Chapter 171
The Pegasus Strike Team set up a temporary base near the dungeon and went into rest mode.
Just because they had arrived at the dungeon didn’t mean they could begin the raid immediately.
First, they had to secure the entrance to the dungeon, and the broken vehicles needed repairs.
They also needed sufficient rest to recover their depleted stamina and heal their injuries.
Lee Jiryung shouted:
“We’ve all worked hard to get here. The dungeon raid will begin tomorrow, so let’s rest well for today.”
“Waaaaah!”
“Finally, rest!”
The Awakeners cheered.
Lee Jiryung brought out precious food she had stored in her subspace for the Awakeners.
These weren’t the simple rations they had been eating before, but proper meals.
Since time didn’t flow inside subspace, this method was possible. However, not everyone could use it.
Subspace items themselves were rare, and there was little reason to use such a valuable space just to store food.
Most raid teams relied on convenient preserved rations.
But Lee Jiryung believed that the more dangerous the dungeon, the better you had to feed people. It might seem trivial, but it affected morale.
Especially after a grueling journey like this one, proper meals were even more important.
They had been attacked twice by demonic beasts, and there had been deserters. Even the pursuit team sent after them hadn’t returned.
Even without saying it aloud, the Awakeners could feel that this raid was different from usual.
The best way to erase anxiety was to feed them well and give them enough rest.
When real meat—rather than cultured meat—was served, the Awakeners erupted in cheers.
“Wow! Meat!”
“Damn! It’s real meat!”
“No alcohol?”
Unfortunately, no alcohol was provided. Still, the Awakeners enjoyed the feast as best they could.
Zeon and his group also ate the generously provided meat.
Levin said while chewing:
“At this rate, we won’t even need to take out the food we prepared.”
“You never know what’ll happen inside the dungeon. Better to save it.”
“Hey, kid, are you going into the dungeon too?”
“Of course. Why come all this way just to watch from outside?”
“Heh, that’d be funny.”
“I’m going in.”
“Alright. But be careful.”
“You should worry about yourself. Don’t get overconfident in your abilities and end up getting stabbed from behind.”
“Don’t worry. A blade won’t leave a single scratch on this body.”
Levin replied as he swallowed the meat in his mouth.
Watching Levin and Brielle bicker, Mandy carefully spoke to Zeon:
“Is there any way to know what kind of dungeon it is in advance?”
“I can’t know until I go in myself.”
“I see… It would be easier to prepare if we knew beforehand.”
“If that were possible, dungeon raids wouldn’t be so difficult.”
“It’s just wishful thinking. I know it’s impossible.”
Mandy gave a bitter smile.
Every time a dungeon was cleared, countless people died. But their deaths were quickly forgotten.
Glory belonged to the survivors, and all wealth and honor were theirs.
Seeing that, rookies and lower-ranked Awakeners would jump into dungeon raids again—and die.
Whether it was a vicious cycle or a virtuous one, no one knew. But the cycle continued endlessly.
Mandy wanted to break that cycle, but she knew all too well that it was beyond her ability.
Zeon spoke:
“Don’t overthink it. Just get some good rest. Once we enter the dungeon, we won’t enjoy luxuries like this.”
“Yes. You’re right.”
“Then let’s turn in early today.”
Zeon immediately lay down.
A dungeon was another world.
No one could know what dangers lurked inside until they entered it.
Rather than trying to predict what lay ahead, getting sufficient rest was far more helpful for the raid.
Lying down, Zeon quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Watching him from afar, Cha Jincheol muttered:
“He’s got it easy. Thinking about sleeping soundly here of all places.”
His voice was full of irritation.
Strangely, ever since arriving here, he had felt uneasy. Even he didn’t know why.
“Damn it!”
The raid team rested thoroughly until the next day.
Thanks to that, the Awakeners’ condition had improved considerably.
Lee Jiryung decided that they would raid the dungeon today and made the announcement. All Awakeners gathered in one place.
There, she said to Zeon:
“There’s a dungeon underground here. As promised, open the path to it.”
“It seems like a very dangerous dungeon. Are you sure about this?”
“You can tell that too?”
“Just a feeling.”
“Is it because you’re a sand mage? That’s quite an enviable ability.”
For a moment, Lee Jiryung’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“Your ability is already remarkable.”
“Isn’t it better to have more abilities?”
“You can’t have everything.”
“Why not? Is there a rule against it?”
“Excessive greed brings trouble.”
“You’re young, yet you sound so old-fashioned.”
“Do I?”
“Enough chatter. Will you open the path to the dungeon now?”
“Alright.”
Zeon nodded and stepped forward.
“So we finally get to see the sand mage’s ability?”
“Can he really move all that sand?”
All the Awakeners watched Zeon with anticipation.
Zeon stood where the dungeon’s energy felt strongest.
The grains of sand were telling him that a dungeon lay beneath this place.
“Hoo…”
Taking a deep breath, Zeon drew out his control.
BOOM!
In an instant, with a thunderous sound, sand erupted beneath his feet.
Like a geyser, the sand surged upward and rushed toward where the Awakeners were gathered.
