#177. Wasteland (4)
—
What was chasing after the bus was a massive worm.
Its body, oozing with some unidentified slime, slithered across the ground at a terrifying speed.
Its mouth, gaping like a cave.
Hundreds of densely packed teeth were smeared with decayed flesh and wet sand.
*‘Sandworm.’*
A monster of the wastelands that resides underground and devours anything that touches its mouth.
Gaiole had explained it in advance, so its identity was immediately clear.
And there were vague remnants of its image in Binjin’s memories as well.
*─KIIIIII!*
The moment the creature spotted Ray atop the bus, it lunged forward.
*Fwoosh!*
A fireball burst from Ray’s hand and hurtled straight into the creature’s mouth.
Just before its massive jaws could swallow him—
*BOOOOM──!*
An explosion erupted.
With a ghastly shriek, the sandworm writhed across the earth and tumbled off into the distance.
Then it stopped.
Not even a twitch, as if dead.
A clean elimination—but the real problem was that this wasn’t the only one chasing them.
*‘There must be at least twenty of them.’*
Sandworms were kicking up dirt as they closely pursued the rear of the convoy.
The uneven ground rising and falling indicated that others were tunneling underground, tracking them from below.
*─Team A! Team A! Form up for support!*
*─These sons of bitches! Who do they think they’re hunting?!*
The frantic voices of the members rang nonstop in Ray’s ears through the communication device.
*RATATATATATA──!*
Weapons mounted on jeeps and trucks unleashed relentless gunfire.
*BOOM─!*
*SHHREEEEE─!*
Around the vehicles carrying mages, fireballs and spears of ice formed in the air and shot toward the sandworms.
There was no panic or disarray.
*‘Better than expected.’*
Gaiole, the commander-in-chief, was surely giving orders to each vehicle via radio, but even so, the response was impressively coordinated and composed.
It was what you’d expect from a team made up of seasoned, proven veterans.
Even the ambushes from sandworms erupting from underground—
*Screeeech──!*
*Screeeeech──!*
—were all narrowly but successfully dodged by the vehicles weaving in sharp arcs.
Gaiole reportedly had an expensive detection device that could read vibrations underground in fine detail.
He was likely predicting the sandworms’ movements and issuing preemptive commands accordingly.
*BOOM─!*
*KIIIII!*
Ray incinerated a sandworm that approached the bus with another fireball, then suddenly noticed the wind had stopped.
A translucent white protective barrier had formed a dome around the bus.
Veronica’s face popped up through the roof hatch.
“Ray! The barrier’s up! As long as you stay inside, you’ll be safe—”
*Thump!*
Ray launched himself out of the barrier the moment she said that.
Behind the boy slicing through the air, the girl’s voice trailed after him.
*─No! That’s another reckless move!*
*‘I can’t hear a thing with this wind.’*
Actually, he could hear it.
But he had long since built up resistance to her nagging, so it wasn’t a problem.
Even if he got hurt a little, it would be solved by a few smacks on the back later.
After all, no matter how angry Veronica got, she’d always use her healing magic in the end.
The boy had already grasped this natural law.
Ray was targeting a jeep running to the rear right of the bus.
*─Die! Please die, you monster bastard!*
*─Support! Anyone?! Someone help, please!*
Desperate cries were carried through the wind.
Behind the jeep—
A sandworm far larger than the others was giving chase.
*RATATATATA──!*
A team member standing on the roof hatch fired continuously, but it didn’t seem to do much damage.
*‘Its outer shell is much thicker than the others.’*
Ray landed on the jeep roof with that judgment.
*THUD─!*
“W-Who…?!”
Before the soldier could even turn to look—
*Thump!*
Ray leapt again.
In a split second—
His vision soared upward.
A sandworm’s head appeared before his eyes, but Ray didn’t stop.
*CRUNCH!*
He twisted his body, narrowly dodging the sandworm’s snapping jaws.
Then he conjured a stone platform beneath his feet, leaping again through the air in quick succession.
Below, the scene unfolded:
Vehicles racing through the wasteland, sandworms in pursuit.
*WUUUUUNG─!*
Under the hazy sunlight—
A powerful chill began to gather in the boy’s hand.
After reaching the 3rd Circle, there had been a shift in the elemental composition of his mana circle.
The mana occupying the largest portions, after the pink of sorrow and the red of anger—
—was blue: the mana that symbolized indifference toward oneself.
As the chill gathered, it began to take form as Ray fell.
*Crack! Crackle!*
A blue figure emerged—taking the shape of a massive spear.
Using wind-type elements, the boy accelerated mid-air.
As the spear neared completion, its tip pointed downward.
Its target was clear.
*‘The top of the sandworm’s head.’*
Its breathing hole—the vital spot.
Binjin’s memories had noted that a direct hit there could instantly kill a sandworm.
The sandworm tried to lift its head, but the boy’s descent was faster.
*BOOOOOOM───!*
A deafening roar shook the ground, sending gritty dust into the air.
The members around the jeep and nearby vehicles watched in stunned silence.
─────
As the dust gradually cleared—
Like a mounted insect specimen, the sandworm’s head had been pinned to the ground by the frozen spear.
*Tap!*
A landing sound on the jeep’s roof.
The stunned soldier turned his head and saw the boy—expression calm, as if nothing had happened.
“…….”
He was speechless.
The mages he knew were powerful spellcasters, but always needed protection due to their vulnerability in close-range combat.
Yet this boy had hurled himself into danger and brought down a sandworm in one strike.
It was hard to believe even after witnessing it.
Barely recovering, the soldier stammered out his words.
“Th-thank you for your help.”
Ray didn’t respond.
He merely surveyed the situation with his usual calm gaze.
