The Mot Clan's Fortress
An old man descended the ladder.
He was half the size of Dayton.
The old man looked up at Dayton with half-lidded eyes.
"Still alive, eh? Dayton."
"You've lost even more teeth, Pabilsa."
"You're the freak. How are you still so spry after living over a hundred years?"
The man called Pabilsa grumbled.
He was missing almost all his teeth, with only a few left. Dayton, on the other hand, was still full of vigor.
There was no avoiding the comparison.
Dayton asked Pabilsa,
"What brings you here? This isn't your territory."
"Scavengers are rampaging."
"Didn't you wipe them out last time?"
"You think those bastards disappear just because you sweep them once? New ones showed up this time—vicious fuckers. No point getting tangled up; it'd just be a headache."
"Hmph! Beat around the bush all you want, but you're just scared of some scavengers and ran away."
"I'm not you. No need to get swept up in trouble. We call that a wise choice."
"All talk..."
Dayton snorted derisively.
But Pabilsa showed no shame at the mockery.
He wasn't quite on Dayton's level, but he'd survived the age of ruin for just as long.
He carried the same hardened cunning and experience.
Most of the world had turned to desert, but there were still places humans could live.
Rocky mountains like the magistone mine, tiny oases.
Harsh as hell, but humans adapted and kept going.
Not as safe as Neo Seoul, no massive crowds, but they clung to life stubbornly.
Scavengers targeted those hard-won survivors.
Pabilsa had fled here to escape a pack of them.
His gaze shifted to Zeon beside Dayton.
"New face. One of your underlings?"
"Just traveling together."
"Traveling together? You, with company? The heavens must be falling."
"Cut the bullshit and get inside. Got stuff to trade."
"I don't let just anyone in, but for you..."
"Quit bragging and lead the way."
"Hmph!"
Pabilsa snorted and climbed back up the ladder.
Dayton followed, and Zeon brought up the rear.
Before climbing, Zeon glanced at Arkelon's face. The beast was staring right back.
Its head alone was house-sized. Its eyes dwarfed Zeon.
Utterly terrifying.
Zeon's reflection formed in those massive pupils, but Arkelon soon turned away, disinterested.
Taming a monster like this to ride around? Insane!
He knew there were Awakeners called tamers, but he'd never heard of anyone taming something this huge. And this was just the beginning of the surprises.
Inside Arkelon's shell stretched a vast cavern, complete with an entire village.
Not huge, but people moved about the streets.
"What the...?"
"His clan."
"Clan? Blood relatives?"
"Yeah. All descendants of Pabilsa."
Zeon was even more shocked by Dayton's words.
In a world where surviving alone was tough, raising kids was no guarantee.
Leading a big family like this was damn near impossible.
Dayton said,
"Arkelon protects them from threats outside. That's how it's possible."
"Makes sense."
Zeon nodded.
The desert teemed with monsters.
Plenty were huge like sandworms, but none matched Arkelon.
And it had the ultimate defense.
Its massive shell was insanely tough—no monster's teeth could pierce it.
Most beasts didn't dare challenge it.
Inside that shell, Pabilsa's descendants thrived.
"They call themselves the Mot clan after Pabilsa's stronghold."
"Mot clan?"
"Yeah. Delusional shits who think they're chosen. Truth is, without Arkelon, they're nothing."
The Mot clan fancied themselves safe in an iron fortress, but to Dayton, they were just a sandcastle waiting to crumble.
Arkelon protected them only because of the powerful tamer Pabilsa.
Once he died, who knew if it'd keep guarding them.
Tamed monsters were loyal only to their tamer.
Pabilsa led the pair to his house.
Sitting in a chair, he said,
"Let's see the goods first."
"Plenty to go around."
Dayton replied coolly, pulling items from his subspace: the horn of a great horned hyena boss, the queen wolf ant's corpse, and monster bodies he'd hunted before meeting Zeon.
All boss drops.
Rare as hell.
Their power depended on processing—master craftsmanship made treasures; amateurs ruined them.
Pabilsa inspected them sharply through his glasses.
Top quality, flawless.
"Impressive as always."
"Skip the flattery. What's your offer?"
"Payment in magic stones?"
"You wanna die? Think I need those?"
"Right, can't even enter Neo Seoul, so no need."
Magic stones were the era's top currency.
