Chapter 54

The man was Zeon.

Seven years had stripped away his youthful softness.

The baby fat had vanished from his face, and his eyes had grown deep and composed.

Even his smallest movements carried a sense of ease—the bearing of someone truly strong.

Zeon pulled a leather water pouch from inside his robe.

“You must be thirsty. Drink.”

“Ah… thank you.”

Mandy, parched with a burning thirst, accepted it without hesitation.

She drank first, then handed it to Kim Sang-sik.

After drinking, some of her strength returned.

“Phew… thank you.”

“Thank you so much. I thought we were as good as dead.”

Both of them expressed their gratitude.

Zeon smiled.

“I’m just glad you’re both safe.”

“But… are there no others with you?”

“If you mean companions, I have none.”

“Then… you’re crossing the desert alone?”

Mandy’s eyes widened.

Even the elite Pathfinder teams had barely made it this far in groups.

That was how dangerous the desert was.

There was no telling what kind of magical beasts lurked where.

Especially after the massive mana eruption seven years ago, the entire ecosystem had changed, rendering old data useless and making the desert even more dangerous.

Outside the vicinity of Neo Seoul, there were no safe zones.

Yet Zeon calmly claimed he was traveling alone.

Mandy’s suspicion was only natural.

Zeon smiled and replied,

“I have good instincts. I can also sense magical beasts to some extent. So whenever I feel something’s off, I take a different route. That way, I avoid their habitats.”

“So you don’t have a detection skill or anything?”

“No, I don’t.”

“If that’s true, then your instincts are remarkable. That must help a lot with survival.”

“It’s the reason I’ve managed to stay alive this long.”

There was something about Zeon that felt like a seasoned survival expert.

A kind of composure that only came from long experience in the desert.

Mandy pressed her lips together briefly.

She knew nothing about him.

But right now, he was the only person she could rely on.

She asked cautiously,

“May I ask where you’re headed?”

“Why do you ask?”

“If you’re heading toward Neo Seoul… could you take us with you?”

“Neo Seoul?”

“Yes. We will definitely repay you. Please… take us there.”

“That won’t be easy. As you may know, the habitats of magical beasts have changed drastically over the past seven years.”

“That’s exactly why we’re asking. Both Kim Sang-sik and I hold fairly respectable positions in Neo Seoul. If you take us there, you’ll be properly rewarded.”

She didn’t know who Zeon really was, or where he came from.

Normally, she would never entrust herself to someone so uncertain.

But after Zahar’s betrayal, she had lost everything.

She had no other choice.

Right now, she didn’t even know where Neo Seoul was.

It would be foolish to assume she could simply head north and find it.

The desert landscape was too uniform—finding direction itself was nearly impossible.

On top of that, they had lost all their vehicles.

If they let Zeon go, they would wander the desert until they dried up like mummies.

He was their only hope.

Kim Sang-sik knelt before Zeon.

“I beg you… please don’t abandon us.”

Unlike Mandy, who was at least an Awakened, Kim Sang-sik was just an ordinary person.

If left behind, he wouldn’t survive even a day.

Zeon let out a sigh.

“…Sigh. I suppose I have no choice. Alright—I’ll take you as far as Neo Seoul.”

“Really? Thank you! If you get us there, we’ll definitely repay you.”

Kim Sang-sik looked overjoyed.

***

Perhaps the day had been too exhausting—Mandy and Kim Sang-sik soon fell into a deep sleep.

Zeon quietly watched them.

“So… they really are from Neo Seoul.”

They didn’t know it, but Zeon had been observing them from the very beginning.

To be precise, ever since Zahar and Team 7 had arrived at the goblin settlement—

not long after Zeon had wiped out the goblins himself.

Even at a glance, Zahar and Team 7’s clothing and equipment had been refined—far beyond those barely surviving in the desert.

Seeing them stirred a sense of longing for Neo Seoul.

Seven years ago, Deioden had vanished along with Hieltun.

They had disappeared without leaving even a trace.

The shock of it had completely reshaped the desert’s terrain and triggered an unprecedented mana storm.

Zeon was the only one who had witnessed their end.

When they vanished, he had felt an immense sense of loss.

After that, he wandered the desert aimlessly—

just as Deioden once had.

He had no particular goal, no clear purpose.

And so, seven years passed.

Including the one year he had spent with Deioden, he had wandered the desert for eight years.

A great deal had happened during that time, and those experiences had shaped him.

Even before this, he had begun to feel that it was time to return to Neo Seoul.

Meeting these two had only reinforced that thought.

Since their destination was the same, bringing them along wasn’t a bad idea.

It would also make entering Neo Seoul easier.

Having settled his thoughts, Zeon lay down.

He pulled his robe over himself and fell asleep.

Kiiiieee—!

The next morning, Zeon woke to a strange sound echoing from afar.

Mandy and Kim Sang-sik jolted upright in panic.

“What was that?”

“What is that sound…?”

Their fear was obvious.

Because the sound carried unmistakable hostility—

and killing intent.

Zeon answered calmly, as if it were nothing.

“It’s the cry of a wyvern. There must be a nest nearby.”

“Wy… wyvern?”

“Oh my god…”

Both of them turned deathly pale.

A wyvern was a B-rank magical beast—but its danger level was considered A-rank or higher.

Unlike other monsters, its domain was the sky.

