Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 501

Chapter 501

It was unfortunate, but Gaia and Remura would not be accompanying them on this journey.

Gaia had to remain near the World Tree for the birth of new spirits, and Remura, still young, lacked the stamina for long-distance travel.

In fact, it was better for her to stay in the High Elf village, commune with them, and learn various things.

Perhaps the limit had been reached—because the pace of spirit births had slowed dramatically.

Where two spirits once appeared each day, now only one would emerge after several days.

Latrisha and the elder elves concluded that the World Tree’s power had reached its limit.

With a young World Tree, this much was simply the maximum it could manage. Thanks to Gaia, spirits were still being born intermittently, but as time passed, their birth rate would continue to slow.

That was why Gaia was needed.

With Gaia present, spirits would continue to be born steadily, even if slowly.

Since many High Elves still had not made contracts with spirits, Gaia had no choice but to remain in the village.

Laughter from the High Elves could be heard throughout the settlement.

It was a sight unimaginable just a short time ago.

The High Elf village had grown noticeably greener.

The elves were overwhelmed by the explosion of grasses that now blanketed the village.

There had been other blessings as well.

Just last night, groundwater suddenly burst forth beneath the High Elf village.

Before, they had to walk an entire day just to fetch water—now, that was no longer necessary.

It was a phenomenon caused by the World Tree’s force to reshape the world.

Another rapid change had occurred.

The mine where the Dark Blossoms once bloomed.

The mine that had housed Vark’s relic had collapsed on its own.

This too, most likely, was due to the World Tree’s influence.

Thanks to this, the High Elves no longer had to worry about disposing of the Dark Blossoms.

On top of that, the Imoogi that blocked monsters descending from the sky and the powerful barrier surrounding the village—

It was perfection itself.

Zeon approached Gaia, who had come near the World Tree for a moment.

—Piii!

Gaia looked at Zeon with a delighted expression.

Zeon stroked Gaia’s head and spoke.

“Gaia, I think I have to go now.”

—Piii?

“Yes. We’re heading to Tesserina’s lair.”

—Piii! Pii!

“I don’t know when I’ll be back, but it shouldn’t take that long.”

—Pii! Piii! Piiii!

“That’s right. You stay here. I’ll call you if I need you.”

—Pii!

“Yes, I know. You can fly to me anytime.”

—Piiiii!

Gaia rubbed its large head against Zeon’s body.

Its size had grown dozens of times since it was first born, yet its behavior hadn’t changed at all.

It still acted cute as if it had its old, small body.

Zeon didn’t dislike Gaia’s affection.

Every time Gaia rubbed him, his body swayed heavily. Even so, he endured it and accepted Gaia’s affection.

After sharing that bond for quite a while, he finally pulled away.

Next was Brielle.

She hugged Gaia’s large head and whispered:

“Thank you. Because of you, we were able to save our village. You know I’m always grateful, and that I love you, right?”

—Piiii!

“Yeah! Don’t worry. Zeon’s coming with me, so what is there to worry about?”

—Pii! Pii! Pii!

“Mm-hm, I’ll be careful. You stay well too.”

She gave Gaia’s head one last peck and stepped back.

Meanwhile, Zeon also said goodbye to Remura.

“Sorry for leaving you here alone.”

“No, Zeon oppa! I understand everything.”

“Thank you.”

“Staying here is a great opportunity for me too. The older sisters said they’d teach me how to commune with spirits.”

“Really?”

“By the time you come back, I might have a spirit contract of my own.”

“I really hope so.”

“Hehe, me too.”

If Remura were to contract with a spirit, that would be a major event.

A human from Neo Seoul forming a spirit contract would be a first.

After saying farewell to Latrisha and the other High Elves, Zeon’s group stepped outside.

The moment they passed through the barrier, Zeon turned back—but the village was nowhere to be seen.

The barrier was functioning normally.

Thanks to that, they could walk forward without worry.

Zeon asked Tesserina:

“So where exactly are we going?”

“Southwest.”

“Southwest?”

“Yes. If we walk about fifteen days southwest from here, we’ll reach my lair.”

“That’s not too far. Let’s go!”

“The road won’t be that easy. A lot of powerful monsters live along the way.”

“Really?”

“When I chose my lair, I intentionally picked a place where powerful monsters clustered.”

Ever since she arrived on Earth, she hadn’t been in a normal state.

Because of that, she hadn’t had time to pick a good lair location. So she purposely built her lair in a region swarming with powerful monsters.

Of course, no matter how many strong monsters there were, none could harm her main body.

The problem was the chimera clone she used.

Since the clone wasn’t as strong as the original, it had suffered a great deal trying to escape the monsters’ territory.

“But this time, with you all coming along, it’ll be a bit easier.”

Not just Zeon, but Levin and Brielle were far from ordinary.

Levin’s ability to ghost made him a reliable force, and Brielle was certainly not lacking either.

“Let’s go.”

Their journey toward Tesserina’s lair began.

＊＊＊

“Hrk!”

Jin Geumho, who had been sleeping on his bed, suddenly jolted awake.

His entire body was drenched in sweat.

After catching his breath for a moment, he sat upright and muttered:

“Again?”

