Chapter 42 – Silver Sand

Chapter 42 – Silver Sand

“Hahahaha…”

I laughed in disbelief. Although I knew about this dungeon from my previous life, the fact that there was oil here was completely new information to me.

Rather than someone hiding this information, it was more reasonable to assume that no one else had been able to scout as thoroughly as I had, so they simply didn’t know.

‘I should search the first dungeon more thoroughly too.’

Perhaps it was my mistake to have thought that what the dungeon exploration team in my previous life said was the whole truth. This dungeon, too, might hold more potential than I realized.

But that wasn’t my immediate goal.

‘For now, let’s focus on Mithril.’

Finding oil was good, but this was crude oil. To use it properly, it needed to be refined. For now, focusing on Mithril, which was essential for air superiority, was the priority.

Of course, that didn’t mean I would just let this opportunity pass.

‘I should tell Seongjae about it first.’

I had never obtained crude oil in my previous life, so I didn’t know how he would react this time. But I was confident that he would figure something out. And he would be very happy about it.

And sure enough…

“Crude oil? Really? Black gold, you mean? And I get to build a refinery with my own hands? Can I make plastic? Siwoo, is this real?”

He began to get incredibly excited.

“But this needs more research. Can you lend me some troops? I need more reference books. I’ll have to raid some libraries. A nearby library is-“

And then he looked at the map.

he said with a determined expression.

“Siwoo. I’m going to raid the Seoul National University Central Library.”

Of course, I decided to give him full support.

***

Meanwhile, I continued to explore the Desert.

‘I was sure there was an oasis…’

If I were to send people later, at the very least, there had to be Water. Nothing else mattered much besides The Man.

After all, this dimension was just an endless Desert. There were no mountains to build something like a Mountain Fortress, unlike last time.

There were only high sand dunes, and considering the Monster species that frequently operated here, I judged this to be a negative.

In other words, this time, Defensive Facility construction had to be done from the ground up anyway. In that case, it was better to at least have Water.

And… as mana was recharged, I kept sending additional Observation Probes to gradually expand the reconnaissance range.

Before long, I found what I was looking for.

“W-Water!”

It was a small oasis with greenery.

After exploring the vicinity and confirming that there were Mithril Mountains not far away, I made up my mind.

“This place will do.”

It was time to begin fortifying in earnest.

***

This fortification required a Rough Terrain Pioneer.

Deokchan, who had suddenly had his favorite taken away, made a tearful face at me, but when I told him he could have one for his exclusive use later…

He grabbed my hand and suddenly asked if I wouldn’t become his son-in-law, which made things very awkward.

“Ah, Father! What on earth are you talking about!”

Only after a red-faced Sua shouted at Deokchan did he clear his throat awkwardly and let go of my hand.

After positioning the Rough Terrain Pioneer, which had been prepared in this way, in front of the Rift.

I immediately fixed the Rift.

It was dangerous because there was no Defensive Facility yet, but without a Rough Terrain Pioneer, it would be difficult to construct a facility in the first place, Brother Hyung. However, the Rough Terrain Pioneer was Large-Class. It was a size that made passage difficult if the Rift was not fixed.

‘Well, if I can defend it, I’ll be the man.’

If it came down to it, I could defend from Earth.

Anyway, the Defensive Facility here was fully equipped.

So, I sent the Rough Terrain Pioneer, followed by Worker Bugs and a huge number of Escort troops. I started the work.

‘First, I should solidify the ground.’

I attached a Drilling Machine to the mechanical arm of the Rough Terrain Pioneer.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A long construction tool that dug straight down into the ground, first removing a considerable depth of sand.

Sizzle-

Worker Bugs then stepped forward and poured Lava into the hole.

Then, they moved about 1 meter to the side and repeated the same process. They were stabilizing the foundation by driving dense pillars into the sandy ground of the Desert.

Before Regression. This method was proposed by a construction engineer who had been dispatched to Dubai. Originally, it was a method of pouring concrete instead of Lava, but… it was never realized in the end.

The reason was simply that his influence was not very good. There were many people who feared that his influence would expand. It was a ridiculous thing to say, but in my Previous Life, everyone lived by bickering like that.

This time, that absolutely could not happen.

‘This time, if it’s good, I’ll do everything.’

There was nothing to fear.

After all, no one could match my influence.

Rather, there was something else to fear.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Drilling Machine striking the ground hard.

They were the ones who would come when they heard that vibration.

‘It’s about time they showed up…’

As if speaking of a tiger brings it, the ground began to rumble.

With a different pattern than the Drilling Machine.

Kuguuuuu-

Something was approaching, shaking beneath the sand.

Kwaaaang!

And then, something long broke through the sand.

“Kueeeeeeeek!”

To get straight to the point, this was not a Sandworm.

***

Everyone who first witnessed this monster said the same thing.

They had seen a ‘Sandworm’.

They heard the vibrations, saw ten long tentacles breaking through the desert sand. These tentacles would snatch people in an instant and drag them beneath the sand.

