Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert
Chapter 78

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 78

Zeon stared at the steak intently.

It was definitely made from real beef, just as Goran had said.

The juiciness and aroma that oozed out little by little conveyed a rich flavor that could not be found in cultured meat or monster meat.

Saliva formed in Zeon’s mouth involuntarily.

As Goran sliced the steak, he said.

“I told you not to refuse. This is really delicious.”

He put a large piece of sliced meat into his mouth and chewed.

Juices dripped down the corners of his mouth.

Goran wiped the juice with his fingers and licked them clean.

In the blink of an eye, a piece of steak disappeared into his stomach.

Goran pointed to the steak in front of Zeon.

“Not eating?”

“I’m not particularly hungry.”

“Tsk! You should eat well when you’re young.”

“My appetite isn’t that big.”

“I guess you’re not hungry yet. Then what about women then?”

Thud!

As Goran flicked his finger again, one of the doors opened.

Behind the door, about a dozen women dressed provocatively were waiting. A middle-aged woman in flashy attire led them out.

Zeon immediately recognized the identity of the middle-aged woman.

Ava.

She was Ethan’s lover, who was almost beaten to death by Zeon, as well as the madam of the brothels.

Eva smiled seductively and said.

“Seeing you again, sir!”

“I’m not sure if your boyfriend is okay. I beat him up quite badly.”

“Don’t worry about it. He’ll recover quickly from that.”

“Good to hear.”

“You’re such a kind sir.”

Eva winked.

Zeon thought Eva was extraordinary.

It wasn’t easy to smile in front of someone who almost killed your lover.

Eva smiled as she pointed to the women on both sides.

“Do you see any girls you like? I only brought the ace among the girls I have…”

The women smiled brightly.

Among the women Eva was in charge of, these ones were especially known for their beauty. The scent of perfume they wore stimulated Zeon’s senses.

Zeon looked at them one by one.

The women tried to appeal to Zeon by making sensual expressions or accentuating their chests.

But none of them appealed to Zeon.

Zeon said.

“They’re not to my taste.”

“You don’t know women yet. Even if you don’t like them, once you hold them in your arms you’ll change your mind.”

As Ava made a gesture, the women surrounded Zeon.

One woman sat on Zeon’s lap, while another put her hand on his chest and caressed him.

It was a temptation that any man would replace hard to resist.

Looking at Zeon surrounded by the women, Goran said.

“Just say the word. Then all these women will be yours.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“That you’ll follow me.”

“So…”

“Alright! I’m offering you a scouting proposal right now. So, I hope you won’t refuse. I’m not used to being rejected, you know.”

His words were gentle, but his eyes told a different story.

Behind the sunglasses, a menacing gaze was still palpable.

Zeon asked with an intrigued expression.

“But if I refuse?”

“You’ll have to pay the price. And the price will be severe.”

“Do you really make threats like this to the person you are trying to recruit?”

“It depends on who the target is.”

Ethan, whom he had sent to Zeon, returned with serious injuries.

Ethan was one of the closest confidants of Goran, along with Dolkan, Theo, and Ava.

According to Ethan and Ava, Zeon’s rank was estimated to be at least B-rank, not C-rank.

An Awakened above B-rank in the slums was extremely rare.

In Neo Seoul, a B-rank Awakened individual would be treated as nobles.

If he could recruit a B-rank Awakened, he could easily forget any personal feelings or grudges.

Zeon said.

“You seem to value me highly. I’m not sure what to think. Before I answer, let me ask one thing. You leaked information about the mana generator to the Crocodiles, correct?”

“It was business. Don’t misunderstand; there were no personal feelings.”

“As expected.”

“For your information, I don’t want this fact to be known to the Goblin Market. So, you should think carefully before you answer.”

Goran smiled, revealing his white teeth.

It was a smile that felt even more sinister against his jet-black skin.

Zeon wasn’t someone who couldn’t understand Goran’s intentions.

This was Goran’s courtyard.

Everyone in the arena was under Goran’s influence. If Goran gave the order, everyone in the arena, and even all of Shinchon, would become Zeon’s enemies and attack him.

Being the ruler of Shinchon was not just a facade.

Zeon said.

“I didn’t have much of a choice from the start.”

“If you want to keep your footing in Shinchon and continue living here, come under my wing. I won’t be too harsh on you.”

“What about the Crocodiles?”

“All you have to do is hand over the mana generator. Then there won’t be any problems.”

“What kind of solution is that? In the end, I’m the only one losing out.”

“That’s how the world works. The weak have to endure all unreasonable conditions. If it’s unfair, you just have to be stronger than me.”

“Is that really it?”

“Are you confident?”

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Goran lowered his sunglasses slightly and looked at Zeon.

“Confidence alone doesn’t solve the world’s problems.”

“You talk as if you’ve had a lot of experience.”

“Not much.”

“Ha!”

Zeon’s attitude in tangling the conversation made Goran sigh. There was irritation in his face.

“It seems negotiations have fallen through.”

“Negotiations only work when there’s something both sides are willing to compromise on. Who would negotiate when one side suffers unilateral losses?”

“I see! I pushed you to sacrifice too much. But what can I do? That’s the law of this world. The ruler has everything. I’m the ruler of Shinchon. Everything in Shinchon is mine. Nothing within this area can escape my control. That goes for you too.”

