Chapter 111
“I’m sorry. I failed the mission.”
Borin knelt on one knee, bowing her head.
In front of her sat an elven woman on a large wooden chair.
Her name was Serian Moliana.
A rare pure-blood elf.
Her skin was as white as snow, and even her hair and eyebrows were platinum blonde, so from afar she looked like a white fairy.
At a glance, she appeared to be in her late thirties or early forties—but in reality, she was over three hundred years old.
When her homeland, Kurayan, was destroyed, she crossed over to Earth.
She came dreaming of a new paradise, but the reality that greeted her was brutal.
Earth, devastated by failed terraforming, had become a desert—one of the worst environments for life to survive in.
Many of her kin perished, unable to endure the harsh conditions.
The survivors gathered together and moved somewhere, building a city of their own.
That place was Elharun.
Serian could have entered Elharun as well—but she chose not to.
Because of the ones left behind.
To protect those who had fallen behind, she willingly remained in the human world and became the ruler of the Northern District.
The large wooden chair she sat on was made from a fragment of the World Tree brought from Kurayan.
That chair elevated her presence, giving her the authority and dignity of a ruler.
It was one of the reasons she became the queen of the other races remaining in Neo Seoul.
Serian spoke,
“Did he really say Elharun?”
“Yes, he did.”
“And he was definitely human?”
“Yes.”
“How could a human know of Elharun…”
“…May I ask what Elharun is?”
At Borin’s cautious question, Serian hesitated.
Even in the Northern District, only two people knew of Elharun’s existence.
One was herself.
The other was Ilai, the second-in-command of the Northern District.
Both of them had kept Elharun a complete secret.
They were the other races left behind in Neo Seoul—the human world.
Elharun, the city of other races that had crossed over from Kurayan, could have become a beacon of hope for them.
But if its location were exposed to humans, it could become dangerous.
So it had been kept strictly hidden.
Serian and Ilai had waited for Elharun to grow large enough and eventually make contact with them.
But no matter how long they waited, Elharun never reached out.
Exhausted from waiting, she eventually let go of that hope.
And now, after decades—
Unexpectedly, she heard the name Elharun from the mouth of a human.
“I’m sorry. I cannot tell you yet.”
“…I see.”
“But if the time comes when I can, I promise you’ll be the first to know, Borin.”
“Understood.”
Borin replied, forcing herself to hide her disappointment.
Serian saw right through her feelings—but pretended not to.
“Ah, right. What did you say his name was?”
“Zeon.”
“Zeon from the slums. Estimated rank at least B-class?”
“Yes.”
“And there was an elf beside him who appeared to be pure-blood?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know her name?”
“Well…”
Borin hesitated.
“You’re both elves, yet you don’t know her name?”
“For some reason, she refused to tell me.”
“Is that so?”
A deep crease formed on Serian’s brow.
Elves are beings who communicate openly.
No matter how hostile, they do not hesitate to reveal their names—
especially to another elf.
For a pure-blood elf to refuse to reveal her true name was extremely rare.
A name was the clearest identity that proved their roots.
Refusing to reveal it meant refusing communication with other elves.
“A pure elf… refusing communication?”
It didn’t make sense.
Or… is she not truly a pure elf? No, Borin wouldn’t have failed to notice… Unless…
At that moment, a thought flashed through Serian’s mind.
Noticing her expression, Borin carefully asked,
“Is something wrong?”
“No. Borin, you’ve worked hard. Go and rest.”
“Yes… understood.”
Borin bowed and withdrew.
Left alone, Serian murmured,
“…What if she’s a High Elf?”
***
Crumble!
The wall separating the two houses collapsed like a sandcastle.
“Ha!”
As Brielle spread both her hands wide, a powerful wind rose and blew the sand-like debris out the window.
“That’s amazing.”
“Well, this much is nothing for me.”
Brielle grinned, wiping her nose proudly at Levin’s praise.
The moment Zeon said the house needed to be expanded, Levin immediately went next door and negotiated.
Fortunately, Zeon had plenty of money, and the owner had already been planning to move—so the deal was settled instantly.
The owner moved out that very evening, and Brielle tore down the empty house’s wall.
Just like that, Zeon’s house doubled in size.
At that moment, the mana stone generator emitted a low humming sound.
The Watching Eye, a black gem that served as the core of the generator, had detected the expansion.
From the Watching Eye, red lines spread out like a web.
The red lines covered the newly expanded area completely before vanishing without a trace.
Levin blinked in shock.
“What was that?”
