Chapter 14

"Gasp! Gasp!"

Zeon sat with his back against the wall, breathing heavily.

He had poured out everything.

His mana, even his physical energy—completely drained.

He truly didn't have the strength to move even a finger.

Meanwhile, Deioden showed no signs of fatigue.

Not even his breathing had grown heavier.

Once again, Zeon was reminded just how inhuman Deioden was.

Zeon himself had killed quite a few wolf ants, but compared to Deioden, it wasn't even a drop in the ocean.

Most of the wolf ants inside the nest had been killed by him. And yet, without showing the slightest sign of exhaustion, he was rummaging through the breeding chamber.

Zeon wondered what the hell that man was doing.

Crack!

What Deioden tore apart was the stone slab where the queen wolf ant had been sitting.

The massive slab came off as if it were a sheet of paper.

Beneath it, eggs the size of an adult's fist were hidden.

"Heh heh!"

Deioden picked up one of the eggs and examined it.

A faint glow was emanating from it.

"So it is."

"What do you mean?"

"Eat it."

"…What?"

Deioden tossed the egg to Zeon.

Zeon caught it, looking bewildered.

"What is this? Why are you telling me to eat it?"

"It's the egg of a queen wolf ant."

"That's not what I meant."

"It's not an ordinary egg. It's one that will become the next queen. The essence of the queen wolf ant is contained within it."

"Like the gallbladder of the Sand Angler?"

"Better than that. Eat it."

"Hmm…"

Zeon hesitated for a moment while holding the egg. But soon, he shut his eyes tightly and brought it to his mouth.

As he cracked the shell, the contents flowed out and slid into his mouth.

The moment it passed down his throat, Zeon felt an intense heat as if his entire body were on fire.

"Aaaagh!"

Screaming in agony, Zeon rolled on the ground.

Compared to this, the pain of eating the Sand Angler's gallbladder had been nothing.

It felt as if sharp awls were continuously stabbing into his abdomen.

It wasn't pain a sane person could endure.

Deioden merely watched Zeon writhe without taking any action.

"If you want to survive in this mad world, you'd better get used to pain."

This was pain for the sake of becoming stronger.

Compared to true suffering, this barely even counted.

At least, by Deioden's standards.

Leaving Zeon alone, Deioden approached the queen wolf ant's corpse.

Since the neck had been cleanly severed, the body remained intact without a single blemish.

It was not easy to obtain such a pristine queen wolf ant corpse.

There wasn't a single part of it that went to waste.

Its pair of antennae were among the best items for detecting ghost-type magical beasts, and its six legs were extremely durable—perfect for crafting weapons.

And that wasn't all.

Thrust!

Deioden plunged his hand into the queen's body and rummaged around.

After a moment, he pulled it back out, holding a stone the size of a fist.

A mana stone.

And one of extremely high purity.

As befitting the queen of a colony, she had possessed one.

Mana stones weren't only mined from ore veins.

Sometimes, magical beasts also carried them like this.

They were far purer than those mined from the ground, and some even contained the essence of the beast, making them highly valuable.

The titanium-like shell could be used to craft top-tier armor, and the internal organs could also serve as various materials.

Deioden summoned his subspace and stored the queen wolf ant's corpse whole.

Meanwhile, Zeon's suffering had yet to end.

He no longer even had the strength to scream, his body curled tightly like a shrimp as he let out faint groans.

At this rate, it seemed it would take quite some time for him to fully digest the queen's egg.

Thunk!

Deioden stabbed Crayon into the ground and sat down.

Forged within the heart of a Flame Drake, Crayon now possessed an even sharper edge.

A faint reddish glow lingered along its blade.

But such external changes meant little to Deioden.

What truly mattered was the essence of the sword.

"My friend…"

Hummm!

As if responding, Crayon let out a resonant hum.

The sound continued for a while, and Deioden listened intently.

After some time, he spoke.

"Yes. I know. But it can't be helped."

Hummm!

"If he's weak, he dies. That's simply his fate."

Hummm!

"You know it too, don't you? We don't have much time left… We need him, no matter what."

Hummm!

"Yes, you're right. But…"

The conversation between man and sword continued for quite some time.

＊＊＊

"Haa…"

Zeon opened his eyes with a sigh.

His entire body ached as if it had been hammered relentlessly.

There was no strength in his limbs—it was clearly the aftereffect of eating the queen wolf ant's egg the day before.

All night long, he had felt as if sharp awls were stabbing into his abdomen. It was no wonder he had no strength in his limbs.

At least, he should be grateful that his limbs were still intact.

As Zeon checked his mana, he was startled.

His mana had increased by at least three to four times.

"What…?"

"You've at least gotten past being a mana weakling now."

Deioden's voice suddenly rang out.

Turning his head, Zeon saw Deioden standing up and storing Crayon.

"Did the egg I ate increase my mana?"

"That's right. Some magical beast eggs have the effect of increasing mana. Not all of them—only special ones like the one you consumed."

"I see…"

"If you're done resting, get up. How long are you planning to laze around?"

"Y-Yes! I'm getting up."

Zeon grabbed his trembling legs and forced himself to stand.

No matter how much he complained about his body aching, he knew Deioden wouldn't care.

