Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 311

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 311

GRRRRR!

The insects were shredded apart by the sand.

The high-speed rotation of the fine sand particles worked like sandpaper, stripping away the insects' hardened exoskeletons in an instant.

KREEEKKK!

The grotesque creatures shrieked as they desperately tried to escape the Sand Tornado. But the wall of sand was impenetrable, leaving them no way out.

BAAANG!

With bursts of sparks, the insects exploded.

Despite their tough outer shells, their insides were as soft as a newborn’s skin. The relentless sand particles erased them from existence without leaving a trace.

"Ah!"

Borin and the Blue Leaf Special Forces, who had rushed out belatedly, came to an abrupt halt at the sight of the massive swirling Sand Tornado before them.

"Zeon...?"

"It's the Sand Mage."

In all of Neo Seoul, only Zeon could so brazenly summon a sand tornado.

GRRRR!

The Sand Tornado was gradually shrinking.

The number of insects trapped inside was also dwindling at an alarming rate.

What had once risen dozens of meters into the air had now shrunk to just three meters in height.

WHIIIIIIIIING!

Yet the oppressive pressure it exuded had not diminished in the slightest.

The sheer presence of the tornado sent shivers down Borin and the Blue Leaf Special Forces' spines. Just the thought of getting caught in it was enough to make them tremble.

SWOOSHH!

Then, as if it had all been an illusion, the Sand Tornado vanished.

"Ha!"

Zeon let out a faint sigh as he reabsorbed the sand into his subspace.

At that, Borin and the Blue Leaf Special Forces flinched again.

‘Damn it! He carries sand around in his subspace? How is that even fair?’

'How the hell are we supposed to deal with that?'

'Just how vast is his subspace…?'

Countless thoughts raced through their minds in an instant, leaving them with a deep sense of unease.

The mere fact that such an overwhelmingly powerful figure existed in their city was unsettling.

And this was only Neo Seoul, where his power was restrained. If he were to unleash his full strength in the desert… they didn't even want to imagine the catastrophe that would ensue.

It felt like having an S-rank calamity-class beast lurking in their own backyard—one that could raze everything to the ground just by breathing.

For the Awakened of the northern district, that was the kind of presence Zeon had.

Breaking the heavy silence, Zeon finally spoke.

"What the hell is this?"

"Ah! That… It appears to be a chimera."

Borin hurriedly answered.

"A chimera?"

"Yes. These insects have never existed before. Their exoskeletons are as hard as titanium, and their bodies are an unnatural fusion of multiple insect species. Such creatures could never arise naturally."

The insects grown in the secret chamber of the factory were highly resistant to magic.

Fire magic failed to burn them, and wind-based spells only served to push them back without causing any harm.

The only magic that showed any effectiveness was lightning-based attacks.

Their metallic shells made them vulnerable to electrical currents.

But unfortunately, there were no Awakened in the Blue Leaf Special Forces capable of using lightning magic.

Killing them one by one with rapiers was an option, but with tens of thousands of them, exterminating them individually was an impossible task.

And yet, the most terrifying part wasn’t their numbers—it was their fangs and venomous stingers.

Their razor-sharp teeth tore through the specially designed coats of the Blue Leaf Special Forces like they were nothing more than paper.

The venom in their tails was even deadlier.

Several elves had lost their lives the instant they were stung.

There hadn’t even been time to react.

Borin and the Blue Leaf Special Forces could do nothing but watch helplessly as their comrades fell before their eyes.

Had Zeon not arrived when he did, these nightmarish insects would have claimed the lives of countless residents in the northern district.

Zeon suddenly reached down to the ground.

In his grasp wriggled an insect, its wings torn off.

He had left just one alive.

KIIIIIEEEK!

The creature screeched and tried to bite Zeon's arm.

But its fangs couldn’t even leave a scratch on his coat.

Zeon carefully examined the insect, which thrashed wildly in his grip, trying desperately to escape.

"Grotesque."

That was his first impression.

Even for someone like him, who had encountered countless monstrous beasts and insects, this was a completely new species.

It had traits from dragonflies, spiders, scorpions, cicadas, and bees—all fused together into one horrific amalgamation.

It was vicious beyond reason, never ceasing its attempts to attack him.

Had Zeon’s grip been even slightly weaker, it would have broken free and attacked everyone in the factory.

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Extending his other hand, Zeon grabbed the stinger on its tail. The moment he did, the insect convulsed more violently than ever.

As if it instinctively knew its fate had been sealed.

CRUNCH!

Zeon yanked the stinger out.

Flesh, veins, and internal organs came loose along with it.

And yet, even with its insides torn out, the insect refused to die. It clung to life with sheer, unnatural tenacity.

Zeon studied the organs still attached to the stinger.

Borin hesitantly asked.

"Why examine its insides?"

"Because it contains the internal structures of spiders, bees, and scorpions—all perfectly fused together."

"And what does that mean?"

"This is a Gu."

"Gu? What’s that?"

"It's a process… A massive pit is dug, filled with countless insects, and no food is provided. Driven by starvation, they begin to devour each other."

"Why would anyone do that…?"

"The strong devours the weak, and then an even stronger one devours that survivor. By continually subjecting them to extreme stress and desperation, the ones that endure undergo rapid evolution. They absorb the traits of everything they’ve consumed, growing stronger in the process."

"So… you're saying someone artificially created a chimera through natural selection?"

Borin’s expression grew grave.

As a sharp-minded individual, she immediately grasped the horrifying implications of Zeon’s words.

Zeon glanced at the still-writhing insect and continued.

