Chapter 3
The leader’s name was Jang Yongbeom.
Jang Yongbeom was an Awakened of the martial fighter type.
His weapon was a massive claymore.
His combat style was to fill his claymore with aura and tear his enemies to shreds.
The woman who had frozen the sand, hot though it had been only moments ago, was named Giselle.
She was an Awakened of the ice-type magic.
The Awakened who used super vibration was Aiden. As the party’s number two, he possessed sharp insight and an outstanding mind.
Finally, the giant who had smashed the sand worm’s head to pieces was named Mountain.
At a glance, he had a gentle-looking impression, but his actual personality was extremely cruel.
His cruelty of tearing desert demonic beasts apart while they were still alive was quite famous even within Neo Seoul.
The party led by Jang Yongbeom happened to be leaving Neo Seoul and heading toward the Magic Stone Mine.
The gaze Jang Yongbeom directed at Jeon was as sharp as a blade.
“How did you survive?”
“Excuse me?”
“The others all became food for the sand worm. I’m asking how you alone survived.”
“I—I don’t know. When I came to my senses, I was on the sand.”
At Jeon’s answer, Jang Yongbeom’s gaze grew even colder.
“Did you Awaken? Check the rank insignia on that bastard’s wrist.”
“Okay! Leader.”
The blue-haired woman, Giselle, snatched Jeon’s wrist as she answered.
“Kuk!”
Jeon let out an involuntary groan at the pain of his wrist being twisted.
Giselle examined Jeon’s wrist closely.
“Huh, there’s no rank insignia?”
“Really?”
“Look! There isn’t one.”
Giselle showed Jeon’s wrist to Jang Yongbeom.
Just as she said, Jeon’s wrist was clean.
Jang Yongbeom muttered.
“So he didn’t Awaken, he was just lucky?”
When one Awakened, seven thin lines appeared on the wrist like a tattoo.
They looked exactly like the rank insignia of the old army. That was why Awakened called the tattoo a rank insignia.
If light flickered along the bottommost line, it was F-rank; if it flickered along the second line as well, it was E-rank.
Three lines meant D-rank, and if light entered up to the fourth, it was C-rank, and so on.
Furthermore, the light of the rank insignia changed depending on the type one Awakened to.
The magic type was blue.
The martial type was red.
The shamanic type was gray.
Those who merged with machines were black.
Occasionally, there were those who Awakened to other types. But they were an extreme minority.
Those who deviated from the mainstream were called Irregulars. But even on an Irregular’s wrist, a rank insignia existed.
The rank insignia was proof of Awakening, yet also a shackle.
No more certain evidence existed for verifying an Awakened.
Red light flickered along the rank insignia on Jang Yongbeom’s forearm. It was clear proof that he was of the martial fighter type.
Giselle, Aiden, and Mountain all had rank insignias on their forearms.
In contrast, Jeon’s wrist was clean.
Of course, there was no sign of the rank insignia that served as proof of an Awakened, nor any other evidence of Awakening.
Giselle said.
“He’s just a man with terribly good luck.”
“If he alone survived while everyone died, that’s no ordinary luck.”
“What should we do, Leader?”
“We’re stopping by the Magic Stone Mine anyway, so put him in the car.”
“Hoho! A lucky man.”
Giselle burst into laughter at Jang Yongbeom’s words. But Jeon could not laugh.
‘They can’t see this?’
In Jeon’s eyes, the rank insignia on his wrist was clearly visible.
Although only the bottommost line—the mark of F-rank—was glowing, it was unmistakably a rank insignia.
Yet it seemed that to the eyes of others, his rank insignia was not visible at all.
‘What? Why can’t they see my rank insignia? Come to think of it, the light is a bit different, too.’
It was a deep orange color, like sand dyed by a blood-red sunset.
He had never heard of an Awakened with a rank insignia of this color.
Moreover, the ability he had Awakened to was controlling sand.
In the moment of crisis, the surrounding sand had moved according to his will.
Although his dominion was not great since he was only F-rank, he could still move sand within a certain radius as he pleased.
Jeon suddenly looked around.
Everything he could see was a desert made of sand.
