The Poison Spreads
Pfuk!
“Kuhk!”
A sharp piercing sound and a scream echoed simultaneously.
The scream's owner tumbled across the ground, a hole drilled clean through his shoulder.
He was a smooth-faced man without a trace of beard.
His face, half-hidden under a derby hat and a coat that reached his ankles, was etched with bewilderment.
“Why... why are you doing this?”
In that instant, the one who'd punched the hole through his shoulder landed lightly.
She was a strikingly beautiful woman with alluring eyes, soft hair fluttering in the wind, and curves that turned heads.
The woman approached, swinging her long spear irritably.
“You pretending not to know?”
“No, attacking some guy just minding his business on the street...”
“Minding his business?”
“Well, I mean...”
“Fuck! You really think that? After ambushing and killing an awakener who was just walking down the street yesterday.”
“How did you—”
Seeing the derby-hatted man's eyes waver, the spear-wielding woman smirked.
“You thought you could pull that shit inside Neo Seoul and no one would notice, you scavenger bastard?”
“Fuck! Who the hell are you?”
The man shot to his feet, yelling.
“Me? Just a poor government drone stuck working overtime because of you. Oh, wait—not technically a civil servant? Anyway, name's Mandy, the one suffering through the dead of night because of assholes like you. Ah! Make that Eloi right now.”
“Mandy? Eloi? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Point is, it's your fault. You fucking prick!”
The woman bellowing was Eloi.
Her mission was to wipe out the scavengers stirring up trouble in Neo Seoul.
With the scavengers' disruptions dragging on, City Hall had issued the task to awakeners.
Other awakeners could pick missions to their liking, but Mandy—contracted with City Hall—had no right to refuse.
The perks of being a super supervisor came with equally heavy obligations.
That was why she was brawling with this man she pegged as a scavenger in the dead of night.
The man's name was David O.
A regular guy with a residence in the North District.
At least, that's what the public record showed. But Eloi's investigation told a different story.
He was posing as an ordinary office drone, but the bastard was a scavenger.
A particularly nasty one at that.
Already more than five awakeners had fallen to his hunts.
Without her half-elf senses' sharp intuition, unmasking him would've taken far longer.
“To get nabbed by City Hall's hunting dog. Some rotten luck.”
“Say it with me: I'm dead.”
“Don't make me laugh. Kill you and bolt to the desert—easy.”
“Where you gonna go in the desert? Better off getting caught by me.”
“Hmph! Think people only live in Neo Seoul? Folks live in the desert too.”
“Scavenger main base must be out there. Spill it nice, and I won't beat you too bad.”
“Funny! You punch a hole in my shoulder out of nowhere and talk about going easy?”
“Yeah, okay, that was a bit much on my part. Forgive me—you get the plight of the working stiff, right?”
“Like hell I do! You fucking bitch.”
“Don't know? Guess I'll have to teach you.”
Eloi flashed a chilling smile.
“Bring it. You think I'll go down easy?”
David drew the weapon hidden in his coat.
Chwaruk!
What he gripped was a metal whip.
Made of special alloy, it extended to five meters with a flick of his wrist.
Eloi muttered at the sight of the whip in his hand.
“Scavenger scum never go down easy. Gotta beat 'em half to death before they wise up.”
“Die!”
In that moment, David’s whip cracked forward, breaking the sound barrier.
A speed no ordinary human could detect.
But Eloi wasn't ordinary.
Half-elf and awakener.
Her senses were far sharper than a typical awakener's.
Shyaaak!
She dodged the whip by a hair and charged David.
Just as fast as the whip's strike.
“Kuhk!”
David hastily recalled the whip to defend, but Eloi gave him no chance.
Paak!
Her spear shaft slammed into him.
Bones cracked, muscles tore—David screamed in agony.
“Kuhuk!”
“Quit whining. We're just getting started, you fucker! You need a proper beating.”
Eloi battered David mercilessly with the spear shaft.
She could've ended him quick with the blade, but held back.
Her goal wasn't killing.
Capture and extract maximum intel.
Keep him breathing, control the force, and pound away.
Thud! Pow!
The brutal assault dragged on, and when the clubbing finally stopped, David was a well-tenderized slab of meat. Still alive, though.
Eloi grabbed his collar and said,
“Alright, time to chat. Where's your base?”
＊＊＊
The slums were rowdy.
Normally dead quiet during the scorching midday sun, that peace had shattered lately.
Zeon knew exactly why: the White Bear Caravan.
Ever since their fortress settled in the desert outside Neo Seoul, activity had spiked.
The caravan's arrival shook up Neo Seoul and the slums in multiple ways.
Most goods they released were unavailable in Neo Seoul before.
