Episode 18
The Moteu tribe residing on Areukellon possessed outstanding abilities in producing and enhancing things.
They were ability users who would receive tremendous hospitality if they entered Neo Seoul. Such ability users had been fully mobilized to stabilize Crayon.
Moreover, they had thoroughly disassembled Crayon, repaired its damaged parts, and made it like new.
Keili had tried to apply new enchantments, but since Crayon already had countless enchantments on it, no more could be granted.
Keili asked Pavilsa with an expression of disbelief.
“Just what is this sword? I’ve never seen a sword like this before. Is it really something made by a human?”
“Crayon is a masterpiece born from one human’s obsession.”
“A human really made it?”
“That is correct.”
“Then who on earth?”
“Crayon!”
“Excuse me?”
“Crayon made this sword.”
“So you’re saying the sword’s name is the same as the person who made it?”
“That is correct.”
“Why……”
“Enough! I cannot tell you any more than that.”
“Ah!”
At Pavilsa’s words, drawing a firm line, Keili made a disappointed expression.
Pavilsa sheathed Crayon in its scabbard and headed toward Deiodeun.
Deiodeun had already finished preparations to leave and was waiting for him. Jeon was at his side.
Pavilsa handed over Crayon and said.
“I’ve tended to it so it’s like brand new.”
“Thank you.”
Pavilsa flinched in surprise at Deiodeun’s greeting.
It was because it was the first time he had heard such words in a hundred years.
Deiodeun was someone who never said thank you or words of gratitude to anyone.
He believed that everyone in the world, including himself, was trash, and thus thought they deserved no respect. Pavilsa was included among them.
The very fact that he had expressed gratitude to such a Pavilsa was a momentous event.
Pavilsa spoke cautiously.
“You speak as though you’re someone I’ll never see again.”
“We probably won’t meet again in this lifetime.”
“Hmm!”
“Live well, Pavilsa! I was grateful for everything until now.”
Deiodeun smirked and rose to his feet.
Pavilsa was overwhelmed by his mood and for a moment could say nothing.
It had truly been a long time since he had been left speechless like this.
Having watched Deiodeun for a moment, he told Keili to bring a few items.
A safe tent that concealed one’s presence from magical beasts, a dagger with enhanced cutting power, a large jar to hold drinking water, mana stones that could be used in place of currency, and other essential items for surviving in the desert.
“Take them. They probably won’t be much help, but there will come a day when you find them useful.”
Deiodeun looked at the items for a moment and spoke to Jeon.
“I don’t need them, so store them all in your subspace.”
“Yes!”
Jeon infused mana into his gauntlet to activate the subspace.
The subspace devoured every item placed before it.
Jeon looked at his gauntlet with an expression of wonder.
Then Keili spoke.
“Ah, right! This.”
What she held out to Deiodeun was a breastplate made from the shell of a queen wolf ant.
It was an item made to perfectly protect the chest and abdomen while allowing movement without any discomfort.
Although there had been no time to enchant it, being made from the corpse of a queen wolf ant, its protective ability alone was tremendous.
Deiodeun said.
“Give it to that guy.”
“Right! This was for Jeon.”
“Yes! Since he still can’t take care of his own body like a pathetic weakling, I have no choice but to keep him around by making him wear at least a breastplate.”
“Understood.”
Without asking further, Keili handed the breastplate to Jeon.
“Take it!”
“Ah, thank you.”
Jeon received the breastplate.
Another person might have thought their pride was wounded. But Jeon was grateful to have one more means of protecting his life rather than his pride.
As Deiodeun said, he had not yet gained the ability to protect himself. He needed such protective gear until he became strong enough.
He had especially felt the necessity of protective gear through the fight with the Scavengers this time.
Jeon donned the breastplate under his robe.
Simply wearing the breastplate made him feel much more secure.
Deiodeun said.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
Jeon replied and disembarked from Areukellon.
Pavilsa and Keili watched the two figures growing distant.
Neither of them looked back carelessly as they walked away.
Around the time they disappeared from sight, Keili asked Pavilsa.
“Grandfather!”
“What is it?”
“Why are you doing so much for him? Did he perhaps catch you at some weakness?”
The Pavilsa she knew was not someone who gave and cared for someone to this extent.
To Pavilsa, only his own tribe mattered.
She couldn’t understand why Pavilsa, who considered everyone else merely a tool to be used, would show such kindness to Deiodeun.
Pavilsa’s answer to that was simple.
“A debt, you say?”
“Including myself, everyone is deliberately turning a blind eye to the truth and living cowardly. But he is different.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Only he faces the truth and moves forward. And he has done so for a full hundred years. Regardless of his circumstances, how could I not respect such a man? He is the only person I respect and fear.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, Grandfather.”
“You don’t need to know. It’s a truth I don’t wish to tell you. But promise me this one thing.”
“What?”
“Jeon is the one Deiodeun chose as his companion. If you ever meet him again, help him. That is the only way we can repay even a fraction of the debt we owe Deiodeun.”
Pavilsa’s mood was so heavy that Keili couldn’t muster the courage to ask any further.
＊＊＊
Having left Areukellon, Deiodeun and Jeon walked eastward.
Deiodeun still hadn’t told Jeon their destination. He simply walked forward in silence.
Jeon didn’t ask either.
Now he simply followed Deiodeun out of inertia.
They walked through the desert all day, but Jeon didn’t feel tired.
Because the sand carried him along on its own.
Jeon only needed to manage his mana so it wouldn’t run out. Though that was quite difficult too, he had grown used to it now, so it was fine.
Mana was a wondrous thing; the more he used it, the more its capacity gradually increased. Because of that, Jeon had made a habit of exhausting his mana during rest periods.
He relentlessly used Sand Blaster, Sand Missile, Sand Domination, and the like to raise his proficiency.
