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The sight of the massive Sandworm exploding was a spectacle to behold.

Sandworm debris scattered everywhere, leaving a deep crater in the ground.

In the center of it stood Levin, having shifted out of his ghostly form, the purple lightning dissipating around him.

“Haah!”

Levin exhaled the breath he had been holding.

Attacking from inside the Sandworm’s belly had been a gamble for him.

Though he knew his ghostly form protected him from physical damage, diving into the belly of a beast was another matter entirely.

It took courage and a steely resolve.

Luckily, Levin possessed both.

He had risked his life, and the result was the death of the Sandworm.

Zeon patted Levin on the shoulder and said.

“Well done.”

“Hyung!”

“Keep it up, just like that.”

“Yes!”

Levin nodded with a determined expression.

Zeon moved past Levin to approach the children who had been the Sandworm’s target.

They appeared to be around ten years old—a boy who seemed to be the older brother and a younger girl.

Their clothes, made of monster hide, resembled medieval leather armor—simple designs not seen in Neo Seoul.

The children stared at Zeon, their faces filled with fear.

They were more terrified of the strangers who had easily defeated the Sandworm than they had been of the Sandworm itself.

Zeon knelt on one knee to meet their eyes.

“Do you live here?”

“……”

“Where are the adults?”

“……”

Despite Zeon’s repeated questions, the children remained silent.

Then, Brielle stepped forward.

“Hello! My name is Brielle. As you can see, we’re not from around here. We’re just passing through. We’re not interested in you and have no intention of harming you. So you don’t have to be so wary. We’ll just take you back and then be on our way.”

“……”

“If you won’t talk, we’ll leave. We’re really busy.”

“Will you really take us home and leave?”

The boy finally mustered the courage to speak.

Brielle smiled slightly.

“Of course.”

“Then… please take us home.”

“Alright! But what are your names? Don’t you think we should at least know your names?”

“My name is Jacob, and this is my sister Lucy.”

“Are you two alone? Where are the others?”

“The adults we came with are all dead.”

Jacob glanced at the Sandworm remains.

Without further explanation, it was clear what had happened.

The adults had likely been devoured by the Sandworm, leaving the children to escape and encounter Zeon and his group.

Zeon spoke.

“Lead the way. Don’t worry about monsters.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jacob led the way with Lucy, and Zeon’s group followed.

Eloy approached Zeon and whispered,

“Are you really just going to take the children and leave?”

“We’ll see.”

“I never imagined we’d find children in such a place. How did they survive in this environment?”

“I told you, humans can adapt and survive in any environment.”

“That much I can agree with. That’s probably the biggest difference between humans and elves.”

Eloy smiled bitterly.

If elves had the adaptability of humans, they might have created their own city instead of leeching off Neo Seoul.

There were rumors of a city for the otherworldly races, El Harun, but it wasn’t an elven city.

If only elves had migrated, they wouldn’t have built such a powerful settlement.

As Jacob and Lucy walked, they kept glancing back.

Initially, their faces were full of fear, but now curiosity was emerging.

The children were natives of this desert.

Born and raised here, they had never encountered outsiders.

In their village, all outsiders were taught to be enemies. Their village was so isolated and closed off that no one interacted with the outside world.

Taking strangers to such a village seemed like a bad idea, but they had no choice.

The village wasn’t far, but the path was fraught with monsters.

The children couldn’t possibly navigate the dangerous route alone.

They needed help to return to their village.

Lucy whispered to Jacob,

“Is it okay to take them with us? The adults will be angry.”

“We have no choice. How else can we get back to the village?”

“Still…”

“I’ll take responsibility. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

Lucy looked at Jacob’s face with concern.

Already treated as outcasts, she worried about how much more scorn they would face because of this.

Just then, a distant howl echoed.

Awoo!

Jacob and Lucy’s expressions changed immediately.

“Fire Wolves.”

“What do we do?”

“Damn it!”

Fire Wolves were one of the most common monsters here.

They had the traits of both wolves and hyenas.

Once they locked onto prey, they pursued relentlessly until either they or their prey were dead.

What made them especially dangerous was their tendency to travel in packs.

Once they caught their prey, they consumed even the bones, leaving no trace behind.

This area wasn’t originally a fire wolf habitat. But a passing pack had once tasted human flesh and decided to settle here.

Because of this, the village’s mobility had been severely restricted.

Awoo!

A pack of Fire Wolves appeared, kicking up dust.

Their jaws and tails flickered with flames, giving them their name.

Jacob and Lucy, their fear deeply ingrained, stood frozen and trembling.

Eloy stepped forward.

She drew her spear, the Mad Gumiho, and charged at the pack of Fire Wolves.

“You need a stick to beat up crazy dogs.”

