Chapter 202
Originally, Zeon had planned to leave the Steel Fortress the day after the Red Storm Unit took control. However, for several reasons, he had to stay longer.
The biggest reason was the stability of the Steel Fortress.
On Earth, now turned into a desert, land where humans could survive was extremely limited. With luck, a place could grow into a large colony—but such cases were rare.
Most settlements could barely support a few dozen households.
To grow beyond that, two things were essential: water and food.
Without securing both, the population could not increase.
Fortunately, the Steel Fortress had secured a water source, allowing it to pursue stable growth.
The change in ownership—from its previous rulers to the Red Storm Unit—was not a major concern for Zeon.
What mattered was that the fortress had been restored, creating an environment where many people could survive.
He did not know how long humanity could endure on Earth.
The harsh environment was hostile to humans, and countless threats constantly targeted them.
Someday, humanity might perish because of these external factors.
But Zeon hoped to delay that moment as much as possible.
The more humanity flourished, the longer extinction would be postponed—and perhaps one day, Earth could be restored.
The chances were slim, but that didn’t mean he could simply give up.
Once the Steel Fortress functioned properly, it would be able to shelter several times more people than before.
That alone was reason enough for him to stay.
Fortunately, during his time there, the fortress quickly stabilized—almost as if it had always been that way.
Much of that was thanks to Deborah.
She successfully united the Red Storm Unit and the original residents of the fortress. Urtian, on the other hand, had done little more than watch.
And that, in itself, had been a great help to Deborah.
Urtian’s role was to secure food and protect people from external threats. He was terrible at everything else.
In fact, remaining an observer like this helped Deborah and the others more.
Urtian carefully looked over Zeon’s appearance.
Zeon was wearing a coat-like robe.
Urtian knew exactly what that meant.
“So, you’re planning to leave now?”
“I’ve stayed longer than expected.”
“Is that so? That’s a shame. You could’ve stayed a few more days.”
“I have my own reasons for returning to Neo Seoul.”
“I heard. You got stabbed in the back by Lee Jiryung, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Heh… I knew something was off about his eyes.”
“I heard you were defeated as well?”
“Ran away with my tail between my legs like a pathetic dog. Heh!”
Urtian said it without the slightest embarrassment.
There was no shame in losing to someone stronger.
The real shame was being overwhelmed by an opponent’s presence and fleeing without even putting up a proper fight.
“He’s S-rank.”
“I know. I saw his level rise inside the dungeon.”
“Is that so? Either way, be careful. Who knows what he might do to hide his disgrace.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Zeon nodded.
Once he returned to Neo Seoul, he had a rough idea of how Lee Jiryung would act.
Backstabbing an ally inside a dungeon was an unforgivable act of cowardice.
If that became known, his reputation would plummet.
No matter how much Neo Seoul revered strength, people weren’t foolish enough to blindly follow a coward.
Just then—
“It’s done! Zeon, I finished it!”
Brielle came running over, shouting loudly.
In her hand was a small vial.
Zeon smiled.
“You finally completed it?”
“Yeah! This is the Sun Flower antidote.”
Brielle shook the vial filled with a transparent liquid.
The liquid was an antidote for the drug made from Sun Flowers.
Over the past few days, Brielle had locked herself away, researching it.
Most of the addicts who had followed Gerwen were already dead, but a few remained—reduced to husks, waiting only for death.
For them, she had worked tirelessly—and finally succeeded.
Her face was filled with emotion.
This wasn’t just for the Steel Fortress.
She needed the antidote for herself as well.
Though she had partially recovered, she too had been addicted to Neo Seoul’s drugs.
Without regular doses, she suffered severe withdrawal symptoms.
Fortunately, the fortress had materials unavailable in Neo Seoul.
Using them, she devoted herself to research—and finally created the antidote.
Zeon asked,
“How effective is it?”
“Who do you think made it? I already gave it to some addicts—they all recovered without major side effects.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Now it’s my turn.”
“You’re going to take it yourself?”
“That’s why I made it.”
Brielle answered without hesitation.
The body of a High Elf—meant to be pure—had been tainted by drugs.
Because of that, she couldn’t fully utilize her talents.
She believed that once she broke free from this chain, she could rise higher.
After staring at the vial for a moment, she drank it.
She trusted Zeon to watch over her.
As soon as the antidote entered her body, intense heat surged within her.
“Ghk!”
Brielle clutched her chest and collapsed.
Her face turned red like molten metal, and steam rose from her body.
The antidote was clashing with the residual drugs inside her.
Sweat poured from her as her entire body became drenched.
Even so, Zeon did not rashly interfere—he didn’t wipe her sweat or touch her.
He knew that simply watching was the best thing he could do for her.
Soon, a visible change began.
From her pores, a foul-smelling liquid started seeping out.
