—-

Roughly six hours passed, and the Desert of Crumbling Sands’ environment grew harsher over this period. Altair and the others initially thought it was all in their minds, but that assumption was debunked when the Obsidian Criollos were affected by the environment despite their natural resistance to heat, cold, and ailments.

“I’m melting! Are you sure this is just a game? I want to take my armor off right now,” Bastion exclaimed. Sweat pooled from his face as he panted from exhaustion. Although he didn’t do anything physical, his expression reddened while his stamina declined steadily.

The reason for this change rested in the corner of everyone’s eyes—the countdown until the world’s metamorphosis reached its final stages. The gradual changes took place in real-time, allowing players to experience the changes occurring before their eyes.

“Sometimes I want to say yes; sometimes I want to say no. I feel like I’m in hell instead,” Nemean answered. Unlike Bastion, Nemean unequipped all his armor, leaving him in fitted leather adventure gear.

“Hell?” Kieran’s eyebrows rose slightly. “I wouldn’t call this hell. I would say it’s more like the application of each stat is changing. If you ask me, it would seem like the assimilation is deepening.”

“Now that you mention it….”

Bastion equipped his short sword and waved it to test Kieran’s theory. It was still subtle, but Bastion could feel a waning influence over his movements as if he was no longer being assisted. This minute difference caused an inevitable effect that manifested as unrefined clumsiness.

“Whoa… this is crazy. Are you seeing this right now? It’s like I’m a beginner all over again. What does this mean?” Bastion asked while looking directly at Kieran.

Kieran’s position as the team’s encyclopedia was already secured, so they mostly looked to him for answers in times of befuddlement.

“It means what I said—we will train once we return. We are about to enter the era of elites. People like Nemean and Altair who experienced formal training in real life will be at an advantage. Their minds will know how to adjust to combat and optimize their style. Conversely, people like you who didn’t receive the same arduous training will have to do so inside the game,” Kieran answered.

“Does this mean I won’t be able to level?” Bastion frowned. As their main tank, he couldn’t fall behind because his defensive skills would be indispensable in higher-tier boss fights.

“Eh, we’ll have to see. I can only make an inference after the metamorphosis finishes. Until then, I’m just as much in the dark as you are,” Kieran answered. Although there were times when he showed extreme familiarity with matters relating to Zenith Online, now wasn’t the time to reveal any crucial information.

The current metamorphosis was an update shrouded in mystery. There were zero sources to obtain information from, so it would be highly suspicious if Kieran revealed what would occur before the system announced the changes.

As a result, Kieran opted for an ambiguous answer for the time being.

“I don’t like that. You reel me in with supposed insider information only to tell me you don’t know, dammit? I need to know…. How committed do I need to be?” Bastion exclaimed.

“Very,” Kieran answered indifferently.

The team snickered when they saw Bastion’s reaction to Kieran’s response. His slack-jawed appearance was comical as he blinked at Kieran. “Is this a commercial? Why do I feel as if I’m starring in a commercial right now? Very, my ass.”

“Language,” Alice glared at Bastion, which caused him to frown back. However, this was a battle he soon lost, causing him to look away and shake his head.

Nevertheless, Kieran continued with some thoughts. “The temperature is rising, but it’s somewhat subtle. The mixed effects of this metamorphosis are most likely the reason we feel more uncomfortable than we should. It’s like stepping into a cool room from the blazing outdoors, except it’s happening in reverse and causing our discomfort rather than relief.”

“U-uh, that’s nice and all, but what the heck is that?” Bastion muttered while pointing forward.

A moving streak that traveled in an odd pattern appeared in the sand not too far away. It wasn’t a natural phenomenon because it vanished approximately 5 meters from the team’s current position.

“Oh, that’s not good at all.”

The eerie silence didn’t sit right with Altair as he scanned his surroundings.

“There!” Alice called out while pointing to their right.

Crimson Ashrune’s magnificence immediately appeared in full display as Kieran jumped up and unleashed a large Blood Wave at the spot Alice indicated. The wave blew away the sand, forming a 2-meter indent large enough to expose the culprit.

The culprit appeared to be a type of worm no larger than 3-meters in length. However, although it wasn’t that large, its head was filled with countless razor-sharp teeth, giving it a gruesome appearance.

「 Lv.39 Sand Larva (Elite)

Insect-Type, Sand Type

Health: 314,925

/350,000 (90%) 」

“Ah! That thing is disgusting!” Sera yelped at the sight of the Sand Larva. Its gruesome teeth shifted slightly as it moved through the sand. Based on its movements, it was clear this Sand Larva intended to return to the sand.

However, Kieran frowned as he looked at the monster. ‘This isn’t good at all.’

“Everyone stop!” Kieran called out.

In response, everyone came to an immediate halt while Kieran landed from his earlier jump.

He had everyone stop because these Sand Larva were almost never alone. A sighting of a Sand Larva meant a network of tunnels existed near or underneath their current position. This network provided the means for countless Sand Larva to appear in any given area.

A single Larva wasn’t harmful, but it was an entirely different story if mature ones appeared. Adult Sand Worms were destructive and warranted caution; however, a Mother Worm was enormous and a boss-caliber monster by default.

The caravans behind Kieran were the only reason for his current hesitation. If it was just him and his team, he could dash into battle without giving it another thought.

“This area has officially become treacherous. If that Sand Larva is anything like what I have in mind, then we need to high tail it out of here now,” Kieran cautioned.

“Even the boss is scared? Something ain’t right here,” Bastion chimed in. “I’m all for leaving this place. You don’t have to tell me twice, my good sir.”

