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Chapter 224

Zeon’s group and Jang Yong-beom’s party left the battlefield where they fought the Orcs and began their journey back to Neo Seoul.

The Orcs that had gathered under Orca’s banner had scattered completely, leaving no trace behind.

Thanks to this, Zeon’s group and Jang Yong-beom’s party were able to travel peacefully for several days without facing any threats.

As the sun began to set, Zeon spoke up.

“Let’s rest here for today.”

“Let’s do that.”

Jang Yong-beom readily agreed with a nod.

In this group, Zeon was the guide.

He determined the direction and decided when and where to take breaks.

Jang Yong-beom followed Zeon’s decisions without question.

He knew it was the wisest choice.

There was no better guide than Zeon in this desert.

No navigator could match Zeon’s skills.

As long as they rested where Zeon suggested, they would never be attacked by monsters.

After a simple meal, the groups sat separately.

Though they were traveling together, it didn’t mean they completely trusted each other.

They all knew that fully trusting someone in the desert was foolish. As a result, there were no hard feelings about keeping their distance.

“Hah!”

Eloy sighed as she sat on a sand dune.

Her gaze fell on her wrist.

Hidden from sight was a red rank insignia.

Five red stripes indicating her rank as a B-rank Awakened.

It was a rank she could take pride in, but she wasn’t satisfied with it.

“To protect Mandy, I need to become even stronger.”

It was an obvious statement—Eloy and Mandy were one and the same.

Eloy’s personality was created to protect Mandy’s fragile mind. Once they reached Neo Seoul, Mandy’s personality would resurface.

Everything in Neo Seoul required careful handling.

It was too difficult for Eloy to manage alone.

That’s why she willingly yielded control of the body to Mandy.

Mandy would be the primary personality in charge, but that didn’t mean Eloy was completely dormant.

She would observe everything from behind Mandy.

She simply wouldn’t intervene.

For the sake of both Mandy and herself, she needed to grow stronger. But she had hit a wall in her growth.

Not all Awakeneds progress at the same rate.

Some awaken at low ranks but quickly rise to higher ranks, while others start at high ranks but never grow any further.

Just because someone works hard doesn’t mean they’ll reach a high rank.

Every Awakened has their own limits.

Those with larger capacities become S-rank.

Like Lee Ji-ryeong or Jang Yong-beom.

Those with smaller capacities get stuck at E-rank or F-rank, no matter how hard they try.

Luckily, Eloy’s potential as an Awakened wasn’t small. But she had reached her limit at B-rank. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t push past it.

“How can I break through this wall?”

It was so vague and unclear that she didn’t even know which direction to take.

It felt like she was lost in a fog where she couldn’t see even a step ahead.

At that moment, a voice as reassuring as a guiding light reached her.

“Do you want to break through that wall?”

“Huh?”

Eloy jumped in surprise and turned around.

Zeon was standing silently behind her.

He had approached without a sound.

If Zeon had been an enemy, she would have been dead by now.

She knew he was strong, but she couldn’t even begin to guess the extent of his power.

Not only were his abilities as a Sand Mage far superior, but his skills as a fighter were also better than hers.

She had never encountered an Awakened like him before.

Eloy forced a bitter smile as she responded.

“If I could break through the wall just because I wanted to, how great would that be? But both you and I know it’s impossible.”

“I’m asking about your resolve.”

“If it’s possible, of course I want to break through. Why, can you help me grow like you did for Levin?”

“It’s beyond my ability. Levin is naturally gifted enough to reach S-rank. But you…”

“I know! My limit is B-rank at best. Maybe I could reach A-rank if I really push, but I can’t see the way forward.”

Eloy admitted her limitations honestly, and it made her feel a bit lighter.

Zeon handed her a small stone.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a Mana Stone extracted from the Orc Great Chieftain.”

“This?!”

Eloy’s eyes trembled.

Mana Stones could be obtained from monsters as well.

Of course, the quality and quantity of mana within these stones far exceeded those mined from a Mana Stone Mines. But she had never seen a stone this vibrant and glowing red before.

“It’s likely to contain some kind of skill.”

“A skill-containing Mana Stone?”

“More accurately, it might contain the seed or trigger to awaken a skill.”

“Is that really possible?”

Eloy looked incredulous.

“It is. That’s how I acquired one of my skills.”

“Oh my God!”

Eloy instinctively covered her mouth with both hands. She couldn’t suppress a scream of excitement.

Unlike Mana Stones from mines, some Mana Stones extracted from monsters carried the essence of the monster.

Absorbing such Mana Stones could sometimes grant a skill.

Naturally, the higher the monster’s rank, the better the skill contained within the Mana Stone. However, the chances were so slim that it was rare for an Awakened to obtain a good skill this way.

It was impossible to know if this Mana Stone contained a skill.

It could potentially grant a powerful skill, or it could give her a useless one.

If she were lucky enough to acquire a skill that matched her, it would be a blessing. But if she ended up with a trash skill, it could ruin her existing skills.

Zeon asked.

