Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

“I’m sorry.”

Johan erupted in anger, and the paladin leader, Daison, bowed his head.

They had obtained information just a few hours ago that Ethan was hiding in the tavern. They had to capture Ethan before he could escape, so the paladins were dispatched in haste.

Although Ethan was the ruler of Shinchon, his abilities weren’t particularly impressive.

At best, he could use psychokinesis to fling metal balls.

This ability might be a threat to lower-tier Awakeneds or ordinary people, but it wasn’t a danger to paladins clad in heavy armor. Thus, the paladins were confident they would bring Ethan in.

But the outcome defied the paladin leader’s expectations.

Ethan had vanished like a ghost, and the dispatched paladins ended up looking like fools chasing a chicken that had flown the coop.

The paladins searched the area, but they found no trace of Ethan anywhere.

This had pushed Johan’s fury to its peak.

It was a battle that would have ended with Ethan’s capture. But just as they were about to catch their prey, it slipped away right in front of them, leaving Johan infuriated.

“Find Ethan, no matter what it takes, and bring him to me.”

“This time, I will capture him personally.”

“If you fail twice, you’ll have to step down from your position.”

“I will make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Get out.”

“Yes, sir!”

Daison bowed his head and left the room.

Johan’s eyes glinted ominously as he was left alone.

“Did I let him run wild for too long? Tsk!”

Anything left stagnant in one place for too long is bound to rot.

The same went for the paladin leader, Daison.

Daison had been a street thug before he met Johan and repented. Shortly after, he awakened, and Johan appointed him as the leader of the paladins.

Even after becoming the paladin leader, Daison hadn’t shed his thug habits and had grown lazy. That’s why he had sent only his subordinates to capture Ethan this time.

While his loyalty was commendable, if he kept showing such incompetence, he would have to be cut off.

There was no shortage of candidates to replace Daison.

In Dongdaemun, only Johan was important.

Everyone else was just a cog in the machine to protect him.

“Joshua!”

“Yes!”

At Johan’s call, Joshua, who had been waiting outside, entered the room.

“What about Zeon?”

“He’s locked up in the NSSC prison.”

“Any signs of an escape?”

“None whatsoever.”

“Are you certain?”

“As of the latest check, that’s the case.”

“I see. Well, that’s understandable. The NSSC prison completely blocks the flow of mana.”

A sly smile appeared on Johan’s lips.

The reason he had led the paladins to take over Shinchon was because Zeon was out of the picture.

It was believed that Zeon had died during the dungeon raid, and Johan seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Shinchon, claiming half of it.

It was only a matter of time before he controlled the other half. That’s why he had been taking his time.

But then he received information that Zeon had returned from the Mana Stone Mine, and that’s when he started to feel anxious.

If Zeon returned, everything he had gained could turn to dust.

He had to prevent Zeon from entering Neo Seoul at all costs.

So he used the NSSC.

Coincidentally, a top-grade Mana Stone had been mined at the Mana Stone Mine.

It wasn’t difficult to manipulate the NSSC.

“What does the NSSC plan to do with Zeon?”

“It seems they haven’t decided yet.”

“A whole team was wiped out, and they’re still doing nothing? The NSSC leader isn’t one to be soft.”

“It seems orders from higher up have told them to wait and see.”

“Higher up? Who?”

“We haven’t been able to find that out yet.”

“It seems there’s someone pretty clever higher up the chain.”

Johan’s expression showed his displeasure.

Having the NSSC take care of Zeon would have been the best outcome, but as is often the case, things didn’t go exactly as he wished.

Still, it was too soon to be disappointed.

“Start prodding the NSSC. There’s bound to be someone there who’s angry at Zeon.”

“Understood.”

“It’s a shame Jae-kyung isn’t around. She would’ve been useful in a situation like this.”

If Kim Jae-kyung were still alive, there wouldn’t have been any need to go through all this trouble. With her ability to brainwash even high-level Awakeneds in an instant, she could have easily manipulated the NSSC Awakeneds to attack Zeon. But she was no longer in this world.

Since there was no bringing back the dead, he had to make the best of the resources he had.

Johan suddenly looked out the window.

Beyond the giant wall, the City Hall building was visible.

“After Shinchon, we’ll advance into Neo Seoul. There, we’ll spread the will of God.”

* * *

“Ugh!”

Ethan groaned as he came to his senses.

The first thing he saw was a boy who still had a youthful look and a girl wearing a pointed hat.

“Who are you?”

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“You’re the ones who were with Zeon…”

“So you remember. My name is Levin.”

The boy was none other than Levin.

The girl beside him was Brielle.

Ethan shook his head and sat up.

“What happened? I remember being pulled into the wall…”

After that, he had lost consciousness, and his memory had gone blank.

Levin handed Ethan a glass of water as he spoke.

“Drink this.”

“Thanks.”

“I saved you.”

“How?”

“With my ability.”

“What kind of…”

“You’ve already experienced it. That’s my ability.”

“So that wasn’t a dream?”

Ethan looked at him with a disbelieving expression.

It had only been for a moment, but he had definitely turned into a ghost.

It was the first time he had experienced something so intense.

