[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
Chapter 299
The Helbrin rcenary Group was a small band of about forty scavengers.
Considering there were scavenger groups in the desert numbering in the hundreds, it was a near miracle that Helbrin had survived so long.
But none of them thought their survival was miraculous.
They simply had the skills to stay alive.
Their leader, Hassim, was a B-rank combat Awakened, and the rest of the group consisted of C- and D-rank Awakeneds.
A C-rank Awakened was a valuable asset, even in Neo Seoul. Yet, Helbrin boasted ten of them among their ranks.
The two n who had gone to Neo Seoul for negotiations, Bucksher and Etley, were also C-rank Awakeneds. However, the group’s most prized mber wasn’t either of them.
“How about it? Can you sense anything?”
“About two kiloters east, I detect signs of life.”
“How many?”
“Not many. About six. Looks like a family.”
The young man in his early twenties who answered Hassim’s question was nad Akashi.
An Awakened of Japanese descent, his sharp, slanted eyes gave him a piercing look.
Akashi was a magic-type Awakened with a detection skill.
The skill “Search for Extra” allowed him to detect all living creatures within his range.
Essentially, it functioned like a radar.
Akashi was the lynchpin of the Helbrin rcenaries.
Thanks to him, they could easily locate hidden survivors in the desert to raid and detect approaching monsters to avoid them.
Akashi’s contributions were a major reason why this small group had managed to survive for so long.
Hassim furrowed his brow.
“Not much. Still, it’s better than nothing. Go grab them.”
“Yes, sir!”
At his command, about ten n charged forward.
Riding Bactrian cals, they reached their destination in no ti.
It was a sandy hill.
After scanning the area, they quickly noticed an odd patch in the terrain.
“A camouflage tarp!”
A tarp, similar in color to the surrounding sand, was cleverly draped over a structure.
It was a makeshift tent, ford by using thin steel poles as supports and covering them with the tarp on the sloped dune.
Swish!
Pulling away the tarp revealed a family hiding beneath it.
The father and a teenage son, likely around fifteen or sixteen, shouted as they launched a desperate attack.
“Damn you! Die!”
“Hyaaah!”
They wielded crude swords fashioned from the bones of so unknown monster.
Both were F-rank Awakened.
Though faster and stronger than ordinary people, they were no match for the Helbrin rcenaries.
Crunch!
With the sickening sound of breaking bones, the two were subdued in an instant.
“You devils! Leave my family alone!”
“Let us go!”
Pinned under the rcenaries’ boots, the father and son thrashed violently, but it was futile.
“Heh, they’re putting up a fight.”
“Yeah, but it’s pointless. Let’s see what we’ve got here.”
Ignoring their captives, the rcenaries turned to inspect the rest of the family.
There was an elderly man, a woman who appeared to be the mother, and two young children. All were staring at them in terror.
One of the rcenaries spat on the ground as he approached.
“Six of them. One’s completely useless, dead weight. Damn it.”
“Please… spare us.”
Sensing his fate, the old man fell to his knees and begged.
“Why should we? You’d just waste food.”
Without hesitation, the rcenary plunged a blade into the old man’s chest.
Shunk!
“Guh!”
The old man coughed up blood, his disbelieving eyes locked on the rcenary.
The killer grinned at the dying man.
“Father!”
“Dad!”
“Grandpa!”
The remaining family mbers scread in anguish, but their cries didn’t faze the rcenaries.
The captors trampled them rcilessly.
“Ahhh!”
“Stop!”
The family’s wails filled the air as the rcenaries beat them without a hint of remorse. The brutality ensured the captives wouldn’t resist during the journey back.
“The problem is these two.”
The rcenaries turned their attention back to the father and son.
Even as F-rank Awakened, they were combat types, unlike the lower-ranked alchemist they had captured earlier.
They were a potential threat. Without mana restraints, it was impossible to completely neutralize them.
“No choice. They’re too dangerous to keep alive.”
Clicking their tongues, the rcenaries unceremoniously stabbed the father and son in their chests.
Thud! Thud!
Like slaughtering animals, they killed them without hesitation or emotion.
The father and son fell silent, unable to even scream.
As the remaining family mbers began to cry out, one of the rcenaries spoke coldly.
“Anyone who opens their mouth from now on will end up the sa.”
“...”
The family hastily covered their mouths, choking back their sobs.
Satisfied, the rcenaries smirked.
After binding the survivors, they returned to Hassim’s camp.
“Three dead, three captured.”
“That’s it?”
“Apologies, sir. The others would have just wasted resources or resisted.”
