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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 299
The Helbrin Mercenary 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 men who had gone to Neo Seoul for negotiations, Bucksher and Etley, were also C-rank Awakeneds. However, the group’s most prized member wasn’t either of them.
“How about it? Can you sense anything?”
“About two kilometers 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 named 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 Mercenaries.
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 men charged forward.
Riding Bactrian camels, they reached their destination in no time.
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, formed 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 some unknown monster.
Both were F-rank Awakened.
Though faster and stronger than ordinary people, they were no match for the Helbrin Mercenaries.
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 mercenaries’ 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 mercenaries 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 mercenaries 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 mercenary plunged a blade into the old man’s chest.
Shunk!
“Guh!”
The old man coughed up blood, his disbelieving eyes locked on the mercenary.
The killer grinned at the dying man.
“Father!”
“Dad!”
“Grandpa!”
The remaining family members screamed in anguish, but their cries didn’t faze the mercenaries.
The captors trampled them mercilessly.
“Ahhh!”
“Stop!”
The family’s wails filled the air as the mercenaries 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 mercenaries 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 mercenaries 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 members began to cry out, one of the mercenaries spoke coldly.
“Anyone who opens their mouth from now on will end up the same.”
“...”
The family hastily covered their mouths, choking back their sobs.
Satisfied, the mercenaries 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 consumed 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 mercenary 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 women you want. Look forward to it.”
“Yes, boss.”
Akashi grinned at the promise.
The Helbrin Mercenaries resumed 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 shame.”
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 environment, only to meet 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 camels.”
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 movements, soaring alongside him.
Thankfully, they ascended to about 500 meters without encountering any monsters.
Zeon paused at that height, scanning the horizon.
But the Helbrin Mercenaries 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 meters, a deafening sound ripped through the air.
Whoosh!
“What the…!”
Brielle screamed in shock as a blurry figure closed in on them.
Boom!
With a thunderous impact, Gaia’s body shuddered violently.
Something 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 moment, Zeon caught a glimpse of the creature.
“A Bladed Frigatebird.”
The flying monster resembled a massively enlarged frigatebird, with a wingspan of nearly five meters.
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 seemed 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 time 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!
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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