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A day had passed since the monster attack.

During that time, the Pegasus Raid Force had recovered the bodies and repaired the vehicles.

They were ready to depart, but a problem arose—the pursuit team sent to catch the deserters had not returned.

After waiting two more days, it was clear they weren’t coming back.

Kelda cautiously approached Lee Ji-ryeong.

“At this point, we have to assume they’re dead.”

“Was there another dangerous monster besides the Twin-Headed Buffalo?”

“I apologize. I should have investigated more thoroughly.”

“Forget it. How can humans know the ever-changing habitats of monsters? We’ll move ahead. If they’re alive, they’ll find their way back to us.”

“Understood.”

Kelda conveyed Lee Ji-ryeong’s orders to the Raid Force, and the vehicles roared to life, raising dust as they started moving.

Among them was the buggy carrying Zeon’s group.

Inside the buggy, Mandy cautiously spoke up.

“Do you think they were killed by monsters?”

“It’s also possible they were taken down by scavengers.”

“How do scavengers manage to detect and avoid monsters? Do they have Navigators too?”

“If Navigators were that common, we’d have more trade with other colonies.”

“Then how?”

“Experience. They’ve spent over a century learning how to survive in the desert. Neo Seoul’s Awakeneds, safe within their walls, could never gain such valuable experience.”

“So, are all scavengers Awakeneds?”

“No. Many of them are ordinary people.”

“How do people with no special abilities survive in the desert? Awakeneds have the power, but regular people…?”

“Never underestimate human resilience. Even without innate power, the will to survive is stronger than any other creature’s. I’ve seen a seven-year-old child catch monsters using just traps.”

“Really?”

“I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Hmm! Human resilience is truly remarkable. They did manage to build a massive city in the middle of the desert with bare hands.”

Mandy had to acknowledge the formidable survival skills of humans.

As they chatted, the buggy continued to plow through the sand.

Fortunately, there were no monster attacks this time, allowing the Pegasus Raid Force to reach a point 100 kilometers from the discovered dungeon smoothly.

Even then, the pursuit team hadn’t returned.

At this point, it was clear they were dead.

The atmosphere in the Pegasus Raid Force was at its worst, and the mood among the Awakeneds from the Western District wasn’t much better.

Many had been injured fighting the Twin-Headed Buffalo.

One of the issues with Mechanized Awakeneds was that injuries in the desert were hard to repair.

The machinery replacing their bodies was vulnerable to sand, making it difficult to gather parts.

Although they had brought spare parts, the number of injured was too high.

Some Awakeneds with self-repair skills fared slightly better, but those without such skills had to make do with temporary fixes.

Even the usually composed Cha Jin-cheol was unsettled by the unexpected situation.

‘Damn it! We haven’t even reached the dungeon, and we’ve already lost significant strength.’

He hadn’t anticipated that Mechanized Awakeneds would suffer so greatly against mere Twin-Headed Buffalo.

His original plan was to achieve greater feats than the Pegasus Raid Force and increase his share of the spoils. But with so many injured at the start, he had to revise his strategy.

‘No, there’s still a chance. I’ll pull our guys back and push the Pegasus Raid Force forward.’

Of course, he couldn’t do this openly.

He planned to subtly pull back during the heat of battle, hoping the Pegasus Raid Force wouldn’t notice.

Cha Jin-cheol muttered.

‘Hyeonmu.’

–Yes, Master.

A voice responded in his mind—Hyeonmu, the AI granted by Kim Hyun-soo.

This downgraded version of the Triox AI ensured Cha Jin-cheol’s body remained in optimal condition, even in the sand-covered desert.

However, the other Awakeneds from the West District did not have this advantage. The downgraded AI was only downloaded to Kim Hyun-soo’s confidants.

‘Plan to maintain our strength from now on.’

–Yes, Master.

There was no need for Cha Jin-cheol to devise a complex plan.

He issued the main command, and Hyeonmu handled the calculations and execution.

This was the biggest advantage of Mechanized Awakeneds and the reason why all Awakeneds in the West District coveted AI.

The only ones without losses were Zeon’s group, who were speeding across the sand, fully intact.

‘His ability is too dangerous. He single-handedly took down Griffins without anyone noticing.’

The battlefield of flying monsters was the sky.

Humans couldn’t fight flying monsters because they couldn’t fly. While some had learned flying skills, their combat effectiveness was low.

Thus, they were of little help in monster confrontations.

But Zeon was different.

With sand, he could fly at will.

Although Cha Jin-cheol hadn’t seen it himself, hearing about Zeon taking down the Griffins made him realize how dangerous Zeon was.

‘A sand manipulator like him is practically the natural enemy of Mechanized Awakeneds like us. After this dungeon raid, I must eliminate him… definitely.’

