Few minutes before Danzel arrived at the ruins...

The deserts of Azurah.

A place with an environment unfitting for any living being.

Be it either food or water, the few cities or rather villages that made their ground in the deserts lacked both of them.

With the heat of the sun being enough to make one feel as he were inside a furnace and a creeping cold at the night.

One would have questioned why would such people seek to find their refuge in such a place.

The answer of that would be because of the mercenaries coming here.

Better known as the explorers around the desert.

Since there was no government in such villages, they were fully able to monopolize the income of the explores, as they were the only known trade routes for merchants to go.

As no supplies in this weather spelled death in the deserts of Azurah.

But other than that, why would explorers seek to challenge the environment of Azurah?

Reasons for it were too many.

Gold.

Fame.

Ancient knowledge and Artifacts.

Finding never seen or recorded monster in any books from far and wide.

And some even seek the very thing that mortals couldnt ever have.

Immortality.

Those were the few out of the many reasons as to why explorers seeked the deserts of Azurah.

But danger lurked everywhere, wherever one went.

After all, not even a considerable amount of 100 years of time were enough to explore the whole desert of Azurah till this day.

As for the reason why that was the case, many didnt know.

But those who knew would shake in fear just by imaging of a certain monstrosity.

And a particular group of 20 explorers was in the middle of talking about that particular being.

Resting a great sword up to his shoulder, a man with rough futures looks at his fellow explorer beside him with a frown on his face.

"Sean, I would very much appreciate it if you dont talk about such things while we are on a march...It will bring bad luck upon us."

"Hmm? What do you mean by that, Isamu?" The explorer wielding a short sword paired with a shield named Sean asked while tilting his head in confusion.

The explorer that rested his greatsword, named Isamu looked at his friend with improvement look.

"You know what I am talking about..."

"I dont know what you are talking about~" Sean said with a playful tone.

Staring daggers at Sean, Isamu said with a heavy tone.

"I am talking about the Ancient Devil of Azurah"

Hearing what Isamu said with a serious voice at that, Sean couldnt help but burst out of laughter.

"Pfff~Hahahaha! Did you really believe what I told you about finding a devil in our destination? Everyone knows that this thing is just made up by someone with a poor taste! Its the same as a fairytale that those wannabe bards singing all day long." Sean said.

"No! That Ancient Devil of Azurah does exist, I witnessed it with my two own eyes!" Isamu said.

"Yeah, right? I heard that joke from you before. A faceless being engulfed with flames surfing above the skies with the size of a dragon was it? Maybe you can fool our archer over there, but me you can not. If such a being really existed the whole desert would have long realized it!" Sean said, not realizing the danger that was about to befall on his head.

"Hey Sean, behind-" Before Isamu could warn his friend, it was too late.

Walking behind him, a slender girl with nice curves and brown long hair with a bow in her back raised her hand.

And before Sean could react, he received a hit to his head.

Not strong enough to leave any damage, but strong enough for him to grow in agony.

"Aghhh! You b*tch! What do you think you are doing, Sylva!"

"Hmpf, thats what you get from calling me a fool." The beauty worthy to be called a babe walked past the two while ignoring Seans curses.

Seeing that, Sean wanted to go and give her a lesson with the same medicine, but the only thing that stopped him from doing that was that mesmerizing a*s that swung left and right.

"Man, you almost drilling..." Isamu said, shaking his head in disgust at Seans behavior.

So he thought at least before his eyes subconsciously landed on the same spot where Sean sight was.

`Wow

While both had their priorities straight, a sigh from a girl was heard from behind them.

"You know, instead of glaring at you fellow explores body parts, I think its time to stop fooling around." A blonde girl wearing white robes with a staff in her hand.

With the star having a shape of a cross in the end,

"Hmm? What are you talking about, Priestess?" Isamu turned his head and asked. But once he did his eyes widen up.

"Sigh, we are already here." The girl with the white robes said, otherwise referred to as Priestess.

Witnessing the crumpled-up buildings, Isamu wasnt surprised.

He was part of any investigation of old ruins of city or underground tombs in this desert.

But never before had he seen a tower like that in front of him

"Its so huge..." Isuma said in awed, his excitement of exploring a mage tower was already starting to kick.

"They are indeed are." Sean nodded in confirmation, both their gazes being in different places.

Moving towards the roads of the ruins, a man with heavy armor raised his hand moved to stop their march.

"Everyone! We arrived at our destination! We will head towards that tower and take a break there! And tomorrow early we will investigate the tower! I dont want to see any slackers!"

