Chapter 11

"Nice!"

Zeon thought as he chewed on the jerky.

It was jerky made from a Great Horn Hyena.

The desert was a place where moisture was nearly nonexistent.

The chunks of meat wrapped in cloth had completely lost their moisture and shriveled up—turning into edible jerky.

It had a bit of a gamey smell, but it was tolerable.

What mattered was that he no longer had to starve.

He had plenty of jerky, and whenever he felt hungry, he chewed on a little at a time. It wasn't a full meal, but it was enough to provide the nutrients needed for growth.

The only regret was water.

Relying on morning dew every day meant he was constantly thirsty.

At first, going an entire day without water was unbearable.

But as time passed, he gradually learned how to conserve moisture.

He avoided unnecessary movements and kept his mouth closed as much as possible. Even when using Sand Step, he minimized upper body movement to avoid sweating.

Eventually, he even reduced the movement of his legs to a minimum.

From afar, it looked as though he was standing still while the sand carried him forward.

At one point, even Deioden complained.

"You useless bastard actually picked up a decent skill. While I'm walking my legs off, you're gliding through the desert comfortably."

In the desert, Zeon's ability was absolute.

Though he had only recently awakened and his rank was still low, if he continued to unlock his potential like this, he would become overwhelmingly powerful—at least within the desert.

Deioden walked on, thinking how unfair the world was.

Unaware that Zeon was thinking the exact same thing about him.

Zeon lifted his head and looked into the air.

'Moisture? Is there a water source nearby?'

Faint, but he could feel humidity in the air.

Before, he would never have noticed it.

But after awakening—and traveling with Deioden—his senses had become incredibly sharp.

Those sharpened senses didn't miss even the slightest trace of moisture in the desert.

Zeon glanced at Deioden.

Coincidence or not, Deioden was heading straight toward the area where the moisture felt strongest.

Zeon let out a bitter smile.

'No way it's a coincidence. If I can sense it, there's no way that monster wouldn't…'

Even calling him a monster felt insufficient.

It was hard to believe he was even human.

Zeon wondered if what he had seen so far was only the tip of the iceberg.

'I want to know… just how far that man's limits go.'

He felt that Deioden's limits might very well be the limits of humanity itself.

Soon, a massive sand dune appeared.

The wind swept across it, sending waves of sand cascading down.

'A recently formed dune.'

The desert looked unchanging, but in truth, it was constantly shifting.

Dunes could vanish overnight, while new ones formed just as quickly.

Perhaps because he had awakened as a sand manipulator, Zeon could tell many things just by looking at the surface of the sand.

After struggling over the massive dune, an astonishing sight unfolded before him.

A large pond filled with water.

It was clearly an oasis.

"Ah!"

Zeon gasped.

At the thought of drinking his fill of water, he ran toward it without thinking.

He had endured thirst well until now—but the moment he saw abundant water, his self-control vanished.

"Tch."

Deioden clicked his tongue, watching Zeon rush in recklessly.

In an instant, Zeon reached the oasis.

He plunged his head into the water and drank like a madman.

The cool water filling his mouth brought him pure bliss.

As he drank frantically, something faintly glowing caught his eye.

Deep beneath the water, a softly glowing sphere—like a lantern.

Zeon stared at it, forgetting even that his head was submerged.

The glowing "lantern" was getting closer.

His eyes lost focus, as if he were entranced.

Just as it neared his face—

"Get a grip, you idiot bastard!"

With a shout, Deioden grabbed him by the back of the neck and yanked him out.

Unable to resist the force, Zeon tumbled backward.

At that moment—

SPLAAASH!

Something massive burst out of the water.

A gigantic body that looked capable of swallowing even a Great Horn Hyena in one bite.

A huge mouth that took up more than half its size.

And from its forehead extended an antenna-like spike, with a large, round lump of flesh glowing at the tip.

The "lantern" Zeon had seen was that glowing lump.

Deioden spoke.

"A Sand Angler. It lures prey with the light on its head and devours them."

"Ah…"

Barely escaping death, Zeon stared blankly as the Sand Angler fell back toward the water.

If Deioden hadn't intervened, he would have been swallowed whole.

Pulling out Crayon, Deioden said,

"Idiots like you—who get cocky after adapting a little—die early. Got it?"

"..."

"Answer me!"

"Yes!"

But Deioden wasn't listening anymore.

His body had already launched toward the surface of the water.

He swung Crayon at the Sand Angler as it tried to dive back down.

BOOM!

When Crayon struck, a massive column of water erupted like an explosion.

The Sand Angler, sensing danger, tried to flee deeper.

But Deioden didn't allow it.

"Chaah!"

He plunged into the water, leading with Crayon.

Shwaaaak!

He shot forward like a torpedo.

The Sand Angler suddenly turned, abandoning its escape, and tried to swallow him whole.

But that was its fatal mistake.

Thrust!

Deioden and Crayon pierced straight through its body.

The massive Sand Angler's lifeless body floated up to the surface.

Grabbing it by the tail, Deioden dragged it out of the oasis.

Thud!

He tossed the enormous carcass at Zeon's feet.

"Ugh!"

Startled, Zeon stumbled back.

Even in death, it looked as if it might lunge at him at any moment.

