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Chapter 67

Zeon spent several days doing nothing, just holed up in his house.

Except for occasionally getting up to eat, he mostly just lay in bed sleeping.

It was the fatigue that had accumulated over a whopping eight years.

No matter how strong of an Awakened Zeon was, he couldn’t simply ignore the fatigue that had built up over eight years of wandering the world.

Zeon lay in bed without moving a muscle.

Fortunately, the bed made of Vampire Wood and Sand Angler Hide was very comfortable, so there were no problems lying on it for extended periods.

It seemed like about ten days had passed.

By this point, Zeon was starting to get tired of his seclusion.

Zeon got up and went to the bathroom.

When he turned on the valve, the water flowed out weakly, even weaker than a kid’s urine stream.

With this little water, taking a shower was out of the question, and only washing his face like a cat was barely possible. Still, Zeon was satisfied.

Because in the desert, one couldn’t even get this much water.

At least by being near Neo Seoul, water was supplied even if it was like this. In other colonies, even obtaining water was a war in itself.

Zeon quickly washed his face and came out.

After coming out for the first time in a long while, he was greeted by a sandstorm.

No matter how high the walls were built, they couldn’t completely block the sandstorms blowing in from the desert.

That’s why there was always sand rolling around the slum streets.

It was said that Neo Seoul had a powerful magical force field that even blocked sandstorms. So it was difficult to find sand inside Neo Seoul.

It would be the worst environment for Zeon.

That’s why he had chosen to live in the slums.

Even though it would be more comfortable inside Neo Seoul, there were constraints that prevented him from fully exerting his abilities.

Even though there was Exion, he still wanted to live in the best environment for himself.

That place was the slums.

Darkness had already descended in the slums.

One by one, the cheap electronic billboards turned on, and people who had been stuck at home during the day came out.

A market was set up on the streets, and the voices of people echoed loudly.

Zeon headed straight for the street where old man Klexi was doing business.

Already, food stalls were set up on the street, and old man Klexi was busy preparing for business.

Zeon approached old man Klexi’s stall and sat down.

“You’re here?”

Old man Klexi greeted him bluntly.

Zeon smiled and ordered food.

“The one I had last time, please.”

“You disappeared for a few days.”

“I just took a rest.”

“A young man like you has nothing to do?”

“I’ve been working hard for eight years, so I plan to take a break for a while.”

“What have you been doing for eight years?”

“Well, I’ve been living a hard life in my own way.”

“Tsk! You’re like a snake.”

Old man Klexi clicked his tongue as he looked at Zeon, who never faltered even under intense interrogation.

Old man Klexi knew that Zeon had disappeared for a few days because his subordinates had reported it.

He was puzzled.

He hadn’t expected Zeon to stay holed up at home doing nothing for so long.

He wondered whether Zeon had secretly escaped while evading surveillance by his subordinates, but there was almost no possibility of that.

There were no hidden passages in the building where Zeon lived.

In the end, he found out nothing about Zeon.

That’s why old man Klexi was quite irritable.

Old man Klexi served food and spoke.

“Do you have enough money?”

“I have enough. If not, I’ll sell some of my belongings.”

“Belongings? What, do you have something valuable hidden?”

“I’ve collected various odds and ends.”

“Where do you plan to sell them?”

“I don’t know.”

“The look in your eyes makes me think you’ll never sell it to me…”

“…”

“Tsk! Good grief… If you want to dispose of your belongings secretly, go to the black building behind Yeonnam-ro. Show this and say I sent you. They’ll let you in.”

Old man Klexi handed Zeon a small card.

It was entirely black with no special patterns or marks. Yet, it felt chilling.

Zeon put the card inside his robe and spoke.

“I’ll use it well.”

“I don’t know what you have, but you better keep it safe. You know? There’s no such thing as private property in these streets.”

“Got it.”

Zeon replied with a smile.

Old man Klexi didn’t say anything else, and Zeon focused on his meal.

Meanwhile, other customers came one by one.

After finishing his meal, Zeon got up from his seat.

He settled the bill and headed out onto the street.

Zeon immediately headed for Yeonnam-ro.

