Chapter 228
Eight years ago, Park Manho had forced Zeon into Tunnel 972 simply because he had lost money at a gambling den and was in a bad mood.
That was despite the fact that several people had already died in that very tunnel.
If Zeon hadn’t awakened—or hadn’t met Deioden—he would have died back then.
At the time, it had been so unbearable that he had sworn revenge.
But a long time had passed, and in that time, Zeon had gone through countless experiences.
Compared to everything he had endured since, what Park Manho had done to him was trivial.
Naturally, the memory had faded, and Park Manho was no longer someone worth seeking revenge against.
To fuel hatred for revenge, Park Manho was simply too insignificant.
So Zeon had completely forgotten him—until, unexpectedly, Park Manho recognized him and approached.
Park Manho glared at Zeon with bulging eyes.
His appearance was rough and intimidating, but it had no effect on Zeon.
With a baffled expression, Park Manho spoke.
“You crazy bastard! ‘Nice to see you’? Have you completely lost it?”
“Why? I really am glad to see you.”
“You’ve really gone insane. Do you know how much trouble I went through because you disappeared?”
“That’s a lie.”
“What?”
“What trouble could you possibly have because of me? Back then, I was nothing—just an insignificant extra.”
“You little—did you oil that tongue of yours? You talk real smooth.”
With nothing to say, Park Manho scowled.
In truth, Zeon disappearing back then hadn’t caused him any trouble at all. Just as Zeon said, he had been utterly insignificant.
And yet, the reason Park Manho was lashing out now was simple—
He had just lost a considerable amount of money at the gambling den today.
He was the supervisor of the magic stone mine.
Naturally, he had been siphoning off magic stones and pocketing a hefty amount of illicit money.
The problem was that he had gambled all that money away.
So when he ran into Zeon in that state, his pent-up anger boiled over.
Why Zeon had returned, or where he had been all this time—none of that mattered.
What mattered was that Zeon was right in front of him—
And he needed someone to vent his anger on.
“Hey, you bastard! Get over here! Trash like you belongs in the tunnels, mining magic stones for the rest of your life.”
“I’m not a miner anymore.”
“What nonsense. Once a miner, always a miner. And as long as you’re a miner, you obey me.”
“That’s quite the logic. I suppose it’s something worth studying.”
“You little punk—laughing now? What’s so funny?”
“You are.”
“You bastard… you’re dead.”
Enraged by Zeon’s mocking tone, Park Manho swung his massive fist.
He was, after all, an E-rank Awakener.
A normal person would have been killed by a single blow.
Park Manho didn’t actually intend to kill Zeon.
He planned to rough him up a bit, take whatever he had, and then throw him back into a tunnel to exploit him to the bone.
Thud!
But his pleasant imagination shattered instantly.
The fist that should have crushed Zeon’s face stopped midair.
It was Zeon’s palm that had halted it.
It felt as if he had punched a solid rock—his fist throbbed with pain.
Caught off guard, Park Manho’s eyes widened.
“You…!”
Creak—
At that moment, Zeon slowly clenched his hand.
Like being caught in a press, Park Manho’s fist began to crumple.
“Ughhh!”
A groan escaped his lips.
He tried to pull his hand back, but escaping Zeon’s grip was impossible.
Finally, he screamed,
“Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts! Let go!”
“Say that again. What were you going to do to me? Lock me in a tunnel and make me mine forever?”
“Ugh! I—I didn’t mean it like that… I’d never do such a thing!”
Park Manho shook his head frantically.
His fist felt like it was about to shatter.
Even this alone proved that Zeon was an Awakener—
And one far above him.
No matter how reckless Park Manho was, he couldn’t dare shove a higher-ranked Awakener into a tunnel.
In the end, he dropped to his knees.
“I’ll beg you. Please, spare me.”
“And what will you give me if I do?”
“…What?”
“That’s how it works, isn’t it? There’s no such thing as forgiveness without a price. Eight years ago, you threw me into a tunnel where people were dying just because you were in a bad mood.”
“But you survived, didn’t you?”
“That was just luck. You didn’t help at all. Now it’s time you pay the price.”
Kindness must never be forgotten—
But grudges even less so.
Especially when the other party comes knocking on their own.
Park Manho’s face twisted.
He hadn’t expected this kind of demand from Zeon.
Meanwhile, Zeon’s grip tightened even further.
Crack—
The sound of bones fracturing rang out.
At this rate, his hand would be completely crushed.
Panicking, Park Manho shouted,
“W-wait! I have something hidden!”
“You? Someone who gambled everything away has something hidden? And I’m supposed to believe that?”
“Ugh! It’s true! It’s something I couldn’t easily sell, so I kept it. You’ll definitely like it.”
“Oh?”
“It’s true! I swear!”
“Hm.”
With a hint of interest, Zeon slightly loosened his grip.
Only then did some color return to Park Manho’s face.
“So, where is it?”
“In a secret vault at the gambling den.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“It’s true! I was going to sell it there, but they offered too little, so I just locked it away.”
