Chapter 2: First Mission
Alvaric had successfully avoided the Giant Sandworm. Now he was sitting on a large rock, holding three Sand Crawlers in his left hand. He was eating while staring straight ahead. What he saw was nothing but an endless desert. From Alvaric's perspective, there was no visible end to the desert.
He kept eating calmly. These were the 47th Sand Crawlers he had eaten. He had eaten so many Sand Crawlers that his tongue had become numb. He could now eat Sand Crawler meat without showing any sign of disgust.
"Will I be trapped in this desert forever?" Alvaric muttered.
He looked around, but all he could see was sand and dry land. There was no sign of green as far as his eyes could see. He jumped down, seeking shade under the rock. At midday, the sun would become scorching. Being under the sunlight without protection would burn his skin. Alvaric's skin was already dry, and his face was covered in dust. He hadn't bathed in two days.
In this desert, the daytime was extremely hot, especially at noon, but the nights were freezing like the polar regions. It was so cold that Alvaric felt as though his body was frozen. Not only that, but it was also pitch black. He could barely see anything. Alvaric felt like something was watching him at night, so he stacked stones and hid beneath them. That way, he could sleep peacefully.
"If this keeps up, I'll die of dehydration," Alvaric complained.
He was still able to survive because the blood of the Sand Crawlers was enough to hold off his thirst, but blood wasn't just minerals. There was iron and lead in it, which made his throat dry. Over time, it became more torturous. At first, he only needed two or three Sand Crawlers to delay his thirst.
However, as time went on, the amount he needed kept increasing. It was extremely painful. Alvaric felt he was going mad from the unbearable thirst.
"Looks like I have to go south," he said.