Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 26

They weren’t as sharply pointed as of the elves he had met before, more of an in-between size, perhaps halfway between human and elf?

It was then that Zeon finally understood what Dyoden meant by ‘mixed-bread.’

The girl was unmistakably of a mixed race between human and elf.

‘A child of a human and an elf.’

Setting aside Dyoden’s infinite animosity toward elves, the feelings of elves toward humans weren’t all that great either.

At least that’s what Zeon had experienced with the elves he’d encountered. It was intriguing to think that such an elf had formed a family with a human.

The girl peeked out from behind the middle-aged man, stealing glances at Zeon and Dyoden.

Her expression was full of fear, but there was also curiosity lingering.

Then, the middle-aged man’s gaze turned toward Zeon.

“You’re a kid I haven’t seen before. Are you his disciple?”

“Disciple? That idiot? Hah!”

Dyoden let out a mocking laugh.

Zeon’s face crumpled, but he didn’t bother to retort. Compared to Dyoden, he knew he was really an idiot.

The middle-aged man asked Zeon.

“My name is Go Duwon. What’s yours?”

“Zeon.”

“Are you perhaps of Korean descent?”

“I don’t even know who my parents are.”

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to stir up any painful memories. I was just glad to meet someone of Korean descent.”

“It’s fine.”

Even in the slums of Neo Seoul, there were quite a few people who questioned his origins.

There were quite a few foreigners living in the old Seoul.

As the world changed, those unable to return to their homelands settled in Neo Seoul.

They tenaciously survived, married Koreans, or other foreigners, and had children.

The mingling of races became so prevalent that finding someone of pure Korean lineage became challenging.

Dyoden scoffed at Go Duwon.

“Are you still hung up on whether someone is Korean or of foreign descent? Yet your own child is a mixed-breed with an elf.”

“You haven’t changed a bit. Still so rough, rude…”

“If people change easily, it won’t be long before they perish.”

Go Duwon shook his head in response to Dyoden’s words.

It had been years, yet Dyoden remained unchanged.

Unconcerned about other people’s feelings, he spat out harsh words like a dagger.

Go Duwon knew better than anyone why Dyoden harbored such hatred towards the different races.

He understood his anger, but a century had passed.

Among those who had experienced those events, only a few, including Dyoden, were still alive.

While everyone else buried the memories quietly, Dyoden lived with this rage, which was just regrettable.

Carefully, Go Duwon asked.

“Why have you come here? Are you here to deal with the Exploding Bees?”

“Why should I deal with the Exploding Bees?”

“Are you saying you’re not?”

“Are you still pursuing that pipedream? How foolish!”

“It isn’t a pipedream. By just handling the Exploding Bees, this forest can thrive again. Don’t you understand?”

“All I know is one thing. Once a tree is dead, it cannot be brought back to life no matter what you do.”

Dyoden tapped the charred wood with his hand.

Thud!

The charred wood echoed hollowly.

“It’s not just dead, it’s completely charred. Yet you think it can be revived? Because that filthy elf whispered it to you? You believe what a filthy elf says? It’d be better to slit your throat than believe in such nonsense.”

Go Duwon clenched his lips in response to Dyoden’s tirade.

Dyoden’s rage against elves and the other races was too intense to persuade him.

“Why did you come here if you weren’t here to help?”

“I was just passing by and stopped by. The outskirts of the Black Forest offer some shade to rest for a bit.”

“I hope you won’t stay long. Our tribe fears you.”

“Do you think I care about those insignificant incest?”

“Of course not. Because you’re Dyoden. Dyoden the Slaughterer. I momentarily forgot that fact.”

“Now that you know, get lost before I sever that mongrel’s neck.”

“Don’t you know better that you can not do that?”

“Shall I give it a try? See if it’s possible or not.”

“But I’ll leave here. May your journey ahead be safe.”

With a grim expression, Go Duwon bowed his head.

Dyoden was someone who, if he wanted to, he would do anything.

