Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert - Chapter 99
Sand Mage Of The Burnt Desert Chapter 99
Episode 99
: Zeon was sitting on the streets of a slum.
There was no particular reason.
Because I just wanted to.
No one paid any attention to him as he squatted in front of the stairs of a building and stared blankly at the people passing by.
Thanks to this, Zeon was able to enjoy some leisure time for the first time in a long time.
Everything was nice, including the hot sunlight and the stuffy air.
While Zeon was enjoying his leisure time in the middle of the day, a loud noise was heard that shattered the peace.
“Hurry!”
“We have to dispose of the body before it rots.”
“Move! Move! “You damn bastards.”
Dozens of awakened people were seen entering the main street leading to Neo Seoul.
Everyone was covered in sand and the body fluids of the demonic beast, as if they had gone through a fierce battle.
What caught Zeon’s attention was the large truck they were pulling.
The carcass of a huge demonic beast was loaded in the truck bed.
“Crown Bear? “He’s not easy to see.”
The Crown Bear was a huge beast with crown-shaped horns on its head.
It was very difficult to deal with because it was capable of walking on four or two legs like a bear and could use its front paws like a human.
The adult’s skin is hard enough to be scratched by most weapons and has strong resistance to magic.
Because of that, most awakened people were no match for Crown Bear.
To hunt the Crown Bear, you must have a party or raid team with a balanced mix of martial arts awakened and magic awakened people.
It was worth the effort.
The adult Crown Bear itself was a tremendous treasure.
The gallbladder, commonly called gall bladder, increases mana, and the internal organs have become an important ingredient in various potions.
Since flesh and bones are also ingredients for alchemy, you can make a lot of money by catching just one.
What mattered was time.
The Crown Bear’s body decomposed extremely quickly, so it had to be disposed of quickly.
That’s why those who hunt the Crown Bear are in such a hurry.
“Move! “You bastards.”
They screamed loudly and ran like crazy to Neo Seoul.
People walking on the street avoided it on their own.
Because I know that no one will care if I get hit by a truck while walking.
To them, the people in the slums were no better than stones on the side of the road.
Stones were used to build buildings, but even if people from the slums were brought in, there was no place to use them.
Like a sandstorm in the desert, the awakened people who hunted the Crown Bears disappeared into Neo Seoul in an instant, and the streets became a mess.
“How much would you give for Crown Bear?”
“Do you have any Crown Bears hidden away?”
At that time, someone’s voice was heard from one side of the street.
When Zeon turned his head, he saw a man who looked out of place in the slums.
The impressive man wearing a neat suit and neatly combed hair was Tajik.
Zeon answered without embarrassment.
“I wish there was one. “But what are you doing in such a dirty place?”
“I came to see you there.”
“Me?”
“yes!”
“why?”
Zeon blinked as if he really didn’t know the reason.
Tajik found Zeon’s appearance such an abomination. However, he tried to suppress his boiling anger and continued speaking calmly.
“It’s because of the Inazuma Attack Force.”
“ah! Inazuma Attack Force. “They were very capable people, and I’m sorry that happened to them.”
“Are you sorry?”
“If I had just a little more ability, we could have come out together. I’m sorry.”
Tajik’s eyes trembled at Zeon’s naturally virtuous answer.
This happened inside the dungeon.
No one other than the parties involved knew what happened inside.
Once a dungeon is destroyed, it completely disappears from the world.
It leaves no evidence of its existence.
Tajik could not know exactly what happened inside the dungeon.
‘Kouji has a strong desire to win. Also, never disobey my orders. I’m sure he would have picked a fight with that guy.’
He ordered the Inazuma raiding party to find out Zeon’s rank.
The most accurate way to determine the opponent’s level was to fight directly.
So, it was clear that Koji and the Inazuma raiding party fought Zeon.
The problem is that the Inazuma raiding party was unable to escape the dungeon and Zeon survived alone.
“So, the Inazuma raid was behind and couldn’t get out of the dungeon?”
“It’s a shame.”
Zeon responded calmly without changing his expression.
Tajik tried to figure out the truth by looking at Zeon’s subtle changes in expression, but it was no use.
‘This bastard…’
In an instant, his vitality soared.
He soon suppressed his desire to live as if he had never done so, but he could not avoid Zeon’s eyes.
Rather, Zeon had figured out his true intentions.
Tajik spoke without even knowing that.
“Finally, the Inazuma raid team was unable to escape and disappeared along with the dungeon. “Is this what you mean?”
“yes!”
“It’s not that easy to believe.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Inazuma raid team isn’t so stupid that they can’t get out of the disappearing dungeon.”
“is that so? Then I guess I was unlucky. “The dungeon disappears suddenly.”
“ha!”
Tajik sighed involuntarily.
This is because there was absolutely no gap in Zeon’s words.
They failed to understand Zeon’s level and lost the Inazuma attack force in vain.
‘Should I just tell the truth and embrace him?’
Someone was needed to replace the crocodiles.
From what we have figured out so far, Xeon was the perfect fit.
But now, after talking with Zeon, my mind has changed.
