Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 5
Previously on Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert...
Zeon gazed at the hourglass gripped in his palm.
“What is this?”
Picking the hourglass hadn't been a random choice or impulse for him.
From the moment he stepped into the room crammed with worthless junk, a peculiar pull had drawn him in.
That pull stemmed straight from this very hourglass.
Covered in elaborate designs, it was smaller than his hand.
In a world that hadn't collapsed, collectors would have fought over it.
Zeon inverted the hourglass, watching the tiny grains of sand flow downward.
“Around ten minutes?”
That was how long it took for all the sand to drain to the bottom after turning it over.
A bizarre energy coursed through Zeon's veins.
“What exactly is this thing? Does it tie into my awakening?”
He turned it over once more.
Again, the sand grains poured down.
He observed how exceptionally fine the sand was, glowing redder than the desert sands blanketing the world.
Such sand was completely unfamiliar to him.
Curious if his powers might trigger something in the hourglass—given its possible link to him—Zeon decided to test it.
‘Move.’
He ordered the red sand within the hourglass. Yet it kept falling, utterly unresponsive.
He focused harder, trying to control the red sand, but nothing changed.
“What the hell! Was I wrong?”
Fuming, Zeon shoved the hourglass into his pocket.
Still, he'd traded a valuable Magic Stone for it.
He couldn't simply discard it because it refused to obey.
Zeon figured the day had begun terribly. But far worse awaited him.
Back at his lodging, a man stood waiting.
A massive build with a rough look, his bare chest scarred from a brutal past.
Their gazes locked, and the man growled.
“You the rookie who came in yesterday?”
“Yes! But who are you?”
“Fuck you bastard! Why weren’t you at the mine this morning?”
“What’s the matter?”
“If you came to work, you should’ve sprinted to the mine. Why did I have to come looking for you here? Fucking bastard!”
The man's name was Park Manho.
An E-rank Awakened overseeing the mines.
The Magic Stone Mines city ran on two key pillars: the central mines and the guards protecting the city around them.
Park Manho managed the mines' operations.
He assigned miners to tunnels and kept total grip on the Magic Stones.
Among the top five powers in the mining city, he stood out.
Zeon attempted to clarify.
“Because no one called me…”
“This bastard is funny. Who’s gonna call for you? If you came to work, you should’ve known to come by yourself.”
“Still…”
“Forget it, just follow me. You bastard! Stop jabbering.”
Park Manho was deeply entrenched in the mining city.
He'd encountered countless folks and mastered handling them swiftly.
Dealing with a newbie like Zeon was effortless for him.
No, not just him.
All in this Magic Stone Mines acted the same.
They swarmed like piranhas on any prey splashing into their waters.
When good prey dropped in, they all dove to strip it to the bones.
To them, fresh rookies like Zeon were prime targets.
Zeon grasped this reality.
From old man Klexi to Park Manho, greed consumed everyone.
Escaping their clutches seemed impossible.
He dared not broadcast his Awakened identity or ignore Park Manho’s commands.
Worse, they gave him no chance to push back. Pressure came nonstop.
Zeon felt utterly cornered.
He desperately wished to skip the mines, but knew resistance was futile.
Inside the mine city, defying Park Manho was out of the question.
Besides, Park was an E-rank Awakened.
The wrist insignia marked his Awakened rank, and he specialized in Martial Arts.
Common though it was, Martial Arts users weren't to be trifled with lightly.
They wielded their powers most effectively.
Zeon stood no chance against him now.
‘Damn it! Even the mine boss came personally to drag me.’
If the bus had arrived safely yesterday, none of this would have hit.
With droves of applicants, one absence wouldn't raise flags. But the Sandworm devoured them all, leaving only Zeon.
Staying low would look even shadier.
Yet as Zeon paused before following, Park’s face twisted.
“This bastard!”
Thud!
Park Manho slammed a fist into Zeon.
“Ugh!”
Zeon yelped, tumbling back.
Park Manho stomped down mercilessly.
“You bastard! Didn’t I tell you to follow? Ugh!”
Thud! Thud!
Beating silenced Zeon’s cries.
Thanks to his awakening, the agony fell short of expectations.
He sensed he could fight back.
But Zeon held back.
Rebellion's hour hadn't struck.
Endure, grow stronger now.
Revenge could wait; timing would make it sweeter.
Zeon balled up like a shrimp, weathering Park Manho’s blows.
With rage cooling slightly, Park Manho stopped.
“Make another fuss or disobey me again, and you’ll die for real. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“If you understand, then follow me.”
Brushing off Zeon’s reply, Park Manho strode ahead.
Zeon hauled himself up, trailing silently behind.
