Chapter 3

The leader's name was Jang Yongbeom.

He was a martial-type Awakened.

His weapon was a massive claymore.

His fighting style was simple—infuse the blade with aura and tear his enemies apart.

The woman who had frozen the heated sand, even if only briefly, was named Giselle.

She was an ice-element magic Awakened.

The one who used ultra vibration was Aiden—the second-in-command of the party, known for his sharp perception and exceptional intellect.

Lastly, the giant who had crushed the sandworm's head was called Mountain.

At a glance, he seemed gentle, but his true nature was extremely cruel.

His brutality—tearing desert beasts apart alive—was well known even within Neo Seoul.

The party led by Jang Yongbeom had been on their way to the magic stone mine when they encountered the sandworm.

Jang Yongbeom's gaze toward Zeon was as sharp as a blade.

"How did you survive?"

"Huh?"

"Everyone else became that thing's food. So how did you survive alone?"

"I… I don't know. When I came to, I was already on the sand."

At Zeon's answer, Jang Yongbeom's eyes grew colder.

"Did he awaken? Check the mark on his wrist."

"Okay, boss."

Giselle, the blue-haired woman, grabbed Zeon's wrist.

"Ugh!"

Pain shot through him as his wrist was twisted.

Giselle examined it closely.

"Huh? There's no mark."

"Really?"

"Look. Nothing there."

She showed his wrist to Jang Yongbeom.

Just as she said—it was clean.

Jang Yongbeom muttered,

"So he didn't awaken… just insanely lucky, huh?"

When someone awakens, seven thin lines appear on their wrist like a tattoo.

They resemble old military insignia—hence the name "rank mark."

If only the bottom line glows, it's F-rank.

If the second line glows too, it's E-rank.

Three lines—D-rank. Four—C-rank, and so on.

The color of the glow also differs by awakening type.

Blue for magic.

Red for martial.

Gray for shaman-type.

Black for those fused with machinery.

There were rare cases of other types—but those were called irregulars.

Even they, however, had a rank mark.

The mark was both proof of awakening—and a shackle.

There was no clearer way to identify an Awakened.

On Jang Yongbeom's wrist, a red glow shimmered—clear proof of his martial type.

Giselle, Aiden, and Mountain all had marks as well.

But Zeon's wrist looked completely clean.

No mark. No sign of awakening.

Giselle spoke,

"He's just ridiculously lucky, that's all."

"Surviving alone when everyone else died… that's not just luck."

"What should we do, boss?"

"We're heading to the mine anyway. Put him in the vehicle."

"Oh my, lucky boy."

Giselle laughed lightly.

But Zeon couldn't laugh.

They… can't see it?

To Zeon, the mark on his wrist was perfectly visible.

Only the lowest line glowed—the sign of F-rank—but it was undeniably there.

Yet to others, it seemed invisible.

What the hell…? Why can't they see it? And the color… it's different.

It was a deep orange—like sand stained by a blood-red sunset.

He had never heard of an Awakened with that color.

And his ability—

It was control over sand.

In that life-or-death moment, the surrounding sand had moved according to his will.

Though still weak, he could manipulate the sand within a certain range.

Zeon glanced around.

Everywhere he looked—

was sand.

After the five great mass extinctions—the late Ordovician, late Devonian, late Permian, late Triassic, and late Cretaceous—

came the sudden sixth extinction.

In a way, this sixth extinction was the true end.

Ninety percent of life had perished.

Most of Earth had become desert.

Rivers and oceans vanished.

The entire world was buried under sand.

Nature struggled to recover—

but no one knew when, or if, the green world would return.

And in such a world—

the power to freely control sand.

The entire desert was practically his domain.

Only then did Zeon fully realize—

his ability was not ordinary.

From his long experience in the slums, Zeon knew one thing:

Power beyond your station becomes disaster.

If people find out… I don't know what they'll do to me. I could end up in a lab, cut open.

He had awakened—but only to F-rank.

In the world of Awakened, that made him little better than a commoner.

He needed to grow stronger. Raise his rank.

Only then would his chances of survival improve.

One problem after another… damn it.

Zeon bit his lip.

It was frustrating to have awakened power he couldn't openly use—

but it was still better than being powerless.

He decided to stay positive.

Mountain spoke to him,

"Hey, kid. Ride in the cargo hold."

"The cargo hold?"

"What, you don't like it?"

"No way. I love cargo holds."

"Then get in."

"Yes, sir!"

Zeon quickly climbed into the back.

Soon, everyone else boarded as well.

The vehicle—powered by magic stones—roared across the desert.

Crouched in the cargo hold, Zeon quietly watched the endless sands stretch before him.

Before long, the sun was nearing the western horizon.

The desert at night was several times more brutal and terrifying than during the day.

No matter how powerful a party of Awakened might be, survival wasn't guaranteed if they were stranded in the desert after dark.

