Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert - Chapter 397



Only Noblemtl

Episode 397

“Huh! How can light be so vain?”

“That one was also hit in a berserk state. What the hell is that guy?”

There were people hiding among the people and watching Jeon and Yoo Se-hee.

They were a man and a woman wearing robes that covered their entire bodies.

The man said.

“The author seems to be that sand wizard.”

“I had to bump into the author… … . You stupid bastard. I told you so hard to avoid fighting.”

“How could that be the fault of the light? I would never have guessed that such a strong man was hiding in the slums.”

“But that’s true. If you’re going to die, then die quietly. Why are you going berserk? It’ll expose all our bases… … .”

The woman continued to spew venomous words even after seeing Magwangryang’s death.

The man couldn’t continue speaking at the woman’s attitude and just smacked his lips.

The man and the woman were members of the same vanguard as Magwangryang.

The man’s name was Sou-chen, and the woman’s name was Dang-an.

The Wanderers, who had left the planet and were wandering through the desert, encountered scavengers.

The wolf pack, wandering the desert after losing all of its comrades to scavengers, seemed like a tasty prey.

Naturally, they attacked the cavalry without any consideration for the front or the back. However, it was the scavengers who were the victims.

Hundreds of scavengers were slaughtered by a force of just a dozen or so wolves.

The Wolves tortured the survivors to obtain information, and were able to obtain information about the existence of Neo Seoul from them.

When I first heard that there was a megacity called Neo Seoul, I couldn’t believe it.

Because it was such a ridiculous story.

It was hard to believe that there was a megacity with over twenty million people living above ground, not underground.

So, after sending Jang Woo-hang to Neo Seoul, they dispersed and gathered information.

The people I encountered in the process of obtaining information were a group of hunters from the Goblin Market.

They were enjoying a sweet rest after successfully hunting the ghost beetles. It wasn’t that difficult to attack and subdue such hunters.

They brutally tortured the hunter survivors.

This was also to obtain information.

I also got information about the currency used in Neo Seoul, the slums, and the goblin market from them.

The conclusion we reached after torturing and killing the hunters was simple.

The point was that to naturally hide in Neo Seoul, you needed a solid identity and money.

The only thing of value to them was the skeletons of the scarab beetles they had killed and taken from the hunters.

Magwangryang boasted that he would take responsibility and sell the ghost beetle shells. This was the result.

Ma Gwang-ryang lost his life, and the Ghost Beetle Shell was returned to the possession of the Goblin Market.

“You stupid Magwangryang! You shouldn’t have gone berserk even if you died.”

“There’s no use cursing. Stop it, Sian!”

“Ha! Are you going to stay still? Aren’t you going to get revenge? Even though you’re stupid, you’re still my colleague.”

“We should. To do that, we need to gather information first. We don’t know anything about the author.”

“Shaz (idiot)!”

It was an insult to the dead Magwangryang.

Even after death, Magwangryang was suffering from his comrades.

So-u-chen said to Dang-an.

“Let’s go back now. If we stay any longer, the author will notice.”

Zeon was seen scanning the crowd with sharp eyes.

The sharpness of his eyes was noticeable even from afar.

“Okay!”

At that time, Si-an answered, pulling his hat down low.

The two people quietly disappeared into the crowd.

＊＊＊

Yoo Se-hee returned to the goblin market with his subordinates.

Ma Gwang-ryang’s body was returned to the butchers of the goblin market.

Their main mission was to dismantle the demons.

No one in Neo Seoul has touched or dismembered as many demon corpses as they have.

Their job was to dismantle the beasts brought by hunters and merchants and provide them in pieces.

There were few demons they had not touched.

Yoo Se-hee had no doubt that they would be able to find out the secret by dissecting Ma Gwang-ryang’s body.

“I must find out why a normal human turned into a demon.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Please trust me, I will look into every single cell.”

Yoo Se-hee nodded at the butchers’ boasts.

They loaded Magwangryang’s massive corpse onto a cart and disappeared into the workshop.

Yoo Se-hee said to the black lion.

“That kid, he wasn’t on our guest list, was he?”

“Yes! The inspection results show that there are no traces left in the barrier.”

The goblin market was isolated by a special barrier.

To pass through the barrier, you need a card given at the goblin market. However, if you use the card, a trace will be left.

It records who entered and exited the barrier at what time.

Of course, we could see this result at the goblin market.

But this time there was a problem.

There is no record of Magwangryang’s entry or exit.

It was the first time in the decades-long history of the Goblin Market that this had happened.

Yoo Se-hee said with a serious expression.

“It’s clear that someone from within has colluded, or that there’s been a problem with the barrier.”

“They have been in the slums for too short a time to have any collaborators. It must have only been two or three days, and it would be impossible to recruit people inside the Goblin Market during that time.”

“Then there must be a problem with the barrier. Call a barrier wizard and check it out immediately.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“They’re not ordinary guys. The way they handle things, and their fighting prowess, are extraordinary. I don’t know how many more of them will be here. So, for the time being, strengthen your security.”

“Yes!”

The black lion answered, bowing his head.

The reason Dokkaebi Market has been able to gain trust over the years is because of its reliable identity protection and safety.

Because of this, many merchants and customers have trusted and traded at the Goblin Market.

If there is a problem with these two, the trust that has been built up so much will collapse, and many people will leave the Goblin Market.

Yoo Se-hee thought that now was the biggest crisis in the Goblin Market.

She commanded the Black Lion again.

“And tell them to contact other areas and check if any suspicious people have entered. They’ve probably tried to hide themselves thoroughly, but they’ve only been in an unfamiliar place for a short time, so they’ll be noticed.”

