Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 173

Lee Ji-ryeong stood with his arms crossed, staring ahead.

In the distance, a massive fortress loomed, its presence unmistakable despite the vast distance.

Lee Ji-ryeong immediately recognized it as the core of the dungeon.

It stood out starkly in the barren landscape, a lone, imposing structure.

Anyone could tell it was the dungeon’s core.

The challenge was reaching it.

Though it seemed close, it was actually very far away. The journey to the fortress would undoubtedly be fraught with difficulties.

Just then, Jeloei approached him.

“What should we do? Should we set up a base here?”

“That seems like the best option. We need to give others time to gather.”

The Pegasus Raid Force was so large that they had scattered in all directions. For a proper dungeon raid, everyone needed to regroup.

Jeloei nodded in understanding.

“Got it. I’ll make it as visible as possible so everyone can see.”

He returned to the Base Team and began setting up.

They erected structures from the subspace, creating a circular wall in the clearing.

Even as an improvised base, it served its purpose well, but Jeloei wasn’t satisfied yet.

“Deploy the Guardian’s Wings. Everyone, get inside the walls.”

At his command, the Awakeneds moved inside the walls. Then, Jeloei pulled out a massive flag from the subspace and planted it in the center.

Whoom!

An invisible barrier enveloped the space within the walls, forming a dome.

“Ah! Now we can breathe easy.”

“As expected of the Guardian’s Wings.”

The Awakeneds sighed in relief.

The Guardian’s Wings was an item excavated from a dungeon.

It was a base item that prevented monsters of B-rank or lower from even perceiving the space it covered.

Since the monsters couldn’t perceive it, they wouldn’t attack.

Additionally, the barrier was visible to humans, making it easy to find and reach.

As soon as the Guardian’s Wings were activated, dozens of people began arriving. The scattered members of the Pegasus Raid Force were gathering.

Soon after, mercenary Awakeneds also joined them. However, there was still no sign of Zeon and Cha Jin-cheol’s group.

Lee Ji-ryeong frowned.

“It seems they ended up far away.”

“This happens often. They both have plenty of experience; they’ll find their way here.”

Jeloei said, unconcerned. But Lee Ji-ryeong felt differently.

“This changes our strategy.”

Their initial plan was to break through to the core with sheer numbers, but with their forces scattered, they had to adapt.

Lee Ji-ryeong called for the Expedition Team leader, Gesling.

“Gesling!”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Survey the area before everyone arrives. Can you handle it?”

“Of course, Captain. It’s not our first time doing this.”

Gesling’s confidence was evident.

The Expedition Team, consisting of Gesling the detector, Lee Chi-woo the mapmaker, Oberoi the guide, and McNine the protector, had successfully completed missions in even harsher environments.

“Do you need more people?”

“No, they’d only get in the way.”

The Expedition Team had been a tight-knit group of four for a long time, working together seamlessly. Adding others would disrupt their synergy like a foreign substance in well-oiled gears.

Lee Ji-ryeong smiled slightly.

“Understood. Return immediately if you encounter any anomalies or large monsters.”

“Okay, Captain.”

Gesling led the Expedition Team out of the base.

Although it seemed risky to have only four people exploring the dungeon, Lee Ji-ryeong trusted them.

The team had never let him down before.

‘Where could Zeon have ended up?’

He had no doubt that Zeon hadn’t fallen prey to any monsters.

Even though Zeon had expended much mana opening the dungeon’s entrance, Lee Ji-ryeong couldn’t imagine him being overpowered by mere monsters.

As long as Zeon and the Awakeneds from the West District joined them before the Expedition Team returned, they would be ready.

Just then,

Crack!

The ground suddenly shook violently. It felt like an earthquake.

“Everyone, be quiet.”

The people inside the base immediately fell silent, and they too could feel the tremors.

Crack!

The ground before them began to rise.

‘What is that?’

‘Oh my god!’

A massive mole emerged from the earth.

The monster was at least twenty meters long, from head to tail.

Its back was covered in rock, crumbling slightly with each movement, and its claws were longer and sharper than a grown man.

The giant mole’s eyes were almost entirely atrophied, suggesting it was nearly blind.

It sniffed the air as if trying to catch a scent. The direction of its nose was aimed directly at the base.

Thump, thump!

The mole approached the base, circling it while sniffing the air.

Despite its blindness and the barrier from the Guardian’s Wings impairing its perception, the mole sensed something was off and continued to investigate the area around the base.

The Awakeneds gripped their weapons, ready to strike if necessary.

They trusted the Guardian’s Wings but prepared for the worst.

Crack!

Another giant mole emerged from the ground. Like the first, it circled the base, sniffing the air.

‘D-rank? No, this must be C-rank.’

They had never encountered such monsters before. They didn’t know their names or their abilities, so they watched cautiously.

While they could capture the moles if needed, they had to understand the dungeon’s monsters’ numbers and levels first.

