Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 228

Eight years ago, Park Man-ho had forcibly thrown Zeon into the 972th tunnel just because he was in a bad mood after losing money at a gambling den.

This was despite the fact that several people had already died in the 972th tunnel.

If Zeon hadn’t awakened or met Dyoden, he would have died back then.

At the time, he had been so miserable that he swore vengeance. But as time passed and Zeon went through countless experiences, he grew stronger, facing trials far greater than anything Park Man-ho could have inflicted.

Naturally, the memory of that day faded, and Park Man-ho was no longer someone Zeon sought revenge against.

Park Man-ho was simply too insignificant for Zeon to hold onto any grudges. He had completely forgotten about him—until, unexpectedly, Park Man-ho recognized him and approached.

Park Man-ho glared at Zeon with wide, angry eyes.

He looked quite fierce, but it had no effect on Zeon.

With an incredulous expression, Park Man-ho said.

“You crazy bastard! You’re happy to see me? Have you completely lost your mind?”

“Why? I really am glad to see you.”

“You’ve really gone nuts. Do you know how much trouble you caused me by disappearing like that?”

“Liar.”

“What?”

“Why would someone like me have caused you any trouble? Back then, I was just an insignificant extra.”

“This son of a bitch sure talks smooth, huh? You’ve got a slick tongue, don’t you?”

Having run out of things to say, Park Man-ho scowled.

Zeon’s disappearance hadn’t actually caused him any trouble. As Zeon said, he had been a negligible presence back then. The real reason for Park Man-ho’s anger was that he had lost a lot of money at the gambling den today.

Park Man-ho was the overseer of the Mana Stone Mines.

Naturally, he had siphoned off a significant amount of Mana Stone Miness, pocketing a good deal of under-the-table money.

The problem was that he had lost all that dirty money at the gambling den.

Meeting Zeon under such circumstances made his blood boil.

It didn’t matter why Zeon was back or where he had been all this time.

What mattered was that Zeon was in front of him, and Park Man-ho needed someone to take out his anger on.

“Come here, you bastard! A guy like you should be thrown back into the tunnels to mine Mana Stone Miness for the rest of your life.”

“I’m not a miner anymore.”

“What a joke. Once a miner, always a miner. As long as you’re a miner, you have to follow my orders.”

“That’s some twisted logic. Maybe I should learn from you.”

“You think this is funny, huh? Laughing at me?”

“Because it is funny.”

“You son of a bitch… I’m going to kill you.”

Park Man-ho’s anger exploded as he swung his massive fist at the still-smirking Zeon.

Despite being a mere E-rank Awakened, Park Man-ho’s punch had enough destructive power to kill an ordinary person with a single blow.

He didn’t actually intend to kill Zeon. He just wanted to teach him a lesson and shake him down for some money. His plan was to throw Zeon back into the tunnels and squeeze him dry.

Wham!

But his pleasant daydream was shattered by sudden pain.

The fist that should have crushed Zeon’s face was halted in mid-air.

What stopped it was Zeon’s palm.

It felt as though he had punched a boulder; his fist ached as it collided with Zeon’s hand.

Shocked by the unexpected pain, Park Man-ho’s eyes widened.

“You…?”

Creak!

In that instant, Zeon clenched his palm.

Park Man-ho’s fist crumpled as if caught in a vice.

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped Park Man-ho’s lips.

He struggled to pull his fist out of Zeon’s grip, but there was no escaping the strength that held him.

Finally, he screamed in pain.

“Aagh! It hurts! Let go of me!”

“Say that again. What did you say you were going to do to me? Throw me back into the tunnels and have me swing a pickaxe for the rest of my life?”

“Gah! I-I didn’t mean it. I swear I would never do that.”

Park Man-ho hurriedly shook his head.

His fist, trapped in Zeon’s grip, felt like it was about to be crushed.

This alone told him that Zeon was an Awakened—one far stronger than him.

No matter how addicted to gambling he was, Park Man-ho knew better than to throw a higher-ranking Awakened into the tunnels.

He promptly dropped to his knees.

“I’m begging you. Please spare me.”

“And what would you give me in return if I let you live?”

“What?”

“Isn’t it obvious? There’s no such thing as forgiveness without a price. Eight years ago, you threw me into a deathtrap of a tunnel just because you were in a bad mood.”

“But you survived, didn’t you?”

“That’s only because I was lucky. You didn’t help me at all. Now it’s time for you to pay the price.”

Never forget a favor, but more importantly, never forget a grudge.

Especially when the person you have a grudge against comes to you of their own accord.

Park Man-ho’s face twisted in frustration.

He hadn’t expected Zeon to make such a demand.

Meanwhile, Zeon’s grip tightened even further.

Crack!

The sound of bones cracking filled the air.

At this rate, all the bones in Park Man-ho’s hand would be shattered.

Desperately, Park Man-ho spoke.

“W-Wait! I have something hidden away.”

“You, the guy who lost everything to gambling, have something hidden away? You expect me to believe that?”

“Gah! It’s true! It’s something I couldn’t easily get rid of, so I kept it hidden. You’ll definitely like it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I swear.”

“Hmm.”

Zeon loosened his grip slightly, a look of interest crossing his face.

Blood slowly returned to Park Man-ho’s face.

“So, where is this item?”

“I kept it in a secret vault at the gambling den.”

“And you want me to believe that?”

“It’s true! I tried to sell it at the gambling den, but they were lowballing me, so I stashed it in the vault.”

