Chapter 453

Zeon turned back after leaving the canyon.

El Harun, nestled between the cliffs, was nowhere to be seen.

The perception, dampening barrier and several other wards had activated, hiding El Harun completely.

Even so, Zeon had saved the place. Not a single soul came to see him off.

The only ones beside him were Liala, Uslan, and the others.

Having the Hall of Guardians’ master and leader of the humans accompany him was honor enough, but still, for what he had done, the treatment was too cold.

“Damn it.”

“Seriously, this is some bullshit.”

Even Uslan’s men couldn’t help but grumble aloud.

But Zeon walked with a calm face, unbothered.

Liala only frowned slightly, saying nothing as she walked beside him.

Seeing the two of them, Uslan and his men swallowed their complaints and followed silently.

They left El Harun behind and passed the Pankrena Volcano.

Even the elves guarding the gates beneath the volcano did not show themselves.

The Pankrena elf rangers stayed hidden, watching Zeon’s group fade into the distance.

One of the elf rangers asked his captain, Tagol,

“Was it really that human who defeated the Black Queen?”

“That’s what they say.”

“Then is it right to just let him go like that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean… even if he’s human, he achieved something that great. Just sending him off like this feels wrong…”

“Did we not open the Dark Dungeon to him as a reward?”

“Well…”

When the subordinate trailed off, Tagol’s glare silenced him. The elf ranger lowered his head.

“Giving that much to an outsider human is already more than enough. El Harun has done its duty.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If that’s still hard for you to accept, just remember how much we suffered because of that human’s mess.”

“...Understood.”

The elf ranger’s voice lacked strength.

Tagol didn’t like the look on his face, but he said nothing more.

Pushing harder would only backfire.

Still, as he watched Zeon’s silhouette grow smaller in the distance, Tagol’s eyes burned with hostility.

After the Black Queen was defeated, he had been summoned by Hera and harshly reprimanded.

It was Tagol who had allowed the Black Queen, Neria, to pass.

He was spared from punishment only because Hera had protected him, but the humiliation of that day had carved itself deep into him.

“Damn it.”

Krrrrmm!

As if answering his rage, the Pankrena Volcano rumbled violently.

＊＊＊

After leaving El Harun, Zeon’s group walked all day.

Under the blazing sun, sweat poured down their faces. Jupitero and Alonso grumbled nonstop.

“They didn’t even give us a single camel? Unreal.”

“To them, giving an outsider human even one camel is too much, apparently.”

“Man, say what you want, but these non-humans have the narrowest damn minds.”

“They’ve always been like that, but yeah, this is ridiculous.”

Normally, when a team went on expedition, El Harun provided either camels or vehicles.

The cars built there were poor in both engineering and durability, most broke down in no time.

So they usually lent out camels instead, but this time, not even that.

As a result, Zeon’s group had no choice but to walk.

Fortunately, they were all used to the desert and had enough stamina, but that didn’t make it less infuriating.

Liala let out a quiet sigh.

“Haa… If I’d known it would come to this, we humans should’ve stuck together when we first migrated to Earth. None of this mess would’ve happened.”

Before crossing over to Earth, they hadn’t known.

That the planet had turned into a desert wasteland from terraforming backlash.

The horror the settlers felt upon arriving was beyond words.

They hadn’t expected paradise, but at least a livable world.

Instead, what greeted them was an endless orange sea of sand.

The hostile environment forced humanity to ally with other races.

Liala thought that decision had been their worst mistake.

If she had been the leader back then, she would have chosen isolation over alliance.

It was too late now, but moments like this made her resent her predecessors for the choices they made.

Then,

“Beast ahead.”

“A twin-horned sand drake.”

Uslan’s men spotted something and shouted.

When Zeon looked up, a massive creature, ten meters tall, was lumbering toward them.

A huge lizard, its forehead and snout each crowned with a rhinoceros-like horn.

Zeon’s eyes lit up with interest.

It was a beast he had never seen before.

“A twin-horned sand drake, you said?”

“Yeah. A nasty one that lives only around here.”

“What’s so nasty about it?”

“People think it just relies on brute strength because of its size, but those horns are its real weapon.”

“Oh?”

“They fire lightning. Get too close thinking you can handle it in melee, and you’ll get fried before you blink.”

“Sounds fun.”

“That thought won’t last when you face it. Its hide’s thick as armor, and it’s wrapped in a defensive field.”

