Chapter 12

A sandstorm swept in.

The desert wind was extremely dry and carried grains of sand, capable of tearing skin apart if exposed for even a short time.

But that didn't apply to Zeon.

Sand could not harm him.

To him, sand was no different from his own body.

His control was still limited, but even that was enough to protect himself in the desert.

The scorching sun and the freezing cold of night were handled by the robe he wore.

Made from the belly hide of a Sand Angler, the robe was thin and light, yet remarkably effective.

It blocked heat during the day, keeping him cool, and prevented body heat from escaping at night.

Thanks to it, his stamina drained far less.

Walking behind Deioden, Zeon suddenly looked around.

No matter where he looked, there was nothing but sand.

There were no landmarks, no structures—nothing to guide the eye.

Standing in the middle of such a vast desert, one couldn't help but realize how insignificant humans truly were.

Zeon looked ahead at Deioden.

The man never once rested or looked back—he simply walked forward.

No one wandering aimlessly could walk like that.

Only someone with a clear goal could move in such a straight line.

Though they had been traveling together for days, Deioden had never once spoken of his past or his destination.

At night, when they rested, he would always plant Crayon in front of him and speak to it.

At first, Zeon thought he was a mad old man.

Talking to a sword made no sense.

He knew ego swords existed, but they were incredibly rare—even in Neo Seoul.

He never believed Deioden's weapon was one.

But after seeing the same thing happen day after day, he began to wonder if Deioden truly was conversing with it.

Strangely, the man who showed such brutality toward desert beasts would soften when speaking to Crayon.

Sometimes, there was even a trace of melancholy in his eyes.

But once the sun rose and they resumed walking, his gaze returned to its usual ferocity.

His eyes burned with madness—and a rage strong enough to tear the world apart.

Whatever had shaped Deioden into this, he continued forward today as well, pushing through the harsh desert winds.

Zeon followed behind, chewing on jerky.

After eating the Sand Angler's gallbladder and meat, his body had undergone a drastic transformation.

All excess fat had vanished, replaced by a lean, muscular physique.

No matter how long he walked, he didn't tire.

Even the harsh march felt effortless.

If not for Deioden, he would never have known of the Sand Angler—or the incredible effects of its gallbladder.

'What kind of person is he? What past drives him to cross this desert alone? And why is he taking me along?'

Questions kept piling up.

The simplest way to get answers was to ask him.

But realistically, that wasn't going to happen.

'Nothing about this feels clear.'

Gulp.

Zeon swallowed the jerky he had been chewing.

His mouth felt dry.

He reached into his robe and pulled out a water pouch.

It too was made from Sand Angler hide.

Light and elastic, it could hold a surprising amount of water.

Before the oasis disappeared, Zeon had filled it completely.

He drank only when absolutely necessary.

"Ahh…"

Even a single sip eased his thirst.

As he fastened the pouch back to his waist—

Tsssss…

His senses picked up something subtle.

Something was moving beneath the sand.

It was approaching him.

Zeon focused.

There were ten of them.

They were closing in from all directions.

Within a radius of about ten meters, he could clearly detect their movements.

His sensing range had expanded.

But this wasn't the time to be pleased.

This was the time to prepare.

The creatures moved slowly but steadily, tightening their encirclement—

Then suddenly burst out of the sand.

Glossy, metallic shells like armor.

Powerful mandibles split into two.

Six legs and a pair of antennae.

They were ants.

But far larger than any normal ant—bigger than a human.

They were called Wolf Ants.

They moved in packs like wolves—equally savage and relentless.

Among desert threats, they were one of the most dangerous to caravans.

If even one appeared, it meant a nest was nearby.

And a nest meant hundreds of ants—and their larvae.

Once they caught prey, they dragged it back to feed the queen and the young.

Their bite injected a special venom.

A terrifying venom.

It paralyzed the body while leaving the mind fully conscious.

Victims remained awake as they were eaten alive.

Because of that, people in the desert often said—

If you encounter Wolf Ants, it's better to kill yourself.

Zeon had heard such stories countless times in the slums.

So the moment he saw them, he recognized them.

Clack! Clack!

The Wolf Ants snapped their mandibles as they approached.

Their lifeless eyes and reflective shells distorted his vision under the sunlight.

But Zeon did not panic.

He unleashed Sand Blaster.

Shu-shu-shu!

Five streams of compressed sand shot forward and struck the heads of the Wolf Ants.

The Wolf Ants staggered from the heavy impact.

But unlike the Great Horn Hyenas, their heads weren't pierced through.

Their titanium-like shells had protected them.

