Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 44

Cough!

Zeon coughed up blood.

His complexion was as pale as a sheet of paper.

His gauntlet-clad right arm suffered a compound fracture, wobbling unsteadily, while the impact from the hundred-meter fall had also shattered both his legs.

Yet, Zeon was smiling.

It was because his gauntlet-clad fist had made contact with Dyoden’s face.

Dyoden’s head had turned slightly, and there was a small cut where the gauntlet had landed.

For someone that had risked his life for an attack, the outcome was rather underwhelming, but Zeon was satisfied.

He had finally landed a punch on Dyoden’s face.

“Haa… Don’t take me lightly.”

With that remark, Zeon collapsed.

Dyoden silently observed Zeon, who had collapsed in an unsightly manner.

Allowing Zeon’s strike to make contact was a first-time occurrence.

Even the renowned Dyoden hadn’t anticipated an attack launched from a hundred meters above.

Despite only getting a tiny scratch on his face, he wasn’t displeased.

Zeon had reached the level he desired.

That was how an Awakened should be.

If there was even a sliver of possibility, one should boldly throw themselves to find a breakthrough.

Most Awakeneds from a century ago found possibilities by daringly throwing themselves into situations and developed their skills.

“Haa! Haa!”

Zeon breathed heavily.

In return for throwing his body at Dyoden, he was about to die.

Dyoden opened his subspace.

He retrieved a potion from the subspace and administered it to Zeon. Then, he pulled out another potion and sprinkled it over Zeon’s entire body. Instantly, Zeon’s condition rapidly stabilized.

The potion used by Dyoden on Zeon was a top-tier healing potion crafted in Neo Seoul.

With its precious ingredients and complex production process, it was a rare commodity even in Neo Seoul, with only a few bottles in existence.

As long as one didn’t succumb to death, it could instantly heal any injury.

There were several more bottles of such healing potions in Dyoden’s subspace.

“Haah!”

Moments later, Zeon exhaled, regaining consciousness.

Having returned from the brink of death, Zeon lay dazed for a while.

It took some time for him to fully regain his senses and come back to reality.

When he was perfectly composed, he spoke.

“I’m still alive?”

“If you died from such minor wounds, your life isn’t worth living.”

“Anyway…”

Zeon hesitated for a moment, then struggled to sit up.

His whole body ached, but it wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t move.

Compared to the price for an attack risking his life, this level of pain was bearable.

Dyoden looked at Zeon and spoke.

“You’re barely useful now.”

“Should I thank you for that?”

“Forget it. Take these.”

Dyoden retrieved several items from the subspace and threw them to Zeon.

They were clothes, armor, and a robe made of leather.

The clothes were ones he had acquired in Neo Seoul, while the armor and robe were items obtained from a dungeon.

Both the armor and robe, acquired from an A-rank dungeon, were far from ordinary.

The armor, made from the skin of an unidentified monster, was covered in numerous inscriptions of unknown significance.

“It’s a bit weak in physical strength, but it has high magic resistance. It’ll be helpful for you right now.”

“You’re not wearing it yourself?”

“Armor is for weaklings like you; I don’t need it.”

“Damn!”

Zeon’s expression contorted in frustration.

The fact that he couldn’t argue against Dyoden’s statement saddened him.

‘Even if it’s dirty, I’ll get stronger by any means.’

Zeon changed into the clothes and donned the armor on top.

The moment the armor was worn, a refreshing energy surged through his entire body.

It seemed to be enchanted with magical enhancements.

Zeon then draped the robe over the armor.

The robe’s color resembled the sand.

From a distance, it would be indistinguishable from actual sand.

“Is this camouflage?”

Zeon flipped on the hat attached to the robe.

Dyoden spoke.

“Once you’re ready, let’s go.”

“Yes!”

The two departed from the Valley of Death, where they had stayed for several months.

During their stay, the Valley of Death had been so ravaged that its original appearance was unrecognizable.

The once-great natural artwork had crumbled unceremoniously, covered by layers of sand. By the time they returned, it would likely be buried under sand, leaving no trace behind.

‘If we can return.’

***

Zeon and Dyoden silently traversed the endless desert.

The scorching sun relentlessly tormented them, but neither uttered a single complaint.

Dyoden had spent a hundred years surviving in this desert, and Zeon had grown accustomed to life in the desert as well.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Zeon stopped in his tracks.

Dyoden silently observed Zeon’s action.

After spending months in the Valley of Hell, Zeon’s sense and mastery of sand had experienced a remarkable surge. Now, Zeon’s senses in the desert were unmatched even by Dyoden.

Zeon stopping like this indicated he sensed something.

After a while, he spoke up.

“I sense moisture. There might be an oasis nearby.”

“Is that so?”

As Dyoden made an intrigued expression, moisture started rising from the ground, initially just slightly damp but gradually increasing over time.

Eventually, wet sand began to accumulate on the ground, forming a sizable oasis.

“Ho!”

As soon as the oasis materialized as Zeon had mentioned, Dyoden was slightly surprised.

Desert oases were like mirages.

They appeared suddenly one day and disappeared the next, not vanishing entirely but moving through the desert’s veins to inconspicuous locations.

Humans couldn’t predict this change. Yet, Zeon had foreseen the oasis appearing here.

It was an ability beyond the reach of ordinary Awakeneds.

Zeon asked Dyoden.

“It must be here too, huh?”

