Chapter 135
Mandy, having obtained information that the Scavengers were connected to the Eastern District, returned with a grave expression.
This wasn’t just any matter—it involved the Eastern District.
No matter that Mandy was a supervisor directly under City Hall, she couldn’t dare interfere with the Eastern District.
It was a place known for its particularly aggressive nature, and its power was far beyond what a mere supervisor could handle.
She would have to report to her superiors and wait for their decision.
After Mandy left, a brief calm settled in.
Brielle returned to her room, saying she would focus on alchemy and research, while Zeon sat down on the sofa in the living room.
Beyond the red neon signs, the City Hall building was visible.
Even in the dark of night, it shone brightly like a lighthouse.
City Hall was the symbol of Neo Seoul.
For everyone living in Neo Seoul and the slums, it was both a landmark and a lifelong goal.
If City Hall were to collapse, the hope of those living in Neo Seoul would collapse with it. That was why it had to endure.
“Ha…”
Zeon let out a sigh and shook his head.
The more he thought, the more complicated his thoughts became.
Just then—
“Hyung!”
Levin burst through the door.
Zeon stood up and said,
“You’re back?”
“You were home? Where’s Briel?”
“In her room.”
“I see.”
Levin nodded and approached him.
Zeon’s brow furrowed slightly.
There was a red stain on Levin’s clothes.
Blood—without a doubt.
Noticing his gaze, Levin smirked.
“It’s not my blood.”
“You fought?”
“With Scavengers.”
“They’re spreading like a virus.”
Levin shook his head as if fed up.
“I don’t know where so many of them were hiding. Now that they’ve decided to come out, it’s unbearable.”
Scavengers never targeted high-ranking Awakened.
It was easy for them to tell who was high-ranking—
just by appearance and equipment.
The stronger the Awakened, the better their weapons and gear.
Those people were never touched.
Scavengers thoroughly preyed only on the weak.
Ordinary people—or Awakened who didn’t look particularly strong.
Among them, their favorite targets were low-ranking Awakened.
The moderately decent weapons, armor, and items those individuals carried were exactly what they sought.
At a glance, Levin looked like an ordinary low-ranking Awakened.
That made him a perfect target.
Of course, every Scavenger who had foolishly attacked him had been killed by his hand.
Levin muttered,
“Because of the goods leaking out from the White Bear Caravan, the Scavengers have completely lost their fear. The E-rank and F-rank Awakened they target are basically in a state of emergency now.”
“I can imagine.”
Zeon nodded.
Because of the Scavengers, the slums had fallen into chaos.
Aiden, the ruler of Sinchon, had tried to wipe them out, but it hadn’t been enough.
Just as Zeon was about to speak—
Thoom!
A powerful wave suddenly surged from the desert.
A force that seemed to strike directly at the heart made Zeon turn toward the desert.
“What’s wrong, hyung?”
Levin looked at him in confusion.
Unlike Zeon, he hadn’t sensed anything.
The powerful wave vanished as quickly as a mirage.
It was so subtle that only Awakened at Zeon’s level could perceive it.
Even Levin, who had reached C-rank and sharpened his senses, hadn’t detected it at all.
What was that?
The source of the wave was the fortress of the White Bear Caravan.
Zeon put on his robe.
“I can’t ignore this.”
“You’re going out?”
“I’m heading to the Goblin Market.”
“Then I’ll come with you.”
“You too?”
“It’s better to go as two than alone.”
“Alright.”
The two stepped outside together.
But the atmosphere in the slums was unusual.
Most of the people moving through the streets were tense and on edge, their vigilance palpable.
The people of the slums were generally wary of others, but not to this extreme.
The surge of Scavengers had changed the mood of the entire area.
Zeon and Levin passed through the slums and entered the Goblin Market.
The atmosphere there was no different.
Because of the explosion that had occurred not long ago, the mood was even more grim than outside.
From the entrance, strict inspections were being carried out, and anyone whose identity was unclear was outright denied entry.
Naturally, the number of visitors had decreased.
Even so, the merchants didn’t complain.
Zeon headed straight to Yoo Sehui’s office.
“Welcome. What brings you here?”
Yoo Sehui, who had been reviewing something, greeted him.
“I just came to see what the situation in the Goblin Market is like.”
“As you can see—it’s a mess.”
“…It really is.”
“Good timing. Take a look at this.”
She waved the paper she was holding.
“What is it?”
“Read it yourself.”
Zeon took the paper from her and read it.
“This is…”
“Yeah. An invitation—from the White Bear Caravan.”
“It says they’re holding an auction.”
“They’ve got guts. They handed out dozens of these invitations.”
Yoo Sehui looked dumbfounded.
Neo Seoul was already in chaos from the items that had been released so far.
Who knew what kind of extraordinary goods they intended to sell to openly distribute invitations like this?
“Who received them?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Everyone with any real influence in Neo Seoul got one.”
“Looks like they’re planning to make this a big event.”
“The problem is, the stage they’re trying to set might shake Neo Seoul to its core.”
Yoo Sehui’s top priority was the Goblin Market.
