A hat adorned with a feather, light armor crafted from leather, and a scimitar curved like a crescent moon.

The figures stirring up a sandstorm were undoubtedly the band of magical beasts that held sway over the Land of Quicksand.

“...”

By the time we found them, they were already cold corpses.

A shallow mound, hastily piled with sand, served as their grave.

One arm, sticking out, was the last to be buried in the shoveled sand.

“Well, now.”

It wasn't us who had annihilated them.

A group of armed soldiers was burying their bodies.

Unlike the magical beast band, their gear lacked uniformity, but each one exuded the air of a seasoned veteran.

“It seems we were fated to meet. Who would have thought we’d run into each other again so soon after parting ways.”

“Tell me about it.”

The leader of the group was Chelsea, the second-in-command of the Thorson Expedition.

The atmosphere around her was different from when I had seen her at the Ulfirin tribe hunting ground.

It was likely because her once-bright blonde hair had turned a dark, bloody red, as if dyed with it.

“It’s good to see you again, Contractor Allen.”

“I don’t know about you, but your friends don’t seem to think so.”

The atmosphere was menacing.

It didn't seem to be just because they were in the middle of burying a pile of corpses.

Their nerves were on edge.

It felt like standing before a wild beast, ready to pounce the moment I let my guard down.

“It seems our nerves are frayed from all the recent battles with the magical beast bands. Please don’t mind them too much.”

“Considering where we met last time, are you trying to drive all the magical beast bands out of this land for good?”

“Of course not. No matter how famous we are in the business, we can’t just kick out the masters of this vast land. We’re just cleaning up a few who get in our way, as needed.”

“As needed.”

That was a meaningful phrase.

The information Claire had given me about their movements, our second encounter, and our overlapping paths.

Putting it all together, I could deduce a few things.

‘As I thought, I have a very bad feeling about this.’

Whatever the truth was, the chances of things going my way were slim.

“Looks like your party has grown since I last saw you. I suppose you were planning to meet up with them from the start? One of them… looks quite familiar.”

The muscles in Chelsea’s face relaxed.

The wariness she held for me vanished from her business-like expression, and the empty space was filled with a blatant sense of delight.

The change was as natural as flowing water.

“I am Chelsea, second-in-command of the Thorson Expedition. It is an honor to meet the renowned Wanderer of the Magic Tower.”

“Oho, you know of me?”

“Of course. The Wanderer is known for appearing and disappearing like a ghost, bestowing grace upon those he forms a bond with. I have long awaited the day I might meet you.”

“Ahem, you flatter me.”

“Oh dear, it seems my tongue got ahead of itself.”

“No, no, anyone can make a slip like that.”

Colin feigned humility, looking embarrassed.

The twitching of his nostrils was a dead giveaway, though.

It was easy to mistake Colin for being prickly due to his fierce appearance, but in truth, he was an easy man to read.

With just a few sweet words, his face, once as hard as a stone, was melting away.

“Ahem!”

Colin kept clearing his throat, glancing at Sage out of the corner of his eye.

It was a gesture of pride, meant to show her how great he was.

The quick-witted Sage, though she must have noticed, pretended not to and put some distance between them.

“And this must be the Wanderer’s disciple.”

Having won over Colin in an instant, Chelsea turned her attention to Sage.

“...How did you know?”

“The flow of mana within your body is magnificent yet stable. I assumed it must be so, seeing as you possess the makings of a gifted mage at such a young age.”

Chelsea’s praise skillfully walked the line, just below the point where it would make the other person uncomfortable.

It might not seem like much, but it was a conversational skill honed by seasoned experience.

‘She said she’s the second-in-command of the expedition, so she must be in charge of external negotiations.’

To successfully complete a project like excavating ruins, where huge interests were at stake, one needed to skillfully coordinate with entrepreneurs, politicians, and mercenaries.

An asset like her must have contributed greatly to the Thorson Expedition’s path to success.

Leaving them to their conversation, I observed the other members.

The cleanup of the site seemed to be finishing, as they were gathering one by one.

“But what brings the Wanderer to this extreme land?”

“Personal research.”

“I see. But this place isn’t exactly a good environment for studying magical phenomena or researching magic.”

