by Yuri Ajin
Once it was finally pulled back into the pyramid, a short beam shot out from its top and exploded in the sky, showering the desert with bright sparks. When the blinding light was gone, there was no more pyramid, demon, or black sand. The desert was empty again.
Attention!
You have left the cursed land.
[Ultimatum] has been canceled.
But before Kai had time to read the new messages to the end, blood gushed out of his mouth. Feeling a sharp pain, he fell to his knees, clutching his chest. Looking down, he saw a gaping wound in the form of three marks, similar to claws. Something dark and viscous oozed from it.
When?! he wondered. When did this happen?! And why isn’t it healing?!
Soon, Kai lost consciousness, having managed to direct all his ki into the Regeneration Gate.
***
Two days had passed.
Kai’s sand-covered body lay in the same place, and it could have stayed there for a long time if it wasn’t for pure luck.
A trade caravan was passing by. And although its members seemed to be ordinary cultivators, they had reached the Exorcist Stage long ago. However, their success was only thanks to their considerable wealth, which allowed them to buy a large amount of expensive resources.
“Somewhere around here... It must be somewhere around here,” said a tall man, pacing back and forth, checking something on the artifact in his hand.
“There’s nothing here!” his partner shouted angrily and waved his arms in annoyance. “That artifact is a fake! You dumbass! I told you not to haggle in that part of town. Those merchants make a living off suckers like you.”
“Fuck you!” the man with the artifact shouted. “There was definitely an incredible surge of energy somewhere here! Perhaps even some rare treasure!”
“Treasure, my ass. Are you out of your mind? We’re on the edge of the desert, where could Spirit Plants or spontaneous concentrations of energy come from? There’s no energy, no Forces... There’s nothing but sand here! Absolutely nothing! So calm down and let’s get back to the vessel. If you won’t, I’ll go back on my own!”
“Wait! What if the Black Sand Pyramid appeared here?”
“Did your mother drop you on the head when you were a child? Not even children believe in that fairy tale! What, did you expect to see the Demon with Torn Wings, too? Hilarious!”
But the tall man didn’t listen to his friend, stubbornly continuing to search. Coming down from the dune, he began to look around until his gaze fell on something.
“Whoa!”
“What, did you find a slightly smaller dune? Oh, how interesting...” The other man rolled his eyes, and then followed his friend. “What is it?”
“Look!” The tall man exclaimed. “There’s a human there!”
“What?! Have you gone crazy from the sun? For fucks sake, what hu—” Stepping closer, he suddenly froze. “Well, I’ll be damned. It really is a human.”
“See? I told you I’d find something!”
“And this, in your opinion, is treasure? I haven’t seen humans for two hundred years around here... Still... Why the fuck would we need him?”
“We can sell him!”
“Oh, Heavens! To whom?!” he pleaded. “Who on the continent needs humans at all? They’re weaklings!”
“We’ll sell him to Starks Quarry. They take everyone!”
“Will you feed him while we get there?”
“Why feed him? He seems fine.”
“Do you see the gaping wound on his chest or are you blind?”
“Okay, fine, we’ll drop the price a little. People like him are only good for the Depth anyway. They’ll send him there once and consider that he has worked enough for his entire life. If he comes back, that is. But my gut is telling me that this guy will make more than one trip there and back.”
“With a wound like that?” the second man asked doubtfully and then sighed. “Fine, I trust your gut. Let’s take him and get out of here.”
Bending over Kai, the two men examined him carefully. They were both tall, with pale skin and long hair, one golden, the other dark green. But their main features were their large golden eyes and long pointed ears.
If Kai were conscious, he’d see that the inscription over their heads read:
[Race: Elf]
“I don’t know where you came from but,” the elf grinned,” welcome to the Holy Kingdom of Tael, slave!”
End of Book 4
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