Fortunately, the giant moles couldn’t find the people inside the barrier and eventually burrowed back underground.

“Haa!”

“Damn it!”

At last, the Awakeneds relaxed their guard and collapsed to the ground, their tension releasing all at once.

Lee Ji-ryeong called over Bronson, the Raid Team leader, and asked.

“Have you ever seen a monster like that before?”

“Never. We haven’t encountered anything like that in the dungeons we’ve raided.”

“What rank do you think it is?”

“At least D-rank, but considering its size, it could easily be C-rank.”

“I thought the same.”

Larger monsters naturally have greater strength and defense.

They didn’t know what kind of attack skills the giant mole monster possessed, but its sheer size made it a significant threat to humans.

Lee Ji-ryeong stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“I can’t even begin to guess what kind of monster rules this place.”

“The Expedition Team will find out soon enough.”

“Tell everyone to stay alert until then.”

“Understood.”

Bronson left to relay the orders.

Lee Ji-ryeong, left alone, muttered to himself.

“Zeon, where are you?”

* * *

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Suddenly, a giant mole monster broke through the ground.

“Monster incoming!”

“Team One, enter combat mode.”

Cha Jin-cheol ordered without hesitation.

Whirr!

Ten of the Awakeneds from the West District stepped forward.

They were Team One.

Immediately, they shifted into combat mode.

Click! Clack!

With mechanical sounds, their arms and legs transformed for battle.

The metallic limbs looked unnervingly sharp and menacing.

“Go!”

The members of Team One simultaneously attacked the giant mole monster.

Bang!

The team leader struck the mole’s head with his fist, but it had no effect.

The creature’s body was covered in rock from head to tail, making it impervious to physical blows.

Still, the attack wasn’t entirely fruitless.

“Defense rating is at least C-rank. Ordinary attacks won’t even scratch it.”

The data collected from attacking the giant mole monster was shared in real-time with the other West District Awakeneds.

They used a link to share this information, which was what made the West District Awakeneds so formidable.

They were individual humans, yet they could assess and respond to a monster’s abilities immediately through data sharing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Team One continued their relentless assault on the giant mole monster.

Each hit chipped away at the rocky armor covering the creature, but much of it remained intact.

“It’s highly resistant to physical attacks. A magic-type Awakened would make this easier.”

Most of the West District Awakeneds were Mechanized Awakeneds.

They specialised in physical destruction. However, their attacks were limited to physical force, a significant drawback.

To compensate, they equipped various equipment.

Whoosh!

One such equipment was the flamethrower now emanating from the team leader’s arm.

A stream of intense flames poured into the giant mole monster’s mouth.

Screech!

The monster writhed in agony from the extreme heat, exposing its belly.

Team One seized the opportunity.

Boom!

A compressed air cannon fired from a team member’s arm, hitting the giant mole monster’s belly and creating a large, bleeding hole.

“The belly is a weak point. To defeat the giant mole monster, we need to expose and attack the belly.”

With this new information, Team One focused their attacks on the belly of the monster.

The giant mole thrashed wildly in pain, but the West District Awakeneds relentlessly targeted its belly.

“It doesn’t seem to have any special attack skills. As long as we’re cautious of its size, it’s an easy opponent.”

This was the team leader’s assessment of the giant mole monster.

Having gathered all necessary data, there was no reason to prolong the fight.

Team One intensified their assault, and the giant mole monster soon collapsed with a final, pained scream.

Despite its massive size, the fight had been surprisingly straightforward.

“That was nothing. If all the monsters in this dungeon are like that, this will be easy.”

Cha Jin-cheol sneered.

A single example can be very telling.

Cha Jin-cheol used the giant mole monster to gauge the level of the dungeon’s monsters.

“Haha! At this rate, we won’t even need the Pegasus Raid Force.”

“We can handle this on our own.”

Encouraged by their success, the West District Awakeneds gathered around Cha Jin-cheol, whose smile grew wider.

Meanwhile, Zeon watched Cha Jin-cheol and the giant mole monster with a serious expression.

The slain monster was rapidly withering, its body shrinking as if it had been drained of life.

Oblivious to this, Cha Jin-cheol and the other West District Awakeneds celebrated their victory.

Brielle clutched Zeon’s sleeve.

As a High Elf, she had an instinctive sense that something was amiss.

“Zeon!”

Zeon squeezed her hand reassuringly and called out to Cha Jin-cheol.

“Everyone, be careful.”

“Careful? Of what?”

In the instant, Cha Jin-cheol asked, puzzled.

Whoosh!

With an eerie wind, something appeared.

A translucent figure in a robe, wielding a large scythe, materialized before them.

It looked around as if surveying the area.

“What is that?”

“Is it another monster?”

The West District Awakeneds murmured in surprise.

At that moment, Zeon shouted.

“It’s a Grim Reaper. Everyone, get back!”

[Translator – Peptobismol]