Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 615
Previously on Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert...
“Keugh!”
“Ack!”
Desperate screams echoed from all directions.
A river of blood flowed, and numerous corpses were stacked into layers, forming a small mound.
At the center of this carnage stood a middle-aged man.
He bore a neatly trimmed mustache.
With eyes that were deeply sunken, he gazed upon those perishing before him.
They were all individuals connected to him.
Friends, subordinates—everyone linked to him was being brutally slain in one place.
The state of the dying was truly horrific.
Bones were fractured, bodies were crushed to the point of being unrecognizable.
It was as though they had been fed into a colossal press and ground into nothingness.
The man’s gaze then shifted to the architect of this massacre.
Another middle-aged man, clad in a perfectly tailored suit.
In his hand, he held a cane adorned with a blue gem, evoking the image of a gentleman from a long-lost Britain.
Despite orchestrating such a ghastly scene, a subtle smile played on his lips.
His name was Grain.
As the second-in-command of Numbers and the master of gravity, he was responsible for this catastrophe.
The initial man glared at Grain, his eyes burning with a desire to consume him.
“Grain! Why… why did you slaughter all my people?”
“You’re not asking because you are ignorant, are you?”
“What utter nonsense are you spewing?”
“My, my. After serving as a high-ranking official in City Hall for such an extended period, you seem to have acquired some undesirable habits.”
“Grain! I will never forget this. I will report this to the Mayor and ensure you are punished.”
“Oh? You have indeed equipped yourself with excellent denial and shameless deflection. A public official should certainly possess such skills.”
“Do not dare to insult me.”
“Then explain why you distributed drugs?”
“What?”
“I highly doubt you were granted portal administrator authority merely to distribute illicit substances.”
“How do you—?”
The middle-aged man’s eyes trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
Grain casually twirled his cane, the blue gem glinting, and moved closer to him.
“You were deeply involved. The Head of Audit, the Director of Facility Management, the External Workforce Team Leader. Even mid-level officials from the East, South, and North Districts. When did you forge such extensive connections to orchestrate this?”
“……”
The man’s eyes quivered.
His name was Jo Chung-wan.
He held the position of head of the finance team at City Hall.
Renowned for his sharp numerical acumen and unwavering integrity, he was highly esteemed within City Hall.
In terms of sheer authority, he stood on par with Secretary Seo Taeran.
Such was the extent of his influence.
When the portals first appeared, he was promoted to lead the management team, and his power only magnified.
However, all that power proved useless against the man standing before him.
The subordinates who typically guarded him, and even the hired Awakened who commanded exorbitant fees, all perished within ten seconds under Grain’s gravity manipulation.
Grain had merely flicked a finger once, and by the time Jo Chung-wan regained his senses, everyone but himself had been crushed like insignificant insects.
The scene was so gruesome that he could barely maintain his sanity. Clinging desperately to his fading consciousness, he cried out,
“Ev-evidence! Do you possess any proof? To commit such an act without any substantiation—do you truly believe you will escape repercussions, even as a member of Numbers?”
“Wow. As expected of a learned individual, your choice of words is quite refined. Evidence, you say? But you see, I have no need for evidence.”
“What?”
“Lest you forget, another designation for Numbers is the execution unit. If an individual poses a threat to City Hall or Neo Seoul, we possess the authority to execute them summarily, without the need for evidence.”
Grain offered a faint smile and flicked his finger once more.
Kuuung!
In that precise moment, Jo Chung-wan felt an immense pressure bearing down upon him.
Grain’s ability—gravity amplification—had been activated.
Crack!
Unable to withstand the crushing force, Jo Chung-wan’s kneecaps shattered, and he collapsed to the ground.
“AAAAARGH!”
He shrieked in excruciating pain.
Grain looked down upon him with utter disdain.
“So, tell me, why did you do it? For a trifling sum of money, you spread drugs throughout Neo Seoul.”
“I was wrong. Please, just spare my life.”
