Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 332

Two thousand three hundred.

That was the number of people who survived until the end.

Over 1,100 had died in the hellish underground chamber.

Many Awakeneds had died, but the casualties among the support Mecha-techs and civilians were several times higher.

The Awakeneds had tried to protect them, but the situation had been too dire—there was no way to protect everyone.

The Mecha-techs were just as important as the Awakeneds.

Even in Neo Seoul, raising competent Mecha-techs required tremendous effort.

Without them, the expedition wouldn't have even made it this far.

And replacing them would take an incredible amount of time.

Seo Tae-ran clenched her teeth in silence.

‘More time will be wasted again…’

It was the situation she hated the most.

Watching those she had painstakingly nurtured be sacrificed in vain.

Awakeneds didn’t necessarily need to be raised by City Hall.

If someone showed promise, they’d be scouted and trained by districts, guilds, or raid teams.

City Hall simply had to use them as needed.

But Mecha-techs were different.

It took years of study and effort to understand and operate precision machinery.

Only after long training could someone truly become a Mecha-tech.

That’s why other districts didn’t invest in training them.

They figured it was better to raise talents suited to their own regions.

But Mecha-techs were essential.

They were like the lubricant that kept Neo Seoul running.

That’s why City Hall raised them exclusively.

And now, over 200 of those carefully cultivated Mecha-techs had been killed.

It was an enormous loss.

Seo Tae-ran muttered, staring at the churning darkness up ahead.

“We’ll repay this debt… without fail.”

It was a massive cavern, with thick, crimson liquid dripping down like blood.

It might actually have been real blood.

The air reeked of iron. But she hoped it wasn’t, simply because of how much there was.

If that was blood, it was impossible to imagine how many lives had been drained to produce that volume.

Even if they pooled all the blood of the expedition team members who had died here, it wouldn’t amount to that much.

At that moment, Old Man Go placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Calm yourself.”

“I’m not agitated.”

Seo Tae-ran replied in a cold voice.

“Doesn’t seem that way. This is the first time I’ve seen you this shaken.”

“And what’s your point?”

“We need to escape.”

“There’s a monster in there who caused all of this.”

“Can we handle it?”

“That’s…”

“It’s a necromancer. A kind of enemy we’ve never encountered before. We have no intel. If we charge in blind, who knows how much we’ll lose?”

“We’ve gathered enough information by now, haven’t we?”

“Do you really believe that?”

“…”

“Tae-ran.”

“I told you not to call me that.”

For the first time, Seo Tae-ran raised her voice.

Only then did she come to her senses.

Old Man Go gave her shoulder a pat and returned to Zeon.

“I believe now is the time to break the barrier and escape. What do you think?”

“I agree.”

Zeon replied without hesitation.

The unknown enemy was a necromancer.

If he went all-out with sheer numbers, this group would only become a liability.

The dead would simply bolster the enemy’s ranks.

Old Man Go nodded.

“This barrier strengthens the more blood it absorbs. If we don’t break it now, we won’t get another chance.”

“Do you need assistance?”

“Thanks to the time you bought me, I’ve figured out its structure. I should be able to temporarily disable it.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“The problem is… the necromancer inside won’t just sit still.”

Old Man Go looked toward the blood-soaked cavern.

Just looking at it made his whole body tremble.

His body was reacting to the presence of the necromancer within.

He didn’t know the rank, but the malice was so vivid, it was almost tangible.

From somewhere in that unseen space, the necromancer was watching.

The moment Old Man Go disabled the barrier, he would make his move.

Zeon spoke calmly.

“Do it anyway.”

“Understood.”

At Zeon’s firm response, Old Man Go nodded.

He looked somewhat reassured.

Zeon gestured for Jang Yongbeom.

“What?”

“Have you recovered your strength?”

“To a degree.”

“And the others?”

“Not fully, but enough to fight. Why?”

“The moment Old Man Go disables the barrier, we’ll begin evacuating. The problem is…”

“It’ll be the most dangerous moment, right? Got it. I’ll let the other raid leaders know.”

Jang Yongbeom immediately understood what Zeon meant.

If the necromancer launched a full-scale assault, ordinary Awakeneds wouldn’t be able to handle it.

It was better for powerful Awakeneds like the raid leaders to hold the front lines to minimize casualties.

Normally, they’d be wary of each other due to conflicting interests, but no one was foolish enough to argue in a time of shared crisis.

More than anything, they were furious from having lost so many subordinates.

“Fine! We’ll step up.”

“We’ll hold the front.”

“First time we’ve ever fought together, huh?”

The raid leaders exchanged looks and moved to the front of the formation.

Seeing them, Levin spoke to Aaron and Dominic.

“It’s about to start. Stick close behind me.”

“Haa… Sorry. We dragged you into danger…”

“Yeah, sorry…”

Levin gave a faint smile at their apologies.

“Forget it. Just stay sharp.”

“Right!”

“Okay.”

Aaron and Dominic focused their minds.

Then, Old Man Go, now in deep concentration, began to work on the barrier.

Eyes closed, he initiated the unsealing, with the twin sisters assisting at his side.

This was the moment they were most vulnerable.

Knowing this, Eloy and the surrounding Awakeneds formed a tight perimeter to protect them.

Crackle!

Sparks flared from the barrier.

It was resisting Old Man Go’s intrusion.

That was the signal.

RUMBLE!

From the previously quiet cavern, the blood began to churn.

Sensing the disturbance in the barrier, the necromancer had begun to move.

Thud, thud, thud!

Violent tremors rumbled from deep within the cave.

The raid leaders shouted.

“It’s coming!”

“Get ready!”

“Sht! Been a while since I’ve done some proper tanking!”

