Chapter 164
Brielle sat halfway up one of the rocky hills surrounding the Magic Stone Mine.
From there, she could clearly see inside the settlement.
Under the dazzling lights, the voices of staggering people carried all the way up to her.
It was as if they had no tomorrow—everyone was enjoying the present like mad.
The intense scent of desire drifting up from below clouded Brielle’s mind.
She had grown used to it now, but when she was first kidnapped into the human world, it had nearly driven her insane.
“…Ha.”
She let out a sigh.
“Careful—you’ll cave the ground in, kid.”
Levin’s voice came from behind her.
Turning around, she saw him catching his breath as he straightened up.
He had been running all over the mine to find her.
“How did you even find this place?”
“Why did you come?”
“What, you think I’d just leave a kid who ran off like that?”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
“Because we’re family. Family looks out for each other.”
“…Family?”
At the unexpected word, Brielle’s eyes trembled.
Living together all this time, she had never once thought of it that way.
To her, family had only ever meant the High Elves.
“We live in the same house, see each other every day, take care of each other… If that’s not family, then what is?”
“Fa…mily…”
It was a heavy word.
Brielle closed her eyes and repeated it to herself several times.
Levin simply watched her in silence.
A breeze passed by.
Whatever realization she reached, Brielle stood up with a refreshed expression.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
“I said, let’s go.”
“Uh—okay!”
With a faint smile, Brielle started walking.
There’s no need to decide right now. This place is my home, and these people are my family. I just need to live in the present.
Brielle liked Zeon.
At first, they had been bound by a pact, but as time passed, she had come to genuinely like him.
It wasn’t romantic.
She was drawn to him as a person—to his humanity.
Maybe one day they would part ways, but not now.
She didn’t want to waste the present worrying about a future that hadn’t come yet.
The rocky slope was steep and treacherous.
Climbing up hadn’t felt so difficult, but going down made the incline all too real.
Levin carefully made his way down as he muttered,
“So they mine magic stones from inside this rock mountain?”
“Yeah. How does something like this even stand alone in the middle of the desert?”
“Didn’t your homeland have mountains like this?”
“Not at all. Everywhere you looked was sand. Only a tiny portion was habitable for elves.”
“That must’ve been tough.”
“I didn’t think so back then. Everyone was used to living in the sand. But if I had to go back now, I don’t think I could.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve gotten used to the city. I can’t even imagine living without electricity anymore.”
“Pfft!”
Levin burst out laughing at her unexpected answer.
“What?”
“No, I just totally agree.”
“Right? I don’t even know how I lived without electricity before. If I could, I’d love to teach my hometown how to generate electricity from magic stones.”
“Maybe someday that’ll happen.”
“You really think so?”
“Yeah. When the hatred between people fades a little, won’t there be more exchange? Then you could share how to produce electricity from magic stones.”
“Wow… you actually sounded like an adult just now.”
“Hey! I am more of an adult than you, kid.”
Levin pretended to bonk her on the head, and Brielle ducked, sticking out her tongue.
Still… I’m glad she seems to be feeling better.
Levin smiled as he looked around.
At that moment, a man caught his attention.
He appeared to be in his mid-to-late twenties, dressed in shabby clothes.
At first glance, he looked like an ordinary miner.
He was wearing typical mining attire, along with boots that reached up to his knees.
There was nothing strange about that.
This was the Magic Stone Mine—of course there would be miners.
And yet, something about him felt off.
What is it?
Levin stared intently at the man, trying to figure out the source of that unease.
Brielle blinked, noticing him suddenly staring at someone mid-conversation.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh… it’s just…”
At that moment, the man disappeared into the crowd.
Levin tried to find him among the people, but it was no use.
“Did I lose him?”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s just… something felt off.”
“About what?”
“He looked like a miner, but he didn’t act like one.”
Only then did Levin realize what had bothered him.
People usually carried an aura that matched their profession.
Beggars tended to give off a gloomy, cynical vibe. Those who labored hard usually appeared exhausted.
But the man he had just seen didn’t feel like a miner at all.
There were no signs of fatigue from hard labor, and his clothes were too clean.
And for an ordinary miner, his face was full of curiosity—
like someone visiting this place for the first time.
Who was he?
It might have been nothing.
But it lingered in Levin’s mind.
He recalled the man’s face.
“Ugh… what was with that guy? Did he notice something?”
The man dressed as a miner wiped his chest in relief in a back alley.
“Damn… I’m losing my edge. Almost got spotted by some brat.”
“What do you mean? ‘Almost got spotted’?”
