Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 204

“Is Neo Seoul really that big?”

“Is it true that there are twenty million people living in Neo Seoul?”

“You’re lying, right? Right?”

Zeon sighed, looking at the children surrounding him.

Rayor, Diane, and Samuel—these were the children born to Urtian and Deborah.

They were half-elves, like Eloy, and they encircled Zeon, bombarding him with questions.

These children had inherited Urtian's bravery and Deborah's wisdom, and they had completely lowered their guard around Zeon.

That's when Zeon's ordeal began.

The endless barrage of questions.

At first, he answered earnestly.

But the questions kept coming without end, and eventually, Zeon surrendered.

“Is Zeon’s house also in Neo Seoul?”

“When will you go home? Can I visit?”

“How big is your house? Is it bigger than ours?”

The relentless questioning from the three children made his ears hurt.

It was Brielle who saved him.

“Enough! You little brats!”

“Brielle, you’re a brat too!”

“Humph! But I’m not a kid who only relies on adults' protection like you.”

“Who are you calling a brat? We are warriors!”

“What monsters have you killed then?”

“Uh, well…”

“None, right? Hmph! Go drink some more of your mom’s milk, you brats!”

“Waaaah!”

In the end, the youngest, Samuel, burst into tears.

The other two glared at Brielle with frustration, but they couldn’t do anything to her.

“Damn it!”

“This is so unfair.”

“If you get it, then scram!”

Finally, the three children had no choice but to retreat, holding back their tears.

Zeon thanked Brielle, who was smiling triumphantly.

“Thanks.”

“You had a hard time with those little kids. I knew you were weak against children.”

“They’re just kids.”

Zeon chuckled.

The world might have changed drastically, but the fact that children needed protection hadn’t.

Even if those children were half-elves.

Just then.

“Damn it! A wounded person!”

“Quick, lower the basket!”

Suddenly, urgent voices came from the entrance of the fortress.

Zeon and Brielle ran to the entrance without hesitation.

Numerous Awakened members had gathered at the entrance.

Clatter!

The pulley turned as the basket was raised.

Finally, the basket reached the entrance, and the Awakened members helped the person inside out.

Covered in so much blood that he was unrecognizable, the person was one of those who had left with Kormac.

Urtian urgently asked the Awakened member.

“What happened? Where’s Kormac? Where are the others?”

“E-everyone is dead.”

“Dead?”

“It was an ambush. The Orcs… They dug a trap and… they were waiting for us.”

“What do you mean? How did Orcs set a trap?”

“Ugh! Prepare… They’ll follow…”

The wounded Awakened member couldn’t finish his sentence and lowered his head.

He was dead.

Urtian was momentarily speechless at the death of the Awakened member.

The others also stared blankly at their dead comrade but soon regained their senses.

It was because of the last thing the dead Awakened member had said.

“The Orcs are coming?”

“Damn it!”

The Awakened members quickly looked outside the fortress. In the distance, a cloud of dust was rising.

Moments later, the silhouettes of massive Orcs became visible through the dust.

“It’s the Orcs. They’re attacking!”

“This can’t be!”

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Dong, dong, dong!

The voices of the Awakened members and the emergency bell echoed through the fortress.

Awakened members and residents alike gathered at the entrance.

“Orcs?”

“Could it be that Kormac and the Awakened members were all killed?”

Fear spread across people's faces.

Kormac was the second-in-command of the Red Storm.

The fact that the second-strongest member of the Red Storm had been killed by the Orcs was a huge shock.

“Kormac is dead?”

Urtian gritted his teeth and looked ahead.

Kormac was not only his subordinate but also his friend.

He was the only friend who understood and supported him unconditionally.

The fact that Kormac, who always had his back, was killed by the Orcs made Urtian furious.

“How dare those Orc bastards kill Kormac.”

He could easily guess the fate of Kormac's corpse. It made him even sadder and angrier.

The Orcs were approaching the Steel Fortress directly.

At the forefront was Ashanka.

“So this is the humans’ fortress?”

A sandstone mountain rose in the middle of the barren desert.

Halfway up, a large cave entrance was visible. And the humans who looked ready to kill him and his Orcs.

Ashanka bared his fangs in a grin.

“A place perfectly fitting for bugs.”

“Chwiit! How should we attack?”

An Orc assisting Ashanka asked with an excited expression.

“Let's start with a greeting. Shaman!”

He called for the Orc shaman.

“Yes, Lord Ashanka!”

Shortly after, an old Orc adorned with skulls and bones all over his body appeared.

He was the shaman of the Red Hammer Tribe.

Every tribe had at least one shaman.

They could perform miracles unimaginable to ordinary Orcs.

The shaman of the Red Hammer Tribe specialized in monster rampage.

His unique ability was to use a special spell to enrage and control nearby monsters.

“Summon the monsters nearby and have them attack the fortress.”

“Yes, Lord Ashanka!”

