Chapter 271

Chapter 271

Pabilsa stroked Archelon’s head.

“Archelon!”

Archelon kept its eyes closed and felt Pabilsa’s touch.

The wrinkled old man and the old turtle remained pressed together like that, sharing communion for a long time.

Claire watched Pabilsa and Archelon with both hands clasped tightly.

Merely seeing a monster that had become a spiritual creature commune with a human made her heart swell.

She too had a wish to someday grow old while sharing communion with such a monster.

‘Getting out of this gutter comes first, though......’

She owed Jin Geum-ho and City Hall a great debt.

Whether she could repay it even if she worked her entire life was uncertain.

Until then, she had to do whatever Jin Geum-ho ordered like a slave.

Blue light flowed from Pabilsa’s body and was absorbed into Archelon, who had been communing with him for quite some time. Then a little vitality returned to Archelon’s eyes.

Pabilsa had used Cure Skill to restore Archelon’s vitality.

It was a Cure Skill that only high-ranking Tamers could unfold.

Like Claire, Pabilsa also possessed Cure Skill.

‘Thank goodness. If the two of them take turns healing it, we can buy more time.’

Taking care of that enormous turtle alone was impossible.

Only if Pabilsa and Claire took turns using Cure Skill would they barely be able to reach their destination.

Of course, that was under the assumption that no problems occurred along the way.

Pabilsa said to Zeon,

“Let us depart before Archelon’s strength drops any further.”

“Yes! Let’s go.”

Zeon and the others followed Pabilsa and Kaylee onto Archelon’s shell.

The Mort Clan, who had originally lived in the village inside Archelon’s shell, had temporarily moved to Steel Fortress.

Because no one could hastily judge Archelon’s future, they were staying in Steel Fortress for now and waiting for its return.

For them, it was a choice they could not avoid.

That was how dangerous Archelon’s journey would be this time.

So dangerous that no one dared be certain it would return.

“Remarkable! To think a village actually exists inside a turtle’s shell.”

Lee Jung-ho, who was looking around the inside of Archelon’s shell, could not help letting out an exclamation.

He had heard that Archelon was a mobile fortress, but he had not expected the village to be this spacious.

He had been surprised when he entered Steel Fortress, but Archelon’s interior was even more astonishing.

It was hard to believe this was a village existing inside a living creature, because everything was fully equipped.

“So it is not called a mobile fortress for nothing.”

“They were called the Mort Clan, right? I understand why they lived on Archelon’s back for decades. I’m jealous too.”

Claire’s expression was one of sincere envy.

Pabilsa and Archelon had gone beyond the relationship of Tamer and tamed monster, and were like old friends.

Just by looking at the way they looked at each other, one could tell how deep their bond was.

‘Someday, I hope I can form a deep relationship like that with a monster like Archelon......’

WOOOOR!

As if saying it was ready, Archelon let out a great cry.

“Yes! Let us go.”

At Pabilsa’s words, Archelon began walking slowly.

It was slow by Archelon’s standards. From a human perspective, it was an extremely fast pace.

THUD! THUD!

Every time Archelon moved its massive legs, a heavy sound rang out, and thick dust rose.

“I never dreamed I would ride around on an enormous turtle in my lifetime.”

Lee Jung-ho murmured while sitting in a chair.

It was so comfortable that it was hard to believe he was riding on the back of an enormous turtle. If one had this kind of vehicle, going out into even the farthest desert would not be difficult.

Zeon also sat by the window and looked at the scenery outside.

There were several windows in Archelon’s shell, allowing them to see the outside scenery clearly.

Normally, they were open, but in a crisis, the shell would move and completely block the outside.

In a way, it was the safest and most perfect means of transportation in the world.

Even the various vehicles made in Neo Seoul did not possess this level of durability and defensive power.

Zeon stroked Archelon’s shell and murmured,

“How long can you endure? I hope you can hold out until the end.”

“It will endure.”

The one who answered was Kaylee.

When her eyes met Zeon’s, Kaylee continued as if she had been waiting.

“Archelon is strong. It will surely endure until the end and live again.”

Someday, Archelon too would grow old, fall ill, and collapse. But not now.

THUD! THUD!

Even now, Archelon was walking with all its strength. Zeon could not imagine Archelon collapsing midway.

---

As befitted a supergiant monster, Archelon’s head was extremely large.

It was large enough that three or four adults could sit around it and eat.

Thanks to that, Zeon could sit comfortably on Archelon’s head and rest.

Archelon did not seem to dislike Zeon sitting on its head either, because it occasionally blinked and looked up at him.

Its eyes were so clear and gentle that it was hard to believe it was a monster.

Zeon wanted to push the shadow of death cast over Archelon’s face far away.

Suddenly, his gaze turned to the scars on Archelon’s face.

They were wounds inflicted by the black sea anemone.

Its hide, which was so tough that it would not budge against most monster attacks, had become wrinkled and shriveled.

They were traces of its bodily fluids being sucked out.

It had endured only because Archelon was a monster specialized in defense. If it had been an ordinary monster or human, it would have become a mummy in an instant.

“It must have hurt a lot.”

WOOOOR!

Archelon let out a low cry.

It seemed to be saying that it was all right.

“Yes! Let’s do our best together.”

WOOO!

This time as well, Archelon made its unique cry.

At that moment, Claire climbed onto Archelon’s head.

“I didn’t know you were here. I was looking for you for quite a while.”

At the appearance of an uninvited guest, Zeon narrowed his eyes and asked,

“What is it?”

“Ah! I’m going to use Cure Skill on Archelon, so don’t be surprised.”

“Is it already time for that?”

