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Crack!

A giant sword pierced through Balrog’s chest.

It was a sword made of jet-black diamond.

Zeon, using his Inferno Gauntlet, applied immense pressure and heat to transform sand into diamond.

A miracle possible only for Zeon, who could control sand and flames at will.

The black diamond sword shone as it impaled Balrog’s chest.

Balrog could have dodged Zeon’s attack at the last moment if he wanted to. Yet, for some reason, he didn’t evade and took the attack head-on.

Drip, drip!

Balrog’s blood flowed down the black diamond sword.

Balrog stood there like a mannequin, staring blankly at the diamond sword piercing his chest.

Zeon spoke to Balrog.

“Damien! Is it you? Were you the one who held Balrog at the last moment?”

Balrog turned his head to look at Zeon.

He didn’t say anything.

For a moment, Damien’s face overlapped with Balrog’s.

It looked as if Damien was nodding in agreement.

“You couldn’t be a complete villain, after all.”

Growl!

Balrog let out a painful groan instead of answering.

His eyes were filled with disbelief as he stared at Zeon, as if he couldn’t believe his own death.

The flames from Balrog’s eyes and mouth grew stronger and began to consume him from the inside.

It was as if he intended to leave no trace of himself in this world.

Zeon silently watched.

Balrog’s mighty body turned to ashes and scattered.

Just like that, Balrog and Damien vanished from this world without leaving a trace, as if they never existed.

At that moment, the world changed.

The old man dispersed the barrier.

The rivers of lava and volcanic landscapes that had been boiling over like a mirage disappeared without a trace.

In their place, an endless expanse of desert stretched out before Zeon’s eyes, with Neo Seoul standing tall in the distance.

“Huff! Huff!”

The old man was panting heavily, as if he was about to pass out.

He had exhausted all his strength maintaining the barrier.

If Zeon had been even a little later in defeating Balrog, the old man wouldn’t have been able to keep the barrier up.

Though exhausted to the point where he could hardly stand, the old man forced himself upright.

For the Elf Queen, Eli, and Borin were still standing strong.

‘He had definitely mentioned El Harun.’

A city said to have been established by the otherworldly races who crossed over to Earth.

In all his years as the Mayor’s right-hand man, he had never heard of such a city.

If Mayor Jin Geum-ho had known, the old man would have known too.

This meant that the conversations that took place within this barrier were top secret, unknown even to Jin Geum-ho.

‘Those cunning elves wouldn’t let such a well-guarded secret leak.’

He couldn’t afford to relax, as they might have to battle the elves as well.

At that moment, Serian approached Zeon.

“Huu! You’ve done well. Thanks to you, we’ve prevented a great disaster.”

“It’s all thanks to your help.”

“A Sand Mage, huh? I never imagined an Awakened with such abilities existed.”

“I never expected to meet the Queen of the North District.”

“It’s an embarrassing title. But we need to talk, don’t we?”

“About El Harun?”

“That and more…”

Serian trailed off.

There was no way to prevent the secret of El Harun’s location from leaking.

The only way to keep the secret would have been to kill Zeon and the old man, but she couldn’t bear the repercussions of that.

‘It was bound to be revealed eventually.’

El Harun was not a place easily found even if someone had a rough idea of its location.

Protected by various magical barriers, only a Navigator of Damien’s caliber could locate it.

Even if someone managed to find it, without permission, they would never be able to enter due to its completed defense system.

She had kept it a secret all this time as a precaution for emergencies.

Now that the secret was out, she couldn’t kill Zeon and the old man.

Recruiting Zeon seemed easier.

A power that could control sand at will in a desertified world was invaluable.

‘His potential is truly limitless. I must bring him to our side.’

It would cost a lot to recruit Zeon, but it was worth it.

At that moment.

“You don’t intend to take him in, do you?”

Eli, sensing Serian’s intentions, interrupted before she could speak.

“Eli!”

“We can’t do that.”

“Do you realize who’s to blame for this situation?”

“I apologize for that. But we can’t allow a human into our district. Our North District is the last refuge for the displaced races of Kurayan.”

Eli’s eyes were bloodshot.

Those red, bloodshot eyes were full of hostility toward Zeon.

“We must kill them now to keep our secrets safe. That’s the only way to protect our kind.”

Serian’s anger flared at Eli’s extreme statement.

“Enough! Because of your unilateral actions, we’ve lost valuable elite warriors. How many more must die to satisfy you? Do you think you can handle him?”

“My Queen?”

“Wake up! The world is not kind to us, nor is it so easy for us to do as we please. Like it or not, we must learn to coexist with the people of this world. Why can’t you accept that?”

“So you’re siding with that human?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what is it?”

“Ha! We can’t communicate at all. Eli! I’m stripping you of all your authority for the time being.”

“My Queen!”

“It’s an order. Refuse, and it will be permanent.”

