Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

“A dungeon, you say?”

“Yes, a dungeon.”

Zeon wore a puzzled expression.

Lee Ji-ryeong was the leader of the Pegasus Raiders, a group of 300 highly skilled raiders.

The Pegasus Raiders boasted some of the best combat capabilities among all raiding groups in Neo Seoul.

There wasn’t a dungeon they couldn’t conquer.

They had even tackled and succeeded in dungeons that other groups had abandoned as impregnable, shocking everyone.

At the heart of this success was Lee Ji-ryeong.

With his powerful charisma and immense strength, he led the Pegasus Raiders from the front.

This was the first time Lee Ji-ryeong had ever asked someone else for help.

“What kind of dungeon are we talking about?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“A scouting team discovered a dungeon 400 kilometers away from Neo Seoul.”

The Pegasus Raiders independently operated a scouting team to discover dungeons.

They regularly ventured into the desert to find dungeons.

Based on the dungeons and information they discovered, the Pegasus Raiders formulated and executed their raiding plans.

Zeon, intrigued, remarked,

“400 kilometers is quite far.”

“It’s probably the furthest dungeon discovered so far. The scouting team almost died several times just to get there.”

The farther from Neo Seoul, the stronger the monsters that inhabited the areas.

A place 400 kilometers away likely had a high probability of housing extremely powerful monsters.

“If the dungeon’s been discovered, why not just raid it? What’s the issue?”

“There’s a big issue. It’s buried deep under the sand. According to the scouting team, it’s at least 1,200 meters underground.”

“Hmm!”

Only then did Zeon understand why Lee Ji-ryeong had come to him.

A dungeon buried under sand was challenging even to locate the entrance.

People might suggest digging through the sand, but that’s not understanding the nature of sand.

No matter how much you dig, the surrounding sand collapses to fill the space. Digging through a vast desert to reach a buried dungeon is nearly impossible.

This was why Lee Ji-ryeong sought Zeon’s help.

The scouting team included Awakeneds specialized in detecting dungeons.

They sensed the unusual mana fluctuations and flows that occurred when a dungeon formed.

But their detection range was limited, and sensing a dungeon deep underground was even more challenging.

The discovery of a dungeon buried deep in the sand wasn’t due to their exceptional abilities but because the mana fluctuations from the dungeon were powerful enough to be detected from hundreds of meters above.

A dungeon with such strong mana likely indicated high danger.

“The more dangerous the dungeon, the greater the reward. What do you say? Interested?”

“I’m a little intrigued.”

“All you need to do is secure the path to the dungeon. We’ll handle the rest.”

“Hmm.”

“Consider it settling the debt for killing my brother.”

“You said before that the debt was cleared.”

“That was then. The situation’s different now. So, what will you do?”

Lee Ji-ryeong looked at Zeon with eyes full of intensity.

His golden eyes seemed to contain molten lava.

His gaze was full of certainty, leaving no room for refusal.

The enormous ambition he harbored seemed to radiate through his eyes.

“Alright. I’ll join you.”

“Good decision. The rewards for you won’t be small either.”

“When do we depart?”

“It’ll take at least a month to prepare for the raid.”

The higher the dungeon’s danger, the longer the preparation time needed.

A month was the minimum.

“Can I bring a few more people?”

“Who? Ah, them?”

Lee Ji-ryeong quickly deduced who Zeon meant.

It was Levin and Brielle.

“Yes.”

“No problem.”

“Then they’ll come along too.”

“Understood. We’ll plan for that.”

Thud!

Lee Ji-ryeong placed the payment for his meal on the table and stood up.

“Thanks for the meal, old man! The food’s quite good.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll be back.”

“Hehe! You’re welcome anytime.”

Klexi bowed his head to Lee Ji-ryeong.

Lee Ji-ryeong glanced at Klexi before leaving.

Once he was gone, Levin asked,

“Is this okay? Hyung!”

“What?”

“A dungeon 400 kilometers from Neo Seoul. With over 300 people moving, the monsters will definitely come.”

“We’ll manage to reach the dungeon. The real issue will be what comes next.”

“A dungeon hundreds of meters underground will be dangerous, right?”

“It will be. But the rewards will be great too.”

Levin had grown significantly after experiencing a dungeon.

The difference between an Awakened who had faced a dungeon and one who hadn’t was substantial.

This was why the Pegasus Raiders were strong.

They had conquered countless dungeons as if it were routine, making them powerful.

This was why Zeon wanted to take Brielle and Levin along.

Both still had room to grow and needed further development.

At that moment,

Thud!

Klexi placed food in front of Zeon and Levin.

It was the same meal Lee Ji-ryeong had eaten.

“Eat up.”

“Yes!”

“But Pegasus Raiders’ Lee Ji-ryeong… You’ve tangled with quite a big shot.”

“It just happened that way.”

“Hehe! With your exceptional abilities, only dangerous people will flock to you. Be careful. Lee Ji-ryeong is more frightening than you think.”

