Chapter 55

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 55

One common misconception among people is that it never rains in the desert.

However, that’s only a partial truth.

Rain does fall in the desert, but it happens so swiftly, and the water disappears into the sands so quickly that often no traces are left behind.

Sometimes, it pours as if it could swallow everything in its path, even turning an entire region into a temporary sea. Yet, just as quickly, it vanishes into the sand without a trace.

There are specific terrains in the desert where water collects exceptionally well. These are areas where the rain forms puddles or small ponds.

Of course, the water drains rapidly, but in such places, Ghost Sandworms lie dormant.

When the sand is bone-dry, these monsters seem lifeless, almost as if dead. However, once rain falls and pools, they awaken like parasites, monsters of a low rank that wouldn’t even make it to F-rank.

Surprisingly, even in Neo Seoul, the existence of such monsters is unknown, not documented in the meticulously crafted Monsters Encyclopedia.

These parasites, not even worthy of a F-rank designation, pose a danger beyond imagination.

Once they infiltrate a body, no matter how robust the monster, it seeks water, dehydrating and killing its host in the process.

Unless adequately shielded by an energy field, escaping the tendrils of Ghost Sandworms is nearly impossible.

Awakened face a similar plight.

Once these monsters invade, there is no known method to expel them.

Zeon discovered this fact purely by chance.

He happened to be in an area where rain fell. In that moment, a Ghost Sandworm awakened from a puddle, and a colossal monster came seeking water. Zeon watched as the massive monster became a puppet, manipulated by the Ghost Sandworm.

From then on, Zeon became intrigued by these monsters. However, obtaining Ghost Sandworms proved more challenging than he anticipated.

The optimal terrains for these monsters were not as abundant as one might think.

If an area had no rainfall at all, these monsters didn’t exist. Even in areas where rain fell, suitable terrains for the monsters to briefly settle were scarce.

Finally, even if one managed to discover Ghost Sandworms with such difficulty, capturing them alive was not an easy task.

Due to this, Zeon also experienced multiple failures in obtaining Ghost Sandworms. However, through several unsuccessful attempts, he found a way to capture them alive.

Zeon pulled out a small glass bottle from within his robe.

The surface of the glass bottle was engraved with characters that seemed to hold an unknown significance.

Splash!

As Zeon arrived at a puddle, the Ghost Sandworms sensed him and trembled vigorously.

Their wire-like bodies twisted grotesquely, rushing towards Zeon.

The sight of their wire-like bodies, contorting eerily without arms or legs, naturally instilled fear in any observer.

“What’s that?”

“Ah!”

Mandy and Kim Sangsik, who were watching from afar, widened their eyes in surprise.

The bodies of the Ghost Sandworms suddenly turned transparent, and like missiles, they were shot towards Zeon.

At that moment, Zeon extended the glass bottle he held in his hand forward. Invisible to the eye, three Ghost Sandworms shot into the bottle as if drawn by an unseen force.

It seemed as if the Ghost Sandworms had willingly entered the glass bottle. However, Mandy knew that wasn’t the case.

Zeon had undoubtedly employed some kind of technique.

Having acquired the Ghost Sandworms he desired, the rest became unnecessary.

Swoosh!

In a moment, intense flames erupted around Zeon.

The scorching fire swiftly consumed the remaining Ghost Sandworms. Having dealt with the monsters, Zeon gathered sand from the spot where they had been and filled a glass bottle.

This was the key.

Placing the sand from where the Ghost Sandworms had been into a magically treated glass bottle made them fall into a dormant state, almost like a lie.

When the monsters attacked Zeon, towering over a meter, they shrank to be smaller than his finger, their forms contorting grotesquely.

“Hmph!”

Zeon sealed the glass bottle, wearing a mischievous grin on his face.

He stored the bottle containing the Ghost Sandworms in his robe. In reality, it was in a pocket dimension, but to Mandy and Kim Sangsik, it looked like he placed it within his robe.

At that moment, the downpour ceased abruptly, and the sun beamed down brightly, as if nothing had happened.

Mandy and Kim Sangsik blinked in astonishment.

So much had transpired in such a short time, leaving them somewhat disoriented.

Experiences like these would be impossible in Neo Seoul.

The two descended the sand dune and approached Zeon cautiously.

