Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 58

Mandy considered herself an ordinary human.

This was understandable as, in her youth, she possessed an appearance no different from others.

Though she heard compliments about her beauty back then as well, it was well within the boundaries of human norms.

It wasn’t until after her secondary puberty that Mandy became aware of her half-elf nature.

One noticeable change was her ears.

While not as pointed as those of full-blooded elves, they weren’t as rounded as typical human ears either.

It seemed as if the two features were perfectly blended.

After this revelation, Mandy questioned her identity and eventually discovered the truth.

Her mother had been assaulted by an elf, leading to Mandy’s conception.

The seed of misfortune planted in her mind, Mandy became disheartened and gradually turned inward.

She became hypersensitive to the gazes of others, internalizing the struggles day by day.

To protect her, Eloy was created.

Another personality emerged.

Eloy’s temperament was starkly different from Mandy’s, embodying aggression and violence.

Viewing everyone as an enemy, Eloy would recklessly attack, tearing throats without hesitation.

Due to Eloy’s destructive tendencies, numerous problems arose.

As the situation worsened, the personality that had lurked beneath the surface for so long finally revealed itself.

Mandy stepped forward to calm Eloy, resulting in a more active presence than ever before.

Mandy forged an agreement with Eloy.

In Neo Seoul, Mandy’s personality dominates. Eloy, on the other hand, takes charge when there’s no need to worry about others’ gazes.

Eloy deemed it the right moment for her to be in control.

In her hand was a spear, not an ordinary one, but an item excavated from a dungeon.

It possessed extraordinary power with an automatic summoning feature for its owner.

The nine-pronged blade resembled the tails of a nine-tailed fox, hence its name, ‘Mad *Gumiho.’

[*Gumiho = Nine-Tailed Fox in Korean, similar to Kitsune in Japanese.]

The Mad Gumiho was a legendary weapon even in Kurayan.

The fact that such a weapon found its way into Eloy’s hands might have been destiny, given her partial elven lineage.

Wooong!

The Mad Gumiho vibrated in Eloy’s hand, responding to her determination.

Eloy grinned and spoke.

“What’s it gonna be? Do you want to be torn apart and become food for the monsters? Or will you obediently listen to me?”

“If I don’t listen, will I become food for the monsters?”

“Hoho! Of course, why ask the obvious? Oh, there’s a third option, by the way.”

“What’s that?”

“Kill that bastard, and let’s establish some kind of understanding between you and me. Everyone could be happy then.”

The ‘bastard’ she referred to was none other than Kim Sangsik, riding on the Bactrian Camel.

Sangsik, realizing the situation, paled.

“Why are you trying to kill me? I haven’t done anything!”

“You know Mandy’s secret.”

“I won’t tell anyone. I promise to keep the secret.”

“Aaha! Who would believe that? Killing you to keep your mouth shut is much cleaner.”

“Please spare my life.”

Sangsik dismounted from the camel and knelt, realizing escape was impossible. It was better to plead than futilely attempt a getaway.

Tears and mucus streamed down Sangsik’s face as he looked at Eloy, who chuckled.

“Ugh, this guy’s begging is so annoying…”

Her gaze shifted back to Zeon.

“What should we do? Choose. It’s your call.”

“None of the options appeal to me. I’d rather talk to Mandy. Please bring her.”

“That won’t work. She has a withdrawn personality.”

“Still, I want to meet her. How can I do that?”

“Simple! Beat me. If I burst, she’ll come out. Of course, that won’t happen.”

“That’s simple. Thankfully.”

“Do you have the confidence to beat me?”

“I’m curious, are you so arrogant by relying on just that spear?”

“What?”

“Without the half-elf part, you don’t seem all that special. Your confidence seems excessive.”

Zeon’s words, laced with a hint of amusement, stiffened Eloy’s expression.

She retorted while gripping the Mad Gumiho.

“Fuck! Talking all high and mighty without knowing a thing. Sometimes you need a good beating to come to your senses.”

“I agree.”

“Ha! I’ll knock some sense into that big mouth of yours, you bastard!”

Eloy’s anger erupted.

She swung the Mad Gumiho.

In an instant, the illusion of a spear made of mana appeared in the air.

It was one of her skills, Rain Spear.

The power of Rain Spear unleashed through the Mad Gumiho was immense.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!

The Rain Spear erupted like a volcanic explosion, causing sand to shoot up like pillars before cascading in all directions, completely upheaving the area. However, Zeon’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

Eloy scanned the surroundings, flicking her eyes, soon able to spot him.

Zeon had quietly shifted about twenty meters to the left, and there was no trace of any wounds from the spear.

“Quite the trick…”

Eloy dashed towards Zeon like the wind.

The extended Mad Gumiho lunged at Zeon.

Just before being pierced, Zeon swung his gauntleted fist.

Crash!

With a metallic sound, the Mad Gumiho was repelled.

“What the…?”

Eloy was taken aback.

The Mad Gumiho, being an item excavated from the dungeon, possessed tremendous piercing power.

It could easily tear through weapons and armor like paper. However, it seemed a seemingly ordinary gauntlet had blocked the Mad Gumiho.

“It seems like that’s also an item from a dungeon.”

“A friend made it for me.”

“Fuck! A human making something like that?”