“Damn it. No choice. Akashi!”
“Yes, boss.”
“You’re going to have to work harder.”
“Well, what can I do?”
Maintaining his detection skill consud a lot of mana. Even as a C-rank Awakened, using it all day would leave Akashi utterly drained by nightfall.
That was a risky state for a rcenary who always needed to be battle-ready.
“Just keep it up until we hit a hundred. After that, you can rest.”
“Make sure I’m properly rewarded later.”
“When have I ever let you down? Once we take the Iron Fortress, you’ll have all the won you want. Look forward to it.”
“Yes, boss.”
Akashi grinned at the promise.
The Helbrin rcenaries resud their hunt for more slaves.
* * *
“Whew.”
Zeon let out a sigh as he looked at the bodies.
He had unearthed them from beneath the sand.
There were three: an old man, a middle-aged man, and a young boy.
Their similar features marked them as family.
“The old man was a burden, and the father and son were too much of a threat. That’s why they killed them.”
Even from their skeletal structure, it was evident the father and son were combat-type Awakened.
“What a sha.”
Zeon sincerely mourned their deaths.
He understood all too well how harsh life in the desert was.
This family had likely fought fiercely to survive in such an unforgiving environnt, only to et such a senseless end.
“Ugh.”
He sighed deeply at the tragedy.
Brielle couldn’t bring herself to look at the bodies. She lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
“This is horrible! How can people do this to one another? We should be helping and protecting each other, not…”
“Agreed.”
Zeon said, shaking his head as he scanned the area.
But there was no sign of the perpetrators.
Even after scouring the surroundings, he found no trace of the culprits.
The sand had swallowed their tracks.
Not even Zeon’s exceptional abilities could easily locate those who had moved beyond his detection range.
“The scavengers must all be riding Bactrian cals.”
In the desert, there was no other mount capable of such speed and mobility.
“This won’t be easy.”
Tracking such highly mobile targets was going to be a significant challenge.
“I’ll have to take to the skies.”
“You’re going to look from above?”
“It’s the only way.”
“Then let’s do it.”
“Be prepared. We don’t know what kind of monsters might attack us up there.”
“Got it!”
―Beep!
With resolute expressions, Brielle and Gaia responded.
As Brielle climbed onto Gaia’s back, she reassured her.
“Don’t worry! I’ll protect you.”
―Beep-beep!
“Let’s do this together.”
Zeon began ascending into the sky.
The sand below rose like a pillar, carrying him upward.
Gaia matched Zeon’s movents, soaring alongside him.
Thankfully, they ascended to about 500 ters without encountering any monsters.
Zeon paused at that height, scanning the horizon.
But the Helbrin rcenaries were nowhere in sight.
“Looks like we’ll have to go higher.”
Whoosh!
A dense swirl of sand propelled him further upward.
At around 700 ters, a deafening sound ripped through the air.
Whoosh!
“What the…!”
Brielle scread in shock as a blurry figure closed in on them.
Boom!
With a thunderous impact, Gaia’s body shuddered violently.
Sothing moving at blinding speed had collided with her.
Fortunately, Gaia’s energy shield absorbed the blow. Without it, the attack could have been fatal.
The object that had struck Gaia retreated at incredible speed, making it impossible to identify.
It circled far away before rushing toward them again with terrifying velocity.
Boom!
The sonic boom echoed as it broke the sound barrier.
Zeon quickly erected a wall of sand in its path.
Crash!
The supersonic creature pierced through the sand barrier but was slightly deflected.
This saved Zeon, Brielle, and Gaia from harm.
In that brief mont, Zeon caught a glimpse of the creature.
“A Bladed Frigatebird.”
The flying monster resembled a massively enlarged frigatebird, with a wingspan of nearly five ters.
The creature spent its entire life riding the winds, preying on weaker monsters like Bullet Hummingbirds.
In terms of pure combat strength, it was only about C-rank.
The problem was its speed, blindingly fast, exceeding the speed of sound.
Its wings were razor-sharp and durable, capable of cutting through almost anything with its supersonic slashes.
It seed they had entered the Bladed Frigatebird’s territory.
Like most monsters, the frigatebird was highly territorial and wouldn’t tolerate intruders.
Boom!
Once again, it charged toward them, creating another sonic boom.
By the ti the sound reached them, the creature was already in Zeon’s face, its blade-like wings aiming for his throat.
But Zeon had been prepared.
“Sand Tornado!”
A massive whirlwind of sand erupted in front of him, swallowing the Bladed Frigatebird whole.
Whoosh!
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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