#Chapter 179: *Wasteland (6)*
—
What was reflected in the boy’s eyes was a sandstorm of staggering height.
Beneath the night sky, the thick clouds of dust looked like the violent breath of an enraged giant.
And within it—
────!
Along the whirling winds, flames and ice shards scattered, and lightning crashed.
‘…When did it form?’
It was a mana storm.
An abnormal phenomenon where mana, pooled and saturated within space, could no longer withstand the pressure and suddenly entangled into chaos.
Due to the influence of specific elements, no sound or trace of mana was present—hence it was also called the “Silent Death of the Wasteland.”
He turned his head to check the opposite side.
…Sky, horizon, earth.
No matter where he looked, it was all sand and dust clouds.
It seemed they were already surrounded and at the center of the storm.
Ray, making a quick judgment, gave orders to Gaiole, who had collapsed.
“Go, wake the others.”
“……!”
Coughing and wheezing, Gaiole grasped the situation and hurriedly ran toward the vehicles.
His body was drenched in cold sweat and his steps unsteady—evidence that the mysterious drug’s effects were taking hold.
‘…It’s not something I need to worry about.’
Ray quickly moved to the other vehicles and knocked on the doors to rouse the people inside.
In less than a minute, the entire team had gathered around the campfire.
“W-what the hell is that?”
“Dear god…!”
Those who saw the storm were struck with shock and fear.
Some collapsed to the ground, their legs giving out; others stood frozen, their faces blank with disbelief.
It was an experience no one had ever gone through before.
The overwhelming violence wielded by nature instilled a suffocating fear.
Amid the stunned team members, Gaiole frantically moved about and pointed a finger at Ray.
“That bastard! He tried to kill me! He tried to kill me, I tell you!”
But no one took his words seriously.
“E-excuse me? What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”
“Are you… drunk or something?”
There were no visible injuries on Gaiole’s body, and more importantly—
The immediate threat was the disaster unfolding before their eyes.
“Gaiole-nim, what should we do?”
“Please give us instructions!”
The team members gathered around Gaiole with eyes full of hope and expectation.
The expedition leader must surely possess the knowledge to get them through this crisis.
“Captain…!”
“Please, give the order…!”
Surrounded by the team, Gaiole was visibly panicking.
His lips moved silently, unable to utter a word. His complexion turned deathly pale—likely the drug spreading through his body.
“T-that phenomenon is…!”
Watching the stammering Gaiole, Ray could tell.
That this man, so different inside from how he appeared outside, didn’t know anything about mana storms.
‘In a way, it makes sense.’
Even Binjin, who had dedicated his life to ruin explorations, had only encountered a mana storm once.
Ray focused his mind, feeling that more related memories might rise.
Fragments of shattered memories pieced together to form a picture—
Binjin holding up a barrier at the storm’s center.
Rather than forcing their way through, staying inside was safer.
As he reached that conclusion—
“…….”
“…….”
Ray met eyes with Gaiole.
In his vessel, fierce anger and competitive fire burned.
“This is a common sandstorm in the wasteland! We must hurry and escape before we’re isolated inside!”
As if waiting for those words, the team looked visibly relieved.
“Move! We have to get out before the storm intensifies!”
“Pack up! There’s no time to waste!”
Following Gaiole’s orders, the team scattered, busily preparing to depart.
Through the movement, Veronica and Jang approached Ray.
“Ray! Are you hurt?”
“Master, are you alright?”
Ray glanced briefly at the concern in their vessels and then explained the principle of why it was safer to stay within the storm.
“…So, the manifestation and power level of magic are weakest at the center.”
“Got it!”
“I don’t really understand… but I get that it’s better to stay put.”
Though they hadn’t reacted to Gaiole’s words, their unease and fear quickly faded with Ray’s explanation.
“Hurry! Move!”
Tents were folded, cooking tools packed, and engines started.
Rumble—
Dust danced chaotically in the glow of the vehicle lights.
Amid the bustle, a team member approached Ray’s group, sensing something odd.
“M-mage! You need to move! You need to get ready to leave!”
Ray stared back without responding.
Then—
“If you want to live, it’s better to stay here. The storm likely spreads far beyond sight, and the weakest part is at the center.”
He spoke using a voice amplification spell.
His voice rang out loudly, piercing everyone’s ears and halting their movements.
“H-he said to stay put?”
“He said this is where the storm is weakest…”
Soon, Gaiole’s shout broke through.
“What are you doing?! Move! Do you all want to die in the storm like fools?!”
Storming over, Gaiole spoke loudly enough for all to hear.
“Ray-kun, are you out of your mind, joking in a crisis like this? Just because your magic skills are impressive, do you think you can belittle others? I’m the one in command here!”
Whether due to the drug or fear, Gaiole looked ready to collapse.
But he still seemed capable of rational thought—
Which made him all the more desperate to assert his authority.
Ray ignored him and spoke again.
“If you want to live, stay here.”
“Everyone move! Hurry! If we don’t break through now, we’ll die!”
Bloodshot eyes met the boy’s calm gaze.
“…….”
“…….”
Truthfully, Ray wanted to eliminate Gaiole right then and there.
After all, he had acted with malicious intent.
But the reason he didn’t act was—
‘…If Gaiole dies, the team will be thrown into chaos.’
He judged that it wouldn’t help the current situation.
Then a thought struck him.
‘Do I want to save these people?’
The reason he’d joined the expedition was to borrow the strength and knowledge of others.
But they had done little to help him.
The appearance of the sandworm.
Earthquakes and landslides.
