Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 235

Between the Southern District and the Central District stood a massive warehouse.

The enormous warehouse, towering eight floors high, was the headquarters of the NSSC.

It appeared rundown from the outside, but inside it was perfectly equipped with various training facilities, support equipment, vehicles, and weapons.

Naturally, access for outsiders was strictly controlled.

Anyone without permission would be shot on sight.

Because of this, even people living nearby avoided this place altogether.

Naturally, the level of vigilance was also at its highest.

Various magical barriers surrounded the warehouse, reacting immediately to any intruders.

The leader of the NSSC was Kevin.

He was an Awakened who had dedicated his entire life to the NSSC. Therefore, his pride in the NSSC was immense.

Not only that.

All Awakeneds of the NSSC had a strong bond.

If someone touched an NSSC member, everyone had to rush in and exact revenge.

It was this NSSC that was furious about the annihilation of Team 2.

They firmly believed that Zeon and Mandy, who were imprisoned in the underground cell, were the ones who wiped out Team 2.

Because they had seen it with their own eyes.

Only Zeon and Mandy had been at the scene.

So they had to be the culprits.

After imprisoning Zeon and Mandy, they planned to torture them. They intended to avenge the deaths of their comrades and reveal the truth through torture.

However, for some reason, the Numbers intervened.

The old man and the twin sisters instructed that Zeon and Mandy should not be touched until the truth was revealed.

No matter how powerful the NSSC was, they could not ignore the warning from the Numbers. So they kept the two in the cell and watched over them.

Bang!

At that moment, someone roughly opened Kevin’s door and came in.

The man with a strong appearance, wearing tactical gear and various weapons, was none other than Team 3 Leader, Yoo Sang-cheon.

Yoo Sang-cheon slammed the desk and raised his voice.

“Leader! Are we just going to leave those bastards alone?”

“Higher-ups said not to touch them.”

“Damn it! When have the Numbers ever helped us? Who are they to dictate what the NSSC can and cannot do?”

“Sang-cheon!”

“Disappointed, Leader! We need to avenge Team 2!”

“Do you think I’m enjoying this?”

“Are you scared of that damn Sand Mage?”

“Watch your language.”

“Leader! Then I’ll take responsibility.”

“Sang-cheon!”

“Just give me this one time. I’ll take full responsibility.”

“……”

“Then I’ll take it as permission.”

Bang!

Yoo Sang-cheon slammed the door and left.

Kevin’s voice was not heard.

That alone was enough.

The members of Team 3 who had been waiting in the corridor asked.

“What happened?”

“Did you get permission?”

Yoo Sang-cheon nodded and said.

“Let’s go!”

“Damn it. Let’s go.”

“They’re dead.”

A sinister aura rose on the faces of Team 3 members.

They exuded a murderous intent as they headed down to the underground.

After descending several meters, the prison came into view.

The entire prison was covered with special metal and magic to block the flow of mana.

As a result, the air inside the prison felt unusually heavy.

Abilities could be used in the corridor, but once inside the cell, they were sealed off. Still, it didn’t matter. They were all martial arts Awakeneds.

Martial arts Awakeneds maintained their powerful physical abilities even when their skills were sealed.

Yoo Sang-cheon stopped in front of the deepest cell. At that moment, all Team 3 members took out their short clubs.

The short clubs were made of special metal.

With immense destructive power, a single hit could break bones and rupture muscles.

Yoo Sang-cheon unlocked the cell and looked at his subordinates. The Awakeneds nodded, tapping their short clubs.

Clank!

Finally, Yoo Sang-cheon opened the cell door. Then the Awakeneds rushed into the cell.

Their targets were Zeon and Mandy, who were imprisoned inside the cell.

“Die!”

“You bastards!”

“Yaah!”

They howled and swung their short clubs at Zeon and Mandy.

The two, unable to move mana, were unable to use their abilities.

No matter how excellent their abilities were, they couldn’t use them inside here. All they had left was pure physical strength.

Beating them down like this was nothing.

It seemed it was the only way to relieve their anger.

Swish!

A short club cut through the air towards Zeon.

The Awakeneds naturally thought Zeon wouldn’t be able to resist. But to their surprise, the short club cut through the air uselessly.

Zeon had moved to the side without them noticing.

The attacking Awakened was astonished.

“What? This bastard! Wasn’t he unable to move mana?”

“It doesn’t matter. Beat them up!”

The Awakeneds rushed at Zeon and Mandy like a herd.

“As expected, it’s happening.”

Zeon clicked his tongue.

The NSSC Awakeneds needed someone to vent their anger on.

The truth didn’t matter much to them.

They already thought of Zeon as the murderer of their comrades and were eager to use violence on him without hesitation.

Their feelings were understandable.

If it were himself, he might have done the same in that situation. But that didn’t mean he would just lie down and accept it.

Even without using mana, he was strong.

His body, honed in the desert with Dyoden, was better than that of a martial arts Awakeneds.

Crunch!

The short club shattered against his fist.

To the astonished Awakened’s face, Zeon’s fist struck hard.

“Argh!”

The Awakened screamed in pain and fell.

“Damn bastards! I knew this would happen.”

Mandy, too, went berserk as Eloy.

Both Zeon and Eloy fought against Team 3’s Awakeneds using only their physical abilities.

Their capabilities were beyond what the Team 3 members had vaguely imagined.

Crash!

Bang!

