Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Today was the day he had decided to depart for the Steel Fortress.

There were no longer any eyes watching him.

The Shadow Unit had completely withdrawn.

As much as Zeon had wanted to kill all of Team 2, he knew that would be crossing the line.

If he crossed the line set by Jin Geum-ho, it would inevitably lead to war.

Neither Zeon nor Jin Geum-ho wanted that worst-case scenario.

Understanding this, Zeon had stopped just short of going too far.

Fortunately, Jin Geum-ho didn’t impose any sanctions on him.

After all, the two of them were currently in a temporary alliance.

Both needed to find Moby Dick, a shared objective.

Zeon headed to the lodging where Aslan and Duduyan were staying.

The two were already prepared to leave when Zeon arrived.

As soon as Zeon walked in, Aslan spoke.

“Zeon! I found out what you asked.”

“About that woman?”

“Yes! Claire, she’s a Tamer.”

“A Tamer?”

“From what I learned, she’s a B-rank Tamer. Interestingly, she spends a lot of time at the casino.”

“The casino?”

A memory suddenly flashed through Zeon’s mind.

A woman he had once met at a casino. Her body had carried the scent of Queen Ghost Dragonflies’ pheromones. At the time, he had thought she might be a Tamer.

He had forgotten about her for a while, but hearing Aslan mention that the woman was a Tamer brought her back to mind.

Aslan hung his head low.

“I’m sorry. That’s all I managed to find out.”

“It’s enough. You’ve done well. Thank you.”

At Zeon’s kind words, Aslan’s expression brightened a bit.

Duduyan kicked Aslan’s backside and said.

“You idiot! Go out drinking again.”

“If I ever drink again, I’ll be your son.”

“I don’t need a son like you.”

“I don’t care! I swear, I’m never touching alcohol again. It’s out of my life for good.”

“If you drink again, I’ll personally cut off your hands.”

“Feel free.”

Duduyan glared fiercely at Aslan after his bold declaration.

Zeon intervened, breaking up their banter.

“Let’s get going. The others are probably waiting for us.”

“Yes, Zeon.”

“Understood.”

They headed to an open area on the outskirts of the slums.

This was where the dungeon raiding teams or Pathfinders would gather for last-minute equipment checks before heading out of Neo Seoul.

Two people were waiting for Zeon’s group there.

A man and a woman.

The man, dressed in a loose-fitting robe, was Lee Jung-ho. From beneath his robe, the hilt of a sword was visible.

Beside him stood a woman with her hood pulled low, obscuring her face. But Zeon immediately recognized her.

So, it is her.

The faint scent of Queen Ghost Dragonfly pheromones still lingered on her body.

Even after all this time, the scent hadn’t completely faded.

However, Claire seemed unaware of this.

“Huh? You’re…”

Claire’s voice rose when she saw Zeon.

Just as Zeon had recognized her, she had also recognized him.

“It’s been a while.”

“The casino, right?”

“Yes.”

“So, you’re the Sand Mage?”

“That’s correct.”

“Wow! What a small world. I never imagined the Sand Mage I’d be traveling with would be you.”

Claire pushed back her hood, revealing a cascade of thick, black hair falling like a waterfall.

Her dark eyes and tanned, sun-kissed skin marked her as a striking beauty.

She had revealed her true appearance.

“I’m Claire.”

“I know.”

“Well, nice to meet you again, Sand Mage.”

Claire gave him a playful smile.

Lee Jung-ho glanced at her and asked.

“You two know each other?”

“Oh, we met once at a casino after a mission.”

“I see.”

“I had no idea that the man I briefly ran into was the famous Sand Mage.”

“Well, this should make the journey easier. It’s better to travel with someone familiar than a complete stranger.”

Claire nodded in agreement without saying a word.

Lee Jung-ho then turned his gaze to Duduyan and Aslan, who were standing behind Zeon.

“So, you two must be the ones from the Steel Fortress. Lead the way.”

Lee Jung-ho didn’t hide the fact that he knew about the Steel Fortress.

He was already aware of what had happened with the Shadow Unit the day before.

The incident where Zeon had subdued the Awakened members of the Shadow Unit left a deep impression on him.

Few people knew the true nature of the Shadow Unit.

They were, quite literally, shadows.

Many people were under their surveillance without ever realizing it.

Unless one possessed a special ability like Lee Jung-ho’s Mind’s Eye, it was almost impossible to detect their presence.

But Zeon had easily identified them, ambushed them, and subdued them completely.

If Zeon had killed them, it would have caused a major problem. But instead, he spared their lives, sending a warning.

It was a response no one had anticipated.

The one most shocked by Zeon’s actions was Jin Geum-ho’s secretary, Seo Tae-ran.

For the first time in years, Seo Tae-ran had been caught off guard.

Zeon’s counterattack was beyond anything she had expected.

Lee Jung-ho had found it amusing to see Seo Tae-ran’s normally composed face falter with surprise.

Of course, she had tried to hide her expression, but Lee Jung-ho’s Mind’s Eye made it impossible to fool him.

A man one can never let their guard down around.

That said, Lee Jung-ho wasn’t afraid.

Even if the entire desert was Zeon’s weapon, Lee Jung-ho specialized in close combat.

There wasn’t an Awakened alive that he couldn’t kill if he set his mind to it. That’s why Jin Geum-ho trusted and relied on him.

His mission was simple: to safely bring back the heart of the land whale.

For that purpose, Jin Geum-ho had even provided him with a special subspace necklace.

It was large enough to hold an entire vehicle.

Before they set out, Claire asked Zeon.

“Are we really not going to use a car?”

