Chapter 16 – The Edge of the Dome
After buying the medicine, we stepped out of the shop.
I carefully placed it inside my bag.
"Come," Elias said.
"…Where?"
He glanced at me briefly.
"I'll show you something important."
We walked in silence.
Further south.
Further away from the safer parts of the city.
The deeper we went—
the heavier the atmosphere became.
It wasn't something you could see—
but you could feel it.
A pressure.
Subtle.
Constant.
Soon—
I noticed something.
Adventurers.
Not just a few.
Hundreds.
No—
Thousands.
More than a thousand adventurers gathered near the edge of the Aegis Dome.
Some were sharpening their weapons slowly—
carefully maintaining their blades.
Others checked their armor, adjusting straps and tightening buckles.
Some sat quietly, eyes closed, conserving energy.
No one was wasting movement.
There was no laughter.
Not like in the Adventurer Inn.
The noisy, chaotic atmosphere—
gone.
This place felt different.
Heavy.
Real.
Some were smiling—
but even those smiles carried weight.
Focused.
Prepared.
"…This is different," I muttered.
"This," Elias said calmly,
"…is where it matters."
We continued forward.
Then—
I saw it.
The edge.
The barrier.
The Aegis Dome.
Up close—
it looked different.
The mana surrounding it wasn't as dense.
It flickered faintly—
like a flame running out of fuel.
Thinner.
Fading.
Weaker.
"…So this is the limit."
Beyond it—
Was something else entirely.
I stepped closer.
And saw it.
The Deadlands.
For a moment—
I couldn't speak.
Dark.
Ruined.
Endless.
The land looked…
dead.
Twisted trees stretched unnaturally toward the sky—
like they were reaching for something that no longer existed.
The ground was cracked.
Dry.
Lifeless.
"…Deadlands," I whispered.
"Do you know why it's called that?" Elias asked.
I shook my head.
"Because of death."
His voice remained calm.
"Humans and monsters have been killing each other there for years."
"Blood soaked into the ground."
"Over time…"
"…the land itself died."
Silence.
I swallowed.
Then—
I focused.
Movement.
Everywhere.
"…Monsters."
Thousands.
No—
More than ten thousand.
Most of them—
Level 1.
I could see them clearly now.
Ash Crawlers—
spider-like creatures clinging to broken structures, their long legs twitching unnaturally as they moved.
Rot Hounds—
thin, decaying beasts with exposed flesh, yet still fast and aggressive. Their glowing eyes locked onto anything that moved.
Spike Slimes—
slow, pulsating masses that occasionally shot sharp crystal spikes without warning.
Cracked Golemites—
small stone creatures, their bodies full of fractures. They looked fragile…
but something about them felt dangerous.
And beyond them—
Level 2 monsters.
Big Rats—
larger, more violent versions of what I had already faced.
Ironhide Boars—
massive beasts with hardened armor, capable of crushing anything in their path.
"…There's so many…"
My voice came out quieter than I expected.
Elias stood beside me.
"Inside the city…"
he said,
"…you're somewhat safe."
Then he looked at the Deadlands.
"But out there…"
"…no one will save you."
His words sank deep.
I kept staring.
At the monsters.
At the endless danger.
Then—
I felt something.
A faint sensation across my skin.
"…?"
It wasn't pain.
It was…
Awareness.
Like my body was reacting.
Like something inside me—
was waking up.
"…What is this feeling?"
I couldn't explain it.
But I knew one thing.
I wasn't afraid.
Not completely.
"…Why do I feel like this?"
Elias spoke again.
"Monsters sometimes make it inside the Dome," he said.
I looked at him.
"But they become weaker," he continued.
"The barrier suppresses them."
"…So that's why…"
Even inside the city—
danger still existed.
Just…
controlled.
Elias looked forward again.
"One day," he said,
"…you'll cross that line."
I followed his gaze.
The Deadlands.
Danger.
Death.
Everything waiting beyond that barrier.
For a moment—
I expected fear.
Hesitation.
Doubt.
But instead—
Something else rose inside me.
Excitement.
"…Weird."
I let out a small breath.
"…I'm actually looking forward to it."
Elias glanced at me.
But didn't say anything.
Maybe—
he understood.
I kept staring at the Deadlands.
At the place where countless had died.
At the place where I would one day fight.
My grip tightened slightly.
"…I'll be ready."
End of Chapter 16
A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you like the story, please rate it and continue supporting the novel—it truly motivates me to keep improving and writing more!