Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

The Grim Reaper.

Commonly known as the Shinigami.

This entity was far more powerful than a mere monster and capable of some degree of human-like thought.

Moving solely as a spectral entity without a physical body, it was a monster with an estimated rank exceeding A-rank.

In other dungeons, it would easily serve as a boss.

This formidable creature had appeared unexpectedly.

The problem was that no Awakened in Neo Seoul had ever encountered a Grim Reaper.

Dungeons featuring Grim Reapers were extremely rare and located far from Neo Seoul. Hence, they were unaware of its danger, or even its existence.

Zeon shouted again at the startled Awakeneds.

“Get away now!”

“Who the hell are you yelling at?”

“What’s so scary about that thing?”

The Awakeneds from the West District glared at Zeon, unfazed by the unfamiliar creature.

They had no fear, confident they could take down any A-rank monster.

Their actual strength justified this confidence, but their compatibility with the Grim Reaper was the issue.

Mechanized Awakeneds primarily dealt physical damage.

While they could use equipment like flamethrowers or compressed air cannons, their main attacks were physical.

On the other hand, the Grim Reaper had no physical body.

Physical attacks were ineffective, and the Grim Reaper could harvest human souls with its large scythe.

Hiss!

The giant mole monster rapidly shriveled up.

The Grim Reaper was harvesting its soul and absorbing its life force.

This was how the Grim Reaper increased its power.

“A Specter should be easy enough to deal with.”

A Mechanized Awakened extended a thin silver wire from his wrist.

The wire wrapped around the Grim Reaper, but it passed through without any effect due to the Reaper’s intangible nature.

However, the Awakened wasn’t discouraged. He had a trump card.

A small generator in his abdomen activated, generating a massive electrical current.

The high-voltage current traveled along the wire.

He expected the Grim Reaper to scream in pain, but it only felt a minor discomfort, which angered it.

The Grim Reaper swung its giant scythe at the Awakened who had attacked it.

Slash!

“Huh?”

Despite being hit, the Awakened’s body showed no wounds.

He blinked in confusion and then laughed.

“Haha! What was that? Nothing to worry about…”

Suddenly, his voice cut off.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hey! Quit fooling around…”

As his fellow Awakeneds spoke to him, he collapsed like a log.

Thud!

His face was pale and lifeless.

The Grim Reaper had harvested his soul, and his life force had been drained.

His body quickly withered and turned to dust, leaving only the mechanical parts.

Despite absorbing the Awakened’s soul and life force, the Grim Reaper seemed unsatisfied.

The size of the soul wasn’t proportional to the body’s size but still influenced its power.

Screech!

The Grim Reaper’s rage exploded. The insufficient soul had only fueled its anger.

Slash!

The Grim Reaper attacked the other Awakeneds.

“Shit! This ghost bastard!”

“Die!”

The Mechanized Awakeneds fought back, but their attacks were futile against the Grim Reaper.

Meanwhile, it continued to harvest their souls with its scythe.

“Argh!”

“Help me!”

The Awakeneds’ screams echoed.

“Damn it! What the hell…”

Cha Jin-cheol’s eyes widened in rage.

His subordinates were dying before him.

They weren’t even fighting bravely; they were being slaughtered.

“You bastard! Come at me!”

Cha Jin-cheol shouted, extending his right arm.

Whirr!

His arm transformed into a long cannon.

Bang!

A projectile launched from the cannon.

It was an electrically fired railgun.

Though smaller than the massive railgun used against the Mammoth, it was still a powerful weapon.

Swish!

But the projectile passed harmlessly through the Grim Reaper’s spectral body.

The Grim Reaper turned its gaze to Cha Jin-cheol. Its eyes gleamed with a malevolent light.

Its gaze fixed on the rope around Cha Jin-cheol’s waist, the Warden’s Rope.

Hiss!

The Grim Reaper let out a ghastly moan and floated towards Cha Jin-cheol, or more accurately, towards the Warden’s Rope.

“Damn it!”

Cha Jin-cheol cursed, firing his railgun repeatedly. The projectiles passed through the Grim Reaper, which closed the distance rapidly.

―You must dodge. The Grim Reaper’s scythe will severely wound your soul.

“I know.”

Cha Jin-cheol shouted and quickly retreated, but the Grim Reaper pursued him relentlessly.

It seemed unstoppable.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

Thud!

“That’s enough, you skull-faced bastard.”

Someone struck the Grim Reaper.

It was Levin.

He had also entered a spectral state like the Grim Reaper.

Physical attacks couldn’t harm the Grim Reaper, but as a specter, Levin could.