Jo Chung-wan pleaded, tears and mucus streaming down his face, yet Grain’s gaze remained icily detached.
“Pathetic wretch. Even now, you still cling to the desire to live.”
“If you spare me, I will do absolutely anything.”
“Regrettably, your demise is set for today. That outcome will not change.”
“Then I shall remain silent.”
“As you wish. However, bear this in mind—if you choose silence, your family will face exile to the desert.”
“You fiend! You would target my family? And you dare call yourself human?”
“You still fail to grasp the situation.”
At that very instant, Grain’s eyes turned chillingly cold.
The smile vanished completely from his face.
Crack!
“GAAAH!”
Jo Chung-wan clutched his right hand, screaming like a tormented beast.
Every single finger on his right hand had been bent backward, unnaturally reversed.
Grain had deliberately snapped them.
Jo Chung-wan had been instrumental in the ruin of countless individuals.
He had never shown an ounce of mercy to those who opposed his interests.
Instead, he dealt with them using the most brutal methods imaginable.
Employing underworld contacts like Teddy, he would feed his adversaries to monstrous beasts or utilize them as fodder in gladiatorial arenas.
Yet, he had meticulously concealed his direct involvement.
Operating from the shadows, he held dominion over innumerable people.
The terror that gripped him had been the genesis of his strength.
And now, the same man regarded Grain with eyes wide with apprehension.
Mere five mangled fingers—yet an overwhelming dread settled upon him concerning Grain.
Grain's gaze intensified as he observed the man.
“When you inflict suffering upon others, do you not consider that retribution might one day find you? Jo Chung-wan, it is but five fingers. You possess numerous other bones yet to be shattered—do not succumb to fear so readily.”
“You wretch! Simply end my life. Grant me death!”
Jo Chung-wan bellowed with all his might, attempting to expel the terror consuming him.
“That is a better sentiment. You should fight back—it enhances the enjoyment of retribution.”
“Go to hell! Because you were fortunate enough to gain power, you carry yourself with such arrogance. You too shall meet a pathetic end someday.”
“Regrettably, you will not witness it.”
“Damn you! What is your intention?”
“This.”
Grain directed the force of gravity upon Jo Chung-wan.
The intensity was insufficient for an immediate demise.
In fact, it was deplorably weak.
Not potent enough to kill, yet not feeble enough for escape.
For Grain, it was an exertion barely worth a sigh. However, for Jo Chung-wan, subjected to its direct impact, it proved intolerable.
Creeeak!
Beneath the concentrated gravitational pull, his lungs gradually compressed, and fissures began to appear in his bones.
Instantaneous death would have been preferable, but Grain cruelly denied him such solace.
He applied precisely enough force for Jo Chung-wan to endure it by a hair's breadth.
“Ughhh…!”
Jo Chung-wan’s visage contorted unnaturally.
Veins throbbed visibly across his forehead and body as he strained against the immense pressure.
Crack!
At that precise moment, a sickening sound of breakage emanated from within his body.
It did not take long for the realization to dawn—his ribs were fracturing.
Then, Grain’s voice continued, “The human body contains over two hundred bones. From this moment forward, you will hear more than two hundred cracking sounds… the echo of your bones disintegrating.”
‘N-no!’
Jo Chung-wan cried out inwardly.
Crack! Crack!
The sounds of bones shattering reverberated incessantly from within his frame.
What amplified his torment was the vivid sensation of every fragment of pain.
He could not even muster a proper scream—Grain withheld that small mercy as well.
His jaw splintered like a brittle biscuit, rendering him incapable of movement.
Subsequently, his spine fractured, segment by meticulous segment.
Even as his pelvis and leg bones were utterly pulverized, Jo Chung-wan remained conscious.
Only when his neck and skull disintegrated did the torment finally cease.
And so, his existence concluded.
Grain gazed down upon him impassively, then suddenly adopted a concerned expression.
“Ah… I was so incensed that I neglected to ascertain the identities of the others involved. That woman will undoubtedly scold me again.”
