Episode 143
Thud, thud, thud!
Zeke and Boris, accompanied by Shadia and a group of elite assassins assigned to their mission, made their way toward Death Valley.
After two days of riding through the desert sands, the infamous valley of death finally came into view.
Shadia turned to Zeke, her voice tinged with concern. “Lord, are you really going in there? It’s a forbidden place—once you enter, there’s no coming back.”
Zeke nodded, resolute. “I know. But we have no choice. Our destination lies within.”
The hidden relic, as revealed by the mysterious sage, was said to be deep inside Death Valley.
Zeke addressed Shadia again. “Only Boris and I will go in.”
Shadia hesitated, then spoke up. “There are enemies lurking around, targeting you. If you command it, we’ll protect you even inside Death Valley.”
Zeke shook his head. “I’ll handle the Scorpion Clan and the Holy Kingdom’s forces myself. Remember the points I marked for you yesterday? Wait there. We’ll meet up once we’re done inside.”
Shadia nodded, understanding his plan. As she turned her horse, she added, “The Scorpion Clan is relentless and ruthless. Be careful.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
With that, Shadia led the assassins back toward the desert, disappearing into the sands.
Once they were gone, Zeke turned to Boris. “Do you know why even the assassins of Salmak avoid that place?”
Boris shook his head. “Not in detail.”
“Inside, not a single blade of grass grows. No animals, not even insects. Naturally, there’s no water. Once you enter, you lose your way, endlessly wandering through maze-like canyons.”
“Is that really possible?”
Zeke recalled his past encounter with Death Valley. Back when he was a southern hitman, he had ended up in this very valley while evading the Salmak assassins. Even they wouldn’t follow him here, allowing him to escape pursuit.
But he soon learned why it was called the valley of death. There was no food or water, and the temperature swings between day and night were extreme. During the day, the scorching sun threatened heatstroke, while at night, the cold could freeze you to death.
Back then, Zeke hadn’t yet awakened as a healer, but his survival instincts somehow activated his healing abilities, allowing him to survive. After wandering for over two weeks, he finally made it out, relying solely on his senses.
Recalling those memories, Zeke looked down at Death Valley and grinned. “Boris, let’s get ready to welcome our guests.”
“Boss, the Salmak guys are leaving.”
One of the Scorpion Clan’s dark mages reported, using magic to observe the desert through a scorpion’s eyes. The Salmak escort was seen departing, kicking up sand as they went.
The leader of the Scorpion Clan’s seventh pursuit unit, who had been gnawing on a lizard in a sand burrow, spat it out in surprise. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. The entire escort has turned back. It looks like they left just the young Drake and his squire.”
“Dammit, did they take each other out?”
“Doesn’t seem like it. There’s no sign of a fight.”
The leader smirked. “I see. Hey, where are units 8 and 9?”
Another dark mage, crouched nearby, replied, “Not far, should I call them?”
The leader threw a clump of dirt at the mage. “Idiot. Why let them have all the fun? We should get the treasure first.”
The mage observing through the scorpion spoke up. “Boss, it’s not just treasure, it’s a relic.”
“Whatever, relic or treasure. Get the desert worm ready. Let’s catch those guys and find out where the treasure is.”
“But boss, it’s Death Valley. Isn’t it risky?”
“You want to die here or in Death Valley? Make your choice.”
The other mages fell silent, knowing better than to provoke their volatile leader.
Reluctantly, the mage who controlled desert monsters began chanting. The sand around them trembled.
Ssssssh!
A massive desert worm emerged beside them, a creature resembling a giant larva that tunneled through the desert, preying on travelers and animals.
The Scorpion Clan’s seventh unit grabbed the handles on the worm’s back, and the mage gave the command. The worm burrowed swiftly toward Death Valley, where Zeke and his group were.
Faster than horses or camels, the desert worm was the Scorpion Clan’s preferred mode of transport across the desert.
In no time, the dark mages arrived at Death Valley, cautiously peeking out to survey the area.
”…There’s no sign of anyone.”
The leader, irritated, barked, “Send out the damn crow!”
The mage released a crow, sharing its vision to scan the entire valley.
‘Where did you go, young Drake?’
As the crow’s eyes swept over Death Valley, the mage spotted something.
‘What’s that?’
Scattered near the entrance were items that appeared to belong to Zeke’s group. The canyon’s interior was obscured, making it hard to see further.
Reporting the situation, the leader of the seventh unit pondered.
“Inside Death Valley, huh.”
Despite his earlier bravado, he was well aware of the valley’s deadly reputation. The tales of no one returning alive made him hesitate.
‘Damn, what if units 8 and 9 are already inside, finding the treasure?’
The reward for this treasure was too great, and the leader’s greed overcame his fear.
He emerged from the burrow and addressed his subordinates. “We’re going into Death Valley.”
Though uneasy, the mages knew better than to defy him, lest they become monster fodder.