The twin-horned sand drake was a B-rank beast.

Its natural energy shield and heavy scales made it nearly immune to physical attacks.

And pure magic didn’t work well either, its massive body could crush spellcasters before they finished chanting.

Roooaaar!

Spotting Zeon’s group, the beast bellowed and charged.

“Damn it! That overgrown lizard’s gone mad!”

“Form up!”

“Shit!”

Uslan and his men cursed and snapped into formation.

Crack!

Lightning burst from the drake’s horns.

Uslan’s team rolled and dodged, striking back immediately.

BOOM! BOOM!

Their attacks slammed into the creature’s energy shield.

KRAAAAH!

Its roar shook the desert.

Lightning rained down as the beast thrashed wildly.

Zeon glanced at Liala.

“You’re not going to help them?”

“They can handle it.”

“You’re colder than I thought.”

“It’s a warrior’s duty to prove themselves.”

Liala’s tone was firm.

There was a reason she led the humans of El Harun.

Not only her strength, but her unyielding heart had earned her that position.

From the moment a child could walk, humans of El Harun trained in combat.

Other races mocked them for being obsessive or cruel to their young.

But humans had no other choice.

Beastmen were born strong.

Elves had natural mana sensitivity and awakened easily.

Other races, too, were blessed with innate powers.

Humans had none.

Their bodies were weaker than dwarves’, their mana lower than elves’.

Only through relentless training could they hope to defend themselves as adults.

A few awakened during that struggle, becoming fighters equal to other races, but those odds were pitifully low.

The unawakened lived as cogs in El Harun’s machinery.

That was their reality.

“Draw its attention!”

“Got it!”

“Yaaah!”

Uslan and his men fought with sharp coordination.

They had beaten impossible odds to awaken, and with that came pride and duty.

The will to fight for the humans who never awakened burned deep in them.

“Good! The shield’s down! Hit it with everything!”

“Raaah!”

“Die already!”

At Uslan’s command, his men unleashed all they had.

Moments later, the massive drake let out a final screech and collapsed.

THUD!

Dust rose like a storm around its fallen body.

“Huff… Huff…”

“Phew…”

Uslan and his men dropped to the sand, gasping for breath.

Liala nodded approvingly.

“Well done. Rest for a bit, then strip it for anything useful.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“We’ll get on it.”

They grinned, relieved.

Liala turned to Zeon.

“Let’s rest too while they recover.”

“Sure.”

They sat near the corpse of the drake.

Even though she hadn’t fought, Liala looked drained.

Zeon asked quietly,

“Hungry?”

“No. Why? Are you?”

“A little. I brought something.”

Zeon shook his head slightly and opened his subspace.

A black void appeared, and Liala’s eyes widened in surprise.

Subspace artifacts were rare in El Harun.

Most were held by non-human races.

Humans had a few, but they were reserved for missions, never personal use.

“You have subspace gear? Borrowed from Neo Seoul?”

“No. It’s mine.”

“So you’re rich.”

“I’m not poor.”

“Then I should stay on your good side. What’s inside?”

Zeon answered by pulling something out,

A steaming lunch box.

It was exactly as old man Kleksi had packed it before, preserved perfectly in stasis.

“What’s that?”

“You… carry food in a subspace pocket?”

Uslan and his men, who were resting nearby, gawked.

Zeon smiled.

“Come on, everyone. Take one. There’s plenty.”

“For real? We can have this?”

“Of course.”

He handed out the boxes one by one.

Liala sniffed the air and murmured,

“Smells amazing.”

“It should. It’s from the best chef in Neo Seoul.”

“Wait, seriously? This is from Neo Seoul?”

“Yes.”

Zeon began eating calmly.

After watching him for a moment, Liala and the others cautiously took a bite.

“Whoa… It’s delicious.”

“This is really from Neo Seoul?”

Their eyes widened.

The flavor was far beyond their expectations.

Zeon ate in silence, smiling faintly.

After days in El Harun, he’d realized one thing, the food there was terrible.

Too many races meant too many palates, and humans couldn’t cater to their own tastes.

Beastmen preferred raw meat. Elves were strict vegetarians. Dwarves had no sense of flavor to speak of.

Humans were too busy surviving to care about cuisine.

As a result, El Harun’s culinary level was rock bottom.

Zeon’s food was a revelation to them.

“Holy crap, this is insane.”

“So Neo Seoul people eat like this every day?”

“Now that’s living.”