“The choice is yours. What will you do?”

“I’ll absorb the Mana Stone.”

“I’ll say it again—you could end up with a trash skill. It might ruin all the skills you’ve developed so far.”

“I’m aware. But I’m still going to absorb it.”

“Alright. If that’s your resolve…”

Zeon handed her the Mana Stone.

Eloy tightly gripped the stone in her hand.

A fiery energy radiated from her palm.

Even without Zeon’s guidance, she instinctively knew how to absorb this energy.

She closed her eyes and began drawing the mana from the stone.

“Ugh!”

A torrent of energy surged into her body through her hand.

The fiery energy roamed wildly inside her, tearing through her insides.

She tried to control it, but it was no use.

“Aaagh!”

Eloy collapsed, screaming. But her cries didn’t reach Jang Yong-beom’s party.

Zeon used mana to contain her screams, preventing them from escaping.

Eloy writhed on the ground in agony, her entire body burning.

She wanted to let go of the stone, but it was as if it were magnetically attached to her hand.

Eloy eventually passed out while still clutching the Mana Stone.

Even as she lay unconscious, the intense energy from the stone continued pouring into her.

Zeon silently watched Eloy.

Having gone through the same process to gain a skill, he knew exactly how much pain she was enduring.

Zeon had absorbed the Mana Stone from the Hydra, the guardian of the Gold Dragon, to reach A-rank.

The skill he gained back then was Super Regeneration.

Thanks to it, no matter how severe his injuries, he could recover quickly.

One of the reasons Zeon survived alone in the desert for eight years was because of this Super Regeneration skill.

At that moment—

Eloy’s lifeless fingers twitched.

‘Looks like she’s gained a skill.’

A moment later, Eloy took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

“Haah! Am I still alive?”

“Seems like it.”

“Damn it! I really thought I was going to die.”

“You seem pretty intact for someone who thought they were dying.”

“Do I?”

Eloy propped herself up and stood.

She straightened her back and closed her eyes to sense her inner self. Immediately, she noticed a new flow of mana within her.

‘This is…?’

Though no one explained it to her, she instinctively understood what kind of skill it was.

“Mass increase?”

It was the same skill that had been imbued in Orca’s battle axe, Teratan.

Interestingly, instead of inheriting Orca’s original skill, Eloy had inherited the skill from his weapon.

This was the first time such a thing had happened.

The question was whether the mass increase skill would be compatible with Eloy’s existing skills.

Eloy’s answer was simple.

“It’s good.”

Like Teratan, it increased her mass tenfold.

With that, she could maximize the power of her Mad Gumiho skill.

The problem was whether her body could handle the extreme mass increase.

Fortunately, that issue was quickly resolved.

The sixth stripe on her wrist was now glowing.

It was the mark of an A-rank Awakened.

Eloy muttered in disbelief.

“I broke through the wall this easily?”

“It wasn’t easy. It’s the result of all your hard work finally paying off. The Orc Great Chieftain’s skill was just the trigger that set off the explosion.”

“Oh!”

“In any case, congratulations on becoming an A-rank Awakened.”

“Thank you! I’ll never forget this favor.”

“Everyone’s waiting, so let’s head down now.”

“Okay!”

Eloy nodded and followed Zeon.

* * *

Jang Yong-beom tilted his head in curiosity.

His gaze was fixed on Eloy.

‘Something seems different about her.’

She had gone up to the sand dune last night and didn’t come down for a while, and now her atmosphere had changed.

The look in her eyes and the energy she exuded were different from before.

It was clear that she had undergone a significant change.

‘Did her rank go up? That easily?’

Now that he was S-rank, he could sense other Awakeneds’ conditions.

Though he couldn’t determine exact numbers, he could gauge their general level.

‘What kind of magic did he use on her?’

Jang Yong-beom’s gaze shifted to Zeon.

Zeon was walking ahead, cutting through the sandstorm.

The only reason Eloy’s rank could have changed was Zeon.

Jang Yong-beom wondered what kind of method Zeon had used to raise Eloy’s rank.

“Tsk! Looks like he’s still hiding a lot. I wonder how much more he’s got up his sleeve.”

“What do you mean, Leader?”

“Nothing.”

“Really?”

Giselle, who was walking beside him, tilted her head in confusion.

Just then, Aiden shouted out.

“Hey! It’s the Mana Stone Mines!”

“What?”

“Over there!”

Aiden pointed toward a distant rocky mountain.

The familiar sight made everyone cheer.

“It really is the Mana Stone Mines!”

“We finally made it.”

“Woohoo!”

Among them, Brielle and Levin felt emotions beyond words.

After being betrayed during the dungeon raid with Lee Ji-ryeong’s Pegasus team, fighting against the Red Storm and the Orc Great Chieftain\'s army, and enduring countless hardships, they were finally returning to civilization. It was a feeling they couldn’t fully express.

Zeon murmured to himself.

‘I’ll see you soon, Lee Ji-ryeong!’

He was someone who never forgets, be it either a favor or a grudge.