Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 320

That was why it was whining about being bored.

Zeon glanced toward Brielle’s room.

Normally, she would have been the first to notice he was home, but she hadn’t shown any sign of coming out.

That meant she was deeply immersed in her work.

Zeon didn’t bother calling for her.

He knew that when she was this focused, the best results would come from simply leaving her be.

He sat on the sofa and stared blankly out the window.

Gaia floated beside him and leaned against him.

— Pii! Piii!

It kept chirping nonstop, like a puppy whining at its owner after they had been gone for too long.

Zeon chuckled and scratched under its chin.

Gaia’s chattering stopped immediately.

The two of them remained like that, gazing out the window in silence.

Their peaceful moment was abruptly broken when Brielle suddenly flung her door open.

“It’s done!”

She threw her hands up in excitement.

“You finished the mana generator?”

“Huh? Zeon? When did you get here?”

“Just a little while ago.”

“And you didn’t even call for me?”

“You seemed absorbed in your work.”

“Good call. I was at a crucial point.”

“So, is the mana generator really finished?”

“Yep!”

Brielle responded with absolute confidence.

Zeon patted her head and said,

“Good job.”

“Hehe! Well, at least all that effort paid off. Wanna see it?”

“Yeah! Let’s check it out.”

Zeon followed her into her room.

Inside was a generator even larger than the one outside.

“It’s pretty big.”

“If we want to provide electricity for a lot of people, we need enough capacity. So I made it much bigger.”

“That was a good decision.”

“As long as we keep supplying mana stones, this should provide electricity for hundreds of households. We’ll run this one first, and if it works well, I’ll make a few more.”

“Then let’s head underground.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright!”

Brielle immediately grabbed her pointy hat and got ready to leave.

Zeon stored the mana generator in his subspace, put on his robe, and stepped outside.

Then, Brielle suddenly remembered something and asked,

“Oh, by the way, what happened with that thing?”

“What thing?”

“The hunters.”

“Oh! That? I took care of it.”

“For real?”

“Yeah.”

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

“Good. That’s one less problem to worry about.”

Brielle looked relieved.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“About what?”

“What happened to the hunters?”

“Nope. I know you handled it.”

Brielle knew better than anyone how ruthless Zeon could be toward his enemies.

She didn’t need to ask to know that the Helbrin Mercenaries had met a miserable end.

Zeon then added,

“I dealt with all of them, except for one.”

“Why?”

“He has a beast detection ability.”

“That’s useful.”

“That’s why I handed him over to the Goblin Market.”

“Smart choice.”

“Are you okay with that?”

“I’m fine! If this were the old me, maybe not, but now? I’m not shaken by things like that anymore. I’ve gotten stronger.”

Brielle smiled at him.

Her bright, unguarded smile made Zeon nod.

When they first met, she had been addicted to drugs and barely holding on.

But now, she was strong enough—mentally and physically—that she wouldn’t waver easily.

Seeing her growth filled Zeon with satisfaction, making his steps feel lighter as they walked toward the underground district.

They entered through a hidden sewer passage in a secluded alley of the slums.

As expected, the familiar stench welcomed them.

The first time they came down here, the smell had been unbearable.

But after getting used to it, it wasn’t as overwhelming anymore.

After navigating the maze-like underground tunnels for a while, they arrived at the settlement where Zetoya and his people lived.

“Ah!”

Zetoya was the first to spot them.

Brielle waved.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“H-How about the mana generator?”

“It’s done.”

“F-For real?”

“Of course.”

Brielle grinned and looked at Zeon.

Without hesitation, Zeon pulled the mana generator out of his subspace and placed it in the center of the underground space.

“T-That’s….”

“Is that really a mana generator?”

The people, who had been watching Zeon with wary eyes, slowly approached the generator as if drawn by some invisible force.

It was something they had always longed for but had never dared to hope for.

Tears welled up in some of their eyes.

Brielle turned to Zeon.

“The generator needs mana stones to operate.”

“I’ll provide the first one as a gift.”

Zeon retrieved a large mana stone from his subspace.

It wasn’t an ordinary one from a mine—it had come from a B-rank beast.

