Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 56

The journey went smoothly.

Zeon skillfully navigated around the habitat of the desert monsters as if he were a ghost.

At times, it seemed like he was taking detours, but upon later reflection, Mandy realized that Zeon’s path was indeed a shortcut.

In those moments, a chill ran down Mandy’s spine.

As the sun set and evening descended, Zeon found the optimal terrain to set up camp.

Dinner consisted of preserved jerky that Zeon had stored, and they quenched their thirst by squeezing dew from the cloth spread out overnight.

In this way, the two of them, accompanying Zeon, were able to learn survival techniques in the desert little by little.

Mandy felt awe towards Zeon.

‘He truly knows the desert well.’

Of course, there were many in Neo Seoul who were knowledgeable about the desert. However, their activities were limited to the vicinity of Neo Seoul.

Beyond that, survival was not guaranteed.

But Zeon was different.

Even though it was his first time in this area, he immediately identified where the monsters inhabited and what type they were.

He was an excellent guide, to say the least.

Now Mandy understood why Zeon roamed the desert alone.

With such abilities, there was no need to bother with traveling with others.

The more people, the easier it was for the monsters to detect them.

Traveling with Zeon eliminated that concern.

It seemed like he moved along the boundaries of the monsters’ territories.

Still, following Zeon was not easy.

The sand, sinking deep up to their ankles, drained their stamina, and the scorching sun beating down from above robbed their bodies of moisture.

The suffering experienced by Kim Sangsik, an ordinary person, was beyond comparison to Mandy.

Despite Zeon making accommodations, Sangsik was gasping for breath, reaching his limits.

His lips were cracked, peeling, and his eyes had lost focus long ago.

Even riding on the Bactrian Camel didn’t alleviate his plight.

For an ordinary person with no abilities, the desert was an excessively harsh environment to survive in.

Mandy glanced at Sangsik.

“Heuk! Heuk!”

He swayed weakly on the back of the Bactrian Camel like a puppet with its strings cut.

Unfortunately, there was nothing more she could do to help him.

Then, it happened.

Zeon, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped and sifted the sand on the ground.

Mandy cautiously inquired about the reason.

“Why are you doing that?”

“We need to be careful from here.”

“What?”

“Sandworms like this kind of sand. They prefer soft, fine sand particles like this.”

The finer the particles of the sand, the more amplification of even small vibrations.

This type of terrain, with soft, fine sand, was optimal for monsters like sandworms that detected surface vibrations for hunting.

Mandy asked with a puzzled expression.

“Are there different types of sand too?”

“Yes, there are.”

“And you can distinguish that?”

“It’s possible when you’ve survived in the desert for a long time.”

“Really…”

Mandy shook her head in amazement.

If anyone could do that, the desert would already be dominated by humans. Since it wasn’t the case, the desert still remained as the territory of monsters.

It was a skill unique to Zeon.

Now Mandy was certain of that fact.

“I’ll move along the outskirts of the Sandworm territory. The chances of them detecting us are low, but still, be careful not to make any noise.”

Zeon said as he continued walking.

If he were alone, there would be no need to be this cautious.

The desert was his domain, and sandworms were not his adversaries. However, with Mandy and Kim Sangsik as companions, he needed to be careful.

One of the insights Zeon gained during his seven years of wandering the world was that most people harbored jealousy and envy.

Those who were better than them needed to be brought down, and if possible, dragged down to their level.

Dealing with such individuals was not fearful, but it was already becoming tiresome.

It was while Zeon was walking along the outskirts of the Sandworm territory that it happened.

“Hmm!”

Suddenly, an unfamiliar sight entered his field of view.

In the distance, a partially covered object in the sand became visible.

“What is it?”

Mandy asked with a puzzled expression.

“Well, it looks like a corpse, for now…”

“A corpse?”

She looked in the direction Zeon was gazing.

After concentrating for a while, Mandy could make out the object that Zeon was looking at.

“That’s definitely the uniform of Team 7.”

Mandy furrowed her brow.

It was too far, and buried in the sand, making it impossible to identify who had fallen.

Zeon said.

“Let’s get closer for a look.”

“Yes!”

Nodding, Mandy followed Zeon.

Behind them, Kim Sangsik rode on the Bactrian Camel.

It took almost twenty minutes, but finally, the three of them reached the fallen person.

Only then could they clearly see the face of the fallen individual.

Mandy’s eyes widened.

“Annika?”

It was undoubtedly Annika, the only woman in Team 7.

In an instant, Annika opened her eyes.

“Hoho! Caught you.”

As if she had been waiting for the question of when she had fallen, she sprang up.

Mandy, surprised, opened her eyes wide.

“What’s going on?”

“What’s going on? You’ve fallen into our trap. Hoho!”

Annika stepped back, laughing.

At that moment, those who had been hiding in the nearby sand emerged.

Zahar and Felix, Darren and Seido, the entire Team 7 had been lying in wait.

They had surrounded Zeon’s group.

Zahar looked at Mandy and said.

“You managed to stay alive.”

“Team leader Zahar. What is this about?”

“What is it about? Well, judging by your complexion, it seems like you’ve had proper food and water. We just thought we’d share. As you can see, we haven’t had a decent meal for days.”

The condition of Team 7 was a mess.

Their faces were gaunt, and their skin was rough and flaky.

Despite escaping the shelter unharmed, it was evident they had gone hungry without finding any food.

