Chapter 113
Kim Kyungsoo’s eyes gleamed viciously.
“What did you just say?”
“I said don’t risk your life over something so trivial.”
“Hah!”
At Zeon’s answer, Kim Kyungsoo made an incredulous expression.
The same went for the other party members.
Yoo Seunghee, especially—having her intentions exposed—had her face flushed red.
Their plan had been to kill Zeon and take his buggy.
They intended to replace their broken engine with the buggy’s engine.
There was no better environment for murder than the desert.
There was no risk of being discovered, and even if a killing occurred, the sand and magical beasts would take care of the evidence.
Because of that, Awakened often used the desert to eliminate enemies or for plundering.
Kim Kyungsoo’s party was no different.
Having grown up in the same neighborhood and awakened around the same time, they shared a strong bond.
They were highly exclusive toward outsiders, and if someone rubbed them the wrong way even slightly, they would band together to fight—or kill.
To them, Zeon was an extremely tempting target.
He was alone and even had a buggy—essential for survival in the desert.
If they killed him and left him here, no one would ever know a murder had taken place.
Kim Kyungsoo spoke,
“From the looks of it, you’re an Awakened too. Just hand over the vehicle, and we’ll let you live. What do you think of my offer…?”
“I think it’s complete bullshit. At least make an offer worth pretending to consider.”
“Seems like you’ve got some confidence, the way you’re resisting.”
“I’m not completely lacking.”
“There are four of us. I don’t know your rank, but taking all of us on won’t be easy.”
Kim Kyungsoo smiled confidently.
If Zeon’s rank were higher than theirs, they could end up in trouble.
Even so, he remained confident—because of Zeon’s appearance.
The higher the rank, the better the equipment.
Unless it came from a dungeon, most gear was crafted in workshops within Neo Seoul.
Each workshop had its own specialty, so just knowing the maker gave you an idea of its performance.
The heavy armor Kim Kyungsoo’s party wore was workshop-made.
It was top-tier gear that C-rank martial Awakened could wear.
Embedded with thermal regulation, weight reduction, and defensive magic circles—a premium product.
In contrast, Zeon wore nothing but a coat-like robe.
No armor.
No weapon.
If he were a magic-type Awakened, he should have had a staff or wand to amplify mana.
If he were martial-type, he should have carried a sword or spear.
But Zeon had nothing.
At a glance, he looked like a clueless fool wandering the desert unprepared.
And he wasn’t even from Neo Seoul—but from the slums.
There was no reason not to rob him.
Shing!
Kim Kyungsoo’s party drew their weapons all at once.
The men were all martial types, while Yoo Seunghee was the only magic-type Awakened.
Instead of a sword, she held a staff.
Pointing it at Zeon, she shouted,
“Bind!”
An invisible force instantly tightened around Zeon.
At the same time, the men attacked him together.
Whoosh!
Three swords aimed straight for his vital points.
Zeon clicked his tongue and swung his right fist.
“Tch. People only cry after they see blood.”
BOOM!
In an instant, dozens of fire missiles shot toward the four of them.
“Ghk!”
“Damn it!”
“He’s a mage!”
The barrage of fire missiles bombarded Kim Kyungsoo’s group, throwing them into chaos.
Boom! Boom! BOOM!
“What the hell is this?!”
“Ugh!”
“They’re insanely strong!”
Shock filled the men’s faces.
They used their skills to deflect or block the fire missiles.
Normally, that would be enough to break the momentum of an attack.
Even high-ranking Awakened had limits to their mana.
But Zeon didn’t seem to have such limits.
Boom! Boom! BOOM!
The fire missiles kept coming endlessly.
Kim Kyungsoo shouted at Yoo Seunghee,
“Damn it! Do something!”
“My magic isn’t working!”
Yoo Seunghee yelled back.
Even though she had cast Bind and was restraining him, Zeon showed almost no effect.
There was only one possible reason.
His rank was higher than hers.
“This bastard’s rank is higher than mine!”
“Then C-rank? Fuck!”
“Use your strongest skills!”
“Yaaah!”
Sensing danger, Kim Kyungsoo’s party unleashed their full power.
Zeon muttered with a tired expression,
“Amateurs.”
Before fighting, assessing your opponent’s strength was basic.
If an opponent seemed poorly equipped, you shouldn’t underestimate them—you should be more cautious.
Walking the desert without proper gear meant one thing:
Confidence in one’s own strength.
There was no reason to keep entertaining them.
Boom! BOOM! BOOOOM!
The fire missiles transformed into a rain of fire.
The defensive barrier Kim Kyungsoo’s party had created couldn’t withstand the hellish downpour and shattered miserably.
“Aaaargh!”
“Argh!”
Their screams echoed across the night sky.
***
“Ugh…”
Yoo Seunghee opened her eyes with a groan.
But her vision was unfocused, everything appearing blurry.
