Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Dozens of Bactrian Camels walked across the scorching hot sand.

Mounted on the camels were Awakeneds exuding a fierce atmosphere.

Deep wounds could be seen through their tattered clothes, as if they had just fought a brutal battle.

The man leading the camels muttered under his breath.

“Damn! This raid was a complete failure. To think the target leader was an S-rank Awakened.”

The man with the massive build, a face covered in tattoos, and pointed ears was Urtian, the leader of the Red Storm.

Behind Urtian were the key members of Red Storm: Kormac, Aslan, and Duduyan.

Kormac glared at Aslan as he spoke.

“You said the target leader, Lee Ji-ryeong, was an A-rank Awakened? What happened?”

“I don’t know either. He was definitely reported as A-rank.”

Aslan avoided Kormac’s gaze as he answered.

His job was to infiltrate the enemy and gather intelligence.

Based on the information he gathered, the Red Storm planned and executed their raids.

The intel Aslan acquired rated Lee Ji-ryeong as an A-rank Awakened.

Urtian, the leader, himself was also an A-rank, so they judged the raid feasible. They had ambushed the Pegasus Raid Force as they emerged from the dungeon for this reason.

But their attempt ended in failure.

It was all because of Lee Ji-ryeong.

Now an S-rank Awakened, Lee Ji-ryeong’s skills were terrifying.

His Thunder God’s Hammer killed countless numbers.

Even Urtian joined the fight, but they still lost.

In the end, the Red Storm suffered heavy losses and had to retreat.

A raid that ended in complete failure without any gain.

This was the first time in the history of the Red Storm.

Because of this, their morale was at rock bottom.

Urtian spoke up.

“It seems his rank increased inside the dungeon.”

“Does that happen often?”

“Of course not. If it did, I would have been S-rank long ago.”

Urtian gritted his teeth.

His face was filled with rage at the thought of Lee Ji-ryeong.

This was the first time in his life that he had been so overwhelmingly defeated.

Urtian was born strong.

Born as a B-rank, he naturally became an A-rank as he grew. He didn’t need to train or make any special efforts to reach A-rank.

Even being A-rank was enough to have no rivals in the desert. So he never felt the need to become S-rank.

But after his first defeat to Lee Ji-ryeong, he was consumed with anger at his own helplessness.

Kormac cautiously spoke.

“We were unable to secure any food this time, so we need to quickly find a new target to raid.”

The Red Storm had many families to support.

Urtian alone had three children.

To feed them, they had to constantly raid. But in the desert, there weren’t many targets for raiding.

Urtian, looking ahead, spoke.

“If it comes down to it, we’ll raid the Mana Stone Mines.”

“That’s too dangerous. We’ve tried several times before and failed each time. Our forces aren’t enough.”

“That’s a last resort. We’ll look for other targets first.”

“Understood. I’ll check if there are any other raiding parties or caravans passing nearby.”

“Do it quickly.”

“Yes, sir!”

As Kormac answered and stepped back, Urtian brooded in anger alone on his camel.

At that moment, something unusual caught his eye.

Something was moving ahead.

“What’s that?”

“What is it, leader?”

“What’s going on?”

The loyal members approached, sensing Urtian’s serious tone.

At that moment, a cruel smile appeared on Urtian’s face.

“There it is.”

“Sorry?”

“The next raid target.”

“What?”

Kormac and the others looked ahead in confusion.

In the distance, they saw a group moving on two legs, like humans, but their appearance was distinctly different.

“They’re Orcs.”

“Orcs?”

Kormac and Aslan looked puzzled.

They had been with Urtian leading the Red Storm for a long time, but they had never seen an Orc before.

But Duduyan, the Dark Elf, reacted differently.

“Orcs?”

As a Dark Elf, she was well-acquainted with Orcs.

Elves and Orcs were hostile races.

They had a deep-seated hatred for each other.

That’s why even hearing the word ‘Orc’ triggered her anger.

Kormac spoke in confusion.

“Orcs? We’ve never seen Orcs around here.”

“Who cares? We kill them and take everything they have.”

Urtian’s killing intent flared.

He wanted to vent his anger over the failed raid on the Orcs.

He kicked the side of his camel and gave the order.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Attack them all.”

Kormac, Aslan, and Duduyan followed behind.

Seeing the new raid target, the previously disheartened subordinates suddenly became ferocious.

“Kill the Orcs.”

“Let’s slaughter those walking pigs.”

With terrifying momentum, they charged towards the Orcs walking in the distance.

“Chwiik! Humans!”

“It’s humans!”

The Orc group belatedly noticed the attackers and caused a commotion.

There were over five hundred Orcs.

But among them, two hundred were still young Orcs.

Orcs were born warriors.

They only cared about killing and plundering, neglecting their young.

They expected the young to fend for themselves.

But they didn’t completely abandon them.

The tribe’s old Orcs took care of the newborns, raising them communally.

