----

After his battle against Deserea and the other Desertborn Brigand members, Kieran's first action was to check on Head Merchant Penni and the other merchants. Although the caravans were unharmed by the battle, Kieran doubted these merchants remained unaffected.

After all, the battle was far more fearsome than the previous one. The battlefield was still in a dreadful state even though it had concluded.

"Head Merchant Penni, are you alright?" Kieran asked while knocking against the main caravan.

A whimper sounded from inside. "I-is it safe out there? Is the horror finally over?!"

Naturally, the source of this terrified whimper was Head Merchant Penni, who barely peeked his head out from the small gap in the caravan.

"Correct, it's time for us to resume our travels," Kieran said.

Afterward, he looked around in search of the Obsidian Criollo he sent away. Kieran wasn't sure how far it had run off; however, he inhaled and released a loud whistle that traveled for several kilometers.

The response was slow, but a distant neigh sounded from their initial direction.

While the Obsidian Criollo returned, Kieran turned toward his party members and gestured for them to come. "We'll need to assume that we're close to the brigand's main hideout since we're approaching the desert territory."

"I supposed as such. The ability to control sand should only arise in individuals or animals indigenous to that environment. At least.. that's what I assume," Alice murmured beside Kieran. The subtle Mana activity embedded in the sand control ability told Alice the brigands exhibited abilities were natural and not the result of countless years of arduous training.

Brigands typically weren't the type to adhere to strict training regiments to grow stronger. They relied upon their naturally bestowed power to accomplish acts that allowed them to live comfortably or satisfactorily. In a sense, brigands lived a bare minimum lifestyle. This was at least true for the lower members.

The circumstances of the leaders were unknown because the objective of a group's creation was never to be confined to mediocrity. A leader's prevalent logic behind establishing a group was to grow, expand, strengthen and finally conquer.

"Is this entire area the Desert of Crumbling Sands?" Altair asked. While behind them was a type of forested oasis, the stretch of land spanning as far as they could see was barren with thinning visibility in the far distance.

"The fact we haven't received a notification yet means we have yet to reach the true border of the Barren Mountain Range. There is still a predominant amount of dirt beneath our feet. We'll know we've hit our destination when this turns into harsh sand," Kieran answered while placing his hand against the ground.

He rubbed his fingers together, noticing discrepancies with the sand's grain texture. 'The sand is deteriorating without Deserea's Mana to sustain it. She must have possessed a natural ability to convert Mana into a sand-like texture.'

"We move," Kieran suddenly exclaimed.

The Obsidian Criollo returned with a slow trot, allowing Kieran to straddle it. Afterward, Kieran extended his hand to Alice and pulled her up. Everyone else took identical seating before resuming their travels.

Throughout the journey, Kieran seemed lost in thought as he skimmed through his status menu. 'Finishing this quest will grant me access to the War Deity Council, I suppose. But, will it really be that simple? The War Deity Council is known to be tricky because they're difficult to please. They chase perfection, but such a thing is immaterial and virtually nonexistent.'

Kieran's current Quest Log consisted of two SSS Rank Quests and one B Rank Main Quest. Even if he wanted to slack off, he couldn't. His journey would be forever stocked with action if he wished to accomplish these quests before their deadline.

What's more, something Scar said to Kieran stuck in his mind—become strong quickly. It wasn't an arbitrary suggestion; there was a meaning behind it that Kieran had yet to grasp. His timeline wasn't as long as he believed it to be because the gears of destiny would become unstoppable once they began to turn.

Nevertheless, Kieran soon shifted his attention from his quest log to his skill arsenal. 'I should activate Sanguine Slashes more often and become comfortable with the rapid loss of Health to inflict heavier damage. The more natural the usage of Sanguine Slashes, the higher the damage I can achieve with Wrath Eruption. Blood Blind also needs more utilization since I tend to ignore its usage after learning of its lackluster effects. But, I may be wrong.'

Kieran's opinion of Blood Bind was based on a monstrous opponent like Rautori and not more practical experiences. To understand the actual effects of Blood Bind, he'd have to experiment on suitable opponents.

Lastly, Kieran noted his two most basic skills—Crimson Current and Crimson Barrage. Their quick activation and relatively low cooldowns earned them their title as his two most practical skills.

Kieran eventually came up with a rotation of skills that included his entire active arsenal. His passives were ignored for the time being because they were primarily situational with severe drawbacks. Kieran's primary objective was to become proficient enough at wielding his power to reduce the need for his passives.

In the best case scenario, he wished to keep them as a last resort.

"Hey."

Kieran's pondering was broken by a soft voice as he glanced forward. "What happened?"

"Nothing really. I was just wondering why you were so quiet? But I saw that you were unusually focused, and your face looked tense," Alice said.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to figure out my class. It's not as simple as I thought. I can't just smash things and pray for the best. My power is corrosive, and I don't mean to others," Kieran muttered.