*‘There are still too many left. If we take them out one by one, it’ll never end.’*
Sandworms had a habit of chasing prey until it was dead.
In other words—
The situation wouldn’t end until there were casualties.
But that’s when the unexpected happened.
*BOOM─!*
A van at the far end of the convoy flipped over after being struck by a sandworm bursting from the ground.
And the rest of the sandworms that had been chasing other vehicles immediately swarmed toward that location.
Panic ensued.
Then Gaiole’s voice rang out through their communicators.
*─It’s too late to save them! All units, evacuate the area immediately!*
—
The expedition team stopped their vehicles at a point far enough from the sandworm nesting ground.
The members murmured.
“They must’ve died, huh?”
“Obviously.”
“I think there were three people in that van.”
The atmosphere was gloomy.
Even though the expedition was made up of hardened mercenaries…
And even if the deceased weren’t particularly close…
It was hard to stay calm after witnessing death and disaster firsthand.
Gaiole gathered the entire team.
“The deceased are three members of Team B—Vapor, Talon, and Crocus. They ignored my orders. I detected the sandworms and told them to veer right. But they turned left instead and were overturned by an attack.”
His voice was heavy.
“It was probably too chaotic for them to hear my instructions properly. Or maybe they didn’t trust my judgment. Regardless, it’s my fault. I should have anticipated and accounted for such a situation. As the commander, I bear responsibility, and I apologize.”
Gaiole bowed deeply.
Ray could see the anger and resentment in the members’ vessels gradually subsiding.
“…The journey to the ruins will be harsh and full of unthinkable challenges. I possess some knowledge about them. There may be times when my instructions don’t make sense—but there will always be a reason. So I ask you to trust me and follow them.”
Now the mistrust lingering in the members’ vessels faded even more.
“I always think and plan for the good of the entire expedition. Though we’ve lost members, there’s no reason to sink into despair.”
Gaiole raised his hand and pointed to the far horizon.
“Because at the ruins over there, treasures that will make us unimaginably rich are waiting.”
And at that moment—
Unable to suppress their swelling emotions, the members broke out into wild cheers.
The negativity in their vessels rapidly diminished, replaced by greed and expectation.
“Gaiole! Gaiole!”
“Gaiole! Gaiole!”
Watching the chants directed at Gaiole, Ray thought:
*‘Not bad.’*
He had clearly placed the blame on the deceased, yet took partial responsibility to avoid resentment.
Then he smoothly redirected attention to the ruins to lift morale and strengthen his position within the team.
Just as Ray had sensed before… the man was very skilled at handling people.
Later, during a break and equipment check, Demper approached Ray.
“Hey kid, you heard him earlier, right?”
Ray narrowed his eyes as Demper glared at him.
“…….”
“…….”
Passing by, Veronica smacked Ray on the back.
*SLAP!*
“Again! That’s bad for your eyes!”
Ray didn’t react.
Veronica shook her head in exasperation.
“Sigh, boys…”
She came back from the bus carrying eye drops.
As she admired Ray’s well-balanced features, she waited for the odd little pride battle to end.
Time passed.
“Damn it! You’re a machine, aren’t you?! Not even human!”
Defeated again, Demper rubbed his reddened eyes.
Veronica put drops in Ray’s bloodshot eyes and said:
“Ray’s human. Not a machine.”
“Veronica, my eyes sting.”
“That means you did something super dumb. That’s the signal, Ray.”
“I think you can stop now. The label said two drops. Not the whole bottle.”
“Shh. Quiet now. Sir, would you like some too?”
“Oh, thank you, miss.”
“You’re welcome.”
Using the drops Veronica offered with the grace of a lady, Demper blinked a few times and said:
“Anyway, kid. Like I said—do yourself a favor and always follow Gaiole’s orders if you want to stay alive.”
Ray blinked a few times too, now seeing clearly again.
He examined Demper’s vessel.
*‘Strong goodwill toward me.’*
He wasn’t sure why, but it seemed Demper had taken a liking to him.
That’s probably why he came to repeat Gaiole’s warning personally.
Then Ray noticed something else in Demper’s vessel.
*‘That’s…’*
Right beside the thick trust in Gaiole—
A tiny fragment of doubt that he hadn’t noticed before.
So small that even the person himself probably didn’t recognize it.
“…….”
Ray thought for a moment before reaching a conclusion.
Since Demper had shown him goodwill, he should return the gesture somehow.
He opened his mouth and asked:
“You said you’ve worked with Gaiole for a long time, right?”
“Yeah. At least five years leading expeditions together.”
“Do you think he’s trustworthy?”
“What?”
“Hasn’t he ever seemed… suspicious?”
“What are you—”
Just as Demper started to speak, other members approached.
They were the members of the Jeep that had overcome the crisis thanks to Ray.
“Thank you, Mage.”
“If it weren’t for you, we’d be on the casualty list right now.”
“Truly, thank you so much.”
They bowed deeply to Ray, expressing their gratitude.
Afterward, they didn’t leave the spot and tried to keep the conversation going somehow, even if it was just a word more.
At some point—
“Are you really a 1st Circle mage?”
“I’ve met quite a few mages, but I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“We look forward to working with you in the future.”
Ray was now surrounded by members from various teams, regardless of affiliation.
It was because they wanted to make a good impression on a mage who had proven such powerful combat strength.
In other words—
It meant that Ray appeared more reliable than the mage on their own team.
“……”
Ray cast his gaze beyond the gathered members.
The male and female mages in their twenties from Teams A and B were looking this way with displeased expressions.
Lady Grine from Team C and her disciples were watching with eyes full of curiosity and interest.
And as for Gaiole—
He was brimming with intense wariness toward Ray.
Ray didn’t take his eyes off Gaiole as he approached.
