Chapter 300

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 300

The Sand Tornado was, as its name implied, a whirling vortex of sand.

Though smaller in range compared to the Sand Storm, its concentrated destructive power was far greater, especially when targeting a single entity.

Just like now.

Screeech!

The Sand Tornado spun with incredible velocity, grinding away at the Bladed Frigatebird’s body.

The creature flapped its wings desperately, trying to escape the vortex, but it was futile.

The terrifying rotation of the Sand Tornado made it impossible for the Bladed Frigatebird to break free.

Kiiiiee!

The Bladed Frigatebird let out an agonized screech.

The feathers, tougher than steel, which had protected its body, were ripped away, leaving its bare flesh exposed to the sand’s relentless assault.

The Bladed Frigatebird’s ability to fly at supersonic speeds relied on its diamond-hard yet lightweight feathers, which could even withstand the ravages of a Sand Tornado.

But with those feathers torn off, its exposed body was far too fragile.

Grind! Grind! Grind!

The Sand Tornado ground the creature into nothing, leaving only its feathers, which fluttered to the ground like snowflakes.

“These feathers look like they could be useful for something.”

Brielle removed her pointed hat to catch the falling feathers of the Bladed Frigatebird.

After storing the feathers in her subspace, she turned to Zeon.

Zeon, having dealt with the Bladed Frigatebird, ascended further into the sky to survey the surroundings.

On the horizon, he spotted a plume of yellow dust rising like a cloud.

“There they are!”

Zeon had pinpointed the scavengers’ location.

But just as he did, a series of chilling sonic booms filled the air.

Screeech! Screeeech!

More Bladed Frigatebirds appeared.

Enraged by the death of their kin, they hurtled toward Zeon at terrifying speeds.

Zeon called out to Brielle.

“Let’s get back to the ground.”

“Okay!”

Having determined the direction the scavengers were heading, there was no need to risk fighting the Bladed Frigatebirds unnecessarily.

Zeon descended rapidly toward the ground with Brielle.

Fortunately, the Bladed Frigatebirds did not pursue them once they landed.

It seemed the creatures never descended below a certain altitude, which was a relief.

If such monsters attacked the ground, survival would be nearly impossible.

Avoiding an attack from a creature diving at supersonic speed from above would be next to impossible without eyes on the back of your head.

Zeon watched as the Bladed Frigatebirds circled the sky briefly before vanishing into the distance.

Once they were gone, he turned to Brielle and Gaia.

“Let’s move.”

“Okay!”

Beep!

Zeon headed in the direction he had seen from the sky, his Sand Stride allowing him to cover vast distances effortlessly.

Behind him, Gaia carried Brielle, who was struggling to keep up on her own.

“Thanks!”

―Beep-beep!

Gaia cheerfully replied as she sped up, keeping close behind Zeon.

‘If we keep this up, we’ll catch up to them in two hours.’

No matter how fast the scavengers were, they couldn’t outrun Zeon’s Sand Stride technique.

Though they were far ahead now, he would soon close the gap.

But just then, an unexpected obstacle appeared.

Kwoooarrr!

A massive monster burst forth from the sand.

It resembled a beetle magnified hundreds of times, with flames pouring from its body every time it exhaled.

“A Titan Beetle? So this is its habitat.”

The Titan Beetle was a colossal creature with a titanium-like shell, providing extraordinary defense, and its searing flame breath could melt most enemies in an instant.

It was a formidable foe.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been much of an issue. Zeon could either avoid it or take his time defeating it.

The problem was that Zeon needed to cross this area quickly to catch the scavengers.

The Titan Beetle wasted no time, unleashing a torrent of flame toward Zeon.

Whooosh!

Zeon quickly conjured a wall of sand to block the attack. The beetle, undeterred, charged forward with its massive body.

The Titan Beetle understood its bulk and durability were its greatest weapons, hurling itself like a living battering ram.

Crash!

The beetle’s massive body slammed into the spot where Zeon had stood moments earlier, kicking up a storm of debris.

Zeon retaliated with his Sand Mixer ability.

Graaang!

A whirlwind of high-speed sand particles erupted around the Titan Beetle.

Though the attack could shred most monsters instantly, it was ineffective against the Titan Beetle.

Its shell was simply too tough, rendering the Sand Mixer useless.

In a way, this monster was the worst possible matchup for Zeon.

Its impervious shell made it resistant to his abilities, and dealing with it would take considerable time.

To make matters worse, its flame breath indicated it was highly resistant to fire as well.

No ordinary fire-wielding Awakened could defeat it.

But Zeon was no ordinary Awakened.

“Sand Gehenna!”

The spinning sand particles turned red-hot, transforming into molten lava.

