Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 509

Chapter 509

Even after that, the monster legion attacked Zeon’s group several more times.

But the farther they went, the weaker the monster legions became.

It was inevitable—all the strong and useful monsters had already been deployed in the early waves.

Because of that, the parasite controlling Tesserina had no choice but to pull in monsters from far away.

Even with a dragon’s authority, controlling distant high-tier monsters wasn’t easy.

Creatures around S-rank or A-rank were not so easily commanded from afar.

So the ones deployed in the later waves were mostly B-rank monsters or lower.

No matter how many B-ranks or below came swarming, they couldn’t do anything to Zeon’s group.

Instead, fighting those creatures became a catalyst for Levin and Brielle’s growth.

In those battles, Levin honed both his ghosting ability and his lightning-release powers to an even sharper edge.

Brielle too completely mastered how to fight in perfect coordination with her spirit, Liri.

Liri, growing more accustomed to battle with each fight, also became strong enough to instantly subdue most awakened or monster-class foes.

—Kyaruruk!

After the fierce battle ended, Liri burst into laughter and zipped around Brielle.

Brielle said to Liri:

“I’m hot!”

—Really?

Liri immediately stirred up a breeze to cool Brielle’s body temperature.

—How’s that?

“Perfect! Liri really is the best.”

—If you need anything, just say so anytime.

“Okay!”

—Heehee!

Delighted that she was useful to Brielle, Liri spun around her even more wildly.

But no one blamed Liri for being noisy.

Liri was blowing cool air not only on Brielle, but also on Zeon and Tesserina.

Thanks to her, even under the blazing desert sun, they could rest cool and comfortably.

“Hyung!”

At that moment, ghosted Levin flew toward Zeon.

He had gone off alone on reconnaissance and was returning.

“Levin!”

“There’s no monster within thirty kilometers. Looks like the attack just now was the final wave.”

“Then we can rest a bit.”

“Yes! I think it’s safe.”

Levin solidified and landed.

“Good work.”

“What do you mean?”

“Take a break too.”

“Okay!”

Then Brielle patted the ground beside her and said:

“Come here. Liri already cooled it down.”

“Mm!”

Levin didn’t bother refusing and sat down next to her.

Liri blew cool wind on Levin as well, who had just returned from scouting.

“Ahh… nice.”

Levin closed his eyes and enjoyed the refreshing breeze.

He had fought fierce battles and then gone on reconnaissance afterward.

Even an A-rank awakened couldn’t avoid fatigue.

But with Liri’s cool wind washing over him, it felt as if all the exhaustion in his body melted away.

“I wish I had a spirit like Liri.”

—Give it up already.

“No seriously, is there really nothing I can do?”

—Levin, your affinity doesn’t even register. How is your affinity drier than the desert sand?

“Damn it! How can someone as nice as me not have spirit affinity?”

—Being nice has nothing to do with it. We like elves like Brielle—ones who smell good and have strong affinity.

Liri rubbed her face against Brielle’s cheek.

She looked overwhelmed with happiness.

Levin snorted and grumbled.

“Tch! What a rotten world, where I don’t even get a chance to be chosen by a spirit.”

—Complain all you want, impossible things stay impossible. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Liri stuck her tongue out at Levin teasingly.

Levin frowned and glared at her.

“You, be honest. You’re not a spirit, are you? You’re actually human, right? Why are you so good at talking?”

—Isn’t it obvious? I’m smart because I take after Brielle.

“Ugh! I should stop talking. How does a spirit have such a sharp tongue?”

Levin raised both hands in surrender and shook his head.

Liri giggled and darted circles around Brielle and Levin.

Thanks to her, the heavy mood after the battle lightened considerably.

Tesserina watched Liri and murmured:

“She’s a good child. Spirits that expressive are rare. She likely has the qualities of a Spirit King.”

“Spirit King?”

Zeon looked at Tesserina with a puzzled expression.

“As the name says—the king of spirits. Only chosen individuals can become a Spirit King.”

“They’re not born that way?”

“No. Exceptional spirits must grow past their limits. After reaching mid-rank, high-rank, and finally supreme-rank—and fulfilling several conditions—only then can they become a Spirit King.”

“Doesn’t sound easy.”

“Of course it isn’t. If it were, everyone would be a Spirit King. I’ve never seen a spirit as expressive as Liri. A child like that would do anything for her contractor. Even if she doesn’t become a Spirit King, she’ll definitely reach supreme-rank.”

“I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“Spirits govern the elements of nature, right?”

“That’s right!”

“Then the more spirits are born, the greater the chance Earth can recover its balance, right?”

“Not immediately—but once a Spirit King is born, recovery will accelerate a lot. Don’t rush things. The beginning is always hard, but now that spirits have started appearing, the process will only speed up.”

“Hm.”

Zeon nodded.

He wasn’t impatient—just curious.