The seventh unit cautiously approached the valley’s entrance, finding Zeke’s group’s belongings scattered about.
One mage sniffed the items. “Boss, there’s a scent of blood.”
It seemed likely they had abandoned their supplies in haste after a skirmish, retreating inside.
Convinced that another unit was pursuing the target, the leader grew anxious.
“Track them down! Quickly!”
The mages released scorpions and other venomous creatures, sending them in all directions to locate Zeke’s group.
The seventh unit followed, hoping their creatures would return with information, as they ventured deeper into Death Valley.
After some time, a mage raised his hand. “Boss, we’ve found them.”
The mage controlling the scorpions had spotted Zeke’s group tending to their wounds inside the canyon.
“What’s the situation?”
“The knight seems dead, and the young Drake appears critically injured.”
The leader grinned. “Perfect. We need to find out where the treasure is before he dies. Lead the way.”
The seventh unit moved deeper into the canyon, where the temperature dropped, and their breath became visible in the eerie chill.
“This way, boss.”
The mage pointed to a cave within the canyon. The leader signaled his men, who prepared their dark magic for an ambush.
Once ready, the leader gave the signal, and his men rushed into the cave.
Inside, chaos erupted.
Boom! Crash!
Hearing the poisonous mist and explosions, the leader was confident of their success.
He entered the cave slowly. “Take it easy, you fools. If that brat dies, we won’t find the treas—”
But what he saw inside stopped him cold. His men lay sprawled on the cave floor.
Instinctively, he turned to flee, but Boris emerged, striking the mage’s throat with the hilt of his sword.
“Gah!”
Boris swiftly pinned the mage, severing the tendons in his arms to prevent any spellcasting.
The seventh unit leader was utterly subdued.
Zeke emerged from the cave, wiping away the fake blood he’d used to feign injury. He grinned at the captured Scorpion leader.
“Let him go, Boris.”
Boris lifted his foot, allowing the leader to cough and regain his composure.
Zeke approached, speaking softly. “Greedy fools are always the easiest to trap.”
He pulled back the leader’s hood, revealing a tattooed, bald head.
“Why is the Scorpion Clan here?”
The leader remained silent.
He tried to bite down on the poison hidden in his mouth to end his life.
But just then, Zeke grabbed his jaw.
Zeke quickly poured an antidote into the captain’s mouth.
“Gah!”
While Zeke was busy saving the captain of the 7th unit with the antidote, Boris had already subdued the fallen wizards and propped them against one wall.
Following Zeke’s instructions, Boris dragged the captain over and sat him on a roughly carved stone chair.
Zeke pulled out a dagger and pinned the captain’s hand to the armrest of the chair.
“Ugh!”
After securing both of the wizard’s hands with the dagger, Zeke spoke.
“This friend here used to work for the Empire’s Intelligence Bureau.”
The captain’s face turned ghostly pale at those words. He knew all too well the brutal reputation of the Bureau’s interrogation techniques.
Zeke chuckled at the sight and used his aura to bore a deep hole into the stone chair beside the captain’s face.
The torture methods of knights who could wield aura were on a whole different level.
Finally, the captain opened his mouth, almost screaming.
“I-I don’t know anything! We were just following orders from above!”
Zeke nodded.
“Yeah, they all say that at first. Like the captain of the 8th unit we caught earlier. Right, Boris?”
“That’s right. But after a little persuasion, he sang like a bird.”
Hearing that the 8th unit captain had already spilled everything, the 7th unit captain was visibly shaken.
“Th-that can’t be…”
Zeke twirled his wrist, then focused mana into his fingers and drove them into the captain’s side.
“Argh!”
His fingers slid down, breaking every rib along the way.
“Ughhh!”
The unimaginable pain nearly made the captain pass out.
Then, Zeke pulled out a potion and poured it over the broken ribs.
Sssss!
Bubbles formed as the wound began to heal.
“Hah, hah.”
With the potion’s healing, the captain could finally breathe again.
Zeke tapped the captain’s cheek lightly.
“Now, this real pro here is going to play with you. Take a deep breath and reflect on your life.”
Zeke placed five potion bottles on the ground.
The captain’s eyes wavered at the sight.
“W-wait…!”
Before he could say more, Boris stuffed a cloth into his mouth.
“Mmmph!”
Boris whistled as he began the interrogation.
Zeke watched the potion’s effect on the Scorpion Clan’s wizard with satisfaction.
‘The potions made with the item crafting function are quite useful.’
The item crafting function was an additional feature he gained after clearing the Book of Light mission. As long as he had the necessary materials, he could craft various potions, weapons, and armor.
Among them, the healing potion could be made with easily obtainable ingredients, yet its effectiveness far surpassed that of regular potions refined from troll blood.
‘It’s great not having to spend karma points on potions anymore.’
An hour later, Zeke finally got the answer he wanted from the 7th unit captain.
“The… the holy relic… we came for the holy relic.”