Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 270

Zeon gazed at the gauntlet Kailey handed him.

It now emitted a subtle red glow throughout, and the parts had become much more intricate.

When he clenched his fist tightly, additional sharp spikes emerged, resembling a dragon’s claws.

These spikes, shaped like drills, were designed to focus destructive force into a single point.

The parts were made from a combination of Xyrium and the shell of a Ghost Beetle. When these two distinct materials were fused together, the result was an incredible level of hardness.

But the most significant change was on the back of the hand.

The part where the dragon’s eye was embedded.

Previously, the area around the dragon’s eye exuded a strong magical energy. The distinctive heat from the Red Dragon’s power was subtly emitted. However, now, that energy was completely undetectable.

Zeon wore a puzzled expression as he put on the gauntlet.

In an instant, an overwhelming energy radiated from the Inferno Gauntlet.

Zeon couldn’t hide his surprise. Seeing his reaction, Kailey, excited, began to explain.

“Before, the mana conduction efficiency was low, and a lot of energy was lost. Sure, it might have seemed intimidating to others or to monsters, but from the wearer’s perspective, a lot of mana was being wasted. Now, after the improvements, the mana conductivity has increased several times over. This means that even with less mana, you can unleash far greater power. Can you feel it?”

“Yes, definitely…”

“The second change is a new skill tied to the dragon’s eye. You’ll have to try it out yourself later. It’ll surprise you, I promise.”

“I believe it will.”

Zeon nodded.

When he had first returned to Neo Seoul, people assumed he was a magic type Awakened who used fire magic.

That was because of the Inferno Gauntlet.

By harnessing the power of the dragon’s eye embedded in the gauntlet, Zeon had been able to use fire-based skills.

Dragons possessed virtually limitless mana, and the eye of the Red Dragon contained that same power.

Thanks to this, Zeon could easily wield fire-based skills.

Now, the energy emanating from the Inferno Gauntlet was far more potent than before.

With Kailey’s modifications, the mana efficiency had greatly improved.

Although he would need to test it out to be sure, Zeon had a feeling he could now perform skills he hadn’t been able to use before.

He wanted to try it out immediately, but using such powerful skills inside the Steel Fortress would likely turn the place into a sea of flames.

That was why Kailey had suggested he test it later.

Kailey smiled brightly as she looked at Zeon.

“What? Is there something else that’ll surprise me?”

“There is.”

“What is it?”

“The subspace!”

“The subspace?”

“Check it out yourself.”

The Inferno Gauntlet had been enchanted with subspace storage.

This had been an additional feature when Kailey first crafted the gauntlet.

Zeon had been using the subspace efficiently all this time.

He typically stored a massive amount of sand in it, using it as a weapon in critical moments.

That had saved his life on more than one occasion.

Following Kailey’s suggestion, Zeon opened the subspace.

“Wow!”

As soon as Zeon saw the inside, he couldn’t help but exclaim.

The already expansive subspace had been extended to an unbelievable size.

“It’s crazy, right?”

“This is…”

“Even I didn’t expect it to expand this much. Isn’t it big enough to hold an entire village?”

“I’d say it’s even larger. To exaggerate a bit, it’s almost the size of the Steel Fortress itself.”

“That’s exactly what I mean…”

“Thank you, Sister!”

More than anything, Zeon was thrilled about the expansion of the subspace.

The larger the subspace, the more sand he could store inside it.

Sand was the source of his power.

The more he had, the stronger he became.

The subspace had expanded at least tenfold.

Now, he could store ten times the amount of sand.

With this much, he’d be able to use all of his skills, even within Neo Seoul.

For Zeon, this was news of incomparable value.

Kailey wrinkled her nose playfully.

“I’m just glad I was able to improve the performance… You have no idea how worried I was that I’d mess it up after boasting so much.”

The Inferno Gauntlet she had initially crafted was now incomparable in appearance, performance—everything.

It could rival most of the S-rank items found in dungeons, and in some aspects, it was even better.

“Thank you so much.”

“You came all this way to help us without asking for anything in return. This is the least I could do.”

“You’ve worked hard, so get some rest. I’m going to step out for a bit.”

“Alright!”

Zeon headed out to the entrance of the Steel Fortress.

Since the sun had not yet risen, the world was still dark.

“Oh, Lord Zeon?”

“What brings you out at this hour?”

The Awakened guards at the entrance recognized him.

“I’m just stepping outside for a bit.”

“Shall we lower the basket for you?”

“No need, that won’t be necessary.”

Zeon smiled and leaped off the fortress.

The sand stirred for a moment, gently cushioning his body.

Zeon landed softly on the desert, like a feather.

The guards, watching Zeon from behind, shook their heads in disbelief.

“That ability is seriously overpowered, no matter how many times I see it.”

“Doesn’t it look like the sand loves him or something?”

“That’s why he can control the sand so easily. I’m jealous. If I had that ability, I’d have built my own kingdom in the desert by now.”

“A kingdom filled with women as your citizens?”

“What else?”

“Haha! Just thinking about it makes me happy.”

The sounds of the guards’ laughter reached Zeon’s ears clearly.

Zeon chuckled quietly to himself.

‘My own kingdom, huh?’

Of course, it wasn’t impossible.

With his abilities, Zeon could locate water sources and create a livable environment in the desert. But having water wasn’t enough to sustain human life.

There would need to be walls to keep out monsters, enough food to feed the people, necessary supplies for daily life, a functioning system—there were too many factors to consider.

