Chapter 502

Chapter 502

After leaving the High Elf village, Zeon and his group walked without rest.

They had already been walking for two days, yet none of them showed any signs of exhaustion.

Zeon and Tesserina, of course, were fine—but even Levin and Brielle possessed stamina as solid as steel.

Brielle murmured as she followed behind Zeon:

“So cool. Thanks, Liri!”

—If you get hot, just tell me anytime. I’ll cool you off.

Liri circled around her, answering.

Having reached the mid-grade, Liri could express her intentions clearly to Brielle.

Not only that, but her abilities had increased dramatically, allowing her to stay by Brielle’s side all day long.

Liri adjusted the air and wind around Brielle to keep her from overheating.

Thanks to her, Brielle felt no heat even under the scorching sun and could walk comfortably.

“Man, that’s convenient.”

Levin, floating behind Zeon in his ghost form, looked at Liri with a jealous expression.

Now he understood for sure—

Why elves were so obsessed with spirits.

The gap between an elf with a contracted spirit and one without was like the difference between heaven and earth.

It wasn’t simply a matter of being stronger or weaker.

By forming a contract with a spirit, an elf became complete—

Both in personality and in ability.

Through communion with a spirit, an elf grew, and ultimately became perfect.

Elves without spirits could never understand that feeling.

Even now, one could visibly see Brielle growing in real time.

The elves living in Elharun or Neo Seoul could never grow the way Brielle was growing.

Without a spirit contract, they would never know this feeling for the rest of their lives.

—Why?

Feeling Levin’s gaze, Liri approached.

Levin floating alongside Liri in midair made for quite a fitting sight.

Normally, spirits had little interest in anyone other than their contractors or elves—but Liri was an exception.

From the moment she was born in the Primordial Forest, she had seen Zeon and Levin, so she behaved warmly toward them.

Levin spoke honestly.

“I’m just jealous.”

—Of what?

“Of Brielle.”

—Why?

“Because you keep her cool.”

—I cool you too, though?

“Do you think I could ever contract with a spirit like you?”

—No!

“That’s harsh. You didn’t need to be that blunt.”

—You don’t have spirit affinity. You don’t have a single trait a spirit would like. So forming a contract is impossible.

“...Tch.”

—But since you’re Brielle’s friend, I’ll keep you from getting too hot.

“That’s... tearfully generous of you.”

—Hehe!

Liri giggled and returned to Brielle.

As a mid-grade, Liri showed rich and vibrant emotions.

Thanks to that, she was quite fun to talk to.

Levin chuckled and looked ahead.

That was when he noticed something odd.

Far off at the horizon, billowing sand clouds were rising.

Levin didn’t hesitate and called to Zeon:

“Bro!”

“A sandstorm.”

Zeon frowned.

It was a sandstorm—the tyrant of the desert.

And a massive one at that.

It was so large that it couldn’t even be compared to the sandstorms Zeon could summon artificially.

If someone were caught in a sandstorm like this, even most awakened would be torn apart.

At first glance, it looked like black storm clouds rolling in.

To someone unfamiliar, it might seem harmless—but those who lived long in the desert knew too well.

A sandstorm that swallowed the land in darkness like that was unimaginably dangerous.

Zeon spoke:

“This doesn’t look like an ordinary one. We should find somewhere safe and wait it out.”

“For a sand mage like you to say that?”

“I’ve never seen one this monstrous. If I were alone, it’d be fine—but with Brielle and Levin, it’s better to choose the safest method.”

“Got it.”

Tesserina nodded.

If Zeon, a sand mage, said this much, then this was clearly no ordinary threat.

She had no reason to take unnecessary risks.

In a desert, the safest choice was to follow a sand mage like Zeon.

Zeon scanned their surroundings and approached a large dune.

“We should set up a shelter around here.”

Using his dominion, he dug a pit over ten meters deep.

Once everyone entered, Zeon covered the top with sand again.

Tesserina reinforced the temporary shelter with magic.

Brielle asked Liri to make the interior pleasant.

—No problem.

Smiling, Liri adjusted the air inside, making it comfortable.

Levin sat down with his back against the wall and said:

“With so many ability users, life is good. I like this.”

Any other group would have had to sprint in the opposite direction to escape the sandstorm—and even then, they wouldn’t escape.

If Zeon was calling it a monster, then this sandstorm was practically a calamity.

In the desert, sandstorms of this scale almost never occurred naturally.

Anything caught in such a storm—large vehicles included—would be blown away or destroyed in an instant.

