Chapter 326
There were well over a hundred corpses visible.
Judging by the scene, a fierce battle had taken place.
Not a single body remained intact.
Severed limbs were the norm, and many corpses had been mangled beyond recognition.
“It looks like there was a brutal fight.”
“Then why don’t we see the others?”
Standing beside Zeon, Brielle muttered with a puzzled expression.
She also knew that more than three thousand people had fallen into this place.
Yet aside from these hundred or so corpses, there was no trace of the rest.
The one who answered was Seo Taeran.
“It seems they scattered.”
“Scattered?”
“Look at the ground. The footprints head in completely different directions.”
Seo Taeran’s eyes gleamed sharply.
The biggest reason she had been able to become Jin Geumho’s secretary was her keen analytical ability and intuition.
At that moment, her analytical mind was shining.
“Judging from the footprints left behind, they split into at least seven groups. Each group headed in a different direction. It seems the survivors gathered around the major assault teams.”
The city government had led this expedition, but its members were elite raid teams gathered from every district.
From what Seo Taeran had determined, at least seven large-scale assault teams had participated in this expedition.
When the crisis struck, they had likely seized control and moved independently.
The old man carefully examined the corpses.
“It looks like they were attacked by small demonic beasts. If large demonic beasts had attacked them, the injuries wouldn’t have stopped at this level.”
“There are demonic beasts underground too?”
“That’s creepy.”
The twin sisters looked around in horror.
An oppressive darkness blanketed the underground.
There wasn’t a single source of light, and beyond the area surrounding them, they could barely see even an inch ahead.
Seo Taeran approached Zeon.
“You’ve had a lot of experience with places like this, haven’t you, Mr. Zeon? What kind of place do you think this is?”
“I still don’t know.”
Zeon answered honestly.
Whether this place was a dungeon or a naturally formed underground space, there was no way to know its true nature without experiencing it firsthand.
“One thing is certain. Demonic beasts live here. Though we still don’t know exactly what kind.”
“I see…”
A trace of disappointment briefly crossed Seo Taeran’s face before vanishing.
‘Did I expect too much from this man?’
She had assumed that someone as experienced as Zeon would immediately provide an answer.
But since he had only given a general response, disappointment had unconsciously appeared on her face.
Zeon noticed it as well, but he paid it little mind.
He hadn’t come here to satisfy Seo Taeran’s expectations.
Terrain like this had to be explored cautiously.
If you formed conclusions beforehand, preconceived notions would cloud your judgment.
When placed in an unfamiliar environment, you had to assess the situation as calmly and objectively as possible.
At that moment, Zeon was gathering information while leaving every possibility open.
‘Underground. Darkness. Demonic beasts. The keywords are too vague. I need more information.’
Zeon carefully inspected the traces on the ground.
Just as Seo Taeran had said, the survivors had clearly split into seven large groups.
Whatever had happened between those groups, not a single one had stayed together with the others.
The problem was figuring out which group Levin and his friends belonged to.
‘If it’s Levin, he definitely would’ve left behind some kind of clue.’
Though young, Levin was not immature.
Having traveled with Zeon many times before, he wouldn’t have acted recklessly like a novice.
He would certainly expect Zeon to come looking for him.
And if so, he would have left behind traces that could be followed.
After searching the area for a while, Zeon discovered a mark on the ground.
Part of the earth had melted and crystallized like glass.
It was a distinctive trace created when high-voltage electricity erupted in an instant.
‘Levin.’
A smile appeared on Zeon’s lips.
He was a good student.
Faithfully applying what he had learned and experienced.
Brielle whispered to Zeon.
“Did you find something?”
“A trace Levin left behind. He marked that he belonged to the group that went this way.”
“He melted the ground with electricity? Guess he’s not completely stupid.”
Brielle snickered.
At that moment, the old man asked Zeon,
“So, what will you do now?”
“Why are you asking me that? We already have a leader over there.”
“A leader?”
The old man followed the direction Zeon pointed and chuckled.
Seo Taeran was standing there.
“I’m not ignoring her, but she’s not leader material. She fits the role of second-in-command, maybe a secretary at best. She’s not someone suited to grasp the overall situation and take command. She needs someone above her giving orders.”
“Like the mayor?”
“Exactly.”
“Then perhaps you should take the leader role—”
“I’m even less suited for it. I’ve spent my whole life following orders. You can’t suddenly expect someone like that to lead a group overnight, can you? These twin sisters are even less qualified to lead. Our group—or should I say party? Either way, you’re the leader of our party. You have to guide us.”
At the old man’s words, Zeon silently furrowed his brow.
He had never once considered himself leader material.
He was accustomed to acting alone.
After spending eight years in the desert, that way of life had become natural to him.
Taking responsibility for others was unfamiliar territory.
At most, Brielle and Levin were the only people he truly felt responsible for.
But now that things had come to this, whether he liked it or not, he would have to lead them.
At that moment, Seo Taeran approached Zeon and spoke.
“Tell us what we should do. Out of everyone here, you’re the most experienced in situations like this. So you probably know the best way to deal with it.”
“You’ll follow my orders without complaint?”
“Of course.”
Seo Taeran answered without the slightest hesitation.
Zeon still wasn’t sure he trusted her, but after hearing such a firm response, he couldn’t exactly refuse the role of party leader.
“Fine. We’re heading this way.”
Zeon pointed toward the direction in which Levin’s group had disappeared.
Seo Taeran immediately answered,
“Understood.”
Whatever she truly thought inside, her attitude clearly acknowledged Zeon as the party leader.
