Chapter 154
“A dungeon?”
“Yeah, a dungeon.”
Zeon showed a puzzled expression.
Lee Jiryung was the man who led the Pegasus Raid Team, a force numbering three hundred members.
Among all the raid teams in Neo Seoul, the Pegasus Raid Team was considered one of the strongest.
There was no dungeon they had failed to conquer.
They had even cleared supposedly impregnable dungeons that other teams had given up on, shocking everyone.
At the center of it all stood Lee Jiryung.
With overwhelming strength and powerful charisma, he led the team from the front.
And this was the first time he had ever extended a hand to someone else.
“What kind of dungeon is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“…What?”
“An exploration team discovered it about 400 kilometers away from Neo Seoul.”
The Pegasus Raid Team operated its own exploration unit dedicated to discovering dungeons.
They regularly ventured into the desert to locate new ones.
Based on the dungeons and data they found, the Pegasus Raid Team would plan and execute raids.
Zeon spoke with interest.
“Four hundred kilometers… that’s quite far.”
“It’s probably the farthest dungeon ever discovered. The exploration team nearly died several times because of it.”
The farther from Neo Seoul, the stronger the monsters that inhabited the area.
At a distance of 400 kilometers, there was a high probability that extremely powerful monsters lived there.
“If you’ve found the dungeon, why not just raid it? What’s the problem?”
“There’s a major issue. It’s buried deep beneath the sand. According to the exploration team, it’s at least one or two hundred meters underground.”
“…Hah.”
Only then did Zeon understand why Lee Jiryung had come to him.
A dungeon buried beneath sand was extremely difficult to access.
Some might think you could just dig it out—but that was a misunderstanding of how sand worked.
No matter how much you dug, the surrounding sand would collapse and fill the space again.
If the covered area were small, it might be possible—but in the middle of a vast desert, digging down to a buried dungeon was practically impossible.
That was why Lee Jiryung needed Zeon.
The exploration team included Awakened who specialized in detecting dungeons.
They could sense the abnormal flow and disturbances of mana that occurred when a dungeon formed.
However, their detection range was limited.
Detecting something deep underground was even harder.
The only reason they had found this dungeon was because the mana disturbance it emitted was so powerful.
If its energy could be felt from hundreds of meters above ground, then the dungeon was likely extremely dangerous.
“The more dangerous the dungeon, the greater the reward. So? Interested?”
“A little.”
“All you need to do is secure a path to the dungeon. My team will handle the rest.”
“Hmm…”
“I’ll consider the debt for killing my brother settled with this.”
“I thought you said that debt was already cleared last time.”
“The situation’s different now. So? What will you do?”
Lee Jiryung stared at Zeon with blazing eyes.
His golden pupils looked as if they held molten lava.
Eyes filled with absolute certainty—ones that wouldn’t accept refusal.
It almost felt like his immense ambition was pouring out through them.
“…Alright. I’ll join.”
“Good choice. You’ll get a substantial reward as well.”
“When do we leave?”
“It’ll take at least a month to prepare.”
The more dangerous the dungeon, the longer the preparation.
Even a month was the bare minimum.
“Can I bring a few people with me?”
“Who? Ah, them?”
Lee Jiryung immediately understood who Zeon meant—Levin and Brielle.
“Yes.”
“No problem.”
“Then they’ll come with me.”
“Fine. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Clack!
Lee Jiryung placed the payment for the food on the table and stood up.
“Good meal, old man. The food’s pretty good.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll come again.”
“Hehe! You’re always welcome.”
Old man Clexi bowed his head slightly.
Lee Jiryung glanced at him briefly before leaving.
After he was gone, Levin spoke.
“Is this really okay, hyung?”
“What?”
“A dungeon 400 kilometers away from Neo Seoul… If over 300 people move together, monsters will definitely swarm us.”
“We’ll manage getting there. The real problem starts after that.”
“A dungeon hundreds of meters underground… it must be dangerous, right?”
“It will be. But the rewards will be just as great.”
Levin had grown significantly after experiencing a dungeon once.
The difference between an Awakened who had entered a dungeon and one who hadn’t was enormous.
That was the reason the Pegasus Raid Team was so strong.
Having conquered countless dungeons, they had no choice but to become powerful.
That was also why Zeon was bringing Brielle and Levin.
They still had room to grow—and needed it.
At that moment—
Thunk!
Old man Clexi placed food in front of them.
It was the same dish Lee Jiryung had eaten.
“Eat.”
“Yes!”
“Still… Lee Jiryung of the Pegasus Raid Team. You’ve gotten yourself involved with quite a big figure.”
“It just happened.”
“Heh. With abilities like yours, it’s only natural dangerous people are drawn to you. Be careful. Lee Jiryung is more dangerous than he looks.”
“I know.”
“He might be far more dangerous than you think.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Yeah. Well, you’ll handle it. You’re no less cunning—and just as dangerous.”
