Chapter 248
As if something had suddenly come to mind while walking with Brielle, Zeon asked,
“What about Levin?”
“He still hasn’t come back.”
“How many days has it been?”
“I think it’s been over a week. You don’t think something happened to him, right?”
Brielle answered with a worried expression.
“I’m sure he’s fine. Don’t worry.”
“I guess you’re right!”
Brielle nodded.
The person who had grown the most from their recent trip to the desert was Levin. He was a dual ability user capable of both ghostification and Purple Lightning.
There were certainly many Awakened stronger than Levin, but killing him was no easy task. Once he turned into a ghost and fled, there were almost no people capable of catching him.
The two stopped worrying about Levin and continued on their way.
After walking for quite a while, they finally arrived at the Goblin Market.
“Oh, Mr. Zeon!”
“Welcome!”
As soon as Zeon arrived, the gatekeepers guarding the entrance greeted him warmly.
They knew that the Dongdaemun fanatics who had tried to destroy the Goblin Market had retreated because of Zeon.
Without any inspection procedures, they immediately allowed Zeon and Brielle inside the Goblin Market.
Now that Dongdaemun had withdrawn, the Goblin Market was overflowing with vitality.
It finally felt like warmth had truly returned to the place.
The moment they entered the market, Brielle’s face brightened with energy.
“I should see if there are any new materials. See you later, Zeon!”
Excited, Brielle ran toward the area where shops selling magical beast byproducts were gathered.
To her, the Goblin Market was like a playground.
Everything she needed was scattered throughout this place. Finding those materials brought Brielle immense joy.
Zeon let Brielle run around on her own.
He had come today with a purpose of his own as well.
The place Zeon headed to was none other than the office of the guildmaster, Yoo Sehui.
“Welcome.”
Yoo Sehui greeted him warmly.
“Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you…”
Yoo Sehui shrugged.
Thanks to Zeon, peace had returned to Dongdaemun.
There were still a few minor problems left, but they were the kind of issues time would solve.
“So, what brings you here?”
“There’s something I need.”
“That makes me nervous.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m wondering just how grand the thing is that made you come looking for me.”
Yoo Sehui looked tense.
There was practically nothing an Awakened like Zeon couldn’t obtain.
Even outside the Goblin Market, he could get almost anything as long as he put his mind to it.
The fact that Zeon had personally come to see her meant that whatever he wanted was definitely not ordinary.
Smiling faintly, Zeon replied,
“It’s nothing major. I was hoping to get an item related to subspace storage.”
“Subspace?”
“Yes. I realized this time that my subspace is too small.”
“Your subspace is small? Ha!”
Yoo Sehui let out a sigh.
She already knew.
Zeon possessed an unbelievably enormous subspace.
He was probably the only person in existence who carried around an entire subspace filled with sand. Hearing him say it was too small was absurd.
At the same time, she could understand why he felt that way.
The sand stored in Zeon’s subspace was his trump card.
A trump card only showed its true power when others didn’t know about it. But now the rulers of Neo Seoul were aware that Zeon carried sand inside his subspace.
They would definitely come up with countermeasures against it.
Just like Lee Jiryung had done using the NSSC prison.
‘That’s why Zeon’s trying to prepare in advance.’
A deep crease formed between Yoo Sehui’s brows.
After thinking for a long time, she finally spoke with difficulty.
“As you know, subspace items are extremely rare. Especially something as large as the subspace item you possess—I’ve never seen one like that appear on the market.”
“So they do exist?”
“They might. Some of the items discovered in dungeons go beyond imagination. I’ve just never personally seen one.”
“Hmm.”
“I’ll look into whether there are any related items.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
Zeon never expected to obtain a subspace-related item immediately anyway.
Even a subspace barely the size of a cart was rarely available on the market. Something larger than that almost never appeared.
He simply wanted to inform Yoo Sehui in advance in case she happened to hear information about such an item.
“So is a subspace item the only thing you need?”
“For now.”
“I suppose ordinary items wouldn’t catch your eye anymore. Are you heading home right away, then?”
“I’ll do some window shopping while waiting for Brielle.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll be going, then.”
After greeting Yoo Sehui, Zeon left the office.
“Cheap Twin-Headed Monohorn Serpent horns for sale!”
“Hey, customer! Come take a look over here!”
The merchants in every shop were busy shouting to attract customers.
Zeon browsed through the shops as well, checking if there was anything useful, but unfortunately, none of the items met his standards.
Especially subspace-related items—they were completely nonexistent.
In the end, Zeon gave up on finding a subspace item at the Goblin Market and sat down on a chair.
As he sat there waiting for Brielle, drowsiness naturally overcame him.
While Zeon was nodding off, a man secretly approached him.
The man moved directly behind Zeon before suddenly drawing his sword and attacking.
Shuuuu!
At the sharp sound of something cutting through the air, Zeon opened his eyes.
Clang!
The sword flying toward Zeon’s throat was blocked by his superheated gauntlet and deflected away.
“Who are you?”
“Die!”
The man shouted as he attacked Zeon again.
Madness filled his face as he swung his sword at Zeon.
Frowning slightly, Zeon dodged the man’s attack.
Boom!
