Chapter 214
Fire has, since ancient times, given people a sense of comfort.
Even though it was small, just having a campfire allowed the Awakeners to find stability.
Even though it was only for a single day, losing their vehicle and wandering aimlessly through the desert had put them under tremendous pressure.
“Phew!”
“We survived.”
The Awakeners gathered around the campfire naturally let out sighs of relief.
On the other hand, Brielle—who had suddenly ended up sitting together with a large group—pouted.
She didn’t like the current situation.
Just moments ago, it had felt like a cozy picnic, but now it felt like she was standing in the middle of a chaotic goblin market.
The sudden change was enough to make her head throb.
At that moment, Jang Yongbeom spoke to Zeon.
“Thanks for letting these uninvited guests join, but shouldn’t you reveal your identity now? That would make things fair.”
Then Eloi stepped forward.
“It’s been a while.”
“A while?”
“I’m Mandy.”
“The supervisor from City Hall, by any chance?”
“That’s right.”
The moment Mandy confirmed Jang Yongbeom’s identity, her personality surfaced.
Fortunately, Jang Yongbeom recognized her.
“What are you doing here? I heard you joined the Pegasus Raid Team for a dungeon expedition.”
“You even know that much?”
“But didn’t you die during the dungeon raid?”
“So Neo Seoul believes that, huh?”
“That’s what the Pegasus Raid Team reported.”
“Those bastards!”
“Tch. Sounds like there were some dirty circumstances.”
Jang Yongbeom clicked his tongue.
But he didn’t look particularly surprised.
That kind of scheme wasn’t uncommon in the Awakened world.
It was a place overflowing with conspiracies and deception.
Anyone capable of leading a group the size of the Pegasus Raid Team would undoubtedly be skilled in such underhanded tactics.
Just like Jang Yongbeom himself.
“So the Pegasus Raid Team returned safely.”
“They came back with an enormous amount of loot. Neo Seoul was in an uproar for a while because of it.”
“I bet Lee Jiryung was on top of the world.”
“He was officially recognized as an S-rank Awakener. He’s truly become a major figure now.”
Though Jang Yongbeom spoke calmly, there was clearly a hint of jealousy on his face.
He was an A-rank Awakener.
Unlike Lee Jiryung, he didn’t have the temperament to lead a large organization, so he maintained only a small party.
Even so, he had always felt a sense of rivalry toward Lee Jiryung.
Publicly, they had both been A-rank.
Even if he himself didn’t dwell on it, others couldn’t help but compare them.
Especially in the Awakened world, comparisons were unavoidable.
Most people had placed Lee Jiryung above him.
Regardless of individual ability, simply leading a large raid force earned high regard.
That had always frustrated Jang Yongbeom.
Even so, he never showed it—because he was confident he would win if they actually fought.
But now Lee Jiryung had become S-rank.
A gap had formed between them that could never be crossed.
Though it was only a difference of one rank, the gap between S-rank and A-rank was insurmountable.
If going from D-rank to C-rank was like growing from a bowl to a basin, then going from A-rank to S-rank was like expanding from a pond to a reservoir.
Total mana capacity, skill mastery, combat sense—everything had to reach its absolute limit, and only after cracking through a towering wall could one even glimpse that realm.
Jang Yongbeom had yet to find any possibility of reaching S-rank.
Meanwhile, Lee Jiryung had broken through his limits.
If Jang Yongbeom was still at the level of a pond, then Lee Jiryung had become a vast reservoir.
Naturally, Jang Yongbeom couldn’t help but feel inferior.
He asked,
“What exactly happened in that dungeon for him to become S-rank?”
“Is that really important?”
“It is! To me, more than anything—”
“I don’t think it’s something to discuss in front of everyone. I’ll tell you later, in private.”
At Mandy’s response, Jang Yongbeom frowned slightly, then nodded.
Lee Jiryung’s status as an S-rank was now on an entirely different level.
Even the rulers of Neo Seoul could no longer dare to ignore him.
During the dungeon raid, many Awakeners had lost their lives.
But even more had applied to join the Pegasus Raid Team afterward.
As a result, their power had actually grown larger than before the raid.
Someone with that level of influence wasn’t someone you could casually gossip about in public.
Jang Yongbeom turned to Zeon.
“That pig-like beast earlier—was it called an orc?”
“That’s right.”
“What’s going on? Do you know where those things came from?”
“They’re originally a species scattered throughout the desert. They never approached Neo Seoul, so they weren’t widely known.”
“Then why are they suddenly appearing in groups like that?”
“An Orc Warchief has been born.”
“A warchief?”
“You can think of it as similar to a dungeon boss. Anyway, with the birth of the Orc Warchief, it’s gathering those that were scattered across the desert.”
At Zeon’s words, Jang Yongbeom’s expression stiffened.
If they were small groups, they wouldn’t be much of a threat.
Orcs were strong, but even a D-rank Awakener could handle them without much difficulty.
But if a warchief had emerged and formed a massive force, that was a different story.
Whether human or monster, the larger the force, the more dangerous it became.
“What rank is the warchief?”
“I haven’t seen it yet, so there’s no information.”
“I see.”
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
“You think we’ll encounter it?”
“Probably.”
“Interesting.”
Jang Yongbeom’s eyes gleamed sharply.
He was one of the more well-known Awakeners in Neo Seoul.