Though the Titan Beetle’s fire resistance mitigated the damage, the intense heat of the lava was enough to put it on edge.

Half of its massive body was now submerged in the lava, leaving it flailing in distress.

Its shell glowed red from the heat.

Zeon called out to Gaia.

“Gaia!”

―Beep?

“Use your elemental control to rapidly cool it. Can you do that?”

―Beep!

Gaia chirped affirmatively.

For a being like Gaia, a spirit-like creature, such a task was simple.

“Cool it down now!”

―Beep-beep!

Responding to Zeon’s command, Gaia quickly chilled the air around the Titan Beetle.

Ssshhh!

The temperature dropped drastically, and frost formed on the beetle’s superheated shell.

Seeing the frost-covered shell, Zeon spoke in an icy tone.

“Things that heat up and cool down rapidly tend to shatter easily. Claymore!”

Boom!

The ground beneath the Titan Beetle erupted in a massive explosion.

The rapid heating and cooling had weakened the beetle’s shell, which shattered in the blast.

The Titan Beetle’s massive body exploded like a volcano.

Zeon didn’t even glance at the aftermath, continuing on his way without pause.

Meanwhile, Brielle collected fragments of the Titan Beetle’s shattered shell, stowing them in her subspace.

She figured they might come in handy someday.

* * *

Boom!

A deafening explosion echoed, and a mushroom cloud rose in the distance.

“What the hell?”

“Was that a volcanic eruption?”

The Helbrin Mercenaries, busy looting, stopped in their tracks and turned to the horizon.

The explosion had occurred tens of kilometers away, yet the force of it was palpable.

It was no wonder they assumed it was a volcanic eruption.

Hassim furrowed his brow.

“Volcano? If it were, there would’ve been tremors beforehand.”

“Then what is it?”

Hassim’s gaze hardened at the foolish question from one of his subordinates.

“Whatever it is, it’s not normal. That alone is cause for concern. Akashi!”

“Yes, boss.”

“That spot, wasn’t that where you detected that large monster?”

“It appears so.”

Akashi’s face grew grim.

The explosion had occurred at the exact spot where he had detected a massive monster hidden beneath the sand.

When they had passed the area earlier, Akashi had warned them to avoid it.

The Helbrin Mercenaries had wisely detoured around the monster to avoid unnecessary conflict.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be a B-rank monster?”

“Based on its size and mana density, it was at least B-rank, possibly higher.”

“I see.”

Hassim’s expression darkened further.

Fighting a B-rank monster, especially one that size, would’ve been a grueling and costly endeavor.

That monster was now dead, which meant someone, or something, had killed it.

“Could it have been another monster invaded its territory and killed it?”

“It’s possible but unlikely.”

Hassim said, shaking his head.

Massive monsters rarely encroach on each other’s territories unless they are certain of victory, and even then, such instances are exceedingly rare.

“So it’s more likely that someone hunted it deliberately.”

“Someone? You think a person did this?”

“Could be a person, or an elf. But you all know what I mean, sometimes, beings appear that defy all logic.”

The Helbrin Mercenaries had survived this long by avoiding such beings.

“Are you saying someone hunted the Titan Beetle?”

“That’s what I think.”

“Who?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. But I have a bad feeling about this.”

The other mercenaries grew visibly tense.

They knew from experience how accurate Hassim’s instincts were.

If he said things were bad, they were bad.

Hassim turned to one of his subordinates.

“Alton!”

“Yes, boss.”

“Set it up.”

“You mean that?”

“That’s right. The timing’s perfect.”

Hassim gestured to the area around them.

They were in another survivor village.

Around thirty people had lived here, but only ten were deemed fit to be enslaved.

The rest, either too old or too young, had been slaughtered.

The village reeked of blood.

Alton nodded.

“Understood, boss. I’ll get started.”

He got to work immediately.

Alton was an enchanter specializing in explosions.

His ability allowed him to imbue objects with mana and detonate them at will.

Though still only D-rank, his enchantments took time to prepare, so they were rarely used in the heat of a raid.

But given enough time, his abilities could produce devastating results.

He planted explosive charges throughout the survivor village.

Once his preparations were complete, the Helbrin Mercenaries withdrew to a massive sand dune several kilometers away.

Hassim pulled out a specialized enchanted telescope to monitor the village.

Time passed. Eventually, figures appeared in the ruined village.

Though distant, they resembled an adult man, a young girl, and a large floating object.

“Just as I thought, someone’s tracking us. Alton!”

“Yes, boss.”

“Blow it.”

“Now?”

“Immediately!”

“Understood.”

Alton activated his enchantments.

Booooom!

A colossal explosion engulfed the man, the girl, and the floating object.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]