Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 127

Long ago, humans desired to reach God.

So, they built a tall tower.

A tower named Babel.

The tower eventually collapsed under the wrath of God, and humanity was divided.

Now, it was a legend of the mythic era that even those who remember it are scarce.

Neo Seoul is the Tower of Babel of the present era.

In the midst of the desert, the towering city stood alone, embodying the wishes of the ancient humans who once longed to reach God.

Within Neo Seoul, the once-prosperous advanced buildings from before the Great Cataclysm stood tall, piercing the sky.

While all districts developed evenly, the most splendid and sophisticated was the West District.

Neo Seoul boasted an ultra-modern civilization, but among them, the West District excelled in advancement.

Among other things, it had a higher number of Mechanized Awakeneds, which brought about the development of machinery.

Magic here was merely a supplementary tool, not the main focus.

The West District researched and advanced machinery for Mechanized Awakeneds, leading to a far superior rate of progress compared to other districts.

This characteristic of the West District was also deeply ingrained in Kim Hyun-soo’s residence.

Inside the metallic space, numerous pipes and wires were exposed.

Similarly, Kim Hyun-soo sat on a large metallic chair.

Kim Hyun-soo’s appearance was no different from others. However, a considerable portion of his physique was crafted from machinery.

Yet, with exceptional technological prowess, it resembled human flesh quite closely. Thus, it was impossible to discern with the naked eye where the machinery ended and the real flesh began.

With an expressionless face and icy gaze, he seemed to wear a metallic mask.

Kim Hyun-soo gazed into the void.

His pupils glowed crimson.

His eyes, too, were artificial.

After staring into the void for some time, Kim Hyun-soo spoke.

“Triox Five!”

Instantly, someone’s voice was directly transmitted to his brain.

―Yes, Master.

“Report the situation.”

―So far, there have been seventy-two casualties, all of them have had their mechanicals stripped away and their bodies discarded. The stripped mechanical parts are presumed to have been disassembled and flowed into the black market.

“Seventy-two casualties?”

―Another one has been added, making it seventy-three now.

“Is the culprit also a scavenger?”

―Yes.

“This is absurd! Seventy-three casualties within a few days all from scavengers? It seems we appeared too naive.”

―Items flowing in from the White Bear Caravan have been showing the worst compatibility with Mechanized Awakeneds. If left unchecked, the damage is estimated to escalate further.

“What are the countermeasures?”

—Moving the Mechanized Corps to directly eliminate the White Bear Caravan is the best option.

“That won’t do! If we mobilize the Mechanized Corps, it will give Jin Geum-ho the opportunity to intervene directly in the West Zone.”

Kim Hyun-soo’s expression distorted.

Kim Hyun-soo, who feared nothing, was afraid of Jin Geum-ho, the mayor of Neo Seoul, as much as anyone.

He knew well how formidable and terrifying Jin Geum-ho was.

Giving Jin Geum-ho an excuse to intervene would be nothing short of a disaster for the West District and himself.

Therefore, he had to act as cautiously as possible.

“Is there any other option?”

―Calculating.

There was a moment of silence from the mechanical sound.

Kim Hyun-soo waited for his response in silence.

Triox Five was not human.

It was a supercomputer created by the fusion of chance and science.

In the early days of his awakening, Kim Hyun-soo entered a dungeon by chance.

The owner of the dungeon was an Ancient Golem classified as S-rank.

Kim Hyun-soo, still a novice, dared not face such an opponent.

However, for some reason, the Ancient Golem was on the verge of breaking down. Thanks to this, Kim Hyun-soo barely managed to defeat the Ancient Golem and obtain loot.

Among them was the brain of the Ancient Golem, containing its ego.

The brain of the Ancient Golem was reset.

Kim Hyun-soo took the brain of the Ancient Golem and studied it.

For some reason, the computer enlisted for the research was combined with the brain of the Ancient Golem.

The fusion of the computer and the brain of the Ancient Golem resurrected as a supercomputer, and Kim Hyun-soo named it Triox Five.

The mainframe of Triox Five was located in a bunker a hundred meters below ground.

For Mechanized Awakeneds in the West District, a communication module connected to Triox Five was installed.

Thanks to this, Kim Hyun-soo could monitor the movements of Mechanized Awakeneds here as if reading the back of his palm, even while sitting here.

Ordinary Awakeneds simply have communication modules installed, but in Kim Hyun-soo’s followers, auxiliary AI is also installed.

The auxiliary AI is connected to the ego through the trioxide panel of Triox Five.

The auxiliary AI efficiently controls the movements and energy of Mechanized Awakeneds, making them significantly stronger.

Because of this, any Mechanized Awakened desires to become one of Kim Hyun-soo’s followers and have the auxiliary AI installed. However, such an opportunity is not given to just anyone.

There is a limit to the number of auxiliary AIs, so only a very few are allowed.

While pondering various thoughts for a moment, the voice of Triox Five was heard.

—Based on the current analysis of power dynamics, an alliance with Dongdaemun is expected to be the most efficient.

“Dongdaemun? That group of fanatics?”

—That is correct!

“Why them?”

Kim Hyun-soo furrowed his brow.

Even for Kim Hyun-soo, the ruler of the West District, Dongdaemun, clustered around Johan, was an unpleasant group.

It wasn’t their military might that was frightening, but rather their unity and fanatical belief in God that made them uncomfortable.

Fanatics who didn’t fear death were quite tiresome beings even for Mechanized Awakeneds without blood or tears.

