Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 131

Zeon’s question was simple.

“Tell me all the nests you know.”

“Fuck off! You bastard.”

The scavenger spat out his words.

His appearance, veins bulging on his forehead as he screamed, was reminiscent of a demon.

Despite his severe injuries, the scavenger’s fierce gaze was enough to intimidate even Brielle.

But not Zeon.

“Do we really have to go through the trouble?”

“Don’t make me laugh! Who do you think you’re scaring? Ptooey!”

The scavenger spat bloody phlegm. Zeon simply incinerated the spit mid-air with a flicker of flame.

“You son of a bitch!”

Even after his last defiance was nullified, the scavenger’s spirit remained unbroken.

Zeon conjured flames in his hand.

“I didn’t want to use this method, but I have no choice.”

“Keke! You think I’ll buy your bluff…”

“You’ll find out soon enough if it’s a bluff. Bite down hard.”

Zeon grasped the scavenger’s wrist with his flaming hand.

Ssssss!

The extreme heat seared the flesh and melted the muscles.

Unable to endure the excruciating pain, the scavenger’s mouth gaped open.

He tried desperately to withstand the agony, but the scorching pain was beyond human endurance.

“Aaaargh!”

Finally, the scavenger let out a blood-curdling scream.

He thrashed about, trying to break free from Zeon’s grip, but it was futile.

Zeon’s hand clamped down on his arm with the force of a press.

Unable to bear the pain of his bones burning, the scavenger shouted.

“Arghh! I’ll talk… I’ll talk….”

Only then did Zeon withdraw the flames from his hand.

“So, where are the nests?”

“The nests I know are this one and Nest 3. The location of Nest 3 is….”

Bang!

At that moment, a gunshot rang out, and the scavenger’s head exploded.

Zeon was covered in the scavenger’s blood before he could react.

“Zeon!”

Brielle shouted in alarm.

But Zeon, without a hint of panic, looked in the direction the gunshot had come from.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunshots echoed continuously.

Zeon pressed against the corridor wall with Brielle to avoid the bullets.

However, the bullets were not aimed at Zeon and Brielle.

They were targeting the scavengers lying on the ground.

The merciless barrage of bullets tore the scavengers’ bodies apart.

The firepower was terrifying.

These were no ordinary bullets.

Only magically treated bullets could tear through an Awakened’s tough body like tofu.

“A Magic Gunner?”

Zeon looked towards the direction the bullets were coming from.

Ordinary bullets wouldn’t affect Awakened or monsters.

Their bodies were strong enough to repel most physical attacks.

That’s why guns had ceased to develop and fell out of use. However, they had made a spectacular comeback thanks to Enchanters.

Enchanters had discovered how to enhance guns and bullets with magic, drastically increasing their power.

While ineffective against large monsters, they were highly effective against smaller ones and low-ranking Awakeneds.

Awakeneds who used magically enhanced guns were called Magic Gunners.

Magic Gunners specialized in handling these firearms.

Due to the ruthless shooting of the Magic Gunner, all the scavengers who could have given Zeon information were dead.

“You’re trying to destroy all evidence.”

Bang!

A particularly powerful gunshot responded to his words.

At that moment, Brielle stepped forward and spread her arms.

“Shield!”

A translucent barrier appeared in front of them, blocking the bullet.

The bullet was so powerful that the shield shattered like glass. But the bullet also shattered against the shield, falling harmlessly to the ground.

Zeon then launched himself towards the source of the bullets.

Brielle followed closely behind.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The presence of the Magic Gunner vanished into the darkness.

He was erasing all evidence and fleeing.

Zeon and Brielle pursued him at a terrifying speed.

After passing through a dark corridor, they reached a spacious area.

It was about ten meters in every direction.

It was a nest equipped with basic living necessities like a bed, sofa, chairs, and a refrigerator.

They saw a man in a black military uniform fleeing through a door on the opposite side of the nest.

Without a moment to inspect the nest, Zeon and Brielle chased after him.

As they reached the door the man had fled through, an enormous explosion erupted from the nest.

Just before being caught in the blast, Zeon grabbed Brielle and sped away at an incredible speed.

They felt intense heat and a powerful shockwave behind them.

If they had been even a little slower, they would have been swept up in the fiery explosion.

Zeon gritted his teeth and increased his speed.

He saw light ahead.

It was undoubtedly an exit to the outside.

Without hesitation, Zeon hurled himself through the exit.

Boom!

The moment he escaped, flames burst from the exit.

Having narrowly avoided the flames, Zeon took a brief moment to catch his breath before searching for the Magic Gunner.

The Magic Gunner was escaping through a narrow alley.

Zeon released Brielle and spoke.

“I’ll pursue him. You follow behind.”

“Got it.”

Brielle responded immediately.

There was no point in going together as she couldn’t keep up with Zeon’s speed. It was better to leave some distance and follow.

Zeon began the chase at full speed.

In the distance, he saw the Magic Gunner fleeing.

Sensing Zeon’s pursuit, the Magic Gunner fired bullets.

Bang! Bang!

Without even looking back, he fired, aiming directly between Zeon’s eyes.

The accuracy was frighteningly precise.

But the bullets were blocked by Zeon’s Inferno Gauntlet.

