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It wasn’t an illusion.

In fact, lightning was constantly flickering in Lee Ji-ryeong’s eyes.

‘So, this is what happens when an Awakened who can use lightning reaches S-rank.’

It was something he hadn’t known until now.

Up close, the lightning flickered visibly, but from a distance, it looked like a white, glowing light was blazing from his eyes.

It was an overwhelming sight, so intense it felt like it could suffocate anyone who saw it.

An ordinary person might have found it hard to breathe just from looking into Lee Ji-ryeong’s eyes and would likely have collapsed to their knees.

But Zeon met those intense eyes without flinching.

Lee Ji-ryeong asked.

“How did you escape from a dungeon that had already been cleared?”

“Who knows?”

Zeon responded with a vague smile.

When a dungeon is cleared, it vanishes.

It disappears completely, leaving nothing behind. That’s why Lee Ji-ryeong had attacked Zeon and Brielle’s group—to trap them inside the dungeon so they couldn’t escape.

Naturally, Lee Ji-ryeong had assumed that Zeon and his companions had been wiped out along with the dungeon. But when he heard that the supposedly dead Zeon and his group had appeared unscathed, he was utterly shocked.

He couldn’t remember ever being so surprised in his life.

Not even when his worthless brother had died had he been this shaken.

Having fought alongside Zeon, he knew just how overwhelmingly powerful Zeon’s abilities were.

In the desert, Zeon was nearly invincible.

Ordinary Awakeneds or monstrous beasts were no match for him.

The entire desert was Zeon’s weapon.

That was why even Lee Ji-ryeong had given up trying to face Zeon in the desert and instead had trapped him inside the dungeon, knowing that confronting him directly would be too risky.

And now, that same overwhelming presence was here, in the same space as him.

Zeon asked.

“Are you curious about how I escaped the dungeon, or why I returned to Neo Seoul?”

“Is it revenge you’re after?”

“I’m just here to settle a debt. You know how it is. If you don’t pay back what you owe, people start to look down on you. And we both know what happens to those who are underestimated.”

“……”

Lee Ji-ryeong frowned.

He understood Zeon’s words better than anyone.

That was why he had fought tooth and nail to grow stronger and build up the Pegasus Raid Force.

So that no one could look down on him.

After a moment of silence, Lee Ji-ryeong finally spoke.

“If you stop now, I’ll erase everything that’s happened.”

“Erase everything?”

“The fact that you killed my brother. The fact that you stole the highest-grade Mana Stone. The fact that you betrayed the Pegasus Raid Force in the dungeon.”

“I’ll admit to the first one. But the second and third are simply not true.”

“The truth doesn’t matter. If I say it’s true, then it is.”

“You’re still as arrogant as ever.”

“So, are you going to accept my offer or not?”

Zeon’s lips curled into a smile.

It was clearly a sneer, plain for anyone to see.

“Once, maybe you can be caught off guard. Anyone can be careless. But if you fall for the same trick twice, that’s just plain stupidity.”

“So, you’re rejecting my offer.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Then from this moment on, you are my enemy.”

“You really are self-centered. We’ve been enemies ever since you stabbed me in the back in the dungeon. No matter what a traitor says, it doesn’t really resonate with me.”

Zeon chuckled.

In truth, he had been Lee Ji-ryeong’s enemy from the very beginning.

Since the moment he had killed Lee Ji-ryeong’s brother.

It didn’t matter who had started it.

No matter how worthless his brother was, to Lee Ji-ryeong, he was still family, bound by blood. Avenging his brother was a matter of course.

There was no more laughable notion than the idea of forsaking revenge for the sake of some greater cause.

After glaring at Zeon for a moment, Lee Ji-ryeong turned away.

“You can look forward to what’s going to happen to you from now on…”

“I’ll be looking forward to it. Just know that it’ll take something extraordinary to satisfy me.”

“I’ll make sure not to disappoint.”

Just then, someone approached Lee Ji-ryeong.

“Visiting hours are over.”

It was Kevin, the leader of the NSSC.

Lee Ji-ryeong looked at Kevin with cold eyes.

The pressure was so intense that Kevin gritted his teeth and barely managed to endure it.

“It’s the regulation.”

“Regulation…”

“If you’ve finished your business, please leave now.”

“Fine.”

Lee Ji-ryeong brushed past Kevin indifferently.

Kevin’s shoulders trembled with humiliation.

He wasn’t someone who could be so easily ignored.

As the leader of the NSSC, he was accustomed to receiving a certain level of respect, even from the rulers of the different districts. But Lee Ji-ryeong had treated him with utter contempt.

What’s more, Lee Ji-ryeong hadn’t even followed the proper procedures to visit the NSSC.

He had barged in at midnight, demanding to meet with Zeon.

Kevin couldn’t just disregard Lee Ji-ryeong’s demands.

Lee Ji-ryeong was already recognized as a major figure in Neo Seoul. That was why Kevin had made an exception and allowed the visit.

But he couldn’t let it go on for too long, so he had cautiously spoken up, only to be met with a cold stare and outright disdain.

‘That bastard…’

Without paying any mind to Kevin grinding his teeth, Lee Ji-ryeong left the building.

Left alone in the corridor, Kevin turned to Zeon, visible through the window of the cell door.

“Zeon!”

“Yes?”

“Are you really not the one who killed my men?”

“You already know I had no reason to kill them.”

“Damn it!”

Kevin kicked the cell door in frustration.

NSSC Team 3 had stormed the cell to exact revenge, only to be beaten down like dogs by Zeon and Eloy.

Even though the prison’s properties had disrupted the flow of mana, forcing them to fight with only their physical abilities, Team 3 had still lost.

