Chapter 357

The driver, who had been focused solely on driving, stopped the bus and said,

“The other vehicles have all stopped too. Looks like we’ll be resting here for the night.”

Even now, the driver still couldn’t see Gaia.

Despite the whale being only a few meters away.

Gaia seemed fascinated by the driver’s inability to notice her and swayed her tail with wide eyes.

If the driver had taken even one more step forward, he would have entered the perception suppression magic circle. But he carefully maintained the boundary.

That was because Kim Jinsu had repeatedly warned him not to offend Zeon.

Even without Kim Jinsu’s warning, the driver had no intention of getting close to Zeon.

Long experience had taught him that excessive curiosity shortened one’s lifespan.

He was an F-rank awakened.

With only F-rank abilities, no matter where one went, they were never treated properly. At best, they were used as cannon fodder.

All he had to do during this mission was drive to the destination.

For an F-rank awakened, jobs this comfortable were incredibly rare.

And to keep such a cushy job, he had to know exactly where the line was.

Having said only what was necessary, the driver stepped outside first.

Only then did Zeon rise and speak to Gaia.

“Stay here by yourself for a bit. I’ll come back after eating.”

–Beh!

“Yeah. It won’t take long.”

Zeon stroked Gaia’s head as she looked reluctant to let him go.

At that moment, Brielle said,

“I’ll stay here with Gaia. You two go eat.”

“What about your meal?”

“Hehe! I packed plenty inside the subspace storage.”

“Okay. Then stay in the bus.”

“Kay!”

Leaving Brielle and Gaia behind in the bus, Zeon and Levin got off.

The moment his feet touched the sand, Levin chuckled.

“Are they really that happy?”

“Looks like it.”

“How are people without whales even supposed to survive in this world?”

“Want me to kidnap a whale like Gaia for you too?”

“Oh, no thanks. I’m more suited to wandering outside. If I had someone like Gaia around, I’d end up staying home all the time.”

“Good thinking. Honestly, if Brielle hadn’t been around, raising Gaia would’ve been pretty difficult for me too.”

Gaia’s spirit was linked directly to Zeon’s.

She was practically one with him. Yet the one who spent the most time taking care of Gaia was Brielle.

Because Brielle treated her like a friend and little sister, Gaia had grown into a cheerful and lively whale.

Without Brielle, Gaia’s personality would probably have been far gloomier than it was now.

At this point, Gaia had practically become Brielle’s whale, but Zeon didn’t mind at all.

Zeon and Levin walked over to where the others had gathered.

Kim Jinsu, the awakened, and the porters were busy preparing food.

Looking around, Zeon remarked,

“You picked a good place to camp.”

“Haha! After doing this for years, you become an expert at finding campsites.”

Joking casually, Kim Jinsu gestured for Zeon to sit beside him.

Zeon accepted without hesitation and sat down next to him.

Kim Jinsu asked with a puzzled expression,

“I don’t see the young lady?”

“She said she’d eat inside.”

“Should we at least bring her some food?”

“She already prepared everything she needs herself. You don’t have to worry about her.”

“Is that so?”

Kim Jinsu visibly brightened.

On long-distance expeditions like this, the most troublesome things were always food and sleeping arrangements.

Cases where an armored bus was deployed like this were extremely rare.

Armored buses were incredibly valuable assets even within Neo Seoul.

The interior of the armored bus was equipped with nearly every convenience imaginable. But because of that, they broke down easily, and they were so expensive that they were rarely used unless absolutely necessary.

In fact, this was the first time the First Escort Unit under Kim Jinsu had ever mobilized an armored bus.

That alone showed how much Yoo Sehui cared about Zeon.

Naturally, Kim Jinsu couldn’t help but pay close attention to Zeon as well.

Among all of them, the one he worried about most was Brielle.

In reality she was a High Elf, but to Kim Jinsu and everyone else, she appeared to be an ordinary human girl.

And he knew all too well how troublesome it could become if a young girl started complaining about food.

But if she intended to handle her meals herself, then there was nothing to worry about.

The food the porters diligently prepared consisted of preserved rations.

Like most preserved foods, the rations prepared by the First Escort Unit were not particularly tasty.

In truth, they had almost no flavor at all.

They were designed solely to fill the stomach and replenish energy.

There was no way a young girl would happily eat such food.

Only people who had lived rough lives like Kim Jinsu and his men could barely stomach meals like that.

Yet Zeon and Levin ate the food without a single complaint.

They weren’t forcing themselves either—they calmly chewed and swallowed each bite.

Watching them, Kim Jinsu nodded inwardly.

‘As expected, these two are used to this kind of camping. I don’t need to worry about them.’

Kim Jinsu stopped concerning himself with Zeon and Levin and focused on eating.

While they ate, night fell over the desert.

Setting down his bowl, Kim Jinsu carefully spoke.

“You said we still have at least another week heading southwest, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“If it’s not too rude… could you tell us what kinds of magical beasts mainly inhabit the direction we’re heading? None of us have ever gone that far before.”

In the darkness, Kim Jinsu’s eyes gleamed.

If satellites and aircraft from the old world were still operational, humanity could have systematically mapped and categorized magical beast habitats. But after the world collapsed like this, they couldn’t even dream of launching planes anymore, let alone satellites.

Because of that, the only option left was to discover the habitats through direct experience.

For people like the First Escort Unit, who constantly crossed the desert, learning the habitats of magical beasts in advance was the most important thing imaginable.

Their lives depended on it.

That was why, whenever they had time and opportunity, they desperately tried to gather information about magical beast territories.

No one in Neo Seoul knew more about the magical beasts of the desert than Zeon.