They had rationed their emergency supplies, but it had run out for everyone two days ago.

Since then, they had been in a state of continuous hunger.

In the eyes of Team 7, Mandy and Kim Sangsik appeared healthy. Unlike the famished members of Team 7, Mandy’s face was full of life.

It was evident they had rations.

Zahar looked at Zeon.

“You probably have food and water, right?”

It was impossible for Mandy and Kim Sangsik to find sustenance in the desert with their abilities.

Ultimately, Zeon was the only one among them who could be a variable.

“Leave them and come this way. It would be better for you.”

Zahar said politely, but his gaze was fiercely predatory.

Having gone without food for two days, they saw nothing but the possibility of obtaining water and rations.

If they could secure supplies, they were willing to do anything.

“If you give us food and water, Neo Seoul will greatly reward you.”

Zahar’s eyes evoked an image of a venomous creature.

It was the same for other team members.

In desperation, they had abandoned their pride and lured Zeon’s group into a trap in the sand.

Zeon chuckled.

“If we give you food and water, will you truly spare our lives?”

“Of course. We’ll even protect you all the way to Neo Seoul.”

“I don’t believe you?”

“You have no choice either way. Joining hands with us is your only chance at survival.”

As Zahar spoke, Felix, Darren, and others took positions behind Zeon’s group.

They seemed poised to use their skills if necessary.

That’s when Mandy stepped forward.

“Does it have to be this way? We are all part of the same family, aren’t we?”

“Family? Outside of our team, I’ve never considered anyone family even once.”

“Does that mean you won’t accept this person as part of the same team?”

Zahar’s expression hardened at Mandy’s words.

It shifted to an interrogation.

Realizing that persuading them nicely was out of the question, he gave the order.

“Kill them all.”

“Kill them!”

“Chaah!”

Darren and Seido, Awakened Martial Artists, rushed forward, while Felix and Annika provided support from behind.

Darren’s mechanical arm and Seido’s sword attacked Zeon, while Felix’s curses and Annika’s magic were unleashed on Mandy.

“You never saw this coming, did you?”

Mandy, fueled by rising fury, unveiled the skill she had concealed until now.

In an instant, Mandy’s body split into five.

It was a mirror image, a form of illusion magic.

Puff!

Felix’s curses and Annika’s magic struck Mandy’s illusion.

Meanwhile, the real Mandy had moved behind Annika.

“I never liked you from the start either.”

She said to the defenseless Annika, intending to cast a spell. However, Zahar moved faster than her.

“Where to?”

Swoosh!

His strike resonated strongly with Mandy.

“Aaargh!”

Mandy was thrown back with a scream.

As a team leader, Zahar’s attacks were exceptionally powerful.

Mandy fell to the ground, blood pooling around her. Seeing Mandy in that state, Annika was furious.

“That was close. You damn bitch!”

Annika spat out a curse without hesitation.

Zahar entrusted the disposal of Mandy to Annika and turned his gaze towards Zeon.

Darren and Seido had been attacking Zeon for a while, but he narrowly avoided all their strikes.

“Not bad skills you’ve got there.”

Darren and Seido’s skills were outstanding even among the Pathfinders.

In particular, the combination of the two was perfect and brought despair to many people.

Darren’s brute force pushing and Seido’s sword, shooting like a streak of light, created a flawless synergy.

Together, they relentlessly pressed Zeon, seemingly sharing consciousness, leaving him with no apparent way to counter.

However, Zeon managed to evade their attacks effortlessly. His movements seemed peculiar, effortlessly gliding over the sand as if someone was pulling him with a rope.

Especially contrasting was the fact that, with each step Darren and Seido took, they sank deep into the sand up to their ankles.

This difference prevented them from easily overpowering Zeon despite their overwhelming advantage, allowing time to slip away.

‘This guy is used to fighting on the sand.’

Zahar murmured, biting his lips.

It was unclear what variables might arise if they let time pass.

Before that, they had to subdue Zeon.

“Noom!”

Zahar joined the assault.

Kwahng!

The air exploded with the force of his punch.

Naturally, Zeon was the target. However, with a narrow margin, Zeon evaded Zahar’s attack.

Continuing his assault, Zahar said.

“The more you resist, the tougher it gets for you. It’d be better to surrender willingly.”

“Even if I surrender, you won’t spare my life, will you?”

Zeon said with a smile.

Even amidst the combined assault of the three, Zeon maintained a composed expression, unsettling Zahar’s emotions.

“I’ll cut off your limbs and feed them to the monsters.”

“If you like monsters so much, I can call them for you.”

“What?”

Kwaang!

In that instant, Zeon swung his leg forcefully, and with a deafening sound, fine sand particles scattered into the sky.

Powerful vibrations traveled far through the sand.

It was not just a simple dust cloud; Zeon, utilizing his dominance, had sent vibrations far away.

Not just any vibrations; he transformed them into the wave pattern that sandworms favored the most.

The effect was immediate.

Kwakwakwa!

Sandworms from a distance reacted to the vibrations and swarmed towards the source.

While Zahar and his team remained oblivious, Zeon keenly sensed their movements.

“What kind of trickery is this?”

“You’re dead!”

“This damn bastard…”

As Zahar, Darren, and Seido attacked Zeon, that was when it happened.

Whoosh!

Piercing through the sand, massive insects revealed themselves behind Zeon.

Sandworms.