In the vast desert south of the Shumie Mountains. This place had become barren due to the conflict between two gods, yet it was precisely because of this that certain things could only be obtained here. The prime example was the creatures that adapted to the desert.
In many countries, including the Kingdom of Harlasia, the central part of the continent, and the former territories of the Rakil Empire, there was a culture of battle beasts. Creatures that had evolved to survive in harsh environments and fierce competition were perfect for these battle beasts.
And with that, creatures from the desert were traded at high prices, but capturing adults was generally difficult. The predators suitable to be battle beasts were exceptionally strong, making them hard to capture.
There were raptors that effortlessly mastered spiritual arts, scorpions that could strike with deadly poison from blind spots, and snakes with patterns that deceived the eye. Some creatures grew so large that transporting them became physically impossible.
So how did they bring them back? They targeted eggs or juveniles, just like what was done to Antares in the past. This way, they minimized the risk.
However, it still remained dangerous. Eggs and juveniles were often guarded by adults. If they failed to sneak in successfully, they would end up having to fight the adults. For this reason, experienced individuals were always part of the team doing this work.
Most of the time, however, it didn’t come to a fight. Instead of capturing the robust adults, there were many ways to steal eggs and juveniles from their nests.
Sometimes they used decoys to lure the adults out of the nest, or they used smoke with a strong odor to blind and disorient them. Using intelligence and tools was a specialty of humans, and it was natural to take advantage of that.
“Hehehe! We had an unexpected haul this time!”
“Absolutely. Compared to those damn snakes and scorpions, this was way easier.”
The people who made a living by hunting or capturing creatures were called hunters, and a group of those who operated in the desert were having a celebratory feast. In front of them were captives, bound and gagged, most of whom were women or children. They all had green skin and horns protruding from their foreheads.
They were the underground Keo race, the kin of Mishu, who had been protected by Linardo and the others. For hunters who sometimes had to fight the ferocious creatures of the desert, the non-combatant Keo race members were nothing more than easy prey.
Some of the Keo race glared at the hunters in anger, while others sobbed. Despite the air of despair hanging over the place where they were gathered, the hunters paid this no mind. They felt no guilt whatsoever about selling off these non-humans.
“Since we’ve got a race we’ve never seen before, they’ll fetch an incredible price. And we were lucky to get a cart too!”
“A cart, huh? What were those guys anyway?”
The cart they mentioned was the one Linardo and the others had used to transport limestone. After helping Mishu and his people by chance, Linardo and the others fled from the hunters’ retaliatory attack. During their escape, the hunters seized the cart they had abandoned.
At that time, all the limestone which was unnecessary for the hunters was discarded. They had no intention of carrying something as heavy as limestone back with them. However, since the cart was still in good condition and sturdy enough to withstand the desert, they decided to take it.
“I don’t know. But if they brought all those cattle and horses with them, they must have come through a bigger cave than the one we use.”
“It’s natural to think they’re in the same business as us. It’s the first time I’ve seen them. Well, they fled towards the desert, so they’re probably dried up by now.”
“If they’re alive, they might come back here. And then…”
“And then?”
“We’ll torture them and make them reveal the location of the cave they used.”
“Sounds good. Maybe it’s all part of God’s plan.”
“No doubt! Gahahaha!”
Most of the hunters were thrilled about acquiring the rare Keo race and driving off Linardo and the others. Their eyes gleamed with greed at the thought of the large sums of money they expected to gain.
However, a few among them didn’t look so pleased. These individuals weren’t armed like the other hunters; their clothes were dirty, and many of them were thin. They were clearly treated much worse than the hunters.
They were slaves, used for chores and carrying luggage. The poor treatment they received was obvious just by looking at them. Especially these hunters tended to discard slaves easily, and several had already died on the way.
They were to be reduced to the same status as these slaves. Watching the Keo race, they remembered the despair and sorrow of being torn from their families when they became slaves. It was natural for them to feel sympathy for them.
“Hey, brothers, shouldn’t we reconsider? We can’t take them back.”
Amidst this, the youngest and most robust among them was unable to hold back any longer and raised his voice. The hunters all turned to look at him with their eyes filled with disdain and disgust.