“You’re half human yourself, aren’t you? Don’t underestimate them.”

Zeon chuckled.

Eloy was left bewildered. The gauntlet he was wearing was crafted by Kailey, whom he met some time ago.

Combined with the eye of a Red Dragon, Kailey’s masterpiece, a rare enchanter, evolved into the Gauntlet of Scorching Heat.

The Gauntlet of Scorching Heat became an entirely different item from when Kailey first created it.

Its power was by no means inferior to the Mad Gumiho.

“Die!”

Eloy went into a frenzy.

She wildly swung the spear, pulling something from her pouch and scattering it around Zeon.

It was a kind of trap.

A trap created for hunting monsters in Neo Seoul.

Naturally, it was no ordinary item.

If there were mana-infused creatures in the vicinity, it would attract them with its enchanting force and immobilize them.

Once caught in the trap, even the strongest monster would be temporarily unable to move.

Eloy scattered around a dozen of these traps, blocking all of Zeon’s possible paths.

With this, she felt confident in attacking Zeon. However, all her attacks were blocked by Zeon’s gauntlet.

Clang!

Sparks flew out with a metallic sound.

Eloy charged forward to attack, and Zeon retreated while defending.

Charging forward was easier than retreating. Moreover, the movement added more strength to the attack.

Naturally, it seemed advantageous to charge forward.

Eloy thought the same. However, the situation turned out to be the opposite.

Zeon, as if hanging from invisible strings, gilded backwards, and even at Eloy’s speed, catching up was challenging.

What further fueled her frustration was that Zeon hadn’t used any skills yet, simply observing her every move.

As if he wanted to gauge the extent of her true skills.

“Where the hell is this bastard…?”

Eloy, in a frenzy, swung the Mad Gumiho.

Each time, a powerful skill was unleashed upon Zeon.

Crash!

Sand erupted, and a gust of wind swept in all directions.

Zeon’s head was also blowing in the wind. However, behind the strands of hair, there was no hint of movement in his eyes.

The Mad Gumiho seemed to be splitting into nine.

Not illusions but real nine entities.

At Eloy’s gesture, nine spears rose into the air.

From the mana connecting the nine spears, an incredibly intense light emanated.

“Take this! Nine Spear Strike.”

Eloy’s ultimate skill unfolded.

Zeon’s retinas were filled with a blaze of light.

Suddenly, a smile appeared on his lips.

“Interesting!”

It’s been a long time since Zeon had encountered someone who actively revealed the skills to attack him so boldly.

Since the battle with Leviathan in the distant south, most formidable monsters had avoided him altogether.

As a result, he hadn’t had a proper fight until now.

Facing an opponent who genuinely confronted him with full force after such a long time brought a rather enjoyable feeling.

Injecting mana into the Gauntlet of Scorching Heat, Zeon unleashed a powerful strike.

Fwhoosh!

In an instant, flames surged from the gauntlet.

The crimson flames rotated like a dragon’s breath, colliding with the Nine Spear Strike.

Kwaang!

“Argh!”

A stifled groan escaped Eloy’s lips. Her face, whitened by the intense impact, displayed frustration.

Instead of overpowering Zeon, she ended up receiving a counterforce, and the nine spears were deflected in various directions. Meanwhile, Zeon rushed forward through the openings.

The blazing gauntlet caught particular attention, the red gem on the back of the hand resembling the eye of a colossal monster.

In the midst of this, Zeon, reaching Eloy’s proximity, delivered a powerful punch.

Thud!

“Keuk!”

Eloy was thrown backward with a scream.

Fortunately, she managed to cross her arms to block the attack, but if her reaction had been slightly delayed, her chest might have caved in.

It felt like both her arms were about to break, but Zeon’s assault was far from over.

Thud!

His knee struck her face, and this time, she couldn’t even scream.

Her nose broke, and everything went hazy.

Still, Eloy tried desperately to regain her composure and counterattack.

But Zeon didn’t give her a chance to recover.

Thud!

Zeon’s fist pounded into her abdomen.

Eloy retched, expelling all the food in her stomach, and crumpled to the ground.

“Fuck!”

Eloy reached out, summoning the Mad Gumiho, but she couldn’t swing it in time.

Zeon kneeled on her chest, seizing her wrist with a strong grip.

Eloy gritted her teeth, trying to free herself with all her might, but it proved futile.

Maintaining his position, Zeon opened his mouth.

“Bring Mandy out.”

“Fuck you!”

Thud!

Instantly, Zeon’s fist struck Eloy’s face.

Her cheekbones shattered, blood splattering everywhere.

“Bring Mandy.”

“No way!”

“If you don’t want to get beaten…”

Eloy glared at Zeon with venomous eyes, but the moment her gaze met Zeon’s pupils, she involuntarily swallowed dryly.

‘What kind of eyes…’

Dry black pupils that seemed to read no emotions—a gaze resembling that of a beast rather than a human.

“I’ll say it one last time. Either die as Eloy or bring out Mandy.”

“You… bastard!”

With those words, Eloy’s expression changed in an instant.

The defiant demeanor vanished completely, replaced by a face overwhelmed with fear.

It was Mandy.

“Sob!”

Tears streamed down Mandy’s face. Seeing her like this, Zeon chuckled.

“Now, we can finally have a proper conversation.”