It was the residual drug that had been tormenting her.
The stench was so overpowering that just breathing it in made both Zeon and Urtian feel dizzy and lightheaded.
The fact that Brielle had maintained her sanity while being soaked in such a horrific drug was, in itself, worthy of respect.
The pain was so intense that Brielle lost consciousness.
Even then, the residual drug continued to be expelled from her body.
Only after quite some time did her condition finally stabilize.
Zeon reached out to pick her up—
But someone intervened before him.
It was Deborah.
“Leave her to me.”
“……”
“She’s still a woman. You can’t exactly undress her and clean that up. Let me handle it.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
“Don’t worry.”
Deborah carefully lifted Brielle and carried her into a nearby house.
She removed Brielle’s robe and gently cleaned off the foul residue that had been expelled.
After wiping her clean and dressing her again, Brielle opened her eyes.
“Are you awake?”
“Where’s Zeon?”
“He’s outside.”
“Oh… Wait, do I look taller?”
“Really?”
At Deborah’s reaction, Brielle hesitantly stood up.
She really did seem a little taller.
It was as if her growth, previously stunted by the drug addiction, had resumed.
Feeling awkward about her slightly increased height, she fidgeted for a moment—then suddenly began hopping in place with excitement.
For a long time, she had been stressed because she had stopped growing.
Now, it seemed she no longer had to worry.
Eager to show her changes, Brielle hurried outside.
Levin was already there beside Zeon.
Levin greeted her.
“Wow! Kid, I heard you’re completely free from the addiction now. That’s great.”
“I’m going to be a great alchemist—this much is only natural. Hmph!”
“You do look a bit taller.”
“Right? I was surprised too!”
Brielle spun around proudly, showing off her new height.
Zeon smiled.
“I’m glad you’ve completely recovered.”
“Yeah! I don’t think I’ll need to rely on it anymore.”
Her once pale face now carried a healthy glow.
That too was thanks to breaking free from the drug.
However, the detox process had drained her stamina, and she soon showed signs of fatigue.
After observing her condition, Zeon said,
“We should stay here a little longer.”
“You don’t have to. I’ll recover soon.”
“After such a drastic change, it’s better to be careful. Let’s stay one more day.”
“…Alright.”
“Good.”
“Okay, we’ll do that.”
Brielle smiled brightly.
Perhaps because she had completely freed herself from the drug, her beauty seemed to have blossomed even more.
Levin stared at her absentmindedly.
Watching them, Urtian muttered,
“Must be nice.”
***
Clang! Clang!
The sharp sound of metal rang out repeatedly across the open training ground.
The dark elf Duduyan and the half-elf Eloi were clashing fiercely.
They swung their weapons at each other as if they were mortal enemies.
Neither of them was a pure elf.
Because of that, they shared the experience of not being fully accepted by other elves.
Perhaps because of this, they felt a strange sense of kinship—and had begun sparring like this.
Both Duduyan and Eloi were martial-type awakened.
Duduyan wielded twin daggers,
While Eloi used a spear known as Mad Gumiho.
Duduyan tried to close the distance and strike,
While Eloi kept her at bay, pressing her relentlessly.
Short-range versus long-range.
Their completely opposing styles targeted each other’s weaknesses with precision.
Aside from eating and sleeping, they spent most of their time fighting.
As a result, their combat abilities had improved dramatically in just a few days.
“Haa… haa…”
“Huff…!”
After the fight ended, both women collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
The winner was Eloi.
Yet Duduyan showed no sign of displeasure.
Instead, she smiled with a refreshed expression.
It had been a long time since she had fought with everything she had.
Her muscles screamed from the intense strain, and her heart pounded as if it might burst—
Yet she felt good.
Eloi smirked at her.
“You’re smiling like a weirdo.”
“And you?”
“What about me?”
“If you could see yourself, you’d be making the same face.”
“Really?”
“Exactly the same.”
“Tch… Guess I’m a weirdo too.”
“Heh.”
“Haha!”
The two burst into laughter at the same time.
They had grown close through fighting.
Through battle, they had connected—and come to deeply understand each other.
Duduyan asked,
“So, you’re leaving now?”
“Yeah.”
“No thoughts of staying here?”
“I may not look it, but I’m a high-ranking official in Neo Seoul.”
“Why not just stay? It’s not like you’re exactly welcomed there.”
“Still… it’s my home. I can’t just abandon it.”
For over twenty years, she had built her life in Neo Seoul.
She couldn’t leave it behind so easily.
“That’s a shame.”
“I can always visit again later. Just don’t slam the door in my face.”
“That won’t happen. The Steel Fortress is becoming our home now. You’re always welcome.”
“Good.”
Eloi smiled—
Just then—
Fweeeeeet!
A sharp, urgent whistle echoed throughout the Steel Fortress.