Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 27

Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions erupted right in front of Zeon.

The Exploding Bees hit the sand wall, exploding upon impact.

Dozens of Exploding Bees had already self-destructed, yet Zeon and Go Duwon hadn’t suffered a single scratch.

It was thanks to the swirling sand barrier around them.

The Exploding Bees couldn’t penetrate the sand barrier and exploded outside it.

That’s why the two of them remained unscathed.

“This… can’t be!”

Go Duwon couldn’t close his gaping mouth.

He knew all too well how terrifying and troublesome the Exploding Bees were.

One or two weren’t scary at all; he could just shoot them down with arrows.

The problem was, he could only carry dozens of arrows at most, but the number of Exploding Bees in the Black Forest easily exceeded hundreds, even thousands.

Exploding Bees self-destructed without fear of death.

In the face of such overwhelming monsters, Go Duwon’s abilities were utterly useless. The combination between the Exploding Bees and Go Duwon was the worst possible match. So, he only circled the outskirts of the Black Forest and couldn’t muster the courage to venture inside.

Unless one was as Awakened like Dyoden, they shouldn’t even dare to think about entering the Black Forest.

When he came in with Zeon, it was similar to a drowning person grasping for straws, so he didn’t have much hope. But now, Zeon’s display of prowess surpassed his wildest imagination.

Bang! Boom!

Like a rainstorm beating against the roof, Exploding Bees incessantly pounded the sand barrier, detonating fiercely.

He almost felt sorry for the Exploding Bees exploding outside the sand barrier.

If the Exploding Bees were Go Duwon’s worst match, then Zeon was the worst match for the Exploding Bees.

‘There’s a reason why that madman Dyoden is taking this kid with him.’’

He looked at Zeon, forgetting for a moment that his daughter was within the Black Forest.

As the commotion settled, Go Duwon recognized the familiarity of Zeon’s robe.

“Is that an elf’s robe?”

“How did you know?”

“My wife had something similar to that.”

“I see.”

“Where did you get it? Elves never share their belongings with humans.”

“That…”

“It’s… Dyoden must have massacred an elven village again.”

Go Duwon grasped the truth instantly.

Zeon wore an embarrassed expression, unsure how to justify it.

Fortunately, Go Duwon didn’t blame Zeon.

Carefully, Zeon asked.

“Do you know why Dyoden hates other races so much?”

“Hmm!”

“Is it true that the Earth became like this because of the other races?”

“That… it’s true.”

Go Duwon had no choice but to answer. Wasting time with excuses could delay saving his daughter.

“So, that’s why Dyoden is filled with such animosity.”

“Not all races were like that. My wife opposed their decision. That’s why she was cast out and ended up marrying me.”

“How did the other races bring Earth to this state?”

Zeon couldn’t fathom it.

He’d heard that Earth was an enormous planet.

Neo Seoul was said to be just a tiny dot in comparison.

Understanding how such a gigantic planet turned into a desert eluded him.

“I don’t know that far either. My wife was also reluctant to explain. She called it their original sin…”

“Hmm!”

“I’m sorry.”

“I understand. Let’s focus on rescuing Har for now.”

“Thank you!”

Even in that moment, Exploding Bees were incessantly self-destructing against the sand barrier.

Bang! Boom!

As they ventured deeper into the heart of the Black Forest, the explosions intensified. It signified an onslaught of Exploding Bees self-destructing in even greater numbers.

The solid sand barrier was shaking violently.

Whoosh!

The sky had turned completely dark.

The Exploding Bees had covered the entire sky.

“Oh my goodness!”

Go Duwon’s face turned pale.

There were dozens of times more Exploding Bees than he had vaguely estimated.

The sheer number of Exploding Bees residing within the Black Forest was utterly unbelievable.

Go Duwon asked Zeon.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s time to start seriously reducing their numbers.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes! I have a skill I want to try.”

Zeon subtly smiled.

The Exploding Bees themselves were a weapon.

And there were countless such weapons.

However, Zeon wasn’t scared of those Exploding Bees.

“I have enough weapons on my side as well.”

Shssss!

As Zeon asserted his dominance, sands within dozens of meters of him floated into the air.

No matter how numerous the Exploding Bees were, they couldn’t outnumber the sand covering the entire world.

Quantity countered quantity in this siege.

The only issue lay with mana and dominance.

For now, they were sufficient.

Zeon began to unleash the image he had contemplated and drawn in his mind within the Black Forest.

The sands floating in the air gathered around Zeon.

It resembled a huge cylinder.

A huge cylinder made of sand.

The mental image had solidified into reality.

All that remained was to pull the trigger.

“Here it goes.”

Zeon infused mana into the cylinder.

Woooo!

At that moment, the huge sand cylinder spun at a terrifying speed.

The sand cylinder drew in everything around it and pulverized it.

The Exploding Bees sucked into the sand cylinder were torn apart at an alarming speed.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Exploding Bees inside the huge sand cylinder set off a chain of explosions

It was a spectacle that was hard to believe even when seen with one’s own eyes.

Zeon murmured.

“It’s a kind of sand mixer, I guess?”

Hence, the skill’s name was Sand Mixer.

Its advantage lay in rapidly rotating sand to grind numerous opponents in one fell swoop.

The downside was the considerable mana consumption, limiting its prolonged usage.

