Chapter 10

The Great Horn Hyenas live and hunt in packs.

The leader of the pack is a female—far larger and stronger than the males. Like a lion, she even has a mane around her neck.

From forepaws to shoulders alone, they stand over two meters tall, and from head to tail, they reach nearly five meters in length—a monstrous size.

They live in groups ranging from dozens to hundreds. And a large portion of them are offspring born by the dominant female.

It is a matriarchal bloodline society.

Naturally, all Great Horn Hyenas obeyed the commands of the dominant female absolutely.

They are nocturnal creatures.

Having adapted to survive in the scorching desert, they naturally became active at night.

"Kuwoooar!"

The Great Horn Hyenas charged with terrifying momentum.

True to predators that hunt in massive packs, they showed neither fear nor caution.

Against such overwhelming numbers, most magical beasts or awakened individuals would be swept away in an instant.

Most of the hyenas targeted the massive Deioden, but some rushed toward Zeon.

"Damn it!"

Zeon hurriedly unleashed Sand Blaster.

Shuuuuuk!

The high-pressure sand shot forward and shattered the head of the leading hyena. Even as one of their own died right before them, the rest paid it no mind.

"Chaah!"

Zeon fired Sand Blaster repeatedly.

Its power was immense.

Each shot reliably killed one.

The problem was that there were simply too many Great Horn Hyenas to take down one by one.

He couldn't survive this crisis like that.

While firing Sand Blaster, Zeon thought desperately.

'One isn't enough. I need at least five at once. Only then can I balance things out.'

The issue was mana.

He had to manage it efficiently while increasing his output.

'Can I do it?'

No—he had to.

There was no time to hesitate.

Zeon swung his hand.

Five streams of sand rose from the desert and shot toward the hyenas.

Kkeaeek!

With shrieks, five hyenas collapsed to the ground.

Each had a coin-sized hole pierced through its head.

He had split one Sand Blaster into five.

To conserve mana.

Instead, to maintain lethality, he condensed each stream into a thin, concentrated form.

That's why their heads weren't blown apart—they were pierced clean through.

The first attempt was difficult, but the second was easier.

He simply had to follow the path he had already carved.

Shishishik!

Sand Blasters fired in succession.

Five at a time, piercing through five hyenas' heads.

It felt like he could barely hold on.

Only then did he have the leeway to glance at Deioden.

Turning his head, Zeon's eyes widened.

"Crazy!"

"Heh heh… more, more…"

Deioden was swinging his Crayon with a maniacal grin. Around him, more than a hundred Great Horn Hyenas already lay dead.

He wasn't using any special skill like Zeon.

He simply swung his weapon—again and again.

Each swing cut down three or four hyenas.

Blood splattered, flesh flew.

The already red desert sands became drenched in deeper crimson.

Crunch!

Occasionally, a hyena managed to bite Deioden's forearm or calf.

But their fangs couldn't pierce his flesh.

His body was harder than steel.

Instead, their teeth shattered.

"Heh… tickles."

Deioden grabbed the head of a hyena clamped onto his thigh.

And crushed it.

Crack!

Its skull shattered like a biscuit.

He then hurled the corpse at the others.

Yelp!

Snarl!

The hyenas tangled together and tumbled across the ground.

Limbs bent grotesquely, bellies burst open, entrails spilling out.

Deioden slaughtered them in a frenzy.

Not a single hyena dared to stand against him.

At that point, the dominant female—who had been observing—finally stepped forward.

A blue force field shimmered across her entire body.

At the very least, she was B-rank or higher, with magical abilities.

Crackle!

Sparks erupted from the horn on her head.

Among magical types, she appeared capable of lightning magic.

Flash!

In an instant, lightning shot from her horn.

Splitting the air, it reached Deioden in a blink.

"Heh!"

Deioden casually swung his hand, as if swatting a fly—and caught the lightning.

The bolt that had illuminated the night sky vanished within his palm.

Only then did a chilling sense of danger seize the dominant female.

She realized—this was an existence on a completely different level from anything they had ever hunted.

"Wooooo!"

The dominant female roared, ordering a retreat.

There was nothing more foolish than struggling against an opponent beyond one's capacity.

Already, half the pack had been wiped out.

If any more died, the survival of the pack itself could no longer be guaranteed.

The dominant female's judgment was perfectly sound.

The problem was that Deioden had no intention of letting the Great Horn Hyenas go.

"Die, all of you!"

Shiririk!

Deioden threw Crayon.

Spinning at terrifying speed, it cut down everything in its path.

The pitiful screams of the Great Horn Hyenas echoed through the night sky.

The horrific scene made Zeon freeze in place—but Deioden wasn't finished yet.

Paat!

Deioden kicked off the sand and leapt into the air.

