Chapter 413

Chapter 413

The magic stone power plant had exploded, and there had almost been a major security breach. But not many people knew the truth.

As if nothing had happened, Neo Seoul was once again moving busily today.

Dungeon raiding parties were heading out to seek new dungeons, and hunters were climbing into vehicles to hunt monsters.

Just as Neo Seoul moved in a frenzy, so too was the slum in motion.

Recently, the biggest issue in the slums was the massive settlement being built on the outskirts of Sinchon.

Rumors spread that the houses made of sand-hardening agents were incredibly sturdy, and as a result, many flocked to Sinchon.

They were the very lowest of the low among the slum dwellers.

People who didn’t even have a small room to sleep in, people who spent nights dozing in alleyways—once they heard there were houses built with sand-hardening agents, they came rushing into Sinchon.

Thanks to that, Sinchon’s population was exploding.

And an increase in population meant Sinchon’s power was growing as well.

Because of that, Eaton’s mouth had practically split into a grin.

He was nothing more than a fox borrowing the authority of a tiger named Zeon, but still, at least in name, he was the ruler of Sinchon.

There had been a few crises, but now things were stabilized, and his control had only become more solid.

Of course, he never forgot the fact that above him was Zeon.

The only reason he was living in luxury at all was because the tiger called Zeon had planted his roots in Sinchon.

Thanks to Zeon, no other slum dared even think of targeting Sinchon.

That was why Eaton’s business kept expanding. Recently, he had even begun operating his own monster hunting teams.

Monster hunting was one of the most important businesses.

The byproducts harvested from monsters were the materials for new synthetic resources.

Ordinary monsters didn’t fetch much money, but rare monsters brought in a fortune.

That was why even the Goblin Market operated their own hunting teams.

Eaton had organized five such teams.

Each hunting team had twenty people, but to support one, you needed twice as many.

Meaning—one team required sixty people in total.

With five teams, that meant three hundred people were mobilized for monster hunting. But not all five teams ever went out at once.

They rotated, one or two teams at a time.

This time, the team mobilized was the newest: Team 5.

Team 5’s leader, Kang Namsu, was a C-rank awakened of the magic-type.

C-rank awakeners were treated like treasures in Neo Seoul. Most left the slums the moment they awakened.

And especially a magic-type rather than a martial-type—such a person was even rarer.

Kang Namsu could have been welcomed with open arms in any district of Neo Seoul. But he stayed in the slums.

He had awakened later in life than others, and he was older. At this point, he didn’t feel like going through the hassle of entering Neo Seoul and adjusting to a new life.

Besides, even in Sinchon, he received plenty of respect. So he had no reason to leave.

Team 5, led by Kang Namsu, had ventured far, far from Neo Seoul.

Their current location was hundreds of kilometers north of the magic stone mines.

Originally, they hadn’t planned to come out this far.

The plan had been to hunt monsters about a hundred kilometers away from the mines. But during their expedition, they had run into a massive sandstorm, lost their way, and ended up wandering until they arrived here.

Kang Namsu asked the teammate closest to him.

“Are you sure this place is a hundred kilometers from the mines?”

“Yes! Positive. The compass clearly—shit!”

“What?”

“The compass just died.”

“Fuck!”

Kang Namsu cursed aloud.

In the desert, with no landmarks, a compass was essential. But out here, cars and electronics broke down quickly.

And compasses were no exception.

Kang Namsu asked his subordinate,

“Can we still make it back to the mines?”

“I know the rough direction. We’ll manage to get there. Though… we’ll wander a bit.”

“Damn it. Guess we’ll be eating sand for a while.”

“What should we do?”

“What do you think? If we don’t wanna die, we have to head back to the mines, now.”

He said it as if it was obvious.

Even though he was a C-rank magic-type, he knew he couldn’t survive long out here in the deep desert. Not even with his men.

No one knew what kind of monsters lurked this far out.

If even a single B-rank appeared, Team 5 would be wiped out.

Kang Namsu shouted to the others,

“Pack it up! We’re heading straight back to the mines!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Got it, boss!”

His men replied instantly, as if waiting for the order.

Kang Namsu looked around the desert and muttered,

“Either way, this hunt’s a bust. I’ll catch hell when we get back.”

“If we make it back alive, catching hell is a blessing.”

“Yeah! Getting chewed out just means you’re still alive. Let’s move.”

“Yes!”

And then—

Kagagak!

A faint noise reached Kang Namsu’s ears.

It was strange. Ominous. Irritating.

“What’s that sound?”

“Sir?”

His subordinate looked confused. Whatever Kang Namsu heard, he didn’t.

Kagagagak!

The ominous noise grew louder, and finally, his subordinate heard it too.

“What is that?”

“You’re asking me? Damn brat!”

