Chapter 73 #25 How to Quell the Sandstorm (4)
That absurd statement momentarily paralyzed my reason. What the hell?
[Huh?]
[You've got some serious skills.]
[Me?]
To be blunt, out of all the monsters that had come at us so far, I'd only handled a handful myself. Kim Jaeho took down that first rhino, and after that, Teika had obliterated every one that showed its face.
I'd dealt with the pack of dogs that jumped in midway, sure, but that was just a few wind blades flung from afar.
In the end, all I'd really done was pick our rest spot and handle the grunt work. Come to think of it, the only thing I remembered doing was feeding everyone nonstop.
[You handled your friends so brilliantly. I couldn't understand the language, but your leadership was crystal clear. And you taught me how to use my ability properly, too.]
I hadn't expected my casual advice to mean that much to him.
Honestly? I was thrilled.
Like, weirdly thrilled.
Back at the academy, any advice I tossed out usually got ignored or mocked. The only one who ever took it seriously was Jeong Hosan. But he was my best friend, so it didn't count as objective. Bluntly put, he'd have praised whatever I said.
Han Seohyun and Kim Jaeho followed my lead well enough, but they were still green kids.
This was the first time a proper hunter had acknowledged me.
Maybe I wouldn't even need all this pointless hassle. Stick by the guy dubbed the world's strongest, and problems might solve themselves in a flash?
But that fantasy shattered with Teika's next words.
[We couldn't have made it this far without Mr. Lee!]
Mr. Lee. I let out a hollow chuckle inwardly at that.
What was I even agonizing over? I could never accept that offer anyway.
To be honest, hearing the world's top hunter seemingly praise my skills had my heart skipping a beat for a second. I'd be lying if I said it didn't.
But Mr. Lee. Yeah, in the end, it was all fake.
Once I cooled my head and thought it through, I realized how ridiculous my momentary lapse had been.
Teika was impressive, sure, but he was just a twenty-one-year-old kid. With little experience like that, everything must seem novel and impressive to him. Compared to the elite support team that'd shadow him in the future, I was nothing.
Still, to avoid killing the vibe, I'd just nod along vaguely.
[If this expedition wraps up successfully, I'll consider it positively.]
[Whoa! For real? That's awesome!]
Teika bounced up from his spot like a kid, then started rambling on without prompting.
[Perfect timing—my agency's Korean-run, so we'd mesh great. Mr. Lee speaks English fluently anyway, so anyone would work, but having a compatriot around is a huge plus, right?]
Yeah, I knew. He was the guy who popped up on those national pride channels all the time. I even knew his name and face. Hell, it was building some weird inner camaraderie.
[Let's get some shut-eye. Rest up while you can.]
I reined in the excited Teika before he could spill more. He sounded a bit disappointed.
[Sorry, it just feels like those camp trips from when I was a kid. Ever since awakening this talent, I haven't been able to do stuff like that. Couldn't even make proper friends...]
Teika half-closed his eyes as he said it.
[Mr. Lee just feels... comfortable.]
He'd flip if he knew my real identity.
I shrugged and shut my eyes.
Exhaustion hit hard—I was out in seconds.
About four hours of sleep, crammed in this tight nook. My body ached all over. Should've pushed harder yesterday to make more space, even if it wore me out.
I opened my eyes to Han Seohyun's still-unconscious face. Nightmares all night? His scrunched-up mug looked pitiful, like a poorly made doll. I gently smoothed his furrowed brow and asked Ray,
'How's it outside?'
━Same as ever. Sandstorm's still raging strong.
'Better that way. Means we haven't hit the eye yet.'
The howling sandstorm outside was actually a good sign—safety signal.
The real danger kicked in the moment it cleared.
At the center, in the dead-calm eye of the storm, lurked the monster powerful enough to birth this massive tempest.
I roused the sleepers and fed them a quick meal.
"Ugh, I feel like death."
Han Seohyun's face was puffy as hell.
"Feeling better?"
"Nope. Not at all."
He rubbed his face and closed his eyes briefly.
"Urk, lost connection with the one I sent up."
No contract, just a temp revive, so short shelf life anyway. Plus, flapping hard to escape the storm burned through its mana fast.
"Hmm, that's not great."
"But I remember the last direction it saw. Evgeni or whatever stayed put, so let's head that way."
"Fine. And it's Evrika, not Evgeni."
