Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 266

Twenty minutes.

That was the time it took to annihilate the pack of hundreds of Flame Wolves.

Lee Jung-ho swung his sword wide, shaking off the blood.

As the blood splattered away, the blade returned to its original, sleek form.

Despite cutting through hundreds of Flame Wolves, Lee Jung-ho’s sword remained unscathed.

The bones and muscles of monsters were far tougher than those of humans. For a C-rank monster, its durability was said to be stronger than steel. Given that he had sliced through hundreds of such monsters, it was clear that his sword was no ordinary weapon.

‘It’s an item.’

It was definitely an item obtained from a high-level dungeon.

Zeon speculated that it must have at least three or four powerful enchantments.

Swish!

As Lee Jung-ho sheathed his sword, not a single drop of sweat appeared on his face.

For him, dealing with a pack of monsters this size wasn’t even enough to count as a warm-up.

“Wow! Talk about being overpowered.”

Claire shook her head in disbelief.

Though she had been on several missions with Lee Jung-ho and knew how strong he was, it still gave her chills every time she saw him in action.

City Hall had at least six more powerhouses like Lee Jung-ho.

Who knew how much more hidden strength they had in reserve?

Those who hadn’t experienced the power of City Hall firsthand couldn’t truly understand. And those who knew even a little of their power wouldn’t dare think of opposing them, much like Claire at this very moment.

Claire glanced at Zeon.

She assumed that Zeon, like her, must be feeling at least some degree of fear. But contrary to her expectations, Zeon’s face showed no signs of fear as he watched Lee Jung-ho.

She scrutinized him closely, wondering if perhaps he was just hiding his fear, but it didn’t seem that way.

‘Does this man really not fear Lee Jung-ho? Is he that confident in his own abilities?’

Claire bit her lip.

At that moment, Lee Jung-ho spoke to Zeon.

“Sorry for wasting time because of me. Let’s get going.”

“Yes! Thank you for your hard work.”

Zeon nodded and began walking.

Duduyan and Aslan quickly followed behind him, trying to distance themselves from Lee Jung-ho as much as possible.

Such was the impact of the power Lee Jung-ho had displayed.

‘He didn’t even use any skills.’

The fact that he had slaughtered the monsters so easily without using any skills was both astonishing and terrifying.

Aslan muttered under his breath.

‘If I ever return to Neo Seoul, I’m a son of a bitch—or a bastard. I won’t even piss in this direction.’

Feeling like he might be cut down by Lee Jung-ho if he strayed too far from Zeon, he stuck even closer.

Whether Zeon noticed this or not, he continued walking indifferently.

They passed through the corpses of the Flame Wolves that Lee Jung-ho had felled and walked for quite a while.

It was a desert without a single landmark.

No matter where one looked, the same scenery repeated itself.

Massive sand dunes and hills stretched on like waves.

An ordinary person exposed to such an environment would immediately panic and lose their sense of direction.

Lee Jung-ho and Claire, however, were not ordinary people.

Naturally, they felt no fear, though they couldn’t help but feel a sense of desolation.

Lee Jung-ho pulled a compass from his pocket.

The needle of the compass spun wildly.

Near Neo Seoul, it worked fine, but farther out in the desert, it became useless.

‘Looks like you really do need a Navigator in these distant deserts.’

Lee Jung-ho wrinkled his nose.

Navigators were extremely rare.

Navigators who could pinpoint directions accurately even in distant locations and avoid monster habitats were even rarer.

The scarcity of Navigators was one of the reasons Neo Seoul could no longer expand its territory. This made Zeon stand out even more.

Zeon was a better guide than a professional Navigator.

He could even detect monsters more accurately than a Navigator.

“There’s a monster about a kilometer away.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“I don’t think so.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just know.”

“I see.”

To some, it might have sounded like a half-hearted answer, but Lee Jung-ho let it go.

He himself was a high-ranking Awakened.

High-ranking Awakened individuals had their own unique senses.

Senses that were impossible to explain in words.

It was a realm that ordinary people would never understand, even in their entire lifetimes.

Just as Zeon had said, after walking about a kilometer, a massive monster came into view.

It was a huge monster, standing at least five meters tall.

The spiral horns growing from either side of its head looked sharp enough to pierce through most monsters.

Its muscular body was covered in thick scales.

Duduyan recognized the monster.

“It’s a Thunder Buffalo.”

“Didn’t expect to see one of those here.”

Aslan’s eyes widened as he recognized the Thunder Buffalo.

Lee Jung-ho and Claire approached them.

“Is it a special monster?”

“It’s a rare one. It’s called the Desert Wanderer.”

Zeon responded.

He too was familiar with the creature.

“What makes it so special?”

“It’s herbivorous, which is rare.”

“Herbivorous? Is there even grass in the desert? A monster that size must need a lot to maintain itself.”

“Its main diet is cacti. It roams the desert searching for them, which is why it’s called a wanderer.”

“Hm. I guess there’s still a lot I don’t know about the desert.”

“This is convenient.”

“What is?”

Zeon looked at Claire instead of answering.

“You’re a Tamer, aren’t you?”

“How did you know?”

Claire’s eyes widened in surprise.

The fact that she was a Tamer was a secret.

But Zeon continued, unfazed.

“As a Tamer, you should be able to tame that creature easily. Despite its appearance, it’s not hostile to humans.”

“Really?”

Her initial surprise quickly turned into excitement.

It wasn’t every day that a Tamer had the opportunity to tame such a massive monster.

