Chapter 2

Crunch!

Under the immense impact of that massive weight, the armored bus—covered in thick metal plating—crumpled like paper.

"Urgh!"

"Gah!"

People screamed as they were thrown violently around inside.

There were no seatbelts. Their bodies bounced like pebbles in every direction.

Zeon was no exception.

"Ugh!"

After being tossed around, Zeon barely managed to regain his senses and get up.

Blood streamed from his split forehead, but he didn't even have time to wipe it.

Because of the unbelievable sight outside the window.

Shhhhh…

Everything he could see was red sand.

The entire armored bus had been swallowed into the desert.

"Damn it! The sandworm is dragging the bus underground!"

"We're all going to die!"

"Shit! Isn't there an Awakened here?!"

Chaos erupted inside.

CRACK—CRASH!

Even at that moment, the bus's armor was being torn apart like scraps of cloth.

If this continued, the armor would be stripped away completely, and everyone inside would become food for the sandworm.

They might suffocate in the sand before that.

Perhaps that would be less painful.

Then—

"You filthy worm…!"

One of the miners shouted and swung his hand toward the outside.

Whoosh!

A blade of wind burst from his hand and shot outward.

Zeon's eyes widened.

An Awakened.

Judging by the wind blade, he was a magic-type Awakened.

But its power was pitiful.

Thud!

The wind blade failed to penetrate the sand crushing the bus and dissipated.

It didn't even scratch the sandworm's body.

The brief hope that had flickered in people's eyes vanished.

"F-rank…"

"Damn it, figures. No real Awakened would come to a mine like this."

Even among Awakened, the difference in rank was like heaven and earth.

F-rank was the lowest tier—mere pebbles in the Awakened hierarchy.

Stronger than ordinary people, yes—but completely outmatched against a giant demonic beast like a sandworm.

Whatever his reason for boarding the mining bus, his wind blades were useless.

Worse, the matchup itself was terrible.

He couldn't even break through the sand surrounding the sandworm's body.

"Die! Just die already!"

The Awakened, losing his sanity, kept firing wind blades.

But they failed to pierce the sand, only draining his mana.

Then—

The armor where he stood was suddenly torn away completely.

A massive tongue shot in through the opening.

The sandworm's tongue.

Like a whip, it snatched the Awakened and vanished back into the sand in an instant.

"Aaaagh!"

His scream echoed through the sand—

then abruptly cut off.

No one needed to see what happened next.

"We're all going to die… we're all going to die!"

"What do we do?!"

"Waaaah…"

Sand began pouring into the bus like a tidal wave.

And then another person disappeared.

"Damn it!"

Zeon bit his lip hard.

Blood seeped out, but he had no time to feel pain.

The sand had already reached his waist.

Suffocate in the sand—

or be devoured by the sandworm.

Neither was an option he wanted.

His mind, usually sharp and quick, felt frozen—as if struck by petrification magic.

He couldn't think of anything.

BOOM!

At that moment, a massive impact split the bus in half.

"Aaagh!"

"Guh!"

Many passengers were swallowed into the sand.

"Shit!"

Zeon cursed and looked around.

The sand had already risen to his shoulders—he couldn't even see the people nearby.

He made his decision.

If I stay here, I die.

RIP!

Zeon tore his clothes and quickly fashioned a long strip of cloth.

He wrapped it tightly around his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.

A desperate measure to keep the sand out.

The moment he finished, he threw himself into the sand.

Hrk!

The desert sand crushed him with immense pressure, like the deep sea.

He couldn't breathe—couldn't even move his limbs.

Instead of resisting, Zeon let his body go limp and surrendered to the flow.

CRUNCH…

The faint sound of metal being crushed echoed.

The armored bus's final cry.

There was no need to see what had become of those still inside.

Shhhhh…

The sand churned like waves.

Something enormous was swimming toward him beneath it.

He could feel the movement with unnatural clarity.

It's coming.

Zeon tried to thrash his limbs to escape—

but under the crushing pressure of the sand, it was impossible.

Even now, the sandworm was getting closer.

I don't want to die. Not yet.

His heart pounded violently.

It felt like it might burst before the sandworm even reached him.

He could feel his blood racing wildly through his body.

That surging flow rushed toward his head like a runaway train.

BOOM!

Something exploded inside his mind.

An explosion only Zeon could feel.

At the same time, seven lines appeared on his wrist.

Like a tattoo, etched into his skin—

the lower ends glowing with an orange light.

Zeon couldn't see it—his eyes were covered—

but instinctively, he understood what had happened.

Awakening.

The blessing that came only to a rare few…

had come to him.

He still didn't know how strong his abilities were.

He hadn't even checked the insignia that had appeared on his wrist.

The seven lines that manifested on an Awakened's wrist resembled military rank insignia.

The difference was that there were only seven simple bars—nothing else.

That's why people called it a "rank mark."