Goran’s enthusiastic words made Zeon chuckle.

“I am nobody’s possession or property.”

“If you’re in my territory, you’re mine.”

“It seems like you’ve lost your mind. I wonder how one can reach such a state of mind.”

“You’d better watch your words. My patience isn’t that strong.”

“You’re one to talk. Don’t bother someone who’s come back to their hometown to rest after a long time.”

Pushing aside the surrounding women, Zeon stood up from his seat.

Goran glared at Zeon.

“Sit down!”

“The negotiations have collapsed.”

“I haven’t finished speaking. Sit down!”

“I’m done.”

“Can you handle what comes next?”

“Absolutely.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re still young, but you’re fearless.”

“I’m not the one hiding behind a protective shield.”

Goran’s face twisted at Zeon’s defiance.

He didn’t actually deploy a shield, but he wore an item that’d deploy a shield when under attack.

It was the ring on his finger.

It was an item obtained from a dungeon, acquired with great difficulty.

It automatically activated once a day in case of an unexpected attack.

Goran referred to this ring as the Guardian Ring.

If it weren’t for the ring, Goran would never have let Zeon get so close.

Whether Zeon was aware of the Guardian Ring’s existence or not, it was enough to prick at Goran’s pride.

“Haha!”

Goran laughed.

He no longer attempted to persuade Zeon.

Although he wanted Zeon, Goran didn’t want to go so far as to get his pride hurt.

Standing up, Goran spoke while looking down at Zeon from a height of two heads above him.

“Since I invited you as a guest today, I’ll let you go.”

“Thank you. Then…”

Zeon slightly bowed his head and walked down the stairs.

Dolkan spoke up as Zeon moved away.

“Are you really letting him go?”

“How could I…”

Goran revealed his white teeth and grinned.

Zeon had almost descended to the bottom of the stairs.

The arena appeared to be empty, indicating that the fight had ended.

At that moment, Goran shouted.

“We’ll have a new match from now on!”

“Wrraaaaah!”

A tremendous cheer erupted.

Faces that had been waiting for a new fight were now flushed with excitement.

Goran pointed his finger at Zeon.

“The opponent is Zeon. Whoever defeats Zeon will receive ten thousand Sols.”

“Woaaah!”

The door of the arena opened, and people poured out.

Most of them were ordinary people who had been captured by Goran because they could not repay their debt.

They held cold weapons like axes or swords in their hands.

Goran’s declaration of offering ten thousand Sols drove them to lose their senses.

Ten thousand Sols would allow them to pay off all their debts and escape from this hellish place.

“Ha!”

Zeon sighed and looked up at Goran.

Goran smiled as he looked down on Zeon.

“They’re just ordinary people with no abilities. Let’s see if you can demonstrate your skills against ordinary people.”

“Ha! Really…”

Zeon sighed once again.

He had tried to act politely, wanting to live quietly, but it seemed like that made him look like a pushover to others.

“Damn it! Die!”

“It’s ten thousand Sols.”

“Give me my money.”

Ordinary people caught in the arena swung their weapons at Zeon.

Their voices and eyes were filled with desperation.

To them, Zeon was like a long-lost lottery ticket that promised to lead them out of this hellish reality if caught.

The cheers of the audience added to the chaos.

“Woaaah!”

“Fight!”

Their cheers even paralyzed the remaining sanity of those wielding weapons.

Swish!

Swords and axes aimed at Zeon’s neck and chest flew towards him.

They put all their might in that attack, but in Zeon’s eyes, it seemed too slow.

Zeon moved.

Thud!

With the sound of impact, those who rushed at Zeon were all thrown backward.

The weapons they wielded couldn’t even leave a scratch on Zeon’s body.

Zeon looked up at Goran with a chilling gaze.

“It’s futile.”

“No, they’ve already done their job quite well.”

Goran chuckled.

Zeon, sensing something strange in Goran’s attitude, looked at the bodies lying on the ground.

Among them, one person’s body was glowing red.

“Shit!”

Zeon didn’t need to think twice. He leaped backward.

Boom!

In an instant, the body of the person who glowed red exploded.

This happened before Zeon could fully escape the arena. In the end, Zeon was also caught in the explosion and thrown against the wall of the arena.

However, there was no way Zeon, an Awakened, could have lost his life to something of that level.

Brushing off the dust, Zeon got up from the ground.

His eyes were chillingly calm.

Despite his numerous experiences, he had never witnessed a human exploding like a bomb.

Naturally, it was an event that could never occur without someone artificially manipulating it.

Zeon’s gaze turned to Goran.

“Planting a bomb inside a human body, you’re insane.”

“You’re already surprised at that level…”

Goran revealed his white teeth and smiled.

He shouted loudly enough for everyone in the arena to hear.

“Hundred thousand Sols. If you injure Zeon’s body, I’ll give you a hundred thousand Sols.”

“A hundred thousand… Sols?”

“Crazy!”

Madness was evident in the faces of the spectators.

The enormous sum of a hundred thousand Sols had robbed them of their reason.

Even though they had seen what happened to those who had rushed at Zeon, they still threw themselves at him.

“He’s mine! Nobody touch him.”

“Damn it! I’ll kill him.”

The spectators turned into enemies and rushed at Zeon.

Zeon looked at them with a firm gaze.

“You’ve crossed the line.”

[Translator – Peptobismol]