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A straight path leading to the fortress appeared.

On either side of the path, the displaced quicksand formed sand walls several meters high.

Leech squirmed within the walls.

The sight of these arm-sized leeches writhing was enough to instill fear in everyone.

Fortunately, the leeches showed no intention of leaving the sand.

Zeon spoke up.

“We should cross the quicksand quickly. I can’t hold this path open for long.”

“Understood.”

Lee Ji-ryeong nodded, giving orders to the Pegasus Raid Force.

“Let’s move through the quicksand zone.”

“Yes!”

“Let’s go!”

Lee Ji-ryeong led the way into the quicksand zone.

Walking along the path Zeon had created felt strange.

The leeches on either side squirmed, extending their bodies out to try and suck the blood of the Awakeneds.

Although the path was wide enough to keep the leeches’ mouths from reaching them, it was still terrifying.

Zeon turned to Levin and Brielle.

“You two should cross as well.”

“What about you, hyung?”

“Don’t worry about me. Once I’ve recovered my mana, I can easily cross this quicksand.”

One of Zeon’s reasons for coming here was to help Levin and Brielle gain experience in dungeons.

Both of them had great potential for growth.

The more they experienced dungeons, the faster they would grow.

Zeon looked at Levin.

“You need to protect Brielle. Can you do that?”

“Of course.”

“Then go on.”

“Yes!”

Levin nodded and looked at Brielle.

Although Brielle looked reluctant to leave Zeon, she didn’t complain or refuse.

“I’ll be waiting on the other side.”

“Alright.”

“Hurry up.”

Without waiting for Zeon’s reply, she went ahead with Levin into the quicksand zone.

Everyone moved along the path Zeon had created.

When Lee Ji-ryeong and the vanguard were almost at the other side, the leeches began to act strangely.

Screech!

With a horrible screech, the leeches launched themselves out of the sand, attaching to the Awakeneds and biting them.

“Argh!”

“The leeches are attacking!”

Caught off guard, the Awakeneds who hadn’t yet crossed the quicksand panicked.

“Shit! These leeches…”

One Awakened used a fire skill to burn off the leeches attacking him, triggering a reaction.

“Kill them!”

“Attack!”

The Awakeneds began attacking the leeches that had emerged from the sand.

The leeches were only dangerous while hidden in the sand. Out in the open, they were much less threatening.

“Bring it on, you damn leeches!”

The Awakened who had burned the first leech glared at the sand wall with a crazed look.

His fellow Awakeneds were alarmed by his expression.

“Hey, stop.”

“Damn it, he’s lost it.”

At that moment, the crazed Awakened attacked the leeches in the sand.

Whoosh!

High-temperature flames burned the leeches squirming in the sand.

The leeches writhed in agony.

“Ha! You’re nothing…”

As the Awakened spat on the ground and looked at the writhing leeches, a powerful tremor was felt from the sand.

Grr!

In an instant, Zeon’s expression changed.

The leeches spread throughout the quicksand were all moving simultaneously, converging on the spot where their kind had been burned.

‘The leeches are connected. They share each other’s pain.’

Zeon knew exactly what this meant.

He shouted loudly.

“These are hive monsters. Get out of the quicksand zone now!”

The term “hive monsters” caused several Awakeneds to turn pale.

“Damn it! I knew it…”

“Run!”

They sprinted at full speed.

The remaining Awakeneds, unsure of what was happening, looked at each other. One of the runners shouted back.

“Idiots! Don’t think, just run!”

“What…”

Boom!

Suddenly, something massive burst out of the sand.

It was a giant leech, dozens or even hundreds of times the size of the normal leeches.

The giant leech swallowed the lagging Awakeneds whole.

Crunch!

“Ahhh!”

“Help me!”

The swallowed Awakeneds screamed in agony.

Witnessing this horrific scene, Levin and Brielle’s eyes widened in shock.

“What is this?”

“I don’t know! Just run!”

“Okay!”

Levin grabbed Brielle’s hand and ran.

Meanwhile, giant leeches continued to break through the sand walls, attacking the Awakeneds still in the quicksand zone.

These giant leeches weren’t a single organism. Thousands or even millions of smaller leeches had merged into one massive creature.

This was the horror of hive monsters.

Individually insignificant, but together, they became a formidable force.

Leeches that were E or D-rank on their own had combined to form B-rank or higher monsters.

Dozens of such giant leeches were emerging from the sand walls.

