Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 536

Chapter 536

“Move!”

“Everyone, get out of the way.”

The awakeneds from City Hall ran ahead, clearing the obstacles in front of Zeon.

People who had been walking normally were startled by the awakeneds’ imposing presence and stepped back.

Along that opened path, Zeon, Seo Taeran, and Grain sprinted forward.

Running after Zeon, Seo Taeran asked,

“Where are we going?”

“For now, we’re going to my building.”

“Your building, Mr. Zeon? Why there?”

“You’ll understand when you get there.”

“…All right.”

Gritting her teeth, Seo Taeran followed behind Zeon.

Even for her, a martial-type awakened, Zeon was running so fast that it was hard to keep up.

Grain, who was supporting Jin Geum-ho with a gravitational net and following behind Zeon, shouted,

“At this rate, the Mayor won’t hold on for long. Hurry.”

Even as they sprinted through the streets, Jin Geum-ho’s condition was steadily worsening.

That was despite the healers’ emergency treatment and pouring healing potions on him.

The wound was that serious.

The heart exposed between torn flesh could stop at any moment.

Grain, who did not fear even S-rank demonic beasts, felt this situation to be terrifying beyond endurance.

That was how special Jin Geum-ho was to the Numbers.

He had discovered their abilities, raised them, and shown them the direction of how they should live.

To the Numbers, Jin Geum-ho was like a father.

For Grain especially, Jin Geum-ho was precious. That was why his face was now twisted with rage.

He wanted to find the sniper right now and crush him to death with a hundredfold gravity like squashing a fly. But saving Jin Geum-ho came first, so he was barely suppressing his emotions.

Then Zeon shouted,

“There!”

The place he pointed to was his own building in the slums.

Opening the door, Zeon said,

“Only Ms. Seo Taeran and Mr. Grain follow me. All other awakeneds, guard this building.”

“Do as Mr. Zeon says.”

Seo Taeran ordered the awakeneds who had followed them here to obey Zeon.

“Yes!”

“We will guard this place with our lives.”

The City Hall awakeneds lined up in front of Zeon’s building.

On their faces was the resolve to let no enemy pass.

Leaving them behind, Zeon, Seo Taeran, and Grain went inside.

“Ah! Mr. Zeon.”

“Who are they?”

The underground city awakeneds inside the building stood up in surprise at Zeon and the unfamiliar visitors.

Zeon said to them,

“There’s no time to explain. Open the gate to the underground city.”

“Y-Yes.”

The underground city awakeneds hurriedly opened the door.

When the door opened and a huge passage appeared, Seo Taeran and Grain blinked in surprise.

They had never imagined that there would be such a large passage leading underground in a rundown building in the slums.

Without any explanation, Zeon ran down the passage.

Seo Taeran and Grain followed after him.

They had many questions, but saving Jin Geum-ho came first.

Because the underground passage was well constructed, they were able to reach the underground city without getting lost.

Upon arriving, Zeon asked a passerby,

“Where is Remura right now?”

“Ms. Remura? Ah, she’s at home.”

The resident answered right away.

Zeon did not even have time to say thank you and headed straight to Remura’s house.

“Remura!”

“Ah! Oppa, what brings you here?”

“There’s no time to explain. Please save this person.”

“…What?”

Grain carefully laid Jin Geum-ho down in front of the blinking Remura.

When she saw Jin Geum-ho’s condition, Remura's face hardened.

“We have to save him. Remura.”

“I’ll try.”

Without asking who the patient was, Remura immediately began treatment.

She placed her hand over Jin Geum-ho’s gaping chest and deployed her skill.

Hwa-ha-hak!

A dazzling light burst out from Remura.

In that instant, Seo Taeran and Grain felt a strange sense of relief.

Remura’s skill was focused on Jin Geum-ho, but it affected them as well.

Seo Taeran muttered blankly,

“What is that child?”

“Let’s go outside and I’ll explain. The Mayor will be saved by Remura.”

“…All right.”

Seo Taeran nodded.

Even without Zeon’s explanation, she could feel that Remura’s Cure skill was on a completely different level from City Hall’s healers.

Just seeing the color return to Jin Geum-ho’s previously pale face showed how special she was.

Leaving Jin Geum-ho’s treatment to Remura, Zeon went outside with the two of them.

“Haa…”

“Hoo…”

Seo Taeran and Grain let out sighs of relief at the same time.

They had sprinted at full power and been under extreme tension, so their entire bodies were drenched in sweat.

That was how urgent the situation had been.

Until now, they had only looked at Zeon’s back as they ran.

There was no way they could have taken in the scenery.

As the tension eased, the vast panorama of the underground city finally came into view.

“This is…?”

“My god! There was a city like this underground?”

At the unbelievable sight, the two widened their eyes.

Zeon said to them with a bitter smile,

“As you can see, this is the underground city.”

“No, how can a space like this exist beneath the slums?”

“It was expanded through everyone’s efforts.”

“Those buildings and houses…?”

“Thanks to the sand hardener.”

“You built such large buildings with sand hardener? Did you improve it?”

“Yes.”

“My god!”

Seo Taeran, who knew the performance of sand hardener, was shocked.

The sand hardener she had evaluated was not this good.

At best, it could build a small house. There was no way it could have the strength to erect such tall buildings.

If its performance had improved to this degree, it would be more than worth using in Neo Seoul. Building materials were always lacking.

