Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 101

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 101

Zeon recognized them at a glance.

‘Jang Yong-beom’s party.’

It was the party that had rescued Zeon eight years ago when he was attacked by a Sandworm in the middle of the desert.

Without their help, Zeon would no longer be of this world.

Unlike Zeon, who instantly remembered them, Jang Yong-beom’s party did not recognize Zeon.

Giselle glared at Aiden.

“Why did they make this mess just to get us to go to the casino?”

“Who knew we’d get swindled like this?”

“You were confident, weren’t you?”

“I was confident. It’s just that I didn’t know the big idiot would bet all at once.”

Aiden glanced back at the laughing Mountain behind him.

Mountain was at the root of all this chaos.

Just when they entrusted a large sum of money to Mountain, he bet it all at once.

Naturally, the dealer won, and Mountain lost all the money.

By the time Jang Yong-beom found out about this, he was already penniless.

Jang Yong-beom said.

“Whose idea was it to entrust money to Mountain?”

“I’m sorry. I thought it would be the safest…”

Aiden couldn’t lift his head.

He couldn’t face Jang Yong-beom.

“There’s no other way. We have to work.”

“I thought we’d have a few days off? You big idiot, you do all the work.”

Giselle kicked Mountain’s butt. Still, Mountain just laughed heartily.

Just like that, Jang Yong-beom’s party laughed and chattered as they passed by Zeon.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Jang Yong-beom turned around.

Giselle looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“The man who passed by just now.”

“That handsome man?”

“….”

“Why?”

“Don’t you feel like you’ve seen him somewhere before?”

“Me? Not at all. You wouldn’t forget seeing such a handsome man.”

“No, I’m sure I’ve seen him somewhere.”

Jang Yong-beom rubbed his chin with his finger, trying to recall. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t remember a name.

Zeon had already disappeared into the crowd. But the scent he left behind kept Jang Yong-beom rooted in place.

＊＊＊

‘He has a good memory. Remembering something that passed by just once.’

Jang Yong-beom muttered softly, but it was clear to Zeon’s ears.

‘He’s as unchanged as ever, whether it’s eight years ago or now. Still looks strong.’

The only difference is that back then, he felt so imposing that it was overbearing, but now, that feeling was gone.

Perhaps because Zeon has become so much stronger than he was back then.

Zeon got a room at the front desk.

His room was on the fifteenth floor.

He was about to casually take the stairs when he remembered that this was Neo Seoul.

In all high-rise buildings in Neo Seoul, elevators are, of course, present.

Elevators are abundant here, unlike in the slums.

The elevator quickly and comfortably transported him to the fifteenth floor.

Thanks to it, he could enter his room without exerting any effort.

The hotel room was very narrow. It was much smaller than Zeon’s house in the slums. Still, it had everything one could need.

Zeon was surrounded by various electrical devices and amenities he had never seen before.

“What’s this…?”

Zeon was bewildered as he pressed the handle of the faucet. Soon, boiling water and steam gushed out.

Even this sight was quite shocking to Zeon.

How much of a blessing it is to enjoy civilized life so casually, people living in Neo Seoul wouldn’t know.

“Haah!”

Zeon sat on the bed and looked at Neo Seoul.

The splendid and imposing view of Neo Seoul spread out before him.

Even though it was night, the streets and buildings were brightly illuminated by dazzling lights.

“It’s a completely different world from the slums.”

It was much more glamorous and impressive than he had vaguely imagined.

Because of this, it seemed that if an Awakened were to emerge from the slums, they would be eager to come to Neo Seoul.

Once you get used to such a comfortable life, you wouldn’t want to go back to the slums again.

Zeon lay on the bed trying to sleep, but he couldn’t easily fall asleep due to the excitement of entering Neo Seoul.

“Hah! I guess I should go to the casino.”

In the end, Zeon gave up on sleeping.

Mandy had warned him not to go to the casino, saying it’s a recipe for disaster. But since he was in Neo Seoul, he thought it wouldn’t hurt to go at least once.

Zeon stepped outside and took the elevator.

As soon as he opened the door to the casino on the basement level, the air changed.

It was filled with intense heat and intoxicating madness.

“All right!”

“Shit! Just a little more effort.”

“Just one more round.”

“Wow!”

Zeon found himself putting on an expression he didn’t even realize, echoing the frenzied shouts of the people.

There wasn’t a single sane person in sight.

Most people were engrossed in the gambling happening right in front of them, with wide eyes.

If he accidentally brushed past someone it seemed like they might explode like a volcano. That’s how heated the atmosphere was.

“Waaaah!”

“Argh!”

As the dealer flipped the cards, joy and despair intersected.

The winners smiled brightly as if they had won the world, while the losers wore expressions as if they had lost their parents.

Maintaining composure here was close to impossible.

As civilization was rebuilt and people started living decently, casinos were established in the city.

Still, there used to be boundaries to uphold in the old casinos.

Limits on bets, types of gambling, and who could enter.

Even though it was somewhat formal, there was a certain level of regulation.

But in Neo Seoul’s casinos, there were none of those restrictions.

Unlimited betting amounts.

Anyone could enter, and anything could become a gamble.

In fact, on one side of the casino ring, fighters were violently fighting.

Right now, Awakeneds were fighting each other, but sometimes it was fights between ordinary people.

“Dammit! A little more effort.”

