Chapter 54

Chapter 54

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 54

The man was Zeon.

Seven years had taken the innocent away from him.

Lines had vanished from his face, and his gaze had deepened.

Even in his movements, there was a sense of ease, a mark of a strong character.

Zeon took out a leather pouch filled with water from inside his robe.

“You must be thirsty. Have a drink.”

“Ah! Thank you.”

Mandy accepted the leather pouch without hesitation, as she was suffering from a burning thirst.

She drank the water first, then handed the leather pouch over to Kim Sangsik.

After taking a sip, some of her strength began to return.

“Phew! Thank you.”

“Thank you so much. We thought we were going to die without a chance to even move.”

Both Mandy and Kim Sangsik expressed their gratitude to Zeon.

Zeon smiled and said.

“I’m glad you’re all safe.”

“But are there no others with you?”

“If you mean companions, there are none.”

“Are you saying you’re crossing the desert alone?”

Mandy’s eyes widened.

Even Pathfinder teams, considered to be elite, struggled to reach this point with multiple members. That’s how dangerous the desert was.

One couldn’t predict where and what kind of monsters inhabited the area.

Especially after the mana explosion seven years ago, the ecological system of monsters underwent significant changes, rendering previous data useless and making things even more dangerous.

Now, there was no safe place except near Neo Seoul. However, Zeon casually mentioned crossing the desert alone.

It was natural for Mandy to be suspicious.

Zeon said with a smile.

“I have a good sense. I can also sense monsters to some extent. So, if I feel something’s off, I always take a different path. That way, I avoid the habitats of monsters.”

“You don’t have a detection skill or anything?”

“Not at all.”

“If that’s true, you have an incredible sense. It would be a great help for survival.”

“Thanks to that, I’ve been able to survive until now.”

Zeon exuded the aura of a seasoned survival expert.

Only someone who had survived in the desert for a long time could possess such a nonchalant attitude.

Mandy gently bit her lip for a moment.

She knew nothing about Zeon. Still, she had no one else she could rely on right now.

She cautiously asked.

“Can you tell me where your destination is?”

“Why do you ask?”

“If by any chance you are heading towards Neo Seoul, could you take us with you?”

“Neo Seoul, you say?”

“Yes! We will definitely repay the favor. Please, take us to Neo Seoul.”

“It’s not an easy task. I don’t know if you’re aware, but the habitat of the monsters has changed significantly over the past seven years.”

“That’s why I’m asking you for a favor. Kim Sangsik and I both hold fairly decent positions within Neo Seoul. If you take us with you, you’ll be rewarded appropriately in Neo Seoul.”

Zeon’s identity and where he came from were unknown.

Under normal circumstances, she would never entrust everything to such an uncertain existence.

However, after losing everything due to Zahar’s betrayal, she had no other choice.

Currently, she couldn’t even determine Neo Seoul’s location.

It would be naive to think it would appear simply by heading north.

The desert landscapes were too similar, making it impossible to accurately navigate.

Moreover, they had lost all the trucks they came with. In such a situation, if they lost Zeon as well, they would wander the desert and eventually die of dehydration like mirages.

Their only hope for survival was Zeon.

Kim Sangsik also kneeled before Zeon.

“We implore you like this. Please don’t abandon us.”

Unlike Mandy, who was an Awakened, Kim Sangsik was just an ordinary person.

It was clear that if he was abandoned here, he would not be able to last another day.

Zeon sighed and said.

“Haa! There’s no other choice. Alright, I’ll take you to Neo Seoul first.”

“Really? Thank you. Once you take us to Neo Seoul, we will definitely repay you.”

Kim Sangsik’s face lit up with gratitude.

***Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com

It seemed like it had been an incredibly challenging day for Mandy and Kim Sangsik, as they both fell into a deep sleep.

Zeon watched them sleeping with a thoughtful expression.

“As expected, they’re from Neo Seoul.”

The two of them didn’t know, but Zeon had been observing them from the beginning.

To be precise, it started when Zahar and Team 7 arrived at the goblin village.