“Is there anyone as transparent as me?”
“A guy like you hides being a sand sorcerer that perfectly?”
“Well, everyone has at least one small secret.”
“You call that a small secret, you damn brat?”
“Why are you swearing at a customer? You’re ruining my appetite.”
“Hey, you little—”
Old man Clexi shouted angrily, but Zeon pretended not to hear and started eating.
Levin also chuckled as he ate.
Watching the two of them, Clexi let out a quiet sigh.
“I must be getting old… I don’t even feel angry seeing this.”
—
After finishing their meal, Levin went home to rest, while Zeon walked the streets alone.
The sunlight blazed down mercilessly.
The faces of the people outside were flushed red from the intense heat.
The slums lacked electricity, making it difficult to run air conditioners.
In fact, very few people even owned one.
So resting in the shade was the only way to escape the heat.
This was the everyday life of the slums.
If Zeon hadn’t awakened, he would likely have been living the same way.
“…Hmm?”
Suddenly, Zeon stopped and frowned.
At that moment—
Swish!
People suddenly sprang out from all over the street.
An old man who had been fanning himself in the shade charged with a knife, and a woman who had just passed by Zeon pulled a dagger from her thigh and stabbed at him.
Everyone on the street had turned into assassins, attacking Zeon.
Without panic, Zeon stepped back slightly.
The knife and dagger narrowly missed him.
“Die!”
“Kill him!”
Even though the ambush had failed, the assassins didn’t give up and kept attacking relentlessly.
Zeon activated Sand Step, evading their attacks while carefully observing their movements.
‘All of them are martial-type Awakened?’
Only martial-type Awakened could move like this.
And these were specialists in assassination.
Extremely refined, efficient movements.
Silent agility like that of a cat.
And assassination-focused skills on top of that.
More than a dozen assassins attacked him in perfect coordination, like interlocking gears.
Whoosh!
The woman’s dagger slashed toward him again.
This time, Zeon didn’t dodge.
Instead, he struck forward with his gauntlet-clad fist.
Clang!
With a single punch, the dagger snapped in half.
Before the woman could react, Zeon’s kick slammed into her face.
Boom!
“Ahhh!”
She screamed as she was sent flying.
“Seoryeong!”
“You bastard!”
Seeing her crash to the ground, the other assassins erupted in anger.
Their attacks grew even sharper—but Zeon was faster.
He dodged their strikes by a hair’s breadth and countered.
Thud! Thud!
“Ghk!”
“Ugh!”
Each blow sent another assassin flying.
They were no match for him.
He didn’t even need to use sand or fire abilities.
Zeon’s physical strength far surpassed that of the martial-type assassins.
“Urgh…”
“Aaagh…”
In an instant, the assassins were subdued, lying on the ground groaning.
At that moment—
Clap, clap, clap.
“Impressive. Those were some of the stronger ones from the South District, yet you handled them so easily.”
Someone appeared, applauding.
The man stepped out from the shadows of the street, wearing a black suit that didn’t fit the slum surroundings at all.
Zeon recognized him immediately.
“Pan Cheongcheon?”
“As expected, you recognize me.”
The man in the suit was indeed Pan Cheongcheon.
A close subordinate of Xiaolun, the ruler of the South District.
Zeon recognized him from the White Bear Caravan incident.
When Damian held the auction, Pan Cheongcheon had participated as well.
He had purchased Astro’s Flame Sword, the Old Snake’s Crown, and the Fallen Star Shield.
Though overshadowed by the Spirit King’s Crown, the items he obtained were still remarkable.
Pan Cheongcheon looked at the fallen assassins and spoke coldly—
“Useless trash. Get out of my sight.”
“Yes!”
“Ghk…”
The assassins endured their pain and retreated.
It was fortunate none had died—only because Zeon had held back.
Unaware of that, the assassins glared at him with killing intent as they left.
Zeon looked at Pan Cheongcheon.
“What about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Shouldn’t you be leaving too?”
“How insolent.”
Pan Cheongcheon’s brow twitched.
But despite his harsh tone, he didn’t attack.
He knew how strong Zeon was—after defeating Balrog.
‘If I go all out, I’d win… but there’s no need to be careless.’
His confidence came from class compatibility.
He was a martial-type Awakened specialized in fighting humans.
Zeon might have the advantage when hunting monsters, but against another human, martial-type Awakened excelled.
Moreover, he wasn’t just any martial-type Awakened.
His grandfather, who had studied in Korea a hundred years ago, had been a master of martial arts.
That legacy had been passed down to Pan Cheongcheon and combined with his awakened abilities.
His overwhelming physical prowess, fused with martial arts, created a terrifying synergy.
That was why he was confident he could defeat even higher-ranked Awakened.
He spoke—
“Come with me to Neo Seoul. Lord Xiaolun is calling for you.”