Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 328

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 328

Seo Tae-ran’s subordinates, now unshackled from their first-level seal, moved without hesitation.

Having already revealed one of their secrets, they no longer felt the need to hold back their strength.

With their unsealed bodies enhanced by the Execution Gauntlets and the added effect of holy water, most undead creatures stood no chance against them.

The zombie soldiers that had emerged from the darkness were wiped out in an instant.

Unlike the spectral undead they had faced earlier, the zombie soldiers had physical bodies.

But their rotting flesh was too weak to withstand the relentless assault of Seo Tae-ran’s subordinates.

Once the last of them had fallen, the subordinates turned to Seo Tae-ran—

Waiting for their next command.

Seo Tae-ran’s gaze shifted to Zeon.

"Where do we go next?"

"If we keep moving for about a hundred meters, we’ll hit a dead end. There should be a path curving left from there."

"You can see that?"

"Not see—feel."

Zeon answered matter-of-factly.

The darkness that consumed this space didn’t erase everything—

It simply blanketed the existing terrain.

Zeon’s senses pierced through the darkness, extending into the depths of the underground.

His ability worked because there was sand here, even beneath the surface.

Seo Tae-ran nodded.

"That’s quite a convenient ability. I wish I had awakened something like that."

"You’re already in a good position. You’re the second-in-command of Neo Seoul, after all."

"If I had a stronger ability, I could be of greater help to the mayor."

"Your loyalty is always impressive."

"Have you ever considered joining City Hall, Zeon? If you wanted, you could be Deputy Mayor."

"I’ll pass."

"Why? Is Deputy Mayor not high enough for you?"

"You know I don’t like being tied down."

"Yet you’ve built quite a few connections."

"Those came naturally."

"So, you don’t like anything forced? Is that how I should interpret it?"

A sharp edge crept into Seo Tae-ran’s voice.

Zeon had refused her offer yet again, and it irritated her.

He was the first person she had ever tried recruiting twice.

And the first to reject her twice as well.

The unfamiliar sting of rejection fueled her frustration.

But she was a rational person—one who knew how to control her emotions.

"I shouldn’t have brought it up. Forget I said anything."

"Gladly."

Zeon nodded and walked past her.

Seo Tae-ran silently watched his retreating figure.

She wasn’t someone who feared or found anyone difficult to deal with—except for Jin Geum-ho.

But Zeon…

Even she found him difficult.

He was warm to those on his side—

But utterly unyielding to outsiders.

He didn’t allow anyone to get close.

Emotional appeals didn’t work.

Threats? Even less so.

And taking his allies hostage? That would only result in Neo Seoul being reduced to ashes.

Zeon had that kind of power.

That was what made him so infuriatingly difficult to handle.

‘But in the end, you’ll kneel before me. No matter how powerful an individual may be, they can’t take on all of Neo Seoul.’

Hiding her true thoughts, Seo Tae-ran followed after him.

Winners were those who laughed last.

She just needed to be patient.

Fortunately, patience was one of her strongest virtues.

Thud.

Zeon’s foot struck something solid.

A wall.

They had reached the hundred-meter mark he had mentioned.

At the dead end, Zeon turned left.

"You're like a ghost, moving so easily through this darkness."

Old Man Go marveled at Zeon’s movements.

Zeon ignored the comment and continued walking.

Luckily, after defeating the zombie soldiers, no further undead had appeared.

But no one let their guard down as they followed behind Zeon.

Time lost meaning.

They couldn’t tell how long they had been walking.

It felt like hours—

Or even days.

Without Zeon leading them like an unwavering lighthouse, they might have collapsed from exhaustion or lost their way entirely.

His steady steps were the only thing keeping them moving forward.

Then, at last—

Zeon spoke.

"The exit."

"The exit?"

The twins reacted first.

Being the youngest in the group, they were the most mentally exhausted.

Seo Tae-ran frowned.

"Where do you see an exit?"

"We’re close."

"How much further—"

"We’re here."

Zeon suddenly stopped.

Seo Tae-ran, following right behind him, nearly crashed into his back.

Thankfully, she stopped just in time to avoid the embarrassment.

"Where’s the ex—"

Before she could finish, Zeon raised his hand and fired a Fire Missile.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the barrier in front of them shattered.

Blinding light flooded in.

"Ugh!"

"Damn!"

Their eyes, adjusted to the darkness, couldn’t handle the sudden brightness.

Everyone but Zeon instinctively shut their eyes, trying to shield themselves.

Only Zeon remained, gazing ahead with unblinking eyes.

"Hoo…"

A breath escaped him—

Because the sight before him stirred something deep inside.

Beyond the shattered entrance stood a massive structure—

Gigantic pillars holding up what looked like a grand temple.

It was a scene he had seen somewhere before.

But what stood out most—

Were the countless corpses littering the temple’s hall.

Bodies, all brutally slain.

The remains of the expedition team that had arrived before them.