There were Many things she was curious about.

For now, it was clear that Zeon was an Awakened.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so composed in the scorching sun.

What Mandy was truly curious about was the specific type of Awakened Zeon was.

Checking his rank could be done easily by looking at the wrist insignia, but Zeon was wearing gauntlets.

The gauntlets he wore covered up to his forearm.

Interestingly, there was a round, red gem embedded on the back of the hand, drawing attention.

Judging by the gauntlets, it seemed Martial Arts-oriented.

Such weapons were commonly used by Martial Arts Awakened.

However, to assert that Zeon was a Martial Arts Awakened, his aura felt off.

The color representing Martial Arts Awakened was red.

Due to the influence of their Awakened abilities, they were known for being active and passionate, reflected in the red color of their insignia.

On the contrary, Magic Awakened were symbolized by a cool blue color.

It was because their intellect prevailed over instinct.

That’s why it was usually not difficult to distinguish between Magic and Martial Arts Awakened. However, strangely, Zeon didn’t clearly exhibit such characteristics.

Although his attire suggested martial arts, his behavior and gaze seemed more aligned with Magic Awakened.

‘I’ll probably find out as we go.’

The distance to Neo Seoul was over a thousand kilometers.

Walking such a long distance would inevitably reveal his abilities.

Mandy tried her best to conserve energy while walking.

Fortunately, she had the ability to manipulate the wind.

When her body temperature rose from the intense sun, she could raise a gentle breeze to cool down, making it more bearable than Kim Sangsik riding on the Bactrian Camel.

At that moment, Zeon’s voice reached them as they continued to walk.

“Looks like it’s going to rain. Let’s go up there.”

“What?”

“Rain?”

Mandy and Kim Sangsik exchanged bewildered looks.

With not a single cloud in sight and the sun beating down so intensely, the idea of rain sounded absurd.

They thought Zeon had gone mad.

However, regardless of the two’s reactions, Zeon led them higher.

With no other choice, Mandy and Kim Sangsik had to follow Zeon.

They reached the summit of the highest sand dune in the area.

Boom!

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, dark clouds gathered, followed by thunder and lightning.

Then, a heavy rain shower began.

“Is this... for real?”

“Oh my gosh!”

Unable to close their gaping mouths, the two couldn’t believe their eyes.

The torrential rain, pouring down with tremendous force, filled the lower ground.

If they hadn’t listened to Zeon and remained below, they would likely be struggling in the water by now.

It was a moment to be grateful for following Zeon’s advice.

Zeon smiled while looking at the waterlogged area.

His expression was strangely eerie.

He spoke,

“When it rains in the desert, creatures awaken. It just so happens that this place has the best terrain for them to inhabit.”

“Awaken? What are you talking about?”

“Those creatures.”

At that moment, from the waterlogged area, bubbles rose, and something emerged.

Like twisted wires, bizarre creatures with slender and elongated bodies wriggled, moving strangely.

The grotesque sight made Mandy and Kim Sangsik feel uneasy.

Mandy asked, clutching her stomach.

“Wh-what are those? I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“Those are Ghost Sandworms. They remain dormant during dry periods and awaken when supplied with moisture, searching for prey.”

“Ghost Sandworms?”

“They burrow into the prey’s body, control its brain and make it go seeking for water.””

“In the desert for water?”

“That’s why they’re terrifying. If you’re possessed by a Ghost Sandworm, you wander the desert endlessly, eventually dying from dehydration. Then they feed on the nutrients from the corpse and go back to sleep. When it rains again, they awaken.”

The most terrifying thing in the desert wasn’t powerful monsters like Wyverns.

It was these unseen threats that were even more frightening.

Mandy and Kim Sangsik couldn’t help but shiver involuntarily.

Zeon, walking towards where the Ghost Sandworms were, said.

“Wait here.”

“No, why are you going down to a place where such terrifying things are?”

“I’ve always wanted one of them.”

Zeon answered with a chuckle.

[Translator – Peptobismol]