Sovereign of the Ashes

Another six months had passed, and Sein once again found himself in the sand valley where sandworms congregated.

This particular sand valley served as Sein’s sole landmark in the vast yellow expanse of the Sand World, marking the starting point of his ongoing quest to find his way back .

Whenever Sein lost his bearings in the sea of sand, he would follow the markers he had left behind and retrace his steps to the sand valley, using it as a base to restart his explorations.

Considering that the majority of the Sand World’s terrain was quicksand, it was highly likely that the location of the spatial passage could shift over time.

With each passing day, Sein’s hope of rediscovering the precise spatial coordinates dwindled, causing his heart to sink.

“Perhaps I should venture deeper into the sand valley instead of getting lost in the endless yellow sands and driving myself to the brink of madness. I’d rather die as a seeker of truth in the pursuit of the unknown,” Sein thought to himself, realizing that he had achieved little in nearly a year.

Each time Sein returned to the sand valley, it appeared mostly unchanged.

The unique funnel-shaped terrain provided a degree of protection against the sporadic sandstorms that ravaged the area beyond this point.

The sand within the valley remained remarkably stable, allowing Sein to consistently rediscover it.

Motivated by a combination of curiosity, or possibly the torment of solitude and restlessness, Sein ventured once more into the heart of the sand valley.

The massive, deep pit he had created in the heart of the valley still lay open, showing no signs of repair by the sandworms.

The once-teeming swarm of sandworms outside the cave entrance had significantly diminished.

The giant and medium-sized sandworms were nowhere to be seen. Only small and densely packed sandworms were in sight.

Sein’s extensive research on the behavior of sandworms had lessened the fear and unease he initially felt when facing these diminutive creatures.

Navigating the terrain with a sense of familiarity akin to returning to his own home, he cast the Water Ball spell on himself to cover his body in a thin film of water before approaching the swarm of sandworms from a distance of less than two meters.

The harsh environment and the solitude of his restless existence had honed Sein’s magical prowess to an extraordinary level.

More than half a year prior, he would have been capable of such precise control over his Water Ball spell, and it was not the only spell that had improved.

Sein had refined every other magic spell he had mastered to an exceptional degree.

In the Sand World, Sein’s options for acquiring new knowledge were severely limited.

His only options were self-directed research and revisiting the few magic tomes he had at his disposal.

The water film he created not only kept the smaller sandworms at bay, but also lowered his body temperature so that he was almost undetectable to them.

However, this tactic was only effective against the smaller sandworms. Sandworms with body sizes exceeding two meters were not easily deceived.

If not for this limitation, Sein would have preferred a gentler and more discreet approach to reclaim the elemental beads back then, rather than resorting to the use of his magic cannon.

After collecting a few more sandworm specimens, Sein surveyed the area before leaping into the cave.

***

Dim light managed to reach the underground space hollowed-out by the sandworms, likely because of the surrounding yellow sand and the sunlight filtering down from above.

Nevertheless, the overall atmosphere remained rather dim.

This place actually reminded Sein of Gloomhaven in the Underworld.

However, the situation in this underground cave differed slightly from Sein’s expectations.

The presence of sandworms was notably scarce, and the giant sandworms were conspicuously absent.

A layer of viscous yellow slime covered every nook and cranny within the cave’s interior.

Sein instinctively collected a sample of this mucus due to its remarkable adhesive properties. It seemed to have played a role in preventing the cave from collapsing.

“This doesn’t appear to be the result of melted sandworms. Is this their bodily fluids?” Sein contemplated in silence.

As he continued to venture deeper into the underground space, he finally spotted the giant sandworms.

In a vast sand pit reminiscent of a greenhouse, dozens of sandworms, ranging from two meters to several meters in length, writhed and coiled.

Various-sized white eggs littered the pit’s corners, from tiny grains of sand to half-meter-wide orbs.

Remarkably, Sein even observed a creature larger than the previous giant sandworm king, which he estimated to be around sixteen meters in length.

Nevertheless, what drew Sein’s attention the most among the giant sandworms before him were two medium-sized sandworms, each measuring nearly seven meters in length.

These two possessed only a single mouth, and the conspicuous opening at the end of their tails allowed Sein to identify them as the very same giant sandworm he had blown apart a year ago.

“It didn’t just survive but split into two? Are giant sandworms this resilient?” Sein could not help but marvel.

Sein, dressed in his tattered robe, managed to remain unnoticed by the giant sandworms in the sand pit.

The creatures seemed preoccupied with breeding and laying eggs, resulting in an abundance of densely packed white eggs.

Driven by his curiosity, Sein cautiously approached the edge of the sand pit and swiftly collected several sandworm eggs.

Space rings could not store living organisms, but these eggs did not seem to fall under that category.

Sein, driven by his desire for knowledge and perhaps a bit of entertainment, boldly neared the central area of the sand pit.

Capitalizing on the ample space in his ring, he stored a massive egg with a half-meter diameter.

Unfortunately, his action did not go unnoticed.

The sixteen-meter-long giant sandworm king, previously writing against another sandworm, released an anguished hiss upon detecting the disappearance of its offspring’s aura.

The sandworm king immediately ceased its activity, flung the other sandworm aside and targeted Sein with its gaping maw.

A chill ran down Sein’s spine as the massive creature locked onto him.

Realizing that he was exposed, Sein sprang to his feet and sprinted deeper into the underground space.

Escaping to the surface immediately was no longer an option, as the rustling sounds of the sandworms slithering behind him signaled that his escape route had been cut off.

He had no choice but to forge ahead into the depths of the underground space.

After an undetermined period of running, Sein noticed that the rustling sounds of the pursuing sandworms gradually diminished.

The surroundings darkened once more, indicating that the underground space was considerably larger than he initially perceived.

An unsettling voice suddenly intruded into Sein’s mind, inducing an excruciating headache.

The gender of the voice remained indiscernible, and it conveyed a message—“Come here, spellcaster from the Magus World. Let us make a deal.”

The voice did not have any malicious intent toward Sein; his pain was solely due to the immense disparity in their life levels.

Even a simple telepathic communication proved overwhelming for Sein, leaving him to wonder just how immensely powerful the owner of the voice was.