Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 87

As John disappeared, Brielle trembled.

“Eww! I feel awful.”

Like bugs crawling all over her body, Brielle shuddered.

Zeon sighed.

“They won’t just leave me alone. Why is every one of them so greedy…?”

Even before Zeon left the slums, Johan was the ruler of Dongdaemun.

When Zeon briefly crossed over to Dongdaemun, he returned with disappointment.

Dongdaemun, ruled by Johan, was filled with fanatics.

There were countless followers worshipping an unknown deity.

Communication was difficult, and living a normal life was even harder.

Because of this, Zeon gave up on adapting to Dongdaemun and returned to Sinchon.

After that, for a while, Zeon did not even set foot towards Dongdaemun.

“As soon as Goran disappeared, he set his sights on Sinchon. He moved much faster than I expected.”

The slums maintained a delicate balance where the thugs from each region kept each other in check.

Goran was one of them.

When he disappeared, Johan was the first to bare his fangs.

“I wonder if Ethan can really stop Dongdaemun.”

Zeon shook his head slightly.

In a way, it was clear that all of this had happened in a chain reaction to him eliminating Goran.

He wasn’t completely without blame.

But that didn’t mean Zeon had to take responsibility for this situation.

The slums were always like this.

If even a slight weakness was exposed, they would be mercilessly exploited and shaken down.

Even innocent-looking children were no different from beasts in such a place.

To survive in such an environment, one had to abandon any half-hearted kindness or sense of justice.

Brielle asked.

“What kind of god do humans worship?”

“Well, I’m not sure. Why do you ask?”

“Because those who worship gods are filled with greed…”

“Elves are the same.”

“What are you talking about? Elves are pure.”

“Among the Elves I’ve met, not a single one of them was pure. Even Elves would be quickly corrupted if they fell into Johan’s hands.”

“No, that’s not true. Elves have strong mental strength.”

Brielle strongly denied.

“Mental strength doesn’t matter. As long as greed exists in the heart, anyone can fall into corruption at any time.”

The Elves of Kurayan came to Earth to survive.

The number of creatures that can live in one world is fixed.

If creatures from another world come in, then the number of creatures here must decrease.

Even the Elves knew that.

Their survival meant the death of the people of Earth.

Even though Earth unexpectedly turned into a desert due to the side effects of terraforming.

For survival, they too changed drastically.

Greed took root in their hearts at that moment.

The Elves currently on Earth should be considered completely different creatures from the Elves on Kurayan.

They themselves would deny it to the end, but that’s how it was.

Brielle glared at Zeon with a pouting expression.

Whether she spoke or not, Zeon continued walking indifferently.

In the end, Brielle followed Zeon.

* * *

The buildings in Dongdaemun were unusually large and complex.

Like most buildings in the slums, they had grown disproportionately due to reckless expansion.

However, Dongdaemun went overboard.

Without considering the strength and stability of the buildings, they were enlarged to accommodate as many people as possible.

As a result, the residents of Dongdaemun had to live with the fear of when their buildings might collapse.

In the maze-like cluster of buildings in Dongdaemun, there emerged one particularly large and tall structure.

It resembled an old church that had long disappeared from this land.

Except for the absence of a cross on the building’s exterior, it closely resembled a church. Hence, people called it the church.

Inside the tallest spire of the church, there was a large room.

This was the residence of Johan, the ruler of Dongdaemun.

Johan stood with his back turned, looking down at Dongdaemun.

Before Johan became the ruler of Dongdaemun, it was a battlefield of survival of the fittest.

They divided the slum dwellers into classes and looted without mercy, unable to enter Neo Seoul.

“An unruly human is no different from a beast. The most powerful order is the rule set by God.”

Using God’s words as an excuse, Johan cleaned up the slums and established a strong command structure unique to Dongdaemun.

Afterward, conflicts were suppressed.

Of course, minor disputes and incidents continued to occur, but at least there were no major incidents where numerous people died at once.

Johan was satisfied with that alone.

And he was convinced he was not wrong.

“We must continue to build Dongdaemun.”

By excluding all orders except for one powerful order, the chaos of the world was calmed.

That was Johan’s ultimate goal.

His gaze then turned to the barrier of Neo Seoul in the distance.

“Ultimately, spreading the word of God to the ignorant humans beyond that wall is the reason for my existence.”

“Everything will be done according to Lord Johan’s will.”

At that moment, a woman’s voice was heard behind Johan.

Without turning his head, Johan recognized the identity of the woman who had appeared.

“I was going to call you, Jae-kyung. It’s good that you came.”

“I came expecting that.”

“Your wit pleases me.”

Johan smiled as he turned around.

Then, a woman dressed in a nun’s uniform appeared.

With a slightly lowered gaze, she exuded an inexplicable aura of sanctity.

Her name was Kim Jae-kyung.

Kim Jae-kyung was an orphan.

Johan had taken her in and raised her until now.

Kim Jae-kyung grew up to be a more faithful believer than anyone else.

Kim Jae-kyung asked cautiously.

“What do I need to do?”

“I need you to go to Sinchon.”

“Sinchon, you say?”

“Yes. With your abilities, you must convert one unbeliever.”

“An unbeliever who has made Johan uncomfortable. Who might that be?”

“His name is Zeon.”

“Zeon? Understood. I will meet him and persuade him.”

“Be cautious. He seems to have quite a strong mental fortitude.”

“Don’t you know? Even the strongest minds become an open door in front of me.”