Curious about what Earth would become after the birth of the World Tree and the spirits.

Those two events were undeniably a turning point for the planet.

Now he had to consider how to maintain and develop this positive flow.

But for now, the pressing problem had to be solved first.

Zeon asked Tesserina:

“How far is your lair?”

“We’re almost there.”

“Then since we’ve rested enough, let’s move. Give it time and who knows what tricks that thing will try next.”

“Right!”

Tesserina nodded and stood.

Zeon rose as well and told Levin and Brielle:

“Let’s head out.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Okay!”

The two had rested enough and stood up immediately.

As she began walking, Tesserina said:

“My lair is divided into three major sections. The first is filled with traps. The second is guarded by a guardian. And the last contains my true body.”

“There’s a guardian?”

“That’s the problem. I chose something pretty troublesome. Which is why your role is important, Levin.”

“Eh? Me?”

Levin looked at her in surprise when she mentioned him.

“Yes. The monster has the same ability as you.”

“No way…”

“Yes. A Specter. And not an ordinary one—a Specter King.”

“Specter King? Specters have kings?”

“I was lucky enough to find a special specimen. It was hard to fully subdue and tame it, but thanks to that, I could entrust the lair’s defense without worry.”

From the moment she discovered it, the Specter King had been unusual.

Unlike other specters, it possessed a strong sense of self.

Fortunately, it had been newly born and wasn’t very strong yet.

After subduing it and making it the guardian, then supporting it—it had grown at an astonishing rate, like bamboo shooting upward.

Levin made a face as though he might vomit.

“Ugh! A Specter? I feel sick already.”

“Some kind of… species-self-loathing?”

“Hey, why do you always say it like—”

Levin and Brielle bickered.

Even so, Tesserina continued speaking:

“To be honest, I don’t know how powerful the Specter King has become. Compared to when I first tamed it, it’s grown beyond recognition. If it decides to turn hostile, the only one who can deal with it right now is you, Levin.”

“Because of my ghosting ability?”

“Yes. Normal attacks can’t hurt it.”

Of course, Zeon and Tesserina could still affect a specter even without a physical body.

Their attack skills were far from limited.

But doing so would be terribly inefficient.

And during the time they were held back by the Specter King, who knew what tricks the parasite would pull?

Even now, the parasite was steadily seizing Tesserina’s true body’s brain.

At this rate, it would soon absorb all of Tesserina’s knowledge and authority.

For now, it only sent monster armies—but once it masterfully wielded Tesserina’s powers, there was no telling what it might do.

They had to eliminate the parasite—or Tesserina’s true body—as fast as possible.

“In the end, it’s a race against time. We can’t get bogged down fighting the Specter King.”

“So that’s why you want me to handle it alone.”

“If you really can’t, you can refuse. We’ll find another way.”

“No. I’ll do it.”

“Really?”

“It’s actually good. My growth has been stuck lately…”

Just as Zeon was Earth’s only sand mage, Levin was the only one who could use ghosting.

He could learn from no one, receive advice from no one.

No one else could grasp the principles behind ghosting.

He had to explore, experiment, and refine everything alone.

Levin was relentless.

He trained and studied far harder than most awakened—yet even he eventually hit a wall.

At some point, it felt like a massive barrier blocked his path.

He had been frustrated for a while.

But a specter with the same abilities—and not just any specter, but a Specter King—might show him the breakthrough he needed.

Brielle said:

“I’ll help too.”

“No! I’ll do it alone.”

“Are you sure? It’ll be dangerous.”

“To grow, I need to take at least that much risk.”

“Then I’ll watch from a distance. If it gets too dangerous, say so.”

“I will.”

Levin smiled at Brielle’s concern.

Just then—

“Kh…!”

Tesserina suddenly flinched and staggered.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just… give me a moment…”

She blocked Zeon from approaching, her face twisted in pain.

She couldn’t relax her expression for a long time.

Zeon instantly guessed the cause.

‘The parasite must’ve reached deep into her brain.’

There was no other reason a chimera-body Tesserina would suffer like that.

After some time, when the pain subsided a little, Tesserina straightened and said:

“We have to hurry. At this rate, my true body will soon be completely taken.”

Just as Zeon suspected, the parasite had burrowed deep into the core of her true brain.

She was barely holding it back with a mana barrier, but it was only a matter of time before it broke.

They needed to settle things before then.

At her words, Zeon’s group quickly resumed moving.

After walking for half a day, a massive sand mountain rose before them.

Tesserina said:

“This is it. My lair is beneath this sand mountain.”

“Let’s go in immediately. You can open the door, right?”

“Yes.”

“Open it.”

At Zeon’s words, Tesserina closed her eyes and activated the magic placed on the entrance.

Shuuuu!

Sand slid away from the lower part of the mountain, revealing a huge opening.

The dragon’s lair emerged from beneath the sand.