Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 465
Levin, who had entered the house without thinking, was startled to see Zeon sitting on the sofa.
“Oh, hyung?”
“Levin!”
“What? When did you get here? You didn’t even send word...”
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been fine. But when did you come back? And why so late?”
“It just happened that way. Nothing special happened while I was gone, right?”
“No, nothing out of the ordinary.”
Levin sat down across from Zeon.
In the few months they hadn’t seen each other, Levin had grown noticeably more mature.
“You look taller.”
“Really? I actually grew a little. Hehe!”
Levin smiled brightly at Zeon’s words.
He must have entered a growth spurt, because he was growing taller by the day.
Every morning, checking how much he had grown had become part of his routine.
“How’s Jeto?”
“He’s doing well. I’ve been watching over him, and Old Man Klexi’s been helping a lot too, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“I should go down and see him soon.”
“You’ll be surprised when you do. He’s grown a lot in just a few months.”
“Really? I wonder how much he’s changed.”
“Thanks to the sand hardener, there are a lot more houses now. Oh, and homes have started to pop up on the outskirts of the village too. I think the population’s increased by at least ten thousand.”
Levin excitedly talked about all the changes that had happened.
The biggest change, of course, was brought about by the supply of the sand hardener.
With new houses rising on the outskirts, Shinchon was growing larger by the day.
Those who had been homeless or living in poor conditions had come to Shinchon after hearing the rumors.
Thanks to that, Shinchon was livelier than any other district.
Of course, that also meant more problems arose, but overall, the territory had greatly expanded.
“So what happened to you, hyung? Why did it take so long for you to come back?”
“Well, I ended up going all the way to Elharun.”
“Elharun? You mean the city of the other races?”
“Yeah. I went there.”
“Wow! That’s insane. What was Elharun like? Are there really only other races living there? Why did you even go?”
Levin fired off questions nonstop.
“One at a time. My head’s starting to hurt.”
“Hehe! Sorry, hyung! I got too excited.”
“It’s fine. While tracking down the area where the Goblin Market raid team went missing, I ran into some people from Elharun. It turns out the monsters controlled by the one they were chasing killed the raid team.”
Zeon calmly explained what had happened in Elharun.
Levin couldn’t close his mouth the whole time he listened.
The conflicts between the other races and humans within Elharun, the destruction caused by the Black Queen, and finally, his meeting with the dragon Arkaid.
Every part of the story was astonishing.
Especially the encounter with Arkaid—it completely captivated Levin.
“So dragons really exist.”
“There are dragons other than Arkaid who crossed over to Earth.”
“Where are they now?”
“I’m not sure.”
Zeon didn’t know what the other dragons were doing either.
The ones he had met were Hyeltun, who was killed by Deioden, the half-dragon Nigel, and Arkaid.
‘Ah, there’s one more. The corpse of the White Dragon beneath Neo Seoul.’
Arkaid had never appeared on Earth to begin with, being a being that existed only within the dungeon.
The dragon beneath Neo Seoul had long been dead.
Hyeltun was also killed by Deioden, so the only living dragon left was Nigel.
Nigel had told him nothing about himself.
It was likely impossible to meet Nigel again until he chose to reveal himself.
Dragons were beings completely shrouded in mystery.
It was only natural for Levin to be fascinated.
Levin asked,
“What would happen if all the dragons started to act at once?”
“Then it would be a disaster.”
“A disaster?”
“They basically see humans as beneath them. Since they don’t see us as equals, there’s no respect either.”
“Ugh! Just imagining it is awful. That kind of thing must never happen.”
“That would be better for humanity.”
“Anyway, you’ve been through a lot, hyung. You must be tired.”
“I’m fine. After all, I came back safely.”
“Still, you should rest for a while since you’ve been gone so long.”
“I will.”
Zeon nodded.
Even without Levin saying so, he already had no plans to leave the house for a while.
Since he was finally home, he intended to rest properly.
But before that, there was one thing he needed to check.
“There’s been no news from Brielle, right?”
“No. Not a word. I wonder if she’s doing all right. Phew.”
Levin let out a small sigh.
Even if he wanted to know how she was, there was no way to find out.
Brielle hadn’t told them the location of the High Elf village.
Zeon comforted him.
“She’s fine. Don’t worry.”
“You think so?”
“Did you forget? Brielle and I are bound by a covenant. If something had happened to her, I would have been the first to know.”
“Oh! Right. Then she’s safe.”
“Yes.”
“That’s a relief.”
Only then did Levin’s face relax into a smile.
He hadn’t shown it, but he had been worrying about Brielle a lot too.
Now that he knew she was safe, he could finally rest easy.
“Hyung, do you want something to eat?”
“Why? Are you going to cook for me?”
“No, I’ll go buy something.”
“Then go to Old Man Klexi’s shop and bring back something good.”
“Got it. I’ll be right back, so just rest.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s nothing.”
Levin immediately ran outside.
Zeon chuckled softly.
“How can he be that happy?”
＊＊＊
Zeon stayed inside for a full ten days without stepping outside once.
That didn’t mean he spent his days doing nothing.
He studied the Ring of Purification he had received from Arkaid, and in his spare time, he researched more efficient ways to fight Atlas.
