Chapter 130
Ear Collector.
That was the nickname the man was known by among the scavengers.
Scavengers never reveal their real names or professions.
They know well that the moment their identity is exposed, their lives are over.
Scavengers operating within Neo Seoul lived very differently from those in the desert.
In everyday life, they hid their desires completely and lived as ordinary people.
It was unavoidable—Neo Seoul was filled with countless awakened individuals.
The moment someone was exposed as a scavenger, their position would flip—they would become prey to other awakened.
That was why the Ear Collector and others like him concealed their identities and lived parasitically within Neo Seoul.
Those scavengers built their own network while hiding among society.
The so-called Black Network.
Through it, they shared information and hideouts with one another.
The underground space the Ear Collector was currently in was one such hideout.
Nest No. 7.
That was the name they gave it.
It implied that there were at least six other such nests.
Nest No. 7 was especially important.
Because of this place, they could freely hunt humans in the slums without worry.
No one would ever imagine that a scavenger nest existed within Dongdaemun—the territory of fanatics.
Not even Johan, the ruler of Dongdaemun.
That was why the scavengers, including the Ear Collector, made frequent use of Nest No. 7.
At present, around a dozen scavengers were resting inside.
Whenever they gathered like this, they kept their identities completely hidden while exchanging information.
The Ear Collector had just returned from a hunt and was resting when he discovered the intruders.
Crackle!
He thrust the electric baton toward Zeon’s face.
“I’ll ask one last time. How did you get in here?”
“We opened the door and came in.”
“Don’t give me that crap. You’re saying you opened a door sealed with perception-blocking magic and a special lock? You think I’m an idiot?”
“It’s the truth, but you won’t believe it.”
Zeon clicked his tongue.
Without Brielle, even he wouldn’t have been able to find this place so easily.
So it was only natural they didn’t believe him.
“Some idiots only learn after they experience hell.”
The Ear Collector smirked and pressed the electric baton against Zeon’s face.
Crackle!
Blue sparks flew as Zeon’s body convulsed violently.
“Heh… you bastard. Should’ve just talked nicely.”
The Ear Collector laughed at the sight of Zeon trembling.
He assumed Brielle, caught in the same net, would soon break down in tears and beg.
But instead, she simply stared at him blankly.
“…What the hell? Is this girl stupid?”
“You’re the stupid one. You think that would actually affect Zeon?”
“What?”
Only then did the Ear Collector sense something was wrong and look at Zeon.
At some point, Zeon had stopped trembling.
Behind the flickering blue current, his face was cold and calm.
The Ear Collector instinctively realized something was off.
“Shit!”
Riiip—!
In an instant, the net tightening around Zeon and Brielle tore apart like paper, and a gauntleted hand burst free.
Grab!
“Ghk!”
Zeon’s hand seized the Ear Collector by the throat.
It happened faster than he could react—Zeon’s movement far surpassed his response speed.
But the Ear Collector didn’t go down easily.
He discarded the useless electric baton and drew the machete at his waist, thrusting it toward Zeon’s abdomen.
Zeon twisted his body slightly, evading the blade, and slammed the man into the ground.
Boom!
“Gah!”
The immense impact on his back forced a short scream from the Ear Collector.
It was enough to incapacitate an ordinary person instantly.
But he was a D-rank martial-type awakened.
With a tough body and superior physical ability, he wasn’t so easily taken down.
He tried to spring back up and counterattack—
But his body wouldn’t respond.
Zeon was already pressing down on his chest with his knee.
An overwhelming force crushed him.
“Ghh—!”
The Ear Collector’s eyes bulged wide.
It felt as though his ribs would snap and his organs would be crushed.
No matter how he struggled or circulated his mana, it was like being pinned under a massive boulder.
Unable to escape, he finally shouted,
“What the hell are you… Why is this—”
“Air Shield!”
At that moment, Brielle cast a spell, blocking the sound from escaping outside.
His attempt to call the other scavengers failed.
Zeon smirked.
“That was a cute attempt.”
“You bastard—!”
“As a price, I’ll take one of your ears.”
The Ear Collector’s eyes widened.
“N-no—!”
Slice!
With a sharp sound, one of his ears was severed.
“Graaah!”
The pain made him scream.
“If you don’t stay quiet, I’ll take the other one too.”
“D-damn it! Why are you doing this to me? We just met today!”
“Haven’t all the owners of the ears you collected been strangers to you as well?”
“You son of a—!”
“Looks like you still haven’t come to your senses.”
Zeon reached toward the man’s other ear.
“Damn it! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you anything!”
“First—everyone inside here… they’re all scavengers, right?”
“Yeah!”