Crackle!

Purple lightning flickered across Levin’s body.

Screeech!

The Grim Reaper screamed in agony, hit by the purple lightning.

While the electricity generated by the generator had little effect, the electricity emitted by an Awakened inflicted damage.

At that moment, a blast of high-temperature flames engulfed the Grim Reaper.

Zeon had launched a fire missile using his Inferno Gauntlet.

The combined attacks of electricity and fire severely wounded the Grim Reaper, making it stagger.

“I’ll kill you, you skeleton bastard.”

Mandy transformed into Eloy and unleashed a barrage of attacks.

The continuous onslaught inflicted significant damage on the Grim Reaper, causing it to falter.

While it had been impervious to physical attacks, the various elemental assaults were effective.

Zeon approached the Grim Reaper.

The energy of the dragon within his Inferno Gauntlet surged explosively.

Instinctively, the Grim Reaper trembled in fear.

Despite being an A-rank monster, it was no match for the power of a dragon.

The Grim Reaper quickly retreated from Zeon and flew towards Cha Jin-cheol.

“You bastard, get lost!”

Cha Jin-cheol, filled with rage, swung his fist, but it was again ineffective.

The Grim Reaper passed through his fist and grabbed the Warden’s Rope at his waist.

Boom!

A burst of ominous black light erupted from the Warden’s Rope.

“Gah!”

“What is that?”

The intense light forced the Awakeneds to close their eyes.

When they opened them again, Cha Jin-cheol was gone.

“No way!”

“Captain!”

The West District Awakeneds frantically searched the area, but Cha Jin-cheol was nowhere to be found.

Zeon turned to Levin, still in his spectral form.

“Find him.”

“Got it, hyung!”

Levin flew around, searching the area. However, neither the Grim Reaper nor Cha Jin-cheol was anywhere to be seen.

Levin reverted to his normal form and reported back.

“He’s not here, hyung! They’ve already gone far.”

“Then it must have taken him to its nest.”

“The nest? You mean where the dungeon core is?”

“Most likely.”

“Why would it kidnap him?”

“That item.”

“Huh?”

“I think it’s because of the Warden’s Rope.”

“Why?”

“It seemed to be an item imbued with a strong vengeful spirit.”

It wasn’t uncommon for an item to carry the spirit of its original owner. However, most such spirits were mere remnants of lingering regrets or desires that faded over time.

But the spirit within the Warden’s Rope was exceptionally strong, causing a palpable chill.

Even though it was sealed, its power was evident. If the seal were to break, its full potential would be unimaginable.

This was why Zeon had mentioned that, “Damian unleashed poison in Neo Seoul.”

As long as the seal was maintained, there was no problem, but once it broke, chaos would ensue.

“I thought we were somewhat safe since the West District acquired it.”

The West District Awakeneds had replaced most of their bodies with machinery, making them less susceptible to curses or vengeful spirits.

“The moment we entered here, the seal weakened, and the Grim Reaper took him. This dungeon seems to be related to the Warden’s Rope.”

Zeon didn’t know exactly what the Warden was, but given that the item was named the Warden’s Rope, it was likely connected to the dungeon’s master.

“First, let’s find the Pegasus Raid Force.”

“Oh, I know where they are. I saw them while looking for the Grim Reaper.”

“Really?”

“I’ll lead the way.”

Levin took the lead.

Zeon, Brielle, and Eloy followed him.

The remaining West District Awakeneds hesitated but then hurriedly followed.

“Let’s go together.”

“Damn it!”

They realized that joining the Pegasus Raid Force was their only option.

The team leader bit his lip.

“To think the Captain would be kidnapped right after we entered the dungeon.”

Neither Cha Jin-cheol nor his subordinates had anticipated this situation, so they weren’t prepared.

Fortunately, finding the Pegasus Raid Force wasn’t difficult, as Levin had said.

The base protected by the Guardian’s Wings was visible in the distance.

Levin scouted ahead, clearing the path.

Whenever they encountered a suspicious area, Levin would scout it in his spectral form.

No monster could harm Levin in his spectral form.

Occasionally, unexpected monsters appeared, but Eloy swiftly dealt with them.

Thanks to this, the group reached the base safely.

The West District Awakeneds followed, visibly shaken.

“What kind of party is this?”

“What’s with these members?”

A Sand Mage like Zeon, a woman with formidable attack power like Eloy, a specter-like Levin, and a mysterious child with a pointed hat—an odd combination. Yet, they worked exceptionally well together.

At the center of this team was Zeon.

‘He not only has a rare awakened ability; he also has a keen eye for people.’