Chapter 342
“Ohh!”
“It’s a miracle!”
Exclamations burst forth from deep underground.
A huge crowd had gathered in an open area beside a sewage canal where filth flowed endlessly.
At the center of it all, a brilliant light was shining.
At the center of that light stood a small girl.
Light radiated from the girl as she extended both arms and concentrated.
At her sacred appearance, many people fell to their knees and wept.
“That cursed skin disease is healing!”
“It’s a miracle!”
An old man lay before the girl.
The wounds covering his body—his rotting skin leaking pus—rapidly healed beneath the holy light.
The sight of such a terrible skin disease disappearing in an instant and fresh flesh growing back was enough to make people believe they were witnessing a miracle.
“It’s… done now.”
Remura opened her eyes and spoke.
Exhaustion was clearly written across her face.
No matter how much of an A-rank healer she was, she was still just a child.
She had never learned how to properly control her power.
Because of that, every time she used her skill, she poured all her strength into it and quickly reached the point of collapse.
Sweating coldly, Remura spoke to Heather.
“Mom… I want to rest now.”
“There are still people left to heal, so why rest?”
“But Mom…”
“That’s enough. Heal this person too.”
Heather pointed at a man lying farther back.
He was an unusually large man.
Like Croker, whom Zeon had fought before, the man’s skin was rough and bumpy like a crocodile’s.
Years of living underground had caused his skin to mutate.
His condition was even worse than Croker’s.
His skin had hardened so severely that his entire body was turning to stone.
The man’s name was Bakum.
Before his illness worsened, he had been the leader of this crew.
He was a C-rank martial-type Awakener.
Using his powerful leadership, he had rapidly expanded his influence.
Weapons could not pierce his hardened skin. His body possessed such incredible durability that ordinary weapons would bounce off the instant they struck him.
But even Bakum could not escape the curse of the Heavenly Punishment.
Not only had his skin hardened, but even his muscles had stiffened into stone, leaving him completely unable to move.
That was why Bakum lay there.
Heather asked him,
“If my daughter heals you, what will you give us in return?”
“L-loyalty…”
Bakum answered with a barely audible hoarse voice.
His entire body had become so petrified that even his vocal cords were beginning to turn to stone.
Soon, his lungs and vocal cords would completely cease functioning.
He did not have much time left.
If Remura did not heal him now, he likely would not survive the day.
Knowing that, Bakum offered his loyalty.
The corners of Heather’s lips curled upward.
“You must keep that promise.”
“I-I swear…”
“Good. Remura, heal Lord Bakum.”
“Yes.”
Remura let out a deep sigh and placed one hand on Bakum’s forehead.
“Cure!”
The instant she activated her skill, the familiar radiant light burst forth.
At that moment, Remura felt an invisible energy pouring out from her heart like a receding tide.
Her complexion turned pale, and cold sweat poured endlessly from her body.
Meanwhile, Bakum’s condition visibly improved.
His stone-like body softened, and vitality returned throughout his entire form.
The Heavenly Punishment that had rendered the born warrior helpless was being cured.
“KRRRAAAH!”
A moment later, Bakum leapt to his feet and roared.
An overwhelming aura burst from the fully healed Bakum.
Boom!
Bakum dropped to one knee before Remura and swore,
“From this moment on, you are my master. If you command it, this Bakum will throw himself even into the flames of hell.”
But Remura did not hear his words.
The moment Bakum was healed, she lost consciousness.
“Hohoho!”
Instead, Heather let out a frivolous laugh.
***
“Huff! Huff!”
Jetoya collapsed onto the sand, gasping roughly for breath.
Countless magical beast corpses were scattered around him, and his entire body was stained red with their blood.
These were the beasts he had fought throughout the entire day.
They were Large-Fanged Badgers, the lowest-grade magical beasts.
F-rank Large-Fanged Badgers traveled in packs of at least dozens.
Even an E-rank Awakener could deal with them easily.
But the problem was their numbers.
Dozens was merely the minimum; they usually moved in groups numbering in the hundreds.
And despite being only F-rank, their temperament was vicious beyond belief. Even when facing stronger Awakeners or magical beasts, they rarely backed down.
They charged recklessly without caring about their own lives, making even powerful magical beasts avoid them on sight.
Jetoya had fought a desperate bloodbath against such a pack all day long.
It was not what he wanted.
Levin had driven the Large-Fanged Badger pack toward him, leaving him no choice but to fight.
The Large-Fanged Badgers were truly horrifying.
Those tiny creatures were so vicious it made his skin crawl.
Jetoya fought desperately.
His rank was far higher, but because he had never experienced this kind of battle before, he struggled badly.
Eventually, even Jetoya began fighting like the Large-Fanged Badgers themselves.
He used both his hands and feet and even bit with his teeth.
That was the kind of enemy they were.
Naturally, Jetoya suffered countless wounds, both large and small.
“Haa… Haa…”
After defeating the entire pack, Jetoya was completely battered and broken.
Meanwhile, beside him, Levin and Brielle chatted casually.
“As expected, this level is too weak, right?”
“Looks like it.”
“We should lure something stronger next time.”
“I’ll ask Gaia if there are any E-rank magical beasts nearby.”
