Chapter 414 – Greed

The desert at night was bitterly cold. Due to the ebb and flow of elemental forces, the surface temperature of the desert could drop to as low as -30 to -40 degrees Celsius. The ceaseless gales effortlessly stripped away the heat from the sand grains, making the scorching daytime temperatures—comparable to burning charcoal—and the frigid nighttime air feel like two entirely different worlds.

This was the vast Raging Wave Sand Sea. Whether blazing like fire during the day or icy and harsh as it was now, these were the desert’s expressions. Through the alternation of cold and heat, this sand sea had successfully become a death trap for life. Even resilient creatures like rabbits and mice dared not poke their heads out to forage on such freezing nights.

However… such temperature fluctuations were no challenge for powerful professionals, especially for the two Master-Level experts currently speeding across the desert.

Indeed, both Punk and Kane were traveling through the night—or more accurately, Punk was leading the way while Kane followed closely behind. The two powerhouses, completely unfazed by the wind and sand, were traversing the desert one after the other. Their incredible speed stirred up terrifying storms in their wake.

“Seriously, Punk, you seem to have been living well these years. A mage like you can always live in luxury wherever you go. A down-and-out knight like me, broke as a joke, can’t compare at all.”

After leaving the ruins of the Goat-headed Tribe, Punk had resumed his pursuit of Ovakain. This time, however, he was accompanied by a knight who never seemed to stop talking.

Perhaps out of genuine boredom, an inability to keep his mouth shut, or more likely, an attempt to implant certain concepts—whether correct or erroneous—and hint at something, Kane began chattering incessantly behind Punk, reminiscing about the past. No matter how much he rambled, Punk paid him no mind.

“I really don’t know how you managed to escape the Kamos Kingdom back then, you monster. The battle at Konola City was truly brutal. After Mainaixi fled with the princess and you, that general from the Kamos Kingdom really intended to slaughter the entire city. But that fool left the task to a bunch of idiot foot soldiers while he went off to chase Mainaixi.”

At this point, Kane’s tone grew increasingly boastful and animated.

“Though those foot soldiers killed quite a few people in the city, when they reached the noble district, they all got distracted looting treasures. I and several other agile combat professionals managed to escape without much trouble. But that’s nothing surprising. What about you, Punk? How did you survive being hunted by a Formal-Level warrior? Mainaixi was pretty badly wounded at the time.”

“Good luck and good looks made it a breeze.”

Punk glanced at Kane briefly, somewhat perplexed, and opted for a sarcastic reply.

Hearing Punk’s answer, Kane’s expression visibly stiffened. Still, he shook his head and didn’t press further.

“Alright, alright, no need to share if you don’t want to. I was just curious, is all. Compared to the incredible adventures I’ve had since then, your experiences probably pale in comparison.”When it came to adventure, Kane once again started rambling.

“Anyway, I went through a lot of stuff, and then the invincible me… just casually advanced to the Formal-Level, then casually embarked on a long journey. During the journey, I casually became a Master-Level powerhouse, and even casually became a National Guardian for a country…”

“And then you casually discovered that a Cult had appeared in your country, casually investigated it and found out it originated from the Raging Waves Desert, and finally casually chased the Cult all the way here. That’s what you wanted to say, isn’t it?”

Having no patience for Kane’s incoherent rambling, Punk directly voiced what Kane intended to say. By now, he had figured it out—Kane’s words were meant to instill the idea that “I’m only here to investigate the Cult, nothing else,” while also indirectly warning Punk not to interfere with his goals.

Unfortunately, Kane’s attempt at persuasion clearly failed. Punk showed no reaction to this knight’s “nostalgic recollection.”

After listening to Kane’s series of “casual” remarks, Punk decided to act just as casually. Even provoking Kane a bit would be a good thing—at least to see how obsessed this guy was with his own objectives.

With that thought, the previously indifferent Punk immediately switched to an extremely cold and serious tone, saying to Kane:

“Although I don’t know what your real goal is, there’s no doubt that I’ve become very interested. After all… letting a good opportunity slip by isn’t my style.”

Punk’s voice was icy and low, almost inaudible under the howling desert winds. However, with Kane’s Master-Level hearing, he keenly caught every word.

The moment Punk finished speaking, Kane’s expression instantly shifted from a sunny, cheerful smile to one of deep gloom:

“Punk Cyan, you should understand my warning. Now, I have a message for you: Greed is not a good thing. Those who play with fire will one day be consumed by it. You pursue your goals, I pursue mine. Aside from cooperating to deal with this damned Cult, we should not interfere with each other. That would be beneficial for both of us.”

Stopping mid-air, Kane’s right hand tightened around his golden Lance, with glowing Battle Aura swirling around the knight. The sand grains scattered by the desert winds couldn’t even penetrate the aura’s domain.

“Greed? Well, I have a message for you too, Kane Bisadas. It’s not easy to get useful resources these days. If there’s a good opportunity, who would mind being a little greedy?”

Facing Kane’s stern expression, Punk let out an undisguised cold laugh and also halted his steps. If Punk’s initial goal was merely to hunt down Ovakain, he was now genuinely starting to take an interest in Kane’s objectives. At his core, Punk, a spellcaster of the neutral chaotic alignment, was someone bold enough to court danger. As he himself had said, if there was a chance to gain something, he wouldn’t hesitate to take a risk.After all, as the saying goes, the resources needed to advance to Legendary are far too scarce. Those who aren’t greedy are doomed to die of old age at the Master-Level.

Hearing Punk’s response, Kane stared at the mage before him for quite a while, and then…

The knight suddenly burst into loud laughter, rocking back and forth with mirth:

“Hahaha, I knew a guy like you was the same type as me! What can we do? We’re all lunatics charging toward Legendary. Not greedy? What could be greedier than wanting to advance to Legendary? After all that talk, it seems I was the fool here.”

As he spoke, Kane began gradually descending in altitude, while a strange tone crept into his voice.

“In that case… let’s each rely on our own methods. We’ll see whose greed gets them killed first in this vast desert!”

(End of Chapter)