Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

The Pegasus Raid Force set up a temporary base near the dungeon and took a break.

Reaching the dungeon didn’t mean they could attack it immediately.

First, they had to secure the entrance and repair the broken vehicles.

They also needed sufficient rest to recover their depleted strength and heal their wounds.

Lee Ji-ryeong shouted.

“Everyone, you did a great job getting here. We’ll start the dungeon raid tomorrow, so take a good rest today.”

“Ohhh!”

“Rest time!”

The Awakeneds cheered.

Lee Ji-ryeong brought out precious food stored in his subspace for the Awakeneds.

Unlike the simple food they had eaten before, these were proper meals.

Since time doesn’t pass in the subspace, it was a possible method. However, not everyone could use this method.

Subspace items were rare, and it wasn’t practical to fill such precious space with food.

Most expeditions relied on simple preserved food for their meals.

But Lee Ji-ryeong believed that the more dangerous the dungeon, the better they should eat. It seemed trivial, but it significantly impacted the morale of the expedition.

Especially on such a grueling journey, they needed to eat well.

They had been ambushed by monsters twice, and there were deserters. The pursuit team sent to catch the deserters had not returned.

Even if they didn’t say it, the Awakeneds must have felt that this dungeon raid was different from usual.

The best way to erase anxiety was to fill their stomachs and give them ample rest.

When real meat appeared instead of cultured meat, the Awakeneds cheered.

“Wow! It’s meat.”

“Fuck! It’s real meat.”

“Is there no alcohol?”

Unfortunately, there was no alcohol. The Awakeneds enjoyed the feast nonetheless.

Zeon and his group also savored the plentiful meat.

Levin spoke while chewing the meat.

“At this rate, we won’t need to bring out the food we prepared.”

“It’s good to save it. We don’t know what’ll happen inside the dungeon.”

“Are you going into the dungeon too, kid?”

“I came all the way here; you think I’ll just watch from outside?”

“Heh! That would be funny.”

“I’m going in.”

“Alright. Just be careful.”

“Worry about yourself. Don’t get stabbed in the back just because you rely on your ability too much.”

“Don’t worry. A knife can’t leave a scratch on me.”

Levin finished chewing his meat and answered.

Watching Levin and Brielle bicker, Mandy cautiously spoke to Zeon.

“Is there any way to know what kind of dungeon it is in advance?”

“I can’t know until we go inside.”

“Really? It would be easier to prepare if we knew in advance.”

“If we could do that, dungeon raids wouldn’t be so tough.”

“It’s just my wishful thinking. I know it’s impossible.”

Mandy gave a bitter smile.

Every dungeon raid resulted in numerous casualties. But their deaths were quickly forgotten.

Glory belonged to the survivors, and they enjoyed all the wealth and fame. Seeing this, rookies and lower-ranked Awakeneds jumped into dungeon raids and died.

Whether it was a vicious cycle or a virtuous one, it was an endless loop.

Mandy wanted to break that loop, but she knew too well that it was impossible with her abilities.

Zeon said.

“Don’t think too much and get a good rest. You won’t get to enjoy such luxury once we start the raid.”

“Yes, I should.”

“Then let’s sleep early tonight.”

Zeon immediately lay down.

A dungeon was like another world.

No one knew what dangers lay within until they entered.

Getting enough rest was more beneficial for the raid than predicting the dungeon’s situation.

Lying down, Zeon quickly fell into a deep sleep.

From a distance, Cha Jin-cheol muttered,

“Must be nice. Thinking about sleeping here.”

His voice was filled with irritation.

From the moment he arrived, he felt a sense of unease. Even he didn’t know the cause.

“Damn it!”

* * *

The raid force rested well until the next day.

Thanks to this, the Awakeneds’ condition had improved.

Lee Ji-ryeong decided to raid the dungeon today and announced it. All the Awakeneds gathered in one place.

There, Lee Ji-ryeong spoke to Zeon.

“There’s a dungeon underground here. As promised, open the way to the dungeon.”

“It seems like a very powerful dungeon. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Can you sense that?”

“It’s just a feeling.”

“Is it something only a Sand Mage can sense? Quite an enviable ability.”

Lee Ji-ryeong’s eyes momentarily glinted ominously.

“Your ability is quite impressive too.”

“The more abilities, the better, don’t you think?”

“You can’t have everything.”

“Who says so?”

“Greed brings trouble.”

“Quite old-fashioned for someone so young.”

“Is that so?”

“We’ve talked long enough. Can you open the way to the dungeon now?”

“Of course.”

Zeon nodded and stepped forward.

“Are we going to see the Sand Mage’s power?”

“Can he really move all that sand?”

All the Awakeneds watched Zeon with expectant eyes.

Zeon stood where the dungeon’s aura was strongest. The sand particles told him the dungeon was below.

“Huu!”

Zeon took a deep breath and drew on his power.

Boom!

Suddenly, with a roar, sand erupted from under Zeon’s feet.

The sand shot up like a geyser and rushed towards the Awakeneds.

“Whoa! What’s happening?”

“Step back!”