Lee Jung-ho asked Zeon.

“Is there a reason to tame that monster? We’re short on time.”

“The Thunder Buffalo’s back is massive and comfortable. If we ride it, we can cut down the travel time to the Steel Fortress.”

“Hm.”

Zeon looked at Claire.

“What do you think?”

“I’ll give it a try.”

Claire approached the Thunder Buffalo.

Noticing her, the Thunder Buffalo lifted its head.

Its large, gentle eyes resembled those of a cow.

“Hello!”

Claire waved and spoke in a friendly voice.

At that moment, the necklace around her neck began to glow.

It was called the Rainbow Pendant.

An S-rank item.

The Rainbow Pendant drastically amplified her limited power and control.

It was such an overpowered item that it could only be used once a day.

After using it, her mana would be depleted, leaving her in a state of exhaustion for at least two days. For this reason, she rarely used it unless absolutely necessary.

However, given the strength of her companions, she felt confident that even if she collapsed, they could handle things.

For Tamers, it wasn’t easy to tame a monster in one go.

Some forced them into submission, but that wasn’t Claire’s style.

Though she could use force if needed, she preferred building a bond with the monster.

She spoke softly to the Thunder Buffalo.

“I want to be your friend.”

Snort!

The Thunder Buffalo flared its nostrils and gazed at Claire, as if trying to read her heart.

“We mean you no harm. We just want to be friends. Won’t you accept my feelings?”

Speaking as if making a heartfelt plea, Claire conveyed her sincerity. And the Thunder Buffalo accepted her.

“Moo!”

It responded with a gentle, non-threatening sound.

Claire stroked its face and said,

“Thank you for accepting. Would you mind carrying us?”

Thud!

Before she had even finished speaking, the Thunder Buffalo knelt down.

Duduyan and Aslan stood with their mouths agape.

“What’s with this woman? She tames monsters that easily?”

“Even Lady Deborah couldn’t do that.”

There was a Tamer in the Steel Fortress as well.

It was Urtian’s wife, Deborah.

She was a C-rank Tamer.

She also possessed a powerful item called the Necklace of Subjugation.

Thanks to it, she could tame monsters of higher ranks than herself. But even she couldn’t tame a monster as effortlessly as Claire just had.

Taming a monster required immense patience. It was a process that took time. Yet Claire had done it so easily.

“Either her ability far surpasses Deborah’s…”

“Or she’s got an item even stronger than the Necklace of Subjugation.”

“How many monsters like her are in Neo Seoul? Lee Jung-ho alone is overwhelming, but now even the Tamer is beyond imagination.”

“Damn it! If only I hadn’t gotten drunk, we wouldn’t have to deal with letting monsters like them into the Steel Fortress.”

Aslan hung his head in self-reproach.

Duduyan didn’t bother comforting him.

Not only because it would be pointless, but also because she didn’t feel like it.

The mistake Aslan had made was too severe.

Claire was the first to mount the Thunder Buffalo, followed by the others one by one.

The Thunder Buffalo’s back was so broad, it resembled a playground.

Even with five people on its back, there was still plenty of room.

Claire asked Zeon,

“Which direction should we go?”

“West.”

Claire turned to the Thunder Buffalo and spoke softly.

"You heard that? Can you head west for us?"

With a gentle tone, she coaxed the massive creature.

The Thunder Buffalo began walking westward, its huge steps echoing through the desert.

Thud! Thud!

Each step reverberated heavily as the monster moved forward, kicking up sand with every stride.

Lying down on the Thunder Buffalo's broad back, Claire spoke to Lee Jung-ho.

“Unless given different orders, it’ll keep heading west. So, I’m going to lie down and rest for a bit.”

“Well done. Rest up until evening.”

“Yes!”

Claire closed her eyes, her face quickly turning pale.

Even with the aid of the Rainbow Pendant, taming the Thunder Buffalo had drained her to the very limits of her power. She had scraped together every bit of her strength to make it possible.

As a result, both her mana and stamina were now completely depleted.

In no time, Claire slipped into a deep sleep.

Lee Jung-ho gazed at her through his blank, unfocused eyes.

His face and eyes were so used to being emotionless that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking just by looking at him.

Thud! Thud!

With every step the Thunder Buffalo took, a heavy sound rang out, scattering sand in all directions.

Despite carrying five people, the Thunder Buffalo showed no signs of strain as it continued walking steadily.

There was no need to provide it with food or water.

It would find cacti along the way to satisfy both its hunger and thirst on its own.

So much so that even Lee Jung-ho couldn't help but express his amazement.

“Who would've thought riding a monster could be this convenient? If I’d known, I would’ve come out to the desert more often.”

“Not everyone has the luxury of doing this.”

“True enough. If everyone could, humans wouldn’t be confined to such small territories. What do you think? Sand Mage?”

“I don’t think about such things.”

“A strong person must think deeply. The more influence they have on the world, the more responsibility they must carry. That’s the duty of the strong.”

“Well, that’s one way to look at it.”

"Zeon!"

“I do think carefully about my actions. So, how about easing up on the lectures?”

Zeon’s light-hearted retort made Lee Jung-ho’s eyebrow twitch slightly.

Had it been anyone other than Zeon, he would have cut them down instantly.

But right now, he still needed Zeon.

In this godforsaken desert, he needed Zeon’s guidance if he hoped to safely acquire Moby Dick’s heart.

Lee Jung-ho clenched the hilt of his sword tightly.

It was a habit that surfaced whenever he was forcing himself to remain patient.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]