“Kill him! If you can’t, you’ll die by my hands.”

“Yaaah!”

As the fight erupted, the spectators roared with excitement.

Thwack! Thwup!

“Ugh!”

The face of the fighter hit by the opponent’s fist twisted, and blood splattered in all directions.

The sight further excited the spectators.

‘Are they F-rank martial artists?’

Zeon immediately recognized the fighters’ ranks.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

The world of Awakeneds is like a pyramid.

At the bottom lies the F-rank, stacked one upon another, followed by E-rank, then D-rank, and so on.

As the rank goes up, the number decreases rapidly, and the top S-ranks are truly a minority.

In Neo Seoul, you had to be at least a D-rank to receive proper treatment. Below that, the treatment for E-ranks was a little better, but F-ranks were treated like trash.

Among them, Martial Art Awakeneds weren’t treated as Awakeneds at all.

That’s why many of them flowed into the casino rings like this, shedding blood while fighting.

Winning meant being treated well at the casino.

“More, more!”

“Kill him, you bastard!”

“Yeaaahh!”

As the winner was almost decided, the people became even more frenzied.

Zeon silently watched the scene.

Martial Art Awakeneds were, quite literally, those who awakened talents in their bodies. That’s why their fights were brutal.

They clashed directly with their bodies to gauge the opponent’s strength and then fought with all their might.

There was no room for second thoughts.

They poured everything into just one fight.

Thwack! Thwup!

Blood sprayed from the fists of the one striking.

Flesh was torn, bones were exposed, but they kept on striking.

After completely sinking the opponent, they finally let out the breath they had been holding for so long.

“Haaack! Heok!”

It felt like their hearts would burst.

From the energy poured into their entire bodies in a short amount of time, heat rose along with steam.

“The winner is Kim Jun-seok.”

The referee raised the winner’s arm.

In an instant, joy and sorrow intertwined.

Those who had bet on Kim Jun-seok cheered, while those who had bet on the loser sighed.

Kim Jun-seok, the winner, received a substantial prize.

But people no longer paid attention to him.

As he left the ring, new fighters stepped up, and people bet on them.

Zeon had observed the whole process from start to finish.

He understood why people were so excited.

But he didn’t want to jump into the gambling ring himself.

Zeon clicked his tongue and looked elsewhere.

“Wow! It’s out.”

“It’s a jackpot.”

At that moment, people cheered.

A jackpot was hit at the slot machine.

The winner of the jackpot was a woman in a robe.

Though her face was hidden under a hat, she bounced in place, enjoying the happiness.

“I knew it would happen. Finally, it’s out. Hah! Fuck. It’s making me cry.”

The woman pretended to wipe tears.

People around congratulated her.

But among them, there wasn’t a single person genuinely congratulating her. Their thoughts were only about how to benefit from her luck or how to get close to her and take advantage of her.

Naturally, the woman, knowing the nature of these gamblers well, just gave formal thanks and kept her distance.

Upon news of the jackpot, the manager rushed over.

The manager told the woman to wait a moment, and he would exchange the jackpot for her.

The woman nodded and walked towards the bar where Zeon was sitting with a happy face.

“Hey! Bartender, give me an Angel Duster.”

“Congratulations, dear customer!”

The woman smiled at the bartender’s words.

“Huh! Give everyone at this bar a drink.”

“Four!”

The bartender replied and quickly made cocktails for the guests.

Zeon also received a cocktail and thanked the woman.

“I’ll enjoy it.”

“You’re not a face I’ve seen before. You don’t look like someone who frequents this place.”

“Is there a face of someone who should be here?”

“Of course. Look around. See what kind of faces they have, how great their desires are. They have no interest in others’ misfortunes. They are insensitive even to their own misfortunes. They indulge in gambling, knowing it’s their downfall.”

“You speak as if you’re not one of them.”

“I’m different from them.”

“What makes you different?”

“That’s…”

The woman bit her lip while speaking.

She wore a hat over her robe, so her nose and face couldn’t be seen, but even from the shape of her lips, it was clear that she was very uncomfortable.

Zeon apologized.

“I’m sorry. I spoke unnecessarily.”

“No, it’s not entirely wrong. Anyway, I’m here to blow off some steam.”

“It seems like you’ve had a tough time.”

“It was tough. I gave it my all after a long time.”

“I see.”

Zeon nodded and looked at the woman.

His eyes were shining sharply.

‘The smell of a Ghost Dragonfly.’

Ghost Dragonflies emit a unique pheromone when they die.

The higher the rank, the more discreet the pheromone becomes, and it has a distinctive scent.

Most people don’t know this fact, but Zeon could distinguish the pheromone of a Ghost Dragonfly.

The scent emanating from the woman’s body was that of a Ghost Dragonfly, emitted by a very strong individual when they die.

‘For example, a Queen Ghost Dragonfly.’

The woman raised her glass.

“My name is Claire.”

“I’m Zeon.”

“Nice to meet you. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”

Having revealed her name as Claire, she got up from her seat.

She disappeared among the people in an instant.

Zeon briefly considered following her but decided against it.

He confirmed that she had the pheromone of a Queen Ghost Dragonfly.

While it was impossible for others, Zeon had a way to track pheromones.

“Claire…”

Zeon shook his head slightly and put down his glass.

He hadn’t seen Claire take a single sip of the drink she ordered.

[Translator – Peptobismol]