This area, Sinchon, often kept the same place names as a hundred years ago.

Yeonnam-ro was one of them.

Although the scenery had completely changed from back then, the name remained the same.

Contrary to its name, Yeonnam-ro had a very dark atmosphere.

There were no cheap billboards visible there, nor were there any prostitutes or drug addicts.

It meant even the scoundrels were reluctant to approach it.

Zeon walked on Yeonnam-ro without any hesitation.

After walking for a while, the black building old man Klexi had mentioned appeared.

“This is interesting!”

Zeon showed an expression of interest.

It wasn’t just because the building looked sinister.

It was because there was no sense of popularity inside the building.

It was clear that the inside of the building was completely blocked from the outside by a dense barrier of mana.

Such a high-level barrier could never be deployed by a single individual. It required enormous manpower and funds to build.

Zeon walked towards the black building. Suddenly, heavily armed men appeared.

Among them, one man stood out, a burly man with a huge machine gun attached to his arm.

He was an Awakened who had discarded his human arm and merged with machinery.

A fierce atmosphere emanated from him just by looking at him.

He pointed the muzzle of his gun at Zeon.

“This is a restricted area, kid! No one can enter without permission.”

“I came here with an introduction from old man Klexi.”

Zeon handed the black card to the burly man without panicking.

When the man injected mana, an eye symbol appeared on the black card.

Instantly, the man’s attitude became polite.

He handed the black card back to Zeon and said.

“So you’re a distinguished guest. You can go inside.”

“A distinguished guest?”

“Please go in.”

The man gestured towards the inside of the building.

Zeon gave up on getting an answer and walked inside.

As he approached the door, he could feel a dense web of mana.

As Zeon had suspected, a barrier was deployed there.

It disappeared as he approached.

Everywhere else remained the same, but only a space large enough for Zeon to enter had disappeared.

After Zeon entered, the barrier was restored as if it had never been breached.

Upon crossing the barrier and entering the building, a different world unfolded before him.

Inside the building, there were countless shops packed with various items. The corridors were bustling with people coming to buy goods.

At a glance, they appeared far from ordinary people. They were either Awakened or those carrying weapons.

They traded with the merchants cautiously or browsed through the items with serious expressions.

It was then that Zeon realized the true identity of this place.

“The Goblin Market”

There were rumors circulating in the slums.

It was said that there existed an illicit market named the Goblin Market, where Awakeneds active in the slums traded goods.

Though Zeon had heard the rumors, he had never taken an interest. He had been too preoccupied with surviving day by day.

It was a place where unauthorized individuals were absolutely prohibited from entering.

The Goblin Market served as a neutral zone.

Even those fiercely waging wars to claim territories in the slums had to abide by the rules of the Goblin Market.

Violating the rules of the Goblin Market would make one an enemy of all organizations in the slums.

The identity of the one managing the Goblin Market remained unknown. However, it was clear that they wielded tremendous power.

Although a stranger like Zeon had entered, no one paid him any attention. This allowed Zeon to explore the Goblin Market without any trouble.

The first thing that caught Zeon’s eye was a weapons shop.

From swords and spears to guns and cannons, various weapons were displayed on the shelves.

While guns were not very effective against Awakeneds, they were highly efficient against ordinary humans.

This was why members of organizations like the Red Skulls often purchased them.

While the Awakeneds mostly preferred cold weapons.

Although there were Awakeneds who combined themselves with machines to use firearms, they were not very large in number.

Zeon simply passed by the weapons shop. Since he primarily used sand as his weapon, these items were of no use to him.

After passing the weapons shop, he came across a store selling carcasses of monsters.

Though there were individuals selling monster carcasses outside as well, the ones sold here were incomparable.

Zeon showed interest.

‘Carcass of an Armored Rhinoceros. Did they really manage to get that here?’

The gigantic monster lying on the workbench was undoubtedly a D-rank Armored Rhinoceros.

It possessed tremendous defense and attack capabilities.

Its enormous size and horns could easily tear through armored buses like pieces of paper.

Since it was difficult to hunt alone, it was primarily hunted in parties.