Mandy asked cautiously.

“What are you going to do with those Ghost Sandworms?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I think they seem to have various potential uses. If you bring them to Neo Seoul, we could study them and potentially create items that could help many people.”

Mandy, in her role as a supervisor dispatched from Neo Seoul, developed an interest in the new form of monster. However, Zeon firmly cut off her curiosity.

“I apologize. I obtained the Ghost Sandworms out of personal curiosity. If you want them, catch them yourself.”

“Oh! I didn’t mean…”

Mandy stammered, caught off guard.

Her life now depended on Zeon, and it wasn’t the time to go against his will.

“I’m sorry. My ambition got the best of me.”

“It’s okay. It happens. Just refrain from doing it again.”

Zeon responded with a gentle smile to Mandy’s apology, but she couldn’t bring herself to smile. There was something unsettling about Zeon’s laughter.

It was at that moment Mandy truly realized what kind of person Zeon was.

He was someone strong and experienced enough to wander the desert alone.

‘Judging by the skills he used earlier, he’s likely a magic user, perhaps a fire magic type Awakened.’

The fact that he effortlessly incinerated the Ghost Sandworms during the downpour indicated a considerable level of proficiency.

‘At least C-rank to B-rank.’

With this level, he could receive considerable recognition even in Neo Seoul.

Mandy knew she had to be more cautious.

After the commotion settled, the three of them resumed their journey.

When Kim Sangsik’s stamina sufficiently recovered, Mandy and he swapped places.

“Haa!”

Mandy, now on the Bactrian Camell, sighed in relief.

No matter how strong of an Awakened she was, walking across the desert all day took a huge toll on her stamina.

Even after just half a day, her breathing felt labored, and the hot air seemed to scorch her throat.

Zeon spoke to Mandy.

“If you’re thirsty, wring out your wet clothes and drink it.”

“That…”

“But in a little while, even that will evaporate, and there’ll be nothing left to drink.”

Upon Zeon’s words, Mandy hastily wrung out her outer garment, and water began to flow.

Mandy drank the streaming water eagerly.

Kim Sangsik followed Mandy’s actions.

Zeon patiently waited for them.

In reality, Zeon’s subspace held a considerable amount of water.

Even if he distributed the water, it didn’t matter. However, survival in the desert required more than easy access to resources.

One had to procure water and hunt for food independently.

If they wished to return safely to Neo Seoul, cultivating such habits from now on was imperative.

Zeon led the group without showing any signs of difficulty.

Kim Sangsik and Mandy took turns riding on the Bactrian Camel, replenishing their stamina. Meanwhile, they observed Zeon closely.

Despite walking all day, Zeon displayed no signs of fatigue.

He didn’t even break a sweat, and there was no hint of labored breathing.

Mandy and Kim Sangsik couldn’t comprehend how Zeon managed such endurance.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

‘How can he be like this?’

‘He seems like someone who has lived his whole life in the desert. No, even if that were the case, is that possible?’

The more they observed Zeon, the more questions piled up. However, Zeon remained silent, unwilling to share anything about himself.

“Hmm!”

After a while, as they continued walking, Zeon suddenly stopped.

He knelt on the ground, sweeping away sand with his hand, revealing an unexpected discovery – a corpse.

The body was dried up like a mirage, all moisture gone.

Zeon asked the two.

“Would you like to see if you recognize who this is?”

“It’s an Awakened member of Team 3.”

Mandy quickly identified the body.

It was the first Awakened to escape when the Cyclops attacked. Since he was the first to run away, she had assumed he would still be alive. Why he ended up dead here was a mystery.

Zeon pulled the corpse from the sand. Visible wounds on the back suggested an attack from behind.

“It seems he was attacked from the back. Judging by the size and shape of the wound, likely by a sword…”

At Zeon’s words, Mandy’s pupils trembled.

During the Cyclops’s assault, each team escaped separately. So, logically, there should have been fellow team members around him.

In that case, the person who sneakily attacked and killed him was undoubtedly a member of Team 3.

Zeon continued.

“There’s nothing on him. It looks like he was thoroughly robbed.”

“He was looted?”

“Yes.”

“Haa!”

“When left alone in the desert, human nature tends to reveal itself. It’s not that surprising.”