Given such facts, it was inevitable to be surprised by Triox Five’s recommendation of Dongdaemun.

Triox Five continued its explanation.

—Recently, Dongdaemun has been experiencing consecutive failures and is in a desperate situation. There haven’t been major losses, but the authority of the leader, Johan, has greatly declined, requiring an opportunity for a turnaround.

“A turnaround? That could be possible.”

—Dongdaemun can be presented at the front, and we’ll simply provide support.

“They get to preserve their dignity while we reap the benefits.”

—Correct.

“I like the sound of that.”

Only then did a smile appear on Kim Hyun-soo’s face.

—Then we will proceed.

“Go ahead.”

—Understood, Master’s orders will be carried out.

Kim Hyun-soo nodded deeply and buried himself in his chair.

As he gazed out the window for a moment, he suddenly asked, as if remembering something.

“How many pure Koreans are left?”

—As far as we know, there are only 3,749,399 pure Koreans remaining.

“Is that all?”

—At this rate, within a hundred years, pure Korean lineage will completely disappear.

“As long as I’m alive, that won’t happen. The true owner of this land will always be Korean.”

Although he had replaced most of his body with machinery, his soul and spirit remained pure Korean.

* * *

Zeon looked at the metal shards on the table.

It was the debris of the item that caused the explosion in the Goblin Market.

Five people died, and twenty suffered serious injuries because of it.

The incident turned the Goblin Market upside down.

Yoo Se-hee immediately gathered the merchants and Awakeneds of the Goblin Market and began formulating countermeasures.

“All this chaos because of this one thing.”

“What is it?”

At that moment, Brielle’s voice came from behind.

Zeon spoke without turning around.

“Did you stay up all night again?”

“Uh!”

Brielle blinked and replied.

Experimenting with alchemy often led to staying up all night, making it routine.

Thanks to this, her day and night had completely switched.

Brielle picked up the item on the table and examined it from all angles.

“This seems to be made of the shell of a Spiny Trilobite.”

“Do you know this material?”

“Yeah! It’s a very rare one, and if processed incorrectly, it can explode, so it’s rarely used.”

“Is that so?”

“The Spiny Trilobite is a monster that is hard to find around here. Is this something that was released from the White Bear Caravan?”

“I think so.”

“There are plenty of safer materials, so why use something so dangerous?”

“It could have been done on purpose.”

“On purpose? Why?”

It was when Brielle made a puzzled expression.

Thud!

Someone knocked on the door from outside.

“Who is it? Levin?”

Brielle cautiously opened the door, revealing an unexpected person.

It was a beautiful woman with long, wavy blonde hair.

Above all, what stood out was her strikingly blue eyes, as if sapphires were embedded in them.

The moment Brielle saw her, his expression twisted. However, the woman didn’t seem to notice Brielle’s reaction and cautiously asked.

“Is this Zeon’s house?”

“Yes, but who are you?”

“Oh! My name is Mandy. I’ve come to see Zeon.”

“Mandy?”

“Yes! Is Zeon here?”

At that moment, Zeon heard Mandy’s voice and came to the door.

“What are you doing at my house?”

“I’ve found the right place.”

“Come inside for now.”

Zeon let Mandy into the house.

Brielle didn’t seem pleased with letting Mandy into the house.

Mandy looked around the house and said.

“The house is very spacious and nice. I didn’t expect to find a place like this in the slums.”

“If you look closely, there are quite a few useful places even in the slums.”

“I feel like I understand why Zeon doesn’t live in Neo Seoul. Even I would want to live here if I had a place like this.”

“If you like it, why don’t you look for a place here?”

“I’ll consider it later. That’s not what I came for today.”

“I guess so.”

Zeon nodded.

Mandy’s visit to this dangerous slum wasn’t just for idle chatter.

Mandy looked Zeon straight in the eyes and said.

“I’ve come to ask for your help.”

“Help?”

“Yes! Among the people I know, there’s no one who knows the slums as well as you do.”

“Are you here with a matter regarding the slums?”

“I’m tracking scavengers, and they eluded me here. I couldn’t figure out how to track them, so I came to you for help.”

Mandy had lived her entire life in Neo Seoul, but the slums were an unknown world to her.

Unlike the well-organized Neo Seoul, the slums were as complex as a maze, with many hidden dangers.

It wasn’t that she was afraid of the danger, but she preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble.

That’s when she remembered Zeon.

“You tracked down the scavengers?”

“Yeah! I ended up here while tracking them.”

“How serious is the situation because of them?”

“It’s very serious. Many people are getting hurt because of their rampage, and the City Hall can’t just sit back and watch. That’s why people like me have been mobilized to help clean up the scavengers.”

“I see.”

“I want to end this situation quickly. To do that, I think it’s better to completely eliminate the scavenger base rather than sporadically capturing them.”

“Do these scavengers have a base? Weren’t they acting individually?”

“As far as I’ve checked, there’s a network among them. I’ve also obtained information that there’s a base somewhere in the desert. So, I think there must be a place where they can gather in Neo Seoul or the slums.”

“That makes sense.”

Zeon nodded.

“Will you help?”

“I will.”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Ahh!”

Mandy couldn’t help but exclaim, unexpectedly, Zeon agreed too easily.

However, Zeon didn’t agree without any thought.

The slums were also suffering because of the items Damien had let loose.

If left unchecked, much bigger trouble could arise.

Putting on the robe hanging on the wall, Zeon said.

“Let’s go.”

At that moment, Brielle urgently shouted.

“I want to go too.”