Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 268

Archelon blinked its enormous eyes and stretched its head toward Zeon.

“Archelon!”

Zeon reached out and gently stroked Archelon’s head. The massive creature closed its eyes, accepting Zeon’s touch.

“W-wait, I…”

Claire, standing beside them, tried to speak excitedly, but Archelon didn’t even glance in her direction.

All of Archelon’s attention and senses were solely focused on Zeon.

Zeon spoke.

“You really are dying. How did it come to this?”

“He was struck by the Black Anemone, wielded by a curse caster.”

A voice came from behind Zeon.

He turned around to see a frail old man wearing glasses and a mature woman standing beside him.

The old man’s face was deeply lined with wrinkles, and the woman, with her brown skin and blue eyes, radiated a rugged vitality, like a lone cactus standing strong in the desert.

Zeon instantly recognized them.

“Master Pavirsa, Sister Kailey!”

“It really is you, Zeon. That little boy has grown up into such a fine man.”

“It’s been a while, Zeon!”

The two approached Zeon.

Time had made the old man even older, while the boy and girl had grown into adults.

Kailey looked Zeon up and down and said.

“You’ve grown a lot.”

“So have you, Sister.”

“Has it been about eight years?”

“Feels like it.”

“I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but I had no one else to turn to… Sorry for calling you like this.”

“You said Archelon was struck by the Black Anemone, wielded by a curse caster?”

“Yes! Archelon tried to protect us and got hit instead. That’s why he’s dying.”

With a bitter expression, Kailey stroked Archelon’s head.

“That cowardly curse caster. He ambushed us with that vile beast, the Black Anemone. If it hadn’t been a surprise attack, Archelon would have defeated it.”

Archelon’s shell had immense defensive power.

It was so tough that it could withstand the attacks of most monsters without sustaining a scratch.

“I’ve never heard of a beast called the Black Anemone.”

Zeon was familiar with almost every kind of monster, yet he had never even heard of the Black Anemone.

Pavirsa answered.

“That’s because it doesn’t exist in the natural world.”

“Then…”

“It’s a chimera. I don’t know how, but the curse caster wielded a chimera.”

“A curse caster controlling a chimera? That doesn’t make sense.”

Zeon asked, his expression filled with disbelief.

A chimera is a type of synthetic life form.

It’s created by piecing together parts from various organisms.

Even with the right materials, it’s nearly impossible to successfully create a chimera.

It’s a feat that borders on the creation of life itself—a realm humans have no power over.

Among those Zeon knew, only the Gold Dragon Haeltoon had ever successfully created and controlled chimeras.

Zeon had never encountered a human who could achieve such a feat.

So the idea that a curse caster had created a chimera seemed absurd.

After all, curse casters specialize in curses, not the creation of chimeras.

Pavirsa replied.

“I don’t know how he did it either. Maybe he created it himself, or maybe he stumbled upon an already-made chimera.”

“Is the Black Anemone that dangerous?”

“The main body is no more than ten meters long. Compared to Archelon, it’s nothing.”

“Then why is Archelon in such bad shape?”

“The problem is its tentacles. It has thousands, tens of thousands of tentacles extending from its head, each of which can stretch over hundreds of meters. In an instant, it can wrap around its prey and drain their bodily fluids dry. Archelon managed to survive the attack, but if it had been anyone else or another monster, they would’ve been consumed immediately.”

“Hmm.”

“I still can’t believe it—that such a chimera exists in this world.”

Just recalling the Black Anemone seemed to make Pavirsa shudder in fear.

Zeon looked at Archelon’s head.

The wounds inflicted by the Black Anemone’s tentacles were still visible.

‘Could the curse caster actually be a dragon in disguise?’

Zeon furrowed his brow without realizing it.

If their opponent really was a dragon, it would be the worst possible scenario. However, Zeon doubted that was the case.

In all his eight years of wandering the desert, he had never encountered a dragon.

Moreover, dragons were far larger than Archelon, easily exceeding a hundred meters in length.

With their enormous size came equally enormous egos and pride. Dragons would never lower themselves to take human form or act covertly.

They would be more likely to create a chimera minion than transform into one themselves.

‘A dragon controlling a chimera? That’s not their style.’

Zeon had only ever met one dragon—Haeltoon—but he had a reasonable understanding of their nature and behavior.

‘If it’s not a dragon, then maybe the curse caster found an item related to chimeras in a dungeon?’

That seemed far more likely.

Dungeons often yielded strange, unexpected items.

Many of those items defied human understanding.

If the curse caster had found a chimera-related item in a dungeon, it wouldn’t be impossible.

While Zeon was deep in thought about the curse caster, someone approached him.

“You’ve arrived!”

Zeon turned around to see Urtian walking toward him, accompanied by his wife, Deborah.

“It’s been a while.”

“I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon.”

“Nor did I.”

It felt strange to be back here so quickly after leaving for Neo Seoul.

Zeon introduced the two newcomers to Urtian and Deborah.

“This is Lee Jung-ho and Claire, from Neo Seoul.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Hello.”

After brief introductions, Pavirsa, looking apologetic, spoke up.

“I’m sorry. I happened to be here and heard from Urtian about how much you’ve helped him.”

“I see.”

Archelon, after being struck by the Black Anemone, had made a desperate escape.

It had used all its strength to break free from the tentacles and drag itself forward, step by painful step.

Since the Black Anemone couldn’t move while extending its tentacles, it didn’t pursue Archelon.

This allowed Archelon to escape the beast’s grasp and wander through the desert until, by chance, it arrived here.

