Chapter 357

Chapter 357

The driver, who had been focused solely on driving, stopped the bus and said,

“All the other vehicles have stopped. It seems we’ll be resting here tonight.”

Gaia still did not appear in the bus driver’s eyes.

Even though Gaia was only a few meters in front of him.

Gaia seemed to find that strange as well, widening her eyes as her tail swayed gently.

If the driver took just one more step closer, he would enter the perception-lowering magic circle. But he kept strictly to the line.

That was because Kim Jin-su had told him several times not to offend Zeon.

Even if it had not been for Kim Jin-su, the driver had no intention of approaching Zeon.

Long experience had taught him that excessive curiosity hastened one’s lifespan.

He was a bottom-rung Grade F Awakened.

As a Grade F, he could not expect decent treatment anywhere. He was lucky if he did not end up used as a meat shield.

All he had to do was drive all the way to the destination.

There were few jobs this cushy for a Grade F Awakened.

To keep a cushy job like this, he had to keep strictly to the line.

After saying only what needed to be said, the bus driver stepped outside first.

Only then did Zeon rise and speak to Gaia.

“Stay by yourself for a little while. I’ll just eat and come back.”

—Squeee!

“Yeah! It won’t take long.”

Zeon stroked Gaia’s head as she looked reluctant.

Then Briel said,

“I’ll stay with Gaia. You two go without me.”

“What about food?”

“Hehe! I packed plenty in subspace.”

“Okay! Then stay inside the bus, Briel.”

“Mm!”

Zeon and Levin left Briel and Gaia on the bus and got off.

Levin set foot on the sand and gave a faint laugh.

“Are they really that happy together?”

“Seems so.”

“How are those of us without whales supposed to live with all this sorrow?”

“Should I kidnap you a whale like Gaia from somewhere?”

“Ugh! No, thanks. Wandering around outside suits me better. If I had someone like Gaia, I’d have to stay home all the time.”

“Good thinking. If Briel hadn’t been around, I would’ve had quite a hard time raising Gaia.”

Gaia was psychically connected to Zeon.

Gaia was no different from part of Zeon himself. But the one who practically lived with Gaia at her side was Briel.

Because Briel looked after Gaia like a friend and a younger sibling, Gaia was growing into a bright, cheerful whale.

If Briel had not been there, Gaia’s personality would certainly have been darker than it was now.

Thanks to that, Gaia had practically become Briel’s whale now, but Zeon did not regret it at all.

Zeon and Levin went to where the people were gathered.

Kim Jin-su, the Awakened, and the porters had gathered and were preparing a meal.

Zeon looked around and said,

“You found a good place to camp.”

“Haha! After doing this for years, I’ve become quite an expert at finding campsites.”

Kim Jin-su spoke glibly and offered Zeon the seat beside him.

Zeon did not refuse and sat beside Kim Jin-su.

Kim Jin-su asked with a puzzled expression,

“I don’t see the little lady.”

“She says she’ll eat inside.”

“Then shall I bring her a meal?”

“She has prepared everything she’ll eat. You don’t need to concern yourself.”

“Is that so?”

Kim Jin-su brightened.

During a long-distance expedition like this, food and sleep were the greatest concerns.

Cases where an Armored Bus was mobilized, as in this expedition, were extremely rare.

That was because Armored Buses were very precious assets even in Neo Seoul.

Inside an Armored Bus, almost every basic convenience facility was installed. But that also meant it broke down easily, and it was so expensive that it was rarely used unless the matter was special.

In fact, this was the first time the First Escort Unit led by Kim Jin-su had mobilized an Armored Bus.

That alone proved how much Yu Se-hee was paying attention to Zeon.

Naturally, Kim Jin-su could not help paying attention to Zeon as well.

Among them, the one who worried him most was Briel.

In truth, she was a High Elf, but most people, including Kim Jin-su, knew her as a human girl.

He had been reluctant about her joining them because he knew how troublesome it could become if a young girl fussed over food.

But if she said she would handle her own meal, there was no reason to object.

The food the porters were busily preparing was preserved food they had prepared in advance. As with most preserved food, the preserved food prepared by the First Escort Unit was not exactly tasty.

In fact, it had no taste at all.

That was because it had been designed solely to fill the stomach and replenish energy.

There was no way a young girl would enjoy eating such food.

It was food that only those who had been through rough work, like Kim Jin-su and his subordinates, could barely stomach.

Zeon and Levin ate that food without a word of complaint.

Watching them chew each bite thoroughly, not forcing themselves to endure it, Kim Jin-su nodded.

‘As expected, they’re used to camping like this. I don’t need to concern myself with them.’

Kim Jin-su stopped worrying about Zeon and Levin and ate his meal.

While they ate, night fell over the desert.

Kim Jin-su set down his bowl and spoke carefully.

“You said we still have to go at least another week southwest, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“If it would not be rude, may I ask what kinds of monsters mainly inhabit the direction we’re traveling? We’ve never been that way before.”

Kim Jin-su’s eyes glimmered in the darkness.

If they could freely operate satellites and planes the way they had in the old days, they would have been able to learn the monsters’ habitats and classify them systematically. But after the world had broken down like this, they could not even dream of launching a plane, let alone a satellite.

Because of that, they had no choice but to learn the monsters’ habitats by running into them with their own bodies.

For those who traveled the desert often, like the First Escort Unit, grasping monsters’ habitats in advance was the most important thing.

Their lives depended on it.

So whenever they had time, and whenever opportunity allowed, they desperately tried to learn information about monsters’ habitats.

No one in Neo Seoul knew more about the monsters inhabiting the desert than Zeon.