"Is that why you were so cruel to that NPC earlier?" Alice whispered so only Kieran could hear the question.

However, Kieran gave a bitter smile in the end. He could only truthfully shake his head while withholding the reason. How could he explain that he was a reincarnator with troubles strong enough to largely influence his actions?

"No, I suppose not. That's.. that's another matter altogether. But, there may be a link that I haven't established," Kieran scratched his head when a sudden notification appeared before everyone's eyes.

〈System: You have entered the Desert of Crumbling Sands.〉

〈System: You have received 100 World Fame as the first players to enter the leveling zone.〉

"We made it!" Nemean exclaimed.

"Are you fucked in the head or what? How could we have made it? We've just made it to the desert, and that's it! Does this look like a kingdom to you?!" Bastion barked.

"Watch your tone with me, boy. You want this daddy to show you a thing or two?" Nemean barked back.

"Nah, you've already shown me enough," Bastion snickered. Nemean only took a second to realize what Bastion was insinuating. This caused his anger to flare, but Kieran's sharp whistle broke it up.

"Did that reward give enough fame to reach Knight standard World Fame?"

"Yes!" Everyone replied in unison.

In the beginning stages of the game, where the fame parameters remained reasonable, the additional World Fame rewarded upon first explorations was invaluable. Players would realize this once they started to visit large organizations or take on extremely difficult quests.

"Excellent. That much fame will do for now. Your main focus shouldn't be to acquire more reputation through menial quests. Instead, we'll begin our skill training when we return to the Aeredale Kingdom," Kieran instructed.

"Oh boy, who doesn't like a good training," Bastion groaned.

He could already guess how dreadful Kieran's training would be based on how he fought. After all, it seemed like Kieran intended to train them himself rather than employ the training mentors at the training center.

"Hold on.. why is it called the Desert of Crumbling Sands? What does that even mean?" Nemean remarked in confusion.

In response, Kieran extended his finger towards a specific point. "You see that right there? That small recess in the sand. Go over there and step on it."

Nemean immediately grew skeptical of this suggestion, giving Kieran an odd look. "Why?"

"I don't know? Go and see why, why don't you? You're the curious one, not me." Kieran smiled before adding, "You don't trust me?"

"I don't know.." Nemean said in an unsure tone. Kieran's expression was too odd. Still, he couldn't resist his brimming curiosity. He walked into the distance and cautiously tapped his foot on the indented area, but nothing happened.

As a result, he put his entire weight on the area before he noticed a sinking sensation followed by the inability to move.

"Oi! Oi! Oi! You set me up!" Nemean screamed at the top of his lung as the sand continued to swallow him up.

'Oh, it's a quicksand pit. I thought it would have been a decaying sand pocket. Damn, he got lucky,' Kieran thought. However, he pulled Nemean out of the quicksand before it could swallow him. If that were to happen, Nemean would suffer instant death.

"You've got your answer. That phenomenon is why this place is called the Desert of Crumbling Sands, so be careful where you travel. Remain vigilant at all times and pay close attention to avoid any abnormalities in the sand," Kieran responded.

However, there was another matter on Kieran's mind. 'The Desert of Crumbling Sands isn't the only leveling zone here. I can't recall its specific location, but there should be a zone rich with minerals and ore nearby, which is why I had everyone acquire the mining tradeskill. It's saddening, but it'll have to wait.'

The last thing Kieran wanted to do was reveal a hidden mine while in the presence of merchants. They'd undoubtedly want a share of any materials gathered. Kieran would much rather complete the quest first and then retrace his steps.

..

Meanwhile, a few thousand kilometers behind Kieran..

Despot stepped into the Barren Mountain Range while receiving a call from Autr.

"Boss, I think this guy is on a quest of some sort. He's fought with several marauders or something. I couldn't get close enough to reveal the specifics without risking exposure. But, they are traveling westward into a desert where I can't follow."

"You can't follow them? What do you mean?!" Despot asked coldly.

"W-well, there's nothing to use as concealment or cover."

The line went silent for a moment as Despot's frown deepened. "Are you telling me you can't find a solution? How can you be a Thief subclass without a single skill to conceal yourself? Useless!"historical

"I can, boss. It's just not perfect. The chances of another Thief detecting me is very high, and they have one on their team. I'm sure you remember how skilled that particular thief was. He was like a demon reaping lives!" Autr protested.

Despot could only groan in frustration while turning toward Horizon Break. "They're on horseback, so they'll travel much faster than we can. It might be quite some time before we catch up with them."

"What's a little more wait time when we'll inevitably pull them up from their roots. The path will be cleared as a result of their actions. So while their battles stunt their progress, we'll be unobstructed. We'll take them by surprise and ruin their day!"

"Oh, you mean like they did to us? I love the poetic justice, you sick freak. Let's go," Despot wore an unsettling grin as he excitedly resumed his attempt to catch up with Kieran and the others.