To Zeon, this information might seem trivial, but to Kim Jinsu—who risked his life crossing the desert—it was more valuable than anything else.

That was why he swallowed his embarrassment and asked Zeon directly.

Zeon didn’t dislike Kim Jinsu for it.

The man wasn’t alone—he led an entire group.

And for the survival of one’s people, a leader had to do whatever was necessary.

That was the duty of someone in command.

Zeon recalled the memories of the time he had once passed through this region.

A moment later, bits of information about the magical beasts began flowing from his lips one after another.

“About seventy kilometers farther southwest from here, you’ll probably encounter a pack of Flame Wolves. I assume I don’t need to explain much about them.”

“Yes! We’re already familiar with the ecology of Flame Wolves and how to deal with them.”

“Good. After the Flame Wolves, there’ll probably be a Sandworm habitat.”

“Ah… Sandworms are a bit troublesome…”

“I’ll handle the Sandworms myself.”

“Thank you.”

Kim Jinsu brightened immediately.

Sandworms were magical beasts that ordinary awakened found extremely difficult to fight.

Because they traveled beneath the sand, they were hard to detect, and landing attacks on them was even harder.

After that, Zeon continued explaining the magical beasts they would encounter ahead, and Kim Jinsu listened carefully.

Kim Jinsu’s subordinates also kept one ear on Zeon’s words while maintaining watch around the perimeter. They knew perfectly well how valuable this information was.

Zeon spoke to Kim Jinsu’s men.

“There are no magical beasts near here, so you don’t need to stay so tense.”

“Huh? But still…”

“If magical beasts approach, I’ll let you know. At least while you’re eating, relax.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Only then did Kim Jinsu’s subordinates finally loosen their guard and gather around Zeon.

The next morning, Zeon’s group departed the campsite early.

Fortunately, no magical beasts had attacked during the night, so everyone had slept comfortably.

Thanks to that, everyone was in good condition.

One of Kim Jinsu’s subordinates riding in the buggy muttered,

“Traveling with a Sand Mage is insanely easy.”

“Easy?”

“Seriously, doesn’t it feel like we’re living the good life? I never imagined I’d sleep this carelessly in the middle of the desert. I slept like a baby.”

“Well… he’s not wrong. I did too.”

Kim Jinsu agreed with him.

Just having Zeon the Sand Mage with them made camping feel completely safe.

Whenever they handled escort missions on their own, they spent every night anxious.

They always posted sentries and set up every trap and alarm item they could, yet they still couldn’t sleep deeply because of the anxiety.

That was why, whenever they went on escort missions, they mentally prepared themselves to go several days without proper sleep. Still, they never complained. The pay made the hardship worthwhile.

At that moment, the window of the armored bus driving beside them opened, and Zeon leaned his head out.

Kim Jinsu also leaned out and shouted,

“What is it?”

“There’s a pack of Flame Wolves about two kilometers ahead. You should prepare yourselves.”

“Thank you. Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Kim Jinsu immediately issued orders to his men.

The Flame Wolves still weren’t visible yet, but Kim Jinsu didn’t doubt Zeon’s words for even a second.

After traveling another kilometer or so, the pack of Flame Wolves finally came into view in the distance.

The wolves had apparently spotted them as well and were already taking defensive positions.

“There must be at least three or four hundred of them.”

“Fuck! If those bastards charge us seriously, we’re going to lose a few vehicles.”

“Even if we lose vehicles, make sure the porters stay safe.”

“Of course.”

The subordinate answered with burning determination.

Vehicles could always be repaired or replaced. But dead people could not be brought back.

The porters traveling with Kim Jinsu’s First Escort Unit were all veterans.

Not only had they handled escort missions, but many had experience entering dungeons as well.

Finding veteran porters like these in the slums wasn’t easy.

They had to be protected no matter what.

But the enemy was a pack of hundreds of Flame Wolves.

Protecting the porters completely from them would never be easy.

Even the porters driving the transport vehicles couldn’t hide their anxiety.

The transport vehicles had defensive capability comparable to the armored bus, but they knew perfectly well that they couldn’t fully withstand attacks from such a massive pack of Flame Wolves.

But it was too late to run now.

If they broke formation trying to save themselves, they would only become easier targets for the wolves.

The porters stared at the Flame Wolf pack ahead with grim expressions.

Then it happened.

Screeech!

Suddenly, the door of the moving armored bus swung open.

Zeon stepped out through the open door and climbed onto the roof of the speeding bus.

Everyone stared at him in shock at the sudden action.

“Don’t tell me he’s planning to fight personally?”

“If that’s the case, then we’re safe.”

Relief appeared on the faces of the awakened and porters.

If Zeon stepped in personally, a pack of Flame Wolves at this level wasn’t frightening at all.

Zeon spoke to the armored bus driver.

“Don’t stop. Keep moving forward.”

“Yes! Understood.”

The driver nodded and continued advancing.

The distance between them and the Flame Wolf pack rapidly closed.

Normally, the Flame Wolves would have attacked by now. But strangely, instead of charging, the wolves hesitated and slowly backed away.

The awakened and porters looked puzzled at the unprecedented behavior of the Flame Wolves.

Some of the wolves even tucked their tails between their legs and urinated themselves.

“What the hell?”

“Why are they acting like that? Wait… don’t tell me?”

Staring intently at the Flame Wolves, Kim Jinsu soon realized what they were terrified of.

Every single wolf’s gaze was fixed on Zeon.

Their eyes were filled with fear as they looked at him.

Grrrr!

Awooo!

Some were even so terrified that they began fighting among themselves in panic.

“My god… the Flame Wolves are afraid of a human? Just what in the world happened to make them like this…?”