Chapter 48 : Chapter 48

Chapter 48 :The Master of the Desert (5)

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The spirit that Narima handed over to me was an exceptionally powerful being among those that could be contracted through the Desert’s Blessing.

Arandir, the long-time friend of Tarashan, the Sand Spirit King.

Arandir, a high-ranking sand spirit, was a name I had heard through Tune World.

The opening of Tune World was unique in that it wasn’t set in the present era.

The time period featured in the opening was the ‘Mythic Era.’

The legacies from the Mythic Era became the Tunes, the mysteries of this world, passed down to the present day.

The opening introduced various figures from the Mythic Era, starting with Maron, the God of Death, and including various gods and spirit kings.

Arandir was a sand spirit that had existed since the Mythic Era, known for having roamed the world alongside Tarashan, the Sand Spirit King.

To think that I would form a contract with such an Arandir.

I looked at Narima with a mix of awe and concern.

If I were to take Arandir, a high-ranking spirit, out of the desert, it would surely place a burden on my body.

But Narima assured me that I wouldn’t suffer from the Desert’s Blessing—no, the curse.

“Master of the Desert…”

The adults of the Hamudalun tribe bowed their heads and spoke, but Arandir merely snorted.

- Am I the Master of the Desert? I am neither the Sand Spirit King nor the little child contracted to the Spirit King.

Arandir shouted, as if greatly angered by the words of the Hamudalun tribe.

- The one you should treat as the Master of the Desert is Narima.

Amid everyone’s shock, the only one who remained calm was a girl barely eight years old.

By Earth’s standards, she was just old enough to have entered elementary school.

Yet, as Arandir proclaimed, Narima, the ‘true Master of the Desert,’ displayed her dignity.

“I’m fine. Since uncle’s scared, can you change into a smaller form?”

Without showing much reaction, Arandir trembled slightly and began to shrink.

Arandir discarded its sand-mountain-like appearance and transformed into something resembling a desert fox.

- Is this good enough?

“Yeah! Cute!”

Even I thought the transformed sand spirit looked adorable.

Fluffy fur and perky ears.

I wanted to pat it behind right then and there.

But despite its changed appearance, it was still a high-ranking spirit—not something I could casually fawn over.

Through the blessing Narima gave me, I received control over Arandir.

Though Arandir had no prior connection to me, it agreed to form a contract solely because Narima requested it.

Moreover, it seemed Narima had taken measures to ensure I wouldn’t suffer the penalties that came with the Desert’s Blessing.

Truly, the contractor of a spirit king was something else.

“Thank you. Really, thank you.”

It was frustrating that those were the only words I could muster, but Narima didn’t mind.

“No problem! If uncle’s happy, I’m happy too! I have lots of friends!”

The adults of Hamudalun wore complicated expressions.

They had given away Arandir, a key asset, to an outsider.

The chief’s heart must have been burning, but they couldn’t defy Narima’s will.

The soil around the girl rustled—ssss—and countless high-ranking spirits, mimicking the desert fox form, sprang forth.

Narima laughed gleefully at the sight.

It was finally time to leave the desert.

I bid farewell to the stunned chief and Karab and headed toward the exit of the underground city.

With the sand spirit perched on my shoulder, I gave Narima a final wave.

The child shouted back, bidding me farewell.

“Someday! Let’s meet outside! When I can handle everything!”

“Yeah, let’s meet for sure. If you need help, just let me know.”

And so, I left the hidden domain of Hamudalun.

I walked away, leaving behind those who, in their daze, forgot to blindfold me.

* * *

Crackle.

I sent a radio message to Nofen.

I had expressed my desire to meet the demon cooperating with Tello, so I was curious about his response.

- Oh, Polarin-nim. I was just about to contact you.

“Hello, Nofen-nim. Did the talks go well?”

- Yes, yes… They want to meet you too, Polarin-nim.

“Was there any reluctance?”

- None at all! They were actually thrilled.

Nofen then explained in detail what I should keep in mind when meeting the demon.

It wasn’t anything too difficult.

Derix, the demon cooperating with Tello, was apparently easygoing and not particularly fussy.

They also held immense goodwill toward the Adjak family.

- I don’t think Polarin-nim would do this, but you absolutely mustn’t speak ill of the Adjak family!

They don’t even like it if you omit the honorific ‘-nim’!

“…Is there a reason for that?”

- Well, to put it simply, think of them as a fanatic of the Adjak family! They’re helping our family because they admire Adjak-nim.

What a strange one, I thought.

Then, a purple thread appeared before my eyes.

It looked much thicker and tougher than the one connected to Alkmyon.

- Keep this in mind. It’ll be hard to send support this time. But as long as Polarin-nim doesn’t draw a sword first, it should be fine.

Recalling the hostility I had shown before, Nofen added nervously.

“Thank you.”

I bit my lip as I responded.

I hadn’t had time to clear my mind.

Still harboring complex feelings, I followed the thread.

The scorching heat of the desert.

I was finally about to leave this place.

But there was one thing bothering me.

“We’re about to leave the desert.”

As soon as we left Hamudalun’s domain, I cautiously spoke to Arandir, who had hopped off my shoulder.

