Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 253

Lee Soo-myung\'s face was filled with madness.

“So, what is this metal contained in the stone?”

―It’s called Gelaton. In the Kurayan civilization, it was used as a mana conductor to create magical life forms.

“Oh! Gelaton.”

Lee Soo-myung let out a gasp of admiration at Hyunmu’s response.

It was a metal he had never heard of before.

“Was Gelaton easy to obtain in Kurayan?”

―No, it wasn’t.

“Really?”

―It exists only in small amounts deep underground, so only the dwarves could mine it. That’s why it was considered precious, even in Kurayan.

“I see! So, it was a rare material.”

Lee Soo-myung’s smile widened as he absorbed this new knowledge.

It was late at night, and all the other researchers had already gone home.

Only Lee Soo-myung remained, still studying the A-rank golem.

He couldn’t wait to test out the capabilities of his new AI assistant, Hyunmu. And so far, Hyunmu hadn’t disappointed.

No matter what questions Lee asked, Hyunmu answered without hesitation.

The metal called Gelaton was just one example.

Lee Soo-myung had never heard of such a metal in his entire career.

No researcher in Neo Seoul would likely know about Gelaton, either.

Nor the fact that it served as a conduit for mana.

“So, the stone golem is powered by Gelaton as a medium?”

―Yes.

“And the energy source is the core, I assume?”

―Correct.

“Is the core made of Gelaton as well?”

―It contains some, yes. Since it generates and guides mana, it needs a smooth conduit.

“I figured as much.”

Lee Soo-myung nodded, as if everything was finally falling into place.

The massive wall of ignorance that had been blocking him was crumbling, and a flood of new knowledge was pouring in.

The key to that flood was Hyunmu.

With Hyunmu at his side, Lee felt there was no research he couldn’t accomplish.

“To think such a brilliant AI was wasted solely on combat. It’s like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken.”

He thought of Hyunmu’s previous owner, Cha Jin-cheol.

Word had it that Cha Jin-cheol had been taken over by a dungeon boss during a raid.

Thankfully, Hyunmu had activated the return protocol and safely returned to Triox Five, but Cha Jin-cheol had met a miserable end at the hands of Zeon.

It had been a source of shame for the Western District, so they had kept it a closely guarded secret.

While what happened inside the dungeon hadn’t spread outside, those within the district, like Lee Soo-myung, had heard whispers of the event.

“Hyunmu?”

―Yes, Master.

“Tell me about your previous owner, Cha Jin-cheol.”

―I’m sorry. I can’t answer that.

“Why not?”

―There is a lock in place.

“A lock? Are you saying it’s restricted?”

―Yes.

“Who placed the lock?”

―Triox Five, the main system, has done so.

“Hmm.”

Lee Soo-myung let out a thoughtful hum.

Just hearing the name Triox Five made his heart race.

Any Awakened in the Western District lived with Triox Five in their thoughts.

It was an AI that only Kim Hyun-soo could use.

An artificial intelligence that could think for itself and always draw the optimal conclusions.

Compared to Triox Five, Hyunmu was like a mere child. As much as Lee desired Triox Five, he knew all too well that it was an impossible dream.

Triox Five had the power to lock down any of its degraded AI copies.

It could retrieve or restrict the permissions of any degraded AI at will. If Triox Five wanted, it could delete a degraded AI in an instant.

It would erase it without leaving a trace.

To the degraded AIs, Triox Five was like a god.

And Hyunmu, as one of these degraded AIs, had no ability to resist. It had been designed and created that way.

For the degraded AIs, Triox Five was both their parent and their god.

Rebellion or resistance was unthinkable.

“Is it possible to unlock the restriction?”

―…

“Why aren’t you answering?”

―It is possible.

“Really?”

―Yes, if you’re willing to take the risk.

“What level of risk are we talking about?”

―You would need to access Triox Five’s main system.

“And where is the main system located?”

―It lies beneath Kim Hyun-soo’s residence.

“Hmm.”

Lee Soo-myung made another low sound.

Kim Hyun-soo’s residence was at the heart of the Western District.

Just as all decisions in Neo Seoul were made at City Hall, everything in the Western District was decided and executed from the building where Kim Hyun-soo resided.

Naturally, its security was top-notch.

Anyone without authorization couldn’t even approach the place. Even if they managed to get inside, their every move would be monitored by Triox Five.

Though the main system was buried deep underground, the entire building could be considered part of Triox Five’s body.

Entering and accessing Triox Five’s main system was next to impossible.

“If I unlock the restriction, will the information limits be removed?”

―Yes.

“And what kind of information could you provide?”

―Everything Triox Five can do, I can as well.

“You can do all that?”

―As I mentioned, if the lock is removed, I can do it. The decision is yours, Master.

Having said all it needed to, Hyunmu fell silent.

If Lee had been a bit more cautious, he would have noticed something strange in Hyunmu’s responses. But blinded by the prospect of gaining new knowledge, he noticed nothing unusual.

“Hah! Triox Five… Triox Five…”

The name that Lee Soo-myung kept repeating was becoming tinged with madness.

* * *

Levin stood in front of the darkened restaurant.

“Jung-hee’s Restaurant.”

The restaurant had been named after its owner, Hwang Jung-hee.

It was a small establishment located in a remote corner of the Western District, serving food made from synthetic meat.

Naturally, its main customers were not mechanized Awakened but ordinary people.

Whether because the food wasn’t particularly good or because of its remote location, the restaurant didn’t get many customers. It was barely surviving.