Urtian had been shocked when he saw the massive turtle approaching the Steel Fortress.

He had been ready to mobilize the fortress’s forces to attack Archelon, but Deborah, as a Tamer, had quickly realized that the creature wasn’t hostile.

Instead, Archelon had been severely wounded and was seeking help.

Deborah couldn’t bring herself to refuse its plea, so they had accepted Archelon and the people traveling with it, sending Aslan and Duduyan to fetch Zeon.

After hearing the full story, Zeon asked Pavirsa.

“I heard that we need to find Moby Dick to heal Archelon. Is that true?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“How is that possible?”

“How much do you know about Moby Dick?”

“Only the name.”

“Moby Dick is, quite literally, a gigantic whale. It swims freely through the sky and the underground.”

“Wait, what? It flies?”

“Yes, it can fly.”

Zeon glanced at Lee Jung-ho, who shook his head.

He, too, had only just learned that Moby Dick could fly.

Zeon turned back to Pavirsa.

“Is that even possible?”

“Why not? This world doesn’t exactly follow normal rules. Moby Dick swims through sand and soars through the sky. I don’t know how such a creature came into existence, but…”

“But is there a way to track it down? If it swims through both sand and sky, it’ll be nearly impossible to find. And why do we need to find it in the first place?”

“I saw it with my own eyes—a massive mammoth, gravely wounded, being healed.”

The memory was still fresh in Pavirsa’s mind.

He had seen the enormous hundred-meter creature high in the sky, emitting a mysterious light.

On the ground below was a mammoth, gravely injured from some unknown beast’s attack. It was on the brink of death, but as soon as the light from Moby Dick touched it, the mammoth’s wounds began to heal almost instantly.

A miracle had unfolded in the middle of the desert.

“After witnessing that, I couldn’t just sit still. I drove Archelon after Moby Dick. And I found its nest.”

“A nest?”

“Well, it might just be a resting place. Call it whatever you like, but I discovered a mysterious place where Moby Dick rests. I saw it land on the ground for the first time to take a break.”

“Where is it?”

“I can’t explain the location. I don’t have the ability to navigate the desert like you.”

“Then how will we get there?”

“We have Archelon, don’t we? He remembers the general direction to the nest.”

Archelon navigates by the scent of the air.

Having smelled the air around Moby Dick’s nest, he should be able to guide them in the right direction.

After that, they’d need Zeon’s help.

“But in his current state…”

“He’s conserving his strength for this final journey. If he pushes himself, he can make it to Moby Dick’s nest.”

“Understood. All we can do now is hope Archelon holds on until then.”

The enormous, aging turtle was struggling to breathe.

He looked like a veteran warrior preparing for his final battle.

Just then, Claire, standing beside Archelon, spoke.

“I’ll take care of Archelon and make sure he doesn’t collapse.”

“Do you have a skill that can heal tamed creatures?”

“Yes, but it’s low-ranked, and Archelon is so massive that it won’t do much. Still, I can help him regain a bit of his strength here and there.”

“That’s a relief.”

Deborah sighed in relief.

As a fellow Tamer, she knew how precarious Archelon’s condition was.

Pavirsa believed they could reach Moby Dick’s nest, but from Deborah’s perspective, it wouldn’t be easy.

Archelon was like a candle about to go out, teetering on the brink. No one knew when it might suddenly go dark.

High-ranking Tamers had a cure skill that allowed them to heal their tamed beasts. Deborah would gain that skill if she could raise her rank.

“Since I didn’t tame Archelon myself, the effect of the skill will be reduced.”

“Even so, it’ll be enough. Archelon has a strong will…”

Deborah reached out and gently patted Archelon’s head.

The old, giant turtle didn’t reject her warm touch.

Worry clouded Claire’s face.

“I can manage Archelon’s condition, but if he takes a heavy blow or gets attacked again, there’s nothing I’ll be able to do.”

“You can leave that to Lord Zeon.”

Both women’s gazes naturally shifted to Zeon.

He stood with his arms crossed and his head bowed, his thoughts unreadable. But Deborah’s faith in him was unwavering.

“In this desert, if Lord Zeon sets his mind to it, there’s nothing he can’t protect.”

“You seem to have a lot of confidence in him.”

“You’ll understand soon, Claire. You’ll see what Lord Zeon is capable of in this desert.”

“I…”

“That’s why I’m asking you to help Lord Zeon bring Archelon safely to Moby Dick’s nest.”

Deborah looked at Claire with warm eyes.

Claire found herself unable to meet her gaze directly.

“Everything will be fine. Lord Zeon is with us.”

“I hope so.”

“Trust me. If you believe, good things will happen.”

After giving Claire’s back a reassuring pat, Deborah walked away.

Claire stood there for a long time, watching her retreating figure.

Clap!

Urtian clapped his hands, snapping everyone out of their thoughts.

“All right, enough of this. Let’s head inside. I’ll host dinner tonight.”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward the sandstone mountain.

A large basket was descending from it.

Lee Jung-ho muttered to himself.

“So that’s the entrance to the Steel Fortress? They’ve built a colony in a perfect natural stronghold.”

In this place, even if thousands of monsters attacked at once, they would be able to defend it.

“Impressive!”

“What do you find impressive?”

Zeon, standing nearby, asked coldly.

“Everything…”

“Leave it be.”

“Leave what be?”

“In time, they’ll naturally trade with Neo Seoul. Forcing a merger prematurely would only create more problems.”

“Is that a warning?”

“It’s a request.”

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]