Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 107

“Kid! What on earth have you been lingering around here for days to buy? Hey, aren’t you getting agitated enough to go somewhere else?”

“Sorry. I’ll just stay here a little longer.”

Levin persisted stubbornly despite the merchant’s mockery.

He was sitting in front of a general store.

But it wasn’t an ordinary general store.

It was a general store selling items made from monster corpses.

He had been sitting in front of the general store for days.

The shopkeeper’s ridicule towards him was not unwarranted.

Nevertheless, Levin persisted stubbornly.

Despite being scolded and driven away several times, he always came back.

“Ugh! That stubborn brat!”

The shopkeeper glared at Levin as if he wanted to kill him, then went back inside the shop.

Levin muttered to himself leaning against the wall.

“Is it hopeless again today? It’s never easy after all.”

He closed his eyes for a moment.

Levin didn’t come to the Goblin Market to just watch people passing by.

‘He definitely bought something from here.’

Levin had been tracking the whereabouts of the murderer who killed his mother and brother.

During that time, the murderer committed several more killings. And he went into hiding, almost mocking Levin’s pursuit.

Whenever Levin grew weary of tracking, the murderer resurfaced, seemingly waiting for him, and committed another murder.

Levin thought the murderer might have noticed his pursuit. Otherwise, his actions wouldn’t be so incomprehensible.

In the end, Levin gave up directly tracking the murderer. But that didn’t mean he gave up entirely.

He just changed his approach.

‘All the items he uses are not ordinary mass-produced goods. They are made from special materials.’

The most notable was the knife the murderer used.

The murderer’s knife was specially crafted to efficiently cut through human flesh and easily extract blood.

Levin tracked down knives similar to the one the murderer used by analyzing the cutting marks left on the bodies, but he couldn’t find any with similar shapes.

The knife used by the murderer was that unique.

But what Levin noticed wasn’t just the appearance of such knives.

It was the nature of the knife.

The blood of the people killed by the murderer was unusually viscous. The viscosity was abnormally high.

Levin thought the reason might be exposure to high temperatures.

Whether the murderer intentionally heated the blood or something among his belongings emitted high heat.

‘What if the knife the murderer possesses emits heat because it’s made of special materials?’

That was why Levin was sitting here, waiting.

There were quite a few materials that emitted heat on their own.

Including the bones of Flame Salamanders, Firestones, feathers of Flame Eagles, remnants of Flame Golems, and more.

But such special materials were never available in ordinary stores.

Especially not in slums.

In places other than Neo Seoul, the Goblin Market was the only place where such materials could be obtained.

That’s why Levin thought there was a high possibility that the murderer had used the Goblin Market, especially this general store.

‘He must have caused damage to his knife after countless murders.’

Human bodies seem weak on the surface, but they are incredibly tough and resilient.

Especially the bones are unbelievably strong, making it easy to damage the blade.

If he committed that many murders, undoubtedly the murderer’s blade would have been significantly damaged. Even if it was an item made of special materials.

‘If he wants to repair the knife, he’ll definitely need supplies from here.’

Levin didn’t know when the murderer would appear.

He might never appear again.

Still, Levin was determined to wait until the end.

Because that was all he had left.

‘I’m pretty good at waiting for things like this.’

Levin stayed at the general store for a few more days after that.

During that time, countless people came and went from the general store.

The items they bought varied.

Some bought seemingly useless materials, while others spent a fortune on materials.

Levin scrutinized those who bought items closely. But there was no one suspicious.

Levin’s gaze shifted.

He was following a man who had just entered the general store.

He was wearing a black robe.

The brim of the robe’s hat was pulled down so his face couldn’t be seen, but as he passed by, the strong smell of blood stimulated Levin’s senses.

Levin’s face hardened.

This was the first time he had encountered someone emitting such a strong smell of blood while wearing a black robe.

For a moment, Levin’s rationality flew out the window.

Unconsciously, Levin clenched his fist tightly.

‘It’s him. It must be him.’

There was no evidence whatsoever.

But the moment Levin saw him, he was sure.

His instincts whispered to him.

That man was the murderer.

Levin trusted his instincts.

‘Not yet. If I move recklessly, I’ll provoke him.’

He waited patiently until the man came out of the general store without going inside.

It was quite some time after the time spent in the general store, and it was clear that the man had bought quite a few items, but strangely, he was empty-handed.

‘Does he possess a storage item or something?’

Storage items were very rare.

Levin had heard that even in Neo Seoul, there weren’t many Awakened who possessed storage items.

If the man in the black robe really had a storage item as Levin speculated, then he was likely not an ordinary person.

“Hah!”

Levin waited for the man in the black robe to move far enough away before getting up from his seat.

Sitting in the same position for so long had made his legs numb. Nonetheless, Levin tracked the man in the black robe without showing any signs of discomfort.

The man in the black robe seemed to be extremely cautious.

He never let his guard down.

Although he walked casually, Levin could sense that the man’s senses and nerves were alert to the outside.

‘About ten meters away?’

Levin felt amazed that he could know such a fact.

It seemed possible because his senses had become sharper after Awakening.