Grrr!
Zeon ground his teeth.
His face was battered, body covered in bruises.
Awakening let him tough it out; else he'd be bedridden for days.
Staring daggers at Park Manho’s back, Zeon vowed inwardly.
‘I don’t know about the others, but I will definitely kill you.’
Park Manho ignored Zeon’s injuries.
In the mines, miners were disposable tools.
Worn or busted, out they went.
There was no reason to care about an expendable good’s well-being.
Park Manho reached the tunnel entrances to the mine shafts, Zeon in tow.
A miner waited there.
Park Manho ordered.
“Give this guy some equipment.”
“Understood.”
The miner swiftly passed Zeon a pickaxe, a lamp-equipped helmet, and a backpack with rations for days.
Park Manho added.
“The cost of the pickaxe and food will be deducted from your wages. Put the Magic Stones in that backpack when you collect them.”
“That’s it? You’re not going to teach me how to mine the Magic Stones?”
“Damn it! Do I need to teach you how to use a pickaxe? Just hit it against the walls; that’s it.”
Park Manho’s voice boomed again.
The tool-handing miner flinched and retreated.
Park Manho earned the nickname ‘Tyrant of the Tunnels.’
Trivial errors sparked his violence.
All miners feared him for it.
Zeon stood stunned.
Shoving folks into shafts without basics was insane.
It bordered on murder.
“Hey! Throw this bastard into the 972nd tunnel.”
“The 972nd tunnel…”
“Quit the blabber and throw him in.”
“Yes! Got it.”
As Park Manho bellowed louder, the miner jumped to obey.
He seized Zeon’s arm, dragging him off.
“Hey, let’s go.”
“Yes? Yes!”
Thus, unprepared, Zeon plunged into the tunnels.
Park Manho yelled after him.
“You bastard! Don’t even think of coming out before you dig up some Magic Stones. Remember what I said.”
A fury boiled in Zeon’s chest.
‘That son of a bitch is really…’
He swore vengeance on Park Manho the instant power allowed.
Zeon now saw the Magic Stone Mines' true nature.
No allies existed here.
Show weakness, get eaten alive.
Treat everyone as foe; stay vigilant always.
Zeon cursed his brief lapse in resolve upon arrival.
He steeled himself and pressed deeper into the tunnel.
Even at the start, the passage squeezed tight.
Hand-dug without machines, narrowness was inevitable.
Then the miner spoke.
“Consider yourself lucky. Because you got caught when the Captain was in a bad mood.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Captain lost all his money at the gambling den.”
“Is there a gambling den here?”
“What isn’t here? From gambling to prostitutes, alcohol, and drugs, there’s nothing missing. Speaking from experience, it’s best not to get involved. You end up working hard to make others happy.”
The miner had slaved here five years.
All his batchmates were crippled or dead.
No will endured the temptations; one slip, and it shattered.
“Still, if you want to save up and go out of here, stay alert.”
“What kind of place is the 972nd tunnel?”
“Go and find out.”
The miner kept chatting.
Zeon sensed instinctively his assigned tunnel was no ordinary spot.
‘Damn it!’
Escape tempted him briefly, but he abandoned it.
Endless desert ringed the mining city.
Rushing out meant dying parched under the sun.
‘The most important thing I need to do is to develop my abilities.’
Events unfolded too fast; he hadn't tested his powers fully.
Alone now, assessing them was key to future plans.
Myriad forks branched before Zeon.
The miner showed how to read them.
“If you look closely, you will see an arrow engraved at the fork in the road. Red arrows indicate going deeper underground, while blue arrows show the way up to the surface. When you exit, always follow the blue arrows. Got it?”
“Yes!”
Depth suggested hundreds of meters down.
Finally, the miner halted.
“This is the 972nd tunnel.”
Zeon eyed the tunnel the miner indicated.
Its pitch-black maw seemed to lure him inside.
“All you have to do is go in there and start working.”
“For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Four people have already suffered misfortune inside. Be cautious.”
“Suffered misfortune?”
“It means they died.”
“What?”
“We don’t know how they died. Since everyone assigned here has died, no one wants to enter the 972nd tunnel. That’s why the Captain put a newcomer like you in there.”
“Fuck!”
Zeon stared at the miner in disbelief. The miner met his gaze sympathetically.
He felt bad shoving Zeon in. But orders were orders.
He was merely a miner, bound to obey.
“I hope you come out safe and alive.”
With that, the miner departed for his own tunnel.
Alone, Zeon stared into the 972nd tunnel.
“Everyone that went in there died? Did he send me to this place on purpose? Just because he wasn’t in a good mood. Park Manho, you will definitely die by my hands, I swear.”