Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 275

Restructuring territory to make it more suitable for oneself is called “Territorialization.”

Territorialization is a type of authority.

Not all S-rank monsters can territorialize.

Only a select few, born with extraordinary traits, possess this ability.

The area affected by territorialization transforms into an environment that is most favorable to the monster.

In other words, within the black zone spread across the horizon, Moby Dick’s power would be at its peak.

Although they didn’t know the full extent of Moby Dick’s abilities or skills, it was clear that its power would be greatly amplified within that area.

Zeon crossed his arms and muttered.

“This just got complicated.”

“What’s so complicated?”

“Exactly what I said. In a territorialized zone, the monster’s power doubles, while we can’t use our abilities to their full extent.”

“Well, I suppose without sand, your power is halved, right?”

“To some degree, yes.”

“But I’m different. My power isn’t constrained by the environment.”

Lee Jung-ho grabbed the hilt of his sword, exuding confidence.

His weapon was nothing but a single sword.

He had never used anything else.

Although he was an Awakened, he had walked the path of a warrior.

Instead of relying solely on skills, he had honed his abilities to reach his current level through endless training.

He was unlike other Awakeneds who relied solely on skills or special weapons.

Even in a zone where a monster’s powers were magnified, his own abilities remained unchanged.

That was why Lee Jung-ho was so confident.

“No matter how strong a monster is, it dies just the same when a sword is thrust into its throat. Moby Dick will be no different.”

“I admire your confidence. I hope it really is as easy as you make it sound.”

“It will be.”

Despite Lee Jung-ho’s bold words, Zeon’s expression didn’t ease.

Unlike Lee Jung-ho, Zeon had faced monsters capable of territorialization before.

Not once had such a battle ended easily.

Monsters capable of territorialization were special creatures.

They transcended the limits of ordinary monsters and approached the realm of mystical creatures.

Moby Dick was likely one of those beings.

A fight against such an opponent would not go as smoothly as Lee Jung-ho imagined.

Zeon stared intently at the black zone ahead.

Though it seemed close, it would take at least another three or four days to reach it.

Assuming nothing unexpected happened along the way, that is.

But in his experience, something always happened at times like this.

Zeon turned to Pavilsa and asked.

“How’s Archelon’s condition?”

“Not good.”

“Do you think he can hold out until we get there?”

“He’ll manage, I hope.”

Pavilsa’s words were more of a wish.

He was hoping against hope that Archelon would endure.

“Understood. Please use Cure in advance to preserve as much of his strength as possible. Once we enter that zone, Cure will likely stop working.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“In a territorialized zone, most skills become ineffective. The monster’s authority governs the area’s laws. So, cast Cure before we enter.”

“I see.”

Pavilsa nodded grimly.

Of everyone present, only Zeon had experience with territorialized zones.

Even Pavilsa, who had wandered the desert for a hundred years with Archelon, had never encountered such a phenomenon.

Naturally, he would follow Zeon’s advice and prepare accordingly.

That was why they had asked for Zeon’s help in the first place.

Kailey turned to Zeon and asked.

“What do you need me to do?”

“As soon as we enter the territorialized zone, the monster’s aura will begin to corrode everything. You need to prepare to prevent Archelon from being affected by the corrosion.”

“Corrosion... I understand.”

Kailey nodded.

She was a high-ranking Enchanter.

No one could rival her in upgrading items or adding new options to them.

Whenever she had free time or acquired new materials, she never stopped using her abilities.

Though she often failed, there were times when she achieved great success.

When she did, unexpected options would sometimes appear.

Just like the subspace option that had been added to Zeon’s gauntlet.

As it happened, she had one more such item.

Kailey hurried off to the warehouse.

* * *

Thud! Thud!

Archelon struggled with each step.

It had been three days since they had first spotted Moby Dick’s Territory.

Throughout those three days, Archelon had kept walking.

And yet, they still hadn’t reached the edge of the zone.

“We should reach it in about a day.”

Zeon said, standing on Archelon’s shell, assessing the distance.

Sparks flickered around him and Archelon.

Even though they were still far from the zone, they were already feeling its effects.

It was as if the very Territory itself was rejecting them.

At that moment, a strange sight caught Zeon’s eye.

“What is that?”

A giant shadow loomed over them, blocking out the sun.

He looked up and saw a massive creature with its wings spread wide, gliding through the sky above him and Archelon.

It resembled a Dragon, though it was much smaller. But it was larger and more formidable than a Wyvern.

“A Drake.”

And it was a Drake covered in blood-red scales.

Such a large Drake was extremely rare.

An entirely crimson-scaled Drake was even rarer.

But Zeon had seen such a Drake before.

“A Crimson Drake.”

The creature soaring through the sky, as if it ruled the heavens, was undoubtedly a boss-level monster from a dungeon—the Crimson Drake.

Zeon knew this because he had encountered it once before.

Right after he had awakened, in his very first dungeon.

The boss of the ghost dungeon he had stumbled into had been none other than a Crimson Drake.

He had nearly died there, and it was where he had met Dyoden.

Had he not met Dyoden, the Crimson Drake would have devoured him, and he wouldn’t be standing here now.

The Crimson Drake’s bloody body was surrounded by a blue force field.