The battle with the Scavengers had been a major turning point that made Jeon realize his infinite potential.
He constantly reviewed the battle with them, examined his own shortcomings, and pondered how to use sand more efficiently.
Having played with sand all day like that, his skills improved by leaps and bounds.
As they walked through the desert, magical beasts attacked them frequently.
Deiodeun didn’t lift a finger; dealing with the magical beasts became Jeon’s role.
Having accumulated quite a lot of experience now, Jeon faced the magical beasts without panicking.
He unleashed every technique he had imagined while walking on the magical beasts, raising his proficiency.
Now Jeon could unleash Sand Blaster and Sand Missile simultaneously while using Sand Step. He had also mastered various other skills.
Deiodeun watched such a Jeon with an indifferent expression.
Thud-thud-thud!
A dozen or so magical beasts were falling from the Sand Missiles unleashed by Jeon.
They were Ghost Scorpions that hid in the sand and attacked with poisonous stingers.
They were classified as low-grade among the magical beasts inhabiting the desert.
They hid in the sand without a trace and ambushed their prey, so failing to detect them in advance was extremely dangerous.
Countless people had disappeared becoming food for Ghost Scorpions. But this time, the opponent was not favorable.
The Ghost Scorpions thought they had erased all traces perfectly, but they couldn’t hide the vibrations transmitted through the fine sand particles.
Crunch!
The moment a Ghost Scorpion revealed itself after piercing through the sand, its head was smashed to pieces.
Thus, numerous Ghost Scorpions lost their lives to Jeon.
The ground was piled high with the remains of shattered Ghost Scorpions.
“Hmph!”
Deiodeun snorted and turned around.
It still fell short of his expectations. Still, the fact that Jeon hadn’t let his guard down until the end was praiseworthy.
Now Jeon never let his guard down under any circumstances.
‘At least he’s not a complete blockhead.’
Thinking it was fortunate there was a learning effect, Deiodeun moved his feet.
Having finished off all the Ghost Scorpions, Jeon quickly caught up behind him.
Even after facing numerous Ghost Scorpions, Jeon’s breathing didn’t become the slightest bit rough.
He didn’t show a joyful expression either.
Hunting magical beasts of this level had now become a matter of course.
“Huh?”
Jeon, who had been following Deiodeun, suddenly let out an exclamation.
It was because a large rock was visible in the distance.
Discovering a rock jutting out like that in the desert was by no means common.
In this world where sand made up the majority, such a rock was an exceedingly precious resting place. Because magical beasts that moved secretly through the sand, like Sand Worms, could not approach it.
The rock was probably part of a huge stone mountain buried in the sand.
Like the mana stone mine where Jeon had worked.
Deiodeun said.
“It seems something buried in the sand has revealed itself. Let’s rest here today.”
“Yes!”
The two sat on the large rock.
Without either going first, both took dried meat out from within their clothes.
They chewed the dried meat without saying much.
They chewed slowly, dissolved it sufficiently with saliva, then swallowed.
The dried meat made from giant horned hyena flesh contained an enormous amount of nutrients. Therefore, eating just one piece was enough to obtain a day’s worth of energy.
But for Jeon, who was still in his prime growing period, one piece was insufficient.
He took out another piece and put it in his mouth. Then he looked around.
Before long, the sun had set and the surroundings were dyed in darkness.
The desert under darkness was silent.
Most magical beasts also ceased activity and sought sleep in their hiding places.
Because the desert night was dangerous even for magical beasts.
Jeon had now realized that the magical beasts active at night were stronger.
It might not be a big problem for a superhuman like Deiodeun, but for Jeon, it was a matter of survival.
Kuaaaar!
A magical beast’s roar shook the darkness.
It was the cry of a giant magical beast mainly active at night.
Jeon furrowed his brow and looked toward where the cry came from.
It was clearly coming from quite far away from the rock where the two were. As long as the magical beast didn’t approach straight toward them, it didn’t seem like something to worry about too much.
Deiodeun paid no heed to the magical beast’s cry, drew Crayon, and thrust it into the rock.
Shhk!
Crayon dug into the hard rock as if it were tofu.
Having planted Crayon in the ground like that, he spoke.
“My friend……”
It was a sight he had seen countless times, but he still hadn’t gotten used to it. So Jeon simply shut out Deiodeun and focused on the gauntlet he wore on his right hand.
Due to Jeon’s nature of using sand as his weapon, there was never an occasion to swing the gauntlet directly. Therefore, he couldn’t feel its true power.
The most useful feature was the subspace attached to the gauntlet.
Jeon had stored all the usable parts from the corpses of the magical beasts he hunted in the subspace.
Time did not pass in the subspace, nor did environmental conditions change.
Because of that, things could be stored permanently.
Moreover, his subspace was practically the size of a warehouse.
Even after storing many items, space remained.
No matter how he thought about it, it was a cheat-like item.
Jeon stroked the round hollow on the back of his hand.
“If I equip a fire-attribute item here, I can amplify its power.”
At the words “fire-attribute item,” the dungeon where Deiodeun had caught the Flame Drake came to mind. It was the dungeon that had swallowed Jeon.
All living beings inside the dungeon had possessed the fire attribute.
If he had known he would obtain such a gauntlet, he would have looked for useful items there.
“Tch!”
Since regret was useless, Jeon simply clicked his tongue.
It was then.
Kuwaaaa!
“Over here!”
“Flee over there!”
Urgent human voices were heard simultaneously with the magical beast’s roar.
Soon after, four figures appeared through the darkness. But their appearances were strange.
Their appearance, with brown skin tanned by the sun and clothes made of magical beast hide, looked exactly like humans. But the pointed ears protruding on both sides and the purple pupils were not those of humans.
“A different race?”