She had spent decades stabilizing it, but now the order of both the slums and the market was being shaken by an outside caravan.
She was far from pleased with the situation.
“They said they’re holding an auction, right?”
“Mm.”
“Can I attend as well?”
“So you’re planning to participate as well?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…”
Yoo Sehui stared intently at Zeon’s face for a moment.
Under her persistent gaze, Levin, who was standing beside him, felt strangely intimidated.
“Alright. Well, someone like you more than qualifies.”
Yoo Sehui readily gave her permission.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. If you really wanted to, you could easily get an invitation like this yourself.”
“Even so, I appreciate it.”
Without Yoo Sehui, it would have been quite troublesome.
At that moment, Levin, who had been waiting for an opening, spoke up.
“Could I maybe get a potion?”
“A potion?”
“Yes.”
“That’s pretty rare. What kind do you need?”
Yoo Sehui frowned slightly.
Potions were expensive by nature.
But the real problem wasn’t just the price—they were scarce as well.
The ingredients were costly, and there were very few alchemists capable of making them.
“I’m looking for the kind that’s been circulating recently.”
“Ah, an antidote potion.”
Yoo Sehui let out a faint chuckle.
Antidote potions had only recently begun circulating.
After passing strict verification, only a small quantity had been released—but they were highly popular.
Among demonic beasts, many possessed deadly toxins. To deal with them, antidote potions were essential.
However, since the supply was so limited, Awakened without connections—like Levin—found them hard to obtain.
The older antidote potions were both scarce and only marginally effective. Even so, people bought them out of necessity.
But the newly distributed antidote potions in the Goblin Market were different.
Though expensive, their effectiveness far surpassed that of existing potions.
If anything, they seemed about three times more effective.
Because of this, Awakened preparing for dungeon raids were desperately trying to get their hands on them.
Levin spoke cautiously.
“I tried to buy one at the shop, but they were already sold out because of the demand.”
“They’re still early batches, so only small quantities are being made. Are you planning to use it yourself?”
“I just want to keep one for emergencies.”
“That’s a good mindset.”
Yoo Sehui nodded, thinking of Briel.
That cheeky little brat still hasn’t told him, it seems. In that case, I’ll keep the secret too.
The creator of the antidote potion was Briel.
When Yoo Sehui had first followed her recipe and verified the potion, she had been utterly shocked.
Its performance far exceeded that of any existing potion.
It was hard to believe that such an extraordinary potion had been created by such a young girl.
As promised, Yoo Sehui had kept Briel’s identity as the creator a complete secret.
There was no reason to expose a goose that laid golden eggs.
Because of that secrecy, even Levin—who lived with her—didn’t know that Brielle was the one who made the antidote potion.
Yoo Sehui pulled out an antidote potion from her drawer and tossed it to Levin.
“It’s valuable, so take good care of it.”
“Th-thank you! The money—”
“It’s a gift. Just take it.”
“But still…”
“If you really want to give something, go buy some snacks for the brat.”
“…Huh?”
“I mean Briel.”
“Why should I buy snacks for her?”
“Just do it. Don’t ask questions.”
“…Alright!”
Still not understanding, Levin replied with a blank expression.
Watching him made Yoo Sehui chuckle.
“Pfft.”
“Ghk…!”
A raggedly dressed scavenger let out a choking sound.
In truth, he was on the verge of death.
“Sp-spare me…”
“That’s funny.”
The one looking down at him sneered.
It was a woman wearing a fedora and a trench coat.
Her name was Borin Stravach—
the captain of the Blue Leaf Special Operations Unit of the Northern District.
The scavenger dying before her had been extremely unlucky.
He had chosen Borin as his target.
He had never imagined that the person he attacked would be the captain of such a unit.
The price for that mistake was cruel.
His death.
Though he wasn’t dead yet, it was only a matter of time.
No one could survive with their intestines spilling out of their abdomen.
And that was exactly his condition.
Borin muttered coldly,
“Trying to live after attacking a passing elf? That’s some nerve.”
“I—I didn’t know you were an elf. Please, spare me!”
“Too late.”
“You damn elf… go to hell.”
Having given up on survival, the scavenger spat out a curse.
Those were his last words.
Borin let out a sigh as she looked down at his corpse.
At that moment, her eyes flickered.
Something sticking out from the scavenger’s belongings had caught her attention.
“What’s this?”
She picked it up, her expression turning to disbelief.
It was a necklace.
Hanging from a leather cord was a wooden pendant engraved with an incomprehensible pattern.
The pendant, shaped like a coin, emitted a familiar scent.
It was a scent humans could never distinguish—
one only elves could recognize.
The scent of the Kurup tree.
And Kurup trees grew only in Kurayan.
“A necklace made from Kurup wood… How did this end up in human hands…?”
As far as she knew, the only person in Neo Seoul who possessed such an item was the Elf Queen, Serian Moliana.
Something that had never existed in Neo Seoul had suddenly appeared—
and in the hands of a human.
Borin turned her gaze toward the desert.
“…Could it have come from the caravan?”