There was no predicting when or where it might suddenly appear and attack, which made it even more terrifying.

Zeon stood up and began collecting the canopy and wooden poles he had set up overnight.

“We should leave before the wyverns come here to hunt.”

He skillfully packed everything onto the Bactrian camel and departed without hesitation.

Mandy and Kim Sang-sik hurried after him.

Kim Sang-sik’s face, in particular, was twisted with fear.

Even the distant cry of a wyvern made his heart pound violently.

It felt as if it might burst at any moment.

This place is hell… First cyclopes, now wyverns. How has he survived in a place like this?

His gaze remained fixed on Zeon’s back.

Zeon walked calmly, as if nothing was wrong.

Even the sand that swallowed their ankles with every step didn’t seem to bother him.

Kim Sang-sik glanced to the side—Mandy was already struggling as well.

No matter how strong an Awakened was, walking on sand drained stamina severely.

Thinking about walking all the way to Neo Seoul like this made his head spin.

“Huff… huff…”

They hadn’t walked long before sweat poured down like rain and their breathing grew ragged.

Their faces flushed red, as if they might burst.

At that moment, Zeon turned back.

“This won’t do.”

“Huh?”

“Take turns riding the camel. It’ll help conserve your strength.”

“What about you?”

“I’m used to the sand. I can walk all day.”

Unlike the two of them, already drenched in sweat, Zeon looked completely unaffected.

His expression was unchanged, and his breathing steady.

It proved he wasn’t exaggerating.

“Thank you.”

Kim Sang-sik didn’t dare refuse and climbed onto the camel.

Though still exposed to the heat, it no longer felt like he was about to die.

He felt genuine gratitude toward Zeon.

Zeon simply continued walking, as if it were nothing.

Mandy watched his back, impressed.

His way of walking is unusual… How does his feet not sink? It’s like he’s gliding. Almost as if the sand itself is pushing him forward.

It was truly a strange gait.

She had never seen anyone move like that.

He must be an Awakened. Magic-type? Or martial-type? What rank?

There were many things she wanted to know.

At the very least, it was certain Zeon was an Awakened.

Otherwise, there was no way he could remain so composed under this scorching sun.

What she really wanted to know was what type he was.

Normally, she could tell by looking at the insignia on his wrist—but Zeon wore gauntlets.

They extended all the way up his forearms.

Most striking was the round, red gem embedded on the back of his hand.

The gauntlets suggested a martial-type Awakened.

Such weapons were typically used by them.

But something about him didn’t quite fit.

Martial-type Awakened were usually associated with the color red—active, passionate, driven by instinct.

Magic-type Awakened, on the other hand, were associated with blue—cool, rational, guided by intellect.

Distinguishing between the two was usually easy.

But strangely, Zeon didn’t clearly fit either.

His appearance suggested martial-type—

but his behavior and gaze felt closer to magic-type.

I’ll find out eventually.

The distance to Neo Seoul was over a thousand kilometers.

Traveling that far together, he would inevitably reveal his abilities.

Mandy focused on conserving her strength as she walked.

Fortunately, she could manipulate wind.

Whenever the heat became unbearable, she stirred a small breeze to cool herself.

Thanks to that, she was managing better than Kim Sang-sik, who rode the camel.

At that moment, Zeon’s voice came from ahead.

“It looks like it’s going to rain. Let’s move up there.”

“What?”

“Rain?”

Mandy and Kim Sang-sik stared in disbelief.

There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, and the sun blazed down mercilessly.

Rain sounded absurd.

They thought Zeon had lost his mind.

But he ignored their reactions and led them toward higher ground.

With no other choice, they followed.

Just as they reached the top of the tallest dune in the area—

BOOM!

Dark clouds gathered instantly, and thunder roared.

Then, heavy rain began to pour.

“Y-you were serious?”

“Oh my god…”

They stood there, mouths agape.

The rain fell with tremendous force, quickly flooding the lower ground.

If they had remained below, they would have been swept away.

Just as they were thinking how fortunate it was they had followed him—

Zeon smiled while looking at the pooled water.

For some reason, the sight felt unsettling.

He spoke.

“When it rains like this in the desert and water gathers, certain things wake up. This place happens to be perfect for them.”

“Wake up? What do you mean?”

“Those.”

At that moment, bubbles began to rise from the pooled water—

and something emerged.

They were grotesque creatures with long, thin bodies, like twisted wires, writhing as they moved.

The sight made Mandy and Kim Sang-sik feel nauseous.

Clutching her stomach, Mandy asked,

“W-what are those? I’ve never seen anything like them.”

“They’re called Ghost Hairworms. They stay dormant when it’s dry, but when water appears, they awaken and look for hosts.”

“Ghost Hairworms?”

“They burrow into a host’s body and control its brain, forcing it to seek water.”

“Water… in a desert?”

“That’s why they’re terrifying. Once infected, the host wanders the desert endlessly until it dies of exhaustion. Then they feed on the corpse, go dormant again—and awaken when it rains.”

The most terrifying thing in the desert wasn’t monsters like wyverns.

It was unseen threats like these.

Mandy and Kim Sang-sik shuddered involuntarily.

Zeon stepped toward the water where the creatures writhed.

“Wait here.”

“W-why are you going down there? Those things are dangerous!”

“I’ve wanted one for a long time.”

Zeon replied with a smile.