A calm voice suddenly came from behind him.
“Gah! You scared me!”
The man flinched and spun around.
Right in front of him stood a woman wearing a hooded robe.
She had approached without him noticing.
If she had been an enemy, he would already be dead.
The man pointed at her and shouted,
“Damn it! How many times have I told you to make some noise when you move?!”
“If an assassin makes noise, they’re disqualified.”
“Am I your target? I’m your ally! Your ally!”
“So, were you discovered?”
“No! I wasn’t. It’s just… some brat kept staring at me, and it bothered me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t you trust me? I’m Aslan—the master of infiltration.”
“The ‘master of infiltration’ getting caught on a brat’s radar?”
“I said I didn’t get caught!”
Aslan finally snapped and shouted, but the hooded woman paid no mind and continued calmly.
“So, the information?”
“Yeah, I got everything.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Can’t we stay a little longer? There’s so much to enjoy here—why leave already?”
“The longer we stay, the higher the chance of being exposed. You said yourself a brat noticed you.”
“I told you, I wasn’t caught!”
“Let’s go.”
“Damn it! At least listen to me. Let’s have some fun before we leave.”
“If you want to stay, I’ll leave alone.”
“Hey! Then how am I supposed to get out?”
“Not my problem.”
“You heartless woman… fine, let’s go. Let’s go!”
In the end, Aslan gave in.
The woman lightly picked him up in her arms.
“We’re going. Hold tight.”
“Heh, holding tight.”
Grinning, Aslan wrapped his arms around her.
The soft sensation against his face and arms quickly calmed his rising anger.
Hidden beneath the robe, the woman’s body was full and voluptuous.
That was why Aslan didn’t feel humiliated even being carried like a princess.
The woman’s body—and Aslan’s—began to turn transparent.
It was one of her awakened abilities.
Invisibility.
Though temporary, it allowed her to render herself and anything she touched invisible.
Using that ability, she swiftly slipped through the crowded streets without being noticed.
Reaching the city wall, she threw a rope.
The rope shot out like a whip and wrapped around a pillar atop the wall.
Pulling on it, she launched herself upward.
Awakened guards stood watch along the wall, but none of them noticed her presence.
That too was part of her ability.
After completely deceiving their senses, she descended on the other side—into the desert.
And just like that, she vanished into the darkness.
***
Levin and Brielle returned to their lodging.
Mandy had already gone to her room to sleep, and Zeon was alone in the living room.
Seeing Brielle, Zeon said,
“We’ve got a long journey tomorrow. Get some rest.”
“Okay. You should sleep soon too, Zeon.”
“Yeah.”
“Good night!”
Brielle went into her room with a bright smile.
Zeon then turned to Levin.
“Good work. You should get some rest too.”
“Hyung, but…”
“What is it?”
“I saw someone strange earlier.”
“Someone strange?”
“Well… actually…”
Levin explained about the miner he had seen.
“That is strange.”
“Right? My eyes weren’t playing tricks on me, right?”
“The miners at the Magic Stone Mine never wander outside when this many people are around.”
The miners at the mine were worked brutally.
Day or night, as long as they had the strength, they were sent into the tunnels.
Exhausted from heavy labor, they rushed to rest whenever they got outside.
Especially when so many Awakened were present, they avoided going out.
If they got into trouble with an Awakened, they would be the ones to suffer.
“Then what was he? He was definitely dressed like a miner.”
“Who knows.”
“Ah, forget it. I’m going to sleep.”
“Alright.”
After Levin went into his room, Zeon was left alone.
He recalled Levin’s words.
“A miner who doesn’t belong in the Magic Stone Mine…”
If anyone else had said it, he might have ignored it.
But because it came from Levin, it lingered in his mind.
Levin wasn’t an ordinary boy.
His experience, keen observation, and memory—honed while tracking the killer of his family—were exceptional.
If Levin felt something was off, there had to be a reason.
“…This dungeon raid won’t be easy.”
There were nearly four hundred Awakened involved and over thirty vehicles.
It was an expedition of immense scale.
Logically, with such numbers, it seemed unlikely anyone would dare attack.
But Zeon knew well—
the world often defied logic.
The distance from the Magic Stone Mine to the dungeon site was over three hundred kilometers.
It might seem like a journey of just a few days, but the harsh desert environment would not make it easy.
The dangers weren’t limited to the sun, sand, and magical beasts.
Humans were part of that danger too.
“…In truth, humans are the most dangerous.”
For eight long years in the desert, the ones who had tormented Zeon the most were not the beasts—
but other humans.