Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 251

“You arrogant…”

Provoked by Eloy’s taunt, the Awakened swung a punch at her.

The mechanical arm itself was a fearsome weapon, but Eloy, unfazed, rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the Awakened’s fist.

Tightening her grip, she braced her legs against his side and neck for support and applied pressure.

Crrrrunch!

“Argh!”

The mechanized Awakened’s arm was ripped from its shoulder.

The metal frame tore apart like paper, and the severed wires dangled loosely. Oil gushed from the exposed joint like blood from a wound.

Eloy waved the dismembered mechanical arm and spoke.

“What’s this? You can feel pain even in your mechanical parts?”

“You damn b—!”

“Are you a parrot? Is that the only thing you can say?”

“I’ll kill you.”

The mechanized Awakened, now missing an arm, charged at Eloy like a raging bull.

“Hmph!”

Eloy scoffed.

In the past, she might have found such an attack a bit threatening.

Despite being a half-elf and a martial art awakened, the physical attacks of a mechanized Awakened were nothing to scoff at.

But now, she was no longer the same as before.

Thanks to Zeon’s help, her rank had risen, and this kind of charge was no longer a threat.

Eloy extended her hand and grabbed the Awakened by the head.

Thunk!

“Urgh!”

Despite the overwhelming size difference, the Awakened’s charge was stopped in its tracks.

A look of disbelief crossed his face.

In combat, the most important factor was size.

If the size difference was significant, a lighter opponent could be overpowered with sheer strength.

It was no accident that heavyweights often dominated lighter fighters.

The Awakened believed that he could compensate for any difference in rank with his size, but at this moment, that belief was being shattered.

By a slender woman, no less.

No matter how much he struggled, Eloy’s arm didn’t budge an inch.

A twisted smile appeared on her lips.

“What’s wrong? Did you think that by decking yourself out in machinery, you could easily crush someone like me? Too bad for you, I’m a bit heavier than I look.”

Eloy’s weight was currently ten times heavier than normal.

Mass Increase.

It was a skill she had gained after consuming the Magic Stone of the Orc Chieftain.

Her body was now much heavier than the mechanized Awakened made of metal.

“Grrr!”

As the mechanized Awakened’s face twisted in agony, Eloy struck his chest with her palm.

Bang!

An immense force struck the Awakened’s chest.

His body, made of special metal, crumpled like scrap, and the engine that powered his mana was shattered.

“Ugh!”

The Awakened’s massive body collapsed.

Eloy casually pushed his head aside as he fell.

Thud!

With a dull crash, the Awakened hit the floor.

Eloy didn’t spare him a glance and turned her gaze to the other two Awakened.

“What are you waiting for? Not going to fight?”

“Damn it!”

“Who the hell are you?”

The Awakened hesitated, glancing at each other nervously.

In that instant, Eloy leapt forward.

Crack!

Her knee slammed into the face of the Awakened on the left.

With her weight increased tenfold, his face was completely caved in.

Without losing momentum, Eloy spun midair and struck the other Awakened’s temple with her elbow.

Boom!

With a resounding crash, the Awakened collapsed.

His eyes rolled back, clearly knocked unconscious by the blow.

Eloy’s attacks were that powerful.

Having advanced to an A-rank, combined with the broken skill of Mass Increase, each of her strikes carried the force of a high-level skill.

No matter how mechanized an Awakened was, they couldn’t withstand her attacks. Moreover, she focused on the one area they couldn’t mechanize—their heads.

It was no surprise that the slow, mechanized Awakened couldn’t keep up with Eloy.

With dull thuds, the defeated mechanized Awakened lay unconscious.

Eloy looked down at their limp bodies and spoke coldly.

“I told you before, didn’t I? I’m a City Hall Supervisor.”

She glanced around.

The mechanized Awakened who had supported the three fallen ones were standing awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

They had been utterly overwhelmed by Eloy’s unexpected display of power.

Eloy surveyed them and said.

“Anyone else want to try?”

“…”

“Yeah, I thought so. Just because you’re covered in metal doesn’t mean you’re invincible.”

Some of the mechanized Awakened bristled at her words, but none dared to rush forward.

They were all too intimidated by Eloy’s strength.

It was then.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Applause echoed as someone descended the hotel stairs.

It was a gentleman, impeccably dressed in a fine suit.

With thick eyebrows and deep-set eyes, his hair was perfectly slicked back, not a strand out of place, giving him a cold, calculated appearance.

The man clapped as he approached Eloy.

“Impressive. The Choi brothers are notorious troublemakers in this area, yet you took them down so easily. Truly remarkable.”

“And who might you be?”

“Oh, I apologize for the late introduction. I’m Kim Moo-young, the owner of this hotel.”

“The owner? Of this hotel?”

“Yes.”

“But you’re not mechanized?”

Despite Eloy’s provocative tone, Kim Moo-young didn’t show the slightest hint of displeasure.

“Yes, I am a pure human.”

“How does a pure human run a hotel in the Western District?”

“Running a hotel has nothing to do with being Awakened or not.”

“Then run it properly. Letting people like them in lowers the quality of the place.”

“My apologies. This happened while I was occupied with other matters. I’ll ensure this kind of incident doesn’t happen again. As an apology, allow me to treat you to dinner, Supervisor.”