“It’ll break down in a few days. And since we won’t be able to repair it, walking is easier.”

Sigh!

Claire let out a deep sigh.

She had spent her entire life in Neo Seoul. While she had briefly left the city a few times for missions, they were only for a day or two at most.

This was her first time spending an extended period in the desert. Naturally, she was nervous. But unlike her, Zeon’s steps were confident and unwavering.

“Let’s go!”

Duduyan and Aslan followed behind him without hesitation.

As people who had lived in the desert their whole lives, they were unfazed by the journey.

In fact, they seemed relieved to be leaving the suffocating atmosphere of Neo Seoul.

‘The Steel Fortress is better than Neo Seoul. Neo Seoul is so cold and lifeless. I don’t want to stay there any longer.’

The thought of returning to the Steel Fortress with two unexpected companions was a little burdensome, but it was a done deal.

With Urtian back at the Steel Fortress, Aslan was confident that they’d figure something out.

Whoosh!

As soon as they set foot in the desert, a powerful sandstorm greeted them.

While sandstorms occasionally swept through the slums, the ones in the desert were on a whole different level.

Their force and intensity were beyond comparison.

The entire world was tinged yellow.

Duduyan and Aslan, expecting this, quickly bowed their heads and tightened their robes.

Momentarily caught off guard by the unexpected sandstorm, Lee Jung-ho and Claire soon followed suit, bowing their heads and walking in step with the others.

Only Zeon walked with his head held high.

“Feels good.”

Living a peaceful life in the slums wasn’t bad, but he always felt most alive when he was out in the desert.

What was nothing but pain for others was a warm, comforting embrace for him—like a mother’s womb.

* * *

The journey to the Steel Fortress was met with obstacles from the very start.

“What the…?”

Lee Jung-ho’s brow furrowed.

A massive pack of monsters blocked their path.

Grrr!

They looked like wolves, but their bodies were several times larger.

Even their breath exuded intense heat.

Claire immediately identified them.

“They’re… a pack of Flame Wolves.”

“I know they’re Flame Wolves. What I want to know is why they’re here.”

“Well…”

“This place is only fifty kilometers from Neo Seoul.”

“Ah!”

Claire finally understood what Lee Jung-ho was getting at.

At fifty kilometers, they were still within the anti-magic power zone of Neo Seoul.

Ordinary monsters wouldn’t dare approach.

Flame Wolves were quite strong, but not strong enough to resist Neo Seoul’s anti-magic field.

Only something on the level of a mammoth could withstand it and approach the city.

Flame Wolves were D-rank creatures.

However, since they hunted in packs, they were classified as C-rank.

Even for a C-rank monster, it didn’t make sense for them to come this close to Neo Seoul.

“Could it be that Neo Seoul’s anti-magic field isn’t working?”

“No. It’s probably just weakened.”

Lee Jung-ho’s expression hardened.

He was one of the few who knew the true source of Neo Seoul’s anti-magic field.

The gigantic white dragon that existed beneath Neo Seoul.

It was the corpse of Tamulas that was the source of anti-magic power.

Even at this moment, Tamulas’s corpse was slowly disintegrating.

The painstakingly extracted body parts became the foundation for Neo Seoul’s development. But as Tamulas’s corpse was dismembered, Neo Seoul’s anti-magic power weakened.

The detached body parts lost their anti-magic power.

Lee Jung-ho bit his lip tightly.

‘The anti-magic power is diminishing at a much faster rate than expected. If Flame Wolves can approach this place, larger monsters will come even closer.’

The larger the monster, and the higher its rank, the stronger its power.

Ordinary anti-magic power cannot block their approach.

Fortunately, large monsters are regularly hunted in this area, so there are no large monsters in Neo Seoul. But there was no guarantee it would stay that way.

‘It’s a race against time. I need to complete the Heavenly Punishment as soon as possible. For that, I absolutely need the heart of the land whale.’

A strong light glimmered in his translucent pupils.

“Ugh!”

Claire recoiled in horror at the suffocating presence.

The aura was too overwhelming for her, as a Tamer.

It was the same for Duduyan and Aslan.

They felt as if their whole bodies were being sliced with a knife and recoiled in fear.

Only Zeon showed no change in expression even within Lee Jung-ho’s aura.

Zeon said,

“You don’t have to deal with them. It will be fine as long as you avoid them.”

“If we leave them alone, they’ll gather in numbers and eventually threaten Neo Seoul. It’s most efficient to eliminate the source of trouble while it’s small.”

Sling!

The sword that had been sheathed at his waist was drawn.

The moment the sword was in Lee Jung-ho’s hand, his momentum changed.

A suffocating presence flowed out.

It felt as if he was not seeing a human, but a sword.

A sword that had been sharpened to an extreme.

The razor-sharp aura, as if it would cut even breath itself, was directed at the fire wolf pack.

The blind swordsman’s murderous intent made the fire wolves howl in response.

Kroar!

Kwaaaang!

The Flame Wolves, spewing flames, charged madly.

Lee Jeong-ho walked alone toward the Flame Wolves army.

Skaak!

The moment his sword cut through the air, a dozen Flame Wolves were sliced in two and rolled on the ground.

As Lee Jung-ho cut again, the Flame Wolves within a few meters were split in half and fell one after another.

It was a one-sided massacre.

The merciless swordsmanship of the blind swordsman was annihilating the Flame Wolf pack.

Duduyan and Aslan were horrified by Lee Jung-ho’s grandeur.

“Insane!”

“He’s terrifyingly strong.”

Even Zeon watched Lee Jung-ho’s massacre with deeply sunken eyes.

———