It had the same traits as the boss he had encountered in the dungeon.

But this one was much larger, and its force field was even more vivid, indicating it was far stronger.

“At least an A-rank monster. What’s something like that doing here?”

A monster of this caliber would have a clear sense of territoriality.

They didn’t tolerate other creatures entering their domain, and they didn’t easily encroach on other monsters’ territories.

Especially not the territory of a stronger monster.

That was one of the fundamental laws of the monster ecosystem, as Zeon understood it.

And that law was rarely broken.

At least, not in Zeon’s experience.

Moreover, this environment wasn’t even suited for a Crimson Drake.

Crimson Drakes lived in volcanic regions.

They thrived by swimming through lava. For a creature like that to leave its habitat and appear here was undoubtedly unusual.

Zeon frowned.

Another massive monster had appeared.

Thud! Thud!

A huge bipedal monster was lumbering toward them.

It was a muscular, bipedal creature wielding a massive club—an Ogre.

Not just any Ogre, but a Gray Ogre, known to be the strongest of its kind.

The Gray Ogre was a medium-sized monster, standing over seven meters tall.

Though classified as medium-sized, its strength and abilities rivaled those of large-sized monsters.

In fact, its cunning nature made it even more dangerous than most large monsters.

The Gray Ogre’s force field deflected most magic, making it an absolute nightmare for magic-based Awakeneds.

Any Awakened who relied on magic would be doomed if they encountered one.

Gray Ogres preferred specific habitats, and this wasn’t one of them. Yet, here it was.

“That thing must’ve been drawn to Moby Dick’s Territory as well.”

Zeon had never encountered Moby Dick before.

He knew nothing about its tendencies or characteristics—it was a complete unknown.

That’s why it was impossible to know what aspect of Moby Dick was attracting these A-rank monsters.

“The problem is, those two likely aren’t the only ones showing up here.”

While only those two were visible for now, it was possible more monsters would appear as time passed.

They had to enter the zone before that happened.

The one bit of good news was that both the Crimson Drake and the Gray Ogre were so focused on Moby Dick’s Territory that they paid no attention to Archelon.

Had they met in any other place, a deadly battle would have been inevitable.

“Moby Dick… A monster resembling the mythical whale. What exactly about it is drawing in monsters like this?”

Neither Lee Jung-ho nor Claire had shared any information about Moby Dick.

Of course, neither of them had ever seen the monster, so they likely didn’t know much either. But surely the Pathfinder Team from Neo Seoul had provided them with some information, yet they had kept it from Zeon.

They were being extremely secretive.

“What does Jin Geum-ho want with Moby Dick’s heart?”

Zeon had never questioned Jin Geum-ho or the City Hall’s motives before, but this time was different.

Moby Dick was just too unique of a creature.

They would encounter it soon enough, but Zeon couldn’t help wondering what was so special about Moby Dick that it attracted so many monsters and people alike.

Thud! Thud!

Even as Zeon pondered, Archelon continued trudging forward, steadily making his way toward Moby Dick’s territory, despite his exhaustion.

It was as if Archelon, like the other monsters, was instinctively drawn to the Territory.

Otherwise, Zeon couldn’t understand why Archelon was pushing himself this hard.

At that moment, Pavilsa and Claire emerged from Archelon’s shell.

It was time for the final Cure.

Up until now, they had alternated casting Cure, but there was no need for that anymore.

While casting it together wouldn’t double the effect, it was certainly more effective than casting it alone. So, both Pavilsa and Claire cast the spell together.

Fwoosh!

Bright light burst from both of them and was absorbed by Archelon.

The giant turtle’s face brightened considerably as the light took effect.

Meanwhile, the two spellcasters looked utterly drained. That was to be expected since casting Cure consumed a tremendous amount of mana.

Archelon lowered his head, meeting their eyes as if to thank them.

Pavilsa and Claire gently patted Archelon’s head, exchanging a moment of understanding and care.

Though their goals were different, their affection for Archelon was genuine.

Just as they withdrew their hands from Archelon’s head—

Crack!

The surrounding sand suddenly shifted.

Zeon, the first to sense something amiss, shouted.

“Get back!”

At the same moment, Zeon manipulated the sand to form a massive wall in front of the two.

The wall barely went up before something struck it with tremendous force.

Boom!

The wall exploded with a deafening roar.

Sand blasted out in all directions, showering Pavilsa and Claire.

Neither of them had any idea what had just happened.

They were still in shock from the sudden attack.

Zeon quickly manipulated the sand to pull them both back.

Boom!

A massive tentacle slammed into the spot where they had just been standing.

It was only then that Pavilsa and Claire snapped back to their senses.

“Wh-what the…?”

“What’s happening?”

Both of them stared, pale-faced, at the writhing tentacle in front of them.

Zeon jumped off Archelon’s back and shouted.

“It’s the Black Anemone!”

Shhwoosh!

Before Zeon’s words had even finished, a monstrous creature with countless tentacles rose from the sand.

It was the Chimera, the Black Anemone.

Atop the creature sat the Curse Sorcerer, Phantsy.

Phantsy cackled and shouted.

“Bessie! Devour that old turtle!”

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]