His madness had swelled over a century, reaching a point where no one could stop him.

Go Duwon took his daughter’s hand.

In an instant, his figure vanished like a mirage.

Zeon muttered in surprise.

“An Awakened.”

“He is the leader of his tribe. If he wasn’t an Awakened, he wouldn’t have been able to protect the tribe until now.”

They are called the Goya Tribe, since they have the surname Go, and they live in the plains.

[TL: Goya(高野) = 高(Go) + 野(Plains).

It was a name given by the elf, Go Duwon’s late wife.

That’s why it was even more distasteful to him.

“We’ll be leaving in a bit. Get ready.”

“Yes!”

Zeon nodded.

He still had much curiosity about the Goya tribe, but it was time to let go of the interest for now.

Because he had to eat before going on a long journey.

Zeon took out a piece of jerky and put it in his mouth.

He chewed the beef jerky as slowly as he could and pushed it down his throat.

It hadn’t been long since he had risen, and his mouth felt dry. Nonetheless, Zeon chewed the jerky without stopping.

Zeon finished eating two pieces of jerky and even took a sip of water.

Without hesitation, he briskly brushed off his hands and stood up.

It was time to leave now.

Dyoden picked up Kreion, which he had placed on the ground.

The two of them were ready to leave the Black Forest without any lingering attachments.

Boom!

Suddenly, a powerful noise erupted from deep within the Black Forest.

It was the sound of Exploding Bees fluttering their wings.

Not just one or two, but hundreds, perhaps thousands of them, all fluttering at once.

Dyoden murmured.

“Something must’ve stirred up the Exploding Bees.”

The Exploding Bees were territorial monsters.

Moreover, they were fiercely protective of their territories and didn’t tolerate other life forms intruding.

It was clear that something had recklessly entered the territory of the Exploding Bees.

But Dyoden’s interest stopped at that.

After all, this place was just a brief resting spot.

Whatever happened here didn’t matter.

“Let’s go!”

Dyoden turned calmly to leave just as Zeon began to follow him.

“Har! Har!”

Go Duwon ran towards them, calling out desperately for someone. Behind him were several men who appeared to be members of his tribe.

Arriving in front of the two, Go Duwon asked Dyoden.

“Have you seen my daughter, Har?”

“Why ask me about your daughter’s whereabouts?”

“She was playing near the bunker and suddenly disappeared.”

At that moment, members of Go Duwon’s tribe pointed toward the Black Forest.

“There?”

“The Exploding Bees are reacting.”

Go Duwon’s face turned pale at their words.

Go Duwon had hunted all the monsters in the area.

He protected his tribe by periodically hunting the nearby monsters.

There couldn’t possibly be a monster strong enough to provoke the Exploding Bees.

“Could Har have gone into the Black Forest?”

“We have to hurry and save her.”

“Har is in danger.”

The faces of the tribe members showed urgency.

The Black Forest, where the Exploding Bees lived, was one of the most dangerous places on the surface.

The Exploding Bees were a collective life form like ants.

In order to repel intruders, they wouldn’t hesitate to self-destruct.

No matter how powerful a monster was, once they entered the Black Forest, survival couldn’t be guaranteed.

His daughter had entered that forest alone.

He had no idea how to save her.

Suddenly, Go Duwon knelt before Dyoden.

“Please, save my daughter. I will pay any price…”

“Heh, why would I bother saving that mongrel?”

“Didn’t we make a oath?”

“A oath?”

Dyoden’s face contorted.

“You owe your life to my father. In return, he requested that you watch over Har until she turns twenty.”

Veins bulged on Go Duwon’s neck, his eyes filled with bloodshot fury.

He was bargaining with his life because there was no hope other than Dyoden.

Long ago, Dyoden had suffered a fatal wound. The one who saved him was Go Duwon’s father.

This happened after Go Duwon had already married an elf.

Although Dyoden had greater anger towards the different races than anyone else, he could not bring himself to kill the daughter-in-law and granddaughter of his benefactor who had saved his life.

