The Navigator's Bargain
Demian's lips trembled.
He stared at Zeon and Dayton in disbelief.
It had taken them barely ten minutes to slaughter every last Elharon warrior.
Zeon had at least struggled against Hammer Son, but Dayton hadn't broken a sweat as he brutally cut down the Elharon fighters one by one.
His attacks were so savage that the dwarf warriors and elf rangers he'd faced had fled in terror.
But no one escaped Dayton's grasp.
He killed them methodically, like swatting ants.
The elf rangers and dwarf warriors writhed in agony and overwhelming fear before dying, while Dayton admired his handiwork with a grin.
Even Demian felt a chill of terror at the sight.
Only now did he realize just how monstrous the men he'd crossed were.
"Dad!"
Demian looked down at his father's corpse cradled in his arms.
Bellov's face, now lifeless, still bore the traces of the horror and confusion he'd felt in his final moments.
"I told you not to take their commission! What the hell is this?"
Demian bit his lip hard.
Thick tears welled up in his eyes.
Not just Bellov—all the Awakened in the caravan were dead or gravely wounded.
The caravan that had shouldered Kamchatka Colony's finances was finished.
And the caravan's fall meant Kamchatka Colony's ruin.
"Ha!"
Demian sighed heavily, wiping away his tears.
His chest ached like it was being torn apart, but this wasn't the time to grieve.
He didn't even have the right to mourn.
This disaster was their fault—he had to take responsibility somehow.
Carefully laying his father's body down, Demian walked toward Dayton.
Dayton watched him with amused curiosity.
Demian dropped to his knees before Dayton and spoke.
"I'm sorry. I've committed a grave sin."
"Then die."
"Please forgive me just this once."
"Forgive you? You little bitchin', watch your mouth. You think I have to let you off because you ask nicely?"
"I'm not that shameless."
"Then what?"
"I want to make a deal."
"A deal?"
"Don't you want to know Elharon's location?"
"Do you know it?"
"Not yet."
"And you're talking deals? Is your head on straight?"
"As you know, my ability is navigator. If I set my mind to it, I can find any path."
"Ho!"
Dayton finally showed real interest.
What a kid.
Instead of begging with emotions, he was pitching the benefits of sparing him.
For someone who'd just lost his father, that kind of cold calculation was rare.
In a way, Demian was a valuable commodity.
"I'll definitely find the way to Elharon. So please spare me."
"Why should I trust you? You could be lying."
"As I said, our caravan is based in Kamchatka Colony. If I'm lying, come find me and kill me anytime."
Demian lifted his head and met Dayton's gaze squarely.
His face was streaked with tears, but his eyes burned with clear resolve.
Dayton smirked.
"You'd better keep your word."
"I will. Then, with your permission, I'll be on my way."
Demian bowed deeply to Dayton and stood.
As he passed Zeon, he murmured,
"Sorry, bro."
"……."
"If you ever need me, come find me anytime."
Zeon nodded silently.
Dayton had already decided to let him go.
There was no reason for Zeon to interfere.
In a way, Demian was pitiable.
He'd been thoroughly used by Elharon and the gold dragon Hai Elton.
Zeon and Dayton, meanwhile, had suffered zero losses.
They'd come out completely unscathed.
Demian, on the other hand, had taken devastating hits.
He'd lost his father, and most of his men were dead or injured.
In this state, the caravan might never recover.
Even as a navigator, the desert wasn't forgiving enough for a young boy to survive easily.
The road ahead for Demian would be as grueling as the one Zeon had walked so far.
"Wait!"
Zeon suddenly called out to him.
"What?"
Demian turned back with a puzzled look. Zeon gestured to the gear from the elf rangers and dwarf warriors.
"I want to leave handling these to you."
"Huh?"
"It's elf and dwarf stuff, right? Should fetch a good price. Or am I wrong?"
"You're right. Rare items like these could turn a huge profit."
The mana particle cannons the dwarves had brought were precious hybrids of science and magic.
They hadn't fazed Dayton, but they'd devastate other Awakened or monsters.
The elves' armor and human weapons would also sell for top coin.
"But I don't have the magic stones to pay for them right now."
"You can settle up later."
"Thanks, bro!"
Demian didn't refuse Zeon's generosity.
His pride couldn't afford it in his current situation.
Zeon turned to Dayton.
"Sorry for deciding without your permission."
