Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 292

“Hah! Hah! Neo Seoul!”

“Damn it, we’re finally back.”

Aeron and Dominic gazed at the distant outline of Neo Seoul with deep emotions.

The two of them were in a pitiful state.

Their clothes were shredded, their hair disheveled, and their bodies covered in bruises and cuts, looking every bit like defeated soldiers.

The past three days had been hell for them.

Except for brief moments to recover their mana or snatch a bit of sleep, they had been relentlessly attacked by beasts.

Zeon and Levin had made sure to send beasts precisely when their mana had fully recovered.

As a result, they barely had any time to rest and were forced to fight non-stop.

They had compressed what would normally take months of combat experience into just three days.

Their bodies were battered, but their confidence was sky-high.

“Now we’re battle-hardened veterans.”

“Yeah! F-rank beasts? We’re not afraid of them anymore.”

Just then, a voice from behind made their spines tingle.

“Then you’re ready to take on E-rank beasts?”

“Gah!”

Startled, they turned to see Levin approaching like a ghost, a grin on his face.

“How about I send some E-rank beasts your way right now?”

“No way!”

“Aw, why not?”

Aeron and Dominic, panicked, grabbed Levin’s arms tightly.

On the journey back, Levin had tirelessly rounded up beasts like a herding dog, driving the two of them to exhaustion.

In their eyes, Levin was nothing short of a devil.

Though Levin had acted under Zeon’s orders, he didn’t bother explaining himself. It was the only way to increase his friends’ chances of survival.

Patting their shoulders, Levin spoke with a smile.

“I did it all for your own good. You know that, right?”

“Of course.”

“Yeah, we know.”

Aeron and Dominic nodded vigorously, their agreement almost automatic.

Watching the scene, Zeon chuckled softly and said,

“Let’s head in.”

“Yes, Hyung.”

The three of them replied in unison and entered the slums together.

In just a few days, the atmosphere of the slums had changed noticeably.

The Mana Stone Mine expedition had been officially announced.

Awakened individuals and small parties who had been slow to gather information were now scrambling to secure supplies.

Some, unable to find what they needed in Neo Seoul, had turned to the shops in the slums, creating an unusual level of commotion.

Levin glanced at Aeron and Dominic.

“It’ll be chaotic until the expedition departs. Don’t get carried away or wander off, get some rest.”

“We don’t have the energy to wander around.”

“We’re just going to catch up on all the sleep we’ve missed.”

Dark circles shadowed their eyes, and their fatigue was so evident that it seemed they might collapse at any moment.

They turned to Zeon and bowed deeply in gratitude.

“Thank you, Hyung!”

“Sorry for all the trouble we caused. We’ll make sure to repay this debt.”

“You’re tired. Go rest.”

Zeon said, waving them off.

Without a second glance, they headed straight to their respective homes.

Zeon turned to Levin.

“Let’s go home too.”

“Yeah, Hyung. I need to wash up and rest.”

Levin had worked just as hard as Aeron and Dominic.

For three days, he had hunted down beasts that matched their level and herded them relentlessly, leaving him thoroughly exhausted.

He was eager to take a cold shower and collapse into his soft bed.

Zeon nodded.

“Yeah, let’s head home and get some rest.”

“Think Brielle’s doing okay?”

“Why, you miss her?”

“Haha!”

Levin responded with an awkward smile instead of an answer.

The two walked side by side toward home.

“Welcome back!”

The moment they stepped into the house, Brielle greeted them enthusiastically.

Levin was about to reply, but Brielle brushed past him and stood in front of Zeon.

Seeing her sparkling eyes, Zeon asked.

“Gaia?”

“Yep!”

“Got it.”

Zeon nodded and opened his subspace. Gaia peeked her head out cautiously.

“Gaia!”

―Beep!

“I missed you so much.”

Brielle lunged forward and hugged Gaia tightly.

Gaia, clearly just as happy to see Brielle, wagged her tail in delight.

Watching the heartwarming scene, Zeon smiled wryly and said to Levin,

“Looks like we’re not the priority anymore.”

“Seems that way. I’ll go wash up and rest.”

“Go ahead.”

“You should rest too, Hyung.”

“Yeah, I will.”

Levin headed to his room first.

Meanwhile, Brielle clung to Gaia, chattering excitedly about her latest research.

“This is nice.”

There was no place like home.

* * *

Aiden stared at the warehouse with a grim expression.

Half of the massive storage space was empty.

“Damn it!”

“What’s wrong?”

Giselle, standing beside him, gave him a puzzled look.

“Why are you asking? We’re dangerously low on supplies.”

