him.

“You must be the Pathfinder from Sichuan I’ve heard about.”

“Heh. As sharp as they say. You figured me out right away.”

The man was none other than Jang Woo-hang.

He had come to meet Zeon with Xiao Lun’s permission.

Zeon narrowed his eyes and stared at Jang Woo-hang.

The stench of blood was thick…

It wasn’t the smell of demonic beasts.

It was the pungent scent of human blood—strong and deeply ingrained.

Only someone who had slaughtered many people could carry such a scent. And once it soaked in, it never faded.

Jang Woo-hang was a man who had spilled blood on par with Zeon himself.

He greeted Zeon in his distinct way—pressing a fist into his open palm.

“I’m Jang Woo-hang, from Sichuan.”

“Zeon.”

“You look more ordinary than I expected. But appearances are deceiving. The scent of blood clings to you too. You’ve killed many, haven’t you?”

“In a time like this, surviving means getting your hands dirty.”

“Heh! A good era for blood-soaked monsters like us, isn’t it?”

“Blood-soaked monsters?”

“Isn’t that what we are?”

“I’m not that hungry for violence, though.”

“No, you’re the same as me. I can tell by your eyes.”

Jang Woo-hang stared into Zeon’s gaze, his voice brimming with certainty.

“Lifeless, rotting eyes. Might be better to gouge them out.”

“Hmph. Deny it all you want. But you can’t hide your true nature.”

“I don’t believe you have the ability to see through mine.”

“If you say so.”

Jang Woo-hang answered with a lazy expression.

He seemed like someone who knew exactly how to push people's buttons.

“You’re rather rude. Showing up uninvited and assuming you know someone’s nature.”

“Is that so? For an Awakened from a backwater country, you sure have a lot of manners.”

“Backwater, huh… Maybe in the past. But things are different now, aren’t they? I don’t know how many people are left in your homeland, but Neo Seoul has a population of over twenty million.”

“Kgh! Numbers like that can swell again with the right will. Our potential is far greater.”

“If you say so. But is that what you came here to boast about in the middle of the night? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

Zeon’s sarcasm made Jang Woo-hang’s face flush red. Struggling to swallow his pride, he spoke.

“I came to offer you a glorious opportunity.”

“Not interested.”

“Listen anyway. It’s for your own future. Take my hand. Come with me to the Subterranean City. With your abilities, you’ll be held in high regard there. Help expand our territory, and you’ll be granted every pleasure the surface has to offer.”

“I refuse.”

“You dare—!”

“If I want pleasure, I’ll find it in Neo Seoul. No need to travel halfway across the world.”

Zeon scoffed.

Neo Seoul had everything.

He just hadn’t bothered to seek it out. But if he wanted, he could enjoy any earthly pleasure without leaving the city.

No matter how great the Subterranean was, it couldn’t compare to Neo Seoul.

A megacity with twenty million people wasn’t even in the same league as a subterranean city of three hundred thousand.

Jang Woo-hang said,

“Neo Seoul may lead for now, but our foundation is stronger. Our Awakened, our intellect—everything surpasses this place. If we could just study your magical engineering, we’d reach your level in no time.”

“So that’s the goal.”

“What?”

“Stealing Neo Seoul’s magitech.”

“We won’t steal—we’ll pay fair compensation.”

He said it without blinking. But Zeon didn’t buy it.

“Fair compensation? From what I heard, you brought nothing. Guess you’ve got something hidden away.”

“That’s not your concern. Make your choice. Will you join me, or will you refuse? I’d prefer you didn’t refuse. I’m not used to hearing no.”

“That’s unfortunate. I’m very used to saying no. I refuse your offer.”

“Not even a second thought?”

“You don’t seem the type, but you sure cling.”

Jang Woo-hang’s expression turned stiff.

“You’re no different from Jin Geum-ho. You little backwater upstarts have a nasty habit of looking down on others.”

“Do I?”

“You might not live long with that attitude.”

“Well, thanks for the warning. I’ll be careful.”

“One last thing—”

“No thanks. I said I’m not interested.”

“You won’t even hear me out—?”