Its purity and capacity were on an entirely different level.

As Zeon inserted the mana stone into the generator, he spoke,

“This single mana stone should last for years without worry.”

Click!

With a metallic sound, the mana stone fit snugly into place.

Brielle placed her hand on the generator’s button.

“Alright, I’m turning it on.”

“Go ahead.”

“Start up!”

She pressed the button firmly.

Woooom!

The generator roared to life like a beast awakening from slumber.

“Ahhh!”

“It’s really working!”

“Oh my god….”

The underground residents, who had been watching with both excitement and anxiety, widened their eyes in shock.

Some collapsed to the ground, crying.

“Sob… We can finally have electricity.”

“Is it really generating power?”

“Does this mean… we can finally live like humans?”

Zeon pulled out some additional items from his subspace—light bulbs and electric cables.

He attached the bulbs to the ceiling and connected the cables.

The people watched in breathless anticipation.

Once everything was set up, Zeon said,

“Alright. Connecting it now.”

He linked the cables directly to the generator.

At that moment—

The once-dark underground space lit up as if the sun had risen.

“Wooooah! It’s light!”

“We have real light!”

A cheer erupted.

The children jumped up and down in joy, while the adults fell to their knees as if they were witnessing a miracle.

Even Zetoya’s eyes turned red with emotion.

“It’s real… We can finally live like people.”

Brielle looked at him and asked,

“How’s my gift? Do you like it?”

“Absolutely! We will never forget this light.”

Zetoya nodded, still mesmerized by the glowing bulbs.

At that moment—something within him began to change.

And the first to notice it was Zeon.

He grabbed Brielle’s hand and stepped back.

“That guy… He’s awakening.”

“What? Seriously?”

Brielle turned to look at Zeon in shock.

“Mana is gathering around him. This is the sign of an awakening.”

Some awakened without any signs, while others had dramatic awakenings like this.

Zeon and Brielle distanced themselves, making sure not to disturb him.

The underground residents also sensed the shift and backed away.

Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Zetoya’s awakening continued.

Just as people started getting impatient—

The mana around him condensed sharply.

Boom!

A silent explosion erupted within Zetoya’s chest.

“Hoo….”

He exhaled and opened his eyes.

Zeon stepped forward.

“Congratulations. You’ve awakened.”

“I… I really awakened?”

“Look at your wrist. You should see your rank insignia.”

“Ah…!”

Zetoya hurriedly checked his wrist.

Seven red bars were marked there—three of them glowing.

It was the symbol of a D-rank Martial Awakened.

Though only he knew the specifics of his abilities, starting at D-rank meant his potential far outclassed ordinary Awakened.

“I can’t believe it… I’m really Awakened….”

Zetoya murmured in disbelief.

Brielle clapped his shoulder.

“Congrats! You finally did it.”

“Thanks! It still doesn’t feel real.”

“You’ll understand once you take time to meditate. That’s how you’ll discover your skills.”

“Skills?”

“Not all Martial Awakened are the same. You’ll develop skills suited to your nature. Once you figure them out, train like hell to improve them.”

“I see. So training is key?”

“Yeah. And if you can, hunt beasts. Martial Awakened grow stronger the more they fight.”

“I’ll do that.”

Zetoya clenched his fist.

A powerful energy surged through his small hand, like a tiny sun had been born within him.

He could feel the gazes of the people around him.

Their eyes were filled with both expectation and fear.

He understood their feelings.

Even in this filthy underground, new Awakened had appeared before—but most had used their power to oppress others, turning them into slaves.

That was why they feared him.

As a D-rank Martial Awakened, he could easily dominate them if he wanted.

But Zetoya had no such intentions.

‘I won’t use this power to trample others. I’ll drive out those who torment us and bring peace to this place.’

With that firm resolve, he looked at Zeon—the man who had saved him and his people and had even brought them this miraculous generator.

Zetoya took a deep breath and declared,

“I swear.”

“Hm?”

“No matter what, if you call for me, I will rise from this underground and fight by your side.”

“Good.”

“I swear on my life—I will never break this vow.”

The boy’s voice was unwavering.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]