That’s why Zeon thought Jin Geum-ho was truly remarkable.

Starting from nothing and building Neo Seoul into what it was today was not something Zeon could do.

It wasn’t a matter of ability, but of will.

Zeon couldn’t help but admire Jin Geum-ho’s determination in creating a new human civilization in a world dominated by monsters.

Jin Geum-ho’s willpower was so immense that Zeon wondered what he would set his sights on next. But right now, Zeon’s thoughts weren’t focused on Jin Geum-ho’s ambitions.

What was important to him at the moment was testing the newly improved Inferno Gauntlet.

“Let’s start with the subspace…”

Zeon fully opened the subspace.

As the entrance opened, a massive suction force was created.

Shhh!

The surrounding sand was immediately pulled into the subspace.

It rushed in like a wave, filling the subspace.

Before, it would have taken less than a minute to fill the subspace, but the expanded storage area now devoured sand like a glutton.

It wasn’t until about ten minutes later that the subspace was nearly filled with sand.

He had left some space to store items he had organized into different sections.

“Perfect.”

Zeon smiled in satisfaction.

The expanded subspace now had plenty of room for items, too. This meant he could finally sort out the various items that had been carelessly thrown in before.

“I’ll leave the item sorting for later…”

Zeon closed the subspace and infused mana into the Inferno Gauntlet.

Immediately, the dragon’s eye embedded in the back of the gauntlet opened, releasing a tremendous heat.

It felt as if a volcano was erupting from his hand.

Zeon felt a rush of exhilaration as he experienced the raw power of the new mana surge.

He took a deep breath, calming himself.

Now wasn’t the time to get excited—he needed to assess the gauntlet’s performance objectively.

The easiest way to test its capabilities was to try out some skills.

“Let’s see…”

The moment Zeon visualized it, hundreds of Fire Missiles floated into existence around him.

While the power of each individual Fire Missile wasn’t particularly strong, launching hundreds of them at once was a different story.

Zeon fired the Fire Missiles into the heart of the desert.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions erupted in quick succession.

It was like watching an old-fashioned bomber rain destruction on its target.

The power of the Fire Missiles was incomparable to what it had been before.

A satisfied smile crept across Zeon’s lips.

It felt as if their strength had at least doubled.

“Next…”

There was still plenty of time left.

Zeon planned to test every skill he knew, one by one.

* * *

Bang! Boom! Boom!

The sound of explosions in the desert roused Lee Jung-ho from his sleep.

“What’s that?”

He threw on his robe and stepped outside.

The inside of the Steel Fortress was shrouded in darkness.

Unlike Neo Seoul, the fortress didn’t have generators powered by Mana Stones.

Naturally, it was impossible to imagine keeping lights on through the night like they did in Neo Seoul.

Here, when the sun set and darkness fell, people returned to their homes to rest. No productive activities occurred after dark.

That was the key difference between Neo Seoul and the Steel Fortress.

Neo Seoul never slept. It was always engaged in research or production around the clock.

For over a hundred years, Neo Seoul had developed its civilization this way.

As a result, it had created an ultra-advanced civilization that no other colony could hope to match.

Logically speaking, for the Steel Fortress to catch up with Neo Seoul, it would take at least a hundred years—probably much longer, considering Neo Seoul's ongoing advancements.

That was assuming the Steel Fortress could dedicate the same amount of time and research as Neo Seoul.

Lee Jung-ho thought it was impossible.

The Steel Fortress was a colony built in a relatively safe area, but it was too isolated, limiting its potential for expansion.

'The most this place can hope to be is a satellite city of Neo Seoul.'

Even that would be an impressive achievement.

Even becoming one of Neo Seoul's satellite cities would represent massive progress for this place.

It was a win-win situation where both could benefit from each other.

Lee Jung-ho couldn't understand why Zeon opposed it.

'He might be strong, but he's just a naive kid who doesn't know how the world works. To oppose such a huge opportunity…'

If he had more time, Lee Jung-ho would have pursued the plan step by step. But for now, the mission Jin Geum-ho had assigned him took priority.

'I’ll deal with this after I get the heart of Moby Dick.'

Lee Jung-ho headed for the entrance of the Steel Fortress.

The explosion he had heard since dawn had been bothering him.

When he arrived at the entrance, Awakeneds blocked his path.

"Stop right there."

They looked at him with wary eyes.

Lee Jung-ho was a guest who had only arrived at the fortress yesterday.

It was natural for them to be cautious.

"What’s going on since early this morning?"

"There’s been an explosion in the desert for a while now. Is everything alright?"

"It’s fine."

"Fine?"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure?"

"It’s not something you need to worry about, sir."

"Hmph!"

Lee Jung-ho's gaze turned cold.

The Awakened guards flinched.

They were overwhelmed by the sudden shift in his aura.

It was impossible for them to withstand the blade-like pressure of Lee Jung-ho, an A-rank Awakened.

The guards couldn't even meet his eyes and turned their heads away. It was a wonder they didn’t flee and were still standing their ground.

"What’s going on here?"

At that moment, Zeon's voice came from outside the entrance.

Lee Jung-ho turned his head to see Zeon sliding down the sand and stepping into the entrance.

Lee Jung-ho furrowed his brow.

"So, it was you! The one who woke me up..."

"Apologies. I had something personal to check on."

"And? Did you get anything out of it?"

"Well, a little."

Zeon gave a slight smile.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]