“…”

Finally, Eli fell silent.

Serian’s authority in the North District was unshakeable.

With one word, everything Eli had could vanish like a mirage. That was why she was so desperate to take Serian’s place.

Serian sighed softly and looked at Zeon.

But by then, Zeon had already moved away from her.

He was now with the old man.

“Are you alright?”

“No, I’m not.”

“You’ve done well.”

“You’ve done more than me. It’s impressive that you managed to take down Balrog.”

“It was all thanks to your help.”

“Is that so? It didn’t seem like I helped much, but if you think so, I appreciate it.”

“You were a great help.”

“The twin sisters? I sent them to stop you.”

“I taught them a lesson about the dangers of peering into others’ minds and sent them back.”

“Thank you!”

The old man sighed in relief.

The twin sisters were like his own granddaughters. If he had known Zeon possessed such power, he would never have sent them.

“As a token of gratitude, I’ll keep my mouth shut about El Harun.”

The old man spoke loudly enough for Serian to hear, ensuring she owed them a favor and wouldn’t act rashly.

“But I can’t hide that you’re a Sand Mage. I’ll need to explain to the Mayor how you defeated Balrog.”

“That’s fine. I didn’t expect to keep it a secret forever.”

“The Mayor will likely send someone soon.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Zeon nodded.

After all the commotion, it was impossible for Mayor Jin Geum-ho not to know.

‘I was bound to meet him eventually.’

Zeon thought as he gazed at the spot where Balrog had perished.

Balrog and Damien had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the location of El Harun.

To uncover it, Damien had lived intensely and perished like a flame.

Zeon knew he would never forget Damien.

* * *

The news that the White Bear Caravan had summoned Balrog quickly spread throughout Neo Seoul.

The City Hall organized a pursuit team to track down the remnants of the White Bear Caravan.

For reasons unknown, summoning Balrog near Neo Seoul was an unforgivable offense.

However, the pursuit team failed to capture the remnants.

The survivors of the White Bear Caravan were experts at surviving in the desert.

Moreover, they had a Navigator named Ellen.

Though not as skilled as Damien, Ellen was capable of navigating the desert effectively.

Thanks to Ellen, the White Bear Caravan’s survivors evaded their pursuers and regrouped at a designated meeting point.

“Leader!”

“You made it out safely.”

Young men greeted Alexandro and his followers.

Ellen and Jack.

They were the Awakeneds who had escaped the fortress before Alexandro.

“It’s good to see you’re all safe.”

Alexandro smiled as he confirmed Ellen and Jack were unharmed.

Ellen was a Navigator, and Jack possessed a Subspace ability.

All the Mana Stones collected in Neo Seoul were stored in Jack’s subspace.

These Mana Stones would be the lifeline for Yakutsk Colony.

Though the loss of Damien was unfortunate, Alexandro believed these two could fill his void.

Embracing them, Alexandro said,

“Let’s head back! To our homeland, Yakutsk.”

“Yes!”

The journey ahead would be arduous.

Without Damien to guide them, and with their numbers reduced to a tenth, it would be a difficult trek.

Yet, they held onto hope.

They had gained more than just Mana Stones from Neo Seoul.

During their stay, they had collected numerous items, a fusion of magic and technology.

From common items like magic lamps, cars, and refrigerators to a precious small mana generator.

The utility of the mana generator was beyond words.

With research, Yakutsk Colony could generate electricity like Neo Seoul.

With enough Mana Stones, it was worth attempting.

More valuable than the items obtained from countless dungeon raids was this small mana generator.

Alexandro and the survivors set off, protecting Ellen and Jack.

Unlike their arrival in Neo Seoul, they had no suitable transportation.

They would have to walk to Yakutsk. But no one complained.

They had anticipated this.

How long had they walked?

Suddenly, Ellen’s face stiffened.

“I sense a monster ahead.”

“A monster ?”

“Damn it! It’s moving beneath the sand. It must be a Sandworm.”

“A Sandworm? Get behind me.”

Alexandro hurriedly shielded Ellen and Jack.

Rumble!

Far ahead, the sand began to stir.

Just as Ellen said, a massive Sandworm was approaching at a terrifying speed.

Once above ground, the Sandworm was no match for him. The problem was its underground movement.

Using the thick sand as a shield, the Sandworm was a formidable opponent.

Suddenly, the Sandworm’s movements ceased.

“What trick is this?”

Grrrr!

The sand around the halted sandworm swirled violently.

The spinning sand, like a blender, shredded the Sandworm.

The Sandworm’s roar echoed.

That was its last cry.

“What on earth…?”

At that moment, Alexandro saw a figure on a high sand dune in the distance.

Alexandro immediately recognized the man.

“Ze…on?”

The sole Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert.

Zeon disappeared as if his job of killing the Sandworm was done.

[TL/N: Ohhhh, he said it! He said the thing!]