Suddenly, Seo Taeran gave a bitter smile.

Even at a moment when Jin Geum-ho’s life was in danger, she felt like a monster for focusing on work.

Grain asked Zeon,

“When did a city like this come into being beneath the slums? And where did all these people come from? Don’t tell me they all came down from above?”

“It hasn’t been long since it was completed in this city form. All the residents here originally lived in the sewers.”

“Then they’re all crocodiles.”

“Yes. Once a focal point appeared, they gathered into one, and with a bit of luck we were able to make this small city.”

“The focal point must be that girl from earlier, right?”

“Yes. As you can see, Remura is an ultra-powerful healer. She awakened as A-rank from the start.”

“She’s the Saintess that John of Dongdaemun was looking for, right?”

“That’s right.”

Zeon answered honestly.

He had already shown them the underground city, so there was no longer any point in hiding it.

“Hoo! A Saintess, huh? When John turned the slums upside down, I didn’t think much of it. But now that I see this, I understand why he made such a fuss.”

Even with several City Hall healers clinging on, they could do nothing, yet Remura had improved Jin Geum-ho’s condition in one go.

That was not something an ordinary awakened could ever do.

Having a healer with that level of ability at your side was no different from having an extra life.

Grain clasped his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling of the underground city.

“Hoo! It’s a wonderful place. I like it.”

“What do you like so much? Compared to Neo Seoul, it’s endlessly shabby and miserable.”

“There’s nowhere in the world that can be compared to Neo Seoul. Of course it can’t be a standard of comparison. What I mean is, I like the wonderful vitality of this place. Creating such a splendid civilization underground where not a single ray of sunlight reaches—how amazing is that? I want to send my reverence to the people who built this underground city.”

Grain spoke sincerely.

After hearing everything, Seo Taeran asked Zeon,

“Do you think Remura would come to Neo Seoul?”

“If that were the case, she would have moved her residence to the slums long ago. Even there, the environment is much better than here.”

“I thought so.”

Seo Taeran nodded.

If she were a child who would move that easily, she wouldn’t still be staying in the underground city.

It was clear that she had strong attachment to this place and these people.

Even if they asked her to go to Neo Seoul together, she would not listen.

Seo Taeran said to Zeon,

“May I look around this place?”

“You’re going to wander around and leave the Mayor behind?”

“Anyway, you and Remura will take good care of him, right?”

“Even so…”

“The fact that the Mayor entrusted his fate to you was not a coincidence. He said that because he had read that this would happen in advance.”

“The Heavenly… Eye?”

“You knew, after all. The skill the Mayor has…” 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

“Yes.”

“I won’t ask how you found out. I’m sure you wouldn’t answer anyway. That’s right, the Mayor reads the flow of the world with the Heavenly Eye. It’s not precognition or seeing the future, but he instinctively grasps turning points and entrusts himself to a flow of fate that’s favorable to him. That’s why he got shot and ended up here. This place will be a major turning point. To not waste the Mayor’s sacrifice, I need to examine this place.”

“…Do as you wish.”

Zeon answered, shaking his head.

Like superior, like subordinate.

Both Jin Geum-ho, who sacrificed himself to come here, and Seo Taeran, who read his intent and immediately went into action, were people who left him in awe.

Seo Taeran immediately walked out into the street.

Grain smiled and said,

“Hehe! She’s an amazing woman, right?”

“She is.”

“Without her, Neo Seoul wouldn’t be running as smoothly as it is now. So trust her and leave it to her. She will never bring harm to the underground city.”

“I know.”

If she were that kind of person, Zeon would never have brought her here.

Seo Taeran was colder and more rational than anyone.

She would mercilessly cut away unnecessary branches, but if she judged something to be absolutely necessary for Neo Seoul, she would save it by any means.

The underground city was such a place.

Just the fact that Remura stayed here was reason enough for it to exist.

By now, in Seo Taeran’s head, plans on how to develop the underground city and link it with City Hall would already be piling up neatly.

Zeon thought those plans wouldn’t be bad.

It was time for the underground city to take a leap.

To go beyond its limits, accept more people, and develop, it needed City Hall’s help.

That was one of the reasons Zeon had brought them here.

“You’re quite something yourself.”

“Me?”

“I can tell just by looking. How absolutely the Saintess relies on you. And this underground city is probably your work too.”

“That’s the work of the underground city awakeneds, starting with Remura.”

“Hehe! Trying to fool my eyes? No matter how symbolic the Saintess is, that alone isn’t enough to build a city like this. It only works if someone even more powerful supports it from behind. For example, someone like you.”

“Think whatever you want.”

Zeon shrugged his shoulders, but Grain continued without caring.

“You don’t have to pretend to be humble. I respect you.”

“Don’t say such ridiculous things.”

“Hehe! Are you embarrassed? But it’s the truth. We cleared a dungeon together, so I came to know you clearly. You’re a person like the Mayor.”

“What?”

“Even if the methods are different, the goal is the same. The survival and development of humanity. Your way of thinking is different from other powerful people. Your entire focus is on humanity. Unfortunately, there aren’t many people like that in this world. Everyone is blinded only by their own desires. The only ones who can return this hellish world ruled by demonic beasts to humanity are people like you and the Mayor.”

In Grain’s eyes as he looked at Zeon, there was certainty.