It might have been nothing special to Zeon, but to Kim Jin-su, who had to cross the desert with his life on the line, it mattered more than anything.

That was why he swallowed his embarrassment and asked Zeon for information about the monsters.

Zeon did not dislike that side of Kim Jin-su.

He was not alone. He led an entire group.

For the survival of that group, he had to do anything necessary.

That was the duty of a leader.

Zeon recalled his memories from when he had passed through this place.

A moment later, information about the monsters flowed from his mouth one piece at a time.

“If you go about seventy kilometers farther southwest from here, a Flame Wolf pack should appear. I assume I don’t need to explain Flame Wolf packs to you.”

“Yes! We know well enough about the physiology of Flame Wolf packs and how to deal with them.”

“Good. After the Flame Wolves, there will likely be a Sandworm habitat.”

“Ah! Sandworms are a little troublesome......”

“I’ll take care of the Sandworms.”

“Thank you.”

Kim Jin-su brightened.

Sandworms were monsters that ordinary Awakened had difficulty dealing with.

Because they moved through the sand, they were hard to detect, and inflicting damage on them was even harder.

After that, Zeon continued telling them about the monsters they would face, and Kim Jin-su listened carefully.

Kim Jin-su’s subordinates also listened to Zeon while guarding the perimeter. They knew very well how precious this information was.

Zeon spoke to Kim Jin-su’s subordinates.

“There are no monsters near here, so you don’t need to stay that vigilant.”

“What? But still......”

“If monsters approach, I’ll let you know, so at least while you’re eating, rest comfortably.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Only then did Kim Jin-su’s subordinates lower their guard and gather around Zeon.

***

The next day, Zeon’s group left the campsite early in the morning.

Fortunately, no monsters had attacked, so the people were able to sleep comfortably.

Thanks to that, everyone was in good condition.

One of Kim Jin-su’s subordinates, riding in a buggy, muttered,

“Traveling with a Sandmancer is fucking sweet.”

“Fucking sweet?”

“Doesn’t it feel like we’re really enjoying the easy life? I never thought I’d sleep this defenselessly in the desert. I slept like a log.”

“Well, I did too.”

Kim Jin-su agreed with him.

For the simple reason that Zeon, a Sandmancer, was with them, camping no longer felt frightening at all.

When they went out on escort missions by themselves, they always had to spend the night awake with anxiety.

Not only did they post a night watch, they also set up all kinds of traps and alarm items. Even then, they were too uneasy to sleep deeply.

That was why, whenever they set out on escort duty, they steeled themselves for several sleepless days. Still, they had no complaints. They were paid properly for all that hardship.

At that moment, the window of the Armored Bus running beside them opened, and Zeon stuck his head out.

Kim Jin-su also stuck his head out and shouted,

“What is it?”

“There is a Flame Wolf pack two kilometers ahead. It would be best to prepare.”

“Thank you. Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Kim Jin-su immediately gave orders to his subordinates.

The Flame Wolf pack was not yet visible, but Kim Jin-su had no trace of doubt.

After going about one more kilometer, they could see the Flame Wolf pack in the distance.

The Flame Wolf pack also seemed to have discovered them, for they could be seen taking a wary stance.

“There must be at least three or four hundred of them.”

“Fuck! If those bastards decide to rush us, a few vehicles will get wrecked.”

“Even if we have to abandon a few vehicles, make sure the porters are safe.”

“Of course.”

His subordinate answered with fighting spirit blazing.

If vehicles broke, they could repair them or simply buy new ones. But if people died, they could not be brought back to life.

All the porters traveling with the First Escort Unit led by Kim Jin-su were veterans.

They had plenty of experience not only with escorts, but also with entering dungeons.

It was not easy to find such veteran porters in the slums.

They had to protect them somehow.

But their opponents were a Flame Wolf pack numbering in the hundreds.

Completely protecting the porters from them was absolutely not easy.

The porters driving the transport vehicles could not hide their anxious expressions either.

They knew that even though the transport vehicles had defensive power as good as the Armored Bus, it was impossible for them to fully withstand the attacks of so many Flame Wolves.

But they could not run away now.

If they broke away from the procession to save themselves, they were more likely to become the Flame Wolf pack’s target instead.

The porters stared at the Flame Wolf pack ahead with grave expressions.

Then it happened.

SQUEAK!

The door of the moving Armored Bus suddenly opened.

Zeon stepped out through the open door and climbed onto the roof of the moving Armored Bus.

Everyone stared in surprise at Zeon’s sudden action.

“Don’t tell me he’s going to fight them himself?”

“If so, we can relax.”

Relief appeared on the faces of the Awakened and the porters.

If Zeon stepped forward personally, they did not fear a Flame Wolf pack of that level.

Zeon spoke to the Armored Bus driver.

“Don’t stop. Keep moving forward.”

“Yes! Understood.”

The bus driver nodded and kept moving forward.

The distance to the Flame Wolf pack rapidly narrowed.

An ordinary Flame Wolf pack would have attacked already. But for some reason, the Flame Wolf pack did not attack and instead edged backward.

The Awakened and porters looked puzzled by Flame Wolf behavior they had never seen before.

Some Flame Wolves even tucked their tails between their legs and pissed themselves.

“What the hell?”

“Why are they......? Could it be?”

Kim Jin-su stared intently at the Flame Wolves and soon realized what had frightened them.

All the Flame Wolves’ gazes were fixed on Zeon.

The eyes with which they looked at Zeon were full of fear.

GRRRR!

ROOOAR!

Some of them were even fighting among themselves in terror.

“My God! Flame Wolves are afraid of a human? What in the world happened to make them......”