Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 271

Pavilsa gently stroked Archelon’s head.

“Archelon!”

Archelon closed his eyes and basked in the touch of Pavilsa's hand.

The wrinkled old man and the aged turtle shared a deep connection, their bodies close together, silently communicating for a long time.

Claire stood nearby, hands clenched tightly, watching Pavilsa and Archelon. Just witnessing the bond between a sacred beast and a human filled her heart with emotion.

She dreamed of one day aging alongside a beast like that, sharing a similar connection.

‘Though first, I need to get out of this hellhole…’

She was deeply indebted to Jin Geum-ho and the City Hall. Whether she could ever repay that debt was uncertain.

Until then, she would have to do whatever Jin Geum-ho ordered, like a slave.

A soft blue light emanated from Pavilsa's body and flowed into Archelon, who had been receiving his care. The light revitalized Archelon, bringing a slight gleam back to his eyes.

It was a Cure Skill, used to restore Archelon’s strength.

Only high-ranking Tamers were capable of using such a Cure Skill.

Like Claire, Pavilsa also possessed the power to heal.

‘Good. If we take turns healing him, we can buy more time.’

It was impossible to care for such a massive turtle alone.

Pavilsa and Claire would have to take turns using their Cure Skills if they wanted to make it to their destination.

That was, of course, assuming nothing went wrong along the way.

Pavilsa turned to Zeon.

“Let’s head out before Archelon’s energy fades.”

“Yes! Let’s go.”

Zeon, along with the others, followed Pavilsa and Kailey, climbing onto Archelon’s shell.

The Motte Tribe, who had originally lived in a village on Archelon’s back, had temporarily relocated to the Steel Fortress.

Since Archelon’s future was uncertain, they were staying at the Steel Fortress, waiting for him to return.

It was a decision they couldn’t avoid.

This journey with Archelon was filled with danger.

They couldn’t be certain they would even make it back.

“Unbelievable! I can’t believe there’s an actual village inside the shell of a turtle.”

Looking around inside Archelon’s shell, Lee Jung-ho couldn’t help but marvel.

He had heard that Archelon was a moving fortress, but he hadn’t expected the village to be this vast.

He had been amazed when they entered the Steel Fortress, but Archelon’s interior was even more astonishing.

Everything necessary for life was here, all within a living creature.

“No wonder they call it a mobile fortress.”

“You said they’re the Motte Tribe? Now I understand how they’ve lived on Archelon’s back for decades. I’m kind of jealous, actually.”

Claire looked genuinely envious.

Pavilsa and Archelon shared a bond that transcended the typical relationship between a Tamer and a tamed beast—they were more like lifelong friends.

Just from the way they looked at each other, you could tell how deep their connection was.

‘I hope that one day, I can form a bond as deep as theirs with a beast like Archelon…’

Kuuuwooo!

Archelon let out a loud cry, signaling that he was ready.

“Alright, let’s go.”

At Pavilsa’s command, Archelon began to move slowly.

Though slow by Archelon’s standards, to humans, his speed was incredibly fast.

Thud! Thud!

With each step Archelon took, a heavy sound resonated, and clouds of dust rose from the ground.

“Who would’ve thought I’d ride a giant turtle in my lifetime?”

Lee Jung-ho muttered, sitting back in his seat.

It was hard to believe that he was riding on the back of such a massive creature, especially when it was this comfortable. With a ride like this, even venturing deep into the desert wouldn’t feel like such a chore.

Zeon sat by the window, gazing out at the landscape.

Archelon’s shell had several windows, allowing for a clear view of the outside world.

While these windows were normally open, in dangerous situations, the shell would shift and seal them off entirely.

It was arguably the safest and most perfect form of transportation in existence.

Even the various vehicles manufactured in Neo Seoul didn’t have such durability and defensive capabilities.

Zeon ran his hand along Archelon’s shell, murmuring to himself.

“How much longer can you hold on? I hope you make it until the end.”

“He will.”

The voice belonged to Kailey.

When Zeon met her gaze, Kailey spoke as if she had been waiting for him to ask.

“Archelon is strong. He’ll definitely hold on and recover.”

One day, Archelon would grow old and collapse from illness or injury. But today wasn’t that day.

Thud! Thud!

Archelon was still walking with all his might. It was impossible to imagine him falling in the middle of their journey.

* * *

As befitting a colossal beast, Archelon’s head was enormous.

It was large enough that three or four adults could sit and have a meal on it.

Thanks to that, Zeon was able to sit comfortably and rest atop Archelon’s head.

Archelon didn’t seem to mind Zeon sitting there, occasionally blinking and looking up at him.

His eyes were so gentle and clear that it was hard to believe he was a beast.

Zeon wanted to push away the shadow of death that loomed over Archelon’s face.

His eyes fell on a scar on Archelon’s face.

It was a wound inflicted by a Black Anemone.

Archelon’s skin, normally so tough that most monster attacks wouldn’t leave a scratch, was wrinkled and shriveled around the area.

It was the mark of fluid being drained.

If Archelon hadn’t been a beast specialized in defense, he might not have survived. Any other monster or human would have been reduced to a mummy in an instant.

“That must’ve hurt.”

Kuuuwooo!

Archelon let out a low cry.

It was almost as if he was saying he was fine.

“Yeah. Let’s keep going, together.”

Kuuu!

Archelon made his usual cry in response.

At that moment, Claire climbed up onto Archelon’s head.

“I didn’t know you were here. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Zeon squinted at the unwelcome visitor and asked.

