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Chapter 12

The sandstorm blew in.

The desert wind was incredibly dry and carried sand, leaving significant scars on the skin even with brief exposure.

It had nothing to do with Zeon.

Sand couldn’t harm him.

It was like his own body.

Although the area he could control was limited, it was enough to shield himself in the desert.

The scorching sun and the night’s chill were mitigated by the robe he wore.

Made from the hide of a Sand Angler, the robe was thin, lightweight, and possessed exceptional insulation.

During the day, it blocked heat, keeping him cool, and at night, it prevented his body heat from escaping.

It conserved his energy.

Walking alongside Dyoden, Zeon glanced around suddenly.

All he saw was sand in every direction.

No terrain features or structures were visible to use as landmarks.

Standing amidst the vast desert, one realized how insignificant humans were.

Zeon looked ahead at Dyoden, who continued walking without resting or looking back, always moving forward.

Without a clear goal, one couldn’t walk straight like that in the desert.

Only those with a clear purpose could march in a straight line like that.

Despite several days of traveling together, Dyoden never spoke of his goals or past.

When the sun set for rest, he always placed Kreion in front for conversation.

Initially, Zeon thought such behavior was that of a crazy old man, as conversing with a sword made no sense to him.

He knew of the existence of the Ego Sword but believed true Ego Swords were exceedingly rare, almost non-existent in Neo Seoul. Hence, he didn’t believe Dyoden’s sword was a real Ego Sword.

However, with this routine repeating daily, Zeon now believed that Dyoden indeed conversed with the sword.

When in the throes of the desert’s madness, Dyoden’s face softened as he conversed with Kreion.

Occasionally, his eyes gleamed with profound emotion. Yet, when the sun rose, and they traversed the desert, his eyes returned with a stern, fierce look.

His eyes harbored immense madness and rage, as if capable of tearing apart the entire world.

Zeon didn’t know what made Dyoden like that, but today, he was once again pushing forward against the harsh desert sands.

Chewing on jerky, Zeon followed behind Dyoden.

After consuming the Sand Angler’s gallbladder and meat, Zeon’s body underwent a significant transformation.

All excess fat vanished, replaced by a muscular physique.

No matter how long he walked, he didn’t tire, unaware of the arduous trek.

If it weren’t for Dyoden, Zeon wouldn’t have known of the existence of the Sand Angler or its effects on the body.

‘Who is he? What circumstances drive him to cross this desert alone? And why am I tagging along?’

Questions endlessly plagued Zeon.

The best way to satisfy his curiosity would be to ask Dyoden. However, the feasibility of that was almost non-existent.

‘There’s nothing straightforward about this.’

Gulp!

Swallowing the jerky he had been chewing for a while, Zeon’s mouth felt dry.

He rummaged inside the robe and retrieved a leather pouch filled with water.

This, too, was made from the Sand Angler ‘s hide.

Lightweight and flexible, it could hold a considerable amount of water.

Zeon had filled it to the brim before the oasis disappeared.

He only drank sparingly when absolutely necessary.

“Sigh!”

With just a sip of water, he quenched his thirst.

As he secured the leather pouch back to his waist.

Tsssh!

A subtle movement caught his senses from deep within the sand.

Zeon concentrated on his senses.

There were a total of ten entities detected by his senses.

They were coming at him from all sides.

Within a radius of ten meters from Zeon, movements were detected.

This was proof that his senses had extended to ten meters. But he couldn’t simply rejoice at the heightened perception.

It was time to prepare rather than revel.

The creatures, though slow, were steadily closing in on him, forming an encircling trap, ready to spring forth.

Armor-like, glistening titanium shells, sturdy pincers split into two, six legs, and a pair of antennae.

The creatures were ants.

However, unlike regular ants, they were much larger than humans.

They were called Wolf Ants.

They moved in packs like wolves, reflecting their ferocity and roughness.

In the desert, Wolf Ants posed the most significant threat to caravans crossing through.

Once a single Wolf Ant appeared in the vicinity, it was assumed that there was a nest nearby—a typical anthill.

Anthills housed hundreds, if not thousands, of ants and larvae.

Once prey was caught, they’d drag it to the anthill, feeding the queen and the larvae.

What made the Wolf Ants fearsome was their venom injected when they bit.

The frightening aspect of this venom was that while the body became immobilized, the mind remained intact.

Those bitten by Wolf Ants had to endure the sensation of being devoured alive while in full consciousness.

That’s why in the desert, encountering Wolf Ants often led to suggestions of opting for suicide instead.

Zeon had heard endless tales about Wolf Ants while in the slums. That’s why the moment he saw them, he recognized their identity.

Thud!

The Wolf Ants clashed their teeth as they approached Zeon.

Their mineral-like eyes and shells reflected the sunlight, blurring the vision.

Unperturbed, Zeon unleashed his Sand Blaster.

Shooosh!

Five jets of the Sand Blaster surged towards the heads of the Wolf Ants.

They staggered from the impact but unlike the Giant Horned Hyenas, their heads remained intact.

Thanks to their titanium-like shells that protected them.

One terrifying aspect of Wolf Ants was their defensive capabilities—able to repel most attacks with their titanium-like shells.

Their defense was so potent that attacks from D-rank Awakened or below hardly affected them.

That’s why those of D-rank or lower Awakening would opt to flee upon encountering Wolf Ants.

Unaware of this fact, Zeon attacked the Wolf Ants.

Enraged by Zeon’s assault, the Wolf Ants charged with even fiercer determination.