The corpses had rotted to the point that maggots swarmed them.

The twins’ faces twisted in horror.

"Shit!"

"What the hell happened in here?! How did so many people die?"

Judging by their equipment, these had been powerful Awakened.

Yet now they were nothing but decaying bodies—

The sheer sight of it was enough to shake them.

Seo Tae-ran studied the corpses for a moment, then tilted her head.

"This… is strange."

"I agree."

Old Man Go nodded in agreement.

The twins frowned in confusion.

"What’s strange? It’s shocking, yeah, but what’s so weird about it?"

"You don’t see it?"

"See what?"

The one who answered wasn’t Old Man Go—

It was Brielle.

"The bodies. Look at how much they’ve decomposed."

"So?"

"The timeline doesn’t match."

"The timeline?"

"The expedition fell underground about a week ago. Corpses don’t decay this fast in just a week."

"You idiot, bodies rot fast when exposed to air!"

"That’s true—outside. But look around. The air here is freezing."

"Oh…"

The twins finally noticed the temperature.

It was so cold that their breath was visible. freewebnoveℓ.com

In an environment like this, bodies shouldn’t have decayed so quickly.

"There’s something here."

"Something wrong."

The twins’ faces turned serious.

And then—

Crrkkk!

The corpses, swarming with maggots, began to move.

Their bones creaked as they rose from the ground—

Rotten entrails spilling from their decayed bodies.

Their dead eyes glowed with an eerie, crimson light.

The horrifying part?

Some of them were people Seo Tae-ran, Old Man Go, and even the twins recognized.

Even Seo Tae-ran—renowned for her cold rationality—momentarily lost her composure.

"That’s… the captain of the Blue Hawk Raid Team."

A B-rank warrior.

His skill? Berserker.

For thirty minutes, he could transform into an unstoppable force, obliterating everything in his path.

The aftereffects were severe, but during that window—he was practically invincible.

The fact that he had died was shocking enough.

But to see him rise as an undead?

Seo Tae-ran clenched her fists.

"Who did this?"

"A necromancer."

"A real necromancer?"

"A powerful one. And we haven’t seen the worst of it yet."

Zeon’s voice was lower than ever.

The overwhelming sense of danger pressed down on Zeon.

There was no such thing as an ordinary necromancer.

The very existence of a necromancer defied the natural order.

A being that rejected death itself.

A heretic who stood in direct opposition to the laws of the world.

One who built temples atop mountains of corpses—solely for their own sake.

This was the kind of necromancer Zeon knew.

“This place… was the temple of a high-ranking necromancer.”

“A necromancer? Building a temple? Aren’t they the ones who deny the existence of gods?”

“They don’t deny gods. They seek to become one.”

“…What?”

Old Man Go fell silent, unable to process the weight of those words.

Even Seo Tae-ran, despite her sharp mind, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Is that even possible?”

“I don’t know. But the one who built this place clearly believes it is. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to create it.”

And then—

For the first time, Brielle spoke.

“…Pilgrim.”

“What?”

“Pilgrim, the necromancer of legend in Kurayan. The one who slaughtered tens of thousands to build a temple out of their corpses—the most wicked necromancer of all time. It was said he did it to become a god. Kurayan’s entire civilization had united against him. Countless lives were lost in the battle. And only after unimaginable sacrifices was Pilgrim finally slain.”

“A necromancer like that actually existed? And how exactly do you know this?”

Brielle met her gaze without a hint of concern.

There was no need to explain.

And more importantly—

There was no time.

Krrrrrrrrrr!

Grrroooaaaaaaar!

The corpses began to move.

Dead Awakened, their flesh rotting, their bones creaking—

Rising, one by one.

It was a nightmarish sight.

Zeon’s voice dropped into a low murmur.

“…I don’t know if Pilgrim is truly the master of this temple.”

His gaze darkened.

“But I have to admit… they have terrible taste.”

Forcing the living to fight the very comrades they had come to rescue—

It was crude.

Yet undeniably effective.

A tactic designed to crush the spirit before the battle even began.

Zeon turned to Brielle.

“How do we put these souls to rest?”

“Kill the necromancer, or destroy their bodies on an atomic level. Or burn them completely. Otherwise, they’ll keep reviving, over and over again.”

“…I see.”

Zeon nodded—

And stepped forward.

The sand beneath them began to shift.

Like an ocean, waves of sand rose into the air.

And then—

Whoooooosh!

The swirling sand surged forward, swallowing the undead whole.

Gaaaaahhh!

The sand spun at terrifying speeds, shredding the corpses down to the atomic level.

And then—

Fwoooosh!

White phosphorus ignited—

Incinerating every last trace of their remains.

The undead, reanimated by the necromancer’s magic, were erased from existence.

Standing amidst the crackling flames, Zeon murmured—

“I know you’re watching. I won’t keep you waiting for long—Necromancer.”

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]