Each explosive sound saw Team 3’s Awakeneds scream and fall.

“Fucking bastard…”

“Don’t you know that resisting only increases the punishment?”

The Awakeneds cursed and swung their short clubs.

Some had been injured by Zeon’s punches. But in their anger, they ignored the pain and continued to attack like beasts.

Even Zeon couldn’t avoid all their attacks.

There was not enough space to evade in the cramped cell.

Thud! Bang!

As a result, Zeon had to take some blows to his body.

Fortunately, there was no breaking of bones or rupturing of muscles. The robe made of Leviathan leather absorbed most of the shock.

One hit he took, he returned two.

If he was hit in the face, he smashed his opponent’s face in return.

Even fighting barehanded, Zeon was strong.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Zeon’s wild appearance resembled that of a demon.

Eloy also rampaged.

“Ohoho! Come at me. Is this all you’ve got? You bunch of idiots!”

As a half-elf, she moved swiftly and toyed with Team 3’s Awakeneds.

“Are you all out of your minds? It’s just two of them. Don’t fall behind, you idiots!”

Yoo Sang-cheon shouted loudly, urging his subordinates.

This was not the picture he had painted.

Instead of trampling Zeon and Eloy, his subordinates were the ones falling.

The magic formation in the prison that sealed Zeon and Eloy’s abilities also prevented Team 3’s Awakeneds from using theirs.

Even if they could use skills, it was impractical to do so in here.

One wrong move could hurt both Zeon and Eloy and their own comrades.

They had to subdue the two using only their physical abilities, no matter how difficult.

Bang! Thud! Crunch!

But the situation was turning from bad to worse.

Those who had their bones broken and muscles ruptured were all his subordinates.

They lay on the floor, groaning in pain.

“Ugh!”

“Ugh!”

The scene of his subordinates in such a miserable state drove Yoo Sang-cheon to madness.

“You fucking bastard!”

Screech!

His short club aimed for Zeon’s head.

The speed and destructive power were on a different level compared to his subordinates.

He was confident that the short club would smash Zeon’s head, but it was abruptly stopped midway.

Zeon had grabbed the middle of the short club.

“Eek!”

Yoo Sang-cheon’s face contorted.

He struggled to pull the short club from Zeon’s hand, but it was useless. The short club didn’t budge, as if trapped in a press.

Strength, reaction speed, and destructive power—Zeon was superior in every aspect to Yoo Sang-cheon. But Yoo Sang-cheon could not accept it.

“Die!”

Crunch!

He let go of the short club and punched Zeon in the face.

The shock was so severe that Zeon’s body swayed.

Yoo Sang-cheon thought he had gained the upper hand with this one blow. But he realized his mistake within a second.

Crash!

Zeon’s fist struck Yoo Sang-cheon’s other side of the ribcage.

It felt as if his ribs were shattered.

The intense pain made Yoo Sang-cheon’s mind go hazy, but he gritted his teeth and held on.

“You fucking bastard! Why did you kill my comrades over something like a Mana Stone?”

He roared in anger and retaliated.

Yoo Sang-cheon’s fist slammed into Zeon’s abdomen. But Zeon remained expressionless, showing no sign of being affected, and coldly said.

“I didn’t do it.”

Bang!

Zeon’s fist crashed into Yoo Sang-cheon’s other side.

With a sound like a bomb exploding, Yoo Sang-cheon’s body bent like a shrimp.

Keuek!

The shock penetrating his abdomen made him vomit the food he had eaten in the morning.

Zeon showed no mercy.

He understood the hearts of Yoo Sang-cheon and Team 3.

He couldn’t even imagine the extent of their rage and sorrow over losing their comrades, and he thought their anger was justified.

But they had targeted the wrong goal.

There was no reason for him to take the brunt of misplaced anger.

Zeon grabbed Yoo Sang-cheon by the collar, forcing him to stand despite his bent waist.

Their eyes met.

The emotions of anger and fear were transmitted clearly.

He must be feeling unjust.

He must be feeling frustrated.

He would want to reverse the situation at any cost.

But the opponent was wrong.

They needed to learn what happens when you pick the wrong fight in this harsh world.

Bang!

Zeon’s fist crashed into Yoo Sang-cheon’s face.

He felt the bones breaking.

With this one blow, Yoo Sang-cheon’s consciousness vanished.

Zeon let go of Yoo Sang-cheon and leapt towards another Awakened.

Thud!

The body of the Awakened hit by his knee crumbled like a sandcastle.

All the Awakeneds in the cell fell down.

“Keuuk!”

“Ughh!”

The cell was filled with the groans of the defeated Awakeneds.

Eloy, with both hands on her waist, mocked the fallen Awakeneds.

“Is this all you’ve got? Just cut off your balls at this point, it’s a waste for you all to have them, you idiots!”

The Awakeneds glared at Eloy with frustration. But no matter how fierce their expressions were, they couldn’t intimidate Eloy.

Eloy looked at Zeon.

“What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“The door’s open.”

When Yoo Sang-cheon and the Awakeneds barged in, the door had been opened.

There was no one stopping them, so they could just go through that door.

Zeon smirked and sat in a chair.

“Why bother going out?”

“Are you really not going to go out?”

“Why bother leaving now when I’ve set the net? Instead of these small fry, shouldn’t we wait to catch a big fish?”

“Do you think they’ll come into the net?”

“They will. Definitely!”

Zeon emphasized the word “definitely.”

———-