The sixth mass extinction that had come suddenly, following the five that had occurred at the end of the Ordovician, the end of the Devonian, the end of the Permian, the end of the Triassic, and the end of the Cretaceous.
In a sense, the sixth mass extinction could truly be called the true end times.
It was because ninety percent of all life had gone extinct, and most of Earth had turned into desert.
Even the rivers and seas had disappeared, and the whole world was covered in sand.
Nature continued to strive to recover, but there was no telling when it would regain its former greenery.
In such a situation, to think he had the power to move sand freely.
The entire desert was no different from his personal stage.
Only then did Jeon firmly realize that his ability was not ordinary.
Jeon knew from his long experience in the slums.
That an ability exceeding one’s station became a disaster.
‘If my ability becomes known, I don’t know what will happen to me. I might be dragged to a lab and dissected.’
He had luckily Awakened, but he was merely F-rank.
In the world of the Awakened, he was no different from a commoner.
He had to develop and grow his ability to raise his rank. Only then would his chances of survival increase even slightly.
‘It’s just one mountain after another. Damn it!’
Jeon bit his lip hard.
The reality that he could not reveal his Awakening freely was stifling, but it was still better than being a non-Awakened.
Jeon decided to think positively.
Mountain spoke to Jeon.
“Hey, kid! You ride in the cargo bed.”
“The cargo bed?”
“What, you don’t like it?”
“How could I? I—I love the cargo bed.”
“Then get in.”
“Yes!”
Jeon quickly climbed into the cargo bed as he answered. The others all got into the car after him.
The car, powered by magic stones as fuel, cut across the desert vigorously.
Jeon sat huddled in the cargo bed, watching the desert scenery.
Before he knew it, the sun was nearing the western horizon.
The desert at nightfall was several times more ferocious and terrifying than during the day.
No matter how great a party of Awakened one was, if isolated in the desert at night, survival could not be guaranteed.
For that reason, Jang Yongbeom also hurried toward the Magic Stone Mine.
Thanks to that, they were able to arrive at the Magic Stone Mine just before the sun set.
“This is the Magic Stone Mine?”
Jeon stood up from the cargo bed and looked at the Magic Stone Mine.
A large rocky mountain stood towering in the middle of the desert.
Deep within the rocky mountain lay the Magic Stone Mine. A high wall had been built at the entrance to block the approach of demonic beasts.
Awakened stood guard atop the wall.
One could only enter the rocky mountain through the gate at the front of the wall.
The Awakened on watch opened the gate upon seeing the vehicle carrying Jang Yongbeom’s party.
The vehicle slid through the gate and entered.
Inside the wall, a small city had formed.
As it was a major supply point providing magic stones to Neo Seoul, quite a few facilities and people resided inside the rocky mountain.
Though incomparably smaller than Neo Seoul, it still had pretty much everything one would need.
When the vehicle carrying Jang Yongbeom’s party stopped, an Awakened approached.
The moment he confirmed Jang Yongbeom’s face, the Awakened’s expression twisted.
Because he recognized who he was in an instant.
‘Why is this human scum here?’
Jang Yongbeom’s nickname was the Butcher.
His notoriety resounded not only in Neo Seoul but also at the Magic Stone Mine.
“Long time no see. What business brings you here?”
“Mind your own business.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said mind your own business. What are you going to do knowing why I’m here?”
The Awakened’s face flushed bright red at Jang Yongbeom’s contempt.
Mountain blocked the Awakened, who was clenching his fist.
“What, you wanna try me?”
“Kuk!”
Before Mountain’s overwhelming presence, the Awakened had no choice but to slowly unclench his fist.
Mountain was enormous, true to his name, and possessed tremendous monstrous strength.
He was not someone a low-rank Awakened could hope to handle.
The Awakened stepped back and said.
“While you are here, please refrain from causing trouble.”
“I’ve got no interest in the mine, so don’t worry.”
Jang Yongbeom snickered.
No matter how strong Jang Yongbeom was—strong enough to be called the Butcher—he was not foolish enough to run amok at a Magic Stone Mine directly managed by Neo Seoul.
