Chapter 396

Ma Gwang-ryang was wearing a cuirass beneath his clothes.

It was a masterpiece forged by a master craftsman of the Subterranean City—so sturdy that even the attacks of most monsters couldn’t leave a scratch.

That cuirass had saved Ma Gwang-ryang’s life more than once.

Even on the long, uncertain journey from the Subterranean City to Neo Seoul, it had been his greatest protection.

But at this very moment, that cuirass could do nothing for him.

The fine grains of sand, spinning violently, had burrowed through the seams and scraped against his flesh.

Countless scratches were carved into skin tougher than steel.

It felt as if invisible insects were gnawing away at his muscles.

Crunch-crunch-crunch!

The sand spinning wildly around him made it impossible to open his eyes.

If he dared to, those cursed particles would surely shred his eyeballs to bits.

Ma Gwang-ryang’s face twisted like a beast’s.

“Graaah!”

Boom!

With a feral roar, he let out a ki burst. The energy locked within his body exploded outward.

It was one of his signature skills—Explosive Flame Qi.

A martial art passed down through generations in his family, now magnified dozens of times through Awakening.

Like a volcanic eruption, the force burst from within and blasted away the sand swirling around him.

For a split second, a vacuum opened around his body.

Ma Gwang-ryang seized the fleeting opportunity and charged at Zeon.

Fwoosh!

A dragon spiraled around his cheongryongdo.

A dragon formed from pure ki.

“Haah! Fierce Dragon Shatters Mountains!”

With a roar, Ma Gwang-ryang launched the ki-dragon straight at Zeon.

KRAAAH!

A massive dragon flew at him, jaws wide open.

Rather than fear, Zeon felt a strange sense of wonder.

He had never seen a skill manifest quite like this before.

But he couldn’t afford to marvel for long.

Zeon immediately fired off Sand Vipers.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Dozens of Sand Vipers collided with the dragon and exploded on contact.

Each individual Sand Viper wasn’t particularly powerful, but in numbers, the story changed.

With repeated collisions, the dragon’s size and force began to shrink noticeably—until it vanished altogether.

“Grrgh!”

Ma Gwang-ryang’s face twisted in frustration.

He hadn’t expected his finishing move to be broken so easily.

He quickly backed away, trying to brace for Zeon’s next strike. But, unfortunately for him, the ground he retreated onto was thick with sand.

He probably thought it was a coincidence—but it wasn’t.

Zeon had discreetly shifted the sand into position.

The moment Ma Gwang-ryang’s ankles sank into the sand, Zeon spoke.

“Claymore.”

KA-KA-KABOOM!

The sand beneath Ma Gwang-ryang detonated.

Caught in the blast, he let out a bone-chilling scream.

“GAAAAH!”

Pain ripped through him like his body was being torn apart.

A momentary blackout seized him.

When he came to, he was lying face-down on the ground.

A blazing pain surged up from his lower body.

He frantically looked down—and found his shins were gone.

Everything below the knees had been blown clean off in the Claymore explosion.

“Ggh!”

In unbearable agony, he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

Looking up with bloodshot eyes, he growled at Zeon.

“Y-You...!”

“What’s your purpose in entering Neo Seoul?”

“You dare... wound my body…”

“How many allies came with you?”

“I will never forgive you.”

“Let’s not make this harder than it has to be.”

“I said I won’t forgive you!”

“Tch.”

Zeon clicked his tongue at the useless exchange.

Crack!

Suddenly, Ma Gwang-ryang’s body began to change.

His already massive frame grew even larger. His arms swelled until they looked ready to burst.

Hair sprouted all over his body, covering him head to toe in seconds.

The transformation made him resemble a giant gorilla.

Zeon furrowed his brow at the drastic shift.

“What the...? A beastkin?”

“GRRRAGH! Don’t lump me in with those filthy animals!”

Ma Gwang-ryang roared in rage and charged.

“Not a beastkin, huh?”

Zeon stepped back and examined him closely. That’s when something familiar caught his eye.

A white patch of fur running in a V-shape across the chest.

It was a trait he had heard of—one that belonged to Crescent Gorillas.

A monster native to the far northeast, known for its monstrous strength—capable of tearing smaller beasts apart in seconds.

Their agility was so fearsome that once marked by one in the desert, escape was impossible.

None of the beastkin Zeon had ever encountered bore the marks of a Crescent Gorilla.

Ma Gwang-ryang charged with arms thicker than tree trunks.

Thankfully, even though his body had transformed into that of a Crescent Gorilla, the legs that had been blown off by the Claymore hadn’t regenerated.

“How peculiar.”

“What’s peculiar? This isn’t just peculiar—it’s extraordinary! GRAAAGH!”

With a roar, Ma Gwang-ryang slammed both hands into the ground and launched himself into the air. He aimed both massive fists at Zeon’s head.

But Zeon was already gone.

He had moved with Sand Stride.

BOOM!

The impact of Ma Gwang-ryang’s fists left an enormous crater in the ground.

The raw force was overwhelming.

Zeon soared into the air atop a wave of sand, looking down on the carnage below.