Because of that, Jang Yongbeom hurried toward the magic stone mine.

Thanks to that, they managed to arrive just before sunset.

"Is this… the magic stone mine?"

Zeon stood up in the cargo hold and looked out.

In the middle of the desert, a massive rocky mountain rose abruptly from the sand.

Deep within it lay the mine.

At its entrance stood a high wall, built to keep demonic beasts out.

Awakened stood guard atop the wall.

The only way inside was through a gate at the front.

When the guards saw Jang Yongbeom's vehicle, they opened the gate.

The armored car slipped smoothly through and entered.

Inside the walls was a small settlement.

As a key supply base for Neo Seoul, quite a number of facilities and people resided within the rocky mountain.

Though it couldn't compare to Neo Seoul, it still had most necessities.

As the vehicle stopped, an Awakened approached.

The moment he recognized Jang Yongbeom, his face twisted.

Why is that monster here…?

Jang Yongbeom's nickname was Butcher.

His reputation was infamous—not only in Neo Seoul but even here in the mine.

"It's been a while. What brings you here?"

"Mind your business."

"…What?"

"I said mind your business. What good is it to you why I'm here?"

The Awakened's face flushed red at the dismissal.

As he clenched his fists, Mountain stepped forward.

"What, you wanna try something?"

"Grr…"

Faced with Mountain's overwhelming presence, the Awakened slowly unclenched his fists.

Mountain wasn't just large—he possessed monstrous strength.

Not someone a low-level Awakened could challenge.

Stepping back, the Awakened said,

"While you're here, I hope you don't cause any trouble."

"Don't worry. I've got no interest in the mine."

Jang Yongbeom smirked.

No matter how strong he was, he wasn't foolish enough to stir trouble in a facility directly managed by Neo Seoul.

His target lay out in the desert.

This place was just a temporary base.

"Oh, and take him."

Jang Yongbeom pointed at Zeon.

"Who is he?"

"A bus heading here got taken out by a sandworm. He's the only survivor."

"A bus carrying miners?"

"That's right. When we got there, everyone was already eaten—except him."

The Awakened frowned.

"Tch… we're already short on manpower…"

The mine constantly suffered from labor shortages.

Though many volunteered, just as many died.

Working deep underground demanded endurance beyond that of ordinary people.

That was why they accepted anyone without questioning identity.

The Awakened walked over to Zeon.

"Hey, kid."

"Yes?"

"You volunteered as a miner, right?"

"Yes."

"Then follow me. I'll show you to your quarters."

"Understood."

Zeon climbed down from the vehicle.

"Thank you for saving me."

He gave a polite bow to Jang Yongbeom before following the Awakened.

Jang Yongbeom watched his retreating figure with sharp eyes.

"What is it, boss?"

Giselle asked, puzzled.

Zeon looked like an ordinary person—she couldn't understand that look.

"Something feels off."

"Like what?"

"Isn't it strange? Everyone died, but he survived alone."

"We already checked—he hasn't awakened."

"A sandworm isn't something you escape with luck alone."

"Hmm…"

Giselle frowned slightly.

Jang Yongbeom muttered while watching Zeon disappear into the distance,

"If that mad old man, the Slayer, weren't around… I'd look into this properly."

The Awakened led Zeon to the miners' quarters.

Pointing at an empty room with no furniture, he said,

"This is your room."

"It's… spacious. How many people sleep here?"

"Twenty."

"W-what? Twenty?!"

Zeon's eyes widened.

The room was decent in size—but far too cramped for twenty people.

And after a day of mining, the stench of sweat would be unbearable.

Just imagining twenty men crammed together made his face twist.

Seeing that, the Awakened chuckled.

"It won't always be that many."

"Why?"

"Because a few die every day. Some of the guys who were here won't be coming back tonight."

"…Is it really that dangerous?"

"That's why we throw useless people like you into it."

For a moment, Zeon wanted to punch him.

But that would get him killed—or thrown out.

Right now, he had to keep his head down.

The Awakened continued,

"Stay quiet. Cause trouble, and I'll cut you up and feed you to the beasts."

"Are there that many around here?"

"They're crawling everywhere. If not for this rocky mountain, this place would be overrun."

He wasn't exaggerating.

A sandworm was rare—but smaller beasts appeared frequently.

The most common were giant-horned hyenas.

They prowled nearby, always watching for an opportunity.

Throw a corpse into the desert, and they would appear as if by instinct—

devouring everything without leaving even a bone.

All bodies from the mine became their food.

Clean. No trace left behind.

The Awakened smiled coldly.

"You must have your reasons for choosing this place as a refuge. But you'll soon realize how foolish that choice was."

With that, he left.

Zeon stood alone, staring at the door.

"…Maybe he's right. If I hadn't awakened."

He flicked his fingers.

The sand on the floor moved in response.

It swayed—almost like it was dancing.