Together with Brielle, Zeon began walking in the direction Levin had gone.
The light shining down from above the barrier completely vanished, and a dreadful darkness greeted them.
It felt far too unpleasant to be called ordinary darkness.
It was like stepping into a sticky swamp.
Zeon spoke to Seo Taeran.
“Did you happen to bring flashlights?”
“Of course.”
The moment Seo Taeran finished speaking, her subordinates pulled small flashlights from their pockets.
Though compact, they were powerful high-performance models.
The instant they turned them on, the surroundings lit up brightly.
They expected their vision to clear, but that assumption was completely wrong.
“What is this?”
“I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Seo Taeran and the old man could not hide their bewilderment.
Exactly five meters.
Only a five-meter radius around the flashlight became illuminated, while everything beyond remained engulfed in perfect darkness.
It was as if they were trapped inside a hemispherical dome five meters wide.
The flashlight beams simply could not extend any farther.
It was almost as though the darkness itself refused to allow the light to spread.
A phenomenon that defied the laws of nature.
The old man spoke.
“What a fascinating place.”
“It really does seem to be a dungeon. Between the barrier above and the energy inside here…”
“And to think a dungeon just happened to exist beneath the spot where the mana stone mining expedition set up camp. Their luck was truly terrible.”
“Seriously.”
Zeon nodded and looked around.
The thick darkness blocked their vision completely like a curtain.
Because of it, gathering accurate information was impossible.
The only way to determine what threats existed within the darkness, what kind of demonic beasts lived here, and what sort of entity ruled the dungeon was to confront it directly.
Zeon thought of the Kraken above ground.
‘Then was that S-rank monster born under the influence of this dungeon?’
Occasionally, demonic beasts exposed to dungeon energy underwent explosive growth.
If that was the case, then the Kraken occupying the mana stone mine made sense.
Though it was unfortunate for the people trying to conquer the mine, they had simply been unlucky.
Of all places, they had established their camp directly above a dungeon.
‘For now, the priority is figuring out what type of dungeon this is.’
Only after identifying the dungeon’s type could they raid it efficiently.
Zeon warned the group.
“Everyone, stay alert. We’ve come in far enough that the dungeon is bound to react.”
“Understood.”
The old man answered on behalf of everyone.
That was when it happened.
Swish!
Without a sound or even the slightest presence, something emerged from the darkness.
A giant maw spread wide open, enormous fangs dripping with saliva.
What attacked them was a gigantic wild dog.
But it was no ordinary beast.
Its body was semi-transparent, like a ghost.
The translucent hound lunged at one of Seo Taeran’s subordinates standing in the rear.
The subordinate did not panic and counterattacked immediately.
Whoosh!
His fist slammed directly into the hound’s head.
Under normal circumstances, the creature’s skull would have shattered instantly.
But this time was different.
Swoosh!
The subordinate’s fist passed uselessly through the hound’s head.
“…!”
The subordinate’s eyes widened in shock.
At that moment, the hound retaliated.
Crunch!
The beast bit down on the subordinate’s head and violently shook it from side to side.
His skull burst apart like tofu, spraying blood and brain matter everywhere.
The other subordinates rushed forward to save their comrade, but their attacks passed uselessly through the hound’s body.
Meanwhile, the hound completely extinguished the life of the man clenched in its jaws.
Just as the hound turned to seek its next victim—
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, flames erupted across its body.
Zeon had launched a Fire Missile.
Watching the burning hound thrash about in shock, Zeon said,
“Physical attacks don’t work. You need to use magic or elemental attacks.”
Upon hearing him, Seo Taeran shouted,
“Everyone, equip the Extermination Gauntlets!”
Click!
The moment she finished speaking, the wristwatches worn by her subordinates transformed into gauntlets.
“Extermination Gauntlets?”
“Allow me to show you the technological power of Neo Seoul.”
A cold smile spread across Seo Taeran’s lips.
Her subordinates attacked the hound once more.
The beast ignored their attacks as if confident in its own abilities.
It clearly believed, just as Zeon had said, that physical attacks could not harm it.
But that assumption proved to be a fatal mistake.
Crackle!
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, electricity and flames burst from the gauntlets worn by the subordinates.
The superheated fire and high-voltage current slammed directly into the hound.
Yelp!
With a single shriek, the beast disintegrated.
Seo Taeran explained,
“They’re items designed to compensate for the weaknesses of martial-type Awakeners. As you can see, they convert the user’s mana into elemental forces like electricity and fire.”
The principle itself was not particularly complicated.
Many dungeon relics possessed similar effects.
Compared to true dungeon-made items, however, the gauntlets worn by Seo Taeran’s subordinates were unimpressive in raw power.
Dungeon relics contained extraordinary supernatural abilities, while human-made items could not replicate such dramatic effects.
What mattered was the fact that humans could create and mass-produce items like these.
Zeon considered this mass-production capability to be one of Neo Seoul’s greatest strengths.
By standardizing and manufacturing such equipment in large quantities, everyone’s combat power rose evenly.
As a result, the strength of all Awakeners increased together.
That was how Neo Seoul grew stronger.
At that moment—
Swish! Swish!
Numerous hounds emerged from the darkness.
The beasts attacked with terrifying ferocity, while Seo Taeran’s subordinates fought back.
The hounds were no match for those wielding the Extermination Gauntlets.
The instant the gauntlets unleashed their power, the beasts vanished without leaving even a trace.
Watching closely, Brielle suddenly seemed to realize something.
“Those things are already dead. This place is definitely a dungeon of the dead.”