“The Watching Eye… I never thought I’d see one in person.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve only heard about it from elders, so I’m not entirely sure, but it’s a barrier used in royal vaults and treasuries. They say it can ignore most physical and magical attacks. To think something like that was hidden inside a mana generator… Where on earth did Zeon get something like this?”
“Is it really that valuable?”
“Among the elves I know, not a single one has something like that.”
“So it’s extremely rare.”
Brielle stared at the mana generator.
More precisely, she was staring at the Watching Eye embedded inside it.
Her heart was filled with the urge to study it.
Seeing that, Levin shook his head.
He didn’t even need to look closely to know that Brielle would be obsessed with the Watching Eye for quite some time.
“Anyway, I’m glad the house got this much bigger.”
With that, Zeon’s house had doubled in size.
The collapsed walls and pillars had been reinforced with Briel’s magic, so there was no danger of it falling apart.
Brielle immediately packed her belongings and moved into what used to be the neighboring house. Then she claimed the largest room.
“This is my lab. Don’t come in.”
“Do whatever you want. I’m fine with just a small room.”
Levin smirked.
At that moment, Zeon came out wearing his robe.
“Where are you going?”
“To the butcher. Come with me.”
“Me too?”
“Yeah.”
“…Alright.”
Levin followed him without complaint.
“Levin!”
“Where’ve you been? Haven’t seen you around.”
As soon as they stepped onto the street, kids around his age recognized Levin and called out to him.
Levin greeted them by bumping fists.
“You’ve been well?”
“Had some stuff going on. I’m staying at a hyung’s place now.”
Zeon smirked as he watched Levin.
He’s popular.
There are people who naturally draw attention and become leaders wherever they go.
Levin seemed to be one of those types.
Before long, the two arrived at the street where the butcher shop was.
There were quite a lot of people.
It had always been busy, but recently it had become even more active.
That meant more customers—and more goods being sold.
“The owner of a shop like that must be raking in money.”
“Jealous?”
“Yes!”
Levin answered without hesitation.
Anyone living in the slums couldn’t escape poverty.
It was a place where you always had to live clutching a starving stomach.
A hell with no dreams or hope.
That’s what the slums were to Levin.
The only thing that had kept him going was his family—and now they were gone, taken by the murderer.
If he had lived inside Neo Seoul instead of the slums… maybe that tragedy wouldn’t have happened.
“After I finish my revenge, I’m going to earn a lot of money. Then I’ll live inside Neo Seoul.”
“That’s not a bad plan.”
“What about you, hyung?”
“What about me?”
“You could live inside Neo Seoul anytime if you wanted. So why stay in the slums?”
“I’m more comfortable here than in Neo Seoul.”
“Really?”
“Everyone has different things that make them comfortable. Just follow what your heart tells you.”
“…Okay.”
While chatting like that, they arrived at the butcher shop.
Inside, a large man was cutting up a massive piece of unknown meat.
He was Muel, the owner of the shop.
Muel noticed Zeon and bowed his head.
“Welcome.”
“Where’s old man Clexi?”
“He went to the Goblin Market for some business.”
“I figured. Didn’t see him around.”
“Is there anything you need?”
“I need a vehicle.”
“The only one we can get right away is a small buggy.”
“That’ll do.”
“I’ll prepare it immediately.”
Without even asking why, Muel agreed to prepare it.
Levin, however, asked instead,
“Why do you need a car?”
“We’re heading into the desert.”
“The desert? Why?”
“There’s something to find.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. No need to ask so much.”
“Huh?”
Zeon gave a meaningful smile at Levin’s puzzled expression.
For some reason, Levin felt a chill.
Before long, the buggy was ready.
It had no armor—just a skeletal frame, like bones put together.
At least it had a roof to block the sun.
Zeon got into the driver’s seat and said,
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
The buggy carrying the two of them left the slums and entered the desert.
“Wow…”
Levin let out a gasp.
He had seen the desert many times from the slums, but this was his first time actually stepping into it.
He felt both excitement and fear.
At the same time, he wondered where Zeon was taking him.
Zeon drove dozens of kilometers away from Neo Seoul.
Once the city was no longer visible, he closed his eyes and focused his senses.
His awareness spread endlessly through the sand.
After a moment, he opened his eyes.
“Found it.”
“Found what?”
Instead of answering, Zeon drove on.
After traveling for a while, they arrived at a small sandstone area where the sand had hardened.
There was a narrow gap—just wide enough for a person to enter.
Zeon said to Levin,
“Go in.”
“…What?”
Before Levin could react, Zeon kicked him.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
With a cry, Levin was sent tumbling into the crack in the sandstone.
As Levin disappeared into the darkness, Zeon muttered,
“If you don’t want to die… you’d better give it your all.”