B-rank or higher monsters had force fields that made ordinary attacks ineffective.

The entire body of the giant leech was covered in a force field, proof that they were B-rank monsters.

“They’re still just leeches. I’ll burn them all!”

A crazed Awakened prepared to attack again.

The Awakened who had triggered the hive of leeches used his fire skill again.

Whoosh!

High-temperature flames poured out, aiming to burn the leeches. However, the intense heat had no effect on the B-rank leeches.

Instead, the attack only attracted the attention of the massive leech.

“No, don’t!”

The enormous leech opened its mouth wide and swallowed the Awakened whole.

Crunch!

The Awakened was crushed inside the giant leech’s maw.

With its meal complete, the leech moved on to find its next victim.

More than half of the Awakeneds were still stuck in the quicksand zone, including Levin and Brielle.

If left unchecked, they would surely fall prey to the giant leeches.

“Damn it, I guess I have no choice.”

Zeon sighed and unleashed Sand Blaster.

Boom! Boom!

The Sand Blaster struck the giant leech’s body, drawing its attention.

Suddenly, all the giant leeches focused on Zeon.

The creatures, massive in size, moved toward Zeon with alarming speed.

In no time, dozens of giant leeches had surrounded him.

Brielle, witnessing this from a distance, screamed.

“Zeon!”

Crash!

Unable to support the weight of the leeches, the ground gave way, and Zeon, along with the leeches, plunged into the depths of the earth.

Levin and Brielle cried out in shock.

“No!”

“Zeon!”

But it was too late. Zeon and the leeches had already vanished into the sand.

Rumble!

Immediately after, the quicksand on both sides rushed back in, covering the path Zeon had created.

“Huff! Huff!”

“Am I still alive?”

“I almost died.”

The Awakeneds who managed to escape the quicksand collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.

Thanks to Zeon distracting the leeches, the damage to the Awakeneds had been minimized.

Lee Ji-ryeong clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“Could he have died here?”

“No matter how skilled a Sand Mage he is, surrounded by so many leeches, there’s no way he could have survived. Especially since he had almost exhausted his mana.”

Bronson, the Raid Team leader, looked at the sand with a skeptical expression.

The quicksand flowed smoothly again, indicating that Zeon’s control was no longer in effect.

“Tsk! Such a waste. He still had a lot of use.”

“He was never the type to bow down to anyone. This might be for the best.”

The corner of Bronson’s mouth curled up.

He had never liked Zeon, only tolerating him because Lee Ji-ryeong wanted to use him.

Now that they had crossed the quicksand, Zeon’s usefulness had ended.

It was now up to the Pegasus Raid Force to take over.

Lee Ji-ryeong turned and gave his orders.

“Forget about Zeon. Focus on the fortress.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Follow me.”

“Everyone, let’s go!”

“Yeah!”

Following Lee Ji-ryeong, the Pegasus Raid Force and the other Awakeneds headed towards the fortress.

Levin, left behind, muttered.

“There’s no way hyung is dead just like that.”

“Of course not.”

“Huh?”

“Did you forget who Zeon is? A Sand Mage dying in the sand? That’s ridiculous.”

Levin blinked in surprise at Brielle’s confidence.

“Do you know something?”

“No.”

“Then why…”

“I just know Zeon isn’t dead. He’s alive.”

“Really?”

“Zeon is blessed by the sand. There’s no way the sand would kill him. He’ll definitely meet us at the fortress.”

Brielle’s voice was full of conviction.

Levin stared at her for a moment before nodding.

“You’re right. There’s no way he’d die just like that.”

“Exactly.”

“Okay, let’s head to the fortress. He’ll definitely show up there.”

“Yes.”

“Be careful. We can’t trust the other Awakeneds.”

“I never trusted them in the first place.”

Brielle scoffed.

She trusted very few people, and to her, most humans were potential enemies.

At that moment, several Awakeneds from the Pegasus Raid Force approached them.

“From now on, we’ll be protecting you.”

“Protecting us?”

“Yes. The leader has ordered us to keep you safe.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“It’s the leader’s order. You have no right to refuse.”

The Awakened’s voice was cold.

It was clear that “protection” meant surveillance.

Without Zeon, Levin and Brielle were seen as valuable assets.

One had rare abilities, and the other was an elf.

They had immense potential.

Lee Ji-ryeong had no intention of letting them go.

Levin gritted his teeth.

‘So, that’s how it is? We’ll see how you act when hyung returns.’