System's POV - Chapter 1341
Chapter 1341: Dangers In The Desert [Part 1]
The idea of crossing these four powerful beings would be enough to make ordinary Wanderers abandon this mission.
Fortunately, he was acquainted with a Majin Princess among them—Paimon.
She had joined Thirteen’s original trinity after being defeated by Camazotz. They also had a good relationship with each other, so Thirteen informed her in advance that they would be crossing the desert and moving within her territory.
“I’ll send a guide to help you traverse the desert once you reach my domain,” Paimon had promised him after he asked for permission for safe passage in her territory.
In order to prevent any mishaps from happening, Thirteen came clean and told them the complicated situation of the Samara Desert.
After hearing his explanation, they understood that they were at the mercy of powerful beings, whom they had only heard of in rumors and legends.
For the majority of Wanderers, they might not ever see a Majin Prince or Princess in their lifetime.
However, they knew that these beings were more powerful than Monarchs and that if they made enemies with one, they would certainly suffer terribly, or worse, die in vain.
Their first day in the desert wasn’t that eventful.
But on the second day, they finally understood how unforgiving the Samara Desert was.
Sandstorms were very common here. The first time they came across one, the Wanderers all had grim expressions on their faces.
The sandstorms in Solterra were a hundred times more dangerous than the sandstorms in Pangea.
Usually, some monsters lurked within these sandstorms, and some even manifested in them due to their race’s unique ability.
Knowing that they were in a very dangerous situation, and after his demons confirmed that there were at least three Rank 8 Death Worms hunting within this deadly phenomenon, Thirteen decided to take everyone inside Rocky’s Mobile Fortress.
That was when the rest of the Wanderers finally met Thirteen’s Monster Army, making them almost pee their pants.
After Rocky’s Rank Up, his Mobile Fortress got an upgrade.
It was now very spacious and could easily fit a hundred thousand people without problems.
Also, it had gained new features, which Thirteen showed everyone.
The sky above their heads suddenly became transparent, allowing them to see what was happening outside.
Three Death Worms emerged from the sandstorm and sized up Rocky. The face-off between four giants lasted for a few minutes before the Death Worms decided that it wasn’t worth it to antagonize such a powerful monster.
The Hell Lord Bal-Boa was also not inclined to fight against them, so it didn’t take the initiative to attack the Death Worms.
For the first time, the Wanderers truly understood what it meant to traverse a Majin-controlled desert.
“This… this is insane…” one of the Wanderers whispered, staring at the monstrous shadow sliding beneath the sands outside the fortress walls.
They were looking at Rank 8 Death Worms in the flesh, and there were three of them.
Even Jason’s hands trembled despite his past bravado.
Julia swallowed hard. “If we were outside…”
“We’d already be dead,” Soren finished her words.
He wasn’t afraid of monsters. After all, he had faced death dozens of times.
But Rank 8 Death Worms weren’t “monsters.”
They were basically natural disasters.
“Relax,” Zion said, sounding strangely calm. “Rocky’s bigger, and they know it. Even without eyes, they could sense its robust aura, so they’re very wary.”
This reassurance didn’t stop the Wanderers from picturing what would happen if Rocky weren’t with them when they traversed the desert.
Thirteen watched them quietly.
Fear was a good teacher.
A necessary one, especially in a dangerous place like the Samara Desert.
Several hours later, when the sandstorm finally died down, Rocky let out a low growl as a way to say that there were no longer dangerous creatures that could pose a threat to them at the moment.
“The storm has passed, and there are no monsters nearby,” Thirteen said. “It’s time to go out.”
“W-Wait!” one of the Wanderers raised their hand. “Can we not just stay here and let Rocky bring us across the desert? Wouldn’t that make our journey much safer?”
Some of the Wanderers shared the same opinion as the young man who had spoken, but Thirteen only smiled and said…
“No.”
A moment later, everyone found themselves standing back in the desert, with fine sands under their feet.
“We keep moving,” Thirteen announced. “Remember this. Our mission is to prevent a Celestial Army from reaching Mount Olympus. Consider this journey as training. If you can’t even overcome something like this, you can forget about clearing this mission.
“If you want to give up, then that’s fine. I will just leave you here in the desert, and you’ll have to fend for yourselves.”
Thirteen’s threat snapped them back to reality. While he could give them protection during this journey, he had no intention of letting them get a free ride out of him.
There was no anger in his tone. No mockery.
Just a calm, simple truth.
But that truth was far more terrifying.
They had seen Rank 8 Death Worms.
They had experienced a sandstorm that could strip flesh from bone.
If he said he would leave them here…
They had a feeling that he would truly do that without batting an eye.
And if that happened, no doubt that they would die.
Funnily enough, out of the three thousand Wanderers, Jason and his group were the ones who acted calmer and still functioned properly.
Seeing those Death Worms was indeed terrifying, but it couldn’t compare to Giga’s baptism. They also understood better than anyone that the Rookie in front of them was far worse than those Death Worms.
The journey continued until the sun set over the horizon.
The desert was hot during the day but cold at night.
Rocky burrowed itself underground and heated itself in the sands a bit, giving everyone a comfortable warmth that warded off the coldness of the night.
The discipline they had developed during the past month they had been traveling together came into play.
Teams automatically played the role of the night watch, while their comrades rested.
The next few days became more challenging as their water reserves fell dangerously low.
But Thirteen had already got this covered.
His Demons had found underground rivers and lakes, and Rocky intermittently brought a group of Wanderers with it to refill their supply of water.
The teenage boy also taught his comrades tips on how to survive in the desert, making the journey more bearable.
A week later, they arrived at an oasis that Pica and Pico had spotted during their scouting mission.
And waiting for them there was one of Paimon’s subordinates, who was tasked to guide them through her territory within the vast Samara Desert.