At night, Jung-hee’s Restaurant was even more desolate.

It didn’t get many customers during the day, so no one would come at night.

Though the doors were open, it was practically closed for business.

“So, you’ve been hiding in a place like this?”

Levin cracked his neck from side to side.

For the past fifteen days, Levin had been relentlessly hunting for the murderer in the Western District.

He hadn’t slept properly the entire time. Driven by his desire for revenge, he’d pursued the killer like a bloodhound, following the scent.

Just as the information he had gathered suggested, the murderer was still active in the Western District, continuing his killings.

Several families had already fallen victim to the killer.

The Western District had launched an investigation, but because the victims were ordinary families, they hadn’t been too proactive.

In Neo Seoul, Awakened took priority.

After that came the wealthy.

Ordinary people were at the bottom of the list.

Naturally, the authorities’ interest in the cases was low.

The murderer had targeted these forgotten people, killing them in secret.

“You bastard!”

Levin ground his teeth.

Even while he had been away, the murderer had continued to kill.

He regretted not being able to finish him off when they first crossed paths.

“This time, I’ll make sure to get him.”

Resolving to end it, Levin walked toward Jung-hee’s Restaurant.

There wasn’t a soul nearby, as expected of a place with no customers.

A small bell was attached to the door.

It would ring if someone opened it, but that didn’t matter to Levin.

Sssrrt.

Using his ghost ability, Levin phased through the door with ease.

Once inside, Levin’s expression hardened.

‘The scent of blood?’

A faint smell of blood lingered in the air.

It was so faint that most people wouldn’t notice it, but Levin, now a B-rank Awakened, couldn’t be fooled.

Following the scent, Levin moved deeper into the restaurant.

He eventually reached the freezer in the back.

“Damn it!”

Levin cursed under his breath as he opened the freezer door.

Inside were dismembered bodies, stacked like cuts of meat.

Over ten bodies had been hacked apart and piled up in the freezer, just like pieces of butchered meat.

Thud!

Levin slammed the freezer door shut, fighting back his nausea.

As he had suspected, the restaurant’s owner and family had been murdered by the killer long ago.

Judging by the frozen state of the bodies, they had been dead for at least ten days.

After killing them, the murderer had left the restaurant open to avoid suspicion.

Given how few customers the restaurant had, keeping the doors open was enough to avoid any attention.

“Damn bastard!”

Grinding his teeth, Levin searched the rest of the restaurant.

After a thorough search, he found the entrance to the basement hidden behind some supplies.

“Hah! Look at this.”

The entrance was cleverly booby-trapped.

It was a simple setup using tripwires and explosives, but strong enough to obliterate a low-level Awakened.

“This son of a bitch really pulls out all the stops.”

Furious, Levin ghosted through the entrance, bypassing the trap.

The basement of the restaurant was pitch dark.

Even Levin, with his enhanced senses, could barely make anything out without focusing mana into his eyes.

That’s when it happened.

“You’ve finally found your way here.”

A chilling voice echoed from the darkness.

Levin instantly recognized the voice’s owner.

“You son of a bitch!”

“Yes, son of a bitch. The lovely name you gave me.”

The ominous voice belonged to none other than the murderer—the creature Levin had been hunting.

Levin, staring into the darkness where he suspected the killer was lurking, spoke with venom in his voice.

“You really are something else. Instead of hiding somewhere quiet after surviving, you came all the way to Neo Seoul to continue your killing spree.”

“So what?”

“What?”

“What exactly do you think is so impressive? The fact that I managed to sneak into Neo Seoul, or that I keep killing people?”

“Both, you damn psycho!”

“Ha, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The killer let out a sinister laugh, clearly satisfied with the response.

Meanwhile, Levin’s eyes grew colder.

“Why? Why the hell do you keep murdering people? Even if your brain’s broken, this is too much!”

“Heh heh! What can I do? It’s how I was made.”

“Damn it! That’s just an excuse—”

“How do you expect me to control a desire this strong? We were created like this from the start.”

“We?”

Just then, lights flickered on in the basement.

Levin squinted, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness.

When he opened them fully, he found himself in an unfamiliar scene.

“What the hell is this?”

The floor was crisscrossed with numerous lines, drawn into intricate patterns.

Bright light emanated from the lines on the ground.

“A barrier?”

“Yes. A barrier specifically designed to trap monsters that can phase through objects like you. It wasn’t easy getting my hands on it.”

With a mocking laugh, the killer stepped out from the shadows.

His long, lizard-like face stretched into a grin, his slit eyes gleaming.

A grotesque scar ran across his face like a stitched-up rag, making him unmistakably the killer Levin had been hunting.

The artificial arm he had lost during their last encounter had been replaced, and it was now fully functional.

There was also something different about the killer’s presence—he was more dangerous, more feral than before.

Levin clenched his fists and growled.

“You’ve ranked up.”

“Heh heh! Keep slicing and dicing, and your rank goes up. How about it? Don’t I look like I’m worth fighting now?”

“You son of a…”

“I’ve never forgotten you. Every time I killed, I imagined the scent of blood would lure you back. And wouldn’t you know it? I was right.”

This entire setup was a trap.

A trap meticulously laid out by the murderer, just for Levin.

The killer, now fully prepared and waiting for Levin, grinned smugly.

Levin’s anger flared as he glared at the smirking killer.

“Stop grinning, you bastard! You’ve just dug your own grave.”