Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 664

Chapter 664

“Zeon! Did you sleep on the couch?”

Brielle’s voice, returning home in the morning, woke Zeon.

“Huh? Brielle?”

“Why didn’t you sleep in your room?”

“I had a lot on my mind, so I just ended up falling asleep.”

“You've got a lot to worry about?”

“A little.”

“If you ever need someone to share those worries with, just tell me.”

“I will.”

Zeon nodded and got up from the couch.

As he headed toward the bathroom to wash up, he suddenly realized something and asked Brielle,

“By the way, did you just get back?”

“Yeah! I was at the underground city.”

“Remura's doing well, right?”

“Yeah! But I think Jetoya is feeling anxious.”

“Hm?”

“I guess he's really worried now that Remura has been exposed to the outside.”

“I can understand that.”

Zeon nodded.

Many people were coming to the underground city to receive treatment from Remura.

Remura tried to heal as many people as possible.

Given the circumstances, it was inevitable that her whereabouts would become known.

No matter how thoroughly the Awakeners guarded her, there was no way not to worry.

Because of that, Jetoya was constantly on edge trying to protect Remura.

If possible, Jetoya wanted to protect Remura with his own strength.

But objectively speaking, he was still lacking compared to the other Awakeners.

It was only natural.

He was still young and lacked experience.

He worked hard clearing dungeons and hunting monsters, but it was difficult to expect explosive growth.

Unlike Levin, he wasn't a special class—he was an ordinary martial-type Awakener.

Even so, Jetoya never neglected his efforts.

“He's admirable. That's why I feel even sorrier for him.”

“He has plenty of time ahead of him. He'll definitely grow much stronger.”

“Yeah.”

“I'm going to wash up and head out. I probably won't be back for a few days.”

“Where are you going? If you're heading to the World Tree Village, let's go together.”

“I'm going out into the desert.”

“The desert?”

“Yeah! Just like Jetoya, I have a reason to become stronger.”

“Zeon?”

Brielle looked at him in confusion.

To her, the strongest existence she knew was Zeon.

He possessed power and authority comparable to a dragon.

The fact that even Zeon wanted to become stronger suddenly filled her with unease.

“Is it serious?”

“It might become serious.”

“There's never a single peaceful day. Tch.”

“If you're worried, you can stay in the World Tree Village for a while.”

“No! I'll stay here.”

“Brielle!”

“Don't worry about me. I'm confident I can protect myself.”

“I know.”

“If there's anything you need, tell me now. I'll make it all for you.”

“If you can make some mana recovery potions, that would be good.”

“Got it!”

He had already given Remura Elura's Tear, which could completely restore mana once per day.

Now his mana was no longer at risk of being exhausted even without Elura's Tear, but it was still better to prepare just in case.

Brielle said,

“I'm going to be insanely busy from now on, so don't disturb me.”

“Alright.”

Smiling, Zeon headed into the bathroom.

Thud!

As soon as the door closed, an anxious expression appeared on Brielle's face.

Among everyone in Neo Seoul, Brielle had spent the longest time with Zeon.

Naturally, she could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his expressions and movements.

Since she had known him, this was the first time she had seen Zeon preparing so seriously for something.

If Zeon was making this many preparations, then something extraordinary was certain to happen.

That meant she also had to prepare.

“Haah...”

Letting out a sigh, Brielle entered her room.

---

After taking a shower, his mind became clear.

Zeon dried himself and got dressed.

He put on his robe and stepped outside.

Leaving the slums behind, Zeon entered the desert.

Whoooosh!

The desert's fierce sandstorm greeted him as though welcoming his arrival.

Riding the sandstorm, Zeon soared into the sky.

When he climbed high enough, Neo Seoul looked tiny below him.

He gazed at it for a moment before flying east.

Fwoosh!

A massive sandstorm swept across the ground along the path of his flight.

The monsters wandering leisurely across the desert fled in all directions in terror at the approaching storm.

To the monsters on the ground, the sandstorm Zeon brought was nothing less than a catastrophe.

If small monsters were caught in it, they would either be flung hundreds of meters—sometimes several kilometers—or be torn to pieces and die.

Only medium-sized monsters or larger could withstand it without being blown away.

The same was true for flying monsters.

Blade Battleship Birds spotted Zeon and flew toward him at terrifying speed, only to be caught in the sandstorm and shredded apart.

Even wyverns, tyrants of the sky, were so intimidated by the sandstorm that they did not dare approach.

And so Zeon flew east without slowing.

After flying for three full days, he arrived at a desert shaped like an enormous basin.

The land stretched endlessly, hundreds to thousands of meters lower than the surrounding areas.

It was a place Zeon had passed through long ago.

Back then, he hadn't known.

He hadn't known this place had once been the sea.

Only after returning to Neo Seoul did he learn the truth.

The world's largest ocean had once existed here.

The Pacific Ocean!

The vast sea that had existed before the Great Cataclysm.

This unusually low basin was proof that the Pacific Ocean had once been here.