“I hate clingy types.”

“…”

Jang Woo-hang’s face twisted like a demon’s.

He looked ready to draw his blade at any moment.

In fact, his hand had already gripped the hilt of his willow-leaf saber.

His waist coiled like a spring, his back hunched like a predator ready to strike—a volcano on the verge of erupting.

‘He knows martial arts too.’

Like most countries, China had a long history of conflict.

Many renowned warriors and generals had been born there, along with countless secret techniques.

Although much of it had been lost in the modern era, some groups had stubbornly preserved and passed it down.

They called themselves martial artists.

Though in truth, it wasn’t much.

Their thousand-year-old “secrets” couldn’t hold a candle to modern combat techniques, which were now systematized and enhanced by science.

So martial arts became a joke—something the world forgot.

But with the Great Cataclysm and the era of Awakening, they made a dramatic comeback.

When their ancient techniques were paired with Awakening powers, they became formidable once more.

Jang Woo-hang had mastered a martial art known as the Red Blossom Invincible Blade, passed down for hundreds of years.

He believed that, using that technique, he could take Zeon’s head in a single strike.

But when he looked into Zeon’s cold eyes—eyes that seemed to know his every move—he felt a chill run down his spine.

He loosened his grip on the sword.

He had acted on impulse—but fighting was not why he had come.

Sigh…

Jang Woo-hang exhaled and straightened his posture.

The killing intent vanished from his face.

Zeon was surprised by his reaction.

‘He’s more patient than he looks.’

He had deliberately provoked him, hoping to gauge his temperament. But Jang Woo-hang had quickly regained composure.

It meant he was rational.

Jang Woo-hang said,

“I’ll admit I approached too aggressively. I’ll give you time. If you change your mind, come to the South District.”

“The South District? So you’re with Xiao Lun?”

“Yeah. Being from the same homeland makes things easier.”

“Perhaps that’s why… I see some similarities between you two.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. I hope next time we meet, your answer changes. Farewell…”

Jang Woo-hang disappeared into the darkness.

Left alone, Zeon muttered to himself.

“What’s the source of his confidence? He must know he can’t take me alone.”

From what Zeon could tell, Jang Woo-hang was about B-rank.

Even with ancient martial arts added, he wouldn’t surpass A-rank.

That level wasn’t enough to challenge Zeon.

And surely Jang Woo-hang knew that.

So why come at him so boldly?

He must have something hidden up his sleeve.

“A hidden card, huh…”

Zeon smiled faintly.

Figuring out what people were hiding was one of his favorite games.

“Hmm… I should trace his steps back.”

Garion weighed on his mind, but he was beyond Zeon’s grasp now.

He had no grounds—or desire—to stop him.

A man burdened by the sin of killing his own family… Zeon had no right to intervene.

But Jang Woo-hang was different.

He had approached Zeon first, masking his threat as persuasion.

This time, Zeon had the moral high ground.

“Well then… let’s see what he’s hiding.”

* * *

“Ha! That guy’s a monster.”

Now alone, Jang Woo-hang burst into laughter.

The kind of laugh you let out when nothing makes sense anymore.

He rolled up his sleeve and looked at his arm.

The hair was standing on end.

His body was still trembling.

That was how much of a shock it had been to face Zeon.

Since arriving from the Subterranean City, only two men had ever rattled him this much: Jin Geum-ho and Zeon.

“To think a small country would have Awakened like that…”

Jang Woo-hang turned and looked toward Neo Seoul.

The skyline was lined with towering buildings—including City Hall.

Jin Geum-ho. Zeon. Xiao Lun. And perhaps even more monstrous beings lurking inside that city.

Just seeing Jin Geum-ho and Zeon was enough to understand Neo Seoul’s level.

In today’s world, a city that had achieved this kind of ultra-advanced civilization—with Awakened like them—was practically cheating.

But he wasn’t afraid.

“If it’s my Lord, he’ll be able to conquer this place and bring it to heel.”

Deep underground, in the Subterranean City, lay the strongest being he knew.

If he could one day lead him here…

Neo Seoul would surely fall.