Chapter 322
Bang! Bang!
Someone had been pounding on Zeon’s front door since early morning.
The noise made Zeon frown as he opened his eyes.
He tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but it sounded like the person intended to keep knocking until he opened the door.
In the end, rubbing his eyes, Zeon had no choice but to walk to the door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
A woman’s cold voice came from outside.
Zeon furrowed his brow and asked again.
“And who exactly is ‘me’?”
“I’m Seo Taeran, Mayor Jin’s secretary.”
Looking puzzled, Zeon opened the door.
There was no reason for Seo Taeran to seek him out this early in the morning.
Instinctively, Zeon sensed that something had gone wrong.
When he opened the door, he saw Seo Taeran dressed in bright red clothes.
“What’s going on?”
“Come with me to City Hall.”
“City Hall? What happened?”
“You’ll understand once we get there.”
“Do I not have the right to refuse? You can’t just tell me to come without expla—”
“This concerns you as well, Mr. Zeon. You may regret it if you don’t come.”
Zeon frowned at her almost threatening tone. Still, he threw on his robe and stepped outside.
The Seo Taeran he knew was not someone who spoke carelessly.
If she was acting like this, then something urgent that involved him really must have happened.
Leaving Brielle at home, Zeon followed Seo Taeran outside.
A vehicle was already waiting to take him.
The car carrying Seo Taeran and Zeon headed straight into Neo Seoul.
Throughout the ride to City Hall, Seo Taeran remained silent with a stiff expression.
‘Looks like something serious happened. Hah…’
Looking out the window, Zeon let out a sigh.
After dealing with the affairs of the Northern District, he had thought things might finally calm down, but trouble just kept erupting nonstop.
As if the world refused to let him rest.
Zeon felt like he had an especially harsh fate.
‘Looks like I’m not destined to live peacefully.’
He had felt it ever since awakening the power to control sand, but major incidents always followed him.
Solve one problem, and another would arise.
Resolve that one, and yet another would follow close behind.
He had thought things might improve after coming to Neo Seoul, but nothing had changed.
‘Well, what can I do? I should just think of it as the price of having great power.’
Leaning against the window, Zeon closed his eyes.
He opened them again only after the car arrived in front of City Hall.
Seo Taeran opened the car door first and spoke.
“Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
Stretching lazily, Zeon got out of the car.
Even inside the elevator heading to the top floor of City Hall, Seo Taeran remained silent.
When the elevator doors opened, Jin Geumho welcomed Zeon.
“Welcome. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
“Eaten? Didn’t you call me here because it was urgent?”
“That’s right. But not so urgent that you should skip breakfast. Sit down first.”
Though frowning slightly, Zeon followed Jin Geumho’s words.
As soon as he sat down, a chef brought out a simple meal.
Coffee and brunch.
They looked modest, but Zeon considered them rather luxurious.
Coffee beans were not something easily obtained anymore.
In the current era, only a handful of people in Neo Seoul could drink coffee like this.
“Have some coffee first. The beans were roasted at dawn, so the aroma is excellent.”
“I’ll drink it after hearing what this is about. What happened?”
“Is that so?”
Setting down his coffee cup, Jin Geumho looked at Zeon.
“The truth is, there’s been a problem at the magic stone mine.”
“The magic stone mine?”
“Not the existing one. The newly developing magic stone mine.”
At that moment, Zeon narrowed his eyes.
The newly discovered magic stone mine was the one found by him and the Pathfinder team dispatched by City Hall.
More importantly, Levin had gone there to protect his friends.
“What kind of problem?”
“The expedition team sent to develop the mine came under attack from magical beasts.”
“Magical beasts?”
“I heard they suddenly gathered from outside while the operation was underway.”
“Wouldn’t they still be able to hold out against that much?”
“They should have. The problem is that the ground where the expedition had set up camp collapsed.”
“What?”
“Ridiculous, right? I was shocked too. We confirmed the ground was stable, yet it still collapsed. Because of that, most of the expedition force fell underground.”
“What happened to them?”
“We don’t know.”
“Not even one survivor?”
“Fortunately, some people avoided the collapse. They observed the area for several days, but not a single person managed to come back up.”
It made no sense.
There had been three thousand awakened individuals mobilized for the expedition, along with several hundred support personnel.
It was shocking enough that they had all fallen underground at once, but for not even one person to escape afterward?
Under normal circumstances, that should have been impossible.
It made even less sense when considering Levin’s abilities.
Levin could turn intangible like a ghost. No matter how deep he fell, escaping should have been easy for him.
The fact that even Levin had not returned could only mean one thing.
“There’s a high chance some kind of barrier has been set up where they fell.”
“That’s what I think too.”
Jin Geumho nodded.
But there was another problem.
The place where the thousands had fallen was now occupied by magical beasts that had gathered from outside.
Because of that, no one could approach the area.
In the end, the survivors who had escaped the collapse gave up on any rescue attempt and reported the situation to City Hall.
Jin Geumho had only learned about it at dawn today.
“So I’m thinking of sending Elder Go and the twins.”
Elder Go, one of the Numbers, was Neo Seoul’s greatest barrier master.
If he couldn’t unlock a barrier, then no one could.
He was the best card City Hall could play at the moment.