"Yes. Artificially engineered chimeras are usually unstable. It’s not easy to seamlessly merge different traits and biological structures. More often than not, the creator’s attempts to manipulate the traits lead to numerous flaws. But naturally occurring Gu are different. Since they evolve naturally, they don’t suffer from the same instabilities as artificial chimeras. And this particular Gu? It was bred specifically to hunt elves. Someone deliberately selected only the most effective predators to be thrown into that pit."

"My god..."

Borin covered her mouth in shock.

If what Zeon said was true, then these insects were practically the elves’ natural enemy.

Not all elves in the northern district were as strong as Borin or the Blue Leaf Special Forces.

If these creatures had been unleashed, the death toll would have been unimaginable.

Borin turned to Zeon and asked.

"Why on earth were such horrifying creatures in the northern district?"

"That’s what I should be asking you. This is your district, isn’t it?"

"Haa… It must be Eli’s doing."

Borin squeezed her eyes shut at the worst possible conclusion.

Eli, though she was called the Spider Queen, was an elf.

Why would she create such monstrous creatures to slaughter her own kind?

FWOOSH!

At that moment, pure white flames flared up from Zeon’s hand.

The fire instantly engulfed the insect.

KIIIIEEEE

The creature flailed wildly in agony, but within seconds, it was reduced to a pile of ashes.

Brushing off his hands, Zeon muttered.

"It seems the Five Venoms Clan has infiltrated Neo Seoul."

"The Five Venoms Clan?"

"A lineage that has survived since ancient times. They’ve lived for over a thousand years, thousands of kilometers southwest of Neo Seoul."

Hearing this for the first time, Borin and the Blue Leaf Special Forces listened intently.

"Their homeland was once a vast, untamed forest, teeming with venomous insects. To survive, the Five Venoms Clan studied these creatures, mastering the art of controlling them. They passed down their secret techniques for generations—over a thousand years. Even after the Great Cataclysm, they endured, refusing to be erased from history."

When the world fell, and monstrous beasts roamed freely, the Five Venoms Clan didn’t decline. Instead, they thrived.

The rise of insect-type beasts in the wasteland provided them with the perfect test subjects for their arts.

They would capture these monstrous insects and throw them into massive pits.

The creatures fought, devouring one another, evolving in the process. And when only the strongest remained, the clan bred them, turning them into their own personal weapons.

At the height of their power, the Five Venoms Clan’s colony had drained entire regions of life, leaving nothing but death in their wake.

The Gu they commanded back then bore a striking resemblance to the creatures Zeon had just exterminated. That was how he had recognized them instantly.

Horrified by Zeon’s revelation, Borin gasped.

"An entire clan like that exists? If they’ve infiltrated Neo Seoul, we’re looking at a catastrophe. We need to act immediately."

"There’s no need to rush."

"What? Why not? You were the one who said they were dangerous! We should be taking action right now."

"They’re already extinct."

"...What?"

"I wiped them out. Or at least, I thought I did. Looks like one of them survived."

As Zeon muttered those words, a cold shiver ran down Borin’s spine.

She had just realized—Zeon was the one who had eradicated the Five Venoms Clan, a lineage that had stubbornly endured for over a thousand years.

She didn’t know the details.

She didn’t want to.

All that mattered was the fact that Zeon had been the one to erase them from existence.

If the Five Venoms Clan was truly behind the creation of these grotesque creatures, then there was no one more qualified than Zeon to hunt them down.

If anyone could track their last survivor, it was him.

Zeon spoke.

"They’ve been kidnapping people to breed the Gu… That explains everything."

"Then the corpses strung up in the factory… they were supplying them regularly?"

"Yes. In order to reproduce, the final surviving Gu needs fresh blood. Human flesh and blood—rich in nutrients—provide the perfect conditions for breeding."

"That’s insane…"

"Now that we know the truth, we should inform Lady Serian before this spirals out of control."

"Yes! I’ll lead the way. But before that…"

Borin turned, her gaze ice-cold as she looked down at the elves and dwarves sprawled across the factory floor.

They were the factory workers who had been subdued by the Blue Leaf Special Forces.

Their eyes were tightly shut, as if resigning themselves to their fate.

Borin issued an order to the Special Forces.

"Throw them all in prison. Have Olga interrogate them."

"Yes, ma’am!"

The Blue Leaf Special Forces responded in unison.

Terror washed over the faces of the factory workers.

The name Olga sent chills down their spines.

Officially, she was an interrogator.

In reality, she was a torture specialist.

No one who fell into Olga’s hands remained silent.

A mad elf whose passion in life was inflicting pain—that was Olga.

No one had ever emerged from her sessions alive.

The factory workers, now captives of the Special Forces, could already see their gruesome fate.

But the Blue Leaf Special Forces showed not a hint of sympathy.

Borin spoke.

"Let’s go see Lady Serian."

"Agreed."

Zeon quietly followed behind her, lost in thought.

'Neo Seoul is drawing lunatics like flies.'

Hassim and his hunters.

The last survivor of the Five Venoms Clan.

Not a single one of them was sane.

The truly terrifying thing about madmen was that they committed atrocities without hesitation—things ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.

They didn’t care about the consequences of their actions, nor did they ever try to clean up the mess they made.

If anything, they enjoyed throwing the world into chaos.

And now, these lunatics were all gathering in Neo Seoul.

That alone was bad enough.

But the one who had invited them in… was Eli, the second-in-command of the northern district.

If left unchecked, the situation could snowball into something far beyond control.

Zeon had little interest in getting involved with Neo Seoul’s affairs.

But this time, it was different.

'I won’t stand by and watch these bastards run wild in my backyard.'

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]