Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 115

Boom!

A small explosion erupted from the tiny cauldron.

Brielle cautiously peered into the cauldron.

It was an item known as the Witch’s Cauldron.

It was something Brielle had obtained with difficulty from the Goblin Market, and it was supposed to increase the success rate by as much as twenty percent.

So, expectations were high, but the result was a complete failure.

Instead of a golden liquid, the cauldron contained a murky, pudding-like substance.

Brielle clasped her head in her hands and screamed.

“Argh! Another failure! Unbelievable! How could it fail when it’s supposed to increase the success rate by twenty percent? That swindler! He must have sold me a fake. There’s no other reason for it to fail.”

After fuming for a while, Brielle straightened her hat.

She was determined to find the merchant who sold her the Witch’s Cauldron.

“Fly!”

Brielle soared out the window.

The wind gently embraced her body as she descended at a terrifying speed.

Thanks to the wind, Brielle was able to land safely.

She immediately headed for the Goblin Market.

She went there almost every day, so she could find her way there with her eyes closed.

Upon entering the Goblin Market, Brielle went straight to the shop that sold the Witch’s Cauldron.

“You old swindler!”

“Ho, who’s this? Our VIP lady?”

Brielle’s anger was met with a cheerful response.

He was Corwin, the shop owner.

Corwin is one of the masters of the Goblin Market, and he has been collecting numerous items over a long time.

The Witch’s Cauldron was one of those items.

Brielle shouted.

“I used the Witch’s Cauldron and it failed. It’s fake, isn’t it?”

“You’re angry because the alchemy failed. My little lady!”

“You sold me a fake?”

“It’s alchemy; failures are common, little lady!”

“Ugh! But I bought it because it supposedly increases the success rate by twenty percent.”

“It does statistically, but how can you expect instant success? Failure is the mother of success, as they say.”

“How is failure a mother?”

“It’s just a saying, haha!”

Corwin looked at Brielle with a warm smile and gentle eyes, as if he were looking at his own granddaughter.

Brielle felt her anger soften under his gaze.

“Sit down and have a cup of hot cocoa. Then you’ll feel at ease.”

“Who said I came for cocoa?”

“I know! You came to complain. But have some cocoa anyway.”

Ignoring Brielle’s protests, Corwin poured cocoa.

The sweet smell stimulated Brielle’s senses, and she couldn’t help but gulp.

“Go on, try it! It’s from Neo Seoul this time, should be quite delicious.”

“Tch!”

Brielle grimaced as she received the cocoa.

Corwin smiled warmly as he watched Brielle sip the cocoa.

Before she knew it, her mood had lifted, tapping her feet and drinking the hot cocoa.

“Is it delicious?””

“Yeah.”

“I’ll give you some when you leave, so take it with you.”

“Okay.”

Brielle nodded.

The thought that the Witch’s Cauldron might be fake had already vanished from her mind.

It was just an excuse.

Whenever she came here, Corwin always gave her hot cocoa.

It was something she could only enjoy here in the slums.

Corwin asked.

“What about Zeon?”

“He hasn’t come back yet.”

“Oh no! You must be bored.”

“It’s okay! I just need to focus on alchemy.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

“Nope! I know Zeon is safe.”

Brielle replied confidently.

Through a soul bond, the two were connected by an invisible thread.

Zeon might not know, but as a High Elf, Brielle could sense his condition to a certain extent.

That’s why she didn’t worry even though they had been apart for a long time.

“Quite impressive, our VIP lady!”

“Hmph!”

Despite Brielle’s nose reaching sky-high with her snort, Corwin smiled.

Corwin had no family.

Ever since losing his son and family to monsters decades ago, he had been living alone. Seeing Brielle, who occasionally visited him, brought him great joy.

So, he sold the valuable Witch’s Cauldron to Brielle at a bargain. And now, he was wondering what else he could give her.

Corwin said to Brielle.

“How about this?”

***

“Hmph! Hmph!”

Brielle hummed a tune as she walked down the street.

Receiving some valuable materials from Corwin had put her in a good mood.

Of course, it wasn’t free.

Brielle believed there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, so she paid for it. Just that the discount rate was so incredibly high, it seemed unimaginable.

Brielle muttered to herself.

‘Now, I can open my own subspace.’

There were only a very small number of magic-based Awakeneds who could open a subspace.

Even among the same rank, some could open them, while others couldn’t in their lifetime. Most magic-based Awakeneds belonged to the latter category.

Fortunately, perhaps because Brielle wasn’t human, she could open a subspace.

Brielle’s space wasn’t that large.

Just a small room.

But it was enough for Brielle.

She stored various reagents and valuable materials in her subspace. And even with all that, she still had room for the materials Corwin had given her.

Now, she could go home and do alchemy again, which made her feel ecstatic. But her joy was interrupted by a voice.

“Hey, kid.”

Turning her head to the unpleasant voice, Brielle saw some shady-looking guys gesturing from the alley.

“Me?”

“Yeah! You, kid. Come over here.”

“Why?”

“Damn it! You talk too much. The boys just want to see your face.”

