Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 285

"Damn it! If we lose ground here, we’re done for. Hold the line tighter! If you break, we all die."

“These bastards must be crazy! They’re just charging straight in!”

A group of Awakened fighters were locked in fierce combat with a horde of beasts.

They were a Pathfinder Team dispatched from Neo Seoul.

Their foes were packs of Giant Horned Hyenas, one of the most common, and most troublesome, beasts in the desert.

Once they set their sights on prey, Giant Horned Hyenas wouldn’t stop until they died, making them a constant threat.

In the desert, an encounter with these packs meant fighting until only one side was left standing.

Team 3’s leader, Eun So-young, gritted her teeth as she swung her sword.

She was a C-rank, martial-class Awakened.

Of Korean descent, she had a remarkably solid build for a woman, which let her wield a sword nearly as large as she was with ease.

“Why the hell are there Giant Horned Hyenas here?!”

Pathfinder Teams generally had a solid understanding of the beasts’ habitats and ecosystems around Neo Seoul.

Just days ago, when they had passed through, they hadn’t spotted a single hyena.

This area wasn’t even part of the hyenas’ usual range, so they hadn’t thought much of it.

Naturally, they chose the same route for their return trip. But that choice had turned into a critical mistake.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a pack of Giant Horned Hyenas had appeared and attacked ferociously.

Leading her team, Eun So-young stepped up to form a frontline wall with the martial-class members, holding back the hyenas while the magic-class Awakeneds launched spells to kill them.

Boom!

Crash!

Slash!

Magic blasts struck their targets, and Giant Horned Hyenas began to fall.

Yet even as their kin were cut down, the hyenas continued their relentless assault, undeterred.

Despite Eun So-young and her martial-class teammates’ efforts, their defensive wall was faltering under the pressure.

“Damn it! At this rate, we’re all dead.”

“Damn it!”

Fear began to show on the Pathfinders Team members' faces.

They’d anticipated this might happen someday, but now that they faced the reality, the dread of death closed in.

Several comrades had already disappeared into the bellies of the beasts.

Now, it seemed to be their turn.

Crack!

“Argh!”

Just then, one of the frontline fighters was bitten on the shoulder by a Giant Horned Hyena.

The beast’s huge teeth pierced his armor, leaving a deep wound.

“William!”

“Damn you, hyena…!”

The fighter’s teammates tried to slash at the hyena to free him, but it was no use. Despite the injuries, the hyena stubbornly held on, its jaws locked.

It began to drag the wounded fighter back into its pack. If it made it there, the man would surely be torn apart and devoured.

Eun So-young, seeing this, pushed herself to her limit to save him.

Thud!

Suddenly, a powerful tremor shook the ground.

The members tensed, fearing another beast had arrived.

Thud!

With another heavy footfall, a massive figure appeared over the sand dune.

“Oh no…”

“We’re dead. It’s over for us.”

As soon as they saw the enormous creature, despair washed over Eun So-young and the others.

Emerging from behind the dune was a monstrous turtle with spikes protruding from its shell and head.

The sheer size of it made the members sink to the ground, losing even the will to fight.

The turtle’s size was terrifying.

Every step it took shook the area like an earthquake.

Even the Giant Horned Hyenas, who had been furiously attacking, backed away in fear.

The hyenas, typically unafraid even of stronger beasts, cowered at the sight of this enormous turtle.

“Where did that thing come from…?”

Eun So-young’s teeth chattered as she trembled.

And then, a voice rang out from atop the giant turtle’s shell.

“Archelon! Wipe them out.”

The massive turtle opened its mouth wide and unleashed a blast of compressed air.

Boom!

Shrieks and yelps echoed as an explosion ripped through the hyena pack.

The Giant Horned Hyenas in the blast’s direct path was obliterated, leaving no trace.

The power was overwhelming.

The giant turtle continued to fire blasts in rapid succession.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With each explosion, swathes of hyenas were swept away.

At last, the hyenas turned to flee.

As fearless as they were, even Giant Horned Hyenas had no choice but to retreat in the face of such overwhelming size and power.

Thanks to this, Eun So-young and the other Awakeneds managed to survive. But they still couldn’t relax.

The monstrous turtle, far more fearsome than the hyenas, was advancing toward them.

Thud. Thud.

The tremors intensified with each step it took.

Just as they were sure the turtle would devour them, the same voice from before spoke again.

“So, you’re the Awakeneds from Neo Seoul.”

A figure emerged from the turtle’s shell—it was Pavilsia.

Zeon and Kailey stood beside him.

Zeon looked at the shell-shocked Pathfinder Team members, who were still sitting frozen in place, and spoke.

“It seems they were quite frightened. They haven’t come to their senses yet.”

“Anyone would be stunned at their first sight of Archelon.”

“It seems like I can return to Neo Seoul with them. Thank you for taking me this far.”

“The pleasure is mine. Thanks to you, not only did Archelon recover, but he’s also ascended a rank.”

Archelon, now A-rank, had gained a new skill: Compressed Air Blasts.

