Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 326

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 326

More than a hundred corpses were scattered before them.

Not a single one was intact.

The signs of an intense battle were undeniable—severed limbs were a common sight, and many bodies were so mangled they had lost their original shape.

“It looks like they put up a fierce fight.”

“Where are the others, though?”

Brielle murmured beside Zeon, her expression puzzled.

She knew that over three thousand people had fallen into this place. Yet, aside from these hundred or so corpses, there was no trace of the rest.

The one who answered was Seo Tae-ran.

“They must have been scattered.”

“Scattered?”

“Look at the ground. The footprints all lead in different directions.”

A sharp glint flickered in Seo Tae-ran’s eyes.

Her greatest strength—the reason she had risen to the position of Jin Geum-ho’s secretary—was her keen analytical ability and sharp intuition.

And right now, that ability was on full display.

“Judging from the footprints left behind, they split into at least seven groups. Each group headed in a different direction. It seems like the people instinctively stuck with their own attack squads.”

Although City Hall had organized this expedition, its members were composed of elite raiding parties from different districts.

From what Seo Tae-ran had observed, at least seven large-scale raiding parties had joined this operation.

And when disaster struck, it seemed those groups naturally took charge and moved separately.

Old Man Go crouched beside a corpse, examining it closely.

“They were attacked by small-class beasts. If it had been a large-class beast, the wounds wouldn’t have been this minor.”

“There are beasts down here too?”

“Creepy as hell.”

The twin sisters shuddered and glanced around warily.

A suffocating darkness blanketed the underground.

With no light source other than what they had brought, the world beyond their immediate surroundings was an abyss.

Seo Tae-ran turned to Zeon.

“You’ve been in situations like this before, haven’t you? What do you think this place is?”

“I don’t know yet.”

Zeon answered honestly.

Whether this was a dungeon or a naturally formed underground space, he couldn’t say without firsthand experience.

“But one thing is certain—there are beasts living here. I just don’t know what kind yet.”

“I see.”

For a brief moment, disappointment flickered across Seo Tae-ran’s face before vanishing.

‘Did I expect too much from him?’

She had thought that someone as experienced as Zeon would have an immediate answer.

But his response had been surprisingly ordinary, and without realizing it, she had let her disappointment show.

Zeon noticed but didn’t care.

He hadn’t come here to meet Seo Tae-ran’s expectations.

Places like this needed to be explored cautiously.

Jumping to conclusions too soon would lead to biased judgment and critical mistakes.

In unfamiliar environments, staying rational and gathering as much information as possible was crucial.

‘Underground. Darkness. Beasts. These are all too common factors. I need more details.’

Zeon carefully studied the ground.

Just as Seo Tae-ran had pointed out, the people had indeed split into seven groups.

He didn’t know what had happened between them, but none of the groups had chosen to stay together.

The question was, which one had Levin and his friends gone with?

'Levin must have left some kind of sign.'

Though young, Levin wasn’t inexperienced.

Having spent years following Zeon, he wouldn’t have acted recklessly.

He would have anticipated that Zeon would come looking for him—

And he would have left a trail to follow.

After scanning the area for a while, Zeon finally spotted something.

The ground in one spot had crystallized, as if it had been scorched by extreme heat.

A unique mark left behind when a powerful electric current surges through an area.

'Levin.'

A faint smile played on Zeon’s lips.

A good student.

He had learned well and was applying what he had been taught.

Brielle whispered to Zeon.

“Did you find something?”

“A trace Levin left behind. He marked the group he was with.”

“He melted the ground with electricity? So, he’s not a complete idiot.”

Brielle smirked.

At that moment, Old Man Go turned to Zeon and asked,

“What do we do now?”

“Why ask me? There’s a leader right over there.”

“Leader?”

Old Man Go followed Zeon’s gaze—

And chuckled.

Seo Tae-ran stood there.

“I don’t mean to disregard her, but she’s not leadership material. She’s the perfect second-in-command—an excellent secretary, maybe. But someone needs to give her orders.”

“You mean someone like the mayor?”

“Exactly!”

“Then why don’t 'you' take charge?”

“I’m even less suited for it. I’ve spent my whole life following orders—how could I suddenly lead a group? The twin sisters? Not a chance. If we’re calling this a party, then the party leader has to be 'you'.”

Zeon frowned.

He had never once considered himself leader material.

He was used to working alone.

Spending eight years in the desert had ingrained that habit in him.

Taking responsibility for others wasn’t something he was accustomed to.

At most, Brielle and Levin were the only people he ever considered himself responsible for.

But given the situation, whether he liked it or not, he had to take the lead.

At that moment, Seo Tae-ran approached him.

“Tell us what to do. You’re the most experienced here—you must have the best grasp of the situation.”

“Will you follow my orders without question?”

“Of course.”

She answered without hesitation.

Zeon didn’t fully trust her, but with her responding so decisively, he couldn’t exactly refuse.

“Fine. We’re heading that way.”

He pointed in the direction where Levin’s group had disappeared.

Seo Tae-ran answered immediately.

“Understood.”

Her attitude made it clear—regardless of her personal thoughts, she had accepted Zeon as the leader.