Zeon agreed with Jin Geumho’s decision.
“A wise choice.”
“That’s why I want you to escort them safely to the magic stone mine. Can you do it?”
“I will.”
Zeon answered immediately without the slightest hesitation.
Among those who had fallen were Mandy, Levin, and his friends Aaron and Dominic.
He couldn’t leave them there.
Naturally, Zeon had to go.
“Good. They’ll depart around noon. Just make your preparations by then.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and this time Taeran and her subordinates will be going as well.”
Surprised, Zeon looked at Seo Taeran.
As always, she stood beside Jin Geumho with an expressionless face.
“Taeran won’t be a burden. She may not look it, but she’s an exceptional martial artist.”
“I don’t doubt her abilities.”
“That’s good, then.”
Jin Geumho smiled as he lifted his coffee cup.
The moment he emptied it, Seo Taeran refilled it as if she had been waiting.
She looked almost machine-like.
Zeon asked her,
“Have you ever been out in the desert before?”
“I haven’t. I was born here and have lived here my entire life.”
“You mean not even once?”
“There was never any reason for me to go out there. Don’t worry. I won’t hold you back, Mr. Zeon.”
Despite Seo Taeran’s confident voice, the crease in Zeon’s brow did not ease.
***
After returning home, Zeon informed Brielle that the expedition team had fallen underground.
Naturally, Brielle immediately began packing, insisting on going with him.
Zeon did not try to stop her.
Levin was not just anyone—he was family.
It would have been stranger if Brielle had stayed behind quietly.
“Well over three thousand people fell into the underground space. We don’t know what dangers might be down there, so bring everything you can.”
“Of course. I packed all the potions and items I’ve made into subspace storage.”
“Good.”
“Levin will be alright, right?”
“He’ll be fine. It’s nearly impossible to harm Levin when he’s in ghost form.”
“Right?”
“Don’t worry.”
“Okay.”
Nodding, Brielle pulled down the brim of her large pointed hat.
Zeon’s gaze shifted toward Gaia, who was floating beside her.
“Gaia, stay inside my subspace until we arrive at the magic stone mine. It might feel cramped, but bear with it for a while.”
–Bei!
“Good. Thanks.”
–Beii!
Brielle reached out and gently stroked Gaia.
“When there aren’t people around, you can secretly come out so you won’t get bored.”
–Beii!
“Okay! I’ll endure missing you too. Now hurry and go in.”
–Be!
Wagging its tail back and forth, Gaia entered Zeon’s subspace.
Right afterward, Zeon spoke to Brielle.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay!”
When the two stepped outside, Elder Go, the twins, Seo Taeran, and her subordinates were already waiting.
“It’s been a while, Zeon!”
“Hi!”
The twin sisters greeted Zeon first.
Zeon nodded in return.
“It has been a while.”
“We ended up coming too.”
“Take care of us.”
“And this is Brielle. She’ll be traveling with me.”
Zeon introduced Brielle to them.
The twins and Brielle already knew of each other, but this was the first time they were formally greeting one another.
“Hi! I’m Eun Sujin.”
“And I’m Eun Suyoung.”
“I’m Brielle. Nice to meet you.”
Brielle greeted them briefly.
Though she didn’t show it outwardly, Brielle was wary of them.
She knew the twins possessed telepathic abilities.
If she let her guard down and they read her thoughts, they might discover she was a High Elf.
There was nothing good about exposing her identity to people she couldn’t fully trust.
Elder Go also greeted Zeon and Brielle.
“I can’t tell you how reassuring it is to have you with us. I’m counting on you. You too, little miss…”
“Yes…”
Brielle answered in a tiny voice.
At that moment, Seo Taeran spoke.
“We don’t have time to waste on greetings. Let’s depart immediately. Mr. Zeon and the child can ride in the same vehicle as Elder Go and the twins. The bus is large enough that it won’t be uncomfortable.”
Seo Taeran had brought two armored buses.
One was for Zeon’s group, while the other was for herself and her subordinates.
Zeon nodded and boarded the bus.
Brielle, Elder Go, and the twins followed behind him.
The moment they got on, the twin sisters immediately started badmouthing Seo Taeran.
“She’s so unpleasant.”
“She seriously has zero manners.”
“Why the hell does it have to be that bitch tagging along?”
“Ugh! Even ice wouldn’t be colder than her.”
For whatever reason, the twins absolutely despised Seo Taeran.
Elder Go scolded them.
“Ahem! She’ll hear you. That’s enough.”
“So what if she hears?”
“Yeah, what’s the problem with that?”
“Still, without her, City Hall wouldn’t function properly.”
“Then she should stay at City Hall. Why’s she coming with us?”
“Exactly! She’s just making everyone uncomfortable by coming along.”
The twins pouted.
With a helpless expression, Elder Go looked at Zeon.
“I hope you’ll understand. As you can see, there aren’t many people who like her.”
“I understand.”
“That’s a relief.”
Elder Go let out a sigh.
There was an unmistakable tension on his face.
After all, the lives of more than three thousand people were at stake.
The one small comfort was that Zeon, the Sand Mage, was accompanying them.
‘To think I’d actually end up traveling alongside the Sand Mage… I truly never imagined it.’