Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

The Rescue Team, led by Kelda, stayed behind while everyone else entered the unknown dungeon.

The Rescue Team guarded the dungeon’s entrance, prepared for any unforeseen emergencies.

Zeon and his companions were the last to enter the dungeon.

The moment they stepped inside, their senses were disoriented, and they felt an immense pressure.

“Ugh!”

“Gah!”

Levin and Brielle, who had little dungeon experience, grimaced.

They felt a ringing in their ears and were disoriented, unable to determine direction.

Their stomachs churned, and their bodies felt as if they were being crushed, leaving them unable to keep their composure.

In contrast, Zeon and Mandy, who were more experienced, remained calm.

After a short while, the oppressive pressure vanished as if it had never been there.

Levin and Brielle found themselves sprawled on the ground, while Zeon and Mandy managed to stay upright.

Levin and Brielle looked up, trying to steady their unsettled stomachs.

“Is this inside the dungeon?”

“What is this place?”

A foreboding landscape came into view.

They were in a forest full of trees stripped of their leaves, reduced to bare branches.

The ground was barren, not a single weed in sight, and the earth was dry and crumbly.

The sky above was a deep crimson, with constant lightning strikes.

Levin and Brielle gulped at the sight of this hostile environment.

Levin carefully touched one of the bare trees.

“Is this supposed to be a tree?”

“Yes, but it’s a dead tree. There’s no life in it.”

“It feels like all life has been drained from it.”

“You’re probably right.”

“But where is everyone else?”

“Yeah, where are they?”

Brielle realized they couldn’t see the others who had entered before them.

Only Zeon and his group were there, no other Awakeneds in sight.

Then Mandy spoke up.

“Some dungeons split groups up even if they enter through the same entrance. This seems to be one of those places.”

“Does that mean we won’t see the others again?”

“If we keep progressing, we’ll meet them eventually. Assuming they’re still alive, of course.”

“Ugh!”

“We need to find the dungeon’s core. Everyone will have headed there, so if we reach the core, we’ll naturally meet the others.”

“But how will we know what the core looks like?”

“You’ll just know when you see it.”

“Huh?”

“When you see it, you’ll understand.”

“What does that mean?”

Mandy didn’t elaborate further.

Her words implied they would have to see it for themselves to understand.

At that moment, Zeon spoke.

“Let’s go. We need to find the others quickly.”

“Yes!”

Zeon began walking, and Brielle followed him, asking.

“Do you know where you’re going?”

“No.”

“Then are we just walking blindly?”

“If we keep walking, we’ll eventually find a landmark. From there, we can start finding our way.”

“Really?”

Brielle tilted her head in confusion, not fully understanding.

Zeon, like Mandy, didn’t explain further.

He knew that constantly being taught would slow their growth.

There were things they needed to learn through direct experience.

Zeon looked at the lifeless forest and thought.

‘A forest so devoid of life. This dungeon is going to be challenging.’

Dungeons were fragments of Kurayan, drifting through dimensions.

A piece of Kurayan’s terrain or location would manifest as a dungeon. This place, too, was likely a recreation of some era or place from Kurayan.

‘I feel like I’ve seen a place like this somewhere before.’

Zeon furrowed his brow.

The ominous atmosphere felt familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had encountered it.

‘I’ll remember eventually.’

Just then, Brielle let out a startled cry.

“Ah!”

“What is it?”

“That tree…”

“What about it?”

“It moved.”

“A tree moving? That’s ridic…ulous.”

Levin blinked in disbelief.

It wasn’t a mistake.

Creak!

A tree was indeed moving, its roots and branches shifting as it rose.

In the center of the tree was a face, complete with eyes, nose, and mouth, blinking as if waking from a long sleep.

“Wh-what the…?”

“It’s an Ent.”

“A what?”

“Just think of it as a walking tree.”

As a High Elf, Brielle quickly identified the creature.

Levin, trying to calm his racing heart, muttered.

“If it’s just a tree monster, can’t I just brun it?”

Crackle!

Purple electricity surged from Levin’s body, striking the Ent directly.

The lightning quickly incinerated the Ent.

Screeech!

The Ent let out a bizarre scream as it turned to ash.

Levin dusted off his hands, smiling.

“It’s nothing special.”

“You idiot!”

“What?”

“If you kill an Ent recklessly, you’ll wake up all the other Ents around!”

“What does that mean?”

Kuwooo!

Suddenly, roars of Ents erupted from all over the forest.

They had sensed the death of their comrade and awakened.

Ents were fierce creatures with a strong sense of camaraderie.

Despite their tree-like appearance, they possessed all the emotions of living beings.

Among those emotions, the most potent was their loyalty to each other.