It was better for his own sanity to endure the pain and get up.

Thanks to Deioden, his mana had increased several times over. Compared to that, this level of pain was nothing.

Zeon followed Deioden out of the ant nest.

"Ha…"

He hadn't realized how welcoming the blazing sunlight could feel.

While Zeon savored the sunlight and fresh air, Deioden had already started walking far ahead.

Zeon quickly activated Sand Walk and followed after him.

Shhh—

His body slid forward across the sand.

Now that his mana reserves were abundant, he could manipulate sand freely without even moving his legs.

Because of that, keeping up with Deioden was no longer so difficult.

Zeon pulled his robe tightly over himself.

After the fierce battle with the wolf ants, the surface of his robe had been covered in scratches. Some parts had even been torn.

But as time passed, it gradually returned to its original state.

The unique regenerative properties of Sand Angler leather had activated.

Within half a day, the robe was restored without a single blemish.

Its ability to block heat remained intact as well.

With Sand Walk combined with the robe's properties, traveling through the desert no longer felt exhausting.

Zeon pulled out a piece of jerky and put it in his mouth.

Chewing slowly, he thought to himself.

'Where is his final destination?'

In this vast desert, what was he searching for? Where exactly was he going?

If he hadn't been traveling with him from the beginning, it might have been different—but now, curiosity alone made him want to keep following.

At that moment—

A dense sandstorm swept in.

A particularly strong wind carried sand across the entire area.

Zeon pulled his robe tighter and narrowed his eyes.

An ordinary person would have lost their sense of direction or had their vision completely obscured. But for Zeon, it was merely a minor inconvenience.

He heightened his control, preventing the sand from reaching his face. The rest of his body was protected by the robe.

Whooooosh!

The fierce sandstorm swallowed the world.

All he could see was a curtain of sand—Deioden was nowhere in sight.

Still, Zeon did not panic.

With his increased mana, his sensory range had expanded significantly.

He could clearly feel Deioden's presence walking dozens of meters ahead.

Each time Deioden stepped on the sand, his presence became vividly apparent.

It was as if the sand itself was relaying Deioden's movements to him.

'So this is what it feels like to rank up.'

Zeon looked at his insignia.

Two lines were glowing.

The deep orange light proved that he was an E-rank awakened.

But that was only the outward appearance.

In reality, he was far stronger than a typical E-rank, with far more mana.

All thanks to Deioden's brutal training.

Because of it, Zeon had been able to grow at an incredible pace.

He had also learned to use his abilities freely, unbound by common sense or preconceived notions.

'The key is imagination.'

He had realized it deeply during the battle with the wolf ants.

Fighting using only fixed skills was foolish.

Even the same skill could differ drastically in power depending on how it was applied.

To imagine without limits—and to make that imagination reality.

That, to Zeon, was true strength.

Something he never would have realized without being pushed to the brink by Deioden.

'Still doesn't change the fact he's a damn old bastard…'

He always pushed Zeon to his limits and expected him to survive on his own.

If he failed to meet those expectations, he would be discarded without hesitation.

Even if he were abandoned now, Zeon didn't care.

He still wanted to follow him to the end.

Because he believed that if he did, he would become stronger.

He no longer wanted to keep hiding due to weakness, or running because he was powerless.

He didn't know where this path would lead, but if he kept following Deioden, someday he might reach a similar level of strength.

Lost in thought as he walked, the sandstorm eventually passed, and his vision cleared.

He could see Deioden's back ahead of him.

Deioden continued to walk forward without looking back.

Sand had piled up on his head and shoulders, but he didn't even bother brushing it off.

Then—

Deioden suddenly stopped.

'Why…?'

There was still plenty of time before sunset.

It wasn't time for him to rest.

Zeon approached and stood beside him.

Even then, Deioden didn't react—his gaze remained fixed ahead.

Naturally, Zeon followed his line of sight.

'What is it?'

As Zeon looked ahead, his eyes widened.

Something massive was moving along the horizon where the sky met the desert.

Thud! Thud!

The heavy footsteps echoed as it approached.

The moment Zeon recognized what it was, he almost screamed.

It was a gigantic turtle.

Unlike a normal turtle, it was thousands of times larger, and its shell resembled a fortress.

Moreover, a blue energy field—something seen only in B-rank or higher—covered its entire body.

"What… is that?"

"A mobile fortress—Arkelon."

"Arkelon?"

"Yeah. A turtle-type magical beast. It's only B-rank, but its defensive power is at least A-rank. That's why its shell is modified into a fortress and used for transport."

"You're saying humans tame something that massive and ride it?"

Zeon's face was filled with disbelief.

It was hard to accept—but seeing the fortress-backed turtle with his own eyes, he had no choice but to believe.

Arkelon was heading straight toward them.

Though it seemed to be moving slowly, its enormous size brought it before them in no time.

Up close, it was even more overwhelming.

It was nearly the size of a small village.

The idea that humans could tame and ride such a creature was unbelievable.

Thud!

At last, Arkelon stopped in front of them.

The gate of the fortress opened, and someone appeared.

An old man with a face full of wrinkles.

He adjusted the glasses slipping down his nose and looked at Deioden.

"I thought it might be you from a distance… and it turns out I was right, Deioden."