The Chained Elf
Zeon gazed at Croker and the crocodiles charging toward him with ferocious momentum.
Croker was a C-rank martial Awakener, while the crocodiles were all D-rank and E-rank.
This was an overwhelming force capable of sweeping through an average slum district in moments. But against Zeon, it was utterly useless.
Flames erupted right in front of him.
He had unleashed Fire Wall with his Superheat Gauntlet.
Hellish flames filled the underground space.
“Kuh!”
“Aaaagh!”
The crocodiles screamed under the intense heat.
Having adapted to the damp underground over long years, they were extremely vulnerable to scorching heat.
What might feel merely hot to an ordinary person burned like hellfire to them. And Zeon’s Fire Wall was several times hotter than normal flames.
The crocodiles leading the charge caught fire and collapsed.
They rolled on the ground trying to extinguish the flames, screaming all the while, but it was no use.
Once the fire took hold, it wouldn’t go out easily.
“You fucking bastard!”
Croker unleashed his unique skill, Stone Fist.
True to its name, it hardened his fist like a rock and launched it forward.
A simple punch, but its destructive power surpassed other skills in its class.
Boom!
His skill struck Zeon squarely.
But Croker couldn’t celebrate.
Zeon had deflected it with his Superheat Gauntlet.
Suddenly, Zeon’s form blurred, and he appeared right in front of Croker.
He had closed the distance with Sand Step.
To Croker, who didn’t know the truth, it felt like spatial teleportation or a blink skill.
“You—?”
Boom!
In that instant, Zeon’s fist slammed into Croker’s gut.
“Kraaak!”
Croker flew backward with a scream.
He crashed into the wall, vomiting blood, then struggled to his feet.
His eyes burned with rage as he glared at Zeon.
He’d felt it before, but he wasn’t a match for Zeon.
To him and his crocodiles, who lived underground, Zeon was their natural counter.
Ordinary methods wouldn’t bring Zeon down.
He bellowed in fury,
“Fuck! Everyone, inject the drugs.”
Croker pulled a syringe from his pocket.
It was filled with yellow liquid.
Without hesitation, he jammed it into his heart and injected it.
The crocodiles followed suit, stabbing syringes into their own hearts.
The yellow liquid inside was one of the drugs they produced. Unlike others, it exploded all their potential in an instant.
“Kraaa!”
“Huuuh!”
Croker and the crocodiles let out grotesque breaths as they arched their backs. Their bodies swelled massively, muscles bulging prominently.
Zeon watched them with an intrigued expression.
“Some kind of awakening agent, huh.”
The world had crumbled, but humanity had crumbled even worse.
Countless drugs with severe side effects on the body had been developed, and people consumed them casually everywhere.
One thing was certain: any drug’s effects came with equally severe backlash.
For something like this awakening agent that amplified human potential in a burst, the side effects had to be even worse.
“Die!”
“Kraaa!”
Croker and the crocodiles roared madly and charged at Zeon.
Whoosh!
Zeon’s hair whipped in the wind from Croker’s punch.
The air pressure hit first. But Zeon easily dodged.
Then the crocodiles attacked from behind.
Their movements were more beast than human.
Their reddened eyes held no reason—only madness.
Twice as fast as before, and correspondingly stronger.
Boom!
Concrete shattered like it had been hit by a bomb where their fists landed.
Croker was even more extreme.
Kwaaa!
Red haze shimmered around his entire body.
The drug had pushed his potential to the limit, even forcing out aura.
“Fuck! Die! Die!”
Croker squeezed every muscle to the brink, exploding with all his power.
Zeon observed every motion, every bodily reaction, every twitch of Croker’s eyes.
The frenzied assault from Croker and the crocodiles lasted nearly ten minutes. But exactly at the ten-minute mark, their movements visibly slowed.
“Limit of about ten minutes, huh?”
He didn’t know the exact drug, but it clearly allowed maximum output for around ten minutes.
He’d learned everything there was to know from them.
Suddenly, the sand scattered on the floor writhed like snakes and rose up.
Dozens of sand snakes reared their heads, glaring at Croker and the crocodiles.
It was Zeon’s skill, Viper.
Croker’s eyes widened at the unprecedented sight.
Even in his deranged state, he sensed the danger.
“What the hell?”
Zeon didn’t answer. He just crooked a finger.
Shweeeek!
The sand snakes shot forward like arrows, piercing Croker and the crocodiles.
Viper instantly bored massive holes through their torsos.
No matter how much the drugs exploded their potential, no one could survive a gaping hole in the chest.
The crocodiles’ bodies crumbled like sandcastles.
Croker somehow stayed on his feet, tenaciously clinging to life, but he was at his limit.
His eyes returned to normal.
“You…… What are you? That skill……”
He’d encountered countless Awakeners, but this was the first time he’d seen someone wield sand.
“And flame magic? Don’t tell me…… You’re a dual awakener?”
Zeon smiled and raised his Superheat Gauntlet.
“Just item power.”