“This much stock is normal, though. What’s the issue?”

“It’d be fine under normal circumstances. But we’ve got the Mana Stone Mine expedition coming up.”

“Huh?”

“The consumption rate for supplies is going to skyrocket. On top of that, our numbers have grown. Damn it, I should’ve been more careful.”

Aiden berated himself for the oversight.

Everything had changed since Jang Yong-beom became an S-rank Awakened.

The most significant change was the explosive growth of his party.

What had once been a small, elite group consisting of Jang Yong-beom, Aiden, Giselle, and Mountain had grown to over a hundred members, essentially becoming a mid-sized assault team.

This growth came with challenges.

Most of the new members, recruited from the collapsed Pegasus Raid Force, were combat specialists with little experience in operations or logistics.

As a result, administrative tasks were in disarray, and by the time Aiden realized the problem, it was almost too late.

Giselle asked cautiously.

“What do we do now?”

“First, we secure the missing supplies.”

“Everything worth having has already been scooped up by other teams.”

“What’s the most critical thing we need when fighting beasts?”

“Potions. Antidotes, healing potions, mana potions. Other supplies can be bought with enough money, but potions are in such short supply that they’re impossible to find.”

“Exactly. Getting potions is the top priority.”

“So how do we get them?”

“We have the kid.”

“The kid?”

“You know, the one who hangs out with Zeon.”

“That cocky brat?”

“Yeah. That brat’s potions are top-notch.”

“Ah…”

Giselle realized why Aiden had brought up Brielle.

Though she hadn’t openly flaunted her skills, everyone in Jang Yong-beom’s team knew how exceptional she was as an alchemist.

“Think she’ll help us? She’s ridiculously arrogant.”

“Still, we have to ask.”

“True. There’s no other choice right now, even if it’s not ideal…”

“The Mana Stone Mine expedition is critical for us. If we make a significant contribution, we’ll solidify our status as an official assault team.”

Jang Yong-beom’s team was still building its foundation.

This expedition was their chance to secure a reputation—and possibly a stake in the new mine.

“Then let’s make it happen.”

Giselle said, her reluctance giving way to determination.

Aiden nodded and set off to find Jang Yong-beom.

After explaining the situation, Jang Yong-beom sighed.

“Ugh, so we’re begging him again.”

“Is it that big of a deal to ask for his help?”

Jang Yong-beom scowled.

“Don’t forget, I’m an S-rank Awakened too.”

“But he’s the Sand Mage.”

"Dammit!"

"It'll be easier if you just admit it."

"I admit it, alright. But that doesn’t mean I'm at the level where I can be ignored!"

"Who would dare ignore our captain?"

"Right? No one would, right?"

"Of course not."

"Tch!"

Jang Yong-beom let out a hollow laugh.

As he had been having a pointless conversation with Aiden, his mind was settling down.

Jang Yong-beom immediately stood up.

Aiden blinked in surprise.

"What's going on?"

"Since I'll have to bow my head eventually, what's the point of delaying it?"

"Are we going now?"

"Yeah!"

"Let's go."

"I’m coming with you."

Jang Yong-beom, Aiden, and even Giselle followed along.

The three of them left Neo Seoul and entered the slums.

As soon as they stepped into the slums, the air itself felt different.

Their throats were already dry. Still, none of them felt particularly uncomfortable. They were used to this kind of environmental change.

They immediately headed to Zeon’s house.

It wasn’t a problem since they already knew where Zeon lived.

Thud, thud!

When they knocked on the door, Zeon came out a moment later.

He looked at the three of them with a puzzled expression.

“What brings all three of you here?”

“I came here to ask you a favor.”

“A favor?”

“Yes. May we come in to discuss it?”

Zeon hesitated briefly, glancing toward the commotion inside the house.

The sound of Brielle and Gaia scrambling to Brielle’s room could be heard.

After confirming they were out of sight, Zeon opened the door.

“Come in.”

“Thanks.”

The three entered cautiously, glancing around.

Zeon’s home, rumored to be impenetrable even by Dongdaemun’s fanatics, was unexpectedly ordinary—until they spotted the mana generator in the corner.

Its power was palpable.

Zeon stepped in front of it, subtly blocking their view.

“What’s the favor?”

“We need potions.”

“Potions?”

“The ones made by the kid.”

“I see.”

“We’ll pay any price. Just get us those potions.”

Zeon frowned slightly but quickly realized the request wasn’t entirely to his disadvantage.

“No payment necessary, but I have a favor of my own.”

“A favor?”

“It’s nothing too difficult.”

Zeon replied with a smile.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]