Arandir was swimming through the sea of sand, keeping its distance as if we were strangers.

- Do as you please.

Despite its cute desert-fox-like appearance, its voice was still full of dignity.

Thankfully, Arandir didn’t seem particularly annoyed about leaving the desert.

While I felt both relieved and puzzled, Arandir, perhaps reading my expression, spoke.

- I’ve been wandering the world for a long time.

“…”

Unlike other sand spirits, Arandir had no aversion to leaving the desert.

This was likely due to the long time it had spent with the Sand Spirit King since the Mythic Era.

- Besides, I intend to grant your wishes as much as possible. It’s Narima’s request, so there’s no reason to refuse.

“…Yes, thank you.”

- It won’t be like the desert, but sand is everywhere. I can swim anywhere.

It was my first time handling a sand spirit.

Obtaining [Wings of Ainsitel] and [Flame of the Spirit] was new too.

I’d have to drastically revise the build I had painstakingly planned while playing Adjak, but this kind of thing suited me.

Figuring out how to make my character—no, myself—stronger based on newly acquired hidden pieces.

‘My head’s already pounding from thinking about the demon… I’ll have to ponder a lot on the way.’

I thought about which of Adjak’s legacies to adopt and which to skip, while organizing the Tunes I had acquired so far.

[Rush], [Intangible Armor], [Severance-Object Infusion], [Wings of Ainsitel], [Fear], and [Flame of the Spirit].

Collecting Tunes haphazardly to raise my rank was an option, but not a good one.

What I truly wanted was to go beyond mere rank ascension and become a ‘Tuner.’

‘First, the Fifth Rank.’

Rather than glimpsing the power to tune the world, aiming for the Fifth Rank and beyond was a more realistic goal.

‘Once Baden finishes meditating, I’ll receive the second-stage Heart Engraving… Since I got [Flame of the Spirit], I’ll skip [Thundercloud]… And I should visit the World Tree at least once.’

I worked on refining my future plans.

Though I had obtained a fair number of Tunes, I was still far from catching up to Adjak’s footsteps.

- We’re about to leave the desert.

Arandir, speaking solemnly—or rather, haughtily—dived into the ground and moved away.

It seemed to enjoy itself just as much in regular soil as in sand.

Then, Blaze came to mind.

…Right. I was supposed to tell him where I was heading.

Crackle.

“Blaze-ssi, can you hear me?”

* * *

Blaze, Siriel, and Kiyot were struggling with an unexpected problem.

Blaze had his face buried in a map, staring at it for a while.

“The direction seems to be this way.”

Frustrated, Siriel smacked Blaze’s back and shouted.

“Staring at the map won’t do anything! We need to move forward!”

“…Hold on, Siriel. If we go blindly, we’ll get lost again.”

Blaze, who had lived his whole life in front of the Dome, and Siriel and Kiyot, who had only lived in the autonomous region, were all venturing out of their familiar territories for the first time.

Naturally, navigating wasn’t easy.

It was only natural—birds breaking out of their shells couldn’t fly right away.

“Just start walking!”

“…”

While Kiyot and Siriel bickered, the radio on Blaze’s waist crackled.

“Quiet.”

As the leader, Blaze silenced the group and communicated with Polarin.

Though he didn’t show it, Blaze inwardly wanted to cry out loud. Polarin’s call at that moment felt like a lifeline.

Surely, he would provide a solution to this chaotic situation… or so Blaze thought.

After the call, Blaze froze, his head lowered.

Siriel leaned in close and asked.

“Was that Polarin? What did he say? Is he coming?”

“…Or did he at least explain the way?”

Though they were three years older than Polarin, they had come to rely on him greatly.

But when Blaze didn’t respond, Kiyot’s large hand shook his shoulder.

“Speak.”

Blaze answered in a barely audible voice.

“He’s fed up, Polarin.”

“With us?”

“No, with the desert…”

“What does that mean!”

Unaware that Blaze was holding back tears, Kiyot and Siriel pressed him.

“I don’t know! He’s moving somewhere else. He said he’ll decide on a meeting place later!”

Unable to hold back, Blaze shouted.

Kiyot and Siriel pulled down the crow mask hanging over Blaze’s head and put it on him.

“…Talk with it on.”

“Yeah, put on the mask, leader!”

Knowing how timid Blaze was despite appearances, the two comforted him.

Wearing the mask, Blaze’s Crow persona emerged, and he spoke with a calmed heart.

“Don’t worry. We can track Polarin’s location.”

Another feature built into the Crow’s radio: the ability to share locations.

Polarin didn’t know how to use this feature, but Blaze’s group did.

Siriel expressed her disappointment.

“What a shame. We were almost in the desert!”

“…It would’ve taken another week. You got us lost yesterday.”

“Why is that my fault!”

Regaining his composure, Blaze activated the radio’s hologram.

A flickering light showed Polarin moving quickly somewhere.

Blaze roughly marked the location on the map and spoke solemnly to his team.

“Let’s move.”

And so, the three pressed forward…

“Leader! There’s a beast ahead. I’ll take the front!”

Their journey was still far from smooth.

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