He reached for the glass of water on the bedside table.

Gulping down the water calmed him a little.

Shirtless, Jin Geumho walked to the window.

Though it was early dawn, several buildings in the city were still lit.

His face, as he looked upon the cityscape, was filled with pride.

When he first declared that he would rebuild a city here, everyone said he was crazy. And indeed, Seoul had been utterly pulverized at the time.

The few buildings that remained standing had been completely leveled during the battle with the dragon.

It would have been easier to build a new city on empty sand. Clearing out the ruins and rebuilding on top of them felt many times harder.

So many opposed the idea.

One of the few who believed in Jin Geumho back then was Dyoden.

Dyoden was also the one who contributed more than anyone else in slaying the dragon.

At that time, Dyoden had no equal.

Just having him nearby silenced all opposition.

So the reconstruction began with great difficulty—and eventually, the great city of Neo Seoul was completed.

Neo Seoul was Jin Geumho’s life’s masterpiece.

Naturally, he felt immense pride.

Yet his expression as he looked at the city was far from bright.

Because of the nightmare he’d had moments earlier.

In his dream, everything burned and collapsed.

It was a scene he had witnessed when he was younger.

Unlike Dyoden, Jin Geumho had been born and raised in Seoul—a pure Korean.

When the Great Cataclysm struck, he had been working in Seoul.

The calamity happened then.

The ground shook as violently as during an earthquake.

Winds raged like a storm.

The sky darkened as if night had fallen.

Jin Geumho was paralyzed by the surreal sight—something he had never seen.

And right before him, Seoul collapsed.

Buildings that once towered toward the sky suddenly crumbled.

The sight was so unreal that he couldn’t accept it as reality. He thought he was dreaming.

But what unfolded before his eyes was no dream.

Every building that made up Seoul was shattered and reduced to rubble under a massive shockwave.

Only then did he realize it was real.

And the first thing he thought of was his family, living in the middle of Seoul.

His wife, who had been so happy after they had just bought a home. Their twin son and daughter, who always waited for him to come home from work.

All of them were crushed under the debris.

Their bodies were never found.

Thus he lost his family—and awakened.

From that day on, he had never forgotten that moment.

That was why he clung so obsessively to rebuilding Neo Seoul.

He felt that if he restored Seoul, perhaps his wife and children would somehow return. But the dead cannot come back.

So in the end, he worked even harder simply to forget them. Still, from time to time, his wife and children appeared in his dreams.

But they had stopped appearing twenty years ago, when he focused entirely on Heavenly Punishment.

So he thought he had forgotten them all—until tonight, when he saw his family screaming within a collapsing city.

“Hah… Yes, I know. You’re resentful too. That’s why you came to me again. Asking me to avenge you. To put this broken world back the way it was.”

Crack!

The glass cup in his hand shattered into pieces.

Drip… drip…

Blood dripped from the cuts made by the broken glass.

Unlike Dyoden, whose body was reinforced by immense power, Jin Geumho’s body was no different from any ordinary human’s.

Even though awakening had kept him young, he did not possess the powerful physical abilities of martial awakeneds.

That was why even a few shards of glass could injure him so easily. Yet he ruled Neo Seoul because of his overwhelming ability, Heavenly Eye, and because of his unyielding endurance.

His ability to wait and prepare until his goals were achieved—his stamina and patience—were incomparable.

At that moment—

“Mayor!”

Seo Taeran rushed in, shocked.

He had been sleeping in the next room and woke when he heard the glass shatter.

“Are you all right?”

“It’s nothing.”

“How is this nothing? You’re badly cut.”

Seo Taeran quickly washed Jin Geumho’s hand and treated the wound.

“The cut is quite deep. We should call a healer in the morning to finish the treatment properly.”

“No need.”

“But—”

“It’s just a cut on my hand. If I summon a precious healer for something like this, even a passing monster would laugh.”

“Mayor…?”

“More importantly, I’m sorry for waking you.”

“It’s fine. Assisting you is my duty. Please don’t worry.”

Seo Taeran carefully bandaged the wound.

Jin Geumho looked out the window as he left his hand in Taeran’s care.

“It’s done. It’s temporary, so please avoid moving it for now.”

“Very well.”

“You’re not alone, Mayor. If anything happens to you, twenty million people in Neo Seoul and the slums will lose their way. For their sake, you must remain strong.”

“That is a harsh thing to say.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No… it’s the truth. And because of that truth, until Heavenly Punishment is complete, I cannot stop, nor can I die.”

Jin Geumho let out a hollow smile.

He had stopped counting his age after passing one hundred.

If he knew his exact age, he felt he might suddenly feel old. So he had thrown himself entirely into work, letting everything else fade.

Thanks to that, he had never once felt old until now.

But seeing his family again in the dream made his heart weaken—and for the first time, he felt old.

As if reading his thoughts, Seo Taeran took his hand and said:

“Mayor, you are neither old nor weak.”

“Taeran…”

“If the day ever comes when you do weaken, I will give my life to protect you. So please do not doubt yourself.”

“Thank you.”

Seo Taeran’s reassurance steadied Jin Geumho once more.