Mandy sighed at Zeon’s words, realizing the harsh reality they faced in the unforgiving desert.

Zeon spoke as if it were nothing special.

It wasn’t uncommon for yesterday’s comrades to become today’s enemies.

Perhaps there was long-standing resentment, or maybe it was an attempt to seize belongings from the corpse. In the harsh and isolated environment of the desert, true nature often emerged.

Zeon, having witnessed such scenes countless times, wasn’t surprised. However, Mandy and Kim Sangsik were left in shocked silence.

Zeon stood up and said.

“Let’s go. The monsters that have caught the scent will come soon.”

Wasting time dealing with the corpse would make them an easy target for the approaching monsters.

Leaving the area before the monsters arrived was the best option.

Fortunately, both Mandy and Kim Sangsik followed Zeon’s words without hesitation.

The deceased was just a fellow dispatched on the mission, and without personal connections, they could leave calmly.

How long did they walk?

“Ugh! Go away! Hyah!”

Suddenly, a voice, strained with agony, echoed from a distant place.

Zeon led the group towards the direction of the faintly heard voice.

“Tsk!”

Suddenly, Zeon clicked his tongue.

Mandy cautiously asked.

“Why?”

She couldn’t see anything yet, so she couldn’t understand why Zeon clicked his tongue.

Zeon pointed his finger towards the sky.

“It’s a Wyvern flock.”

“Wyvern?”

Only then did Mandy turn her gaze to the sky.

In the distance, a Wyvern flock circled, and an Awakened fighting them became visible as they walked closer.

He wielded a spear, attacking the Wyverns. However, his attacks couldn’t reach them.

The Wyverns played with the Awakened like a cat toying with a mouse, leaving inflicting significant wounds with each interaction.

Although he was protecting his body with protective gear made by Neo Seoul, it was useless in front of the Wyverns’ sharp claws.

Whoosh!

The Wyvern’s claws tore through the Awakened’s protective gear like a rag.

The name of the Awakened being attacked was Creed.

He was an Awakened who belonged to Team 3, same as the body Zeon and his group found a little while ago.

He killed his companions and robbed them of water and items.

It was an inevitable choice since there was a shortage of water. The items were just a bonus. After all, it was something the dead didn’t need.

After killing his companion, he ventured into the desert alone.

Until recently, he believed he could survive any crisis in the desert. But the reality of his foolish thinking became apparent within half a day.

Kwaak!

The fangs and claws of the Wyvern flock descended upon Creed relentlessly.

“Kuaak!”

Ultimately, Creed’s neck was bitten by the Wyvern’s fangs, his life ending.

As Creed died, the Wyverns swarmed to feast on his remains, resembling a murder of crows.

“Ugh!”

Witnessing Creed’s torn-apart corpse, Kim Sangsik averted his gaze in disgust and horror, his face displaying a mix of repulsion and fear.

Mandy, while affected, maintained her composure, focusing on a particularly large Wyvern.

Bigger than the others, with a glossy black body and a faint crimson glow around it.

Mandy immediately recognized the source of the glow.

“Aura? So, a monster of at least B-rank or higher?”

The phenomenon of sparks around the Black Wyvern indicated a powerful aura, typically seen in A-rank monsters.

In other words, the Black Wyvern was an A-rank monster.

“Heuk!”

Mandy unintentionally gasped as the Black Wyvern and her eyes met.

The colossal Wyvern seemed to be looking directly at her.

“Ddulkk!”

A gasp of fear escaped her as an overwhelming sense of terror invaded her.

The fierce Wyvern swarm showed no intention of moving. Particularly, the giant Black Wyvern seemed preoccupied, gazing elsewhere.

‘Could it be because of that?’

Mandy hastily looked at Zeon, who smiled and said.

“The wyvern flock seems satisfied. They’re not interested in us for now. We better go before they change their minds.”

Without waiting for Mandy’s response, Zeon continued walking.

“L-let’s go.”

“Ugh!”

Mandy and Kim Sangsik, with no time for further contemplation, followed Zeon.

As Zeon’s group disappeared from sight, the Black Wyverns turned their heads again, looking in the direction they had left.

In the eyes of the Black Wyvern, there was a faint gleam of fear as it looked at Zeon’s retreating back.

[Translator – Peptobismol]