Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 60

Cha Dong-seok, a D-rank Martial Artist Awakened, was dispatched from Neo Seoul to the *Mana Stone Mine.

[Changed from “Magic” to “Mana”.]

His mission was to patrol around the Mana Stone Mine, identify and eliminate any threats.

“Damn it!”

Dust accumulated on his goggles, making it difficult to see clearly.

The constant blowing sand was the cause.

Cha Dong-seok took off his goggles and roughly wiped them with his sleeve, grumbling.

“Seriously, can’t we do something about this damn sand? I have to wipe my goggles every ten minutes.”

“The whole world has turned into sand. What can you do? You can’t just sweep away all the sand. Just endure it like everyone else. Hehe!”

His subordinate chuckled, looking at Cha Dong-seok.

“Damn it! I wish I could sweep it away myself. It’s just frustrating because I can’t.”

“If that were possible, where would humans be? It’s probably impossible even for gods.”

“The gods must be dead. If gods existed, would the world be in such a mess?”

Cha Dong-seok put his goggles back on and looked up at the sky.

It’s said that the sky used to be blue, but now it just seemed yellowish.

Come to think of it, he had never seen a blue sky even once. So, stories about the sky being blue in the past were hard to believe.

“I wish I could see a blue sky before I die.”

“Hehe! Is that even possible? Just wake up from your dream already.”

“You bastard! Can’t I even dream?”

Thud!

Cha Dong-seok slapped the back of his subordinate’s head. However, the subordinate just laughed it off.

He said, “Shall we start heading back soon? It looks like the sun will set in a little while.”

“Fine. Turn the steering wheel.”

“Roger!”

Just as the subordinate was about to turn the steering wheel, something strange caught Cha Dong-seok’s eyes.

“Wait! Stop.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Over there, isn’t that a person?”

“What? Nonsense. In the middle of the desert, a person… oh, damn, there is.”

The subordinate widened his eyes.

On top of a sand dune in the distance, there were figures walking towards them.

Although their faces were not visible yet due to the distance, it was clear that they were people.

“Scavengers?”

“There shouldn’t be any scavengers active around here.”

“Still, be prepared to fight at any moment, and drive towards them.”

“Yes!”

There were five people in the buggy, including Cha Dong-seok.

Prepared to attack at any moment, they drove towards the approaching figures.

After a while, they could meet the unknown individuals.

Two men, one woman, and a Bactrian Camel, a common means of transportation for scavengers.

Thick layers of dust covered their heads and shoulders.

Cha Dong-seok, stopping the buggy in front of them, shouted.

“This area is the Mana Stone Mine managed by Neo Seoul. Stop and identify yourselves.”

“Mana Stone Mine? Well, then we’ve come to the right place.”

The woman replied, looking at Cha Dong-seok.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, an incredibly beautiful woman.

The men in the buggy couldn’t help but focus their gaze on her.

Although it might be uncomfortable for her, the woman casually revealed her identity.

“My name is Mandy Systein, a supervisor from Neo Seoul, dispatched with Pathfinder Team 7 to investigate the monster ecology in the south.”

“Supervisor for Pathfinder Team 7?”

Cha Dong-seok’s pupils shook.

The Pathfinder Teams were an elite armed group.

Their strength, aiming for exploration, was incomparable to those like Cha Dong-seok, who patrolled or roamed around.

If she was indeed a supervisor for Pathfinder Team 7, she was undoubtedly someone superior to Cha Dong-seok.

“Can you prove your identity?”

“If you contact Neo Seoul, they will respond quickly.”

“Hmm!”

At that moment, the man on the Bactrian Camel spoke up.

“I will vouch for her identity.”

“And who are you?”

“I’m a mechanic dispatched with the Pathfinder Teams. Here is my access card.”

Kim Sangsik had an access card.

Since he frequently entered major facilities, he always carried it with him.

Cha Dong-seok checked Kim Sangsik’s access card.

‘It’s certain!’

Access cards were impossible to steal or forge.

They responded to the bio-waves of the carrier, making theft or forgery impossible.

Cha Dong-seok’s gaze turned to the last man.

“What about you?”

“He’s part of my group. I guarantee his identity.”

Mandy stepped forward to vouch for Zeon.

Zeon, flipping his robe back, looked at Cha Dong-seok.

“I’m Zeon. I’m from the slums.”

“Slums?”

For a moment, disdain flashed across Cha Dong-seok’s face.

A reaction to the word ‘slums.’

In Neo Seoul, those from the slums were treated as criminals.

Especially Awakened from the slums were often regarded with suspicion.

Although not all, many of them were affiliated with criminal organizations. Moreover, not registering as Awakened in Neo Seoul made their identities uncertain.

Many criminal activities were centered around Awakened from the slums.

That was why the perception was not favorable.

Kim Sangsik spoke.

“He’s not a dangerous person. I’ll vouch for him too.”

“Hmm! I understand for now. However, if you enter the Mana Stone Mine, you must first be quarantined. Please understand.”

“Alright.”

Kim Sangsik nodded.

Cha Dong-seok pointed to the backseat of the buggy and said.

“All three of you, get in the car. We’ll head to the Mana Stone Mine.”

“Finally, getting in a car.”

“I’m alive.”

Joyful expressions appeared on Mandy and Kim Sangsik’s faces.

It had been almost two weeks.

Despite taking breaks intermittently by taking turns riding the Bactrian Camel, the pain remained constant.

The whole body was sore and painful.

They wanted to quickly enter the Mana Stone Mine, rest comfortably, and recover.

