Chapter 63
The roar unleashed by the Flame Wolf alpha shook the minds of the Awakened.
βGhk!β
βDamn it!β
The Awakened staggered, losing their balance for a moment.
In contrast, the Flame Wolves gained courage and strength from their leaderβs roar and charged even more fiercely.
The already unfavorable situation tilted even further.
βShit! You damn beastsβ¦!β
Eloi cursed as she swept back her thick blonde hair.
Blood dripped down the shaft of the Mad Nine-Tailed Fox.
She had no idea how many Flame Wolves she had killed.
Driven by frenzy, she kept killing and killing.
Yet their numbers did not decrease.
Whenever a gap opened, another filled it, charging in without fear of death.
βGRAAAH!β
One Awakened who had been barely holding on was bitten and dragged off the bus.
Dozens of Flame Wolves swarmed the fallen Awakened.
In an instant, he became their prey and vanished from the world.
Even that wasnβt enough to sate themβthey surged forward again.
βIβll wipe you all out!β
Eloi hurled the Mad Nine-Tailed Fox into the air.
In midair, the spear split into nine in an instant.
With a flick of her hand, the nine spears rose high into the sky.
From the mana connecting them, an intense light burst forth.
βNine Spear Strike.β
Her strongest skill erupted.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A rain of spears poured down, smashing into the Flame Wolves charging the bus.
Hundreds were swept away in an instant.
βHaaβ¦ haaβ¦β
Eloi retrieved the Mad Nine-Tailed Fox, breathing heavily.
The power was immenseβbut so was the mana consumption.
Her mana was nearly depleted.
But she couldnβt afford to rest.
ROOOOAR!
Countless Flame Wolves filled the gaps and surged forward again.
Even after killing hundreds, it barely made a dent.
βDamn it! No matter how many I kill, thereβs no end. Where the hell did all these monsters come from?β
She already knew the answer.
The alpha.
Whenever a leader emerged in a monster group, their numbers swelled and their cohesion strengthened.
It didnβt take long for them to form an army.
Unless the alpha was killed, the Flame Wolves would continue to grow in number.
It had to be killed.
The problem wasβit was nearly impossible.
The alpha stayed back, merely observing, not participating in the hunt.
As if it considered this beneath it.
βI need to kill that bastardβ¦β
Eloi gritted her teeth.
But she was already struggling just to defend the bus.
Trying to reach it was out of the question.
At that momentβ
Whooooosh!
A strong wind suddenly blew from behind.
Turning around, she saw a sandstorm approaching.
Thick sand swallowed the view entirely.
Without hesitation, Eloi shouted at the driver,
βDrive into the sandstorm!β
Whether he heard her or not, the driver steered the bus toward the incoming storm.
The massive armored bus was quickly engulfed in sand.
Even then, the Flame Wolves continued to chaseβbut their numbers had noticeably decreased.
Swinging the Mad Nine-Tailed Fox, Eloi muttered,
βLooks like the heavens havenβt completely abandoned us.β
οΌοΌοΌ
Zeon glanced back.
The bus was no longer visible, hidden by the dense sandstorm.
It was a sandstorm he had created.
Within it, the Flame Wolves stumbled in confusion.
This would give Eloi and the Awakened enough time to hold out.
Now it was time to resolve the situation.
Zeon activated Sand Step.
Swoooosh!
His body glided over the sand as if skiing.
ROOOOAR!
Flame Wolves that spotted him charged.
At that moment, dozens of streams of sand rose beneath his feet.
Like vines climbing a wall, they surged upward and shot toward the wolves.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The Flame Wolves were pierced before they could even scream.
Zeon did not stop for even a moment.
Hundreds of Flame Wolves died without ever reaching him.
In an instant, Zeon arrived before the alpha.
Grrrrrβ¦
The alpha bared its fangs at him.
The flames in its eyes burned brighter.
By instinct alone, it recognized Zeon as a dangerous being.
Zeon looked at it and spoke calmly,
βAbout B-rank, I suppose. Give it a little more time, and reaching A-rank wouldnβt have been a problem.β
Just as Awakened grew stronger with experience, monsters evolved over time as well.
The alpha before him was still a young wolf in its growth phase.
Which meant its growth speed was rapid.
If left alone, it would soon reach A-rank.
If left alone, it was certain to become a disaster.
ROOOOAR!
The beast let out a deafening howl.
It unleashed its auraβbut it had no effect on Zeon.
Frowning, Zeon muttered,
βWatch the spit. Disgustingβ¦β
In fact, droplets of the Flame Wolfβs saliva had splashed onto his chest.
Its saliva contained poison and corrosive propertiesβenough to melt and tear through most protective gear in an instant.
But Zeonβs robe showed no damage at all.
It was made from Leviathan leather.