“What about the monster? Do we leave it?” Altair asked. He looked somewhat bummed by Kieran’s suggestion because he was ready to enter another fight to gain extra Experience.

However, this Experience wasn’t worth it in Kieran’s eyes.

“Yes, we move at full speed right now,” Kieran directed.

A sudden tremor shook the area directly after his order, nearly knocking everyone off their feet. Kieran’s eyes widened as he turned to everyone and roared. “NOW!”

Whoosh!

Everyone whipped on the stallion to move faster while Kieran got back on the horse.

However, unlike before, Kieran sat backward as he had Alice take the reins. “You’ve got this, just breathe and remain stable. You’ve been doing a great job all along.”

Alice gave a subtle nod while gripping the reins tightly. She still wasn’t confident in her stability, but Kieran’s reassurance gave her enough confidence to try regardless.

Numerous lines of varying sizes appeared in the sand behind the team as the Obsidian Criollos traveled at their top speed.

‘These damn Sand Worms… why are they so hostile all the time?’ Kieran thought.

The worms he referred to possessed a detection ability that allowed them so since intrudes invaded their territory. Once something triggered this detection ability, they would immediately chase whatever the stimulus may be.

In this case, it was Kieran’s team and the caravans.

“Whoa! Whoa! Hey! They’re gaining on us!” Bastion yelled at the top of his lungs when he noticed the larger lines pulling ahead of the more narrow ones. Adult Sand Worms were not only larger than the Sand Larva, but they were also much quicker as well.

However, it took some time for them to reach their top speeds due to their immense size.

Nevertheless, Kieran clutched Crimson Ashrune and stood up on the Criollo’s back.

All of a sudden, Kieran jumped off the horse and rolled through the sand before stabbing his sword through the sand. A sanguine storm circulated his body as Kieran focused while counting in his mind.

‘One…’

Bastion and Sera passed by, followed by the first two caravans.

‘Two…’

Nemean and Altair sped past Kieran as he exhaled and focused on his Blood Mania skill.

‘Three—!’

Whoosh! Bang!

Kieran activated Sanguine Slashes and launched a Wrath Eruption. The sand within a 7.5-meter radius burst into the sky as Kieran immediately followed up with a Blood Bind.

A shocking sight occurred as the Blood Bind skill fed off the sanguine power lingering from the Wrath Eruption. The chains of blood coiled around three larger versions of the Sand Larva, trapping them in place seconds before Kieran raced after the caravans.

Kieran didn’t even turn around before launching two rapid Blood Waves that decreased his health below 50%.

Whoosh!

The boost to his movement speed increased Kieran’s acceleration as he closed the distance between him and the caravans. However, he didn’t go all out running because he still needed to monitor the Sand Worms’ behavior. He was the only one capable of performing this task for two reasons.

One, when Tormented Beliefs reached its final phase, Kieran’s movement speed surpassed Altair with Swift Steps activated. While Altair’s Agility was higher than Kieran’s on paper, Kieran’s higher Constitution resulted in a more robust stat coefficient.

This stronger coefficient translated into more effectiveness for fewer points. The second reason Kieran was the only one who could pull off this stunt was a large number of Unassigned Attribute Points in his collection, over 170.

Kieran could sacrifice these points at a critical moment to increase his chances of emerging safely.

“Aatrox is a lunatic. Who in their right mind would jump off this horse after giving us such a solemn expression? Eh?!” Bastion yelled as the wind beat on his face. It was challenging to keep their eyes open with how fast the Criollos moved.

“He might be a lunatic, but those things would be on our tail if he didn’t do what he did. After all, you were the one who called out they were gaining on us,” Altair retorted.

“I know that. But… agh, whatever. It’s Aatrox, anyway. He must have angels protecting him or something,” Bastion said. He scoffed and waved his hand before focusing ahead.

Meanwhile, Sera asked the most crucial question. “How long do you think those things will chase us for?”

“No. The better question is why does this trade route intersect through such a dangerous area?!” Nemean interjected.

The team fell silent as they pondered Nemean’s question. It was true; why would the Merchant Association establish a trade route through a Sand Worm infested area? Even if the Desertborn Brigands didn’t get to them, these Sand Worms would undoubtedly ruin the cargo!

Suddenly, everyone turned their heads towards Head Merchant Penni, who wore a helpless and somewhat abashed expression.

“L-look… What we’re taking right now is a theoretical trade route. We could never test it out because of the rampant robberies. How could we know we plotted the course through an extensive Sand Worm nest? It’s not like we can access the association’s in-depth trade knowledge.”

If that were true, all members of the Merchant Association would be able to achieve a lofty status. However, ideal views like that generally weren’t feasible. There had to be a hierarchy ranking, or else chaos would ensue once all association members vied for top spots by any means necessary.

The Merchant Association’s infrastructure would eventually crumble as the members sought the higher-ups’ seats at every opportunity. Juniors would no longer listen to their seniors. Seniors would no longer listen to Managers and so and so forth.

“Speaking of which… how does the Merchant Association work exactly?” Nemean asked. To him, it sounded like the Merchant Association was an organization that condensed its focus to high-value areas.

“In essence, we’re like a franchise of sorts. Yes, we work under the banner of the Merchant Association; however, we don’t have access to the resources of an empire or even the more affluent kingdoms. We work with what our branch gives and pray for the best.”

“The sounds hopeless,” Nemean scowled.

“Sometimes it is, but that’s the risk we take as merchants. Sometimes the job can be just as dreadful as being an adventurer,” Head Merchant Penni sighed. He could complain all day, but it would change nothing, so he chose not to in the end.

It was the career path he chose and the path that gained him his current life.

Boom!

A tremendous wave suddenly jolted everyone as an immense shadow loomed overhead.