All Neo Seoul trades used them. But Dayton couldn't enter for some reason, so he preferred goods.
Pabilsa asked,
"What do you want, then?"
"Chestplate from the queen wolf ant corpse, and a subspace tool."
"Need armor? You already have subspace."
"Not for me."
"For the kid, then?"
Pabilsa finally eyed Zeon with interest.
He'd known Dayton forever, but this was the first time he'd done something for someone else.
Anyone Dayton cared about had to be special.
"Useful kid, huh."
"Just say yes or no."
"Hmmm."
Pabilsa frowned briefly, then called out.
"Kaili."
A woman in her early twenties entered.
Tanned brown skin from the sun, blue eyes, radiating tough vitality like a cactus in the desert.
"You called, Grandpa?"
"Got that subspace bracelet you made?"
"No bracelet, but there's a gauntlet. It's enchanted so well, I've been babying it."
"Give it to this kid."
"That precious thing?"
Kaili looked surprised.
She was a rare pure enchanter.
She imbued items with attributes or special powers, but success rates were under 30%, and masterpieces even rarer.
Neo Seoul had enchanters blending science, but pure ones like her were few.
She ranked herself top-tier.
The subspace gauntlet was her masterpiece: over ten meters in every dimension—bigger than most warehouses.
Priceless.
Handing it to a boy she'd never met? Shocking.
But Pabilsa wasn't done.
"Tell Noel to make this kid a chestplate from the queen wolf ant shell."
"A chestplate too?!"
"Yeah."
Noel, Pabilsa's youngest, was a master blacksmith.
They survived by buying monster parts, crafting and enchanting them via Kaili, then selling high to Neo Seoul or caravans.
Arkelon's shell brimmed with valuables and food.
Kaili gave Zeon a meaningful look.
Some special power?
Her grandpa was prickly—zero respect for the talentless.
Then Dayton spoke.
"The kid's an enchanter?"
"Oh, hi. Long time no see."
Kaili finally noticed him and bowed hastily.
"Enchanter, huh. Decent awakening."
"Thanks. You're still as hale as ever."
Fear flickered in her eyes at Dayton.
She knew his power well—from her youth, the trauma of him ripping a massive monster apart lingered.
Being near him creeped her out.
She rushed to Zeon.
"Follow me. I'll give you the gauntlet."
"Yes!"
Zeon didn't hide his joy, trailing her.
He'd envied Dayton's subspace. Getting one free? Ecstatic.
Kaili asked,
"What's with that monster?"
"Huh?"
"Dayton."
"Oh! Just traveling together by chance."
"By chance?"
She furrowed her brow, skeptical. But no point pressing the kid.
She led him to her workshop.
Its walls displayed her past works.
Zeon gaped, overwhelmed by their aura.
"Whoa!"
A gasp escaped him.
Kaili beamed proudly.
"All mine. Impressed?"
"Amazing. All items?"
"Yep! Best outside dungeon drops."
Dungeons sometimes yielded items, triggering the phenomenon with their power.
Those were legendary.
Kaili aimed to craft equals with her hands.
She took a gauntlet from the wall.
It covered the back of the hand and forearm.
"Ironclad starfish skeleton mixed with adamantium. Dual composite structure—top elasticity, defense, and attack. Besides the subspace, it self-repairs."
"Self-repairs? Heals itself?"
"Yeah! As long as it's not total destruction."
"Holy shit!"
"Right? Not all. But thanks to the starfish, it got fire attribute. Right now, just emits heat, but mount something there, and power changes."
She pointed to a round recess on the back.
Mounting slot.
"Fire item?"
"Yeah. Strongest you can find—can't swap once set. Honestly, this was a fluke; not sure I could replicate."
"Got it. But is it okay giving this away?"
"Grandpa said so."
"Thank you."
She handed it over.
Zeon slipped it on his right hand.
A bit loose at first, then it shrank perfectly.
He flexed it.
Free as bare skin—wrist and fingers fluid.
A faint warmth emanated.
Kaili asked,
"Feel good?"
"Perfect."
"Heh!"
She crossed her arms smugly.
Then—
Kuwoooo!
Arkelon's roar echoed.
From experience, Kaili knew it was a warning.
She bolted outside. Far off, massive dust clouds rose.
Her face paled.
"S... scavengers."