Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 248

As Zeon walked with Brielle, he suddenly remembered something and asked.

“Where’s Levin?”

“He still hasn’t come back.”

“How long has it been?”

“It’s been over a week, I think. Do you think something might have happened?”

Brielle replied with a worried expression.

“I’m sure he’s fine. Don’t worry.”

“You’re probably right!”

Brielle nodded in agreement.

During their trip to the desert, the one who had grown the most was Levin. He had become a dual-ability user, able to phase into ghost form and wield Purple Lightning.

There were certainly stronger Awakeneds than Levin, but killing him wouldn’t be easy. With his ghost form, very few people could catch him if he decided to escape.

Setting aside their worries about Levin, the two continued walking.

After a while, they arrived at their destination: the Goblin Market.

“Oh, Mr. Zeon!”

“Welcome!”

The guards at the entrance greeted Zeon warmly upon his arrival.

They were well aware that it was thanks to Zeon that the fanatics of Dongdaemun, who had tried to choke off the Goblin Market, had withdrawn.

Without any need for additional checks, they let Zeon and Brielle enter the market.

The Goblin Market, now free from Dongdaemun’s oppression, was bustling with life.

It felt like warmth had finally returned to the place.

As they entered the market, even Brielle’s face lit up with excitement.

“I need to see if they have any new materials. See you later, Zeon!”

Brielle dashed off, excitedly heading toward the shops selling monster by-products.

For her, the Goblin Market was like a playground.

Everything she needed was available here, and finding rare materials was a great joy for Brielle.

Zeon let her go off on her own, knowing she would be fine.

He, too, had a purpose for coming to the market today.

Zeon headed straight to the office of Yu Se-hee, the head of the union.

“Welcome.”

Yu Se-hee greeted him warmly.

“How have you been?”

“Thanks to you…”

Yu Se-hee shrugged.

Because of Zeon, Dongdaemun had retreated, and peace had returned.

There were still a few minor issues to resolve, but time would take care of those.

“So, what brings you here?”

“I’m looking for something.”

“That makes me nervous.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, what kind of grand item must you be looking for, if you’ve come all the way to me?”

Yu Se-hee felt a bit on edge.

Someone like Zeon could get his hands on just about anything he wanted. Even if it wasn’t available at the Goblin Market, he could find it elsewhere with little effort.

The fact that Zeon had come to her directly meant that what he was seeking wasn’t ordinary.

With a smile, Zeon replied.

“It’s nothing too crazy. I’m looking for an item related to subspace storage.”

“Subspace?”

“Yes. I realized recently that my subspace feels a bit cramped.”

“Your subspace feels cramped? Ha!”

Yu Se-hee let out a sigh.

She was well aware of how incredibly large Zeon’s subspace was.

He was probably the only person who carried around an entire subspace filled with sand. So hearing him say it was cramped left her at a loss for words.

But at the same time, she understood.

The sand stored in Zeon’s subspace was his trump card.

A trump card only works when others don’t know about it. But now, the powers of Neo Seoul were well aware that Zeon carried sand in his subspace.

They would certainly start preparing countermeasures against it.

Just like how Lee Ji-ryeong had used the NSSC’s prison against him.

‘So that’s why Zeon wants to be prepared, too.’

A deep frown appeared on Yu Se-hee’s face as she pondered.

After a long pause, she finally spoke.

“As you know, subspace items are rare. Especially ones as large as yours—none have ever been circulated on the market.”

“Do they even exist?”

“They might. There are items found in dungeons that surpass all expectations. But I’ve never seen one.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll look into it and see if there are any related items.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Zeon didn’t expect to find a subspace item right away.

Even subspace items the size of a cart were rarely available on the market. Finding one larger than that was almost unheard of.

He had only mentioned it to Yu Se-hee in case any information came up in the future.

“So, is a subspace item all you need?”

“For now, yes.”

“I guess no other items would really satisfy you. Are you heading home after this?”

“I’ll do some window shopping while waiting for Brielle.”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll head out then.”

After saying goodbye to Yu Se-hee, Zeon left the office.

“Selling the horns of a Two-headed Monoceros for cheap!”

“Hey, you over there, come take a look!”

Merchants were enthusiastically calling out to potential customers in every direction.

Zeon walked through the market, browsing the various shops to see if anything caught his eye, but unfortunately, nothing lived up to his standards.

There were no subspace-related items to be found, either.

In the end, Zeon gave up on finding a subspace item at the Goblin Market and sat down on a bench.

As he sat there waiting for Brielle, he started to feel drowsy.

Just as Zeon was nodding off, a man stealthily approached him.

The man crept up behind Zeon and suddenly drew his sword to strike.

Shhh!

The sharp sound of the sword slicing through the air made Zeon open his eyes.

Clang!

The sword, aimed directly at Zeon’s neck, was deflected by the Inferno Gauntlet, sending it flying.

“Who are you?”

“Die!”

The man shouted as he attacked Zeon again.

His face was twisted with madness as he swung his sword at Zeon.

Zeon, furrowing his brow, dodged the attack.

Bang!