After that, several more sightings followed.

Some questioned why there were always ten, reasonably suspecting that this entity might not be ten separate individuals, but rather a being with a main body. However,

The witnesses always shook their heads.

They would say that the tentacles moved as if each had its own will, attacking the victims.

They wondered if it could truly be a single creature.

“Well… it’s quite funny.”

I laughed hollowly. The identity of this monster was only discovered after many people had been sacrificed.

“Fire!”

What’s the point of elaborating?

I immediately gave the order to attack.

Taaang-! Kwaaang!

The moment the light mass from the Assault Cannon hit the tentacles.

“Queeeek!”

It flinched with a chilling shriek.

Not just one tentacle, but hitting one caused all of them to react simultaneously as if the pain rippled through them. This would have been impossible if it were truly ten separate deathworms.

“Keep pushing.”

Bang-! Bang!

As I continued to attack its tentacles, it started to take a beating, as if it couldn’t get its bearings.

This was the way to defeat this monster. It was one of the most fearsome strong opponents in this desert. But for me, who knew how to defeat it, it was an easy opponent.

Unfortunately, these tentacles were not its main body.

“Rough Terrain Pioneer. Start drilling here.”

Taking advantage of the moment when the tentacles were being attacked and disoriented, I ordered the Rough Terrain Pioneer to make a hole in the ground. It was the central point where the ten tentacles converged.

It started to move without a word, then-

Thump! Thump! Thump!

It started to hit the ground again.

And the long drill of the drilling machine that pierces the ground…

When it had reached a certain depth.

Screech!

It penetrated something that wasn’t the ground.

“Screeeech?!”

Once again, a chilling roar.

This time, it was a high-pitched scream.

“Ugh, so annoying to listen to.”

And the ten tentacles began to fall powerlessly.

We had won.

“Good.”

I grinned and instructed the Worker Bug to bring the corpse back to this area, and continued with the work.

***

A moment later.

Except for Seongjae, who had gone to raid the Seoul National University Central Library, Sua and Deokchan, and the fortified city residents began to gather and murmur.

“Is something wrong?”

When I asked, puzzled,

Elder Deokchan asked with a confused expression.

“That… well, you. Didn’t you say the second dungeon? That beyond the Dungeon is a Desert?”

“Yes, I did.”

“What, it’s not like the sea or something?”

“Huh? The sea?”

“No, then where did you catch such a giant squid?”

“Ah… that.”

I grinned.

“It’s a type that lives in the Desert.”

[Sand Squid] was its name.

And the reason I went to the trouble of bringing it to Guro was…

It was a large species, so of course it had large Mana Stones that could be used, but there was also another important reason.

“Oh. This, it’s edible.”

It wasn’t just edible. It was very delicious. Although the people looked confused, a man soon raised his hand confidently.

Apparently, he used to run a sushi restaurant. He offered to take the lead in preparing the squid.

Once I left it to him, he quickly prepared the dish as he had boasted.

“Th-this is delicious?!”

“It’s the best!”

It really was the best blanched squid.

* * *

Having eaten my fill, I now took a bite of grilled squid and used the Observation Probe to examine the Desert’s fortification site.

‘This should be enough, right?’

With lava pillars driven deep into the sand, creating a robust foundation strong enough to prevent the Sand Squid from moving properly.

After leveling the ground with lava on top of The Man, a tall city wall was built on top of The Man.

This was to force the Sand Squid to expose itself to shallower sand to properly attack.

However, since it was a sand bottom, there was a concern that it would sink into the sand due to the weight of the construction water. Therefore, I built the base of the City Wall wider and proceeded with the construction in a pyramid shape.

While I was at it, I also built small huts for people, and a perfect small fortress was completed.

“Good.”

It was as good as making the first foothold to step into the Desert.

If I had my way, I would have liked to clear the surroundings based on this defensive position, but unfortunately, there were no monsters brazenly gathered under the hot sun of the Desert.

The Man would surely hide his body in the sand and avoid the artillery barrage of the Assault Cannon.

So, this time, I led a stronger escort team and headed for the Mithril Mountains, continuously creating a hardened lava path with Worker Bugs and Rough Terrain Pioneers.

In the meantime, Sand Squids and others were annoying, though.

Every time The Man was hunted. He was brought to the castle and simply requested to be made into boiled squid and dried squid.

“Again, another one is coming?!

It was natural that when the third one came, the man who called himself a raw fish restaurant owner turned pale and started trembling.

It seemed that disassembling a giant squid was not an easy task.

But when I assigned four Worker Bugs to The Man and told him to give instructions, The Man said with a happy face that he would work all night.

‘He’ll really have to work all night, though.’

I hid a wicked smile from The Man.

***

And… The next morning.

A black road was completed in the middle of the Desert.

It was a path of hardened lava.

The Man’s road crossed the sea of golden sand…

It was leading to [Silver Sand].

“Finally arrived.”

It was the Mithril Mountains.