“He has to fight before he recovers, so tell her to hurry.”
“Okay!”
Listening to their conversation, Jetoya realized that demons truly existed.
The two clearly knew he was still suffering from the aftermath of fighting the Large-Fanged Badgers, yet they were already planning to lure more magical beasts toward him.
Shuddering in terror, Jetoya forced his mouth open.
“N-no!”
“Yes!”
“Why?!”
“Why? Because that’s how you get stronger.”
“That’s insane!”
“No, it’s true! When humans are cornered, they’ll do anything to survive.”
“Are you trying to kill me right now?”
“Why would I kill you?”
Levin replied with a smile.
That smile only made him seem even more terrifying.
“Then why are you sending magical beasts at me…?”
“When older brother Zeon threw me into a cave full of magical beasts, I felt the same way. I resented him. I wondered why he was putting me through such trials. I even thought maybe he hated me. But that wasn’t it. After overcoming every trial Zeon threw at me, I became stronger. So you’ll become stronger too.”
“I’m different from you.”
“You’re not different. You, and those guys too…”
Levin smiled as he looked into the distance.
Another fierce battle was taking place there.
It involved Levin’s friends, Aaron and Dominic.
They too were locked in brutal combat against low-grade magical beasts.
“AAAAAH!”
“Just kill me already, you damn demon!”
They screamed at the top of their lungs while fighting the pack of magical beasts.
Brielle snickered.
“They’re calling Levin a demon.”
“Then I guess I should show them what a real demon looks like. Send another pack over there too.”
“Okay!”
Brielle nodded and spoke to Gaia.
“You heard him, Gaia?”
—Be?
“You think we’re being too harsh? No way! Humans don’t die from something this mild.”
—Beii?
“Zeon said so. Trials that don’t kill people make them stronger. Don’t tell me you doubt Zeon?”
—Be! Biiii!
“Exactly! So hurry up and herd more magical beasts over here.”
—Beiiiii!
With a long cry, Gaia disappeared beyond the horizon.
A short while later, Gaia returned—and behind her charged a massive horde of magical beasts.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The thunderous footsteps shaking the earth caused Jetoya, Aaron, and Dominic’s faces to turn deathly pale.
But they did not know.
This was merely the beginning.
The trials Levin and Brielle had prepared for them were only just starting.
***
Zeon frowned as he stared at the map of Neo Seoul hanging on the wall.
His efforts over the past several days had not been wasted, and he had managed to identify most of the sewer entrances throughout Neo Seoul and the slums.
Not one hundred percent, but at least seventy to eighty percent.
Using that information, Zeon had drawn a map.
By connecting each entrance point, he had charted the underground sewer network.
The completed map of the underground sewers was unimaginably complex.
Compared to it, ordinary labyrinths and mazes were child’s play.
The problem was that this was still not a complete map.
Somewhere down there still existed another twenty to thirty percent of sewer passages Zeon had yet to uncover.
Even Jin Geumho probably did not know such a complicated sewer system existed beneath Neo Seoul.
Back when he and Deioden had first established Neo Seoul, the sewer network had not been this complicated.
But after endless expansions, and with those living underground continuing to dig more tunnels, the Crocodile Den had expanded beyond imagination.
At this point, the underground sewer system could practically be considered another world.
Zeon stroked his chin while looking at the map he had created.
“For now, this is as far as I can identify. The rest I’ll have to uncover through direct exploration.”
The problem was that even if he entered personally, there was no guarantee he would find Remura.
Remura and her mother, Heather, had both been born and raised in the Crocodile Den.
If they truly decided to disappear, even Zeon would have difficulty finding them.
There was only one conclusion.
“I have no choice but to train Jetoya.”
Fortunately, Jetoya’s potential was extremely high.
Remura awakening as an A-rank made it seem less impressive, but awakening as a D-rank was already remarkable enough.
Someone who started at D-rank had dozens of times higher odds of reaching C-rank or B-rank than someone starting at F-rank.
For now, he was merely a rookie D-rank martial Awakener, but if pushed harshly enough, he would quickly grow into a C-rank.
Fortunately, Zeon possessed know-how for rapidly developing Awakeners, and that knowledge had already been passed on to Levin and Brielle.
Even without explicit instructions, the two were surely putting Jetoya through brutal training already.
“I just hope he grows as quickly as possible…”
Muttering to himself, Zeon put on his robe.
After staying shut inside his house for days while mapping the labyrinth, his head was beginning to ache.
He wanted to step outside for a while and get some fresh air.
The moment he stepped outside, a dry wind blew against him.
The wind carried sand, but it posed no problem for Zeon.
The sand naturally avoided him on its own.
Thanks to that, Zeon could breathe in only fresh air.
The breeze improved his mood somewhat.
But the moment he saw the group approaching from across the street, his mood instantly soured.
The man walking under the escort of Holy Knights while wearing priestly robes was none other than Dongdaemun’s ruler, Johan.
Johan also noticed Zeon and walked straight toward him.
“It’s been a while, Zeon.”
“You must’ve lost your way. This isn’t Dongdaemun.”
“No, I came to the right place. After all, I found you here.”
Johan stared at Zeon with a chilling smile.