The Scorched Desert's Sand Mage (Novel) - Chapter 154

Chapter 154

===================

Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

“A dungeon?”

“Yeah. A dungeon.”

Zeon wore a puzzled expression. Lee Ji-ryeong was the man leading the Pegasus Raid Force, a group of three hundred people in total. Among all the raid forces in Neo Seoul, the Pegasus Raid Force possessed one of the strongest levels of power. There was no dungeon they had failed to clear. They had even stunned everyone by conquering impregnable dungeons that other raid forces had given up on.

At the center of that stood Lee Ji-ryeong.

With powerful charisma and overwhelming might, he led the Pegasus Raid Force from the front.

This was the first time such a man had ever extended his hand to someone else.

“What kind of dungeon is it that makes you say this?”

“I don’t know either.”

“What?”

“An exploration team discovered a dungeon four hundred kilometers from Neo Seoul.”

The Pegasus Raid Force independently operated an exploration team that specialized in uncovering dungeons.

They regularly went out into the desert and found dungeons.

Using the dungeons and the information they discovered, the Pegasus Raid Force then made plans and carried out its raids.

With a look of interest, Zeon said, “Four hundred kilometers is quite far.”

“It’s probably the farthest dungeon ever discovered so far. Thanks to that, the exploration team came close to death more than once.”

The farther one moved away from Neo Seoul, the stronger the demonic beasts inhabiting those regions tended to be.

If it was four hundred kilometers away, then there was a high chance the area would be home to extremely powerful demonic beasts.

“If you’ve already found the dungeon, then just raid it. What’s the problem?”

“There’s a major one. It’s deep beneath the sand. According to the exploration team’s report, it’s probably at least one or two hundred meters underground.”

“Hmm.”

Only then did Zeon understand why Lee Ji-ryeong had come looking for him.

With a dungeon under the sand, even finding the entrance was not easy.

Some might say that if you just dug through the sand, you’d find it, but that was only something said by people who didn’t understand the nature of sand.

No matter how much sand you dug out, the surrounding sand would collapse and fill the space again.

If the sand-covered range were small, that would be one thing. But in the middle of the desert, digging down through the sand to raid a dungeon buried underground was close to impossible.

That was why Lee Ji-ryeong was asking Zeon for help.

Among the exploration team was an Awakened whose specialty was detecting dungeons.

They sensed the abnormalities and currents in mana that occurred whenever a dungeon existed.

But the area they could detect was not that broad. And detecting a dungeon buried deep underground was even more difficult.

The reason they had found a dungeon buried deep beneath the sand was not because their ability was that extraordinary.

It was the opposite. They had been able to detect it only because the mana abnormalities coming from the dungeon were that powerful.

If it held enough mana to be felt even on the surface hundreds of meters above, then the probability was high that it was a very dangerous dungeon.

“The more dangerous the dungeon, the greater the reward. So what do you think? Doesn’t it pique your interest?”

“A little.”

“All you need to do is secure the route to the dungeon. My raid force will handle the rest.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll let your debt for killing my brother end there.”

“I think you said before that we’d already call it even.”

“The situation is different now. So what will you do?”

Lee Ji-ryeong looked at Zeon with eyes full of heat.

His golden eyes looked as though they held molten lava.

They were eyes full of certainty, as if refusing any possibility of rejection.

It even gave the illusion that the enormous ambition within him was pouring out through his eyes.

“All right. I’ll take part.”

“Good choice. There will be no small reward for you either.”

“When do we leave?”

“To make preparations for the raid, it’ll take at least a month.”

The more dangerous a dungeon was, the longer the preparation period naturally became.

Even a month was a minimal estimate.

“Can I bring a couple more people with me?”

“Who? Ah, them?”

Lee Ji-ryeong instantly figured out who Zeon wanted to bring.

Levin and Brielle.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Then let’s say they’re coming too.”

“All right. We’ll proceed on that understanding.”

Thud.

Lee Ji-ryeong set the cost of the meal on the table and stood up.

“That was good, old man. The food here’s not bad.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll come again.”

“Heh heh. Come by whenever you like.”

Old Klexi bowed slightly to Lee Ji-ryeong.

Lee Ji-ryeong glanced at Old Klexi for a moment, then left.

Once he disappeared, Levin asked, “Will this really be okay, hyung?”

“What exactly?”

“He said it’s a dungeon four hundred kilometers from Neo Seoul. If a huge group of more than three hundred people moves, then demonic beasts are definitely going to gather.”

“Even so, getting there won’t be the problem. The real issue will be everything after we arrive.”

“If it’s a dungeon hundreds of meters underground, then it’ll be dangerous, right?”

“It’ll be dangerous. But the reward will be that much greater too.”

Levin had also grown considerably after entering a dungeon once.

The gap between an Awakened who had experienced a dungeon and one who had not was that large.

That was the reason the Pegasus Raid Force was so strong.

They had conquered countless dungeons like daily routine, so they could not help but become strong.

That was exactly why Zeon intended to bring Brielle and Levin.

The two of them still had room to grow, and they still needed to.

It was then.

Thud.

Old Klexi set food down in front of Zeon and Levin.

It was the exact same dish Lee Ji-ryeong had eaten.

“Eat.”

“Yeah.”

“Still, Lee Ji-ryeong of the Pegasus Raid Force. You’ve managed to get wrapped up with a pretty major player.”

“It just happened somehow.”

“Heh heh. Your ability isn’t ordinary, so only dangerous bastards are getting drawn in. Be careful. Lee Ji-ryeong is more frightening than he looks.”