To Dyoden, who pledged to repay the favor in any way possible, Go Duwon’s father requested that he would be happy as long as he left Har alone until she turned twenty.

Dyoden agreed to this.

“Har is only twelve now. Your pledge won’t end for another eight years.”

“I promised to watch over her, never said I would protect her.”

“You can only watch over Har if she’s alive.”

Clang!

Dyoden gritted his teeth.

It was a contradiction within the oath.

‘I was tricked by that cunning old fox.’

Now he realized why Go Duwon’s father had made him make such an oath.

He had prepared for a situation like this.

Go Duwon continued.

“If Har doesn’t survive, you won’t be able to watch over her. Am I wrong?”

“Don’t force it. Do you think I’ll give into your coercion?”

“I’ll give my life. Please, save my daughter. That child is the only hope for our tribe, and for the people struggling to survive in this area.”

Go Duwon’s voice was filled with earnest denial.

Dyoden frowned, looking at Go Duwon.

While Go Duwon’s words bordered on coercion, they were enough to stir conflict within Dyoden.

Though he’d lived his life by his own rules, Dyoden had never lied to another human being, not even once.

A look of conflict appeared on his face.

Then, a voice came to his rescue.

“I’ll go.”

It was Zeon.

Having spent a long time with Dyoden, he sensed his complicated feelings.

If Dyoden truly intended to abandon Go Duwon, he would have left without hesitation. His hesitation indicated an inner conflict.

Dyoden looked at Zeon.

“Why you?”

“I’m curious about the inside of the Black Forest.”

“Hmm.”

Dyoden furrowed his brow.

The Exploding Bees were fearsome because they were a collective life form.

With an overwhelming number of bees capable of self-destructing en masse, ordinary Awakeneds couldn’t contend with them.

This was the reason Go Duwon had been unsuccessful in exterminating them, despite his extremely strong desire to do so.

He hunted with bows and arrows like an elf.

While excellent at hunting large monsters, he was overwhelmed against monsters that attack in large swarms like the Exploding Bees.

That was why Go Duwon had appealed so earnestly to Dyoden.

In contrast, Zeon held the upper hand against large swarms of monsters.

Being outnumbered was no problem for him who used sand as his weapon.

Dyoden asserted bluntly.

“Seems like you’re confident.”

“I have something I want to test out.”

“I won’t stop you if you’re going voluntarily.”

“Wait until tomorrow morning. If I don’t return by then, you’re free to leave.”

“Hmph! I intended to do so even without you saying it. Remember, only until tomorrow morning.”

“Then I’ll be back.”

It was when Zeon stepped into the Black Forest.

“I’ll go with him.”

Go Duwon followed suit.

Zeon glanced at him briefly.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s a matter of my daughter’s life. How can I just stand by as her father?”

“Understood.”

Zeon nodded.

There was no reason to oppose a father’s determination to save his daughter.

Other tribe members didn’t dare venture in; they nervously shuffled their feet. They weren’t Awakened like Go Duwon.

Walking alongside Zeon, Go Duwon said.

“Thank you for willingly coming forward.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Not everyone steps up for others. I won’t forget this favor.”

Zeon made a slightly embarrassed expression at Go Duwon’s words.

He hadn’t come forward purely out of kindness.

Upon reaching the D-rank, he gained insight into his skills.

The best way to test out his skills was to fight an opponent.

The Exploding Bees were the perfect match.

That’s why he came forward despite no one asking him to.

Since he hadn’t entered the Black Forest purely out of goodwill, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat embarrassed.

And then, it happened.

Buzzzzz!

A fierce flapping sound echoed from the front.

Go Duwon’s complexion changed entirely.

He realized it was the sound of Exploding Bees flying in.

He strung an arrow on his bow, but before he could react, Zeon moved swiftly.

Crash!

Sand erupted ahead.

Then a thunderous boom resonated.

The charging Exploding Bees exploded upon colliding with the sand wall.

Go Duwon opened his mouth in surprise.

“My God!”