Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 213

"Chwick! Humans."

"Kill them."

Ordinary Orcs have no sense of rationality.

When they see an enemy, they attack.

If they win, they eat their enemy; if they lose, they get eaten.

Their instinct was to attack without hesitation upon encountering enemies.

The Orc scouts, upon spotting the humans in the buggy, immediately got excited and attacked.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Orcs charged, kicking up clouds of sand.

Hundreds of massive figures charging were intimidating enough to make someone wet themselves.

"Prepare for battle!"

"Damn it!"

The Awakeneds gripped their weapons tightly, preparing for combat.

Despite their enormous size, the Orcs charged with frightening speed.

In no time, they were upon the Awakeneds.

Bang! Boom!

With explosive sounds, the Orcs and Awakeneds clashed.

Jang Yong-beom's party didn't hesitate to join the fray.

Slash!

"Argh!"

An Orc was sliced in half by Jang Yong-beom's claymore.

Despite killing the Orc in one strike, Jang Yong-beom's expression remained grim.

"These bastards are tough. Be careful, everyone."

"Okay!"

"Don't worry, boss."

Aiden and Giselle, each fighting their own Orcs, replied.

Aiden used his ultra-vibration skill to dismember Orcs, while Giselle used her ice magic to trap the Orcs by their ankles.

Finally, Mountain grappled hand-to-hand with an Orc.

"Grr! Die you monster."

Mountain's veins bulged on his forehead and arms as he exerted his strength.

The Orc matched Mountain's brute force with its own.

"Chwick! Die human."

"I will win."

Crack!

Surprisingly, Mountain won the strength contest.

A human overpowering an Orc with sheer strength was remarkable.

The Orc's spine slowly bent backward.

A look of disbelief spread across the Orc's face.

"Kruk! No way... lose in strength… I…"

Snap!

With a snapping sound, the Orc's spine completely broke.

Mountain lifted the limp Orc corpse and roared triumphantly.

"Arghhh!"

Anyone who saw him would have mistaken Mountain for an Orc.

"That dumb brute!"

"Insane monster."

Even Aiden and Giselle, his party members, shook their heads in disbelief.

Mountain moved on to find his next target.

The party from Neo Seoul was formidable, consisting of strong Awakeneds.

Their prowess was not inferior to the Orc squad.

As time passed, the Awakeneds began to overpower the Orcs.

"Chwick!"

"Kreukk!"

The Orcs screamed as they fell.

Naturally, some Awakeneds died as well, but ultimately, the Awakeneds emerged victorious.

"Huff! Huff!"

"We won."

The Awakeneds celebrated their victory, breathing heavily. However, Jang Yong-beom, who led the victory, didn't look happy at all.

"The buggies are all destroyed."

The Orcs' attack had completely wrecked the already fragile buggies.

From now on, they had to walk on foot.

"Damn it!"

"We need to inform Neo Seoul about these monsters, but how can we walk all the way back?"

"We'll dry up and die before we reach Neo Seoul."

The surviving Awakeneds slumped in despair.

Giselle, Aiden, and Mountain gathered around Jang Yong-beom.

Despite killing many Orcs, they didn't look particularly exhausted.

Aiden asked Jang Yong-beom.

"What will we do now?"

"We'll head back to Neo Seoul."

"But the vehicles are destroyed?"

"Our legs still work. We can walk."

"The others won't survive."

"Why should we care about them? Let them fend for themselves."

"I wasn't particularly worried about them either."

Aiden smirked.

Even though they had taken on this mission together from Neo Seoul, he didn't consider them comrades.

What mattered to Aiden was Jang Yong-beom, Giselle, and Mountain, not the others.

Giselle and Mountain felt the same.

In this harsh world, they were each other's only family.

Jang Yong-beom gave orders.

"Gather anything useful from the wrecked buggies. It could help us survive."

"Yes!"

Aiden and Giselle immediately searched the buggies for useful items.

Mountain carried all the gathered supplies, and Jang Yong-beom's party set off.

By the time the other Awakeneds regained their senses, there was nothing useful left.

"Damn it! They took everything?"

"Follow those bastards quickly."

The Awakeneds hurriedly followed Jang Yong-beom's party.

* * *

The sun was setting.

As the western sky turned red, Zeon's group settled at the bottom of a sand dune.

Zeon pulled a black lump from his subspace. It was well-dried monster dung. Its oily nature made it easy to ignite.

Zeon lit the monster dung to make a campfire.

Meanwhile, Levin took food out of his subspace backpack and distributed it to the group.

"Today, we have special food from Old Man Klexi's shop."

"There's still some left?"

Eloy was surprised.

Time doesn't pass in subspace.

Theoretically, food stored there could be preserved indefinitely.

However, the subspace wasn't unlimited, so the amount stored was limited.

Levin had bought a lot of food from the Goblin Market and Old Man Klexi's shop, storing it in his subspace backpack.

"There's still plenty left. We haven't had a chance to use it."