“What, Wyel? When did you get the right to speak up to us, huh?”
“Don’t get cocky just because you’re the brat born from a slave to the previous leader.”
The young man with the robust physique was called Wyel; he was an apprentice hunter. Hunters exploring south of the Shumie Mountains were exclusive and secretive. They never revealed the locations of their underground caves or the correct paths. To maintain this unity, the hunting group was conducted within a single clan.
Because of this, all the hunters were part of the same clan, but Wyel’s situation was slightly different. He was the child of the former clan leader and a slave.
Wyel’s treatment which was closer to that of a slave than a hunter was related to his birth. Half of his blood was of high rank within the hunter group, but the other half came from a disposable slave. The former clan leader had shown him affection, so his treatment was complicated while the leader was alive.
However, after the former clan leader’s death, everything changed. While it couldn’t be overturned that Wyel would become a hunter, as the former leader had ordered, the current leader decided to place him at the lowest rank within the clan. This was why he dressed like a slave and why the hunters treated him harshly.
“I’m not getting cocky. I’m just stating the facts.”
Given his circumstances, Wyel felt out of place within the clan. However, he couldn’t remain silent because he believed it was absolutely impossible.
The underground cave they had traversed was narrow and had several dangerous spots. Some of these dangers included sheer cliffs where a single misstep would send one plummeting into an abyss, so it was dangerous even for those familiar with the path.
It would be reckless to proceed through such a place with slaves towing carts. Moreover, it would also be beyond reckless and impossible to bring another race not accustomed to such terrain.
There was also the issue of food. They were a clan with a long history, so they knew which foods were edible in the desert. However, with the addition of this many Keo people, it would be impossible to secure enough food for everyone. Even if he were to put aside any feelings of sympathy for the Keo who were likely to be enslaved, he concluded that it was realistically impossible to bring them back.
“Hey, did you hear that?”
“Yeah. He really is the son of a slave. Trying to save other slaves…”
“Listen, slaves are meant to be disposable. That’s how we’ve ensured our safety.”
“Besides, even a few of these people would fetch a good price. It doesn’t matter if some of them die.”
The hunters merely laughed at Wyle’s opinion. Their fundamental ways of thinking differed from Wyle’s. While Wyle argued that there was no way to ensure everyone could return alive, the other hunters had already accepted that some would die.
Even if slaves died, they could simply buy new ones, and it would be enough if some of the goods survived. They believed that this would yield sufficient profit and had no attachment to the lives of the slaves or those they sold into slavery.
“Get ready for the return if you understand. The slaves won’t complain if it’s you giving the orders.”
“They can’t help it; they’re slaves at heart.”
Instead of listening to Wyle’s opinion, the hunters dismissed it as the nonsense of a slave and lazily ordered him around. Wyle clenched his back teeth so hard that they made a grating sound, then he slumped his shoulders as if he had given up on everything and started to walk away to follow the orders.
“I see. It seems you are not all of one mind.”
“!!!”
At that moment, a voice was heard from nowhere. At the same time, the sand at the feet of the hunters and slaves, excluding the Keo race members, rose up to form hands that restrained them.
Once everyone was restrained, a figure emerged from beneath the ground. However, the details of this figure were unclear because the person was covered entirely in sand.
Perhaps he could be called a sandman. This man slowly moved towards the Keo race members and somehow freed them from their restraints. Though they were surprised, the Keo race members stared at the area where the sandman’s head seemed to be. And though he was silent, they all looked as if he had said something to them. Then they all ran off as if heading somewhere.
“What the hell are you, you bastard?! Stop messing around!”
“You think we’ll let you get away with this?! Damn it!”
Seeing the Keo fleeing, the hunters who were momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events forcibly tore off the sand restraints and tried to chase after them. However, the sandman stood in their way.
“As expected, they could break through this much with force. These are the right ones, right, Linardo?”
“Yeah. Let’s go everyone!”
“What?! These guys?!”
The ground beneath the sandman’s feet turned to sand, and from it, men began to emerge one after another. The hunters recognized their faces. However, before they could voice their recognition, the men who had emerged from the ground attacked the hunters.
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