The Preacher from Dongdaemun
Early in the morning, Zeon stepped out of the house.
Following behind him was a girl wearing a conical hat.
The girl stumbling along as if drunk was none other than Briel.
Briel asked Zeon.
“Yaaawn! Where we goin’?”
“To a restaurant for breakfast.”
“Restaurant?”
“Place where you pay money and they give you food.”
“Oh yeah?”
At the mention of food, Briel flicked up her conical hat with a finger and peered up at Zeon.
Her eyes were hazy and unfocused. But they brimmed with fierce curiosity.
The change that had come over Briel since Zeon rescued her was this curiosity.
It had started exploding out of her—the burning questions about everything she’d never experienced.
And food was one of the things she craved most.
Having survived day after day on mystery soup, her longing for something tasty burned hot.
Saliva flooded Briel’s mouth.
Her shifting expressions were so entertaining that Zeon couldn’t help but chuckle.
That was when it happened.
“Hey, hyung!”
A voice suddenly called out to Zeon.
He turned to see a half-bald teen decked out in flashy earrings and piercings.
“Levin!”
It was Levin.
Levin hurried over to Zeon.
“Where you headed?”
“Grabbing some food. You wanna tag along?”
“Nah, I already ate.”
“Yeah?”
Levin’s gaze shifted to Briel. She darted behind Zeon in a flash.
“Who’s she?”
“Family.”
“Huh?”
“Kinda. Where you off to?”
“Dongdaemun.”
“Why Dongdaemun?”
“That fucker’s started moving again over there.”
Levin’s eyes turned icy as he spoke.
His mouth curved in a smile, but his gaze was sharp as a knife’s edge.
Zeon could tell Levin’s power had grown.
E-rank?
Some Awakeners stalled out at their initial rank after awakening. Others grew.
The difference boiled down to one thing.
Honing their awakening talent in brutal conditions.
That was why so many Awakeners went out on regular monster hunts. But even that didn’t guarantee growth for everyone.
Some shot up fast. Others crept along slowly. And some stagnated completely.
Fortunately, Levin wasn’t the last type.
“Watch yourself.”
“Don’t worry about me. I can protect myself now.”
“Good!”
“Enjoy your meal. You too, kid.”
Briel stayed silent behind Zeon, ignoring Levin’s kind words.
Her hatred for humans ran bone-deep; even Levin’s warmth couldn’t shake it.
Levin didn’t take it personally.
He was just as emotionally barren as she was.
He only acted this friendly with Zeon, the one who’d looked out for him. Everyone else got the cold shoulder.
In an instant, Levin’s body grew translucent.
He’d activated his awakening ability, Ghostification.
He phased through the wall and vanished in a blink.
“What the hell?”
Briel’s eyes went wide.
She’d never seen a power like that before.
She looked up at Zeon.
“He ain’t just some punk?”
“He was, but not anymore.”
“Weird human.”
“Even among High Elves, you got anyone with a power like that?”
“Nope! Not a single one……”
Briel shook her head firmly.
In her mind, Levin got upgraded from plain punk to talented punk.
Zeon smirked and kept walking.
Briel scurried to catch up.
Moments later, they reached the street lined with eateries. Oddly, old man Clexy was nowhere in sight.
Zeon frowned slightly.
He’d never seen Clexy skip a day of business.
Something up?
Zeon asked a nearby merchant.
“Clexy not out today?”
“Got business. Won’t be around.”
“What kinda business?”
“Personal stuff, from what I heard.”
“Got it.”
Zeon didn’t pry further.
He had no hobby of digging into others’ private lives.
The street had plenty of other food spots besides Clexy’s.
Zeon and Briel picked one and sat.
The owner here had solid skills too.
The broth came from mystery meat, packed with equally mysterious veggies.
Still, it tasted damn good.
Not quite Clexy level, but this guy knew his way around a pot.
Zeon asked Briel.
“Meat okay?”
“Why?”
“Elves usually go veggie, right?”
“Prejudice. When you’re starving, who gives a shit about veggie? We hunt monsters, eat meat too.”
When the elves crossed to Earth, they’d hoped for lush green lands. But terraforming’s fallout turned the whole planet to desert, making grass rarer than meat.
The veggies in their food came from factories—impossible to find in the wild.
This place was more abundant than her High Elf village, with way tastier stuff.
Briel shoveled food into her mouth, sweat beading on her forehead.
Zeon’s eyes drifted to a man eating at the next stall over.