The shaman closed his eyes and began chanting a spell.

The first step in causing a monster rampage was to detect the monsters.

Using magic, he located the monsters in the vicinity.

The second step was identifying the specific frequency and wavelength to paralyze the monsters' senses.

The final step was using the spell to emit this frequency and enrage the monsters.

The old Orc shaman was skilled in this process.

In no time, he detected the nearby monsters.

The shaman was surprised by what he found.

“Hehe! This is unexpected!”

“What is it?”

“The monsters are very close.”

“Then enrage them quickly.”

“Hehe! I’ll give them a big surprise.”

The old Orc shaman grinned hideously and began chanting again.

* * *

“There are so many of them.”

“It looks like all the nearby Orcs have gathered.”

Levin and Eloy watched the Orc horde, clicking their tongues.

At a glance, there were at least a thousand of them.

It was the first time they had seen such a large group of Orcs.

Levin frowned and said.

“But they can’t get up here, right? We’re halfway up the mountain.”

“If nothing unusual happens, we should be able to hold them off. This place isn’t called the Steel Fortress for nothing.”

Although not actually made of steel, the mountain was solid rock.

Moreover, the entrance was halfway up a sheer cliff.

Without the basket, the Orcs had no way to climb up.

Of course, they could try climbing with their physical prowess. But the Awakened members of the Steel Fortress wouldn’t let them climb easily.

The fortress, boasting steel-like defenses, was just as the name suggested.

Thus, while all the Awakened members were tense, none were afraid.

It’s generally harder for attackers than defenders.

Especially here, in a natural fortress rare in the desert.

With its rugged terrain, they could hold off many more Orcs than they had.

“The problem is the food…”

Zeon frowned.

While they had enough water, they were severely lacking in food.

If the siege lasted long, the Steel Fortress would be at a disadvantage.

“This is tough.”

Rustle!

Just then, a faint noise reached Zeon’s ears.

“…”

Zeon turned around, puzzled.

The noise came from inside the underground cavern.

All the Awakened members were gathered at the entrance, and the civilians were hiding in their homes.

There was no reason for any noise to come from there.

Zeon walked towards the source of the noise.

He reached the entrance of the vertical cave deep inside the Steel Fortress.

It was the place where the first elder, Gawen, had brought them to be disposed of.

“Isn’t this where the Four-Eyed Bats live?”

Boom!

At that moment, the iron bars blocking the cave entrance shattered with a loud explosion. From within, a swarm of flying monsters poured out.

They were the Four-Eyed Bats that lived in the underground vertical cave.

Thousands, tens of thousands of Four-Eyed Bats filled the ceiling of the underground cavern.

Four-Eyed Bats were small monsters, only about one meter in size.

Individually, they weren’t very threatening. But in swarms of thousands or tens of thousands, they were deadly.

When they swarmed, even large monsters would be drained of blood and die quickly.

The Four-Eyed Bats emerging from the vertical cave were not normal.

Their four red eyes glowed with ferocity.

After flying in a group for a moment, they soon attacked the Awakened members.

“Ahh!”

“What’s with these bats?”

The Awakened members of the Red Storm panicked at the sudden attack of the Four-Eyed Bats.

They had only recently joined the fortress and were unaware of the bats' existence.

Awakened members originally from the Steel Fortress shouted.

“They’re Four-Eyed Bats! They’ve come out of the vertical cave!”

“Damn it! Why did they come out now?”

Though they lived in the vertical cave inside the fortress, the bats rarely emerged.

Partly because the entrance was blocked by iron bars, but also because there was another exit.

Thus, they rarely attacked the fortress inhabitants. Especially since the iron bars were installed, there hadn’t been a single attack. Hence, they hadn’t been particularly wary, even when the Orcs attacked.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Many Awakened members were helpless against the bats' assault.

Once bitten by a Four-Eyed Bat, there was no way to remove it before it drained all the blood.

“Die!”

“Take this!”

To save their comrades bitten by the bats, the Awakened members attacked.

Bang!

Various skills were unleashed on the bats' backs.

Despite the severe pain and impact, the bats didn’t release their grip on the Awakened members.

Even while dying from the Awakened members' attacks, the bats continued to suck blood relentlessly, their persistence terrifying.

Slash!

A bat only let go when its head was severed.

A Martial Artist Awakened had decapitated the bat with a large sword. But by then, the bitten Awakened member was already dead.

Drained of blood, the corpse was dried up like a mummy.

The horrific sight left everyone nearby speechless.

As people were distracted, the bats attacked again.

Just as the bats swarmed, blocking out the sky, the Awakened members froze in terror.

Boom!

Dozens of sand vipers shot up, intercepting the bats.

Zeon had activated Viper.

Boom! Boom!

Dozens of Four-Eyed Bats fell to the ground with loud thuds.

Zeon shouted to the others.

“Everyone, pull yourselves together!”