Kim Jae-kyung smiled softly.

Her shy smile, blushing cheeks, made her look like a bashful girl. Johan nodded at her.

Having raised her from a young age, Johan knew Kim Jae-kyung’s abilities better than anyone else.

He knew she would carry out her mission excellently.

“Go safely.”

“Yes!”

With that response, Kim Jae-kyung left.

Alone, Johan knelt down and murmured to himself.

“Everything will be done according to Your will.”

* * *

On the way back home, a sudden strong wind blew.

Brielle frowned, pressing down her hat with both hands.

“Ugh! This damn sandstorm. It’s really annoying.”

Desert winds inevitably carry sand along with them.

Fine sands, barely visible to the naked eye, mixed in with the wind.

That’s why even when the wind brought cooling air, it wasn’t particularly pleasing.

Brielle lowered her head deeply to avoid the sandstorm as much as possible.

On the other hand, Zeon stood tall, facing the sandstorm head-on.

To others, sandstorms were unpleasant, but to him, it felt as comforting as a mother’s touch, a memory he couldn’t recall.

The sand didn’t harm him.

Instead, it gently surrounded him as if embracing him.

Zeon smiled faintly, enjoying the sensation of the sand.

To some extent, it seemed as if the sands were playing with him. However, Brielle, busy lowering her head, didn’t notice this sight.

After a while, the wind stopped, and the sand dispersed into the distance.

Brielle finally raised her head and shook off the sand accumulated on her hat.

“Ugh! I hate sand.”

Watching Brielle shiver, Zeon smiled subtly and continued walking.

Following Zeon, Brielle raised an eyebrow.

“But why doesn’t Zeon have any sand on his shoulders? Did he already shake it off?”

“Yeah!”

“Faster than expected. But Zeon probably doesn’t like sand either, right?”

“No! I like sand.”

“Well, since you use sand, I suppose you would…”

“Shh!”

“Loose lips sink ships.”

“What?”

“It means be careful with what you say, especially since you’ve sworn an oath…”

“Ah!”

Brielle finally remembered that Zeon was a Sand Mage.

And as a Sand Mage, of course, he wouldn’t be bothered by sand.

Zeon said to Brielle.

“You go in first.”

“What about Zeon?”

“I have to stop by somewhere.”

“Where? The Goblin Market?”

“No!”

“Then where?”

“Stop asking and just go in. Kid!”

“Tsk!”

Brielle clicked her tongue.

Knowing he wouldn’t tell her even if she pushed further, she headed home alone without any regrets.

Zeon watched her for a moment before continuing on his way.

The place he was heading to was the desert area outside the slums.

Brielle might not have noticed, but Zeon caught the scent mixed in with the sandstorm.

It was a foreign smell that was hard to detect in the slums.

Being Awakened as a Sand Mage, Zeon could smell it, whereas other Awakened couldn’t.

Leaving the slums wasn’t particularly difficult.

Although surrounded by walls like Neo Seoul, they weren’t very high, and there weren’t many people guarding them.

The anti-magic barrier around Neo Seoul made the monsters reluctant to approach, and indeed, no monsters had approached this area for decades.

That’s why neither Neo Seoul nor the people in the slums worried about monster attacks.

What people worried and feared were other humans, not monsters.

Although Awakeneds regularly went out to exterminate monsters, ordinary people rarely encountered monsters in their lifetimes.

Zeon left the city walls behind and stepped out into the desert.

Swish!

The sand moved, pushing Zeon forward.

“I’m sure it’s around here…”

Standing several kilometers away from Neo Seoul, Zeon looked around.

Everything he saw was sand.

Zeon raised his dominance, and he felt movement deep underground.

“Hmm!”

Zeon furrowed his brows for a moment before waving his hand. Then the sand beneath his feet began to move in all directions like waves.

In an instant, a large pit formed beneath Zeon’s feet.

It was a huge pit, about thirty meters deep.

Kieee!

Inside the pit, there was a creature the size of an adult caterpillar wriggling.

On the surface of the caterpillar, there was a pattern that resembled a ghost.

Zeon murmured, frowning.

“So it was a Ghost Dragonfly larva after all. What is it doing here?”

Ghost Dragonflies were air-type monsters.

They aren’t particularly threatening compared to other monsters, but they aren’t comforting either.

Of course, that’s only the case for Awakeneds like Zeon. To ordinary people, they’re nothing short of a disaster.

The problem was that this wasn’t their natural habitat.

They usually inhabit terrains hundreds of kilometers away from Neo Seoul.

Especially their larvae, sensitive to external energies, avoid areas with strong anti-magic barriers like Neo Seoul.

If Neo Seoul’s anti-magic barrier had been intact, these creatures wouldn’t have dared to approach this place.

“Seems like there’s something wrong with Neo Seoul’s anti-magic barrier.”

Hiss!

The exposed larva outside wriggled, emitting a foul smell that pricked Zeon’s nose.

The stench of the Ghost Dragonfly larva was the same smell Zeon had smelled in the slums.

It was an unpleasant, intense smell that once one smelled it, they could not forget it.

Fwoosh!

The larva spat out acid towards Zeon.

It was a highly corrosive acid that would dissolve anything it touched in an instant.

“Tsk!”

Zeon clicked his tongue and waved his hand. A fiery blaze erupted, burning the larva and its acid to ashes in an instant.

Whoosh!

Zeon silently watched the larva disappear into ashes.