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Chapter 14

“Heuk! Heuk!”

Zeon sat against the wall, panting heavily.

He had expelled everything.

Mana, physical energy—everything had bottomed out.

He felt utterly exhausted, not a speck of strength left in him.

Meanwhile, Dyoden showed no signs of fatigue.

Not a hint of exhaustion in him, not even a single heavy breath.

Once again, Zeon realized just how inhuman Dyoden truly was.

Zeon had killed quite a lot of the Wolf Ants within the anthill, but compared to Dyoden, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

Despite dispatching most of the Wolf Ants within the anthill, he continued to rummage through the sandpit without a trace of weariness.

Zeon wondered what this human was up to, engaging in such futile activities.

Thud!

Dyoden tore out the stone slab where the Queen Wolf Ant usually rested.

The massive slab was torn out like a piece of paper.

Hidden under the stone slab was an egg the size of an adult’s fist.

“Keke!”

Dyoden lifted the egg and looked at it.

A faint light emanated from the egg.

“That’s it!”

“What do you mean?”

“Eat this.”

“What?”

Dyoden tossed the egg to Zeon.

Zeon, with a puzzled expression, caught the egg.

“Why are you asking me to eat this?”

“It’s the Queen Wolf Ant’s egg.”

“That’s not what I’m asking!”

“It’s not just any ordinary egg, it’s the egg that will become the next queen. The essence of the Queen Wolf Ant is infused within this.”

“Is this like the Sand Angler’s gallbladder?”

“It’s better than that. Eat it.”

“Umm!”

Zeon hesitated for a moment while holding the egg. But soon, he closed his eyes tightly and brought the egg to his mouth.

As he cracked the shell, the egg’s contents flowed out and into Zeon’s mouth.

As it traversed his esophagus, Zeon felt an intense heat, as if his entire body were aflame.

“Argh!”

Screaming in agony, Zeon writhed on the ground.

The pain from consuming the Sand Angler’s bile was child’s play compared to this.

It felt as if a sharp dagger kept piercing through his belly continuously.

It wasn’t a pain one could endure while in their right mind.

Dyoden simply watched Zeon writhing in agony without offering any help.

“If you want to survive in this crazy world, you better get used to pain.”

It was the pain required to become stronger.

This pain couldn’t even qualify as true agony.

At least, not by Dyoden’s standards.

Leaving Zeon to his suffering, Dyoden approached the carcass of the Queen Wolf Ant.

With a smooth, precise cut where the neck and torso met, the carcass remained pristine, without a single wound.

Acquiring such an intact Queen Wolf Ant carcass wasn’t easy.

There was no waste in the Queen Wolf Ant’s carcass.

A pair of antennae served as the best items for detecting ghost-type curses, and its six legs were excellent for crafting weapons.

Not only that.

Thud!

Dyoden reached into the Queen Wolf Ant’s torso and retrieved a fist-sized stone.

It was a magic stone.

Not just any magic stones, but one of remarkably high purity.

As the queen of a group, she possessed a magic stone.

Magic stones could not only be mined in Magic Stone Mines.

Sometimes, among the monsters, there are those who possess magic stones like this.

Occasionally, these stones held a much higher purity than those mined, even containing the creature’s essence, making them incredibly versatile.

The titanium-like shell could be used to make top-quality armor, and its innards could also be used as various materials.

Dyoden summoned his spatial subspace and stored the entire Queen Wolf Ant’s carcass.

Zeon’s agony was far from over.

He was whimpering, his body curled up like a shrimp, as if he didn’t even have the strength to scream anymore.

Looking at it, it seemed like it would take a long time for him to digest the Queen Wolf Ant’s eggs.

Thud!

Dyoden drove Kreion into the ground and sat down.

Tempered with the heart of the Flame Drake, Kreion exuded an even more intense aura.

Additionally, there was a faint crimson glow on the blade.

But such external changes were of little importance to Dyoden.

What truly mattered was Kreion’s essence.

“Friend…”

Hmm!

As if responding, Kreion hummed its response.

The humming persisted for a while, and Dyoden listened attentively.

After some time, Dyoden spoke up.

“Right! I know too. But there’s no helping it.”

Hmm!

“If one is weak, they’ll perish. It’s their destiny.”

Hmm!

“Don’t you know? We don’t have much time left… We absolutely need him.”

Hmm!

“Yes! You’re right. But…”

The conversation between the human and the sword continued for quite some time.

* * *

“Haah!”

Zeon sighed and opened his eyes.

His whole body ached as if it had been pounded with a hammer.

The lack of strength in his limbs was undoubtedly a repercussion from consuming the Queen Wolf Ant’s egg yesterday.

Having felt piercing pain in his abdomen throughout the night, it was no wonder his limbs lacked vigor.

He was grateful that at least his limbs seemed intact.

Zeon checked his mana and was astonished.

The mana had increased at least threefold.

“What?”

“Now your mana manipulation and premature ejaculation should’ve improved.”

Suddenly, Dyoden’s voice echoed.

Turning his head, Zeon saw Dyoden rising from his spot, storing Kreion.

“Did the egg I consumed increase my mana?”

“That’s correct. Some creature’s eggs have the effect of boosting mana. Not every egg has that effect; only special ones, like the one you consumed.”

“Umm!”

“If you’ve rested enough, get up. How long do you plan to laze around?”

“Yes! Alright, I’ll get up.”