Levin walked about ten meters away from the man in the black robe.

The man in the black robe gradually entered a deeper alley.

Levin was convinced.

‘He’s definitely planning a murder today.’

A strong urge surged within him.

It was when Levin tried hard to calm his violently pounding heart.

Suddenly, the man in the black robe stopped.

Levin stopped instinctively as well.

The man in the black robe turned around and looked in Levin’s direction.

Their eyes met for a moment.

He spoke.

“What are you? You’ve been following me since the Goblin Market.”

“How? I was definitely out of your detection range.”

Levin blurted out, surprised.

“My detection range is much wider and denser than you think, kid!”

“Tsk!”

“Now, tell me why you followed me.”

Levin’s face stiffened.

The cold gaze of the man in the black robe sent shivers down Levin’s spine.

It was as if the man’s eyes penetrated everything, with a predatory gaze containing all his malice.

It was like the gaze of a black panther, unintentionally invoking terror.

Levin swallowed dry saliva unconsciously.

The man’s lips, revealed beneath the deep hat, formed a smirk.

“If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll tear you to pieces.”

“It’s you, isn’t it? The despicable bastard who kills people and leaves them dismembered like in the shape of a hydra.”

“Despicable? You’re just a vulgar person who doesn’t understand art. That’s why I hate the slums. People living hand to mouth are nothing but ignorant fools. So they lack the knowledge to appreciate art.”

“Killing people in such a way is art? Then let me try my hand at art.”

Levin couldn’t contain his anger and exploded.

The man in the black robe’s smirk intensified at Levin’s outburst.

“To imbue such emotions? You’re not just a simple tracker, are you? Perhaps you had family among those I killed?”

“Yes! You bastard.”

Levin shouted and rushed at the man in the black robe.

The man’s appearance blurred like a ghost.

Levin had activated awakened ability, Specter.

In a ghostly, blurry state, emitting purple energy, Levin’s appearance startled the man in the black robe.

Although he had met quite a few Awakeneds, Levin was the first one he encountered with abilities like his.

“Haha! You must enjoy cutting. How about the feeling of cutting a ghost?”

Swaah!

Suddenly, a deformed dagger emerged from the man’s sleeve.

The dagger, resembling a mix of a sword and a saw, had barely discernible runes engraved on it.

As the man in the black robe flicked his finger, the dagger with the runes pierced Levin.

If it were an ordinary person or an Awakened, they would have died instantly, but to Levin, who had turned into a ghost, any attack was ineffective.

“Die!”

Instantly, an enormous surge of electrical energy emanated from Levin.

Zap!

The electrical energy swept through everything like a storm in an instant.

Even the man in the black robe couldn’t escape the storm.

His robe burst open, revealing his face.

“Argh!”

A lizard-like elongated face with narrow eyes. But most impressive were the scars crossing his face horizontally.

The scars, hastily stitched together, looked even more grotesque.

“How dare you!”

He was furious.

He never expected Levin to emit electricity after turning into a ghost.

Although it was electrical energy, not magic, it was similar to the Chain Lightning used by magic user Awakeneds.

If the man’s abilities were slightly lacking, he would have been killed by Levin’s attack just now.

The man’s rage was terrifying.

“You!”

He swung the dagger with the runes attached.

Levin sneered at him.

“It won’t work. Mister, you’re not very bright.”

“What?”

In an instant, white light followed the runes.

It was the electrical discharge emitted from the man’s hand.

Only then did Levin realize that the man’s hand was a mechanized prosthetic. His prosthetic hand had generated the intense electrical energy, just like Levin.

Zap! Crack!

The collision of electrical energies created an enormous energy storm.

The storm demolished a corner of the slum.

***

“What’s that?”

Suddenly feeling a tremendous vibration, Brielle looked up in surprise.

The buildings shook momentarily, as if an earthquake had occurred.

As a result, the experimental specimens on the workbench trembled for a moment.

Fortunately, the vibration soon subsided.

She hurriedly looked for Zeon.

Zeon was already standing up and looking out the window.

In the distance, she could see white light disappearing.

Brielle asked Zeon.

“What’s happening?”

“Seems like a fight broke out.”

“At any rate, this damn slum. There’s never a quiet day. Where is it? Dongdaemun? Or somewhere else?”

“It’s in Sinchon.”

“Eh? That close?”

Just then.

Kwaaaang!

A thunderous sound and white lightning swept through the slum once again.

As a result, the windows of Zeon’s house shook as if they were about to break.

“Who the hell is fighting in the middle of the night?”

Angry to the core, Brielle clenched her hat tightly.

Zeon said.

“It’s Levin.”

“What?”

“Levin is fighting.”

Due to the towering buildings, the fighting scene couldn’t be seen.

But the distinctive energy waves felt intensely were undoubtedly Levin’s.

“Is Levin really fighting? Then did he find the murderer?”

“We’ll have to check it out now.”

Zeon opened the window.

The stuffy sandstorm hit his face.

Without hesitation, Zeon flew into the sandstorm.

Brielle also jumped out of the window, shouting.

“Let’s go together.”