“YOU BASTARD!”

Ma Gwang-ryang looked up and slammed his hands against the ground again, launching himself upward.

Zeon responded by unleashing more Sand Vipers.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

“They don’t even tickle.”

The Sand Vipers exploded all over his body—but disintegrated harmlessly.

A Crescent Gorilla’s fur had incredible defensive properties.

Each strand was as tough as steel, with tremendous elasticity. Regular attacks didn’t work.

Ma Gwang-ryang powered through the blasts and threw a punch at Zeon.

Just before it connected, Zeon leapt higher.

His fist cut through empty air.

“Stop dodging!”

“You know, you talk way too much. And when you talk too much—sand tends to get in your mouth.”

“What?!”

Swoooosh!

In that moment, sand rushed into Ma Gwang-ryang’s open mouth.

He hurriedly shut it, but it was too late. A considerable amount had already entered.

His pupils trembled.

“No... don’t tell me...”

“Oh, it’s that. Sand Mixer.”

With a cold smile, Zeon activated the skill.

The sand inside Ma Gwang-ryang’s body began to spin violently.

His fur might’ve been stronger than steel on the outside—but inside, there was no such protection.

The swirling grains tore through his internal organs in seconds.

Ma Gwang-ryang trembled, mouth agape.

Not a single scream escaped him.

His vocal cords had already been shredded.

His stomach, intestines—everything was ground to pulp.

No matter how strong a monster was, survival was impossible without vital organs.

Ma Gwang-ryang was no exception.

The massive body that had soared to strike Zeon came crashing down at terrifying speed.

BOOM!

With a thunderous crash, he slammed into the ground.

Only then did Zeon exhale softly and float gently back to the earth.

Ma Gwang-ryang was dead.

But even in death, he didn’t return to his human form. His body remained that of a Crescent Gorilla.

“…What the?”

Zeon stared at the corpse, perplexed.

It was strange enough that a perfectly normal human had transformed into a Crescent Gorilla—but even stranger that death hadn’t reversed it.

Then—

“This way!”

“Wait—isn’t that Zeon?!”

Awakened from the Goblin Market came rushing in, panting from the chase.

They glanced back and forth between Zeon and the corpse, clearly confused.

Naturally so—Ma Gwang-ryang was nowhere to be found. All they saw was the body of a massive Crescent Gorilla.

“Wait… this isn’t right.”

“What’s a monster doing here?”

Given that most monsters avoided Neo Seoul due to its anti-magic barrier, none of it made sense.

“Looks like we’ll need an explanation.”

Just then, a beautiful woman stepped forward through the crowd.

It was Yoo Sehee, the Guild Leader of the Goblin Market.

She had arrived late, having begun pursuit alongside the Black Lion.

Zeon turned to her and said,

“It’s him.”

“Him?”

“This is the body of the man who caused the commotion in the Goblin Market.”

“What are you saying? Are you telling me a human turned into a monster?”

“Yes.”

“For real?”

“Yes.”

“Shit.”

Yoo Sehee crouched beside the corpse and cursed.

Looking closer, she spotted shattered pieces of cuirass and tattered clothing beneath the fur.

Nearby, the massive cheongryongdo lay discarded.

Clear signs he had once been human.

“It’s real. How the hell…?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

“Do you know anything?”

“I believe he’s connected to the Awakened from Sichuan.”

“What do you mean?”

Yoo Sehee frowned in confusion.

She still didn’t know about Jang Woo-hang.

Only a select few in Neo Seoul were aware of his existence.

Zeon explained.

“So, an Awakened from this Subterranean City place just happened to drift into Neo Seoul?”

“Yes.”

“And he claimed to have lost all his comrades?”

“Yes.”

“He lied.”

“Seems that way.”

“How did you spot this guy?”

“He smelled like Jang Woo-hang.”

“Not a literal smell, I assume? Just... a feeling?”

“Yes.”

Yoo Sehee studied the corpse with a grim expression.

But with her limited knowledge, she couldn’t fathom how a human could turn into a Crescent Gorilla.

If it weren’t for Zeon, she wouldn’t have believed it at all.

“Those bastards... killing our people and trying to sell stolen goods in the Goblin Market?!”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t know? That Ghost Beetle shell he tried to sell—he got it by murdering our couriers.”

Team One, led by Kim Jin-soo, had returned at full speed the night before. After hearing his report, Yoo Sehee had instructed all merchants not to buy any Ghost Beetle shells without reporting to the Guild.

That’s why the shopkeeper stalled and interrogated the seller.

“We’ll take the body. The specialists might learn something from it.”

“Go ahead.”

“Those sons of bitches. Outsiders come into our turf and stir up trouble? We won’t let this slide.”

Yoo Sehee ground her teeth, radiating killing intent.

Zeon said,

“If you find anything, let me know.”

“Got it.”

“Something’s not right. These intruders... we’d better tighten our defenses.”

“Don’t worry.”

Zeon scanned the area.

The commotion had drawn the slum residents out into the streets, watching from every corner.

Zeon narrowed his eyes.

‘If this guy had allies, they’re definitely hiding among them.’