Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Orcs are a warlike race.

They are belligerent, tireless, and always brimming with a fighting spirit. Therefore, they are constantly engaged in battles.

They fight to hunt for food, they fight other races, and they even fight among themselves.

Because fighting is their everyday life, it’s only natural that they never properly unite.

As a result, orcs don’t form large groups.

At most, they live in groups of a few dozen to just over a hundred.

Any larger, and the problems become too great for them to manage.

Because of this, the orcs in Kurayan were not seen as a significant threat.

The strength of individual orcs was frightening, but since they never united, it was easy to defeat them individually.

However, there were times when orcs became truly terrifying.

This was when a Great Orc Chieftain was born.

A Great Orc Chieftain is immensely powerful.

They are so strong that even hundreds of regular orcs attacking at once are no match for them.

The biggest issue is that the birth of a Great Orc Chieftain brings significant changes to orc society.

Orcs with exceptional strength and wisdom are born, influenced by the presence of the Great Orc Chieftain.

They are drawn to the Chieftain by destiny, gathering around him and growing together.

During this time, Orc Shamans and Orc Riders are also born.

These orcs wield power on behalf of the Great Orc Chieftain.

Once the Great Orc Chieftain matures and fully embodies his role as a ruler, the Orc Riders travel around, spreading the news of the Chieftain’s birth to scattered orc groups.

The orc groups cannot defy the Great Orc Chieftain.

The Chieftain’s call is a call of destiny.

Thus, the orc groups gather under the Chieftain’s banner, forming a great orc horde.

The orc horde then attacks and annihilates nearby races, taking everything.

The existence of a Great Orc Chieftain is akin to a drug for the orcs.

Just the presence of the Chieftain paralyzes their reason, greatly heightening their fighting spirit and drastically increasing their physical abilities.

There are few who can stand against them.

Just as a swarm of locusts leaves no crops behind, a Great Orc Horde leaves no living thing in its wake.

The Great Orc Chieftain is a being of terror. In Kurayan, any sign of the Chieftain’s birth was met with an all-out effort to hunt and kill him.

But things were different on Earth.

Few knew about the existence of a Great Orc Chieftain.

Even those who did were few in number and did not grasp the severity of the threat.

No one imagined that a Great Orc Chieftain would be born in the desertified Earth.

Eloy muttered.

“It’s certain. A Great Orc Chieftain has been born and is uniting the tribes.”

“A Great Orc Chieftain…”

Zeon’s eyes turned cold.

Just from Eloy’s demeanor, he could tell how much of a threat the Great Orc Chieftain was.

Most importantly, orcs saw humans as food.

If the orcs under the Chieftain rampaged, countless humans would become their meals.

For the humans struggling to survive, this was the greatest threat imaginable.

Zeon looked around.

“How many humans have survived in this area?”

The environment looked uninhabitable, but Zeon knew how tenacious humans could be.

Even those who suffered at the hands of the orcs had survived by digging burrows in the sand. There were likely others like that nearby.

Eloy spoke to Zeon with a firm expression.

“We need to inform Neo Seoul and prepare a response.”

“Will Neo Seoul even act? The orc horde may not pose a significant threat to them.”

“That’s right. Humans don’t move easily unless there’s a direct threat.”

Brielle agreed with Zeon.

It was no secret that large monsters couldn’t approach Neo Seoul.

If even massive beasts couldn’t get close, it was unlikely that smaller beings like orcs would pose a threat.

Perhaps the Great Orc Chieftain himself might, but other orcs wouldn’t even get near Neo Seoul.

So, Neo Seoul wouldn’t see the orc rampage as a significant threat.

Eloy gritted her teeth.

“We have to make them act, even if I have to use my Supervisor authority.”

The Supervisor had the authority to identify and report any threat to Neo Seoul and devise countermeasures.

Eloy intended to use her authority to its fullest.

Zeon spoke.

“Then we need to return to Neo Seoul as quickly as possible.”

“Take us to Neo Seoul as fast as you can. Please.”

“All right.”

Zeon nodded.

He had already witnessed the orcs’ brutality underground.

If the orcs were left to rampage, the number of victims would increase exponentially.

That had to be prevented.

* * *

Zeon led the group towards Neo Seoul.

After encountering the Orc Riders, Eloy and Brielle had become much quieter. As elves, they were highly alert to the presence of orcs.

Their blood harbored a deep-seated hatred for orcs. This made them take the situation even more seriously.

Levin cautiously approached Zeon and asked.

“How strong is a Great Orc Chieftain likely to be?”

“I’m not sure! I’ve never seen one myself.”

“But they must be very strong, right?”

“Of course. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be able to unite the orc tribes.”

“I’m worried. What if those orcs lose their minds and attack Neo Seoul?”

“Don’t worry about Neo Seoul. No matter how many orcs come, they won’t be able to shake it.”

“Is Neo Seoul’s defense that strong?”

“You’ll understand once you see more of the world. Neo Seoul is an unparalleled place. I’ve traveled half of this world and haven’t found anywhere as perfect.”