After defeating Team 3, Zeon had a chance to escape. But he hadn’t taken it.

That was when a thought began to nag at Kevin.

Maybe Zeon really wasn’t the culprit.

If he were the killer, he would have fled the moment he overpowered Team 3.

Since then, Kevin hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that something was off.

“If it wasn’t you, then who killed my men?”

“You’ve already started to suspect, haven’t you? Trust your instincts.”

“Damn it!”

Bang!

Kevin kicked the metal door again, but the special alloy didn’t even dent.

After fuming for a moment, Kevin looked back at Zeon.

“As long as your innocence isn’t proven, I can’t let you go. That’s the rule in the NSSC.”

“I understand.”

“But I’ll make sure no more idiots come around to bother you.”

“That might be difficult. The people involved aren’t exactly ordinary.”

“I don’t care. I’m not exactly ordinary myself. Stay put until your innocence is proven.”

“Will do.”

Kevin walked out, shouting as he left.

“Damn it! Those filthy bastards! How dare they mess with me? Strengthen the security, and no more visitors!”

* * *

Lee Ji-ryeong glanced back at the NSSC headquarters.

He could see a blue barrier forming around the massive warehouse-like building.

The defensive barrier had been activated.

Most of the major buildings in Neo Seoul were equipped with such defensive barriers.

They usually remained dormant but would activate in emergencies.

The fact that the NSSC building’s barrier had been activated meant that Kevin viewed Lee Ji-ryeong and the Pegasus Raid Force as a serious threat.

“Foolish…”

Just then, a woman with gray hair approached him from outside.

It was Kelda, Lee Ji-ryeong’s secretary and head of the Rescue Team.

She asked.

“How did it go?”

“Negotiations have failed.”

“As expected. There’s also been an issue in Dongdaemun.”

“What now?”

“An intruder stole the highest-grade Mana Stone and escaped.”

“Those idiots…”

Lee Ji-ryeong’s face twisted with contempt.

He had joined forces with Johan to increase his power.

His goal was to dominate Neo Seoul, while Johan sought to control the slums.

But he had never intended to stay allied with Johan for the long term.

Keeping a group of fanatics like those in Dongdaemun around would have been a burden even for Lee Ji-ryeong.

So he had planned to use them for a while and then discard them, but now this had happened.

“Who stole the Mana Stone?”

“They phased through the wall to steal it…”

“It must be him! Levin.”

“That seems likely.”

Lee Ji-ryeong bit his lip.

He had coveted Levin’s abilities and had tried several times to recruit him, but all attempts had failed.

“Fortunately, the barrier around Dongdaemun has been activated, so they haven’t escaped yet.”

“The barrier won’t hold for long. It would be good to catch them inside, but if not…”

“We’ll take a big hit.”

If it became known that they had conspired with Dongdaemun to attack the NSSC and steal the highest-grade Mana Stone, even Mayor Jin Geum-ho wouldn’t sit idly by.

While Jin Geum-ho was lenient about power struggles between districts, he showed no mercy to those who threatened his or the City Hall’s authority.

Even Lee Ji-ryeong, whose confidence was sky-high after reaching S-rank, wasn’t ready to face Jin Geum-ho.

He needed more time to grow stronger and expand his power.

The one thing he lacked was time to grow.

“Implement the second plan.”

“Right now?”

“If we don’t do it now, we may never get another chance.”

“Understood.”

Kelda pulled out a cell phone from her pocket.

While it became useless in the desert, there was no better means of communication within Neo Seoul.

Kelda made a call.

“It’s me. Proceed as planned.”

She spoke briefly, then ended the call.

Lee Ji-ryeong crossed his arms and gazed at the Neo Seoul skyline.

Boom!

Suddenly, an explosion erupted from a tall building.

The blast completely obliterated the upper floors of the structure.

“What’s going on?”

“Is it a terrorist attack?”

People who had been asleep deep into the night were jolted awake and rushed outside in alarm.

Wails of sirens echoed across Neo Seoul.

Lee Ji-ryeong muttered.

“In the event of a terrorist attack in Neo Seoul, all of City Hall’s armed forces are dispatched.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Awakened members of the NSSC poured out of the building.

It was Teams 1 and 3 of the NSSC, the forces that had been guarding the headquarters.

Upon hearing news of the terrorist attack, they left only a minimal number of personnel behind and sent the rest out.

Even Kevin, the leader of the NSSC, who had been opposing Lee Ji-ryeong, was among those who deployed.

As they disappeared from view, Lee Ji-ryeong smiled.

“Time to start the heist.”

Dark shadows began to gather behind Lee Ji-ryeong.

They were the Awakened members of the Pegasus Raid Force.

Hundreds of Awakeneds had silently converged on the NSSC headquarters.

Bronson, the Raid Team leader, looked at the NSSC building and muttered.

“Heh! So we’re finally going to hunt the Sand Mage?”

“We can’t afford to drag this out. We have to kill Zeon before the NSSC returns.”

“Don’t worry, Captain! He might be invincible in the desert, but not here. There’s no sand, and inside that prison, he can’t even use mana properly. What could he possibly do?”

The NSSC prison was nicknamed the Clean Room.

A structure so airtight that not even a speck of dust could get in.

For a Sand Mage like Zeon, it was the worst possible environment. That’s why they had chosen this place as their battleground.

Lee Ji-ryeong addressed the Awakeneds.

“Whoever brings me Zeon’s head will be made the Deputy Commander of the Pegasus Raid Force.”

“Whoooa!”

“His head is mine!”

“Let’s go!”

The excited Awakeneds raced toward the NSSC headquarters.

Their target was Zeon’s head.

———-