“Okay.”

The black lion went out with the answer.

Yoo Se-hee, left alone, muttered while crossing his arms.

“You damn bastards! Why did you come all this way to a place where you could just stay in the underworld? You bastards who only know how to loot… … Just catch me! I’ll chew you to the bone.”

＊＊＊

“Hey, you came home early.”

Levin was delighted to see Zeon entering the house first.

“You’re a little late.”

“Oh, I was a little late because I had something on my mind to deal with.”

“What’s going on?”

Zeon looked at Levin with a puzzled expression.

“Oh, I saw a strange old man on the street. He was so strange that I was worried.”

“Really? What was so different about it?”

“They were dressed like locals, wearing protective gear underneath, and holding a wooden cane in their hands. They were pretending to be locals, but they weren’t. They seemed to be observing and learning something. Maybe that’s why everything bothered me.”

“Really?”

“Yes! That’s why I had the kids watch over the old man.”

“Hmm!”

Zeon stroked his chin with his finger.

Levin had a keen sense.

He seemed indifferent on the outside and always had a smile on his face, but he was never lax in his vigilance of his surroundings.

If Levin felt that way, there must be a reason for it.

The problem is that Zeon felt a similar sense of strangeness from the old man whom Levin found strange.

“Actually, something similar happened to me.”

“Your brother too?”

“Yeah!”

Zeon met Magwangryang at the goblin market and told Levin about the fight.

Levin’s expression changed seriously after hearing everything Zeon had to say.

“I guess they’re the same guys?”

“I think so too.”

“What are these guys up to? They must be related to Jang Woo-hang, who is in the southern district.”

“As you said, it seems that Jang Woo-hang’s colleagues have come into hiding in the slums.”

“Ha! You fucking bastards! If you were lucky enough to come from far away, why don’t you just live quietly? Why are you plotting and making a fuss?”

“You said you put that old man under surveillance?”

“Yes! I told you to watch in turns.”

“Then you know where he is now?”

Levin answered Zeon’s question right away.

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go.”

“You want to move right now?”

“There’s no point in wasting time, right?”

“That’s true. The more time you give them, the more they’ll blend in here. Then it’ll be harder to find them.”

Even without that, it seems like you’re quickly learning the system and atmosphere of Neo Seoul, but as time goes by, you’ll become even more perfectly integrated.

This makes them more difficult to find.

Now was the perfect time to find them.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

Levin stood up and followed Zeon.

The two of them came out right away.

They went straight to Aaron and Dominic.

“Brother!”

“What brings you here at this hour, brother?”

The two people looked at Jeon with nervous expressions while welcoming him.

It was late at night.

If it were normal, there would be no reason for Zeon to move at this time.

It was Levin who answered.

“It’s because of that old man.”

“Did you see it during the day?”

“Are you still under surveillance?”

“Of course. Kevin and Tom should be there by now. Want to go check it out?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay! We’ll guide you. It was already weird.”

“What?”

“You’ll know when you see it.”

Aaron and Dominic guided them as if they were doing well.

The two men guided Zeon and Levin to a large building in the corner of the slums of Shinchon.

It was a building that took my breath away just by looking at it.

Three thousand households lived in the enormous building, which looked like ten old apartment buildings connected at once.

Assuming four people live in one household, that means a whopping 20,000 people are living in that one building.

Among the buildings in Sinchon, this one had the highest density.

The building where Zeon’s house is located is so poor that it is called an ant hole, but this place boasts an extremely bad environment that is called a devil’s cave.

Numerous criminals and scavengers have made this building their home.

Because it was rebuilt and expanded over a hundred years, its interior became more complex than a maze, and its walls were thick, making it the best for defense.

Also, since there were 2,000 people living in a small space, it was a structure that naturally created camaraderie.

They fight amongst themselves, but if someone from the outside threatens them, they immediately band together and fight back.

After Jeon made his nest in Sinchon, the crime rate decreased somewhat, but there were still many criminals living in hiding here.

On the outside, he pretends to be an ordinary person.

This building wasn’t called Dali Magul.

The cave smelled musty right from the entrance.

The stench of urine and feces mixed together was enough to make people lose their minds.

But the four men who entered the cave did not frown even once.

For those born and raised in the slums, this level of stench is nothing.

Squeak!

As Zeon and his party entered, the door to the entrance opened and someone stuck his head out.

React immediately when strangers appear.

Then Aaron stepped forward.

“It’s Aaron. Keep quiet.”

The person who had stuck his head out nodded as if he understood and quietly closed the door.

Aaron was from this cave.

After meeting Levin and awakening, I came to live with him, but many of his acquaintances still remained in the cave.

They cooperated with Aaron without even asking him why he had come to the cave.

Thanks to this, Zeon and his party were able to reach the upper level of the cave with ease.

“Brother!”

As soon as they arrived, children who had been hiding in the hallway ran out to greet them.

It was Kevin and Tom who were watching the old man.

Aaron asked, patting the two children’s heads.

“Is everyone okay?”

“Then!”

“Hehe! This is my house, what are you talking about?”

Kevin and Tom were also from the cave.

Thanks to this, I was able to easily monitor the elderly.

Then Zeon’s eyes lit up.

Because I found bugs stuck to the children’s clothes.

For a moment, Zeon felt an intense sense of crisis that he could not express in words.

“It’s dangerous!”

“Yes?”

Instead of answering, Zeon tore the bugs off the children’s clothes and threw them out the window.

Bam!

At that moment, bugs exploded in the air.