Avoiding it was ideal, but that was easier said than done.

By the time one spotted a sandstorm like this, it was already too late to run.

As if to prove it, a powerful tremor shook the shelter.

Rumble…!

They had already entered the storm’s domain.

Even with Tesserina’s magical reinforcement, the ground around the shelter trembled violently.

If Zeon had been even a little slower in creating this shelter, they would have been swallowed immediately.

It truly moved with monstrous speed and force.

Brielle asked Liri:

“What’s it like outside?”

—Wait a moment.

Liri left the shelter and slipped outside.

As a wind spirit, she could move freely without physical limitations.

Naturally, she wasn’t affected by the sandstorm either.

Levin took out food from his subspace and said:

“Then while we wait for Liri to return, shall we eat?”

“Sounds good!”

“I was getting hungry anyway.”

The three of them brightened.

Levin set the food before them.

It was all prepared by Old Man Klexi.

Fresh steam rose from the dishes as though they had just been cooked, and Brielle and Tesserina twitched their noses.

“Old Man Klexi’s work, for sure.”

“Didn’t expect to eat this inside a shelter.”

They recognized the chef instantly.

Levin laughed.

“I didn’t take them out in the High Elf village—I saved them. If I’d taken them out there, nothing would’ve been left.”

“Hehe! Good job. Thanks to you, I’m going to feast for the first time in a while.”

Brielle praised Levin.

Rumble!

The shelter shook as though it were about to collapse—but the four of them paid it no mind and enjoyed Cleksi’s food.

“Haa… This is too good.”

Brielle looked moved enough to cry.

Among the things she missed the most while staying in the High Elf village after leaving Neo Seoul was Cleksi’s cooking.

A long-isolated place like the High Elf village had one defining trait—its food tasted awful.

Developing cuisine required leisure in life, and a village like the High Elves’, where people had to worry about what to eat each day, had no room for that.

Zeon offered Brielle the rest of his food.

“Want mine too?”

“What about you?”

“I’m full.”

“Then I’ll take it!”

Brielle accepted it without hesitation.

Zeon smiled as he watched her eat.

She devoured his portion in an instant.

“Oh my! You’ve turned into a pig.”

Levin shook his head, scolding her, but Brielle didn’t care at all.

With her stomach full, she felt like she was in heaven.

Content, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, Tesserina and Levin also finished eating.

Tesserina thanked Levin.

“Thank you. I enjoyed the meal.”

“If you’re all satisfied, I’m happy too.”

“You’re quite the homemaker. I’ll give you some items later.”

“Huh?”

“Why so surprised? You know I’m a dragon. When we reach my lair, there will be items worth having.”

“Uh—oh! Thank you.”

Levin stared blankly, stunned by the unexpected gift.

Items owned by a dragon—there was no way they were ordinary.

What surprised him most was Tesserina openly calling herself a dragon.

He already knew, but hearing it directly from her felt different.

At that moment—

—Brielle!

Liri returned and called out to her.

Brielle frowned at Liri’s unusual tone.

“What’s wrong?”

—There are people outside.

“Huh?”

—People are being blown away.

“What do you mean? Why are people outside?”

—They’re pulling big wagons.

“Wagons? Do you mean a caravan?”

—I don’t know! There were several big wagons connected together, and they looked like they’d collapse any moment!

From Liri’s description, Brielle was certain there was a caravan outside.

In the middle of a desert, the only ones who would be dragging large wagons were caravans.

“Zeon!”

“You all stay here. I’ll go check.”

“Okay!”

Zeon immediately stood up.

If there really were caravan people outside, they would need Zeon’s help.

“Liri!”

—Yes?

“Can you guide me to where those wagon-pullers are?”

—Of course.

“Then let’s go.”

—Mm!

Liri nodded without a hint of hesitation.

Tesserina asked Zeon:

“Are you sure you don’t need help?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Zeon smiled.

Tesserina would certainly be helpful—but this monstrous sandstorm was a threat even to her.

In a storm like this, it was better for Zeon to move alone.

He used his dominion to open a hole above them.

Fwoooosh!

Wind howled outside like a beast.

Looking through the hole, Zeon saw only darkness—he couldn’t see even an inch ahead.

Going out in this weather was insane—but Zeon, without hesitation, did exactly that.

Fwoooosh—CRASH!

The razor winds struck his body as if trying to tear him apart.

After closing the hole behind him, Zeon asked Liri:

“Where?”

—Just follow me.

Liri flew ahead.

Following her for quite a distance, they finally saw figures battling against the sandstorm.

A caravan.