“You mean the Sand Angler?”

“Yeah!”

“It should be. In these oases that move through the veins, there’s usually one of them.”

“Indeed.”

Zeon nodded.

The oasis that had suddenly appeared was as big as a pond.

Zeon peered into the oasis.

In its depths, a faint light glimmered.

The enigmatic source of the captivating light was the Sand Angler.

A C-rank monster that mesmerized and devoured humans or monsters that came to the oasis.

There had been a time when Zeon almost fell prey to it.

If it hadn’t been for Dyoden, Zeon would’ve vanished from this world without a trace.

However, Zeon didn’t harbor any special emotions toward the Sand Angler.

This was a world where if you didn’t prey, you became the prey.

A place where anything was acceptable in order to survive.

The Sand Angler needed to feed to survive, and Zeon sought to defeat it to continue living.

Zeon jumped straight into the oasis.

Sensing him, the Sand Angler swiftly approached at top speed, without a hint of caution, considering Zeon as its prime meal.

Zeon waited for the Sand Angler to approach and then swung his right fist.

Exion condensed atop his gauntlet.

He thrust the clustered Exion straight into the Sand Angler’s gaping mouth.

Swoosh!

The Sand Angler, pierced by Exion like a harpooned fish, thrashed violently, its mouth piercingly ripped open.

Ordinary sand would lose its cohesion in water and crumble easily, but Exion was different.

As a Sand Mage’s specialized weapon, Exion maintained the form Zeon desired even underwater.

‘Now!’

Zeon rotated the Exion pierced in the Sand Angler’s mouth.

Gaaaah!

Exion instantly pulverized the Sand Angler’s brain, marking the end for the C-rank monster.

With its belly exposed, the Sand Angler floated on the water’s surface.

Zeon pulled the Sand Angler out.

‘Not bad!’

Dyoden’s lips curved slightly upward.

The greatest adversary in the desert was indeed water.

Yet, Zeon had displayed adept usage of Exion even underwater, proving his mastery of his abilities.

Zeon began disassembling the Sand Angler he had pulled out.

First, he removed the hide. Recognizing its softness and elasticity, Zeon knew it would make an excellent robe.

Next, he carved out the meat section by section.

There was no waste in the Sand Angler’s meat.

It contained almost no venom commonly found in monster meat and had a pleasant taste. Among them, the best part was the gallbladder.

When they previously caught the Sand Angler, Dyoden made Zeon eat the gallbladder first.

Zeon handed Dyoden the gallbladder the size of an adult torso.

“Have some.”

It was an invaluable remedy, unmatched in fortifying one’s bones among Sand Angler organs.

Having already experienced the effects after consumption, Zeon knew how potent it was. However, Dyoden outright refused Zeon’s offer.

“Not needed.”

“If you want to fight against a dragon, shouldn’t you prepare yourself in advance?”

“Do you think something as insignificant as a Sand Angler’s gallbladder would affect me? Eat as much as you can, you weak bastard.”

“Ugh! You could at least…”

Dyoden ignored Zeon’s retort and picked up another part of the Sand Angler.

Sizzle!

Flames erupted from his hand.

It was a flame made of mana.

The tender Sand Angler meat quickly cooked in his hand.

Dyoden slowly savored the well-cooked Sand Angler meat.

Observing him for a moment, Zeon also started consuming the Sand Angler’s gallbladder.

The gallbladder was most effective when eaten raw.

This time, too, an intense heat was felt in his body, but the dramatic changes from before did not occur.

Having already consumed the Sand Angler’s gallbladder once and considering Zeon’s physical development, even after consuming the adult-sized Sand Angler gallbladder, Zeon’s belly remained unchanged.

He felt satiated, yet there was no bloating or discomfort.

It was just as intriguing as the previous experience, although familiar.

After a long time, the two indulged in a substantial meal.

As before, they planned to stay until they finished consuming all of the Sand Angler’s meat.

Zeon reclined against a sand dune.

There was nothing enviable when lying down like this.

At first, he had followed Dyoden out of necessity, but after gaining a certain level of strength, he had accompanied Dyoden purely by his own will.

They had roamed through the desert almost aimlessly, swept away by the current until they arrived here without realizing it.

‘Fighting a dragon? Crazy! Or is it an achievement? I really don’t know.’

From barely surviving day by day in the slums of Neo Seoul, the insignificant boy had arrived at a place where a dragon resided. And not just that—Zeon himself had become a Sand Mage, something no one could have imagined.

It felt like each day had been a dream.

However, Zeon’s contemplative moment didn’t last long.

Thud!

Footsteps echoed from a distance, drawing their attention.

‘Is it a monster?’

Zeon hastily stood up, realizing that Dyoden was staring intently at the source of the sound.

But Dyoden’s expression was unusual.

Unlike his usual calm demeanor when facing any monster, Dyoden’s face was stiff as a rock.

As if ready to wield the Kreion staked into the ground at any moment.

Coincidentally, Zeon also tensed up.

Finally, the owner of the footsteps appeared.

‘A human?’

To their surprise, it was indeed a human.

A strikingly lush and pristine blond-haired individual, with a complexion so fair and unwrinkled it seemed untouched by sunlight, accompanied by an unusual aura.

Their eyes were as red as burst blood vessels, and between their thin lips, sharp fangs protruded, revealing impressive white teeth.

They spoke while looking at Dyoden and Zeon.

“Hello there.”