Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 319

“Grrr…!”

Eli glared up at the Punishers, her eyes burning with venomous hatred.

She was on her knees, both arms bound in mana restraints.

The Punishers had subdued her and locked the restraints in place.

But they hadn’t come out unscathed—Eli had fought back fiercely, befitting the second-in-command of the Northern District.

Had they not worked together to corner her, they would never have captured her alive.

Eli screamed at the top of her lungs, even with the restraints on.

“Hurry up and take these off! The moment I’m free, I’ll wipe you all out in an instant!”

“She’s still got quite the attitude. I wonder… would she quiet down if we cut off one of her arms?”

The cold voice belonged to an elf wearing a silver mask. Eli flinched for a split second.

The Punisher with a deep hood let out a long sigh as they watched her.

“Haa… How did it come to this, Eli?”

“What? Who the hell are you to talk like you know me?”

“You know me, too. I’ve been watching you for a very long time.”

“Then take off that damn hood and say it to my face.”

Eli’s bloodshot eyes locked onto the hooded Punisher.

Her vicious gaze made them sigh again.

A part of them wanted to remove the hood right then and there—to reveal their identity. But doing so would shatter the peace they had struggled to maintain.

If their true identity was exposed, people like Eli—and those hungry for power—would swarm them, trying to use them for their own ends.

To avoid such a nuisance, they had chosen to remain hidden.

Revealing their face now would only invite trouble.

Eli shouted at them.

“See? You don’t even have the guts to show your face! Do you really think living like that is right? Is that how Serian wanted you to live? Let’s be honest here—how much longer are we going to keep leeching off the human world? Elves are superior to humans in every way, so why the hell are we still hiding, acting like cowards?”

“…You truly believe elves are superior to humans?”

“Of course. We’re smarter, physically stronger, and our beauty is beyond anything humans could ever dream of.”

“Then why haven’t you declared independence? Instead of living in Neo Seoul under human rule, why not build your own kingdom outside? Or join the city your fellow elves built from Kurayan?”

“Tch…”

Eli hesitated.

The hooded Punisher pressed on.

“Let’s admit the truth. Physically, humans may be inferior to us. But they possess something we don’t. Do you know what that is?”

Eli’s expression twisted.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with an answer.

The Punisher sighed.

“If you don’t understand, then you’ll remain trapped in this delusion forever.”

“Enough riddles! What’s the answer?”

“Courage.”

“…What?”

“The courage to lose everything and still stand back up with nothing but their bare hands. The courage to face monstrous horrors beyond their comprehension. The courage to rebuild their homes, brick by brick, until they form a city. That kind of courage… is something elves will never have.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Elves are the greatest warriors!”

“Then why did we flee from Kurayan? Why didn’t we stay and fight against the apocalypse?”

“That’s…”

Eli faltered, unable to respond immediately.

The hooded Punisher gazed down at her, their voice steady.

“We didn’t have the courage to fight against annihilation. But humans—humans stood back up even after their world crumbled. That is the greatest difference between us. They have something we lack. That is why we cling to their world. And that is the truth you need to face.”

“You think I’ll fall for that kind of nonsense?”

Eli scoffed, refusing to accept their words.

The hooded Punisher let out a weary sigh.

“…It’s too late for debates. What’s done is done.”

Thanks to the Punishers’ intervention, Eli’s rebellion had been crushed before it could fully take shape. But they couldn’t prevent the cracks forming within the Northern District.

This incident would send shockwaves through their ranks.

Eli’s followers would resist, while Serian’s supporters would shun them.

It was Serian’s burden to mend the fracture.

“The Queen will have her hands full again.”

“There’s no helping it. All we can do is support her.”

The silver-masked elf turned to the hooded Punisher.

“There’s something else we need to deal with first.”

“Hm?”

“The Sand Mage.”

“Ah.”

The silver-masked elf exhaled sharply.

If not for Zeon, the entire Northern District could have suffered catastrophic losses.

“Breeding those insects into a monster like Gu… disgusting.”

“If it had escaped, the devastation would have been unimaginable.”

“We never could’ve stopped it without the Sand Mage.”

“We owe him. That much is clear.”

“That’s our way.”

Elves may not have the courage to rebuild from nothing like humans—

But debts, whether of gratitude or vengeance, were always paid in full.

It was the way of their kind.

In a world where they had to coexist with humans, rewards and punishments had to be precise.

The silver-masked elf sighed.

“…I have no idea how we’re supposed to repay him.”

“There’s no point overthinking it. The Queen will decide.”

“Hah… We just keep piling burdens onto her.”

“She chose this path. All we can do is continue supporting her from the shadows…”

The hooded Punisher turned to glance behind them.

Borin and the Blue Leaf Special Forces were slumped on the ground, gasping for air.

The aftereffects of their buffs had already hit them hard.

They had burned through ten days’ worth of stamina in an instant—meaning they would be suffering for days to come.

And despite their buffs, the Blue Leaf Special Forces had taken heavy casualties.

Cleaning up this mess would take a long time.

This day had left nothing but wounds.

“Haa…”

“Sigh…”

The Punishers’ exhausted sighs scattered into the air.

Yoo Se-hee stared at Zeon, baffled by his sudden appearance.

“Wait… Didn’t you go into Neo Seoul?”

“I was there until yesterday.”

“So you left today? What the hell happened? The entire Northern District is in an uproar.”

“You already know that much?”

“They’re keeping a tight lid on things, but it’s obvious something big went down.”