The Ring of Purification’s exact effects couldn’t be known without direct use, so eventually, Zeon began devoting most of his time to devising strategies against Atlas instead.
Fortunately, the structure, magic circles, and core system of Atlas were still vividly imprinted in his mind.
That allowed him to imagine various battle scenarios and form countermeasures.
If he ever faced another metal golem, he was confident he could take it down far more easily.
For Zeon, it was a meaningful period in many ways.
“Hoo. I guess it’s about time to step outside.”
After ten days of being cooped up, his body was itching to move.
Zeon finally left the house.
After being in the cool house, the sweltering heat outside made his breath catch, but he quickly adjusted.
His first destination was Old Man Klexi’s shop.
Though he had enjoyed the food Levin brought him, nothing compared to a freshly cooked meal.
“Well, look who finally decided to crawl out of his den.”
Old Man Klexi greeted him with a teasing tone.
“Den? Really?”
“Then should I call you a shut-in instead? How can a person stay inside for ten whole days?”
“If you sleep outdoors for a few months, you’ll see how easy it is.”
“You didn’t really sleep outdoors that long, did you? What’ve you been up to anyway?”
“That’s a secret.”
“You damn brat!”
“Curiosity kills early, old man. You should live long.”
“Was that a threat?”
“Come on, now. Just some friendly advice.”
“You sure know how to talk, don’t you? Always that slick tongue of yours...”
Old Man Klexi clicked his tongue in disapproval, but Zeon didn’t mind.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the old man, but there was nothing to gain by telling him he had been to Elharun.
If humans learned about Elharun, it could lead to war.
Two civilizations existing in one world.
And Elharun had been one of the forces responsible for Earth’s downfall.
The races in Elharun already disliked humans, but the hatred humans felt toward them was far greater.
Old Man Klexi asked,
“What happened to the missing raid team?”
“They were killed by low-tier monsters called Red Locusts.”
“Wiped out by low-tier beasts?”
“Each one alone isn’t dangerous, but they hunt in swarms.”
“No one can withstand being mobbed. So that’s how it was. Tsk.”
Old Man Klexi clicked his tongue again.
“But I made sure to avenge them.”
“Avenging them doesn’t bring them back. Still, good job. Thanks to you, maybe their spirits can rest a little easier. Such a waste... they were good ones.”
Regret filled his expression.
Though he had stepped back from the front lines, he still knew every awakened fighter in the Goblin Market.
Those who perished this time were no exception.
“I guess I’ll have to drink to that.”
Old Man Klexi poured a full glass of liquor.
It was a toast to honor the fallen.
Then he filled his own glass to the brim and downed it in one go.
“Haah! I haven’t had a drink in a while. It’s hitting hard.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“This isn’t ordinary booze, you know. You know what it’s made of—”
“That’s enough. I don’t want to know.”
“You’re impossible!”
“Just give me food.”
“Right, right. I just got some good meat in, made some boiled slices. It’s cultured meat, but it’s decent.”
Old Man Klexi set down a steaming plate of sliced meat in front of Zeon.
“Thank you.”
Zeon immediately picked up his chopsticks.
He didn’t care whether it was cultured or monster meat.
Anything that passed through Klexi’s hands became delicious.
No matter what, it had to taste better than the dreadful food of Elharun.
And indeed, it was delicious.
The meat melted in his mouth the moment he took a bite.
It felt like every bit of hardship he had endured was being rewarded.
“This is good.”
“Nothing beats freshly made food.”
“You’re the best, old man.”
Zeon gave him a thumbs-up.
Old Man Klexi smiled.
Praise from Zeon meant more to him than a hundred compliments from anyone else.
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
“For now, I’m just going to rest and not think about anything.”
“That’s fair. You’ve been living in the desert for months.”
Old Man Klexi nodded.
Zeon might not have any visible injuries, but the exhaustion from his long journey had taken its toll on his spirit.
Even someone with strong mental fortitude needed rest.
Then Zeon asked as if remembering something.
“How’s the Goblin Market doing?”
“Never been better.”
“So business is good.”
“The population’s grown a lot.”
An increase in population meant an increase in economic activity.
As more sand houses were built on the outskirts of Shinchon, more people moved in—many of them awakened.
Not everyone who awakened went to Neo Seoul, nor were they all rich.
Many stayed behind with their families in the slums out of necessity.
Among them, quite a few had moved to Shinchon.
The awakened who settled there brought the byproducts of the monsters they hunted to the Goblin Market.
As a result, the volume of goods handled by the market had skyrocketed.
“Thanks to that, Sehee and her subordinates are running themselves ragged, but that’s not my problem. Haha!”
“So you’re completely retired from the front lines.”
“That’s right.”
“I’m jealous.”
“If you’re jealous, then retire too.”
“I’d like to, honestly.”
“At this rate, maybe in a hundred years.”
“That sounds like a curse.”
“If you had mediocre power, maybe you could have retired early. No one would care. But you’re too strong. Whether you want it or not, the world won’t leave you alone.”
“...”
Old Man Klexi looked at Zeon with pity.
Zeon was powerful.
Powerful enough to change the world on his own.
For someone like that, the world would never grant peace.
Whether he wanted it or not, he would always stand at the center of fate’s storms.
“Stay strong.”
It was the only thing Old Man Klexi could say to him at that moment.