Ting! Ting!

With metallic clinks, the bullet fragments scattered in all directions.

“Tch!”

The Magic Gunner clicked his tongue as his attacks proved ineffective.

His fleeing face showed clear signs of panic.

‘I never would have thought the nest would be raided.’

His name was Jacob.

He was a scavenger and the keeper of Nest 7.

The moment he realized that the other scavengers had fallen to Zeon, he set about destroying the evidence.

He destroyed the nest and eliminated the injured scavengers. Once he completed his task, he fled immediately.

‘Fuck! Where did such a monster come from?’

A nest was raided in an instant.

This had never happened before.

It meant the opponent was extremely strong.

Strong enough that even his attacks as a Magic Gunner were completely ineffective.

He had never expected to encounter such an Awakened in the slums, which only added to his shock.

‘Just a little further.’

Scavengers always prepared escape routes.

Jacob was no different.

His secret weapon was the square in the slums where the most people gathered.

‘Fuck! I never thought I’d have to use this.’

What Jacob pulled out from his pocket was a detonator.

He had hidden a bomb beneath the plaza of Dongdaemun.

It was a special item made for hunting large monsters.

Its power was immense.

If the bomb exploded, everyone in the plaza would die. The situation would spiral out of control.

His plan was to escape amid the chaos.

Many people would die in the explosion, but he had no choice.

Survival was his priority.

Even at that moment, Zeon was rapidly closing the distance.

The gap between them was barely twenty meters.

He would be caught in just two or three seconds.

There was no time to hesitate.

Just as Jacob was about to press the detonator.

Boom!

A tremendous impact struck Jacob.

“Ugh!”

He was thrown like a bowling pin and crashed into the ground.

Someone had ambushed him.

The impact was so severe that Jacob couldn’t even scream.

The one who attacked him spoke.

“You traitorous bastard! Finally found you.”

It was a black man in a black coat and sunglasses.

He had a sword strapped to his back, and a bulletproof vest under his coat.

Inside his coat, he carried a machine gun and had a pistol strapped to his thigh.

Jacob’s face twisted upon recognizing him.

“Ra… Raven.”

“Glad to see me? I’m glad too.”

The man called Raven spat on the ground as he muttered.

By then, Zeon had arrived.

Seeing Zeon, Raven raised his palm to stop him.

“Stop right there, kid! I’m taking this guy.”

“Are you claiming rights after barging in like this?”

Zeon looked at Raven incredulously. Raven grinned, showing his white teeth.

“Kid! Do you even know who you’re messing with?”

“Do you know who I am?”

“Hah! A lowly slum Awakened talking back. You better shut your mouth before I rip it open.”

Raven’s eyes gleamed dangerously through his sunglasses.

He was not an ordinary Awakened.

His unusual attire, fierce gaze, and intimidating presence proved it.

He continued.

“I’m taking this bastard. You forget everything you saw and heard today, and you might just live.”

“Judging by your outfit and equipment, you’re from Neo Seoul. Why are you taking him?”

“You want to know? Knowing means you die.”

Raven chuckled.

He wasn’t underestimating Zeon.

He was just that confident in his own abilities.

Jacob struggled to get up. But the pain from his shattered body made it impossible.

He coughed up blood and muttered.

“Ugh! A hunting dog… from the east.”

Raven’s eyes flashed angrily.

Jacob had revealed a secret.

Zeon, now aware of critical information, muttered.

“A hunting dog from the east. So, you’re related to the Eastern District.”

“Ptooey! You’re a smart one. Yeah, that’s right. This bastard is a deserter. He fled our district and became a scavenger.”

“Could it be that a significant number of scavengers are deserters from the Eastern District?”

“Hah! Ridiculous.”

Raven made a disgusted face.

He was truly astonished by Zeon’s deductive skills, drawing such conclusions from the term “hunting dog from the east.”

Zeon’s guess was accurate.

Many of the problematic scavengers were indeed from the Eastern District.

Unlike the Mechanized Awakeneds of the Western District, the Eastern District was dominated by combat specialists under the absolute leader, Seddon Price.

The Eastern District was composed of descendants of American soldiers and students who had been studying in Korea.

These descendants of former soldiers used a mix of weaponry, magic, and strong physical abilities.

The Awakeneds from the Eastern District were like trained soldiers, not just simple Awakened.

They were absolutely loyal to Seddon Price and executed his orders with machine-like precision.

As a result, the Eastern District was filled with strict regulations and an oppressive atmosphere.

Those who rebelled against this environment and deserted became the leaders of the scavengers.

They secretly established nests and supported the activities of existing scavengers.

This wasn’t a significant problem initially.

As it was a secret operation, it didn’t tarnish Seddon Price’s reputation.

The issue arose when the scavengers armed themselves with items from the White Bear Caravan.

The increased confidence led to more aggressive raids by the scavengers, setting the Eastern District on edge.

If it became known that the scavenger leaders were high-ranking Awakened deserters from the Eastern District, it would disgrace Seddon Price.

Thus, Seddon Price dispatched hunting dogs like Raven.

Their mission was simple.

Eliminate the key scavenger deserters from the Eastern District.

Raven drew the gun from his thigh and spoke.

“I told you. Knowing why I’m here means you die.”