They piqued curiosity, drawing people out even in daylight.
The once-deathly still slums buzzed with rare vitality. But it wasn't all good.
Incidents were up too.
“Halt! You're dead if we catch you!”
“Shit!”
A chase erupted inside Dokkaebi Market.
A customer had swiped some goods and bolted. But he didn't get far before the market guards nabbed him.
Onlooker merchants watched him get pummeled and muttered,
“Lately, these drifters are everywhere.”
“If they knew what Dokkaebi Market is, they'd never even try stealing.”
“Ever since White Bear Caravan showed up, things got murky.”
Zeon overheard the merchants near his stall.
He'd come for necessities and witnessed the commotion.
The stolen item was a dagger from the White Bear Caravan.
Reinforced by a skilled enchanter, they said.
Enchanting was rare enough, and the dagger's materials were top-notch, yielding great options.
Increased piercing power.
Market checks showed at least 30% better penetration than peers.
Hard to find on the open market.
Zeon could see why the thief risked it.
Not that it mattered to him.
White Bear goods were solid, but not intriguing enough.
Zeon needed everyday essentials, not weapons.
A Dokkaebi Market awakener pulled a small disc from the thief's pocket.
“What's this? Where'd you steal it from?”
“Fuck off! That's mine. Bought it fair from the caravan.”
“Lying little shit. Confiscated.”
“It's mine! Give it back!”
“Thief barking loud?”
The market awakeners yelled and beat the thief down.
He fought back red-eyed but couldn't handle them.
Zeon shook his head and resumed shopping.
That's when someone approached him quietly.
“You don't need to buy stuff like this at Dokkaebi Market, right?”
The casual voice belonged to Dokkaebi Market's combination master, Yuse-hui.
Her loyal guard, Heuksa-ja, loomed behind her.
Zeon handed money to the merchant and replied,
“Still, this place is the most trustworthy.”
“Fair point.”
Yuse-hui nodded as if it were obvious.
“That's why I came. You?”
“Came out to check the noise.”
She glanced at the subdued thief struggling for his disc.
Zeon chuckled.
“Guess I'll be seeing more of this.”
“Yeah, popping out several times a day now. Definitely more riffraff showing up.”
“Don't you screen identities strictly?”
“We do, but can't block everyone. Short-staffed lately, so gaps opened.”
“That's serious.”
“Tell me about it. All because of White Bear Caravan. They tossed a stone in our quiet pond, rippling everything.”
“The shockwaves are hitting hard. Hearing creaks everywhere.”
“Proof Neo Seoul isn't as perfect as it seems. If it were, this wouldn't shake it.”
“True.”
“Expect more creaks ahead. The poison's already loose in the markets.”
She meant the caravan's goods.
Zeon agreed.
“Poison, huh? Fits.”
“We'll see how far it spreads. Gonna be noisy till then.”
“Gotta endure it.”
“So laid-back. Figures—a guy like you wouldn't sweat this chaos. Kinda jealous.”
“Jealous? I hate the noise too.”
Zeon shrugged as he replied.
Kwaang!
Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked nearby.
Intense flames and shockwave swept the area.
“Shit!”
Heuksa-ja threw up a barrier, shielding Yuse-hui from the blast.
She emerged unscathed.
“What the—?”
Yuse-hui stared blankly at the explosion site.
It was where they'd just subdued the thief.
The thief, the market awakeners who'd caught him, and nearby stalls— all vaporized without a trace.
“What happened? What the hell just went down?”
“Looks like the subdued guy exploded.”
“A person exploded? Impossible.”
“Or maybe the item he had.”
“No way...”
Zeon headed to the blast site, leaving the speechless Yuse-hui behind.
“Kuhk!”
“Ugh! My leg...”
“Help...”
The area was hellish.
Dozens groaned from injuries.
Some missing arms, others with guts spilling from gutted bellies.
Zeon's face hardened at the worse-than-expected carnage.
Strangers or not, watching people die or maim in front of him wasn't pleasant.
“Here.”
Zeon pinpointed the epicenter.
A huge crater, scattered flesh and bone chunks.
Remnants of the market awakener's gear too.
What caught his eye: a charred metal shard.
He recognized it as the thief's disc fragment.
Zeon picked it up carefully.
Palm-sized, etched with unknown runes.
“What is it?”
Yuse-hui had followed.
“No idea. Ever seen anything like this?”
“Nope. First time.”
“Strong mana residue.”
“Meaning?”
“This thing blew up.”
“What kind of item explodes like a bomb?”
Zeon had no answer.
He didn't know its nature. But one thing was clear.
The one who'd unleashed it: Demian.
Demian. You've really committed to spreading the poison.