The guy was head down, focused on his meal.
But his outfit stood out.
Priest robes, rare in this day and age. Black cloth with a cross embroidered on the chest—like what priests wore back when religion was a thing.
Sensing Zeon’s stare, the priest looked up.
Slicked-back hair, thick horn-rimmed glasses, small curved eyes on a middle-aged face.
He smiled at Zeon.
“Shinchon’s got some decent grub.”
“You from out of district.”
“I stick to Dongdaemun mostly. Been ages since I crossed into Shinchon.”
“Ain’t far. What kept you away?”
“Some human who hated my guts.”
The priest dabbed his mouth with a handkerchief as he replied.
Zeon eyed him closely.
The man met his gaze without flinching.
Suddenly, a memory clicked in Zeon’s mind.
“You’re Yohan.”
“Ho!”
At the name, the man’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.
His reaction confirmed Zeon’s guess.
“What brings Dongdaemun’s boss to Shinchon?”
“What else? That pain-in-the-ass roadblock’s gone, so I came to sightsee.”
“Doesn’t feel like sightseeing.”
“Couldn’t sit still without knowing who took out the pest.”
The pest was Goran.
Meaning he’d come to check out Zeon, Goran’s killer.
The man was Yohan.
Dongdaemun’s ruler.
He’d been a low-level priest.
Earth nearly ended, Awakeners rose as the new humans.
The world flipped, but religion clung on stubbornly.
Yohan awakened, built his power fast, seized Dongdaemun completely.
Even after awakening, he stuck to priest robes.
That’s how Zeon recognized him.
Yohan and Goran were bitter enemies.
They clashed constantly, eyeing each other’s turf. But equal strength meant endless standoff.
So Yohan hadn’t set foot in Shinchon for ages.
Zeon said.
“You came to see me.”
“Right! Couldn’t resist meeting Shinchon’s new boss.”
“Shinchon’s got its own ruler now.”
“Heh heh! He’s just a front. You’re the real power, aren’t you?”
“I got no interest in ruling folks.”
“Don’t lie.”
“Huh?”
Yohan smiled.
“Men—especially strong ones—always wanna dominate. It’s our innate fate, our identity.”
“……”
Zeon saw no point in replying.
Yohan pressed on regardless.
“I heard God’s voice. He whispered my mission.”
“Mission?”
“To lead people down the righteous path.”
Intense zeal burned in Yohan’s eyes behind the glasses.
Zeon knew what that look meant.
Crazy. Pure fanaticism.
Not just any madman had eyes like that.
Only those gripped by obsession could radiate such unadulterated madness.
Yohan was ready to burn anything for his cause.
“Thanks to you, Goran’s gone. Now I can spread the Lord’s teachings in Shinchon too.”
“Iton won’t allow it.”
“Pfft! For real? Iton’s second-rate at best. Might’ve shone under Goran, but he ain’t leader material.”
Yohan stood and approached Zeon.
He pointed at Zeon’s chest.
“It’s your will that matters. Give the word, and the Lord’s gospel spreads here. How about it? Grant me the chance to share His grace?”
“What’s this gospel exactly?”
“Simple. Believe in God, wield power in His name, bring peace to the world.”
“How do you know His will?”
“I do.”
“You?”
“I alone hear God’s voice in this world. He speaks His will through my mouth. I’m His proxy.”
Yohan said the delusion with a straight face.
Zeon asked.
“So your will is God’s will?”
“Pretty much.”
“Coming here God’s will too?”
“Indeed. Now it’s your call. What say you?”
“I don’t believe in God.”
Zeon caught the faint crack in Yohan’s composure.
He’d beaten around the bush, but the message was clear.
Zeon didn’t want Yohan in Shinchon.
His activity would stir up trouble.
Freshly minted ruler Iton couldn’t stop him.
Yohan forced calm.
“I see. Shame! But I get it. To each their own.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“Won’t you regret it?”
“Doubt it.”
“Time’ll tell. Nice meeting you anyway.”
Yohan didn’t push.
He’d ruled Dongdaemun for decades, met countless people.
He had a killer eye for character.
A few words were enough to peg Zeon.
Zeon wasn’t the persuasive type.
Better to seek other paths than waste time.
Yohan’s gaze flicked to Briel behind Zeon.
“Daughter?”
“Nope.”
“Pretty girl. Hope she stays that way.”
With that, Yohan vanished from Shinchon.