"That's good. I was getting sick of monster meat."

Eloy licked her lips as she received the food from Levin.

It was a steak made from cultivated calf meat.

Steam rose from the steak.

"That's amazing."

Brielle's eyes widened with delight.

Levin handed a steak to Zeon as well.

"This is for you, hyung."

"Thanks."

"It's all thanks to Brielle for making the subspace backpack."

Levin patted the backpack and laughed.

The four of them began their meal with smiles.

Brielle muttered as she cut her steak.

"Eating like this feels like a picnic."

"A picnic in hell is still a picnic."

Eloy quipped, and the two Elves bickered.

Zeon and Levin didn't pay them any mind, as it was a common occurrence.

Despite their arguments, the Elves never crossed the line.

They were actually growing closer through their verbal sparring.

"Yum! This is really good."

"Old Man Klexi himself made it."

"I miss him now."

"Me too. His cooking is amazing, even though he's a bit naggy."

"I hope he's doing well."

"I'm sure he is. No one in the slums would dare mess with him."

"True..."

Zeon nodded.

Old Man Klexi, the leader of the Goblin Market, was the grandfather of Yoo Se-hee, and he himself was the head of the information organization known as Argos' Eye.

In the slums, he had unparalleled power. The idea of someone harming him was unimaginable.

As the sun set, countless stars filled the sky.

After cleaning up their plates and storing them back in the subspace, the four of them gazed up at the night sky.

"The stars are clear tonight."

"Yeah! That's rare. Usually, they're obscured by sand."

"Enjoy it while you can. Who knows when we'll see this again."

Having eaten well, they were in a relaxed mood, enjoying the stars. But their peace didn't last long.

"There's a light over there."

"Damn it! Someone's there."

"Could be scavengers. Stay alert."

Voices could be heard from afar.

In an instant, the smiles vanished from their faces.

"People?"

"What is this?"

They quickly got up and prepared for battle.

In this vast desert, the odds of encountering people were slim. It was almost impossible unless someone was specifically looking for them.

Then, a group of people appeared over the sand dune.

It was the Awakeneds who had survived the Orc attack.

At the front was Jang Yong-beom's party.

Jang Yong-beom spoke as he saw Zeon's group.

"There really are people here."

"People lighting a fire in the desert without fear. Aren't they afraid of monsters?"

Aiden clicked his tongue, looking at the campfire.

The desert night was the time of the monsters.

During the day, they slept to avoid the scorching sun and became active at night. Lighting a fire during this time was reckless.

Zeon stepped forward and spoke.

"That's far enough."

"What?"

"We claimed this spot first. Do not come any closer."

"How absurd. Is there such a thing as reserved spots in the desert?"

Jang Yong-beom's voice turned cold, and a chilling aura swept over Zeon's group.

But Zeon remained expressionless as he replied.

"Don't you know there's no one to trust in the desert? How do we know you're not scavengers?"

"That's a fair point. Fine! Let me clarify our identities. We are Awakeneds dispatched from Neo Seoul. We came to survey the desert's situation but lost our vehicles to pig-like monsters."

"Dispatched from Neo Seoul?"

"That's right. My name is Jang Yong-beom, an officially registered Awakened with Neo Seoul City Hall. These people are also officially registered Awakeneds."

"Jang Yong-beom?"

Zeon's eyes lit up.

Jang Yong-beom was the person who had saved Zeon from a sandworm while he was on his way to the Mana Stone Mine.

Zeon hadn't expected to meet Jang Yong-beom's party in the middle of the desert, and he couldn't hide his surprise.

Trying to conceal his agitation, Zeon asked calmly.

"You said you were attacked by pig-like monsters?"

"Yes. They destroyed our vehicles."

"You must have encountered an Orc unit."

"Those monsters are called Orcs?"

"Yes. Come this way."

Zeon spoke, letting his guard down.

To Jang Yong-beom, Zeon was just a fleeting acquaintance, but to Zeon, Jang Yong-beom was a lifesaver.

Although much time had passed, Zeon still felt the need to repay his debt.

Jang Yong-beom stared intently at Zeon.

Zeon's sudden change in attitude was strange.

"Do you know me?"

"I do."

"How?"

"We traveled together a long time ago. You probably don't remember."

"Is that so? In any case, it's fortunate you know me. Saves us some trouble."

If Zeon had refused, Jang Yong-beom would have used force.

Jang Yong-beom looked at the campfire and said.

"But are you fearless or just reckless? Lighting a fire will attract monsters."

"There are no monsters around here."

"How can you be sure?"

"I've already confirmed it. You can stay without worry."

"Is that so? That's a relief."

Jang Yong-beom sighed in relief.

Though he didn't show it, he was stressed from dragging the burden of the other Awakeneds.

Despite being called Awakeneds, these people looking solely to him was both pathetic and burdensome.

As Jang Yong-beom sat by the campfire, the other Awakeneds relaxed and approached as well.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]