Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 117

“Why? You have such a rare awakened ability and yet no ambition? Disappointing!”

A look of contempt crossed Lee Ji-ryeong’s face.

The type he despised the most were those who lived their days aimlessly without ambition.

He would rather they didn’t have abilities at all, but for those with abilities to waste their time like that was truly the worst.

From that perspective, Zeon was the worst kind.

At least, by Lee Ji-ryeong’s standards.

Yet, he couldn’t let go because Zeon’s awakened ability was so overwhelming.

‘The ability to manipulate sand at will.’

Most of the world was covered in sand.

Human territory couldn’t expand anymore because of it.

The same was true of Neo Seoul.

It barely held onto the land of old Seoul, unable to venture outside properly.

People were arguing over who was better, who was superior, in this tiny piece of land.

Lee Ji-ryeong detested this reality to the core. But there was nothing he could do, so he had watched until now.

But the situation had changed.

It was because of the man right in front of him.

As long as Zeon existed, he could expand Neo Seoul’s territory as much as he wanted.

There was a possibility for humans to become the masters of Earth again.

So, he couldn’t give up on Zeon.

“My proposal is still valid.”

“My answer is still valid.”

“You continue to disappoint me to the end. Zeon! Then I will force you to submit with my power.”

Before his words could finish, the lightning field expanded further.

Now, within a radius of fifty meters around him, lightning flashed incessantly.

Lightning was flashing everywhere around him.

“Kaaah! Giga Lightning Spear!”

An immense bolt of lightning, incomparable to anything before, struck Zeon.

Zeon evaded Lee Ji-ryeong’s attack with Sand Stride.

Inches away from him, a massive bolt of lightning struck.

Sand burst out, creating a huge pit over five meters deep.

It was truly a devastating force.

But Zeon remained unfazed, a smile playing on his lips as he snapped his fingers. Instantly, sand shot out towards Lee Ji-ryeong from all directions.

It was a high-pressure Sand Blaster.

Fizzle!

However, the Sand bBlaster couldn’t penetrate through the lightning barrier surrounding Lee Ji-ryeong and burst out.

“No way. Your ability is impressive, but with that level of attack, you can’t do anything to me.”

Lee Ji-ryeong mocked Zeon.

Zeon smiled back.

“Then shall we increase the power a bit?”

“What?”

Gaaaah!

At that moment, the sand around Lee Ji-ryeong’s feet began to rotate at a terrifying speed.

It was one of Zeon’s skills, the Sand Mixer.

The sand, rotating at a speed invisible to the eye, quickly engulfed Lee Ji-ryeong.

Lee Ji-ryeong tried to escape the sand quickly, but the immense pressure crushed him, rendering him unable to use his strength.

“No!”

Graaaagh!

Everything visible turned into sand.

Lee Ji-ryeong was overwhelmed by an eerie sense of isolation and danger, as if he had been put into a mixer.

It was clear that if trapped in rotating sand like this, even a colossal monster would have its flesh torn apart and bones crushed.

But Lee Ji-ryeong was no ordinary monster.

He wasn’t even an ordinary Awakened.

He was the closest thing to a god of thunder.

“Huaaah! Lightning Wave!”

With a shout, waves of lightning surged around his body.

First wave, second wave, third wave, fourth wave—the waves of lightning struck the Sand Mixer, sweeping through it.

The sand, rotating at such a speed, was all burnt and scattered, and Lee Ji-ryeong regained his freedom.

As he emerged from the sand, ready to counterattack, he saw Sand Soldiers rising around Zeon.

Zeon had summoned Sand Soldiers.

Seeing dozens of Sand Soldiers, Lee Ji-ryeong couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Ha! Isn’t this cheating? Making soldiers out of sand?”

“Your ability is just as cheating, isn’t it?”

“So you want to overwhelm me with sheer quantity. This is getting really interesting.”

Lee Ji-ryeong licked his lips with his tongue.

To defeat Zeon, he would have to use all his power.

In doing so, one of them would surely die.

It was a problem if he died, but it was also a problem if Zeon died.

“Alright! Let’s end it here today.”

“Weren’t you planning to finish it off?”

“We’re not sworn enemies like you, are we?”

“I’m your brother’s enemy, aren’t I?”

“That kid was trash. A useless piece of garbage. I barely managed to cover up the big mess he made in Neo Seoul and told him to quietly hide. But he couldn’t hold back and caused another accident, and then got himself killed by mistake. He was always like that. Constantly causing trouble, and I always cleaned up after him. Just because we shared the same blood. I did what I could. I don’t want to put my head on the line to take revenge for that moron.”

“That’s cold.”

“That’s how you survive in this world. Abilities are more important than bloodlines, and maintaining good relations with strong Awakeneds is essential for survival.”

Lee Ji-ryeong dismissed the lightning field.

The lightning that had covered the area disappeared without a trace.

He no longer felt any hostility towards Zeon.

Whether his words were sincere or not, at least it was clear that he wasn’t going to antagonize Zeon any further at this moment.

Lee Ji-ryeong spoke.

“Zeon!”

“Speak.”

“I will forget the grudge against you for killing my younger brother. I won’t seek to kill you anymore.”

