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[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 337
Zeon, Levin, Brielle, and Mandy sat inside the armored bus, staring out the window.
It was the bus returning to Neo Seoul.
Besides Zeon's group, quite a few others were also aboard.
All of them had fallen into a deep sleep, exhausted.
And understandably so—ever since they had left Neo Seoul, it had been an intense forced march.
It wasn't just one or two buses making their way back to Neo Seoul.
Dozens of buses were on their return journey.
Normally, they'd worry about monster attacks, but when this many buses moved together, even monsters hesitated. Knowing that, everyone had relaxed and fallen into deep sleep.
Levin and Brielle were no exception.
Only Zeon and Mandy remained awake inside the bus.
After staring out the window for a long time, Mandy suddenly spoke.
"Thank you."
"Hm?"
"Thanks to you, many lives were saved."
"Don't mention it..."
At her sudden words, Zeon simply gave a faint smile.
"When we get back to Neo Seoul, I just want to rest without thinking about anything."
"You should."
"I've been on many missions, but this was by far the toughest journey I've ever had."
"It must have been."
"Do you think there'll be more?"
"More?"
"Things like that necromancer."
"Why do you think that?"
"Just... it feels like this isn’t the end."
Mandy let out a deep sigh.
Being a half-elf, her instincts were much sharper and more sensitive than humans’. Plus, she knew more about Kurayan’s secrets than most humans did.
Zeon, still gazing out the window, murmured,
"No one knows what the future holds. We can only hope that changes don't come too abruptly."
"Sigh. It'd be best if we could just live carefree lives in Neo Seoul. But that’s not possible, is it?"
"Who knows? Just enjoy the moment."
"Haa... You're so laid-back. Fine. I'll try, too."
Mandy sighed and sank deeply into her seat.
Thinking to himself that Mandy's intuition was unsettlingly sharp, Zeon continued to look out the window.
He watched dozens of buses kicking up dust as they raced across the desert.
"Phew."
A deep sigh escaped Zeon's lips as well.
---
Neo Seoul, after such a long time, was as peaceful as ever.
While fierce battles had raged at the new Mana Stone Mine, people here seemed blissfully unaware.
That’s how disconnected the battlefield had been from civilization.
People didn't seem too interested in distant events.
"Wow, home!"
"Wooooo!"
—Pii!
As soon as they arrived home, Brielle, Levin, and Gaia went wild.
They ran and flew around the house in excitement.
Zeon sat on the red sofa, gazing out the window.
Despite being gone for so long, the scenery of Neo Seoul hadn’t changed at all.
Even the sight of the City Hall, visible beyond the red neon signs, was the same.
Rubbing his eyelids, Zeon muttered,
"I'm tired."
It wasn’t just words.
He had drained so much mental strength during the journey back.
The problem was the half-dragon, Nigel.
Zeon couldn't tell others about Nigel.
Even if he did, who would believe it? And shouting that a dragon existed would only plunge Neo Seoul into chaos.
For now, he'd have to bear the knowledge alone.
There wasn’t even time to continue thinking.
"Gaia!"
—Pii!
"If I catch you, you're in big trouble!"
—Pipi!
"Where did you even learn such bad language?"
—Pii!
Right in front of him, Gaia and Brielle ran wild.
Gaia, newly freed from the subspace, was like a fish in water, flying all over the room, while Brielle chased after her energetically.
It was a whirlwind of chaos.
"Heh."
Still, it made Zeon smile.
Better a little noisy than oppressively silent.
Zeon didn’t dislike this kind of clamor.
At that moment, Levin stormed out of his room and shouted,
"Who took my little dagger?!"
"Eep!"
"That was a dungeon-grade item! Hand it over now!"
"Busted! Let's run, Gaia!"
"Pii!"
Brielle and Gaia bolted into a room and locked the door.
Levin arrived a moment later and pounded on the door several times, but it wouldn’t budge.
He let out a deep sigh.
"Those troublemakers... seriously, not one peaceful day with them around."
"You sure you're okay without that item?"
"Yeah, it wasn’t anything too important."
"That's good."
"You should check if anything of yours is missing too, hyung. Lately, Brielle's been handing enchanted items to Gaia."
"Probably trying to help Gaia grow stronger."
"You knew?"
"Would’ve been stranger if I didn’t. Don’t worry—whatever was worth taking, Gaia’s already claimed. There’s nothing left."
"Ah."
Levin let out a helpless sigh.
Only then did he realize Gaia mostly roamed Zeon’s subspace.
To Gaia, Zeon’s subspace was like a treasure trove.
She would browse freely and absorb whatever caught her fancy.
Zeon didn’t stop her.
Because Gaia knew never to touch the truly dangerous or powerful items without his permission.
Thanks to that, an entire corner of Zeon’s subspace was filled with powerful artifacts he simply left alone.
