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The surface of the Cauldron of Siela was cracking.

It was as if the rust that had wrapped around the cauldron was peeling off.

With the rust removed, the cauldron emitted an even more intense light.

The pure white light emanating from the Cauldron of Siela had a holy feeling to it.

It felt as if simply being exposed to the light would erase all sins.

Brielle was engulfed in the light.

With her eyes closed, Brielle hugging the Cauldron of Siela, looked almost divine.

Zeon silently watched Brielle.

He didn’t know about the cauldron or the light it emitted, but he could easily guess that he shouldn’t interrupt this moment.

The light disappeared after quite a while.

“Hah!”

Brielle let out a deep breath she had been holding and stood up. She was still hugging the Cauldron of Siela.

The Cauldron of Siela had changed significantly.

The shabby appearance was completely gone, replaced by an antique design intricately carved into the surface.

A faint aura of silver was emanating from the golden body.

It was clear at a glance that it was a rare item.

This was the Cauldron of Siela in its true form.

A treasure of the High Elves that was lost when it crossed over to Earth.

Using the Cauldron of Siela, the efficiency of alchemy increases by at least twice. The success rate becomes that much higher.

For Brielle, it was truly the greatest treasure.

Brielle, holding the Cauldron of Siela, had also changed in some way.

Though her appearance hadn’t changed much, her eyes and aura seemed much deeper, making her look significantly more mature.

That wasn’t the only change.

‘She has grown.’

When Zeon first met Brielle, she was only an E-rank Awakened.

Being trapped underground, making drugs every day, her abilities had stagnated.

But after meeting Zeon, her abilities had grown explosively.

With no concerns about materials and freely conducting research and experiments, her skills had grown as rapidly as bamboo.

Until a short while ago, her rank was C-rank.

That alone was a remarkable growth.

But now her rank had become B-rank.

It had risen in an instant.

Everything was thanks to the Cauldron of Siela.

The Cauldron of Siela had awakened because of Brielle, and Brielle’s rank had risen as she connected spiritually with the Cauldron of Siela.

The Cauldron of Siela could now be used only by Brielle, a High Elf.

Brielle said to Zeon.

“Thank you! Thanks to you, I’ve reclaimed a treasure of the High Elves.”

“You found it yourself. If I had it, it would have been a useless piece of junk.”

Zeon thought that the treasure had found its rightful owner.

Had he kept it, the Cauldron of Siela would never have shown its true form.

It was an item symbolizing a race.

The criteria for choosing its owner were that strict. Brielle had met those criteria and was chosen.

What to make with the Cauldron of Siela was Brielle’s choice.

Whatever she made would undoubtedly be far superior to any existing items.

‘With this, she’ll surely attract attention in Neo Seoul.’

The difference between C-rank and B-rank may be only one rank, but the gap was immense.

It wasn’t for nothing that B-rank was classified as a high-ranking Awakened.

Most Awakeneds never surpass this wall and remain at C-rank.

B-rank alchemists were extremely rare even in Neo Seoul.

Items made with the Cauldron of Siela would certainly have performance superior to those made by ordinary alchemists.

If such items hit the market, they would surely attract attention in Neo Seoul.

‘This is going to be troublesome.’

Zeon let out a light sigh.

The troublesome matters could be dealt with later.

He suddenly remembered another item stored in the spatial dimension.

The mineral obtained from Park Man-ho’s vault.

Remembering, he took out the mineral from the spatial dimension.

At that moment, the Cauldron of Siela, held by Brielle, reacted.

Woom!

It suddenly emitted a resonant sound.

In response, a faint light flowed from the mineral.

Zeon furrowed his brow as he looked at the mineral.

The light alternated between faint and strong.

It looked like the heartbeat of a living being.

Brielle, surprised, widened her eyes.

“What is this?”

“Do you know what this item is?”

“No! It’s the first time I’ve seen such an item. But the Cauldron of Siela is reacting to it. It seems like it’s happy to meet an old friend.”

The energy Brielle felt from the Cauldron of Siela was one of joy.

It was as if the Cauldron of Siela was overjoyed to meet a long-lost parent, like a baby bird meeting its mother.

But she couldn’t determine what it was.

The pulsing of the mineral soon stopped and returned to its original ordinary appearance. The Cauldron of Siela also ceased reacting.

“This is definitely not an ordinary item. Do you want to keep it?”

“No! It doesn’t seem like something I can handle. I think it’s better for you to keep it.”

“Will you not regret it?”

“No!”

“Then I’ll keep it for now.”

Zeon put the mineral back into the spatial dimension.

Brielle asked.

“By the way, where did you get these items?”

“From the casino!”

“You gamble too, Zeon?”

“No, friends who work at the casino gave them to me.”

“Really?”

“They’re good friends. They always take care of such things for me.”

“Grateful friends. You should thank them.”

“Yeah! I’m just thankful.”

Brielle and Zeon exchanged meaningful smiles as they looked at each other.

That was enough.

* * *

Grgrgrg!

With a heavy sound, a giant iron door was opening.

Coming through the open door were giant armored vehicles and escort buggies.

They were the NSSC (Neo Seoul Service Corps), one of the special awakened units directly under the mayor.

The NSSC was an elite unit composed entirely of B-rank and C-rank Awakeneds.

Though not as formidable as the Numbers, which were the mayor’s execution squad, they too possessed considerable strength.

