Chapter 157
Jin Geumho’s mayoral office, where he handled official duties, was located on the 50th floor—the very top of City Hall.
The elevator carrying Zeon and Seo Taeran rose silently to the 50th floor.
It hadn’t even felt like ten seconds had passed, yet they had already arrived.
“Please, step out.”
Seo Taeran exited first, and Zeon followed.
The moment they stepped out of the elevator, a vast office space came into view.
The wide, unobstructed glass windows gave an open, refreshing feeling.
Standing before the massive window was a middle-aged man.
His neatly combed hair, not a strand out of place, the beard beneath his nose and along his jaw, and his perfectly fitted suit—everything about him was impeccable.
He was none other than the mayor of Neo Seoul—Jin Geumho.
With a faint smile, Jin Geumho spoke:
“Welcome. I am Jin Geumho, the mayor of Neo Seoul.”
“My name is Zeon. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Come in. I welcome you to Neo Seoul.”
“Thank you.”
Zeon bowed slightly.
The man before him was a legend who had built a great city atop a ruined land.
Without him, the people here would likely still be stuck in a medieval level of civilization, like other colonies.
Together with someone named Daeyodeun, he had led the creation of Neo Seoul, allowing humanity to reclaim its former civilization.
That achievement alone made him worthy of respect.
Jin Geumho’s face, as he welcomed Zeon, was full of composure.
“We have much to discuss, so please, have a seat first.”
“Yes.”
Zeon sat down across from him without hesitation.
“Something to drink?”
“Water is fine.”
“I’ll prepare it.”
Seo Taeran immediately went to fetch water.
“I hear you live in the slums. How is it there?”
“It’s livable.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s where I’ve always lived, so I’m comfortable there.”
“I see.”
Jin Geumho nodded.
He treated Zeon casually, without the air of an absolute ruler.
But Zeon wasn’t fooled by that outward demeanor.
“I’ve heard you’re a sand user.”
“I was fortunate enough to awaken as one.”
“Luck only follows those with will and ability.”
“Thank you for your kind evaluation.”
Zeon replied calmly.
Jin Geumho looked at him with interest.
Everyone felt nervous in his presence.
No matter how relaxed he acted, the pressure he exerted was never small.
Even without intentionally intimidating someone, those who stood before him would naturally feel overwhelmed.
Even Alexandro, the leader of the White Bear Caravan he had met recently, had been the same.
Yet Zeon, who was relatively young, showed no sign of being intimidated.
The faint smile on his lips and the confidence in his eyes reminded Jin Geumho of someone.
“Looking at you reminds me of an old friend.”
“A friend?”
“Yes, a long-time friend. Though your appearance and atmosphere differ, there’s something strangely similar about you.”
“Is that so? May I ask who your friend is?”
“Daeyodeun. That was his name. He was my only friend—and my rival. Without him, Neo Seoul could not have been rebuilt.”
“…Where is your friend now?”
“He left.”
“Where to?”
“I don’t know. One day, he simply left this place—and never returned.”
“His name was Daeyodeun?”
“That’s right. A name you never forget once you hear it.”
A faint smile lingered on Jin Geumho’s lips as he spoke of Daeyodeun.
Whether it was genuine nostalgia or calculated deception, it was impossible to tell.
Daeyodeun had once described Jin Geumho like this:
—He’s cunning, but when he’s on your side, he’s someone you can trust.
While Daeyodeun fought monsters head-on, Jin Geumho supported him from behind.
Together, they had fought for decades, building the walls of Neo Seoul.
Though they eventually parted ways, Daeyodeun never resented him.
Jin Geumho continued:
“Why is it, I wonder… that despite your differences, you remind me of him?”
“I’m not sure.”
“My apologies. I’ve kept a valued guest here only to ramble about unrelated matters.”
“Not at all.”
“Thank you.”
“…For what?”
“You stopped the Balrog, didn’t you? Thanks to you, we avoided major damage.”
“I only acted because my own home would have been destroyed if it ran wild.”
“Even so, thanks to you, the entire slum area was spared. If it had collapsed, Neo Seoul would have suffered greatly as well.”
Jin Geumho’s words were filled with affection for Neo Seoul.
He mentioned the slums too—but it felt more like a formality.
To him, what truly mattered was Neo Seoul.
The slums were nothing more than a buffer protecting the city.
Jin Geumho asked:
“What are your plans moving forward?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve likely received offers from various factions. Have you decided where to join?”
“Not yet.”
“I thought as much.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Didn’t I say you resemble my friend? Someone with those eyes and that temperament would never serve under another. That’s why I assumed so.”
“You overestimate me.”
“Perhaps you underestimate the value of being a sand user.”
Jin Geumho stood and walked toward the window.
Beyond the massive glass, the dazzling cityscape of Neo Seoul spread out.
But his gaze wasn’t on the city—it was fixed beyond the walls, on the endless desert.
“This… is all there is.”
“…Pardon?”