His target was not inside the mine, but out there in the desert.
This place was merely an intermediate base for operating in the desert.
“Oh, take that kid.”
Jang Yongbeom pointed at Jeon.
“Who is he?”
“A bus heading here got attacked by a sand worm. He’s the sole survivor.”
“The bus carrying the miners?”
“That’s right! By the time we arrived, everyone had been eaten by the sand worm, and only that kid survived.”
Jang Yongbeom pointed at Jeon, who was riding in the cargo bed.
The Awakened furrowed his brow.
“Ha! We’re already in chaos from being short-handed…”
The Magic Stone Mine always suffered from a labor shortage.
Though there were many applicants, many also died.
Because they worked in such deep underground tunnels, ordinary stamina was not enough to endure it.
For that reason, they constantly worried about securing manpower.
That was why they accepted people regardless of background.
The Awakened approached Jeon.
“Hey, kid!”
“Yes?”
“You volunteered to be a miner, right?”
“Yes!”
“Then follow me. I’ll guide you to your quarters.”
“Understood.”
Jeon got out of the car.
“Thank you for saving me.”
He bowed to Jang Yongbeom, then followed the Awakened.
Jang Yongbeom watched Jeon’s retreating figure with a sharp gaze.
“What’s wrong, Leader?”
Giselle asked with a puzzled expression.
She couldn’t understand why Jang Yongbeom was looking at Jeon—an ordinary person—with such eyes.
“Something about him gives me the creeps.”
“What?”
“Isn’t it strange? Everyone died, yet that bastard alone survived.”
“We confirmed he didn’t Awaken, didn’t we?”
“A sand worm isn’t a demonic beast you can escape from by luck alone.”
“Hmm!”
Giselle let out a grunt.
Jang Yongbeom muttered as he watched Jeon’s figure grow distant.
“If only the Slaughterer, that crazy old man, hadn’t been here, I would have found out for sure. What a pity.”
***
The place the Awakened took Jeon was the quarters where the miners stayed.
The Awakened pointed to an empty room devoid of any furniture and said.
“This is your quarters.”
“It’s spacious. How many people sleep here?”
“Twenty.”
“Eek? Twenty… people?”
Jeon’s mouth fell open in surprise.
Though the room was fairly large, it looked too small for twenty people.
Moreover, the smell of sweat after mine work was no joke.
The thought of twenty men reeking of sweat sleeping in one room was horrific just to imagine.
The Awakened snickered at Jeon’s twisting expression.
“It’s twenty in name, but it’s rare for all of them to sleep in one room at the same time.”
“Why?”
“Because several of them drop dead every day. I’m guessing a few of the guys in this room won’t make it back today.”
“Is mine work that dangerous?”
“That’s why they grind up non-Awakened like you.”
For a moment, Jeon felt like punching the Awakened in the face. But if he did, he would clearly be killed or kicked out on the spot.
For now, he had to keep his head down completely.
The Awakened said.
“Stay put. Cause trouble, and I’ll cut you into pieces and feed you to the demonic beasts.”
“Are there many demonic beasts nearby?”
“They’re swarming. If not for this rocky mountain, the place would be crawling with them.”
It was not an empty threat to scare Jeon.
The appearance of a giant sand worm had been an unusual event. But demonic beasts smaller than it frequently showed themselves.
Among them, the ones most frequently seen were the big-horn hyenas. They prowled nearby, waiting for an opportunity.
Throw a corpse in the desert, and they would pick up the scent from somewhere like ghosts and appear. Then they would devour everything, not leaving a single bone fragment.
The corpses of those who died at the Magic Stone Mine all became food for the big-horn hyenas. They were disposed of so cleanly that not even the smallest trace remained in the world.
The Awakened smiled coldly.
“You must have your reasons for choosing this place as a refuge. But you’ll soon learn how foolish that choice was.”
With those words, the Awakened left.
Jeon, left alone, stared blankly at the door.
“That might be true. If I hadn’t Awakened, that is.”
Jeon flicked his finger.
The sand lying on the floor moved to his rhythm.
It looked exactly as if the sand were dancing.