Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 125

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 125

Choi Soo-wan was an Awakened.

Not only that, but a mechanical Awakened.

His two legs and one arm were made of machines.

Mechanical Awakeneds like him were extremely rare compared to those in the martial arts or magic categories.

Firstly, the awakening rate was low, and even if one did awaken, the probability of successfully combining with a machine was rare.

This was the biggest disadvantage of mechanical Awakeneds.

They could combine with machines, but they didn’t have the ability to create machines.

Only when they successfully combined with existing machines could they exhibit abilities comparable to or surpassing those of martial arts or magic Awakeneds.

Therefore, the key to their success lay in how good of a machine they could combine with.

From that perspective, Choi Soo-wan was quite lucky.

He was under the command of Kim Hyun-soo, the leader of the Western District of Neo Seoul.

Kim Hyun-soo was a pure-blooded Korean.

He believed that since Neo Seoul’s roots were Korean, pure-blooded Koreans should dominate this land, and he worked towards that goal.

The West District believed in an extremely advanced mechanical civilization.

They had recreated computers that had disappeared over a hundred years ago and used them to produce many machines.

As a result, the West District had produced many mechanical Awakeneds.

Choi Soo-wan was one of them.

Although he couldn’t be assigned a good machine due to his low rank, he could still equip himself with mechanized limbs and prosthetics that rivaled those of an E-rank Awakeneds.

His mechanized legs could achieve speeds of over 70 kilometers per hour, and his steel prosthetic arm could exhibit destructive power comparable to that of a Martial Arts Awakened of the same rank.

The good thing about mechanical Awakeneds was that as their rank increased, they could uprank to a better body.

The West District had prepared machines or bodies for high-rank Awakeneds. As long as they increased their rank, they could become stronger.

Choi Soo-wan’s dream was to become a high-ranking Awakened and uprank to a powerful body.

But before that, he had to survive.

“Ugh!”

Choi Soo-wan was running through the outskirts of Neo Seoul at high speed.

His face was drenched in sweat, and his eyes held a desperate light.

Boom!

Suddenly, an explosion sounded.

“Fuck!”

Choi Soo-wan cursed and swung his mechanized prosthetic.

Clang!

Along with the sound of metal, an arrow flew out.

But he couldn’t relax.

Whirr!

A chain followed, binding his leg.

As a result, Choi Soo-wan stumbled and fell.

“Shit!”

Choi Soo-wan quickly broke free from the chain and got up.

The chain couldn’t restrain him. The problem was that it had delayed him.

“Dammit! We finally caught him.”

“He’s really fast.”

“These mechanical bastards are the most annoying. They don’t get tired.”

The men who appeared were shabbily dressed.

All three of them had covered their faces.

Choi Soo-wan shouted.

“What’s going on? You bastards! Why are you chasing me?”

“Do you not know?”

“Scavengers again.”

Choi Soo-wan gritted his teeth.

Scavengers didn’t only exist in the desert.

They also existed in Neo Seoul.

These guys would thoroughly conceal their identities and ambush other Awakeneds, stealing everything from them.

The Scavengers surrounded Choi Soo-wan and said.

“Why don’t you give up resisting? That’d be better for the both of us.”

“Yeah! Let’s not struggle in vain. We’ll spare your life.”

“Hehhehheh!”

Choi Soo-wan burst out laughing.

“Don’t make me laugh! Who would surrender so easily?”

He charged at the leading Scavenger.

Although he was outnumbered and had to flee, Choi Soo-wan had confidence in his combat abilities.

‘Just one hit will do. Just one hit…’

As long as he landed a critical hit, he could render his opponent helpless in an instant.

That’s when it happened.

The leader of the Scavengers suddenly smiled and took out something from his chest.

Swoosh!

The object he threw was a net that suddenly expanded in mid-air, wrapping around Choi Soo-wan’s entire body.

“What?”

The transparent net that wrapped around Choi Soo-wan’s body was made of an unknown material, like a giant tentacle.

“I just have to rip this apart!”

Choi Soo-wan shouted and used his strength.

The explosive energy supplied to his mechanized limbs created an enormous output, but the transparent net only stretched without taking any damage.

“What is this?”

“Heh heh! It’s an item we got from the White Bear Caravan. We were curious about its performance, and it’s definitely effective.”

“It’s the best item for Scavengers like us.”

The Scavengers smiled in satisfaction.

On the other hand, Choi Soo-wan couldn’t hide his shocked expression.

“You got this item from the White Bear Caravan?”

“That’s right! They use this item to hunt monsters in the Yakutsk Colony. It’s also useful for human hunters like us, so we bought it, and its performance is great.”

“Argh!”

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Choi Soo-wan tried to rip the net again, but it was useless.

The transparent net was made from the skin of a small monster, a Vampire Bat, and had an incredible tensile strength.

Therefore, it was difficult to rip it apart using physical strength alone.

For a low-ranking Awakened like Choi Soo-wan, who relied on pure physical strength, this item was a catastrophe.

The Scavenger took out a small rod from his waist.

“There’s one more thing to test.”

“What’s that?”

“Heh heh! There’s a creature called the One-Horned Electric Eel near the Yakutsk Colony. Its body has an internal organ that generates high-pressure electricity, and it’s a masterpiece. It can create an enormous amount of high-pressure electricity instantly. This rod has the One-Horned Electric Eel’s electricity generation organ inside.”

“Wait?”