“That is a Magic Tower affair, so there is nothing more I can tell you.”

“The Magic Tower, is that so? From what I know, the Magic Tower has been refraining from external activities recently.”

“...”

Chelsea smiled innocently as she delivered the sharp jab.

Colin fell silent for a moment because it was the truth.

The Ileman School’s conversion to black magic, the theft of Ainsipal’s Blade Knuckle, and more.

The Magic Tower was busy with internal crackdowns, trying to cut out a deep-rooted tumor.

“Then it must be a personal matter, and from what I’ve heard…”

“You, on the other hand, haven’t stated your purpose yet.”

I said, facing them as they slowly armed themselves.

“Well, the purpose of a ruin expedition team is obviously the ruins. Has a ruin been discovered around here?”

“...Yes, well, we are currently investigating it.”

“What a coincidence. We’re also investigating a ruin in this area.”

As I laid it all out, everyone, without exception, was surprised.

“Well, the Land of Quicksand is a vast place, so it’s possible for multiple ruins to be discovered at the same time.”

Even amidst the surprise, Chelsea alone remained composed.

Was she thinking a little shake-up like this wasn't enough?

“For someone who should know better, you talk too much. This isn’t an industry where we’re friendly enough to share happily with that kind of nonsense.”

“That’s a harsh thing to say…”

Then I’ll just have to smack them in the back of the head myself so they have no choice but to react.

“Kill off any competitors so they don’t get in the way. Isn’t that the virtue of your industry? What’s the difference between us and the magical beasts from your point of view?”

“...!”

The tension, which had been slowly easing, snapped taut in an instant.

***

“...Yes, that’s right. You’re not wrong. We did have an ulterior motive.”

After a moment of silence, Chelsea let out a deep sigh and confessed.

“But we had no intention of using drastic measures. If you want to stay alive, you have to know who you can and can’t pick a fight with. The Magic Tower is a giant we can’t handle, so we intended to seek your cooperation. Whether that meant a joint expedition or asking for your understanding in exchange for treasure.”

“Unfortunately, your subordinates don’t seem to be in the mood to accept such a lukewarm measure.”

Bang!

“Ugh!”

I drew my gun from its holster and pulled the trigger.

It was the Quick Fire skill, recreated with my monstrous physical abilities.

A member, his ear pierced by the bullet, clutched it and groaned.

A small, broken radio fell from between his fingers.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know you were trying to send a radio message while pretending to chat?”

“That was to report the battle situation and our encounter with the Wanderer. Isn’t that something that should obviously be reported?”

“I wonder.”

I glanced at my phone’s screen.

Text messages were steadily coming in from a number with a blocked caller ID.

“30km to the northeast, 42km to the south, 45km to the west… There are too many locations for it to be just a report to your superiors.”

“How did you…!”

Chelsea’s mask finally cracked.

Then, as if realizing her blunder, she bit her lip and muttered.

“...Signal interception. You weren’t the only one who received the contract.”

This was why I had prepared Beta early on.

Even if the setting wasn’t inside a city, his hacking ability was useful like this.

“You went through a lot of trouble, trying to buy time with idle chatter. It was unnecessary labor in the end, though.”

“Not yet. Everything you’ve said is just circumstantial. As I’ve said repeatedly, our top priority is the Wanderer’s cooperation.”

“You’re pathetic. I didn’t want to have to say this.”

It was likely because she noticed that Colin and Sage were still uncertain, unlike me, who was now convinced.

It was a shallow trick to sow discord among us.

“Do you think I don’t know how obsessed your expedition leader is with this expedition? He plans to get rid of anything that gets in his way, be it the Magic Tower or anything else.”

It was the madness of a man who had poured all the resources of the expedition he had painstakingly built and was even willing to burn his own life for it.

Would he really pick his opponents just because it was the Magic Tower?

“...”

At the mention of her leader’s name, Chelsea finally dropped the act.

On her ice-cold face, there was no trace of her earlier bewilderment or trouble.

“I didn’t know you knew that much. You seem to have a trick or two up your sleeve.”

“A contractor has to have good ears. You never know what kind of situation you’ll face on a job.”

“You don’t seem to have been raised as delicately as you look.”