Even Grain, recognized as the master of gravity, held Seo Taeran in awe.
He perceived himself as nothing more than the instrument of her will.
And at this very juncture, she was orchestrating the actions of that instrument—Numbers.
Simultaneously, scenarios akin to this were unfolding throughout Neo Seoul.
In the span of a single night, Seo Taeran had identified every individual connected to the illicit substances.
Subsequently, she unleashed Numbers.
Whether the East District or the West District—location held no consequence.
She even conveyed a stern admonition to the custodians of each district:
“If you do not offer assistance, then refrain from intervention. Deviate from this instruction, and you shall forfeit access to the portals indefinitely.”
Her ultimatum proved remarkably effective.
Ordinarily, the district leaders would have personally addressed those implicated in drug-related offenses within their jurisdictions.
Allowing Numbers to operate unchecked within their territories would undermine their authority.
However, on this occasion, they were compelled to stand aside.
Such was the formidable aura surrounding Seo Taeran and Numbers.
Hundreds perished in the course of a single night.
No judicial proceedings. No formal inquiries.
Anyone even tangentially linked to the transgression was summarily executed by Numbers.
What was truly disconcerting was that, despite the considerable loss of life, Neo Seoul maintained an unnerving quietude.
No voices of objection arose. No criticism was leveled against Numbers' actions.
Instead, a palpable support for City Hall's swift purge permeated the populace.
Neo Seoul had recently embarked on a new trajectory, fortified by the convergence of the Steel Fortress and the magic stone mine.
After a prolonged period, vitality had at last been restored.
No inhabitant wished for that atmosphere to be sullied by individuals involved with narcotics.
---
“Haah! Haah!”
Under the searing desert sun, a man propelled himself forward across the arid landscape.
His appellation was Adam Brine.
Though he appeared entirely human, the lineage of elves coursed through his veins.
A quarter-elf, to be precise.
Only one-fourth of his heritage was elven.
Consequently, he endured significant prejudice within the North District.
In that region, individuals possessing diluted elven blood were seldom afforded opportunities.
Adam was no exception to this harsh reality.
Through arduous exertion, the position he attained was merely that of a participant in a dungeon raid team within the North District.
Not a leader—a mere member.
That represented the zenith of his prospects.
His entire team comprised elves.
As an individual not fully of elven descent, the discrimination he encountered was immeasurable.
Nevertheless, Adam persevered.
Clinging to the belief that, eventually, an opportune moment would present itself.
And as if guided by destiny, it did.
He fortuitously acquired a cursed grimoire during one of their dungeon expeditions.
A tome authored by a formidable curse mage of Kurayan.
There was no necessity for memorization or academic study.
The instant he opened its pages, all the contained knowledge was forcefully imprinted upon his consciousness.
Thus, Adam experienced a rebirth, transforming into a curse mage.
The initial cultivation technique acquired focused on synthesizing elixirs from the scent glands of the spike mole.
These concoctions offered a potent vector for curses.
Seizing this opportunity, Adam leveraged his standing to bring allies into his fold.
While appearing as a simple raid team member might seem minor, it lent significant weight in the eyes of others.
He capitalized on this perception, forging bonds that evolved into his clandestine network.
And so, the illicit organization known as Illusion came into existence.
Just as Illusion was solidified, good fortune once more graced him—the portals materialized in Neo Seoul.
A dependable influx of spike moles was now assured.
He felt that destiny itself was on his side.
His enterprise flourished at an unprecedented pace, leading to the accumulation of immense riches.
At this trajectory, he envisioned himself attaining a prominent status within the North District in the near future.
His ambitions even extended to dethroning Queen Serian and seizing her throne.
Yet, that aspiration was irrevocably broken.
Shattered by the accursed Numbers.
“Hide well, obscure yourself, lest even a strand of hair be seen.”
From a distance, a figure warbled a melody while pursuing him.
The individual with azure hair that cascaded like flowing water—his designation was Choi Sung-ho.
An esteemed member of the Numbers.