The last of the sand worms collapsed, its giant body sliding down the side of the dune before going completely limp.

Hajin shook the dust off his coat, checking the system notifications scrolling past his eyes. The quick skirmish had not been difficult, but fighting in the dry heat of the desert was exhausting.

Juna and Loccy stood right beside him, both breathing a little hard from the quick fight. Vella floated in the air, her leather armor looking perfectly clean as she crossed her arms. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Around them, the knights of the vanguard were already sitting down on the sand, setting their heavy shields aside to rest. The dark red sky showed no signs of changing, the howling wind kicking up small clouds of dust.

A soldier began carrying a wooden crate, distributing dried meat and water skins to the resting men. He walked right past Hajin’s group, ignoring them completely as he handed the last portion to a nearby knight.

Juna’s ears twitched, her eyes narrowing as she watched the soldier return to the front. The Captain was sitting near Helen, chewing on a piece of hard bread while discussing their route.

Vella let out a soft chuckle, her gaze moving from the Captain back to Hajin, "I really don’t understand how a grown man such as him can be so petty," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

Juna nodded, her tail swishing with anger, "He is the leader of the Order, yet he behaves like a child," she added, her claws sliding out.

Loccy’s stomach let out a loud rumble, her ears drooping as she looked at the empty sand, "Master, are we not going to eat?" she asked, her voice small.

He looked at the resting knights, feeling a bit amused instead of annoyed, "Just forget about him," he said, opening his system inventory.

He reached into the glowing interface, pulling out three large wooden boxes that still radiated heat. It was the food they had bought from the capital’s bakery that morning.

He set the boxes on the sand, opening the lids to reveal fresh roasted pork, soft buns, and sweet fruit.

"See, I was right to bring this along after all," he said, handing a box to Juna.

Loccy’s eyes lit up, her ears standing straight up as the rich scent of meat filled the air.

Vella drifted down, taking a bun with a satisfied smile, "This is much better than their dry rations," she murmured, her blue eyes curved in amusement.

Juna took a large piece of roasted pork, chewing happily while keeping her eyes on the knights. Hajin sat down on the sand, taking a soft bun for himself.

A flurry of text began scrolling across his vision as the chat reacted.

[ CringeSlayer91 ] wait, the captain is seriously starving them?

[ ashley(mod) ] that is actually pathetic, he’s a grown man behaving like a toddler.

[ ShadowMage44 ] he wants to assert authority but he doesn’t know Hajin has a spatial inventory.

[ CringeSlayer91 ] omg look at that food! It looks ten times better than the knights’ dry bread.

[ NewViewer_02 ] did he buy that this morning? That was a genius move.

[ KnightFan_Real ] a real knight doesn’t care about fancy food anyway, the captain is just keeping discipline.

[ CringeSlayer91 ] shut up, you’re literally defending a clown.

The aroma of hot roasted pork quickly drifted across the dunes. The resting knights stopped chewing, their heads turning toward Hajin’s group in surprise. Even the soldier who had distributed the rations stared in disbelief, looking down at his own dry bread.

Helen also noticed the rich scent, looking over from a nearby crate to see the steaming boxes.

She realized he must have produced them using a spatial manipulation skill, since he carried no packs. Spatial abilities were incredibly rare, making this yet another mystery to add to his growing list of secrets.

The Captain, on the other hand, was not happy about this at all. His jaw tightened, his face turning a dark shade of red as he glared at the sand.

Hajin ignored them both, enjoying his meal while the temperature began to drop. After they finished eating, he packed the empty boxes back into his inventory before standing up.

The Captain stood up next, pulling out a crumpled parchment from his coat. It was the map Kenny Flint had drawn for them before they entered the Gate.

"We will continue along this ridge," the Captain announced, his voice carrying across the dunes. "According to the vanguard’s map, we will be exiting the desert after defeating one more monster."

He looked toward the knights, his expression turning serious, "The boss monster of the sand worms is waiting ahead, so be ready," he said.

They fell back into formation, following the path marked on Kenny’s map. The red sun sank lower, casting long shadows across the empty dunes as they marched toward the boss monster.

Hajin walked at the very back, keeping his hands in his pockets while he looked out over the sand.

’This is supposed to be a seven-shard anomaly,’ he looked at the shifting dunes, his brow furrowing as he watched the empty sand, ’yet the monsters so far feel too weak.’

’They’re even weaker than mutated Maren and that’s saying something,’ he frowned, wondering what was actually going on here.

Before he could think of an answer, a terrifying pressure washed over the entire area, the sudden force making the knights freeze in their tracks. Their faces turned pale with immediate fear while even the Captain stopped, his claymore shaking slightly in his grip.

A heavy voice rumbled from beneath the shifting sand, "So these are the insects that have been killing my children," the ground shaking slightly under their boots.

The ground began to sink, creating a massive whirlpool of sand as the real boss finally showed itself.

A violent tremor shook the entire basin, the ground vibrating like an earthquake while the dunes began to split open.

Without warning, hundreds of jagged spikes shot out from the shifting sand.

The sharp pillars impaled the front ranks, blood spraying across the ground while the soldiers shrieked in agony. Several knights were tossed into the air, their steel armor pierced easily by the rising points like they were nothing.

Helen leaped backward, her rapier drawing a cold blue arc as she landed on a relatively stable ridge.

"Spread out and dodge!" she yelled, her voice straining to carry over the loud rumbles of the shaking ground.

The Captain swung his claymore, shattering a jagged spike that threatened to pierce his leg.

A deep, mocking laugh rumbled from beneath the center of the whirlpool, "it is futile to struggle," the voice said, the sand shifting even faster as the words vibrated through the air.

Before anyone could take another breath, the spikes began to glow with a dark red light.

A massive blast shook the basin as the first spike exploded, sending sharp rock fragments flying in every direction.

Another spike detonated near a group of archers, the force of the blast throwing their torn bodies onto the hot sand.

Hajin watched the sudden slaughter, his mind working quickly to assess their options.

"This is bad, at this rate they will all die," he thought as he summoned his chain and leaped into action.