“Fuck… get a hold of yourself.”
“Now’s not the time to be lying around.”
“Get up. Hurry.”
The urgent voices of her companions rang out beside her.
What the hell are they talking about…?
Grumbling, Yoo Seunghee forced her eyes open. Her vision gradually came into focus.
“Ahh! What is that?!”
The first thing she saw was a massive magical beast approaching from afar.
“Shit! It’s an Armored Great Horn Bear!”
“Why is that here?!”
“Aaaah! Save me!”
The men shouted in panic.
Yoo Seunghee tried to move as well—but her body wouldn’t budge.
“What is this? Sand?”
Only then did she realize that their bodies were buried in sand, with only their heads exposed.
She struggled to break free, but strangely, no strength went into her limbs.
At that moment, she saw Zeon sitting on the buggy.
For some reason, he was smiling, calmly watching the Armored Great Horn Bear approaching.
Yoo Seunghee shouted desperately,
“Please save us! We were wrong—please, just save us!”
Tears and snot ran down her face as she begged.
Only then did Zeon turn his head and look at her.
“If you spare us, I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?”
“Yes! Anything!”
She nodded frantically.
Faced with death, her reason had collapsed—she said things she normally never would.
Zeon smiled faintly at her.
“Then just stay like that.”
“…What?”
“The Armored Great Horn Bear’s favorite food is human flesh. It can smell it from dozens of kilometers away. It’ll probably be here in about five minutes.”
“A-ah…!”
At his calm explanation, Yoo Seunghee trembled violently.
She could already picture herself being eaten alive.
“Aaaah!”
“Shit! Save us! We were wrong!”
“Please forgive us!”
The men screamed in panic.
They had completely lost their composure.
Zeon spoke with a faint smile,
“But you were planning to do the same thing to me, weren’t you?”
“Th-that… we were completely in the wrong.”
“I’m not interested in arguing right or wrong. I’m just returning what you intended to do.”
“We’ll give you everything we have! Take all the loot in the car!”
“That’s a given. And now… it’s almost here.”
The Armored Great Horn Bear was now only a few hundred meters away.
Up close, it was enormous.
Its armor-like body radiated overwhelming pressure.
Buried in the sand, unable to move, the four felt even greater terror.
Yoo Seunghee, especially, was so frightened that she wet herself in the sand.
Her face was pale, completely soaked in tears.
“Hic… please save us. I’ll really do anything.”
“If you spare us, we’ll serve you!”
“Aaaah!”
Their screams and cries filled the air.
Hearing them, the Armored Great Horn Bear quickened its pace.
Thud! Thud!
Each heavy step felt like it crushed their hearts.
Overwhelmed by fear, they couldn’t think at all.
Zeon spoke to them,
“Then will you swear an oath to me?”
“I will!”
“I’ll do it!”
“Yes!”
“Please!”
They answered instantly, without hesitation.
Zeon pulled out four scrolls from his pocket.
They were items he had obtained from clearing a dungeon.
They were called Oath Scrolls.
An item once used by the royal family of Kurayan to force loyalty upon certain individuals.
It was designed to bind those prone to betrayal—like assassins.
Once bound by an Oath Scroll, betrayal was impossible.
It enslaved the soul itself.
A one-sided, unfair contract.
Zeon spoke,
“Zeon is the master. Kim Kyungsoo, Lee Junsu, Choi Changsik, and Yoo Seunghee are the servants. The servants swear loyalty to the master and must obey him. If they disobey, their hearts will burst, and they will die.”
Under normal circumstances, no one would accept such a contract.
One of the flaws of the Oath Scroll was that it would never activate unless entered voluntarily.
But Kim Kyungsoo’s party didn’t have the luxury to think.
The Armored Great Horn Bear was now so close they could smell its breath.
Its bloodshot eyes, saliva dripping between its fangs, and its foul stench were vividly clear.
“I swear!”
“Aaaah! It’s almost here—I swear!”
“Please! I swear!”
“Hic… I swear!”
Zeon tore the Oath Scrolls.
A faint light seeped from them and sank into their hearts.
In that instant, they felt invisible chains form around their hearts.
No one needed to tell them—
The moment they betrayed him, those chains would tighten and crush their hearts.
Only then did Zeon stand up with a smile.
The contract was complete.
They could never betray him.
Kuoaaaar!
At that moment, the Armored Great Horn Bear was right upon them.
Zeon looked at it and spoke,
“You’ve served your purpose.”
The sand around him rose up.
Dozens of massive sand spikes shot forward, piercing the beast.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
“Graaaargh!”
The Armored Great Horn Bear let out a final scream before dying.
The four stared in shock.
“What the hell was that?!”
“He… moved the sand…”
“That’s impossible!”
“It died that easily?!”
The former Awakened—now reduced to slaves—were left speechless at the sight that defied all logic.