An A-rank with a ruthless and destructive personality, he was feared by everyone who had met him.
Yet Zeon, standing before him now, showed no sign of fear.
He spoke as casually as if he were talking to a neighborhood friend.
Even though he clearly knew he was Jang Yongbeom.
Jang Yongbeom realized that Zeon was no ordinary Awakener.
“Come to think of it, I still don’t know your name. What is it?”
“Zeon.”
“Zeon?”
For a moment, Jang Yongbeom frowned.
It was a name he had heard before—but he couldn’t recall where.
Aiden, who stood beside him, recognized Zeon’s identity.
“So you’re that Sand Mage.”
“Sand Mage?”
“Haven’t you heard? They said a Sand Mage appeared in Neo Seoul. That man’s name was Zeon.”
“Zeon? I see! So you were the Sand Mage. That explains how you stayed so calm even while camping in the desert with a campfire.”
Only then did Jang Yongbeom understand the entire situation.
An ordinary Awakener wouldn’t be able to camp this calmly in the desert.
“Sand Mage… Were you also part of the Pegasus Raid Team? What exactly happened inside the dungeon for you to show up here with a supervisor? As far as I know, the dungeon they raided is hundreds of kilometers away from here.”
“We’ll talk about that later. You must be tired—get some rest.”
Zeon smiled and stood up.
Jang Yongbeom stared intently at Zeon’s retreating back.
If anyone else had acted this insolently in front of him, he would have split them in two with his claymore on the spot.
But this was the Sand Mage.
To survive in a desert filled with orcs, his help was essential.
He wasn’t someone you could kill just for being cheeky.
Giselle tilted her head.
“I’m sure I’ve seen him somewhere.”
“Didn’t you say he traveled with us before?”
“That’s what I’m saying. I’ve definitely seen him, but I can’t remember where.”
“If we keep going together, we’ll figure it out eventually.”
“He’s pretty handsome… Should I just take him down?”
Giselle licked her lips with her red tongue.
Aiden chuckled.
“How? He’s already got two women with him.”
“You think those little things are competition for me?”
“They look better than you.”
“Want to die?”
“Whoa, calm down. I’m not your enemy.”
As Giselle glared fiercely, Aiden raised both hands in mock surrender.
From early morning, the sand had already begun to heat up.
The Awakeners who had joined Zeon’s group got up, grumbling.
“Damn, it’s hot.”
“Shit! My nose is full of sand.”
Their faces and bodies were covered in sand.
In contrast, Zeon’s group looked perfectly fine.
That was because Zeon had blocked the sand with his control.
The other Awakeners still didn’t know that Zeon was a Sand Mage. They hadn’t heard his conversation with Jang Yongbeom, so they didn’t even realize that only Zeon’s group had avoided being buried in sand.
The Awakeners each filled their stomachs with the high-calorie energy bars they had brought.
They were easy to store, and even one bar provided enough energy to last half a day—so Awakeners always carried plenty in their packs.
After eating, Zeon’s group set off.
As soon as Zeon moved, Jang Yongbeom’s party naturally followed behind him, and the rest of the Awakeners followed after them.
Jang Yongbeom’s party followed because they knew Zeon was the Sand Mage.
The others followed because they trusted Jang Yongbeom’s party.
Jang Yongbeom approached Zeon, who was walking at the front.
“How are you determining direction? By the sun?”
“I just know.”
“Just?”
“Yes.”
“Guess you don’t need a guide. What’s your detection range? As a Sand Mage, you must be using sand to sense things, right? That’s how you’re detecting monsters too.”
“What about your skills? Do you rely on the raw destructive power of your claymore? Can you form an aura blade?”
“Haha!”
Jang Yongbeom burst into laughter at Zeon’s question.
His question had essentially been asking for trade secrets.
If he knew the range of Zeon’s control, he could figure out many things—his rank, his attack range.
Information that would be crucial if they ever became enemies.
Zeon’s question about whether he could use an aura blade carried the same meaning.
In other words: if you want to know my weaknesses, reveal yours too.
And Jang Yongbeom was not the type to expose his own weaknesses.
“Interesting.”
“I don’t find it very interesting.”
“Why can’t I remember someone like you? If you were this impressive back then, you would’ve left a strong impression.”
“Back then, I was nothing special.”
“So before you awakened?”
“Yes.”
Jang Yongbeom persistently tried to extract information about Zeon, but Zeon skillfully deflected every attempt.
‘This guy’s no ordinary snake either.’
Jang Yongbeom clicked his tongue.
In the end, he couldn’t get any useful information.
Still, there was one thing he became certain of.
‘He’s young, but he’s clearly gone through countless experiences. You can feel the weight of it.’
At that moment, Zeon suddenly stopped speaking as he looked ahead.
“We should stop the pointless chatter.”
“Why? Don’t you want to talk to me?”
“Because some intruders have appeared.”
“Intruders?”
Only then did Jang Yongbeom shift his gaze to where Zeon was looking.
He saw nothing.
“What do you see?”
“Orcs.”
“What?”
The moment Zeon finished speaking, a cloud of dust rose near the horizon.
A chill ran down Jang Yongbeom’s spine.
‘Don’t tell me he detected movement from that far away? Just what is this guy…’
Zeon’s detection range was far greater than he had imagined.
Unbelievably so.