The crises they had faced so far were formidable, but manageable without help.
From a purely practical standpoint, going solo was more efficient.
In other words—
“…….”
At this moment, from Ray’s perspective, what happened to the other team members didn’t really matter.
Yet he couldn’t ignore the faint emotion that had risen.
Perhaps it was a sliver of concern.
‘Am I starting to mirror Veronica and Philip’s way of thinking?’
Mirror… something?
He vaguely remembered a psychological term for this phenomenon but couldn’t recall it.
In any case, killing Gaiole right now wouldn’t help.
Seeing that Ray hadn’t made a move, Gaiole grew more confident.
“What are you thinking? You want everyone to die?”
“I just stated the facts.”
“Ridiculous. Stay and you’ll be torn apart by the storm.”
“Think whatever you like.”
Glaring with hostility, Gaiole turned and began directing the team.
“Start the engines and get into formation!”
“Yes, sir!”
Though hesitant at first due to Ray’s words, the team soon fell in line with Gaiole’s orders.
‘His influence outweighs mine, naturally.’
Ray figured he had done all he could.
He had already given them two chances.
Soon, the expedition, ready to depart, turned to look at Ray’s group in the center of the camp.
“You really intend to stay?”
A hesitant voice called out.
Their eyes were full of regret—perhaps due to the contributions Ray’s group had made thus far.
“You have to leave!”
“You’ll die if you stay there!”
But not everyone shared the sentiment.
Two mages in their mid-twenties from teams A and B scoffed.
“Leave them. If they want to throw away their lives, let them. No need to convince them.”
“Yeah. Even without them, we can complete the expedition. We’re enough as mages.”
Then, Ray’s meaningful voice rang through the air.
“This is your last chance.”
Silence fell.
“If you want to live, come over now.”
Deadly silence.
A soundless storm.
As if someone had stripped the world of all noise, the team members merely looked around nervously.
And they all felt it—
The jolt in their chests was not theirs alone.
The first to respond were Madame Grine and her disciples.
“I’ve thought about it a lot, but I think that boy is right. Come along, now.”
They left the expedition ranks and walked toward Ray’s group.
Next, Demper, who had been watching Gaiole with a conflicted look—
“…Damn it.”
With a curse laced with deep emotion, he stepped forward.
Gaiole, shaken by the unexpected action of a longtime comrade, shouted.
“D-Demper! Where are you going?! Are you throwing your life away?!”
His tone, once commanding, turned almost pleading—but Demper never looked back.
As if he knew that doing so would only pull him back in.
Perhaps due to the tense atmosphere—
No one else stepped forward.
Only the emotions swirling within Gaiole’s vessel raged like a storm.
Confusion and inner conflict grew more intense.
Until finally—
“I-I too—”
Just as Gaiole, hesitating without end, began to step toward Ray’s group—
Crack!
A chilling bolt of electricity grazed his cheek.
Drip—plop!
A red droplet of blood from torn flesh soaked into the ground.
“You’re not coming over.”
Ray’s icy voice rang out.
“Consider yourself lucky. Dying in the storm will be kinder than dying by my hand.”
Overwhelmed by the killing intent, Gaiole froze, unable to speak.
Barely gathering himself, he turned back.
“…L-let’s go.”
With a confused team, he left the campsite.
His vessel held nothing but abject fear of Ray.
Vroooom──!
Watching the vehicles disappear into the storm, Veronica murmured with concern.
“Will they… survive…?”
“No. The odds are close to a certainty—they’ll die.”
The voice came from another direction.
Turning her head, Veronica saw Madame Grine with her usual composed expression.
“Humans are beings who live by making choices. Following Mr. Gaiole was their decision—and their responsibility. So, you don’t need to feel guilty for not saving them, young lady.”
“…….”
Veronica listened and gave a small nod.
Meanwhile, Ray spoke to Demper, who still stood frozen in shock.
“Didn’t expect you to cross over.”
“…You said this was the only way to live.”
“That’s right.”
“How did you know?”
Demper, eyes wet, looked at him and asked.
Ray understood it was a question about Gaiole.
“Just… had a feeling.”
“You’ve got scary sharp instincts. Took me years to figure it out.”
“Feeling complicated?”
“It’d be a lie to say otherwise. We were comrades for a long time.”
With a defeated motion, Demper slumped to the ground.
Comrades.
Ray tried to understand the man’s feelings.
If something happened with Veronica or Philip, and they could no longer travel together—
“…….”
He couldn’t imagine it clearly, but it wouldn’t feel good.
He felt the desire to comfort the man somehow—but couldn’t quite think of the right way.
So, for now, he patted Demper on the head and said,
“It’s alright. If you’d stayed by Gaiole’s side, he would’ve used you and gotten you killed sooner or later anyway.”
Ray’s hand gently brushed over the thinning part of Demper’s hair again and again.
Was this comfort or mockery?
For a moment, Demper wasn’t sure whether he should be grateful or offended.
Still, it did seem like the storm of complicated emotions inside him had quieted a little.
“…Keep it to a minimum.”
Ray, pulling his hand back with a trace of regret, looked around.
The mana storm was intensifying, its range expanding and gradually shrinking the safe zone in the center.
The situation wasn’t over.
This was just the beginning.
‘It might be too much for just Veronica and me to maintain the barrier.’
Having reached that conclusion, Ray walked over to Madame Grine and her disciples.
Then, rather than the Madame, he approached her disciple, Yeren, and handed over a pack of jerky with a very high meat content.
“I’d like to ask for a bit of help.”