The reason Zeon came here was simple.

Because it was quiet.

Like the far side of the moon, this place was utterly silent.

For some reason, monsters avoided approaching this place.

That was why, even when Zeon had passed through here in the past, he had encountered almost no monsters.

At the time, he hadn't thought much of it.

But looking back, it was certainly strange.

That was why he had come.

He wondered whether uncovering this place's secret might help him.

Zeon carefully landed on the sand.

Flap!

Even the slightest movement stirred up countless fine grains of sand, clouding his vision like mist.

Zeon thought the sand here resembled Exion.

Not quite to Exion's level, but the grains were far finer and softer than the sand elsewhere.

He scooped up a handful of sand.

Shhh...

Feeling the fine grains slipping between his fingers, Zeon smiled.

Holding the sand simply felt that good.

Though it had been heated by the sun until it radiated furnace-like heat, it posed no harm to Zeon.

He lay flat on the sand.

The sand gently embraced him.

Zeon felt at peace.

Though it would have been an unbearably uncomfortable environment for anyone else, to him it felt as safe as being in his mother's womb.

Shhh...

His body gradually sank into the sand.

It was as though the sand had become a swamp pulling him downward.

Zeon made no effort to resist.

No matter how deeply he sank into the sand, it posed no problem for him.

He relaxed completely and entrusted himself to the sand.

The deeper he descended, the more tremendous the pressure became, but Zeon paid it no mind.

At around a hundred meters below the surface, his descent came to a stop.

Surrounded by sand, Zeon sank into thought.

'My greatest weapon is still sand.'

Thanks to Tesserina's heart, he had gained the Authority of Flame.

But even so, Zeon's foundation was sand.

Without the Authority to control sand freely, the Zeon of today would never have existed.

After obtaining the Authority of Flame, he had used it in combination with his Authority of Sand.

Even so, his foundation had never changed.

Skills like Diamond Spear were only possible because sand supported them.

However, as his Authority of Flame grew stronger, his dependence on sand had greatly decreased.

After all, hunting A-rank or higher monsters protected by force fields with sand alone took too much time.

Unlike the Authority of Flame, which inflicted immediate damage, the Authority of Sand required a little time before it could display its true destructive power.

On a battlefield where lives were at stake, even that slight delay could mean death.

That was why Zeon mainly relied on the Authority of Flame whenever he needed immediate impact.

'The Authority of Flame is certainly useful, but master and servant must never be reversed.'

The Authority of Sand was the master.

The Authority of Flame was the servant.

There was also a difference in ownership.

The Authority of Sand was something Zeon had been born with.

The Authority of Flame had been obtained through outside assistance.

The latter could disappear at any time.

The Authority of Sand, on the other hand, would never disappear or weaken.

Moreover, it was a power possessed by Zeon alone in the entire world.

It possessed immense power and limitless potential.

He could not leave it neglected forever.

'My greatest weapon is sand. And among all sand, the one with the greatest power is Exion.'

Even now, the finest grains of sand in existence rested quietly within the pores of Zeon's body.

Thinking of it, Zeon immediately released Exion from his body.

Psssh...

Though buried deep beneath the sand, Exion emerged naturally from his pores without the slightest obstruction and blended seamlessly with the surrounding sand.

Releasing the Exion that he had always carried inside his pores completely left him feeling strangely empty.

But Zeon paid it no attention and continued thinking.

'How was Exion created?'

He had always carried Exion with him, yet he knew almost nothing about it.

The only thing he truly knew was that it further strengthened a Sand Mage's authority and amplified the power of his skills.

Zeon had obtained Exion on two separate occasions.

Once from the hourglass in the Mana Stone Mine.

And once from Kaylee.

As though by fate, both portions of Exion had gathered to him.

Every time Zeon breathed, Exion responded and stirred.

Though it had been released outside his body, he could still feel himself connected to Exion as one.

It felt as though his nervous system extended all the way to Exion.

A thought suddenly crossed Zeon's mind.

'How far can this connection with Exion be maintained?'

He immediately sent Exion far away from himself.

Exion burrowed through the sand, spreading endlessly outward.

Even after reaching a point several kilometers away from Zeon, he could still feel its presence vividly.

Every tiny grain of Exion responded instantly to his will.

It felt as though his nervous system had spread throughout all the surrounding sand.

Zeon moved Exion.

The sand around it immediately moved as well.

A single grain of Exion exercised unbelievably overwhelming control, moving all the surrounding sand exactly as Zeon wished.

Rumble!

The sand within a radius of dozens of kilometers around Zeon surged violently.

Its influence was several times greater than when he controlled the sand through pure authority alone.

Rrrr...!

The surrounding desert shook as though an earthquake had struck.

At its center stood Zeon.

The farther he sent Exion away and exercised his control, the stronger it became.

It felt as though he had become the god of sand.

But Zeon never became intoxicated by that power.

'Exion still hides even greater possibilities. I have to uncover them.'

He immersed himself even more deeply in Exion.