The moment things took a turn in the Northern District, Yoo Se-hee had tried to gather information. But before she could dig deeper, the entire district had gone on lockdown.

It had left her frustrated.

Zeon filled her in.

“The Spider Queen, the second-in-command of the Northern District, tried to stage a coup.”

“…Eli?”

“Yes.”

Zeon briefly explained Gu and Romina.

When he finished, Yoo Se-hee looked utterly horrified.

“If that thing had been set loose…”

“Countless people would have died.”

“That bitch was insane. Power-hungry or not, she went way too far.”

Even in a world where human rights were barely a concept, there were lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

Eli had obliterated that line.

“So… what happened to her?”

“She’s quiet. That means she’s been taken care of.”

“Good. And… who are these guys?”

Yoo Se-hee’s gaze shifted to the men standing beside Zeon.

One of them looked as anxious as a dog about to piss itself—Akashi, the scout from Helbrin Mercenaries.

Knowing he had helped them kidnap people to feed Gu, he was at a complete loss.

Zeon didn’t sugarcoat it.

“His name is Akashi. A scout from the Helbrin Mercenaries. Thanks to him, they managed to avoid the beasts and kidnap people.”

“…A scout? Wait. You’re saying he could detect the beasts beforehand?”

“Yes.”

“…My goodness.”

Yoo Se-hee shot up from her seat, eyes wide.

It was that shocking.

Awakened individuals with the ability to detect monsters in advance were extremely rare.

Yoo Se-hee shot up from her seat, eyes wide in shock.

Zeon’s words had stunned her that much.

Awakened individuals capable of detecting beasts in advance were extremely rare.

“What’s the detection range?”

Instead of answering, Zeon turned to Akashi.

His gaze made it clear—answer for yourself.

Akashi hesitated for a moment, but under Zeon’s silent pressure, he had no choice but to speak.

“I’m a C-rank Awakened. My detection range is roughly ten kilometers.”

“You can sense beasts from that far away?”

“Ah… Technically, it’s not a beast-detection ability but a lifeform detection ability. The only beasts I can sense from ten kilometers away are the ones with particularly strong life signals.”

“So… B-rank or higher, the large-class ones.”

“Yes.”

“What about smaller beasts?”

“If they travel in groups, I can detect them from seven to eight kilometers away. Solitary small-class beasts… four to five kilometers.”

“Hmm.”

Yoo Se-hee let out a low hum.

Her eyes gleamed sharply.

If she could detect large-class beasts ten kilometers ahead, she could avoid them entirely.

The best scout she had ever heard of could only detect monsters from three kilometers away—

And that alone was enough to earn them VIP treatment and special protection.

Yet the man standing before her—his slanted eyes betraying his nervousness—could detect creatures from ten kilometers away.

At this level, he was practically a human radar.

Not quite as precise as a professional navigator, but still an extraordinary talent.

Yoo Se-hee turned to Zeon.

“Hand him over.”

“He’s committed serious crimes.”

“I don’t care. We’ll wring more out of him than the weight of his sins. He’ll work until he begs us to kill him.”

“…Now that’s a response befitting the Queen of Goblin Market.”

Zeon chuckled.

To her, morality was a distant concern.

What mattered was ability.

As long as someone was useful, their past sins were negotiable.

If Akashi was utilized properly, she could open multiple new routes to the outside world—

For example, the Iron Fortress Zeon had mentioned.

If she could establish a safe passage to the fortress alone, the Goblin Market would reap massive benefits.

Whatever burden came with keeping Akashi around, the rewards would far outweigh it.

Yoo Se-hee smirked.

“I’ll make sure to repay you.”

“No need. Just take care of him.”

Zeon gestured to the man standing next to Akashi.

“And who’s this?”

“Bryce. An F-rank Alchemist.”

“An Alchemist? But… only F-rank?”

Yoo Se-hee’s expression flattened.

F-rank Awakened were a dime a dozen.

Alchemist was an interesting class, but not interesting enough for her to accept one blindly.

Zeon smirked.

“He can create sand hardener.”

“Sand hardener? What’s—wait.”

She froze.

“…You mean he can harden sand?”

“Yes.”

“…Shit.”

BANG!

Yoo Se-hee slammed her hands down on the desk.

It finally clicked—just how valuable this so-called F-rank Alchemist really was.

“…That means he can turn sand into bricks. We can build more houses.”

“Yes. Even underground bunkers.”

“Where the hell did you find this guy?”

“He was a survivor taken by the Helbrin Mercenaries.”

Contrary to what Hasim had claimed, the Helbrin Mercenaries had not handed Bryce and the other villagers over to Eli. They had simply locked them away in an undisclosed location.

Akashi, desperate to save his own skin, had exposed Hasim’s lie and led Zeon straight to them.

Zeon spoke.

“Bryce has family.”

“…Alright. No matter how many there are, we’ll protect them and give them a home. So hand him over, too.”

“That’s a promise?”

“I swear on my name. The Goblin Market will take responsibility.”

“Good.”

Zeon nodded.

At that moment, Bryce, who had been standing silently, suddenly began to cry.

For a man who had lost everything and fallen into despair, Yoo Se-hee’s words were like a ray of light.

This wasn’t the future he had wanted, but at the very least, the people from his village would now have a place to live—under the Goblin Market’s protection.

That alone was enough.

“Thank you…! Hic… Thank you so much…”

His sobs echoed through the quiet room.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]