Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 554

Chapter 554

Liala spread both arms and asked Zeon,

“How is it?”

“It’s nice."

“Right? I like it.”

Liala was wearing clothes she had bought today at the Goblin Market.

All the weapons and armor in El Harun focused purely on practicality and weren’t pretty. In contrast, many of the armors at the Goblin Market didn’t sacrifice either design or practicality.

In fact, when it came to defense and comfort, Neo Seoul’s armor was far superior.

That was because Neo Seoul’s extremely advanced magitech had been applied to them.

Unless it was a dungeon-made item, there was no real reason to stubbornly stick to El Harun’s armor. So Liala bought armor she liked at the Goblin Market.

It was light, easy to move in, had high defense, and was even pretty — it fit Liala’s taste perfectly.

She had Lautra’s armor that she had obtained from a dungeon. In terms of performance, Lautra’s armor was far superior, but because the difference in design was so large, she liked the armor she had bought at the Goblin Market more.

So in everyday situations she would wear the Goblin Market armor, and only when jumping into dangerous wars would she wear Lautra’s armor.

The others also each bought weapons and gear they liked.

Uslan examined the sword he had bought today with an expression of admiration.

“Neo Seoul’s technology really is amazing. To produce something like this from the byproducts of monsters…”

“Exactly. The dwarves of El Harun should have seen these items.”

“They used to act so high and mighty just because they made weapons, but the craftsmen here are on a much higher level.”

In El Harun, even just to obtain a single weapon, you had to placate the dwarves.

When they brought up their so-called artisan spirit and humiliated you, you really wanted to flip everything over. But since you were always in the position of having to ask them for something, you had to forcibly suppress your anger.

To them, the commerce of the Goblin Market was a fresh shock.

If you had money, you could get whatever you wanted.

You didn’t have to beg, and you didn’t have to bow your head.

To Uslan and his subordinates, it was a cultural shock.

They got the money by selling the items they already had and the byproducts of monsters.

Without having to say anything awkward to Zeon, they had equipped themselves with new weapons purely with their own strength.

Jupiro whispered to Uslan,

“I kind of want to just come live in Neo Seoul.”

“You too?”

“You feel that way too, Captain?”

“Yeah!”

“Let’s seriously think about coming here someday.”

“Yeah.”

Normally, Uslan would have scolded him for talking nonsense. But even he nodded — that’s how fresh Neo Seoul’s trading system was to them.

Zeon thought their reaction was natural.

No matter where you went in the world, there was no place with a commerce system as well built as Neo Seoul’s.

Most places relied on barter or communal distribution.

El Harun wasn’t an exception.

Only Neo Seoul had built a modern trading system using money.

It was only natural that people experiencing this kind of system for the first time would get culture shock.

Zeon thought this modern system was Neo Seoul’s greatest strength.

If Neo Seoul were to fall, this system would vanish without a trace, and humanity would regress to the Middle Ages. That was why Neo Seoul had to be protected.

Just then—

“Hm?”

Zeon noticed a man in an alley over there waving at him.

He couldn’t remember the name, but it was a face he had seen before.

Zeon asked Liala for a moment of understanding and approached the man.

The man bowed to Zeon and said,

“Lord Zeon!”

“Your name?”

“I’m Duran. I came from Steel Fortress.”

“Steel Fortress?”

“Yes! I was sent by Lord Urtian.”

Sand was thickly settled on Duran’s hair and shoulders, and exhaustion was clearly written all over his face. Even so, he didn’t collapse and held on.

Judging by the atmosphere, it was obvious he had really come at full speed.

Seeing his unusual state, Zeon’s expression also turned serious.

“What happened at Steel Fortress?”

“It’s chaos.”

“Please explain in detail.”

“A group is luring a monster as big as a mountain in the direction of Neo Seoul. But Steel Fortress lies on that route.”

Zeon frowned at Duran’s words.

“Someone is luring a giant monster?”

“Yes! They’re moving in an organized way and controlling the monster’s direction.”

“Have you identified who they are?”

“We confirmed they’re not human. But we couldn’t determine their exact race.”

“So they’re other races.”

“That’s right.”

At Duran’s answer, Zeon’s gaze went to Liala and Uslan.

‘Looks like the other races who came out of El Harun caused something.’

It wasn’t a guess — it was a certainty.

“Duran, please rest. We’ll prepare and depart shortly.”

“Don’t worry about me and hurry to get ready. I’ll wait here.”

Duran was a martial-type Awakened. But unlike others, he didn’t have any special attack means or skills.

He had only one skill.

It was called “Swiftness.”

Swiftness was literally a speed-specialized skill.

When it came to running, no one could rival him.

Using this Swiftness, Duran had run nonstop for the past two days. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

He had crossed a distance that would take others over half a month in just two days.

His legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, and his lungs and heart felt like they were about to burst. Even so, he couldn’t rest easy.

If the giant monster attacked Steel Fortress, a horrific catastrophe would surely occur.

The moment Urtian confirmed that Steel Fortress lay on the monster’s route, he sent the fastest Duran to Zeon.

That was proof of how seriously he viewed the situation.

Zeon immediately returned to Liala’s group.

When he explained the situation, their expressions twisted.

“Crazy! Luring a giant monster to Neo Seoul? Who would do something that insane…!”