Awakeneds near Zeon recoiled in shock and moved back, but the sand surged even to where they retreated.

They had no choice but to retreat further, yet they couldn’t escape the range of the sand.

At this rate, they would be buried in sand before even raiding the dungeon.

Lee Ji-ryeong shouted.

“Everyone, move back three hundred meters!”

“Whoa!”

“Damn it!”

The Awakeneds scrambled and retreated beyond the distance Lee Ji-ryeong specified.

Fortunately, the sand didn’t reach that far.

“He’s crazy.”

“Moving that much sand… he really is a Sand Mage.”

A miracle unfolded before their eyes.

Sand from deep underground shot up like a geyser, spreading out on the surface and creating a massive pit.

The pit deepened and widened, reaching ten meters, then twenty meters.

Rumble!

The vibration caused by the huge amount of sand moving made even the bodies of the Awakeneds tremble.

“Is this even possible?”

“No matter how much of a Sand Mage he is… ahh, shit!”

Sand surged up from underground like a volcanic eruption spewing lava.

Zeon stood in the air on a platform of sand, resembling a god of the desert.

Beads of sweat formed on Zeon’s forehead.

Even for him, moving such a large amount of sand was a tremendous burden.

Swoosh, swoosh!

The sand continued to pour out endlessly, deepening and widening the pit.

Normally, sand would flow back in, but the pit controlled by Zeon remained stable.

Lee Ji-ryeong watched Zeon with tightly pressed lips.

‘As expected, in the desert, that ability is a cheat.’

In terms of sheer destructive power, he was superior. But in the desert, no awakened ability could match Zeon’s versatility and utility.

Zeon moved an enormous amount of sand that would have required hundreds of Awakeneds, all by himself.

It was like witnessing a miracle.

When Zeon had dug out about one hundred and fifty meters of sand,

Boom!

Suddenly, a black light burst from beneath the sand, revealing a massive, elliptical fissure.

“It’s a dungeon.”

“There’s really a dungeon.”

“Wow!”

The Awakeneds cheered.

Judging by the size of the fissure and the density of mana, it was no ordinary dungeon.

The more powerful and dangerous the dungeon, the greater the rewards, hence the cheers from the Awakeneds.

“Whew!”

With the dungeon entrance revealed, Zeon withdrew his power.

Zeon landed lightly in front of the dungeon entrance like a feather.

Awakeneds, including Lee Ji-ryeong, gathered around him.

Lee Ji-ryeong gazed at the massive fissure and spoke.

“Amazing. This dungeon could be at least A-rank, maybe even S-rank.”

“Whew! That means it will be very dangerous.”

“The more dangerous it is, the greater the rewards.”

“It seems my role here is finished.”

Zeon shrugged and took a step back.

Lee Ji-ryeong nodded.

“Finding the entrance is enough. From here on, the Pegasus Raid Force will take over.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“Fall back and recover your mana. You look like you can barely stand after using all your mana to move the sand.”

Zeon’s face was pale, devoid of any color.

No matter how abundant Zeon’s mana was, moving such an amount of sand had to exhaust him.

In fact, his mana was almost completely depleted.

If he had dug a bit more, his mana would have been entirely drained.

As Zeon staggered back, Levin and Brielle approached him.

“Are you okay? Hyung!”

“Zeon!”

“Haah! I’m fine. I won’t be able to use my powers for a while, though.”

Zeon replied, breathing heavily.

His worn-out appearance was pitiful to watch.

It was the first time Levin and Brielle had seen Zeon struggle so much, and they were taken aback.

Zeon smiled at them and said.

“Haah! I’m really okay, so just focus on the dungeon.”

“Got it.”

“It’s a big, strong one. One moment of carelessness, and it could be fatal. Be extremely careful.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect everyone from now on.”

Levin answered with a determined expression.

He believed it was now his responsibility to protect the group until Zeon recovered his mana.

At that moment, Lee Ji-ryeong gave orders to the Pegasus Raid Force.

“My team and the Raid Team will enter first. The Base Team will follow in five minutes, then the West District Awakeneds and the Expedition Team. Does everyone understand?”

“Yes!”

“Then we’ll start the dungeon raid now. Take care of your own lives.”

“Yes!”

The Awakeneds’ vigorous voices echoed through the desert.

Lee Ji-ryeong glared at the dungeon entrance ahead. It was the largest and most powerful aura he had ever felt from a dungeon.

Goosebumps covered his body, and his heart pounded more fiercely than ever.

It had been a long time since he felt such tension.

Lee Ji-ryeong spoke to Bronson, the leader of the Raid Team.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Bronson grinned, showing his white teeth.

There was no fear on his face.

The Raid Team was the core and spearhead of the Pegasus Raid Force.

They always led the charge in exploring dungeons. For them, a new dungeon was not a source of fear but a prey to be conquered.

Thus, Bronson and the Raid Team gazed at the dungeon entrance with excited faces.

Lee Ji-ryeong pulled the trigger.

“Move in.”

“Whoa!”

With a cheer, they entered the dungeon.

It was the first step in conquering the unknown dungeon.