“I know.”

“He might be much more frightening than you’ve already grasped.”

“I’ll stay cautious.”

“Good. Then again, you’ll handle it somehow. You’re not exactly ordinary yourself. In fact, you’re just as sly, and more dangerous.”

“Who could be more transparent than me?”

“Says the one who hid the fact that he’s a sand mage so perfectly?”

“Well, everyone has one small secret or two.”

“You call that a small secret, you damned brat?”

“Why are you cursing at a customer? You’re ruining my appetite.”

“Hey, you little…”

Old Klexi shouted in outrage, but Zeon pretended not to hear and began eating his food.

Levin also ate while snickering to himself.

Watching the two of them, Old Klexi let out a low sigh.

“I’ve gotten old. To think I can see that and not even get angry anymore.”

* * *

After the meal, Levin said he was going to rest and went back home, while Zeon walked the streets alone.

The sunlight beat down fiercely.

The faces of the people outside had reddened beneath the intense heat.

The slums lacked sufficient power, so it was not easy to run air conditioning. In fact, even owning an air conditioner at all was rare.

Because of that, resting in the shade like this was the only way to cool down.

That was what everyday life in the slums looked like.

If Zeon had never Awakened, he would probably have been spending his days the same way as those people.

“Hm?”

Suddenly Zeon stopped and frowned.

It was then.

Chwahaak!

Suddenly, people burst out from all over the street.

An old man who had been sitting in the shade fanning himself rushed him with a blade, while a woman who had just brushed past him pulled a dagger from her thigh and stabbed toward him.

Everyone on the street had turned into an assassin and attacked Zeon.

Zeon did not panic and only stepped back lightly.

The dagger and blade passed by him with only the narrowest margin.

“Hyaaah!”

“Die!”

Even though their surprise attack had failed, the assassins did not give up and kept attacking Zeon relentlessly.

Using Sand Step, Zeon avoided their attacks while carefully studying the movement of their bodies.

‘Are they all martial-type Awakened?’

Only martial-type Awakened could move like this.

And not just that, Awakened specialized in assassination.

Extremely refined, efficient movements.

The soundless agility of a cat.

And finally, even skills specialized for assassination.

More than a dozen assassins attacked Zeon in perfect coordination, turning like interlocking gears.

Shwish.

The dagger in the woman’s hand flew toward him menacingly.

This time Zeon did not dodge and instead threw out his gauntleted fist.

Kkaang.

One punch from him cleanly snapped the dagger in two.

As the woman panicked at losing her weapon, Zeon’s kick struck her in the face.

Bang.

“Kyaaah!”

The woman screamed as she was sent flying.

“Seo-ryeong.”

“This bastard.”

Seeing the woman roll across the ground spitting blood, the assassins grew enraged.

Their attacks on Zeon became even sharper.

But Zeon’s movements were nimbler than theirs.

He dodged their attacks by the narrowest margins and threw punches in return.

Puhk. Puhk.

“Urgh.”

“Kehk.”

Each time he did, an assassin was sent crashing down.

The assassins were no match for Zeon.

There was no need for him to use sand or flame skills.

Zeon’s physical ability was simply much faster and stronger than that of the martial-type assassins.

“Urgh.”

“Hhrrgh.”

The assassins, subdued in an instant, lay sprawled on the ground and groaned.

It was then.

Clap clap clap.

“Impressive. Those are people who are considered rather capable even in the South District, and yet you put them down this easily.”

Someone appeared while applauding.

The man emerging from the shade of the street was wearing a black suit, something that did not fit the slums at all.

Zeon recognized him at a glance.

“Pan Cheng-tian?”

“So you recognize me.”

The man in the suit was none other than Pan Cheng-tian.

He was Shao Lun’s trusted subordinate from the South District.

Zeon recognized him because they had met once at the White Bear Caravan.

When Damian had held the auction, Pan Cheng-tian had also attended it.

And he had won Astro’s Flame Sword, Old Snake’s Crown, and the Fallen Star Shield.

Though all of those items had been overshadowed by the Spirit King’s Crown, they had still been remarkable items in their own right.

Looking coldly at the fallen assassins, Pan Cheng-tian said, “Useless garbage. Get out of my sight.”

“Yes.”

“Urgh.”

The assassins endured their pain and hurried away.

It was fortunate that Zeon had shown restraint, otherwise there would have been deaths. Perhaps not realizing that, the assassins still glared at Zeon with murderous eyes as they struggled off.

Zeon looked at Pan Cheng-tian and said, “And you?”

“What about me?”

“Shouldn’t you also get lost?”

“How arrogant.”

Pan Cheng-tian’s brows twitched.

But unlike his fierce tone, he did not attack Zeon.

That was because he knew Zeon’s strength after seeing him bring down Balrog.

‘If I go all out, I’ll win. Even so, there’s no harm in being careful.’

The reason he held that confidence was the class matchup itself.

He was a martial-type Awakened specialized in fighting other people.

Zeon might be much more suited to hunting demonic beasts, but when it came to fighting another human being, martial-type Awakened were superior.

And more than that, he was no ordinary martial-type Awakened.

His grandfather had been a master of martial arts who had come to Korea to study a century ago.

That martial art had been passed down to Pan Cheng-tian and fused with his Awakened ability.

The synergy between monstrous physical ability and martial arts created terrifying results.

Because of that, he was confident he could defeat Awakened ranked above him.

He said, “Come into Neo Seoul with me. Shao Lun is calling for you.”