The guys spoke rudely.

Brielle scrutinized them carefully.

“I haven’t seen you guys before. I guess you came from another area?”

“Ah, fuck! You really talk too much. Yeah, we just came to Sinchon today.”

“Ah! I see.”

Brielle nodded.

In Sinchon, be it Awakeneds or ordinary men, they would never touch Brielle.

They knew she was protected by her guardian, Zeon.

Furthermore, Ethan, the ruler of Sinchon, had given orders to his subordinates.

Never let anyone touch Brielle.

That’s why no one approached her even when she walked alone in the dangerous slums.

The men commented on Brielle.

“If we dress her up a bit, we could sell her at a high price.”

“Damn it! If only she’d take off that damn cone hat.”

“Before we sell her… how about we?”

The men exchanged glances.

They were Awakeneds from a different area.

They were all F-rank, but they still possessed strength incomparable to ordinary people.

That’s why they could commit crimes while changing areas and still survive.

Their target this time was Brielle.

There were quite a few customers who liked such a young and delicate girl. Selling Brielle to them would fetch a good amount of money.

Swish!

“Come here while I’m speaking nicely. Before I draw my sword and slash your face.”

One of the Awakeneds threatened, drawing his sword.

Though they were supposed to look fierce, they didn’t evoke any fear in Brielle.

Even though she specialized in alchemy, she knew quite a bit about other magic types. Such petty thieves couldn’t be her adversaries.

“Hah!”

Just as Brielle was about to unleash her magic…

“Move! Don’t block the way.”

Suddenly, a deep voice came from behind the men.

“What?”

“Damn it! Who the hell…?”

The men spat curses and turned around. There, from the opposite end of the alley, a man walking towards them was visible.

He was wearing a mysterious-looking coat made of unidentified monster hide.

The coat’s collar was adorned with an enormous amount of fur, making the man appear even larger.

Indeed, the man had quite a robust build.

With his short-cropped hair, golden reminiscent eyes, and a large scar across his right cheek, the man seemed mysterious yet imposing.

The man with the golden eyes spoke coldly.

“Step aside.”

“Who the hell is this guy to…”

“Screw off!”

“You’re dead.”

The men erupted and rushed towards the man with golden eyes.

In their hands, each held their weapons.

Like seasoned martial artists, they swiftly approached the man and thrust their weapons into his vital spots.

The moment their weapons were about to pierce the man’s body…

Flash!

An immense burst of light emanated from the man’s body in an instant.

The powerful burst struck the assailants’ bodies, who were in the midst of attacking.

“Aaaah!”

“Aaagh!”

“Ugggh!”

Their screams echoed briefly before their bodies were charred black in an instant.

The smell of burning flesh permeated the alley.

Despite the unpleasant odor, Brielle remained unfazed.

A tense expression dominated her face as she looked at the man.

‘A strong one.’

In the magic category, the Thunder element was not common.

And among them, he was a high-ranking Awakened.

In the magic category, the destructive power of the Thunder element was tremendous, and the type of magic that could rival it, could be counted on two fingers.

The problem lies in the fact that, despite its immense destructive power, controlling the scope is not easy.

Even when activated at the lowest output, the Thunder and Fire element skills could reduce an entire area to ashes.

That’s why areas where Thunder or Fire element skills were unleashed tended to turn into rubble.

However, there wasn’t a single scorched spot in the alley now.

Precisely, only those who attacked the man had turned into charcoal.

He had precisely unleashed enough thunder to kill without turning the area into rubble.

Brielle knew that increasing the destructive power was much harder than controlling the range.

The man looked at the charred bodies and said.

“As expected, trash is scattered everywhere in the slums. That’s why I tried not to come here.”

It felt as if merely breathing in the slums was allowing filth to enter his body.

The man looked at Brielle.

“Usually, in such situations, shouldn’t you be thanking me for helping?”

“Hmph! I didn’t need your help.”

“Are you also an Awakened?”

“At least I can protect myself from such trash.”

“I guess I intervened for nothing. Still, from my perspective, I helped out of goodwill.”

“Well, I suppose you helped a little. At least I didn’t have to get my hands dirty. Thanks!”

“For an elf, you do have some manners.”

“An… elf? How did you know?”

Brielle stepped back, wary of the man.

Only Zeon and Levin knew that she was an elf.

Everyone else thought she was human.

But this man, whom she had just met, saw through her.

Naturally, she had to be cautious.

“How should I say this? You emit a distinctive scent. Well, even though it’s somewhat rotten, the essence hasn’t changed.”

The man’s golden eyes shone intensely, as if piercing through Brielle.

Under his intense gaze, Brielle felt as if she were standing naked.

As she focused mana in her hands, Brielle asked.

“Who are you?”

“There’s no need to be so guarded. Little elf! If you were my target, you would already be dead.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Lee Ji-ryeong.”

“Lee Ji-ryeong?”

“Where is Zeon?”

The man, Lee Ji-ryeong, approached Brielle.

With a fearful expression, Brielle stepped back.

At that moment, a calm voice came from behind her.

“I’m right here.”