‘No, he is not the kind of person who will listen to anyone. Just by looking at how they dealt with the Inazuma raid team, you can see how meticulous and rebellious they were. ‘I’m not someone who will be under anyone’s control, and I’m certainly not someone who will listen to orders.’
After organizing his thoughts, Tajik smiled coldly.
“I heard you well.”
“What more do you need?”
“doesn’t exist.”
“All right.”
“See you next time. Then…”
Tajik slightly bowed his head and disappeared.
Zeon muttered, looking in the direction where Tajik disappeared.
“I think it would be wrong to let it go quietly.”
Zeon knew people like Tajik well.
Men like that, with eyes full of ambition and confidence, cannot tolerate even a single failure.
This is because I think failure is linked to pride.
There would already be no thought of using Xeon in his mind.
All that remains is the determination to restore self-esteem.
“If I just leave it like that, it’s going to continue to be a headache, right?”
Zeon sighed slightly.
＊＊＊
A huge castle wall that will overwhelm you just by looking at it.
This wall was the barrier that separated Neo Seoul from the slums.
This huge castle wall, which is over 50 meters high and 5 meters thick, is covered with all kinds of magic circles and various weapons.
This huge wall, built to protect Neo Seoul from giant monsters, does not allow unauthorized human access.
In particular, the awakened people stood guard at the huge gate connected to the slums, so the poor could not even approach.
Even though the awakened people stood guard all day, only a handful of people from the slums approached this place.
Even they just watched from afar out of curiosity and did not get close.
The awakened people ridiculed those slum people.
“under! “The beggars are snooping around again.”
“Leave it alone. “It looks like he’s curious about what’s inside.”
“There are many things to be curious about.”
“Oh my! “The smell…”
The awakened people pretended to cover their noses.
Although they were human beings, they did not treat the people in the slums as human beings.
To them, the only humans are those who live in Neo Seoul.
Even in Neo Seoul, social status is divided.
As awakened people and ordinary people.
However, ordinary people are not necessarily lower than awakened people.
There are successful people even among ordinary people.
People who run businesses such as slaughter companies or magic stone processing companies, or those who excel in their respective fields, are treated better than most Awakened people.
In any case, people living in Neo Seoul live in roles that fit their capabilities.
The human society system that collapsed over a hundred years ago still exists here.
What the awakened people despise are people outside this system.
They were the people of the slums.
Even without them, Neo Seoul had no problems running.
So I don’t care about their safety.
In the field of view of the giggling awakened people, a man was seen approaching the front door.
He walked languidly with the hat attached to his robe pulled down.
The Awakened once stopped him.
“Who are you? Please identify yourself.”
“My name is Zeon.”
The man was none other than Xeon.
“Xeon? Are you from the slums?”
The awakened person made a puzzled expression.
Most people who left Neo Seoul knew about it. But Zeon had a face he had never seen before. So I guessed that he was from a slum.
“yes!”
“What are slum beggars doing here? “If you are from Neo Seoul or do not have a pass, you cannot enter.”
“there is. Pass.”
“There is?”
“yes!”
Zeon took out a temporary pass from his arms and threw it at the awakened person.
I had received it after saving Mandy a long time ago.
He took out a temporary pass that would only allow him to enter for one month.
The awakened person frowned and looked at the temporary pass.
“Is the issuer Mandy Cysteine and the guarantor is Mechanic Kim Sang-sik? “Check this out.”
I handed it over to the awakened person next to me and checked it with a reader.
The blue light on the reader came on.
It meant it was genuine.
Neo Seoul’s passes are treated with special magic and can never be forged. Still, the Awakened looked at Zeon with suspicious eyes.
“What is the purpose of entering Neo Seoul?”
“I’m here to meet Mandy Cysteine.”
“You mean the issuer?”
“yes! “Is there a problem?”
“no. Pass!”
Since the identity of the issuer and guarantor was clear, there was no reason to stop it.
The awakened people guarding the main gate let Zeon pass.
Sure!
The thick door opened with a dull sound.
“Go in. The period of stay in Neo Seoul is one month. If you remain in Neo Seoul until then, the guards will find you and kill you.”
The temporary pass that Zeon received had a tracking spell attached to it. If you remain in Neo Seoul even after the permit period has expired, the magic will be activated and the guards will be able to find you.
“It won’t be that long. “I’ll come out as soon as I finish my business.”
Zeon smiled and passed through the front door.
As I entered Neo Seoul, the air changed.
The air itself felt fresh, as if an air purifier had been turned on.
It was completely different from the stuffy air outside.
I felt like my lungs were cleansed deep down.
The streets were clean, without a single stone rolling around, and there was no common sand to be seen outside.
The sophisticated buildings were soaring high into the sky, and the clothes of the people walking down the street were also neat and stylish.
Cars and various means of transportation that move without sound.
A scene that Zeon had only heard about unfolded before his eyes.
It was the most developed city in the world.
A state-of-the-art colony that is incomparable to any colony that Zeon has ever seen.
Maybe this place was the pinnacle of modern human civilization.
Zeon took his first steps into such a city.