“I know.”

“He could be even scarier than you realize.”

“I’ll be cautious.”

“Alright! Well, I trust you’ll handle it. You’re sly and dangerous yourself.”

“Who’s more transparent than me?”

“Someone who could hide being a Sand Mage so well?”

“Everyone has a little secret.”

“Is that a little secret? You rascal.”

“Why insult customers, old man? It ruins the taste.”

“Ugh! You rascal!”

Klexi shouted in frustration, but Zeon ignored him and continued eating.

Levin chuckled and joined Zeon in his meal.

Watching them, Klexi sighed softly.

“I must be getting old. I don’t even get angry seeing them like this.”

* * *

After finishing their meal, Levin went home to rest, while Zeon decided to take a walk alone.

The sun blazed down intensely.

The faces of the people outside were red with heat.

The slums had limited electricity, making it difficult to run air conditioning. In fact, owning an air conditioner was rare.

So, resting in the shade was the only way to cool down.

This was a typical day in the slums.

Zeon, if he hadn’t awakened, would have been spending his time just like them.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Zeon stopped and furrowed his brow.

At that moment,

Swish!

People suddenly emerged from all directions.

An old man fanning himself in the shade charged with a knife, and a woman passing by drew a dagger from her thigh and lunged.

Everyone on the street turned into assassins, attacking Zeon.

Zeon calmly stepped back.

He narrowly avoided the knife and dagger.

“Yahhh!”

“Die!”

Even after their ambush failed, the assassins relentlessly attacked Zeon.

Zeon used Sand Stride to dodge their attacks while carefully observing their movements.

‘All Martial Arts Awakeneds?’

Only Martial Arts Awakeneds could move like this.

And they were all specialized in assassination.

Their movements were extremely efficient and precise.

Silent and agile like cats.

And they had assassination-specific skills.

More than ten assassins attacked Zeon in perfect coordination, like interlocking gears.

Swish!

The woman’s dagger flew menacingly.

Zeon no longer dodged but instead struck with his fist, clad in the power of the Inferno Gauntlet.

Clang!

With one punch, the dagger snapped in half.

The woman, disarmed and shocked, was met with Zeon’s powerful kick to her face.

Bam!

“Ahhh!”

The woman screamed as she flew backward.

“Seo-ryeong!”

“You bastard!”

Seeing the woman bleeding and rolling on the ground, the assassins grew furious.

They attacked Zeon even more fiercely. But Zeon’s movements were even swifter.

He dodged their attacks by a hair’s breadth and countered with punches.

Thud! Thud!

“Keuk!”

“Argh!”

Each punch sent an assassin flying.

The assassins were no match for Zeon.

He didn’t even need to use his sand or flame skills.

Zeon’s physical prowess far exceeded that of the martial arts assassins.

“Grr!”

“Haaah!”

The subdued assassins groaned on the ground.

At that moment,

Clap, clap, clap!

“Impressive. Even the best from the South District were defeated so easily.”

A man appeared, clapping.

He emerged from the shaded part of the street, wearing a black suit that didn’t fit the slums at all.

Zeon recognized him immediately.

“Pan Cheong-cheon?”

“So you recognize me.”

The man in the suit was Pan Cheong-cheon.

He was the trusted aide of Xiao Lun, the ruler of the South District.

Zeon had seen him at the White Bear Caravan’s auction.

Pan Cheong-cheon had bid on and won the Astro Flame Sword, the Old Serpent’s Crown, and the Fallen Star Shield.

Although overshadowed by the Spirit King’s Crown, the items he won were impressive.

Pan Cheong-cheon looked at the fallen assassins and spoke coldly.

“Useless scum. Get lost before I get angrier.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Ugh!”

The assassins, enduring their pain, quickly left.

It was fortunate for them that Zeon had held back, so there were no fatalities. Oblivious to this fact, the assassins still glared at Zeon with murderous eyes as they left.

Zeon spoke to Pan Cheong-cheon.

“What about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Shouldn’t you leave as well?”

“Insolent!”

Pan Cheong-cheon’s eyebrow twitched.

But despite his harsh tone, he didn’t attack Zeon.

He knew Zeon’s strength from defeating Balrog.

‘If I give my all, I can win, but it’s better to be cautious.’

He felt confident because of his class advantage.

He was a Martial Arts Awakened specializing in one-on-one combat.

While Zeon might be better at hunting monsters, he couldn’t match a Martial Arts Awakened in a human duel.

Moreover, Pan Cheong-cheon wasn’t just any Martial Arts Awakened.

His grandfather, a martial arts master, had come to Korea for studies a hundred years ago. His martial arts were passed down to Pan Cheong-cheon and combined with his awakened abilities.

His formidable physical prowess combined with martial arts created a tremendous synergy.

This gave him confidence to defeat even Awakeneds ranked higher than himself.

He spoke.

“Come with me to Neo Seoul. Master Xiao Lun wants to see you.”