“If I lived up to my looks, I wouldn’t be working as a contractor.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Chelsea let out a small laugh.

It was a smile that exuded only a cold killing intent.

“But you’re quite reckless. If you knew our intentions, wouldn’t it have been better to explain the situation to your client beforehand and avoid us?”

They no longer hid their hostility and surrounded us.

It was possible because they had secured their positions beforehand while pretending to clean up the area.

Bang! Bang!

I fired my gun as if to keep them in check.

The muzzle was pointed at the ground.

Thinking it was a warning shot, they were not intimidated.

“A gunslinger, a hacker, a high-ranking mage, and an apprentice mage. If we can just keep the high-ranking mage in check, the rest don’t seem to be particularly difficult opponents.”

“You seem to be mistaken about something.”

I put the gun back in its holster.

“I never introduced myself as a gunslinger.”

“...!”

“Conversely, it means I judged that I could handle you with just this group.”

“Damn it! Kill them!”

Chelsea shouted, as if sensing something ominous.

But it was too late.

It was time to correct their foolish misunderstanding.

“Wh-what is this!”

“Aaargh!”

The dry desert began to turn green.

***

If one were to name a representative plant that grows in the desert, it would be the cactus.

If not that, then the baobab tree from the literary masterpiece.

But in reality, many kinds of plants live in the desert.

Among them exists a plant called the Portuguese Sundew.

It is a carnivorous plant that grows rarely in the desert, and its habits are the same as the widely known sundew.

And the seeds I had sown in the ground were a plant created by the game company, using it as a motif.

Slap!

They capture living creatures with their tentacle-like leaves.

Then, they pierce the creature with their densely packed thorns and suck the bodily fluids that flow from the wounds.

Normally, they were plants that hunted small mammals like insects or mice.

Meaning, they were harmless to humans.

“What… in the world…”

The plants that had propagated from the World Tree were different.

They were huge and tough.

They were large enough to easily entangle a person and tenacious enough to withstand their struggles.

Shwaaaak!

Once caught, taking heavy damage was a foregone conclusion.

This was because the tips of the thorns secreted a substance that aggravated wounds and promoted bleeding.

Seeing blood gush from their own bodies like a fountain, even veteran expedition members who butchered people like it was nothing couldn't help but be thrown into a panic.

“You don’t have the luxury to be looking away.”

“Kuh!”

Chelsea bit her lip until it bled and took out numerous bottles from her pocket, shattering them.

Liquids of various colors scattered into the air, instantly vaporizing and dispersing.

“So you were a mage after all.”

The mana concentration rose to a level that could be felt on the skin immediately.

The way she skillfully chanted and formed hand seals did not seem to be the work of an amateur.

‘Her plan was to hold off Colin with the help of alchemical reagents she prepared in advance.’

I didn't know what kind of magic she was trying to cast, but the wave of mana pressing down on my shoulders was unusual.

“In that case, I just need to take her down before the magic is cast.”

“Do you really think that’s possible? Your abilities and marksmanship are impressive, but I’ve also made my own preparations.”

Chelsea sneered.

In the windless space, her necklace floated up.

At the same time, a blue barrier protected her in a spherical shape.

I clicked my tongue, realizing how that harmony was achieved.

“A relic.”

“It’s an artifact specialized against magical shocks. Even without that, its strength is something mere bullets can’t pierce.”

As expected of a renowned ruin expedition, they even used relics themselves.

As it was an item she had prepared for her own survival, its effect would be outstanding.

I could understand her confidence.

Of course, it wasn't a big problem.

“Then I’ll just have to deal a physical blow that surpasses it.”

“...?”

“You still seem to be mistaking me for a mage or a gunslinger.”

「Synchronization will now proceed!」

Synchronization with the Guardian Falcon.

An aura like that of a seasoned warrior flowed through my entire body.

Recognizing this, Chelsea’s eyes widened to their limit.

“Impossible…!”

My thigh muscles tightened.

The moment I lightly kicked off the ground, my body shot forward like an arrow.

“I warned you.”

Clang!

The protective barrier shattered like glass, the light of the relic faded, and the distance between me and Chelsea narrowed enough to exchange breaths.

“Let’s make sure we never meet again.”

(End of Chapter)