Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 61

After guiding Mandy and Kim Sangsik to their lodging, Cha Dong-seok came outside.

There was no doubt about the identities of the two.

Kim Sangsik’s access card was decisive.

The problem was Zeon.

It was entirely Cha Dong-seok’s responsibility on how to treat an Awakened from the slums.

“I guess they must’ve handled it well on their own, right?”

Cha Dong-seok had been with his subordinates for a long time, and just by exchanging glances, they knew exactly what Cha Dong-seok wanted.

They must have already taken care of Zeon on their own.

It wasn’t because there was any personal grudge against Zeon; such incidents were commonplace in Neo Seoul.

Especially Awakened individuals from the slums were known to be dealt with harshly to keep them in check.

Even if problems arose from this incident, higher-ups wouldn’t inquire.

They allowed some autonomy in such matters, as interfering could lead to more trouble.

So, the decision on how to handle Zeon fell entirely on Cha Dong-seok.

Arriving in front of the shabby lodging where Zeon was taken, Cha Dong-seok couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“Those bastards didn’t kill him, did they?”

With an anxious heart, Cha Dong-seok forcefully opened the door.

The sight inside made him doubt his eyes; an unbelievable scene unfolded before him.

“Argh! Captain.”

“Ugh!”

All of his subordinates were lying on the floor, groaning in pain.

Each one had limbs twisted in bizarre directions.

In the center of it all was Zeon.

Zeon sat on a chair, calmly looking at Cha Dong-seok.

“Welcome.”

“What… what happened to them?”

Surprised, Cha Dong-seok unsheathed his sword.

Swoosh!

Zeon stood up and approached him.

Cha Dong-seok aimed his sword at Zeon’s neck.

“Did you do this to them?”

“They were carelessly trying to look at someone else’s rank insignia.”

“Just for that, you did this to them? This bastard…”

“If you swing that sword, your wrist won’t be safe either.”

“And you think you can enter Neo Seoul like this?”

“I don’t need to enter Neo Seoul anyway. I’ll stay in the slums.”

“Ugh!”

Cha Dong-seok gritted his teeth.

Neo Seoul and the slums were adjacent but practically separate territories.

Even within Neo Seoul, they rarely interfered with slum affairs.

Interfering would only cause headaches. Hence, they allowed some autonomy.

Zeon approached Cha Dong-seok.

The distance was so close that their breaths intermingled, and Cha Dong-seok could see the deep, dry blackness in Zeon’s eyes.

For the first time, Cha Dong-seok felt an eerie sensation.

Zeon’s eyes made him feel as if his soul were plunging into an abyss just by making eye contact.

It was a sensation he had never experienced before.

Although only D-rank, he was a veteran who had been through all sorts of dangers.

Realizing something was wrong, he quickly changed his stance.

“I apologize. Why didn’t you mention you were a high-ranking Awakened?”

“Mandy and Kim Sangsik vouched for me. Did you forget that already?”

“That’s… I apologize.”

When one must bow, they must bow properly.

Cha Dong-seok apologized without further excuses.

The level of his subordinates was not significantly low.

They were all either D or E-rank Awakened.

Despite this, they couldn’t inflict a single wound on Zeon and suffered a miserable defeat.

If stepping forward wouldn’t change the situation, it was best to bury everything here and withdraw.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Zeon had any intention of escalating the problem any further.

“So, we don’t have any issues, right?”

“Was there a problem?”

“Luckily, no. Still, it’s good that we can communicate.”

“I’ll arrange for a change of accommodation.”

“No need. This much is sufficient.”

“Still…”

“I just want to be alone for a while.”

“Understood. Then, rest comfortably.”

After nodding respectfully to Zeon, Cha Dong-seok called out to his subordinates.

“Hey, you bastards! Why are you still lying down? Get up quickly.”

“Ugh!”

“Keuk!”

Groaning, the subordinates reluctantly got up.

Cha Dong-seok went outside along with them.

As soon as the crowd outside disappeared, Zeon murmured to himself.

“Now I can finally rest a bit.”

It was a necessary ceremony after all.

If he could get by with just this, it wasn’t a bad outcome.

Zeon sat down and observed the inside of the lodging.

Suddenly, he chuckled.

“This place.”

It was the lodging where he stayed eight years ago when he first came to the Mana Stone Mine.

He recognized it immediately, since nothing had changed.

After spending one night here, he was dragged to the Mana Stone Mine the next day, and from there, he fell into a dungeon. And eight years had passed.

Now he was no longer a child, and he had no intention of working in the mine. Yet, there was a strange feeling that he should enter the Mana Stone Mine again.

“Come to think of it, wasn’t that old swindler here too?”

The swindler, who made him pay 10 Soles for a single meal, and snatched a Mana Stone worth 300 Sols for only 100.

Despite that, Zeon had received the hourglass, leading to obtaining Exion. But the fact remained that he was scammed.

Although a long time had passed, the swindler’s face was vivid in his memory.

“It was old man Klexi, right? I guess it’s time to see his face after a long time.”

There was nothing to do inside anyway.

Zeon went outside.

Fortunately, Cha Dong-seok had probably mentioned it in advance, as no one tried to engage or stop him.

Thanks to that, Zeon could comfortably arrive at the area where Klexi was doing business.

