Cursed System-Chapter 105: Great Desert and dangers 2

RAGNA POV...

After coming so close to death by their hands, fear was no longer something subtle or abstract to any of us; it clung to the inside of my chest like damp sand, because even with the Black Steel Knights escorting us, everyone knew the truth they never said aloud—that if things truly went wrong, we could be abandoned without hesitation so that they could preserve their own lives.

As long as the knights managed to keep the "best" of the children alive, their mission would still be considered a success.

Even if the rest of us were lost.

That realization sat heavily in my mind, and judging from the rigid posture of the other demon children, I wasn’t the only one who had reached the same conclusion. None of us spoke about it. We couldn’t. And with regard to the hidden dangers of the desert, none of the children truly understood what awaited us—except for the siblings, though no one knew that, not even the knights. Only I had caught glimpses of it through their expressions, the way their eyes sometimes lingered on the dunes as if recognizing an old enemy.

So everyone stayed stiff, silent, and alert.

The cold desert wind swept across the convoy, flinging golden sand against the sides of the horse-drawn carriages, erasing every trail behind us as though the land itself was determined to deny our existence. With each step the horses took, clouds of fine dust rose into the air, blurring the horizon until the world felt hollow and endless.

’It’s already been a few days since we entered the Great Desert of Death.’

With the sharpened five senses of a demon, I could feel it—an invisible pressure steadily increasing around the carriages, pressing down on my chest and dulling my thoughts, leaving behind a quiet gloom that refused to fade no matter how much I tried to ignore it.

After our first arrival point, the Black Steel Knights began regrouping with other carriages that had taken different routes through the desert. Their movements were slow and deliberate, their formations tighter than before. Unlike ordinary humans who dismissed most desert rumors as exaggerated myths, the knights knew better. They had seen enough to understand that legends were often watered-down versions of reality.

There were desert beasts capable of ripping a reinforced carriage apart with a single bite.

Golden zombie bees that hunted any living creature with a functioning brain.

Flying monsters so massive they could tear through metal with one downward sweep of their wings.

If they were careful, these threats could be avoided—that was the knights’ judgment. That was why regrouping was necessary, why we followed a strict movement pattern meant to minimize losses rather than eliminate danger entirely.

Still, the moment we entered deeper into the desert, I felt as though we had stepped into an abyss, and from the solemn expressions worn by the Black Steel Knights, I knew I wasn’t the only one who sensed it. Even though the metallic plank carriages had been specially crafted for desert travel and reinforced with mana, rough marks began to appear on their surfaces day by day, long shallow lines that looked disturbingly similar to claw marks.

When the knights finally regrouped fully, the pressure around us intensified. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

It was strange—oppressive—but no beast appeared within our range of normal perception.

At least, not to the naked eye.

Within a week, patrols were doubled after several cursed children went missing overnight. At first, the knights suspected escape attempts, but after questioning the others and seeing the fear in their faces, that assumption quickly fell apart. Then the howls began—long, echoing cries that pierced the desert nights and crawled into my dreams.

Soon after, the marks on the carriages were identified.

A pack of desert beasts.

And their attacks were becoming more frequent.

These weren’t ordinary creatures. If their claws could scar enchanted carriages reinforced with mana, then their strength was far beyond what most beasts should possess. Even so, the knights hesitated. If they stopped the convoy to eliminate the pack in one decisive strike, the risks were too high—unpredictable variables, unknown numbers, and the possibility of attracting something even worse.

In the end, they chose to endure.

To keep moving.

To fight off whatever came, piece by piece.

During that time, more cursed children went missing. At first, the numbers were small enough to be overlooked, but gradually it became impossible to ignore. While there were no confirmed deaths inside the carriages, the damage to them worsened steadily, metal groaning under stress as if nearing its limit.

When a child vanished, reactions varied.

Some cursed children were relieved.

Some were terrified.

Some grew wary and withdrawn.

The siblings were among those who felt relief, and disturbingly, the same could be said for those who possessed systems. The truth about cursed childrens with systems was nothing like what I had imagined. They didn’t receive neat notifications or clear quests, nor did they assign attributes themselves.

Instead, there was a voice.

A demonic genie.

It whispered commands directly into their minds, ordering them to devour others to grow stronger, deciding on its own which attributes would increase and which abilities would awaken. With each devouring, control slipped further from their hands, replaced by something colder and more calculating.

While I sensed something deeply wrong with it all, I chose not to interfere. It didn’t involve me.

’Even with the Black Steel Knights, this place is still too dangerous,’ I thought grimly. ’If I tried to escape alone, I probably wouldn’t survive.’

The desert left a deep impression on me. From the moment we entered, camping outside was forbidden. We were forced to remain inside the carriages almost constantly.

And yet... casualties still occurred.

My expression darkened.

Even under heavy guard, some children still had to leave the carriages for basic needs, and in a place like the Great Desert of Death, even a brief delay outside could lead to irreversible consequences. Three six-year-old cursed children had been reduced to nothing more than drained husks the moment they sneaked out.

Zombie bees.

According to the Black Steel Knights, the insects paralyzed their victims instantly before corroding their brains, slowly consuming brain cells while leaving the body alive just long enough to understand what was happening—unable to think, run, or even scream.

I closed my eyes, my thoughts spiraling.

This desert wasn’t merely hostile.

It was patient.

And it was hungry.