The man’s sword slammed into the wrong wall.
The sturdy wall was torn apart as if it were sponge.
That alone showed how much power was packed into the man’s attack.
An ordinary Awakened would have either suffered severe injuries or died from that strike.
Shwishwishwik!
The man’s attacks poured toward Zeon like a storm.
Zeon blocked or deflected the attacks with his superheated gauntlet.
“Huh? That guy…”
“Isn’t that Garion?”
Some nearby merchants recognized the man.
The man called Garion paid no attention to their reactions and continued attacking Zeon like a madman.
It felt as though he was absolutely determined to kill him.
Zeon made an awkward expression.
A complete stranger was suddenly trying to kill him with everything he had, making the situation baffling. Still, Zeon had no intention of simply letting himself be attacked.
Crack!
Zeon’s leg slammed into the man’s side.
The tremendous impact shattered all of the man’s ribs.
It was powerful enough that an ordinary person would have died instantly. Yet the man attacked Zeon again as if nothing had happened.
That was when Zeon noticed the man’s side rapidly healing itself.
“Hm? Regeneration ability?”
Among martial-type Awakened, there were occasionally those who possessed regenerative abilities.
No matter how severe their injuries were, they healed quickly. By burning enormous amounts of mana and life force, they displayed regenerative powers that surpassed human limits.
Awakened with super regeneration were treated as precious assets in every district and raid force.
It was, after all, an ability perfectly optimized for so-called tanks.
However, people with super regeneration abilities were extremely rare.
Boom!
Zeon’s attack snapped the man’s head sideways.
His neck bones had clearly been broken. Yet his super regeneration ability activated and restored him almost instantly.
“Dieee!”
The man screamed as he attacked Zeon again. But he was no match for him.
Super regeneration was not an invincible shield.
Zeon knew very well that in the face of impacts exceeding all limits, even super regeneration became useless.
Boom!
Zeon’s fist exploded against the man’s temple.
In that instant, the focus vanished from the man’s eyes.
The tremendous shock had knocked him unconscious.
Zeon swung his leg at the man’s head once more.
KWAAM!
After taking the hit to the head, the man slammed straight into the ground.
Stepping on the man’s chest, Zeon spoke,
“Now then, would you mind explaining why you attacked me?”
“Ghk!”
The man struggled desperately to escape from under Zeon’s foot, but it was useless.
It felt as though an enormous press was crushing him down.
“W-Wait a moment!”
“You’re Garion, aren’t you?”
Several merchants who had been watching the fight hurried over in panic.
Zeon asked them,
“You know him?”
“Yes. Until recently, he was a merchant working alongside us.”
One of the merchants answered hurriedly.
“Then why is someone like him attacking me?”
“The truth is… this guy was recruited by Dongdaemun.”
“Recruited?”
“Yes. He became one of Dongdaemun’s believers.”
“Hmm.”
It had happened around the time Dongdaemun had taken control of nearly half of Sinchon.
Zeon hadn’t paid attention, so he didn’t know, but quite a few people in Sinchon had defected to Dongdaemun back then.
The man named Garion was one of them.
“Ghk! Die, unbeliever!”
Garion, pinned beneath Zeon’s foot, struggled wildly.
His eyes had rolled back, and foam dripped from his mouth. He clearly wasn’t in his right mind.
Zeon asked the merchants,
“Was this man Awakened before?”
“No, he was just an ordinary person…”
The merchant stared at Garion in shock.
Garion had definitely been an ordinary man just like him. But what Garion had displayed moments ago was far beyond normal.
“How did this happen?”
“What in the world happened to him?”
The merchants looked at one another in confusion.
“Ghhk! Aaaaargh!”
Garion let out a monstrous scream as he tried to push Zeon’s foot away.
It looked as though he might die from overexerting himself.
Zeon suddenly grabbed Garion’s face with one hand.
The merchants misunderstood and shouted,
“Wait! Please don’t kill Garion!”
Thoom!
At that moment, mana burst out from Zeon’s hand.
The mana infused with the energy of flames struck Garion’s brain.
The shock rattled his brain, causing Garion to lose consciousness.
Only then did Zeon release his grip from Garion’s face.
Looking at the motionless Garion, one merchant cautiously asked,
“You didn’t kill him… did you?”
“I only knocked him unconscious for a while. He’s fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
The merchant let out a sigh of relief at Zeon’s answer.
Even though Garion had gone over to Dongdaemun, they still had feelings for someone they had once worked alongside.
At that moment, guards protecting the Goblin Market came rushing over.
After hearing the merchants’ explanation, the guards took Garion away.
From that point onward, it was their problem to deal with.
Even after Garion disappeared from sight, questions still remained.
‘Did he awaken after being recruited by Dongdaemun? Even if he awakened late, why did he attack me? Does he hold some kind of grudge against me?’
Zeon thought it was possible.
Garion could have been connected to someone Zeon had killed before.
There were more than enough people in Neo Seoul like that.
It wouldn’t be strange at all for someone to harbor resentment toward Zeon.
Just then, Brielle appeared.
“Did you wait long?”
“No. Let’s go home.”
Perhaps she’d had a satisfying shopping trip, because a pleasant smile lingered on Brielle’s face.