Suddenly, Zeon asked,
"What about Aaron and Dominic?"
"They said they’d rest at home for a while. Guess they got seriously shaken up this time. Good riddance, honestly."
Levin chuckled.
Aaron and Dominic's raiding party had practically collapsed during the expedition.
When they fell into the underground rift, most of their key members were wiped out.
Their team had no choice but to disband.
It wasn’t a common occurrence, but when the main members of a raiding party died or were seriously injured, it was inevitable.
In the end, Aaron and Dominic had no choice but to drift back to Neo Seoul.
It was unfortunate for them, but fortunate for Levin.
At least he wouldn’t have to worry about them dying anymore.
As Levin disappeared into his room, he said,
"I’m going to catch up on sleep. You should rest too, hyung."
"Yeah."
Zeon waved with a smile.
He also intended to catch up on some sorely needed sleep.
Zeon sank deep into the sofa and closed his eyes.
---
Jin Geum-ho stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking up at a massive structure.
It was nearly the size of a three-story building.
The enormous structure, made from monster remains and Neo Seoul's specially developed alloys, resembled a gigantic telescope at first glance.
Dense mana circuits were engraved all over its long, cylindrical body.
"Careful there!"
"One misalignment and everything's ruined. Stay sharp!"
Researchers bustled atop the structure, engrossed in their work.
Above the separated structure, a massive object was being slowly lowered into place.
Watching the descending object, Jin Geum-ho muttered,
"That mana engine holds the very essence of Neo Seoul."
It was a mana engine based on none other than Moby Dick’s heart.
The immense mana that Moby Dick’s heart possessed was fully condensed within it.
With that one engine, Neo Seoul’s entire power needs could be met.
Even so, dissatisfaction flickered across Jin Geum-ho’s face.
The heart’s mana was weaker than he had hoped.
Clang!
With a metallic clank, the mana engine docked into the cylindrical device.
Whirrr!
The hum of electricity followed, and lights activated on the cylindrical structure.
Jin Geum-ho silently gazed at the cylinder, now shining like a second sun.
Then—
Buzz!
The bottom part of the cylinder flickered uneasily.
A sign that mana wasn’t flowing properly.
As expected, the chief researcher approached with an apologetic expression.
"As suspected, the mana is insufficient. We’ll need to build an auxiliary engine."
"I figured."
A twitch flickered at Jin Geum-ho’s eye.
Though he tried to hide it, his displeasure was plain to see.
His mood was foul.
"We’ll need the heart of another S-rank monster."
"An S-rank..."
"I’m sorry."
The researcher bowed deeply, as if he’d committed a crime.
It wasn’t easy to obtain a pristine S-rank monster heart.
S-rank beasts, after all, would rather self-destruct than let a single shard of themselves be captured.
That was why it was so difficult to secure a complete S-rank heart.
At that moment—
"Would the Kraken's heart suffice?"
A cold voice rang out from the entrance.
Lifting his head, Jin Geum-ho saw Seo Tae-ran approaching, the clicks of her heels crisp and clear.
A faint smile crept onto Jin Geum-ho’s face.
"You’ve returned."
"Thanks to your concern, we returned safely."
"You said... the Kraken?"
"Yes. We were fortunate enough to retrieve an intact S-rank heart."
"Excellent. You’ve done well."
"I’m just glad I could help."
Seo Tae-ran bowed politely.
Then, lifting her gaze, she looked at the cylindrical structure.
"Is that... Heaven’s Punishment?"
"Indeed. My life’s greatest work. There are still hurdles—like the mana engine—but the framework is nearly complete."
"I’m relieved to hear that."
Her voice trembled slightly.
It was rare to see the woman known as the Iron Lady show such emotion.
Jin Geum-ho stared at her quietly before speaking.
"What about Zeon?"
"He should be home by now."
"Does he have honey hidden there or something? He really loves his home."
"It’s fortunate for us."
"Is that so?"
"If he were interested in Neo Seoul instead of just his home, it would’ve been a huge obstacle to our plans."
"True."
Jin Geum-ho nodded.
Zeon was like a bone stuck in the throat.
Too dangerous to swallow, too valuable to spit out.
Even Jin Geum-ho, mayor of Neo Seoul, hadn’t decided what to do about Zeon yet.
He reached out and caressed the cylindrical structure.
"I heard a necromancer appeared?"
"Yes. If it weren’t for Zeon, many more would have died."
"The world's turning points are coming faster than I expected. This time, we were lucky to have Zeon. But there’s no guarantee he’ll be there next time. That’s why Heaven’s Punishment must be completed. No matter the cost..."
Jin Geum-ho’s voice rang with an unwavering conviction.
He had sacrificed many to reach this point.
But this was far from his final destination.
There was still a long road ahead.
"Until then, I will not stop. I will not look back. No matter what sacrifices must be made."
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[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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