One of the most terrifying traits of Wolf Ants was their defense.

Most attacks simply bounced off their hardened exoskeletons.

Their durability was so high that attacks from D-rank awakened individuals were practically ineffective.

Because of that, awakened below D-rank would usually choose to flee rather than fight them.

Unaware of that, Zeon continued attacking.

Enraged, the Wolf Ants charged at him even more ferociously.

"Chaah!"

Zeon retreated, unleashing Sand Blaster in rapid succession.

KWA-KWA-KWANG!

The blasts struck their heads repeatedly.

Though shaken and staggering, they remained intact.

Zeon realized he couldn't win like this.

He quickly activated Sand Step, retreating while focusing all his attacks on a single target.

BOOM!

This time, the targeted ant's head exploded.

"Got it!"

Clenching his fist, Zeon continued firing Sand Blaster.

Boom!
BOOM!

Each blast shattered a Wolf Ant's head like fireworks.

Traveling with Deioden had exponentially increased the power of his Sand Blaster—enough to overcome the gap in rank.

Zeon felt a surge of confidence.

Then—

Kiiiii!

One of the Wolf Ants suddenly emitted a strange, high-pitched frequency.

It almost sounded like a scream of fear.

"Shut up!"

Zeon fired at it.

BOOM!

Its head shattered as well.

Only three remained.

'I'll finish this quickly and catch up to Deioden.'

That was when everything changed.

Tsssssss…

His senses suddenly detected a massive number of lifeforms.

"What—?"

Before he could react, Wolf Ants burst out of the sand.

There were over a hundred of them.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Only then did Zeon realize—

The high-pitched sound had been a call for reinforcements.

The Wolf Ants surrounded him completely.

Clack-clack-clack!

They made eerie, aggressive noises.

Then they charged.

"Shit!"

Zeon activated Sand Step, narrowly dodging their attacks.

Snap! SNAP!

Barely escaping their mandibles, he countered with Sand Blaster.

BOOM!

Another head exploded.

Blood and fragments splattered across him.

Seeing this, the remaining ants became even more frenzied.

"AAARGH!"

Zeon screamed as he fought desperately.

Then—

From the corner of his vision, he spotted a large figure sitting atop a distant dune.

Deioden.

He had planted Crayon beside him and was simply watching.

"Wolf Ants have a habit of swarming when one of their own is attacked."

This wasn't all of them.

Even now, dying ants were emitting that same high-frequency call.

More would come.

In fact, Deioden could already sense another group approaching rapidly.

There had to be a nest nearby.

BOOM! BOOM!

Zeon continued firing Sand Blaster with everything he had.

Each shot destroyed another head.

But—

"Still not enough. Not even close."

Deioden frowned.

Zeon had awakened an extraordinary ability.

In a world dominated by deserts, controlling sand was nothing short of a blessing.

But Zeon didn't yet understand the true extent of his potential.

Nor how to fully utilize it.

Those things couldn't be taught.

They had to be learned through experience.

Through struggle.

Through survival.

The world judged awakened individuals by rank.

Martial types. Magic types.
F-rank weaker than D-rank.
S-rank the strongest.

People assigned limits based on appearances.

And when someone awakened a skill, they were guided along standardized, "safe" paths.

That way, they would never fully realize their potential.

True growth required something else—

Throwing oneself into danger.

Standing at the boundary between life and death.

Recognizing one's own shortcomings—

And figuring out how to overcome them.

That was Deioden's belief.

But the rulers of Neo Seoul thought differently.

His method was too slow. Too inefficient.

So they shunned him.

"Bunch of brain-dead fools… They don't even know why the world ended up like this. All they care about is fighting over power."

A hundred years had passed since the Sixth Great Cataclysm.

Most survivors from that time were dead.

Only a few remained.

Deioden was one of them.

He had witnessed the destruction firsthand.

He had seen civilization collapse overnight.

He had seen transferred magical beasts ravage the Earth.

He had watched helplessly as his family—his loved ones—were devoured.

No one knew the rage he had felt.

He had survived by awakening.

But not a single day had passed without remembering that tragedy.

Some had told him to forgive himself.

Nonsense.

How could he?

Even after a hundred years, he could not forgive the man who had stood powerless as his wife died.

He called others fools—

But the greatest fool was himself.

Deioden watched Zeon with madness in his eyes.

Below, Zeon struggled desperately against the swarm.

Dodge with Sand Step.

Attack with Sand Blaster.

A fixed pattern.

To Zeon, it might seem like his best.

But it fell far short of Deioden's expectations.

"Survive on your own… and prove you're worth something, you idiot."