At that moment, something massive tore through the darkness.

ROOOOOAR!

A monstrous roar swept through the underground chamber.

Many of the Awakeneds inside staggered from the sheer shockwave.

Jang Yongbeom and the other raid leaders widened their eyes.

“A drake?”

“But it’s all bones?”

What emerged from the darkness was unmistakably a drake. But it had no scales, no muscles, no membrane.

Just a pitch-black skeletal form.

It was a bone drake.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! A drake… turned into a bone drake?!”

Jang Yongbeom muttered, gripping his claymore tightly.

From the black bone drake emanated an ominous, inky-black aura.

At the very least, it was B-rank.

But given the overwhelming pressure it gave off, there was no way it was only B-rank.

“At least A-rank.”

“Fck!”

“Ugh!”

BOOM!

The bone drake clashed head-on with the raid leaders.

From the sheer impact, even A-rank Awakeneds were sent flying like bowling pins.

“Guh!”

Only Jang Yongbeom, now an S-rank, managed to withstand the massive force. But his pale face showed how bad his condition was.

Between beings of the same rank, those with greater mass—like magical beasts—naturally had the advantage.

Add powerful supernatural abilities, and the gap only widened.

Bone drakes were undead.

They didn’t die easily.

That made all the difference.

Even for an S-rank like Jang Yongbeom, it was overwhelming.

KRAK-KRAK!

As he struggled to hold it back, the other raid leaders recovered and charged the bone drake.

“Sht! This is embarrassing…”

“Take it down!”

“Hyahhh!”

BOOM! BOOM!

They unleashed everything they had against the bone drake.

But the situation wasn’t in their favor.

Swoooosh!

The drake’s aura lashed out like tendrils, attacking them.

Dodging those tendrils while trying to strike made the fight that much harder.

It was a brutal battle—so much so that Awakeneds below B-rank wouldn’t even consider joining.

Seo Tae-ran turned to Zeon.

“You’re not stepping in?”

“You think that’s the only one?”

“No way…”

“Yes.”

Zeon nodded as he looked forward.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

As if to confirm his words, another beast burst forth from the darkness.

Another bone drake, shrouded in black aura.

Still, Zeon didn’t move.

Seo Tae-ran’s expression twisted.

If there were two bone drakes already, and Zeon hadn’t stepped in yet, it could only mean one thing.

There was a third.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she shouted.

“Everyone, release your second-stage seals and block it!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

With that, the suits of her subordinates shredded apart.

Their bodies had swelled to more than twice their normal size the moment their second-stage seals were lifted.

Underneath their suits, they wore custom-made battle armor.

The suits had expanded to match their hulking frames.

Powerful aura surged from their entire bodies.

With fists and kicks wreathed in aura, they attacked the bone drake.

They couldn’t bring it down, but they were able to slow its advance.

A power unseen in the first stage.

‘Output equal to A-rank or higher. So second-stage sealing acts like a booster.’

Zeon instantly figured out the nature of the second-stage seals.

Normally, he’d be impressed—but this wasn’t the time.

Ssshhh—

From behind the bone drakes, an ominous sound echoed.

‘That one’s the real threat.’

The bone drakes were dangerous, but the true terror was the monster creeping silently from behind.

And then, like a king making his entrance, it finally revealed itself.

Everyone froze in place.

“Nine heads?!”

“It’s a hydra, isn’t it?”

“No way!”

The Awakeneds watching from the rear screamed in shock.

The massive beast slithering forward with nine swaying heads was unmistakably a hydra.

A bone hydra—with nothing left but its skeletal frame.

Its presence alone was stronger than both bone drakes combined.

The Awakeneds were paralyzed by fear.

Zeon stepped forward toward the bone hydra and muttered.

“Never thought I’d be fighting a hydra again. Even if it’s undead.”

Kaesh—the chimera created from a hydra and succubus, one of the three great guardians of Hietun.

Thanks to that, the A-rank hydra had been pushed to near S-rank power.

But this one was different.

A pure hydra, turned into a bone hydra—pure S-rank, and among the strongest.

Each of its nine heads spewed a different type of breath attack.

If even one landed among the Awakeneds, it would be a catastrophe.

Zeon spoke to Brielle.

“The moment the barrier opens, leave with Levin.”

“But…”

“That’s the best way to help me.”

“Got it!”

Seeing Zeon’s hardened expression, Brielle nodded.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Even now, the battle between the Awakeneds and the bone drakes raged fiercely.

The aftermath of the fight was beginning to affect the other Awakeneds.

And yet, Old Man Go remained fully focused on disabling the barrier.

As Zeon walked between the two bone drakes, he said to Jang Yongbeom and the other raid leaders:

“Once you’ve taken them down or the barrier is open—evacuate.”

“What about you?”

“I still have something to do.”

With that, Zeon vanished between the two bone drakes.

Their tendrils lashed out, but none could touch him.

Passing through the bone drakes, Zeon finally stood before the bone hydra.

The hydra looked down at the tiny creature before it—smaller than a hundredth of its size—as if it were ridiculous.

Zeon’s lips twisted into a smirk.

“How arrogant…”

At that moment, the sand piled behind him surged, forming a massive wall.

It completely cut off the space where the Awakeneds were.

The bone drakes still remained—but that was their problem now.

Zeon wouldn’t handle everything.

Ssshh—

The bone hydra flicked its tongue.

A display of confidence, as if to say it could destroy that sand wall any time.

Zeon laughed too.

Ssszzzt—

In an instant, the sand began to bubble and boil, transforming into lava.

The once-molten sand quickly hardened into an unbreakable wall.

“You still think you can break this easily?”

Zeon smiled as he spoke.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]