Though Fire Wolves could number in the hundreds, there were only a few dozen in front of her.

They posed no real threat to her.

“Hyah! Illusion Spear!”

Eloy’s spear, Mad Gumiho, multiplied into dozens of spears.

The Fire Wolves couldn’t distinguish the real from the illusion.

While they were confused, Eloy’s attacks rained down.

Boom!

Grrr!

Arghhh!

The sound of explosions and the wolves’ cries echoed together.

Several Fire Wolves fell dead.

Eloy leaped into the pack of surviving Fire Wolves, swinging her spear.

It was a one-sided slaughter.

With every swing of her spear, three or four Fire Wolves fell.

The Fire Wolves were no match for Eloy.

“These insignificant creatures are nothing.”

Eloy quickly killed all the Fire Wolves.

Jacob and Lucy stared at her in disbelief.

“How can this be?”

“She’s stronger than the adults in our village.”

Their village had Awakeneds, but even they couldn’t handle the Fire Wolves and avoided them. Yet, Eloy had easily dealt with the entire pack.

It was an unbelievable sight.

Levin, who had instantly killed the Sandworm, and Eloy, who had effortlessly dispatched the Fire Wolves.

The children couldn’t even fathom the strength of this party.

Eloy searched the bodies of the Fire Wolves.

Unfortunately, she didn’t find any Mana Stones.

“Ugh! Only duds. They must have been stragglers from the main pack.”

Eloy returned to the group, looking disappointed.

To the children, it was a major event, but to her, it wasn’t something worth bragging about.

Zeon spoke to the children.

“There won’t be any more monsters blocking the way. Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Jacob led the way, guiding Zeon’s group to the village.

After about thirty minutes of walking, they arrived at a sandstone mountain.

The mountain was barely a hundred meters high, with steep, almost vertical slopes.

Halfway up, there was a large cave entrance.

Awakened guards stood at the entrance.

Jacob spoke.

“That’s our village.”

“You chose a good place to defend against monsters.”

While it couldn’t stop large beasts, smaller creatures wouldn’t dare climb those walls.

This was why the village had survived.

Though it was isolated and had no external contact, it was safe.

As Zeon’s group approached, the guards shouted.

“Stop right there.”

“Come any closer and we’ll attack.”

Their voices were full of wariness.

“Wait a moment. Uncle Jack, it’s us. Jacob and Lucy.”

“What? Why are you out there? What happened to the others?”

“We were attacked by a Sandworm. Everyone else is dead.”

“Oh…”

“If it weren’t for these people, we’d be dead too.”

Jacob’s words made the guards exchange glances.

Their village lived in complete isolation from the outside world. They had cut off all contact with outsiders.

Because of this, seeing outsiders was a first for them.

Unsure of what to do, the guards said,

“Wait here. We’ll inform the elders.”

“Just let us in.”

“We can’t. You contacted outsiders without permission. We need the elders’ approval before letting you in.”

“Damn it! Please don’t do this.”

“It’s the village rules.”

“Then at least let Lucy in. That’s not asking too much.”

“There are no exceptions to the rules.”

Jacob bit his lip at the guard’s cold demeanor.

“Then hurry up and tell them.”

“Wait. Everything in the village follows procedure. You there, stay put. If you attempt to enter the village, you won’t be spared.”

The guard warned Zeon’s group.

Zeon shrugged to show he meant no harm.

Levin whispered to Eloy.

“The village atmosphere seems unusual.”

“It does. Even the children don’t seem to be welcomed.”

“What’s their story?”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re just passing through.”

“Yes! I was just curious.”

“Such closed communities are hostile to outsiders. Even if we enter, we won’t be welcomed.”

Eloy, who had lived in Neo Seoul for a long time, understood people well.

Just from observing the situation, she could tell how isolated and closed off the village was.

Lucy held Jacob’s hand.

“Brother, are you okay?”

“How can they do this to us? Our uncles died because of them. These damned old men.”

“Be careful! They might hear you.”

“Let them. This village should be destroyed to wake them up.”

“Shh!”

At that moment, about ten elders appeared at the cave entrance.

These were the village’s leaders.

One elder stepped forward and spoke.

“Jacob, explain what happened. Why did you bring outsiders?”

“We were on the mission you assigned when a Sandworm attacked. Everyone else is dead. If it weren’t for these people, we’d be dead too.”

“Everyone is dead?”

“Yes! Uncle Matthew, Uncle Buck, and Aunt Sarah are missing. It happened while gathering the sunflowers.”

“Hmm!”

“If we hadn’t met these people, we’d be dead too. So please let us in.”

“You two wait. We’ll talk to these people and then decide if you can enter.”

The elders turned their gaze to Zeon’s group.

Zeon sensed their strong hostility.