“Whoa! What the—?!”
“Fall back!”
The Awakeners closest to Zeon panicked and hurriedly retreated. But the sand surged forward even to where they had moved.
With no other choice, they retreated even farther. Still, they couldn’t escape the reach of the sand.
At this rate, they would be buried alive before even attempting the dungeon.
Lee Jiryung shouted:
“Everyone, fall back at least 300 meters!”
“Whoa!”
“Damn it!”
The Awakeners scrambled back well beyond the distance she ordered.
Fortunately, the sand didn’t reach that far.
“This is insane.”
“He’s moving that much sand… So this is what a sand mage can do?”
A miracle was unfolding before their eyes.
Sand from deep underground shot upward like a geyser, and as it spread across the surface, a massive pit began to form.
Ten meters. Twenty meters. The pit grew deeper and wider.
RUMBLE!
The sheer volume of moving sand caused vibrations that shook the Awakeners’ bodies.
“Is this even possible?”
“No matter how strong a sand mage is… damn!”
Like a volcano spewing lava, an enormous amount of sand surged upward from below.
Above the rising column of sand stood Zeon.
Standing midair on a platform of sand, he looked like a god of the desert.
Sweat beaded across Zeon’s forehead.
Even for him, moving this much sand was an immense burden.
RUMBLE!
The sand kept pouring out endlessly, and the pit grew deeper and wider.
Ordinarily, sand would collapse back in after being pushed aside. But this pit controlled by Zeon was different.
The displaced sand stayed firmly in place instead of sliding back.
Watching him, Lee Jiryung pressed her lips tightly together.
As expected… in a desert, that ability is practically broken.
In terms of raw destructive power, she might be superior. But in terms of versatility and usefulness in a desert, no Awakener ability could match Zeon’s.
He was moving an amount of sand that would require hundreds of Awakeners to excavate—completely on his own.
It was nothing short of miraculous.
When Zeon had dug down roughly 150 meters—
BOOM!
A black light suddenly burst out from beneath the sand, and a massive oval-shaped rift revealed itself.
“It’s a dungeon!”
“There really is a dungeon!”
“Woooah!”
The Awakeners erupted in cheers.
Judging by the size of the rift and the density of mana, it was no ordinary dungeon.
The more powerful and dangerous the dungeon, the greater the rewards—hence the excitement.
“Hoo…”
As the dungeon entrance revealed itself, Zeon withdrew his control.
He descended lightly like a feather and landed in front of the entrance.
Lee Jiryung and the other Awakeners gathered around him.
Looking at the massive rift, Lee Jiryung said:
“Incredible. A dungeon of this scale… at least A-rank, maybe even S-rank.”
“Hoo… That means it’ll be just as dangerous.”
“The more dangerous it is, the greater the reward.”
“I suppose my role ends here.”
Zeon shrugged and stepped back.
Lee Jiryung nodded.
“Finding the entrance is more than enough. From here on, the Pegasus Strike Team will take responsibility.”
“I’ll be watching.”
“Fall back and recover your mana. You look like you’ve used everything just moving that sand—you can barely stand.”
Zeon’s face was pale, completely drained of color.
No matter how much mana he had, moving that much sand would inevitably exhaust him.
In fact, his mana was nearly depleted.
If he had pushed just a little further, it would have been completely drained.
As Zeon staggered back, Levin and Brielle rushed over.
“Are you okay, hyung?!”
“Zeon!”
“Hoo… I’m fine. I won’t be able to use my power for a while, though.”
Zeon replied, breathing heavily.
Seeing him like this was painful.
It was the first time they had seen Zeon so exhausted, and both Levin and Brielle were visibly shaken.
Zeon smiled faintly and said:
“Hoo… I’m really fine. Just focus on the dungeon.”
“Got it.”
“It’s a big, powerful one. The moment you let your guard down, it’ll be fatal. So be extremely careful.”
“Don’t worry. From here on, I’ll protect everyone.”
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 Jiryung issued orders to the Pegasus Strike Team:
“I and the assault team will enter first. Five minutes later, the base team follows. After that, the western sector Awakeners and the scouting team will enter. Understood?”
“Yes!”
“Then from this moment, we begin the dungeon raid. Your lives are your own responsibility.”
“Yes!”
The Awakeners’ powerful voices echoed across the desert.
Lee Jiryung stared at the dungeon entrance ahead.
Among all the dungeons she had cleared, this one felt the largest and most powerful.
Goosebumps ran across her body, and her heart pounded harder than ever.
It had been a long time since she felt this kind of tension.
She turned to the assault team leader, Bronson.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Bronson grinned, revealing his white teeth.
There was no fear on his face.
The assault team was the core and spearhead of the Pegasus Strike Team.
They had always led the charge at the front lines, carving through dungeons.
To them, a new dungeon wasn’t something to fear.
It was prey to be crushed and conquered—nothing more, nothing less.
That was why Bronson and the assault team stared at the dungeon entrance with excitement.
Lee Jiryung gave the order.
“We’re going in.”
“Wooooah!”
With a roar, they entered the dungeon.
It was the first step toward conquering the unknown.