The Crayon, which had slaughtered countless hyenas, flew back to him.

Grabbing it midair, Deioden plunged straight toward the dominant female.

Like a falling meteor.

And the force behind him was just as devastating.

KWA-BOOM!

Kuweeek!

With the dominant female's desperate scream, the surrounding sand exploded outward.

Moments later, the sand that had surged like waves settled, revealing the aftermath.

The dominant female had been crushed beyond recognition.

The only thing intact was the massive horn on her head.

Deioden stood atop her corpse.

Despite such a brutal battle, there wasn't a trace of fatigue on his face.

If anything, he looked refreshed.

There was no way he seemed human.

Zeon froze.

He didn't even dare breathe loudly.

He was completely overwhelmed by Deioden's sheer power.

'Is he really human? It didn't look like he used any special skill…'

Awakened individuals gain unique skills.

And they are strongest when using them.

Naturally, against a powerful magical beast like that dominant female, using a skill would be far more effective.

But Deioden completely overturned that logic.

Without using any skill at all, he had crushed her with nothing but raw physical strength.

Zeon shuddered.

He couldn't believe a human could be this strong.

No awakened individual in Neo Seoul could display such power through pure physical force alone.

At that moment—

Deioden turned his head and looked at Zeon.

"Heh… you managed to survive."

"..."

Zeon could only nod silently.

Deioden smirked and picked up the dominant female's horn.

"The horn of a Great Horn Hyena is tough—very useful. And since it carries a lightning attribute, it could make a fine weapon if refined properly."

He stared at it for a moment, then reached out into the air.

The horn vanished from his hand as if it had never existed.

'Subspace? Not martial… but magical?'

Zeon was stunned.

Everything Deioden had shown so far was the fighting style of a martial-type.

Yet he was using subspace storage—something only a handful of magic-type awakened could do.

It felt like his entire understanding of the world had been overturned.

At the same time, something puzzled him.

Deioden already had a weapon—Crayon.

Why would he need another?

But he didn't dare ask.

Deioden put away Crayon and instead pulled out a small sword.

Then he tossed a dagger to Zeon.

"From now on, you gather your own food."

"…What?"

"Most of a Great Horn Hyena's muscles are poisonous. The only exception is the flesh on the flank. That part isn't toxic—you can dry it and eat it."

Slice, slice.

With practiced ease, he cut out a portion of meat from the hyena's side.

There wasn't much—barely the size of an adult's palm.

Zeon carefully observed the exact spot he cut and copied him.

From experience, he knew Deioden wouldn't explain any further.

He had to learn by watching.

Only then did Zeon realize—

The jerky he had eaten until now had been monster meat.

'So this is how he hunted beasts and made jerky…'

He didn't feel much resistance.

He had grown up in the slums, where food was always scarce.

If it could be eaten, he would eat it.

That was how you survived.

Zeon followed Deioden's method as best he could.

Deioden only cut enough meat for a few days.

If he ran out, he could just hunt again.

But Zeon was different.

He wasn't as strong.

He needed to prepare as much as possible.

The more food he secured, the better.

In the end, Zeon gathered nearly thirty pieces of meat.

Even though he wanted to take more, he had nowhere to store it.

He took off his outer garment, wrapped the meat inside, and slung it over his back like a bundle.

"Tch… you're thinking, I see."

Deioden smirked.

After just a couple of harsh days, the boy was already learning to think.

Still, he had a long way to go.

To become truly useful, he would have to be pushed much further.

And much more brutally.

Deioden spoke.

"If you're done, let's move. Before something else comes sniffing the blood…"

It wasn't fear that made him leave.

It was annoyance.

Zeon nodded and followed behind him.

He, too, didn't want to stay any longer in this blood-soaked place.

Before they knew it, the sun had risen.

Under the daylight, the carnage looked even more horrifying.

Birds had already begun circling overhead, drawn by the scent of corpses.

Soon, more magical beasts would gather and feast.

That was the law of the desert.

The strong devour the weak.

And the dead become food for others.

No one could escape that law.

Following Deioden, Zeon was gradually learning it.

As always, Deioden walked ahead without sparing him a glance.

To catch up, Zeon activated his Sand Step.

After expending so much mana the previous night, he thought it would be difficult.

But surprisingly, it wasn't.

More mana remained than expected—and its flow felt smoother.

'It's because of last night's battle.'

Fighting on the brink of death and pushing his mana to its limits had clearly led to rapid growth.

'I've grown stronger. And I'll grow even stronger.'

Zeon looked at Deioden's back.

He didn't know why the man was taking him along.

But one thing was certain—

As long as he followed him, he would grow stronger.

That is… if he survived.

Zeon quickened his pace and followed.