Far superior in grade and strength to the Flame Wolf alpha.
Naturally, the wolfβs saliva couldnβt harm it.
At that moment, sensing their leaderβs danger, the Flame Wolves charged in frantically.
Their only goalβ
Even if they died, they would save their leader.
But Zeon had no intention of granting that wish.
βSummon. Sand Soldiers.β
In an instant, sand rose around him and took human form.
Sand Soldiers.
Hundreds of them appeared in the blink of an eye.
βHold them off.β
At Zeonβs command, the Sand Soldiers moved.
No fear. No hesitation.
They willingly threw themselves into the jaws of the Flame Wolves.
They fought, killed, and were destroyed.
When heavily damaged, they crumbled like sandcastles.
But Zeon didnβt worry.
As long as there was mana and sand, he could summon them endlessly.
The desert provided infinite sand, and his mana reserves were abundant.
Maintaining them posed no problem.
While the Sand Soldiers held the wolves back, Zeon advanced toward the alpha.
GROOOOAR!
Flames surged from its jaws and tail.
The alpha opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of scorching fire.
βSorry, but this level of heat wonβt even scratch me.β
Zeon raised his right arm.
The superheated gauntlet glowed red.
The crimson light instantly swept away the incoming flames.
It was the Superheat Gauntlet embedded with the eye of a Red Dragonβ
the pinnacle of fire-element equipment.
Naturally, no fire-based attack could stand against it.
In the end, the alpha had no choice but to rely on close combat.
With its overwhelming size, immense mass, and razor-sharp fangs and claws, it charged.
Despite its terrifying presence, Zeonβs expression didnβt change in the slightest.
Just before its fangs could pierce him, a wall of sand rose in front of Zeon.
The sand instantly swallowed the alpha whole.
Zeon murmured,
βSand Mixer.β
WHRRRRRR!
Fine grains of sand began rotating at tremendous speed.
Like a blender, the sand ground the alpha apart.
The Flame Wolf thrashed in agony, trying to escape.
But no matter how it struggled, it couldnβt break free from the spinning sand.
Its fur was torn away.
Its flesh shredded.
The sand burrowed into its body, grinding and dismantling it.
In unbearable pain, the alpha screamedβbut even its cries were drowned out by the roaring sand.
WHRRRRR!
Blood and flesh sprayed outward.
The spinning sand quickly turned crimson.
Still, it didnβt stop.
Awooo!
Yelp! Yelp!
The Flame Wolves fighting the Sand Soldiers suddenly tucked their tails and howled.
They had sensed their leaderβs death.
With their powerful leader gone, the pack scattered in all directions.
Only then did Zeon dismiss the Sand Soldiers and the Sand Mixer.
Thud.
Where the alpha had been, a single red magic stone dropped to the ground.
Everything elseβbone, flesh, bodyβhad been completely obliterated, leaving only its core.
Even after instantly killing a B-rank monster, Zeonβs face showed no excitement.
His path had been far too harsh for something like this to stir him.
A Flame Wolf alpha wasnβt even worth calling a threat.
Picking up the magic stone, Zeon muttered,
βThis should sell for a good price.β
Until now, he had never needed money.
There was nothing to spend it on in the desert.
Outside of Neo Seoul, the colonies were too focused on survival to develop real economies.
They traded with magic stones or bartering instead of currency.
But Neo Seoul was different.
Over ten million people lived there.
Including the slums, the population approached twenty million.
With so many people packed into a confined space, money became a necessity for trade.
Higher-quality magic stones fetched higher prices.
Especially one obtained from a monster leaderβits value was on another level.
It contained energy far superior to stones mined from the Magic Stone Mine.
Zeon stored the magic stone in his subspace.
The countless Flame Wolves that had filled the area were gone, scattered into smaller groups.
Until a new alpha emerged, they would remain divided.
βTime to head back.β
His task was complete.
He used Sand Step again and quickly caught up with the armored bus.
The bus was still engulfed in the sandstorm, completely unaware of what had happened outside.
They only sensed that the attacks were gradually decreasing.
Zeon calmly reentered the bus and dispelled the sandstorm.
As the thick veil of sand cleared, Eloi and the others finally realized what had happened.
βWhat theβ?β
βThe wolvesβ¦ theyβre all gone?β
βWe survivedβ¦ we actually survived!β
The Awakened and miners embraced each other in relief.
But Eloi couldnβt celebrate like them.
She knew this wasnβt natural.
She stepped inside and looked at Zeon.
He sat in his seat with his arms crossed.
A faint scent of blood lingered around him.
Her half-elf senses couldnβt be fooled.
βThat bastard definitely did something.β
Otherwise, this situation made no sense.
The problem wasβshe had no idea what he had done.
βJust what the hell is heβ¦ that damn bastard.β