Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 72

In the slums, Zeon’s life was solitary.

He did nothing and thought nothing.

He would sit idly all day, staring out the window or lying in bed sleeping.

After living in constant tension for the past eight years, such time was precious to him.

Time to focus solely on himself, for himself.

And now Zeon was spending such time.

But endless rest did not exist.

After almost a fortnight of doing nothing at home, he began to crave the fresh air outside.

Zeon got up from bed and headed to the bathroom.

When he first returned home, it was full of stench and filth, but now it had become quite clean.

Zeon quickly washed his face and stepped outside.

Click!

As he emerged, the Watching Eye locked the door behind him.

He didn’t need to worry about his house being robbed anymore.

With the Watching Eye watching over, he was safe.

There was no hurry, so Zeon walked down the stairs.

About fifteen floors down, it happened.

“Oh, it’s a big brother I haven’t seen before.”

A boy coming out of the stairs greeted Zeon.

The boy looked about sixteen years old.

For his age, he didn’t seem very big.

His face looked somewhat fierce, with unfocused eyes, drooping shoulders, and a somewhat lethargic demeanor.

He had a buzz cut, and flashy earrings and piercings caught Zeon’s eye.

Like most kids in the slums, this boy also lacked enthusiasm.

With no dreams or hopes, there was no enthusiasm for these children to live each day.

Zeon asked.

“Do you live here?”

“Yes! At the end of the fifteenth floor.”

“I see.”

“And you?”

“Eighteenth floor, at the end.”

“Same end, huh?”

“Looks like it.”

Zeon nodded.

“My name is Levin. And you?”

“I’m Zeon.”

“That is a cool name.”

“I’ve heard that a lot.”

Levin was quite talkative.

He didn’t seem scared of Zeon, who was a stranger.

“Are you also in a gang?”

“No.”

“Then what do you do for a living?”

“I have enough money to not have to work for a while.”

“Must be nice. We have nothing at our house.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s just me, my mom, and my siblings, and we’re worried about how we’ll survive from now on.”

“That must be tough.”

“So, I was thinking, if you have a lot of money, could you lend me some? I’ll work hard and pay you back.”

“No! Can’t do.”

“Why are you so firm about it?”

“Aren’t you too shameless?”

“Ugh! You’re not budging.”

Levin wrinkled his nose.

But it wasn’t a displeased expression.

In the slums, there was hardly any sense of solidarity among neighbors.

Before the world reached this point, there might have been such cases occasionally, but not now.

At least in Levin’s known world, it was like that.

In the human ecosystem at the bottom of society, taking advantage of each other among neighbors was common.

Here, trust was just another word for a fool.

People with too much integrity were inevitably eaten alive by others.

As they chatted about this and that, they arrived on the first floor.

Outside, other kids who seemed to be Levin’s friends were gathered.

“Why are you coming down so late? Sloth bastard!”

“Damn! This bastard always keeps us waiting. Even though he has nothing to do.”

As typical for boys of this age, they greeted Levin with curses.

Levin responded with an expression that seemed unconcerned and indifferent, as if he was used to such reactions from his friends.

“Sorry! I was talking to this big brother who moved in as our neighbor.”

“That bastard?”

“He looks like he’s got some money, huh?”

The kids’ eyes gleamed with greed.

Levin leaned on their shoulders and exerted some force.

“You bastards! No matter how blinded you are by money, be careful messing with people. If you touch that guy, you’ll be dead.”

“What? Did your psychic power activate again?”

“I don’t know! Anyway, it’s better for your well-being to not mess with him.”

“Damn! What a waste.”

Levin’s words made the kids spit on the ground.

They soon lost interest in Zeon.

Levin’s nickname was “Shaman.”

It wasn’t certain if he really had some psychic abilities, but most of his words rang true.

That’s why the kids didn’t ignore Levin’s words.

Levin dragged his friends along, saying,

“Let’s go! I’m not in a good mood today.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know! Just not feeling it. I want to go somewhere else quickly.”

“Then let’s go to Dongdaemun.”

“Why Dongdaemun?”

“Because it’s hot there these days. Hehe!”

One of Levin’s friends mimicked inhaling something through his nose, causing the others to burst into laughter.

Levin said to his friends.

“You guys being weak like this, you’ll kick the bucket soon.”

“Fuck! What’s the point of living long anyway?”

“At least with drugs, you won’t go crazy. Let’s go! To Sinchon.”

Levin and his friends chattered noisily as they disappeared from Zeon’s view.

“Looks like they’ve been exposed to drugs for a while.”

The drugs they were talking about were undoubtedly cheap narcotics.

Although they provide extreme pleasure upon inhalation, they destroy the body in the end.

Everyone knew this fact. Yet people still sought drugs.

Because only drugs could make them forget the immediate painful reality.

At least Levin didn’t seem to have used drugs yet, but his other friends showed clear signs of addiction.

Such kids were easy to find here.

There was no indication that he was being coerced, and Zeon wasn’t the type to carelessly meddle in other people’s lives.

In any case, he believed in taking responsibility for one’s own life.

Whether it meant ruining themself through drugs or working hard to earn a lot of money, it was up to them.

Zeon shook off thoughts about Levin and his friends and walked towards the market.

Even though he had been out for quite some time, the atmosphere in the market hadn’t changed much.

