Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 10

The Giant Horned Hyenas lived and hunted in packs.

The leader of the pack would be a female, larger and stronger than the males. It even spots mane-like fur around its neck, akin to a lion.

Standing over two meters tall from front paw to shoulder and reaching up to five meters in length from head to tail, it’s a monstrous creature.

They live in packs ranging from tens to hundreds, and a considerable number of them are offspring born to the dominant female.

It’s an alpha society centered around the maternal line.

Naturally, all Giant Horned Hyenas obey the commands of the dominant female.

They are nocturnal creatures.

Having adapted to survive in the scorching desert, they’ve become active during the natural nights.

Kwooooh!

The Giant Horned Hyenas charged forward with terrifying force.

As creatures that hunt in enormous groups, they lack both fear and caution.

In the face of a large-scale assault, ordinary individuals or awakened beings are swept away in no time.

While most Giant Horned Hyenas targeted the large Dyoden, some rushed towards Zeon.

“Damn it!”

Zeon quickly unleashed the Sand Blaster.

Swoosh!

High-pressure sand flew, smashing the head of the lead Giant Horned Hyena. Even with their comrade dying right in front of them, the others paid it no heed.

“Whaah!”

Zeon fired the Sand Blaster repeatedly.

The power of the Sand Blaster was impressive.

It took down one by one with each shot.

The problem was, with so many Giant Horned Hyenas, taking them down one by one wouldn’t help escape this danger.

Zeon thought desperately as he fired the Sand Blaster.

‘Taking them down one by one won’t do. I need to take down at least five or more at once. That way, I can somewhat balance it out.’

The problem was mana.

He needed to efficiently manage mana while using the Sand Blaster multiple times.

‘Can I do it?‘

No, it was something he had to do.

There was time for hesitation or deliberation.

Zeon waved his hand.

Then, five strands of sand emerged from the desert, flying towards the Giant Horned Hyenas.

Crack!

With screams, five of them fell to the ground.

Each had only a coin-sized hole in their heads.

He divided one Sand Blaster into five.

It was to manage mana.

But to maximize its power, he condensed the divided Sand Blaster into a thin but potent force.

So instead of exploding, it pierced holes through their heads

It was difficult at first, but it became easier the second time.

Once he walked the path he had already cleared, it was easier.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Successive Sand Blasters were released.

Five Sand Blasters pierced the heads of five Giant Horned Hyenas at once.

It seemed he endure it for a while.

Finally, Zeon had a moment to glance at Dyoden.

Zeon turned his head in Dyoden’s direction and his eyes widened.

“Insane!”

“Kekeke! More, more…”

Dyoden wielded Kreion, emitting a maniacal laughter. Around him lay more than a hundred dead Giant Horned Hyenas.

He wasn’t using any special skill like Zeon.

He merely swung Kreion, and swung again.

Each time, several Giant Horned Hyenas were cut down.

Blood sprayed, flesh flew.

The already crimson desert sands were further stained red.

Kwack!

Occasionally, a Giant Horned Hyena managed to bite Dyoden’s arms or calves. But their teeth couldn’t pierce Dyoden’s flesh.

His body was harder than steel.

Instead, the Giant Horned Hyenas’ teeth shattered.

“Kekeke! That tickles.”

Dyoden grabbed the head of a Giant Horned Hyena biting his thigh and crushed it with his hand.

Snap!

The sturdy skull of the Giant Horned Hyena crumbled like a biscuit.

He threw the Giant Horned Hyena he caught in his hand toward the others.

Swoosh!

Crash!

The Giant Horned Hyenas crashed together, rolling on the ground.

Legs bent abnormally, bellies torn open, internal organs spilling out.

Dyoden ruthlessly slaughtered the Giant Horned Hyenas.

None dared to fight against Dyoden.

Seeing the situation, the alpha female, who had only been watching, stepped forward.

A blue field of energy enveloped her entire body.

That meant she was at least a B-rank or higher and had magic-related abilities.

Zap!

Sparks erupted from the horns on the alpha female’s head.

It seemed she knew how to use lightning magic from the world of magic.

Flash!

At that moment, a bolt lightning was shot from her horn.

The lightning bolt split the space and arrived in front of Dyoden in an instant.

“Kekeke!”

Dyoden, as if catching a fly, waved his hand and caught the lightning bolt.

The lightning that had illuminated the night sky vanished within his palm.

Only then did an intense sense of danger come over the alpha female.

They realized this adversary was entirely different from any they’d hunted before.

Wooo!

The alpha female roared, commanding a retreat.

There was nothing more foolish than struggling against an overwhelming enemy.

Half of the pack has already been wiped out.

The survival of the group could no longer be guaranteed if more perished.

The alpha female’s judgment was astute.

The problem was that Dyoden had no intention of letting the Giant Horned Hyenas flee.

“Everyone, scatter!”

Shriek!

Dyoden hurled Kreion.

Spinning at a fearsome speed, Kreion cut through everything in its path.

The mournful cries of the Giant Horned Hyenas resonated through the night sky.

The scene of carnage froze Zeon. Yet, Dyoden’s actions were not over.

Thud!

Dyoden drove the desert hard and soared into the air.

Kreion, which had slaughtered numerous Giant Horned Hyenas, flew towards Dyoden.

