Chapter 52

Chapter 52

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 52

The landscape could only be described as one that had been swept by a sandstorm. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the scene that unfolded before them.

Zahar and his team dismounted from the Bactrian Camels and entered the goblin village.

Bodies of goblins, half-buried in the sand, lay scattered around.

The state of the goblins was truly grim.

It seemed as if the sandstorm had scraped away their skin, leaving muscles exposed, and internal organs spilled out, staining the sand a dark red.

The faces of the goblins were contorted in a grotesque manner, indicating the intense fear and agony they experienced moments before death.

“What on earth happened here?”

Zahar muttered as he touched the corpse of a goblin.

The warmth of the body was still palpable.

“It died less than an hour ago.”

“Just within an hour? Wouldn’t we have seen the sandstorm approaching, then?”

Felix expressed disbelief.

Occasional desert sandstorms could wreak havoc on everything.

The terror of an approaching sandstorm filling the horizon was known only to those who had experienced it.

Even the most formidable Awakened would not guarantee their survival against a massive sandstorm, revealing the frailty of humanity in the face of colossal natural disasters.

The problem was, if a sandstorm of such magnitude occurred, Zahar and his team should have been aware of it.

Even if the towering sand dunes obscured their view, a sandstorm capable of swallowing the goblin village whole would have been impossible to miss.

“What’s really going on?”

“What the hell happened here?”

The team members looked around in confusion.

No living goblins were in sight.

With over a thousand goblins present, not a single one had survived.

The situation was beyond their comprehension based on common knowledge.

Mandira knelt beside a goblin corpse, examining it closely.

This goblin was no ordinary monster.

“It’s a Hobgoblin.”

Hobgoblins were stronger than dozens of regular goblins combined, some even possessing special skills.

Even Awakened individuals below E-rank would find it challenging to confront a Hobgoblin.

Yet, this powerful creature lay dead in a pitiful state.

Flesh was torn, bones exposed, and even the eyeballs of the Hobgoblin retained a lingering light of terror.

No matter how they looked at it, it didn’t look like it had been caused by a naturally occurring sandstorm.

Mandira furrowed her brows involuntarily.

“A Hobgoblin could have avoided the sandstorm easily. It’s not like they couldn’t leave the village due to camaraderie. I don’t understand. What exactly happened here?”

She scratched her head nervously.

That’s when it happened.

“Team Leader! We’ve got survivors here!”

Seido urgently called Zahar.

Zahar, along with Mandira and the others, rushed towards Seido.

Pointing to the ground, Seido spoke frantically.

“It seems to be an underground prison.”

“A prison?”

Zahar’s gaze focused on the ground.

“Help us!”

“Please get us out of here.”

Faint voices of people trapped below echoed.

Goblins were not the source of these voices; they were unmistakably human.

Zahar shouted urgently.

“Quick, dig through the sand!”

“Yes!”

Team members immediately began digging without hesitation.

With the combined strength of multiple Awakened individuals, they quickly cleared more than a meter of sand, revealing the ceiling of a prison made of stones.

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With a resounding crash, the ceiling crumbled, exposing the faces of people confined inside.

Zahar recognized them immediately.

“Rothen, Jack!”

The man called Rothen was the leader of Team 2, and Jack was a member of his team.

Both were formidable Martial Arts Awakened, possessing strength that could not be underestimated.

They looked up at Zahar, their arms and legs bound.

They had black bruises on their faces, swollen to the point where their features were unrecognizable.

Team 7 quickly pulled out the two individuals and loosened their bindings.

Zahar asked Rothen.

“What happened?”

“We were ambushed. Sneaky goblins set traps and waited to ambush us.”

“What about the other team members?”

“They’re all dead. The goblins caught and ate them.”

Kwoong!

Suddenly, the shelter shook violently.

“What?”

“What’s going on?”

Those inside the shelter were startled, looking at each other in surprise.

Kwoong!

At that moment, the shelter shook once again.

Team 1 leader quickly gave orders.

“Find out what’s going on.”

“Yes!”

Team 1 members rushed outside, and after a while, they returned with solemn expressions.

“Trouble, we’re in big trouble. A Cyclops has attacked from outside.”

“What? Cyclops?”

“Yes! It’s attacking the shelter.”

The faces of those inside the shelter changed dramatically.

Cyclopes, together with Ogres, belonged to the highest danger category among monsters.

Although officially classified as B-rank, they were considered more dangerous than A-rank monsters.

With a colossal stature exceeding seven meters, overwhelming strength, and incredible resistance to magic that could deflect most spells, Cyclopes were formidable adversaries.

Moreover, they possessed bipedal movement and demonstrated signs of intelligence, setting them apart from Ogres.

This innate intelligence, surpassing instinct, contributed to Cyclopes being deemed more hazardous than Ogres.

Kwaaang!

A colossal vibration resonated as the Cyclops attacked the shelter.

The impact caused the shelter to crumple, revealing a fissure, and the eye of a one-eyed giant appeared.

It was undoubtedly a Cyclops.

“This is insane!”

It was impervious to the attacks of most monsters. Yet, the shelter was crumpling and tearing like a sheet of paper.

It meant that the Cyclops’s attack power exceeded the shelter’s defenses.

Allowing Cyclops’s attacks any further would result in the shelter collapsing. They had to subdue the Cyclops before that happened.

Just as Team 1 leader was about to issue the attack command,

Kwaang!

Again, with a deafening sound, the shelter shook.

The opposite wall tore open, revealing two more Cyclopes.

“It wasn’t just one?”

“Unbelievable!”

Despair flickered in the eyes of those inside the shelter.

Handling one Cyclops was nearly impossible. Yet, facing three Cyclopes?

Team 1 leader and Zahar exchanged determined glances.

Team 1 leader gave the order.

“Abandon the shelter. Escape by team and return to Neo Seoul.”

As soon as his order was given, the Pathfinder teams rushed outside.

Thud!

A massive club dropped onto the head of an Awakened attempting to escape.

The Cyclops had attacked.

The Awakened couldn’t even scream before meeting an instant death.

“Hehehe!”

The Cyclops gleefully chewed on the lifeless body like fish meat.

As if not satisfied with consuming just one person, it attacked others.

“Arghhh!”

“Kueck!”

Screams echoed continuously around the shelter.

The Cyclopes formed a triangle, surrounding the shelter, attacking the Awakened and enjoying their feast.

Most of the Awakened couldn’t escape the Cyclopes’ encirclement and fell victim to the relentless onslaught.

As Team 7 ran forward, a massive Cyclops blocked their path.

An unusually massive one.

It was undoubtedly the leader of the Cyclopes.

The leader needed to be distracted.

Zahar shouted to Annika.

“We need a sacrifice.”

“Okay!”

Having been together for a long time, Annika quickly understood Zahar’s intentions.

A surge of electricity emanated from Annika’s hand, striking Mandira in the back.

Her magic, Lightning Bolt, exploded.

Mandira, paralyzed by the lightning bolt, couldn’t even utter a scream.

Annika muttered, spitting on the back of Mandira’s head.

“I never liked you from the start.”

That was the last thing Mandira remembered.

Soon, an overwhelming darkness enveloped her.

And then Mandira lost consciousness.

[Translator – Peptobismol]