The moment he awakened, breathing became easier, and the crushing pressure on his body disappeared.

The sand that had been suffocating him now felt like the fluid inside a mother's womb.

No one had taught him—but Zeon instinctively knew that his ability was connected to sand.

He quickly waved his hand.

For the first time, his body—previously unable to move—slid forward.

Whoosh!

A massive mouth appeared exactly where he had been.

It was the sandworm's maw, filled with countless teeth spinning like gears.

They were stained red.

The blood of its recent victims.

CRUNCH!

The sandworm's jaws devoured the spot Zeon had occupied just moments before.

Had he been even a fraction slower, he too would have been reduced to flesh and digested like the others.

Damn it!

A chill ran down his spine.

He had barely avoided the attack thanks to awakening—but the fundamental problem remained.

There was no way his newly awakened power could defeat a tyrant of the desert like the sandworm.

He had just seen an F-rank Awakened get devoured moments ago.

Right now, escaping the sand comes first.

Zeon thrust both hands forward.

His body twisted like a fish, swimming through the sand.

Millions—no, billions—of grains seemed to push him forward as if they recognized him.

He cut through the sand at high speed, heading for the surface.

Then—

A powerful vibration came from behind him.

The sandworm was tracking him.

Zeon was fast—

but the sandworm was faster.

At this rate, it would catch him soon.

Damn it… isn't there anything else I can do besides swimming through sand?

He desperately tried to figure out what else his power could do.

Then—

A chill crawled up his spine.

The sandworm was almost upon him.

He could feel its jaws opening.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

What if I shoved a mass of sand into that mouth that swallowed so many people…

At that instant, the flow of sand around him changed.

Some of it gathered and condensed in front of him.

Zeon stared at the compressed sand and muttered,

"Sand Blaster."

No one had told him the name.

It simply came to him.

That's how most skills worked.

As if they had always been engraved in the mind—revealed once the conditions were met.

Pshhh!

Like a jet of water, the compressed sand shot forward.

The high-pressure stream slammed straight into the sandworm's open mouth.

The Sand Blaster pierced the roof of its mouth, creating a small hole.

It didn't look like much—

but inside, it tore through the flesh like a rag.

For the first time in its life, the sandworm felt overwhelming pain.

It let out a deafening roar.

KRAAAAH!

Its massive body writhed violently, shaking the surrounding sand like an earthquake.

Seizing the moment, Zeon sped up.

He widened the distance between them and burst out of the sand.

"Gasp!"

He exhaled the breath he had been holding.

Fresh air filled his lungs—he felt alive again.

Then—

"There's a survivor! Someone's alive over there!"

"As expected, it was a sandworm. Everyone, get ready."

Voices rang out.

Zeon lifted his head and saw a small vehicle.

A compact armored car with reinforced plating and large wheels—built for desert travel.

And yet, despite the danger, the people inside showed no fear.

Men with a dangerous aura approached him.

Awakened.

Zeon recognized it instantly.

The fact that they could walk across the desert so calmly, knowing a sandworm was nearby, meant they had absolute confidence in their strength.

At that moment—

RUMBLE!

The sandworm burst from the ground behind Zeon.

The middle-aged man who seemed to be the leader shouted,

"Hold it in place so it can't escape underground!"

"Got it, boss!"

A woman with sky-blue hair answered cheerfully and extended her hand toward the sandworm.

A wave of cold spread instantly, freezing the sand around where the sandworm had emerged.

Unable to burrow back down, it thrashed in place.

"It's too big—I can only hold it for a few seconds!"

"That's more than enough."

The leader smiled coldly.

He drew a massive greatsword—a claymore—and charged.

His subordinates followed.

"Haah!"

The blade fell like a guillotine.

SLASH!

The sandworm's tough hide split open like paper, revealing its red flesh.

It writhed in agony.

At that moment, one of the subordinates approached and placed his palm on its body.

"A sandworm on the surface… what a rare opportunity."

It was extremely rare for sandworms to come above ground.

Which made them nearly impossible to hunt.

Vrrr—

His palm vibrated at an invisible, rapid frequency.

His name was Aiden.

His ability—ultra vibration.

BOOM!

The part of the sandworm his hand touched exploded like fireworks.

The finishing blow came from a giant who arrived last.

Towering two heads taller than an average person, he leapt into the air—

and slammed down onto the sandworm's head.

CRASH!

With a thunderous impact, its head burst apart.

"Heh…"

The giant laughed, drenched in blood and flesh.

Zeon stared at the scene, mouth agape.

These guys are insane…

A creature that had devoured countless people was reduced to meat in mere seconds.

It was something he wouldn't have believed if he hadn't seen it himself.

Shing.

The leader sheathed his claymore and looked at Zeon.

A chill ran down Zeon's spine.

The man's cold, sunken gaze was terrifying.

"So… you're the only one who survived from that bus?"