Kim Moo-young bowed courteously, catching Eloy off guard.

She hadn’t expected to encounter such a person in the Western District.

He was the type of man who could maintain composure and courtesy even in a chaotic situation, which only served to further disarm his opponents.

At that moment, Zeon spoke up.

“We’ll accept your offer.”

“I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of learning your name. May I ask?”

“Zeon.”

“Ah, Zeon…”

Kim Moo-young’s eyes sharpened the moment he heard the name.

Recognizing Zeon immediately, his expression shifted before he broke into a wide smile.

“Haha! What an honor. I never imagined I’d have the pleasure of hosting you at my hotel.”

“The pleasure is ours. Though I do wonder… is there anywhere here where we can actually eat? From what I’ve seen…”

After all, this was a hotel catered to mechanized Awakened.

It didn’t seem likely they’d have food fit for humans.

Kim Moo-young chuckled heartily.

“Haha! The Western District is still home to humans. In fact, there are hundreds, if not thousands, more pure humans here than mechanized Awakeneds. Naturally, we have food for them.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

“Please, follow me. There’s a restaurant for humans on the top floor of the hotel.”

Kim Moo-young led the group to the elevator.

The elevator swiftly carried them to the top floor.

Just as Kim Moo-young had said, there was indeed a restaurant for humans, and several patrons were already enjoying their meals.

Kim Moo-young guided the three to the best table in the house.

It offered a stunning view of the Western District.

As they sat, Kim Moo-young spoke.

“Our hotel is particularly known for its steaks. We use real beef, not lab-grown meat.”

“Then I’ll have the steak, please.”

“Certainly.”

Kim Moo-young called over the maitre d' and ordered four steaks.

The maitre d', like Kim Moo-young, was a pure human.

Brielle, full of curiosity, remarked.

“There are no mechanized Awakened here?”

“Haha! As I mentioned, this is a restaurant for pure humans. If mechanized Awakened were serving, it would make the human customers uncomfortable. That’s why all the staff here are pure humans.”

“I like that.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Miss Brielle.”

“Huh? You know my name?”

“Of course. You’re always by Zeon’s side, after all. It would be strange not to know.”

“Oh, I see. Hehe!”

Brielle giggled, finding it amusing and a little delightful that she was recognized.

Kim Moo-young was a master of hospitality.

He smoothly led the conversation and kept the atmosphere light and engaging.

After some time, he finally broached the main topic.

“So, what brings the three of you to the Western District? I doubt there’s much here that would interest you.”

“We’re looking for someone.”

“Someone?”

“Yes, a man named Levin…”

“Ah, Levin? I’ve heard the name before. But why would you be looking for him here, in the Western District?”

Kim Moo-young asked, his expression genuinely puzzled.

It seemed like he truly didn’t know anything.

“Levin came to the Western District looking for someone.”

“Ah, so you’re starting with the hotels.”

“Do you know if Levin has stayed here?”

“I’ll ask the maitre d' to check. But as far as I recall, he hasn’t. I would’ve remembered if a pure human stayed here.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Since most of our guests are mechanized Awakened, any pure human guest would stand out.”

“I see.”

Zeon nodded, finding the explanation reasonable.

A short while later, the maitre d' returned with the guest registry.

Levin’s name wasn’t on it.

“As I thought, he hasn’t stayed here. I’ll contact other hotels to check if he’s stayed with them.”

“Thank you. But I am curious—why are you being so kind to us?”

“Haha! One of you is a Sand Mage, another is a City Hall Supervisor, and then we have a lovely young lady with you. There are plenty of reasons to be kind.”

Kim Moo-young smiled warmly as he spoke.

Zeon stared at him intently.

‘He’s obsessed with being a pure human.’

From the beginning, Kim Moo-young had repeatedly emphasized the words ‘pure human.’

In a district dominated by mechanized Awakened, he seemed excessively focused on the fact that he was human. And yet, he didn’t seem to realize this about himself.

It was clear that Kim Moo-young took great pride in being a pure human, and that pride showed in his every word.

Zeon posed a question.

“How did you come to be the owner of this hotel?”

“You’re asking how a pure human rose to such a position? Is that it?”

“That’s right.”

“I have a personal connection with Kim Hyun-soo, the King of the West.”

“You both have the same surname, ‘Kim.’ Are you related?”

“Haha! ‘Kim’ is the most common surname among Koreans. We’re not related at all.”

“So how did you get acquainted?”

“My mother was a healer. She treated Kim Hyun-soo when he was injured. That’s how we got connected, and he’s been looking out for me ever since.”

“A healer? But can healers’ magic work on mechanized Awakened?”

Zeon raised an eyebrow in confusion.

When a mechanized Awakened is damaged, it’s called a ‘malfunction,’ not an injury.

Their broken parts are replaced with functioning ones, so they don’t typically need healers.

Healers were already rare, but in the Western District, they were almost unheard of.

Instead of answering directly, Kim Moo-young lifted his wine glass.

The deep red liquid swirled inside the glass.

Kim Moo-young gazed into the blood-like wine with deep, cold eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“That was back when blood still flowed through his veins, before he had discarded his human body entirely.”