“If they’re other races, then they’re probably the ones who came out of El Harun.”

“Who would come up with such a horrible idea…”

They were angry as if El Harun itself had been attacked.

That was how much they had assimilated into Neo Seoul in such a short time.

Zeon said to them,

“Everyone, prepare to leave right away. I’ll stop by somewhere briefly.”

“Where?”

“I think we’ll need more manpower. I’ll bring a few more people.”

“Got it! Then we’ll wait at the plaza.”

Liala answered on behalf of everyone.

Leaving them behind, the first place Zeon ran to was Tessarina’s lair.

“Tessarina!”

“What is it?”

To Tessarina, who looked puzzled, Zeon told her about the giant monster and Steel Fortress.

“If that’s the case, of course I should step in. Wait just a bit. I’ll grab what I need from my subspace and come out.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you? This is directly tied to the safety of my lair. Of course I should act. By the way, what kind of monster is it that you’re making such a fuss over?”

“It won’t be an ordinary monster. Lord Urtian, who governs Steel Fortress, isn’t the type to make a fuss easily.”

“Got it. I’ll see it for myself.”

“Then let’s meet at the plaza in a bit.”

“Who else are you bringing?”

“Levin.”

“Levin’s a great asset. Got it. I’ll get ready and head to the plaza.”

After hearing Tessarina’s reply, Zeon immediately went to find Levin.

Finding Levin wasn’t difficult.

He could meet him right away at the Fixer’s Office.

“I’ll explain on the way, so come with me.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Levin followed Zeon without even asking the reason.

As they moved to the plaza, Zeon explained the situation.

Levin was shocked like the others.

“Wow! Fuck! Those sons of bitches…”

“If Lord Urtian asked for help, it won’t be an ordinary monster. Get yourself ready.”

“Hehe! I’ve got a subspace now too. I prepared in advance.”

“Good.”

“But will we make it in time? If we had Gaia, maybe, but…”

Riding Gaia, they could reach Steel Fortress in a day. But Gaia wasn’t here right now.

“We don’t have a choice. We just have to run with everything we’ve got.”

“Guess I’ll get to use my strength for once in a while.”

While talking like that, they soon arrived at the plaza.

Liala’s group was waiting for them there.

The moment the two arrived, Tessarina appeared.

“Mm!”

“That woman…”

The instant she appeared, Liala and Uslan felt an overwhelming pressure.

A completely different level of pressure they had never felt before — their hearts pounded like crazy.

Liala stared at Tessarina with wide eyes.

Feeling her gaze, Tessarina muttered,

“She’s not from Neo Seoul.”

“And who are you?”

“I’m Tessarina. And you?”

“I’m Liala.”

“Nice to meet you, Liala. Let’s get along while we travel together.”

Unlike the wary Liala, Tessarina spoke in a relaxed voice.

No matter how strong Liala was, she couldn’t escape the category of being human.

Only someone like Zeon, who had reached a realm beyond humanity, could give Tessarina any sense of tension.

Then Zeon stepped in and said,

“Lady Tessarina is an S-rank magic-type Awakened. She’ll be a huge help to us.”

In reality, she had even greater abilities, but Zeon introduced Tessarina as an S-rank Awakened for now.

“At that level…”

“Incredible!”

Liala and Uslan nodded.

With an S-rank Awakened joining, their combat power skyrocketed.

“There’s no time, so let’s depart first.”

At Zeon’s words, everyone who had been waiting set off.

Levin muttered with a smile,

“This is reassuring.”

He had gone into the desert countless times with Zeon, but this was the first time they had a party made up of such powerful Awakened.

It was a party with the strongest Sand Mage and a dragon together.

Any ordinary monster wouldn’t even be a threat.

Liala was also among the strongest of humans, and Uslan wasn’t to be underestimated either.

Except for Duran, everyone in the party possessed tremendous martial power.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say a party like this would almost never be in danger.

The moment they came out into the desert, Tessarina cast a spell on the group.

It was magic that increased stamina and agility.

When sudden vitality surged through them, Liala’s group and Duran were startled and looked at Tessarina.

“This is?”

“It’s nothing. We can’t be late because you’re running out of stamina, so I cast it. If you feel your stamina dropping again, just say so anytime. I’ll keep casting it.”

Tessarina spoke as if it were nothing, but everyone knew how incredible the magic she had just cast was.

Casting a spell that invigorated so many people at once was by no means easy.

‘Amazing!’

‘So this is an S-rank Awakened…’

Liala, Uslan, and the others once again marveled at Tessarina’s terrifying ability. But the one most shocked was Duran.

The stamina and mana he had depleted running from Steel Fortress to here had been restored to one hundred percent.

Rejuvenated, Duran stepped forward and said,

“From now on, follow me. I’ll guide you along the shortest route.”

Duran kicked off the ground and dashed forward.

Liala and Uslan clung close behind him as they ran.

The last to move were Zeon, Tessarina, and Levin.

Zeon used Sand Step, Tessarina used flight magic, and Levin moved in ghost form.

Ssshh!

Riding the surging sand, Zeon’s expression hardened stiffly.

‘Just what kind of monster is it that is giving me such a bad feeling?’

He didn’t know its identity, and he didn’t even know its name.

And yet, the moment he heard news of its appearance, his heart had started pounding violently.

This kind of experience was a first for him too.