The group of Orcs spotted by the Red Storm was such a case.

Most of the group were young Orcs, accompanied by old and infirm Orcs.

But even old and infirm, an Orc was still an Orc.

The Orcs grabbed their weapons and prepared for battle.

“Chwiik! Kill humans and protect young Orcs.”

“Kill them all.”

Boom!

At that moment, the Red Storm raiders charged in.

The Orcs resisted, but they couldn’t withstand the Red Storm raiders.

“Die!”

“Damn it! These pig bastards should be walking on all fours, not two legs like humans.”

“There’s a mix of old and young ones. You pig bastards!”

The Red Storm raiders slaughtered the Orcs like madmen.

The elderly Orcs fell with their characteristic cries, leaving only the young ones.

The young Orcs looked at the Red Storm raiders with eyes full of fear.

An old Orc pleaded.

“Chwiik! They are still young. Show mercy.”

“Mercy? Do Orcs dare to ask for mercy?”

Urtian mocked the old orc.

The old orc widened his eyes.

“Elf…?”

“Yeah! Now you understand why you all have to die?”

“Chwiik! If you kill the young Orcs, you’ll face the wrath of the Great Chieftain.”

“Great Chieftain?”

Urtian remembered something.

The Great Chieftain was a legend among Orcs.

Born once every few generations, a monster that leads the orc tribe.

From the moment the Great Chieftain is born, the Orcs prosper as if under a promise.

They cease all external activities and focus solely on breeding.

Those born around the same time as the Great Chieftain are especially brave and possess great strength.

They lead other Orcs alongside the Great Chieftain.

Because of this, the Great Chieftain greatly valued those born around the same time and those born later.

The young Orcs being led by the elderly Orcs were no exception.

“Chwiik! We will not surrender.”

“We’ll fight to the end.”

The young Orcs picked up the weapons of the fallen Orcs and prepared for battle.

Urtian chuckled.

“So what? The Great Chieftain? Do you think I care about orc legends? Kill them all! Leave no one alive.”

Slash!

Urtian’s sword beheaded the old orc.

That was the signal.

The Red Storm raiders began to kill the young Orcs.

The screams of the young Orcs echoed through the desert.

It was truly a one-sided massacre.

After a while, the desert was soaked in blood, and the young Orcs lay dead on the ground.

In contrast, the Red Storm raiders suffered almost no casualties.

Urtian inspected the carts being pulled by the orc herd.

The carts carried the carcasses of large desert monsters hunted by the Orcs to feed the young Orcs.

“We should take these. They should last us for a while.”

“Tch! I don’t like desert monster meat, but we have no choice.”

“Take everything, leave nothing behind.”

The Red Storm raiders gathered all the Orcs’ provisions and left.

Much later, another orc appeared in the desert.

It was a group of Orc Riders riding Blood Wolves.

The Orc Riders were enraged at the sight of the dead Orcs.

“The tribe is gone.”

“Chwiik! All the young Orcs are dead.”

“We must inform the Great Chieftain.”

The Orc Riders quickly departed.

* * *

“Dirty orc bastards!”

Eloy muttered as she turned the Mad Gumiho into a single-blade form.

Around her lay the corpses of dead Orc Riders.

While Zeon was underground, she had cleaned them all up.

Eloy was so out of control that Levin couldn’t even intervene in the fight.

Shaking her head, Brielle spoke to Zeon.

“There’s no one crazier than her. She tore up the orc corpses like rags.”

“Seems like there’s a lot of accumulated hatred.”

“It’s not just hatred. It’s inherited animosity over generations.”

“You feel that way too?”

“I’m not that extreme.”

Brielle shuddered visibly at the mere thought.

Zeon approached Eloy.

“Are you feeling a bit better now?”

“It’s still filthy. What about underground?”

“They’re all dead.”

“So there were people. I figured as much.”

“Yes!”

Eloy grimaced at Zeon’s response.

The meat orcs like the most were human.

This is because human flesh is softer than other animals or monsters.

Elves have a peculiar hostility towards the orcs, so they must be killed if they encounter them.

That’s why orcs who discovered humans or elves attacked without hesitation.

Maybe people who lived in the underground caves here were also found by the orcs and became food.

“Wait a minute! Could it be that the Great Orc Chieftain has appeared?”

“Why are you saying that?”

“What if the Orc Chief has been born?”

“Great Orc Chieftain?”

Seeing Zeon’s puzzled expression, Eloy explained further.

“It’s an orcs legend. In Kurayan, it was said that whenever an Orc Chief was born, a nation would collapse.”

“Is the Orc Chief that serious?”

“I’ve only heard the stories. Anyway, when the Orc Chief is born, orc knights appear. Their mission is to spread the news of the Chief’s birth to scattered orcs and unite them.”

“….”

“So these guys must be gathering the orcs scattered in the desert right now. My goodness!”

Eloy’s eyes trembled.