“Oh, you’re still alive.”

Old man Klexi looked surprised when he saw Zeon.

Sitting at old man Klexi’s stall, Zeon said.

“Why would I be dead? Why are you so surprised?”

“I thought you might have died since I haven’t seen you around.”

“I just took some time off at home.”

“And you spent over half a month cooped up at home?”

“Yes.”

“You’re really something.”

Old man Klexi looked exasperated.

Even the personnel who had been monitoring him were withdrawn as Zeon hadn’t been coming out anyway.

It was a waste of resources to continue surveillance.

It was the first time old man Klexi had withdrawn personnel midway through a mission.

“Hmm! It’s strange, very strange.”

“What’s strange?”

“Just everything.”

In the end, old man Klexi felt very uncomfortable because he hadn’t learned anything about Zeon.

Zeon was the cause of his discomfort, making old man Klexi even more curious.

“Are you here for a meal?”

“I came to eat. Just give me anything.”

“Tsk!”

Old man Klexi clicked his tongue and prepared the meal.

While waiting for the food, Zeon looked around.

For some reason, the atmosphere in the market seemed to have settled down.

“What happened?”

“Why?”

“The atmosphere feels a bit strange.”

“There’s a poisonous snake running loose these days.”

“Poisonous snake?”

“To call it a mere water snake would be an understatement, it’s cunning and has a potent venom.”

“So what’s going on?”

Zeon showed curiosity for the first time.

“Some psychopath is going around killing people.”

“Psychopath?”

“They say he kills people, cuts them into pieces, and then decorate them like works of art.”

“There’s a guy like that?”

“Even in a world where finding a sane person is difficult, it’s not common to see someone as crazy as him.”

He dismembers his victims, draws with their blood, and decorates their bodies.

Even for a normal person, such acts were impossible.

“And yet, Goran is just leaving him be?”

Goran was the ruler of Sinchon.

He was merely a criminal in the grand scheme of things, but as the self-proclaimed ruler of Sinchon, he had a responsibility to manage the order to some extent.

If such a grotesque murderer was left unchecked, the people of Sinchon might lose faith in him.

“How can that be? He already sent a troubleshooter.”

“Then he’ll be caught soon.”

“I hope so….”

“Isn’t that the case?”

“I said he’s a poisonous snake, didn’t I? If you think of him as a water snake and approach, you’re sure to get bitten.”

“Hmm.”

“If it bothers you so much, why don’t you catch him?”

“It doesn’t bother me at all.”

“You seem like a spineless guy.”

“Then why don’t you handle it, old man?”

“What power do I have to catch a murderer?”

Old man Klexi snapped.

“Oh! You still seem unsettled.”

“It’s not just surface wounds, there isn’t a part of me that doesn’t hurt. My arms and legs ache all over.”

“If it’s that bad, then you’re settled. Why are you getting upset?”

“You’ll understand when you’re my age. You’ll realize that living day by day is painful.”

“Yes, yes!”

Zeon replied nonchalantly, scratching his earlobe with his pinky finger.

Old man Klexi made a bewildered expression without realizing it.

Zeon was the first person on this street who treated him so comfortably.

He had always met people who were groveling before him, but seeing Zeon gave him a refreshing feeling.

‘What kind of life has this bastard been living?’

He must have led anything but an ordinary life.

Bang!

“Here. Eat up.”

Old man Klexi impatiently placed the food in front of Zeon.

Although the soup splattered in all directions, strangely not a drop touched Zeon’s body. This made the situation even more awkward.

“Lucky bastard!”

“I hear that a lot.”

Zeon replied casually as he ate the mysterious dish given by old man Klexi.

Despite his dirty personality, old man Klexi’s cooking skills were undeniable.

As soon as he took a bite, laughter burst out involuntarily.

“You brat! Even eating… ”

Old man Klexi chuckled as he watched Zeon.

Zeon quickly finished the bowl in no time.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Are you planning to go straight home?”

“Yes!”

“Don’t you get tired of staying home all day? How can a young guy live like a monk?”

“What’s wrong with staying home?”

“It’s a waste of youth that’s what.”

“I’m enjoying my life enough. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Tsk!”

Seeing that his words didn’t get through, old man Klexi clicked his tongue.

No matter how much he wanted to find out something, if Zeon didn’t budge, there was no way to find out.

He felt completely stuck against a wall.

Whether old man Klexi knew about his feelings or not, Zeon put money on the table and stood up.

“I’ll come again next time.”

“Hmph!”

Ignoring old man Klexi’s snort, Zeon walked away.

Before he knew it, the sky was getting dark.

On the contrary, lights were turning on one by one in the slum.

Lights also came on in the building where Zeon lived. But most of them flickered anxiously, not knowing when the electricity would cut off.

Zeon thought it was fortunate that he bought a mana generator before it got too late and climbed the stairs.

When he had climbed about ten floors,

“Aaaah!”

“Ahh!”

Screams suddenly came from above.

In response to the sharp sound that seemed to tear his ears apart, Zeon unconsciously moved in that direction.

The place where the screams came from was the fifteenth floor.

People were gathered at the end of the fifteenth floor hallway.

Zeon pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.

As he looked into the open door of the house, Zeon furrowed his brows.

Hell had unfolded inside.