The range was not very wide yet due to his low rank, but as his rank advanced and the amount of mana increased, the power of the skill would be maximized.

Once he advances to S-rank, conjuring a sandstorm might not just be a dream.

Go Duwon stared dumbfounded at the Sand Mixer.

“Insane!”

The pitch-black sky was slowly regaining its true color.

He couldn’t believe that Exploding Bees, which had troubled the Goya Tribe so much, could be dealt with so effortlessly.

Even his wife had never mentioned the existence of such a skill in the world.

That meant this skill and capability were appearing for the first time in this world.

Already, the flock of Exploding Bees had decreased by more than half.

However, Zeon’s expression wasn’t particularly bright.

“Ugh! My mana is running out.”

“Are you saying you don’t have enough mana?”

“I think we should stop reducing the number of Exploding Bees for now. Let’s quickly find Har and bring her out.”

“Wait! I’ll give you this. With this, it should cover your mana shortage to some extent.”

What Go Duwon pulled out from his pocket was a necklace emitting a bluish hue.

It seemed like it was not an ordinary artifact, it made one feel refreshed just by looking at it.

“What’s this?”

“It’s Elura’s Tear, a keepsake of my wife. It’s an artifact she brought from her hometown. It has the effect of restoring the consumed mana to its original amount once a day.”

For a moment, greed flickered across Zeon’s face.

“Are you lending it to me? Or are you giving it to me?”

“I’ll give it to you. However, as a condition, reduce the number of Exploding Bees as much as your mana will allow for today.”

“Fine.”

“Please.”

Go Duwon handed Elura’s Tear to Zeon.

Elura’s Tear was a precious artifact rare even in his wife’s homeland. However, it wasn’t much needed for Go Duwon. Since his skill didn’t heavily consume mana. On the other hand, it was an incredible treasure for Zeon.

Although he was somehow managing his mana now, as he developed his skills, the mana consumption would undoubtedly increase. Having such a treasure meant overstraining a bit wouldn’t pose any issue.

It was a profitable deal for Go Duwon as well.

As Zeon reduces the number of Exploding Bees, the chances of reviving the Black Forest would increase. Rescuing Hau was crucial, but reviving the Black Forest was also important to him.

Hence, he handed over Elura’s Tear to Zeon.

Zeon hung the necklace, Elura’s Tear, around his neck.

Instantly, a refreshing sensation spread from the spot on his chest where the necklace touched, spreading through his body.

“Great!”

A broad smile crept onto Zeon’s lips, as if he had gained an extra reservoir of mana.

Now, he could operate the Sand Mixer without worrying about mana.

Gaaaah!

The Sand Mixer spun at an even more terrifying speed, striking the Exploding Bees in the area.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A tremendous explosion shook the Black Forest.

The staggering number of Exploding Bees had visibly decreased.

It seemed that with just a little more effort, they could eliminate all the Exploding Bees.

That’s when…

Kuuu!

Suddenly, the center of the Black Forest trembled.

In an instant, both individuals’ expressions changed.

“It’s the boss.”

“Is it the queen?”

Unable to endure the devastation to its hive, the Exploding Bee’s boss had come forward.

The heart of the Black Forest roiled, and a single Exploding Bee appeared. But its size surpassed their imagination.

From head to the poisonous stinger on its tail, it measured an astounding seven meters in length.

It was the Queen Bee, the boss of the Exploding Bees.

Countless eggs adorned the Queen Bee’s abdomen. But there was a little girl hanging on one of them.

She was Har, Go Duwon’s daughter.

“Har! Why are you there?”

Among Queen Bee’s eggs, the one Har was hanging from seemed different in shape and light from the rest.

It wasn’t an egg of the Queen Bee but seemed to be mixed with something resembling an egg.

Har, Go Duwon’s daughter, was clinging to the object.

“Release my daughter, monster!”

Go Duwon pulled an arrow from his quiver and drew it.

Although not particularly effective against the swarm of Exploding Bees, in one-on-one combat, it changed the narrative.

He was an Awakened from the Martial Arts category, and possessed skills specialized in archery.

The target of the arrow was the Queen Bee’s head.

“Explosion Arrow.”

Phing!

The arrow flew at an incredible speed and struck the Queen Bee’s head.

Kwaang!

The arrow exploded, causing the Queen Bee’s head to slightly recoil. But soon, the Queen Bee’s head returned to its original position.

No visible damage had been inflicted.

“Damn it!”

Go Duwon continuously fired arrows.

Each of his arrows hit the Queen Bee’s head accurately.

Weeing!

The Queen Bee’s wing flapping intensified.

The repeated attacks by Go Duwon further fueled the Queen Bee’s rage.

Suddenly, the Queen Bee vanished from Go Duwon’s sight.

It was moving at such an incredible speed that it was impossible to follow with the naked eye.

“Damn it! It’s dangerous.”

Zeon was the first to sense the Queen Bee’s movements.

He quickly erected a sand barrier in front of Go Duwon.

Kwaang!

With a deafening sound, the sand barrier shattered into pieces. And Go Duwon was thrown off in the distance.

It was a huge impact due to the Queen Bee’s high-speed flight.

If Zeon hadn’t used the sand barrier to dissipate the impact, Go Duwon might have lost his life.

Zeon looked at the Queen Bee and said.

“Your opponent is me.”

Weeing!

As if in response, the Queen Bee’s wing flapping intensified even more.