–That’s a wise decision. Shall I plan for the elimination of the Awakened Zeon after the dungeon raid?

‘Just prepare the plan. I’ll decide on the execution later.’

–Yes, Master.

* * *

“Ugh!”

Kim Ki-kwang, the leader of the Pegasus Raid Force’s pursuit team, lay on the ground groaning.

Around him were the bodies of his subordinates.

Kim Ki-kwang had lost an arm, and his abdomen was deeply slashed.

That he was still alive was a miracle, a testament to his high rank as an Awakened. A normal person would have died long ago.

Before him sat a large man with incomprehensible tattoos on his face and pointed ears.

He was not human but an elf.

The identity of the elf was none other than Urtian.

The scavenger leader and his group had ambushed and annihilated the pursuit team and the deserters.

“Look at this gear!”

“Jackpot!”

“Shit! This guy is loaded.”

The scavengers stripped the dead Awakeneds of any useful items and gear.

This was how the desert scavengers survived.

They took everything, not just gear but also food.

In fact, for them, food was even more critical than gear. However, the hastily assembled pursuit team had not carried much food.

Fortunately, the deserters’ vehicles had some supplies, which would stave off hunger for a while.

Urtian, still looking down at Kim Ki-kwang, gave orders to his subordinates.

“Distribute the gear as you see fit, and let Deborah handle the food distribution.”

“Got it.”

Deborah, who was nearby, answered.

She was Urtian’s wife and managed the scavengers’ household.

All the food they looted was distributed fairly through her.

Kim Ki-kwang struggled to speak.

“You… think you’ll get away with this?”

“And if we don’t?”

“Our raid force… won’t let you get away with this.”

“Oh really?”

“Our captain… will avenge us.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Urtian said with a cruel smile.

His face showed a level of cruelty uncommon among elves.

Unlike most elves, who concealed their emotions behind impassive faces, Urtian’s nature was clear for all to see.

At that moment, a commotion broke out among the scavengers.

“Look, a dagger!”

“Can I have it?”

“No way!”

“Aw, come on!”

Children, who resembled Urtian, were arguing over a dagger they had taken from an Awakened’s corpse.

Kim Ki-kwang looked at them with blurred vision.

“Half-elves… mongrels?”

Crack!

In an instant, Urtian’s fist smashed Kim Ki-kwang’s head, ending his life.

Urtian wiped the blood and brain matter off his hand, and muttered.

“Who do you think you’re calling mongrels?”

The children born to Urtian, the elf, and Deborah, the human, possessed traits from both parents.

Urtian was willing to sacrifice his life for his children.

Urtian gestured to Kormac, one of his trusted men.

“Kormac!”

“Yes, Urtian?”

“Where is their main camp?”

“They’ve set up a temporary base 70 kilometers from here.”

“There must be a dungeon nearby then?”

“Most likely.”

“Given the number of people they’ve brought, it must be a big dungeon.”

“Yes!”

“Then there must be plenty of food.”

Urtian smiled brightly.

“Yes, the reward will be great despite the risks.”

“Risk is something we always take.”

“But…”

“What is it?”

“Their forces are formidable. We’ll need to deploy all our strength, which means…”

Kormac glanced at Urtian’s children, who were still squabbling over the dagger.

If the scavengers mobilized fully, even the children would have to join the fight.

“It’s time for them to experience real combat.”

“They’re still just kids.”

“Kormac!”

“Yes?”

“How old were you when you first killed someone?”

“I was… twelve.”

“My eldest is twelve, and my second eldest is eleven. They’re old enough for battle. There are no exceptions, even for my children.”

“Still…”

“For the record, I was seven when I first killed someone.”

“I understand.”

Kormac reluctantly agreed.

As Urtian said, scavengers were thrown into real combat from a young age.

Survival in the desert left no room for exceptions, not even for children.

They couldn’t be sheltered forever.

As soon as they could walk and run, they had to learn how to wield weapons.

Lucky children might awaken to special abilities, but many did not.

Awakened children were sent on raids from a young age, while those without abilities supported from behind the lines, doing their part.

Scavengers banded together for survival.

They once dreamed of entering Neo Seoul, yearning for a comfortable life behind its high walls.

But Neo Seoul had no intention of accepting rootless scavengers. Not even the slums were open to them.

Denied entry, they roamed the desert, scavenging for sustenance by their own means.

Monsters, and even other scavenger groups, were all enemies.

To survive their enemies, even children had to bear arms.

They had to kill monsters and humans from other groups to stay alive.

Now, it was time for Urtian’s children to step into this harsh world.

Such was the fate of those who lived in the desert.

Clenching a handful of sand, Urtian muttered.

“Until we are granted a small piece of land to live on, we will kill and kill again, seize and seize again. That is our destiny.”

Red sand trickled through his fingers as he spoke.