Chapter 41: The Desert’s Trials: Sandstorm and Starlight

“Phew…”

The group, having narrowly survived the attack of the sand whale, gazed down at the bubbling sands below with a collective sigh.

Despite devouring three camels and a man, the creature seemed far from sated.

It circled endlessly around the rocky hill they had sought refuge on, swimming freely through the sands as if it were water.

Occasionally, its massive tail would surface, sending waves of sand crashing against the hill.

“Damn it…”

It was a relief that the sand whale couldn’t climb the rocky outcrop, but the group’s predicament was far from resolved.

The relentless heat from the sun had turned the entire hill into a scorching oven.

Without shade, lingering there too long would inevitably lead to dehydration and collapse.

Faced with this bleak future, the group remained silent, their spirits as withered as their bodies.

Sweat dripped from their brows onto the heated rocks, evaporating instantly.

Below, the sand continued to churn violently, a clear sign that the sand whale hadn’t given up on them.

With a resigned sigh, I rose to my feet, drawing my sword.

Sssssring—

The sound of the blade being unsheathed drew everyone’s attention to me.

Their exhausted gazes turned questioning, filled with confusion.

Ignoring their stares, I began descending the hill slowly, heading toward the bubbling sands below.

Suddenly, Shah Khan shot to his feet, shouting after me.

“Se-Seris? What are you doing?”

“Trying something.”

“Stop! That creature isn’t something you can handle with a mere sword!”

I knew that. My modest swordsmanship wasn’t going to cut it—literally or figuratively.

Instead, I planned to use a different power.

A technique requiring intense focus, it wasn’t something I could use while riding Nightmare.

But here, stationary and without distractions, I could attempt it.

I called upon the strongest magic at my disposal, one that also demanded the longest preparation time.

Mana began spinning rapidly within me, drawing upon two opposing forces at once.

One hand was filled with searing heat, the other with biting cold.

My right hand infused the blade with fiery energy, while my left hand wielded an icy chill.

Bringing both hands together, I gripped the sword tightly.

The two contrasting mana forces fused into one, generating a fierce tempest that engulfed the blade.

Whooooosh!

“Se-Seris… that’s…”

The voices of the group were swallowed by the roar of the tempest.

At that moment, the only sounds I could hear were the thundering of my heartbeat and the whirring of the mana circle spinning within me.

The trembling blade, wrapped in a violent storm, seemed almost alive.

With a deep breath, I surged forward, plunging the sword into the churning sands below.

BOOM!

The ground erupted with an explosive force.

The raging storm tore through the sands, sending them shooting high into the sky like a geyser.

Sand rained down like a downpour, while the shockwave from the dual-elemental blast exposed the ground beneath the hill.

There, the sand whale lay writhing.

Its glossy, thick hide remained unscathed, but the massive, once-round eyes were now twisted in pain.

It groaned miserably, a deep, guttural sound.

Despite unleashing such a powerful attack, the sight of the sand whale’s unscathed body drew a sigh from me.

But it wasn’t surprising.

The magic I used was merely an imitation, borrowing the name of a much more destructive spell.

I couldn’t replicate its original power—the kind that could obliterate entire mountains or overturn this entire desert.

It was proof of how far I still had to go.

Still, even my imperfect spell seemed to have some effect.

The sand whale, which had been writhing beneath the surface, suddenly turned tail and began to flee.

Its violent thrashing suggested it had abandoned its hunt for prey.

With powerful sweeps of its massive tail fin, it disappeared into the sands.

“Haa…”

Breathing heavily, I slumped to the ground. The spell had drained nearly all of my mana, leaving my body exhausted.

Only now did I feel the searing heat of the desert and the fatigue creeping through me.

“Seris! Are you all right?”

“Magic…?”

Hearing the concerned voices behind me, I managed a faint smile to reassure them.

Though my arms and legs felt like lead, I wasn’t completely incapacitated.

“I can’t believe it… the sand whale fled…” Shah Khan muttered in disbelief.

As he said, the sand whale was gone.

Its departure seemed to have calmed the churning sands around us, which had returned to their normal state.

While waiting for my mana to recover, we convened to discuss our situation.

Everyone but me had lost their mounts and supplies during the attack.

After some deliberation, the group came to an unavoidable conclusion: attempting to cross this scorching desert on foot without food or water was tantamount to suicide.

Of course, Shah Khan wasn’t one to turn back. He declared his intention to press forward toward Starforge, even if it meant facing death.

To demonstrate his resolve, he handed an emergency flare gun to the others.

“I’m going. Even if death awaits me at the end of this journey.”

“Hmm…”

Shan and Sarja, however, decided to return, accepting the flare gun from Shah Khan.

It was an understandable choice. Given the circumstances, no one could blame them for prioritizing survival.

It was simply the way things had turned out.

“Hmm… Thank you for everything so far.”

“I hope you find it…”

With those parting words, Shah Khan turned to me, clearly waiting for my decision.

“I’ll go with you.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes.”

I nodded firmly.

Unlike the others, my belongings were still intact.

Who would turn back under these circumstances if they had a choice? I wasn’t ready to give up yet.

In the end, only Shah Khan and I set out together.

He subtly tried to share a ride on Nightmare, but a swift flick of its tail sent him stumbling back, leaving him no choice but to walk.

Since the encounter with the sand whale, it hadn’t appeared again.

To make up for our dwindling provisions, we hunted monsters in the wild.

Their meat was foul-smelling and tough, with a taste that was nothing short of terrible.

Drinking water, however, was less of a concern.

Thanks to magic, I could create clean water when needed.

And so, we pressed on, unwilling to surrender.

Days passed. Under the relentless heat of the sun, time seemed to blur, and even my sense of the calendar faded.

At last, the Guiding Star halted in the middle of the barren desert.

“Is this… the place?”

“Hmm…”

“Is this really it? Here?”

Shah Khan darted around the glowing starlight, flailing as if trying to grasp something unseen in the empty air.

“Could it be… below us?”

He refused to give up. Dropping to the ground, he began digging furiously with his bare hands.

The starlight, unmoving, continued to shine brightly in silence.

“Seris! Help me! It has to be under here!”

He might be right.

I joined Shah Khan, clawing at the hot sand alongside him.

We worked tirelessly until the blazing sun set and the cool blue stars and moon emerged in the night sky.

We dug wide and deep into the ground, yet no matter how much we unearthed, we found nothing.

“This… This can’t be…”

I climbed out of the sandpit, leaving Shah Khan behind as I began preparing dinner.

Shah Khan, still unwilling to give up, remained in the hole, refusing to emerge.

“Mr. Shah Khan. Have some dinner and then continue.”

“This isn’t right… This can’t be right…”