Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 181

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 181

The Pegasus Raid Force found themselves at a fork in the path.

Gesling, the Expedition Team leader, closed his eyes and channeled his mana.

Roarrr!

Undead soldiers emerged from both passages, filling them like a tidal wave.

Gesling opened his eyes.

“It’s the right path. I sense life over there.”

“You heard him! Block the left passage and advance on the right.”

Bronson, the Raid Team leader, gave the command immediately.

The Martial Arts Awakeneds moved swiftly and with precision.

Boom!

Their assault collapsed the entire left passage, burying the undead soldiers in the rubble.

With the left passage no longer a concern, the Awakeneds focused on the undead soldiers surging from the right.

“We need to find and destroy the core.”

This was where those with detection skills, like Gesling, proved invaluable.

“The core is hidden on the left side of their waist.”

While the Martial Arts Awakeneds held off the undead soldiers, those with detection skills pinpointed the cores. Then, the magic-type Awakeneds launched precise attacks at the cores.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With loud explosions, the undead fell, never to rise again.

By destroying the cores, they prevented any possibility of resurrection.

This was the method the Pegasus Raid Force had devised: not just attacking blindly but locating and destroying the cores to eliminate any chance of revival.

After countless trials and errors, they had finally discovered the way to conquer the ancient castle.

It was all thanks to the overwhelming presence of Lee Ji-ryeong, who had bought them time.

“Hold them off!”

At Bronson’s command, the Martial Arts Awakeneds stood their ground against the undead soldiers. While they held the line, the magic-type Awakeneds prepared their skills to destroy the cores.

Repeating this process, their defense and offense became as precise as a finely tuned machine.

Lee Ji-ryeong watched in silence.

This was why he had formed the Pegasus Raid Force.

Though he could have wiped out the enemies alone, doing so would have stunted the team’s growth.

For Lee Ji-ryeong to aim higher, the Pegasus Raid Force needed to grow stronger, becoming an elite force and a reliable foundation for him.

One could never reach great heights alone. A solid support system from below was essential.

He believed in collective growth over individual dominance, which is why he stepped back to watch the Raid Force in action.

So far, they had lived up to his expectations, though the casualties were higher than anticipated.

Suddenly, Lee Ji-ryeong’s eyes turned to Levin.

Levin, in a ghostly state, was unleashing lightning.

Levin’s signature purple lightning incinerated not just the cores but also the undead soldiers’ bodies.

Though lacking in precision, its power far exceeded typical lightning skills.

Lee Ji-ryeong was impressed.

As a fellow lightning-type Awakened, he knew he could train Levin well. However, Levin had no intention of joining him.

Levin had deep trust in Zeon.

As long as Zeon lived, Lee Ji-ryeong knew Levin would never follow him.

‘Levin and Zeon…’

A thought crossed Lee Ji-ryeong’s mind, comparing them like weights on a balance scale.

‘Interesting.’

Despite his thoughts, his gaze turned cold.

Bang! Boom! Bang!

Even then, the Pegasus Raid Force was diligently advancing on the castle.

The undead soldiers were no match for them anymore.

“Great! We’ll conquer this soon.”

“Keep pushing forward.”

The Awakeneds’ confidence soared, believing the castle was within their grasp.

Whirrr!

Suddenly, the walls of the passage opened, revealing armored knights.

“What now?”

“Undead knights?”

Their presence was far more intimidating than the undead soldiers.

Lee Ji-ryeong shouted.

“Everyone, be careful. These ones are on a different level.”

“Yes!”

Tension was evident on the faces of the Awakeneds.

They too sensed the formidable strength of the undead knights.

The undead knights attacked.

Whoosh!

Their swords sliced through the darkness.

A Martial Arts Awakened shouted as he swung his sword to counter.

“Don’t underestimate us, you rotten corpses.”

He was a C-rank Martial Arts Awakened, with the sword as his primary weapon.

His sword split into three.

One blade to counterattack, a second to create an opening, and a third for a follow-up strike.

Slash!

But his sword never reached the undead knight.

The knight’s blade sliced through both his sword and body.

“Ah, ah!”

The Awakened, unable to believe it, fell to the ground in two pieces.

“Dammit! Aura!”

“Undead using aura?”

“This is insane.”

The undead knights’ swords emitted a sinister black aura, something only B-rank or higher Awakeneds could use.

The Pegasus Raid Force was shocked that mere undead could wield such power.

A flash of lightning filled the passage.

Lee Ji-ryeong had unleashed his lightning.