“Waah!”

Zeon retreated while continuously unleashing the Sand Blaster.

Kwakwakwong!

The Sand Blaster relentlessly struck the heads of the Wolf Ants.

Despite receiving significant shocks, they still stood strong.

Zeon felt there was no winning this way.

Quickly stepping back, he simultaneously aimed the Sand Blaster at one of them, targeting only a single one.

Boom!

Finally, the targeted Wolf Ant’s head exploded.

“Good!”

Zeon clenched his fists, unleashing the Sand Blaster in rapid succession.

Bang!

Boom!

With each eruption of the Sand Blaster, the heads of the Wolf Ants exploded like fireworks.

While traveling with Dyoden, the Sand Blaster’s power had increased exponentially. It bridged the gap in levels enough to deal substantial damage.

Zeon gained confidence in the Sand Blaster’s effectiveness.

That’s when it happened.

Kieeek!

Suddenly, one of the Wolf Ants emitted a bizarre high-frequency sound.

It seemed as if it was screaming in terror, just as fearful as Zeon.

“Noisy!”

Zeon launched the Sand Blaster at the head of the Wolf Ant emitting the high-frequency sound.

Boom!

Once again, the Wolf Ant’s head shattered into pieces.

Now, only three Wolf Ants remained.

Zeon thought he had to finish this quickly and catch up with Dyoden.

That’s when the unexpected occurred.

Tsss!

Suddenly, Zeon sensed numerous creatures approaching.

“What…?”

Startled, before Zeon could react, the Wolf Ants thrust their heads out through the sand.

Their numbers exceeded a hundred.

“Insane!”

Zeon was astonished by the unimaginable numbers.

Only now did Zeon realize that the high-frequency sound the Wolf Ants released earlier was a call out to its comrades.

The Wolf Ants closed in on Zeon, completely surrounding him.

Kakakaka!

The Wolf Ants emitted an eerie sound—a cacophony that exploded into the air.

They swiftly charged towards Zeon.

“Fuck!”

Zeon swiftly maneuvered with Sand Strides, narrowly avoiding the Wolf Ants’ attacks.

Thud! Thwack!

In a hair’s breadth escape, Zeon dodged the pincers of a Wolf Ant and unleashed the Sand Blaster at its head.

Zeon was covered in the flesh and blood of the Wolf Ant.

Seeing this, the other Wolf Ants attacked with even more ferocity.

“Yaaaah!”

Zeon fought back against the Wolf Ants, screaming.

In the heat of battle, Zeon suddenly noticed an old man sitting atop a high sand dune.

It was Dyoden.

He observed the struggle between Zeon and the Wolf Ants with Kreion sitting beside him.

“Wolf Ants have a habit of flocking together when one of their kind is attacked.”

One should not assume that the attacking Wolf Ants were all there were.

Even now, as they fought, they emitted their distinct high-frequency calls, calling for reinforcements.

Soon, the rest of them would arrive.

Indeed, Dyoden sensed a swarm of Wolf Ants approaching rapidly from this direction.

There seemed to be an anthill nest nearby.

Boom! Bang!

Zeon exerted all his strength, unleashing the Sand Blaster.

Each blast caused the heads of the Wolf Ants to explode.

“It’s not enough. It’s far from sufficient.”

Dyoden expressed dissatisfaction.

Zeon had awakened a rare ability in this world, Sand Manipulation—a blessing that was unparalleled in this predominantly desert world. However, Zeon failed to realize how extensive his potential was, how high its utility could reach.

Such things needed to be discovered through personal experience.

The world judged an Awakened’s strength based on their insignias.

Whether they belonged to the Martial Arts category, the Magic category, were weaker than D-rank, and so forth—S-rank being the pinnacle.

Merely appearing that way dictated the hierarchy and determined one’s potential.

When Awakened individuals acquired skills, they were guided not to realize their own utility or growth direction but were pushed towards a standardized, safe path of development.

Thus, they couldn’t fully utilize their potential.

One had to collide with adversity, cross the boundaries of life and death, realize their shortcomings, and then ponder on how to fill those gaps.

That, according to Dyoden, was the correct path for an Awakened’s growth. But the powerful figures in Neo Seoul disagreed.

Dyoden’s approach took too much time and wasn’t efficient enough. Hence, the influential figures in Neo Seoul looked down on him.

“You hard-headed idiots! They’re so engrossed in power struggles they don’t even realize the state the world is in.”

One hundred years had passed since the sixth extinction.

Most survivors perished, and only a few remained.

Dyoden was one of the very few survivors who remembered the horrors of that time.

He witnessed firsthand how the sixth mass extinction began, how many people suffered and perished in despair.

While civilization crumbled overnight, the transmogrified monsters ravaged the Earth.

No one knew the immense anger he felt as he helplessly watched his family and friends become mere prey for the monsters, fading away.

Fortunately, awakening and surviving until this moment, Dyoden never once forgot the horrors of that time.

Some told Dyoden to forgive himself.

Nonsense.

How could he forgive himself?

Even after a hundred years, he couldn’t forgive himself for watching helplessly as his wife died.

While he called everyone else an idiot, in truth, the biggest idiot was himself.

With a mad gleam in his eyes, Dyoden watched Zeon.

Zeon engaged in a fierce battle with the Wolf Ants—dodging with Sand Strides and attacking with the Sand Blaster.

A standardized approach.

Zeon might believe it’s his best, but he hadn’t reached Dyoden’s expectations yet.

“Prove your worth by surviving on your own. You idiot!”