Chapter 151
Grrr—!
The massive chest of Balrog was pierced by a gigantic sword.
It was a blade made of jet-black diamond.
Using the authority of the Gauntlets of Extreme Heat, Zeon had applied immense heat and pressure to transform sand into diamond.
A miracle only possible because he could control both sand and flames at will.
The black diamond sword gleamed as it impaled Balrog’s chest.
If it had wanted, Balrog could have avoided the attack.
Yet, for some reason, at the final moment, it didn’t dodge—and instead took the blow head-on.
Drip… drip…
Balrog’s blood ran down the black diamond blade.
Like a mannequin, it stood frozen, staring at the sword lodged in its chest.
Zeon spoke.
“Damian… was that you? Were you the one who held Balrog back at the last moment?”
At that moment, Balrog slowly turned its head toward him.
It said nothing.
But over Balrog’s face, Damian’s face seemed to overlap.
As if silently nodding.
“So you couldn’t become a complete villain after all.”
Grrr…
Instead of answering, Balrog let out a pained groan.
Its eyes, fixed on Zeon, were filled with disbelief—like it couldn’t accept its own death.
Flames began to pour more intensely from its eyes and mouth.
They burned its body from the inside out.
As if it intended to leave no trace of itself in this world.
Zeon watched in silence.
Balrog’s once-mighty body turned to ash and scattered.
And just like that, both Balrog and Damian vanished—leaving not even a trace behind.
As if they had never existed.
At that moment, the world changed.
The old man had released the barrier.
The bubbling rivers of lava and volcanic terrain disappeared like a mirage.
Instead, what Zeon saw was an endless desert stretching into the horizon.
And in the distance stood Neo Seoul.
“Huff… huff…”
The old man gasped as if he might collapse.
Maintaining the barrier had drained all his strength.
If Zeon had been even slightly slower, he wouldn’t have been able to hold it.
Though barely able to stand, he forced himself upright.
Because the Elf Queen, Eli, and Borin were still unharmed.
‘Elharun… that’s what they called it.’
A city built by otherworldly races who had crossed into Earth.
Despite serving closely under the mayor for a long time, he had never once heard of such a place.
If the mayor, Jin Geumho, had known, then he would have known too.
Which meant—
Everything said inside the barrier was top secret, even to the mayor.
‘Those sinister elves won’t allow this secret to leak outside.’
If things went wrong, they might have to fight the elves next.
He couldn’t relax.
At that moment, Serian approached Zeon.
“Whew… you worked hard. Thanks to you, we avoided a catastrophe.”
“I only succeeded because you lent me your strength.”
“A sand sorcerer… I never imagined such an awakened could exist.”
“I never expected to meet the Queen of the Northern District either.”
“That title is embarrassing. More importantly… shouldn’t we talk?”
“About Elharun?”
“That too… and…”
Serian trailed off.
There was no way to undo the fact that Elharun’s existence had been revealed.
The only way to preserve the secret would be to kill Zeon and the old man—
But she couldn’t bear the consequences.
‘It was bound to be revealed someday anyway.’
Even knowing its approximate location didn’t mean it could be found easily.
Elharun was protected by layers of magic formations and barriers.
Without someone like Damian, a navigator, it was impossible to locate.
And even if found, its defenses were complete—no one could enter without permission.
They had only kept it secret as a precaution.
Now that the secret had leaked, there was no taking it back.
And killing Zeon wasn’t an option.
If anything, recruiting him might be easier.
‘The ability to freely control sand in a desertified world… his potential is limitless. We must bring him to our side.’
It would cost a great deal—but it was worth it.
At that moment—
“You’re not thinking of taking him in, are you?”
Eli, sensing her intent, cut in before Serian could speak.
“Eli!”
“That’s unacceptable.”
“Do you even realize whose fault this situation is?”
“I apologize for that. But we cannot allow a human into our domain. The Northern District is the final cradle of the fallen Kurayan races.”
Eli’s eyes were bloodshot.
Filled with hostility toward Zeon.
“We must kill them now and silence them. That is the only way to protect our people.”
That crossed the line.
Serian’s anger finally erupted.
“That’s enough. Because of your recklessness, we lost valuable elites. How many more must die before you’re satisfied? And do you really think you can handle him?”
“Your Majesty?”
“Wake up. The world is not kind to us, and it’s not so easy that we can do as we please. Whether we like it or not, we have to compromise with the people of this world. Why can’t you accept that?”
“So you’re siding with that human?”
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what is it?”
“Haa… this is getting nowhere. Eli! For the time being, all of your authority is revoked.”
“Your Majesty!”
“It’s an order. If you refuse, it won’t be temporary—it’ll be permanent.”
“….”
Only then did Eli fall silent.
In the Northern District, Serian’s authority was absolute—like an iron fortress.
