Chapter 37

Zeon was enveloped in black, fine sand.

He had released his Exion.

One of the advantages of releasing Exion outside the body like this was that it increased both proficiency and versatility.

Zeon manipulated the Exion, shaping it into all kinds of forms.

At times, he made it round like a shield, and at others, he let it ripple like wings.

With Exion flowing outside his body, Zeon's appearance faintly resembled that of a grim reaper.

The way he slid forward using his sand-stepping technique only reinforced that impression.

Deioden said nothing as he watched Zeon playing around with his Exion.

Since the battle with Akaruk, he had become so taciturn that one could go an entire day without hearing a single word from him.

His gaze had sunk even deeper, and all expression had vanished from his face.

To someone seeing him for the first time, merely meeting his eyes would be terrifying enough to make them wet themselves.

Only Zeon could remain calm, having been around Deioden for so long.

As they walked, Zeon continuously experimented with his Exion, thinking about how to improve its usability.

The fight between Deioden and Akaruk had given him much to think about.

Simply watching a high-level battle had greatly broadened Zeon's perspective.

Throughout the fight, his heart had pounded.

I want to fight like that too.

I want to reach that level.

That yearning stirred deep within his chest.

Though a long time had passed since they left the ancient fortress, that desire had not faded—in fact, it had only grown stronger.

That was why Zeon kept testing his Exion.

To reach a level similar to Deioden's—or surpass it—he couldn't afford to rest even for a moment.

Deioden's strength had not been achieved overnight.

It was the result of a hundred years of struggle.

To catch up to someone like him, Zeon had to sacrifice even sleep and rest.

Thanks to that effort, his skills improved day by day.

After playing with his Exion for quite some time, Zeon suddenly frowned.

It was because of an unbelievable sight in the distance.

As he withdrew his Exion, Zeon asked Deioden,

"Am I the only one seeing a mirage right now?"

"It's not a mirage."

"Then it's real?"

"Unless my eyes are broken…"

"Wow! That's actually real?"

Zeon widened his eyes and stared ahead.

Beyond the distant horizon, something enormous was approaching.

It had a body larger than a three-story house, four legs as thick as several grown men combined, a long drooping trunk, and terrifying tusks curved like bows.

It resembled a mammoth he had only heard about in stories.

The difference was that it was far more terrifying—and far larger.

It looked as if a small mountain itself were moving.

But behind the mammoth, something even more astonishing appeared.

A massive artificial structure—much larger than the mammoth—followed behind it.

It was a gigantic warehouse mounted on wheels.

Multiple such warehouses were connected behind the mammoth in a long line.

Like a train.

Tiny figures of people bustled about atop the warehouses.

Deioden spoke.

"They're a caravan."

"A real caravan?"

Zeon blinked in shock.

Originally, a caravan referred to a group of merchants who traveled long distances in ancient times—across deserts or grasslands where transportation was undeveloped—carrying goods on camels or horses to trade regional specialties.

Even in the present era, caravans still existed.

They conducted a form of intermediary trade, traveling between colonies.

It sounded simple, but it was anything but easy.

The world had become entirely desert.

And the desert was never kind to humans.

The blazing sun, the scorching sand.

On top of that, the desert teemed with all kinds of demonic beasts and scavengers.

Enduring all those harsh conditions while traveling between colonies was no easy task.

Some people might say it could be solved simply by using airplanes or cars.

But anyone who knew even a little about the desert would understand that such ideas were impossible.

Even the skies were inhabited by demonic beasts.

Wyverns, griffins, unicorns, and pterosaur-type creatures were among them.

They would not tolerate other flying objects sharing the sky. No ordinary aircraft could withstand their attacks.

Above all, the desert sky was filled with fine dust and corrupted energy that would quickly destroy airplane engines.

Cars and other machines were no different.

Desert sand was fundamentally incompatible with mechanical devices. For short distances, repairs might keep them running, but over long distances, they would break down completely.

That was why even in Neo Seoul, vehicles were only used when subjugating nearby dungeons.

As for interacting with other colonies whose locations were unknown—it was unthinkable.

Every direction looked the same, with nothing to serve as a landmark.

Under such harsh conditions, the only ones capable of traveling accurately across the vast desert and conducting trade between colonies were caravans.

How caravans managed to navigate precisely through such an immense desert was a closely guarded secret.

Even Neo Seoul had tried to uncover that secret, but all attempts had failed.

When Zeon first heard about caravans, he thought people were lying. In his mind, it was impossible.

But the moment he saw the caravan procession with his own eyes, he understood.

With a mammoth that massive, even sandworms or other demonic beasts would likely hesitate to attack recklessly.

It was smaller than the ancient turtle Archelon once used by the Mote Tribe, but even so, at that size, most demonic beasts would be no match for it.

Deioden said,

"Encountering a caravan in the middle of the desert is extremely rare."

"And yet something that rare just happened to us."

"Indeed."

With his arms crossed, Deioden watched the approaching caravan.

The caravan had noticed them as well and was heading straight toward them.

Thud! Thud!

The heavy footsteps of the mammoth traveled through the sand and reverberated through their entire bodies.

The mammoth that had approached up close was truly enormous.

It looked not like a three-story house, but closer to the size of a five-story building. And the pair of tusks jutting out on either side of its trunk were absolutely massive.

It felt like any demonic beast would be instantly killed if pierced by those tusks.

Pwoooong!

At last, the mammoth stopped in front of the two and raised its trunk high into the air, letting out a loud cry. At that, people began descending from the massive warehouse it was pulling.