Neo Seoul provided the NSSC with top-notch equipment and armaments.

Unlike the Numbers, the NSSC’s advantage was that they could be deployed whenever needed.

The city deployed the NSSC to transport the top-grade Mana Stones.

The armored vehicles they brought were designed to withstand even A-rank monster attacks, integrating Neo Seoul’s scientific and magical advancements.

The NSSC was divided into three teams.

Since they were all B-rank and C-rank, their numbers were naturally limited.

Today, the deployed team was the 2nd team.

The leader of the 2nd team was Ji Sang-woo.

A man with short black hair and black eyes.

He had a special firearm designed for monster use slung over his shoulder and carried a pair of 60 cm-long daggers on his thighs.

The duel skills he wielded with the two daggers were especially powerful in close combat.

Ji Sang-woo, who got out of the armored vehicle, lit a cigarette. Another NSSC Awakened held his finger to the cigarette.

Fwoosh!

The cigarette was instantly lit.

Ji Sang-woo looked at him with a look of disbelief and said,

“Damn it! Who told you to light the cigarette?”

“Haha! What can I do if my magic is faster than the team leader’s old lighter?”

“Damn it! Using a precious fire-element Awakened just to light a cigarette. The captain will kill me if he finds out.”

“How would the captain in Neo Seoul know?”

“Enough, check the top-grade Mana Stone.”

“Yes!”

The Awakened playfully saluted and then headed to the warehouse with his subordinates.

Ji Sang-woo, left alone, looked around the Mana Stone Mines.

The faces of people surprised by the appearance of the NSSC were visible.

Miners looked on with curiosity, and merchants with greedy eyes.

There were also some who appeared to be Awakeneds mixed in.

‘If given the chance, they’ll turn into scavengers.’

Some of them might be in contact with real scavengers.

Everyone in the Mana Stone Mines was a potential looter.

It was a place where one could be robbed in the blink of an eye if they let their guard down.

The Mana Stone Mines was such a place.

Not a moment of relaxation could be allowed.

After a while, his subordinates arrived with the armored vehicles.

“Wow! This is amazing.”

“This is the biggest Mana Stone I’ve ever seen.”

The subordinates opened the back door of the armored vehicle and showed the top-grade Mana Stone to Ji Sang-woo.

“Damn! It’s insane.”

Ji Sang-woo’s mouth dropped open at the overwhelming size of the top-grade Mana Stone.

One top-grade Mana Stone filled the interior of the armored vehicle. The majestic flow of mana emanating from the top-grade Mana Stone was dizzying.

“Is that why you deployed us just to transport one Mana Stone?”

“This one stone can solve Neo Seoul’s power needs for a year, right? There will definitely be many who covet it.”

“Especially since the subspaces and Awakeneds are all deployed elsewhere… Stay sharp. Flies will definitely come.”

“Yes!”

“Move with the armored vehicle in the center and form a diamond formation. Everyone, let’s go!”

At Ji Sang-woo’s command, the 2nd team members mounted the armored vehicles and buggies in unison.

Without any hesitation, they left the Mana Stone Mines.

Watching from a distance, Brielle clicked her tongue.

“They came and left like lightning.”

“That’s the NSSC’s motto. To achieve the mission efficiently before the enemies can intervene.”

Eloy, who knew well about the NSSC’s nature, explained kindly.

She had also been on missions with the NSSC a few times.

Every time, the NSSC performed the mission efficiently, leaving Eloy in awe.

It was no different now.

They quickly moved, avoiding giving unknown enemies time to prepare an ambush. They moved at a speed that the enemies could not possibly catch up to.

Levin, crossing his arms, said.

“Cool! Aren’t they totally manly?”

“Why, do you want to join the NSSC? If you want, I can recommend you.”

“No, thank you.”

“Why?”

“If I join such a place, I won’t be able to act freely. Then I can’t search for that ‘bastard’ either.”

“Oh!”

Eloy realized that the ‘bastard’ Levin was referring to was the murderer who killed his family.

Eloy, feeling a bit awkward, turned her gaze away.

Levin, on the other hand, didn’t care about Eloy’s reaction.

‘It’s not far now.’

Once they leave the Mana Stone Mines, Neo Seoul will be soon.

Levin planned to resume tracking the murderer as soon as he returned to Neo Seoul.

Though he was only a C-rank Awakened before leaving Neo Seoul, he was now a B-rank.

He was confident he could overcome any obstacles that appeared.

Levin’s gaze suddenly fell on Zeon.

Zeon was talking seriously with a man named Will.

After a while, Will returned to his original place, and Zeon approached them.

“What’s going on, hyung?”

“Information came from the Goblin Market. It seems that Lee Ji-ryeong knows I’ve returned.”

“Already?”

“He warned me to be careful as he might do something.”

“That’s right. If his actions in the dungeon are revealed, his reputation will drop.”

Levin felt a tingling sensation in his nose.

A sense of impending danger was already creeping in. However, Zeon, who spoke, had a calm expression.

“Are you going to be okay, hyung?”

“Worrying in advance won’t solve anything.”

“That may be true, but…”

“Don’t worry. I won’t be caught twice.”

It’s possible to be caught once without knowing.

If one gets caught twice while knowing, they are either absent-minded or a complete fool.

Zeon was neither absent-minded nor a fool. And he didn’t easily forget grudges.

———