“I see.”

Levin knew Zeon wasn’t exaggerating.

“The problem is the people outside Neo Seoul.”

“Are there many people like that?”

“More than you’d think.”

“Hm!”

Levin sighed.

Zeon patted Levin’s shoulder.

“Don’t feel too sorry for them.”

“Hyung?”

“They’ve survived for over a hundred years. They’ve developed their own survival strategies. Those who can survive will find a way.”

“I hope so.”

“Let’s hope for the best.”

“Yes.”

Levin followed Zeon closely, watching his back intently.

There was a sense of solidity emanating from Zeon’s back.

He wasn’t particularly large, nor did he have broad shoulders.

He wasn’t heavily muscled, nor did he possess overwhelming charisma.

Yet, Zeon provided a sense of stability to the group without any of these traits.

His unwavering presence, no matter the situation, made those with him trust and follow him.

Levin aspired to emulate Zeon’s solidity.

Just then.

Suddenly, Zeon came to an abrupt stop.

Levin, Eloy, and Brielle all fell silent, watching Zeon.

By now, they knew that Zeon only stopped like this when he sensed something.

After a moment, Zeon spoke.

“Sandworm.”

“What?”

“There’s a Sandworm a hundred meters ahead. Don’t move for a moment.”

“Got it.”

The three of them nodded.

Sandworms detect objects’ movements through vibrations in the sand.

As long as they didn’t move noisily, the Sandworm wouldn’t detect them.

Conversely, Zeon could sense the Sandworm’s movements as clearly as reading his palm.

Slither!

The Sandworm could be felt burrowing through the sand.

After circling the area for a moment, the Sandworm started moving rapidly in a specific direction.

‘Did it find prey?’

The Sandworm’s sudden swift movement indicated that it had locked onto prey.

Fortunately, it was moving away from where Zeon and his group stood.

“It’s gone.”

“Did it find other prey?”

“Yes.”

“Hope it’s an orc.”

Levin expressed his hatred for orcs.

Zeon nodded, agreeing with his sentiment.

Eloy approached Zeon.

“The sun will set soon. Shouldn’t we start looking for a campsite?”

“This place isn’t suitable for camping. Let’s find a safer spot first.”

“Alright.”

Eloy followed Zeon’s lead without protest.

They had managed to come this far without encountering any monsters thanks to Zeon.

There was no better guide in the desert than him.

Even the best navigators of caravans had to acknowledge Zeon’s superiority.

As Zeon led them to a different location, a faint explosion sounded from a distance.

Zeon glanced towards the source of the sound and murmured.

“It seems the Sandworm surfaced. Its prey must be easy.”

Sandworms had few rivals in the sand.

The sand served as a protective shield, making it difficult for even large ground monsters to hunt Sandworms.

A Sandworm would only surface when it deemed its prey easy enough to handle.

This was similar to Zeon’s first encounter with a Sandworm.

Back then, Zeon had been on a bus, and most of the passengers were helpless.

The Sandworm had targeted the bus, sensing their vulnerability.

Zeon assumed the current situation was no different.

Regardless, it wasn’t something he needed to worry about.

His priority was to safely escort his group back to Neo Seoul. He didn’t want to divert his attention to anything else.

Without paying much attention, Zeon continued walking.

“Ahhh!”

“Save us!”

Just then, a scream suddenly echoed from a distance.

The group stopped in their tracks.

“What’s that?”

“Human.”

“Why do they sound like children?”

The voices were unmistakably those of children.

Two children were running towards them from a distance, with a cloud of dust rising behind them.

A Sandworm was chasing the children.

Levin, without waiting for anyone’s permission, sprang into action.

Driven by the need to save the children, his body moved on its own.

In an instant, Levin, now ghost-like, reached the children.

Boom!

At that moment, the Sandworm emerged from the ground with a deafening explosion, opening its massive jaws to devour the children.

“No!”

Purple lightning surged from Levin’s ghostly form.

It was Levin’s signature move, the Purple Lightning.

Crack!

The Purple Lightning struck the Sandworm.

The high-voltage current momentarily stunned the Sandworm. But it quickly recovered and lifted its head as if unscathed.

The creature was so large and its hide so thick that the current couldn’t penetrate it, only making it angrier.

Enraged, the Sandworm opened its mouth wide and lunged at Levin.

Levin hovered in the air, staring down the massive jaws approaching him.

“Let’s see if the inside is as tough as the outside.”

Crunch!

In an instant, the Sandworm swallowed Levin.

“Ah!”

“Levin?”

Eloy and Brielle, watching from afar, cried out in shock.

Then it happened.

Flash!

A purple light exploded from the Sandworm’s mouth.

Levin had released Purple Lightning from inside the creature.

Screech!

The Sandworm thrashed in agony, trying to expel Levin, but it was impossible to vomit out his ghostly form.

Instead, Levin intensified the power of his Purple Lightning.

Boom!

With a tremendous explosion, the massive Sandworm blew apart.

Brielle let out a cry of amazement.

“Whoa!”