“Ah…… An item?”
Croker’s eyes shook.
He’d never dreamed such intense fire ability came from mere gear.
“You sneaky fuck. Hiding your real power like that.”
“That’s how you survive in this world.”
“F…… Fuck! I got completely played. Shouldn’t have touched your shit from the start.”
With those words, Croker collapsed in a heap.
His breath had stopped.
Zeon gave the corpse an indifferent glance, then moved on.
He headed for the secret passage behind Croker.
He’d seen Goran and Eiba enter there.
It was all part of Goran’s grand scheme.
He’d turned Croker’s plan to pit him against Zeon to his own advantage.
The ruthless mind of Shinchon’s ruler.
Zeon wondered what Goran was after, forcing this clash between him and Croker.
The answer was probably inside.
Zeon entered the secret passage Goran had taken.
The narrow, dank tunnel had no light at all. But it was no issue for Zeon.
He had eyes that pierced deep darkness.
Following Goran and Eiba’s traces, Zeon descended the stairs.
After a long descent, he reached a vast underground chamber.
The space stretched over a hundred meters in both directions, filled with countless beds. On them lay hundreds of people with deathly pale faces, like corpses.
Thin tubes were inserted into their arms, red blood flowing out through them.
The blood collected into a massive tank at the center. Goran and Eiba stood before it.
Oblivious to Zeon’s arrival, they stared intently at the tank.
Zeon approached quietly.
“Huh?”
Eiba finally noticed, her face twisting in shock. But Goran, fixated on the tank, hadn’t sensed him.
Zeon naturally looked where Goran was focused.
A girl sat in front of the tank.
Disheveled golden hair, deep dark circles under her eyes, a somehow cynical young face.
She wore a pointed hat like something from ancient witches and a loose black robe.
But iron chains bound her ankle—a restraint to prevent escape.
Goran spoke to the girl.
“So it was you. You’re the one making the drugs the crocodiles supplied.”
“Shut your trap, human.”
“Human?”
“Better avert those eyes before I gouge them out. How dare a filthy human look at a noble elf like that?”
“You’re no human, huh. An elf? Figures.”
The hat hid her ears, so he hadn’t noticed. But her speech confirmed it.
Goran laughed.
“Heh heh! Hilarious. I wondered what genius was crafting such fine drugs. An elf, of all things.”
“You worthless shits worse than monster grass! Think I’ll let you off if I get free? I’ll kill you all. Every last human bastard.”
The girl glared daggers at Goran, spewing venom.
Elves were usually seen as noble or serene, but not her.
The elf girl’s name was Briel.
She had originally lived outside Neo Seoul.
Disaster struck suddenly one day.
She ran into human Awakeners passing nearby.
She fought with all her might but was ultimately subdued.
That began her miserable life.
Sold around repeatedly, she ended up far from home in Neo Seoul’s slums.
Croker discovered her true talent.
Alchemy.
True to her elven senses, she excelled at it.
Croker devised a way to exploit it: developing new drugs.
As he hoped, Briel shone at drug production.
She created several entirely new drugs. Thanks to her, Croker became a rising star in the drug market.
All the drugs supplied to Goran’s organization came from Briel.
Her drugs used human blood as a medium.
Made from the body’s most vital fluid, they had far fewer side effects than others.
The problem was Briel.
A pure elf who loved nature, forced to make harmful drugs for all life.
Her hatred and resentment toward humans grew daily.
Eventually, she came to despise and curse the entire world.
Goran said to Briel,
“From now on, you work for me. I’m your new master.”
“Fine! I’ll make ’em. Croker or you, all the same scum. Doesn’t matter who I cook for.”
“Heh heh! Good attitude. That’s how you last long.”
Goran smirked in satisfaction.
“An elf drug maker, huh. What a fun neighborhood.”
Goran’s blood ran cold at Zeon’s voice from behind.
He turned to see Zeon eyeing Briel with interest.
Goran glared at Zeon.
“What? What happened to Croker?”
“Step outside, you’ll see. Oh, he won’t answer questions. He’s dead.”
“You took him out already?”
“Wasn’t that hard.”
“Instead of fighting like this, join me. With you and me together, we could take the slums in no time.”
“Pass. Not my style to work under anyone.”
“You really wanna go all the way, huh.”
Goran’s face hardened menacingly.
His original plan was to let Zeon and Croker kill each other, then secretly whisk away the drug maker Briel.
Then clean up the slums and deal with Zeon—perfect. But Zeon had dispatched Croker and his crew too quickly, ruining everything.
Zeon looked at Briel.
“Not that I have any soft spot for elves, but this is too much. Humans really are the most dangerous, huh.”
“Like you’re any different, you hypocrite fuck……”
Briel spat venom immediately. But Zeon’s expression didn’t change.
“Hey, elf brat. If you wanna get out of here, shut that mouth. I’m the only one here who might actually free you.”
Briel clamped her mouth shut without thinking.
Zeon’s gaze shifted to Goran.
“Try running again. See what happens.”
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