Park Man-ho frantically explained.

“What exactly is this precious item?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yeah! It’s a mineral mined from the Mana Stone Mines, but it’s not a Mana Stone Mines. But it’s special.”

“And you want me to believe that?”

“I’m telling the truth! Once you see it, you’ll believe me. It’s really something unique.”

“Alright, show me the way.”

Finally, Zeon released Park Man-ho’s fist.

Tears welled up in Park Man-ho’s eyes as he cradled his nearly-broken hand. But Zeon had no intention of sympathizing with his misery.

“Hurry up and lead the way.”

“O-okay, follow me.”

Park Man-ho stumbled forward.

He led Zeon to a rundown street on the outskirts of the Mana Stone Mines.

In front of the house stood a few men who appeared to be Awakened.

Recognizing Park Man-ho, they called out to him.

“Hey, Park Man-ho! Already back with the money?”

“Hehe! Try not to lose it all this time, alright?”

Gritting his teeth at their mocking comments, Park Man-ho responded.

“Shut up and open the door.”

“Who’s the kid beside you? A new backer?”

“A backer? We always welcome those. Haha!”

They didn’t even bother asking Zeon’s name.

They assumed Park Man-ho had found some clueless rookie to drag into the gambling den. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence around here.

Gambling addicts who ran out of money would often bring in new backers and lure them into the gambling world, earning a commission from the den.

It was a vicious cycle that kept producing more victims.

Cursing under his breath, Park Man-ho led Zeon inside the gambling den.

“These damn bloodsuckers…”

Zeon smiled as he followed.

It was amusing to see Park Man-ho, a villain in his own right, cursing others as villains.

“Whoa! It’s happening!”

“Damn!”

“Ten times! Ten times, I’m telling you…!”

Inside, the scene was unlike anything that could be imagined from the outside.

Countless people with bloodshot eyes were engrossed in gambling.

Some were throwing dice, others were focused on cards.

A roulette wheel spun in one corner, while in another area, beast-like creatures were being forced to fight as people placed bets.

Roar!

Screech!

The gambling den was filled with the frenzy of both the beasts’ howls and the gamblers’ cheers.

Even as Park Man-ho and Zeon entered, no one paid them any attention, fully absorbed in their bets.

Park Man-ho, unable to hide his envy, quickly moved deeper into the den.

At the back of the gambling den was a vault.

It was a rented storage vault.

In front of it stood two bald men.

Their exposed, muscular arms were like bulging rocks.

These two were the owners of the gambling den—the twin brothers.

The twins had been running the gambling den in the Mana Stone Mines for a long time, amassing a fortune.

They were both C-rank Awakened, among the strongest in the Mana Stone Mines. Thanks to that, they had fended off numerous threats and kept the gambling den going all this time.

The older twin’s eyes sparkled when he saw Zeon following behind Park Man-ho.

“What’s this? You brought a kid. Is he the new backer?”

“Damn it! A backer? This guy’s the one who escaped from the mine years ago.”

“Is that so?”

“He’s got hidden money, and it’s no joke.”

Park Man-ho, now emboldened, stood confidently beside the twins.

“Is that true?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking at his clothes? The fabric isn’t ordinary—it’s high-end.”

“Looks like it.”

“Since I brought him here, we split seventy-thirty. Of course, I get the seventy.”

“Broke as you are, that’s funny. Sixty-forty, and we get the sixty.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Are you? You look like you got roughed up after trying to rob him. We’re taking more because there’s a risk involved.”

“Damn it! Fine, take the sixty. But I get the forty, no arguments.”

“You should’ve said that from the start.”

The twin brothers laughed and raised their hands. Instantly, their lackeys throughout the gambling den closed in on Zeon.

“Hand over everything you’ve got, kid!”

“Those clothes look nice. I think I’ll take them.”

The Awakeneds surrounding Zeon threatened him.

“Tsk. So that’s what this was all about.”

Zeon clicked his tongue and looked at Park Man-ho.

Hiding behind the twin brothers, Park Man-ho pointed and shouted.

“You think I was going to hand over my treasure to a nobody like you? Don’t be ridiculous, bastard! No matter how much you’ve awakened, to me, you’re still just a miner.”

“You’re going to regret this.”

“Screw you! If I were the type to bow my head to the likes of you, I wouldn’t have survived this long.”

“Tsk.”

Zeon gave up on talking and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

At that moment, the gambling den’s Awakeneds rushed at him.

“Get him!”

“Kill him!”

Axes and swords were swung at Zeon.

All the Awakeneds working at the gambling den were brawlers with no hesitation in their attacks.

They had killed more than a few people in their time.

Taking someone’s life was nothing to them.

They were fully confident they’d achieve their goal this time too. But things don’t always go as planned.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, flames appeared all around Zeon.

He had summoned Fire Missiles.

The sight of the countless Fire Missiles surrounding Zeon caused Park Man-ho, the twin brothers, and the gambling den’s Awakened to freeze.

They stood there, statuesque, frozen mid-attack.

They never imagined Zeon would summon so many Fire Missiles.

“Damn it!”

“He’s a high-ranking Awakened.”

A sudden realization that something was terribly wrong flashed through their minds.

Zeon looked at them and spoke.

“I only intended to take the item from Park Man-ho’s vault, but I’ve changed my mind.”

“What?”

“Hand over everything you’ve got.”

Whoosh!

Dozens of Fire Missiles shot toward the Awakeneds.