Park Manho desperately tried to explain.
“And what exactly is this ‘valuable item’ you’ve been guarding so carefully?”
“I… don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“Yeah! It’s a mineral mined from the magic stone mine—but it’s not a magic stone. Still, it’s special.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“It’s true! You’ll believe it once you see it. It’s really something special.”
“Fine. Lead the way.”
Only then did Zeon release Park Manho’s fist.
Clutching the hand that had nearly been crushed, Park Manho let out tears. But Zeon had no intention of sympathizing with him.
“Move.”
“…Alright. Follow me.”
Staggering slightly, Park Manho began walking.
The place he headed to was a shabby building on the outskirts of the magic stone mine.
A few Awakeners were sitting in front of the house.
They recognized Park Manho and spoke up.
“Hey, Park Manho! Already borrowed more money?”
“Heh, try not to lose it all again this time.”
At their mocking, Park Manho bit his lip hard.
“Shut up and open the door.”
“And who’s the lump next to you? A new sponsor?”
“New sponsors are always welcome. Heh.”
They didn’t even bother asking Zeon’s name.
They simply assumed Park Manho had brought along some clueless kid to fleece—something that happened all the time here.
People addicted to gambling would drag in new victims when they ran out of money, luring them into the gambling world.
In return, the house would pay them a commission.
It was a structure that inevitably produced endless victims.
Cursing under his breath, Park Manho stepped inside.
“Bastards worse than bloodsucking bats.”
Zeon followed behind him with a faint smile.
Park Manho himself was no less of a villain, yet hearing him call others wicked was almost amusing.
“Whoa! It hit!”
“Damn it!”
“Ten times! Ten times!”
Inside, a scene unfolded that was unimaginable from the outside.
Countless people, eyes bloodshot, were gambling.
Some rolled dice, others focused on cards.
A roulette wheel spun on one side, while on another, beast-like creatures were forced to fight as people bet on the outcome.
“Kraaagh!”
“Kehehe!”
The cries of the beasts mixed with the cheers of the gamblers, filling the place with madness.
Even as Park Manho and Zeon entered, no one spared them a glance, too absorbed in their games.
Park Manho looked at them with envy before moving deeper inside.
At the very back of the gambling den was the vault.
A kind of deposit safe.
In front of it stood two bald men.
Their exposed arms were bulging like carved stone.
They were the twin owners of the gambling den.
The twin brothers had run this place in the magic stone mine for years, amassing enormous wealth.
Both were C-rank Awakeners—among the strongest within the mine—which allowed them to fend off countless threats and maintain control.
The older twin noticed Zeon following behind Park Manho and his eyes lit up.
“What’s this? You brought a kid. A new sponsor?”
“Bullshit. Sponsor my ass. This guy’s the one who escaped the mine years ago.”
“Oh?”
“This bastard’s got hidden money. A lot of it.”
Park Manho, as if he had never been terrified moments ago, stood beside the twins and spoke loudly.
“Really?”
“Just look at his clothes. That quality’s no joke. Expensive as hell.”
“Yeah… I guess so.”
“I brought him, so it’s seventy-thirty. I get seventy.”
“Funny coming from a broke loser. Sixty-forty—and we take sixty.”
“The hell?!”
“Who’s joking? Looks like you tried to rob him and got your ass handed to you. We’re taking the risk too, so we take more.”
“You bastards… Fine! You take sixty. But the forty is definitely mine.”
“That’s more like it.”
The twins chuckled and raised their hands.
At that signal, their subordinates scattered throughout the den surrounded Zeon.
“Hand over everything you’ve got, kid.”
“That outfit looks nice. I’ll take it.”
The Awakeners closed in, threatening him.
“Tsk… so that was your plan.”
Zeon frowned and looked at Park Manho.
Hiding behind the twins, Park Manho pointed and shouted,
“You think I’d just hand over my treasure to someone like you? Don’t be ridiculous! No matter how much you’ve awakened, you’re nothing but a miner to me!”
“You’ll regret this.”
“Fuck off. If I was the type to bow to trash like you, I wouldn’t have survived this long.”
“Tsk.”
Zeon gave up on talking.
At that moment, the Awakeners lunged at him.
“Kill him!”
“Take him down!”
Axes and blades swung toward him.
All the Awakeners working in the den were combat-types, showing no mercy.
Killing people here wasn’t anything new to them.
They were certain this would be no different.
But things didn’t go as they expected.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, countless fireballs appeared around Zeon.
He had summoned Fire Missiles.
The sight of the flames filling their vision froze Park Manho, the twins, and all the Awakeners in place.
They stood stiff like statues, weapons still raised mid-swing.
None of them had expected Zeon to summon so many Fire Missiles.
Damn…!
He’s high-rank…
The realization flashed through their minds.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Zeon looked at them and spoke calmly.
“I was only planning to take what’s in Park Manho’s vault… but I’ve changed my mind.”
“…What?”
“Hand over everything you’ve got.”
Shuuuuu—!
Dozens of Fire Missiles shot toward the Awakeners.