The dizzying sensation of floating and the feeling of being sucked into the wall were unforgettable.

“Crazy!”

“What?”

“You’re a lot more capable than I thought. Join me. You can become the second-in-command of Shinchon. How about it? Doesn’t that sound tempting?”

Smack!

At that moment, Brielle slapped the back of Ethan’s head.

The shock rattled Ethan’s brain, leaving him speechless.

After a moment, when he regained his senses, anger filled his face.

“You crazy brat, are you out of your mind?”

“You are the one who’s out of his mind!”

“What?”

“Are you trying to recruit Levin while Zeon is right here watching? You must be out of your mind.”

“Wh-what did you say? Zeon is alive?”

“Yeah, you idiot.”

“Is he really alive? Then why hasn’t he shown up?”

“Because he’s locked up in prison.”

“What?”

“Are you deaf? He’s in the NSSC prison right now.”

“Shit!”

Ethan cursed and collapsed to the ground.

Zeon had been his only hope.

He believed that if Zeon returned, he could turn this hellish situation around. So he had gritted his teeth and held on.

If Zeon returned and sorted things out, Ethan believed he could rule Shinchon again. But if Zeon was locked up in the NSSC prison, everything would be for nothing.

“We’re finished. Damn it! The fanatics are going to take everything from us.”

Ethan was devastated.

Brielle sneered at him.

“What a pathetic loser.”

“What? You little brat, you’ve been talking down to me this whole time. You think you’re going to get away with that just because Zeon isn’t around?”

“And if I don’t?”

“Do you want to get beaten to death?”

“You still haven’t come to your senses, old man!”

“You little bitch…”

Ethan, his anger finally exploding, tried to hit Brielle. But Levin moved much faster than he did.

Levin grabbed Ethan’s wrist and released a burst of Purple Lightning.

Zap!

“Aaaargh!”

Ethan screamed in agony as the current coursed through his body.

He tried to resist with his psychokinesis, but it was useless.

Levin’s power as a B-rank Awakened was far too overwhelming for Ethan to handle.

Finally, when Ethan lost consciousness, Levin let go of him.

Brielle looked down at Ethan, who had collapsed, with a disdainful expression, then shook him awake.

“Old man, pull yourself together.”

“Ugh!”

“Snap out of it. We don’t have time to waste with you lying around.”

“Damn it.”

Only then did Ethan come to his senses.

“We don’t have much time, so I’ll get straight to the point. How many subordinates do you have left?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I told you, we don’t have time. How many subordinates do you have left?”

“Damn it! I’ve got about thirty direct subordinates.”

“You’ve been reduced to nothing.”

“That’s just my direct subordinates. If I gather everyone who’s still loyal, I can muster over a hundred.”

“Sigh! That’s what happens when you don’t manage things properly. Spending all your time with prostitutes instead of taking care of your men.”

“That’s…”

Ethan’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air.

He had nothing to say in his defense.

Having just been thoroughly humiliated by Levin, he didn’t even dare think about using violence against Brielle.

Levin summed up the situation.

“So you can mobilize about a hundred people?”

“That’s right.”

“Good. Now start moving them discreetly toward Dongdaemun.”

“Why Dongdaemun?”

“We need to find the stolen top-grade Mana Stone. If we recover it, Zeon will be released.”

“Is that really true?”

“So start gathering all the information you can on Dongdaemun. Investigate the movements of Awakeneds, vehicle activity, and the flow of funds. Something will come up.”

“Alright. I’ll do it.”

Ethan didn’t have any other options left.

If he could find the top-grade Mana Stone and get Zeon released, he could turn the situation around.

Levin said,

“If you understand, then start moving quickly. We don’t have much time.”

“Okay!”

As Ethan answered, cold sweat dripped down his back.

He had thought that Zeon was just taking care of a homeless orphan out of pity, but it turned out Levin was a monster he couldn’t handle.

Levin not only had the ability to ghost himself and others, but he could also use lightning-based magic.

Ethan couldn’t even take on someone like Levin if there were ten of him.

He felt embarrassed and flushed with shame at the thought of having offered Levin a position under him as if doing him a favor.

Ethan hurriedly left the hideout as if fleeing.

After he was gone, Levin looked at Brielle.

“Do you think he’ll really be able to find out where the Mana Stone is?”

“It doesn’t matter if he can’t. As long as he stirs things up in Dongdaemun, their attention will be divided.”

There was no way Johan wouldn’t know about what was happening in Dongdaemun.

If Ethan’s men started poking around Dongdaemun, it would definitely show up on Johan’s radar.

With their focus divided, a gap would surely appear, and Brielle’s plan was to use that gap to find the top-grade Mana Stone.

If the top-grade Mana Stone was found in Dongdaemun, it would be game over.

Zeon wouldn’t even need to explain himself.

Everything would be resolved simply.

Brielle said,

“Let’s head to the Goblin Market. That lady probably has some useful information by now.”

“Okay!”

Levin nodded.

Since Zeon had been captured by the NSSC, Brielle had been taking the lead in everything.

She actively made plans and moved decisively.

Levin didn’t mind this change in Brielle.

“Let’s go, Brain. I’ll be the muscle.”

———