Chapter 117
“Why? You’ve awakened such a rare ability, and yet you have no ambition? Disappointing.”
A look of disdain appeared on Lee Jiryung’s face.
The type he hated most were those who lived day by day without ambition.
If someone lacked ability, that was one thing—but wasting talent was the worst.
By his standards, Zeon fell into that worst category.
And yet, he still couldn’t give up on him.
Because Zeon’s awakened ability was simply too absurd.
The power to freely control sand…
Most of the world was covered in sand.
Because of it, humanity could no longer expand its territory.
Even Neo Seoul was the same.
It barely held onto the land of the old city, unable to push outward.
Instead, people fought among themselves over this tiny patch of land.
Lee Jiryung hated that reality to his core.
But until now, he had no way to change it.
That changed because of the man in front of him.
With Zeon, expanding Neo Seoul’s territory would be possible.
Humanity might even reclaim dominance over the world.
That was why he couldn’t let Zeon go.
“My offer still stands.”
“My answer hasn’t changed.”
“You disappoint me to the end, Zeon. Then I’ll force you to submit.”
Before his words even finished, the Lightning Field expanded further.
Now, lightning flickered within a fifty-meter radius around him.
No matter where one looked—there was lightning.
“Chaah! Giga Lightning Spear!”
A bolt far thicker and more terrifying than before crashed down toward Zeon.
Zeon used Sand Step to evade.
A split second later, the massive lightning strike exploded where he had stood.
The sand burst apart, leaving behind a crater over five meters deep.
A truly monstrous level of power.
Yet Zeon’s expression didn’t change.
He simply flicked his finger—
and the surrounding sand surged like a torrent toward Lee Jiryung.
A high-pressure Sand Blaster.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
But it couldn’t penetrate the lightning barrier flickering around Lee Jiryung, exploding on contact.
“Pathetic. Your ability is impressive, but that level of power won’t do anything to me.”
Lee Jiryung sneered.
Zeon smiled faintly.
“Then shall I increase the power a bit?”
“What?”
Gooooo—
At that moment, the sand beneath Lee Jiryung began spinning violently.
It was Zeon’s skill—Sand Mixer.
The sand rotated at a speed too fast to see, instantly swallowing Lee Jiryung whole.
He tried to break free—
but the crushing pressure pinned him down, making it impossible to move.
“Tch—!”
Craaaash!
Everywhere he looked—sand.
It felt as if he had been thrown into a giant blender.
A suffocating sense of isolation and danger overwhelmed him.
Any creature caught inside would have its flesh shredded and bones pulverized.
But Lee Jiryung was no mere beast.
Nor was he an ordinary Awakener.
He was a being closest to a lightning god.
“Haaah! Lightning Wave!”
With a shout, waves of lightning erupted from his body.
The first wave slammed into the Sand Mixer.
Then the second, third, and fourth waves followed in succession.
The violently spinning sand was burned away and scattered.
Lee Jiryung broke free.
The moment he escaped, he prepared to counterattack—
but then he saw them.
Around Zeon, sand soldiers were rising.
Zeon had summoned Sand Soldiers.
Dozens of them.
Lee Jiryung let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha! Isn’t this cheating? You can even make soldiers out of sand?”
“And your ability isn’t exactly fair either.”
“So you can overwhelm with numbers too… This is really tempting.”
Lee Jiryung licked his lips.
To defeat Zeon, he would have to go all out.
And if he did—
one of them would die.
If he died, that was a problem.
But if Zeon died, that was also a problem.
“…Fine. Let’s end it here for today.”
“Aren’t we settling this to the end?”
“We’re not mortal enemies, are we?”
“You said you came to avenge your brother.”
“That bastard was trash. Not even recyclable. I barely cleaned up the mess he made in Neo Seoul and told him to stay quiet—but he couldn’t help himself. Caused trouble again, got caught, and died. That’s how he always was. Constantly screwing things up, and I had to clean it up—just because we shared blood. I’ve done more than enough. I’m not going to make a fool of myself over revenge now.”
“That’s rather cold.”
“That’s the kind of world we live in. Ability matters more than blood. If you want to survive, you maintain good relationships with strong Awakeners.”
Lee Jiryung withdrew the Lightning Field.
The lightning that had filled the area vanished without a trace.
There was no longer any hostility from him.
Whether his words were sincere or not was unclear—
but at least for now, he no longer saw Zeon as an enemy.
Lee Jiryung spoke.
“Zeon.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll forget about my brother. I won’t come after you again.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“You owe me now. Don’t forget that.”