With a single command, everything Eli possessed could vanish like a mirage.
That was precisely why Eli had always been so desperate to take Serian’s place.
Letting out a long sigh, Serian looked toward Zeon.
But by then, he had already moved away.
Zeon was now standing beside the old man.
“Are you alright?”
“Not at all.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“The one who worked hard is you. Still… impressive. You actually brought down Balrog.”
“I couldn’t have done it without your help.”
“Is that so? Didn’t feel like I helped much—but I’ll take the thanks.”
“You helped a lot.”
“And the twin sisters? I sent them to stop you.”
“I simply taught them a lesson about not prying into others’ minds and sent them back.”
“…Thank you.”
The old man let out a sigh of relief.
To him, the twins were like his own granddaughters.
If he had known Zeon was this powerful, he would never have sent them.
“I wouldn’t call it a reward, but I’ll keep quiet about this place called Elharun.”
The old man spoke loudly on purpose, so Serian could hear.
It was a way to put them in his debt—to prevent them from acting recklessly.
“However, I doubt I can hide the fact that you’re a sand sorcerer. If I’m to explain to the mayor how Balrog was eliminated, I’ll have to tell the truth about your abilities.”
“That’s fine. I never expected to hide it forever anyway.”
“The mayor will send someone soon.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Zeon nodded.
After something this big, there was no way the mayor, Jin Geumho, wouldn’t get involved.
‘We were bound to meet someday anyway.’
Thinking that, Zeon looked toward where Balrog had vanished.
Balrog… and Damian.
They had disappeared without leaving a single trace.
The only thing Damian left behind was the location of Elharun.
He had burned through his life like a flame to uncover it.
Zeon felt he would never forget him.
***
The rumor that the White Bear Caravan had summoned Balrog spread quickly throughout Neo Seoul.
The city hall organized a pursuit team to track down the remaining members of the caravan.
Summoning Balrog near Neo Seoul—whatever the reason—was an unforgivable crime.
But the pursuit team failed.
The survivors of the White Bear Caravan were experts at surviving in the desert.
And they had a navigator named Ellen.
Though not as skilled as Damian, she was still capable of guiding them through the desert.
Thanks to Ellen, the survivors evaded their pursuers and regrouped at a rendezvous point.
“Boss!”
“You made it out safely!”
A group of young men welcomed Alexandro and his companions.
They were Ellen and Jack.
Awakened ones who had escaped the fortress earlier.
“Good… you’re all safe.”
A smile spread across Alexandro’s face.
Ellen was a navigator.
Jack possessed a subspace storage.
All the mana stones the White Bear Caravan had purchased in Neo Seoul were stored in Jack’s subspace.
Those stones would become the lifeline of the Yakutsk Colony.
Losing Damian was tragic—but Alexandro believed these two would fill the void.
Embracing them, he said—
“Let’s go home. Back to Yakutsk.”
“Yes!”
It would be a difficult journey.
They no longer had Damian to guide them, and their numbers had been reduced to a tenth.
Still, they had hope.
What they gained in Neo Seoul wasn’t just mana stones.
During their stay, they had gathered various items.
Objects where magic and science coexisted.
From everyday items like magic lamps, cars, and refrigerators—
To a small mana generator they had barely managed to acquire.
Among them, the mana generator was the most valuable.
If they studied it, Yakutsk Colony might be able to produce electricity stably, just like Neo Seoul.
With enough mana stones secured, it was worth trying.
More valuable than dozens of dungeon items.
Protecting Ellen and Jack, Alexandro and the survivors set out.
Unlike before, they had no proper means of transportation.
They would have to walk all the way.
Yet not a single complaint arose.
They had already prepared themselves for this.
…
After walking for some time—
Ellen’s face suddenly stiffened.
“I sense a magical beast ahead.”
“A beast?”
“Damn it! It’s moving under the sand—a Sandworm, for sure!”
“A Sandworm? Get behind me.”
Alexandro quickly shielded Ellen and Jack.
Rumble—!
In the distance, the sand began to churn.
Just as Ellen said, a massive Sandworm was approaching at terrifying speed.
If it surfaced, it wouldn’t be a problem.
But underground, using thick sand as a shield—it was a dangerous opponent.
Then suddenly—
The Sandworm stopped.
“What is it planning?”
Grrrrrr—!
At that moment, the sand around it began spinning violently.
Rotating at incredible speed, it ground the Sandworm apart like a blender.
ROOOOAR!
The creature’s final roar echoed.
And then—it was over.
“…What the—?”
At that moment, Alexandro spotted a man standing on a distant sand dune.
He recognized him instantly.
“Ze…on?”
The only sand sorcerer of the scorched desert.
After killing the Sandworm, Zeon simply vanished—
As if it had been nothing more than a routine task.