The Ents would pursue the killer of one of their own to the ends of the earth.

The Ents began moving toward the group, seeking the one who had killed their comrade.

Though they moved slowly, their enormous size allowed them to approach Zeon and his group quickly.

“Why are there so many?”

“Of course, cuz it’s a forest.”

“Damn! If I just burn them all…”

“Burn them? Do you even know how many more Ents there could be, you idiot? Use your brain for once! Is it just for decoration?”

“Then what should we do?”

“Run.”

Before Brielle even finished speaking, she started running.

Zeon and Mandy quietly followed her.

Levin, who had been standing dumbfounded, shouted and started running after them.

“Wait for me!”

* * *

Cha Jin-cheol and the Awakeneds from the West District had entered a canyon.

The dry canyon was devoid of any vegetation, with only a cold wind blowing through.

“This place gives me the creeps.”

Cha Jin-cheol muttered, furrowing his brow deeply.

He had explored many dungeons, but he had never felt such a strong sense of unease from the moment he stepped inside.

The dry, lifeless wind made him feel as though his mechanical body was rusting.

“Were we all separated in the order we entered?”

At least the Awakeneds from the West District had not dispersed and were gathered in one place.

If his subordinates had scattered, even Cha Jin-cheol would have been troubled.

‘Hyeonmu!’

―Yes, Master.

Fortunately, his auxiliary AI, Hyeonmu, responded.

This was possible because Hyeonmu was downloaded locally into his body.

‘Can you tell what kind of dungeon this is?’

―There’s too little information.

‘You’re not very helpful.’

―I’m sorry.

Cha Jin-cheol looked at his subordinates.

Over seventy Awakeneds awaited his decision.

“We’ll split into two groups to search the dungeon. If you find anything that seems like the core, contact the other group.”

“Yes, sir!”

Cha Jin-cheol instructed the second-strongest Awakened in the West District to lead the other team.

Being a B-rank Awakened, he should be capable of handling any unexpected situations.

Cha Jin-cheol took a small group of subordinates and began searching the dungeon, confident in his own abilities.

As they exited the canyon, they found themselves in a forest filled with bare, leafless trees.

“First a canyon, now a forest?”

Just then, they heard shouts.

“Hiyah!”

“Hyah!”

With battle cries, a group emerged from the forest.

It was none other than Zeon and his group.

Brielle and Levin were panting heavily, while Zeon and Mandy wiped sweat from their brows.

Levin spoke first.

“They’re not following us anymore, right?”

“Ents don’t usually leave the forest.”

“Thank goodness. I thought we were done for.”

“This is all your fault, you idiot!”

“But I’m not an idiot.”

“Who told you to attack an Ent in the forest?”

“Well…”

“That’s why you’re an idiot.”

“Damn it!”

Levin pouted at Brielle’s scolding. However, he couldn’t argue back because he knew he was at fault.

Cha Jin-cheol approached them and spoke.

“You all seem to get along well.”

“I guess we ended up near each other.”

“It seems that way.”

Cha Jin-cheol responded coldly to Zeon’s observation.

Cha Jin-cheol’s gaze was fixed on Zeon’s face.

Zeon’s face was still pale, indicating he hadn’t fully recovered his mana.

“Having trouble recovering your mana?”

“This dungeon is making it difficult.”

“Indeed…”

Cha Jin-cheol nodded.

It was common knowledge that mana recovers quickly in mana-rich dungeons.

In dungeons like this one, where there was almost no life, mana recovery was slow.

Cha Jin-cheol’s eyes gleamed menacingly.

‘Hyeonmu! If I act now, I could kill him easily, right?’

―According to calculations, yes.

‘Should I do it?’

―I don’t recommend it.

‘Why?’

―Given the sparse mana here, it would take Zeon several days to fully recover. Until then, it would be more efficient to use him.

‘You’re right.’

The murderous intent in Cha Jin-cheol’s eyes faded.

The change was so brief that Levin and Brielle didn’t notice, but Zeon and Mandy did.

Zeon’s gaze suddenly shifted to the rope around Cha Jin-cheol’s waist.

“That rope… has it always glowed like that?”

“What? Oh! Why?”

Cha Jin-cheol looked puzzled.

As Zeon pointed out, the rope at his waist was emitting a black glow.

The rope was an item he had purchased at the White Bear Caravan auction.

Its official name was the Warden’s Rope.

Although he always carried it, he hadn’t had a chance to use it because of his mechanical body.

Zeon spoke.

“It seems like this dungeon is related to that item.”

Some dungeons resonate with items from other dungeons…

‘It seems the seal is loosening. Maybe this place holds the key to unlocking it.’

The black glow from the Warden’s Rope grew stronger, almost as if it had returned home.