“I appreciate it.”

“You owe me. Remember that fact.”

“Can that be considered a debt? Rather, I think you owe me.”

“Think whatever you want. Just remember that our relationship is no longer hostile.”

Lee Ji-ryeong was thoroughly self-centered.

His attitude was absurd, but Zeon didn’t say anything more.

He had tried to reconcile, not wanting to reopen wounds unnecessarily.

Zap!

Lightning flashed under Lee Ji-ryeong’s feet.

“The one who gave me your information was Johan.”

“I suspected as much.”

“Yeah! He tried to instigate me to kill you. Be careful. That old bastard will do anything for his goals.”

“I understand.”

“Then, see you next time.”

Boom!

In an instant, the lightning under Lee Ji-ryeong’s feet exploded.

With the force of the explosion, Lee Ji-ryeong soared into the sky.

Zeon watched Lee Ji-ryeong’s disappearing figure and murmured to himself.

‘Just like a god of thunder!’

***

“Are you okay?”

When they returned home, Brielle was the first to greet him.

“Yeah, I’m fine!”

“Really?”

Brielle couldn’t believe it and circled around Zeon.

Only after confirming that Zeon didn’t have a single scratch on him did Brielle breathe a sigh of relief.

“Whew! Thank goodness.”

At that moment, Levin asked cautiously.

“How was he? Hyung!”

“He’s strong.”

“Compared to me?”

Levin’s eyes were shining more intensely than ever before.

Zeon immediately recognized the emotion in his eyes as competitiveness.

“You’re not a comparison yet.”

“I-is that so?”

“Yeah!”

“Tsk!”

Levin’s face twisted.

He had already been feeling this way, but hearing it from Zeon made it even more miserable.

“But if you were the same rank, you’d be much stronger.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Because you have abilities that he doesn’t.”

“Specter, Ghosting, right?”

“That’s right! If you develop that ability well, you’ll surely surpass Lee Ji-ryeong someday.”

“I got it.”

Levin nodded.

‘I’m still young. There’s plenty of room for growth.’

He had realized this especially while facing the VampireBats.

The fact that his abilities were overwhelming.

And also, that he could grow even more depending on his efforts.

He was only a C-rank now.

Later, when he becomes B-rank or A-rank, things would be different.

By then, he hoped to properly fight Lee Ji-ryeong, who had brought him despair.

Zeon thought it was a good thing.

Because it provided clear motivation for Levin.

There’s nothing as helpful for growth as having a goal to surpass.

Today’s events would accelerate Levin’s growth even more.

Zeon took off his robe and sat on the sofa.

Quite a lot had happened in just a few days.

It wasn’t physically demanding, but it was mentally exhausting.

Levin rested on the sofa.

Neither Levin nor Brielle bothered Zeon.

Levin had something to do, so he went out, and Brielle went into her room and spread out the materials she had bought today.

‘I will definitely succeed this time.’

Brielle immersed herself in alchemy.

***

“So, Zeon returned safely?”

“That’s right.”

“Are you sure? You didn’t miss anything?”

“I confirmed with my own eyes.”

Johan frowned deeply at Kim Jae-kyung’s response.

“And what about Lee Ji-ryeong?”

“He’s confirmed to have entered Neo Seoul.”

“So that bastard just went into Neo Seoul like that?”

“That’s correct.”

“But didn’t you say the two met?”

“Yes!”

“But how could both of them come back unharmed?”

Johan slammed his fist on the desk.

Johan was the one who had provided Lee Ji-ryeong with information about Zeon.

Lee Ji-ryeong was a strong figure even within Neo Seoul.

The estimated rank he was initially known for was only B-rank.

After all this time, he might have become A-rank by now.

He was a formidable figure that even John could not ignore.

He instigated the meeting between the two.

Johan naturally thought that they would have a big fight and one of them would be injured or killed.

It didn’t matter if Zeon died or Lee Ji-ryeong got hurt.

If Zeon died, it would naturally lead to a breakthrough in Sinchon, and even if he won, if he was seriously injured, they could take action to finish him off.

Either way, Johan wouldn’t lose anything.

But all his plans had gone awry.

He didn’t know what had happened, but both of them had returned safely to their respective residences.

“Are you sure they fought?”

“I can’t be sure. They disappeared into the desert in an instant.”

“Useless. This isn’t what I expected from you.”

“I apologize.”

Kim Jae-kyung trembled all over.

Her face was filled with a fearful light.

When Johan was kind, he seemed like a saint, but when angry, he could be more cruel than a demon.

If one provoked his anger, even if they were a loyal subordinate, they wouldn’t escape unscathed.

To Johan, subordinates were like mass-produced products that could be discarded at any time.

Kim Jae-kyung’s abilities were somewhat special, but she wasn’t irreplaceable.

“Find out exactly what happened in the desert and find a way to deal with him.”

“I understand.”

“We must take control of Sinchon. Only then can we spread the Lord’s teachings throughout Neo Seoul.”

Behind his glasses, there was a deep madness in Johan’s eyes.

He approached the window.

In the distance, the City Hall stood tall.

“I will definitely hang a cross on top of that City Hall.”