“How many are there?”
“Eleven, including me.”
“How many of these nests exist?”
“I don’t know!”
“Do I need to cut off your other ear before you talk?”
“I really don’t know. All I know is that this place is Nest No. 7.”
“Seventh? Then there are at least six more like this?”
Zeon’s eyes gleamed.
He hadn’t expected there to be so many of these hideouts.
That meant the scavengers were far more numerous and organized than he had thought.
The Ear Collector spoke as if making excuses,
“Yeah! That’s what I know too.”
“What about the locations of the nests?”
“Two. I only know two, including this one.”
“You’re lying again.”
“Damn it! I’m telling the truth. One in Neo Seoul, one in the slums. The network only tells you about nests in the area you operate in.”
“The network? There’s a network for scavengers?”
“Yeah! The Black Network. We all connect to it to get information.”
“Who runs it?”
“I don’t know!”
“You use it but don’t know?”
“No one knows that. It’s just there, so we use it. How would we know who runs it? No one cares.”
“Fine. Then how do you access the network?”
“A… a code! You need a biometric code to connect.”
“A biometric code?”
Just as Zeon tilted his head at the unfamiliar term—
Boom!
Fireballs suddenly shot out from the darkness and slammed into Brielle’s Air Shield.
A massive blaze engulfed Zeon and Brielle.
The moment the Air Shield shattered, Zeon pulled Brielle back.
But the Ear Collector wasn’t given that chance.
“Aaaargh!”
His body was directly struck and burst into flames.
He writhed under the intense heat before finally dying.
Zeon looked toward where the fireballs had come from.
Heavily armed figures emerged from the darkness.
They were the scavengers who had been resting in Nest No. 7.
“What a waste of the name ‘Ear Collector.’ Running your mouth like a damn bird.”
“Bastard! Blabbing everything.”
“This is why you can’t trust trash with no roots.”
The scavengers laughed as they looked at the burning corpse.
There had been an alarm spell installed in the passage—something Zeon and Brielle hadn’t noticed.
The moment they entered, it triggered, and the scavengers rushed over.
Zeon scratched his head.
“That was a pretty important moment… and you ruined it.”
“Heh. How to get a biometric code? That bastard didn’t know either.”
“Why not?”
“Because the memory of getting it is erased. Same for me, same for everyone else. All our memories are intact—except for that part. Completely wiped. So it’s useless. Heh.”
The leading scavenger grinned, showing his yellowed teeth.
The others nodded in agreement.
“Heh, our world isn’t that sloppy, kid.”
“Oh? Looks like a pretty little girl came along too.”
“I’m first.”
“Shut up, I’m first!”
The scavengers began arguing among themselves after noticing Brielle.
“Worse than animals.”
Brielle grimaced in disgust.
Having once suffered at the hands of human hunters, she hated this kind of people more than anyone.
“Die!”
With a shout, Brielle cast a spell.
Whoosh!
More than a dozen Air Arrows shot toward the scavengers.
“Oh? That’s a cute little attack.”
“Pointless.”
The scavengers easily blocked her magic using defensive skills.
The weapons and armor they wore were either crafted items or things they had taken from other awakened they had killed.
Naturally, their performance was exceptional.
An immature young elf’s attack magic wasn’t enough to damage them.
The scavengers immediately counterattacked.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Weapons from martial-type awakened and spells from magic-type awakened filled the corridor.
Brielle’s eyes widened.
Her response was simple—
She hid behind Zeon.
Zeon looked dumbfounded but still threw a punch.
Dozens of flaming arrows poured forward.
He had cast Fire Arrow using his superheated gauntlet.
Boom! Boom! Crash!
The barrage collided with the incoming attacks, causing a massive explosion.
“Ghk!”
“Argh!”
The scavengers screamed as they were blown back.
At that moment, Zeon moved.
Step!
He kicked off the ground and launched himself at them.
In an instant, he was upon them, throwing punches.
Crash—!
It was like a storm had swept through.
The scavengers couldn’t even react before being struck.
Their armor was useless against Zeon’s attacks.
Shields shattered, and even armor made of special materials broke like glass.
Before the overwhelming force that was Zeon, the scavengers were swept away without even being able to scream.
Moments later, the scene was horrific.
The scavengers lay on the ground with limbs twisted unnaturally or suffering severe wounds.
“Damn it!”
“Ughhh!”
Their agonized cries echoed through the passage.
Zeon met the eyes of one of them and spoke,
“Now it seems like we’re ready to have a proper conversation. Right?”
“Fuuuck!”
The scavenger responded with a scream instead.
Zeon nodded.
“Yeah… I figured as much.”