"H-hey, names can be wrong sometimes!"
This why teens are a pain. I turned away from his needless grumpiness. Cave was tiny—no real dodging anyway.
Losing our flying scout hurt bad. Grab another mid-air monster? Nah, near the eye now, nothing around even with eyes peeled. Outside probably same.
Should've snagged one before Teika smashed that vulture yesterday.
No point regretting spilled milk. We had the direction—march straight like always.
"Everyone's stamina holding?"
Kim Jaeho nodded curtly.
He wasn't chatty to begin with, but since Teika showed? Mouth sealed shut. Barely any expressions either—super shy, apparently.
Huh. The kids liked him, though.
Teika was young at twenty-one, but hardened by trials, so he didn't look too boyish...
[Haha! Mr. Lee, good dreams?]
Nope, what business did that innocent kid have with words like that?
[Yeah. About to eat and head out— you good?]
[Yep! Perfect condition.]
[Too bad our scout buddy croaked. Gonna have to go by feel from here.]
[Oh.]
Worry flickered across Teika's face.
[But no monster movement overnight, it said. I got the direction locked—follow me.]
[Got it. I'll trust you.]
Those eyes, sparkling too much.
Ugh, don't say it like that!
Weak against the pure, untainted types.
I squeezed my eyes shut and wolfed down jerky. Meal over, we wrapped up tight again.
"Ugh, hate the mask."
I not only masked up but swaddled Han Seohyun head to toe in cloth scraps.
"Hold still. Once the storm ramps up, it's a weapon itself."
[You're a pro at wrapping.]
[Want me to do you, Cooper?]
[Nah, pass. Not into becoming a mummy.]
Joke or jab? That innocent delivery made it hard to tell. Kim Jaeho waved off my hands too. Fair—his skin was monster-tough anyway.
I pulled back the tarp. Time to punch through sandstorm hell again.
And we walked. Walked and walked some more.
No tricks to advancing through this—just trust my direction and keep marching. About four hours in.
Suddenly, everything went dead quiet.
"Ah."
We'd reached the eye.
Sky clear, all around silent. And far off, the beast birthing this storm came into view.
Insanely distant, but visible even from here.
Golden waves shimmered. The monster behind the sandstorm, Evrika, was a colossal bird of sand.
Bird, yeah—but nothing like the pathetic bald eagles we'd smashed. Dignified beyond compare.
Sand flowed over its body like elegant golden waves with every motion, its sculpted form gleaming like fine art.
And massive enough to see crystal-clear from kilometers away.
That was a top-tier monster.
Or hell, could you even call it a monster? More like a god.
━Yeah, the Desert God in other dimensions. Never thought I'd see it again here.
I nodded at Ray's words.
Desert God.
Fitting epithet, no doubt.
Problem? We came to hunt it.
Yeah, hunt.
No matter how beautiful, how divinely graceful it looked. It was an invader on our turf. Left alone, it'd wipe Australia off the map.
[Everyone, fall back.]
Teika strode forward confidently. I yanked him rearward.
[No, Cooper—get behind me.]
Teika was strongest here, sure. But vanguard wasn't his role.
[I'll take point.]
Didn't know its attack type, but only I could bail in a pinch. And I wasn't charging blindly.
"Seohyun, scout it."
Han Seohyun summoned a hound. It bolted across the golden dunes.
We were a good ways from Evrika—roughly 4km. The hound closed fast.
At first, the giant bird stood statue-still. Tiny hound scampering before it—like a grain of rice.
Ignoring us?
Illusion. The second the hound neared its wing, the bird whipped its head around.
And crushed it underwing in a blink.
"Urk!"
Han Seohyun groaned.
"Fine—dismissed it before the stomp."
Good thing I'd drilled him on faster dismissals. Confirmed: get close, sand engulfs you.
Body made of sand. Moves on wind—instantaneously.
Not sluggish at all.
That stomp? Lightning-quick.
Raw physics alone made it no pushover.
Needed more intel.
Our firepower against it?
Eh. Han Seohyun sucked against big targets—skeletons would shatter like toys. Magic beast? Just forcibly dismissed, cooldown pending.
Kim Jaeho? Could close in.
But sand body laughs at poison, cancels his physicals.
Real damage dealers? Me with multi-elements, or Teika's gravity.
Nah, intel too thin.
I eyed Evrika ahead.
No choice—body-check it for data.