The Awakeneds expected the undead knights to be fried by the lightning. But then, something unbelievable happened.

Whoosh!

[Translator – Peptobismol]

A black shield appeared in front of the undead knight.

The shield deflected the lightning bolts to the side. Though it shattered shortly after, it had still protected the undead knights from the lightning.

“An aura… shield?”

“This is insane. How can a corpse wield an aura shield?”

Only B-rank or higher Martial Arts Awakeneds could create aura shields.

This meant that the undead knights had combat power equivalent to B-rank Martial Arts Awakeneds.

While their power was similar, the undead knights held the advantage due to their nature as undead.

Unless their cores were destroyed, they wouldn’t die no matter how severe the injuries. Even decapitation wouldn’t stop them.

Moreover, the undead knights could use aura freely.

Using aura in both offense and defense, the undead knights began to overpower the human Awakeneds.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

The Awakeneds at the forefront fell with screams, killed by the undead knights.

The real problem arose after that.

Roarrr!

The fallen Awakeneds rose again, this time as undead.

“What the hell?”

“Why are they…?”

The reanimated Awakeneds had blackened eyes.

Now undead, they turned to attack their former comrades.

“Damn it!”

“These bastards have turned into undead!”

“If you die to an undead knight, you become one. Shit!”

The Awakeneds were horrified.

To them, death was an all-too-familiar companion—always near and ready to strike if they let their guard down.

They were prepared to face death and accept it calmly. But returning as undead was a completely different matter.

For the first time, fear appeared on the Awakeneds’ faces.

Lee Ji-ryeong noticed their unease and gritted his teeth.

‘No choice then. I wanted to save my strength for the boss fight.’

Even Lee Ji-ryeong had finite mana.

Using powerful skills consumed a lot of mana, which took time to replenish.

He had thus far intervened only when necessary, conserving as much mana as possible. But now was not the time for calculations.

Even at this moment, the Awakeneds at the front were being killed by the undead knights and then resurrecting to attack their comrades.

While they were barely holding on now, if the deaths increased, the balance of power would shift dramatically.

Their forces would dwindle while the enemy ranks grew, reversing the tide of battle.

He needed to end this before it escalated.

“Ha!”

Lee Ji-ryeong took a deep breath, preparing to unleash his strongest skill.

Crackle! Crackle!

Sparks erupted fiercely around him.

Seeing this, Bronson shouted.

“It’s the Thunder God’s Hammer. Everyone, fall back from the front lines. Now!”

The Thunder God’s Hammer, Lee Ji-ryeong’s ultimate skill, was what made him legendary. The Awakeneds who knew its power hurriedly retreated.

Levin, watching, looked puzzled.

‘How powerful can it be?’

Then it happened.

Flash!

A blindingly powerful bolt of lightning burst from Lee Ji-ryeong, far stronger than anything before.

The dazzling lightning struck the undead knights.

They attempted to shield themselves with their aura shields, confident from their previous success. But this time was different.

Crash!

With the sound of shattering glass, the black aura shields broke apart.

The unshielded undead knights were struck by the lightning.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Their bodies exploded like fireworks.

Normally, this wouldn’t prevent resurrection, but the lightning had also destroyed their cores.

The undead knights were obliterated, leaving nothing but black ashes.

It was as if the Thunder God himself had descended.

Elroy, observing the devastated passage, muttered.

“That crazy bastard. How can he be called A-rank? Isn’t he already at S-rank?”

* * *

Whoosh!

Fine dust scattered, the remains of what was once known as an Inquisitor.

Zeon had ground them to dust with Exion.

The Inquisitors couldn’t resurrect because even their cores were destroyed.

As the Inquisitors died, the tortured Awakeneds quietly passed away.

Even in death, they smiled, having finally found freedom.

“May you rest in peace…”

No more undead stood in Zeon’s way. Yet, he remained vigilant.

A dungeon where the dead roamed was the worst kind. It wasn’t just the difficulty but the unpredictability of such places.

Then it happened.

Swoosh!

A ghostly figure emerged through the wall.

It was a Grim Reaper, wielding a massive scythe.

The Grim Reaper pointed its scythe at Zeon, as if warning him not to come any closer.

This was the same Grim Reaper that had kidnapped Cha Jin-cheol.

With its robes billowing, the Grim Reaper glared at Zeon, signaling it wouldn’t let him pass.

Fwoosh!

Hellfire blazed in the Grim Reaper’s eyes as it stared at Zeon.

“You must be the final gatekeeper?”

[Translator – Peptobismol]