“Can you really call that a debt? I’d say you owe me instead.”
“Think whatever you want. Just remember this—”
He paused, his gaze steady.
“We’re no longer enemies.”
“Make sure you remember that.”
Lee Jiryung was thoroughly self-centered.
His attitude was absurd, but Zeon didn’t argue further.
He had already smoothed things over—there was no need to reopen the wound.
Crackle!
Lightning flickered beneath Lee Jiryung’s feet.
“The one who told me about you was Johan.”
“As expected.”
“Yeah. He tried to provoke me into killing you. Be careful. That old man will do anything to achieve his goals.”
“I know.”
“Then we’ll meet again.”
Boom!
The lightning beneath his feet exploded.
Using the force of the blast, Lee Jiryung shot into the sky in an instant.
Watching him vanish like a streak of lightning, Zeon muttered,
“He’s like a lightning god.”
***
“Are you okay?”
As soon as he returned home, Brielle rushed to him.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Really?”
Still unconvinced, Brielle circled around him.
Only after confirming with her own eyes that he wasn’t injured did she finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Whew… that’s a relief.”
At that moment, Levin cautiously asked,
“How was he… hyung?”
“He was strong.”
“Compared to me?”
Levin’s eyes burned more intensely than ever.
Zeon immediately recognized the emotion in them—competitive spirit.
“You’re not even comparable yet.”
“…That much, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Tch…”
Levin’s face twisted.
He had already sensed it, but hearing it directly from Zeon made it feel even more crushing.
“But if you were the same rank, you’d be much stronger.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You have an ability he doesn’t.”
“You mean Specter… intangibility?”
“Exactly. If you develop that well, you’ll surpass Lee Jiryung someday.”
“I understand.”
Levin nodded.
I’m still young. I have a lot of room to grow.
Fighting the vampire bat had made him realize something clearly—
that his ability was overwhelmingly powerful.
And that with effort, he could grow even stronger.
He was only C-rank for now.
Once he reached B-rank, A-rank—
things would be different.
At that point, he believed he could properly face Lee Jiryung, the one who had made him feel such despair.
Zeon thought this was a good outcome.
Levin now had a clear motivation.
There was nothing more effective for growth than having someone you wanted to surpass.
Because of today, Levin would grow faster.
Zeon took off his robe and sat on the sofa.
A lot had happened in just a few days.
Not physically exhausting—but mentally draining.
He leaned back and rested.
Levin and Brielle didn’t disturb him.
Levin left the house for some errands, and Brielle went into her room, laying out the materials she had bought that day.
This time, I’ll definitely succeed.
She immediately immersed herself in alchemy.
***
“So Zeon came back safely?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? You didn’t see wrong?”
“I confirmed it with my own eyes.”
At Kim Jaekyung’s answer, Johan frowned deeply.
“Then what about Lee Jiryung?”
“He was confirmed to have entered Neo Seoul.”
“He just… came back?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you say they met?”
“Yes.”
“Then how did both of them return unharmed?”
Johan slammed his fist on the desk.
It was Johan who had informed Lee Jiryung about Zeon.
Lee Jiryung was a recognized powerhouse even within Neo Seoul.
His previously known rank was B-class.
After so much time, he might even have reached A-class by now.
He was someone even Johan couldn’t ignore.
So Johan had deliberately provoked him, arranging their meeting.
Naturally, Johan expected the two to fight fiercely—leaving one dead or both severely injured.
If Zeon died, Johan could easily move into Sinchon.
If Zeon survived but was heavily wounded, they could finish him off.
Either way, Johan stood to gain.
But his plan had completely fallen apart.
For some unknown reason, both of them had returned safely.
“Are you sure they fought?”
“I can’t say. They disappeared into the desert too quickly.”
“Useless. This isn’t what I expected from you.”
“I’m sorry.”
Kim Jaekyung trembled.
Fear was evident on her face.
When calm, Johan was like a saint—
but when angered, he was more cruel than a demon.
Anyone who incurred his wrath wouldn’t survive, no matter how close they were.
To him, subordinates were nothing more than replaceable tools.
Though Kim Jaekyung’s ability was somewhat special, she was not irreplaceable.
“Find out exactly what happened in the desert. And come up with a way to deal with him.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We must bring Sinchon under our control. Only then can we spread the teachings of our Lord throughout all of Neo Seoul.”
Behind his glasses, Johan’s eyes burned with madness.
He walked toward the window.
In the distance stood the towering city hall building.
“I will place a cross on top of that building—no matter what.”