With Brielle by his side, Zeon set off toward Levin’s trail.

The light from the barrier above had completely vanished.

Pitch-black darkness engulfed them.

It didn’t feel like ordinary darkness—

It felt thick, suffocating, as if they had stepped into a sticky, inescapable swamp.

Zeon turned to Seo Tae-ran.

“Did you bring any flashlights?”

“Of course.”

At her signal, her subordinates pulled small, high-powered flashlights from their gear.

As soon as they switched them on—

A bright light illuminated the surroundings.

Or at least, that’s what they had expected.

“What the hell?”

“I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Seo Tae-ran and Old Man Go couldn’t hide their shock.

The light only reached five meters.

Beyond that, the darkness remained impenetrable.

It was as if they were trapped in a dome, with the flashlights unable to extend beyond that radius—

As if the darkness itself refused to let the light spread any further.

It defied the laws of nature.

Old Man Go muttered,

“This place is… unnatural.”

“It’s probably a dungeon. The barrier above, the aura down here… everything points to it.”

“A dungeon… under a mana stone mine? What are the odds?”

“Terrible luck.”

Zeon nodded, scanning their surroundings.

The dense darkness completely obstructed their view.

With their sight rendered useless, they had no way of gathering information.

If they wanted to uncover the dangers lurking in this dungeon—

They would have to face them head-on.

Zeon thought of the Kraken above.

'Did the dungeon’s influence create an S-rank beast?'

Dungeons sometimes accelerated a monster’s growth to unnatural levels.

That would explain why the Kraken had claimed the mana stone mine.

It was unfortunate for the raiding parties who had set up camp here—

They had chosen the absolute worst possible location.

'First things first—we need to figure out what type of dungeon this is.'

Before they could make a plan, they had to understand their environment.

Zeon warned the group.

“Stay on high alert. Now that we’re deep inside, the dungeon is bound to react.”

"Understood."

Old Man Go answered on behalf of the group.

Ssshhh!

Without a sound, something emerged from the darkness.

A gaping maw lined with massive, dripping fangs—

A monstrous hound lunged at them.

But this wasn’t just any hound.

Its body was translucent, like a ghost.

The phantom hound targeted one of Seo Tae-ran’s subordinates at the rear.

The subordinate didn’t panic. Instead, they immediately counterattacked.

Thwack!

Their fist struck the hound’s head.

Normally, that should have been enough to shatter its skull.

But this time—

Swoosh!

Their fist passed right through the hound’s head, as if hitting thin air.

“……”

The subordinate’s eyes widened in shock—

And in that moment, the hound struck back.

Crunch!

Its jaws clamped down on their skull, shaking them violently from side to side.

Like crushing tofu, their head burst open, splattering blood and brain matter in every direction.

Their comrades rushed to rescue them, but—

Their attacks also passed right through the hound.

In the meantime, the hound finished its kill, ensuring its prey was beyond saving.

Just as it turned to claim its next victim—

Fwoosh!

Flames erupted around it.

Zeon had launched a Fire Missile.

The burning hound howled in agony, thrashing wildly.

Watching its reaction, Zeon spoke.

"Physical attacks won't work. Use magic instead."

Hearing this, Seo Tae-ran gave a quick command.

"Equip your Execution Gauntlets!"

Click!

At her words, the wrist devices worn by her subordinates transformed—

Shifting into gauntlets designed for battle.

"Execution Gauntlets?"

"Time to show you the power of Neo Seoul’s technology."

A cold smile crossed Seo Tae-ran’s lips.

Her subordinates launched another assault on the hound.

Believing in its own immunity, the hound didn’t even attempt to dodge.

It had already proven that physical attacks were useless against it.

But—

It had made a fatal miscalculation.

Crackle!

Fwoosh!

Electricity and flames suddenly surged from the gauntlets.

Superheated energy blasted straight into the hound.

"Kraaah!"

With a single, agonized wail, it vanished.

Seo Tae-ran spoke.

"These gauntlets were designed to compensate for the weaknesses of close-combat Awakened. As you can see, they convert the user’s mana into elemental attacks like fire or electricity."

The concept itself wasn’t groundbreaking.

Dungeons often produced artifacts with similar effects.

However, compared to genuine dungeon relics, the power of these gauntlets was relatively weak.

Dungeon relics possessed unique, mystical properties that man-made technology couldn’t replicate.

But the key difference—

Neo Seoul could mass-produce these.

Zeon knew this was one of Neo Seoul’s greatest strengths.

By standardizing and mass-producing such equipment, they ensured that the power levels of their warriors increased evenly.

Which, in turn, made the entire city stronger.

Just then—

Ssshhh! Ssshh!

More hounds emerged from the darkness.

With terrifying speed, they charged at the group.

Seo Tae-ran’s subordinates met them head-on.

Boom!

The gauntlets, coated with holy energy, struck the phantom beasts.

The hounds disintegrated on impact, unable to withstand the enhanced attacks.

Brielle, who had been observing closely, suddenly spoke up.

"...These things are already dead."

She narrowed her eyes.

"This place—It’s definitely a Dungeon of the Dead."

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]