The man’s sword struck a nearby wall, tearing through it as if it were made of sponge.

His attacks were incredibly powerful.

If it had been anyone other than Zeon, they would have been seriously injured or killed by now.

Swish, swish, swish!

The man’s attacks rained down on Zeon like a storm.

Zeon either blocked the strikes with his Inferno Gauntlet or skillfully dodged them.

“Huh? Is that…?”

“Isn’t that Garion?”

The merchants nearby recognized the attacker as Garion.

But Garion didn’t care about their reactions. He continued to attack Zeon with a crazed determination, as if he were possessed.

Zeon was bewildered.

A man he had never seen before was attacking him with a suicidal intensity. But that didn’t mean Zeon was going to let himself be killed.

Crack!

Zeon’s kick connected with the man’s side.

The impact shattered all of the man’s ribs.

The force was strong enough that an ordinary person would have died instantly. But the man continued to attack as if nothing had happened.

Then Zeon noticed something strange—the man’s ribs were rapidly healing.

“Huh? Is this regeneration?”

Some Awakeneds in the martial arts type possessed regeneration abilities.

No matter how severe their injuries, they could heal quickly. By burning through an enormous amount of mana and life force, they could regenerate far beyond the limits of a normal human.

Awakened with advanced regeneration were highly valued by the districts and raiding parties alike.

It was an ability that made them perfect for tanking.

However, those with advanced regeneration were extremely rare.

Bang!

Zeon’s next strike broke the man’s neck.

It was a fatal blow that would have killed most people, but thanks to his advanced regeneration, the man’s body quickly restored itself.

“Diiie!”

The man screamed as he charged at Zeon once more. But he was no match for Zeon.

Zeon knew very well that advanced regeneration was not an invincible shield.

No matter how powerful the regeneration, it was useless against overwhelming force.

Boom!

Zeon’s fist struck the man’s temple.

The man’s eyes immediately lost focus.

The sheer force of the blow knocked him unconscious.

Zeon followed up by kicking the man in the head.

Thud!

The man’s head slammed into the ground.

Zeon pinned the man’s chest down with his foot and said,

“Now, how about you tell me why you attacked me?”

“Grr!”

The man struggled under Zeon’s foot, trying to free himself, but it was useless. The pressure holding him down was immense, as if he were being crushed by a giant press.

“W-wait a second.”

“You’re Garion, right?”

Some merchants who had been watching the fight hurried over.

Zeon turned to them and asked.

“Do you know this guy?”

“Yes. Until recently, he was a merchant here with us.”

One of the merchants answered quickly.

“Then why did he attack me?”

“This man… He was recruited by Dongdaemun.”

“Recruited?”

“Yes! He became one of their followers.”

“Hmm.”

That explained it.

When Dongdaemun had taken over Sinchon, many people from the area had joined them.

Zeon hadn’t paid much attention to it, but a significant number of people from Sinchon had defected to Dongdaemun.

Garion was one of them.

“Grr! Die, you unbeliever!”

Garion thrashed under Zeon’s foot, foaming at the mouth and rolling at the eyes, clearly not in his right mind.

Zeon turned to the merchant and asked.

“Was this guy awakened before?”

“No, he was just an ordinary person…”

The merchant looked shocked as he gazed at Garion.

Garion had indeed been an ordinary man, but the way he had fought just moments ago was far from normal.

“How did this happen?”

“What on earth happened to him?”

The merchants exchanged confused looks as they tried to understand the situation.

“Aaaargh!”

Garion let out a distorted scream, desperately trying to push Zeon’s foot off his chest. But his strength was fading, and it seemed like he was about to pass out from exhaustion.

Zeon grabbed Garion’s face with one hand.

The merchants, thinking that Zeon was about to kill Garion, quickly shouted in alarm.

“Wait! Please don’t kill him!”

Thump!

At that moment, a burst of mana was released from Zeon’s hand.

The mana, infused with the power of flames, surged into Garion’s brain, sending a powerful shockwave through his mind.

The blow disrupted Garion’s mental state, causing him to lose consciousness.

Only after Garion had completely passed out did Zeon release his grip on his face.

One of the merchants cautiously asked, looking at the unmoving Garion.

“Did you… kill him?”

“I just knocked him out for a bit. He’s fine.”

“Thank goodness.”

The merchant let out a sigh of relief.

Even though Garion had joined Dongdaemun, the merchants still had fond memories of their time working together. They didn’t want to see him die, especially not like this.

At that moment, the guards of the Goblin Market arrived.

After listening to the merchants’ explanation, the guards took Garion away.

From here on, it would be up to the guards to handle the situation.

Even though Garion was no longer in front of him, Zeon was left with lingering questions.

‘Did he awaken after being recruited by Dongdaemun? It makes sense that he might have awakened late, but why did he attack me? Does he have a personal grudge against me?’

It was possible.

Garion could have been connected to someone Zeon had killed.

In Neo Seoul, there were plenty of people who might hold a grudge against Zeon.

Just then, Brielle appeared.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, let’s head home.”

“Okay!”

Judging by the satisfied smile on her face, it seemed Brielle had enjoyed her shopping trip.

———-