“It’s been quite a while since we left Steel Fortress. I can feel this child struggling.”

“I see. Then please heal it.”

“Yes!”

Once Zeon gave permission, Claire placed her palm on the crown of Archelon’s head.

Just as Pabilsa had done, intense light also poured from her body and was absorbed into Archelon.

Claire, on the other hand, looked greatly exhausted.

It was only natural, since she had poured all her strength into healing the enormous Archelon.

If she borrowed the power of the Rainbow Pendant, she could exert stronger healing power, but she did not.

That was because Lee Jung-ho was watching her from a window in Archelon’s shell.

The Rainbow Pendant did not belong to her.

It was an item City Hall had temporarily lent her.

It was not something she could use carelessly at will.

Because of that, she had to heal Archelon using only her own innate strength. Naturally, even after pouring out all her strength, she had to be satisfied with barely maintaining its current state.

“I’m sorry! Right now, this is all the strength I can exert.”

At Claire’s apology, Archelon blinked its large eyes as if to say it was all right.

Claire stroked Archelon’s head.

“Thank you for comforting me. You really are a good friend. I wish we had met a little earlier. No, I wish I had been part of the Mort Clan......”

Zeon silently watched Claire’s shoulders tremble faintly.

He did not know what Claire’s circumstances were, but it seemed that she too was living a difficult life.

‘Well, is there any life without a story......?’

Zeon turned his head and looked at the desert.

There were as many lives as there were grains of sand in the desert.

Monsters, humans, nonhuman races—none of them existed without a story.

It was impossible to understand and embrace all those stories.

In the end, the subject of life was oneself.

Whatever choice one made, the result and responsibility were one’s own.

Claire had made some choice in Neo Seoul, and she was paying the price for it.

It was not something Zeon should involve himself in.

He deliberately did not look at Claire.

At that moment, an alien sight entered his vision.

Far in the distance, yellow dust covered the horizon.

At first glance, it did not seem like much, but Zeon knew well that this was not the case.

“It seems a powerful sandstorm is coming. Tell everyone to prepare thoroughly.”

“What?”

Claire looked at the horizon Zeon pointed toward with a puzzled expression.

To her eyes, it merely looked a little more yellow, and did not appear different from the desert’s usual appearance.

‘Why is he getting tense over that?’

This was the first time she had seen Zeon this tense since coming out into the desert. Even so, because it was Zeon’s warning, she could not ignore it, and she relayed it to Lee Jung-ho and Pabilsa exactly as he had said.

A short while later, Pabilsa, Lee Jung-ho, and Kaylee climbed onto Archelon’s head.

Lee Jung-ho’s reaction was not very different from Claire’s.

His expression seemed to ask what problem there could be with the yellow dust visible on the distant horizon. But Pabilsa and Kaylee reacted differently.

“That color is insane.”

“Is it a big one?”

“It is a very big one. Large enough to be among the worst I have ever seen......”

At Zeon’s answer, the two of their faces hardened.

“We have to prepare thoroughly. If Archelon were fine, we could have avoided it. How powerful will it be?”

“It is Grade CD. The entire area will be overturned, and the terrain will change completely. Low-grade small-class monsters will all be swept away without a trace.”

“Grade CD? It is that bad?”

Kaylee was so shocked she could not close her mouth.

Lee Jung-ho could not understand Kaylee’s reaction.

“Is that really so dangerous?”

“It is dangerous.”

“I feel nothing.”

Lee Jung-ho had opened Mind’s Eye.

Since it was a sense obtained by giving up his perfectly good eyes, it was naturally far sharper than ordinary senses, and its detection range was wider as well.

If that yellow dust were dangerous, he should naturally have felt danger first, but he still sensed nothing.

Zeon asked,

“How far does the area you can see with Mind’s Eye extend?”

“That is......”

Lee Jung-ho firmly closed his mouth.

The area he could detect with Mind’s Eye was a strict secret.

Because it was related to his attack range as well, it was impossible to tell Zeon.

Fortunately, Zeon did not press any further.

“That sandstorm is hundreds of kilometers away from here.”

“That is a sandstorm? Not just yellow dust?”

“It only looks that way because it is too far away. It is far beyond the range your Mind’s Eye can detect, Mr. Lee Jung-ho.”

“But I doubt a mere sandstorm can do anything to a giant monster like Archelon.”

“If it were an ordinary sandstorm, yes. But that thing is a monster.”

“A monster?”

“Occasionally, monstrous sandstorms appear. Those things display power beyond imagination.”

“Is it difficult to block even with your ability?”

“If I were alone, it would not matter. But right now, I am not the only one here.”

“Hmm!”

Lee Jung-ho let out a groan.

Even after Zeon said that, Lee Jung-ho still looked unconvinced.

Because it was happening in an area his Mind’s Eye could not detect, as Zeon said, it did not feel real to him.

Mind’s Eye was not omnipotent.

Mind’s Eye was a Skill specialized for combat.

It was more useful than any Skill for understanding combat and its flow, but it had nothing to do with detecting danger by seeing a natural phenomenon occurring from such a great distance.

More than anything, Lee Jung-ho did not truly feel the danger of the sandstorm Zeon was warning them about.

He too had experienced quite a few sandstorms.

That was because sandstorms frequently struck Neo Seoul as well.

Sandstorms were dangerous, but not to the point that a high-grade Awakened like him would feel a sense of crisis.

However, it did not take long for him to realize just how mistaken that thought was.

ROOOOOOOAR!

When the storm that had blown in from hundreds of kilometers away engulfed Archelon in less than an hour, Lee Jung-ho’s face twisted.

“Crazy!”