Zeon was surprised since the habitat of the Armored Rhinoceros was not in the near vicinity.

It was a monster that could only be found in the southern desert, far from Neo Seoul.

Furthermore, it was not particularly valuable considering its size.

There was no reason for such a monster to venture near Neo Seoul.

Encountering it by chance during a hunt seemed more plausible.

‘If Armored Rhinoceroses are venturing near Neo Seoul… the habitat changes of monsters are affecting this place as well.’

The pack of Fire Wolves he encountered just before entering Neo Seoul was also a monster rarely seen in this vicinity.

The continuous migration of habitats indicated that monsters were expanding their territory near Neo Seoul.

It was clearly not a good sign.

It wasn’t particularly pleasant that such events were happening just as he entered Neo Seoul.

‘I hope nothing significant happens.’

Zeon passed the store selling monster carcasses and ventured deeper.

As he entered further, the items sold in the stores became more diverse.

Despite the world being transformed into a desert, it was surprising to see such a variety of items.

Zeon examined each item with interest.

Though there were many items, there was nothing he particularly desired.

His subspace contained items far more valuable than those found here.

Just one of those items would turn the Goblin Market upside down.

Then it happened.

One item in particular caught Zeon’s attention.

It was a small metallic device about the size of an adult’s palm.

It resembled a miniature pyramid, emitting a strange mana.

As Zeon approached with curiosity, a man who seemed to be the shopkeeper approached.

“It’s a good item. You won’t regret buying it.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a small mana generator. It converts mana from Mana Stones into electricity.”

“Such a thing exists?”

“Where have you been living? Isn’t Neo Seoul also powered by mana generators? It’s the same kind of item, just smaller and more efficient.”

Mana generators were already a commercialized product.

All devices in Neo Seoul operated on the energy extracted from Mana Stones.

However, due to their low efficiency and exorbitant cost, mana generators were not sought after.

In order to properly operate the mana generators, one had to either pour in an immeasurable amount of Mana Stones from the Mana Stone Mine or use high-quality Mana Stones obtained from killing monsters. However, it would be impossible for the people in the slums to possess such Mana Stones.

The mana generators were more of a burden to the merchants who possessed them.

They had smuggled them out of Neo Seoul with difficulty, but since there were no buyers, it was pointless to keep them.

That’s why the shopkeeper, aware of this fact, tried to quickly get rid of them by catching a sucker like Zeon.

“If you buy it, I’ll let it go for 30,000 Sols. That’s a bargain. What do you say?”

30,000 Sols could buy 30 kilograms of Mana Stones.

It was a sum of money that not many people in the slums could afford.

At least, one would have to lead an organization to afford a mana generator.

The shopkeeper knew this fact but still made the offer to Zeon, hoping to make a quick deal.

Zeon opened his mouth after a moment of thought.

“I’ll consider it if you give it to me for 10,000 Sols.”

“What? Are you crazy? This is an extremely precious item. Why would I sell it for just 10,000 Sols?”

“Then I won’t buy it.”

Without any hesitation, Zeon moved on. Then the shopkeeper urgently said,

“25,000 Sols!”

“15,000 Sols.”

“No way! With that, it won’t even cover the transportation costs. 23,000 Sols.”

“15,700 Sols. I won’t go any higher.”

“Unbelievable! Do you have the money?”

Zeon smiled and took out a Mana Stone.

It was a Mana Stone he had obtained by chance while killing an unnamed monster.

Its brilliance was incomparable to those mined in the Mana Stone Mine. It contained an overwhelming amount and quality of mana.

The shopkeeper immediately recognized the value of the mana stone.

‘It’s worth at least 20,000 Sols.’

At this level, it wouldn’t be a loss.

With a markup, he could sell it for a profit.

“Alright! I’ll exchange it for the Mana Stone.”

“Uhuh! Why are all of you like this? I could get at least 20,000 Sols for something like this. Put in another item.”

“This kid is really no joke. Poisonous bastard!”

The shopkeeper shook his head with an exhausted expression.

Zeon laughed at the shopkeeper’s reaction.

“What do you think… deal?”

“Deal!”