“That’s right, it’s like a stun gun. The output is just a bit stronger.”

The Scavenger pressed the electric shock rod against Choi Soo-wan’s chest.

Zap!

The electricity surged, and Choi Soo-wan’s body convulsed violently. His muscles contracted, and he couldn’t even scream.

After a while, Choi Soo-wan lost consciousness.

“Yeah! That’s it. That’s it.”

“Fuck yeah! The performance is confirmed!”

“Good. Quickly take off his mechanized limbs.”

The Scavengers laughed and approached Choi Soo-wan.

They tore off Choi Soo-wan’s mechanized legs and arms from his body.

Originally, machines combined with mechanical Awakeneds couldn’t be separated. They were perfectly recognized as part of the body.

But with the electric shock device from the White Bear Caravan, the bond was weakened. The high-pressure electricity momentarily paralyzed the system.

Clank! Clank!

The Scavengers easily removed Choi Soo-wan’s prosthetics and limbs.

“That’s it.”

“Jackpot!”

“This will sell for a lot. Heh heh!”

Mechanical Awakeneds’ prosthetics and limbs were traded at a high price.

They could be transplanted into another mechanical Awakened’s body or used as parts.

“What should we do with this bastard?”

One of the Scavengers pointed at Choi Soo-wan, who was left with only his torso and one arm.

He was still alive, but unconscious.

The answer from his comrade was simple.

“What do we do with him? We have to kill him. If we let him live, he’ll come seeking revenge.”

“That’s right! Let’s kill him.”

With that, Choi Soo-wan’s fate was decided.

Pow!

The Scavengers’ punches struck Choi Soo-wan’s head, and he fell silent.

“Tell the other guys to buy items from the White Bear Caravan too. It’s a jackpot!”

“Where do these lucky bastards come from? Heh heh!”

“Let’s go!”

The Scavengers disappeared into the darkness, laughing.

＊＊＊

“It’s a mess.”

“Yes?”

Old Man Klexi’s sudden words left Zeon with a puzzled expression.

“Some of the items from the White Bear Caravan seem to have fallen into the hands of Scavengers.”

“Aren’t the items from the White Bear Caravan only sold to verified buyers?”

“Then, it seems that Scavengers bought those items as well.”

“That’s possible.”

Zeon nodded.

The White Bear Caravan had been operating for a week, and many items had already been sold to various districts in Neo Seoul. Some of those items seemed to have ended up in the hands of Scavengers.

“Scavengers are using items from the White Bear Caravan to hunt other Awakeneds.”

“How much damage has been done?”

“As I understand, dozens of people have already fallen victim.”

“That many?”

“If we include the unknown victims, the number would be even higher.”

Old Man Klexi’s expression turned very serious.

Scavengers’ main area of activity was the desert.

They thoroughly concealed their identities and targeted Awakeneds or travelers.

While they were based in the desert, some of them also lived in Neo Seoul.

However, until now, they hadn’t been a problem in Neo Seoul because using skills in the city left traces that could be tracked.

But with the items from the White Bear Caravan, Scavengers’ leash had been unleashed.

Various items created to hunt monsters efficiently were also effective against humans.

Especially, the net made from the skin of a Vampire Bat and the electric shock rod made from the One-Horned Electric Eel’s organ had caused significant damage.

These two items allowed Scavengers to subdue other Awakeneds without using their unique skills.

Low-ranking Awakeneds were helpless against them.

Scavengers were using not only these two items but also other items to hunt Awakeneds.

They were finding the optimal combination of items to test on Awakeneds, even though they weren’t originally designed for that purpose.

As a result, the damage to Awakeneds was growing.

“Neo Seoul must be in chaos, right?”

“Each district has declared a state of emergency.”

“I never thought Scavengers would use items from the Caravan.”

“They’re creative bastards. Who would have thought they’d use items to hunt other Awakeneds in Neo Seoul?”

“No matter where you go, there are always idiots like them.”

“The problem is that there are too many of them. Right now, this is only happening in Neo Seoul, but soon, the same things will happen in the slums.”

Old Man Klexi’s greatest concern was that the same thing would happen in the slums.

Neo Seoul at least had a well-maintained security system, but the slums didn’t.

If the same thing happened there, the damage would be even greater.

“What about the City Hall?”

“What?”

“Are they just standing by while all this is happening because of the items from the White Bear Caravan?”

“There’s no reaction from them.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not that they don’t know what to do, but it seems like they’re intentionally turning a blind eye.”

Old Man Klexi’s eyebrows furrowed.

He was someone who had met many people and fought many battles in Neo Seoul and the Mana Stone Mine. But there was no one as incomprehensible as Jin Geum-ho, the leader of Neo Seoul.

Jin Geum-ho was an enigmatic existence.

He was at the center of Neo Seoul, but rarely took action in the forefront. If he had taken action like he did in the early days of Neo Seoul, the city wouldn’t have been divided into several districts.

Jin Geum-ho’s abilities were absolute.

But for some reason, he had stopped taking action and went into hiding. As a result, other districts could grow, and leaders could emerge.

“I have no idea what he’s thinking, and it’s frustrating.”

Old Man Klexi sighed.

Zeon looked beyond the wall at the City Hall.

‘It’s clear that he’s the one who orchestrated this entire situation. But why? Is he trying to take advantage of this to reorganize the order of Neo Seoul?’

[Translator – Peptobismol]

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