The two of them quickly got into the buggy.

Unlike them, Zeon didn’t immediately get in and approached the Bactrian Camel.

“You’ve worked hard. Now live freely.”

Zeon whispered as he removed the saddle strapped to the back of the Bactrian Camel.

The camel closed its eyes and leaned its face against Zeon’s face, as if communicating with him.

In fact, they had spent quite a long time together. But now that Zeon was entering Neo Seoul, it was time to part ways.

“Farewell!”

At Zeon’s words, the Bactrian Camel snorted loudly and soon dashed into the desert. Zeon watched its departing figure for a moment before getting on the buggy.

It had been a year traveling with Dyoden and seven years alone.

For the first time in eight years, Zeon sat in a car. Perhaps that’s why it felt strange.

“We’re leaving.”

At Cha Dong-seok’s command, the buggy set off.

Zeon closed his eyes and felt the vibrations of the vehicle.

Mandy and Kim Sangsik looked at Zeon with mixed expressions.

‘We really made it safely to Neo Seoul.’

‘Does this make any sense?’

The past 15 days with Zeon felt like a dream.

They faced numerous dangers on their way here.

Sometimes encountering giant monsters, and at other times, narrowly escaping quicksands. Yet Zeon, as if sensing all the threats in advance, always managed to avoid them by a hair’s breadth.

Although walking on the sand was challenging, they had never faced a life-threatening situation.

Both Mandy and Kim Sangsik knew how incredible this was.

The fact that they survived was nothing short of a miracle. And Zeon was the one who made that miracle happen.

Their gazes toward Zeon were filled with admiration.

Zeon, seemingly aware of their gazes, extended his head out of the window, looking ahead.

In the distance, a rocky hill protruded from the desert – the Mana Stone Mine.

It had been eight years since he last saw this sight, making it feel like a new experience.

‘To return to this place…’

When he left, he never thought he would be able to come back.

Back then, merely following Dyoden was overwhelming.

The giant gate opened, revealing the interior of the Mana Stone Mine city. It remained unchanged from eight years ago.

Cha Dong-seok got out of the car and spoke to Mandy and Kim Sangsik.

“I’ll take you both to your lodgings.”

“And what about him?”

Mandy pointed at Zeon.

“There are separate places for those from the slums.”

“But he’s with our group.”

“I apologize. It’s the rule of the Mana Stone Mine.”

Cha Dong-seok was firm.

Mandy seemed like she was about to say something, but Zeon spoke first.

“I’m fine, so go and rest comfortably.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry about me. As you know, I can sleep well anywhere.”

“Alright.”

Seeing Zeon like this, Mandy had no choice.

She and Kim Sangsik followed Cha Dong-seok toward their lodgings.

An Awakened individual approached Zeon.

“Come with me.”

Every aspect – attitude, tone, gaze – the person treated Zeon with disdain.

“Of course.”

Zeon, smiling, followed the Awakened individual.

Throughout the journey, the Awakened individual remained silent, not saying a word.

The place the Awakened individual took Zeon was a shabby lodging deep within the city of the mine.

Creak!

As they entered, people inside the lodging became visible. All of them were Cha Dong-seok’s subordinates.

Thud!

As the door closed, the Awakened individual who brought Zeon spoke.

“Did you say you were from the slums?”

“Yes, so?”

“How did someone from the slums end up with them? What’s your purpose in entering the Mana Stone Mine?”

“Purpose? What are you talking about?”

“Is it related to the scavengers?”

He treated Zeon as if he were a criminal.

Other Awakened created a tense atmosphere, surrounding Zeon. However, Zeon responded without any sign of unease.

“I have no connection with the scavengers.”

“Then why did you enter the Mana Stone Mine?”

“Are you allowed to do this by any chance?”

“What?”

“I may be from the slums, but I’m part of the supervisor’s team. Can you handle the consequences?”

“What the hell is this guy saying? Do you think that woman can protect you? If I throw you into the underground of the Mana Stone Mine right now, no one will find you. So, it’s better for you to answer honestly when treated well. No, this shouldn’t be happening. Show me your rank insignia.”

The wrist insignia was the most certain way to determine the rank and grade of the opponent. Therefore, breaking this unspoken rule among Awakened was a grave action.

It indicated that they considered Zeon with contempt, knowing he was from the slums.

The Awakened individual roughly grabbed Zeon’s wrist.

“What? Are you wearing gauntlets? Aren’t you going to take this off?”

He tried to forcibly remove Zeon’s gauntlets.

If he thought of Zeon as an equal opponent, this would have been an action he could never take.

Others did nothing to stop him; they just watched.

All of them were looking down on Zeon after learning that he was from the slums.

“Haha!”

Zeon laughed at the absurd situation. In response, the Awakened gripping Zeon’s wrist had an even angrier expression.

“What? Is this guy laughing? Do I look funny to you?”

“Yes! You look amusing.”

“You bastard…”

Thud!

At that moment, a chilling cracking sound echoed. The Awakened, who had been trying to remove Zeon’s gauntlets, suddenly looked down at his own wrist. Zeon had broken it.

Belatedly realizing his situation, the Awakened screamed.

“Arghhh!”

“Did you never learn that if you carelessly mess with someone else’s wrist insignia, you’ll get your own wrist broken? Well, that’s disappointing.”

The atmosphere in the room turned cold at Zeon’s words.

“This bastard…!”

“He’s crazy.”

The other Awakened inside drew their weapons.

Zeon laughed as he looked at them.

“It seems none of you have learned it.”