"Hmph! Whatever. I don't need that junk—do what you want."
Dayton didn't even glance at the scattered items.
Trinkets like these meant nothing to him.
If he'd craved wealth and power, he'd have stayed in Neo Seoul and seized it.
What mattered was that Zeon was finally recognizing and honing his true potential.
He was pulling his weight—and then some.
At this rate, he wouldn't drag Dayton down in the crucial moments ahead.
Dayton looked up at the eastern sky.
Their destination felt close now.
Demian loaded the corpses and items like the mana particle cannons onto the caravan and left Death Valley.
He probably never wanted to linger where he'd lost his father and his family-like subordinates.
Zeon understood.
He'd have felt the same.
Zeon and Dayton, however, had no reason to rush.
The heteromorphs blocking their path meant they'd entered Hai Elton's territory.
His lair had to be nearby.
From here on, caution was key.
Rest when they could to conserve strength.
So they decided to spend a day in Death Valley.
Zeon gazed at the valley in wonder.
Carved entirely from sandstone, Death Valley held a strange beauty.
If the world hadn't turned to desert, tourists would have flocked here for the views.
After staring for a long while, Zeon suddenly removed his gauntlet. His wrist itched.
Looking down, his eyes lit up.
The third line was glowing.
Proof that he'd reached C-rank.
"C-rank, huh?"
It didn't feel real.
It seemed like yesterday he'd awakened as F-rank, and now he was C-rank.
In Neo Seoul, he'd have jumped for joy. But traveling with Dayton dulled the thrill.
And considering their next foe, it felt even less impressive.
Their enemy was a dragon.
Even half the power from legends and myths could upend the world.
Like nuclear weapons of old—or worse.
That was the absurdity Dayton meant to challenge.
Zeon couldn't even fathom it.
To fight something like that, he needed to grow stronger.
C-rank wouldn't guarantee survival.
"Whew. Still a long way to go."
Zeon sighed without realizing it.
Dayton watched but said nothing.
At first, Zeon had come under duress. But after the Neo Seoul Awakened fight, it was his choice.
Everything from here on was on Zeon.
His worries, his decisions—all his.
As Zeon slipped the gauntlet back on, he muttered,
"Gotta find a way to get stronger."
Others might say he was strong enough, but it didn't satisfy him.
Zeon's goal was to surpass Dayton.
He already handled sand well, but he needed mastery.
'Need a powerful single-target skill. Something that ends it in one shot.'
He'd felt it acutely against Hammer Son.
He lacked a decisive anti-personnel move.
Zeon closed his eyes, reviewing his skills.
Sand Blaster and Sand Missile were his closest to anti-personnel.
Sand Mixer was more AOE, devastating against monster swarms.
Sand Soldiers were still too basic for main use.
'That leaves Exion…'
Exion was his trump card.
Immense power, but he couldn't flaunt it.
Trumps shone when hidden.
'Sand lacks cohesion. That's why Sand Blaster and Sand Missile fall short. Need something stronger, brand new.'
Zeon pondered ways to amp the power.
Sand Missile already outdid Sand Blaster, so enhancing it made sense.
'Compress it more. Start with the shape. Trim every excess.'
Sand Missiles were child-arm thick, similarly shaped.
Suddenly, an iron orb flashed in his mind.
A round iron ball was a weapon in itself.
What if he ditched the missile form for spheres?
Zeon seized the inspiration, diving deep into thought.
Tsssh!
Sand around him floated up.
His focus moved it instinctively.
Dayton watched silently.
He'd been through this.
Crafting skills perfectly suited to his powers.
Grueling, but that's what forged him.
Following taught paths had limits.
Most puffed-up Neo Seoul Awakened took the easy route.
Dayton scorned them.
Zeon walked a different path.
That alone earned respect.
Dayton drew Clayon.
In the firelight, it gleamed an intense crimson.
Having absorbed Akaruk's sword, Clayon radiated greater presence.
Thud!
Dayton stabbed it into the ground.
"Friend!"
―You seem troubled, friend!
A human figure materialized before Clayon.
A man in his late twenties or early thirties.
Blond hair, blue eyes, tall and handsome—the picture of a Western heartthrob.
Dayton regarded him.
No substance—just a projection of his living self.
His wife's kind older brother.
His daughter's loving uncle.
Dayton's best friend.
And now, the soul who'd lost everything to become the sword's ego.
That was Clayon.