The creature's overwhelming presence hadn't faded at all.

It was hard to believe something this monstrous had been living in the oasis.

Putting away Crayon, Deioden said,

"In the desert, if you find an oasis, assume one of these things lives there. It lures idiots like you with that light and swallows them whole. So don't go sticking your head into any oasis you see, you empty-headed fool."

"Yes, sir!"

Having nearly gotten himself killed, Zeon answered weakly.

"Skin it."

"…What?"

"Are you deaf too? Skin it. A Sand Angler is a C-rank magical beast. Its belly hide is soft and elastic—makes an excellent robe. So cut it off and make one."

"…Do you need a robe?"

"For you, idiot! Not me! Are you getting dumber by the minute? What, did someone cast petrification on your brain?"

"Ah!"

Only then did Zeon understand and hurriedly flipped the Sand Angler over.

Its back was dark brown and covered in rough, bumpy protrusions, but the belly was black and smooth. However, it was incredibly tough—his dagger barely cut into it.

In the end, he had to infuse mana into the blade to slice through.

"Haa… haa…"

By the time he finished cutting out the entire belly hide, his whole body was drenched in sweat.

But the work wasn't done yet.

He still had to turn it into a robe.

There was no needle—and even if there had been, it wouldn't pierce the hide of such a massive creature.

After thinking for a while, Zeon took one of the Sand Angler's bones and carved it into a needle. For thread, he sliced thin strips from its outer hide.

Fortunately, Zeon was quite dexterous.

Even though it was his first time making a robe, after struggling for half a day, he managed to create something workable.

While Zeon worked, Deioden dismantled the rest of the carcass.

There was nothing to waste.

Unlike most monster meat, it had almost no toxicity and tasted quite good.

Among all its parts, the best was the gallbladder—now in Deioden's hand.

He tossed it to Zeon.

"Eat it."

"…What? Raw?"

Zeon looked incredulous.

"Yeah. For a weakling like you, it's the best thing there is. So don't leave a single bite."

"…."

"If you don't eat it, you die by my hand."

"I'll eat it. I said I'll eat it."

Zeon knew Deioden never joked.

With a grimace, he tore into the Sand Angler's gallbladder.

As expected, it was unbearably bitter.

'Damn it…'

His face twisted in agony.

At least he didn't have to chew much.

Once he bit into it, it melted in his mouth and slid down his throat.

Strangely, it didn't make him feel full at all.

Even after consuming the entire gallbladder—large enough to match an adult's torso—his stomach felt unchanged.

"...That's strange—ugh!"

Suddenly, Zeon grimaced.

A terrifying heat surged within his body.

"Graaah!"

Overwhelmed by unimaginable pain, he collapsed and rolled on the ground.

"Hmph."

Deioden ignored him and continued cutting meat.

Whoosh!

Flames burst from his hand, instantly cooking the flesh.

Chewing on the roasted meat, Deioden gazed at the oasis.

"This too will disappear soon."

Oases in the desert were like mirages.

They appeared suddenly—and vanished just as suddenly.

They didn't truly disappear, but moved elsewhere along the shifting sands.

Humans could never predict such changes.

Though the Sand Angler that ruled this oasis was dead, another would eventually take its place.

They always laid eggs in their territory.

Once the ruler died, a new one would be born.

Thus, the cycle of life never ceased.

Of course, it would take at least a hundred years for a newborn to grow to the size of the one Deioden had slain.

"Aaaargh!"

Even now, beside him, Zeon was still writhing in agony.

Deioden muttered with a look of disdain,

"Useless bastard."

Zeon regained consciousness the next morning.

"…Huh?"

As soon as he opened his eyes, he was startled.

His entire body was brimming with vitality unlike anything he had ever felt before.

And that wasn't all.

His body was now packed with muscle.

Not bulky, inflated muscles—

Zeon had always been thin.

But now, his lean frame had been completely transformed into dense, tightly woven muscle.

It was as if each strand of muscle had been forged like steel wire.

Zeon was too shocked to speak.

Looking to the side, he saw Deioden calmly eating Sand Angler meat.

"What… happened to me?"

"Looks like your body responded well to the medicine."

"Medicine? You mean the gallbladder?"

"It's a rare treasure. Nothing better for strengthening bones and muscles."

"…Thank you. For giving me something so valuable."

"Hmph. If I'm dragging around a weakling like you, I don't have a choice. Now eat this and get ready to move."

Deioden tossed him a chunk of meat.

Before eating, Zeon put on the robe he had made the previous day.

The moment he wore it, a cool sensation spread through his body.

The Sand Angler's hide completely blocked the desert heat and radiated a chilling coolness.

"Ah!"

Zeon gasped in amazement.

Deioden said,

"We'll stay here for a while and eat the Sand Angler."

"All of it?"

"Meat with this much nutrition is rare in the desert. So we eat every last bit."

"Understood."

Zeon nodded.

At this point, if Deioden claimed beans grew into trees in the desert, he might actually believe it.

The two of them consumed the Sand Angler together.

It took only four days for the massive creature to be reduced to nothing but bones.

They ate every last piece.

And the moment they finished—

As if by magic, the oasis disappeared.

Without hesitation, the two of them left it behind.