As Dyoden caught Kreion, he pounced on straight toward the alpha female.

Falling like a meteor, Dyoden’s impact was as tremendous as a meteor striking the ground.

Crash!

Kwaeak!

Amidst the alpha female’s desperate screams, the sands erupted in all directions.

After a while, the sands that had risen like a wave settled, revealing the aftermath.

The alpha female had been utterly defeated, mangled beyond recognition. Only the horn attached to her head remained intact.

Dyoden was standing over the corpse of the alpha female.

Even after such an intense battle, there was not a hint of fatigue on Dyoden’s face.

In fact, he seemed rather invigorated, smiling as if feeling refreshed.

It didn’t look like the same person at all.

Zeon was frozen.

He didn’t dare to breathe even loudly.

He was simply overwhelmed by Dyoden’s power.

‘Is he truly human? He doesn’t seem to have used any special skills.’

When one awakens, they acquire unique skills.

The time when an awakened individual exhibits their utmost power is when they unfold their unique skills.

Naturally, facing a formidable creature like the alpha female, exhibiting skills would have been more effective.

But Dyoden outright denied such common sense.

He had crushed the female leader to death solely with his own power, without using any skills.

Zeon shivered.

He couldn’t believe a human could possess such strength.

No awakened individual in Neo Seoul would be able to exert this kind of power with their own strength alone.

At that moment, Dyoden turned his head and looked at Zeon.

“Kekeke! You managed to survive.”

“…”

Zeon could only nod his head, not daring to answer.

After laughing wryly, Dyoden collected the horn from the alpha female.

“The horns of Giant Horned Hyenas are quite useful. They even have the properties of lightning. if you refine it well, they could become excellent weapons.”

He looked at the horn for a moment and then stretched out his hand in the air. Then the horn in his hand disappeared as if it were a lie.

‘A spatial ability? He isn’t from the Martial Arts category but the Magic category?’

Zeon was astonished.

Until now, Dyoden had shown a fighting style from the Martial Arts category. Yet, he had just used a spatial ability that only a tiny fraction of awakened individuals from the Magic category could use.

His understanding was completely shattered.

On one hand, he was puzzled.

Did Dyoden, who already possessed a weapon like Kreion, need another one? But Zeon didn’t dare to ask.

Dyoden sheathed Kreion and drew a small dagger instead.

He threw a dagger to Zeon, saying.

“From now on, find your own food.”

“What?”

“The majority of a Giant Horned Hyena’s muscles are toxic, except for the flesh on their side. It’s safe to dry and consume from there.”

Swish!

Dyoden skillfully cut out a portion of the Giant Horned Hyena’s side flesh.

It wasn’t a large amount, barely the size of an adult’s palm.

Zeon had been observing where Dyoden was cutting and followed suit.

Knowing Dyoden wouldn’t explain further, Zeon followed suit as best he could.

He realized that the jerky he had eaten was actually meat from a monster like this.

‘He hunts these monsters for the jerky.’

He had no particular objection.

He had grown up in a slum where food was scarce.

If it was edible, he would consume it without hesitation as it aided survival.

Zeon mimicked Dyoden cautiously.

Dyoden skillfully cut just enough meat to last for a few days.

Because if he ran out, he could just hunt again.

Zeon was different.

He wasn’t as strong as Dyoden, so he had to prepare thoroughly.

Securing as much meat as possible would be advantageous if possible.

Zeon had secured nearly thirty pieces of meat.

Although he wished to cut more, there was no place to store it, so he stopped at this point.

He wrapped the meat in his outerwear, fashioned it into a bundle, and slung it over his shoulders.

“Keke! You’re quite resourceful.”

Dyoden chuckled.

Even after pushing himself for two days, it was quite an accomplishment. But he was still far from finished.

To truly be useful, he needed to toil for much longer.

And that too very harshly.

Dyoden said.

“If you’ve got everything, let’s leave. Before the others catch the scent of blood and come…”

It wasn’t out of fear but merely out of inconvenience that he wanted to leave.

Nodding, Zeon followed Dyoden.

He, too, didn’t want to linger any longer in this place reeking of blood.

The sun was already rising.

The carnage revealed under the sunlight was even more gruesome.

Monsters that had already caught the scent of corpses were prowling the skies, and more monsters would gather for their feast.

That was the law of the desert.

The strong preyed upon the weak, and the dead became food for others.

No being could escape this law.

Following Dyoden, Zeon was gradually grasping these laws of the desert.

As usual, Dyoden paid Zeon no heed and went ahead.

Zeon pushed himself to keep up, using Sand Stride.

Given the extensive use of mana during the battle last night, he expected it to be challenging to use Sand Stride.

But surprisingly, it wasn’t as tough as he thought.

There was more mana left than anticipated, and controlling it was much smoother.

‘It must be because of the battle last night.’

The experience of making life-and-death decisions in combat, pushing his mana to its limits, had clearly led to a significant improvement.

‘I’ve become stronger. I’ll only grow stronger in the future.’

Zeon looked at Dyoden’s back as he walked ahead.

He couldn’t understand why Dyoden was taking him along. But one thing was clear:

Just following him would undoubtedly make Zeon stronger.

As long as he survived, that is.

Zeon diligently trailed after him.