Even here, there were almost no changes.

As Zeon appeared, merchants approached from all directions.

“Come over here, Bosch.”

“We have good stuff here.”

“It looks like you’re a beginner, repair your things here.”

Their eyes glimmered with greed, trying to squeeze Zeon dry.

Such incidents were commonplace here.

If he didn’t stay vigilant, he would be easily taken advantage of.

Zeon ignored their calls and looked around. However, Klexi was nowhere to be seen.

Unable to help it, he approached one of the merchants tempting him.

“Let me ask you something.”

“Feel free to ask ten. As long as you buy my stuff…”

“If there’s something useful, I’ll buy it.”

“Good! Ask away.”

“Where is old man Klexi? I’m sure he used to do business here.”

“Oh, that old man? He packed up everything and moved into Neo Seoul a while ago.”

“He’s not dead, is he?”

“For that old man to die, you’ll have to wait for several decades. He’s quite resilient, you know.”

“I see.”

“Now, choose something to buy. I’ll give you a good deal.”

The nonchalant merchant spread his arms wide.

Behind him, numerous items were stacked.

Zeon looked around, hoping to find something like the hourglass that contained Exion, but nothing caught his eye.

“I don’t need any of these things. I’ll just go.”

“Hey! Don’t go like that. Just buy something. I’ll give you a good deal.”

The merchant grabbed Zeon’s shoulder roughly.

No one could leave this area empty-handed.

There was an unspoken rule that anyone entering had to buy something, a rule established among the merchants.

But Zeon disregarded such rules lightly.

“Enough. Why would I buy trash?”

“What, trash? This bastard!”

The merchant’s eyes bulged out.

He thought he had an advantage.

He wanted to take advantage of this excuse to strip Zeon of his belongings.

He tightened his grip on Zeon’s shoulder.

At that moment, Zeon, with a smirk, said.

“Tsk! Don’t you know what happens when you touch someone recklessly?”

“What is this guy?”

Crack!

A creepy cracking sound echoed instantly.

“Arggggh!”

In immense pain, the merchant held his broken wrist, which now dangled loosely.

Zeon had broken it.

“To break a wrist like that.”

“That bastard!”

The merchant exclaimed in agony. Then, the surrounding merchants gathered one by one.

Creating a natural atmosphere of fear.

Due to this atmosphere, newcomers were left completely exposed, even their underwear.

Just like the old Zeon had been. But the current Zeon was not the inexperienced rookie he used to be.

Swoosh!

Zeon rolled up his sleeves so that his gauntleted fists could be seen. The approaching merchants flinched.

It’s rare for ordinary people to wear such gear.

Only Awakened wear such equipment.

So, this young man with a mischievous smile meant he was an Awakened.

“Ahem! Come to think of it, I left the shop door open.”

“Oh, I forgot to put the pot on the fire.”

“Oh my! My legs.”

The merchants grumbled and returned to their shops.

The merchant whose wrist was broken wore a betrayed expression. But this was reality.

Even with dozens of ordinary people gathered, they wouldn’t stand a chance against a single Awakened.

If he wanted to blame someone, he had to blame his own recklessness in trying to rip off someone who turned out to be awakened.

“Damn it!”

Tears welled up in his eyes.

Zeon squatted down, locking eyes with the merchant.

“Now, let’s settle the bill.”

“Settle? What nonsense is this? You broke my arm.”

“Oh, why are you like that? You treated me like a fool first. Making an unjust face after treating me like a fool, seeing I was an Awakened, isn’t it a bit much?”

“Ugh!”

“Let’s make it simple. A hundred Sol! Just a hundred Sol, and I’ll forget everything that happened today.”

The money old man Klexi had taken from him before amounted to a hundred Sol.

It was an item that could have cost at least three hundred Sol, but it was robbed of him for only a hundred.

With no experience and nowhere to go, he had no choice but to accept it, but the situation was different now.

Zeon looked at the merchant with a smile. But his smile became a huge pressure for the merchant.

‘Shit! He’s not a tiger; he’s a grim reaper.’

Nowhere could he complain about being treated unfairly.

If he couldn’t succeed, there was no place for him to complain, especially in the Mana Stone Mine.

The one who gets scammed was the fool.

He pulled out a crisp hundred with his unharmed hand.

The hand handing money to Zeon was shaking.

It felt so wasteful that tears were about to come out his eyes. However, Zeon calmly accepted the money.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I won’t have to worry about money for a while. Is there anyone else who wants to try me? It would be nice if there was.”

Zeon mumbled as he tucked the money into his pocket.

Seeing Zeon in that state, the merchant trembled.

‘This guy is the devil. He’s ripping me off like a merchant like me.’

Zeon casually left the market area, leaving the merchant with a bewildered expression.

A lot had happened since Zeon entered the Mana Stone Mine City on the first day. It was good that it wasn’t boring.

Zeon slowly strolled through the mining city.

Most of the miners had not yet come out of the tunnels, so the city was quiet. Still, there were quite a few people walking around the streets.

It had been a while since he had seen so many people at once.

Zeon found a spot on one side of the street and sat down, watching people pass by.

It wasn’t perfect, but he still felt the realization that he had entered the early stages of civilization.

‘Good!’