“Fuck, it’s annoying as hell!”

“Doesn’t feel good. Everyone, battle formation!”

Kang Namsu grabbed his staff and shouted.

The awakened who had been packing up quickly switched to battle readiness.

“Support team, fall back first!”

“What? But—”

“Goddamn it! I said fall back. I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to protect you.”

“…Yes, sir.”

The support team that had come with them hurriedly retreated.

The fully armed members of Team 5 gathered tightly around Kang Namsu.

“What’s going on, boss?”

“Hell if I know! Just get ready to fight!”

“Yes, sir!”

It was then.

In the distance, a dust cloud rose.

“What the hell is that?”

“Give me the scope.”

Kang Namsu took the telescope from a subordinate and peered into the distance.

And cursed instantly.

“Fuck!”

“What is it, boss?”

“Lo… locusts.”

“What?”

“Don’t know! But giant fucking locusts are swarming in.”

Through the lens, he saw them.

Their bodies, crimson red.

Each about a meter long.

If it were just one, Team 5 could handle it.

The problem was—they were swarming.

At least several hundred.

There was no running. It was already too late.

No matter how fast they ran, they couldn’t outrun flying beasts.

Kang Namsu prepared his magic and roared,

“Looks like today’s our last day!”

“Boss!”

“Don’t chicken out, you bastards! We all knew this day would come. Let’s fight like hell so at least the support team makes it out. You live once, you die once—let’s go out in style!”

“……”

“What, no answer? Shit! Here I am, trying to sound fucking cool for once—”

“It’s just… it doesn’t suit you, boss. Heavy words and serious faces? That’s not your style!”

“You little shits!”

Kang Namsu cracked a grin.

Kagagagak!

The crimson locusts were close enough to be seen without a scope now.

Kang Namsu shouted,

“Attack!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Team 5 unleashed their skills at the locust swarm.

For a moment, the locusts faltered.

But it was only a moment.

The swarm surged, swallowing the awakened whole.

“Arghhh!”

“Guhhh!”

The screams of the men were devoured by the crimson wave.

Moments later, there was no trace of Team 5 left.

And into that desolate scene, a figure stepped.

A ragged robe hung from their frame.

A wide-brimmed hat shadowed their face. They paused, surveying the aftermath.

The remaining locusts swarmed toward the figure. But instead of attacking, they rubbed their bodies affectionately against him.

“Yes… it seems I’ve almost reached human territory.”

The figure stroked the crimson locusts and muttered.

---

Zeon looked down at the newly transformed village of Zetoya.

In the past month, the village had expanded and changed so much it was almost unrecognizable.

By feel alone, it seemed several times larger.

That was thanks to the countless awakened who had dug underground.

Expanding underground space was normally dangerous.

Dig even a little too much, and the sand would collapse.

But this problem had been solved with Zeon’s authority.

While Zeon kept the sand from collapsing, awakened like Batum solidified the walls with hardening agents.

It seemed impossible—hardening not just bricks, but entire sand walls. But somehow, it worked.

The result was right in front of him.

A massive underground cavern filled with countless houses and buildings. All built with sand dug from the expansion.

It looked like a true underground sand city.

And in fact, the people here called it the Sand City.

As the space expanded, so too did the population. The streets were filled with life.

But growing so quickly also brought problems.

The biggest one was the mana generator.

Currently, the village’s electricity came from a mana generator built by Briel.

At the time, the output seemed more than enough. But the village had ballooned into a small city, and now the generator couldn’t keep up.

To supply power to the underground city, they needed a bigger mana generator—or a full power plant.

Building a magic stone power plant would be best, but that was impossible.

There was no way the secrets withheld even from the Underground City would be handed over to the Sand City.

The next best option was for Briel to return and build a larger generator.

It wouldn’t be as efficient as a full plant, but with two or three more of them, power could be stabilized.

‘The problem is… who knows when she’ll be back.’

There was still no word from Briel.

Unless she returned on her own, there was nothing Zeon could do. All he could do was wait and trust she would make it back safely.

“…Time I head home.”

Watching the village grow had been so entertaining, he had lost track of time.

Now it was time to return to the surface.

Sensing Zeon’s intent, Levin approached.

“Brother, heading up?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go together.”

“You’re not staying?”

“There are some new kids who awakened recently. I think I need to train them.”

“Training? In hunting?”

“Yeah. It’s time they earned their keep.”

Levin answered as if it was obvious.

No matter how young they were, once they awakened, their status changed.

And with that new status came heavy obligations.

They either fought to protect the residents, or hunted monsters to sustain the village.

No exceptions.

Levin had taken it upon himself to train them.

Zeon didn’t blame him.

Because in this world, having at least one or two overly meddlesome awakeners wasn’t such a bad thing.