Hearing their leader's orders, they all sighed in annoyance. Asking them to continue walking after that long march put people in a bad mood, but not enough to cause trouble.

"Ugh...I know that guy knows what he is doing, but cant we take a break right here where we are?" Sean said as he wiped his sweat from his forehead.

"Stop complaining already, the tower isnt that much far away. Since we will have to walk anyway, we might as well do it now that tomorrow." Isamu said while glaring at their leader with respect.

"Our leader isnt doing that to annoy us. He knows how dangerous those magic towers are since he was born in the arcana kingdom. If we were to walk to the tower tomorrow, our morale is bound to fall, if only slightly."

"Is that so?" Sean asked with doubt.

"Yeah, it is so. I knew our leader for years by now, so I can tell that he is looking after us."

"Not only is he strong, but the way he gives instruction is like that of a commander. Once when we were in a pinch against some monster, he thought out a strategy that made us barely get out alive."

"I see..."

"And-" while Isamu was continuing telling the tails that he and their leader suffered together to Sean who looked dead bored.

Isamu caught by the side of his eye something.

A bit further where their leader was, he noticed the side of the road that was filled with sand moving.

'Huh?'

At first, he thought it was the wind blowing the sand away.

But once he noticed the sand rising, his eyes went wide open.

"Leader!"

As soon as he screamed the sand of the ground exploded.

Revealing a large beast with the form of a three-meter long tiger-wolf hybrid body construed.

The most noticeable point of that beast where his face is that of a skull and how the huge mouth was opened with the leader of the explores being in the middle.

"Dam-" The leader tried to step back, but it was already too late.

*Clank!

Like an instant, the mouth of the skull old closed and devoured the upper body of their leader.

Leaving only the legs for the others to see.

Finishing eating their leader, the skull wolf let out a call.

"Gweaaaohh!"

Compared to the wolf's call, there we're must rougher in nature.

Although different though, they both served as a signal.

For this case, it was a signal of reinforcement.

Jumping out of the sands near the road, many more appeared from all sides of the explores.

"Gweeegh!"

"Gwaagghh!"

While they were realizing killing intent to all the explores.

The latter stared confused and warry of the monster nearby.

They never expect that their leader would just die so suddenly. Making them unsure of what to do.

Unfortunately, for them. The skull wolves weren't going to wait for them.

Seeing the dire situation, Isamu stepped forward on the frontlines. And shouted at them.

"You bastard! What are you spacing out! They are merely some overgrown dogs. Operate as usual!"

Taking the role of a leader, meant to take responsibility.

But leading themself, he must show them that he was confident in his decision.

Dashing forward, he swung his greatsword and cut off the skull wolf's neck the moment it just dashed at him head one.

As the others started to join in and he observed while fighting too.

He figures do guys' nature.

"Everybody! Those guys know only to leap! Take advantage of that!"

"You right!"

"Thanks!"

Too bad, knowing information and how to use it are two different things.

Few who tried turned out to be the next meal of the skull wolves.

Making their numbers fall as quickly as their enemy's.

Maybe it was because of all of them being exhausted from the hour of walk in the warm sun.

But such losses pained Isamu greatly as he knew most of the people.

"Gweeegh!"

Opening his mouth, the skull wolve dashed forward to devour him like their Leader.

'Dammit!' Isamu cursed internally of him losing attention on going a battle.

When he thought it was his end, a sharp wind-cutting noise passed through him.

*Crack.

With his skull pierced, Sylva pulled another arrow and aimed at another one.

"Don't space out"

"I known!" Dashing forward, he moved where Sean was facing a skull wolve.

Overwhelmed by the two, the two covered the side of the other while helping the other if need be.

Shortly after though after many deaths, they were still 7 of the best in

Heck, they were only 5 with the exhausted body.

"Hah~Hah~, just those more and we will be done."

Without the support of the priestess and Sylva with the remaining guy protecting them, fighting a few more seemed feasible.

Then, it happend.

Ominous mana growled through the floor at an increasing beast.

They imminently went vary and started to look for a magic caster.

But upon seeing the most entering their body, Isamu and the other shortly after realized what was going on.

With tens of such skull wolves having the most enter inside of them, a change occurred.

Coming back from the dead with extreme hate put together."

"What!?"

The color drained from their body upon witnessing that.

"Be careful! There is a necromancer in the facility!"

Raising her staff high, a gold glow appeared out of the corpse?

"May light serve you all!