Grasping his aching legs, Zeon got to his feet.

He knew Dyoden wouldn’t consider his condition, no matter how much he complained. It was better for his mental health to grit his teeth and stand up despite the pain.

With Dyoden’s aid, even though the increase in mana was substantial, this level of pain was nothing.

Zeon followed Dyoden out of the anthill.

“Phew!”

He hadn’t anticipated the scorching sun to be so welcoming.

While Zeon relished the sunlight and fresh air, Dyoden was already striding off into the distance.

Zeon hastily used Sand Stride and followed behind Dyoden.

Swoosh!

His body slid forward on the sand’s surface.

With an ample supply of mana, he could manipulate the sand freely without necessarily moving his legs.

Thanks to this, keeping up with Dyoden wasn’t as strenuous anymore.

Zeon adjusted his robe.

Despite the holes and tears that had appeared on the robe’s surface during the battle with the Wolf Ants, over time, it gradually restored itself to its original state.

The inherent regeneration of the Sand Angler hide within the robe had kicked in, and after half a day, the robe returned unblemished.

Its ability to block heat remained intact.

As the robe’s sand-walking ability combined with his mana, traversing the desert no longer felt as arduous.

Zeon took out a piece of jerky and chewed it slowly.

‘Where is his final destination?’

In this vast desert, he couldn’t help but wonder what Dyoden sought, where he was headed.

Had they not been traveling together from the start, he might not have been curious, but now, he felt compelled to accompany him just to discover his true destination.

That’s when it happened.

A fierce sandstorm swept in.

The intense wind carried a deluge of sand that enveloped the entire area.

Zeon pressed his robe tightly, squinting.

Ordinary people might have lost their direction or had their vision impaired by the sandstorm, but for Zeon, it caused only slight discomfort without hindering his senses.

With a surge in mana, his perception range expanded significantly.

He could sense Dyoden walking on the sand several meters ahead. Each step he took resonated distinctly within Zeon’s awareness.

It was as if the sand grains themselves were relaying information about Dyoden.

‘This is what it feels like to advance in rank.’

Zeon thought, looking at his rank insignia.

Two lines were shining brightly.

The deep orange hue proved his status as an E-rank Awakened. But that was merely what was visible on the surface.

In reality, he was much stronger than the typical E-rank, with a considerable amount of mana.

It was all thanks to Dyoden’s harsh training.

Because of this, Zeon could progress rapidly.

He could also elevate his abilities without being restricted by common sense or preconceptions.

‘The key is imagination.’

He keenly felt this during battles with the Wolf Ants.

Fighting solely with predetermined skills was foolish. Even with the same skills, the way they were applied made a significant difference in their effectiveness.

To imagine endlessly and manifest it into reality—this, to Zeon, was the true essence of strength.

The fact that he would have never realized this if not for Dyoden’s relentless push was also true.

‘Still, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a damn old bastard…’

He always pushed Zeon to his limits, expecting him to survive on his own.

If he couldn’t meet those expectations, he would be mercilessly discarded.

Although now, being discarded didn’t matter anymore, Zeon still wanted to follow through.

It was because of his belief that by sticking with Dyoden till the end, he could become even stronger.

He didn’t want to struggle with exhaustion or be chased due to weakness anymore.

He didn’t know where this path led, but by following Dyoden, he believed he could eventually attain a strength similar to his.

Lost in thought, he walked until suddenly, the sandstorm passed, and his vision cleared.

He could see Dyoden’s back in the distance.

He remained focused on the path ahead.

Despite sand piling up on his head and shoulders, he walked without brushing it off.

Then, abruptly, Dyoden, who had been walking ahead, stopped.

‘What is he doing?’

There was still plenty of time before sunset.

It wasn’t time for Dyoden to rest yet.

Approaching Dyoden’s side, Zeon stood there, but Dyoden didn’t react, continuing to gaze ahead.

Naturally, Zeon’s gaze followed to where he was looking.

‘What’s there?’

Zeon’s eyes widened as he saw something massive moving on the horizon where the sky met the desert.

Thud! Thud!

The moment Zeon confirmed the identity of the huge entity approaching with a thudding sound, he almost screamed.

It was a gigantic tortoise.

What set it apart from a regular tortoise was its size, thousands of times larger, and its shell shaped like a fortress.

Moreover, it bore the blue hue of a B-rank or higher.

“That’s… what is it?”

“The moving fortress, Archelon.”

“Archelon?”

“Yeah! It’s a tortoise-shaped monster. It’s only a B-rank, but its defensive capabilities are on par with A-ranks or higher. That’s why people transform their shells into fortresses and ride them around..”

“Are you saying that humans can tame and ride such a huge monster?”

Zeon’s face was full of disbelief.

It was an utterly unbelievable story. However, seeing the tortoise-shaped Maesu carrying a fortress on its back made it impossible not to believe.

Archelon was heading straight toward Zeon and Dyoden.

Though it seemed to be walking slowly, its colossal size made it reach them quickly.

As Zeon observed it up close, Archelon appeared even more overwhelming.

It was almost the size of an entire village.

The notion of humans riding such massive monsters was hard to believe.

Thud!

Finally, Archelon halted right in front of the two.

The fortress’s gate opened, revealing someone inside.

It was an old man with a face full of wrinkles.

He lifted his glasses with his index finger and looked at Dyoden.

“I had my doubts from a distance, but it’s really you, Dyoden.”