“This is the extent of the land humanity has reclaimed through my entire life’s effort. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t secure more land fit for human habitation.”
Though splendid, Neo Seoul itself was not that large.
Yet within that limited space lived ten million people.
Including the slums, the population exceeded twenty million—all packed into this confined land…
All those people were crammed together into the city.
They had tried many times to expand it—but every attempt ended in failure.
“Outside this city is the domain of monsters. The farther you go, the stronger they become. Expanding humanity’s territory that far is impossible… at least for ordinary awakeners. But you are different. With your ability, it’s possible to expand human territory beyond this.”
Jin Geumho turned and looked at Zeon.
His eyes were shining intensely.
Zeon felt that this was Jin Geumho’s true face.
“I want to expand humanity’s domain. I don’t intend to be satisfied with just Neo Seoul. I want to secure more land. Neo Seoul has already reached its limit. Even if more people are born, we can’t accommodate them anymore. It’s on the verge of bursting.”
What he said was true.
There was no land left to build on, and vertical expansion was no longer possible.
The population kept growing—but there were no homes left.
“That’s why I need your help.”
“If you’re asking me to clear all the sand around Neo Seoul, that’s impossible for me too. I don’t have the control to move that much sand.”
“I know. If humans were capable of that, this land wouldn’t have been ruined in the first place.”
“Then why me?”
“I will handle expanding the land. You only need to obtain one thing for me. In return, I’ll take care of your… inconveniences.”
“Inconveniences?”
“I’ll deal with all the troublesome parties approaching you.”
“Even places like the Eastern District or Western District?”
“I can guarantee they won’t bother you again—as long as you grant my request.”
“Does that mean I have to join City Hall?”
“That would be ideal, but it’s not necessary.”
“…That’s interesting.”
A flicker of surprise appeared in Zeon’s eyes.
He hadn’t expected such an offer from Jin Geumho.
Given his ambition and desire to gather talent, Zeon assumed he would demand loyalty.
“I’ll also provide you with a house in Neo Seoul and citizenship. If you wish, I can grant citizenship to the children living with you as well.”
“And what is it you want from me to go this far?”
“Just hunt one monster.”
“…Pardon?”
“There’s a project I’ve been working on for a long time to expand human territory. For that, I need the heart of a certain monster.”
“Aren’t there many awakeners in Neo Seoul?”
“There are many—but you’re the only one who can kill this creature.”
“What do you mean?”
“Its name is Moby Dick.”
“Moby Dick?”
“A giant whale that lives beneath the sand.”
“…Such a creature exists?”
“It was recently discovered by Pathfinder Team One.”
Neo Seoul operated Pathfinder teams to search for habitable land.
One of those teams had sent back an unbelievable report.
“They say it’s a massive monster—over 120 meters long, with a body circumference exceeding 30 meters.”
“That’s hard to believe…”
“I felt the same. But they sent back proof—so I had no choice but to accept it.”
Whirr—
At that moment, one wall of the office opened, revealing a massive white pillar.
“What is that?”
“That… is Moby Dick’s tooth.”
What looked like a white pillar was actually the tooth of the land-dwelling whale, Moby Dick.
An immense amount of mana radiated from it.
“…!”
“Impressive, isn’t it? I was shocked too when I first received it. The purity of the mana contained in it is extraordinary.”
“It’s almost dizzying…”
Zeon spoke honestly.
He had never seen a monster part with such pure mana.
Normally, once separated from the body, a monster’s parts would lose much of their mana.
“If even a single tooth contains this much power, imagine what the heart must be like.”
“What do you intend to do with its heart?”
“I can’t tell you that. But I can assure you—what I intend will benefit humanity, not harm it.”
“This creature swims through sand like a sandworm. Ordinary awakeners can neither find nor kill it. Even Pathfinder Team One only discovered it by chance.”
Moby Dick was a whale that lived within sand.
It possessed all the traits of a whale.
Since it could breathe beneath the sand, it had no need to surface.
That’s why the Pathfinder team lost track of it.
They searched the area for ten days but found nothing except its tooth.
“In this world, the only person who can find and kill Moby Dick… is a sand user like you.”
“So that’s why you came to me.”
“Exactly.”
“Even as a sand user, finding something like that in such a vast desert is impossible.”
“But if it’s nearby, you could sense it, correct?”
“If it’s within about ten kilometers… I might be able to.”
“That’s enough. If you ever happen to detect it, hunt it. Bring me its heart, and I’ll be satisfied.”
Zeon closed his eyes.
He didn’t know what Jin Geumho intended to do with the heart.
But it wasn’t a proposal that harmed him.
If the creature truly had whale-like traits, it could roam thousands—tens of thousands—of kilometers.
There was a high chance he might never encounter it in his lifetime.
Jin Geumho wasn’t asking him to actively hunt it down—just to kill it if they happened to cross paths.
Jin Geumho stared directly at Zeon.
“Well? Will you accept my offer?”
His eyes gleamed ominously—
as if he would not accept refusal.