“What is it?”

“Oh! I just didn’t want you to be alarmed when I used a Cure Skill on Archelon.”

“Is it already time?”

“We’ve been away from the Steel Fortress for a while now. I can feel that this little guy is struggling.”

“I see. Go ahead.”

With Zeon’s permission, Claire placed her palm on the crown of Archelon’s head.

Just as Pavilsa had done, a brilliant light radiated from Claire’s body and flowed into Archelon.

On the other hand, Claire looked exhausted.

Of course she was—healing a giant like Archelon required all her strength.

If she used the power of the Rainbow Pendant, she could have unleashed a much stronger healing force, but she didn’t.

Lee Jung-ho was watching her from one of the windows in Archelon’s shell.

The Rainbow Pendant wasn’t hers. It was an item that had been loaned to her temporarily by City Hall.

It wasn’t something she could use freely as she wished.

That’s why she had to rely on her own power to heal Archelon. Naturally, even after giving her all, she could only manage to maintain the status quo.

“I’m sorry. This is all I can do for now.”

Archelon blinked his large eyes as if to say it was alright.

Claire gently stroked Archelon’s head.

“Thank you for comforting me. You’re such a good friend. If only we had met a little earlier… or if I had been born into the Motte Tribe…”

Zeon silently watched as Claire’s shoulders trembled slightly.

He didn’t know what her circumstances were, but it seemed she had also led a difficult life.

‘Well, who doesn’t have a story…’

Zeon turned his head to look at the desert.

Just like the countless grains of sand in the desert, every life had a story.

Monsters, humans, other races—none of them lived without a story.

It was impossible to listen to and understand every one of those stories.

In the end, the main actor in each life was its owner.

Whatever choices you made, the results and responsibilities were your own.

Claire had made her choice in Neo Seoul, and now she was paying the price.

It wasn’t something Zeon needed to get involved in.

He deliberately avoided looking at her.

At that moment, something unusual caught his eye.

Far off in the distance, the horizon was covered in a yellow haze of dust.

To the untrained eye, it might seem like nothing more than the typical desert scenery, but Zeon knew better.

“It looks like a strong sandstorm is headed this way. Tell everyone to prepare.”

“What?”

Claire looked at the horizon Zeon was pointing at, confused.

To her, it just looked like a slightly yellower hue, no different from the desert’s usual appearance.

‘Why is he so tense about that?’

This was the first time Claire had seen Zeon so tense since they entered the desert. But since it was Zeon, she couldn’t just ignore his words and relayed them to Lee Jung-ho and Pavilsa.

A short while later, Pavilsa, Lee Jung-ho, and Kailey climbed up onto Archelon’s head.

Lee Jung-ho’s reaction wasn’t much different from Claire’s.

He didn’t understand what the fuss was about with the yellow dust on the horizon. But Pavilsa and Kailey had very different reactions.

“That color is insane.”

“Is it a big one?”

“It’s massive. One of the largest I’ve ever seen.”

At Zeon’s words, their faces hardened.

“We’d better prepare ourselves. If Archelon were at full strength, we could avoid it, but not in his current state. How strong is it?”

“It’s CD-rank. The entire area will be overturned, and the terrain will completely change. Any low-level monsters in the area will be wiped out without a trace.”

“CD-rank? That strong?”

Kailey’s jaw dropped in shock.

Lee Jung-ho didn’t quite understand her reaction.

“Is it really that dangerous?”

“It is.”

“I don’t feel anything.”

Lee Jung-ho activated his Mind's Eye.

It was a sense he had gained by giving up his normal sight, far more sensitive and able to detect a wider range than regular senses.

If that yellow dust was dangerous, his Mind's Eye should have picked up on it by now, but he felt nothing.

Zeon asked.

“How far does your Mind's Eye reach?”

“That’s…”

Lee Jung-ho fell silent.

The range of his Mind's Eye was a closely guarded secret.

Since it was directly related to his combat range, he couldn’t reveal it to Zeon.

Fortunately, Zeon didn’t press further.

“That sandstorm is hundreds of kilometers away from here.”

“That’s a sandstorm? Not just yellow dust?”

“It looks like dust because it’s so far away. It’s way beyond the range of your Mind's Eye.”

“But a sandstorm like that can’t do much to a giant beast like Archelon.”

“A normal sandstorm wouldn’t. But that thing’s a monster.”

“A monster?”

“Sometimes, monstrous sandstorms appear. They possess unimaginable destructive power.”

“You can’t stop it even with your abilities?”

“If it were just me, I wouldn’t be worried. But right now, it’s not just me.”

“Hmm.”

Lee Jung-ho let out a deep sigh.

Even after hearing Zeon’s explanation, he still looked unconvinced.

The danger Zeon warned about lay beyond the range of his Mind's Eye, so he couldn’t grasp the full extent of it.

The Mind's Eye wasn’t perfect.

It was a skill specialized for combat.

While it was excellent for detecting the flow of a battle, it wasn’t designed to sense distant natural phenomena like this.

More than anything, Lee Jung-ho simply didn’t feel the danger Zeon was describing.

He had encountered plenty of sandstorms before.

Neo Seoul experienced frequent sandstorms.

Though dangerous, sandstorms had never been severe enough for someone of his rank to be alarmed.

But it didn’t take long for him to realize just how wrong he was.

Kuuuuuuung!

Less than an hour later, the storm that had been hundreds of kilometers away swept over Archelon, and Lee Jung-ho’s face twisted in shock.

“Shit.”

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

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