While basic in nature, the skill’s power at an A-rank level was formidable.

The blasts could obliterate lesser beasts entirely, making Archelon worthy of his nickname as a Mobile Fortress.

Thanks to him, Zeon had traveled comfortably to this point.

Though he’d considered riding Archelon all the way back to Neo Seoul, he knew that would only attract Jin Geum-ho’s unwanted attention.

Nothing good could come from catching Jin Geum-ho’s eye—there was no telling what the man might do.

Zeon looked at Kailey.

“Take care, sister.”

“You too, Zeon. If things get hard in Neo Seoul, you’re always welcome with Archelon and us.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Goodbye!”

Kailey gave a wistful smile.

Parting with Zeon left her with lingering regret, but she knew it was time.

They were nomads of the desert.

Now that Archelon had healed, they had to retrieve the villagers they’d left at the Iron Fortress and continue their wandering.

Such was the fate of the Motte Tribe.

After bidding Pavilsia and Kailey farewell, Zeon climbed down from Archelon and approached the Pathfinder Team.

Eun So-young and her teammates looked at Zeon, still dazed.

The surreal events left them in disbelief.

Zeon asked them.

“Are you alright?”

“Oh, y-yes… I… think so…”

Eun So-young stammered.

“My name is Zeon.”

“Zeon? Wait, are you… the Sand Mage?”

Eun So-young looked up at Zeon in shock.

Awakeneds employed by the City Hall knew the prominent Awakeneds in Neo Seoul.

Zeon’s name was near the top of that list.

Naturally, she recognized it.

“How did you end up here?”

“I was out on a mission and am now heading back to Neo Seoul.”

“Oh…”

“But it seems that someone here is seriously injured…”

Zeon approached the fighter who had been bitten by the hyena.

Barely clinging to consciousness, his condition was critical.

Zeon took a healing potion from his subspace, crafted by Brielle, and handed it to the fighter.

“Drink half, and pour the rest on the wound.”

“Thank you… so much.”

The fighter followed Zeon’s instructions with the potion.

As he drank it and applied it to his wound, the pain subsided, and fresh skin began to form over the gaping hole left by the bite.

Though he wasn’t completely healed, the immediate danger had passed.

“Phew…”

The wounded fighter finally sighed in relief.

He stared at his wound in amazement.

Though he would need surgery later for full recovery, even this level of healing was miraculous.

Neo Seoul had developed its own healing potions, but none could restore wounds so dramatically.

The potion Zeon had given him was incredibly effective.

“Thank you. You saved my life.”

“No need to thank me.”

“I thought we were done for when the Giant Horned Hyenas appeared out of nowhere. If not for you, we’d all be dead.”

“Glad I arrived in time.”

Had Zeon and Archelon been even a little later, the Pathfinder Team would’ve been wiped out.

Thud. Thud.

Heavy footsteps echoed again.

Archelon was moving away.

Pavilsia and Kailey, waving from atop Archelon, gradually faded into the distance.

Cautiously, Eun So-young asked Zeon.

“What… exactly is that? Can a human really tame and ride such a massive beast?”

“For others, it’s impossible.”

Zeon didn’t elaborate on Archelon.

If he provided too much information, Neo Seoul might start pursuing Archelon, which would only lead to trouble.

That was why Pavilsia and Kailey had left in such a hurry.

Zeon then asked Eun So-young.

“Were you on a mission?”

"Yes! We were checking if we could set up a shelter around here."

"A shelter? Why here of all places?"

"Well..."

Eun So-young hesitated for a moment.

She glanced at her companions, then, as if making a decision, spoke cautiously.

"Actually, We’ve discover a location nearby where we suspect Mana Stones might be buried."

"A Mana Stone deposit?"

Zeon was surprised.

He knew just how significant the Mana Stone Mine was to Neo Seoul.

It was thanks to the Mana Stone Mine, discovered in the early days, that Neo Seoul could develop into what it was today.

The stable supply of Mana Stones from the mine was what had sustained their growth.

However, over time, mining the Mana Stones had become increasingly difficult. The ones near the surface had all been mined out, and what remained were deep within the tunnels.

As the difficulty of mining increased, the amount of Mana Stones being harvested had noticeably decreased.

To mine the same quantity as before, they needed more miners and equipment.

Naturally, this deepened the concerns of Neo Seoul.

In order for Neo Seoul to survive, a stable and sufficient supply of high-quality Mana Stones was essential.

Then, the Pathfinder Team 3 had discovered a Mana Stone mine in this area.

"Are you sure about this?"

"We've confirmed that Mana Stones are present on the surface. We planned to set up a shelter to find out how much could be mined, but those damned hyenas attacked us..."

Eun So-young made a frustrated expression.

Luckily, no one had died thanks to Zeon, but the fact that they almost got wiped out was a disgrace to her.

Zeon asked Eun So-young.

"So, what will you do now?"

"If you help us, I would like to return to Neo Seoul with evidence of the Mana Stone mine’s existence. But..."

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes!"

Eun So-young bit her lip tightly.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]