To block the scorching sun, they wore turbans on their heads and loose-fitting garments on their bodies.

It was a style known as daraa, commonly worn by men in the old Sahara Desert regions.

There was no better attire for enduring the desert's intense heat.

"Travelers roaming the desert… I can hardly believe my eyes."

A man who seemed to be the caravan's leader pulled down the cloth covering his nose and mouth and exclaimed in admiration.

He looked to be in his fifties.

A thick beard covered his nose and mouth area, but his sharp eyes gave off a natural sense of authority.

"My name is Belov. And what are the names of you brave adventurers crossing the desert?"

"I'm Deioden."

"Oh! Deioden? I can hardly believe my eyes and ears."

Belov's eyes widened.

"You know me?"

"How could I not? A man who might be the strongest on Earth. Your name is well known even in the Kamchatka Colony."

"Kamchatka Colony? There's a colony in a place like that?"

"Haha! It's no surprise you don't know. Unlike Neo Seoul, it's a very harsh and small place."

Belov scratched his head as he laughed.

Kamchatka Colony, as the name suggested, was located on the former Kamchatka Peninsula.

The old Kamchatka Peninsula had been known for its largely untouched natural environment. Naturally, its population density had been extremely low.

Compared to other regions within the same Russian territory, such as Moscow or Sakhalin, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say almost no one had lived there.

Paradoxically, that was why so many people survived when the Sixth Great Extinction occurred.

Because their numbers were so small, instead of competing against each other for survival, they chose to cooperate.

At first, they survived in village-sized groups. Then, awakened individuals and other survivors who heard rumors began to join, gradually increasing their size.

Even so, Kamchatka Colony was only about one-tenth the size of Neo Seoul.

Even if they wanted to expand further, they had no time to spare due to constant attacks from demonic beasts.

Zeon asked with a puzzled expression,

"You mean demonic beasts attack you?"

"What's strange about that? Of course they attack. To them, humans are nothing more than tasty prey."

"But Neo Seoul…"

"Neo Seoul is special. There's only one colony like that in the world."

The walls of Neo Seoul possessed anti-magic properties, which made demonic beasts reluctant to approach.

There was no other colony on Earth with such walls.

Other colonies fought desperate battles against demonic beasts every single day. Under such conditions, expanding their size was extremely difficult.

Instead, constant warfare against demonic beasts led to the improvement of awakened individuals' abilities.

Especially when it came to fighting large demonic beasts, they could all be considered specialists.

Perhaps because of that, everyone who followed Belov exuded an unusual presence.

What was especially striking was their physique.

Exaggerating a little, they were all built like brown bears.

They were not at all overshadowed, even when compared to the massive Deioden.

Belov spoke to Deioden,

"Haha! Since it's fate that we've met in the middle of the desert, how about joining us today? We'll treat you as honored guests."

"Alright."

"Haha! As bold as ever."

Belov burst into hearty laughter at Deioden's acceptance.

Zeon looked at Deioden with surprise.

He had expected him to refuse.

He must have a reason.

Though he appeared simple and brutish on the outside, Zeon knew very well that wasn't the case.

There had never been a single action he took without reason. He always acted according to carefully laid plans.

It was something only a highly intelligent person could do.

Belov led the two of them up onto the massive warehouse being pulled by the mammoth.

On top of the warehouse were installed shades and chairs where people could stay.

The inside of the warehouse was packed with goods purchased from Kamchatka Colony, while people lived on top.

As they climbed up, Belov spoke loudly,

"Haha! We've met a hero of the desert—we can't just sit quietly. Bring out the vodka!"

"Vodka? There's still some of that left?"

"Heh heh! We managed to obtain it with difficulty from Kamchatka Colony. As it turns out, one old Russian liquor distributor still remains. They don't produce it anymore, but there's still a small amount of what was made long ago."

"That's impressive."

"Isn't it? If we bring this to Neo Seoul, we'll make a fortune."

In the present era, alcohol was extremely difficult to obtain.

That was because the grains used as ingredients had all disappeared.

Now, even grains were produced in colony factories, and the supply was limited, making it impossible to spare them for brewing alcohol.

Even if it were made, the quantity would be extremely small.

In some ways, alcohol was more valuable than magic stones.

And vodka from the old world would undoubtedly fetch an enormous price.

It was only natural that Belov was so confident.

For Deioden and Zeon, he brought out a bottle of that precious vodka.

In Deioden's eyes—having gone so long without drinking—a glint of greed appeared.

Belov looked at Zeon.

"The young one looks a bit underage."

"I don't drink."

"Then for you, I'll give something special—smoked venison jerky. Once you taste it, you'll never forget it."

At Belov's gesture, a boy who looked about twelve years old approached carrying the jerky.

He was a handsome boy with striking golden hair.

"My son, Damian. Damian, give the jerky to our guest."

"Yes!"

The boy called Damian handed the jerky to Zeon.

Zeon stared intently at Damian's face.

Feeling burdened by Zeon's gaze, Damian lowered his head slightly, avoiding eye contact.

Zeon accepted the jerky.

"Thank you."

"Yes… brother."

Damian seemed quite shy.

He still couldn't meet Zeon's eyes directly.

At that moment, Belov raised his glass high and said,

"Now, let's eat and drink together! Don't worry about demonic beasts. My men and the mammoth won't let anything come near. Hahaha!"

Clink!

Deioden clashed his glass, while Zeon bit into the jerky.

The smoked venison Damian gave him was on a completely different level from jerky made from demonic beasts.

It practically melted in his mouth.

It was so delicious, it felt like a dream.